Tregarde

OPERATION ARCHON Battle A bell later the Allied forces were in place. The majority of the army was situated just out of sight of the rails, only a scattering of scouts could see when the train thundered by. Even out of view, it was clear the train was hurrying to join the fighting to the west. Seseparu called up to Moire, “how does it look up there?” Moire was one of the scouts watching the rails. “Like a big, ugly metal sausage link going zoom!” “Sausage link? Don’t think I’ve heard that one before.” Luludja shrugged, “That’s Mo for ya.” “What’s a sausage?” asked Jalaxio, who was hovering next to Moire. Katarina let out a quick sigh, “I remember when there wasn’t a rail going across Eorzea. Hells, I remember when Coerthas was a nice place to visit.” “Maybe those days will return,” the lalafell said. “Maybe. But in our lifetime?” Ludja tilted her head. “Sounds like it passed.” Moire hopped down from her perch at the top of the ridge. “It’s clear. You shoulda seen Butt-alo. He would have charged at the train right now if they let him.” Kat flashed a lopsided smirk at her sister’s nickname for the irksome Roegadyn. “Should have let him, I bet it would be amusing. Weren’t you supposed to be watching the train and not us?” Moire shrugged, “Meh. Big metal monstrosities can only amuse you for so long.” A corporal from the Yellow Serpents came within earshot, “Alright, listen up! We just got word, a smaller train has been spotted headed this way. Get ready ‘cause we’re gonna see action. Got a quarter bell to piss or puke if you need to!” “What a lovely way to phrase it,” said Ludja. “Join the Adders for real if you want to hear even more colorful phrases,” said Seseparu. “Heh. You didn’t hear the things my aunt and uncle used to say. They practically vomited rainbows.” Katarina dropped her head while Moire piped up, “I can verify this.” The sylph did a little pirouette in the air, “This one likes rainbows. This one wants to meet them!” A call went out for the conjurers to assemble. The mages gathered, then began the ritual to call upon the elementals. A rumble more felt than heard began, then rock cracked, then a section of the ridge to the west looked like it sagged before breaking into an avalanche of earth, rock, and tree trunks. A minute later the tracks were blocked sufficiently that a small train had no chance of breaking through. As the dust settled it also became clear that berms had been erected a couple dozen yalms to either side of the rails. The master sergeant yelled, “You know your assignments, move out!” The Hatchlings swarmed over the ridge. Half moved to station themselves behind the near berm, half behind the berm on the far side. It wasn’t the most orderly advance, and the master sergeant shook his head at what he saw, but in the end the troops managed to get reasonably organized with a couple minutes to spare before the Imperial reinforcements arrived. Nervousness and anticipation filled the air. Seseparu glanced up, “at least we won’t have to worry about the fliers, the trains go too fast for them to keep up, especially when in a hurry.” Kat looked at the Lalafell, “someday we’re going to have to get the story how you know so much about the Garleans.” “Someday I might feel like telling that story,” he replied with a far away look. She could tell it was better than to press the issue. Kat glanced around at the assembled forces. Warriors were making sure armor was secure, mages making sure their minds were ready to manipulate aether, archers counting arrows and making sure they had spare strings for their bows. For all her goofball antics, Moire was as professional as any when it came to maintaining her gear. Some were cracking jokes, others praying to the gods. For not the first time Kat wished she had heavier armor - the light stuff she had was fine when escorting caravans and fending off bandits or beast men, but in the close quarters that was undoubtedly coming, with people shoulder to shoulder and enemies close enough to feel their breath, she would have welcomed the extra protection. Moire could sense her sister’s nervousness and placed a hand on Kat’s shoulder, “we’re going to be okay. I’m not gonna let any of those bastards touch my little sis,” she said and patted her bow, “and any I miss Lu will zap.” Ludja responded with a nod. “Not going to let me have any fun, eh?” “Nope,” Ludja said. “No fun for you. Stop being a little shite and accept your fate.” “This one will zap them too,” said Jalaxio enthusiastically. Seseparu couldn’t help but smile slightly at their banter then took a serious tone, “time to place your bets, will they try to stop or break through the barrier?” At that moment the call went out to prepare. Soon the sound of the approaching train could be heard from the east, rapidly growing louder. Skin tingled as protective spells were cast. The metal hulk came into view, then an ear-splitting metallic screech filled the air as the breaks were applied. Nearly everyone covered their ears. several seconds later the front of the train collided with the barrier, sending up a cloud of debris as is sunk in a few yalms before stopping. “Move up! Archers and mages at the ready!” shouted the master sergeant. The forces surged over the berms, the ones with shields in front to form an uneven line. Archers and mages stood on top of the berms so they had a clear shot over their allies. “Aim-” The air thrummed as both archers and mages readied their most powerful attacks. The plan was to take out as many Imperials as possible the moment the hatches opened. Hopefully the attack would be shocking enough to break their morale. “Oh, Seven Hells...” the master sergeant muttered when he spotted several figures racing across the field. Buffalo and some of his comrades were charging, determined to gain the glory of being the first to cut a swath through the Garleans. Archers and mages began to falter, unsure what to do. “STAY ON TARGET!” Then in unison, the hatches opened. Even as a small train, there were a few on either side. “FIRE!” Behind the hatches were magitek armors - the kind called Reapers - their cannons primed. They fired the instant the hatches cleared their line of sight. Buffalo tumbled as a bolt of energy hit the ground behind him, scattering the small group. Other bolts hit the assembled allied forces, some hit the ground. A second later the Reapers took the brunt of the assault against the Imperials. The machines stumbled, but weathered the attack, then began to move forward. Behind the Reapers were Vanguard magitek armors, their heavy armor and drill arms making them formidable in close quarters. Behind them the troops were waiting. “FOR GRIDANIA AND EORZEA! ADVANCE!” the master sergeant called out. The authority in his voice restored some of the morale lost from finding the Imperials prepared. The front line charged. Kat found herself swept up in the moment - shield up and sword raised, she had every intention of making sure those behind her could reach the battle. The archers and mages continued to fire at the war machines, many adjusting their aim for the open cockpits of the Reapers. With the armors taking most of the fire, the Imperial troops surged out of the hatches and began to form lines. On the ground Buffalo tried to get up. He wasn’t about to miss out on his chance to bloody his maul. But getting up was proving difficult. He looked down to see... his legs, where were his legs? They should be right there! He couldn’t comprehend what was happening - he was the Mighty Buffalo, nothing ever stopped him, where were his legs? He hadn’t even realized he had been screaming when the magitek armor stepped on him. From the rear line, Jalaxio cried out, “there’s so many of them!” when the Gridanian troops came around the magitek armors. “Just pick a target and stay on it till it goes down,” replied Moire as she adjusted her aim, homing in on what she felt was a healer among the Imperials. Even if the mage didn’t go down, keeping healers worrying about themselves meant they couldn’t worry about others. She used her skills to enchant the missile with poison before letting it fly. “Fools,” Ludja muttered, the ones who had tried to keep Buffalo and those who charged with him alive had only wasted their energies. She then began to cast a spell that would provide continual healing for a short time. This was going to get taxing on her aether reserves. She rarely resorted to elixirs, but right then she was glad she had several at the ready. Along the front line, the two armies collided. Yelling mixed with the sound of metal clashing against metal. Organization gave way to chaos. The only saving grace as the two forces intermingled was that standardized Imperial uniforms made them easy to pick out. Of course, the reverse was true for the Imperials, who only had to look for anyone not dressed in black with red trimmings. Spells and arrows flew overhead, having the high ground giving the Gridanian forces a slight advantage. The fighting was fierce, something happening on all sides. While tall for a Miqo’te, being surrounded by hyur, elezen and roegedyn meant Katarina had very limited sight of her surroundings. At times bodies were pressed so close together she didn’t have room to properly swing her sword. She had no time to think, only to act on instinct. An Imperial appeared and rained a flurry of blows on Kat, forcing her back as she barely managed to block each strike. She saw an opening and went low then thrust upward, her sword slipped under the Imperial’s helmet, though the hollow of the jaw, to pierce the skull. She immediately pulled her sword straight out lest it got stuck. The Imperial fell, to reveal a Reaper right behind. The Magitek armor looked like an over-sized, comical chocobo chick made out of black metal. It’s ‘mouth’ was wide open, the canon primed to fire. Katarina had only a fraction of a second to decide - she could dodge and save herself, or - she raised her shield and called upon the strongest protection she knew. She couldn’t survive the blast, but more importantly she couldn’t allow those behind her to die. Sorry, Ludja, I guess you were right. . . From the rear line, Moire saw her sister in trouble. She shifted her aim and let an arrow fly. But at this distance, it wouldn’t get there on time. No... From seemingly out of nowhere Sesparu appeared behind the Reaper’s pilot. In one swift motion the lalafell stabbed the pilot in the base of the skull while simultaneously swinging around to kick the controls of the machine. The Reaper swerved to its left. The canon discharged, right into the shoulder of a Vanguard armor, just as Moire’s arrow flew past where the pilot’s head had been a moment ago. The Vanguard’s arm dropped away in a shower of flame and sparks, while the rest of the machine tumbled to it’s side, crushing a couple Imperials. Seseparu jammed a dagger into the controls of the Reaper, then kicked it so it couldn’t be dislodged. The magitek armor lurched forward, straight down the Imperial line, to leave chaos in its wake as Imperials were either trampled or rushed to get out of the way. As quickly as he appeared, Seseparu hopped off the Reaper and disappeared into the melee. “Whoah-ho, did you see that!?” Moire exclaimed excitedly. “You mean the little miracle that just saved Trina’s life?” remarked Ludja. “This one couldn’t tell what happened,” said Jalaxio as he glanced around the battlefield. “Why is the mean one’s giant bird thing going crazy?” “Seseparu, that’s why!” Moire smirked then readied her bow once more. “Back to work, it’s not over yet.” “This one is getting tired, this one has never had to fight like this before.” “Here,” Ludja pulled one of her elixirs free and tossed it up to the sylph. “Drink up, should keep you going for a bit.” “Thanks!” Jalaxio’s tiny arms fumbled with the vial, but he was ultimately able to enjoy the rejuvenation it provided. Down on the front line, Katarina was dumbfounded at the incredible display of skill and timing from the lalafell. It had taken only mere seconds, but not only was she alive, but one of the Imperial armors was downed, and the other was on its way to wreck havoc among its masters. Cheers from her allies snapped her out of the daze. A quick scan around showed the Imperial line was in disarray. His yellow coat spattered with crimson, the master sergeant lead a wave of Hatchlings into the break to divide the Imperial forces. Kat joined the rush, finding easy targets among an enemy starting to fall into panic. The fighting went on for several more minutes. The Imperials attempted to rally a couple times, but to no avail. Arms were getting tired, the ground slick with mud as blood mixed with dirt. A contingent of Hatchlings were able to break into the train and hit the Imperials on the other side from their rear. Then the order went out - retreat. The Imperials made their back into the train, Hatchlings pressing on them the whole time, only falling back themselves when the massive hatches began to close. With a screech of wheels grinding on the rails, the train dislodged itself from the debris barrier and reversed back where it came from. Cheers erupted as years of pent up frustrations were released. Horns blared and banners were raised. After years of being on the defensive, loosing ground to the Empire, after the horror of the Calamity, Eorzea had finally taken the offensive, and won! If this unruly band could send them packing, then surely the days of the Empire were numbered! Katarina looked to the rear lines to find Moire and Jalaxio dancing in little circles. Ludja spotted Kat then directed the others to her. The group waved and cheered. In response Kat raised her sword and whooped back. For the Tregardes the victory was especially sweet because it was the first time they had been able to strike back at the ones who had destroyed their family. They had struck back, and won. As the euphoria wore off, they became aware of other things. Cheers were replaced with the cries of pain, pleading to to the gods, to mothers, calls for healers. The air was thick with the smell of blood and offal, and burnt flesh. The field of battle was scatted with the remains of bodies no longer whole, some little more than shredded meat. The Tregardes were no strangers to battle, but the scale was much, much larger than anything they had seen before. This wasn’t a mere battle, this was war. Kat dropped her shield, it was so beaten it wasn’t worth salvaging, then bent over and vomited. Luludja’s heart sank as she scanned the aftermath. She checked, only one elixir left. Not enough, not nearly enough. She let out a deep sigh, then placed a hand on Moire’s shoulder. “Looks like my day is only just beginning.” Moire nodded, “I’ll get the supplies.” Jalaxio asked around a lump in his throat, “c-can this one help?” Ludja looked, he still had a small amount of the elixir she gave him. “Can you heal?” The sylph nodded. “Good, follow me.” After relieving herself of her breakfast, Katarina took a moment to catch her breath. She was suddenly very, very tired. She straightened herself up, sheathed her sword, then began the trudge back towards camp. She raised her hand to signal to Ludja she was intact enough to move on her own. Ludja nodded then began to administer to nearby injuries. The ground was littered with discarded weapons, but after several paces Kat noticed something familiar looking. She glanced around nearby. Oh no... Katarina knelt beside a nearby body. It was misshapen, trampled upon, covered in bloody mud. But the body was intact enough to confirm the dagger she saw was indeed Seseparu’s. Tired as she was, Kat found the strength to lift the body out of the dirt, he deserved better than to be left like this. It was almost funny, she had not noticed how much grey was in the lalafell’s hair before. She resumed the trek back, her footsteps feeling as heavy as her heart. Luludja noticed Kat as she drew near, and the body in her arms. She began to move towards Kat and stopped when the Miqo shook her head. Ludja squeezed her eyes shut, there would be time for tears later. After steeling herself she glanced over Kat, “get that cleaned and bandaged, I’ll get to you when I can.” Katarina nodded. She didn’t know what injury Ludja had seen, she hurt all over, but it couldn’t have looked too serious if she wasn’t being tended to immediately. Moire came over the berm at a jog with a bag of medical supplies. She saw the bundle in her sister’s arms and for a moment felt joy. But, why was Ludja turning away? Surely if he was being carried Seseparu needed healing. Why did Jalaxio look sad? Moire gasped as the realization struck her. Katarina raised her head, and the look in her sister’s eyes only confirmed it. Tears slid down Moire’s cheeks as she gazed at what remained of her friend. It was an inglorious end for someone whose actions determined the tide of battle. It was the price of war. The price of victory.

In almost every MMO it is difficult to pin down even an estimate of what things would cost realistically, and even more difficult to give a reasonable estimate it's value in modern currency. Not to mention that the relative value of many things have fluctuated considerably in history, as industry and other techniques have developed to make harvesting and producing goods more efficient. Just for example, at one time iron was so valuable people would burn down an old house to salvage the nails. It doesn't help that for game mechanics the 'price' of something is most often tied to the level when it's available, without any regard to what it's made of. When in RP I just tend to use words like 'cheap', 'expensive', or any other way to describe value without giving actual numbers. I take my characters' backgrounds into account - someone who was raised poor will relate to things differently and have different expectations than someone who was raised wealthy. The world of Final Fantasy is quite different from Earth, but it can be useful to study some historical economy to get ideas.

A friend compiled a list of what the new servers and visiting means. These are from notes taken during the announcements. So while they may not be 100% correct, they are pretty close (and, of course, things may change between announcement and when they go up).

OPERATION ARCHON Prelude “You remember what I said about Grand Companies?” asked Ludja to Katarina. “Yeah?” “Don’t make me say ‘I told you so’ when this is over.” “I’ll keep it in mind.” The forces from Gridania were staging their assault on the Garlean Empire railways for Operation Archon. The Tregardes had barely settled in the city when the call went out - every available hand was needed. They signed up and were assigned to an irregular company with the Yellow Serpents. This particular company was comprised mostly of mercenaries, freelancers and volunteers who had little or no experience working with the Twin Adders. Most had already forgotten the official name of the troop, instead latching onto the nickname of ‘Hatchlings.’ As Katarina scanned the scene around her, she could not help but think that they are hatchlings indeed. While most had combat experience, few had worked together, and even fewer had ever been part of a large organization. This wasn’t just a company, this was an army, and they were going to war. And in war, coordination and organization are key. What she had seen so far was, at best, controlled chaos. Though it was somewhat understandable. It had been mere days since the call went out, and much of the organization happened while they were on the move. Training and lessons in tactics were fit in when it could be managed. Katarina had thrown herself into learning all she could, and one thing she quickly realized was how little the past few years of fighting bandits and beastmen had prepared them for something of this scale. The formations and tactics used while protecting a caravan barely formed a starting point for what was needed here. The Hatchlings were assigned to the rear guard, to intercept any Imperial reinforcements, and provide back up to the main force which had moved ahead to ambush the train. They had set up camp in the trees, just behind a ridge to keep out of sight of the rails. Conjurers had performed a ritual to produce a haze to further obstruct them. Excitement, tension, and fear filled the air as reports were spread - the fighting had begun to the west, with Limsa and Ul’dahn forces engaging their targets. Far to the east scouts had spotted a large train on the way. Before the next bell rang the Gridanian side would be engaged in battle. The Tregardes sat at a fire, finishing up their breakfast stew. They looked around and marveled at how differently so many of those around them were acting - some were sitting quietly, some practically bouncing with unspent energy, some were clearly nervous, some boasting and showing off, some few were even napping. The Yellow Serpent officers and support were busy, making sure supplies and personnel were ready and accounted for. Controlled chaos. But not all were content to be assigned to the rear guard, feeling they deserved to be in the front lines where the heavy action would be. Among those, one in particular, was quite vocal in his disapproval. He was called Buffalo, for both his size, large and stocky even for a Roe, and the greyish color of his skin, hair and beard which resembled the beasts’ hide. He carried a giant maul to crush his enemies. And he complained in an even larger voice for the umpteenth time how he was being wasted by being stuck with the Hatchlings. Moire’s ears flattened against her head in a vain attempt to quell the noise. “Makehimstop!Makehimstop!Makehimstop!” “My dear, if it were so easy, I’d have done it a long time ago,” said the lalafell across from her. He called himself only Seseparu, never giving a full name. In the short time they knew him he said he was a scout, but divulged little else about his past. It was clear from training sessions that he was quick and skilled with short blades. Moire turned to her sister, “Kaaaaat, do something!” “Like what? I can’t order him to shut up.” “What do you make of our overly vociferous friend?” Seseparu asked Kat. One other thing that was obvious about him was that he had military service experience, and liked quizzing folks to test what they knew and make them think. In his own way, he was preparing them for the trials ahead. Kat glanced at Buffalo through narrowed eyes. “More muscle and arrogance than brains and sense. The kind who thinks might makes right. Fights to ‘prove’ he’s better than anyone. Can’t stand being bossed around, he’d rather do the bossing. Sooner or later he’s going to get himself killed.” Seseparu nodded with approval, “a fair assessment if I do say so.” Moire rolled her eyes, this wasn’t making the Roe shut up. She then pleaded to her cousin, “Luuuuuu, do something.” Ludja leveled an even stare at her. “And what would you have me do?” “Uh... I dunno,” Moire shrugged. “You’re the one with all the people skills.” “Riiiight. I’ll just walk up and say, ‘excuse me, but your volume and stupidity is rather annoying, would you mind shoving that maul down your mouth?’” By ill timing she spoke during a pause in Buffalo’s tirade, and he heard every word. “Shite,” she muttered as she realized what just happened. A hush fell over the immediate area as Buffalo turned to look at Ludja with a frown. People cleared a path as he stomped to the campfire, stopping to glare down at the hyur. For her part Ludja simply looked up, showing no signs of being intimidated. He paused for a moment, this wasn’t the reaction he was used to. He then spat to the side before rumbling, “You got somethin’ t’ say?” “Oh, I got plenty of things to say,” Ludja said in a conversational tone. She raised a finger and waved it around her temple. “You know, brain working all the time, contemplating aetherological flow and how to best manipulate it so that esoteric energies will produce a desired outcome, and it would be truly marvelous to have someone to discuss such theories with - and I can tell from the blank expression on your face that you have no idea what I just said.” Hushed snickers were heard from all around. Kat, Moire and Seseparu cracked grins themselves, even as they had readied themselves to jump if anything besides words were exchanged. Buffalo glowered, he knew that he had just lost this round. “Think you’re smart, do ya?” “Hrm, I don’t think I’m smart,” Ludja said, strongly emphasizing the word. She continued before the Roe could puzzle out her meaning. “Not that it matters, really. After all, in a battle of wits there is hardly any challenge in confronting an unarmed opponent.” The reactions from those in earshot ranged from chuckles to hushed sounds of astonishment. Already some were taking bets how far the lady could push Buffualo before he snapped, or if she would back down. The Roe himself was getting flustered, he had lost another round and she showed absolutely no fear, if anything she was amused. “That’s quite the mouth ya got there. I could give ya somethin’ better to do with it,” he growled with a lecherous sneer. “Really? That would be lovely,” Ludja clapped her hands. “But I’m afraid I already had breakfast. Sorry.” Buffalo narrowed his eyes as he took good look at Ludja. “Yeah, I know how to fix that mouth. Ya’ve just never been with a real man before.” Ludja glanced at her cousins for just a moment, they were all thinking that he was making this way too easy. “You know what, you’re right. And I’ll tell you what, as soon as I find a real man I’ll send him your way so he can teach you how to be one too.” She finished with a firm nod at the Roe. The audience around them grew louder with their varied sounds. They knew this could not go much longer. Some were surprised Ludja wasn’t paste already. But Buffalo’s mind had found a track it wasn’t about to leave, “Yeah, I think once this over I’m gonna find you. Would’n want to waste someone oh, so pretty.” In an instant Ludja’s eyes almost shone with pure hatred. A moment later a blast of arcane force hit Buffalo, sending him flying back several yalms, knocking down people along his path. Bedlam erupted as people made room and shouted. Katarina and Moire bolted up and planted themselves in front of Ludja. Kat brought her shield up to ward off the reprisal that would be coming, “Lu! What the hells?” “Oh, I’m not pretty,” Ludja sneered at Buffalo as he struggled to disentangle himself from people he had fallen upon. “I’m ugly! You want t’ see how ugly I can be?” “ENOUGH! EVERYONE STAND DOWN!” While the voice could not match Buffalo in sheer volume, it carried with the sound of authority. The crowd died down as the Master Sergeant strode into the empty space. “We came here to fight a war, not ourselves!” “Get outta th’ way, Sarge,” Buffalo growled. The Sergeant turned a withering look upon the Roe. Though the elezen had only a fraction of the mass, the Sergeant was one of the few around who could match Buffalo blow for blow, and win. “You will go and haul logs and forget about this,” he commanded. “Ain’t gonna happen.” “Now!” The tone of the Sergeant’s voice left no question this was an order. The two stared at each other for several seconds. Eventually Buffalo turned his head, spat at the ground, then pushed his way through the crowd. The Sergeant turned to the Tregardes, “You three, go help with clean up,” the Sergeant pointed towards the tents where food was prepared, “and forget about this.” “Not bloody likely,” said Ludja with a sneer. Kat grabbed Ludja’s shoulders and turned her away from the Sergeant, “what she meant was-” Moire stood ramrod straight and saluted, “Yes, sir, Master Sergeant sir! We’re beginning the cleaning up, sir!” The Sergeant grumbled something under his breath then turned in a slow circle. “Show’s over! We’re mustering up in half a bell, so get to it! Go!” The crowd dispersed while the Tregardes began collecting dishes and utensils. Seseparu stepped up to help. “Sarge saw the whole thing, but he’s got his hands full. You’ll have to be careful, that brute isn’t going to forget.” “He’d better if he doesn’t want a bolt to the back.” The implication was clear, Ludja was there as a healer, but in the heat of battle a different kind of spell could be cast and not noticed. Kat turned to her cousin. “Alright, Lu, the guy’s an ass, but did you have to-” “Don’t want to talk about it.” “But...?” “Not. Now. Trina.” Kat sighed and rolled her eyes, then lead the way to the kitchen tent, while Moire looked on with concern. The group had just set down the dishes and utensils they collected when a yelp came from the other side of the cleaning area. They all came around to find a cook scrambling back, pointing at a half uncovered supply wagon. Being the first to arrive, Moire asked what was going on. “There’s something in there!” the cook yelled. They all looked at the cart, just as something shifted. “That cabbage is moving,” remarked Kat. A moment later the green, leafy thing lifted from the cart. “That cabbage is flying,” said Ludja. “That’s not a cabbage, that’s a sylph!” exclaimed Moire with excitement. Seseparu looked at the creature as it rose. “What in blazes is a sylph doing out here?” The sylph’s gaze darted around. It was clearly frightened and disorientated. “Oh wait, I know what to do,” said Moire, then took a few quick steps towards the sylph. Moire then immediately raised a hand, and began to perform a rather comical dance. After several seconds the sylph’s shivering lessened. Moire smiled and said in a friendly tone, “Hi hi. Feel better?” “A-a little,” said the sylph in a high pitched voice. “That’s good. I’m Moire. Who are you?” “J-Jalaxio. You’re very silly,” the sylph said while Moire looked at it with her head tilted almost sideways. “That cabbage is very observant,” said Katarina. Moire turned and stuck her tongue out at her sister, which elicited a short giggle from the sylph. She then turned back to ask, “How did you get here?” Jalaxio looked around, “Th- this one is not even sure where here is.” “You’re on the north-western edge of the Twelveswood,” the Sergeant said as he approached, then turned to the gathering crowd. “Alright, how many times do I need to tell the lot of you? Get! We have a battle to prepare for!” “North west?” the sylph exclaimed in shock. Moire raised her hands and adopted a soothing tone, “Easy now. Take a deep breath. In... out. Now, tell us how you got in the cart.” Jalaxio did as she asked. While his breathing slowed, he told his story at a rapid pace. “This one was so excited to hear we’d finally be fighting back against the mean ones I followed some big ones back the really really big city because now we’re friends and there were so many big ones and one of them saw me and took me to where a lot of big ones were getting ready with their spears and bows and stuff and this one thought this one could guide them back but they weren’t ready yet and this one was hungry so this one went to find food and found a bunch of green leafy things and then this one was full so this one took a nap then it was really dark when this one woke so this one went back to sleep then it got bright and this one woke and this one here.” “Seven Hells, did it ever stop to breath during that?” said Seseparu, his eyes wide with awe. Katarina shook her head, “I don’t think so. I think I only made out about half of that.” Moire turned her head around “Jalaxio is a he. And I understood every word.” “Mo and cabbages speak the same language. Who knew?” teased Ludja. Moire made a dismissive gesture at Ludja and turned back to Jalaxio. “Okay, so, you followed someone back to Gridania, got hungry, found the cabbages, then took a nap... among the cabbages? Then you must have been asleep when the cart was covered, so you thought it was night when you woke up, so you went back to sleep, and just now you woke when the cart was uncovered.” The sylph nodded the whole time. “Can you help this one get back home so this one can fight the big mean ones?” The sergeant stepped closer. “Too late for that. The fighting at Castrum Oriens will be starting any minute. It’ll be over long before you could get there.” “What?” Jalaxio was on the verger of panic. “Oh no! What is this one going to do?” Moire’s ears and tail perked up, “You could stay here and fight with us! There’s going to be lots of big mean ones soon, aaaaand you’ll have an exciting story to tell everyone when you get home!” “R-really?” Jalaxio sniffled. The sergeant turned to Moire, “you seem to have a away with our friend here. You willing to take charge of him?” His tone made it clear this was closer to an order than a request. Moire gave her exaggerated salute to the sergeant, “Yes sir, mister sergeant sir!” The sergeant glowered at Moire for a moment then shook his head. “Good, I don’t have time to deal with a new recruit. Well, this just wasted a few precious minutes, dishes will have to wait. Get to your assignments.” “On our way, sergeant!” Seseparu give a quick, proper salute, then turned to his friends, “ladies, and gentleman, shall we?” Moire gave a beckoning wave to Jalaxio “Ooo, follow me and I’ll explain what’s going on!” “O-okay,” the sylph floated behind the miqo’te as they started towards their tent to get the last of their equipment. Luludja took a deep breath and looked at Katarian, “the moment of truth arrives.” Katarina nodded, “So it does.” “Just remember the most important rule out there,” Seseparu paused a moment, “don’t die. No heroics, no unnecessary risks. Our primary objective is to delay, not destroy.” Around them, as people made their final preparations, it was controlled chaos.

Here's one I've been wondering about - do Qestir sing? Sure, the Xaela tribe do not talk because they believe words are lies, but singing doesn't necessarily have to use words.

I think the problem here, like much in the game, is the lack of information on the subject. From a purely hard-lore perspective... we just don't know. BUT... I think we can make some reasonable guesses. Of course these are just theories. Given the societal structure of tribal Miqo, there must be some sort of stigma against mating outside of the Nunh... otherwise, why even have a Nunh? The question becomes how severe is that stigma, and how severe is any punishment against the offender? Also, would there be any stigma handed down to the child? It's not unreasonable to guess that how severe the stigma is partly depends on the individual tribe, and partly on the active Nunh(s) at the time. Some places may be more forgiving, some may make the offender's life hell - the offender may be shunned in public, spat on, forced to do menial labor no one else wants to do, etc. Likely, in most tribes it's somewhere in between. The same goes for any 'bastard' children. Some tribes may be more forgiving, after all it wasn't the child's fault. Some may make the child's life hell. And, of course, it's possible that a tribe or two may outright kill any bastard. Add in a half-breed, and that's a whole layer of prejudice right there - the game doesn't pound you over the head with it, but if you pay attention it IS made clear there are places where half-breeds are not looked upon favorably. It's quite possible a tribe that would normally be on the more forgiving side might show disdain towards a half-breed bastard. So, if you want to say your character had a rough childhood, go for it. Eorzea is not bleak like Game of Thrones, but it's not a utopia either. There is a lot of grime around if you look.

" Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, who heads up the translation department for the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, joins the show to talk about how he joined Square on the day it became Square Enix way back in 2003, his work on both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV, and what it was like being part of the catastrophic launch and subsequent rejuvenation of Square’s biggest MMORPG." https://kotaku.com/what-it-was-like-to-work-on-final-fantasy-xiv-during-th-1828554551

I can't outright guarnatee, but there's a very good chance I'll be able to send my Moire over to sing, tell stories, and generally be her cheerful, helpful self.

Sexism and gender inequality does exist in Eorzea & the East, just not to the extent that it is/was historically on Earth. There are plenty of examples where men are shown favoritism over women if you pay attention. Sometimes it's very subtle, but it's there. Still, things in general are more equal, just not entirely equal.

Much would depend on the context. If someone was being a creep, reaction could be a fist or magic blast to the face (depending which character it happened to), or knee to the groin if the kisser was male. If random stranger at a party where people are having a good time, reaction could range from "what the hell?" (Kat) to an evaluating look to determine if she wants to kiss back (Ludja) to "Oh hey, thanks!" and a quick peck on the cheek in return (Moire) If it was from a friend reaction would probably be along the line of a hug and maybe return kiss on the cheek. If my character was feeling mischievous it could even be a passionate kiss. Chances of passionate return kiss would also depend on drunkness level, if my character likes the original kisser, and whatever the moogles are saying.

Old roleplayers unite! I'm not exactly young anymore either. Hehe. Welcome to Mateus. We do have a pretty good RP population. The link Neso provided is a good way to keep up on events and meet people. And while the Quicksand is undoubtedly the main RP hub, you can find RP elsewhere if you look. Hopefully we'll cross paths in Eorzeal

Welcome to the community. Since you're an EU player, maybe you'll have better luck with RP if you try the Omega server, that is where most of the EU roleplayers are. But if you're happy with Balmung you should be able to find some people who play during the hours you're awake.

Welcome to FF XIV. Roleplaying is really just a big game of 'let's pretend', and with MMOs we get to pretend with a whole bunch of other people from around the world. Make some good friends and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun.

Welcome to FF XIV. I can't say how big the RP community on Jenova is, but hopefully you find some awesome people to RP with soon.

Wow, surprised no one replied to this yet. Though this post probably would have been better in Welcome or Making Connections, but still... Of the servers you mentioned Mateus has the larger RP community. I can personally vouch that things are pretty good here. People tend to congregate around the Quicksand, but you can find RP elsewhere. For FCs or LSs you can find several listed here in the RPC. Having a Discord account can help also. Hope you've been enjoying your return. And maybe we'll cross paths in game.

Unless that person had connection issues or something came up in real life that necessitated logging out in a hurry - that is very, very unusual. If you see that player again it might be worth asking what happened - it's possible the other player may want to apologize, but unless you're on each others friend lists there's no way to initiate contact besides hoping to see you in game again - but since it sounds like it's happened to someone else you'd be perfectly justified in being cautious till you're certain that it indeed was something beyond the other player's control. Anyway, outside of this one incident, I hope you're having fun. Overall I've found Mateus to be a good place for RP (there's bad apples everywhere, but in my experience there's less of them here than other games I've played). And if you see a Tregarde, feel free to strike up some RP.

Kotaku's Jason Schreier hand an interview with Naoki Yoshida. You can see it at: https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-xivs-director-talks-housing-shortage-ps4-1827024591 They touch subjects such as... On fixing the housing shortage When Yoshida is going to run for public office Deciding whether to lock FFXIV content behind weekly gates Whether new Final Fantasy XIV players might feel overwhelmed by the amount of story Whether Jack Bauer will ever be added to Final Fantasy XIV Whether FFX’s blitzball is ever coming to FFXIV Whether FFXIV is ever coming to Switch or Xbox Whether Sony will allow Final Fantasy XIV to have cross-play with platforms beside PC If Yoshida is concerned that the rise of games as a service like Anthem, The Division 2, and Fallout 76 may be strong competition to Final Fantasy XIV because they don’t have subscriptions Whether MMO-style combat has grown stale, and if Yoshida would ever consider overhauling FFXIV’s combat

You're the best. You know that, right?

I know there is no official word on this, but I'm curious what people think. If one was to measure Eorzea from coast to coast - how big would it be? We'd obviously have to use the world map for this, as the zone maps do not snap together nicely (something I find rather annoying). Not to mention that most things in the zones are scaled down so that they are playable in a game - it really wouldn't be practical to make a 1:1 scale model of a huge city like Ul'dah, for example. Or the miles and miles of untamed forests of The Shroud. No game ever depicts accurately how much land is dedicated to farming just so people can eat. And so on... Figuring out a reasonable estimate is tricky. We know there are several city-state capitols (Gridania, Ul'dah, Limsa, Ishgard, Ala Mihgo), and dozens of towns scattered across the lands (and probably many tiny villages we simply do not see in the game). Places would have to be close enough so travel between them is practical - going from one town to the next would commonly take no more than a day on foot, at least along the more traveled routes 'near civilization' But Eorzea is considered a continent, so it can't be too small. So what do you think? Something around the size of England? Europe? Somewhere in between?

Speaking only for myself, but the first part there is a huge plus to me. So many go out of their way to make their character as sexy as possible, try to be the center of attention... it's the ones who do the opposite that often intrigue me. I can't help but think that there is probably someone very interesting under there. I've had a lot of good RP happen just because I said "hello" to the shy one. As for the second part... there's nothing wrong with playing a passive character, but as you've noticed it can make it a challenge to get into RP. I suggest going to places where there is RP, and send out emotes describing what your character is doing (even if it's basically nothing), so at least something is popping up in people's chat boxes. Someone may notice. The only other option I can think of is transfer to a server with more roleplayers.

I can only guess that you've just had bad luck so far. I've seen plenty of men who like women in the game. Perhaps you're not 'seeing' them because you're not going around asking them? Which, admittedly, many would consider kind of rude, but I'm sure there's more out there than you presume, they just aren't being as obvious about it. Naturally, I'm only talking about the characters.