Fall of the Raven

Dear Friends,

It is a joy to write these words. For the Raven has fallen by my lance. Indeed, Imperial Legatus Nael van Darnus has been defeated! Let me tell you this glorious tale!

I was summoned before the Eorzean Alliance. Intelligence reports had spotted Darnus in Cortheas near some ancient Allagan ruins. This could only mean one thing, he is proceeding with his plans to continue the descent of Dalamud. By whatever foul magiks he intended to accomplish this, we did not know. I was sent to confirm the reports and engage him.

When I arrived, I indeed located him. But what I found defies all explanation.Standing in the middle of the ruins was Darnus. His body was enveloped in light. A single ray of which extended to the heavens all the way to the deadly moon. Like the tractor beam the Empire had constructed, Darnus himself was now guiding Meteor to our world. As I watched, the moon drew ever closer. Fiery rocks broke free and came crashing down to the world below. It had begun! Next, I beheld and amazing sight. The very ground beneath Darnus tore free of the world and ascended into the sky. He had escaped.

Immediately, I returned to Gridania to report. The news was accepted gravely. I feared that all may be lost. However, Cid devised a brilliant plan. We would take his own personal airship The Enterprise (which is built to fly higher than  any other airship in all of the world), to the floating ruins of Rivenroad where we would put an end to the Legatus once and for all.

The battle was perilous indeed. Darnus was formidable opponent. His skills as a Lancer were unlike any I've ever seen, they surpassed even my own. At one point, we thought him defeated. Only to have him rise again, his body surging with dark energy.

Dalamud hung ever closer, fiery meteors plunged to battlefield at Darnus' command. Finally, he vanished. Confused, we spotted him high atop the floating staircase. Entranced and summoning a terrible spell, we continued to attack until finally the long lost magic known as Megaflare we unleashed upon us. It's effects were devastating. Barely clinging to consciousness, I pursued the Legatus back down to battlefield where, with the help of my companions, I landed the killing blow.

As he fell, his body dissipated into an etheric dust which blew away on the wind.With his defeat, his magic began to fail and the ground beneath us began to break apart and plummet back to the world below.

It was at that moment that Cid arrived with the Enterprise and flew us home to our rescue.

Once back in Gridania, we were hailed as heroes. Cid took me aside and thanked me personally. He said that if we had failed, Louisoux has mentioned a cryptic "last resort" that he and the other Archons had at their disposal... The Twelve only know what that might have been...

As the fanfare died, I retired to my room at the Roost. I wonder now, with the defeat of the White Raven himself, what the future holds? Have we won? Is it really over?  What of the Empire? The questions linger... I suppose, I shall continue on the path I have walked these last two years or so.

~Kiji