Ancient Shrines are naturally-occurring structures generated upon world creation. They provide the player with with a Floating Crystal, allowing them to access most of the modpack.
Astral Tome entry[]
Scattered across the world are ancient shrines, built from marble by a civilization long past. Some of the most impressive shrines, featuring elaborate structures, have been located atop high hills and mountains, while smaller ones have been dug up from under the sands in deserts.
While they don't seem to be very special at first, it's told that many of them harbor old and sacred treasures. Unlike the legends, however, only a few old chests and stories of strange floating crystals have ever been found.
The floating crystals are quite bizarre. They appear to emit a constant shimmering Starlight that flickers in an eerie and enchanting way.
There is little doubt that these crystals are artificial. Their true age and origin is practically impossible to determine, but after some observation the crystal energies seem to be fixed in their alignment with the stars.
Not even the tiniest sliver can be chipped from the crystals in these shrines, even with the most destructive methods.
The behaviour of these crystals also seems strange. The light they emit appears to ebb and flow, like water, in response to certain objects being nearby. Maybe placing a crafting table close by would yield something interesting?
Ancient Shrine[]
Ancient Shrines spawn in Extreme Hills biomes. They are recognizable by their large marble exterior.
Within the shrine is a room with two chests and a Floating Crystal.
Desert Shrine[]
Desert shrines spawn in deserts, often covered in sand blocks. They possess an underground main chamber.
Within the shrine is a room with a Floating Crystal and at least one chest.
There is a chest present underneath a pillar on the surface of each desert shrine.
Small Shrine[]
Small shrines spawn in various biomes. They do not possess an underground chamber.
There is a chance a chest spawns underneath each pillar in each small shrine.