Soon they were on a trail, which continued south, where they eventually came to the small town of Crystal Haven, named appropriately after the mystics who were drawn there.  The area is a geological treasure trove for them because of its ancient past and hot spring activity. They make their living crafting the gems and stones into all sorts of items including jewelry and figurines. Many of these people believe in the special powers of crystals, precious and semi-precious stones. Most people find this a bit eccentric which is why the inhabitants of Crystal Haven live apart from society.  Lourense felt something akin to pity for these poor misguided folks; how could someone actually believe in something so foolish.  As they rode through town, however, Lourense could not help but be impressed with their artistry and craftsmanship. 

All of the buildings in town were heavily adorned with these stones and crystals creating a palate that was as brilliant as the rainbow.  Each establishment had its own unique design, which gave the whole town a cheery feel in the midst of the dark and oppressive forest.  Many of the townsfolk greeted Keldrid as he passed and it became apparent to Lourense that this was a town that his new master frequented.  Most of the buildings doubled as both home and merchant establishment with front windows for displaying their goods. Lourense intently studied each window as they passed and saw polished stones, round shaped disks, beads on rope, parchment thin sheets of semi-precious stone that catch light in a window as well as formal jewelry and clothing.  There were also shops that specialized in figurines of animals while others displayed beasts of the most absurd type. It was at a shop, which sold the latter that they finally stopped and dismounted.  This shop was different from the others in a number of ways, first and most obvious was its shape and exterior color scheme of basically purple and black with a few accents of crimson.  At a quick glance the casual passerby got the impression that they were walking in front of a great dragon’s head.  Upon closer inspection it was actually a two story adobe structure shaped to look like the mythical beast that it resembled, both clever in design and function that draws attention to the establishment and represents the wares that could be found within. 

When Keldrid was done, he and Thelonius walked into a wide-open space with a high vaulted ceiling and to Lourense’s recollection it was the rear of the building that formed the cranium and eyes of the dragon façade whereas the merchandise was located in the snout.  The room had a large circle and pentagram in the center made of a crimson stone inlaid into the floor.  The walls were etched with various runes and inscriptions in a language that Lourense did not understand.  Before Lourense knew what was going on, Keldrid threw one of the tiny figures into the center of the room and uttered a command.  Lourense could not figure out why Keldrid became angry; perhaps he determined that the figurine was a forgery or of inferior quality.  Just before the piece was about to hit the floor and shatter, Lourense saw it transform into a huge four legged beast with glowing red eyes, 3 inch fangs, clawed feet and thick blood red metallic scales covering it’s body.  The beast landed on its feet and immediately turned toward the group and regarded them. Lourense gasped and backed up suddenly and Keldrid laughed heartily.  Keldrid just loved the reaction of someone who has just encountered one of these things for the first time.  “Relax Lourense,” Keldrid spoke, “ This is a guardian and is under my control.  Keldrid took it through a series of commands before uttering a single word command that turned it back into a figurine. 

When Lourense finally composed himself, he had a number of questions that just had to be answered. “Master Keldrid”, Lourense queried.  Before Lourense could continue, Keldrid quickly interjected, “Lourense, I prefer that you not call me master, just call me Keldrid. Now, what is your question?”  Lourense smiled sheepishly but was pleased with Keldrid’s response since it embarrassed him to call someone master.  He knew his pride was getting the better of him there. “Those figurines are incredible can anyone buy one?  Keldrid deferred the question to Thelonius.  Thelonius explained, “Why yes, anyone can buy them but the trick is that few could use them. It requires the highest level of arcane ability to effectively activate the figurine but more importantly, the caster must have the discipline to completely control the beast lest it turn on the caster.  That is why I have this staging area.  It is protected by a containment spell so that the potential buyer will be safe if they are unable to control the beast.”  Lourense took the opportunity when Thelonius paused to ask, “Couldn’t another mage negate the beast by uttering the minimize command?”  Thelonius looked at Keldrid, “Why Keldrid you have selected wisely.” He then turned back to Lourense and responded to his question.  “That is a very perceptive question.  Each figurine is crafted with a unique command for maximizing and minimizing but must be focused upon when casting the spell.  That way you are not activating a dozen guardians in your pack while trying to activate the one in front of you.  Through a special spell the owner will then imprint each figurine with his or her own psychic identity thereby allowing only him or her to use it.  I am the only other person who can command my creations.”  Lourense thanked Thelonius for the explanation and bid them continue with what they were doing.