It was a night of pirates and treasure.
It was a night of tonberries and padjal.
It was a night of imploding ships and narrow escapes.
And it was a Starlight memory I won’t soon forget.  Trust Irridias Velnyx to find new and inventive ways to surprise me and bring a smile to my face.  It’s not enough for him to merely wrap a gift in gaily-colored paper and hand it over.  No, his idea of presenting a gift is to create an evening-long adventure of intrigue and puzzle-solving that ended with me finding my Starlight bounty.  It continues to be no small wonder that I love him as much as I do.
![[Image: tumblr_inline_oix0l0HS751twmuac_500.png]](https://68.media.tumblr.com/4a39ec614ba2436d40b0a5606ba69a32/tumblr_inline_oix0l0HS751twmuac_500.png)
The evening began in the Black Shroud where Irridias Velnyx summoned me to Spirithold we uncovered the first chest of the tonberry and padjali pirates, Greenbeard and Pointy.  Legend said that these two were relatively benevolent pirates who stole gil, yes in plenty, but never harmed their victims.  Instead, they would heal and mend them before sending them on their way.  All-in-all, they sounded like very magnanimous pirates, but that isn’t what truly caught my interest.  On the face of  the chest, there was seal marked with the Sigil of Nym on one side, the Sigil of Gridania on the other.  Two of the most magical civilizations in Eorzea, together, what could it possibly mean?
However, the chest was sealed with a magical lock that had no keyhole and no means of prying it open.  There was, however, a series of Padjali letters:  L-A-E-H.  At first, I couldn’t think of any words that matched the pronunciation, but then I realized it was an anagram.  And the word was “heal.† So, I used a small bit of my healing ability to infuse the lock and it came open with a quiet snap.
Within was a small, palm-sized disk, also marked with the Sigils of Nym and Gridania, but with a gemstone at its heart.  The note gave a clue to nearby Naked Rock, so it was there that we continued onward with our quest.  At the new location, the disk came to life and the gemstone began to pulse; we eventually figured out that it acted as a sort of magical compass.  It directed us to the roots of a nearby tree, so we excavated yet another chest marked as the one that came before.  Except this time, the lock on the outside read “N-W-O-R-Dâ€; another anagram for “drown.â€
Exercising a bit of Water Aspected magic, we unlocked this chest and within was a small, white gemstone and another note.  The gemstone fit into an open niche on the compass and the note directed us to find a place where you could hear the singing of the sea, it at least narrowed things down by giving us a map of Middle La Noscea.  Still, it wasn’t an area either of us was familiar with, so we inquired with a local merchant and obtained a map.  A few minutes inspection and we had our location:  Seasong Grotto.
Here among the glowing light of the nearby bogies, the compass directed us to a pillar in the middle of the cavern. Â Hidden beneath the flagstones around its base, there was another cunningly designed puzzle. Â Carved across the face of the flagstone was simply the word: DOINK!
I couldn’t even begin to fathom what it meant, but Ree said that since the previous two clues had to do with Padjal and elemental magicks, perhaps this one had to do with tonberries.
There was only one thing that was on the forefront of my mind when it came to tonberries.  They really, REALLY liked stabbing things, something I recall during an archaeological exploration of the Wanderer’s Palace with Blake Forester some many moons ago.  So, I took one of my daggers from its sheath and slid it in a small gap between the flagstones.  I was rewarded when the catch sprung and beneath the stone we found the final gemstone and the last clue.  This one sent us to a remote island just off the coast from Aleport.
Ree knew of a ship that would be willing ship that would take us there, so away we went.  I confess, sea voyages of any type always make me nervous.  There’s just something unpredictable and frightening about the ocean for me.  Having lived most of my life below-ground, the sea is still something new and tempestuous at best.  The current and the heaviness of the water make it feel as if the very sea itself wants to drag you under and claim you for her own.  Still, I could not leave a quest unfinished or a curiosity unexplored.  With Ree’s comforting strength beside me, I could and would face anything, no matter the peril. Â
As we admired the view of the sea at night, a strange fog overcame the ship and silence descended upon us.  No sounds of the crew, the sea, or anything else – save the flapping of a flag that I heard overhead.  I climbed the rigging to investigate and found the stylized pirate flag of Greenbeard and Pointy!   Yet, even as I found it I could hear the sounds of wood breaking, splintering apart from somewhere below.  Had the ship foundered against rocks or coral?
I could hear Ree calling up to me in alarm, but I couldn’t leave without taking the flag with me.  I don’t even really know why.  I felt like it might be another clue.  I climbed my way down, but as the entire back end of the ship shattered, I slipped and fell, thankfully right into Ree’s waiting arms.  There was no time to waste, with the skill only a dragoon possesses, Ree made the leap from the ship to the lights upon a nearby shore that we’d seen only a few minutes prior.  However, as we left behind the dying, broken ship I saw a strange little figure standing at the bow as it sank:  a tonberry, his lantern all aglow.  Then the mist obscured the sight and we were safely on the nearby island.
We took a few minutes to recover from the escape, but the compass began to whirl again and my curiosity would not rest until we uncovered this mystery. Â We trekked across the beach to a nearby cliffside and it was there we found another small hollow, but this one had an indentation that looked like it would perfectly fit the compass. Â So, I slid the device into the crevice and it opened with a satisfying snap.
Within was a book and a final note.  In the note, Greenbeard congratulated us on uncovering his treasure – but at the very end it was revealed that it was merely the gift wrap for Ree’s Starlight gift to me.  The book, an old tome on Gelmorra, one that would help my research greatly since it was rare, procured from the library of an old priest that was friends with Ree.
It brought me to tears, really.  I get so caught up in the day-to-day duties to Company, to the House of Splendors, to upkeeping everyone else that I forget the thrill of adventure and discovery.  Ree makes it a point, time and again, to feed my curiosity and the animated drive by which I pursue the things I’m most passionate about.  He reminds me of all the things that make me who I am – and the woman he fell in love with.  Truly, the greatest gift I could ever receive on Starlight is the continued presence of this man in my life.  Something that I hope to have for many cycles to come.
Afterward, he told me how it was all done since he’d knew I’d die of curiosity if he didn’t.  Yet, one thing remained unanswered:  What about the tonberry I’d seen?  How did he manage to get it all the way out there?  And where did it go?
I suppose I’ll just have to chalk it up to one of the many mysteries of Starlight.Â
It was a night of tonberries and padjal.
It was a night of imploding ships and narrow escapes.
And it was a Starlight memory I won’t soon forget.  Trust Irridias Velnyx to find new and inventive ways to surprise me and bring a smile to my face.  It’s not enough for him to merely wrap a gift in gaily-colored paper and hand it over.  No, his idea of presenting a gift is to create an evening-long adventure of intrigue and puzzle-solving that ended with me finding my Starlight bounty.  It continues to be no small wonder that I love him as much as I do.
The evening began in the Black Shroud where Irridias Velnyx summoned me to Spirithold we uncovered the first chest of the tonberry and padjali pirates, Greenbeard and Pointy.  Legend said that these two were relatively benevolent pirates who stole gil, yes in plenty, but never harmed their victims.  Instead, they would heal and mend them before sending them on their way.  All-in-all, they sounded like very magnanimous pirates, but that isn’t what truly caught my interest.  On the face of  the chest, there was seal marked with the Sigil of Nym on one side, the Sigil of Gridania on the other.  Two of the most magical civilizations in Eorzea, together, what could it possibly mean?
However, the chest was sealed with a magical lock that had no keyhole and no means of prying it open.  There was, however, a series of Padjali letters:  L-A-E-H.  At first, I couldn’t think of any words that matched the pronunciation, but then I realized it was an anagram.  And the word was “heal.† So, I used a small bit of my healing ability to infuse the lock and it came open with a quiet snap.
Within was a small, palm-sized disk, also marked with the Sigils of Nym and Gridania, but with a gemstone at its heart.  The note gave a clue to nearby Naked Rock, so it was there that we continued onward with our quest.  At the new location, the disk came to life and the gemstone began to pulse; we eventually figured out that it acted as a sort of magical compass.  It directed us to the roots of a nearby tree, so we excavated yet another chest marked as the one that came before.  Except this time, the lock on the outside read “N-W-O-R-Dâ€; another anagram for “drown.â€
Exercising a bit of Water Aspected magic, we unlocked this chest and within was a small, white gemstone and another note.  The gemstone fit into an open niche on the compass and the note directed us to find a place where you could hear the singing of the sea, it at least narrowed things down by giving us a map of Middle La Noscea.  Still, it wasn’t an area either of us was familiar with, so we inquired with a local merchant and obtained a map.  A few minutes inspection and we had our location:  Seasong Grotto.
Here among the glowing light of the nearby bogies, the compass directed us to a pillar in the middle of the cavern. Â Hidden beneath the flagstones around its base, there was another cunningly designed puzzle. Â Carved across the face of the flagstone was simply the word: DOINK!
I couldn’t even begin to fathom what it meant, but Ree said that since the previous two clues had to do with Padjal and elemental magicks, perhaps this one had to do with tonberries.
There was only one thing that was on the forefront of my mind when it came to tonberries.  They really, REALLY liked stabbing things, something I recall during an archaeological exploration of the Wanderer’s Palace with Blake Forester some many moons ago.  So, I took one of my daggers from its sheath and slid it in a small gap between the flagstones.  I was rewarded when the catch sprung and beneath the stone we found the final gemstone and the last clue.  This one sent us to a remote island just off the coast from Aleport.
Ree knew of a ship that would be willing ship that would take us there, so away we went.  I confess, sea voyages of any type always make me nervous.  There’s just something unpredictable and frightening about the ocean for me.  Having lived most of my life below-ground, the sea is still something new and tempestuous at best.  The current and the heaviness of the water make it feel as if the very sea itself wants to drag you under and claim you for her own.  Still, I could not leave a quest unfinished or a curiosity unexplored.  With Ree’s comforting strength beside me, I could and would face anything, no matter the peril. Â
As we admired the view of the sea at night, a strange fog overcame the ship and silence descended upon us.  No sounds of the crew, the sea, or anything else – save the flapping of a flag that I heard overhead.  I climbed the rigging to investigate and found the stylized pirate flag of Greenbeard and Pointy!   Yet, even as I found it I could hear the sounds of wood breaking, splintering apart from somewhere below.  Had the ship foundered against rocks or coral?
I could hear Ree calling up to me in alarm, but I couldn’t leave without taking the flag with me.  I don’t even really know why.  I felt like it might be another clue.  I climbed my way down, but as the entire back end of the ship shattered, I slipped and fell, thankfully right into Ree’s waiting arms.  There was no time to waste, with the skill only a dragoon possesses, Ree made the leap from the ship to the lights upon a nearby shore that we’d seen only a few minutes prior.  However, as we left behind the dying, broken ship I saw a strange little figure standing at the bow as it sank:  a tonberry, his lantern all aglow.  Then the mist obscured the sight and we were safely on the nearby island.
We took a few minutes to recover from the escape, but the compass began to whirl again and my curiosity would not rest until we uncovered this mystery. Â We trekked across the beach to a nearby cliffside and it was there we found another small hollow, but this one had an indentation that looked like it would perfectly fit the compass. Â So, I slid the device into the crevice and it opened with a satisfying snap.
Within was a book and a final note.  In the note, Greenbeard congratulated us on uncovering his treasure – but at the very end it was revealed that it was merely the gift wrap for Ree’s Starlight gift to me.  The book, an old tome on Gelmorra, one that would help my research greatly since it was rare, procured from the library of an old priest that was friends with Ree.
It brought me to tears, really.  I get so caught up in the day-to-day duties to Company, to the House of Splendors, to upkeeping everyone else that I forget the thrill of adventure and discovery.  Ree makes it a point, time and again, to feed my curiosity and the animated drive by which I pursue the things I’m most passionate about.  He reminds me of all the things that make me who I am – and the woman he fell in love with.  Truly, the greatest gift I could ever receive on Starlight is the continued presence of this man in my life.  Something that I hope to have for many cycles to come.
Afterward, he told me how it was all done since he’d knew I’d die of curiosity if he didn’t.  Yet, one thing remained unanswered:  What about the tonberry I’d seen?  How did he manage to get it all the way out there?  And where did it go?
I suppose I’ll just have to chalk it up to one of the many mysteries of Starlight.Â
![[Image: the-chroniclers-2.jpg]](https://writerholic.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-chroniclers-2.jpg)
