Dust was in the air as people kicked the roads on their daily routines. Navire's market was busy with people of different races and origins. Many immigrants from neighboring areas. They came here for the promise of a better life but so far Navire was not delivering. Everyone here had to make their own way, with a few flourishing and others unfortunate as a rat in a trap.



People passed through this area to get into the residency and then to the public ring where the employed and educated spent their days.

Cid II was waiting in the Court for the applicants to arrive. He'd sent word to them stating that he'd explain the mission in proper detail once they all arrived.

The court was large, but Cid wasn't waiting in the large room for the judge. Instead he was in a room that had an entrance from the lobby. Outside the door was a sign for the Highwind crest.

High above the bustling roads, perched atop a sentry tower overlooking the city, an ornately armored figure could be seen standing silently as it seemed to survey the city below. Dressed in what appeared to be scale armor of meticulous detail under plates of bone, the blues and black that intertwined upon the scales shone brilliantly to any who looked upon him. Visor lowered, his head would shift, hinting at his change in perspective. Slowly the figure knelt, maintaining his balance perfectly upon the spire before leaping with inhuman force. Suddenly, the figure appeared upon a fall some meters away, and again he leapt. This would continue as he made his way across Navire, never once setting foot upon the ground. Then all at once, the armored one would come to a stop atop a particular building, place himself at the forward edge, and glance down upon the front of the building.

It was when the crest was noticed that the figure would lift his visor, showing a visage of a weathered youth with piercing blue eyes. Deftly he'd step off the roof of the building, landing on the street with hardly a sound as he rounded to face the doorway. Taking a moment to readjust his armor, he'd push open the door and step inside, briefly scaning over the occupants before standing off to the side of the threshold. Regardless of who occupied this room prior, or who may enter, the man would remain silent- merely eyeing everyone over until his contact spoke up.

It has been a good few weeks since Selie’re made her way to this continent, but as luck would have it travels between countries and towns wasn’t very fast. Always getting problems with local population of monsters. Back in Arcania the problem with monsters wasn’t as present as the borders were so tightly guarded that even monsters weren’t spared. Not to mention there were constant patrols to keep the territory safe. Situation here seemed to be very different. Well all of that didn’t matter, she was finally in Navire. As she walked down the streets through the market her appearance attracted a lot of eyes. First was her glowing hair, that shined with burning red. After that the eyes would pass at her beautiful face. Finally the stares would flow down though her clothing. She was wearing the traditional Blade Dancer armors, which before all was concentrated on aesthetics, but made from quality materials such as very high grade steel, leather from strong monsters and fine silk. All of those things made for a very beautiful set of armor perfectly suitable for a dancer both on the battlefield and on a podium to entertain a people. Selie’re received multitude of lewd looks and propositions, all of which she ignored as she walked the street. Many warriors who saw her armor quickly made annoyed face as at first glance it’s not really covering nature made it pretty much useless, but once again she paid them no heed. Because first of all she wasn’t meant to be hit, the Blade dancers were supposed to dodge and parry any attack. All their training was focused on utilizing extreme mobility and speed, the fancy armor served mainly as a way to give them decent clothing, but still revealing and exotic enough to attract the eyes. In the end any negative looks from warriors were silenced when they saw the pair of curved swords on her hips. Those weapons while as exotic looking as the armor, immediately gave of the feeling that they were well maintained and often used, probably far outclassing anything that could be found on the normal weapon shops.

As she was about to exit the market, the arcana noticed a stand selling what seemed to be fresh fruits and vegetables. With her graceful walk, she made her way to it and quickly check what was on sale.” Excuse me mister, how much for these two?” She asked in common west. The merchant looked at her, she clearly was a sight for his eyes.” 5 coins… 5…:” He said with a big smile. Clearly there was some difference in the understanding between the two, but hey the language of gestures and money was universal!” Come on, 2… pretty please…” She said, batting her eyelashes at him. The man quickly gave in and a few seconds later she was on her way to the Public ring, but now she was eating a big red apple and she had another one in her bag.

Her walk through the Residency went without any problems so she soon was in the Public ring. With a smile on her face and walk that seemed almost weightless she made her way to the court. The place was big and there was a decent number of people here, but not everyone seemed the fighter type. Most likely not everyone was here for the application for the job. On that note though, Selie’re noticed a rather interesting looking man. His armor was clearly made from exotic materials and looked very high quality. Not to mention just the way he bore himself spoke of a warrior and a good one at that. The arcana herself had some of that warrior vibe to her, but it was mixed with the weightlessness that came from being a Blade dancer. Still she immediately gained respect and gave the man a nod of recognition. Then she made her way to the wall next to him and leaned on it. Sometimes there was no need for words between warriors.

“Um, missy, you need to leave if you're not buying...” A portly man in an apron put his hands on his hips. While he looked firm, he didn't seem like he was angry. Wary would be the better would to describe this man, obviously he hadn't seen one of her kind before, although Lumenaria didn't seem to be paying him any attention. She was currently in the markets of Navire, just recently arrived, and was currently perched on the high railing of a pen that was holding primarily yellow bird creatures, with a few of different shades or colors dotting the congregation. Not any kind of creature Lumenaria had seen before, that much was certain. She spoke to them in squawks, chirps, and caws, and they with her. They were having a rather lovely conversation in fact, though they seemed afraid of the man in the apron and all huddled away from where she perched when he walked over.

Lumenaria addressed one of the older bird-creatures – chocobos they called themselves – and pointed a clawed finger at the man while she spoke in bird common. “Why does he imprison you so, bird-kin?” She hadn't truly asked that question yet of them, as they had just been talking about their kind. Not many chocobos had seen a caelestis, which hadn't surprised her. They were extremely curious about her life in Caelum as well. The chocobo Lumenaria had addressed sighed deeply before speaking. “This human wishes to give us to others so they can get on our backs and make us carry them around, or to pull around big wooden things, or as f-food!” With the last statement, nearly all of the chocobos began to cry, save those too young to understand, though they joined soon after. The ruckus inside the cage was loud enough to cause the man in the apron to begin making rude gestures at Lumenaria and shouting for her to get down before he called the guards.

She vaulted off of the top of the pen holding the chocobos and landed next to the man, her clawed feet digging into the earth and her wings extending to their full length, blocking any exit the portly man may have tried to take. “Ye dirt muncher, do be allowing these chocobos their freedom from their shackles, else ye may find I do be doin' it meself.” She said awkwardly, not having much practice in her west common. “Ye do be so cowardly as ta trap yer prey with no fight? No honor?!” At this point, Lumenaria was shouting and a small crowd had gathered to watch the debacle between the stunned man in the apron and the tall bird-woman.

“N-n-now lady, you s-seem to be new here, so let me just tell you s-s-something. Those chocobos are my wares, you have to b-b-buy them from me.” He gulped audibly, though he tried to remain firm underneath Lumenaria's intense gaze. “Yer wares?” She looked back at the chocobos, beginning to understand. “Ye mean like the bone harpoons Benume do make?” She reached a clawed hand up to scratch behind one of her wings, and she waited for the portly man to nod slowly in agreement. “I can no say I agree with yer practices, but things do be different here in Navire than they do be in Caelum... If that it is the way it do be, let us duel each other. If I do win, I get all yer chocobos. If ye do win, ye get me shinies.” She indicated to golden bracelets floating around her wrists, held there by some invisible force. The man looked from his chocobos, to the unexplainable golden bracelets, then scanned Lumenaria. There was no visible weapon on her person, and Lumenaria had little place to tuck hidden weapons in her outlandish, yet somewhat revealing garments. At her side was an odd looking harp, but not much else.

“N-now there, uhh... miss, why not just trade me your shinies for some of the chocobos? We don't need to fight, do we?” The portly man said with his sleaziest grin, rubbing his hands together. “Ye do no understand honor, do ye? Perhaps it is done differently in Navire, but we do fight for our goods in Caelum. I do be duelin' the honorable luthier, Kaewyn Losni, for many months for me harp.” She tapped the harp strapped to her side. When he paled and opened his mouth to argue further, Lumenaria had had enough. “Fine, I do no duel cowards. I do be expectin' more from Navire than what I do be seein' so far. Me blood-sister do no take cowards as allies.” She scoffed and retracted her wings. The portly man visibly relaxed when she stopped blocking his way out, though he still stared at her with more caution than before, and seemed ready to bolt at any moment for help.

“I'm sorry, I cannot get your safety at this moment because he will not duel me. I do not understand how these ground-dwellers live with their cowardice, but I will try to figure out a way to free you from this cage.” Lumenaria, despite her intense urge to break the cage apart with her powers, knew she couldn't honorably do it. They were his wares, just as the harps that Kaewyn Losni made were her wares. Freeing the chocobos would be the same as stealing a harp. The thought of doing so turned her stomach.

She reached her arm through the bars of their pen to comfort as many chocobos as she could, tears streaking down her face while she did so. They were bird-kin to her, and should be free, seeing them like this was heartbreaking. Navire was truly different, and horrifying.

A man wearing a blue and white robe, with a gold necklace entered the bustling kingdom of Navire on foot. His white hair, which was in two braids that fell onto his chest, as well as his white facial hair, told of his age to any onlookers, though his eyes were shining with the glow of an experienced, analytical, and intelligent man. The only other piece of equipment he had on him was a tan colored satchel over his shoulder, which he kept potions and small supplies.

He entered the kingdom from the north end, having been here only once before, he tried to remember where the court was located as he waded through the people in the bustling market. His attention was diverted when he heard the arguing of a beastman and a vender. The beastman was a Yagudo, a black feathered, birdlike bipedal race. Galren looked on as the two argued; he was trying to place the Yagudo’s dialect so that he may intervene as an interpreter.

He approached the birdman as the argument was quickly growing heated. He slowly and non-threateningly raised his hand, clearly unarmed.
“Mee cha” (Excuse me)

“You! You can talk to this.. thing.” The vendor spouted at Galren as soon as he saw him speaking to the Yagudo, who had clearly done nothing wrong, other than not speaking in the basic tongue. Xenophobia was still rampant in the world, and Navire was no exception.

“Tell him that his old money’s no good here. We don’t serve his kind!” the vendor shouted while gesturing at the Yagudo.

A small sigh escaped Galren as the Yagudo was pointing to the coin in his clawed hand, then pointing to the apples on the vendor’s table. Truly, the coin that he was trying to use was rarely in circulation anymore. The Yagudo weren’t known to frequent civilization, sticking to their mountainous homes, and rarely used money, but apparently, times had been tough, and some of the beastmen have been known to come into towns to do business, or even seek employment. Yagudo mercenaries and Goblin mechanics were quite common.

After clearing his throat softly, he started to speak in the birdman’s native tongue, fluently, which impressed the Yagudo, and annoyed the vendor.

“How many apples would you like? I will buy them and bring them to you, though don’t hand me any of your money, otherwise this man will know that I am making a purchase for you.”

Galren’s bodily gestures seemed angry, but only to throw off the suspicion of the vendor.

The Yagudo answered, and then nodded to the white haired man, walking away, but not before glaring at the vendor.

They both watched the beastman disappear into the crowd.

“Hmph, good riddance.” The vendor sneered. Galren was silent, until he picked out a few apples, and reached into his satchel to pay for them. The vendor refused his money though, because he got rid of what he called ‘vermin’.

“Thank you” he said flatly to the vendor before also disappearing into the crowd of people.

He found his Yagudo friend next to one of the unoccupied buildings. Reaching into his satchel, he brought out three apples, putting them into the beastman’s clawed hand. The Yagudo nodded to him in thanks.

“T…t-thank……. You?” he said in the common tongue, though with a high pitched, bird-like squawk, not sure if he’d pronounced it correctly.

Galren nodded to him. “That’s right”

“You’re welcome” Galren replied, to a puzzled expression on the Yagudo’s face.

“Echechi Sin” (You’re welcome)

The Yagudo nodded to him again, signaling that he understood.

As Galren made his way to the courtyard, he pondered those that he passed. There never could be an absolute peace, at least not in his lifetime. There was too much conflict in the world, too much chaos, too much hatred, and prejudice. The world would have to be destroyed, and cleansed before any hope of peace could be had, but he never liked thinking about that too much. He knew that his path in life was to ease suffering, and go where the planet needed him, and today, that was here.

He made his way to the public ring, and then towards the court. Once inside, he looked around, seeing the Highwind crest above a door, and walked through. Inside were a well armored man, and a female, wearing revealing armor along with a pair of swords on her hips. He nodded to them both, standing with his hands folded behind his back, patiently waiting for their leader to give instructions. The feeling that he got was that he was in the right place.

This truly was a strange city indeed, Koji thought to himself. Never before had he seen so little people armed and fit for war. Of course his homeland had it's share of peasants and merchants to, but you couldn't walk through the market without seeing someone armed to the teeth, ready for war. The idea of peace was a somewhat fragile one to the eyes of those in the east. Sure a truce may be declared, or a common enemy would arise, but one thing was certain... War was inevitable. Maybe this is why the proud warrior seemed on edge, his hand shooting to the pommel of his blade in reflex as the door opened beside him. It took only a moment for his nerves to steady as his hand slowly began to fall back by his side, even more so once the visage of a female had ushered through the door.

With an embarrassed shake of his head, he began to ease out of his rigid stance as his armor clattered softly upon the (presumed) stone behind him. In his country, female's were mostly hand maidens and performers, doing their best to keep the lords and populous distracted from their daily routines... However, his eyes soon fell upon her blades at her side and the all too noticable sheen of her armor. This caught the man by surprise as he fell silent, noticing her nod as he returned with one of his own. A fellow man- well woman-at-arms, a rare sight to see in Throne. A woman to earn the honor of carrying a weapon had to have accomplished a great feat, earning the respect and admiration of her fellow clansman... Well at least in his clan. To the south, the 'Krakens' knew all too well the effects of a woman on an unsuspecting man... Assassins and pirates all of them, revealing as much of their flesh as their ambitions when they drove the blade into their victim. Still, this was foreign land, no need to assume the worst.

It was about the time that Koji began to settle beside this strange woman that another form entered the building. A weathered aging man, adorned in nothing but robes and a satchel. Odd... But then again, it seemed that many an oddity was about this evening. Most often those in robes were men of faith- clerics or priests to the gods, but this man held no holy symbols or relics of faith.

This caused Koji to raise a brow beneath his helm, leaning over to the woman as he attempted to whisper to her in the tounge native to this area,

"Who is old man?" his speech clumsy and broken. If his appearance wasn't enough to indicate his foreign nature, his heavy accent would be.

Only when he leaned in to speak, that the distinct feeling of magic was present, and the glow of her hair had caught his eyes. Come to think of it... This whole town stirred with a subtle essence of magic as he glanced about. The old man contained a hint of it as well, causing Koji to shake his head subtly. Never had he seen a town so ripe with mages. Though he would say nothing, his stance would become more defensive, folding his arms across his chest as he stood in silence.

In the small circular room there weren't any windows except for those on the entrances. The small cutouts were useful for peeking inside but not very useful for privacy. One could hear the words of those in the lobby if they paid any attention. But at that moment the noise of the public was not as rival to the sounds of birds chirping in the morning. But one thing was for sure, someone approached with a scuffling of their soles on the stone floor. A goblin walked into the room from the backdoor. His pale green skin was worn with the sun's rays, wrinkles and spots abundant on the flat oval face. This small creature had a long nose only rivaled in pointiness to the bright red summoner's horn on his head. His robes were white, heavenly even. On his back was the symbol of Navire's sanctuary.

"High Priest, you've come." Cid said, turning around to see someone he spoke to with a professional but friendly tone. "We've nearly waited an hour; however, compared to processing the applicants have arrived nearly in tandem."

"Ah yes, Cid Highwind II." For an ugly looking little man the goblin spoke with a beautiful voice, unnaturally smooth and speaking in an elegant manor. "If everyone is present for the meeting, forgive me if I have made myself ignorant of dilly dally doers, then I'd like to address the party."

"By all means, High Priest."

"Excellent. Let me first begin by introducing myself. I am Marus Nglin Childsnaken. Now you may have noticed something very peculurar about the Kingdom of Navire. First it is the fact that its High Priest is but a goblin. I can assure you that I do not carry the brutish and violent traditions of my forefathers who traveled from Obscura. The duty of the High Priest is to watch over the people's health and well being, unlike that of another kingdom in which the High Priest might as well be king. Ah I'm getting off topic." Cid was sitting back now, mesmerized by the old goblin's voice while perplexed by the paradoxical appearance especially with the almost beak looking nature of the goblin's head.

"Navire is home to an expanded spectrum of peoples whom sometimes see each other as enemies just by their appearance. I doubt I've yet to earn the trust of the people yet here I am the High Priest and leader of the Summoner's Circle and Paladin's Brotherhood. I may not look it but I've been on this path for nearly a century and that's given me more perspective over this world than one should need. In each of you I see the influences of your homes and your Patrons, just a couple of you have what I'd like to call a mystic's aura but that alone will not carry you through the deep forests. For the path ahead of you is lined up with dangers and omens. The reward is measurable in Gil, all those returning will receive... I'm sorry I've forgotten the amount. Cid perhaps... Cid you're staring at my nose. One would think that a century of service would grant one pardon of this type of attention. Apparently even the Head Wizard is not above glaring at the uncanny site of a man's nose and headress." A sigh flew from his mouth.

"Um em, I apologize. The sum is equal to 2000 Gil per gram of Magicite."

"Really that much?" He looked at the Head Wizard, in awe of the amount. "I suppose Magicite has applications which will make this investment worth the unorthodox pay. That being said it's a large sum because of the risk you all will be taking. Now if you would excuse me I am needed in the Sanctuary of Navire. One of my apprentices is about to preform his first Summoning."

The cries of children and the shrieking of women could be heard outside the room. The High Priest's eyes were about as wide as the north and south seas. "The burdens of a mentor are heavy I suppose. I'll take my leave." With that he turned around and left the room shuffling his feet with a speed those thin legs had not endured for years.

"Yes, I'd expected him to be specific in his explanation but it seems that the High Priest has a full plate. I'll go into detail if everyone is on the same page. But first I'd like to ask, which of you are familiar with Lux Mau, the mountain of Dawn and Dusk?" Cid looked at everyone, seeing their reactions was important. This doubled as an interview and a briefing due to the narrow window of opportunity that was open to Navire.

(I was itching to post so by GM power abuse I'm making our cavalier and badger late to the mission briefing. They are allowed to barge in at this moment. But first, I'd like to ask that only those who've traveled from the east can answer the question of Lux Mau. The Geomancer in particular should play a role in narrating a brief description of what he believes Lux Mau to look like, following a theme of "Holy" element. He shouldn't have entered the mountain's caves but he should have at least been near the mountain by now. So lets see your world building skills, dear geomancer.)

EDIT (Ok so more than the bird rider and badger man are late... who's actually in this room?)

You could find him in the same place in every city, all you had to do was go straight to the library, the archive section usually, and there he would be, notebook out and pen in hand.
The 'Badgerman' as he had heard so many call him on his travels, was sat scouring through the cultural history of Navire when he heard the bells chiming. He check the time.

"Oh Wallas, you've done it again haven't you?" he shook his head dissaprovingly at his error

It wasnt the first time he had gotten lost in the books and scrolls and woukd certainly not be the last.  He gathered his belongings and headed for the exit.

The streets of the residential sector were bustling, not as busy as the market, but they were alive. The many different races stood out instantly to Wallas, he reviewed each if their species names in his head. In his short time travelling he had already lsarnt a great deal about the world and its occupants, its kingdoms and its histories, its mountains and their mysteries, and that was precisely why he was meeting thus contact. He had heard of humans and their excavations into the Maus before and it worried him, their strategy was all wrong and their lack knowledge of the Maus and what can certainly be found in them was astounding, he felt obligated to help them and save them from the turmoil they were sure to face. His own experiences back home were all he needed to motivate him to divert from his current quest, he justified it further by assuring himself he would learn more alongside people under stressful situations.

He entered the court and stayed out of sight so as not to cause a scene, he caught what seemed like the most important part of the briefing before approaching the group who were still looking at Cid. He strolled ever so casually across the room and came across a large man in extravagant armour, he poked the man in the back a few times.

"Good day to you... Hey... Hey you. I'm Wallas, a Mahngan of Garanglaw, nice to meet you!" He said to the mans back.

"Did i miss anything at the start?"

Selie’re too took a look at the middle aged man who entered the place. She wasn’t completely sure what he was exactly, but had some vague ideas.” Resembles a monk, but probably not… surely a magical user of sorts… somewhat reminds me of an elementalist I saw some years back.” Selie’re replied shortly. As part of the Blade dancers another aspect of her training was observation and this man had the air of a seasoned veteran around him. She maybe didn’t know his precise nature, but she knew a strong person when she saw one.

Soon after the employers appeared. After the following conversation between the two, Selie’re smiled, so those were the high priest and the head wizard of Navire. It was always a pleasure when your mission was going to well all by itself. The High priest seemed an alright fellow as for the Head wizard, well some additional investigation was going to be needed in the future, but there was no need for rushing. She had years to finish this assignment.
“I saw it on my way to Navire.” Selie’re replied to the question of their employer.” As majestic as the place looked, I sensed danger from it. Most likely it was from the monsters that tend to gather around many of the Maus.” The arcana said, looking at Cid. Then she noticed the late arrival… he seemed like a badger! While somewhat cute looking, he went ahead and poked the armored warrior. The Blade dancer could see how this might turn out ugly if the man’s trained instincts made him attack the person who approached him from behind. So with some quick elegant moves, she was immediately next to the badgerman ready to block any instinctive actions from the armored warrior.” You missed nothing too important. Now if you will, it’s not polite to approach people from the back.” She stated, trying to make him move forward to not stay behind the armored warrior.

Having leaned back further against the wall, his eyes closed and his head absent mindedly nodding along with the speech of the goblin, there was only one thing that Koji understood. He was getting paid for something. Despite his shock seeing- whatever that was- it wasn't his place to judge the people of this land. To be fair, they had already provided him with many surprises, so what if one of their 'Holy Men' happened to be a green skinned creature.

Turning his gaze to the firey haired woman, he'd nod in understanding as she spoke of the mountains and the elder man from before... It was then that a sudden pressure pushed against his armor. You know how this goes: hand to pommel, blade slightly drawn, eyes darting around for something about his size, and then looking down to see his assailant. Blink a couple times in surprise, all the warrior could do is chuckle as the woman spoke on his behalf. She seemed to know the warrior etiquette and carried herself with confidence as she spoke to the... badger?

Shaking his head in slight embarrassment once more, the warrior attempted to recall talks with the western beast masters of his land, stringing together a rather shoddy and choppy sentence as he spoke to the badger in beast-kin, "No safe, little one. More careful." With that, he'd fully sheathe his blade as he once again he leaned against the wall with arms folded over his chest.

Though slightly amused, his mind slipped back to one word that stood out to him- Mau. Instantly his thoughts returned to his homeland as he now stood in quiet contemplation. Only once had he traveled into the mines of his homeland, and even then, he couldn't recall much. He just remembered the overwhelming feeling of magic in the air and the sudden ominous feeling of the darkness. If there were a mountain like that here...

"Bahamut, give me purpose." He'd utter under his breath, hopefully low enough for no one to hear as he uttered this brief prayer in Draconic. Perhaps his traveling to this land was with a purpose after all. Only time- and his blade- would tell.

The hustle and bustle of the Navire market almost overwhelmed Rinn as he sat atop Al'durian as she proudly strut among the commoners as they went about their daily lives. The hushed comments and darting glances was all part of something that he had becomed accustomed to since he had become Al'durian's rider, although in this new land Rinn was truly unsure weither the comments were about the white chocobo he was riding or the fact that a Torin who before have never left the Valerian borders was walking through their town. While they were walking through the dusty streets Rinn began to carry on a conversation with Al'durian, what seemed like nothing more than chirps and clucks was really a deep conversation between old friends.

"This is indeed a strange country Rinn. Everywhere there are my bretheren kept in confines and treated as beasts. Do not the people understand their worth as companions...and why do they allow their freedoms to be taken?"

A deep sigh escaped Rinn, this was a subject that he had been dreading since he had arrived in this country. Al'durian had only ever known the freedom of Valeria where the chocobo were revered as sacred animals. Now, here in a country where they are more used as tools, she would be exposed to another view.

"They do not see them as the Valerians. They are beasts of burden here...like, the ratha back home."

The loud and sudden KWEH!!, came as a loud and sudden screech as Al'durian began jerking like a spooked horse. The commoners quickly made a wide perimeter around the pair as Rinn did his best to calm his friend before the guards came and decided calm her more forcefully.

"HOW DARE THEY KEEP MY FAMILY IN CHAINS!! I SHALL BRING THE FULL WRATH OF KORENTHIN'DIR UPON THOSE RESPONSEABLE!!"

Always one of over dramatics, Rinn thought as he calmly began to talk down the raging chocobo.

"This is their way Al'durian...it does not have to be ours. We understand the truth that they may not be ready to understand. Remember why we are here, their king has asked for our help. With him as an ally we can try and change their minds from the top down."

Hearing the ration thought Rinn was offering Al'durian calmed herself, to those who couldn't speak the language of the birds it appeared as calmed coos and chirps. As Rinn let out a deep sigh thinking that his troubles in this town were finally over, the sound of someone screaming in what Rinn could only guess as Northern Common somewhere to his right. Stepping off of Al'durian and walking over to where the sound originated. A bird-woman was having a rather violent sort of conversation with a portly shopkeep. Although he wasn't sure what the man was selling but whatever it was had seemd to fully upset the bird-woman, a Caelitis if he had to guess. As the woman moved to the cage and gently carressed it's contents Rinn suddenly knew why it was she was upset. The chocobos that he saw were small, malnurished, and were shaking in fear of the portly man.

Now his anger was rising, but he thought more of Al'durian and her reaction if she saw this atrocity. Deciding to take action on his own Rinn quickly moved to the bird-woman's side and quickly whispered into her ear in the language of the birds,

"Keep calm and have faith. Our friends shall be free soon."

Walking over to the portly vendor Rinn stood erect and glaring hard at the vendor.

"You there, why do you keep your wares in such poor condition?"

"Alright listen buddy, I've already had to deal with the bird I will not deal with a knife-ear with an attitude so you can either buy something or back the hell off."

Knife-ear. A term he was becoming more and more familiar with as he traveled through this new land. It was a word with a duragatory meaning pointed towards the shape of his ears. Something that he took little stock in.

"You are to remove your stock from their confines and take them to the docks where you are to put them on a ship bound to Valeria at once."

"Oh yeh, on who's authority?"

"By order of the Korenthin'dir, Patron Diety of the kingdom of Valeria and by me Rinn the White, Knight Commander of the Watch of Valeria!

"No you listen here, I am not sending my wares across the seas for the sake of some Fat Chocobo..."

Before the man had finished his sentence Rinn had drawn the sword at his side and held it to the man's throat. It was one thing to wield personal comments about him, but attacking the patron of his people was one thing that Rinn would not stand for.

"I have traveled many miles, traversed many seas to reach this place by order of your king Cid Highwind II. I have come to your city with the intentions of helping him in whatever he should ask of me, but everytime I hear the Patron of my People slandered in such fashion my hand becomes a little more unstable. Plus you not onlyoffend me but you offend her..."

With a nodding gesture Rinn directed the mans attention to Al'durian who had moved to the mans right side. The sound that eminated from his friend could only be described as a growl in bird form as she began scratching the dusty ground with her talons and glaring at the man with such furosity that Rinn actually feared for the mans life at one point.

"...So now, as I said before release the chocobo's...NOW!!"

With haste the man moved to release the chains that held his 'wares' quickly ushering them out. As the frightened creatures slowly made their way out of the cage they looked up to Rinn who looked at both he and Al'durian with the look anyone would have after being saved. In their language Rinn comforted them assuring them that would be taken care of and sent to a land where they would be free to do as they chose. The oldest of the brood look to Rinn and Al'durian and simply spoke,

"Thank you, you will be remembered as long as my family lives.

With a simple nod and a widening smile Rinn sent them on their way and turned back to the bird-woman and gestured for her to follow him, continuing to speak in Bird Common.

"I am sorry you had to see that Most Honored Bird-kin. These westerners have little reguard for our kin. I am Rinn of the White and this is my friend Al'durian."

Galren’s attention was directed towards the door after hearing the scuffling of small shoes approached, the door opened, and a small goblin appeared before them, dressed in priest’s robes. His eyes widened a bit, but he stayed silent. He knew that goblins were mechanical marvels when it came to building things, but he had never met one who was taking the role of a priest in his time. When the goblin spoke, he did so with such clarity and beauty in his voice that it was hard to believe that it was a goblin talking. He gave the goblin a slight bow, in respect, as the priest exited the room.

After the goblin had gone, and Cid asked his question,
“Which of you are familiar with Lux Mau, the mountain of Dawn and Dusk?"

“I saw it on my way to Navire.” Selie’re replied to the question of their employer.” As majestic as the place looked, I sensed danger from it. Most likely it was from the monsters that tend to gather around many of the Maus.”

He listened when Selie’re started to speak. She was right, and he knew that she would be crucial on this quest. He was hoping that she was as good with her swords as she was with her power of observation.

“If I may” he said, gesturing to the room, and stepping forward after she was finished telling what she knew about Lux Mau.

“First, I believe introductions are in order.” He said, turning his gaze towards his companions, and then Cid. “I am Galren Firelight, a Geomancer from the forest town of Masa.”

He started to pace back and forth across the small room, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. It was a habit of his when his mind was gathering information.

“Lux Mau, to the south east of Navire. Yes, I’ve been there once.” He said, raising one finger, slightly shaking it as he spoke, then making a fist and putting it to his chin, continuing to walk around the room.

“It is a place of worship for both man and beastman alike. Even primitive animals have been known to go there almost ritualistically, as if some instinct was driving them to gather there at certain times.”

“There is energy, a force, that drives people and beasts to go there and worship during certain times. Idols have been built, and brought up to it, and even some carved into the mountain itself. It has been, for the most part, a place of peace. Offerings and sacrifices (Food, clothing, etc) have been made, many times, at the base of the mountain. Men put down their swords to pray to their deities there, beastmen haven’t been known to be aggressive, or at least as aggressive while in the vicinity of the mountain. It is a holy place. Many who enter the priesthood spend time near Lux Mau, but they are warned never to go near the caves within. I don’t know if it is forbidden by the church, or if there is something else about this.” He said, though his expression changed slightly. When he was deep in thought, he looked almost mad.

A clawed hand shot up to her ear when somebody whispered into it in bird common. She flipped around, her hand resting on her harp as she watched the exchange between this new comer and the portly shop keep. Things became somewhat heated, but all of the sudden the obstinate shop keep began to let his wares go. Lumenaria wondered what this new comer had done in order to release all of the chocobos without even a duel. She understood snippets of the conversation between him and the cowardly shop keep, enough to understand that he was some sort of lord – his dialect and inflections were too different and her knowledge of west common too little for her to garner much else. He must be from far away, she surmised.

When he rounded on her and introduced herself in bird common, she was taken aback. “Most... honored?” She mouthed that over, as if tasting the words. A compliment that she wasn't expecting from anyone here in Navire, but she soon beamed back at Rinn and Al'durian and began to wipe her tear stained cheeks with a small kerchief she produced from somewhere on her person. “I am Lumenaria Aslani of Caelum,” She said with a flourish and a deep bow, extending her large wings out as she did so. One of them knocked over some jars on a nearby shelf, which thankfully didn't break as they hit the hay covered ground in a clatter. Lumenaria rushed over to pick them up and place them back on the shelf before walking slyly back up to Rinn and Al'durian, gesturing for them to begin walking and talking. She could feel the vehement eyes of the portly shop keep on her back, as if he was blaming her for everything that had just occurred.

Turning away from the shop and bustling through the crowds, she spoke to her new companions in bird common. “What you did back there was rather stupendous, both of you. You will have to teach me your ways. These ground dwellers do not know the honor of dueling, and it appears your way achieved more results than mine.” She smiled to include Al'durian, who she resisted petting and grooming, as many Caelestis groomed each others back feathers socially as a sign of respect. She hadn't known chocobos for long, but she found herself bonded to them as bird-kin. They were part of her people, and something familiar was welcome in an unfamiliar place.

“I am far from home, and you honorable folk appear to be so as well. May I ask why? This place is dreadful, I wouldn't come here of my own volition.” She eyed the shops lining the streets in a haphazard assembly, one that you could easily get lost in, before turning her aquamarine eyes back to Rinn and Al'durian. “This place is an offense to you, Al'durian. Your people are kept in cages like...” She breathed in deeply to stop herself from boiling over with rage. “Forgive me, I'm emotional over the incident back there still.” She gave Al'durian a slight bow of her head, before muttering under her breath about fat humans and sticking them in cages to see how they liked it.

"Well to be clear there isn't a rule making anyone forbidden to enter Lux Mau's caves by our sanctuary or High Priest. However, that doesn't make is any less dangerous. The numerous cults that are rumored to control the mountain also control a network of trade. Magicite for various supplies makes for a powerful organization. We don't know if they have any other motives beyond living in the caves. Well that's not quite true, no one lives within the caves for a reason. Magicite has an effect on the mind, distorting how one sees the world. One would call it brainwashing but the effects depend on the individual. I myself possess Magicite in my staff; however, such a small amount hasn't proven to change me or how I see this world.

This is why we fear the cults of Lux Mau that dwell near this wellspring. In the worst scenario, they may believe themselves to be something more than mortals, with a Patron assuring their cause. Sacrifices of blood and souls are done at the peak of the mountain where they bleive themselves closer to the Goddess Shine. These are rumors of course but we can't take them lightly.

Tarva and Shuben are the two kingdoms that trade with these cults. But now that trade has stopped. We aren't sure why but we believe it's due to dispute between those two kingdoms. Shuben offers weaponry refined by ore while Tarva offer Crystals and Nethecite. Neither resources are going to that mountain now, making this the window we need to secure Magicite before any war does come.

We don't plan on trading with the cultists if we can avoid it. Keeping Navire out of their sights is of great importance. The reason is because of our King's blessing. He is given wisdom beyond his perspective. I can't go into detail of how he obtains his wisdom but I can say he knows not to trust those dwelling near Magicite. People disappear when they approach the mountain, those we sent before have not returned."

Cid observes those standing in the room, taking their various appearances into consideration as well as their number.

"I believe we're missing a few individuals from this party. If I remember correctly then there were four more who sent in applications. Perhaps their travel was delayed. I'll give them a few hours but in the mean time I'd like to formerly introduce myself. Also, it is time we lighten the mood. Cults are not a great conversation subject for a first impression.

I am Cid Highwind the second, son of Cid Highwind the first a marvelous inventor. My family has taken great care of this kingdom along side its Kings and Patrons for the last two generations. Like my father I've pledged loyalty to this land and to the Patron. It's my dream to see Navire prosper. So might I learn to know the remaining names of those who are helping me make this dream come true?"

Cid looked at the five people already in the room. A women who wears scanty armor, Galren Firelight a "geomancer" who spoke of Lux Mau, Wallas a "Mahngan" who appears like a badger, a mysterious warrior who traveled across the world, and a figure wearing bandages all over his face. The last of them chose not to speak as even his mouth was wrapped in gauze. The last individual has Cid's eye the longest. The Wizard wondered who'd chose to hide their appearance in that manor.

Koji's eyes followed the man's focus as he went about addressing the group as a whole, trying to gauge the man's character. Obviously he took great pride in his family name, but that sort of thing didn't really matter to Kojiro. Why put your country potentially in the middle of a war against two other nations? Money, fame, honor, or bloodlust? Shaking his head in an attempt to look past the uncertainty, the armored warrior would lift himself from the wall as he merely bowed his head out of repsect.

For a moment, he paused. "Katakura," he offered, attempting to remember the name he'd written down on his application (That's what's on the contract IC). Ever since his venture to this new nation, Koji had done his best to separate himself from his family name. Though mostly an isolated nation, he did not want his name to haunt him in his travels. It was for this reason he had assumed over a dozen aliases, settling down in this kingdom as a bounty hunter and mercenary under the guise of Katakura.

It was only after making his introduction that his eyes fell upon the bandaged man. How he had not noticed the man before, he'd never know, but now his eyes would narrow obviously in the direction of the figure. Having dealt with several... Less then upstanding individuals- nothing about this sat right with him. Still, he'd bide his time in silence as he now looked about the room, awaiting the others to offer their own greetings as he milled over his own thoughts.

"Should've asked for more," He muttered to himself as he couldn't help but grin. Oh how the mighty have fallen, once waited on hand and foot to acting the part of a common sellsword. If this was the path set before him by the Lord Dragon, so be it.

Indeed maus were dangerous places to the unprepared. She knew that quite well, after all her country was stationed right in between two of them. That’s another reasons Arcania’s borders were so tightly guarded. They couldn’t allow to any of the creatures within the maus to enter the territory of their country. Arcana’s too mined for magicide, but their operations were even smaller than Navire’s it seemed. Well arcana’s didn’t really need magicide to power tech with magic. Their bodies could supply a sensible amount of energy most other races couldn’t, but that was something that arcana’s didn’t just say to anyone they meet.

“My name is Selie’re Nasloede’kas. You could also call me Rose if my name is too hard on the tongue for any of you.” The arcana said with a wave of her hand as if to signify it didn’t really matter. For a long time the arcana knew that their names are usually quite hard for foreigners to pronounce. That was the reason why every arcana also had kind of a nickname to go by.

“I do have a question though. What will be the duration of the mining operation exactly?” She asked as depending on the answer certain preparations were going to be needed to be made. Otherwise the end result was not going to be pretty...

Both Rinn and Al'durian could sense Lume's emotional attachement to the chocobo's, an oddity in this new land. As she was introducing who she was and where she came from Rinn couldn't help but smile to himself on the inside, his guesses were spot on and he always enjoyed being right. The very next instant she asked him to teach her his ways on dealing with people which made him duck his head in a sense of shame.

"One should not have acted as I did. The man was from my country and insulted my Patron, I acted out of anger and threatened his life when it was not nessacary. I would have much prefered to have dueled him honorably."

"It would have been no match..." Al'durian chimed in, "...the oaf would have felt the anger of that whom he scorned."

As the group continued their journey through the city in the various caws and chirps that turned heads from any that would hear Rinn took little notice that he and his new friend had arrived at the destination. The assorted group of people gathered mattered very little as he finally found someone who understood the language of his country as well as he.

Seeing the additional people enter the room, introductions continued for a short time until Cid and twelve individuals had introduced themselves. Cid caught the newer ones up with the mining plan, allowing those who entered before to gather their thoughts and assess their fellow party members.

(Time skipped to get us moving forward. Treat all new members as if you've met them here by name. The 8 PCs are you guys but there are 4 additional members, 2 of which are mine and the last two generic bodies until utilized by any more new members. Treat it like mortal kombat where there's still characters to be unlocked but still there.)

"Now that introductions are complete well move onto the first phase of the operation. For one week you will travel by chocobo to Lux Mau. Preparations have been made for certain artifacts to be used in this operation. Greg carries this item." Cid looked over to the Moogle who floated around the front. He wore a summoner's horn and carried a small pack on his back.

"A pack of hoarding!" Greg said loudly with his small voice barely reaching the ears of everyone else. "I've got 'month of supplies for us all!"

"Eager as ever to leave the walls? A summoner with magic such as your should reconsider his lifespan outside them. There's danger our way and you're unfit for the journey let alone the destination." Kevess had only spoken his name before but not he seemed more than eager to berate the moogle summoner. His voice was deeper, contrasting with the moogle's humbled volume.

"Oi! I'll beat your bandaged butt, without me familiar!" The moogle's antennae wiggled, making the red puff on the end glow like a dim torch.

"Perhaps it would be better to take this matter outside, gentlemen." Cid said, interrupting the two of them. "To me the situation calls for a leader who is more than capable of settling squabbling among party members. Who believes oneself qualified for this position?" Cid scanned the room again looking for a volunteer leader.

"Mr. Highwind." A voice said from the hallway. "We've got an issue regarding the runners." A paladin walked in, wearing light weight armor and carrying a large bastard sword on his side. His bright red hair contrasted with his light blue skin. This man wasn't human and in all other ways appeared to be a Glacier Elf.

"Blizz, what's the issue?" Cid turned around to greet the familiar man.

"The merchant who was bringing them has left with the pack sold." The Paladin's brow was crinkled as if he had one job.

"What happened to the pack?" Cid said.

"Apparently he was sick of the pointy eared community so the first man who wanted them got them. Unfortunately we cannot find this man and his new pack." The paladin rolled his eyes. "Leaving us with but a short supply of runners in the stable."

"Those in our stable would be better suited for travel, supplementing their numbers was the plan anyway. I've heard that the merchant was bringing some unfit for mounting. We've only got seven without the extra."

"Won't be a problem for me!" The moogle said, knowing he could easily ride alongside someone else. "If no one's too shy of me."

"I've no need of mounts. I'll see you at the base of Lux Mau. Until then amateurs." Kevess walked out the door, heading toward the destination. Greg made an audible growl.

"Be wary of that one." Cid looked at the party. "Back to the issue at hand, we need a leader and a means of transportation for the remaining eight." Cid said.

"I'm just glad that mummy's not the leader." Greg said under his breath which already seemed to be the default. The moogle turned around then

"Hey, you the one who rode in on the white runner! You've got your own so that means everyone else has a ride right?"

"Wait, white runner? That's the same man who purchased the runners." Blizz said looking at him closely. "Tell us rider, do you own the pack that we were going to purchase. What was the price? We can double it." Blizz seemed desperate.

"Calm yourself. We've no coins to spare if they are to bring back the Magicite in abundance, besides from what I've heard a weeks travel might have pushed the merchant's runner's too far. Even if this is the rider who paid the price, he would know their condition firsthand." Cid looked at him. "Rinn was it? Is it true you are the rider of a white runner?"

(I'll add the color coding later. I'm sleepy -ing.)

Lumenaria couldn't blame Rinn for his actions. If someone here insulted Sigilyph, she didn't know if she could stop herself from demanding retribution. She felt her clawed hand clench at her side as she shared in his anger for his Patron being slighted by somebody like that.

As they arrived to the meeting, Lumenaria did her best to follow along. Introductions were more confusing than not, and she was sure she didn't remember everyone's name correctly. West common was still a touch confusing for her, and with the different inflections that all of the warriors here placed on their words... Lumenaria just stopped trying after awhile, but she managed to get out her name. “Me name do be Lumenaria Aslani, ye can do be callin me Lume.” And after that she hadn't said a single thing as she squatted down near Rinn, her downy wings encasing her body.

When Greg arrived, however, Lumenaria's attention was fixated on the floating ball of fluff. As a Caelestis, she was predisposed to almost worshiping Moogles by default, so his every word held her rapt attention. Even if she couldn't understand half of it, she was sure what he was saying was amazing! Right? Right, that had to be it. He was the real leader here, and that human, “Cid”, must be his lackey. She felt an incredible sense of kinsmanship for Navire all of the sudden, just knowing that they had a Moogle as a leader. Her impression of the place brightened.

That was when they started saying words like “leader” and “position”, and then pointing at Rinn. Was Rinn to be the leader for our group? But they were also saying “runner”, whatever that meant. Truly, these people would probably have a better grasp of language if they just spoke bird common. Everything was very simple in her native tongue. “Rinn, I think they're trying to give you an honor! Or a “runner”. I don't really get it, what are they saying?” She looked up at Rinn as she spoke in bird common, her head slightly cocked to the side in the way that bird might do.

Selie’re’s hand twitched once she saw the cute little flying ball of fur that was the moogle. She wanted to hug him… Then the mummy opened his mouth. It seemed there was some kind of thing going on between those two. Moments later someone appeared to say there was some kind of problem going on with the chocobos… ‘Things never go as planned.’ The arcana thought and smiled.

As far as mounts were concerned, Selie’re had the skill to ride chocobos, but her people rarely used those incredible birds, despite the fact that the neighboring country of Valeria was famous for the Chocobos. In Arcania they used a number of different creatures which were definitely more battle oriented than the elegant chocobos. “ Master summoner could ride with me if he so desires. My equipment is light enough, so it won’t be a problem.” Selie’re said to the cute flying moogle in polite and respectful way. She also looked at the bird lady… Lumenaria, if the arcana’s was remembering correctly. Lume was giving the moogle some incredible eyes. She almost looked as if she was going to drop on the ground kneeling at him.

“Mistress Lume, they mean a rider of chocobos.” Selie’re couldn’t help but interfere and explain in slow easily understandable West common. Some may wonder why her speech was so polite, well it was part of the job along with other things. Blade dancers besides elite battle units of the Arcania, also were in charge of welcoming and serving the foreign ambassadors. Acting both as personal helpers for them in their stay and bodyguards. There also the fact they were the entertainers during celebrations. It was a proven fact that having their beautiful dances during celebrations lifted the mood of everyone around. Well having to serve politicians Selie’re was used to speaking politely. The moogle and the bird lady both earned right away some respect points in Selie’re’s eyes. The first was a summoner, a thing that was missing in Arcana, and the arcanas understood the importance of the summoners. The second was the fact that Lume had a harp. Naturally being a Blade dancer, Selie’re immediately gained respect towards most musicians.