New Old Sharlayan

Sharlayan.

Founded in the wake of our rejoining of the Tenth shard with the Source, it has ever strived to gather knowledge and to never take part in any conflict whatsoever. During my time as Solus, I have heard the name many times floating about. I cannot say I was impressed.

No matter the age, there is always a group of people or a nation that believes it is their duty to seek wisdom above all else. And they all ended up the same: nothing more than ruins for the next of their ilk to uncover and try to learn from.

Oh well, do go on. Maybe their food will be good at least. Though you will have to excuse me if I don't hold my breath.

The first thing S'eni noticed, as they walked away from the harbour, were the almost striking similarities to the former colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands. There were differences too, of course, mainly in that the buildings were fully intact, but there were also some that were more subtle, that had made the colony distinct itself from the homeland in small ways. After glancing at a set of four pillars leading to a flight of stairs, she returned her gaze to the front, where Krile was walking just a few steps ahead.

Shortly after having left Worldly Affairs behind, it was quickly agreed that they should all get settled in before getting to the heart of the matter. For Y'shtola and the others, that meant they go and seek out their old haunts and reacquaint themselves with the city, while she was going to get a little tour, with the Lalafel offering to be her guide. And even though she would rather have received one from her lover, she had accepted nonetheless, especially after Estinien had practically blown her friend off before walking away to 'wherever the wind took him'.

A little hum from her left made S'eni turn her head to look at G'raha. While she tried and failed, to not come off as an obvious outsider, his eyes instead twinkled with the spark of recognition of someone that had finally returned home after a long time. His lips suddenly rose into a smile and he sniffed the air.

"Now that is an inviting aroma!"

Following that statement, Krile came to a sudden stop and turned partly around. "And here we are," she announced and held out her arm in presentation. "The Last Stand."

S'eni's eyes followed the direction she was pointing at to find what looked like a cafe, and quite the large one at that. Taking up quite a sizeable part of the western harbour, it consisted of a building and a large wooden platform where the tables were placed. From the roofing, serving more as decoration than protection from the elements, hanging plants and tapestries to give the place a relaxing and inviting atmosphere. Which seemed to work quite well, since the place was abuzz with people.

"As you might remember, although our research into nutrition and food is quite extensive, the average Sharlayan tends to regard seasoning and flavour with...a certain indifference," Krile said. "How can I put this? The food is, um..."

"Terrible?" S'eni offered and the slightly pained smile appearing on the Lalafel's lips told her she wasn't too far off the mark.

"I was going to say bland."

"No offense, but what I've heard and seen of the Archon Loaf doesn't paint a pretty picture." In fact, she wouldn't even use it as fishing bait if there was nothing else available. The poor fish.

"Yes, it certainly is a culmination of the sentiment that dietary value comes first and taste is...a distant, distant second." Krile gave her a solemn nod, then brightened again. "But there was one pupil at the Studium who could no longer stomach the school's meal. So he quit his lessons and poured all his savings into the creation of what you see before you: the Last Stand, the one and only bastion of the culinary arts in an isle of otherwise mediocre fare."

"Supposedly their burger is one of the more impressive items on the menu," G'raha said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Though, of course, I've never had the chance to verify that myself."

"That's because you were a typical Sharlayan when it came to 'cheap and convenient', Raha," Krile pointed out with a grin. "But surely Tataru has long since taught you how to appreciate a well-prepared dish!"

"I can't deny that," he chuckled. "S'eni's cooking was also quite remarkable I have to say."

The Lalafel's eyebrows shot up. "She cooked for you?"

"And everyone else." G'raha nodded. "Shortly before leaving Eorzea in fact."

"And I wasn't there to taste it," Krile sighed and let her head hang a little, making S'eni furrow her brows. Why was everyone so interested in her cooking all of a sudden? She wasn't that good.

Shaking her head, she shrugged and knelt down next to her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll make you something some other time, alright?" she offered.

"I'll hold you to that," Krile replied and giggled. "But we should continue. There's still more to see."

Leaving the Last Stand behind, their next steps were the Aetheryte plaza. The Aetheryte in question, though, looked quite different from what was usually accustomed to, its appearance resembling more the Nautilus that had ever been Sharlayan's symbol. But despite that, Krile assured her that it was a perfectly normal Aetheryte; a product of the nearby Confluence, the leading research facility in all things teleportation technology.

After she had attuned herself to it, their next stop was the Agora, Sharlayan's biggest marketplace. Her first instinct was to immediately have a look around to see if they had any good earrings, but the look Krile sent her that would be better saved for another time. From there, they then made their way up a set of stairs leading up to the large building overlooking the entire city.

"This is the Rostra," Krile announced as they came to a stop. "The name refers to the original public platform that once stood here, upon which a 'forum' of elected representatives would give speeches and discuss policies."

"I see. So this is where the Forum gathers," S'eni said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The very heart of this nation, where Louisoix had once willingly gone against his peers to help the Eorzean Alliance and prevent the Seventh Calamity. She wondered, was he in there right now?

A part of her wanted to just waltz right in and find out, possibly give him another piece of mind while she was at it. But she knew that would only hinder them in what they had come here to do. So instead she focused her attention on Krile.

"Yes, and although it has since evolved into council chambers, the nature and duty of the Forum remain largely unchanged...Raha?" Krile frowned and looked at the other Miqo'te, who seemed rather distracted by the view from up here. Upon hearing his name, G'raha turned back towards her. "Am I boring you?"

"I-I'm sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "From here one can see the entire city. It reminds me of the time when those who had come to gather around the Crystal Tower might go about creating a new home. Naturally, my answers were all inspired by my knowledge of the finest city I could think of: Sharlayan. And little by little, those buildings grew into a town. A community. The Crystarium...I can almost see its echo..."

S'eni and Krile looked at one another and smiled.

"I see..." Krile said. "Feel free to come up here whenever you wish. I don't think the councilors would object to you simply enjoying the view."

I wouldn't be so sure about that, S'eni thought when she noticed a woman in long white robes giving them a disapproving look as she passed by them on her way to the doors.

The next step on their little tour was the area of the city called Journey's End, where once upon a time, the first settlers had made their homes. Today, it was the residential district for the most important people in Sharlayan. Like the Leveilleur's, whose estate practically towered over every other building around it.

Then, finally, it was time to head to their actual destination: Baldesion's Annex. It was located not far from the Aetheryte and overlooked the entire harbour. Well, that certainly explained how Krile had seen their ship arrive. As they headed inside, they were greeted by a young bespectacled Lalafel sitting behind the front desk.

"I'm back! And I've brought S'eni and Raha along!"

"Ah, you were right about the ship then," the young man said and offered a friendly smile to G'raha. "Hello G'raha, it's nice to see you again!"

"Ojika!?" G'raha's ears shot up in surprise. "It's been ages."

"May I introduce you, Ojika Tsunjika. He's Ejika's cousin." Krile said. "He oversees the day-to-day business of the annex."

"Ah!" S'eni nodded. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance. Nice to meet you. Hopefully you have a more agreeable personality."

"I read the reports on the expedition. I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble," Ojika chuckled. "He can be quite difficult, but deep down he has a good heart."

Krile's expression couldn't be any more to the contrary if she tried, but instead of voicing what she clearly wanted to say, turned to S'eni instead. "This place is like a second home for Students. While the Isle of Val was our main headquarters, we often had the occasion to visit Sharlayan. The annex was built to provide lodgings for those of our members that were staying here for a while."

"Now that our former headquarters is on the other side of the world, the annex has become, de-facto, our base of operations." Ojika looked around the room. "Yet it feels so empty. With so many people lost, our organisation is nothing but a shadow of its former self."

"The day will come when the Students will rise again," Krile assured him. "But before that, we need to stop the Telophoroi. Once everyone arrives we will discuss how we proceed in the main hall to your left. Until then, why don't you rest a little? I've prepared some rooms for everyone in the Andron."

At the mention of rest, that desire for more sleep from earlier began to resurface and she had to actually stifle a yawn. "You know what, I think I will do just that."

"I'll show you to your chambers then," Ojika said and climbed down from his chair. After a swift 'see you later' to her two friends, she followed the young man through the door to her right and a hallway until they arrived at her designated room. As they entered, the first thing she noticed was the notes that were plastered all over the walls and the tables filled with all sorts of—was that a crate full of crystals!?

This looked more like a place where someone would conduct their research if not for the bed in one of the corners of the room. If nothing else, their journey to Sharlayan was giving some much-needed context to her friends she supposed. Thanking Ojika, she waited until he had left before heading over and opening the window, then letting herself flop down onto the bed.

As soon as her back hit the mattress, another yawn escaped her and she closed her eyes, the combination of fresh air and the sounds from the distant waves making her drift off in a matter of seconds.

S'eni was awoken by a soft knocking against her door and, after rubbing her eyes, got out of bed, feeling much more refreshed now that she had gotten a few more winks in. Walking over to the door, she opened it and felt a small grin form on her face when she saw none other than Y'shtola standing there. "My, not a day here and I'm already receiving visitors!"

"How very droll," her lover commented while stepping inside, giving the room a look before letting pale eyes come to rest on her. "I see yours is as orderly as mine."

"Yeah, I suppose the Students live up to their name," she said and had to bite her tongue not to point out that there at least weren't books strewn all over the place. "Are the others already there?"

"No, not yet. Thancred and Urianger have yet to arrive. So I thought I'd come see how you are faring. Enjoying Sharlayan so far?" Y'shtola asked.

"So far. Not like I had any great opportunity to explore, but Krile showed me enough that I'm confident I wouldn't get lost by my lonesome." Leaning against the large table in the center of the room, S'eni sent the other Miqo'te a smile. "Of course, I won't say no to another, more private tour with a certain Archon."

Y'shtola giggled into her fist. "Perhaps later. Though if that is meant to be a clever way to trick me into introducing you to the rest of my family, I will have to disappoint you. I haven't encountered any of them so far."

"What a shame." She clicked her tongue.

"I'm afraid they are as untethered as I am."

"Hm. You know, I never really considered that," S'eni said with a small frown. "You and your family lived in the Dravanian Hinterlands and when the colony was abandoned, you also lost the one home you had ever known. Now I feel kind of bad."

"You don't have to. It's not like I have ever gone out of my way to mention it either. Sharlayan may not be where we were born, but just like Mhitra and myself, everyone in my family has found their own calling in life. Besides—" walking over, Y'shtola took hold of her hands and gave them a soft squeeze. "—I'm not entirely devoid of a home now, am I?"

"No..." She breathed out a little laugh. "No, you're not..."

With a smile, Y'shtola leaned in and planted a little kiss on her lips. After separating again, S'eni looked at her through half-lidded eyes, running a thumb over the back of her hand. "And what should we do now?"

"Now, my dear Warrior of Light, we shall go and join the others," Y'shtola replied. At the pout forming on S'eni's face, she added. "Any other alternative might take more time than we have."

"Alright, I suppose you're right." She sighed, before smiling again. "Let's go."

By the time they had joined the others in the main hall, Thancred too had arrived, leaving only Urianger to join them. Like her room, the walls here were also covered in various notes, sketches and maps of regions, on top of the quite sizeable world map at the far end of the room. Another few more minutes passed until the door opened and their missing companion stepped inside.

"Pray forgive me. I was delayed..." Urianger said.

"It's fine, Urianger," Y'shtola said. "Well, with that we're all here now."

"Good, so let's get straight to the point then, shall we?" Krile asked. When everyone present nodded, she continued. "Our goal is to prevent the Telophoroi's plans from coming to fruition. For that, we need information. At present we have two viable options to gather it."

She raised her hand, index finger extended. "Firstly we have the situation in Sharlayan. As you well know, their stance on the matter is inconclusive. The Forum is trying to hide something. To understand why that is strange, we have to delve into the nature of it." Turning her head, she looked at S'eni. "You see the Forum is made up of ninety-nine representatives elected by the citizens. Naturally, not everyone shares the same views. The Bibliothecs, for example, view themselves as the chroniclers of history and maintain that Sharlayan should remain nothing but an observer. On the other end, we have those that believe we should take a more active role. In the past, Louisoix Leveilleur and my grandfather have been prominent members of that faction."

"But something was different this time, right?" S'eni asked.

"Yes. Eorzea's call for aid has been denied across all factions. The Forum speaks unanimously. And every time I tried to talk with them, I was told there were more important issues at hand."

"I got the same impression from Fourchenault Leveilleur in Gridania as well," G'raha said. "It sounds as if they are aware of the situation, but chose to follow a different course of action."

As he said that, S'eni's mind went back to the words the woman at Worldy Affairs had said. "Times are difficult enough already."

"Strange, isn't it?" Krile nodded. "That's the riddle we need to solve. Our first option."

"And the second one?" Thancred asked.

"A request for aid that reached the Students just a few days ago," the Lalafel replied and looked about the room. "Our duty is to research the unknown. Relics, ruins, and magical phenomena. So it stands to reason that we have comparatively many connections to the outside world. Amongst our partners are scholars from all corners of the world."

She then turned around and looked at the large map behind her. "The request came from Thavnair, from an alchemist called Nidhana. It seems one of these blasted towers has appeared there as well and called forth a lunar primal."

A round of surprise went through their group and Krile waited for it to dissipate before continuing. "Nhidana says that the alchemists of Radz-at-Han are searching tirelessly for a way to dispose of the tower at the bidding of the Satrap."

"The alchemists of that land are heirs to an ancient tradition—one rather unlike that of their Ul'dahn counterparts," Urianger said, eyebrows drawn in thought. "'Tis possible—nay, probable—that they have gleaned truths unattainable by Eorzea or her Far Eastern allies."

"In fact, they do already seem to have a strategy in mind. But to test their theory, they require someone that received the blessing of Light and is a capable warrior. That is why they have turned to the Students in hopes that we could introduce them to someone like that," Krile explained.

"And as it turns out we have that person right here," S'eni sighed.

"Indeed. It seems splitting up and sending you to Thavnair is the obvious choice." Y'shtola frowned. "On the other hand, we might need your help in our investigation here as well. The fate of the world may hinge on the results of both..."

"Yes, it's quite the quandary," Krile admitted, then looked at S'eni. "I know it's a great imposition, and one all too common I might add, but I believe it would be best if you lead our efforts on both fronts. We need your powers now more than ever before."

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled through her nose. "Sure is tough being popular," she said, and gave the Lalafel a reassuring smile.

"I knew we could count on you! Let's decide how everyone else might be assigned. I for one shall continue what I've started here and I would like to steal the services of an Archon or two for that."

"Ah, you want to further the range of your investigation. Very well, I will help you with that," Y'shtola said.

"If it's about reading dusty tomes, you can count on me as well," G'raha said. "I have some small amount of experience in the field of research."

The twins looked at one another and shared a nod. "Alisiae and I would like to help as well. If you would have us, that is."

"We need to find out what the Forum is hiding. It's the only way to truly understand what our father is thinking," Alisaie added.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Krile said.

"Then I'll say the rest of us go to Thavnair," Thancred said, then turned to glance over his shoulder at Estinien, who was leaning against some crates. "No objections, I take it?"

"I passed through Thavnair on my journey to Garlemald, so I know the area somewhat. But don't expect me to give you a guided tour," was Estinien's only reply.

"Well, that's our wayward Dragoon, Urianger, and myself for our journey to Thavnair then."

"Come speak to me afterwards, I'll supply you with all the details of Nhidana's request," Krile told him. Casting her gaze around their group, she nodded. "Once we are done with our given tasks, we shall rendezvous here again. May our investigations prove fruitful!"

They all shared a round of nods, and S'eni watched her friends split off into their respective groups to discuss their next steps. And as she closed her eyes for but a moment, she found herself wondering which path she should take first...

Decisions, decisions...I wonder, which questline did you guys do first?