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

Victory!

Dear Friends,

Today the newly reformed Eorzean Alliance has stuck a major victory against the oppression of the Empire. After analyzing the information recovered from the airship crash, Cid Garlond learned that Empire has constructed a radio transmitter which is located in their new outpost of Castrum Novum. It is this transmitter that is acting a remote control for Dalamud. It is believed that by destroying it we will be able to sever the influence that the Empire has over the celestial body and prevent catastrophe!

I joined one of many raid teams that was being put together and made way for the rendezvous point just south of the stronghold. Once there, we prepared to storm the outpost. We didn't have time to plan a quiet infiltration, this was going to be an all-out assault.

Once inside, we faced resistance unlike any I've encountered before. There were slews of Imperial troops and enough magitek vehicles to make any adventurer think twice. Eventually, we were able to battle our way to control room only to find the magitek transmitter heavily guarded.

Not only, was the core itself protected by energy field generators, another magitek vanguard stalked the room to fend off intruders. Finally, with a well placed strategy, we were able to knock the generators offline long enough to cause critical damage to the transmitter.

Our immediate celebration was short-lived. From the flames of the control room's destructed emerged none other than Legatus van Darnus.  Indeed, he did rave like a mad man. He claimed that his "new master" did not require the aid of machines. Darnus claimed that with newly recovered magic at his disposal, he alone could control the fall of Dalamud. With that power, he will destroy all of Eorzea's primals and inhabitants, remaking the world as he sees fit.

It hard to tell if there is any truth to his words. But there is no doubt we have struck a decisive blow to the Empire's plans! May this be the first of many victories to come!

~Kiji

Coming Together

Dear Friends,

The rumors of the new imperial outpost in Mor Dhona are true. There can be no doubting their intentions now. They are preparing to strike Gridania. Kan-E-Senna has decided to proceed with her intentions of recreating the Eorzean Alliance. Today I was asked to officially deliver her request to the leaders of the other Grand Companies. I must admit, I didn't expect much of a warm reception. But it seems that my reputation has become quite an asset. Both leader's expressed concern for their own defenses, but promised to consider my request, pending the cooperation of all other parties. Something which seemed unlikely.

I arrived back in Gridania to advise Kan-E-Senna of my results only to be surprised by the immediate arrival of both grand company leaders. It seems my attempts to persuade them were a success! Sadly, our celebrations were short lived. The meeting was interrupted by a messenger, an Imperial airship has crashed in a remote area of Mor Dhona not far the the new Castrum Novum stronghold. As of this moment, the Imperials have not located the wreckage. This might be our chance to obtain some valuable intelligence.

Immediately, I raced to the crash site only to find I was a bit late, it was crawling with Imperial agents. I was able to combat them long enough to obtain some interesting effects from the crash site. As I was preparing to make my escape I was confronted by none other than Legatus Baelsar. I prepared for a battle like no other, but there was no need, he only wished to speak.

He seemed to suggest that the crash of this airship was no accident, rather he himself orchestrated the event. He lamented for a moment that his companion Legatus Darnus has gone completely mad. He says that the plan to control Dalamud was approved by the Emperor only due to the Darnus' deceit and trickery. He suspects that Darnus has ulterior intentions that are not in the best interest of the Empire.

If I did not know better, I'd say that Baelsar is almost hoping for that Darnus fails. He left me with an odd sense of confusion. I wonder how much of his words were lies?  I have a feeling, few if any.

I returned to Gridania and provided my intelligence to Cid Garlond. He became excited as he discovered valuable information regarding the operation of the magitek transmitter located in Castrum Novum stronghold. It is this transmitter that  seems to control Dalamud. Once we have had a chance to study it, we may be able to deal a lethal blow to the Empire's plans!

~Kiji

Dreams and Nightmares

Dear Friends,

I've been haunted by some of the strangest dreams lately!! For the last four nights in a row I've had one sort of dream or another, and they are SO WEIRD! Everything from playing with a herd of cats, to sleeping in a giant egg! Haha!

Last night, however, I had a terrible nightmare. I was lying incapacitated on a battle field. My companions all lay dead around me. The Imperial Legatus approached me and drew his fierce gun-halberd. Just as he was about to land the killing blow, I jolted awake only to find myself on the floor or my inn-room.

Unlike the other dreams, this one was so vivid it was almost frightening.

I hope that all of you are having much better dreams than me.

On a side note, I love the complimentary snacks that Roost have been leaving on my pillow. But a grilled carp??? ON MY PILLOW? I think It's time to have a word with the manager.

~Kiji



Feathered Menace!

Dear Friends,

I'm afraid the bad news continues to roll in. Today, a team of us were dispatched to Quarrymill, a hamlet deep in the Twelveswood to validate the reports of of a great disturbance in the area. I immediately suspect more Imperial activity, but boy was I wrong!

It seems thatt the beastmen have succeeded in bringing legendary god to the lands of Eorzea. The feared Garuda, Primal of the skies was laying siege to the poor hamlet of Quarrymill!

The fury of her winds were quite frightening. For a moment, I stood there in awe of both her raw power and sheer beauty. I must admit, I felt more than just a tinge of fear being in the presence of such power. But, I remembered my fight with the Primal of Fire, Ifrit. If I was able to face him, I could face this challenge as well.

In defense of the Twelveswood, my companions and I launched an attack. Together, we were able to defeat her!

But that is the not the end... No sooner had the dust settled, did the Imperial Legatus, Nael van Darnus appear. He seemed genuinely pleased that we had vanquished Garuda, claiming we had done him a favor. With both Primals defeated, he claims that we have only cleared the way for domination by the Empire. He confirmed what we all have longed feared. The Empire is controlling the moon of Dalamud, drawing it closer to Hydaelyn, with the intention to decimate Eorzea and exert their control in the aftermath.

Amused by our resistance, he vanished as quickly as he appeared. Quickly, I reported this information to both my superiors and Cid Garlond at the Adder's Nest in Gridania.

Cid did not seem to surprised with the Empire's plan. But rather, more concerned with their ability to control the moon so precisely. He stated that one such previous attempt ended in failure, and the ancient device needed to perform such a deed was destroyed. Cid seems to think that perhaps the Empire has discovered a way to harness the very power of Aether to do their bidding... This would certainly explain the Imperial's Aether collecting devices found in Toto-Rak and the Dzamael Darkhold... He also made a statement that caught my interest. He suggested that Dalamud is no ordinary moon. But rather, a man-made device placed into orbit the the ancients... WHAT?!?! I must research this more....

After my meeting, I was sent back to the Stillglade fane to meet again with the Seedseer, Kan-E-Senna. It was there that she revealed to me her intentions to reform the long stale Eorzean Alliance between the three nations. Together, she hopes to stand united against the Garlean threat.

Oh, I do hope we can manage. If the Empire can crash the very moon, or whatever Dalamud may be into Erozea, I fear all hope of defeating them may be lost...

~Kiji

Meteor Revealed.

Dear Friends,

A terrible truth has come to light. It is with much fear and sadness that I write this letter. The mystery of "Meteor" has been uncovered.

Today, I was assigned a task by the Twin Adders to locate and assist a team of Grand Company brothers. The team was sent into the shroud to meet with an Ala Mhigan spy. However, reports have reached HQ that they were ambushed by Imperial forces and have suffered a terrible defeat. I was ordered to make haste to their location to lend any assistance possible.

Upon my arrival I found the entire party holed up in a cave, defeated, but still clinging to life. It seems the Imperials attacked them with some type of poison gas. The attack left them nearly defenseless. The Ala Mhigan spy was in the worse shape of them all. Barely clinging to life and fading in and out of consciousness.

One of the Adder officiers, also a protege' of Cid Garlond, offered me a device of his design that he believed will ward off the gas attack. Without the benefits of poison gas, I should be able to overtake the Imperial team stationed nearby.

Indeed, his device worked. No sooner had I too been ambushed by the lethal attack, the mist emitted from the device cleared the air around me allowing me to make quick work of the Imperial team.

Upon returning, the informant was near death. He was rambling incoherently about curses, the ancients, and Meteor. Figuring there was never a better time, I used the power of the echo to achieve some insight into what he was trying to explain.

What I saw, chilled me to the bone.

Hidden behind a large boulder, our informant spied upon a meeting between two Imperial Legati. One of them Van Darnus, who I had the "pleasure" of meeting previously, and another equally imposing character, Gaius van Baelsar.

The two were arguing. Baelsar agreed that the nations of Erozea needed to be brought to their knees. However, he disagreed with Darnus's plan of attack. Rather than fight an extended ground war against the three nations, Nael van Darnus intends to use a long forgotten magic to pull the lesser moon from the sky and crash it into the planet. Thus destroying nearly everything in Eorzea! This is the terror known as Meteor. The recent change of color and size of the moon implies he has already put his plan into motion.

Baelsar expressed  concern over the ability of controlling such magic. It seems that thousands of years ago, the ancient civilization that created such magic was also destroyed by their own inability to effectively wield it.

Darnus explains that the recent discovery of ancient tablets has provided him with the knowledge needed to not only bring about the attack known as Meteor, but also to control with 100% efficiency. More than once he mentioned the "Allag".

The Allag are rumored to be an ancient race of people that once lived in Erozea long before the current age. All that is known about them was gleaned from the scant ruins they left behind. It must be that the Empire has uncovered some ancient Allag magic... This is terrible news.

I continued to listen, and learned that while the plan has already been put into motion, more research still needs to be done, more of these "tomestones" need to be found before the moon of Dalamud can fully be controlled. On top of that, the Legatus expressed his desire to pummel the nations of Erozea with crippling attacks before simply crushing them out of existence. Perhaps this will buy us the time we need to come up with a defense or even a counter attack... Oh, I hope so! Twelve be good!

I returned to Gridania with a full report of all I have learned. As one might expect, Cid Garlond was disturbed by the news. He explained the the Empire has been experimenting with "meteor" magic for many years. In fact, a botched experiment ten years ago destroyed an entire Imperial citadel. Never did he imagine they would attempt to use the magic to do something as heinous as crashing the moon into the planet itself.

Cid thanked me for my report and stated that both the Grand Companies and the Garlond Ironworks would act quickly on the information.

I was rewarded for my efforts. In this mission, in fact, I was promoted to First Class! Sad to say, I did not find much celebration in this promotion. I can only hope a plan is devised to prevent this terrible plan of the Empire's from coming to light.

~Kiji

Gauis van Baelsar

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