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Quote:Three.
There had been three cards, and three stars. I should have known then. Three brilliant lights in the heavens, and three dark cards on my desk, correlating perfectly with one another. The astrolabe never lies, nor does the deck that I had stolen from my mother before leaving for Eorzea.
The first, the trouble in the Sylphlands, has already born fruit and revealed the second. While Lin and her team search for the missing naturalists, another team went to investigate the corruptive disease afflicting the trees and the other flora in the nearer Sylphlands, and discovered that the shards that the bitch Lycelle created from the Void can infect not only creatures of flesh and blood, but also Treants, which can then infect plants through their roots.
During the battle with the Treant, a large branch broke off, but remained animated. The corruption was that strong. It attacked three of the casters that had been with the group - Lionnellais, the Kid, and Jawantal - with a swing of its branching body, cracking their ribs, triggering the Brooding One’s sensitivity to corruption, and given the Kid’s frail nature, his ribs broke and damaged his lungs.
The remaining mage, barely more than a kit himself, Zekaru’li Rakiu, managed to channel the energies of the group and call down the power of the stars, alighting the Treant; fire was the only way to kill the damn thing, and that was the only way they could manage to do it with just summoners, healers, and melee combatants there. Even with Zakrin warming up, and an Ifrit-Egi swiping at it, they needed more fire than that to take it out before it corrupted someone. These Void-plague shards are viscious that way.
Oddly, it is the third that troubles me the most.
The rumours that come from Coerthas bother me. While most worry over the issues the Scions have uncovered, the issues surrounding the drawn out Dragonsong War, my mind turns towards the fact that the commoners may be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Tierell and Di’tirin have heard that the common folk may be turning to the heretics not because they believe in this Saint Shiva’s rhetoric, but because they tire of the Holy See’s corruption of Halone’s teachings, of the Holy See’s treatment of those who are not noble born, they tire of being unable to follow their stars because of the sins the Holy See has committed, because the Holy See continues to go against their destiny and dooms all of Ishgard - they turn to the heretics in desperation, not in belief.
And the heretics welcome them with open arms.
Of course, the heretics will use the common folk just as the Holy See does, but they coat their abuse with promises of freeing them from the shackles the Holy See places on them, with promises of equality after the Holy See has been destroyed. They paint their supposed Saint Shiva as a deliverer, yet they do nothing more but potentially lead the common folk into the arms of a Primal-like being. And possibly the rule of the Dravanians, who may be cruel in their madness, as they have forgotten their destinies just as the Ishgardians have.
Then there are the Dravanians, readying to assault the Ishgardians with the full might of their people for the first time in centuries. The forces are likely more than the forces of the Holy See are capable of handling, and they likely are going to use the common folk as fodder in their campaign, or at the very least, leave them the least guarded.
Ishgard is not ready for the attack that is coming.
Above all, I worry for the true people of Halone. As the Scions ready to stand with the Holy See, and will draw in those of Eorzea who are willing to help, I personally am preparing those of the Embers who are willing to stand to protect the commoners from their many threats.
The Embers are preparing to go to war - against the Dravanians, against the heretics, and against the Holy See. We will fight to the last breath to protect those who are forgotten in the Dragonsong War, to free them from the archaic caste system that leaves them for dead when their betters no longer have use for them, to keep them safe from those who would prey upon them in their most desperate hour, and fight their ancient enemy once their oppressors are struck down.
Should these rumours prove correct, we shall fight against even those we know as friends if they cannot see they are allied with the monsters in the snow; we can only hope they can see sense in time.
“Lances of light herald the dawn,
Beckoning shadows deeper still.
Splendour dances with shades
Unsheathed, a rime kissed blade
Spills crimson o’er fields of white.â€
…I believe I know what he meant by it, you stupid bard…
And so the Embers shall go into Ishgard…
So, this is a journal entry from Claire's journal that makes allusions to the plot we’re running for 3.0’s release. The plot focuses on the sociopolitical situation in Ishgard, allowing members to introduce Au Ra characters (either new characters, or characters who are reforging into Au Ra through the story - did we mention there was a crazy Garlean scientist involved too? >.> ), and getting to know the various areas of the new lands. It should be noted there’s several ways this can go, based on how things go leading up to and into patch 3.0, but there may seriously be a three front battle between the Ember Alliance, the Dravanians, the heretics, and a contingent of the Holy See. It also mentions the continuation of the It's Probably Primals plot with just crossed over our Outbreak plot.
If you’re interested in getting in on this RP plot - or any RP plot - that we’re doing, join the Ember Alliance by applying on the Dark Embers website. You don’t have to participate in all our plots when you’re an ally member, so if you’re not into the whole Primal thing, you don’t have to do those plots, however the Shiva Ex fight will be included in this plot, since she’s in the heretic story.
We usually have a brief OOC interview via Mumble, then an IC scene to get a person into the alliance. We have an IC linkpearl and an OOC linkpearl, so you need to LS slots. The website and the mumble are open to all alliance members, and again, you can participate in as little or as many events as you want as an alliance member.
This was originally posted on Tumblr via Claire's journal, and re-blogged to my XIV blog there. I figured I may as well post it here as our update for the month.
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