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Fjóla Muscadet

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“Though our neighbors in Doma were now occupied by the Garlean Empire, life in Kugane returned to its usual state in no time at all. I could write much about the time I spent dancing for the Mujikoza theatre and all the various hardships I faced, but nothing that happened for many years was particularly noteworthy. It was not until some 25 or so years later that Doma once more became the word on the edge of everyone’s lips. Though most know the history well enough, I will recount the major events briefly. A war of succession suddenly took over Garlemald when their emperor passed away without naming his successor. As the bulk of the Imperial army was called back to Garlemald, Lord Kaien and a force of rebels fought against the remaining Garlean soldiers and quite miraculously drove them out of the city, at least for a time. There was scarce time to celebrate their victory before the Garleans returned in full force to crush the kingdom under their might. Lord Kaien was assassinated by the same man, who’s name I will not do the honor of mentioning, who led the Garleans back to Doma. The city was utterly devastated... its beautiful buildings reduced to ruins and its treasures and artefacts plundered. This was the decisive moment for me. I would leave Hingashi for good. Though never religious, I had long admired and respected the local religion of the Far East. Before preparing for my departure I wrapped myself in a cloak and made my way outside of Kugane to a temple in the outlying valley, so that I might pray to the kami for the souls lost to this horrific and endless war with the Garleans, and for my own safe passage away from this place which, in turn, was losing its own soul to the machinations of the Garleans with every day that passed. When I returned, I packed but one small bag and walked alone, without saying a word to anyone, to the harbor. There were no passenger ships sailing to Eorzea this day but there were other means of exit from Kugane, and I knew where to find them.”

Entry no. 16

- Fjola

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Side Stories

• Vaziq & Mharani •

Not long after the Viera Fjola quit Doma for Kugane to train in the ways of Far Eastern dance under an esteemed instructor, Vaziq and Mharani felt it time that they, too, move on from their lodgings at Garance’s estate and restart their lives on their own. The two bards had been lovers for many years, but never did they have the opportunity to dwell together in their own space. Though the tragedy of Rabanstre stained their lives, it likewise led them down a path which brought them closer and granted them the chance to completely rebuild from nothing, together. They expressed their desires to Garance, who suggested that they look into obtaining some land on the island of Shirogane. This island was not far from the port city of Kugane, and was built solely for foreigners to Hingashi. It did not take much to convince the bards that this situation was more than ideal.

They traveled together with Garance to see the island themselves and eventually settled upon a plot very near to a natural hot spring and quite separate from the other houses already built on the island. Garance introduced them to a well-respected architect in Doma who spent the next year building a perfect house in the Hingan style for the couple. It cost them the majority of the gil they had saved for years since living in Rabanstre and making a name for themselves as very talent bards, but they felt they had never made a wiser purchase and regretted nothing of their decision. They often hosted elaborate parties here, filled with music, dance, poetry, and the most exotic and delicious food and drink they could procure.

Occasionally, the bards would make their way to Kugane to see Fjola’s performances with the Mujikoza theatre, and the three of them would meet afterwards at the Shiokaze Hostelry for drinks and conversation. They often performed small concerts in the Hostelry for travelers and locals alike. Once, they begged Fjola to dance at an upcoming performance, just like the old days, but as the Viera was under contract to dance for no one outside of the Mujikoza theatre, she had no choice but to refuse.

When Doma was attacked and eventually occupied by Garlean forces, Vaziq and Mharani thought to flee immediately to Eorzea, but struggled to leave the life they had built together. Thus, they instead traveled to Kugane, where they met again with Fjola who informed them that she would not flee as she believed they were quite out of harm’s way where they were. After feeling reassured not only by Fjola’s words, but by the general opinion amongst the population of Kugane that the Garleans were uninterested in Hingashi, the bards resolved to remain vigilant and stay in their own home, whatever the outcome. Indeed, they never once spotted a Garlean soldier in Shirogane, though they knew about the embassy on Kugane and promptly stopped their visits to the town for many years, though they often invited Fjola to home in Shirogane.

The bards eventually began traveling as a musical duo again, and even met Garance once more when they performed at a small tavern in Ishgard. The elegant Elezen looked almost comically out of place in all her finery amongst the common-folk of the tavern, but simply having her there warmed their hearts. Being Hyuran, Vaziq and Mharani haved aged more swiftly than both Garance and Fjola, though the pair are as lively and sharp as ever and continue to travel the world, playing old Dalmascan ballads for those who might never know the splendors of the bards’ once magnificent home.

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Side Stories

• Garance Trisaux •

Garance lounged sleepily in her library, sipping a glass of herbal tea as she flipped through the pages of a book on Hingan poetry. There were three small knocks upon the door, followed by the voice of one of her maids on the opposite side, “My lady, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I think you should see this.” Garance bid the maid enter the room. “What is it, Toyo?” “My lady, as I was on my way to lock the gates, I found this letter lying upon a bench by the dragon fountain. I checked the letterbox after the usual time that the post is delivered but this letter was not amongst the rest, so it must have been placed on the bench deliberately.” Garance thanked the maid and took the letter to her desk. As she opened it, Garance felt an inexplicable sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. The paper was stained with wine and written so messily that it was almost too difficult to make out all the words.

“Madame Trisaux - I write to warn you that you are in grave danger and must make haste ... take yourself far, far from Doma, at the very moment that you read these words. I have not the time to explain in detail, but in two days’ time Doma will likely be no more. Though I am well aware that this message must seem but the ramblings of a madman, you must believe what I say, and flee the city immediately. Tell no one what I have written, and draw no attention to yourself when you leave. Bring as few people and belongings with you as you can manage, and pray be quick. - Yours, X”

Quite shaken by the hastily written letter, Garance glanced around the library, unable to fix her eyes upon anything in particular and then quickly made for her bedroom. She called out in a loud voice for her two maids, who stumbled into the room with panicked looks upon their faces, startled to hear their mistress raise her voice for the first time since they began their employment at the estate. “Toyo! Minami! Help me pack my traveling cases! Quickly! Gather all of my jewels, and as many of my robes as can fit. Retrieve all of the instruments in the glass cases from the music room and load them into the carriage, but leave the larger instruments as they are, and pray, call upon the stable-master Yasu and bid him ready the chocobos! The three of us here in this room shall be going on a journey, a long journey across the sea, but you must tell no one at all. Quickly now, go!” The maids shared a nervous glance and then scrambled to do as they were bid, when Garance abruptly called out once again, “And tell the rest of the staff that they are dismissed. I shall leave envelopes for each of them with their severance pay on the table in the dining hall, and once they have collected their payment tell them to go tonight, as far from Doma as they can. I’ve just got word that ... that a terribly destructive typhoon is heading toward Doma and that we must all flee. And don’t forget to pack your own things! Do hurry! Now!” And with that the maids set themselves to their tasks as Garance went to her safe to gather gil for the journey and some to leave behind for the rest of her retainers. She sincerely hoped that they would heed her words and leave the city, but she dared not think too deeply into it.

After some hours had passed everything had fallen into place and Garance, Toyo, and Minami climbed into the carriage and made for the harbor. The trio managed to buy their way onto a ship headed for the desert city of Ul’Dah in Eorzea, and from there took various carriages across the continent until they finally reached the place whence Garance hailed, the snow-dusted city of Ishgard. Garance’s family received her with open arms, though she soon purchased a townhouse of her own. The two Au Ri maids, Toyo and Minami, remain with her to this day, looking over the new staff and managing the household. After a brief period of readjustment, Garance became the most esteemed music teacher at Saint Endalim’s Scholasticate. Here, students eagerly hope to be accepted into her class, as she is known as something of an attractive enigma for her mysterious past and the inclusion of instruments in her lessons not only native to Eorzea, but also those of Dalmasca and the Far East, which she has always admired so very dearly.

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“It was said that Lord Kaien of Doma had requested aid from Hingashi out of fear that the Garleans would invade, but was denied on the grounds that Hingashi would remain, at all times, a neutral entity so as to avoid the same fate as Dalmasca. Most of us only learned this fact after Lord Kaien’s fears became a reality and Doma was attacked without warning by Garlean forces. News came quickly of all the events that unfolded in Doma, and after some days we learned that the Domans actually managed to defend their city from occupation by Lord Kaien’s masterful plan to interfere with the aether currents of the area, which sent the wicked Garlean airships plummeting to their doom. But no sooner than celebrations were being planned did the Garleans redouble their efforts and continue their assault. Doman forces and resources utterly exhausted, Lord Kaien surrendered to the Garlean Empire, knowing that to continue the city’s defense would be to forfeit the lives of countless soldiers and citizens for a cause most unlikely to end in Doma’s favor. The atmosphere in Kugane was paranoid and tense, though the bakufu continually reminded us that we were well beyond the Garleans’ interest, and that no harm would come to us so long as the city remained neutral. And so it did, and still does to this very day. I remained in Kugane for many years, though I found it irritatingly difficult to walk the same streets as the Garleans who came and went freely, as they had an embassy in the city and traded here with other nations. There was even one Garlean, an errand boy of sorts to a high ranking official, who often attended performances alone at the Mujikoza theatre. He wrote many a letter to me expressing his admiration and though, in the beginning, I detested him simply for being of the Garlean race, I came to find him rather kind and different to the Garlean soldiers and dignitaries who often hurried along the streets of Kugane with an obvious air of disdain for the city’s denizens. I realized that to harbor anger for an entire race for the mistakes of only a fraction was misguided and ignorant, and made up my mind to be kind to the Garlean boy, called Caelum, by inviting him to the Hostelry where we learned, with much compassion, a bit of one another’s histories. I learned some years later that Caelum was killed while accompanying his master when the Garleans battled for control of the Eorzean city-state of Ala Mhigo, though I know not how. He was not a solider and should have been well away from danger, but war defies reason time and time again. Life in Kugane stayed much the same for the next 20 or so years. Madame eventually succumbed to old age, and the company of dancers was inherited by her daughter, who was far kinder and good-natured than poor Madame had ever been, though she, of course, always meant well. I continued to dance, year after year, aging only in number as many of my peers aged physically, retired, and were replaced by new dancers. I realize as I write these words in my memoirs that I have not mentioned the fates of my old friends, but perhaps that’s a story left best for another time.”

Entry no. 15

- Fjola

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“We Viera spend many more moons upon this world than any of the other races here, so perhaps for us time moves differently than for the others. Indeed, the five years I spent in the house on Kogane Dori with Madame and her dancing troupe passed in what felt like no time at all. Though it took some effort, I managed to become something of a master of Far Eastern dance and often took the role of lead dancer in many performances at the Mujikoza theatre. The years passed without incident, and eventually I found myself able to afford an apartment of my own in a very elegant neighborhood in the city. I continued my dancing and even gained the admiration of some of the wealthier residents of the town. This was not unlike Rabanstre, where I was often offered great sums of money to accompany this or that aristocrat to dinner or simply to walk side by side throughout the city. Viera rarely leave the Wood and so our presence in the outside world is often sought after as a means to raise one’s social status, though I find the entire notion quite absurd. In any case, Madame would, from time to time, insist that I dine with the wealthiest of patrons as a means of guaranteeing the success of our company and garnering the interest and support of the common folk, who admired anything that the upper-classes admired. It was at one such dinner that the news came. While feigning interest in a patron’s long-winded tale of how he made a fortune in textiles, a sudden commotion could be heard on the streets outside of the restaurant. I could not make out any full sentences for all of the people speaking over one another, but certain words stood out above the rest: ‘attack, Doma, Garleans, Lord Kaien’... and at this, it felt as if my heart fell from its place in my chest deep into an abyss. I immediately excused myself from the dinner and ran outside to see what I could learn. It was as I had feared... Doma was currently under assault by the dreaded Garlean Empire.”

Entry no. 14

- Fjola

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“The journey from Doma to Kugane was not a long one and we soon found ourselves arriving at the docks. Kugane was a most lively, colorful city and quite at odds with Doma. Where Doma was refined and elegant, Kugane was boisterous and flashy. Everywhere there were peddlers in their stalls selling everything from fish to jewelry, and I was quite surprised to see so many foreigners wandering about the city. Kiyohana informed me that, technically speaking, Kugane was the only city in Hingashi to allow foreigners to pass beyond its gates. I wondered how, then, that Garance had lived so long in Doma and how we Dalmascans received nothing more than a few wayward glances as we strolled leisurely through Doma’s avenues. I later came to learn just how much gil could buy, and gil was but one of the many things that Garance had in abundance, thus she and her guests were quite free to go where they pleased, so long as they followed the laws of the land. Kiyohana set me up in a room at the inn and told me that she would return after she attended to some business at the hanamachi, or geiko district. I spent most of the day soaking at the hot springs on the grounds of the inn and then made my way back to my room. After some time, Kiyohana returned and informed me that I could meet with the dance master, whom I was to address only as Madame, the following afternoon. She stayed a while, telling me everything that might be helpful to know upon meeting Madame, and then retired to her own guest quarters in the hanamachi. The following day we set off to meet this master of dance, so that we might see if she found me a worthwhile pupil. To make a rather embarrassing and long story short, she accepted me on the condition that I sign a contract stating that I would not take lessons from any other instructors and that I perform for no troupe or institution other than her own for the next three years. Unsure of my future, I accepted her offer and was immediately ushered out of the theatre and over to what would become my quarters - a small room in a large house where other performers, novice and accomplished, dwelt. I couldn’t know it at the time, but I would spend the next five years at this house, and many more after that in the frenetic city of Kugane.”

Entry no. 13

- Fjola

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“I will not linger on the details of the tayu Kiyohana’s arrival, but it should suffice to say that it was nothing short of magnificent. Once she had made her entrance she quickly settled in with the rest of us for dinner and explained why she had come. Every so often the famed tayu would travel from her hometown of Bukyo, the capital of Hingashi, to perform her arts in the tea houses of Kugane and Doma. She had recently received a letter from Garance, whom she met some years ago in Kugane when the Elezen was invited to play the shamisen at one of Kiyohana’s performances. The letter detailed our journey from Rabanstre to Doma and Garance asked if Kiyohana might be interested in meeting me when she next visited Doma so that she might instruct me on the dances of the Far East. Kiyohana was very eager to meet a Viera, especially one interested in the ancient arts of the tayu and, in her own words, ‘jumped at the chance’ she was offered and made plans to leave for Doma much earlier than she originally intended. During dinner, we spent some time discussing our histories and agreed to begin my training the following morning. I will not detail the days that followed, but it seemed this style of dance did not come naturally to me. Indeed, six days came and went before I even began to get a single step correct. Kiyohana stayed another six days and insisted that I travel onward with her to the port city of Kugane so that she might introduce me to the dance master of the local theatre. The day came when I would bid farewell to my friends in Doma... Vaziq, Mharani, Garance... I knew not when we would meet again, but this is where our paths were fated to diverge and with heavy hearts we said our goodbyes. From the ship I boarded with Kiyohana I waved farewell to my friends and set my eyes upon the horizon. The small, refined Au Ra reached up to hand me a silken handkerchief as the ship pulled away from the harbor ... “

Entry no. 12

- Fjola

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Main Character ~ Fjola Muscadet

Job: Dancer

Race: Rava Viera

Affiliation: None

Place of Origin: Muscadet Village, Golmore Jungle

Current Residence: Ul’dah

Status: Alive

Relationship Status: Single

Biography:

Like all Viera, Fjola was born deep in the Golmore Jungle to an unnamed father and a mother who taught her the basics of life in the Wood. She spent her childhood ideally, roaming the jungle with other Viera her age in search of mushrooms, berries, fruits and vegetables for the village, though she had a particular fondness for the multitude of flowers that bloomed all over the forest. When Fjola was halfway into her fourteenth summer an incident occurred that forever changed the course of her life. A young Hyuran botanist, in search of rare herbs rumored to grow only in the Golmore Jungle, had wandered too far into the Wood, leaving his expedition team behind. He was shot in the leg by a lone Wood Warder, an oft unseen male Viera charged with protecting the Wood and her inhabitants, and taken to Fjola’s village to be questioned by the elders. For the first time in her life Fjola was exposed to someone from outside of the Wood. Never had she seen anyone other than Viera, and the shock of witnessing a boy only a handful of years older than herself, fearful and blood soaked, in her village was enough to shake her entire world. She climbed to the roof of the meeting hall with two other young Viera to hear what she could of the interrogation. The botanist explained himself to the elders, saying that he meant no harm and vowed to tell no one where he had been. But the elders insisted that he tell all, and promised to release him so that he would serve as an example to the people outside of the Wood. They had his wound patched but did not heal him as well as they might have, and sent him with the Wood Warder to be escorted out of the jungle. Fjola spent many nights awake thinking deeply on this incident, and though she had been told that the world outside of the Wood held nothing but horrors within, she began to wonder. Each day that passed in the Wood lost meaning to Fjola, as she became increasingly consumed with finding a way to leave. It wasn’t until her seventeenth nameday passed that Fjola decided for good that she would leave the village with one other Viera, an equally headstrong and curious girl called Grja. The two of them approached the elder council to explain that there was nothing for them in the Wood, and that they would never feel content living their days confined to the trees. The elders never refused one of their kind an exit from their home, but they forbade them ever to return. Accepting this, Fjola and Grja spent their last night in their familial homes, though sleep did not come easily to either one. The next day, the two Viera ventured together out of the village and through the wood, each given a sack of goods and gil from the elders. As they came to the edge of the jungle they turned to see the forest one last time, and suddenly glimpsed the back of a Wood Warder silently jumping away from tree to tree. He had, until then, been an unseen guardian who ensured their safe passage through the Wood, but from this point on they would be completely and forever on their own ...

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Supporting Characters ~ Volume II

Name: Viktor Faircloud

Job: Pirate, merchant

Affiliation: N/A

Current Residence: His ship, the Faircloud

Place of Origin: Found by a Roegadyn pirate woman on an abandoned rowboat off the coast of Limsa Lominsa

Status: Alive

Relationship Status: Undisclosed

Relation to Fjola: Friend, suitor

Biography:

Viktor was found as an infant alone on a rowboat in the middle of the sea off the coast of Vylbrand by a Roegadyn pirate woman on a calm, clear night. The woman cared deeply for the child and named him Viktor Faircloud. Viktor, because he survived alone at sea, overcoming all the odds, and Faircloud due to the tranquil weather on the night he was found. The child grew up on the sea and was taught by his adoptive mother’s crew all about maintaining a ship, how to read the winds and know if a storm is coming, fishing, cooking, and the value of various goods plundered by the pirates. When Viktor was barely into his twelfth summer his mother’s ship was raided in the night by a crew of pirates that bared no resemblance to any he had seen before. He knew that pirates were bound by a code and forbidden from attacking one another on the sea, but these pirates were not at all like those who hailed from Vylbrand. During the attack, Viktor was knocked unconscious while trying to help defend the ship and eventually awoke, once again, on a small boat in the middle of the sea. He recognized the Roegadyn man rowing the boat and saw the lights of Limsa in the distance before falling back into a fitful sleep. Viktor was taken to Limsa Lominsa and left to fend for himself for the remainder of his childhood. He never heard from his mother again, and the authorities paid him no mind when he reached out for their assistance. He formed a tight-knit bond with a group of orphaned children around his own age and eventually began dreaming of a life on the sea again. Sometime during his seventeenth year, Viktor and his friends found an abandoned ship that had long ago washed ashore. The band of would-be pirates repaired the ship day by day until it was fit to venture out to sea, and when that day came so too did Viktor become a pirate in his own right. Viktor was dashing, gallant, and a bit mischievous, which made him a popular figure amongst the people of Vylbrand. Viktor eventually began traveling all the way to Kugane to trade wares with the locals. He made these trips to Kugane three or four times a year, where he was almost as popular as in Limsa Lominsa. He paid well for nights with the local courtesans, and earned a reputation as a very satisfying lover. It was on one such trip to Kugane that Viktor’s path crossed with that of a woman who’s kind he had never before laid eyes upon; an elusive Viera whose name, he would come to learn, was Fjola ...

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Supporting Characters ~ Volume II

Name: Grja

Job: Blacksmith Apprentice

Affiliation: Mythril Rose Blacksmith Shop

Current Residence: Unknown

Place of Origin: Muscadet Village, Golmore Jungle

Status: Unknown

Relationship Status: Lover of the Dalmascan blacksmith Al-Dane Iress

Relation to Fjola: Childhood friend

Biography ~ Part I

Grja grew up with Fjola in the Golmore Jungle, being born around the same time and living near to one another within their village, and the two Vieran girls were likewise quite similar in nature. Both had adventurous spirits and a curiosity that knew no bounds. It was often said the two were like sisters, sharing an unbreakable bond and seeming to understand one another without a word passed between them. After an incident that brought a wounded Hyuran boy into the village, both Grja and Fjola began to question their lives in the Wood. Over time the two became increasingly eager to take their chances in the world beyond the sea of trees, and finally made the decision to leave. They knew full well that they would never be allowed to return to their native home, but both were possessed with enough self-assurance to know that neither would they ever be truly fulfilled living their lives confined within the Wood. After many late nights spent fantasizing about life beyond the jungle, the decision was made and the girls approached the village elders. In each of the past few generations there had been one or two Viera who made the decision to cross from the Wood to beyond, thus the village elders were not entirely surprised when they were approached by Grja and Fjola. They forbade no Viera from leaving of their own free will, though it gave them great disappointment and sorrow. The elders equipped the girls with traveling sacks filled with simple provisions... dried foods, crudely drawn maps of the continent, elixirs and potions, and a purse of gil - though it had no value within the Wood, there were chests full of these coins locked deep within the vaults of the elders’ halls for occasions of emergency and exile. The girls bid farewell to their family and friends, and with the blessing of the Wood granted them by the elders they slowly walked their way out of the safety of the jungle and into the unknown ...

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Supporting Characters ~ Volume II

Name: Kiyohana Fujinami

Race: Au Ra Raen

Job: Tayū

Affiliation: Bukyo Hanamachi, Doma Hanamachi, Kugane Hanamachi

Place of Origin: Bukyo

Current Residence: Bukyo

Relationship Status: Single

Relation to Fjola: Close friend

Biography:

Kiyohana Fujinami was born in Bukyo, the capital of Hingashi. Her mother was the oka-san of the capital’s most well-reputed geisha house, but Kiyohana was never told a word about her father. Circumstance being what it is, Kiyohana’s fate was decided long before birth; she would train as a maiko, an apprentice geiko, until she had mastered their elegant art, and then debut as a geiko, the same as her mother and all the women of the Fujinami name before her. Kiyohana, however, having mastered the arts of the geiko early in her training, decided to walk a different path and aspired to the rank of tayu. Tayu are the highest ranking women of the arts in all of the Far East, but the title comes with a heavy price. The tayu must not only be well versed in the arts of tea ceremony, music and dance, but must also master the art of intimate pleasure. Kiyohana did not flinch at this aspect of the job, but accepted it for what it was. She became one of the two most celebrated tayu in Bukyo, and traveled three times a year to the port city of Kugane, and then onward to Doma, where she would entertain foreigners within the city’s hanamachi. Her willingness to entertain outside of the capital only enhanced her reputation, as the people saw her as more humble and amiable than those geiko and tayu who never left the confines of Bukyo. It was during one of her travels to Doma that Kiyohana was introduced to Fjola by a mutual friend ...

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“The kimono fittings took quite some time, as Garance gave the weavers suggestions and criticisms at every opportunity. The silk on this one was not light enough, the colors there didn’t match Vaziq’s eyes, that ornament wasn’t suitable next to my Vieran ears, on and on and on again until every detail was perfected. We left the atelier with four large baskets packed full of silken kimonos for all of us and hair ornaments for Garance and myself. Some days later, as I was reading a novel in the garden late in the afternoon, a servant girl approached me to say that Garance was eager to gather everyone together in the main house. We were told that a very renowned tayu by the name of Kiyohana Fujinami was en route to the mansion, after having recently traveled to Doma from the capital city of Bukyo, and that we should all be dressed in our finest kimonos and ready to receive her within the hour. As one of the servants was helping me to piece my outfit together, I mentioned that I had not heard the term ‘tayu’ before and inquired as to its meaning. After the initial shock wore off, the servant woman informed me that the tayu are but a select few women of the Far East who, after many years of rigorous training, have mastered the ancient, traditional arts of the region, such as tea ceremony and dance. What she did not tell me, and what I came to know some time later, is that the tayu, unlike their sister geiko, are also well versed in the intimate arts. Once we had all been properly dressed we were taken to the largest room of the estate where we sat quietly for what seemed like an eternity, except for Garance who spent the entire time explaining the history and role of the tayu to the rest of us. Most of which was already explained to me earlier in much fewer words. I will, however, admit that during Garance’s speech I had become quite fascinated by these women of the arts, and began looking forward to meeting one of them personally. Only a few moments after the sun set there was a sudden commotion outside. The soft tinkling of small bells, the sound of footsteps hauling numerous palanquins, the rustling of silk and the smell of incense and flowers riding on the light summer breeze all rushed in together like some sort of strange spell. Kiyohana Fujinami, the celebrated tayu of Bukyo, had arrived.”

Entry no. 11

- Fjola

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“I never kept count of how many days we spent at Garance’s estate. I do, however, remember well the stories they told and the songs they sang... stories of their adventures together in the Bards’ Guild of Rabanastre, and songs they had composed together when they were still a part of the traveling musical quartet they created with Fero. Many of these songs were familiar to me, as I often accompanied Fero to the taverns of Rabanstre when he would perform, both as part of the quartet Esoterica and after, when he sang alone with his harp. These days and nights in the company of the three bards were uplifting, though there was a lingering sense of melancholy simmering under the surface. Garance was gracious and generous, always making certain that we were comfortable and in good spirits, though from time to time she appeared a bit distracted and distant. I was told by Vaziq that this was typical of Garance... her mind always prone to wandering places unknown to anyone except herself. Time passed, as is its wont, and though I knew our presence was nothing like a burden on Garance, I felt that I must begin providing for myself within my own accommodations. Though I had studied a bit of herbalism, I was nowhere near adept enough to consider seeking employment with the alchemists. I had not the talent of the bards to perform music at taverns, but I did have a certain aptitude for dance. At least, that’s how it seemed after each performance during our journey east. What I did not realize at the time was that the style of dance preferred in the Far East was quite different from what I had learned so far on my travels. One night, after a few drinks of wine that Garance had imported by the barrel from Ishgard, I mentioned my interest in seeking employment so that I might make myself more independent, at which Garance clapped her hands together in excitement and told me she knew exactly to whom I should be introduced. A few nights later she informed us that another guest would be arriving in three days and that she would be staying with us indefinitely. Garance asked if we might be willing to attend a fitting for traditional kimono so that we would make a good first impression on this mysterious visitor. We, of course, agreed.”

Entry no. 10

- Fjola

[dhalmasque]

“After finishing our fourth bottle of wine, Garance suggested we make our way to her home near the palace, instead of wasting time and gil on sleeping at the inn, where she invited us to stay for as long as we liked. We mentioned that our chocobos and caravan were housed some distance away, but Garance said she would have these sent for and brought to her home by the morning, as it was a good night for walking and that the fresh air might help clear her head of the wine. The walk was pleasant enough, the air was cool and the sounds of the multitudinous cicadas were calming but, finally, the reality of what had happened back in Rabanstre was catching up to me. I could not stop imagining Fero in his bright, airy sunroom, being mercilessly executed by some brash and brutish Garlean soldier. And for what? All so that the Garlean could seize Fero’s home, like a murderous thief consumed with greed, all for himself without having to do anything more than draw his gunblade. For only a moment, I allowed myself to wish that Fero could have been here with me, walking the glowing streets of Doma in the company of friends, singing songs in the night, under the stars and the moon. But these thoughts did nothing but grip harder at my heart. The wine had made a mess of my emotions, which I had kept so well in check until now, yet I refused to allow myself to shed tears. Not here, not yet. When we arrived at Garance’s residence I could hardly believe the magnitude of the place. The grounds of her home were sprawling, decorated with gardens, fountains, ponds, and smaller houses spread across the property which was entirely protected by a high wall that surrounded the complex. I could hardly imagine why one person would need so much space, but these thoughts only led me back to Fero and his manse in Rabanstre, where we spent so much time together. So much time that now seemed too little. Fortunately, my sombre thoughts were interrupted by Garance who asked if I would like to be shown to my quarters so that I might rest. I thanked her and bid good night to Vaziq and Mharani, then followed behind a young retainer girl Garance had summoned with a bell. My quarters were in a small pavilion almost entirely separate from the main house, connected only by a wooden, open hallway built just beside a pond filled with many colorful carp. Once the retainer had shown me inside and quickly disappeared back into the night, I drew a bath and climbed inside. As soon as my body relaxed in the warmth of the water, one tear fell and then another, until I was so flooded with them that I could barely see. This was the first time I had been truly alone since leaving Rabanstre, and I could not help but indulge my sorrows.”

Entry no. 9

- Fjola

[dhalmasque]

Supporting Characters ~ Volume I

Name: Fero El’Zia

Race: Dalmascan Hyur

Job: Bard

Affiliation: Bards’ Guild of Rabanastre

Place of Origin: Rabanastre

Current Residence: N/A

Status: Deceased

Relationship Status: N/A

Relation to Fjola: Former lover

Biography ~ Part I:

Fero Mahyr El’Zia was born and raised within one of Rabanstre’s oldest merchant families. His ancestors helped found the Muthru Bazaar, an open market famed for its wares domestic and foreign, commonplace and exceedingly rare. When Fero was still a very young child, his grandfather gifted him a small but exquisite harp he picked up on one of his many voyages overseas to procure goods for one of the family’s shops. The young Fero loved the instrument, less for its beautiful sound and more as a device he could use to frighten the family’s exotic pets. However, as he grew older so did his appreciation of music deepen. At the behest of his mother, he applied, and was immediately admitted, to the Rabanstran Academy of the Arts. Here he made friends with Vaziq Fremont, exceptionally skilled with the lute, and Mharani Rozvin, a vivacious fiddler. The three spent much time together, writing songs in the music halls and then performing them at local faires and in the Bazaar where they were celebrated for their prodigious talents while still being so young. When the trio graduated from the Academy, they were quickly admitted to the local Bards’ Guild. A famed institution known for housing some of the finest bards in all the world. At the guild, Fero refined his style into something deeper and more romantic than the old, tired songs of adventure and merry jigs he had played a thousand times over. He often brought his harp to the open courtyards and near the many fountains of Rabanastre in an attempt to gauge the reaction of the ladies that frequented these areas. His new, original repertoire proved massively popular and soon Fero, Mharani, Vaziq and Garance, an Elezen woman with a talent for instruments from the Far East, formed a musical group they called Esoterica... An ode to their musical style - a fusion of mysterious and beautiful sounds mixed with the more traditional fare familiar to Dalmascan audiences. The quartet performed regularly at taverns in and around Rabanstre, gaining more and more of a following after each performance. The group was abruptly split apart when Garance left Rabanstre without warning to enhance her studies in the Far East. The remaining bards, though disheartened, were insightful enough to know that they would never achieve the same level of popularity without Garance’s unique flavor to color their sonic landscape, and decided to embark on their own musical journeys. Mharani and Vaziq formed a duo, playing classical Rabanstran waltzes and sarabandes at various high society functions. The money was good and this was the sort of music the two of them always excelled at performing. Fero, however, decided to continue as a solo harpist and singer. His harp playing was so refined yet unrestrained, so elegant and passionately wild that, when mixed with his voice, at once angelic and ashen, it was impossible not to be deeply moved. His reputation as a bard grew into fame so unrivaled that his presence was sought out by nobles and aristocrats as far away as Eorzea. It was an exceedingly hot afternoon when Fero first caught sight of a Viera he had not yet seen in Rabanstre. He had met a handful of Viera in the city and knew them all by name, though they were hard to get to know beyond that. He was passing an ornate fountain near the city’s eastern gates when he saw her, sitting on the edge of the fountain, running her left hand through the cool water. Their eyes met for a brief moment, yet something in his heart seemed to explode and shimmer all the way down to his feet and up into his head. Though he was no stranger to amourous affairs, never before had he felt such a pleasantly shocking sensation, and he would not rest until he knew more of this enigmatic, beautiful foreigner ...

[dhalmasque]

Supporting Characters ~ Volume I

Name: Garance Trisaux

Race: Wildwood Elezen

Job: Bard, Music Instructor

Affiliation: Bards’ Guild of Rabanastre, Saint Endalim's Scholasticate

Place of Origin: Ishgard

Current Residence: Ishgard

Status: Alive

Relationship Status: Single

Relation to Fjola: Acquaintance

Biography ~ Part I:

Garance Trisaux was born to a wealthy Ishgardian family, connected by blood to House Durendaire. The youngest of eight siblings, Garance was often left on her own, in the care of various governesses who came and went, much to the lonely child’s dismay. Because she was so often left alone with no friends, and siblings who were all a bit too old, or busy with their own lives, to indulge her inquisitive nature, she spent much time playing in the family’s music room. She learned a few melodies on the grand piano and enjoyed the sounds she could make when plucking the golden harp, but she never learned any of the instruments properly. Her favorite older brother, Anton, the only one who ever paid her any mind, once went on a spiritual six moon retreat to an outlying temple near the Kingdom of Doma, and when he returned he brought with him boxes and bags full of gifts for his siblings. For Garance, he brought a beautiful Far Eastern stringed instrument known as a koto. The child was awestruck by its beauty of shape and sound, and begged her parents to allow her a musical tutor so that she might finally properly learn an instrument. Her parents readily agreed, thinking it appropriate that their daughter develop a talent to keep her occupied, and sent vassals to the Far East to find a suitable tutor. After some four moons had passed a Hingan man arrived at the doorstep of House Trisaux, the stewards who were sent to find him pushing and pulling many cases of foreign instruments on carts into the grand house. The music room had been converted into a studio and, after one night of rest, the Hingan man insisted that Garance begin her studies. More than 10 moons had passed when the Hingan tutor informed Garance that he would be returning to his homeland. She had learned with great aptitude all of the instruments native to the Far East that the Hingan man had brought and imported over the years to Ishgard, and he felt that there was nothing more he could teach the girl. He did, however, suggest that she travel to the far away continent of Othard and attempt to join the renowned Bards’ Guild of Rabanstre to learn what she could there. She had heard stories of this city, The Desert Sapphire, it was often called. The more thought she put towards traveling to this distant land the more appealing it became. Being the most traveled of the family, Anton agreed to accompany his sister to Rabanstre. The two set off for Limsa Lominsa, where they would board a ship to the Othardian port city of Valnain and travel up by coach to Rabanstre. The journey took quite some time, but all proved worth it when Garance was accepted with aplomb to the Guild. Though only seventeen summers old, she had spent so much of her childhood alone that she did not at all feel lonely in these new surroundings, though she quickly made friends with three other recent members to the Guild: Vaziq Fremont, Mharani Rozvin, and Fero El’Zia. They often collaborated together and their talents eventually flourished into a musical quartet they called Esoterica. Though they were wildly popular for some moons in Rabanstre, Garance eventually felt over-eager to deepen her knowledge in the Far East, that mysterious land full of magical instruments she so long ago mastered. The day came when she simply wrote a letter to each of her three friends informing them of her decision, and sent them to be posted. Never being good at goodbyes, she hired a private coach in the middle of the night and made for the east ...