#castrum abania

[autumnslance]

Neverreap & Castrum Abania Dungeon Sets Dyeable in 6.28!

[photosfromeorzea]

Central Compound

[haunted-xander]

Best cure for nightmares is knowing your loved ones are safe

[lcstkey]

❝ i don’t like it when you’re quiet for too long, what’s on your mind? ❞ - from Alisaie | @diademreigned Hades Sentence Starters

While Selena normally felt comfort in silence, this time it felt unbearable in the in Rhalgr's Reach where she is sitting by the red mage's bedside. There were so many things the keybearer wanted to say about the events prior to this meeting, but she's still taking it all in.

"....What in the seven hells happened, Alisaie?" She blurts out, unable to hide the rage in her shaking voice and tightens the grip on her cloak, "When I arrived at Ala Ghiri, I hear that the imperials had shot down Specula Imperatoris with everyone still fighting inside. That Commander Kemp died and that Yda-I mean, Lyse, succeeded him."

"Then I hear that the Alliance and the Resistance managed to captured Castrum Abania and you got hurt in the process." Selena's lip quivers, frost creeping from her grip onto the cloth.

"Thank Del-the Twelve, I'm relieved to see that you're alright now...But, is your brother and the Warrior of Light faring well? Were they...Were they caught in the..." The keybearer swallows the lump in her throat, but couldn't to finish her sentence out of fear her inquiry may not yield the answer she wanted.

What kind of monster shoots their own people? The terrifying thought scrapes the back of her mind like nails on a chalkboard. There is an urge rising from deep in her chest, whispering to her to hunt and cut down this monster down, but...

Would I be any better if I killed the bastard?

[fey-t-ff]

[multiipl]

*; OOC » Words can not express how much I love her

[spoolesofthread]

my tank luck in roulettes is. somethin else dear god (bad)

stop pulling w2w in stormblood dungeons i’m literally begging. you are not a good enough tank for it and your healer hates you

[neriyon]

Pleased to report that they didn't actually change The Burn that much.

Was kinda worried they'd tone it down to snoozefest but nope, almost everything is still there. Ice puddles don't stay quite as long as they used to and that freeze dot didn't seem quite as spicy but otherwise almost everything was there (can't say for sure about that blind dive part, mentor rpr was going to town on dps)

[zeebeckers]

cat man...

[ainyan]

Synopsis of the 6.4 Info from the LL

Some key points for me:

Continuation of Tataru’s Grand Endeavor sidequests will require completion of the Sorrows of Werlyt quest line/trial series to begin

Maximum number of gear sets will be increased to 100, available to all characters immediately regardless of quest progress

Glasses and wing fashion accessories will now display when in combat in the overworld

Items stored in a variety of locations can now be selected when casting glamours in an inn room

Fairy glamours now available to Scholars: Eos, Selene, and Carbuncle

Stormblood MSQ dungeons added to Duty Support system in 6.4: Sirensong Sea, Bardam’s Mettle, Doma Castle, Castrum Abania, and Ala Mhigo. This leaves only the 4.X MSQ dungeons without Duty Support/Trusts (these will presumably be added to Duty Support in 6.5).

Placement of outdoor housing items enabled at the hideaway (Island Sanctuary): furnishings can be placed near hideaway structures; up to 90 furnishing slots can be unlocked; special furnishings such as striking dummies and garden plots will NOT be supported. More information on how this will work will be shown at the next live letter.

Also a continuation of Pandaemonium AND a brand-new Variant/Criterion Dungeon :D Plus more MSQ, a new Trial, a new Dungeon, and more.

Scheduled for late May.

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day Nine: Lend an Ear

at long last, aymeric hears from the one dear to him. aymeric x female warrior of light, mentions of past aymeric/estinien. set during stormblood. written for ffxivwrite2024. rated: teen words: 1617 ao3 link

It is two bells to noon when the linkpearl hums.

At first Aymeric thinks he must be imagining it. The delicate thing has been dormant for weeks, ever since Aureia left on her journey. She was so flushed and bright-eyed when she gifted it to him, pushing it eagerly into his hands on the day she left for Gyr Abania. A token, a private link to keep them connected while she journeyed away from Ishgard.

They have only used it three times. Once when she arrived in Castrum Oriens. A second when she reached Rhalgr’s Reach. And finally, the third not long after the Resistance was raided. She was so silent then, saying little more than a word or two. He prattled on, filling the silence with arbitrary small talk and unimportant politics and Emmanellain’s latest tomfoolery, until she finally blurted it out. She was injured. Badly. And she wished to return to Ishgard.

She was coming home from her foray too soon, bruised and bandaged and broken.

Her injuries healed quickly under the chirurgeons’ care—she had survived much worse, Alphinaud said—but her spirit remained crushed. This was no simple taste of defeat; there was a hollowness inside her that was eating her alive, and gods be damned she could not speak of it. He could not bring himself to ask what happened that horrible, horrible day. He knew the small details, of course—the burning base, the Imperial destruction, the tally of the injured, the tally of the dead.

Zenos yae Galvus stalking the battlefield like a demon summoned from the Void.

Aureia’s silence was uncanny. Unsettling. This was not the first time she had fallen in combat, nor would it be the last. She is no stranger to defeat. And yet the Garlean prince left an undeniable mark on her. Even after her recovery and the plan to travel to Othard was put in place, she felt distanced. Faded. Like an autumn leaf torn from its branch, falling away from the place it called home.

The linkpearl hums again, the delicate white bead pulsing faintly with light.

Aymeric stares at it, certain now that he is not making it up. He wets his lower lip and puts down his pen, stretching out a hand. His fingers hover above the linkpearl’s box, its home since he removed it from his ear. Out of the way, but not forgotten. Housed safely and waiting, ready for when she saw fit to call. There was no expectation for her to call right away. The journey to Othard is long, and the seas are perilous. She has more important things to do than to worry about calling him, just as he does.

His gaze flicks to the chronometer above his mantlepiece. Then back to the linkpearl. The day is still young. A fire crackles in the hearth, staving away the early cold that creeps in through the windows overnight. He returned from morning prayers not that long ago. A pile of paperwork is stacked upon his desk, and this only matters so urgent he must deal with them at home. There will be others waiting in his office at the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly.

That really is a mouthful, you know. Has no one thought of renaming it to something maybe under seven syllables?  

The memory murmurs at the edges of his mind, softened by the haze of reminiscence. They were lying in bed, perhaps. His bed—or was it hers? No. It must have been his. The sun was too bright that morning, flooding through tall windows. She sat up with the sheets pulled around her, her hair a mess, creases in the corners of her eye, all but glowing in that sun.

The linkpearl hums once more.

Aymeric shoves his seat back and rises to his feet, seizing the linkpearl and putting it in his ear.

“Aureia,” he breathes.

Nothing at first. Then—

“Hi.”

Her voice is clearer than expected. He closes his eyes and presses a hand to his chest, as if the pressure can soothe his aching heart. “You called.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner.”

A pause. Faint music echoes from her side, too distant for him to make much sense of. Harmonies played on instruments unfamiliar to his ears. Where is she now? How far has she gone? Has she made it safely? Is she hurt? Halone above, he does not know what he will do if this is how he discovers she has been gravely wounded again— 

“We’re in Hingashi.”

“Hingashi?” His eyes widen. “Then you—”

“Made it, yes.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank Halone. Your journey was uneventful, I take it?”

“An incident with pirates.” He can envision the playful smile on her lips from her tone alone. “Nothing we couldn’t handle. I suppose one could say Alisaie taught them a lesson or two. Or four.”

“Would that I could have seen that.”

“Would that you could have come with us.” She pauses, the score of the city shifting behind her. The instruments have faded now, but he can hear the rhythm of a busy street, the cacophony of distant gossip. Is she outside? Sitting by a window? If only his tongue wasn’t so tied, she could paint the picture for him. “I think you would like it here in Kugane. The city is wonderful.”

“Any snow?”

“No.” He’s certain he can hear her grinning. “Tataru took us on a tour of the markets. And the tea houses, Aymeric! The tea here… I can’t describe it. I hate to say it, but it puts your Ishgardian brews to shame.”

“I would very much like to argue that. Ishgardians pride ourselves on our tea, you know.”

“You could, but I don’t think you’ll win.”

“That’s hardly fair. I taught you everything you know.”

“And now I have surpassed you.”

He chuckles, a soft smile spreading from ear to ear. Abandoning his desk, he pads across his office and slows to a halt by the hearth, watching the flames dance. It wasn’t so long ago that she was here, curled up on the couch. Her favourite coat—a red leather duster—is still here, hung over the back. “Then I look forward to this tea sparring match upon your return,” he says, warming his hands above the fire. The chronometer ticks, the second hand moving determinedly forward. “Shall you put it in your calendar or shall I?”

“Mm. I think we can think of better things to do than to spar over tea.” Her voice drops to a murmur, low and husky, thick with suggestion. It’s surprisingly forward of her, considering their lack of contact over the past weeks. Or is that another thing he is imagining? “Did you know they have public baths here? Hot springs. Perhaps there are more similarities between Ishgard and Hingashi than we thought. Just like the mountains. They’re beautiful here, Aymeric. I don’t know if I there will be a chance to visit before we move on, but I can see them from my window before the sun sets too far.”

His throat constricts, his breath shallow. “Is the sun setting now?” he asks, leaning a shoulder against the hearth.

“Yes. It’s just gone below the horizon.”

“And it is morning here.”

A pause. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think… I can call again later. If you’re busy—”

“No, no. Please.” He exhales a long breath and rests his forearm along the mantlepiece, his fingers tapping the wood near the chronometer. “It’s good to hear your voice. More than I can say.”

Another pause. “I’m attuned to the aetheryte here now, you know. I could slip away. Come see you in person.” Though there is hopefulness in her voice, it isn’t as much a question as it is a daydream. One where the weight of nations doesn’t weigh on their shoulders. One where their names and faces are unknown. One where he isn’t the Lord Commander and she isn’t the Warrior of Light.

“It would attract too much attention to receive a visitor all the way from Kugane,” he says softly. “I cannot guarantee there wouldn’t be talk, and any talk can find its way back to the Empire. Best stay discreet.”

“I know, I… I miss you. I wish I could see you.”

“But I can hear you. That is more than enough.”

She falls silent. A distant rush of wind—a breeze blowing by her window, perhaps?—and he can hear the faint trail of music once again. “I should let you go,” she murmurs. “Let you get back to work. And I should go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

“Aureia—”

“Yes?”

He flips the chronometer around, pushing it face-down into the mantlepiece. “Stay with me a while?”

She doesn’t answer. In the uncertain space between breaths, he wonders if he is about to find the answer to the question that has haunted him for weeks. How did a Garlean prince—however ferocious—shake her so badly that their relationship feels uneasy? Have they reached that impossible place he fears the most? The immutable point where they begin to break apart, slowly but surely moving away from one another. It has happened before. He was young and foolish when he let Estinien into his heart. Has he learned anything since? Or is she destined to meet a similar end?

There is something about these warriors his heart chooses—bound to wander like distant stars, while he is ever bound to Ishgard.

Aureia’s voice resounds in his ear, warm and firm and with such tenderness he is reminded why exactly he loves her. “I would like that.”

[magnificent-bee]

RP Event: Honeystone Cantina

In a corner of Castrum Oriens out in Gyr Abania's Fringes, the Honeystone serves up traditional Ala Mhigan (and inspired) food and drink to travelers passing through the region.

Join us Sunday, March 17 from 7-9 EST for good food, good drinks and good company!

Check us out at Bryndhildr- Goblet - Ward 20 Plot 11

More Info Here!

@mooglemeet @ffxivrp

[haunted-xander]

Do you ever think about how Alisaie's biggest fear is losing the people she cares about? How the very first conversation you have with her alone, a deeply personal one, is about her confiding in you about those fears? Telling you that she hated the state of the world Louisoix died for because, to her, it wasn't worth the sacrifice? She tells you about all the allies she made and lost, who she watched die and could do nothing to save them.

Do you ever think about how Alisaie was consistently one of the first to act, to recklessly throw herself at danger throughout stb? She didn't care (as much) about herself getting hurt, but she'd be damned if she let her friends suffer without doing anything. She has to be fast and proactive, because if she can't protect them even when striking first, how would she be able to when acting after the fact?

Do you ever think about how every time her loved ones are in peril/are in risk of being in peril her heart just breaks? How whenever someone's safety is unsure she panics and immediately tries to contact them/rush to their aid? When Castrum Abania's cannon shot the tower that, for all she knew, Alphinaud was still in, she immediately stops what she's doing and runs to it in panic because her brother was in there and he might be dead.

Do you ever think about how when the Scions start getting their souls yanked to the First, Alisaie reacts the strongest? How, when Urianger and Y'shtola got taken, she fell to her knees shaking Uriangers body, screaming for him to wake up? And when Gaius appears with Alphinaud in the Burn, she immediately goes to fight him (before being stopped by Hien) because this man, who has been her enemy, is holding her brother's lifeless body. She doesn't care that she can't possibily beat him, he has her brother and she's already lost so much in such a short amount of time. She's lost Thancred, Y'shtola and Urianger already, she can't lose Alphinaud too.

Do you ever think about how you are the only one she can fully rely on at that time, but who is also at risk of being taken away? Of how she's so desperate for you to stay, to not be taken away, that Alisaie, who, for all her bluntness, prefers to rely on herself first and foremost, begs you not to leave her? She begs you. Alisaie does not beg. She yells at you to not do something, and she'll scold you to hell and back if you do it anyway, but she does not beg. But this time she did.

And then she ends up being taken away right in front of you. She cries out for help and uses her very last energy to reach out for you. And then she falls limp.

Do you ever think about how, when Alphinaud turns to tell her his plans at the end of Ultima Thule, she immediately rejects it without even letting him say it? She's lost so much and experienced so much grief, not only overall but also just in Ultima Thule. And she loathes to bring that grief onto another. Especially to one who has already lost so much, like you. She hates it. She ends up doing it, yes, but she hates it still.

DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT-

[shizucheese]

The Garleans have Krile and now the Ananta have summoned their goddess Sri Lakshmi as a primal. Anything else want to go wrong tonight? This week we're doing a special "Dawntrail comes out on Friday and servers go down on Wednesday!" schedule! Tonight we're playing through Stormblood up through Castrum Abania, and tomorrow we're finishing base Stormblood!

After tomorrow's stream, I'm taking a break from streaming for 2 weeks (maybe longer depending on queue times), but under normal circumstances, you can catch me on Twitch on Sundays starting at 7:30 Central and Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 7:30 Central!

[fey-t-ff]