Elie Amatas

Unknown A:eD or AD

Ignis Cavern, a book found along the northwest wall of the first chamber.

Mortalitas

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Talusain legend tells of a cavern in the mountains where beings were born from clusters of rock and crystal, living simple existences separate from the complex lives of Humans and Oghmir. Even plants took easily to the place, witnessed in bundles of ferns and grass on the floors and walls among the glittering gems and oddly-patterned stones.

One summer day smoke billowed from the cave, creating a gloom in the skies for weeks that made bears slumber as if it was winter and nightsnatchers crawl from their dens during the day. It is said the first one to brave the cave and set foot inside only shortly after it settled was a Huérgar concerned about the elementals within.

Her grandmother had told her of a time when the place only sang with the songs of crystal, a chime that never seemed to cease so much as shift its pitch up and down—but never having a beginning or reaching an end.

She told her of impossibly sharp Crystal Things that looked like glass, that knew not the fragility of beings made of skin and blood. Whether through maliciousness, ignorant playfulness, or immoral curiosity—they would shred any being made of flesh into ribbons. The cavern wasn't safe then, but the thunder eggs were plentiful, and so many were lost trying to retrieve them.

Through her, she had heard other tales.

Her grandmother personally attested to the existence of a pleasant Dirt-Clod Thing that ambled about inoffensively and without danger. She described to her how it would gather mounds of dirt like a child pulling a pile of sand or snow onto themselves when trying to cover their torso, but doing so made itself larger and larger over the years it was observed.

She even spoke of a Thing that had come from an underground pond of water. It glistened magnificently in the combination of torchlight and crystal before it sank back in, completely disappearing from sight when fully submerged.

The crystal cave painted to her by her grandmother in tales was a place of wonder, danger, and mystery; but she grandmother had not mentioned the Thing of rock and fire that half-slithered from a pool of magma, melting the half-submerged body of the Kimurus she had come to cherish.

There was now heat in the crystal cave.

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