Setting the Board
The following events take place just before present day events in A Realm Reborn.
“I’ll be home shortly my darling,†Cartius said lovingly into the linkpearl. The room around him was dimly lit. The Felstar patriarch’s expensive crimson robes matched his magnificent ruby ring. “You know how these silly meetings are. Everyone wants their exhibit front and center in the museum. Yes, yes. I love you too, Nefron. See you soon, my love.â€
Cartius smiled faintly as he tucked the pearl away and turned around to meet the gaze of a gagged hyur midlander who was strapped to a wooden chair. The prisoner’s face had seen better days no doubt, blood trickling down his forehead, bruises on his cheeks and eyes, his clothes filthy, and non-fatal cuts all over his body. His auburn hair was a disheveled mess. A masked miqo’te, Vertigo, stood behind him. Her white hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail and her dark leather outfit blended almost too perfectly with the room, a sharp contrast to Cartius’s more regal attire.
Cartius strode calmly toward the man as Vertigo removed the gag from the prisoner’s mouth. The trapped man was trembling faintly, though was clearly trying desperately to hold his ground as a look of loathing emanated from his eyes. He spoke with contention in his voice. “You monster. You’ll never get your hands on it. So just give it up while you’re still ahead.â€
Cartius smiled confidently as he placed a strong hand on the prisoner’s shoulder, causing the man to flinch slightly. “Never is a very long time. And there’s always one birdy out there who just can’t resist chirping. I wonder who amongst your family is the chirper…â€
The prisoner’s eyes widened in horror. “Stay away from my family, you son of a bitch! I’m the only one who knows where it is. They know nothing. I swear if you even try…â€
“You are hardly in a position to make threats,†Cartius said with a smug smile on his face. “Your determination to keep me from what’s mine is admirable though. I suppose it’s pointless to continue this if you’re adamant in taking this to your grave. So I bid you farewell.â€
Cartius turned and walked toward the dark room’s entrance, exiting without another word. The imprisoned man began to tremble again as he heard Vertigo move behind him. Then everything went dark.
Elza smiled warmly as she handed the folder to the elezen woman standing in the Gridanian doorway. “So as soon as the permission slips are signed by the orphanage, we should be able to set a date for the field trip. I’ve listed  a few dates in there as suggestions as to what will work best for the museum.â€
The elezen woman took the folder with a smile, glancing at the files within briefly before tucking the file beneath her arm. She then tucked a strand of her short red hair behind her ear before speaking. “Thank you so much, Elza. I can’t tell you how much the orphanage appreciates your attention. Please pass my thanks to all those in Sanctum who helped with this.â€
“It’s our pleasure,†Elza said softly with a gentle look in her eyes. “House Felstar believes very strongly in equal education opportunities for all children. That includes those who continue to have to deal with the unfortunate fallout years ago.â€
A linkpearl strapped to Elza’s leather belt began to glow faintly. The Sanctum leader frowned slightly. “I’m sorry to cut our visit so short. I have to take this.â€
“Of course,†the elezen woman replied. “I’m sure your work is never done. Thank you again and we’ll see you soon hopefully!â€
Elza smiled and waved into the room behind the elezen, where several eager children waved back. “See you all in a couple weeks at the field trip!â€
“Bye Miss Elza!†The children shouted in partial unison as the smiling elezen slowly shut the door behind her.
Elza turned and began to walk down the Gridanian pathway with a happy smile on her face as she took the linkpearl from her belt strap. “Yes?â€
“Everything is set to go at the Bannock,†the male voice responded. “All we gotta do now is time it just right.â€
“Wonderful,†Elza stated softly as she continued walking down the path toward her cabin in an almost seductive stride. The hyur reached into a small pouch attached to her belt and withdrew a single chess piece, the black queen. “The Twin Adders won’t know what hit them.â€
Kylin crossed his arms as the museum curator continued to ramble endlessly. The exhibit hall was empty, save the two hyurs. Kylin wore an elegant longcoat with matching high rise boots and leather gauntlets. The coat itself was tight enough from the waist up to show his more masculine figure. His short platinum blond hair remained down, bangs covering most of his forehead. The young hyur man, clearly tired of hearing the old man talk endlessly, finally held up a single hand to silence him.
“Let’s just move the exhibit to the Oracle’s Chamber in the west wing,†Kylin stated matter-of-factly. “Its current location is out of the way for that part of the tour anyway.â€
“I suppose we could do that,†the old curator said softly. “But the Oracle’s Chamber was originally reserved for the Astronomy Exhibit.â€
“Ah yes, I had forgotten about that. Is there a reason we still haven’t got that exhibit up for presentation?â€
The curator nodded and sighed deeply. “A key centerpiece of the exhibit was Ekdinah Mavanix’s prophetic orb. The lady had actually intended to donate it to the exhibit years ago prior to her unfortunate demise over five years ago.â€
Kylin raised an eyebrow, seemingly caught off guard by the mentioning of Ekidnah’s name. “Ah yes, I recall that day quite clearly. She had the artifact with her at the time of her demise. I’d bet one of those rogue mercenaries took it like the vultures they are. Keep the exhibit on the back burner. I’ll find the artifact and return it to our hands, one way or another.â€
The curator bowed before exiting the empty museum chamber. Kylin stared at the single piece of painted art on the wall before him, though it was debatable whether his mind was on the exquisite painting of a draconic creature emerging from Dalamud or on something else entirely. After a long moment of silence, a voice from a linkpearl attached to his belt could be heard. The hyur unbuckled the pearl and put it to his ear. He smiled faintly to himself. “Ah, finally. Actual meaningful progress with the excavation. Yes, I’ll be at the ruins shortly. Tell the miners to halt further work until I arrive.â€
The following events take place just before present day events in A Realm Reborn.
“I’ll be home shortly my darling,†Cartius said lovingly into the linkpearl. The room around him was dimly lit. The Felstar patriarch’s expensive crimson robes matched his magnificent ruby ring. “You know how these silly meetings are. Everyone wants their exhibit front and center in the museum. Yes, yes. I love you too, Nefron. See you soon, my love.â€
Cartius smiled faintly as he tucked the pearl away and turned around to meet the gaze of a gagged hyur midlander who was strapped to a wooden chair. The prisoner’s face had seen better days no doubt, blood trickling down his forehead, bruises on his cheeks and eyes, his clothes filthy, and non-fatal cuts all over his body. His auburn hair was a disheveled mess. A masked miqo’te, Vertigo, stood behind him. Her white hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail and her dark leather outfit blended almost too perfectly with the room, a sharp contrast to Cartius’s more regal attire.
Cartius strode calmly toward the man as Vertigo removed the gag from the prisoner’s mouth. The trapped man was trembling faintly, though was clearly trying desperately to hold his ground as a look of loathing emanated from his eyes. He spoke with contention in his voice. “You monster. You’ll never get your hands on it. So just give it up while you’re still ahead.â€
Cartius smiled confidently as he placed a strong hand on the prisoner’s shoulder, causing the man to flinch slightly. “Never is a very long time. And there’s always one birdy out there who just can’t resist chirping. I wonder who amongst your family is the chirper…â€
The prisoner’s eyes widened in horror. “Stay away from my family, you son of a bitch! I’m the only one who knows where it is. They know nothing. I swear if you even try…â€
“You are hardly in a position to make threats,†Cartius said with a smug smile on his face. “Your determination to keep me from what’s mine is admirable though. I suppose it’s pointless to continue this if you’re adamant in taking this to your grave. So I bid you farewell.â€
Cartius turned and walked toward the dark room’s entrance, exiting without another word. The imprisoned man began to tremble again as he heard Vertigo move behind him. Then everything went dark.
Elza smiled warmly as she handed the folder to the elezen woman standing in the Gridanian doorway. “So as soon as the permission slips are signed by the orphanage, we should be able to set a date for the field trip. I’ve listed  a few dates in there as suggestions as to what will work best for the museum.â€
The elezen woman took the folder with a smile, glancing at the files within briefly before tucking the file beneath her arm. She then tucked a strand of her short red hair behind her ear before speaking. “Thank you so much, Elza. I can’t tell you how much the orphanage appreciates your attention. Please pass my thanks to all those in Sanctum who helped with this.â€
“It’s our pleasure,†Elza said softly with a gentle look in her eyes. “House Felstar believes very strongly in equal education opportunities for all children. That includes those who continue to have to deal with the unfortunate fallout years ago.â€
A linkpearl strapped to Elza’s leather belt began to glow faintly. The Sanctum leader frowned slightly. “I’m sorry to cut our visit so short. I have to take this.â€
“Of course,†the elezen woman replied. “I’m sure your work is never done. Thank you again and we’ll see you soon hopefully!â€
Elza smiled and waved into the room behind the elezen, where several eager children waved back. “See you all in a couple weeks at the field trip!â€
“Bye Miss Elza!†The children shouted in partial unison as the smiling elezen slowly shut the door behind her.
Elza turned and began to walk down the Gridanian pathway with a happy smile on her face as she took the linkpearl from her belt strap. “Yes?â€
“Everything is set to go at the Bannock,†the male voice responded. “All we gotta do now is time it just right.â€
“Wonderful,†Elza stated softly as she continued walking down the path toward her cabin in an almost seductive stride. The hyur reached into a small pouch attached to her belt and withdrew a single chess piece, the black queen. “The Twin Adders won’t know what hit them.â€
Kylin crossed his arms as the museum curator continued to ramble endlessly. The exhibit hall was empty, save the two hyurs. Kylin wore an elegant longcoat with matching high rise boots and leather gauntlets. The coat itself was tight enough from the waist up to show his more masculine figure. His short platinum blond hair remained down, bangs covering most of his forehead. The young hyur man, clearly tired of hearing the old man talk endlessly, finally held up a single hand to silence him.
“Let’s just move the exhibit to the Oracle’s Chamber in the west wing,†Kylin stated matter-of-factly. “Its current location is out of the way for that part of the tour anyway.â€
“I suppose we could do that,†the old curator said softly. “But the Oracle’s Chamber was originally reserved for the Astronomy Exhibit.â€
“Ah yes, I had forgotten about that. Is there a reason we still haven’t got that exhibit up for presentation?â€
The curator nodded and sighed deeply. “A key centerpiece of the exhibit was Ekdinah Mavanix’s prophetic orb. The lady had actually intended to donate it to the exhibit years ago prior to her unfortunate demise over five years ago.â€
Kylin raised an eyebrow, seemingly caught off guard by the mentioning of Ekidnah’s name. “Ah yes, I recall that day quite clearly. She had the artifact with her at the time of her demise. I’d bet one of those rogue mercenaries took it like the vultures they are. Keep the exhibit on the back burner. I’ll find the artifact and return it to our hands, one way or another.â€
The curator bowed before exiting the empty museum chamber. Kylin stared at the single piece of painted art on the wall before him, though it was debatable whether his mind was on the exquisite painting of a draconic creature emerging from Dalamud or on something else entirely. After a long moment of silence, a voice from a linkpearl attached to his belt could be heard. The hyur unbuckled the pearl and put it to his ear. He smiled faintly to himself. “Ah, finally. Actual meaningful progress with the excavation. Yes, I’ll be at the ruins shortly. Tell the miners to halt further work until I arrive.â€
