| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| tauster |
Posted - 05 Feb 2008 : 19:12:06
just stumbled over a report about a cave with giant, 11m long crystals:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/photogalleries/giant-crystals-cave/photo6.html
and
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/82948445.html
flickr has some more pics, even more stunning than the ones in the articles:
http://flickr.com/search/?q=Cueva%20de%20los%20Cristales&w=all
some pics from cueva de los cristales are also here:
http://flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=crystal+cave&m=text
The pictures are absolutely stunning and can be used as great handouts for adventures on the paraelemantal plane of crystals, or even in the underdark!
How about a thread (or even sub-forum?) for links to pictures for handouts like these?  |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alisttair |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 10:43:33
I hand't seen this thread when it was first posted. Very nice. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 03:27:02
Isn't there already a geode cavern somewhere in the Underdark? The site of a city? |
| Brynweir |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 02:43:45
I'd say as much sci-fi as fantasy, but it was nice when I was a kid. And yes, cheesy.
And as stated before, who knows what will spark a wonderful adventure idea?  |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 02:38:59
Ah, don't ya just love cheesy 80's fantasy flicks? i was quite taken with that weapon... |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 02:35:20
Cheesy movie, Krull. Though I very much liked the widow's spider, the cyclops, and the moving fortress. |
| Brynweir |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 02:00:31
I am so glad you found this and dug it out. It gives me some great ideas for the Underdark, all those giant web-like structures...
Kind if reminds me of the Widow of the Web from Krull too  |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 01:52:35
This is interesting. I wrote about such a cavern in one of my stories, it was essentially a giant geode, with a floor of volcanic glass. It's nice to see I wasn't far off the mark! |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 01:41:03
There are several crystal cave sites in the world and many more pictures on google. There's also a short documentary series about them (as seen in the Cueva de los Cristales in Mexico) which sometimes runs on the learning channels.
These images could indeed serve as great representations of the Quasi-elemental Plane of Crystal.
These 50-ton crystals formed during (geologic) aeons of immersion in volcanically heated water rich in calcium and other elements; they are largely composed of a mixture of calcium and silicon quartz. Most such caves are still immersed in water, only a handful have drained out, and these still retain unbearable heat (in excess of 140F/60C) which will kill an unprotected human in minutes. Researchers rarely venture very far since severe dehydration, exposure, and thermal fatigue sets in after only 15-20 minutes at most, even with all the water they can carry while wearing respirators and hostile environment suits (they aren't bumbling amateurs). The razor-sharp crystalline edges are also a constant danger. Some attempts have been made to chip and core crystal samples for chemical and biological analysis, but the conditions are so hot that these literally only scratch the surface (powertools and batteries do not operate in the extreme heat, even light sources are unreliable). |
| Fellfire |
Posted - 15 Mar 2011 : 01:11:30
Just found this in the archives. I've got a few great ideas using these. |
| GRYPHON |
Posted - 11 Feb 2008 : 15:25:41
Stunning...definitely brings new ideas to mind about the Underdark. |
| tauster |
Posted - 11 Feb 2008 : 08:55:34
I was aware that my posting lacks a realmsian background, but I
- thought the whole thing was too cool to not share it with other scribes here
- didn't know where else to post it and
- didn't want to create an "alibi-realmsification" to justify the thread.
Darkmeer's idea sounds great, and I am sure I'll use something along these lines. Another idea would be making the crystal caverns the realm and lair of one of the more exitic underdark-dwelling races like Glouras (sp?) or Pech. Svirfneblin could be another option: these little guys are not very much detailed, apart from the usual cliché encounter descriptions. The caves might be the Svirfneblin's temple, and letting them summon a crystal elemental (or some other crystal-related monster) before the eyes of the PC will leave a lasting impression... |
| BARDOBARBAROS |
Posted - 10 Feb 2008 : 23:01:57
Indeed it's interesting .... |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 10 Feb 2008 : 21:28:27
Interestingly enough, the articles on the Underdark (as well as the Feywild version of the Underdark) in Worlds and Monsters mention giant crystals like this. |
| Darkmeer |
Posted - 10 Feb 2008 : 21:00:22
Actually, I don't think he's far off-topic, in a grand sense of the word. I've got an idea from this, and I hope that this helps steer us back into the Realms.
Okay, from Underdark (3.5 product), we have Earth Nodes and Faerzess. What, Canon-wise is said about these areas?
If I were to present this to my players, I'd likely use a powerful earth node or connection to the quasielemental plane of mineral to show the glory of it all. As to what you could do with it, we could alter gravity so that ranged attacks past, say 50' or so are ineffectual, as the gravity keeps changing near larger crystals.
Okay, so the description (with handout) goes:
"You enter a relatively open cavern after what seems like hours. There is a strange glow, and you realize that it is coming from crystals all around you, including below your feet. You stand on a gigantic crystal bridge, that intersects with many other smaller and a few larger ones. The majestic beauty of the cavern overwhelms you as you walk through, and suddenly the sunrod you've been carrying 'falls' out of your hand to a nearby crystal, well within arm's reach. It seems this cave has more perils than first imagined."
I can picture a group of driders using this place as a lair, which would make them slightly at a disadvantage, depending on the spells they chose, or at a great disadvantage.
If the players look down, they see:
"you see a strange bubbling liquid. It seems that the crystals are growing out of it, in a haphazard fashion."
Boom, interesting room, and then wham encounter. You could do a number of creatures, from elemental based ones to more vile underdark creatures. I could even see a killer encounter using an Umberhulk. Cue "I'm an UmberJack and I'm okay..."
/d |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 05 Feb 2008 : 23:35:24
Those are lovely, "fairy-like" crystals, although I have the feeling this thread will be closed for being off-topic (not really FR-related). |
