#nald thal

[dawntrailing]

『エオルゼア十二神 • THE TWELVE OF EORZEA 』

[swevenfox]

Fanart

FF14 - Nald'Thal

Under arid sky

With silk veils we weave a rainbow.

Voices lifted high,

Dreams upon our backs we carry.

When day beckons night

As desert resident's time may slow.

Drifting hand in hand,

Life, death, will follow.

[naldthal-thetraders]

[shslivalice]

got possessed and drew my human form nald'thal :)

[hologramblue]

flight rising azeyma fandragon (missing two apparel pieces but one is gems and one is the fucking autumnal wreath so she is going to simply have to wait for me to scrounge up the materials)

[xehanortsreport]

a list of facts about xenoir chevaroux, warrior of light

fun facts im porting from bsky bc...i love my blorbo! Spoilers for like. Every FFXIV Expac up to current (7.1).

1. Xenoir may be a practitioner of thaumaturgy and black magic by trade, but he is considered a natural talent in the field of summoning. Despite not being heritor to the Allagan Summoner job stone, he is able to summon not only egis but also primals themselves as though tamed beasts. These primal entities are incapable of tempering on their own behalf. Much like Fandaniel's Lunar Primals, Xenoir can, if he chooses, make these entities temper on his behalf. He hasn't done this, however, and has no idea he even could.

2. Xenoir is not a native Etheiryan, and therefore is not a shard of any ancient, Azem or no. He is, instead, one of the clutch Midgardsormr brought from the Dragonstar all those years ago. Rather than hatching with his broodsiblings, he was instead given to Hydaelyn as part of the pact between her and Midgardsormr. Hydaelyn would keep him unhatched within the Aetherial Sea until the time came for the Warrior of Light to exist. She then took his soul and implanted it into the womb of his mother, where he was then born as the human (well, y'know) we know and love (?) today.

3. Because of the previous, Xenoir's soul is insanely dense compared to the souls of the Sundered. I view Dragon souls as being dense even compared to the Unsundered. If the average Unsundered is a normal star, he is a black hole; the gravity of his soul is nigh inescapable. It is this density that allows him to tame Primals, and even allows him to singlehandedly maintain Charibert as a Primal tethered to and powered by his soul, sustained by his aether and their combined memories alone.

4. Xenoir's facial tattoo is a rite of passage from his father's side. The subculture of Hellsguard Roegadyn he descends from have a tradition in which children have their faces tattooed with a magic sigil on their 14th birthday. This ritual is performed by an established seer in their family, who commune with the messengers to the Gods in order to divine the path the child is destined to take. Xenoir's tattoo means "fortune".

5. SPEAKING OF MESSENGERS, let's talk about Mammon. This will be a long one I'm porting from the other site. Mammon is the primal Xenoir ends up channeling in AUs where he's not the WoL. He's an angel-like being in the folklore of his father's people and is not worshipped outside of their group. Mammon is said to be a messenger between Nald, Thal, and the living, taking the form of a serpent with heads on both ends.

The dual-headed aspect represents it's ability to report to both twin gods at the same time. This is an adaptation of a Meracydian snake god, from where the Thorn people originally hailed, and was mapped onto Nald'thalian worship when they were enslaved by Allagans and brought to work in Thanalan.

Its primary purpose in worship is to deliver the especially poor and downtrodden from things like debt and poverty by essentially brokering an IOU between the Traders and the devout. It is said that Mammon will take on the burdens of debt for a time and grant the worshipper peace and amnesty from financial woes. However, that worshipper must then promise to pay a regular tithe to the Traders as soon as they are in better financial straits.

As such, the worship of Mammon as a messenger and aspect of the Traders eventually became known within communities of the severely impoverished and minority groups within Ul'dah, and has been picked up by second-generation Ala Mhigan refugees in particular. Xenoir's mother, Antoinette, was first taught of Mammon via her encounters with Xenoir's father, Weeping Thorn, and from there Xenoir included Mammon in his faith as an entity he would pray to during his childhood in the Brume.

Later on, Xenoir would take advantage of this particular aspect of his faith to feed his power as a primal; as a loan shark, his very actions would drive an increase in the frequency and intensity of prayers to Mammon among his clients, creating a feedback loop that makes him a relatively powerful force. Outside of this particular AU, however, Mammon is just one of the spirits he prays to.

6. Speaking of Xenoir's paternal family, his Draconic heritage isn't the only reason his summoning is so powerful. His paternal lineage is extremely talented in the art of summoning (or "calling" as they call it). This has caused no end of strife for them.As stated prior, the Thorns are a subset of Hellsguard Roegadyn hailing from Meracydia. They were taken captive by Allag for their summoning prowess and forcibly relocated to Thanalan, their powers manipulated to the Empire's ends.

Eventually, a segment of their people managed to break away and flee across the salt, seeking freedom beyond the Empire's reach. They eventually sought sanctuary in Xak Tural and were helped by a tribe of Shetona who agreed to let them share their land in exchange for the protection offered by their calling powers. Agreeing to the covenant, the peoples lived side by side for generations.

Again, the Thorn family fragmented as a portion decided to return to Thanalan to seek what remained of their culture there. Among them were the clan that eventually begat Weeping Thorn, Xenoir's father. The rest is history...to be another point in this thread lmao.

7. The Gem of Shatotto is embedded under the skin on the back of Xenoir's neck. To the uninformed, it simply looks like a large raised scar; most assume it's a wound from his battles.

Because the secrets of Black Magic are so dangerous and potent, he decided it would be best to guarantee it never left his person - and what more permanent solution than having it physically stuck to him? He intends to pass it on at the end of his journey via a private cremation; whoever he chooses to succeed him can then pluck the stone from his ashes.

8. At around the age of 13, he and his mother escaped from Ishgard (and i do mean /escaped/ - more on that later) and they took residence with his father in Thanalan. Here, Xenoir began apprenticing under his father, a mortician operating out of Vesper Bay.

Xenoir would perform such services as making candles, cleaning bones for those more interested in keeping those rather than an entire body, serving tea to mourners, and keeping the shop dusted and swept.

9. After being trained at the Thaumaturges' Guild in Ul'dah, Xenoir has gained a vast array of knowledge and skills. He is able to embalm and craft his own embalming agents from scratch, perform autopsies and dissections, surgically perform cosmetic alterations on a corpse, and can apply corpse makeup and corrective putty sculpting for those willing to shell out the gil.

He also creates anatomical drawings as a hobby and sells them to student chirugeons for them to take home.

10. Related to the above, he's a pretty decent artist. He's enamored by the living figure, and while journaling on his travels often includes accompanying sketches of people and animals. This forms the basis of his later journey into Pictomancy.

11. Xenoir LOVES food, I mean LOVES it. In another world, he'd probably become a culinarian. One of the first things he does whenever he touches down somewhere new is immediately seek out the local eatery. His favorite dishes are either heavy on the umami or heavy on the sweet.

Current favorite dishes include moussaka, hamsa curry, coconut cake, beef bourguignon, coq au vin, oden, beignets, lemon curd tarts, coffee biscuits, and carrot pudding.

12. As a child in the Brume, he used to be known as "the little magpie." In order to help support his disgraced mother (as his father was unable to access the city), he would often snitch on "heretics" and sell them out to the Temple Knights.

The Knights would in turn often throw him some stale heels of bread, other food scraps, or (if they were especially generous) a gil or two. As a result of this, while he was able to keep himself and his mother afloat, he became a pariah among other children and scorned by the adults. Not helping this was his eagerness to help nobles frame their lessers by planting damning evidence at their behest.

Being only around 10-12 at the time,he never did fully grasps the wrongs of his actions, and instead internalized the lesson of "money is the key to respect."

13. Xenoir's eventual adoption of the machinist's trade is as much a psychological boon as it is a physical one. He first picked it up because the Light poisoning on the first nearly completely snuffed out his Black Magic. He almost died multiple times only to be rescued by someone else.

The entire experience left him feeling weak and hollow. Even though he had vast depths of aether to spare, because he had singlemindedly focused on one discipline, he was unable to defend himself the moment it became unusable.

Though he's loathe to admit it, the image of Emet-Selch shooting G'raha left a significant impact on him. The simplicity of a firearm that could be used with or without magic. Thancred offered to hook him up with the art of GNB, but at that point he was tired of interacting with the Scions and wanted to seek refuge somewhere else. No destiny, no Hydaelyn, no, Zodiark, just a path carved with his own two hands. Machinistry it was, then. Being able to build his own firearm and know he had a simple, physical source of protection should his magic fail him again was life-changing.

...I will pause here for now bc I just realized I wrote a lot more than I thought I did! To be continued...?

[mythriteshah]

Ladies, gentlemen, and those in between: the time has come once again! After yet another long winter’s time of gathering resources, the Higuri Regalia is proud to announce the return of the “Regalia Largesse” - marking its seventh occurrence!

For those unaware or uninitiated: The Regalia Largesse is an annual event spanning anywhere between 5-7 days that occurs around the late spring/early summer, and is considered the “pinnacle of Noblesse Oblige”!

During this event, individuals from the Higuri Regalia’s hierarchy will make appearances within the various city-states to offer wares to the adventuring public - FOR FREE (Tips and donations are always greatly appreciated, but never mandatory)!

On Sunday, June 16th, at around 7PM EDT, look for a Party Finder ad from any one of the Regalia members; they will provide you information on where they are, and what items will be offered, with a detailed list of what’s available while supplies last.  Due to the ever-increasing quantity of wares, their post duration has been extended to three hours. All locations take place on the Balmung World in the Crystal Data Center.

Also, throughout the week, starting at the commencement of the Largesse, those who are willing to partake in a special contest will receive a number.  On last day of that week (i.e. the end of  the Largesse), a raffle will take place where a series of numbers will be drawn, and those who win will be offered prizes!

RULES:

*To enter the raffle, simply ask the representative currently posted during that day; a tracker is kept throughout the course of the event, and is shared amongst the Regalia members.

You MUST attend the final day of the Largesse in order to qualify for a chance to win.

In the event you are unable to attend the raffle for any reason, you are allowed 1 proxy to vouch for you, so long as they state whom they are  replacing.

If your number happens to be drawn, you are offered a chance to decline a particular prize if you have eyes on another, but a winner will be decided for the sake of fairness.

Notes: Sprouts (New Players/Adventurers) will receive Flying Beds and/or attire Coffers as a consolation gift. 

The prize list includes the following, and are subject to change:

1st Place Winners: A Chrysomallos Horn/Magitek Avenger G1 Identification Key/Gilded Mikoshi Horn/Golden Ronkan Flute! (4 winners)

2nd Place Winners: An Island Adenium Whistle/Quaqua Horn/Sabotender De La Luna Whistle! (x2 each; 6 winners)

3rd Place Winners: A full set of Free Spirit's Attire!  (5 winners)  

4th Place Winners: An Uolosapa! (10 winners)

Look for these beautiful individuals throughout the week for the item(s) of the day.  Note: stock may (and will) expand between now and the commencement of the Largesse, so everything listed herein is not final.

Sunday, June 16th: Isja "Coldgaze" Kaltablik (Ul’dah, Steps of Nald; Arrzaneth Ossuary) 

Items:

Fashion Accessories (Archangel Wings; Pixie Wings; Statice's Wings; False Classic Spectacles; Rose Colored Spectacles)

Summer Attire (Moonfire Halter/Vest; Ti Leaf Lei/Coronal Summer Halter; South Seas/Coeurl Talisman; Sea Breeze Summer Halter & Pareo; Coeurl Beach Halter & Pareo; Blue/Red/Coeurl Beach Summer Maro)

Parasols (Black; Sky Blue; Vermillion Paper; Pleasant Dot; Prim Dot; Pastoral Dot; White Lace; Plum Paper; Calming Checkered; Cheerful Checkered; Classic Checkered; Giant Leaf; Tsukumogami; Sabotender; Blue Blossom; Raindrop Defense System)

Monday, June 17th: Treasurer Susuna Suna (Ul’dah, Steps of Thal; The Gold Court)

Items:

Modern Aesthetics (A Close Shave; Gyr Abanian Plait; Samsonian Locks; Both Ways; Scanning for Style; Battle-ready Bobs; Wind Caller; Controlled Chaos; Early to Rise; Form and Function; Modern Legend; Saintly Style; Ambitious Ends; The Bold and the Braid)

Ballroom Etiquette (/Lean; /Shiver; /Wow; /Eatapple; /Eatriceball; /Bread; /Malevolence; /Guard; /Confirm; /Insist; /Scheme; /Wringhands; /Read; /Paint; /Broom; /Highfive; /Fistpump; /Wow; /Reference; /Humbletriumph)

Tuesday, June 18th: Yuanji Yuji (Shirogane; Ward 16, Plot 60)

Items:

Chocobo Barding (Tidal; Levin; Ice; Highland; Orthodox; Hive; Expanse; Sephirotic; Sophic; Zurvanite; Horde; Abigail; Reveler's; Blissful; Shinryu; Byakko; Suzaku; Seiryu; Samurai; Titania; Innocence; Hades; Ruby; Machinist; True Barding of Light; Emerald; Queen's Guard; Bozjan; Diamond; Eternal Darkness; Divine Light; Bluefeather; Windswept; Flamecloaked; Allagan; Voidcast; Abyssal)

Wednesday, June 19th: Umimi Umi (Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks; The Aftcastle)

Items:

Rare Minions (Fat Cat; Calamari; Assassin Fry; White Whittret; Dwarf Rabbit; Gold Whisker; Capybara Pup; Conditional Virtue; Clionid Larva; Chameleon; Domakin; Ephemeral Necromancer; Armadillo Bowler; Optimus Omicron; Calca; Brave New Urianger; Hippo Calf; Prince Lunatender; Adventure Basket; Teacup Kapikulu; Bacon Bits; Little Leannan; Miniature White Knight; Mandragora Queen; Sungold Talos; Silver Dasher; Petit Pteranadon; Drippy; Magitek Predator F1; Paissa Threadpuller; Paissa Patissier; Cerberpup; Fenrir Pup; Magitek Helldiver F1; Flag; Sponge Silkie; Sewer Skink; Suzusaurus; Bantam Train; Mikra Lyssa; Puffin; Plush Cushion; Royal Lunatender; Morpho; Google-Eyed Dogu; Crabe de la Crabe; Forgiven Hate; Benben Stone; Okuri Chochin; Shiromaru; Kuromaru; Repulu; Save the Princess; Exciting Dynamite)

Wind-Ups/Dress-Ups (Lakshmi; Susano; Thancred; Alisaie; Omega M/F; Magus Sisters; Anima; Kangaroo; Fuath; Grebuloff; Scarmiglione; Cagnazzo; Barbariccia; Golbez)

Thursday, June 20th: Sesena Sena (Old Gridania; Mih Khetto’s Amphitheatre)

Items:

Vanity clothing (New World Jacket & Headdress; Spring Dress; High House Justacorps/Bustle; Taoist's Shirt; Cashmere Poncho; Raincoat; Hooded Fireglass Leather Vest/Adventurer's Hooded Vest; Summer Indigo Shirt; Urban/Rebel Coat; Craftsman's Singlet/Coverall Top/Apron; Dalmascan Draped Shirt; Calfskin Rider's Jacket; Frontier Jacket/Dress; Peacelover's Shirt; Cape of Happiness; Varsity Jacket/Buttoned Varsity Jacket; Ao Dai; Thavnairian/Hannish Wool Autumn Shirt; Thavnairian Wool Autumn Dress; Southern Seas Shirt; Adventuring Sweater; Boulevardier's Ruffled Shirt; Quaintrelle's Ruffled Dress; Whisperfine Woolen Coat; Salon Server's Vest/Dress Vest; Casual Jacket; Noir Longcoat; Lawless Enforcer's Jacket; Free Spirit's Jacket; Shishu Bujin Hitatare/Gozen Kochiki; Martial Artist's Vest/Sleeveless Vest)

Pajamas (Plain; Cactuar; Chocobo)

Friday, June 21st: Thiji Higuri (The Birdcage; Empyreum, Ward 15, Plot 30)

Raffle & Additional Surprises

We look forward to serving you all, and thank you for choosing the Higuri Regalia, Where There is Power in Beauty.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

on our fates alight--eikon list

Eikons and their Dominants

Riven DeGlass: Valefor*

Sebastian Astralyas: Odin*

Augustine Bishop: Halone*

Mathye Bishop: Halone*

Reinhardt Sauveterre: Zurvan*

Aeryn Striker: Asura, Zaine Striker: Daividipa (@autumnslance)

Klynt Gothawyn: Susano (@saesama )

Zoissette Vauban: Ozma*, Nyx: Omega (@driftward )

Alice Romanova: Agrias/Oschon (@matrixdragon )

Erick sas Gage: Thunder God Cid (@erickgage )

Y'zel Tia: Memphina (@yzeltia )

Thalia: Thal (@ladyofvoss )

Archon: Nald (@dapperpea )

Bylti: Tsukiyomi/Tungli (@scalefeathers )

Minti: Azyema (@minti-tales )

Karasawa Atraxae: Nyemia (also played by driftward)

Dark Autumn: Siren, C'oretta Kell: Maybe Behemoth's Dominant. No one's sure. Not even her. (also played by autumnslance)

Apple: Carbuncle/Proto Carbuncle (@eorziapple )

Estinien Varlienau: Nidhogg

Louisoix Leveilleur: Thaliak (briefly)/Phoenix

Foruchenault Leveilleur: Thaliak (briefly)

Alphinaud Leveilleur: Thaliak (as of Dawntrail)

X'rhun Tia: Rhalgr

Minfila Warde/Ryne Waters: Hydaelyn

Elidibus: Zodiark

------

others who have thrown a hat into this general sandbox:

Raven Cross: Ratatoskr (@lunarosewood23 )

Alisa Kim: Llymlaen (@dominantofstorms )

Archie: Alexander (@eorzeanflowers )

Storm Dancer: Rhalgr (@reassambled-dragoon )

---------

*Eikons are like Pokemon in my headcanon (hell also based off the XVI canon too!) in the fact they can evolve and become stronger. Any Eikon that has the little star next to them means they end up developing an Ascended form and powers by Shadowbringers.

[NOTE: Some characters/Eikons have not shown up in posted stories due to being within FC only.]

[voidsentprinces]

Remember, in the Breast Chests of Etheirys showdown, any size chest or lack thereof counts. Bahamut has no tits but you cannot say that planet smasher doesn't have a great chest. Flat chested? Big chested? Giant Man Drum Titties? Nophica's Big Naturals? All chests are good chests and they're all smacking up against one another in this contest of...test...con...wait were contests originally made to ensure something wasn't a scam!? IS THAT WHY THEY ARE CALLED "CON" TESTS!?!?!?!?!??!

Anyway...even Nald and Thal who like...have chainmail for a chest...they still have a chest right? You monster god fuckers still imagined a nice date, a long walk on a beach and laying your head upon their chests when they said you were deserving of reward, right?

ALL CHESTS ARE GOOD CHESTS THEN!

That is the spirit of this contest...even Lalafell whose chest look like plucked chickens...except Pipin and Giott. Those two are FUCKING SHREDDED!

[ladyofvoss]

FFXIVWrite 2024 #23: On Cloud Nine

idiom: be extremely happy and excited

They were supposed to get married for true.

They would have married in her family home. Perhaps she would have worn a gown of green, after her family’s emeralds.

She would have made him earrings of gold, with streaks of silver like his hair. Or blue gems like his eyes.

They would have made their vows before her family’s shrine, asking for abundance from Nald and a long life together from Thal. She would tell him how much she loved him, how she couldn’t wait to take him on the greatest adventure of their lives.

There would have been feasting, and dancing, and his beautiful smile that she loved so much.

They would have been the happiest they could ever have been.

But no. It was too much to want for Hydaelyn’s champion.

Instead she was left sitting in a cold room, a broken shield in her hands, with naught but a promise to remember him by.

[nothingxs]

FFXIV Write // Halcyon

“Stop right there!”

The young Miqo’te boy tucked the package under his arms as he ran down the Steps of Nald into the Steps of Thal, his feet moving as fast as they could to get him as clear of the Quicksand as possible, two burly men in Brass Blades uniform slowly gaining.

He looked right. Brass Blade, coming down the stairs. No good; wouldn’t be able to blow past him. His head swiveled forward. A couple of carts were bringing in tradecraft supplies and goods to the stalls. He weaved through the crowd, putting his shoulder as hard as his small frame could into the cart, a poorly-balanced crate toppling into the Sapphire Avenue and stymieing the Blades for enough moments to gain some distance.

A young Dunesfolk girl sat atop the outcropping behind the Aetheryte, looking at the chase unfold. With a grin, she hopped up, swishing her long black hair out of the way of her face, and waved the boy down. She pointed up the stairs with a laugh.

“Make a left!” came the instructions from the Lalafell as the boy cut as hard to the right as he could and ran up the stairs, three steps at a time in big hops, sliding as he got to the top and pivoting as hard left as he could.

Another Brass Blade, this one a massive Roegadyn man, had started to make the run from the passage from the Pearl Lane into the Gold Court and started to give chase as well; the boy’s turn had cut into his speed.

No matter—he moved as fast as he could and jumped up, quickly climbing up onto a stack of crates to his left, running and hopping across others in the path, onto staircases and then onto more crates. Sitting on the steps, a kid with scruffy black hair flopping around over his headband looked up and grinned as the Miqo’te sailed over him.

The Hyur kid stood up, waited until he could hear the pursuers’ footsteps, and shoved a large container forward and toppled it onto the ground, sending countless crystal beads scattering and rolling into path just as the Roegadyn man came.

The next sound was a “DAMNED—" cut short and a loud thud and crash as the Roegadyn slid forward. And the loud crunches and cracks of glass as the two earlier pursuers slowly tried to make their way around the mess on the ground.

The Miqo'te boy kept running, his lanky legs already carrying him down the path to the Miners’ Guild, where he took time to traipse around the corridors, weaving past workers and ducking past crates, looking every which way. Things seemed to be clear until he started hearing the loud commotion of footsteps coming from the Gold Court proper, and a simple loud order.

“FIND HIM!”

He kept running, leaping up some steps before turning right to head to the Coliseum, trying to mix in with a nearby group who were seemingly exploring. The group went down the stairs, and so did he, and as the family turned right towards the Gold Court, the boy pivoted left and ran into the area of the Coliseum. And with a quick dash, a shoulder went into the door of the Gladiator Guild.

He ran in and waved at the receptionist as she blinked at his entrance, and laughed. He went to the railing and slipped under it, landing between the stacks of equipment and the steps to the little practice pit. He sat down to gather himself, trying to catch his breath.

One of the gladiators, a middle-aged Hyur man who was sitting on the steps next to him, noticed him as he was trying to gulp down any air he could muster. He gave him a big, stupid grin.

“Causing trouble again?”

The boy took a few more heavy breaths before giving a little dismissive wave of the hand and a shake of the head.

“Nahhhhh.”

“Mhm.” The gladiator gave him a knowing smirk. “That right? Just runnin’ for fun, then?”

Almost as if on cue, the door to the Gladiators’ Guild swung open, and a helmeted woman looked inside, peering left and right for a few moments before giving an up-nod over to the Receptionist before looking around.

“Oi! Anyone come through here just now?”

The receptionist shrugged.

The gladiator shook his head and shrugged. “Ain’t had no one come through here.”

The woman cursed and bolted off as the door slowly swung closed behind her.

The boy exhaled out a held breath, coughing lightly.

“Riiight,” smirked the gladiator. “No trouble.”

“Not… even a little,” said the boy, finally catching up to his breathing.

He clambered to his feet, gave the gladiator a pat on the shoulder, and grinned. “Owe ya one.”

“Yeah? Th’ fuck are YOU gonna give me?”

The receptionist was trying her best to not break into a fit of giggles as the boy opened the door to the guild, peeked left and right, gave a little wave goodbye to the people inside and snuck off.

“…He’s going places, that Carran.” The receptionist smiled as she shook her head.

“Yeah.” The gladiator laughed before he focused back on the trainees in the pit. “Gaol.”

Carran had already made a hasty move out through the steps past the Coliseum, rushing past a few more corridors and up some steps to a twisting staircase, where an older boy in a tank top and slacks stopped him for a moment, throwing some robes over him before setting a bent, wide-brimmed, conical hat atop his head. He gave him a big pat on the back, nodding.

“I expect these back tonight.”

And the little fake thaumaturge hustled off with a small group of thaumaturges, headed out the Sultana’s Gate to get some live practice of their offensive magic against critters.

—

A bell or two later, as the thaumaturges continue to practice and talk, Carran is sat off to the side on a crate in the Scorpion Crossing, idly eating through an apple.

A gentleman in long robes, with a pointed, angular mask and a propensity for grinning approached him, his grin already near ear-to-ear.

“My dear friend! It would appear that YOU have made it here… on TIME, after all!” Words spoken in a strange, pitchy voice that could never settle on a proper pace, hitching in odd places.

Carran finished the last bite of his apple and tossed the core over to a refuse pile. He wiped his hands off on the robes before turning to look at him, grinning under the huge brim of the hat.

“Yeah. Sure have.” And from the sleeves of Carran’s loaned robe, he produced a small, thick red satchel. He offered it to the robed man, holding it up for him.

The robed man smiled in turn, taking the satchel in one hand, and opened it with the other. He rifled through the contents with a playful hum. He giggled an upsetting giggle, and his perhaps too-wide grin seemed to get wider. Carran’s ears flattened on his head.

“Yes. Yes! Perfect, my dear friend. Ab—solutely PERFECT! You have done me… a GREAT service! Indeed, indeed, indeed.” He reached to the massive sling bag held at his side, pulling it in front of himself, and as he deposited the satchel into it, he rifled through it. After a few moments, he let out a quick “a-HA!” and pulled from inside of it a small black box that barely fit in the long, lanky fingers of his hand.

“And I… promised you: THIS!”

He laid the box on the crate, then stepped back and did a flourish with his hand, bowing deeply. “Please, please! Inspect it, inspect it, and make SURE. That it… is to YOUR liking.”

Carran reached to the box, holding it for a few moments in his hands, and his eyebrows raised at how much heavier it was than it seemed. He pulled the top of the box off to reveal the contents: a vial rested on a plush bed of red velvet. He took the vial and lifted it above him to examine it. It was  filled with an odd, swirling and colorful liquid that seemed to glow strangely at certain angles and cast odd lights. He placed the vial back into the box, and the lid back onto it to close it before turning back to the robed man.

The man regarded him with a dangerous smile. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“Well, WELL! What do you think? A fortune. A fortune. In a SINGLE bottle.” That giggle, again. “Aren’t you EXCITED?”

Carran forced himself to smile. “…Sure. Bet I’ll find a buyer for it in… no time, yeah? If this does what you say it does.”

His smile twisted into a terrible Cheshire grin.

“I am sure whoever drinks it will find whatever price is demanded well worth it.” Smooth, lucid, perfectly spoken.

Carran felt himself swallow right as his lips curled in an uneasy smile. A nervous chuckle escaped him, and he took the box, stuffed it under his friend’s robes, and nodded. “…You need anythin’ else, you—you let me know.” And with a quick hop off the crate, he hustled away, running back to join the other thaumaturge trainees as they got ready to return to the city.

—

She could not believe what she was seeing in the mirror the following morning.

“…Finally. It’s me.”

[pallisia]

the phrase - it's, like, whatever. it's a koji foxism.

the balls - when i first ran aglaia and we reached the final boss my friend saw thal at the ass-end of nald and exclaimed "thal's balls??? 'thal IS balls'???"

[heiress-incognito]

"There are no benevolent gods", Wickid mumbled, barely hearable to the Lalafell besides him. "And even if there are, they certainly do not care."

For a moment, the grim look on his face revealed the pain of his past he carried with him, without any hope to ever be free from it. "But", he continued, as he slowly went down onto his knees. "I do believe in people. Met some pretty goods ones. And I wanna respect their tradition and believes. So, if ya gonna pray... can ya teach me how to follow your example? To pray, for the people?" [This just crossed my mind this morning - do whatever you want with it, and have a great day <3]

Vallencia looked up in surprise. Ever since she had stepped away to find solace in the quiet cavern of Thal's respite, she hadn't noticed that someone had followed her.

Hearing the words of her companion, she closed her book. Her face was serious as she thought about how to reply to the man. As he knelt down in front of her to be able to be on the same eye level, a hint of a smile was on her face.

"Praying to Nald'thal might be different from different religions. We merchants pray to Nald for wealth in life and success in our endeavors, yes, but Thal is the keeper of the dead," the lalafell began to answer slowly. "So while I do hope that the people will recover and be safe, my prayers tend to be more of the type to help them pass on. That their death may be peaceful or at least painless. I think that is the only benevolence Thal can grant us."

Vallencia turned her gaze away as her finger began to play with the corners of her book. "But another way to pray is to pray for your own strength. I pray so I can find a reason to keep healing, to keep helping the people. And I also pray, because I have the certainty that Thal will welcome them in his embrace even if I fail."

Once she finished talking, she fully smiled and looked to Wickid again. It was a smile tinted with sadness. "I doubt this was the answer you were looking for. I am sorry."

[naldthal-thetraders]

[icehearts]

-- day 29: sacred // faith ⚖️

A transactional god is the most honest kind of god. Services rendered for payment received. Do you seek wealth in life? Peace in the afterlife? Empty your gilpurse, and The Traders will make it so. A cynical approach to faith, of course, but none can deny its efficiency.

Not that Esca places much stock in such things. Like any other merchant in Ul'dah, it's not uncommon for her to offer periodic tithes to the Order of Nald'Thal. Keeping up appearances is important, after all. Are Nald and Thal truly watching over mankind? Guiding their faithful to eternal rest and rewarding their adherents with financial success? Not likely. No, it's better to seize your fate with your own hands. Well. Maybe the occasional prayer won't hurt.

[mrlarkstin]

Official Themed FC Recruitment!

Hello besties, today I come to you with a proposition- a themed FC around the Twevle from XIV on Dynamis (because that DC is dead and there are tons of houses available).

I've always wanted to have a proper themed FC and I love the twelve so this could be a lot of fun!

What I'm looking for:

Halone

Nophica

Thaliak

Rhalger

Azyema

Menphina

Oschon

Nald

Thal

Byregot

Llymlaen

Nymeia

Althyk

The Watcher

Hydaelyn

Zodiark

Now what's required of you? Nothing aside from getting yourself to level 50, getting an FC room to decorate and showing up to events! If you want to do a ton with your alts be my guest- I probably will lmao

Now if your interested or know anyone who's interested please DM me and I'll invite you to the planning and organizing discord!