Amplimet

The Amplimet is a crystal featured in Ian Irvine's The Well of Echoes quartet. It is given to Tiaan by her friend Joeyn the miner as he dies in the manufactory mines. It is a perfect geometric shape, two pyramids of quartz joined at the base, each with a ball of very fine crystal needles inside and a small bubble of liquid between the two in the centre. Even though it is a natural occurrence, the amplimet is already awakened to the field when Tiaan finds it. As she uses it more, she discovers it is an incredibly powerful crystal, able to draw on fields further away than any other crystal, channel geomantic forces and even draw on the mysterious Strong Forces which allow the first Thapter to fly.

Throughout the series, it becomes clear the characters that the amplimet is no ordinary crystal. It begins to communicate with The Well of Echoes at Tirthrax and with the nodes at Boreah Ngurle and Snizort. While in contact with Tiaan in the patterner, it begins to manipulate the torgnadr being developed to channel power into itself. Its reasons for doing this are made clear by the Aachim in Tetrarch. The amplimet is a sentient crystal whose purpose in the first and second stages of awakening is to draw power from the field into itself to advance its awakening. Upon reaching the third stage, the amplimet becomes fully awake. This happened on Aachim long ago and though the consequences are not explained, they were certainly nothing good.