Upon stepping down into the hidden passage, Travis took careful note of the aged architecture and became surprised to learn that the very materials around them were practically made from pure mana crystals. In most uses, mana crystals typically were utilized in conjunction with spells and enchantments. Seeing structures and constructs made from the stuff was intriguing as it was potentially considered unusual. Even more so was the lighting within the corridors and perhaps much of the rest of the catacombs. He recalled no torches or and magical lamps of any sort. In fact, it seemed that sculpted mana crystals, despite their dark coloration, seemed to give off a sort of soft illumination that fairly lit up the transparent yet reflective walls in which light was forever constant.

Travis however wondered if the mana crystals were merely an aesthetically appealing theme or if they served some sort of unknown purpose. Stepping further into the catacombs did they soon find coffins also made from mana crystals lined up against the walls. Like the architecture, the coffins also displayed a physical transparency but unlike the mana crystal structures around them, the coffins actually held bodies within them or put simply, the skeletal remains. Not minding anyone for a moment, Travis investigate one coffin up close but dared not touch it when hearing Felix over the manadial warning of another spell up ahead. With no markings to address the identity of the skeletons, Travis brainstormed why these were even here in the first place. Did the architects construct a tomb to bury important figures at the time related to the Paragon? Or could this be some form of magical trap that encompasses the mana crystals as a whole?

Their ventures inward eventually lead the group to a surprisingly large room climbing several stories high with more mana crystal coffins decorating the place upward. But the more important feature that would test their progress were a number of granite doors covered in small flakes of the crystals that seeming made up the whole catacombs. Raiya and Felix went back and forth identifying the sealed entrance before them. While similar in concept, the door however had no runes written upon it and was speculated to be enchanted by the mana crystals around it. Raiya casted two advanced spell in an attempt to test and possibly destroy the entrance but neither could even scratch the door despite their explosive results. A protection spell was likely responsible for this.

While Nemo and Raiya seemingly switched topics on something irrelevant while the rest of their party formed up, Travis decided to investigate more of the doorways to see if there was any way to exploit their design like before. Since there were no intricate runes to rewrite, this puzzle at least to him, seemed more linear but theoretically hopeless with the aspects of the enchainment painfully clear. Summoning his own arte of mana analysis, he scanned the surroundings seeking to find anything that was not visibly evident. As he did so, Travis eventually toggled his own manadial until he figured out how the earpiece.

“…quite a few occupied coffins here – all made out of mana crystals as with the rest of the place…Notably the same color as the gems inlaid with the door…” Travis said to himself aloud before raising attention to him, “Anyone have any ideas what purpose these coffins serve? I’d be disappointed if they’re made out mana crystals just for the sake of being made out of ‘em…”