Spoilers for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers lore and locations.
Day
6
I have spent what
is nearing a week wandering the streets and surrounding areas of Limsa Lominsa,
and yet I still feel as though I am uncovering things. I have acquired a ticket
to sail elsewhere tomorrow, which I felt was necessary, else I may spend the
rest of my days here.
I spent the first
day browsing the market, and watching the ships come in and out of the bay.
There was something absolutely enthralling to watch such meaningless goods move
in and out. I envy these people, mother, for they have never had to fear the
Flood. I am forced to fear for the integrity of their history though, as they
had never even heard of the event, or of Norvrandt. Nor could I find it on any
of the maps that were offered to me.
The second day I
spent perusing the various guilds that operate out of the city. Some work for
skills for trade, and haul in fish by the boatful. I ate one for lunch, and I must
say, the flavor to it was something I had never experienced. Perhaps because I
have never had a creature that was not tainted at least minimally by light? I
cannot say. But I believe it to be the case. Every meal I have had has felt
full of flavor, to the point where I felt intoxicated with each bite.
The fighting guilds
could not be further from each other. One is nothing more than ax based brutishness,
which I could not stand to observe for long. I had to prevent myself from
rolling my eyes when the clerk there asked if I was interested in joining. The arcanists
guild closer to the port was much more appealing. I spent some time comparing
their methods to mine. They are quite comparable, so I presume that they have spun
off from the same original schools, and have simply developed apart over the
years.
The outer edge,
which the locals referred to as La Noscea, reminds me of the outskirts of
Eulmore, but with more life. I felt like I was wandering through a dreamland
version of Kholusia. Everything looks so familiar, and yet so different. Imagine
if you would, mother, that you have come home and all of the furniture had been
moved. That is the feeling I felt upon viewing the various highlands.
A pair in the bar
asked if I had come from the ‘Far East’, with how unfamiliar I was with the
area, to which I had to tell them I had not. They mocked me for my
pronunciations, but I have made it a point to correct these. The encounter did
provide me with another land to see out, once I have finished touring this ‘Eorzea’.
Day
7
Some hours ago we
made landfall in the port of what I was informed on the way there was a desert
called ‘Thanalan’. From there I was referred down the road to a station called Horizon,
from which I was directed to the capital of the area, Ul’dah. I have settled in
at the inn there tonight, after surveying a few stops along the way.
Once again the
landscape reminds me of home. In a different light, it would be a dead ringer
for Amh Araeng, right down to the somewhat nomadic people with a focus on their
market. On my way to the inn I was accosted by no less than seven people, all
with a different ware to sell. I made sure to inquire about what sites I should
see over the coming days, and have marked out a route to follow.
Day
9
The market here left
me with a truly uncanny feeling. There was not a single stall manned by a mord,
or as I have been informed they are referred to here, a ‘kobold’. I know this
only because I attempted to describe one when I was given a confused look.
Beyond this, the only difference I could note was that it stood properly inside
the walls of a city.
The main attraction
of the past two days has been the city’s arena. I stayed there for some time
before leaving for lunch, and found myself drawn to return despite having other
things planned. I found myself rather enthralled with the entire ordeal, and screamed
along merrily with the crowd. I felt somewhat embarrassed, especially having
felt so arrogant with regards to the warriors of Limsa Lominsa.
I spent the
evening in conversation while eating at the inn. What I have determined, while
garnering any number of puzzled looks, that Eorzea is at war with some country
called Garlemald. This imperialist nation has held thrall over any number of
nations over the years and caused no end of duress. I have only ever heard of
such in tales, and processing this conflict has consumed my evening.
I will not say
that Norvrandt is without its strife and conflicts beyond the Sin Eaters, but I
have always assumed that our resources are so few that we have not even been
able to fight over them, at least not on such a scope. I suppose that while
they have not experienced the issues brought upon by the Flood here, they still
have their issues.
Day
10
Something
compelled me to leave Ul’dah ahead of my expected dates. My next stop was
Gridania, a nearby forest. As you may expect by now, it reminded me somewhat of
the Rak’tika Greatwood, though so much more…alive, perhaps. There is something
so much more serene to it, which I noticed from the airship ride in. There is
simply a silence to it that I found immediately calming.
I wandered the
streets of Gridania for a time, but I could not bring myself to make dedicate
to any plans for the coming days. I saw the guilds, I learned that there would
be a play later in the week, and that there were holiday celebrations in the
coming months, but I simply could not bring myself to feel involved. I wish to be
drawn into it all as I was before, and to a degree I still am. Every day I see
something that I have never seen before, or something that feels familiar and yet
strange.
And every night I
return to an inn’s room and try to record my thoughts on the matter. In theory,
I am doing something truly fantastical. As far as I can know, I am one of the few
to have crossed this barrier, and gone beyond Norvrandt. And yet all I can
consider, is what I left behind.
I sit here at
night writing words that I can never truly know if you will see, mother. And
with each passing day I have considered that while I am here being amazed, you
still reside in Norvrandt. The sky for me may be blue, but for you it is still
that wicked white. It feels rather unfair. Unfair feels like a poor word to
describe it, but it is all I can produce. Tomorrow I hope to raise my spirits,
but tonight I have only thought of home.
