Nihka

Rumors: Listed rumors are things that anyone in the plot may have heard. Things are talked about in the city, word gets around. You don’t need to roll to have heard what’s written here. Further investigation into such things might be the subject of a between-scenes action, as you see fit. Citizens of Ul’dah are incredibly concerned about the Ahriman activity. Residents of Horizon endured a massive attack by the voidsent creatures, but absolutely no injuries were reported. A group of goblins was recently seen leaving Thanalan. People are concerned that the scavenger tribe may be fleeing with stolen goods but the general consensus is “good riddance.” Material Request: Ahriman Tears. The Alchemist Guild is still willing to pay good gil in exchange for adequate supplies of certain reagents. They continue to deny rumors that they are connected to the increase in Ahriman activity. Conjurers from Gridania are baffled by the creature brought to their attention by a group of skilled adventurers: a treant infused with the essence of coblyns. Story Aspects: Like all aspects, Story Aspects can be used via a FP by anyone, even those not responsible for its creation. [align=center]Ahriman All About: [/align] [align=center]Travelers throughout Thanalan have started seeing suspicious shadows. Reports and rumors suggest an abnormal abundance of the winged voidsent known as Ahriman peeking over boulders and peering at folk with those ridiculous eyes.[/align] [align=center]Thankfully, no one has been seriously injured. But experts agree, it’s only a matter of time.[/align] Events: Open Action Block 10 (Thursday August 18th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) Open Action Block 11 (Wednesday August 24th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) A lot of this plot relies on the players taking initiative and engaging in small investigations into that which hooked their interest. To this end, I will be available during these time periods to help resolve actions outside of events, for those who wish to participate. I am formally setting a personal rule, that each player is limited to two major actions per week, resetting each Sunday. The exact definition of a major action is flexible, and dependent on how much is accomplished by the action(s) in question. Please make use of these behind the scenes actions. (PMs or Skype are the easiest for me, because they give me more time to write up my reply.) ??? (??? ??? ??th, ??? central) 1. 2. 3. 4. ?. Reserve: Something is happening. Sign-ups for this event require GM permission, and can only be requested if the character has located/determined the location and time of the event. Use what information you have, and send me requests for actions via RPC PM. Remember, open action blocks only mean that I intend to be available at those times. I can field actions at any time. A Talk with Garven Players who participated in the event: “The party never stops” Please PM me a list of any questions you wish to ask Garven Waker, if you are interested. He has no interest in hiding anything from the people who saved his life. Running this as an actual scene would take an incredibly long amount of time, and we are all busy people. Questioning Lahni Players who participated in the event: “Can’t we just post bail?” Please PM me a list of any questions you wish to ask Ut’lahni, if you are interested. Running this as an actual scene would take an incredibly long amount of time, and we are all busy people.

I have just gotten word from Spahro. The two APE Escape events need to be pushed back by one week, due to scheduling conflicts. She will provide more information when she is able.

Foxes are Nihka's family animal. Sign me up

Jaunty Python please!

Rumors: Listed rumors are things that anyone in the plot may have heard. Things are talked about in the city, word gets around. You don’t need to roll to have heard what’s written here. Further investigation into such things might be the subject of a between-scenes action, as you see fit. Citizens of Ul’dah are growing concerned and curious that there has been an unusual increase in Ahriman activity while the Alchemist guild seeks materials from them. The Alchemist guild claims to be happy for its good fortune and denies any involvement. The Mourning Dove, a ship in Vesper Bay, has been condemned and seized by the Brass Blades indefinitely. It remains moored and unused. Material Request: Ahriman Tears. The Alchemist Guild is still willing to pay good gil in exchange for adequate supplies of certain reagents. Material Request: Collecting Copper Coblyn Cores.The Alchemist Guild is still willing to pay good gil in exchange for adequate supplies of Coblyn Cores. However, word is they’ve almost met their quota. (This is the LAST BLOCK that Coblyn Cores are desired.) Story Aspects: A new Story Aspect has been created. Like all aspects it canbe used via a FP by anyone, even those not responsible for its creation. [align=center]Ahriman All About[/align] [align=center]Travelers throughout Thanalan have started seeing suspicious shadows. Reports and rumors suggest an abnormal abundance of the winged voidsent known as Ahriman peeking over boulders and peering at folk with those ridiculous eyes.[/align] [align=center]Thankfully, no one has been seriously injured. But experts agree, it’s only a matter of time.[/align] Events: Open Action Block 8 (Thursday July 21st, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) Open Action Block 9 (Wednesday July 27th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) A lot of this plot relies on the players taking initiative and engaging in small investigations into that which hooked their interest. To this end, I will be available during these time periods to help resolve actions outside of events, for those who wish to participate. Brass and Steam (Sunday July 24th, 4pm Central) 1. S'imba Tia 2. Zanzan Yanzan 3. R'elend Tia 4. Rhaya (Tentative) Reserve: [align=center]A small group of (relatively) peaceful goblin “traders” is under heavy scrutiny by the Brass Blades. They claim that this group of goblins is responsible for the recent damage done to the massive hammers designed to pound the sands of Western Thanalan into a suitable foundation for Monetarist summer homes. [/align] [align=center]A great deal of money is involved, so for once the Brass Blades are inclined to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Even if it means arresting every single goblin and condemning them to rot in the oubliette. The goblins aren’t about to go quietly, and they’re gearing up to fight. Which side will you help?[/align] Can’t We Just Post Bail? (Friday July 29th, 9pm Central) 1. Anstarra Silverain 2. Malin Greaves (Withdrawn) 3. Virara Wakuwa 4. Leanne Delphium Reserve: Akiko Nomura (First dibs) [align=center]Ut’mah Nunh seeks to beseech the Brass Blades for the release of his tribe member. As of yet they have not told him why she is being held, but he heard from someone in Vesper Bay who claims he saw her being arrested by a tall elezen in dark armor and handed off to the Blades. In the past, many of his troubles have been resolved by clever adventurers, and so he’s turning to them for aid once again.[/align] [align=center]My beloved Ut’lahni has been arrested! Someone help me fight against these false charges and retrieve her from the vile clutches of the Brass Blades! Please, before something awful happens.[/align] The Party Never Stops (Sunday, July 31st, 4pm Central) 1. Spahro Llorn 2. Theia Smolder 3. Vael'a Ruhne 4. Reserve: [align=center]Garven Waker wants you to come get drunk with him. For the past three suns, taverns in Vesper Bay have been lit with his antics. With a seemingly endless purse, he’s purchased a seemingly endless supply of liquor (and other substances).[/align] [align=center]Word of this raucous partying has begun to spread, along with a message from the benefactor: Everyone is welcome, come and have a great time![/align] Note: people are welcome to use downtime actions related to this large party, up to three days before this event, up to and including visiting and having a great time. Participants in this event come for whatever reason they wish, for a more GM directed experience. A New Bloom (AKA, A Silly Subplot) (Thursday, August 4th, 9PM Central) 1. Kiht Jakkya 2. R'shesha Otharn 3. Orghana Geneq 4. Nheu'a Polaali (Tentative) Reserve: Arblis [align=center]From the southern border of the Shroud, a massive treant has emerged and begun to terrorize the region around Highbridge. Adventurers are needed to destroy it, before it causes significant damage to the countryside and/or Highbridge itself![/align] Universal Reserve: Arblis (A New Bloom)

For scheduling purposes, i need to push Murder on the Dove back to 7:30 pm central. If this causes undo problems please contact me!

Received a PM sign up from S'imba Tia. Posting here for records and order of sign-ups history.

Open Action Block 6(Monday July 11th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) Open Action Block 7(Saturday July 16th, 4pm Central through 6pm Central) These are not events, per se. A lot of this plot relies onthe players taking initiative and engaging in small investigations into that which hooked their interest. To this end, I will be available during these time periods to help resolve actions outside of events, for those who wish to participate. If you have an investigation that you suspect may take a bitof time to work through, then try and be here for this. I don’t intend to run scenes of length during this time period; if the investigation looks like it’s going to take a long time, we may discuss turning it into a full event to run at a later time. If you have some investigation you’re thinking of lookinginto but aren’t able to make this block, I implore you to send me a PM on the RPC. It might be possible to resolve it with a single roll, in which can I can send you the relevant information nice and quick. Still available: Material Request: Ahriman Tears Material Request: Collecting Copper Coblyn Cores Events: Where the Hammer Fell (Thursday, July 14th, 9pm Central) 1. Kiht Jakkya 2. S'imba Tia 3. Arblis Local brass blades are stumped by the recent demolition ofseveral of the massive hammers set out to flatten the sands of Western Thanalan. Initially thought to be simple hardware malfunction, attempts to repair the machines have been thwarted by continued sabotage in the night. Three brass blades set out to guard one of the remainingworking hammers wound up suffering severe burns when an unknown assailant attacked, and are currently convalescing in the Ul’dah barracks. The local levemete has issued a bounty for adventurers willing to investigate the issue. Murder on the Dove (Saturday, July 16th, 7:30pm Central) 1. Simeon 2. Malin Greaves 3. Leanne Beginning to become a common sight in Vesper Bay is The Dove.The ship has been docked in the bay for the past two moons, caught in a bureaucratic tangle of legal fees, proper repair procedure, and bogus shipping licensing claims. Rumors have started to spread that the captain of this ship was found murdered in a back alley in Vesper Bay. This might be an excellent opportunity for some amateur sleuths to ply their trade, whether the local brass blades want them to or not!

Open Action Block 3(Wednesday June 15th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) Open Action Block 4(Saturday June 18th, 4pm Central through 6pm Central) Open Action Block 5(Tuesday June 21st, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) These are not events, per se. A lot of this plot relies onthe players taking initiative and engaging in small investigations into that which hooked their interest. To this end, I will be available during these time periods to help resolve actions outside of events, for those who wish to participate. If you have an investigation that you suspect may take a bitof time to work through, then try and be here for this. I don’t intend to run scenes of length during this time period; if the investigation looks like it’s going to take a long time, we may discuss turning it into a full event to run at a later time. If you have some investigation you’re thinking of lookinginto but aren’t able to make this block, I implore you to send me a PM on the RPC. It might be possible to resolve it with a single roll, in which can I can send you the relevant information nice and quick. Material Request: AhrimanTears The following notice is posted around Ul’dah: [align=center]Notice to all Adventurers[/align] [align=center]The Alchemist Guild,pursuant to Adventurer Guild Regulations, hereby authorizes the following Guildleve: [/align] [align=center]The hunting andharvesting of Ahriman Tears. For the furtherance of research, an abundant supply of materials is requested.[/align] [align=center]A reward of coin andadventuring supplies will be provided per batch, dependent on both quantity and quality, as determined by an authorized guild receptionist upon delivery.[/align] [align=center]Leve to remain openuntil further notice. Inquire at the Ul’dahn Levemete to acquire the appropriate leveplate for official sanction.[/align] Material Request: Collecting Copper Coblyn Cores The following notice is still posted around Ul’dah: [align=center]Notice to all Adventurers[/align] [align=center]The Alchemist Guild,pursuant to Adventurer Guild Regulations, hereby authorizes the following Guildleve: [/align] [align=center]The hunting andharvesting of the soulkin copper coblyns to retrieve their cores. For the furtherance of research, an abundant supply of materials is requested.[/align] [align=center]A reward of coin andadventuring supplies will be provided per batch, dependent on both quantity and quality, as determined by an authorized guild receptionist upon delivery.[/align] [align=center]Leve to remain openuntil further notice. Inquire at the Ul’dahn Levemete to acquire the appropriate leveplate for official sanction.[/align] OoC Note: This is not an event, per se. Requests for actionstowards this goal may be made in the linkshell while I am available, or through RPC private messages. If multiple players wish to hunt together, we can work to try and find an appropriate time to run the event. Yes, I know there are not any actual scheduled events. Lifehas gotten in the way of being able to dedicate enough time to create events. However, I’m not letting this plot die, and I invite you to investigate any of the incidents that have already occurred. Some players have already found hooks into this plot. If you don’t have a hook and you are interested in getting involved, just talk to me. I have a few ideas that might work. I’m absolutely willing to run events based on things your characters want to do. Be proactive.

Location: The Goblet, a newly purchased home Nihka approached the house, one hand resting on her satchel as tiny jars full of alchemic medicines clanked together. The cub, Sehki, toddled along behind her and looked at all the houses and fresh planted flowers with the wonder that only a two-year-old can muster. X’orri stood guard near the door, and balked at the sight of the child. Nihka thought for a moment, and realized that it wouldn’t be X’orri any longer, but simply Orri. They had left the falling stars, and were their own tribe now: a tribe of cliptails, a tribe of ex slaves, the disgraced and abused. The whole concept made Nihka feel sick; she had to push down the revulsion and smile instead. It was over, they were safe: Arblis had even gotten them a home of their own in the Goblet... Somehow... Though Orri seemed hesitant around Sehki, the cub was anything but. She was more than willing to show giddy kindness to Orri, waving and singing a greeting with her little tail wriggling excitedly. Nihka explained that Sehki was her daughter, and she wanted everyone in the fledgling tribe to meet her family. She wanted them to trust her, and so she chose to show that she trusted them. The idea was alien to Orri. Inside the house the cliptails were everywhere. Some were lounging about resting, others tending to the tasks that came with a new home, and a few were talking to a representative from the weaver’s guild. Calling in every favor she had and then some, Nihka had arranged for each crafting guild to send at least one representative, scouting for possible talent and offering hope for apprenticeship to members of the refugee tribe. It was Nihka’s hope that this be a chance at a new life for the broken miqo’te, that this be the first step towards mending the emotional scars every cliptail bore... She needed something new to call them, cliptail was wrong. It needed to be something proud and strong, that wouldn’t carry too many ties to the pain and suffering they endured. In her mind she resolved to think of them not as cliptails, but as the Bright Ones.If she could show these broken people kindness, that the world wasn’t the broken place they had been living... then maybe they would shine brightly again, maybe they would become strong and kind. She wanted to kindle their hearts, ease the dying embers back into a roaring blaze. Before the heart could even begin to heal, though, before they could be as bright as Nihka knew some day they would shine, they needed a warm, safe place to live and the physical health that had been denied to them by their own people. Nihka went amongst them, offering kind words and medicine. They healed fast, and so all but the most seriously injured were largely healthy now. The only lasting damage were the bones; too many of them had had bones broken and forced to heal wrong to keep them from rising up. Some had lived with these injuries so long it was nigh impossible to fix. Nihka had to beg them to let her break their bones again. She had to watch their eyes fill with pain and fear. The hardest part... The hardest part was accepting when one of them rejected her offer, but Nihka knew that just being able to say no was more important than anything else, and so she never pushed. She only asked that if they changed their mind to not hesitate to tell her, knowing that many of them never would. When she finished treating those she could, Nihka returned to Orri and made the same offer to her. Orri was the proudest of them all, having only recently been clipped and only recently been maimed. Of all of them, she had the greatest chance to recover fully. Nihka expected Orri to question her motives, but found that convincing Orri to undergo such a painful and risky surgery was easier than expected. Many of the Bright Ones had come to terms with their crippled states, but Orri still had the raw desperation to feel whole again, to walk and run and feel the pride of being a huntress. It was a desperation that Nihka was intimately familiar with. Nihka took Orri to a plain, comfortable bed and asked her to relax and lay down. Orri complied, and rested with her broken leg exposed so Nihka could work. Fixing broken bones like this, though, tested Nihka’s healing skills to the limit, and Orri’s was particularly bad. She would have to pull out all the stops, mix her medicine and magical skills with the alchemical genius that many of her friends had come to know her for. She started with a plain-looking white lacquered board, gently placed beneath Orri’s leg. In just the right light, the board seemed to glitter and shine. In truth, she had created it by dissolving unaspected crystals in the viscous secretions of Shroud slugs and formic acid. Adding chalk neutralized the acid and gave substance for the crystalline structures to cling to, keeping them evenly distributed through the solution and giving it that white color. Once she had dried the substance on the board, it created a blank, neutral aetheric matrix. In theory... Orri watched curiously as Nihka painted on the board from a jar of thick black ink. Made with gold dust and spoken blood, it was a common recipe used in the creation of arcanist tomes for its aetheric conductivity. She painted out the complex geometries of arcanima, and at each major vertex placed a single goobbue fang. Alchemy was often used to create medicines and poisons, but many people overlooked why the concoctions worked. A string of goobbue teeth held the residual energies of the creature, lending their innate toughness. It’s why they were used in vitality potions. The toughness of these creatures would now be used to enhance the power of her healing. With a touch and just a hint of her own aether, Nihka ignited the spell. Magic cycled through the geometries, pulled by the gold dust and guided by Nihka’s will. The black ink began to glow faintly, and fear touched Orri’s eyes. Nihka gave her a reassuring smile, and began to explain each step before she took it. It made the process take three times as long, with how Nihka spoke and stuttered, but she didn’t want to scare the patient; the process slowly became a lesson on anatomy, alchemy, and arcanima. The spell would act as an aether battery, aspected towards the vitality and endurance of a hardy plant. Geometric switchbacks would collect the power and hold it within the matrix as the resonance built up. Aether was life, and nearly every potion she had drew upon and affected the aether of the patient in some way. The first, a dark red liquid made with a base of distilled morbol spit, was technically a poison. It would draw the strength from Orri’s bones to make them easier to break. She cautioned the girl to be careful for the next few days while the effects wore off, but in order to fix her leg she would have to rebreak the bones. It was going to hurt. Orri almost scoffed at the idea of pain and drank the potion without hesitation. Next was a pale cream which she spread on Orri’s leg. It was a mild paralytic, made from scalekin blood and snake venom run through landtrap leaves steeped in a weak acid to make them pliable and porous. In a weak dose such as this, it acted as a vasoconstrictor and would reduce blood loss when Nihka had to cut into Orri’s leg. Orri noted that a great deal of Nihka’s medicines were made using poisons. Nihka couldn’t argue. What was she doing, going on these adventurers, risking her life? She had made a promise that healing was her goal, her devotion. This was more appropriate, this surgery, than rushing out to the desert and fighting beast tribes. She could almost hear her mentor speaking to her, walking her through the task. Why was she registering with the pugilist guild now? Why was she rushing off to the desert to hunt down Anstarra’s family? She should be staying home, staying safe, and tending to the wounded when they come back from their adventurers. But there was something inside of her that refused to be kept like that, an anxiety and a need to travel and move that refused to let her stay a housecat. The urge to fix the problems, to be proactive, to not wait for Zarann to come to her. She couldn’t explain it, that feeling. She couldn’t wait at home to heal the injured. If she could heal the hearts of those who threatened them, then no one would end up hurt to begin with. The world would be a safer place. For her, for her daughter, for her fiancé, for the family she had collected. She cut between the muscles, careful not to tear. Small trickles of blood dripped down onto the board, and sizzled with the power of the magic it had collected, the matrix approaching saturation. It required tools, gripping and twisting with a hard jerk, to break the weak joints where the bones had improperly healed. Orri didn’t even cry out. The next was a hardening agent, applied with a narrow syringe deep into the wound. Nihka explained as she applied it. It would be catalyzed by the blood in Orri’s own body, causing it to harden and create a rigid lattice. It was designed to break down slowly over time and provide nutrients that would promote bone recovery. Finally, it was time to release the aether that had been building up. She drew a single line onto the board, linking two vertices of the spell and reversing the polarity of its flow. Light flashed as the magic released. The neutral matrix was completely ruined, crystallizing into strange shapes as the aether warped the woman’s body, suffusing with healing energy that would help to bind the bone together. It would still be weeks before everything was fully intact.... but her kin all healed remarkably fast. Perhaps it wouldn’t even be that long. Nihka slumped back in the chair and surveyed the scene. Goobbue teeth burnt beyond recognition, the prototype aether matrix similarly destroyed as the spell she’d drawn on it etched into the physical structure of the crystals. Orri would need to stay off the leg as best she could for the rest of the day. It would take time to heal, even for her. But it was easy to see what An often spoke of, the aetheric mutability inherent in the falling star blood. Even her weak healing magics and alchemy were able to affect significant change on the patient. Now it was just a matter of waiting and recovery and hope.

Open Action Block 1 (Friday May 27th, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) Open Action Block 2 (Wednesday June 1st, 9pm Central through 11pm Central) These are not events, per se. Since Noirzea is attempting to be a gritty detective story, a lot of this plot relies on the players taking initiative and engaging in small investigations into that which hooked their interest. I will be available during these time periods to help resolve actions outside of events, for those who wish to participate. If you have an investigation that you suspect may take a bit of time to work through, then try and be here for this. I don’t intend to run scenes of length during this time period; if the investigation looks like it’s going to take a long time, we may discuss turning it into a full event to run at a later time. If you have some investigation you’re thinking of looking into but aren’t able to make this block, I implore you to send me a PM on the RPC. It might be possible to resolve it with a single roll, in which can I can send you the relevant information nice and quick. Brass Blade Bullies on the Horizon (Monday May 30th, 6pm Central) With his cart finally repaired, Ut’mah Nuhn is ready to finish the trip to Scorpion Crossing. Just one problem, those Brass Blades who gave him trouble upon his arrival have been keeping a close eye on him... and his cargo. He’s afraid they’re going to try and prevent him from finishing the journey, unless he has some backup. [align=center]Adventurers helped me last time.[/align] [align=center]Now I’m caught in a bureaucratic mess and these blades won’t leave me alone. [/align] [align=center]Before I leave Horizon, I’m hoping to have a bit of muscle behind me.[/align] 1. Zanzan yanzan 2. Arblis Elhis 3. Anstarra Silverain 4. Malin Greaves Discreet Adventurers Requested (Saturday June 4th, 4pm Central) This notice doesn’t go through the normal channels. It isn’t a leve, it’s not noted in the adventurer’s guild. The exact method for how you find it isn’t important. If you sign up for this event, you found it and chose to go to the location. [align=center]Local businessman providing opportunities for adventurers. Must be discreet. [/align] [align=center]Meet at the Coffer and Coffin at the designated time.[/align] 1. Kiht Jakkya 2. Damascus 3. Vael'a Ruhne Reserves: Aigiarn Kha Leanne Delphium Zaphir Zurlac Rhea Zaheela

Inside a poor fisherman’s home... Abigail Grey sat on a small wooden stool beside her mother’s bed. Her father had yelled at her for running off like that, then spent the rest of the night hugging her tight and crying. Of course she was grounded. She was very, very grounded. But those adventurers had saved her from the goblins, so being grounded didn’t seem so bad. Except for the fact that now she was stuck inside watching her mother die. They assured her that mother was just sick, but Abigail was eight summers old, not stupid. Mom was sick with Ziz Fever, she hadn’t gotten out of bed in two moons. Abigail could see how pale her face was, how tired she always looked. Doctor Jojobo could make the medicine for it, he could cure her, but father said it cost too much. That’s why she’d gone looking for the book. If she could have gotten it back, then Jojobo would have had to make the medicine for her. Now, if she left the house at all she’d be in huge trouble. Abigail curled up. She’d wanted to help, but now her father was out working twice as hard to make up for missing two suns looking for her. She’d just made things worse. On the Silver Bazaar docks... “Your daughter is a thief, Gregory.” Though the woman stood several fulms shorter than him, Gregory felt small as she berated him. After suns of searching for his daughter he just didn’t have the energy to fight. Rarali paced, stubby legs taking her a surprising distance with each step, slightly worn silk sashes swaying in the breeze as she stormed about the docks, wooden planks creaking underneath her. “I know it. You now it. Everybody knows it. And the timing of this little escapade of hers is just a bit too convenient for my tastes.” Gregory sighed and attempted to speak, but Rarali cut him off. “No! No, no you don’t. You listen to me, Grey. You are going to find that ring and you are going to get it back to me. Get your daughter to tell you where she hid it, find it yourself, or hire those good for nothing adventurers to retrieve it. I don’t care. So long as I get my ring back I won’t be calling the Blades down on your house, and don’t you even get me started on that whore you call a wife!” Again, Gregory tried to speak, but Rarali was already storming off, keeping a remarkable pace for her size and leaving Gregory on the docks. Several other fishermen were there, tending to lines or mending nets. Not a one of them spoke to him. An office in Horizon... “Okay, now sign here. Okay, here. And here. Also here.” Ut’mah sighed and dragged the pen across the page, signing his name on the documents provided. A hundred gil here, two hundred there. Every last repair had more paperwork and further expenses. If this kept up, he’d barely break even on this venture. “Very good, sir,” the customs official said as she blotted the ink dry and stacked the papers into a folder. She was a small hyur woman with two very large men standing by as guards, spectacles down on the tip of her nose. “We’ll just get these forms sent off in triplicate, and we’ll have an answer in a few suns.” “A few suns!?” Ut’mah flinched back, the fur of his tail standing on end. “What could possibly take a few suns? I’ve been stuck here for a sennight already. I’m bleeding gil!” “I understand, sir,” the woman said with a practiced, and frustrating, air of calm. “Couriers will need a chance to take these papers back to the home office, and then it’s just a matter of waiting for their reply. There is, unfortunately, an order to these things and requests are filed as they are received.” “Right, right, I know. But a lot of these deliveries are very important. My livelihood depends on them arriving within a reasonable rate of time.” “Perhaps I could interest you in rush processing?” “How much...?” The edge of Horizon... Ut’lahni was back with the carts, murmuring into a linkpearl when he returned. When she saw him approach, she tapped the pearl and shifted down from her seat to walk over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Three more suns, lovely,” Ut’mah sighed, and placed his hands on her hips. She nodded and leaned in, nuzzling his neck and murmuring softly. “I know, lovely, I know. But once we make it to Ul’dah I’ll be able to make it all back and more. This is just the beginning of my empire.” Ut’mah chuckled. “Soon, you’ll have plenty of women to fight with for my attention, but you’ll always be my favorite.”

d or b. Depending on how many I can sign up for, but I'm not sure which one I like most. They're all great. edit: Let's favor B, because it probably suits Nihka best. Even though I'm seriously super interested in D, for its connection to the golden lizard and Garri

The room smelled of sweat, wood, and leather. It wasn’t an unpleasant odor, but it was powerful: the mingled scent of countless students who came to this practice hall. Today, Nihka was one of those students, and soon the sweat dripping from her body would leave her own mark on the room. Not to say that she had never been here before, she had been taking self-defense lessons from one of the members in late evenings, but this was her first visit as a true pugilist. Nihka made no attempt to hide that she was legally registered with the Adventurer’s guild, though few would ever guess. She spent most of her time researching Alchemy, tending to the estate, or gathering botanicals. She didn’t match the typical image of a brazen youth gallivanting about Eorzea in search of danger and excitement (and money). She preferred the more tame pursuits but circumstances had worked against her. Thankfully, being an adventurer meant she had the right to sign up with any of the various guilds throughout the city states. Every single Guild of the Hand had her name on their books, as did those of the Land (but the less said of the fishing fiasco the better). She had taken lessons at every Guild of Magic, as well, but the Disciples of War were all foreign to her. Marauders were of a whirlwind of destruction, she did not want that. She couldn’t bear the thought of all the heavy, bulky armor that gladiators wore. Archery felt right, but it had never been her strong suit even when first learning to hunt. The lancer’s guild bore too many painful memories to even bother stepping into. It was the pugilist guild that drew her attention as she watched lithe warriors fight with little more than hand and foot, their steps flowing like a dance. She hated fighting and she hated hurting anyone, but to protect her daughter, to protect her beloved, and to protect those she would call family she would fight. Since the visit to the conjurer with Anstarra.... Her first lesson began at the fourteenth bell, and she stepped into the room in loose pants bound around the calves and a comfortable, tight top. All around were other students, members of the guild, and a young midlander approached, catching his breath. Nihka glanced up at him through her hair. He had olive skin, green eyes, and black hair cropped short against his head. “I haven’t seen you around here. Are you new?” Nihka shook her head, then shrugged. “Oh?” He looked at her again, eyes narrowed; there was a moment before he nodded in understanding. “Oh! Night classes. I don’t see many keepers awake this ... umm... would you call it late? Early? Anyway. My name’s Saebald.” Nihka nodded. “Do you talk?” “...Not... a lot...” She paused a moment before answering him, then delivered the line plainly, as it was the truth. “Uh, right.” He glanced around awkwardly. “Nihka,” Nihka said. The man looked to her and blinked. “What?” She said her name again, pointing to herself. He seemed to understand her meaning that time. “Well, Nikka, welcome to the guild.” “Ooh, a little black cat come to play? Hope it’s not too bright for you.” A pair of slit-eyed seekers sneered at Nihka, snickering to one another as they walked into the guild. They were both tan with ruddy hair and shared similar features, likely close sisters. Nihka turned to watch them as they set down bags and pulled on leather gloves. “F*** off, you c**ts,” Saebald called out to them with a rude gesture. Nihka said nothing, looking elsewhere. “Chasing tail again, Baldy?” “Ignore them, Nikka,” Saebald said as he placed a hand on Nihka’s shoulder. She flinched, and pulled away, turning to face Saebald’s hurt expression. “What?” “..p..please... not touch....” The twin seekers burst out in laughter. “Hey! I’m trying to help you, Nikka. You should be grateful.” “..Not help...” “Sure you do. Those bitches like causing trouble.” Saebald said. Nihka shook her head and pulled away when he tried once again to wrap his arm around her shoulder. “.. take care self...” “He’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel, isn’t he,” one seeker said to the other, drawing Saebald’s attention (thankfully) away from Nihka. “F*** you, U’lata.” “I’m U’tahla! She’s U’lahta.” She pointed to the identical seeker beside her. “Knock it off, all of you!” An older elezen man shouted to the room, and everyone went silent. Nihka took advantage of this moment to put some distance between her and Saebald. He approached Nihka, and hooked his thumbs into his belt. Leaning in, he peered at her closely. She flinched, leaning back. “You must be the cat Archienne told me about. What sort of training do you have?” “Study alchemy.... study... arcanima....” Nihka stammered out. The seeker sisters snickered. “Okay, I’ll be more specific. Do you have any training that might actually apply to fighting?” “...train.... ah... self-defense lesson... Archienne.....a..and.. study dance...” “A dancer? I knew it!” U’lahta whispered to U’tahla. The pair giggled to one another. Saebald smirked. “Good,” their instructor said waving her off. “Assuming you do more than shimmy your hips for gil you might not be completely worthless. Let’s begin.”

This thread should provide a gathering point for those participating in Noirzea who wish to engage in short IC fiction. I encourage anyone involved in this RP plot to enhance the story by posting here. Thank you all!

Well! That didn't take long! Watch here for future events everyone!

Sure thing! Which one would you prefer, I can sign you up now and we'll just make sure to get your sheet ready before the event!

[align=center]Noirzea: Episode One, the Vylbrandi Chocobo[/align] [align=center]Ul’dah is the city that runs on coin.[/align] [align=center]Rain or shine, the market never stops as merchants peddle their wares and the wealthy build their fortunes. The vast mineral wealth of Thanalan allows even a city in the desert to thrive and grow, attracting people from across Eorzea to seek their fortunes, and trade goods flow through the city like water.[/align] [align=center]Ul’dah is the city that runs on coin, but all coins have two sides.[/align] [align=center]The rich feast on fine delicacies while refugees fight for every rotten scrap of food they can find. As Ul’dah proper prospers, its satellite settlements flounder and slowly fade into distant memories. The Brass Blades do what they can to keep the peace, but many are in the pockets of wealthy merchants and abuse their positions of authority for personal gain, leaving the few honest Blades strained to their limits.[/align] [align=center]Noirzea is a story about crime and money, and perhaps those few adventurers who strive to set things right in whatever small ways they can. It is a story of intrigue and mystery, of dark and dirty dealings in the back alleys and highest houses of Ul’dah.[/align] This thread is the out of character sign up and event posting for a Fate-14 plot. Below you will find a list of events which can be signed up to by any player interested or already invested in the Fate-14 system. For more information on the system itself and other plots using it please check here. For relevant information, please read this document. Additionally, a thread for in character posts can be found here. [align=center]Events[/align] Simple Guard Duty (Thursday, May 12th, 9:30 PM Central time) A local merchant caravan seeks able bodied guards to assist and escort a caravan traveling to Ul’dah: [align=center]Caravan guards needed.[/align] [align=center]Interested applicants should contact Ut’mah Nuhn at Vesper Bay. Guards are requested from Vesper Bay through to Scorpion Crossing.[/align] [Definitely combat] 1. Virara 2. Leanne 3. Malin Greaves 4. Zaphir Zurlac Reserve: Missing Child in Silver Bazaar (Friday, May 20th, 10:00 PM Central time) The Adventurer’s Guild seeks immediate assistance: [align=center]At the 19th bell, authorities in Ul’dah were notified that a young midlander girl, Abigail Grey, was reported missing from the Silver Bazaar. Her father, a local fisherman, begs the aid of anyone willing to assist with the search. The Adventurer’s Guild has offered immediate assistance and asks for a quick response from adventurers; the child has been missing for one full sun at the time of this posting.[/align] [align=center]The child was last seen wearing a pale blue tunic. She has olive skin and dark hair and eyes. She is eight summers old.[/align] OoC Note: No IC knowledge of this event will exist until the night of the event. No actions in downtime (between/before events) may be made towards the event. For IC purposes, this notice is posted just a few hours before the actual event occurs. [Largely social. Investigative. Combat possible.] 1. Kiht Jakkya 2. Vael'a 3. Zanzan Yanzan 4. Coatleque Crofte 5. Arblis Reserve: Akiko, Hisa Material Request: Collecting Copper Coblyn Cores The following notice is posted around Ul’dah: [align=center]Notice to all Adventurers[/align] [align=center]The Alchemist Guild, pursuant to Adventurer Guild Regulations, hereby authorizes the following Guildleve:[/align] [align=center]The hunting and harvesting of the soulkin copper coblyns to retrieve their cores. For the furtherance of research, an abundant supply of materials is requested.[/align] [align=center]A reward of coin and adventuring supplies will be provided per batch, dependent on both quantity and quality, as determined by an authorized guild receptionist upon delivery.[/align] [align=center]Leve to remain open until further notice. Inquire at the Ul’dahn Levemete to acquire the appropriate leveplate for official sanction.[/align] OoC Note: This is not an event, per se. Requests for actions towards this goal may be made in the linkshell while I am available, or through RPC private messages. If multiple players wish to hunt together, we can work to try and find an appropriate time to run the event. Even if you don’t get into a group event, you are free do work towards this goal outside of that venue. Things like researching the creatures in question, or flat out just trying to buy the items at the market cheap to turn in for rewards are all viable. This can be Combat, Social, Financial, or however you see fit to approach the leve.

Nihka for Catlizards, please.

Late at night, while her fiancé slept soundly, Nihka busied herself around the estate. Sehki, old enough now to toddle along without being carried and young enough to be direly curious about the chores her mother was doing, was her joyful shadow. She smiled warmly at the sight, Sehki padding around on bare feet in a little green dress and dragging along her Ahriman plush. The plushie was named Ahman; an accident but the name stuck even after Sehki could say the word Ahriman clearly. Cleaning was almost meditative. As her hands brushed a soft cloth against ornate wooden surfaces, knocking dust into the air and leaving the wood gleaming, Nihka’s mind sifted through recent events. Five forestborn and one miqo’te who had taken up with them. They fancied themselves revolutionaries, the rich children of influential families who sought change in society. That she thought of them as children gave Nihka pause. She was hardly older than they were, she was still a child herself in the eyes of Menphina. Fingers slid along the tops of books by rote as her thoughts drifted to her childhood, traveling with her family. At fourteen summers old, she was almost ready to take her trial and become an adult. She was just waiting for their next visit to the clan, but that visit never came. The ixal attacked, her family fought and lost, and the only reason Nihka survived was her older sister holding them off long enough for her to run. She’d never taken her trial, never become an adult. Who was she to call anyone else a child? The miqo’te, Garri, was the most interesting of the bunch. She’d had a vision of the merchant, Pelderain Dornier, being murdered by a masked miqo’te. The same day that Nihka had been arrested by Weylan, hidden away in a secret prison. She didn’t want to think about that part… Nihka pushed those thoughts away as she hoisted a bucket of water up the stairs, what mattered now was the masked miqo’te. Garri described him, or her, dressed in greys and browns, with bright white fur with blue tips. Nihka was no stranger to unusual visions, so she accepted that what the girl had seen was true, but that was no less worrying. White hair with blue tips, though an unusual combination and unlikely to occur naturally, was Anstarra’s true hair color. One moon ago a guest had come to the Redezvous. Vael’a had hosted him, and later went to security to describe the experience as deeply unsettling. He seemed less interested in food and conversation and more in conquest. X’zarann Nuhn had come to scout the location, searching for An. But he found Nihka. As he was leaving he caught sight of her, and his gaze made her want to run and hide. He had white hair with blue tips, like his sister. Nihka’s nostrils flared unconsciously as she scrubbed the wooden floor. Lightly floral soap filled her senses, subtle to most races but quite strong to her huntress/alchemy-trained nose. She’d spent that afternoon, before hosting, cuddling her fiancé. The scent of Anstarra might have been hanging on her. Could he have smelled it? Did he know? What would he do with that knowledge? An was terrified of him, and that meant Nihka was as well. This wouldn’t be the first time Nihka could be used as a means to hurting someone else. She’d been kidnapped before, back when she was still with the Shroudwolves. Assassins seeking out Khloe had grabbed Nihka and bound her to use her as leverage. If she wasn’t careful, someone would use her to hurt An. She couldn’t let that happen. But how would she go about that? Never leaving the house? Never taking another leveplate? Give up her work and hide in the estate forever? She couldn’t do that. As a registered adventurer and loving mother, it was her duty to make the world a safer place for everyone, for her daughter. Nihka ran her hand over her belly, ears flicking. That would be plural, some day. Daughters. Children. How could she raise a family with this threat hanging over their heads? Nihka understood, now, why her mother fought. Kemi fought to the bitter end to save as many of her children as she could, and though she died she had succeeded. Nihka was alive; would she be willing to die to save Sehki? Physically exhausted, Nihka collapsed back into the warmth of Anstarra’s bed while Sehki played in the other room. She tangled herself up as best she could, to enjoy the cuddles until dawn came and the rest of the world woke.

For great justice

Awesome! We've got a full compliment of relative newcomers to the Fate-14 system for Wicked Wolf Woes! More events will be posted soon! If the sheet is incomplete, that's fine. A blank aspect just can't be used, and it might help you to decide what you think is fitting.

Lucy Leaf’s loose leves – A Fate-14 odd job thread Slightly strapped for spending cash? A little Lacking in lucre? Is your gil all gone? We’ll I’ve got your answer. My name’s Lucy; I work for the Adventurer’s Guild here in Gridania and I’ve partnered with a few friends in the other city states to bring top quality tasks to the adventuring masses. Most leves are just glorified odd-jobs, but you adventurers aren’t lame old handymen, traveling from place to place working for a living. You’re in it for the thrill, the risk, the adventure! We search through every leve submitted to find the hidden gems. Sure, you could go looking for leg traps near Quarrymill for the hundredth time, or try and tame some roselets south of Bentbranch; there’s no end to the work, but who wants to visit the same four spots over and over again? Not us! Our leves are hand-picked to be unique and exciting, so stop by your local adventuring guild and ask for Lucy Leaf’s Loose Leves today! OoC: This thread is meant for Fate-14 events that have no major plotline they’re attached to. Little one-off events, great for new players to learn the system without feeling intimidated by the huge plot threads already active with many players. I plan to add to this thread whenever I have the time to spare to run an event (this won’t be often) and each event should take a few hours. There may be repeat NPCs, but the general intent of this thread is for events that specifically don’t connect to anything else. That said, there are quite a few Fate-14 folk skilled at running events. If running large-scale plots is just too arduous for you, I’d be happy to let you use this thread to gather people for little one-off events. Anyone who wishes to get involved with the Fate-14 system is welcome to post in this thread, either signing up for an event, or listing one of their own! (No actual OoC gil changes hands for these events, we’re in this for fun and story not profit.) Lucy’s Current Offerings: Anybody NOAH Good Lab Assistant? (Run by Verad Bellveil) NOAH is seeking independent contractors and those interested in exploring the wonders of Allagan technology to assess an item recently excavated from the area surrounding the Crystal Tower for Doomsday Potential according to NOAH's Five-Point System for deciphering if an object can accidentally destroy the world. No prior experience with magitek or ancient technology required. Healers welcome. Please see Pfarorn Baraspaer at the NOAH Auxiliary Testing Facility in Mor Dhona at the date and time indicated. Pardon our dust; the last set of testers leveled three floors. When: April 29th, 8 PM CST http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=15612&pid=252129#pid252129 Tags: [investigation] [sCIENCE!] [High Possibility of Collateral Damage] Lucy's Past Offerings “We don’t call them jobs. They’re quests. A job is boring, but a quest is an adventure!”

Nihka for Fishers of Men Her curiosity is piqued