An idle man is a dangerous one.
The creed of the Adventurers' guild was bold, but also somewhat sad. Following the hostile takeover of Ala Mhigo, the warring city-states of Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Gridania came together in a tense, but pointed alliance. I couldn't remember all of what happened, however the Empire struck hard and fast at the heart of Eorzea, Mor Dhona, attempting to prevent the her peoples from summoning godly help.
Primals.
The plan failed of course. In the wake of the attack, the alliance stayed true, though not quite as pointed. The Garlean Empire had ceased their warfare and held up behind massive walls. The Alliance were war fatigued by time 1.0 came around. Ready to just accept their new neighbors as a fact of life. And mercs, who used to be drowning in work, could then barely afford a pint.
Something happened, then another thing and boom, the Adventurers' guild was born. Was it a concerted effort by the powers to keep idle hands occupied? Or was it the will of a good person only seeking to make the world a better place? I never found the answer to that because I never went looking.
One of the more notable members of the Adventurers' guild resided in Ul'dah. A spunky red-headed Lalafell with a penchant for gossip and a pure heart. A strange sight considering the blatant evil that possessed all Lalafell. She ran a tavern, the Quicksand, where all adventurers hailing from Ul'dah get their start. I was no different, though that was in 2.0.
Thancred led me securely to what I recognized as one of the side entrances of the Quicksand and walked us in.
Did he know this place already? Was he told of it?
Once again, I was stricken with something akin to dissonance. The Quicksand was somewhat how I remembered it.
A round chamber littered with a couple tables. A strange obelisk hung from the ceiling and pointed towards some strange contraption planted within the floor.
That didn't exist in 2.0 as far as I could recall. Or perhaps it just blended in better back then. There were also more tables and more mercs hanging about in that patch. The current Quicksand looked sad. Emptier. I guessed the Calamity would bring far more through those doors looking for work. Though, that didn't seem like a good thing when I thought about it seriously.
On the far side of the Quicksand was the Guild Leves vendor. This is where one would go to take miscellaneous quests. Leves were like very mini dungeons. They only lasted around 10 minutes a pop. The gil awarded was low, the xp was likewise. It was a shame because the lore behind Leves and the strange cards they handed you was oddly fleshed out.
Adjacent to that was one of the few Lalafell in the entire world with a good heart. Momodi Modi. Her short stature, sweet face and dusty eyes converted many a player into strange fetishistic freaks. I noticed that she wasn't wearing her signature piece of jewelry. A small gem encrusted circlet that wrapped around one of her two hair buns.
I thought all of this with a quick glance as Thancred was undoubtedly watching my every move carefully. The dagger at his waist wasn't just for decoration. We sat down at a table in the relatively empty Quicksand. There were no pints on the table or girls on our lap. I could feel the interrogation coming on. A game of cloaks and daggers that I'd undoubtedly lose.
I flexed my hands under the table and did my best to cool my head. I was getting better at being fearless. Or at least pretending that I was.
---
'I didn't expect him to come along this easily...'
Thancred had the concept of a plan when he first laid eyes upon the stranger walking into Ul'dah. The stranger wasn't that unusual, perhaps you could point out his plain attire? An unusual thing for a resident within the City of Gold.
Perhaps the fact that he slipped past the usually stiff city guards without issue?
'Or perhaps those bastards only have it out for me?'
Anyroad, there was one last thing about the stranger that prompted Thancred to keep an eye on him.
Thancred's master had dispatched him to this city for a variety of reasons, but one of the minor reasons was to watch for "subjects oft upmosteth curiosity".
Although, Master would punt the rogue's arse hundreds of yalms out if he heard what Thancred thought he sounded like...
'Surely this would qualify?'
Thancred carefully inspected the stranger. A small slim build with loose curly pale pink hair upon his head. His half-closed eyes, a languid, but somewhat glowing periwinkle. Despite his eyes being so light, his pupils were faded to the point of being fully cloaked. His delicate lips naturally curled into a slight smile. His face looked soft, but not rounded. Twas if he were sculpted from powdered snow. The word Doll flickered across Thancred's mind unconsciously. The stranger gave the impression that he had only just woken up from a nice dream. A playful and hazy smile tugging at his reddish-pink lips.
Black lines grew across Thancred's forehead.
'Isn't this guy too much?'
Thancred daresay, that within Ul'dah, there existed not a noble lady that wouldn't pay millions of gil to have the stranger kidnapped, and yet the stranger was allowed to wander the city with an uncanny fluidity. Well, there was the unfortunate thug following. A thug that was most likely owned by featherbeds.
The snake had cornered the stranger alone in that Plaza, poised to bite. If it were anyone else, Thancred would have kept moving, but the stranger was shivering in a way that made one feel an endless and warm pity for him. Even the thug seemed ready to hang it up ere long and go home. Thancred couldn't just sit aside after seeing all that, so he took action.
The stranger greeted Thancred with a look of incredulousness and a slight shaking of the eyes. He was obviously still nervous, so Thancred blurted the first thing he believed could calm him down. A dirty joke.
Lo' and behold, the stranger was a savage wolf in sheep's clothing! That contented smirk told tales of poor maidens plucked and wives forever tainted! What a monster! Thancred got close and then-
'Hm?'
The scent of blood. It was faint, but potent to Thancred's nose. The rich copper scent was the final reason Thancred chose to stick with the stranger. He wore plain clothes and sported a timid demeanor, but he smelt as if he just finished washing the blood from his clothes. Thancred tested his strength by pushing on his shoulder. The stranger was hopelessly weak.
Curious indeed.
---
"Miss Momodi? I daresay, we require succor! Something stern for me and something sweet for my friend!"
He already knew Momodi? Something was strange, but I didn't know what.
I saw Momodi analyzing me quietly then nodding her head with a smile. She got down from her stool and entered a door leading towards the backrooms of the Quicksand.
And what did he mean by something sweet? Was that code? Or perhaps there was a sweet alcohol? I wasn't much of a drinker, but I decided to roll with it. After all-
I look back at Thancred, who was carefully looking me over with a forced smile on his face.
'It's the hair, isn't it?'
"Forgive my rudeness friend! I never got the chance to introduce myself!"
A blunder on my part. I shouldn't have complimented his kick. The first question one would have in that scenario was Who are you?
"I'm Thancred Waters. Scoundrel, Scholar, and Scorned Lover."
He flicked his hair a bit and gave me his signature smile. Thancred originally didn't have a last name. He was an orphan born on the streets of Limsa Lominsa. After being taken in by his master, Louisoix, Thancred was indoctrinated into a society of scholars, historians and mages. Their home lay off the shores of the continent. And I heard it's where Patch 5.0 takes place. Or maybe it was 6.0? No good. I forgot that too.
"Pleased to meet you Mr. Waters-"
"Thancred! J-Just Thancred is fine."
Thancred shivered.
"Very well, Thancred."
Then I tilted my head and gave a small smile. My name was unknown. I was a dead man walking. And even my previous name was washed from my memory after I fainted yesterday. I couldn't afford to faint again, or perhaps the next memories I'd lose, would be the ones I needed the most.
"As strange as this might sound, I am nameless."
"Eh? Nameless?"
Thancred squinted his eyes thoughtfully. Or perhaps skeptically.
"Yes, in fact that's a part of my long tale."
I couldn't lie to him, but I couldn't tell the truth either. I was already sloppy once or possibly twice. Three strikes and I was out.
"Here ya' go!"
Momodi brought the drinks to us herself instead of a barmaid. Even with her short stature, she skillfully slid the drinks onto the table.
"Thank you so much Miss Momodi~ Perchance can you put these on my tab?"
Thancred smiled sweetly.
"Aye! On the tab that you still haven't paid?"
"Ah Miss Momodi, has anyone told you just how beautiful you look today? Your eyes glow like the sunrise and-"
"Aye! The tab that you still haven't paid?"
Momodi smiled back sweetly.
And Thancred slumped in his chair with a sigh.
Once again something strange struck me. Why was he acting familiar? Had Thancred been in Ul'dah for long? I didn't understand much of 1.0's story, but of what I did know, the Circle of Knowing were dispatched to different places as soon as the story started, which just so happened to be the day the player arrived in their starting town.
Was the protagonist already here? How far along were we?
Momodi turned to me, her red dusty eyes giving me a look over.
"My my, what's a strappin' youngin' like you doing with... this bard?"
"Oye!"
Momodi gave a chuckle and shook her head. She turned back to me.
"Careful with this one ey'? He's not a bad kid, just a bit reckless."
"I said Oye!"
"Yes ma'am. I'll be careful."
Sometimes I forget that Momodi was in her 40s. Didn't stop those crazy bastards from being obsessed with her though.
"My my, cute and polite! Thancred could learn somethin' from you."
"..."
He had given up and started pouting.
"Enjoy yourself sweetie. If you need anythin' just give me a shout 'kay?"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you."
I kept my tone polite. Momodi was important for not just the story, but for my future as well. Her support and testimony saves your character from a lot of headaches in 2.0. Although there was a conspiracy amongst players that she plots behind your back just like every other Lalafell does and her actions are the direct catalysts for one of the most tragic series of events in the game.
Momodi gave me a cute wave and walked away.
I didn't believe them at all. Momodi was too pure of heart to do something like that. Anti-Momodi propagandists should face the wall.
"So unfair..."
Thancred took a sip of his drink with a twisted look on his face. Was Momodi the lass? Why was he acting jealous?
"A stranger with no name is most curious wouldn't you say, friend?"
As expected, this dog wouldn't let go easily. I took a sip of my drink. It was a clear colored fruit cider. The type of fruit eluded me. Something that tasted like the combination of an apple and watermelon.
"Curious is an apt description, yes."
Once again I was spitting out words I typically didn't have in my vocabulary. I could only hope I didn't sound forced. Why didn't these people just speak normal English? What's with the nonsense?
It was important to not lie. But the truth also had to be hidden. These two objectives were not the same thing. One was about avoiding detection. The other was about avoiding the truth.
"Last night, I awoke within the deserts of Thanalan."
Thancred kept his head down, looking into his drink. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I didn't know how I got there or where exactly I was."
I pinched the thick handle on the wooden mug, feeling its patterns.
"My pockets were empty, my memory was gone, and I was drenched in a dark fluid."
A good lie has nothing to do with deception and everything to do with misleading. It's important to let the audience come to their own conclusions. After all, the imagination was a powerful thing.
"I assumed that I was at a party of some sort. One of many guests."
Thancred was a member within the Circle of Knowing. He's aware of not just the atrocities of the empire, but also of forces that permeate the Aether.
I tapped my finger on the wooden mug, slowly tracing the creases.
"I wasn't wounded, but my mind was empty and I felt terrified. Not just in the moment. I felt a lingering dread. Tis as if I saw something I shouldn't have."
"You remember nothing of what you saw?"
Thancred still didn't look up despite finally uttering a reply. I took a sip of cider to wet my throat.
"Well, I remember a smell. It was like blasting powder. But it smelt hot and stung my nose. Even that memory seems to be fading now."
My special trick. Evidence of Tempering. The realm of Eorzea is home to many fantastical beasts, but none more fearsome and destructive as the Primals.
Primals were god-like constructs of Aether. The story was a bit complicated, but the summary was an ancient civilization created Gods that one could summon through common belief alone.
It's difficult to summon something unknown like Jiggilathorpe, a monster I made up just now, so Primals instead take the form of legendary figures and beasts that one could conjure in their imagination. With enough belief, they come to life. Or at least that's how they used to function before a shadowy organization known as the Ascians taught the various Beast-Men tribes a new method of summoning.
Besides their awesome power, what truly made the Primals so dangerous was their process of Enthrallment. Simply being in their presence is enough for the Primals power to surge through you and eventually take you over. The only people who can withstand Enthrallment are wielders of the Echo. A unique power that's given to Hydaelyn's chosen. A power that I do not have.
It's not unusual for beast tribes to kidnap people and bring them to their god for brainwashing. That part and the mechanics of Enthrallment, aren't something commonly known by your average citizen. However, what if you were the student of the strongest mage in the world?
In certain places, those who had been tempered were sentenced to death. In front of a Archon, I had no such fear.
"..."
Thancred sat still. I could barely tell he was breathing.
I took another sip of my sweet applemelon cider.
"I walked the desert all night. I stuck to one direction and prayed I'd find something eventually. But my body grew weak and heavy. I fainted in the sands. When I awoke, I was being nurtured back to health by a kind merchant who was passing by. His name is Fridurih. He saved my life."
"Fridurih?!"
Momodi shouted in exclamation. She was listening too.
"Yes ma'am. He said to come to the Quicksand. And that-"
"Ahh! Say no more boy!"
Momodi practically ran from behind the counter and held my hands.
"You poor soul! Such a terrible fate befell you hasn't it? Come! You need a proper rest!"
"Ah, but ma'am-"
"No buts!"
Momodi was firm and unyielding. Thancred was still quiet and looking down. I assumed he was deep in thought. With no time to find out, I simply let Momodi pull me along in silence. I prayed that I didn't make any mistakes.