As the morning sunlight rose above the Thanalan desert and seeped through the cracks of the storage shed, I realized that there was no early morning rail carts on this day. Thankful for my full night of sleep, I rose and gathered my belongings before heading out to greet Papashan. We exchanged our greetings and he introduced me to another Lalafell named Cicidoa. This young Lalafell owed a debt to a local man, so he requested that I take a receipt of purchase over to the Royal Plantation, obtain one of their pumpkins, and deliver it to a fellow named Roger at the Coffer & Coffin tavern. When I arrived at the plantation, the farmers told me they'd be happy to give me a pumpkin but first I would need to help them with a pest problem. Snapping Shrews had infested their pumpkin patch and were eating all of their hard work. They gave me some herbs that would draw out the rodents, so I carefully made my way through the pumpkin patch luring out the shrews and dispatching them with my magic. Having had a lot of battle practice recently, I could feel my magical abilities growing stronger and my coin purse growing heavier. What a rewarding feeling! Now that the shrews had been dealt with, the farmers gave me the pumpkin needed to complete Cicidoa's request and pointed me in the direction of the Coffer & Coffin. It was time to go meet with Roger.

 

 

After traveling a few yalms north I arrived at the Coffer & Coffin. It seemed rather quiet outside, however upon entering I could see just how lively the bar was. The people of the area worked hard on the land and rightfully enjoyed their nightly ales even harder. I made my way to the counter and asked for Roger, who just so happened to be the bartender. I handed the pumpkin over to him and he rewarded me with a complimentary dish of Marmot Steak. This seems to be the staple of Ul'dah, of which I have no complaints! As I ate the meal, he told me about the troubles at Black Brush Station and tipped me off that the Stone Torch guard was looking for hard workers to help their efforts. I thanked Roger for the meal and asked him which direction Black Brush Station was. He told me to follow the rail cart tracks north and I couldn't miss the large Aetheryte crystal in the center of the village. My contact was a warrior named Warin. I made my way north and shortly found the large glowing crystal in the distance. After attuning myself to the Aetheryte, I asked a local guard where I could find Warin and he pointed me over to the rail station. I greeted the warrior and learned that the Stone Torches were mercenaries hired by Amajina and Sons Mineral Concern to protect their goods, but the local creatures were overwhelming their forces and they needed help. He warned me about what I was getting into and insisted that I make sure my equipment was prepared before starting the extermination task set before me. With all the work I had been picking up and the gracious gifts of those that employed me, I had been able to upgrade my plain clothes to some rather unflattering mage armor. Warin agreed that I was prepared for the task at hand and explained that along the rail cart tracks was an ore storehouse that had unintentionally turned into a Coblyn breeding ground. I was to exterminate the Coblyns to make the track safer. He handed me a shard of silver ore and told me to use it to lure the Coblyns out of their nest. With that, I made my way south to the cave Warin marked on my map and set out on my search for the Coblyns.

 

 

The cave was rather dark, however I could see that someone was at least maintaining the torches in the ore storage and I was thankful for the bit of light that they provided. I searched around and found a small fissure in the ground, where I placed the silver shard that Warin had given me. Within moments, a swarm of Coblyns appeared ready to feast on whatever was in front of them. I felt slightly overwhelmed, as I had never had to battle in the darkness, but I kept my distance and eventually slayed the swarm. With my mission complete, I took the small trek back to Black Brush and informed Warin that the Coblyns had been taken care of. He thanked me and then introduced me to Zuzumeda, a tiny Lalafell merchant who exclaimed that he had heard talk of me and was glad to make my acquaintance! Despite all of these jobs seeming meaningless against tales of great adventurers that have freed enslaved countries and slain dragons, I seem to be making a name for myself. Perhaps one day there will be tales of my adventures too! Zuzumeda shared a rumor with me that there is a local private merchant looking to establish sole proprietorship on an untouched ore deposit in the area, but he is competing with a long standing benefactor of the Syndicate that is not keen on people invading what he claims to be "his" territory. Lord Lolorito was the name, and he has intertwined himself with the governing bodies of Ul'dah by providing them with immense amounts of gil in order to maintain control over the local economy and root out any competitors that may come forth.

 

I was told to head back to the Coffer & Coffin to meet with the merchant, a man named Wystan, and offer my services to him. When I arrived at the tavern, I noticed a new inhabitant in a rather garish looking blue smock and approached him. Wystan skipped any introductions and immediately informed me that I was too late to join in on his expedition because the Brass Blades, another mercenary group, had already started their journey to the ruins. He seemed to feel bad for not being able to offer me a chance at employment, so instead he tasked me with delivering cookies to local children that were in his charge. This didn't seem nearly as exciting as venturing through ruins, but gil is gil, so I accepted the task and made my way around the encampment sharing the deliciously fragrant cookies with the children. Wystan thanked me for my help and shared his childhood struggles with me. At first I thought him to be rude, but he has a good heart and his reasoning for trying to tap into this literal gold mine is to earn enough money to help the refugees in the area rebuild their homes and return to some sense of dignity after the calamity. Shortly into our conversation, some of the Brass Blades hurriedly entered the bar and told Wystan that they had found the ore vein. Because I had proven myself as a worthy ally, Wystan invited me to travel with him and inspect the area that they had discovered.

 

 

I had some other errands to run for the townsfolk in Black Brush Station, so I assured Wystan that I would meet with him at the Sil'dih ruins before nightfall. After I finished my other duties, I started the long journey south and found myself atop a cliff overlooking what appeared to be a collapsed temple. I saw Wystan and started my descent down the hill, but something seemed off. Wystan was rather, distressed. As I approached Wystan, I could hear the leader of the Brass Blades troop telling him that the Syndicate would never allow someone like him to take over what belonged to them. They intended to execute Wystan and quickly drew their blades upon me as I stood by his side. Wystan is a good man. I can't let them harm him! I drew my staff and readied myself for battle, but suddenly another voice cut out across the ravine.

 

"O mournful voice of creation! Grant ye this humble stone a soul, that it may wake to life."

 

All of us, friend and foe alike, looked around for the source of the voice. Who else was here with us? Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and aetherical energy swirled around the entrance of the collapsed temple. The stones started to gather and rise up into a large, hulking mass. Someone was summoning a golem! The Brass Blades shouted to abandon their mission and ran as the golem's form took shape. I didn't have much time to react before the mass of enchanted rocks lumbered forward, so I pushed Wystan behind a rock and began to channel my magic. As I battled the hulking shape, I heard the disembodied voice continue to shout orders to the rock beast. It's large hands smashed into the earth around me, causing me to break focus as I dove for cover against the shards of earth that rose from the ground. I continued hurling blasts of fire and bolts of lightning at my foe. At once point, I was certain my demise had come because the creature had gathered an overwhelming amount of energy at the center of it's mass and was preparing to launch it directly at me. I rushed behind the remains of an ornate pillar and prayed that whatever ancient masons built this temple used the sturdiest of stones to hold up their creation. A loud BOOM erupted around me as the beast released the energy. The earth shook and debris fell all around me, but I was still alive! I stepped out of my cover drenched in sweat, mud, and river water, focused everything I had into the end of my magical staff, and fired one last bolt of flame. The spell struck the golem in it's core and the once bright orange light that shone out of it's body dimmed. The creature slumped over and it's stone features began falling into the stream, dead.

 

 

 

Not feeling safe yet, I scanned the ruins for the source of the voice. I caught a glimpse of a man dressed in a black robe and a dark face covering, but just as quickly as I noticed him, he vanished. I made my way over to Wystan to make sure he was okay and as I helped him to his feet, Thancred ran towards us. He assessed the situation and commended me on my performance, but as he spoke a piercing sensation shot through my head and my vision blurred. I fell into a vision again, this time of Thancred. He was walking the streets of Ul'dah, spouting sweet nothings to a couple of women enthralled by his charm. Thancred became distracted by a group of nearby merchants talking about a lost caravan. A group known as the Amalj'aa had attacked a caravan carrying crystals across the Thanalan desert and Thancred was certain this was part of their plan to summon a Primal, whatever that meant. The dream shifted to the Sapphire Exchange, where Thancred looked into the sky and noticed the large red mood growing brighter and descending slowly towards the earth. The vision blurred and reformed, showing Thancred inside the Thaumaturges' Guild. The device that he usually had strapped to his shoulder was now worn on his face. He approached the large statue of Thal and bowed, noting that the device actually showed him the strands of aetherial energy in the air and that it was particularly dense here. Thancred rose and removed the mask, asserting to himself that he needed to focus and get back in contact with the Scions. Before the vision ended, I saw a small scene leading up to Thancred's meeting with Papashan, explaining how our paths crossed. Who are the Scions? What have I gotten myself involved with?

 

 

I rose from my sudden nap again to find Thancred helping Wystan and his men, tending to their wounds and making sure they were okay to travel back to Black Brush Station. He turned to me and spoke.

 

"My colleagues went to great lengths to provide me with the means to detect aetheric disturbances, but every time I find one, you seem to be in the middle of it. I'm starting to wonder if it might not be simpler just to follow you around. Sadly, I have business elsewhere. Tread softly, my friend. The carefully laid trap you dismantled was clearly sanctioned by Lord Lolorito. I heard the Blades mention him as they fled. Believe me when I tell you that is not a man to be trifled with. The sultana's enemies grow bolder by the day, and I suspect they have the support of outside forces."

 

Wystan rose from the ground as well and thanked us for keeping him and his men safe. He told me he wished to speak further, but it was not safe to linger in this area. I was instructed to meet with them back at the Coffer & Coffin, to which Thancred volunteered as their escort. Thancred then took a moment to formally introduce himself as my ally, echoing almost exactly what Papashan had told me about him in our last meeting. He appears to be an ally, so I will trust him for now. As they left, Thancred turned back to me and began mentioning something, but cut himself off and insisted that we would be able to discuss things later. Alone, confused, and exhausted, I slowly made my way back to Black Brush Station. I entered the inn and attempted to pay for a room, but Wystan had already taken care of my lodging. I made my way upstairs and had no time to decompress anything that had happened before a heavy sleep swept over my body.