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After days of nightmareish exhaustion, one of the marked ones - Norien - revealed through sensitive deduction that the now possessed Franisbel was heading north, to Coerthas. Begrudingly, the group gathered to follow on the tracks of the outwordly, reality-wrecking presence. Its wake was recognizeable, for it laid death and misery wherever it went, its' passage was unmistakable. They reached an abandoned, worn-down village in the hostile frozen land. What they found was a sight that would have stuck with them till the end of their days; corpses were piled up on tall pikes like pork chops on skewers, all around the village's perimeter. Just nearby, an insane overweight priest was chanting all kinds of horrors to summon a sickening creature; amidst howls and horrifying screams, the abomination grew as a sewn-together agglomerate of all sentient species' limbs, alongside animals. It was a living terror, screaming with rage and agony. The group faced it, in a low-drawn battle against the foul creation of an impressive sturdy resilience. The priest seemed immune to all kinds of attacks as well, ravenous and delirious as he was, he moved out of the scene to disappear, and answer the call of his master. Following the priest led to an underground location, where a ritual was taking place. The marked members of the Rootless suffered the most vivid nightmares, to the point of feeling mentally crippled. In the gloomy underground, possessed Fran was attempting a ritual with the priest and a pregnant girl known as The Becoming. A ritual of invitation where Atuteran was supplied an "empty" mortal vessel in order to manifest its form and full power in the mortal world. The child had to be willingly offered by the mother and given to him from her arms. Her life force is given in the process as a kind of reverence. With Maya and Norien subjugated by the mark's influence, Dwassyith, Xihsa'li and Kami had to stop the ritual - and it happened barely, and just in time. The Becoming had been stopped, retreating into a temporary defeat and leaving Fran's vessel free to regain its own conscience. In an underground prison of the church, the group found Baelser Voranti, the author of the book focused on the legend of Atuteran. The following days were spent in Ishgard, where the group had been stuck under the hammering force of a blizzard. Only after the weather got cleared, they could depart for the final journey to put a stop to this once and for all: Ala Mhigo and the ancient temple of Atuteran was waiting for them. Voranti was set on performing the risky ritual called "The Anchoring". By reversing the ritual which once created the infernal Voidstone, Baelser hoped he could imbalance its nature and destroy it. Even before they began, things went wrong. Kebbe, being marked, was affected by the Demon and sent into madness. As the ritual began, binding Xihsa'li, Maya, Fran and Baelser himself into a difficult, magical struggle, she attacked with fierce ferocity in order to claim The Voidstone. Even as she was subdued by her mate, Norien lost her will to the power of the mark. In a bout of madness, she entered the circle in order to give herself to her God, therefor heralding a second Becoming. As the four mages fiercely struggled with the difficulties of the ritual, the Demon came forth and took her for its own. The end was near and hopelessness clung to their minds, when Baelser eventually managed to seal the last seal and unmake the stone. As it was destroyed, the Demon was sent spiraling back into the void, but not before it could end Baelser's life.

The concrete sign that the collaboration between the Red Hibiscus and Kallius sat badly on someone's stomach arrived soon enough: one night, the Red Hibiscus got sieged all of a sudden by unknown numerous troops of goons. Destruction and slaughter followed in a battle that involved the entirety of the building, between the armed violent invaders and the residents posing a strenuous resistance. In the conflict, Gaubert lost his life by the hand of the flamboyant grunts leader Glavant, and Kebbe got shot, causing her to go bed-ridden once more. Once the onslaught met its end and the Hibiscus got successfully defended, a surviving lackey got interrogated to understand who was behind the daring attack. It turned out that Miamoli had striked an alliance with Glavant, the Elezen gunslinger who got away with death through a timely exit. Immense outrage led the Black Hand to pack up for an immediate trip to Thanalan. Dwassyith's goal was to cut off the wealth-making joints belonging to Miamoli, so to choke her profits routes. Forces divided into several groups, as the Hibiscus residents took care of a speakeasy hub and a drugs-making laboratory. The retaliating attacks were successful, if not for the fact that on Maya's side, some witnesses managed to survive during the mass-slaughter that she caused - much to everybody's surprise. The reverberating echo of the mini genocide would have undoubtedly spread like an oil stain thorough all corners of Thanalan in the following days. Most of the drugs manifacturing materials had been sent back to Limsa, so that the Black Hand might have reproduced them in their own labs and thus, claiming the monopoly of the Sapphire and Cherry narcotics. Only a night passed, before an informant reached the Black Hand contingent that was hiding and resting in the Invisible City. Miamoli and Glavant had been spotted leaving Ul'dah, rumours had that they intended to take an airship together and leave the nation for good. Without wasting a minute longer, everybody moved out in a rushed chasing of the two hated enemies. They were found moving together on a vertical platform clinging to a mountain side, which worked as an airship landing. In perfect Glavant-style, the treacherous Elezen left behind Miamoli and his guards to fight against the vengenful group and once more got away, through a swift departure on the airship. The arduous conflict between the tiny Au Ra's forces and the Black Hand saw injuries to be distributed on both sides, ending eventually with the capture of the notorious head of the Hounds gang. Two days were spent travelling back to Limsa Lominsa with their new living prize, whom however wasn't spared of numerous torments. The messenger of Captain Glass got informed that it was time to deliver the good news and arrange a new meeting with the leader of the Blackfog Clan.

After having gathered enough strength, the group decided to press forward towards the location where the clan of the 'Black Dow' ship resided. Under the guidance of Old Grim they took a boat and sailed across an inland stream of water that brought them to the right location: the 'Black Fog' village. The first approach with the locals was hidden in the shadows, as the group stumbled upon two drunkards up to foolery on the beach. Old Grim took the first brave step in trying to earn himself a parley with them, but he got shot right in the head for he has had a beef with the clan in the past. Following this shocking beginning, the group in hiding managed to negotiate - through odd games and twisted trickery - to meet the leader of the nefarious Black Fog clan, Captain Glass. A long and tense conversation took place, while the loyal and devoted inhabitants of the village gathered themselves around their Pirate King. Much to everybody's surprise, it was revealed that Miamoli was behind the whole ordeal of headaches and injuries that the group had to endure: she striked a deal with Captain Glass to down the ships and return the cargo to her. Dwas persuaded him that the man that a deal with him would be a thousand times less bloody and more profitable, and that he should fully let go of Miamoli as a business partner. They reached an agreement, where Captain Glass demanded that Miamoli was taken to him, alive and in person, while his pirate galleons would have withheld any attacks. Once this would have been achieved, he would consider agreeing on a new deal with Dwassyith over the seas trade routes. The next day, the group was sent back to Limsa Lominsa on one of Glass' galleons. Finally on their way home, everybody had time to breathe in relief and tend to their wounds. The island and its hazards were finally left behind. In the following days, Kallius visited the Red Hibiscus and obtained a business meeting with the residents. The man was in trouble, for a rival without a face attacked his Ul'dahn distillery and destroyed it, jeopardizing this way his relationship with his clients in the East. The Hibiscus' collaborators would have taken care of storing, producing and delivering his products to the awaiting customers, for a suffered seventy percent of the profits. Of course, such newborn collaboration between them and the burly highlander might not have gone unnoticed, especially by those who had something to say against it...

The life on the island proved to be nothing short of harrowing; the group had sought refuge into a sea cave that got flod with high tide water far too soon, and saw themselves forced to find a more secure shelter in the jungle. A moment respite was given when they found an abandoned, worn-down shack that hosted their plight for several days. The injuries were severe and infections were frequent, but thankfully the group had found some medical supplies and food in other forsaken cabins in the tropical forest. The fortunate presence of Teirra provided with steady healing recovery, Tobias relied on his unfaillable talent for fishing and kept the group as much fed as it was reasonably possible. Kebbe helped gathering herbs and berries, along with the materials for Norien's stretcher, Dawn contributed by gathering wood, hunting and trapping jungle critters, and Kami sought to carve a bow out of whatever resources were available. After what was judged to be 'enough recovery', theg group ventured into the forest to make contact with the local pirates. They found a perilous-looking bridge that gave all the impressions to be unstable, but they bravely begun to cross it, under the 'encouragement' of a large lizard creature that was approaching them to mark its territory. On the other side of the bridge, a diseased pirate appeared, holding a bomb and stating that the group had to pay a 'fee' to the Shellbacks clan in order to pass. The 'fee' in question was going to be Naelia, Dwassyith's sister, and there was no attempt of negotiating anything different that could have made the madman change his mind on what he wanted. In a desperate attempt to spare his sister a destiny of certain rape, violence and likely death, Dwas grabbed her and jumped into the chasm underneath the bridge. Under everybody's shocked eyes, they disappeared. The rest of the group managed to run back to the previous half of the abyss in time, and the flabbergasted Shellback pirate disappeared back into his own territory. After days of apprehension and scouting, the group found the entrance of an underground cave that had the same river the siblings fell in, meeting the ocean side. By exploring that cave they encountered Old Grim, a bizarre and eccentric Roegadyn who talked to a bioluminescent fungus attached to a rock as his best friend and advisor. The odd character however happened to have been the one who found and rescued Dwassyith and Naelia from the cold waters of the underground cave that hosted their fall. Reunited with their leader in collective relief, the group settled in the cave to recover their energies and rest. Suddenly, their Roegadyn cave-dwelling host of unsound mind seemed to be their only source of information regarding the island, even if perhaps not the most veritable...

The current personnel of the Red Hibiscus consists mostly of NPCs: young and beautiful prostitutes, waitresses and waiters, and a bartender. Performer Kami Coming from the stage of Mih Khetto's Ampitheatre, Kami is a one of the dedicated entertainers at the Red Hibiscus. A highly experienced minstrel skilled in harp, piano, lute and flute, as well as a beautiful voice - She covers a range of sounds to suit your musical tastes. Head Bartender Elizabeth Kaeden Elizabeth, or Eli as most know her by, is one of the many warm smiles that work at the Bar of the Red Hibiscus. Should you time it well enough, you might even be able to catch her up on stage, her voice being a hidden gem only recently discovered by the Hibiscus! Whilst she's more than happy to greet any warmly - It's best to behave whilst around her lest you want to attract a far more icy gaze from her! Waitresses and waiters Jade An ul'dahn girl with a natural bright smile and very cheerful personality. Jade is warm-hearted and kind, a social party animal who loves mingling and loves her job. She is a bartender, dancer and singer. Yandih A'yandih Jhida, or Yandih for short, works as a waitress at the Hibiscus full-time, although tends to stay to the background. She appears shy, a little uncertain in her manners, but when she sets her mind to serving her customers, she does it diligently and with sweet smiles to boot. Despite her shyness, she is a hardworking part of the service team and her favorite tasks revolve around aiding the other waitresses and barkeepers in their duties. With a little patience and friendliness from her patrons, her meek manners can easily bloom into warmth and laughter. Prostitutes Lotus Lotus likes to dance and play away the time, but doesn't mind sitting down to drown in his customers eyes close quarters. Dahlia (NPC) A beautiful, blonde and tall midlander hyur with really long legs. She appears to be pretty calm and mysterious, and doesn’t talk much. Silene (NPC) On the first look, this auri woman appears to be pretty mysterious and calm, just like Dahlia. But she is quite the opposite - Silene is mouthy, and behaves like a little, picky and hot-headed princess. Rose (NPC) This seeker woman is loud and lively, and makes lots and lots of compliments. Not only to her clients - but also to her colleagues. Rose is pretty open, and seems to extremely enjoy her job. Lupin (NPC) Lupin appears to be pretty confident, and he is also a complete flirt. He doesn’t hide the fact that he thinks about himself as attractive, and he can be pretty stubborn with his attempts to convince a customer to choose him. Celosia (NPC) A Roegadyn lady of huge built and a very muscular body. Despite her appearance, she seems to be a very warm and lovely person - and enjoys having deep and long talks with her customers.

After almost one week of interrogation and torture, the eccentric pirate Zigzag was given a serum crafted by Kebbe, which was supposed to loosen his tongue. The effect of the serum was far more powerful than expected, and caused the man to live enhancened nightmares buried within his psyche. However, amidst the delirious screaming and terror, he uttered the name 'Redwater Cove'. After more 'encouragement', the hostage spilled the details about a secret and hidden cove located somewhere in the Indigo Deep. The following day, Dwassyith held a meeting with the rest of the Red Hibiscus residents and briefed them on what Zigzag revealed about the mysterious pirate cove: it was a place ruled by six pirate lords at the head of six different clans. Each clan had one shore of the island named after themselves. The pirates were taught the way to the island and out of it since they were children and unless one knew the exact path, finding it would have been virtually impossible. For this reason, Zigzag had to act as the living map for the group, in exchange of his potential freedom upon reaching destination. Indeed the group departed at dawn. They hired a roegadyn captain, Sharp Fang, and her crew operating on the 'Rhotano Wave' vessel. The journey proved to be tranquil at first, but when the terrifyingly recognizeable fog started to envelope the galleon, that was when problems had started. The vessel was about to crash against the wreckage of an old ship ahead when the stirring wheel of the Rhotano Wave got stuck. Thanks to Tobias extremely hazardous intervention at the entangled rudder and the fact Dwassyith asked for the anchor to be tossed down, the ship got slowed down before it could even crash. However, the fisherman found himself in deep trouble underwater and it took the intervention of Crimson Dawn and Khadagahn to reel him back on board. However, the group didn't even have the time to get any closer to the fog-shrouded shore, when a gigantic sea-serpent of colossal proportions attacked the Rhotano Wave, leaving absolutely no chance to anybody to stop what was inevitably going to happen. By crashing down on the doomed ship, the serpent cracked it in half and caused an hysteria of panic and destruction. The majority of the crew died in the impact, others went lost, and Dwassyith's group received severe injuries of all kinds. The marine currents brought their floating bodies ashore, as the shallow waters were coloured in red, fully reflecting the fitting name of the cove. The group lost their ship, their crew and their navigator, and found themselves lost on the lonely shore of an unknown island ruled by rampaging pirates. They had nothing else apart from their wounds, and each other...

The big day of the battle over the seas arrived. Dwassyith's team departed from Vesper bay, and as soon as it entered La Noscean waters, it got approached by a looming fog. The Ul'dahn trading vessel got soon boarded by the gigantic 'Black Dow' pirate vessel, which revealed itself to be gargantuan in size the moment it appeared from the magical mists. A bloody battle ensued on the upper deck, just before Xihsa'li team (made by a xebec ship and a frigate) came to assist, and that's when the pirates got the first thorn sunk into their side. An exchange of magic spells and cannon balls saw the regrettable loss of the lent frigate, but ultimately also the victory of the Lominsan team. As an ending act of the conflict over the waters, the Black Dow got boarded by the winners and amidst the dead bodies and general wreckage of the defeated vessel, the captain Merry Zigzag and his quivering scribe were found and taken as hostages. They got taken to two different locations for interrogation, in order to find out more about who had actually been behind the Black Dow attacks. Worthy of notice was Kallius, who proved himself to be a valuable addition to the Lominsan team, and coordinated the attacks in harmony with the much younger Keeper male at the head of the group. Despite the victorious outcome, the losses in terms of money and manpower were far heavier than foreseen. For this reason, all the inhabitants of the Hibiscus were pressured to make more money, in huger quantities and in shorter amounts of time. Kebbe overworked herself in her alchemist laboratory with the production of painkillers, Kami channeled her efforts into her fencing of precious wares, Norien and Xih decided to kick up a greater amount of money weekly from their brothel and money-lending activities. Luckily, the unexpected assistance of Baroness Estelle Robillard came into the scene in a very timely way. She entertained a conversation with the golden-eyed Seeker, and offered to pay of her own pocket the debt entailing the sunken frigate, in exchange of a personal favour. The nature of which remained unrevealed, for the moment. Thanks to Teirra's assistance, Tobias recovery was on its way to completion. Dwassyith discussed with the fisherman a small job entailing cleaning the docks of the presence of the 'Leviathans', a minor gang who has proved to be a nuisance to many. On the job, a new addition would be expected to prove her worth: Athae, an Auri woman of sensual looks and mysterious ways who stated to be well versed in combat.

Bad news came on the docks of Limsa Lominsa, when a thick magical fog manifested itself on the horizon. Cannonfire and mayhem followed, causing Ul'dahn mercantile ships to get destroyed by a mysterious attacker. When Dwassyith and the rest of the Hibiscus' residents rushed down on the piers, it was already too late: the docks were littered with wreckage of all kinds and sizes, the broken bones of the extremely precious vessels that were awaited by the Black Hand. In the dreadfully sudden commotion-on-water was also caught Tobias, whom had gone fishing when the fog-shrouded enemy appeared. The fisherman got treated by Teirra and brought back to the Hibiscus house, while Dwassyith, Norien and Kami went on scouting the harbour on a dinghy, in the hope of finding hints about what exactly happened, among the shredded remains and shambles. They found nothing. The following day, more distressing news came: the fog-attackers striked again, and sank another Ul'dahn ship which was meant to dock in the morning. Seeing a pattern, Dwassyith began suspecting - along with Xihsa'li's helpful reasoning - that the Black Hand's business was the target of the assaults. Vincent's visit to the Hibiscus, as vibrantly cold as ever, only raised the level of tension and urgency. The fog-attackers had to be stopped, and quickly, lest the money losses would have been incommensurable. A strategy began taking shape, where Dwassyith decided to bring a contingent of people with him to Ul'dah (Dawn, Naelia, Teirra, Khada and Gaubert) to board the next Ul'dahn vessel in Vesper Bay, with the intent to inspect the cirumstances, reinforce the vessel itself and protect the extremely prized cargo. Another group of people would have stayed behind with Xihsa'li in Limsa Lominsa (Kami, Kebbe, Norien and Tobias). At the very last minute, Kallius - a seasoned mercenary with seafaring expertise - joined up Xihsa'li's team. The Keeper's group would have had the primary goal to prevent the enemy vessel to approach the mercantile ship and possibly destroy the threat once and for all. The two groups separated the next day, with tense spirits and feverishly working minds, for the stress was high and the stakes were even higher.

After the journey in Kugane, Dwassyith and his collaborators travelled back to Limsa Lominsa. They opened a new business venue called 'The Red Hibiscus', a gentlemen's club and pleasure den owned by Dwassyith but managed by Norien. In the same building, Xihsa'li decided to open a money-lending business. Many new faces and additions joined the core group: N'Kebbe was met in Kugane, a little alchemist who decided to tag along to help Dwassyith with the refinement of the Dragon Breath herb. At the Hibiscus itself, the group met Kami, a talented musician and entertainer who was discovered to have a knack for shadier business venues. Swiftly after joined Teirra, a pale and black-clad courtesan who also provides medical services for the group. In terms of Home Security, the group had the pleasure to hire the new faces Khadagahn, Gaubert and Anthelme Robillard - a fiesty Au Ra woman and two Ishgardian Elezen on a business mission in Limsa Lominsa. Recently, two hyur men joined the scene - a bouncer by the name of Henri Avery and a fisherman, Tobias Hughes. The Red Hibiscus has seen weeks bustling with activity, mingling, conflict and all manners of socializing.

Security Home Security is made of an array of PCs and NPCs. There are currently five active PCs and six NPCs patrolling the Red Hibiscus' premises. The Head of Security is currently Gaubert Robillard (PC), who responds directly to Dwassyith and Xihsa'li. Other members of Security personnel (PC) are: Gaubert Robillard Khadagahn Bairon Crimson Dawn Tobias Hughes Duties and Rights of the House Security Rights: - Gaubert has the master key for every place apart from the offices, the vault and the laboratory. - If any of the aforementioned places (offices, vault, laboratory) are found barged in without authorization, open or ransacked, every member of Home Security has the right to enter and investigate what happened. It would be ideal to find the culprit, capture them or kill them. - For what entails enforcing the House rules, Home Security has the right to respond to violence with violence. - If anyone is found trying to sneak in by the windows, the main door or any other way, Home Security has the right to rely on violence. - If a client or a patron of the brothel bothers the girls, causes a ruckus and doesn't want to leave, Home Security has the right to rely on violence. - If a straggler person is found entering the private areas such as the kitchen, the private corridor, the private bathroom and the living room on the second floor, it's reccommendable to ask them to leave. If they don't oblige, violence can be relied upon. - For what concerns the inhabitants of the house, if Home Security witnesses a brawl between residents, violence can be used in order to sedate it. - If a resident threatens another resident and is about to use violence, Home Security has the right to respond with violence. Duties: - Home Security has the duty to protect and assist Dwassyith, Xihsa'li and Norien with anything that is requested and required. - If someone has to be killed for whatever reason Dwassyith reckons worthy of death, Home Security has the duty to assist in making it happen. - Home Security has the duty to report of every altercation (be it minor or major) to the Head of Security. Alternatively, they can report directly to Dwassyith or Xihsa'li, should the Head of Security be unavailable at that time. - The Head of Security has the duty to report every altercation (be it minor or major) either to Dwassyith or to Xihsa'li. Front Door There are always two Roegadyn males standing outside and in front of the front door. They alternate shifts with two others, between dayshift and nightshift. The Security at the door always collects the weapons of every guest coming in, and they return them once the guest is about to leave. The weapons are being kept in an armoury inside the establishment. Sometimes the guards may search guests with a more thorough body inspection, in cases where there is suspicion of hidden weaponry on their person. Basement - The Red Hibiscus The basement is where the Red Hibiscus brothel is, and it's the only part of the house that is up for free loitering for guests. The basement sees bartenders, waitresses, bouncers and dancers NPCs working in it, so even if they aren't actively played, you can safely assume that they exist in the background. The brothel opens from the evening hours till late at night. It extends to dawnlight during the weekends. Underneath the staircase of the basement there is a locked and reinforced door commonly referred to as 'The Vault'. No information is provided over what the Vault exactly is, and the only one having the keys to open the door is Dwas. First Floor - Living Quarters The first floor is composed of corridor, kitchen, laboratory and private bathroom. Guests aren't allowed to loiter in this part of the house, unless they have to reach the private chambers (either for dancer services or to visit the private room of a resident of the house). Under these circumstances, guests must be escorted by a resident of the house to the entrance of the private chambers. They aren't to be let unattended and free to roam around the first floor. The kitchen is where the residents can find food free for consumption. The food expenses are on the Black Hand, and so is the 'rent' of the residents' lodging. The laboratory is always locked, and the only ones who have keys to access it are Kebbe, Dwas, Xihsa'li and Gaubert. The private bathroom is a bathroom only for the residents of the house. Not for guests. Second Floor - The Offices & Lounge On the second floor there are the offices and the private lounge. This living space can be accessed by guests only under appointment and they still have to be escorted upstairs by one of the residents. The offices are always closed and locked. Nobody has free access to them apart from the person of reference to the office itself. The lounge can be accessed freely by all residents of the house. The Offices Dwassyith (Middle office) - This is the central office, and the place of coordination for what entails every minor business underneath him (brothel and loan-sharking). It also is where Dwassyith coordinates his work on the docks, which is one of the rackets under the dominion of Vincent Aurora. Some of the papers in his office are in drawers, likely the less important ones. Others are locked away in safeboxes or downright hidden. Xihsa'li (Left office) - This office has the placard 'Lifeboat Financing' attached to the side of the door, complete with the name 'Mr. Tayuun'. Here is where Xihsa'li receives appointments with potential clientele for his moneylending business, as well as deals with any other administrative duties he takes part in. Much of his important papers are held in a safe within the room, the door always locked and the key carried only by himself. Norien (Right office) - This is the office of Norien Devanney, the Madame in charge of the Red Hibiscus brothel management. Here is where she conducts her recruitment interviews, private talks and general administration tasks. Additional Chambers The OOC additional chambers in the House are considered to be a separate floor that cannot be OOCly seen, but it exists ICly. They see the presence of "Hibiscus Private Rooms", which are the rooms where the dancers take their customers to - alongside with several residents' private quarters. There is also the House Clinic ran by Teirra (who goes under the name of "Luna"). The advertised services entail general medical checks, minor surgeries and standard treatment. Those who possess the keys of the infirmary are Teirra, Dwassyith, Xihsa'li and Gaubert.

Tavern Roulette at The Red Hibiscus We welcome all to a social event on the Omega (EU) server! The Tavern Roulette is scheduled to arrive at the Red Hibiscus and its' grand opening on the 28th of February 2018. Our IC location is the outskirts of Limsa Lominsa and our OOC location is at Ward 14, Plot 1 of the Mist. The Event starts at around 7 pm and lasts until around 11 pm Server Time (GMT+0 | PST+8). Event in the Forum Calendar What is this the Red Hibiscus? What can you expect? The Red Hibiscus is the brainchild and base of operations for The Path of the Rootless FC. We aim to provide an 'underworld bar' atmosphere, with softer lights and discrete lascivious tones, some variety from the most commonly cheerful sunlit locales. There will be dancers and performers personified by our FC members, but we do not promote or sell any ERP. This is not our goal, and not our interest, so please do not expect that from us. We usually hop on our alts in order to provide steady presences to the establishment, as we know that NPCs don't do a job "good enough" to breathe a soul into a place. The 'soul' itself is given by people, with a great and unforgettable service. We want The Red Hibiscus to become a point of reference as an underground bar for all RPers on Omega, and we hope that you will enjoy the warm, crimson-hued atmosphere that we will provide. From the 28th of February 2018 onward, the Red Hibiscus will be fully operative and open for whoever wishes to come by, so you are more than welcome to seek RP in our establishment. (Mist Ward 14, Plot 1, Underground Floor.) What is the Tavern Roulette? Omega as a server has a distinct lack of a big social hub, so as an answer to a warm community of sometimes thinly spread roleplayers on the server: the Tavern Roulette, hosted and managed by the lovely Teteraki Neneraki. In their words... Tavern roulette is a weekly recurring event that gives three spots a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) to give folks a nice social place to meet new people outside of their respective companies. It is to bring the community together by giving instead of hubs, new places each week to meet at! It mostly starts around 7 pm server time, but is open officially the entire day! The places of tavern roulette exist mostly out of taverns out there in Eorzea and player made residences. Futhermore, tavern roulette is host to a multitude of events made by folk from all over the community. More about the Tavern Roulette here!

The Rootless - namely Xihsa’li, Zumi and Dwassyith, had barely had a chance to take a breather after their return from the eventful trip to Yanxia for the auction, when already the group’s inn was visited by an uninvited guest. Busting through the door was none other than Lord Hashimoto’s third son, the prideful hingan warrior Kuromaru and his personal guard. The same Kuromaru that had expressed such hatred for them and their ijin selves in the past. Only a few amongst them had an inkling for what had caused his change of heart, but the warrior came with an offer: kill Renaud Vremaix, his hatamoto rival whom he saw unbefitting his station due to his ijin blood, without getting caught or implicating him in the assassination, and he would swear on his honour to return the favour by convincing his father over allowing them the Dragon Breath deal they’d travelled all this way to Kugane for. Kuromaru claimed that there was competition for this deal, and that Renaud was responsible for the other group vying for the deal, which explained some of the delay and indecisiveness from the side of the Lord himself. Kuromaru’s support was a tempting offer which the group quickly accepted, and after asking questions from the man himself, the Rootless engaged in a few days of intel gathering by the assassin Garrett. Various preparations for the attempt at the life of the gambling half-elezen were made and the group had decided to use a bomb carried by local prostitutes disguised as a gift to be a good trap for the elezen whom Garrett had spied indulging in the company of prostitutes previously. Tension was in the air as the group did their best to not let their quarry know of their intentions, as well as the lord Hashimoto who would surely see any attempt at either of his hatamotos’ lives a personal affront. Unbeknownst to the group, Kuromaru had no intentions of helping the group achieve anything, and had done little to disguise his intentions from Renaud himself, amusing himself of the possibility that his rival and the filthy ijin would all kill each other in a clash that implicated only themselves and left him picking up the rewards. So when the fateful day came, Renaud had already picked up on the whispers of a plot to take his life and showed up on his usual visits to the city with four guards, instead of the usual two the Rootless had expected. While the group had taken hiding spots along a flight of stairs through a market, a lapse in intel had them uncertain over the route Renaud was going to take to the lord’s current lodgings. Immediately their plans were thrown off course as the mongrel instead turned left to take a detour through the beach, which was his usual route unaccounted for in their plans. Quick action was required and the party was forced to fix their positions in a hurry, as well as that of the whores carrying the gift they were meant to offer. Already things threatened to slip out of control. Renaud, suspicious of the whores in beautiful clothes and makeup, approaching him in the streets at that hour of the night, when they were clearly far too fair to be street walkers, refused to allow them near and with the addition of one of his personal guard - an older stocky samurai by the name of Tomoyuki - spotted movement on the roofs, the entire trap was set to fail. Cutting their losses, Dwassyith commanded shots to be fired at Renaud, before he managed to get too far from the rooftops, and an arrow shot by Garrett found its’ mark in the mongrel hatamoto’s back. The rest happened in a rush of seconds, yelling and hasty movement, complete with the half-elezen collapsing into the sand with an arrow stuck to his back, his blood mixing with the shallow water of the beach. Arrows were shot at the other guards, and before the two by the whores could react beyond yelling for ‘ambush’, Dwassyith blew them all up, prostitutes and samurai both - leaving only the two by Renaud’s side. The samurai put up an honorable fight, covering for their master while pulling him up the beach, to the point where Dwassyith and Zumi had to step in to finish him and his guards off. Sekisegumi was approaching down the beach, yelling in alarm, people screaming from the windows as the explosion and the following racket had woken up half the district of Shirogane. Murder! Fire! Mayhem! The older samurai went down from the male miqo’te’s heavy axe, Renaud’s head too rolling in the sand, Zumi finishing the old guard with her daggers, but the younger samurai Kurosawa - distraught and filled with fury over witnessing his mentor and his master both dead at the assassins’ hands - lunged at them both and very nearly ended her life there and then were it not for the decisive cleaving axe from Dwassyith. Only the arrows launched by Garrett and Norien from the rooftops were standing in between the Sekisegumi patrol and the duo at the end, alarm bells sounded throughout the district. As their opposition had finally fallen, the Rootless ran as fast as their feet could carry them, scattering into the four winds, Zumi carried on Dwas’ arms, bleeding. After their wounds had been treated due to the co-operative effort of Nanami and Xihsa’li at the inn, as well as a covert visit to underworld doctors the morning after, the group could finally breathe a little easier. There was a general mood of uncertainty and concern in Shirogane and Kugane then. Whispers of an explosion, samurai dead - and more importantly, the Lord Hashimoto's hatamoto was killed. Assassination was on gossipers' lips, conspiracy... And while it didn't touch the lives of commoners, explosions had a way of instilling fear even in the most unaffected. There was movement in the underworld as well - grim looks exchanged, bad tidings. Many had lost something with the loss of the hatamoto, and there now was a brothel that had lost its' two most prized girls. As many had disliked the ijin hatamoto as liked him, but his death touched places that many hadn't foreseen. With the death of Renaud, the bakuto families in charge of the gambling hall Yuu-ya where he had frequented, had lost their best bet at the Dragon Breath deal he’d offered them - in exchange for vast amounts of gil of course. On another side of the city, far from the dark gambling den, a cherry blossom-clad hingan lady was delivered a letter signed by Kuromaru, causing her heart to ache in mourning of the death of the man who had gone as far as to delve into the deepest underworld for the wealth required for her dowry. Renaud had done it all for her, and he had lost. Life was as fleeting as it was cruel, and perhaps the ijin hatamoto might never have succeeded in convincing her father for her hand, but surely the Lord was not the only one who had lost a friend that night. Both the Sekisegumi and Hashimoto's people were investigating into Renaud Vremaix’s death and it would’ve been wise for the group to act normal... and unrelated. Even more so, when soon enough, they were summoned to meet the Lord. Upon arriving, who greeted them wasn’t in fact the Lord himself, but his heir and his eldest son Ken’ichi, flanked by his sister and hatamoto who they’d previously met without the knowledge of their true identities. During the formal conversation the group offered their consolations for the death of the hatamoto in both word and a gift - a samurai soulstone picked up from the ronin who had attacked them on the road from Yanxia, clad and presented in a case full of hingan symbolism in the language of flowers prepared by Xihsa’li. During this conversation, the group also learned that Kuromaru - the Lord’s son - had perished committing seppuku after his complicity in his rival’s death had been revealed. With cold sweat running down their necks, the Rootless came to silently realize that this man - the lord’s son - knew far more than he presented. There were no secrets from him, and while matters were settled politely and without accusations, its’ true purpose was to wash his hands off of the group, victorious over his rival - his younger brother. The group had not been aware until now, but there had been a long rivalry not only between the half-elezen hatamoto Renaud and Kuromaru, but between Kuromaru and his older brother Ken’ichi. They had both competed over the place of heir, and in a devious plot to rid himself of his younger brother - the eldest had put the idea of ijin and trade into his father’s ear. Chihaya Shimizu, a geisha whose patron the Lord was, had been sent to Eorzea in search for a potential group that might be interested in such a large scale deal of the narcotic herbs, landing her on the Rootless’ doorstep, and eventually she had landed the Rootless on the doorstep of the Hashimoto family in Kugane. Knowing his brother couldn’t stand the ijin - Renaud and the group alike - Ken’ichi had lured Kuromaru into a trap, manipulated events to the point where the Lord would have no choice but to demand his third son’s life in apology for his actions. And so he had emerged victorious, and as a final conclusion of the entire ordeal, he provided the Rootless with the deal they had come for, as a reward for service they did not know they had provided. Lord Hashimoto had lost his best friend, and due to Chihaya’s actions in bringing the group to them, she was exiled from her homeland and set to return to Eorzea with the very group she’d vouched for. After preparing for a number of days and meeting a potential alchemist to bring with them, the group was set to depart. Boarding a ship to finally leave Hingashi behind - the land as mired in ancient etiquette as it was in political intrigue - the group turned their gazes forwards. New adventures and business ventures awaited them and the future was as uncertain as it was ripe with opportunity. They had but to return and seize it. [End of the Kugane Storyline]

The Red Hibiscus is one of our rackets to gather money for the The Black Hand, our main organization. With this initiative, we aim to provide an 'underworld bar' atmosphere, with softer lights and discrete lascivious tones, some variety from the most commonly cheerful sunlit locales. There will be dancers and performers personified by our FC members, but we do not promote or sell any ERP. This is not our goal, and not our interest, so please do not expect that from us. We usually hop on our alts in order to provide steady presences to the establishment, as we know that NPCs don't do a job "good enough" to breathe a soul into a place. The 'soul' itself is given by people, with a great and unforgettable service. We want The Red Hibiscus to become a point of reference as an underground bar for all RPers on Omega, and we hope that you will enjoy the warm, crimson-hued atmosphere that we will provide. From the 28th of February 2018 onward, the Red Hibiscus will be fully operative and open for whoever wishes to come by, so you are more than welcome to seek RP in our establishment. (Mist Ward 14, Plot 1, Underground Floor.) Here is a link to our UPCOMING EVENT!