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Dwassyith Swanra

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Blog Entries posted by Dwassyith Swanra

  1. Dwassyith Swanra
    After days of nightmareish exhaustion, one of the marked ones - Norien - revealed through sensitive deduction that the now possessed Franisbel was heading north, to Coerthas. Begrudingly, the group gathered to follow on the tracks of the outwordly, reality-wrecking presence. Its wake was recognizeable, for it laid death and misery wherever it went, its' passage was unmistakable. 
    They reached an abandoned, worn-down village in the hostile frozen land. What they found was a sight that would have stuck with them till the end of their days; corpses were piled up on tall pikes like pork chops on skewers, all around the village's perimeter. Just nearby, an insane overweight priest was chanting all kinds of horrors to summon a sickening creature; amidst howls and horrifying screams, the abomination grew as a sewn-together agglomerate of all sentient species' limbs, alongside animals. It was a living terror, screaming with rage and agony.
    The group faced it, in a low-drawn battle against the foul creation of an impressive sturdy resilience. The priest seemed immune to all kinds of attacks as well, ravenous and delirious as he was, he moved out of the scene to disappear, and answer the call of his master. 

    Following the priest led to an underground location, where a ritual was taking place. The marked members of the Rootless suffered the most vivid nightmares, to the point of feeling mentally crippled. In the gloomy underground, possessed Fran was attempting a ritual with the priest and a pregnant girl known as The Becoming. A ritual of invitation where Atuteran was supplied an "empty" mortal vessel in order to manifest its form and full power in the mortal world. The child had to be willingly offered by the mother and given to him from her arms. Her life force is given in the process as a kind of reverence. With Maya and Norien subjugated by the mark's influence, Dwassyith, Xihsa'li and Kami had to stop the ritual - and it happened barely, and just in time. The Becoming had been stopped, retreating into a temporary defeat and leaving Fran's vessel free to regain its own conscience. 
    In an underground prison of the church, the group found Baelser Voranti, the author of the book focused on the legend of Atuteran.
     
    The following days were spent in Ishgard, where the group had been stuck under the hammering force of a blizzard. Only after the weather got cleared, they could depart for the final journey to put a stop to this once and for all: Ala Mhigo and the ancient temple of Atuteran was waiting for them. Voranti was set on performing the risky ritual called "The Anchoring".
    By reversing the ritual which once created the infernal Voidstone, Baelser hoped he could imbalance its nature and destroy it. Even before they began, things went wrong. Kebbe, being marked, was affected by the Demon and sent into madness. As the ritual began, binding Xihsa'li, Maya, Fran and Baelser himself into a difficult, magical struggle, she attacked with fierce ferocity in order to claim The Voidstone. Even as she was subdued by her mate, Norien  lost her will to the power of the mark.
    In a bout of madness, she entered the circle in order to give herself to her God, therefor heralding a second Becoming. As the four mages fiercely struggled with the difficulties of the ritual, the Demon came forth and took her for its own.
    The end was near and hopelessness clung to their minds, when Baelser eventually managed to seal the last seal and unmake the stone. As it was destroyed, the Demon was sent spiraling back into the void, but not before it could end Baelser's life.
  2. Dwassyith Swanra
    In order to pay the debt with Estelle Robillard, the Rootless were sent as an expedition to Ala Mhigo to retrieve the armor of an ancient Ishgardian hero. It was rumoured to be located into the depths of an old temple, of which they had very little information. Upon entering, they noticed there was something off with the place; the atmosphere was oppressive, gloomy and there were dead animals scattered around the place. A feeling of dark desperation shrouded the expedition, as they ventured further inside. The trouble began when nearly everybody started hallucinating; the place had a way to awaken their deepest and most intimate fears. Some had bouts of violence towards their very companions, other felt the urge to suicide, others lost sight of what they truly wanted to do and shot wild fire with their weapons. A falling boulder detached from the ceiling and severed the bridge connection that linked the expedition between the deepest recesses of the temple with the outside world. 
    As they ventured into the innermost chamber, it became blatant that the corruption came from a glowing red ruby stone, soon known as 'The Keystone'. It whispered and seduced everybody's mind into a cruel enthrallment. Xihsa'li was about to get it, but Kebbe did it first, and through an obscene show of power, the entity hidden inside the Keystone took over her body, speaking words of conquest in an unsettling, booming voice. 
    The armor pieces were at last found and retrieved, but to the price of having Kebbe possessed by an unknown presence of unimaginable power and depravity.

    Under Dwassyith's request, Kami refrained from taking her home back in Limsa Lominsa and, instead, sought shelter in Gridanian whereabouts. At the manor of her former tutor, an Elezen man by the name of Veanomort, the Voidsent-possessed presence of Kebbe turned the premises into a nightmareish place very quickly. Kami and Maya suffered the weight of constant mind-attacks, while the servants of the house showed the oddest behaviour with no shortage of wicked violence. The Voidsent was wrecking chaos into everybody's mind.
    Kami requested assistance, and Dwassyith in Limsa Lominsa gave the order to collectively move out and head to the manor of affliction and misery in Gridania. 

    Once arrived, they felt the same oppressive atmosphere as the harrowing day in the temple. They got welcomed by an exhausted Veanomort, whom gave them free entrance into his abode, under the agreement that Dwassyith and his collaborators would follow the Conjurers' instruction to the letter. Inside the manor, a man called Vallerin was at the head of said Conjurers' entourage. He suggested that Kebbe's newly arrived friends would establish a 'connection' with her by holding hands around her. This way, the bond would be strenghtened, increasing the chances of removing the vicious parasite.

    Joining the room with the voidsent meant, once again, visions of nightmares. The malevolent entity entered the minds of Dwassyith and Khada, seducing them into suddenly assaulting Xihsa'li and robbing him of the ever so valuable Keystone, where the Voidsent came from. It wanted it back. Maya and Norien also had an almost cripplingly bad time, as the Voidsent toyed with their deepest fears and desires, twisting and turning them around as fictitious realities.
    Then the demon decided to twist Vallerin's disciples limbs, making legs turn backward and blood splatter of the ground. It killed them all, but left Vallerin alive to witness the atrocity. 
    Then, when it seemed like everything suddenly stopped and Kebbe felt 'free of the presence', it turned out that it had possessed Franisbel. She took the Keystone out of Xihsa'li's hands all of a sudden, Dwassyith attempted to stab her to stop her, but she felt nothing at all, and sent everybody flying against the walls. Then she took her prize and left.
    Kebbe was finally free from the repugnant presence, but the group had lost another one in exchange, with no clue about where 'possessed Franisbel' went, and what the Voidsent's next step would be.
  3. Dwassyith Swanra
    The meeting with Captain Glass was tense. Parties had met, and through a mutually respectful but ever-so-wary dialoge, an agreement was reached. Dwassyith asked for collaboration and peace, alongside a private island to be cleaned and conquered by Glass himself and his people. The price for such demands followed in clear terms: the Black Hand would have needed to supply the nefarious captain with huge cargos of glass alongsde batches of fertile women. 
     
    Peace had finally been reached, but mantaining it would have been the real challenge. The Black Hand set off to strike deals with glass-makers from the sandy lands of Thanalan, even though Ul'dah and its' fervent Brass Blades were all but comfortable with the criminal Lominsan presence in their country. In fact, the underworld and upperworld began twisting and turning with seething rage and talks of revenge for the large-scale massacre that had happened several days prior the conclusive encounter between the coastline forces and those of the sea. 
     
  4. Dwassyith Swanra
    The concrete sign that the collaboration between the Red Hibiscus and Kallius sat badly on someone's stomach arrived soon enough: one night, the Red Hibiscus got sieged all of a sudden by unknown numerous troops of goons. Destruction and slaughter followed in a battle that involved the entirety of the building, between the armed violent invaders and the residents posing a strenuous resistance. In the conflict, Gaubert lost his life by the hand of the flamboyant grunts leader Glavant, and Kebbe got shot, causing her to go bed-ridden once more.
    Once the onslaught met its end and the Hibiscus got successfully defended, a surviving lackey got interrogated to understand who was behind the daring attack. It turned out that Miamoli had striked an alliance with Glavant, the Elezen gunslinger who got away with death through a timely exit.
     
    Immense outrage led the Black Hand to pack up for an immediate trip to Thanalan. Dwassyith's goal was to cut off the wealth-making joints belonging to Miamoli, so to choke her profits routes. Forces divided into several groups, as the Hibiscus residents took care of a speakeasy hub and a drugs-making laboratory. The retaliating attacks were successful, if not for the fact that on Maya's side, some witnesses managed to survive during the mass-slaughter that she caused - much to everybody's surprise. The reverberating echo of the mini genocide would have undoubtedly spread like an oil stain thorough all corners of Thanalan in the following days.
    Most of the drugs manifacturing materials had been sent back to Limsa, so that the Black Hand might have reproduced them in their own labs and thus, claiming the monopoly of the Sapphire and Cherry narcotics.
     
    Only a night passed, before an informant reached the Black Hand contingent that was hiding and resting in the Invisible City. Miamoli and Glavant had been spotted leaving Ul'dah, rumours had that they intended to take an airship together and leave the nation for good.
    Without wasting a minute longer, everybody moved out in a rushed chasing of the two hated enemies. They were found moving together on a vertical platform clinging to a mountain side, which worked as an airship landing. 
    In perfect Glavant-style, the treacherous Elezen left behind Miamoli and his guards to fight against the vengenful group and once more got away, through a swift departure on the airship. The arduous conflict between the tiny Au Ra's forces and the Black Hand saw injuries to be distributed on both sides, ending eventually with the capture of the notorious head of the Hounds gang.
     
    Two days were spent travelling back to Limsa Lominsa with their new living prize, whom however wasn't spared of numerous torments. 
    The messenger of Captain Glass got informed that it was time to deliver the good news and arrange a new meeting with the leader of the Blackfog Clan.
  5. Dwassyith Swanra
    After having gathered enough strength, the group decided to press forward towards the location where the clan of the 'Black Dow' ship resided. Under the guidance of Old Grim they took a boat and sailed across an inland stream of water that brought them to the right location: the 'Black Fog' village.
    The first approach with the locals was hidden in the shadows, as the group stumbled upon two drunkards up to foolery on the beach. Old Grim took the first brave step in trying to earn himself a parley with them, but he got shot right in the head for he has had a beef with the clan in the past.

    Following this shocking beginning, the group in hiding managed to negotiate - through odd games and twisted trickery - to meet the leader of the nefarious Black Fog clan, Captain Glass. 
    A long and tense conversation took place, while the loyal and devoted inhabitants of the village gathered themselves around their Pirate King. 
    Much to everybody's surprise, it was revealed that Miamoli was behind the whole ordeal of headaches and injuries that the group had to endure: she striked a deal with Captain Glass to down the ships and return the cargo to her. Dwas persuaded him that the man that a deal with him would be a thousand times less bloody and more profitable, and that he should fully let go of Miamoli as a business partner. They reached an agreement, where Captain Glass demanded that Miamoli was taken to him, alive and in person, while his pirate galleons would have withheld any attacks. Once this would have been achieved, he would consider agreeing on a new deal with Dwassyith over the seas trade routes.
     
    The next day, the group was sent back to Limsa Lominsa on one of Glass' galleons. Finally on their way home, everybody had time to breathe in relief and tend to their wounds. The island and its hazards were finally left behind.
     
    In the following days, Kallius visited the Red Hibiscus and obtained a business meeting with the residents. The man was in trouble, for a rival without a face attacked his Ul'dahn distillery and destroyed it, jeopardizing this way his relationship with his clients in the East. 
    The Hibiscus' collaborators would have taken care of storing, producing and delivering his products to the awaiting customers, for a suffered seventy percent of the profits. 
    Of course, such newborn collaboration between them and the burly highlander might not have gone unnoticed, especially by those who had something to say against it...
  6. Dwassyith Swanra
    The life on the island proved to be nothing short of harrowing; the group had sought refuge into a sea cave that got flod with high tide water far too soon, and saw themselves forced to find a more secure shelter in the jungle. A moment respite was given when they found an abandoned, worn-down shack that hosted their plight for several days. The injuries were severe and infections were frequent, but thankfully the group had found some medical supplies and food in other forsaken cabins in the tropical forest. 

    The fortunate presence of Teirra provided with steady healing recovery, Tobias relied on his unfaillable talent for fishing and kept the group as much fed as it was reasonably possible. Kebbe helped gathering herbs and berries, along with the materials for Norien's stretcher, Dawn contributed by gathering wood, hunting and trapping jungle critters, and Kami sought to carve a bow out of whatever resources were available. 

    After what was judged to be 'enough recovery', theg group ventured into the forest to make contact with the local pirates. They found a perilous-looking bridge that gave all the impressions to be unstable, but they bravely begun to cross it, under the 'encouragement' of a large lizard creature that was approaching them to mark its territory. On the other side of the bridge, a diseased pirate appeared, holding a bomb and stating that the group had to pay a 'fee' to the Shellbacks clan in order to pass. The 'fee' in question was going to be Naelia, Dwassyith's sister, and there was no attempt of negotiating anything different that could have made the madman change his mind on what he wanted. In a desperate attempt to spare his sister a destiny of certain rape, violence and likely death, Dwas grabbed her and jumped into the chasm underneath the bridge. Under everybody's shocked eyes, they disappeared.
    The rest of the group managed to run back to the previous half of the abyss in time, and the flabbergasted Shellback pirate disappeared back into his own territory.

    After days of apprehension and scouting, the group found the entrance of an underground cave that had the same river the siblings fell in, meeting the ocean side. By exploring that cave they encountered Old Grim, a bizarre and eccentric Roegadyn who talked to a bioluminescent fungus attached to a rock as his best friend and advisor. The odd character however happened to have been the one who found and rescued Dwassyith and Naelia from the cold waters of the underground cave that hosted their fall.
    Reunited with their leader in collective relief, the group settled in the cave to recover their energies and rest. Suddenly, their Roegadyn cave-dwelling host of unsound mind seemed to be their only source of information regarding the island, even if perhaps not the most veritable...
     
  7. Dwassyith Swanra
    After almost one week of interrogation and torture, the eccentric pirate Zigzag was given a serum crafted by Kebbe, which was supposed to loosen his tongue. The effect of the serum was far more powerful than expected, and caused the man to live enhancened nightmares buried within his psyche. However, amidst the delirious screaming and terror, he uttered the name 'Redwater Cove'. After more 'encouragement', the hostage spilled the details about a secret and hidden cove located somewhere in the Indigo Deep.

    The following day, Dwassyith held a meeting with the rest of the Red Hibiscus residents and briefed them on what Zigzag revealed about the mysterious pirate cove: it was a place ruled by six pirate lords at the head of six different clans. Each clan had one shore of the island named after themselves. The pirates were taught the way to the island and out of it since they were children and unless one knew the exact path, finding it would have been virtually impossible. For this reason, Zigzag had to act as the living map for the group, in exchange of his potential freedom upon reaching destination.
     
    Indeed the group departed at dawn. They hired a roegadyn captain, Sharp Fang, and her crew operating on the 'Rhotano Wave' vessel. The journey proved to be tranquil at first, but when the terrifyingly recognizeable fog started to envelope the galleon, that was when problems had started. The vessel was about to crash against the wreckage of an old ship ahead when the stirring wheel of the Rhotano Wave got stuck. Thanks to Tobias extremely hazardous intervention at the entangled rudder and the fact Dwassyith asked for the anchor to be tossed down, the ship got slowed down before it could even crash. However, the fisherman found himself in deep trouble underwater and it took the intervention of Crimson Dawn and Khadagahn to reel him back on board.
     
    However, the group didn't even have the time to get any closer to the fog-shrouded shore, when a gigantic sea-serpent of colossal proportions attacked the Rhotano Wave, leaving absolutely no chance to anybody to stop what was inevitably going to happen. By crashing down on the doomed ship, the serpent cracked it in half and caused an hysteria of panic and destruction. The majority of the crew died in the impact, others went lost, and Dwassyith's group received severe injuries of all kinds. The marine currents brought their floating bodies ashore, as the shallow waters were coloured in red, fully reflecting the fitting name of the cove. The group lost their ship, their crew and their navigator, and found themselves lost on the lonely shore of an unknown island ruled by rampaging pirates. They had nothing else apart from their wounds, and each other...
  8. Dwassyith Swanra
    The big day of the battle over the seas arrived. Dwassyith's team departed from Vesper bay, and as soon as it entered La Noscean waters, it got approached by a looming fog. The Ul'dahn trading vessel got soon boarded by the gigantic 'Black Dow' pirate vessel, which revealed itself to be gargantuan in size the moment it appeared from the magical mists.
    A bloody battle ensued on the upper deck, just before Xihsa'li team (made by a xebec ship and a frigate) came to assist, and that's when the pirates got the first thorn sunk into their side. An exchange of magic spells and cannon balls saw the regrettable loss of the lent frigate, but ultimately also the victory of the Lominsan team. As an ending act of the conflict over the waters, the Black Dow got boarded by the winners and amidst the dead bodies and general wreckage of the defeated vessel, the captain Merry Zigzag and his quivering scribe were found and taken as hostages. They got taken to two different locations for interrogation, in order to find out more about who had actually been behind the Black Dow attacks.
    Worthy of notice was Kallius, who proved himself to be a valuable addition to the Lominsan team, and coordinated the attacks in harmony with the much younger Keeper male at the head of the group.
     
    Despite the victorious outcome, the losses in terms of money and manpower were far heavier than foreseen. For this reason, all the inhabitants of the Hibiscus were pressured to make more money, in huger quantities and in shorter amounts of time. Kebbe overworked herself in her alchemist laboratory with the production of painkillers, Kami channeled her efforts into her fencing of precious wares, Norien and Xih decided to kick up a greater amount of money weekly from their brothel and money-lending activities. 
     
    Luckily, the unexpected assistance of Baroness Estelle Robillard came into the scene in a very timely way. She entertained a conversation with the golden-eyed Seeker, and offered to pay of her own pocket the debt entailing the sunken frigate, in exchange of a personal favour. The nature of which remained unrevealed, for the moment.
     
    Thanks to Teirra's assistance, Tobias recovery was on its way to completion. Dwassyith discussed with the fisherman a small job entailing cleaning the docks of the presence of the 'Leviathans', a minor gang who has proved to be a nuisance to many. On the job, a new addition would be expected to prove her worth: Athae, an Auri woman of sensual looks and mysterious ways who stated to be well versed in combat. 
  9. Dwassyith Swanra
    Bad news came on the docks of Limsa Lominsa, when a thick magical fog manifested itself on the horizon. Cannonfire and mayhem followed, causing Ul'dahn mercantile ships to get destroyed by a mysterious attacker. When Dwassyith and the rest of the Hibiscus' residents rushed down on the piers, it was already too late: the docks were littered with wreckage of all kinds and sizes, the broken bones of the extremely precious vessels that were awaited by the Black Hand. In the dreadfully sudden commotion-on-water was also caught Tobias, whom had gone fishing when the fog-shrouded enemy appeared. The fisherman got treated by Teirra and brought back to the Hibiscus house, while Dwassyith, Norien and Kami went on scouting the harbour on a dinghy, in the hope of finding hints about what exactly happened, among the shredded remains and shambles. They found nothing. 

    The following day, more distressing news came: the fog-attackers striked again, and sank another Ul'dahn ship which was meant to dock in the morning. Seeing a pattern, Dwassyith began suspecting - along with Xihsa'li's helpful reasoning - that the Black Hand's business was the target of the assaults. Vincent's visit to the Hibiscus, as vibrantly cold as ever, only raised the level of tension and urgency. The fog-attackers had to be stopped, and quickly, lest the money losses would have been incommensurable. 

    A strategy began taking shape, where Dwassyith decided to bring a contingent of people with him to Ul'dah (Dawn, Naelia, Teirra, Khada and Gaubert) to board the next Ul'dahn vessel in Vesper Bay, with the intent to inspect the cirumstances, reinforce the vessel itself and protect the extremely prized cargo. Another group of people would have stayed behind with Xihsa'li in Limsa Lominsa (Kami, Kebbe, Norien and Tobias). At the very last minute, Kallius - a seasoned mercenary with seafaring expertise - joined up Xihsa'li's team. The Keeper's group would have had the primary goal to prevent the enemy vessel to approach the mercantile ship and possibly destroy the threat once and for all.
    The two groups separated the next day, with tense spirits and feverishly working minds, for the stress was high and the stakes were even higher.
  10. Dwassyith Swanra
    After the journey in Kugane, Dwassyith and his collaborators travelled back to Limsa Lominsa. They opened a new business venue called 'The Red Hibiscus', a gentlemen's club and pleasure den owned by Dwassyith but managed by Norien. In the same building, Xihsa'li decided to open a money-lending business.

    Many new faces and additions joined the core group: N'Kebbe was met in Kugane, a little alchemist who decided to tag along to help Dwassyith with the refinement of the Dragon Breath herb. At the Hibiscus itself, the group met Kami, a talented musician and entertainer who was discovered to have a knack for shadier business venues. Swiftly after joined Teirra, a pale and black-clad courtesan who also provides medical services for the group. In terms of Home Security, the group had the pleasure to hire the new faces Khadagahn, Gaubert and Anthelme Robillard - a fiesty Au Ra woman and two Ishgardian Elezen on a business mission in Limsa Lominsa. Recently, two hyur men joined the scene - a bouncer by the name of Henri Avery and a fisherman, Tobias Hughes.

    The Red Hibiscus has seen weeks bustling with activity, mingling, conflict and all manners of socializing. 
  11. Dwassyith Swanra
    The Rootless - namely Xihsa’li, Zumi and Dwassyith, had barely had a chance to take a breather after their return from the eventful trip to Yanxia for the auction, when already the group’s inn was visited by an uninvited guest. Busting through the door was none other than Lord Hashimoto’s third son, the prideful hingan warrior Kuromaru and his personal guard. The same Kuromaru that had expressed such hatred for them and their ijin selves in the past. Only a few amongst them had an inkling for what had caused his change of heart, but the warrior came with an offer: kill Renaud Vremaix, his hatamoto rival whom he saw unbefitting his station due to his ijin blood, without getting caught or implicating him in the assassination, and he would swear on his honour to return the favour by convincing his father over allowing them the Dragon Breath deal they’d travelled all this way to Kugane for. Kuromaru claimed that there was competition for this deal, and that Renaud was responsible for the other group vying for the deal, which explained some of the delay and indecisiveness from the side of the Lord himself.

    Kuromaru’s support was a tempting offer which the group quickly accepted, and after asking questions from the man himself, the Rootless engaged in a few days of intel gathering by the assassin Garrett. Various preparations for the attempt at the life of the gambling half-elezen were made and the group had decided to use a bomb carried by local prostitutes disguised as a gift to be a good trap for the elezen whom Garrett had spied indulging in the company of prostitutes previously. Tension was in the air as the group did their best to not let their quarry know of their intentions, as well as the lord Hashimoto who would surely see any attempt at either of his hatamotos’ lives a personal affront.

    Unbeknownst to the group, Kuromaru had no intentions of helping the group achieve anything, and had done little to disguise his intentions from Renaud himself, amusing himself of the possibility that his rival and the filthy ijin would all kill each other in a clash that implicated only themselves and left him picking up the rewards. So when the fateful day came, Renaud had already picked up on the whispers of a plot to take his life and showed up on his usual visits to the city with four guards, instead of the usual two the Rootless had expected.

    While the group had taken hiding spots along a flight of stairs through a market, a lapse in intel had them uncertain over the route Renaud was going to take to the lord’s current lodgings. Immediately their plans were thrown off course as the mongrel instead turned left to take a detour through the beach, which was his usual route unaccounted for in their plans. 
    Quick action was required and the party was forced to fix their positions in a hurry, as well as that of the whores carrying the gift they were meant to offer. Already things threatened to slip out of control. Renaud, suspicious of the whores in beautiful clothes and makeup, approaching him in the streets at that hour of the night, when they were clearly far too fair to be street walkers, refused to allow them near and with the addition of one of his personal guard - an older stocky samurai by the name of Tomoyuki - spotted movement on the roofs, the entire trap was set to fail.

    Cutting their losses, Dwassyith commanded shots to be fired at Renaud, before he managed to get too far from the rooftops, and an arrow shot by Garrett found its’ mark in the mongrel hatamoto’s back. The rest happened in a rush of seconds, yelling and hasty movement, complete with the half-elezen collapsing into the sand with an arrow stuck to his back, his blood mixing with the shallow water of the beach. Arrows were shot at the other guards, and before the two by the whores could react beyond yelling for ‘ambush’, Dwassyith blew them all up, prostitutes and samurai both - leaving only the two by Renaud’s side.
     
    The samurai put up an honorable fight, covering for their master while pulling him up the beach, to the point where Dwassyith and Zumi had to step in to finish him and his guards off. Sekisegumi was approaching down the beach, yelling in alarm, people screaming from the windows as the explosion and the following racket had woken up half the district of Shirogane. Murder! Fire! Mayhem! The older samurai went down from the male miqo’te’s heavy axe, Renaud’s head too rolling in the sand, Zumi finishing the old guard with her daggers, but the younger samurai Kurosawa - distraught and filled with fury over witnessing his mentor and his master both dead at the assassins’ hands - lunged at them both and very nearly ended her life there and then were it not for the decisive cleaving axe from Dwassyith. Only the arrows launched by Garrett and Norien from the rooftops were standing in between the Sekisegumi patrol and the duo at the end, alarm bells sounded throughout the district. As their opposition had finally fallen, the Rootless ran as fast as their feet could carry them, scattering into the four winds, Zumi carried on Dwas’ arms, bleeding.

    After their wounds had been treated due to the co-operative effort of Nanami and Xihsa’li at the inn, as well as a covert visit to underworld doctors the morning after, the group could finally breathe a little easier. There was a general mood of uncertainty and concern in Shirogane and Kugane then. Whispers of an explosion, samurai dead - and more importantly, the Lord Hashimoto's hatamoto was killed. Assassination was on gossipers' lips, conspiracy... And while it didn't touch the lives of commoners, explosions had a way of instilling fear even in the most unaffected.
     
    There was movement in the underworld as well - grim looks exchanged, bad tidings. Many had lost something with the loss of the hatamoto, and there now was a brothel that had lost its' two most prized girls. As many had disliked the ijin hatamoto as liked him, but his death touched places that many hadn't foreseen. With the death of Renaud, the bakuto families in charge of the gambling hall Yuu-ya where he had frequented, had lost their best bet at the Dragon Breath deal he’d offered them - in exchange for vast amounts of gil of course. On another side of the city, far from the dark gambling den, a cherry blossom-clad hingan lady was delivered a letter signed by Kuromaru, causing her heart to ache in mourning of the death of the man who had gone as far as to delve into the deepest underworld for the wealth required for her dowry. Renaud had done it all for her, and he had lost. Life was as fleeting as it was cruel, and perhaps the ijin hatamoto might never have succeeded in convincing her father for her hand, but surely the Lord was not the only one who had lost a friend that night.
     
    Both the Sekisegumi and Hashimoto's people were investigating into Renaud Vremaix’s death and it would’ve been wise for the group to act normal... and unrelated. Even more so, when soon enough, they were summoned to meet the Lord. Upon arriving, who greeted them wasn’t in fact the Lord himself, but his heir and his eldest son Ken’ichi, flanked by his sister and hatamoto who they’d previously met without the knowledge of their true identities. During the formal conversation the group offered their consolations for the death of the hatamoto in both word and a gift - a samurai soulstone picked up from the ronin who had attacked them on the road from Yanxia, clad and presented in a case full of hingan symbolism in the language of flowers prepared by Xihsa’li. During this conversation, the group also learned that Kuromaru - the Lord’s son - had perished committing seppuku after his complicity in his rival’s death had been revealed. With cold sweat running down their necks, the Rootless came to silently realize that this man - the lord’s son - knew far more than he presented. There were no secrets from him, and while matters were settled politely and without accusations, its’ true purpose was to wash his hands off of the group, victorious over his rival - his younger brother.
     
    The group had not been aware until now, but there had been a long rivalry not only between the half-elezen hatamoto Renaud and Kuromaru, but between Kuromaru and his older brother Ken’ichi. They had both competed over the place of heir, and in a devious plot to rid himself of his younger brother - the eldest had put the idea of ijin and trade into his father’s ear. Chihaya Shimizu, a geisha whose patron the Lord was, had been sent to Eorzea in search for a potential group that might be interested in such a large scale deal of the narcotic herbs, landing her on the Rootless’ doorstep, and eventually she had landed the Rootless on the doorstep of the Hashimoto family in Kugane. Knowing his brother couldn’t stand the ijin - Renaud and the group alike -  Ken’ichi had lured Kuromaru into a trap, manipulated events to the point where the Lord would have no choice but to demand his third son’s life in apology for his actions. And so he had emerged victorious, and as a final conclusion of the entire ordeal, he provided the Rootless with the deal they had come for, as a reward for service they did not know they had provided. Lord Hashimoto had lost his best friend, and due to Chihaya’s actions in bringing the group to them, she was exiled from her homeland and set to return to Eorzea with the very group she’d vouched for.
     
    After preparing for a number of days and meeting a potential alchemist to bring with them, the group was set to depart. Boarding a ship to finally leave Hingashi behind - the land as mired in ancient etiquette as it was in political intrigue - the group turned their gazes forwards. New adventures and business ventures awaited them and the future was as uncertain as it was ripe with opportunity. They had but to return and seize it.
     
     

    [End of the Kugane Storyline]
     
     
  12. Dwassyith Swanra
    After a few days of waiting, Lord Hashimoto visited the Kinshi Iro Inn against all odds and all expectations. He brought a contingent of samurai with himself for personal security, but when he requested a meeting with Dwassyith and his group, the bodyguards had been left outside. The hingan Lord exchanged a pleasant and polite conversation with the rest of the group, which kept everybody alerted and tense over the man's real intentions. However, Hashimoto's manners were far more comely and friendly than foreseen. Dwassyith mentioned at last his interest to make business about the prized 'Dragon Breath' with Hashimoto, and the hingan personage agreed to have a think about it. In the meantime, he offered Norien to spend some time together on a hunt, which triggered everybody suspicion and concern. It took quite a long deal of reasoning and precaution for Norien to accept such an offer, based on Chihaya's reassurance that Lord Hashimoto was a man of honour and wouldn't have enforced anything at all. 
    Hashimoto then hastily departed, assuring the group that they would have received news regarding his intentions.

    Having to kill time during the waiting, the group set course for Yanxia, having caught on the rumour of a very interesting auction that would have happened at Yuzuka Manor. The journey proved to be not devoid of peril, for they got attacked by a group of lupin bandits who, fortunately, got repelled through a valiant fight. The fight itself, however, unexpectedly triggered the discontent of one of the group's travelling companions. A quarrel followed, which saw the irate local departing the group. That left Xihsa'li, Dwassyith and Zumi en route to their destination.

    The auction took place on very competitive tones, and almost every member of the Rootless got themselves something to bring back home - even if the prices were incredibly high. Xihsa'li got a collection of books of Sharlayan origins, Zumi a book of nudes and a precious pendant, and Dwassyith simply had the chance to spot new interesting personalities.

    The day after, the dark-skinned miqo'te indulged the sight of one of these new acquaintances, an extremely seductive Elezen woman, Delphine. After a long, mutual-studying talk, Dwassyith invited the elegant and sly gambler to follow him to Shirogane on their way back from Yanxia. She accepted to meet him again, with the lingering feeling that both could have been of great use to each other.

    Despite of the negotiations for the Dragon Breath were slightly delayed by the 'hingan way' of handling things, the group overall had many chances to feel marvelled and immersed into a completely different reality. Limsa Lominsa never felt so far away before. 
     
  13. Dwassyith Swanra
    After having defeated the nuisance posed by the Sanguine Eye, Dwassyith went through an intense recovery therapy, while the rest of the group spent restless days at the Inn where they were staying. The depature for Kugane stayed within plans, and as it drawed nearer by each day that passed, preparations had been made to face it properly. The Lominsan docks where Dwassyith worked had found a proper temporary replacement as dockmaster, and Chihaya even went to the extent of holding a lesson of 'hingan manners' to make the group more acquainted with Eastern tradition.
    Once ready, they faced a one-week-long journey across the immense ocean expanse that divided Limsa Lominsa and Kugane. The ship was named 'The Bearded Lady', inspired precisely by its furry-faced female captain. The journey had been most uneventful, up until when the crashed relics of a garlean ship had been found. Only one survivor was left amidst the graveyard-like destruction, and hauled on the ship as peace-bringing passenger. The Garlean man seemed to be on a diplomatic mission to Kugane, or so he said, before the unforeseen accident.
    Upon arriving in Kugane, the group marvelled over its splendor; the foreign architecture, colours, people and the general 'different air' got everybody charmed. The Eastern capital city was a completely new world to explore, and after a bit of jaw-dropping wandering, they had a small break in the onsen of Bokairo Inn.
    After a brief stop in one of the most impressive hot springs of Kugane, the group relocated to Kinshi Iro Inn, a small and quaint establishment in Shirogane. The day after, they headed to the harbour again to witness the grandiose and opulent arrival of Lord Hashimoto, escorted by a contingent of samurai warriors. Drums accompanied his march from the ship to the land, and everybody at the harbour bowed in sign of deep reverence.
    A few hours later, the group was granted an extremely formal and cerimonious meeting with the important hingan personage. Against all odds, manners had been shown in the name of tradition, and Hashimoto got a good impression over the foreigners eager to get his attention on them. Dwassyith asked for a favour and such got accepted -- however, its discussion was postponed to a later meeting.
    There was potential in getting a deal sealed, if not for a couple of ominous characters such as a half-Elezen mongrel and a xenophobic general, who seemed prone to advise Hashimoto against lending an ear to the barbaric 'ijin'.
  14. Dwassyith Swanra
    The assignment given by the Sanguine Eye saw the group venturing in a sea-side location, where once upon a time there was a resort place which had gotten close due to mysterious circumstances. The reason soon became clear as the group was forced to deal with extremely strong currents, sharks and multi-tentacled marine monsters to find what they were looking for on the depths of the sea. A shells-covered crusty chest, presumably containing a precious locket.
    Much to everybody's disappointment, inside the chest there was not the yearned-for locket, but a bottle containing a letter. The message was a clear refusal of the Sanguine Eye to collaborate in any way with the Black Hand, and such constituted the final and ultimate insult to be endured.
    Seeing as they had been toyed around by the Sanguine Eye one last time, Dwassyith swore vengeance towards the elusive organization and headed to his superior in the chain of command, Vincent Aurora. It took only a few days to organize a big strike of retaliation, which started by divdiing into three groups who paid visit to three different targets. Said targets presumably knew about a slave warehouse, possession of the Sanguine Eye. They  got visited, interrogated and brutalized, but only one out of three yielded the wanted location. The three groups were also efficient in silencing every witness, after learning that the place they were looking for matched the 'Serpent's Tongue' hidden cave.
    The day after, the Hand gathered its forces at Serpent's Tongue bay and commenced its attack by having a mercantile ship crashing on the shore. The impact of tremendous force caused the first victims in the enemy ranks, and what followed brought a wrecking destruction all over the bay. The sand got stained with red, and the Rootless fought bravely and with valiant coordination, up until when catapults located above a tower began tossing projectiles of incendiary oil on the battlefield.
    Dwassyith ordered to make the catapults everybody's next priority and Xihsa'li, due to his newly acquired powers wielded through Nicky's cane, successfully managed to annihilate them by causing a portion of the above cliff to crumble down on their heads. The Black Hand ultimately came out victorious, decimated the Sanguine Eye's forces and destroyed the remaining slave stock in the bay. A dire consequence, however, hadn't been foreseen: Dwassyith was caught under the rubble of the collapsed cliff. Found teetering between life and death, the Seeker group leader was urgently brought to Limsa Lominsa hospital, along with the injured new recruit Crimson Dawn.
    The Sanguine Eye was no more, but the victory had a bitter taste of concern and sacrifice from the side of those who were left behind and living.
    As if that hadn't been enough, the same night Naelia learned of the grave accident that happened to her brother, and looked for explanations. As Nanami stated that she hadn't manage to be there in time for offering him healing services, Naelia unleashed an onslaught of incommensurable violence on the Auri girl, and left her bleeding on the ground with a broken face that could hardly be recognized.
    Tension was in the air, and times were tough for the Rootless group, despite the achieved supremacy over the rival gang. It was then only a matter of visiting the hospital everyday, to check on their mangled companions while waiting for updates.
  15. Dwassyith Swanra
    A new chapter began as the Snake's Head was cut off. The scars of this battle would remain scorched into Limsan soil for years to come. While the group barely got away with their lives in the fight against Nicky the Cripple, they managed to overcome the Snake and walk away.
    Yet the forces of the underworld did not sleep, the group's deeds were acknowledged by the Black Hand and just as Vincent Aurora had promised Dwas was made part of the family. After a good amount of rest and healing, their next initiative would be to familiarize themselves with the forces that ran Limsa from the shadows. One particular thorn in everyone's side was a group known as the Sanguine Eye. They were rumored to be assassins and slavers and refused to cooperate with either the Hand or the White Lily for decades. Patience with this group was running thin. While Vincent found himself indisposed, his associate Momoke Mina tasked the group with speaking to he Sanguine Eye one last time.
    Upon agreeing to this the group was sent a challenge, which turned out to be two riddles and a breadcrumb trail from an arranged tomb to an underground cave. Once the riddles were solved the challenge itself was not too hard, yet not for the faint hearted. It seemed that whoever set the challenge either had a way to make the dead speak on their behalf or were an excellent trickster. All the leads pointed to a cave near Limsa, where the group was congratulated on their success in beating the challenge and invited to a meeting at the Bismark in two days time. Naturally, the anti- climatic ending had most of the group confused if not angry.
    Two days later, they found themselves in the busy Bismark Inn, where at an empty table they had their first encounter with a man who called himself Azure The Watcher. He laid out why the Sanguine Eye had refused cooperation so far and made it clear that his group was not after power nor wealth, but that they would listen once another challenge was completed. Grinding their teeth, the group agreed to these terms and left. It was clear now why the Sanguine Eye was a thorn in everyone's side.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  16. Dwassyith Swanra
    P L O T   S U M MA R  Y 
    ------------------------------
    The Black Hand. 
    ------------------------------
     
     
    The Rootless got pulled deep into a world of bloody intrigues, shallow, passing business relationships and prideful exchanges of tainted money. It was an old world. A world which had set its many, far reaching roots into Limsa since centuries. One of these would find its way into Dwassyith Swanra’s little group of hired killers. 
    And so ‘The Rootless’ released a seed, and then they weren’t all that rootless anymore. In time it would grow and bear horrible, poisonous fruit. But The Black Hand, and the squabbles into which these mercenaries got tossed, started long before Friendly showed up with his kill list. 
    It started with Vincent Aurora, a prospect buried under Nicky’s thumb, which had for decades fought to escape. In the darkness of his growing frustration and hatred for his own situation, he found business in Ul’dah. Business with no other than The Red Queen herself. His time had come. 
    So, as she needed someone to flood Limsa with her product, with drugs, he needed a card up his sleeve. A card, and an insurance. So, he finally saw a way of getting Nicky’s crippled ass out of his seat, and make it free for someone more deserving. Someone like himself, for who else had balls and brains like he did?
    He made the deal for 40%. A scandalous demand, but what could Miamoli do? She had no one else. And then Vincent started his long effort to bring the drugs into the city, therefor destabilizing the underworld economy and throwing shit on Nicky’s territory. Next came the ruin of his power base. There was always just one way into the pain-center of The Black Hand, and it was to go after the money. 
    Intimidating union officials, assassinating business partners and winning the drug race. Someone was making huge amount of money, and it wasn’t The Hand. They looked to Nicky. Just like Vincent knew they would.(edited)
    And then an establishment caught fire, killing everyone except lucky little Naelia Swanra. But no one bears witness to an act of such ruthless destruction, and is then free to tattle off to port-wherever and tell stories. This is where the roots of the rootless got stuck in the ground. 
    A longtime friend of K’arhn – C’horuc, invites him and The Rootless to an evening at a restaurant. A restaurant where they are all supposed to be assassinated. C’horuc works for The Black Hand, specifically under Nicky The Cripple. He gives Nicky intel on who they are, where they have been and where they are going to be. Right before the assassination, C’horuc leaves the restaurant. 
    Friendly shows up, plus six Black Hand associates, all part of a hit-squad designed to eradicate all trace of a potential testimony. It came close too, and that’s more than you can say for most people Friendly was sent to kill. Usually, there was never a question of if but rather when it would happen. 
    The rootless, however – even though seared and wounded, rattled and unhinged – escaped with their lives, killing everyone set against them. Only Friendly left unscathed. Nicky, seeing the usefulness of these seemingly exceptional killers, brought them in under his wing. He promised them riches they had never seen before, and also provided C’horuc as a “gift”. A token of trust. But C’horuc had been caught selling information to other ears than Nicky’s, specifically a family named Ives, and that was the real reason behind his elimination. Dwassyith accepted the cripple’s proposal, unsure if he was sending his band of mercenaries into an early grave, or a coffin of coins. A coffin either way, of course. For someone.
    And in the meantime, Vincent Aurora was having the time of his life with Nicky’s powerbase. His collectors were getting attacked, distributors murdered and his shipments either stolen or destroyed. Nicky decided there was only one sure way of finding a trail. You had to follow the money. Coin was born from blood in the gutter, something Nicky knew well. He’d planted lush crops of them himself in the very same way. 
    But it all ends up somewhere and in someone’s pocket. A bloody game and two dead whores- expertly delivered by Nicky’s new toys, and he had his trail. It was a curving, thin and bolstered trail leading right down the line to Vincent Aurora. Maybe a bit obvious to anyone with half a mind, and should’ve been for Nicky. But where did a piece of shit upstart like Vincent Aurora, get the capital to flood Limsa Lominsa’s docks with product? 
    That was an answer he’d die to know, which wasn’t saying much, considering he’d wanted to die for the last decade. But he’d spend maybe two months more in torture for it, that he would.
    So Dwassyith and his hired band of killers got to do the dirty work. Not odd though, that was what they did for a living, after all. Infiltrating a torture racket in Vincent’s pocket, brought them face to face with the upstart himself. But once confronted, he made a deal – a convincing one which Dwassyith decided to take. 
    When you can’t trust anyone, why not just go for the biggest bone? Vincent made a deal with Boulder. So instead of a head, the rock got a juicy 25% of The Red Queen’s drug trade, as well as a highway into Ul’dah’s Underworld.
    Vincent settled for fifteen percent. Well, that and his life. 
    Nicky got the word from Boulder, confirming Vincent’s death, and felt a rock slide off his shoulders. For a while, Limsa calmed down, and everything was fine. All manner of things was fine, until a day when they simply weren’t.
    Because Nicky decided to do Dwassyith a favor, and send Friendly off on another head-chopping errand. Sent off to a mine, no less, the last job upon which he’d ever embark. When he arrived, he found a mercenary almost the size of himself. Almost. No one was quite as large as Friendly. A swift, mind-blowing battle ensued, and just as Friendly’s sword was to taste blood, a lever was pulled, sending the giant plunging down a coal chute. Rocks were poured into the hatch, then it was sealed and a cart was placed upon it.
    And while the rather large group of mercenaries above was discussing their mercenary things, Friendly was ignoring his broken arm to count rocks. Holding on to a slight outcrop in the stone, he patiently counted every boulder fallen on his head. Counted them from memory. But the fun never lasted for too long, and soon he realized he had to go to work.
    So, he came up, slashing and beating his way out of the narrow chute, rising to his full height like a demon out of hell, and announced the number; forty-four. Forty-four rocks. Shame there hadn’t been more, all of them probably agreed. 
    An intense, blood curdling, insane fight took place. Friendly was like a storm of violence, holding two archers, two casters, one assassin, two brutes and one sword-man off at once. for what seemed like hours they fought, while in truth it lasted less than ten minutes.
    But no one is invincible, and in the end, it was the assassin that got him. She, and their black magician. Friendly’s mighty life of blood and death, ended in a dark place where no one would ever find him. A burnt and smoldering corpse amidst dust and bat-shit. 
    Mere hours later, Dwassyith and his murderers came for none other than Nicky The Cripple himself.
    By sneaking explosive glyphs into The Passiflora, they hoped to eradicate him and his bodyguards without a fight. It almost succeeded, at least with the bodyguards. 
    A master of Black Magic, a scholar of the arcane and a honed, keen mind, Nicky had for years seen to his own safety. Runes and gems, incantations and magical fail-safe systems, made him a place of invulnerability. So, when the establishment collapsed in fire and death, Nicky was kept perfectly safe within a charged, powerful barrier. He ate from the reserves of the world around him, and shook the earth with a disgusting summoning spell.
    Enemies, thieves and morons, all rose from shallow graves around the brothel. An inside joke, one of which few would find amusing. But Nicky was one of these few. And just as those unwise revelers and unprepared assassins had been made to do, Nicky knew Dwassyith and his friends would one day rise from those very same graves. Rise to protect the master they had tried to murder in life.
    Nicky enveloped himself in a shield, and sent his minions on the hunt. A battle ensued where the assassins attempted to break through the ranks of the undead and reach Nicky. They broke the shield, forced it to collapse, and victory was near.
     But they had all been deceived. For while they had been tangling with worthless, broken bodies, Nicky had been feeding on the world. And when their triumph came, it was to become his victory. Or so he thought, and can we really blame him? He blackened the world, after all. Summoned a comet which blocked out the sun, and sent it slamming into the street.
    It was destruction on a catastrophic scale, and had it not been for sheer luck or for some skill in magic, they would all have been obliterated. Dragging himself from the ground, bleeding on the inside, bleeding on the outside. Joints screaming and brain whirling, Dwas fed upon his iron will, and charged the now power depleted Nicky. 
    Kai awoke, the mercenary who assisted in taking down Friendly, and joined in very much the same fashion. Two pissed off, blood drunk and raging juggernauts, united as on person for one, single purpose. Nicky lifted his cane, and had he gotten a chance to slam it onto the earth, a lot of things would’ve ended differently.
    But Dwassyith’s axe sunk deep into the flesh of the broken body, and Kai finished it by cutting the head off the serpent. As Nicky’s life ran out onto the life-deprived land, the assassins were found, and taken to the hospital. Along with five dozen other wounded, and fifteen body bags. Buildings had been crushed, blown away or simply decimated by the cripple’s power, and if that couldn’t give birth to a new era, then nothing could. 
    Later, Dwas was inducted into The Black Hand. But as we will know by now, it won’t be where The Rootless’ tale ends. 
    It will simply be the beginning of another bloody chapter....
     
    [Written by Naelia Swanra]
  17. Dwassyith Swanra
    Much to their surprise they all survived the meeting with Nicky and were given yet another task by the Cripple. This was their chance to amend their mistake and the group played eager to please. They were sent to take out the offender, Vincent Aurora, disguised as a delivery crew from Nicky, they were let through the gates of Vincent’s base of operation. An old ruin outside of Limsa. 
    Meanwhile, they had found a new addition to the group, a tribal Miqo’te by the name of X’ken, who made it his business to offend and be offended by everyone upon first meeting them. 
    Despite this, the new guy was taken along to Nicky’s task which was simple enough, get Vincent alone, question him about the dock incident as well as his future plans and intentions and then bring his head to the Boulder. However, this seemed easier said than done, the place was swarming with guards and had an ominous feel to it. There was confusion as to what exactly was going on here, people were being escorted from one place to another and when they got a glimpse at their delivered goods, they horrified to find out that they were children.(edited)
    In the little time they had to come up with a plan, Dwassyith gave those that wanted to leave a chance to go. Kisha was the only one who took that chance, she promised to stay close and get aid in case the group did not return from inside the base. The rest of the group followed Dwassyith inside, entirely unsure what they had signed up for. Vincent was waiting for them and after a few exchanged words he lead them down to the cellar. There was no denying what they had wandered into, the pained screams of the tortured muffled faintly from soundproofed cells. They confronted Vincent and were ready to kill him, when he made them a proposal. 
    It was simple enough, let him live and betray Nicky instead. Naturally, the group did not trust this at first. However, after a long conversation and much consideration, it was decided to go against Nicky and let Vincent talk to the Boulder. This decision, though collectively made, did not sit well with some of the group. It caused an argument between Kisha and Dwassyith, which was swiftly ended by Kisha being smashed into a wall. She was left at the Limsan Hospital, and not welcome to return to their midst.
    A few days passed, in which preparations were made for the next step to achieve the new goal. Nicky had to be kept unaware of their plans and while he was being schmoozed by both Xihsa’li and Dwas, the rest of the group tried to stay
    out of trouble and await a new directive. Unfortunately, staying out of trouble proved more difficult than first anticipated, when Zumi got herself arrested for murdering an innocent girl whilst attempting to stab someone who had been abusive to her a few days ago. It was cause for many headaches and a deal had to be made with the Boulder in order to bail her out of jail. Once she was returned to the group and put in her place, minds were finally ready to focus on the tasks head.
     
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  18. Dwassyith Swanra
    After recent assignments, the group split up for a brief while. Dwassyith, Rhell and R’avi headed for Ul’dah to collect what was missing from their pay of Miamoli’s task. During the meeting Miamoli made Dwassyith and Rhell an ominious proposal, asking them to bring R’avi to her in exchange for a large sum of gil. According to her, she planned to have the ginger work in her establishment. The offer was politely taken into consideration, though both Rhell and Dwassyith seemed to have their suspicion and reseveration about this. This feeling grew only worse when they found themselves followed by a number of Hyur after their meeting with Miamoli. They managed to shake them off, but fled Ul’dah the next day with a very bad feeling. 
    Meanwhile, the assignments by Nicky kept coming steadily, as the group had proven competent enough in taking out a rival, Nicky deemed them worthy enough to carry out the simple task of motivating his dock workers to resume their work. 
    They had been refusing to work out of fear for a few days, and business was being affected. Seeing no problem with a simple task like that, the group set out to have a little chat with the fearful workers. It seemed to go well up until the point where one of the workers exploded. This explosion was not figurartively either, the man actually exploded, leaving his bloody mass all over the docks and mostly Dwassyith and Kisha. The cause of this unexpected action had been a caster, accompanied by a group of thugs, who had been sent to the docks with a message from Vincent Aurora. The man was set to challenge Nicky for his territory. This insult to their employer ensued in a fight between the group and Vincent’s men, it left the dock in chaos and forced the group to flee the bloody and suspicious scene. 
    The next few days were spent trying to come up with a way of breaking the news to Nicky without having Friendly break every bone in their body.(edited)
    Eventually, they all made peace with the thought of maybe having to flee Limsa and never come back. Lucky for them Nicky still found them useful and promised more work in the future. 
    Their next meeting with Nicky was joined by no other than the Boulder, who was set on finding out more  regarding the groups time in Ul’dah. When his interrogation did not uncover anything, the group was sent to do their next task.
     
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  19. Dwassyith Swanra
    After a few days of hiding in the countryside near Moraby the group was approached by no other than good old stoic Friendly. He came with yet another message from Nicky the Cripple. This time it was an offering of peace. Though Dwassyith suspected something fishy about this, he was soon persuaded by the fact that Nicky had taken a former member of their group as hostage. Xihsa’li, who had parted ways with the Adventurers a few weeks ago, had somehow managed to get himself captured by Nicky. To everyone’s surprise he was found unharmed and dining with Nicky as if nothing had happened. Whilst the Cripple had everyone’s attention he made them a proposal to work under him for a while. After the initial shock died down and negotiations between Nicky and Dwassyith, it was agreed that they would accept Nicky‘s proposal and wait for further instructions or summons. Back at their accommodation the wary group had some internal arguments. Both Xihsa’li‘s sudden appearance and the pledge to Nicky were cause enough to stirr the fire.
    After a few days of settling back into a cheap accommodation in Moraby. The group was summoned by no other than Friendly to go and meet Nicky for their first assignment. Unlike their previous jobs this one proved a little more tricky and morally complex. For the sum of an initial 10,000 gil plus 15.000 each, two innocent people would die. The reasons for such violence remained unspoken. All that seemed to count was the swift and unquestioned execution of their task. This moral quarrel had several members drop out from the task. Both V’shiria and K’arhn left the others to their task. Those that stayed managed to fullfill the requirements just fine. A bloodbath later they found themselves significantly more wealthy. How far would they go for coin? Just about to hell and back perhaps.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  20. Dwassyith Swanra
    The past week the Adventurers settled into Limsa. Treating themselves to some well earned luxuries in one of the more high brow establishments. It was a hard earned luxury, yet some members of the group did not appreciate it as much as others. R’avi nearly got himself and Norien thrown out, when he carelessly practiced his questionable magic on her. The act caused quite a stirr and the irritation lasted several days. Eventually, seeing tha Norien had survived the ordeal, the matter was put to rest. Meanwhile, the group had found two new additions to their loose ranks; V’risha, who literally fell into their midst and K’arhn, a long lost colleague of Dwassyith.
    The week had been a lot more eventful than initially intended and so the group decided to accept an invitation to a social event, in hopes of finding work. It turned out to be quite the opposite of relaxing.
    Someone found it necessary to send their regards via Death- Squad. Lead by an apathic Au’ra the Hitmen (and women) did not pause to converse or enjoy the plentiful food, but instead attacked without warning and little restraint. Heated combat ensued within the little private tavern, turning the cozy establishment into a gruesome scenery of blood and gore. The building hadn’t been intended for such purpose and soon it had caught on fire and lost its roof to gravity. The Adventurers fought for their lives and managed to prevail, though even those that sustained no physical harm walked away, carrying a heavy burden. Someone, wanted them all dead for no apparent reason.
    In the aftermath of the events it became evident that Rhell had payed the highest price for her life, a strong kick by a heavy boot had depleted her memory and erased all trace of her engagement with the group. The event had caused fears to run ammock and it didn’t take long for them to decide to pack their belongings and disappear like they had many times before.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  21. Dwassyith Swanra
    After the meeting with Miamoli, the Red Queen of Ul‘dah, and her trusted Captain Doran. The Adventurers set out to Vesper Bay. Here they would meet up with Captain Doran and board his vessel ‚The Duke‘ for her voyage to Limsa. The journey from Ul’dah to Vesper Bay did not go smoothly, the road proved dangerous and the group found themselves outnumbered by the desperate outcast remants of the Ul’dahn plague. The half dead victims attacked on a bridge and forced the Adventurers to cause a bloodbath amongst the sick.
    Their next stop was the bathhouse in Horizon before finally reaching Vesper Bay with a minor delay. Captain Doran had been waiting for them here and after all formalities had been sorted, he showed them to his ship. It soon became apparent that the Captain was no other than R’avi Tia’s old enslaver, this put the group into a tight and uncomfortable spot. In the end they choose to keep the peace and keep R’avi out of sight for the sake of finishing their task and earn the payment promised to both Captain and group, by Miamoli.
    Three days into their journey, the came face to face with the privateers of the Rose Crew. Two small and agile ships closed in on the Duke. Warning shots where given, but Captain Doran had a different plan. With the help of his Lalafellian Thaumaturges he blew up one of the persuing ships. The second was engaged in defence and thus a heated battle at sea ensued. The crew of the Duke, the Adventurers and Pirates fought valliantly. In the end numbers on both sides had been depleted, but the Pirates surrendered. Upon searching the sinking pirate ship, some captive survivors were found and brought aboard the Duke. One of them, a seeker female, chose to follow the Adventurers when they left the ship in Limsa, mainly due to the lack of other options.
    Limsa welcomed them with its maritime charm and white washed buildings.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  22. Dwassyith Swanra
    The week had gone by carefully plotting the assault on their next target, Vanje Tronta. Whilst the other members of the group carefully circled on this highly dangerous target, Norien got so close it nearly burnt her. In the end their target walked in on them unexpectedly, rendering their careful planning rather useless. Vanje appeared at the Myrrh and Jade Inn, supposedly to apologize to Norien. His true intentions were never revealed as he found a grim end at the hands of the Adventurers.
    This deed caused more grey hair on the proprietor Jade, as well as the guarentee of their next assignment with Miamoli. While Xihsa‘li had left the group after confiding in Dwassyith, the rest of them were sent to guard a precious shipment from Horizon to Limsa. Rumor had it, that Pirates had been spotted along the coastline and Miamoli was not taking any chances.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  23. Dwassyith Swanra
    The past week had seen some unexpected changes. Dwassyith had taken it upon himself to meet the leader of the Hounds. The meeting ended in blood and the death of the fabled Mr. Bigman, a feared figure of the Underworld. Though Dwassyith had only initiated the blow, Bigman was finished off by his closest enemy. Madame Miamoli of the Sapphire Needle, an Auri woman that had earned herself the name of Red Queen. She approached Dwassyith after his meeting with Mr. Bigman and offered him and his group sanctuary in return for their help in balancing the powers of Ul‘dah‘s Underworld. Their first objective was to clean the ranks of the Hounds in order to establish a leader that would be more prone to "listen" to Miamoli. The task went over smoothly and the first candidate for leadership found himself cut up and dead in an alleyway. Meanwhile Xihsa’li had found a peculiar note, that needed deciphering, whilst Norien struggled with the groups second target. The man they were supposed to silence next, had meant something to her a long time ago. Whilst the Adventurers earned favours with one side of the Underworld on the other the Five stirred ominously back into motion.
    [Written by R'avi Tia]
  24. Dwassyith Swanra
    The past week had gone by in unparalleled tranquility. After a heartfelt apology had been made to the owners of the Myrrh and Jade Inn, especially Jade, the group was allowed to take up residence in the Inn once more. The only condition being, that they repaif their debt for the emotional as well as physical damage to the Inn and its owners. And so once again, the Adventurers traded labour for a place to stay, whilst recuperating their strength. Meanwhile, Ul’dah had been stirred due to a re- shuffle of power, with the Five in Chaos the powergrabbing game had begun. So far the Hounds of Ul’dah seemed the most promising to make allies with. Therefore Dwassyith went to meet up with their leader, Mr. Bigman. The outcome of this meeting yet unknown to the group.
    (Written by R'avi Tia)
  25. Dwassyith Swanra
    Having agreed to take the risk to rescue Myrrhantan, the group travelled to the location of trade that was left on the map; The Sagolii Desert.Once there, they found the captive Inkeeper chained to a metal structure - but between themselves and he who they sought to rescue, there was an open area. Attempting to approach quietly, using the cliffs for cover, did not work out. A disturbance of the rocks under their feet revealed their posistion and triggered a signal from those who had been waiting for their arrival. A large crowd of slaves and two large coaches pulled by chocobo, which had been hidden by the large dune at the group's flank, charged forth and surrounded them. The Master of the Second himself, Jacques Vaincannet, and many of his accomplices appeared atop the cliffs behind them. A battle ensued - pitting the group against starving couerls that were released from the first coach. The crowd seemed restless. The second coach was opened, revealing naught but a group of children - all armed.
    The crowd, having not foreseen this, reacted in different ways. Those loyal to the Second roared for blood, those new or wanting freedom from such a barbaric 'army', cried for justice. A rebellious fight began in the crowd, some parents making it through to rescue their children. Meanwhile - a powerful blast from one of the group caused the cliffs some collapse, meaning some men toppled over the edge. Already injured, the party could not afford another battle - instead, whilst Xihsa'li and Doyi took to battling Llewyn, Norien took out Jacques with two arrows and watched his lifeless body topple onto the sands. Freedom was had, but not without casualties, the group headed back to their accomodation to lick their wounds.Those who rose up against the loyalists within the Second's rank thanked the group and have since been seen in contact with Z'firah Rhell on more than one occassion.
    [Written by Z'firah Rhell]
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