Spoiler

Quote:Kan-E-Senna
Elder Seedseer
City-State of Gridania

Wise one,

My hand to the Matron, the words I relate here are truth to the best of my knowledge. It gives me no pleasure to relate them, but you have been kept ignorant of this for too long. I am entrusting this letter to E-Sumi-Yan, who knows much of what I speak.

Some fifty-odd years ago lived a family in the North Shroud known as the Fahn family. They were blessed by the Elementals with a child destined to walk the path of the Children of the Forest. However, the child in question - called O-Rehn in records - did not wish for this path, and was particularly close to his mother, who did not wish to be parted from him. Indeed, his family was unusually close-knit and loyal to one another. But the "gift" of becoming Padjal is not something that can be denied, as all know. When the Fane discovered that there was a Child of the Forest not being trained, and further, that his family had no intention of sending him to the Fane at all, they intervened and removed the child from his mother and placed him with another, more acceptable family. The Senna family.

While I cannot know for certain how he was treated, O-Rehn himself described the time as a "reeducation." In his own words, "it was not a kind upbringing." It would seem that this left young O-Rehn with a profound level of resentment and despair. I will relate his own words about being blessed as a Padjal:

"I would ask you, in all seriousness, if to become a Padjal is any kind of gift at all: for a child to be taken from their families and made something different: unaging, a conduit for spirits as much feared for their wrath as respected for their blessings, and set apart from the forestborn by their devotion and reverence, needed in society but separate from it. Were it not for tradition and the undeniable power of the elementals, would we accept this? The taking of children and making them into something other? Such a thing, I think, would be considered a crime against nature, and I cannot condone it."

By the time O-Rehn was of an age to begin to walk the forest himself, he had rejected much of what we are taught as children about our place in the forest, and the Elementals as a whole. In particular, he seemed to hold a deep ambivalence bodering on horror towards the way Forestborn treat those not of the Shroud - specifically Miqo'te and those Elezen born Duskwight. And so, this Child of the Forest who never wished to be what he was turned against the Forest and plotted to weaken the hold of the Elementals over the Shroud. Whether due to ignorance or a misunderstanding, he believed that if he weakened or lowered the Hedge, he would accomplish his task. I do not know how close he came to succeeding before he was apprehended, but apparently it was in such a manner that would have caused great embarassment to the Senna family.

For this reason, the Seedseer Council at the time sent him to Toto-Rak, which, as you may recall, was a testament to the brutality and cruelty of mankind. Indeed, I am uncertain of the reasons he was sent there, as I cannot think of a worse place to send an already unstable, resentment-filled child. Whatever the reasoning behind this action, I do feel that the Seedseer Council should have had some inkling of what the result would be - for it in no way changed O-Rehn's mind about the innate evil of the Elementals and those who serve them. If anything, I believe it worsened them.

Forty-odd years ago, an entire wing of the Toto-Rak prison disappeared into the Void. While void taint was discovered, no one truly understood what had happened, or how, but because O-Rehn disappeared with the others, the entire incident was covered up as much as possible to protect the good name of the Senna family. They even went so far as to bury the records of those who had been incarcerated in the wing, and told their families (what family they had, anyway) that they were dead. But they were not.

Some forty-odd years ago, a despairing, lost Padjal discovered something dark and evil in the bowels of Toto-Rak, and instead of attempting to destroy it - for how could he, given that he himself was imprisoned - he bargained with it. In exchange for the lives and souls of twelve other prisoners, he purchased shelter for himself - out of time and undying - until the Shroud was more prepared to change. To become better than it was. At that time, he and the twelve would be released, and O-Rehn would be free to enact his plans. If he succeeded, he and the twelve would be freed. If he failed, or the corruption that enslaved the twelve passed to him, then the voidsent would have a claim on O-Rehn's soul, and upon his death, his body. With access, yes, to his knowledge and gifts with a magic long thought lost.

It is a testament to just how lost O-Rehn was that a Padjal would have agreed to such a thing, but I suspect that he did not fully understand what he was agreeing to. Indeed, he admits that he does not believe the creature he struck a bargain with - Neruhm - ever intended to free him. How it happened, we know not, only that he was freed to find Toto-Rak in ruins, as our people had finally decided that such places were barbaric and should never have existed in the first place. The twelve were also freed, and most were mad from their forty years spent tortured in the void.

O-Rehn's return was not actually something that Gridania or the Fane was aware of, but the return of the twelve prisoners he had taken with him was noticed, not in the least because one of them - a mad Hearer by the name of Syros North - began setting large swaths of the forest on fire out of spite. You may recall that Syros North was a Hearer who was incarcerated in Toto-Rak for attempting to burn a sacred grove to the ground. Needless to say, soon things got entirely out of hand. I became involved when a Pactstone was stolen from the mine north of Fallgourd Float, and the Elementals rampaged in response. This is where I first encountered O-Rehn Fahn, having no idea of his past or who he was beyond a Child of the Forest who did not frequent Gridania.

What I discovered while investigating the theft of the Pactstone chilled my very bones. While trying to determine who the thirteenth prisoner was - for my comrades were certain that prisoner's identity was the key to understanding what was happening - I was personally threatened by a member of your Entwined Serpents. When we dug deeper, we discovered that they were aware of O-Rehn's return (though we did not realize that it was he, specifically, they sought) and were again attempting to cover his existence up. They did not seem to care what the cost might be to the forest, and the people we serve, but instead cared only that the Senna family not be embarassed. This is what led me to realize that the only person the thirteenth prisoner could be was a Padjal, despite the heresy inherent in such a statement.

The prospect of a Padjal who had sold his soul to the void for power was a chilling one, indeed, and I and my comrades embarked on a desperate attempt to find the prisoners who had returned, and, using the Pactstones, conduct a cleansing to free them of their spiritual chains to the voidsent prince, as we called him. O-Rehn assisted in this at every turn. Despite our best efforts, one of the twelve - Syros North - was killed in the Sylphlands as we attempted to recover the Pactstone he had stolen. It was at this point that O-Rehn was no longer able to hide his condition. He gave the Pactstone I had entrusted to him (for, again, I believed him to be another Padjal to be trusted) to two of the other prisoners - Lynch and Carter - and left a note to me. I am including it with this letter.

I fully admit that I concealed the contents of the note from the others, and from the Fane, because I did not know what to do with the knowledge. I could not disagree with much of what O-Rehn said, not after my eyes had been truly opened to my own treatment of and beliefs about those not born in the Shroud, or those born to "lesser" clans. And given my own history, of which I am sure you are aware, it was hard not to sympathize with him. My own parents succeeded in concealing me from the Fane because I was merely born a Hearer. But no one can conceal being a Padjal. And I understood, as few would, that our parents did what they did out of love, not out of evil motives.

We were able to conduct a cleansing ritual for six of the twelve near Blessed Bud, and freed them all from the debilitating influence of the void, as well as the spiritual chains tying them to Neruhm. In the aftermath, we ensured that they were able to safely leave the Shroud if they so wished. Afterward, I attempted to motivate my compatriots to focus on Neruhm, for he, in my opinion, was the greater threat. As long as he had a hold on the prisoners, and on O-Rehn, the Forest was not safe. But my comrades began to suspect O-Rehn for being involved, thanks to the apparent influence of Neruhm on one of our number, and vowed to hunt him down to "eliminate the threat." I went so far as to share the letter he gave me in an attempt to convince them that focusing on O-Rehn was wrong for a multitude of reasons - not in the least that the Forest did not need a Greenwrath.

But they are adventurers. I have since concluded that perhaps it is not outsiders that are the problem, but rather, adventurers who rush headlong into everything and refuse to even take a moment to consider that they might be making a situation far worse. But, I digress.

By the time we had settled on a course of action, O-Rehn had already been apprehended by the Entwined Serpents when he took his sister (for his family still resides in the North Shroud) to Gridania proper for medical treatment. In response, I led a group consisting of myself and five others to rescue him and bring him to a safe place until after Neruhm was defeated, so we could then return him to Gridania for judgment. We discovered that the leader of a particular part of the Entwined Serpents, an Elezen named Zelia, had made an agreement with one of the twelve prisoners - a retired Wailer named Hearns - to help her kill O-Rehn and cover up the Senna family's embarassment. Wailer Hearns had been much changed from his time in Toto-Rak and the void. It seems that his eyes were burned from his skull at some point, likely by the Warden himself (as records attest this was one of his favored means of torture), and while Hearns was in the Void he had developed an ability to "mute" the elementals in an area, making it impossible to call upon their aid, and impossible for a Greenwrath to occur if a Padjal or Hearer were to be slain.

Zelia apparently discovered this fact because I made it a point to warn the Fane of the danger to both Padjal and Hearers when I discovered Hearns' ability.

Had they succeeded, Neruhm would have been able to use O-Rehn's body as an anchor to this world and likely would have come close to destroying the Shroud. I will spare you the details of how they were executing him, and instead merely relate that it was akin to slaughtering a lamb. We managed to convince Hearns and his men of the folly of their actions, as well as some of the Entwined Serpents, that what they were doing was putting the entire forest at risk. I will attest that none of the men with Zelia were aware of that, nor were Hearns and his men. None of them wished harm upon the Shroud, nor upon its people. Hearns' men were simply desperate, for they had no way to make a living with their injuries and they felt Gridania had abandoned them, while the Entwined Serpents trusted their leader, Zelia, and didn't realize the full impact of their actions.

Zelia, on the other hand, verbally stated she did not care. The only thing she cared about was the status of the Senna family and sparing them the "embarassment" of O-Rehn's existence.

I was able to heal O-Rehn's injuries, as well as bind back much of the void taint that he had been inflicted with, to allow him to think more clearly. We later learned that another of the Twelve - one Pelderain, who apparently was responsible for the "Horse Oil" craze not long ago - had probably been murdered, though to this day we have no idea who killed him or how he died. His body has not been found, but his corruption was also on O-Rehn by the time my group found him.

While I and two others transported O-Rehn out of the Shroud (and thus, hopefully, away from Neruhm's influence), another group of adventurers bravely entered Toto-Rak to confront Neruhm in his home. They brought him low at great cost to themselves, and defeated him in the bowels of Toto-Rak.

Once Neruhm had been defeated, there remained only the need to cleanse those prisoners who were still tainted, and to allow O-Rehn to make his plea. For, as I am sure you have ascertained, O-Rehn's ultimate goal by this point was to ensure that no more Padjal were born like him - aberrant, unsuited to the life they were chosen for. He wanted no more than a simple choice be given to the children the Elementals choose for the role. For how is it a "gift" if it cannot be refused? How is it a "gift" if it inflicts a burden some are unsuited to bear? This request was made directly to me, as O-Rehn had promised to bow to my judgment. I could not deny him the simple request.

We chose a spot in the North Shroud to conduct the ritual, and succeeded in cleansing the remaining four prisoners, and then began the ritual to cleanse O-Rehn. The Forest opposed us, the elementals incensed that anyone would question their "gift." I know not what O-Rehn said to them, nor how he managed to convince them of his cause, but in the end, the selfsame elementals who were angry accepted his request, and his body dissolved into aether, his soul having been given to the elementals in exchange. The Pactstones that were left behind now bear new markings, signifying this change to the terms of the Pact of Gelmorra. So let it be known, wise one, that through this sacrifice, O-Rehn Fahn has ensured that never again will a child be chosen who does not wish to be a servant of the Forest. Never again will an aberrant Padjal be born to our people. Let that be his penance for the harm he has done to those around him, and to the Forest.

With Neruhm defeated, O-Rehn gone, and the twelve prisoners cleansed, this threat has now passed from the Shroud. But there is more to tell, more that you must know to prevent this from happening again.

It seems that "Neruhm" was not actually a void prince, at least not in the way that we have been taught to think of them. Rather, he came into being as a result of the atrocities our people perpetuated in Toto-Rak over the centuries. His name was actually an acronym for "Northeastern Reeducation Underhold of Menphina." What's more, several members of that group had previously visited the "Broken Spear," which I know no one is supposed to know about but you and I both know exists. They detected Neruhm's influence there, even though Broken Spear is a far newer location. After comparing notes and examining the evidence, we have concluded that Neruhm cannot ever truly die. He was defeated within Toto-Rak by the group of adventurers working under my authority, but as long as we as a people allow places like Toto-Rak - and, yes, the Broken Spear - to exist, he will never die. He will continue to feed on the pain, fear, and despair of those tortured and tormented in such places, and yes, he will grow stronger and return. He is the blight that we - as Gridanians - have inflicted upon the Shroud. He is our shame, and only we can end him. I implore you to shutter such places as Broken Spear, for the sake of the Shroud and our future. We are better than this. We must be better than this.

I hope I have not overstepped my bounds, but I truly believe that this information must reach you for the good of us all. I pray you will listen to this sad tale, and find the wisdom hidden within it. We must not repeat the sins of the past if we are to have a bright future.

Respectfully,

Liadan Summerfield
Hearer

((Here is a link to the letter enclosed with Liadan's letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tmuqo1uKA-IGOWa3TXOc0fJS2nkzl52XOScS2hI1EkU/edit))

Spoiler
The Dubious Estate

Verad’s estate is dubious. In fact, he works very hard to keep it that way. He made a point to only hire people of questionable taste and behavior (like Spahro). The doors all creaked just enough to give the estate an air of disrepair (Nihka’s alchemical talents at their least useful, she’d made an anti-oil to guarantee this sound). He left the front room, the storefront, a purposeful mess to ensure that any visitors would question the legitimacy of the goods (and in fact all efforts to clean or organize this area were inevitably undone with great haste).

Even the ownership of the estate was dubious. Through a series of unusual events, Verad had sold the estate to Nihka (for the sum total of a single gil) in possibly the most dubious of transactions in the Goblet Housing Authority’s records. Icing on the cake: he was late on his rent by several moons.

Everything about the man was a carefully crafted questionable nature. Dubious house, dubious doors, and even dubious locks. If there’s one lesson to take from this: giving Verad charge of prisoners is never a good idea.

Nihka opened the door to one of the back rooms, carrying a tray of food to give to their indefinite houseguest, Jainelette. The poor woman was one of the prisoners of Toto-rak, lost to the void for four decades all because she was arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. Just thinking of it turned Nihka’s stomach: if not for Zanzan, Anstarra, and all of her friends the same thing could have happened to her. Weylan had arrested her for false charges and stuffed her in prison where the corruption of the voidsent had begun to take root. She could have lived the rest of her life a captive, until her mind was as broken as Jainelette's.

She couldn’t understand it, being trapped for that long in the darkness, but she did understand the fear, and she did sympathize with Jainelette. That made it no less worrying when she found the room empty. Jainelette was gone.

Giving Verad charge of prisoners is never, ever a good idea.



Thanalan, east of Drybone

She could hear the children crying. She could hear the children dying. All around her as the dust kicked up in the wind she heard their cries in the distance. The woman staggered along, clutching a cloth over her mouth.

Not a night had gone by for as long as she could remember that she hadn’t had the dream. The bodies of children were scattered about the village, rotting with plague as the sky grew dark. That man, that wailer, slapped her in chains and announced he had stopped the menace. Try as she might, no voice would come as she protested that she only sought to help them.

His name was Wood. He sent her into shadow. He was the one responsible for killing those children. If she could kill him, they would be returned to life. She could still save the children, if she could destroy that man. But those adventurers had robbed her of her powers. She couldn’t feel Wood’s blood any longer, she couldn’t speak to the plants, and she had no money to pay for travel or food.

But she knew if she just killed him, the children would come back. She just had to kill him. She just had to make it to the Shroud, she just had to get to the trees, away from this blistering sand and sun. She was so thirsty. The dust was in her throat, crusting over her eyes. She could see the shade of her home in the distance, so far away.

She just had to make it a few more steps. Her feet were so heavy. She could hear the children crying. She could see a man approaching her, calling out as she fell.  She heard children crying. She heard a voice.

“Ma’am? Ma’am are you okay? My name is Josephe, don’t worry, I’ll-.”

Vision blurred, then faded. The world went dark.

Spoiler
Gridania, a small garden.

“What is more important, justice or vengeance? What do you do when both are denied you?” Arden watched the shadows of clouds drift lazily over the flowers. His son was dead; the woman who killed him was gone. The young conjurer sitting beside him adjusted her robe and looked ahead.

“I’m not sure.” Lheni’s ears flicked, dark fur rustling in a breeze. She wore a wide brimmed hat to shield out the light of the sun from broad pupils. “I mean, justice is better, I think. Vengeance just propagates the cycle. They’re both forms of closure, though.”

Arden turned his head to look at the woman.

“I arrested her. Forty years ago.” He had never felt so old. Not when he retired. Not the day his wife died. Not when he’d gotten the news his son was lost. This woman hadn’t aged in all that time. She’d gone from being his senior to being his junior. “She came back, killed my son, and now she’s gone.”

“I’ll be honest. It’s all a bit over my head, and I really don’t want to think about it. I mean not all adventurers are insane, but that woman stole my robe and....” Lheni shook her head and kicked her heel. “I know enough to know that some really weird things happened. People trapped in the void, and that place I’m not supposed to know about. I wish I had a good answer for you. I wish I could give you that.”

“Just brings me back to that question. What do you do when there is no closure?”

“You just keep moving, I guess?”

“I’m too old to move on. My legacy is dead. My influence is spent.” He looked at her. She didn’t have an answer; neither did he. “Thank you for indulging an old man. I think I’ll head home.”

Arden stood, leaning heavily on his cane, and left the conjurer sitting in the garden, watching the flowers sway in the breeze. He would probably go to his grave never having his answer.

Spoiler
The Black Shroud, near Rootslake.

Deep in the shroud, near the marshy swampland of Rootslake, there was a pile of stones. The ground there wasn’t good for digging, nor did those who buried him have the time to devote to such a grave. They gave him a cairn, a place of rest where his mutilated body could decompose and return to the Shroud unmolested by wild animals. They gave him at least that.

Very few knew where he was buried, and there was only one person who cared enough to visit the grave. She was a young mother, a miqo’te, with dark skin and white hair streaked in pink. They’d met years ago in a small village, both still basically children. He’d hated her immediately, called her a poacher, and did everything he could to make her life miserable.

Now he was gone, and the world was a better place for it.

The girl left a small flower on his grave, and said a prayer to the twelve, begging them that in his next life he learn what it was like to be a good person.

SpoilerGridania

Stepping into Gridania for the first time in weeks, Nihka reflexively looked around, ears perked attentively. Her caution was unwarranted, though. Her reason for avoiding the city for years was gone. Dead.

Distribution of the antidote went well. She was able to rent a stall in the markets from one of the merchants; once word got out that there was a workable cure to Horse Oil addiction, addicts (or their families) flocked to the city. The line stretched far, but she’d prepared enough of the medicine that everyone was able to get a dose who needed it. Even a wailer who had been instrumental in her arrest.

She saw him in the line, and when their eyes met he flinched back. The pain of withdrawal was heavy in his face, cheeks drawn on the otherwise healthy man, but the sight of her had him begin to back away. Nihka beckoned him close, and held out a vial. Neither said anything; he took the medicine and left.

Nihka took the expense on herself to procure the ingredients, but donations from those thankful to rid themselves or their loved ones of the affliction managed to cover the raw materials. After renting the stall, she was still down a few gil, but not as much as she’d expected. Once the crowds died down, she left the remaining supplies in the market, asking that anyone who needed it be given the remedy at no cost. However, before returning to Ul’dah she needed to make a few more stops through the city. There were people she needed to thank, instrumental in her freedom.

Her first stop was the Canopy, to check in with Mother Miounne. She was ecstatic to see that Nihka had been released safely, and wanted to know more about her adventuring career. It had been over a cycle since the miqo’te had left Gridania, surely she had experienced some adventurers worth sharing.

Though talking was hard, Nihka did her best to answer. She gave a brief overview of the fiasco that had landed her in prison in the first place, glossing over some of the less pleasant details, and thanked the woman for her help. Before she left, Nihka promised to bring her daughter by next time she was in town. The joy on Mother Miounne’s face was almost frightening.

An adventurer in name only, Nihka had always favored the botanist guild while living in Gridania. Fufucha grinned brightly when Nihka stopped by, and together they took a walk through the trees. It seemed quaint and pleasant, until the guildmaster begain grilling her on various herb lore. It was eye opening how many of the questions she got wrong. So devoted to her alchemy, Nihka had let slip the very same teaching that had led her to that profession in the first place. Humbled, she promised to spend more time in the field. The guildmaster saw this as an appropriate thanks for her assistance, and wished her well.

Last stop before she left was the conjurer’s guild. Not wanting to intrude, she elected to silently join in on one of the lessons, students gathered around as the ageless child instructed them on the nature of the Shroud and how they might best aid it.

Though she tried not to impose, after the lesson he pulled her aside for two solid bells of gentle disappointment mixed with praise. Abandoning her studies like that did not reflect well on her mentor, whose letter gained her acceptance into the guild, but that her pursuit of alchemy focused on medicine and healing others he admitted was very noble.

They talked about healing and Nihka asked his advice on the regrowth of lost body parts, specifically eyes, but they both already knew that some things were simply beyond healing. It was the balance of nature, all things came with a cost, and magic was a gift not to be taken for granted. Alas, he had other duties to attend. If she chose to return to studying conjury the guild would welcome her happily, but until then may she walk in the light of the crystal.