Nero

Yes. I see this too. Natalie x Taeros. And this isn't a good thing. Says you. I think this would be hilarious. In more ways than one.

What happens when you ask your WHM for Stoneskin one too many times.

Such a kind, earnest heart was a rare sight. Daegsatz was not nearly the cynic that his captain was, but even the Sea Wolf could see the gentleness that permeated Roen's demeanor. Here was a person who truly did want the best for everyone. It was naive, perhaps, but very admirable. "Then would that not be enough?" the Roegadyn asked softly. "Ye be doin' everythin' ye can. Guardin' who ye can. Providin' for who ye can. Who be givin' a toss 'bout a grand scheme? Ye be doin' everythin' in yer power ta improve the lives o' the people 'round ye. Can anyone be askin' much more from ye than that? Yer resolve be waverin' 'cause th' lad be claimin' ye not be doin' enough." He patted her shoulder. "Were I ye, I be tellin' 'im ta sod off. Ye be doin' much more fer th' people ye care about than anyone who be too busy schemin' from the shadows ta act."

This post sounds like an article about a teen star from Big Bopper/Tiger Beat/generic teen crush fandom magazine. This edition has a poster in the middle of Nero with his quirks and facts. And I might buy it and tape the poster on my closet.:blush: Hey, this ain't the shipping thread! Take it elsewhere! closer to me, preferably

Eh, I can think of a few for Nero besides the obvious ones. Assigns nicknames to people on occasion, especially if they are annoyed by said nickname. Likes building things, dabbles in clockwork. Mildly claustrophobic Was originally going to colour his hair red but was concerned it would be mistaken for blood Prefers wearing gloves and feels uncomfortable without them due to unpleasant memories of ropeburn (sailing is hard!) Every pair of earrings he owns has a tiny bell built in or near them for the jingle. Practises speaking to prevent a Limsan accent from developing (he thinks people will find it unattractive)

Are those going to be our Guy Fawkes masks? #OccupyEorzea?

You forgot making a Facebook page and starting a Twitter hashtag. This is the generation of social media, after all!

In the end, there is just no way to justify SE's decision-making on this. I'm going to deconstruct some arguments in SE's defense to try to make my point, partially because I'm bored and also because I'm still quite miffed about this. Extremely poor decision-making and outright lying to the playerbase are really, really not good signs for a game's development. If someone would like to play devil's advocate, feel free to reconstruct them. If you can read Japanese, Yoshi-P did make a response post here. 1). "Players are paying for the exact same thing as FCs and the same features as FCs, and therefore should pay as much as FCs." Yes, this is technically true. However, what players were expecting was a completely separate housing system that was differentiated from the Free Company housing system in a number of ways. Since there is no way to feasibly include 2.38 million plots in the game world, personal housing would have to be instanced. They would, obviously, reduce the size and the utility of the personal houses in order for FC houses to keep their utility; say for example, the crafting station furniture can only be placed in an FC house. I am sure something like that would have been acceptable. It is not unreasonable for players to pay the exact same amount for FC housing as FCs. The inherent problem is that the personal housing system should absolutely NOT be a completely rehashed, totally unaltered FC house system. 2). From Yoshi-P's response post: "Personal housing and FC housing is together because since the game is not new, the number of new FCs is not increasing." Yoshi-P predicts that the number of houses owned by FCs will go down over time occasionally over time, and therefore combining the housing will be a more efficient use of plots to allow individuals to buy them. This is, frankly, ridiculous. Whatever data he is using to make his prediction is completely botched unless he is talking about very low-population servers. Entire FCs even before this have been struggling in the land-race. Raising the gil is not an issue: availability is. Availability has always been the issue with FC housing. This just sounds like an excuse. 3). From Yoshi-P's response post: "Part of the reason for the price is that it's shared with FC housing. Gil comes out of thin air from quests and roulettes and many other ways, and housing is supposed to be the game's biggest gil sink. Prices will naturally go down over time if no one pays the initial price. RMT is also a reason to avoid cheap housing." Anyone arguing over price is missing the point. Anyone defending Square Enix's prices on personal housing is completely missing the point. Say it with me, folks. The problem is not the price. The problem has NEVER been about the price. The problem is and will always be about AVAILABILITY. As for Yoshi-P's concern about RMT, he demonstrates a rather poignant failure to understand what drives an RMT market. The high prices, combined with extremely low stock, encourages RMT heavily. Since the housing plots have extremely low availability, the people who desperately want to participate in this farce of a personal housing system will inevitably use RMT to raise the needed funds in time to purchase a house before the plot becomes sold out to someone else. The RMTs will see undoubtedly see some kind of spike from this. Legitimate players begin to consider RMT as an appropriate avenue when the content seems unfeasible to obtain or out of their reach. Novus weapons cost at least a few million gil, minimum, though this varies according to server. When you make your content extremely prohibitive such that only a tiny part of your playerbase can access it, you encourage RMT because most people do not want to be left out. Some players will simply give up; others will simply use their disposable income in RMT to get what they want. Novus weapons are a poor example because availability is not an issue; it's merely a time investment. Personal housing, however, is extremely limited. It doesn't matter how much you play the game because it is completely possible that the content will be cut out from you due to factors beyond your control. High prices would have been acceptable if there was a guarantee of a light at the end of the tunnel. I can sit on my ass and work on crafting to raise 80 million gil for a large house, as long as there was a large plot waiting for me there. But the limited availability means that if you do not have the gil now, you're probably just out of luck. People stop being invested because there's no feasible way to reach this content for the average person who simply plays the game. 4). The last part of Yoshi-P's post states his intention in saying that personal housing would be less than FC housing was to get people to stop worrying since the prices on personal housing had not been released. The only reason I included this was to say that it was a very odd way to say "Yeah we lied but it was for a good reason", which in itself is an incredibly weak justification for the lack of transparency on the issue. In short, the entire feature reeks of terrible execution that was rushed out to meet a time crunch with no thought or effort put into its deployment. That said, nobody would be up in arms over this if Square Enix had simply been honest from the start. It would have gotten poor reactions, yes, but nobody would be setting fires over it the way they are now. If Square Enix just said "We don't have the server space for personal housing", that would have been mostly accepted. If it was an issue of data infrastructure, then that's fine. The rational people of your playerbase would have been okay with that, even if it was a lie. But this? Ya done messed up, Squeenix.

Daegsatz was conflicted. On the one hand, he did not want to trod on Nero's privacy, but on the other hand, he did sincerely want to calm Roen's concerns. It would be so easy to just give everything away, to just explain everything about Nero's mannerisms and the effects of his past to her. She might then be able to understand him as the Sea Wolf did, and while it would not have made whatever Nero was doing more acceptable, it might have alleviated her concerns and grievances. She had said that she saw glimpses of a good man in Nero, and Daegsatz agreed; that good man, the one who cared for his ship and his crew, was the captain he followed. That man was the one whom Daegsatz swore on his life that he would watch over. The smuggler had confided in exactly two people since coming to Limsa Lominsa. One was Daegsatz, and the other...well, she was no longer in the picture, to say the least. Vail himself had never particularly cared about his foster son's past; he had believed that the past should stay where it belonged. Even so, Nero did not divulge details whenever he had spoken to Satz; the Hyur had, as a teenager, spoken at length about his planned future, and the Sea Wolf could tell that a deep-seated anger simmered beneath the surface, and could discern much of what drove Nero. But what could he tell Roen? Was this a choice he would have to make? Keep his captain's confidentiality, or betray it even if it was for Nero's sake? Daegsatz did not consider himself a man of many moral quandaries. Life was for the most part simple, just the way he liked it. He briefly bit his lip, considering what to do. What would Vail have done? Vail would have gone about it as blunt as a hammer; if he felt someone needed to know something, he would have told them. And Daegsatz did trust the paladin. She seemed to be the only one who remembered that he still existed in this city. The other Sultansworn who had made the arrest seemed to have forgotten about him. The guard was only there as a deterrent. Roen was really the only friend he had right now. The Sea Wolf groaned and rubbed his forehead, making his choice. In the end, this was for Nero's sake. "Ye not be wrong, lass," he began quietly. "Ye been seein' th' signs of a good man, a good leader. 'E be under there, the cap'n who cares fer 'is crew and 'is ship, 'is family and 'is brothers. I fear fer 'im." Daegsatz shook his head. "I know, ev'n if only smatterin' details, 'bout the bloody swath 'e be tryin' ta cut. I fear th' only way ta dissuade 'im will be to let 'is path run its course." He leaned back, the cot creaking under the Roegadyn's bulk. "Ye be sayin' ye 'ad no plan 'fore meetin' 'im, lass. Ye ever consider that mayhaps, ye not be needin' one?" Daegsatz cocked an eye at the paladin. "Plans be made ta go wrong. Is it not enough ta simply be helpin' where ye be thinkin' it matters?" He spread an arm, gesturing to the gaol and the city of Ul'dah that lay beyond the heavy door. "Ye be wantin' ta change this place...a noble goal. Change not be comin' easy. Is it not enough ta dedicate yerself to th' people? Ye care fer 'em, an' will guard 'em best ye can." Another sigh. "It...mayhaps it be true that th' lad be too far gone," Daegsatz admitted quietly. "'e spoke o' nightmares as a boy, ye know. Wakin' up screamin' bloody murder when 'e naught be younger than fifteen cycles. 'E never spoke o' what 'e saw...but it not be takin' a man much imagination ta guess." The Sea Wolf shook his head forlornly. "Men that close ta breakin'...it not be easy ta pull 'em back from th' edge."

I feel like none of you are focusing on what's truly important in this patch. Yes, the personal housing is a completely and laughably botched decision and Hanlon's razor is in full effect. But you can slap people. You can slap. People. X GONNA GIVE IT TO YA

Didn't the Titanic take like four hours to sink? Is that a long time for a shipwreck?

Man, I had this huge, vitriolic rant typed up because I was bored and slightly miffed and I like making fun of things, and I feel like the only time I'm funny is when I write something in an angered tone of voice, so I was going on this mocking tirade about Squeenix and stuff. I even made it family friendly by replacing all the swear words with unintelligible vocabulary derived from the language of the natives of planet Zarqwom. Now I just don't wanna. I'd feel silly. So instead, enjoy some excerpts taken from the ravings of an inordinately unstable man-child on an emotional high who's a little bit too invested in the graphics running around on his computer screens. Right! Carry on with your night, gentlemen (and women).

That all of the women involved are shrieking harpies whose rampant feminine emotions only exacerbate the issue. Clearly, that is the problem. Clearly.

This thread is quickly going to end up being the Battle of Midway with all the ships sinking, huh.

Really, the only things stopping me from considering the possibility of perma-death is that 1). it'd probably take me a while to write up a new character that is also a fresh perspective, a brand new personality, and backstory with appropriate motivations and 2). there's no way to name-change and that kind of thing matters to me. But otherwise, I've basically written all of my character in such a way that their death is pretty foreseeable.

Daegsatz lifted his head and nodded in sympathy. "Ye've got priorities that be more pressin' than visitin' an ol' sailor in th' brig," he said in an understanding tone. In truth, the isolation was beginning to take its toll on the Sea Wolf, though he'd only been in the gaols for seven suns. It was only when one was forced to sit through endless bells alone that one realised how dangerous it was to the mind to be left alone for so long. He swung his legs off the cot and leaned forward, folding his hands together as he glanced at the paladin in consternation. Roen looked...tired. Exhausted. It was not merely physical fatigue, but something afflicted her mind. It was in the stiff way she spoke, the way she subconsciously avoided his gaze, her conflicted expression. Daegsatz was not nearly as good at reading expressions as Nero, who could likely tell if a rock was lying, but the Roegadyn did have a certain amount of intuition, and Roen was always forthright in her expressions. The paladin did make an effort to visit him every day; the least he could do in return was to hear her out and perhaps ease her discomfort with words, cheap as they were. "Whatev'r be 'appenin' last sun be weighin' on yer mind, lass," Daegsatz said earnestly. "Mayhaps ye be needin' ta speak yer mind 'bout it?"

Day 6 It was paradoxically surprising and expected when Roen did not come to visit him the next day. She had mentioned that whatever activity they would be doing would likely take all day, yet Daegsatz found himself looking at the door to his cell more often than not. The sun had passed it zenith and Daegsatz had used the remainder of the parchment; the most recent sketches had been laid out on the cot to let the ink dry fully. The rest were placed in a neat stick against a corner. The images were vivid and myriad; a tidal wave, an albatross, an island shore, a fleet of ships, a tornado, an array of cutlasses, a bonfire. The theme of the images seemed to sway between image evocative of the sea and whatever else the Roegadyn had been thinking of at the time. So Roen was now in regular contact with Nero. Daegsatz could only wonder about the progress of that relationship. The paladin was certainly attractive enough--for a Hyur anyway--for the smuggler to make his usual lecherous comments and flirtations. With some amusement, the Sea Wolf recalled her exasperated venting from the previous day. She had called him a skirt-chaser, a term Daegsatz had never heard before, yet the term itself was descriptive enough as to what it meant. What would he tell his captain if Nero were in front of him? Treat her well would have been Daegsatz' primary sentiment. Roen was a kind woman, and strangely enough the Sea Wolf felt compelled to come to her (imaginary) defense; she did not deserve whatever barbs and prods that Nero inevitably threw at her. Daegsatz found his mind wandering to the other crew. He was still saddened by the deaths of Martin and Liam at the Silver Bazaar, cut down by the thugs they were supposedly delivering the goods to; they were a rowdy and aggressive set of brothers, but well-meaning in their own way. Garalt, as well, had likely thrown up a storm at the news that the Sea Wolf had been captured. With a soft smile, Daegsatz only hoped that he had not demolished the Forte in his rare fits of rage. He leaned against the corner of the gaol, the last feelings of nausea gradually ebbing away. Hopefully it would be not much longer now. Hopefully. Day 7 The parchments had all been stacked into the corner, and Daegsatz groaned as he lay on the cot. There was naught much more he could do now but spend his time sleeping. He was grateful that there was no more nausea, but that feeling had been replaced with inexorable boredom. There was nothing to focus his mind on; he had been reduced to counting the cracks running on the ceiling in order to keep his mind from going rampant. How long had be been here? About seven suns, the Roegadyn blearily reminded himself. How much longer until he was free? Daegsatz had been forced into a brig before, but usually not for more than a few suns at a time, as space and cargo on a ship was valuable and a prisoner consumed both. Not much longer now, he hoped. Not much longer now.

Daegsatz waved an idle hand at her. "If ye be seein' 'im again, lass, I only ask ye watch 'im in me place." The statement was twofold in nature: one was the earnest request of the Roegadyn for her to care for his ward. The other was a subtle warning that Nero may end up doing something rash. Nero had taken after Vail in more ways than one. Both were daring, reckless even. The surest way to make either one of them accomplish a task was to make the task a challenge, an injury to their pride. Daegsatz knew not how well Roen knew Nero, but he could guess from her tone that the two of them would be doing...something. And like anything that was unknown, it was potentially dangerous. They had only been conversing for a few suns, but the Sea Wolf was hopeful that the paladin's presence would temper the smuggler's impulsiveness. There was a certain way Nero threw himself into everything he did that implied more than a simple adventurous spirit. "As fer bringin' me somethin', bring yerself back in one piece. I be mighty honored ta see one o' yer dances one day," the Roegadyn said rather cheerily as he began to scrawl away at another piece of parchment.

Daegsatz gave a shrug, somewhat grateful for the shift in topic. The Roegadyn had an earnest belief that every man had a right to represent themselves on their own grounds, and thus gossip or second-hand knowledge of a man not only forfeited that same right, but also skewed the image others had of that man. It was, perhaps, unusual for a Sea Wolf to be so self-conscious on social etiquette. Vail was to thank for that. He was, however, more than happy to talk about himself. "Dexterity be a natural part o' bein' a sailor," Daegsatz explained. "S'pose most peoples be havin' troubles imaginin' Sea Wolves like meself bein' able ta climb riggin'." He held a hand out and flexed his fingers. "When ye be livin' at sea, ye learn ta adapt. Ye learn ta match yer motions ta those o' the ship. As fer drawin' specifically," the Roegadyn shrugged again. "Made me start as a sailor copyin' maps fer my captain. I be findin' the activity calmin'. 'ventually it become me hobby o' sorts." He cocked an eye at Roen. "Ye be havin' yerself an artistic side to ye, lass?"

Daegsatz sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Nero, generally speaking, kept his political views to himself, a trait that Daegsatz and the rest of the crew of the Forte appreciated. Pirates being pirates, the concerns of the oppressed and the severity of social injustices, perceived or real, did not really matter to them so long as they did not feel the direct effects. Suffice to say, it was more of a concern to Daegsatz on an average day about whether or not the new crewmembers have gotten the black powder wet or if there was enough rum to last a trip. Nero understood and respected that simplicity, and had never let his politics get in the way of keeping the men under his command fed and paid. It was a simple policy that the Roegadyn had followed since he'd served under Vail: keep coin in the pocket, food in the belly, loyalty in the crew, and everything else was so much gravy. And now it seemed that Nero's politics was being extended to Roen. "I be tellin' ye before that I not be one fer gossip, an' that be true," the Sea Wolf said hesitantly. As much as he wanted to assuage the paladin's concerns, Daegsatz was nonetheless a principled man, and did his best to adhere to those principles. "I not be tryin'a keep things from ye 'cause I don't trust ye, lass, it be out of respect fer me captain." He sighed again, the heave escaping from his lips like bellows being stepped on. "I s'pose I can tell ye this much, lass. Ye must've seen it; beneath ev'ry jest an' smile, there be anger. And where there be anger, there be pain." Daegsatz coughed into his arm, glancing at Roen. "If'n Nero be engagin' in...somethin' desperate, it be because 'e's found th' alternatives lackin'."

The Roegadyn could not help but grin at the paladin's raving. In all of the years he had known Nero, Daegsatz was aware of the former's tendency to infuriate and aggravate whoever he came across for his own amusement, yet this was the first instance in which one of those people had come to him to vent that frustration. He patted her shoulder sympathetically with a large hand. "Let it all out, lass, ye be feelin' bett'r that way," Daegsatz consoled her. "I been dealin' with 'im fer near twenty cycles. 'Es like 'is father; s'pose I've done naught but build a tolerance fer it." He dug into another chunk of the fish as he put the completed sketch of the albatross away. His stomach roiled in protest but the Sea Wolf ignored it. "Nev'r known th' lad ta be one fer arguments, though. Usually 'e be too lazy. What were ye on about?" the Roegadyn said with some curiosity.

"Arturieaux sent confirmation of the shipment. However, the kobolds have begun growing more aggressive and encroaching further into Lominsan territory. He said he may have to move his laboratory," Garalt murmured. "He'd be moving to the other side of the island, just to be safe." The Highlander's statement was punctuated by him sweeping a thick finger across a map of Vylbrand. Nero nodded. "That'd be best. Kobolds will draw the attention of the Maelstrom...we will need to give him time. Let's keep the Forte in Limsa for now." The smuggler fingered another map, a nautical chart. "Our man in the 4th Squadron said the patrols would sweep the northeast of the Rhotano." The Hyur snorted. "Merlwyb's fast, I'll give her that. Someone must be pressuring her to tighten security in the Strait, so naturally, we'll go ahead and give the 4th Squadron a distraction." A finger moved and tapped on elsewhere on the map. "There's a few raiders based out of the Cieldalaes. Let's have them be fodder." The Highlander grunted, shaking his head. "I don't like this, Nero," Garalt said quietly. It was rare when the otherwise passive Highlander expressed an opinion; even rarer when he addressed Nero by anything other than "captain". "Sending other raiders as...distractions. The Forte can easily slip here, south through the Cieldalaes, to Thanalan. Even with the 4th Squadron." "I don't want the Forte participating directly in runs for now. We lay low and give the hounds something to chew on," the smuggler said firmly. "We need to make repairs, get our bearings, and give Arturieaux some time. And I can guarantee you that Ul'dah won't sit still." Nero tapped an index finger against Limsa Lominsa. "They'll send agents after us, but Limsa's home territory...we can take care of them there, then we can get the Forte back into ops unmolested." Garalt studied the Midlander's face, scrutinizing it with a hard gaze. "You intend to start an incident. Merlwyb won't suffer Ul'dahn interference in Limsa Lominsa." "I intend to arrange it in such a way that we come out on top regardless of the outcome," Nero responded confidently, waving an idle hand. "Put the charts away. We'll reach port in a few bells." The Second Forte bobbed gently as it cut through the waves. It wouldn't be long before it reached Limsa Lominsa; a gentle wind had brought the ship to a comfortable, if somewhat slow cruising speed. Nero sighed and rubbed the back of his forehead with a hand as he leaned against the railing on the stern of the ship. Watching the parting of waves pass behind the ship was calming to him, even as his mind was fraught with thoughts and introspection. Roen was presumably still below decks. Nero couldn't help but roll his eyes at nobody in particular at her presence; as soon as the paladin had found out he'd cleaned himself out of Ul'dah, presumably she'd started looking for him for reasons the smuggler couldn't fathom. With impeccable timing, she'd manage to catch him before he left Vesper Bay, and the smuggler, being ever punctual, had insisted without thinking that she come aboard if she wanted to occupy his time with talks. Natalie had made herself quite clear when she said she did not want Nero anywhere near Roen, to which Nero had responded that the latter would have to stay away from him first. Roen seemed to follow him like a lost puppy at times, and it was not as if the smuggler could simply beat her upside the head and abandon her...although the thought had crossed his mind during some of their more heated arguments. His plan was moving, but slowly. Far slower than Nero liked. Ceruleum was beginning to become difficult for him to get his hands on, yet the smuggler had no presence anywhere near Bluefog. The pirate only had a smattering handful of agents in Ul'dah, and their allegiance was suspect at best. Nero did not mind conducting his operations from afar, but his plans in Ul'dah were delicate and he'd prefer to apply his direct intervention in them. But that'd have to wait. Surely the Monetarists were going to send someone to Limsa. That Natalie woman was surely shrewd enough to have started looking for him; just because Nero had left Thanalan doesn't mean the raids against Monetarist ships would stop, not as long as there were pirates willing to accept the smuggler's coin. Take care of one thing at a time. Nero inhaled, letting his breath out through his nose. It was a strange thing, this series of events. The original plan had been simple: supply the refugees, and continue on his merry way. Lay under the Monetarist's radar and gradually build his influence. Instead, Nero had shared many exasperating arguments with Roen, who may or may not be infatuated with him, ended up killing a Brass Blade and a few bandits, and now had the attention of the Monetarists, the Sultansworn, and the Immortal Flames, and the only thing it would take to start a major political incident was just the slightest mishap, which was bound to happen with such a bellicose and volatile group all converging together. True, Nero's intention had always been to bring Scythe into his fold first and feed the poor and beleaguered second...but it seemed now that going to the trouble of securing those supplies had lit a fuse. Attempting to provide for the refugees left Nero in an awkward partnership with a paladin, and the Sultansworn chasing him out of Ul'dah. He was now running back to Limsa, and undoubtedly there were Monetarist agents that were going to pursue him. The list was now useless because he'd been run out of Thanalan, and if the situation deteriorated enough...Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah would be in a very bad spot indeed, and the only one who did not believe him to be the villain in all of this was Roen. All because of those damned refugee supplies. Nero could not help but smirk bitterly as he heard the sound of steps approaching him from behind. No good deed goes unpunished.

Daegsatz glanced up at the paladin. Roen's face was creased with annoyance, and the way she said Nero's name in an almost biting tone was a fairly clear implication. Though the Roegadyn himself did not possess much skill for deception, Roen was evidently worse, and her emotions seemed just barely veiled. The Sea Wolf raised an eyebrow in consternation. "'Preciate it as always, lass, but ye be seemin' like ye bit inta somethin' mighty awful." Daegsatz noted with some amusement that there were no utensils included with the meal, though he did not mind much, reaching a large hand into the bowl and touching the fish gingerly. It was still warm, but not hot to the touch. He pulled a sizeable chunk out, keeping his hand close so as to prevent the flesh from crumbling, and delivered the morsel to his mouth. Nero's penchant for salt was something Daegsatz never understood, but it did seem like it had been quite a while since the Roegadyn had consumed salt, and so he relished the simple taste all the same. "S'pose this 'as somethin' ta do with the lad, eh? 'E do somethin' foolish?" Daegsatz questioned as he continued his detailing of the albatross. His stomach still roiled somewhat with queasiness, but luckily it did not seem to impede the consumption of the trout.

Day 5 With some luck, the squirming and twisting of Daegsatz' stomach had begun to settle as the sun passed its zenith. It was with a strange feeling that he actually felt grateful for the gaol; it was built with imprisonment in mind and was well insulated from Thanalan's oppressive heat. The landsickness was still present--it was likely it would not fully dissipate until Daegsatz found himself on a ship, or at least by the coast--but the discomforting nausea was brought down to a manageable level as he began to scrawl another elaborate art piece on to a piece of parchment. His movements were slow and deliberate as he sat on the floor of the gaol, bringing the quill across the parchment to form a detailed line on the feathers of an albatross.

Daegsatz waved a helpless hand against the source of the voice. "Not so loud," the Roegadyn said. "It be...takin' a few suns...ta adjust ta land...then I be right as rain..." He continued his swaying motion as his stomach made an ungodly rumble noise, as if growling its own protest to the circumstances. "Beggin' yer pardon, lass...I not be in a conversati'nal mood right now, aye...?"