Free Cities used to be a part of Thorne until they rebelled and cut out their own lands from it. So there is some very old bad blood there and no love lost. I think they have a serious grudge against each other that is long-lasting and may be why any of this is happening. I'm not sure entirely where Solvunn fits in.

Yes, although those were brittle and not very strong. Strong enough they'd allow us to gather and use them for this temporary solution, not strong enough to power anything dangerous. They wouldn't risk any of us being able to pocket one or find a way to utilize it privately. They're not refined.

I know they have refined and stable crystals that they use for other things.