It Kills With Fire

Dear Friends,

Today I confronted and defeated the legendary Primal Ifrit in battle! Sadly, it was not quite the victory that I'd hoped for. I fear we only banished the beast temporarily. I'll explain why in a moment.

I had recruited the help of one of my Linkshell mates, and two other adventurers we met in Gridania. As we stepped thru the gate into the Bowl of Embers. It was very unsettling scene. The sun in the sky glowed black as if eclipsed. The very horizon seemed to burn with hellfire. Ifrit was as colossal as I remember. We could feel the heat pouring off of him as we approached.

The battle was fierce. I must admit that if it were not for the help of my companions, I would never have been able to defeat a creature of this power. The ability to work together, each of us doing our own part, is what saved the day.

Once the fatal blow was struck, the flames that encircled the battlefield surged upward and dissipated all in an instant. We found ourselves in a remote area of Thanalan. A strange sound hummed overhead, and I looked up to see an enormous Imperial airship hovering above us. The sound of footsteps caught my attention and I turned to see a party of Imperial troops approaching us! Leading them, was a man donned from head to toe in ornate armor.

He introduced himself as Legatus Nael van Darnus of the Garlean Empire. He congratulated us on our bravery and our victory of Ifrit. However, we claimed that our success was of little import. Only with assistance from the Empire would be stand a chance against the "impending doom" that threatened all of Eorzea. He insisted that Garlean Empire only has the best interest of it's neighbors at heart. I must admit, his charisma almost made me wonder if perhaps, we have all been blinded by fear. But in my gut, I knew better.

 He quoted the prophecy of the Seventh Umbral Era as he pulled pulled his lance free from his back. His weapon began to glow with the light of bright blue aether. He explained that our world would be destroyed by a "crimson star from the heavens"... Could he be referring to Dalamud? Is the red moon, the "meteor" that I've heard mention of?? Thoughts began to race through my mind, it all happened to fast. In an instant, a beam of light shot from the tip of his weapons and stuck the node that brought us here. There was a bright flash, and we found ourselves back in Gridania.

Slightly dazed, we reported back to Louisoix all that had transpired. He seemed very concerned both about our battle with Ifrit and our encounter with Nael van Darnus. The weapon that seemed to eradicate the node troubled him particularly. He also seemed convinced that our victory over Ifrit was fleeting, at best. It seems the Primal has been absorbing the power of aether. The very same thing that the Empire seem bent on achieving. Now we are all concerned that Ifrit may return even stronger than before. But this time, the node does not exist to take us to his hideout. I dare not speculate further.

We were commended for our duty, and in fact, I was promoted to the rank of 2nd class! Already, a new task has being prepared for me. I will report back as soon as possible.

~Kiji

 

Hunting Ifrit

Dear Friends,

Today, I have accepted a mission so perilous that I may not return. The Twin Adders have tasked me with an attack against against the Primal known as Ifrit. The same Ifrit that Aerylia and I came face to face with mere days ago.

I was ordered to meet with an Elezan gentleman by the name of Louisoix. Louisoix is a member of an order called the Circle of Knowing. I was instructed to wait for him at the Apkallus Falls, a secluded spot in Gridania. After a brief introduction, he explained to me the reason this mission was ordered.

It has been learned that simply by existing in our world, the Primals are draining Erozea of it's aether. If something is not done to banish them, they could very well well end up exhausting all of the aether in out world. Not only would this destroy the aetheryte crystals, but it could very well turn all of Erozea into a complete wasteland. How perilous!

In order to do battle with Ifrit, we must surprise him on his own turf. An area known as the Bowl of Embers. This place can only be reached via a special aether node. However, to summon the node into existence, a variety of reagents must be acquired. First, I will need to procure six echo crystals. These are VERY rare crystals that are known to be carried by some rather notorious monsters. Second, I must obtain a relic sacred to the Amal'jaa, the Inferno Flambeu. This item is critical in the successful summoning of Ifrit.

I have thus far managed to slay the beasts described to me and obtain the echo crystals they carry. I write this now as I camp outside of a secret Amal'jaa cave. Inside I will find an Amal'jaa lord known as Voidtongue Ahzabb Chah. In moments I will enter to confront him alone. If I am successful, I will return to Louisoix. If this is my last letter to you, my friends, know that I miss you all.

~Kiji

Duties of a Lancer

Dear Friends,

Today I was summoned by the Wood Wailers. It seems that despite the safe arrivals of the Ul'dah merchants, all hopes of an alliance between the Pugilist's guild and Gridania have fallen flat. On top that, there's fresh rumors that a band of Garlean Imperial spies have been spotting in the Twelveswood. This has made the forest especially irritable. I was tasked again with escorting the merchant's caravan. This time, as they leave the shroud and head back towards Ul'dah.

The journey started out uneventful, but then suddenly, the caravan was attacked by an elemental. I was quite shocked by this. I know that the forest is "on alert" due to the Imperial presence, by why would elementals be attacking innocent merchants? Needless to say, I defended the caravan and dispatched the elemental.

After the battle was over, a rather angry moogle swooped down from the tree-tops and chastised me for siding with the merchants. After quite the tongue-lashing, he sauntered off. Confused, I began to suspect that there might be more to this situation. I decided to use the power of the Echo to shed some light on this situation.

It seems that my suspicions were confirmed. I experienced a vision of the merchant's first trek into the forest, as they were making their way to Gridania, but before I arrived to escort them. It seems several of the merchants spotted a moogle and after much taunting, trapped him. Finally the mystery of injured moogle is revealed...

Disgusted, I returned to the guild with a report of this incident. Much to my surprise, the Wood Wailers decided that it would be best to overlook the incident, in the name of diplomacy.

What is this city coming to!?

~Kiji



Montage IV

Dear Friends,

I've been very busy lately! I've grown tired of falling out of touch with my fellow adventurers so I decided to start my very own Linkshell. Nothing fancy, no hierarchy or complicated structure, just a nice social pearl for like-minded blokes to talk in. Through it, I've made some great new friends. We've all done a lot of training together this week!.

~Kiji

Lord of Flame

Dear Friends,

You will not believe what I'm about to tell you.

Today, I met Aerylia and she told me her plan regarding the whole beastmen/empire situation. Her idea was to trek to the beastmen stronghold and try to convince the Amal'jaa to side with us against the Empire. HOW INSANE!

But you don't know Aery, she has a rather seductive way about her, and when she asks a favor I cannot seem to help myself.

So, like fools, we made the journey to Paglth'an, the Amal'jaa stronghold. Naturally, we were sighted as soon as we arrived and taken into custody by a small army of beastmen. Personally, I was a bit worried about being eaten. Aeryila on the other hand, seemed quite excited. She said that she heard a rumor that a real life Paragon might be here at the stronghold. What is a Paragon? I suppose I should address that first. According to the slyphs, Paragons are the legendary beings that taught the beastmen tribe to summon their primal gods. Aery seems convinced that if we met up with this Paragon, it could help turn the tide in the battle against the Empire.

We were held captive with several other adventurers. However, they all seemed to be brainwashed. They were very "numb"-sounding when I tried to speak with them and they kept claiming to worship the beastmen god Ifrit at their master. It was as if all the will had been drained from their spirit. It wasn't long until the Amal'jaa came back and brought us out from the cave they had us holed-up in. They ordered several of the other captives to attack us. Reluctantly, we defended ourselves. Luckily, the other prisoners all came to their senses before we had to actually hurt them.

Seeing this angered the beastmen and then they themselves attacked us. This it where is gets unbelievable... Suddenly, crashing down from the sky was the MASSIVE form of the legendary Primal, Ifrit! The Lord of Flame! In the flesh!

He reared back his head and a wave of searing flame erupted from his mouth. It engulfed Aerylia and Myself, as well as several of the other adventurers that were jailed with us. It seemed that the intention of the flame was not to destroy us, but rather to change our minds on some psychic level. This must be why the other prisoners were so out of it...

Surprisingly, this mental-flame attack did not seem to have any effect on Aerylia and I. This REALLY seemed to get Ifrit's attention, as he leaned down and actually SPOKE to us.

Aerylia appealed to him. She told him of the Empire's plans to go to war with his people. He observed us for a moment and accused us of being in league with some of the other primals! We naturally denied this. He seemed to believe us but he warned us not to summon our own Primal into this world or we would suffer the consequences. He truly believed us to have this power. He said he could SMELL it on us! With this, we were dismissed. Can you believe it!?

Aerylia seemed really interested in the concept that the special abilities granted to us by the Echo may actually be the boon of some long forgotten god or Primal. At first my reaction was dismiss such a claim. But then, my mind went back to the first day I sat foot in Gridania. The day the airship crashed and took down the hedge. I recalled that disembodied voice that told me:  "Feel... Hear.... Think...".

Could it be....

Omigosh!

~Kiji

The Exploration of Toto-Rak

Dear Friends,

Today, I undertook an exciting mission from the Twin Adders.

Do you remember last spring when I sent you that article from the Raven newsletter? If not, I will refresh your memory. It was published during the start of the Imperial Invasion rumors. A reporter caught wind that the Empire was stashing some strange devices in the long abandoned dungeon of Toto-Rak.

Toto-Rak was once a prison designed to detain all manner of criminals who had defiled the Twelvewoods. However, it has long since fell out of use. Rumors have persisted over the years that is haunted and/or has become home to really nefarious beasts.

The article in Raven details a reporter's disappearance as he attempted to explore the ruins. Since that time, the Twin Adders in co-operation with the conjurers of Gridania have led exploration expeditions into the dungeon. Sadly, these have largely unsuccessful. Namely due to one reason. A variety of strange objects of Imperial origin have been found in the dungeon. They seem to generate some type of protective forcefield that prevent anyone from reaching the deeper parts of the prison.

Today, I was tasked with discerning the true nature of these Imperial devices as well as finding a missing conjurer that had been seen roaming the halls within the dungeon.

Let me tell you, what a frightening experience it was to step down into these dark underground passages! I teamed up with another member of the Twin Adders and together we were able to make some headway. Scattered through the dungeon were strange magtitek devices of Imperial origin. These devices radiate a strange blue light. It didn't take long to figure out that while these devices are what was generating the forcefields sealing off access to deeper parts of the dungeon. By exploring the surrounding caverns, we were able to locate these some strange "photocell" devices. By inserting enough of these into the generators, we were able to deactivate them, thus opening access to other parts of the prison.

It wasn't long before I came across the missing on conjurer and his... two moogle companions?! I discovered that the conjurer was none other than A-Ruhn-Senna, the youngest of the seed seers and brother to the leader of the Grand Company. It seems that he sought refuge inside the prison to tend to his moogle companions only to be come trapped inside. With the path now clear, he could make his retreat.

As we explored the dungeon further we found ourselves in a dead-end room. This room also happened to be the nest of the giant scorpion/spider beast. I friends, I do believe this was the legendary beast known as Sargas! I've heard rumors of this monster but never did I expect to face it in battle. Together, we defeated it and even some of it's offspring. However, I 'm sure there were many that got away. As they grow, I'm sure the legend of Sargas will continue to live on. Sargas' nest was home to all sort of interesting little items it had gathered over the years. I found some slightly valuable materials that I decided to keep, as well as sturdy but charred battleaxe. This will come in handy as I continue to train my hand in other weapons over time.

Upon returning to the Grand Company headquarters in town, I was debriefed on the details of my mission. I provided them with a piece of one of the Imperial devices we found. After some analysis, it seems that these devices are designed to detect and channel aether. But why in the world would the empire be interested in something as trivial and plentiful as aether?

Well, one thing is for certain, regardless of any headway we may have made. This site still deserves some future attention. There were several gates that we did not yet open. This means more of the dungeon is yet unexplored. I look forward to returning in the future to see what mysteries The Thousand Maws of Tot-Tak holds.

~Kiji



The Minstrel and the Gobbue

Dear Friends,

It seems that this humble stretch of land will never be the same after today. Haha! Allow me to explain; today a very strange fellow appeared in Eorzea. A wandering minstrel. He claims to have travelled here from a distant land. He says he made the journey to try to help lend aid against the future uncertainty the Seventh Umbral Era is sure to bring. When I met him, he quoted some passages of the prophecy and claimed that the times of trouble are near at hand.

He explained that long ago, he was taught the secrets of taming the enormous wild beasts known as Gobbues. While the thaumaturges of Ul'dah subdue them with magic, he can sooth them with the power of music. After learning this skill in a far away land, he promised to the keep it a secret. However, the feelings of impending doom have gotten the better of him, and he has decided to reveal the skill to the adventurers of Eorzea.

Let me tell you, he was true to his word. Using a special taming horn, I too now have the ability to call and tame one of these enormous beasts. Their size makes them perfect for covering vast distances in a hurry. However, between you and me, I still prefer the companionship of Daisy over these lumbering beasts.

These Gobbue pets seem to be a hit. Never have I seen so many large creatures in one place as I have today. Despite their usefulness, I have a feeling that riding Gobbues is nothing short of a fad. I predict that over time I may even be a rare luxury. That being said, look at me! Haha!

~Kiji

Meet "Daisy"!

Dear Friends,

Today has been an exciting day. I was finally able to procure a chocobo issuance from the Twin Adders! For some time now, I've been taking on assignments and tasks for the Grand Company. Today, while in Ul'dah on other business, I was informed by a member of the Immortal Flames that reports show the Amalj'aa beastmen may be planning an attack on Ul'dah in the coming months. It seems the Amalj'aa are breeding drakes and unleashing them on members of the company. I was tasked with sneaking into the Amalj'aa encampment of  Zahar'ak, and poisoning their supply of drake feed.

Let's me tell you, this was no easy task. To be quite honest I got in quite over my head. The place was crawling with beastmen. I sneaked my way past the gates only to walk facefirst into a party of mean looking Amalj'aa soldiers. They knocked me out cold in a single round of attack. Lucky for me, my old friend Mojo Bone was part of a company-led raid on the camp at that very moment! What a coincidence! Thanks to some well-worded healing magic from Mojo, I was back on my feet and able to finish the job.

When I reported back at the aetheryte camp I was debriefed by a member of the Immortal Flames. He didn't really seem all that interested in my mission to spike the drake's feed. Instead, he asked me repeatedly if I'd witnessed any large fire while in the camp. I advised him no, and he explained that several of his men had mentioned a large blaze moments before their linkpearls went silent. Hmmm... This does not sound very healthy!

I was awarded a good amount of serpent seals for my efforts. That is when I noticed that I finally had enough seals to redeem for a company chocobo issuance! I am now the proud owner of my very own chocobo! I was given a summoning whistle, and all the nessecary supplies needed.  Her name is Daisy and we're getting along splendidly. I spent a good part of the day riding through the Twelveswood on chocoback. Finally, the world is my  Blacklip Oyster!

~Kiji

Bold Plans

Dear Friends,

I have some news. Today I was summoned again by the consortium for what seemed like some trivial business. Still trying to resolve the whole crystal-trade dilemma,  I was tasked on a quest to the region of Mor Dhona. Its seems the beastmen have a liking for unaspected crystals, and the sands in the Mor Dhona region are known for their ability to drain the elemental aspect from things. I took a bag full of various crystals there and waited around while they were drained of their elemental magic.

When I returned to the consortium, I was given orders to report to Lady Minfilia. An important meeting was about to be held.

Upon arrival, I bumped into Aerylia. She was quite irritated. Its seems while I was out running errands in Mor Dhona, she was tasked with essay work. Haha!

Aery, myself, and others gathered in the meeting hall and waited for Minfilia to speak. The topic she addressed was quite chilling... Do you remember when I wrote of escorting the caravan from Ul'dah to Gridania? I told you about a strange Imperial airship hovering over the forest? Well it seems that these ships have been seen in the vicinity of all three city-states. The imperials are dropping linkpearls from the ships. The Empire is using the linkpearls to broadcast a propaganda message to mass population of Erozea.

They are claiming that it is the beast tribes they are preparing for battle with. The empire states they have intelligence that shows the beastmen, in league with their primal gods are preparing to strike the three nations. The empire is going to war with the beast tribes. They have offered us their "protection" in exchange for our sovereignty. How ludicrous!

What makes this matter even worse is that anyone who consorts with beastmen are considered to be enemies of the empire. This is of serious concern to us who are members of the Path of the Twelve. Those of us touched by the power of the Echo are able to speak with the beastmen. This makes us imperial targets by default.

All of this was very alarming to say the least. After most everyone had left the meeting, Aerylia and I spoke privately with Minfilia. She revealed that she did indeed have a back up plan, if diplomacy was unable to resolve this tense situation with the Empire; She plans to try to forge an alliance with the beast tribes! How radical! While I personally have no qualms with such an alliance, it would be a very hard sell to most citizens.

What crazy skies we live under these days, I tell you.

~Kiji

Lamb of Dalamud revealed!

Dear Friends,

I thought I was going to allow myself a day off from my training by spending a little time on the streets of Ul'dah, hawking my blacksmithing trade. I no sooner had placed my hammer to the anvil in attempt to repair a fellow adventurer's blade, when I heard a commotion.

I saw the herald on the steps of marketplace shouting that a kidnapping had occurred. It seems a band of those loony Dalamud cultists had kidnapped the daughter of one of the locals and made a hasty escape using an aetheral gate. In their haste, they forgot to close the node. Standing by the gate, I and several others assured the worried father that we would step through the gate and do what we could.

From the gate, we emerged in the cultist's hideout. It seems that these fiends make their home in some elusive area of Mistbeard Cove (and a network of caves in western La Noscea, not far from Limsa Lominsa). I've been to the site before in my travels, but never to this specific area.

The area seemed abandoned except for a young lady, seemingly the kidnapped daughter we came to find. However, there is more going on here than meets the eye...

After speaking to her, she spouted off some nonsense about how us adventurers were a taint upon the face of the realm, and that we would soon be eliminated. Next thing I know, she's vanished a slew of masked/robed cultists emerge from the shadows to attack. How will I explain this to her poor father? Before I could ponder that thought another second, they were on me like Marmots on a tree-nut.

It was a fierce battle, the cultists seemed to keep coming and coming. However, eventually the last of them fell to our blades.

After arriving back in town, I found myself accosted by a reporter from the Mythril Eye. He was inquiring about our battle in Lamb of Dalamud's (apparently the name of the cult) hideout.

After giving him the scoop, we rewarded me with a handful of illusion evoking sigils. I activated one only to find a bright glowing advertisement for his newspaper floating above my head for several seconds... Haha! How ridiculous.

Still... the actions of this Lamb of Dalamud cult are intriguing and deserve further investigation. There are so many strange things going on these days. It makes my head spin.

~Kiji

Crystal Muncher

Dear Friends,

Do you want to hear something weird? I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but over the last several months or so a strange phenomena has appeared in Eorzea. The discovery of deaspected  crystals. These are crystals that have been drained of there elemental power. It's important to note that these are very different from the crystals found in the region or Mor Dhona which are unaspected (meaning they have never been infused with an element).

Until recently, these crystals while rare, seemed completely worthless. However, recently a member of the Ashcrown Consortium has been poking around Gridania offering various trinkets and rewards to those who can supply him with the drained crystals. Having a bunch of them in my possession, I paid him a visit.

For thirty crystals he offered me a SWANKY looking helmet. It's actually quite similar to the traditional Onion Helm traditionally given to young people during their coming of age. However, it is molded from black metal with a red plume of feathers. He called it a "Peregrine Helm".  I wonder what that means. Is this perhaps a helmet from a far off land? Or maybe some place even stranger? Seeing as how the little fellow seemed to want my crystals for a snack instead of scientific research, I'm afraid to ask. Haha! Eorzea is so weird these days!!!

Happy New Year (Again!)

Dear Friends,

The Heavensturn is again upon us, and I would like to once again wish all of you a Happy New Year!
It's been a pretty crazy last few weeks! Do you remember when I wrote you to tell you about the plan to usher in the winter season? Well, would you believe that the giant snow-man that we all worked so hard to build vanished seemingly overnight? It's true.

Do not let your heart be troubled! We found it. Haha!

Here's the amazing part! The gemstone the conjurers were using to keep the ice crystals cold actually contained a captured Ice Elemental! Once this was discovered, the elemental was freed and the cold winter weather came rushing in! As a result, the Blackrabbit Traders hosted a celebration in town. Special commemerative helmets were distributed. Now I have several swanky eastern-style Dragon kabutos to go with the rabbit ones from last year! Whoot!!

I can tell that this year is going to usher in huge changes for all of us throughout Erozea and Hydaelyn.

~Kiji