I - Welcome to Limsa Lominsa
In a flash of light, I appear amongst the stars with hidden constellations. I look around with my Dunesfolk eyes as I float down towards the darkness until I land on something I cannot see. "Hear..." a woman's voice echoes around me, coming from nowhere yet everywhere and causing my Moon Keeper feline ears to twitch on instinct in locating the source. "Hear... Feel..." the Voice echoes with a pulse of light and I absently wonder what she wants me to hear, feel and more than likely think about. I take another look around when a golden-white ball of light appears a distance away and I warily and carefully walk towards it.
Suddenly, a dark portal of some kind appears between us and disappears as quickly as it came, leaving behind a black and dark red robed-Hyuren man with a dark-red demonic mask covering the top half of his face and wearing clawed gauntlets. "Hear.. Feel... Think..." says the woman and I glare at the man from the aura I'm getting off of him as the Light flies from behind him and stopping in front of me. I am suddenly bathed in a spire of golden-white light from below and it transforms my clothes into heavy and thick furred Warrior armor. The Light then shapes into a double-bladed battle axe and I grab it and hold it in the ready position. The Masked-Man starts to build up his magik and a symbol appears over his mask and a larger version appears behind him, taking the form of a demonic-butterfly from my position, and he dashes towards me and I move to block and return the attack in kind when the light blinds us both and then the world turns black as I hear a male voice.
"...Oi! Y'all right, lass?" asks the voice and I open my eyes to see a Hyur man dressed in red with tanned skin, blonde hair and green eyes standing in front of me, looking at me in worry. Seeing that he had my attention he continued. "Ya were moanin' in yer sleep an' sweatin' buckets besides. Rollin' of the ship got yer stomach churnin', has it?" he asks and I shrug my shoulders. He stands back and lean against the stage as he continues as he gets a better look at me. "Hmmm... Don't seem like seasickness, now that I look at ya. It'll be the aether, then, I reckon. Some are more sensitive to the stuff than others see, an'd we ain't too far from Vylvrand now, which is chock-full of aetherytes. No need to fret, though. Y'all get used to it." he explains and the ship gives a lurch, knocking him from his position.
"Eurgh. Might as well have been bloomin' seasickness... Ship's leapin' around like a demented chocobo today." he says before standing back in his original position and looking up at the deck before looking back to me. "I reckon I might head out on deck - get meself a breath of fresh air. Limsa Lominsa's still a fair way off, in case ye're wonderin'. Seein' as ye're awake an' all, how's about you keep me company till we get there?" he asks as he looks towards a pair of twin Elezen kids, one boy and one girl from what I can tell. "Them young'uns don't care for conversations, see." he says before looking back to me and I ignore the sleeping twins for now. "Anyroad, Brennan's the name, an' peddlin's me trade." he introduces himself with a grin before walking to the stairs leading to the deck of the passenger ship. I slide out of my seat and follow him with my special satchel bouncing on my hip and a weathered axe on my back.
Out on deck, the spring sea breeze lightly plays with my hair and we move off to the side of the ship to keep out of the way as Brennan stretches his arms above his head and faces me. "Ah, smell that salty sea breeze!" he says as he takes in my clothes and weapon. "Now then lass, judgin' by your height, features an' unusual garments, I'd say you were one of them new adventures. Am I warm?" he asks. "Ja." (Yes.) I say with a nod of my head "I knew it! Goin' wherever the wind blows, seekin' fortune an' glory - now that's what I call livin'! So long as you can avoid dyin', I mean. Ain't no secret that adventurin's a risky business - these days especially. Some folk'll try to treat ya like a kid with yer height and Miqo'te features. What was it that first attracted you to it? To gain power? To win glory? Or is it to amass a fortune?" he asks and I keep silent as even I have no answer for that and I shake my head no to the options he gave me.
"Well, if you ain't inclined to tell, I ain't about to pry. Might be as ol' Brennan's a chatterbox, but he sure as hell ain't no busybody. We all have a secret or three, don't we? Me? Dozens. An' I'd rather they stayed secret, too - which is why I don't go stickin' me nose where it ain't welcome. Just remember though: there're more important things that fortune an' glory. Such as breathin'. Ain't no profit in bein' dead, an' that's a fact." he says and suddenly the alarm bell rings, having everybody lookin' around for the reason when my ears flick around till they face the ocean next to us and I hear the sound of an object sailing towards us. I look towards the sound to see that the object is a cannonball heading right towards us. "Brennan!" I shout as I point towards the cannon ball and he turns around to see the cannon ball splash the ocean water high into the air and the shock wave sends him onto his back with a yell, as I'm able to stay on my feet with my long fluffy tail. I run to his side an' help sit up close the railing as to not get hit by anymore cannon balls. I hear someone yell "Ships of the starboard bow! Pirate colors!" causing me to inwardly begin to worry as I don't have enough training to take on three ships worth of pirates. The sailors begin herding the other passengers below deck to not get in the way and I help Brennan to his feet and pull him with me back down below deck.
Even below deck sailors are running around as we try to flee the pirates. "What's the world comin' to...? Pirates firin' on a ship flyin' Lominsan colors! Bastards either have a boatload of balls, or bugger all for brains." the blonde man exclaims as he looks up. Suddenly, one of the sailiors of the passenger ship bursts through the doors half an hour to an hour after starting the chase, gathering the attention of everyone. "Ye can rest easy, friends! We've made it out o' cannon range, an' no buccaneer's bark'll catch this flighty temptress one the wind's in her sails." the man explains and Brennan an' I turn back to each other as the blue-skinned man leaves. "That was too bleedin' close... Glad one of us kept her head on her shoulder - I reckon I'd've lost mine otherwise." he thanks me. "If them pirates gave up chase, then we must be close to port. Let's head back up on deck an' have us a look, shall we?" he says and I nod my head as I lead us back on deck with some of the other passengers. We walk towards the front of the ship and we turn towards each other. "By the by, is this your first trip to Limsa Lominsa?" Brennan asks. "Nej." (No.) I simply say as I shake my head.
"Thought not! Ah, but I'll wager there've been some changes since your last visit. Allow a journeyed itinerant to appraise you of the current state of affairs. Ahem! Limsa Lominsa prides itself on bein' Eorzea's foremost naval power. Weren't too long ago that the place was ruled by pirates, but thanks to the current Admiral's civilizin' influence, the city-state could almost pass for a respectable nation. You'd never guess she was once a rum-swillin' buccaneer herself! Heh heh!" he says with a bark of a laugh. "'Course, most folk ain't so quick to change, an' with a town full of liberty-lovin' ruffians, ye can imagine how many naysayers an' troublemakers she's got to deal with - like them pirates who took a fancy to us just now. An' if that weren't bad enough, I've heard the Sahagin are raidin' the coast just as bold as ya please. Them're the sea-dwellin' beastmen the locals call 'Fishbacks', 'case ye didn't know." Brennan explains and then the bell signaling that land/port has been sighted through the mist rings and we look to the front of the ship. "Behold Limsa Lominsa, a nation blessed by the ocean's bounty an' beloved of Llymlaen, goddess of Navigation." says Brennan pointing ahead of us.
On a windswept isle in the southwestern corner of the realm, amidst the rolling waves of the Rhotano Sea, lies the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa.
To this haven for bandits and brigands, cutthroats and curs, seekers of both freedom and fortune, comes a lone an' unusual adventurer.
Lone, yet not alone, for the hero's arrival has drawn the gaze of the nation's patron deity Llymlaen.
What realm-shaking fate has She described in the churning waters of this mortal's future?
We walk below deck and exit the passenger ship into the port of Limsa Lominsa. Brennan catches my attention before I could walk away with the mind that we probably won't be seein' each other again for a long time. "An' here's where we part ways lass." he says and I turn to him. "I'm off to the market to deliver me wares, then it's onto the highroad for me. Here, I want ye to have this - by way of thanks for savin' me arse earlier." he says as he reaches into his pouch and pull out a ring and hands it to me. I put onto my right ring finger and look at him as the Elezen twin's walk past us. "Hey - you never did tell me yer name, did ya? Well, here's an idea... Become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, an' I'll consider us square." he says and I nod my head in agreement.
Through peril and hardship, discovery and triumph, may the Navigator guide this brave soul on his life's voyage...
Till sea swallows all.
I walk past what appears to be the Arcainist Guild and through the open market to what is essentially the town square with the large aetheryte crystal and towards the bar to sign up as an adventurer. Passing by a mirror, I see my full reflection. I'm 3' 2.2" tall counting my feline ears an' 2' 10.2" tall without them; I have dark sun-kissed skin with Dunesfolk eyes, my left eye gold and my right eye is orange and I have below shoulder-length dark red hair. I have large Miqo'te ears and a long and very fluffy tail the same color as my hair and I am more skinny than most Lalafells. I am wearing the standard female Lalafell beginner adventuring clothes with my axe and a dark brown special satchel that can hold a lot more than it looks. I use my unknown ability so that If I ever get head-gear and put it on, it would look like I don't along with my satchel hidden from thieving eyes. I am wearing the standard female Lalafell Adventurer outfit with a Weathered Choker, Weathered Earrings, Weathered Wristlets and a Weathered Ring on my left hand with the Ring of Freedom that Brennan gave me on my right hand and a Weathered War Axe on my back.
I continue walking to Bulwark Hall where a Yellow-Jacket stops me and catches my attention. "Hey! You there!" he calls out and I look to my left to see the tall man. Seein' he has my attention, "Aye, I mean you. This is my district, and I make it my business to know all the scum that washes up in it." he says and he gives me a quick one-over as I walk closer to the giant. "Ah, an adventurer fresh off the passenger ship, is it? An unusually young one as well. Well then... Allow one of Limsa Lominsa's finest to set you on the right path." he says. "Now then, I'm sure you're itchin' to explore an' all, but all new adventures are required by law to register their presence in their chosen starting cities... and without a bit of local knowledge, you're likely to get your throat slit in some piss-stinkin' back alley. So before you do anything else, get yourself over to the Drowning Wench and enroll with the Adventurers' Guild." the giant man, Ryssfloh, says before pointing to what appears to be a lift to the next floor. Ryssfloh tells me such and sends me on my way to the Crow's Lift Attendant Grehfarr.
Up stairs, I see a bar/inn with a man in blue at the bar/check-in. I walk over and he looks up from his book. "Greetin's to ye lass." he greets and I nod my head in greeting. "What'll it be?" he asks before getting a better look at my clothes. "...Ah, but ya ain't 'ere fer the drink, are ye!? Ye've come with a mind to try yer 'and at 'venturin', I reckon! Well, ye'll find no shortage o' work 'ere in Limsa." he says before introducing himself as the owner of the Drowning Wench, Baderon. He explains that the Wench is also home to the Adventuring Guild here in Limsa Lominsa. Baderon then talks of the usual trouble with the Fishbacks and Kobolds outside the city and the pirates inside the city causing trouble for the civies, with the Garlean Empire posing a threat to all of Eorzea with how quiet they have been recently. Of how the civies are living in fear of what tomorrow may bring. Then he talks of the Calamity and what most of Eorzea remembers of the Warriors of Light as they are now called. "I only remember after the Calamity when I was found by grieving Lalafell parents after losing their daughter to the Battle, the bloody dragon took more than my memories of the Warriors, it took me whole bloody past. I'm just lucky enough to remember me first-name, Name-day and Guardian Deity." I tell him and he looks at me with sympathy.
"Heard a few other 'venturer's say that as well. Ye're becoming an 'venture in hopes to restore at least some of them, right?" Baderon asks. "Ja." I reply and nod my head in agreement. He then moves on with his explanation of the fact that Limsa will need true heroes to bring it back from the darkness. "Maybe one day ye'll be one of 'em. An' that's why any aid we can give to a 'venture is effort well spent. What say ye lass? Ye willin' to lend us yer strength?" Baderon asks and I nod my head with conviction to help the people of the ocean city-state. "Me thanks to ye, an' to the Navigator an' all! I knew She'd steered ye my way fer a reason. Ah, but listen to me yatterin' on like a sun-touched fishwife. 'Tis 'igh time we got yer mark in me book. Put yer scrawl right there." he says pulling out a quill and some ink as I walk to counter and pull myself up enough to sign the name my adopted parents gave me as I couldn't remember my old one.
I hop off the counter and take a couple steps back so I could look at the man without straining my neck lookin' up. Baderon picks up the book an' reads the new name. "Jamie Hakan Linnéa, is it? An' a fine name it is for a lass like you." he compliments me name an' I give a shy smile and play with me tail out of habit. "Now, just 'cause I know that the people will be asking with how tall yer an' yer Miqo'te features, how old are ye?" Baderon asks. "Fourteen." I answer. "Don't worry, me Mama and Papa know that I'm 'ere as long as I send letters tellin' 'em what I've been up to." I tell Baderon and he makes a note of my age in the book before putting it away.
"Well then... Congratulations! Yer now an upstandin' member o' the 'Venturer's Guild." says Baderon and I give another shy smile as I play with my tail when I hear footsteps approaching from my right. "You there - adventurer. You sailed in on the last passenger ship, did you not?" asks the Yellowjacket giant male with a giant female to his right and a Highlander Hyur male (or is he a Hellguard Giant?) to his left. I nod my head to confirmation that I was on the last passenger ship 'ere. "The captain reported being attacked by a pirate vessel. And several witnesses have testified independently that a passenger matching your description went out on deck mere moments before the incident took place. Sending your friends signals, were you?" accused/asks the leading Yellowjacket. I shake my head in denial that I had anything to do with the pirates and I open my mouth to explain that when Baderon speaks up. "Now 'old on a moment there, officer. Ye've got the wrong lass. This fine, upstandin' young lady is me dear departed grandma's sister's niece's cousin's closet companion. The lass wouldn't be caught dead fraternizin' with such unsavory elements." Baderon lies smoothly.
The Yellowjackets' gasp and explain that with the recent kidnappings, they have to be careful with outsiders when even their closest friend's loyalties are in doubt. I wave off their apologies with a nod of understanding. Baderon offers a tankard of his finest ale before the officers walk away to continue their jobs. I turn back to Baderon as he explains the sudden rash of kidnappings happening in the ocean city-state. "Oh aye! Welcome to Limsa Lominsa, where the sea's as green as the faces o' be patrons after a few too many Blackbelly whiskeys! Now, take a moment to gather yer wits, an' we'll get started with learnin' ye the ways o' the city." he says as he hands me the customary 103 gil bag that I put into a pocket of my satchel.