Sunday, March 27, 2011

Memories of Aion

My travels around Atreia was short and lonely. Even trough, there have been great moments to share.

My first steps in Atreia on rainy day

It's burniiiing >.<

Look, a.. what??

My first flying lessons.

There we gooo

Sky is faliiing, world is endiiing >.<

Best party ever ^.^

Master of black magic.

Hmm, asmodians must be really cold.

Sooo fat, no wonder its so empty around.

Ka-me-ha-me...

Doskoi!

Requesting permission for landing.

In moment you know that you are done for >.<

Jumping around in the Core.

On my travels, around the world.

Aion-calibur

Where is waiter? What a terrible restaurant -.-

Run for it, coooorns >.<

You just.. pulled its head >.<

Jumpy jumpy

Nice scenery, does it needs a comment? ^.^

Is it time yet?

Oh, free candy? Let me join!

Cheeese

Who needs an umbrella?

A mamoofant?


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Memories of the Perfect World

3 years ago, I have found the Perfect World. I have experienced many great adventures with great friends like never before.
Since it was long time ago, I wont be telling my stories about it. But I still share few nice moment ^.^


My first attempts in exploring the world.

Yup, tigers love wood, for breakfast ^.^

My favorite living statue. Sign: Press nose for roar.

Best friend trough all my adventures. Cute little Yukitama.

West trying to kill Miuu laughing. 
Even Yukitama could not take it and rolls on ground from laugting ^.^

Scarlet preparing for big adventure. 
 Did West got lost again? >.<

Giving jumping lessons ^.^

I wonder, what is this GM up to? :D

Scarlet marching out, Bunny powered™.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Cross story: The Tenth Squirrel

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bloodmoon. The local armorers' guild doesn't seem to have any commissions available currently," the leve desk representative in Limsa Lominsa told the tall Wildwood Elezen, who was growing increasingly exasperated at the lack of frequency with which he was able to steadily work in his new home city. "It seems that we get only a regimented amount of jobs from day to day."


"That seems like a tedious and ill-orchestrated business plan," commented Niko. "How am I supposed to gain skill in my trade at any reasonable rate if my progress is hindered by unnecessary red tape?"

The agent gave an emphatic nod to Bloodmoon whilst listening simultaneously to a linkpearl he had taken from underneathe the desk.
Niko turned around to leave the counter.

"Just a moment, Mr. Bloodmoon," the associate called to Niko. "It seems our affiliates in Thanalan may have something for you." Bloodmoon returned to the desk and the two spoke briefly.

So Niko boarded the ferry to Thanalan in search of some practice with his doming hammer. "It's a might worn-out," Niko commented. The hammer he so often used for the last few months had grown shabby and lackluster. "Perhaps I shall attempt to locate a new doming hammer when I arrive in Ul'dah."

After making the hike from the coast to the city of Ul'dah, Niko proceeded to the merchants' strip. There were many shops to be found, all showcasing some unique sort of finery or goods. Some were regional shops, while others specialized in the tools and materials of specific crafts.

Littered amongst the various permanent fixtures in the market ward were enumerous adventurers. Craftsman and tradespeople hocking their wares, hoping to make a name for themselves in their own professions. It was in the bazaar of an inconspicuous-looking hyur that Niko found a doming hammer of above-average quality.

"How much for this?" Niko motioned to the hammer of interest.

"Thirty thousand gil," the man answered.

"Thirty thousand? I couldn't pay more than seventeen for a simple doming hammer!" Niko loved to haggle. "Highway robbery, that'd be."

"Are you daft, Elf?" The hyur defended his craftsmanship. "This is quality work, here." The man put the hammer in Niko's hand. "Feel the balance, my friend? Look at the structure. Look, I'll give it to you for twenty-five thousand."

"Eighteen," rebutted Bloodmoon.

"Twenty!" the man bartered. "That be me final offer."

"Done," Niko handed the man twenty thousand gil and hung the hammer on his belt. They nodded to one another and Niko walked away. "Twenty's what I wanted to spend anyways," Niko spoke softly to himself. "...though free would have been preferable!"

Niko went to Ul'dah's adventurers' guild and inquired the man at the desk about some local armorers' leves.

"Watch it there, elf," A tiny but oddly deep voice came from behind him. "I was next in line!"

It was Gregorio Engelbritzon. "Oh! Sorry, friend, I didn't see you standing there."

"Aye, aye. The air up there makes ye a bit oblivious to your surroundings, no doubt." Gregorio prodded his young friend as he side-stepped him. "Now if you don't mind."


In due time, the two friends had both received local leves in the specialties of goldsmithing and armorsmithing, respectively. Niko eyed a few regional leves at the corresponding Camp Horizon, and pocketed them as well.

"I have a bit of work to do here in town, lad," Gregorio told Niko as they exited the inn. "But as soon as I am done, I'll make my way to Camp Horizon. See you there!"

"Not if I see you first," Niko bid farewell. He also had a bit of business to do in town. A Roegadyn on Merchant's Row was looking to commission a few bronze hoplons. Niko had never made a shield before, but with proper plans and the quality of his new implement, he was sure he could finish the job to his client's satisfaction.

Success! The black-robed Roegadyn was more than happy with the shields Niko constructed and paid him well for his effort. Bloodmoon was just tying a knot around the top of his coinpurse, when he saw something circling his feet frantically.


"What the?" Niko was taken aback. "A squirrel?" A small star marmot was running a figure-eight around his ankles. When the varment noticed he had successfully gained Niko's attention, he stood on his hind legs and squeeked insistantly at the adventurer.

"A note tied to your tail," Niko leaned over and tried several times to get his hand on a piece of rolled parchment which had been thonged to the squirrels caudal extremity. "Give it here, ya li'l bugger!"

Having finally been relieved of the apparent piece of correspondence, the squirrel scurried off down an alleyway. He was out of sight quite soon. More interested in the note in his hand than the varment's destination, Niko unfurled the parchment and began reading.

"Niko Bloodmoon," he began reciting. "I have heard many times of your adventures in La Noscea. So many of them sound exciting, but here there are important things to be done and so you should pay attention, okey? Many powerful enemies are roaming around Camp Horizon. I left my forest home to aid the people here, but I do not know much about Thanalan."

"This is tenth squirrel I try to send to meet you," Niko continued reading. "They must be getting killed before they get to you. Perhaps by fat ants around Thanalan. They are everywhere. Please, if you are willing, meet me at the Aetheryte in Ul'dah. I will be the pink-haired Miqo'te with nice new yellow tunic, which I just bought. Also, I have a new bow! See you soon!" The letter was signed, "Yuumi Timori."

"Her prose is a bit quirky," Niko noted. "...but endearing. I think I will help her."

Niko approached the square in which Ul'dah's aetheryte crystal could be found. As he neared the magical device he began scanning the crowd of travellers in and around the area.

"Yu, Niko!" the Elezen heard shouted from across the square. "Over here!" It was Yuumi Timori. She was an average-sized Miqo'te with a youthful appearance. She grinned widely. Her eyes squinted slightly, as if pleasantly pursed-shut by the intesity of such a bright smile. "Thank Gods tenth one found you! I was running out of squirrels!"

"Pleased to meet you, Yuumi." Niko bowed appropriately. "You and I both seem to have business that leads us to Camp Horizon. I shall happily assist you with your endeavors, provided you are willing to reciprocate and help me to complete a task there of my own."

"Assist *us*!" A small voice came from behind Niko, surprising him. "Did you forget about your old friend, Gregorio whilst planning this little adventure? Hmmm?"

"Hello, little man!" Timori waved happily at Gregorio. "I am Yuumi and you must be Gregorio Engelbritzon: 'Explorer Extraordinaire', Niko's sidekick!"


"'Sidekick'?" Gregorio was incensed. "I'll have ye know that this here city's been kept safe under me watch since before you or even this dhalmel-necked, spotlight-stealing, wildwoods-ing, pointy-eared bushwhacker ever stepped foot outdoors without the assurance o' yer security blanket!"

"He looks angry!" Yuumi pointed-out. Her ears perked acutely with curiosity. "You are not his sidekick?"

"Nay, lassie," Engelbritzon scowled harshly whilst he corrected the young lady. "We are partners, you hear? Equal work; equal share. We split everything right down the middle!"

"Oh," Timori seemed to understand that she had inadvertently insulted the Lalafell. She sauntered whimsically over to Gregorio and pressed her fingertip to his pursed brow. "Relax that angry face, okey?"

Gregorio conceded and offered a reconciling smile. He extended his hand to the Miqo'te, who gave her own.

"Right then, splendid." Niko interjected. "What say we talk more about it all whilst we make for Camp Horizon?" And with a nod of agreement from both Gregorio and Yuumi, the three were off.

They made their way north, then west through the rugged terrain of the region of Thanalan. "The coarse description offered by many wayfarers of this country," commented Niko "is superficially correct, at best. Majestic canyonsides line the spiraling trails carved into their crests. While sparse, the foliage here is very awe-inspiring in its simplicity. And the vibrant reds, greens and yellows of the low-lying flora are kin to an impressionist's painting. A natural work of art."

Arriving at Camp Horizon, the three adventurers undertook their respective leves. With a little effort spent in coordinating their tactics to accomodate for the differences in their unique methodologies, they managed to route a group of assassins whilst they made campfire on a cliffside near Horizon.

"Assassins, bah," Engelbritzon scoffed at their mention. "Didn't seem so stealthy once we laid 'em low! Try stabbin' me in the back from underneathe me boot heel!"


"Firestarter imps hiding amongst herds of the fat birds?" Timori seemed excited that their next bounty was rumored to be disguising himself as one of a flock of dodos. "Perhaps we will kill a fat bird for dinner too!"

"You're starting to remind me quite a bit of Alice," Niko remembered the first time he and his wife had encountered a dodo together. "All I saw was a dodo kicking up a dust cloud and my wife, Alice, close on its heel with nothing more than a knife and fork as her weapons!"


The evening was filled with adventure. Niko and Gregorio had made an unlikely ally in Yuumi Timori, but a welcome one regardless. At the end of the night, after having divvied-up the rewards and dined happily upon some plump roast dodo sprinkled with rosemary, pepper, and cracked salt, the three waved farewell to one another and made their ways home.

Cross Story: New Armor and a Strange Encounter

"This is nice craftsmanship," Niko commented as he stood on the dock awaiting the ferry from Thanalan to Limsa Lominsa examining two nice sets of bone scale mail in a tall Elezen woman's bazaar. "I'll take both for say...seventy-five thousand?"

"They are clearly marked forty thousand each, my friend." The woman was rather curt.

"Awww, c'mon." Niko looked positively hurt by the woman's refusal to barter with him. "You're supposed to haggle with me!"

"I don't want to," the Elezen woman replied. "They are quality pieces of body armor and I won't take less.

Niko wore the face of a small child who had just watched someone step on his favorite stuffed moogle. "Blah, what's the fun in this?" He questioned and, with that rhetoric, handed the woman eighty thousand gil for the two pieces of mail and bid her farewell.

"Eighty thousand is less than I woulda expected to pay anyways," he said to himself and boarded the recently-arrived ferry.

After a quiet journey across the channel from the mainland to the island country of La Noscea, Niko exited the arrival terminal and walked out onto the twisting suspended bridge walkways of Limsa Lominsa. Despite the recent trouble he had gotten himself into with the Krakens, the Sanguine Sirens and the Barracudas...and the surrounding controversies there-outlying, the bustling port city was beginning to feel like home.

He arrived at his estate shortly thereafter. Twisting the doorhandle, he found it to be locked tight. He retrieved a key from his pocket and opened the door. No lights were lit; he adjusted his eyes and stumbled over to a lamp.

"Alice?" He hollared, but was responded to only by the echo of his own voice. He wandered through the house, setting his belongings down here and there until he came to the kitchen table, upon which he found a piece of unfurled parchment. "A note," he said to himself. He picked it up and began reading.

"I have gone fishing at Aleport," he recited the letter aloud. "I hope your day of adventuring was prosperous! You had better have brought me home something nice from Ul'dah!" Niko looked over his shoulder to the two sets of scale mail he had bought.

"She loves it when we dress alike," Niko said to himself, though he found the practice to be a bit tacky. He continued reading. "The fish I'm going for don't come close to shore until the late hours before sunrise, so don't expect me home until late tomorrow morning. Cook yourself some supper and I'll see you tomorrow!"

Niko made himself a small meal and then played a card game that he and Alice ritually played after supper (he played her hand for her). Afterwards, he read the tribune until his eyes grew heavy. He went to their bedchamber, laid down and drifted fast to sleep.

"Don't pluck me feathers!" Niko exclaimed oddly, waking from his slumber to a start. He had been dreaming that he was a chocobo. He was surrounded by dozens of mischievous Lalafell who were trying to steal his feathers for their caps. Escaping the disorientation of waking, he placed his hands upon the landmarks of his upper body, to assure himself that he was, indeed, Elezen once more.

Finding this to be the case, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, got out of bed and did some squats and other stretches as was his morning regiment. After cleaning up and donning some clean clothing, he strapped on one of the new pieces of body armor he had purchased the day before.

"Lighter than my haubergeon," he noted as he buckled the last body strap and tested his motility. "More maneuverable. But I suppose I shall keep my chain armor for when the situation demands a bit more protection."

Niko decided to head out of town and train a bit near Camp Bearded Rock. He arrived at the encampment after a short stroll out Zephyr Gate and northward. He began doing a few preliminary stretches before heading out to test his new body armor. He had leaned down to make sure his boots were well-laced when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Niko Bloodmoon," A cold voice beckoned. It was of monotone timbre and, with the unexpectedness of the address, sent a bit of a shiver down Niko's spine.


Niko stood quickly upright and turned to see who had spoken. It was a man of medium physical stature. He wore blood red chain armor, gilded with silver buckles and ornamental polished steel shoulder pauldrons.
A hyur, by Niko's assessment; however, it was hard to tell. The man wore a full plate helmet which concealed his face entirely, except for two slits about the eyes. The headpiece was plain except for being adorned with a crown.

"Who's asking?" Niko demanded before devulging his identity.

The man pointed to his chest, upon the left breast of which he wore a silver badge. "I have some questions for you."

"Anything I can do to be of assistance, officer." Niko scratched the back of his head a bit, wondering introspectively what he must have done wrong.

"There have been complaints from citizens of several cities and their surrounding territories of dead squirrels being found at their doorsteps, near the perimeter of encampments, et cetera." The inspector
began. "Nine accounts in all."

"And what do I have to do with all of this?" Niko asked.

"All nine of these squirrels were reported to have correspondences tied to their tails," the officer continued. "All of which were signed by one Yuumi Timori, and addressed to you, Niko Bloodmoon."

Niko was both partially nervous, and yet, rather excited that his name was getting around Eorzea with a certain amount of notoriety.

"I can't see that I've done anything wrong in all of this," Niko protested.

"You're not being accused of anything, Mr. Bloodmoon." The officer replied. "However, we have not been able to locate Ms. Timori with regards to this matter, but we *have* found you."

"If you are in contact with Ms. Timori," the man continued, "Would you be so kind as to pass on a message to her?"

"I suppose I could," Niko chuckled a bit to himself as he pictured himself sending out dozens of courier marmots to every end of Eorzea
in order to carry-out the authority figure's request.

"Please inform her that, while the authority *does* encourage adventurers to work together in order to make Eorzea a better place to live, we simply cannot have dead squirrels piling-up in multitudes hither and thither."



"Right," Niko nodded, assuring the officer of his compliance. "'Twould create a dead rank smell, no doubt."

"Indeed." replied the man. "Not to mention the bacterial concerns. Noone wants another plague, Mr. Bloodmoon."


"Agreed, sir." Niko did his best to contain riotous laughter over being pursued by the authorities over such a silly occurrence. "I'll keep my eye out for Ms. Timori!"

"Right then," the crimson-vested figure concluded. "I shall consider this matter closed, and in the future, please encourage your friend, Ms. Timori, to utilize a linkpearl. They are much more efficient."


Unable to contain himself, Niko broke into rauccous laughter. "Would you mind taking a photograph with me, officer? I'd like to capture this moment for a page in my journal."

Without another word or gesture, the officer disappeared into thin air.

Niko looked all around for a trace of the man, but found none. He giggled and said to himself, "Guess that's GM for 'no'."

Engelbritzon and 'The Limsa Connection'

Today, I have sent a squirrel with message tied to its tail as usual in hope to reach Niko Bloodmoon, adventurer from Limsa Lominsa, squirrels seems to have hard time reaching Niko. Who could be eating them?

I was waiting in appointed location near Aetheryte in Uldah as usual in hope that my message was delivered.
After about a hour of waiting and poking random passing squirrels with a head of my arrow I have seen an elf with large axe on his back followed by a little guy in a hat as big as he was.
Could it be Niko Bloodmoon and Gregorio Engelbritzon?
Yes, its surely them, I waved their way with my hand.

We have greeted each other and had a little chat.
After a while, we taken upon tasks in adventurers guild and headed together towards the Camp Horizon.


It was quite a long walk trough the desert, but not much longer then my usual way from Gridania to the Camp Emerald Moss.


We have arrived safely to the Camp Horizon. Seems like there are quite a few adventurers other then us, maybe they are here to help with same tasks?

Our first and most important tasks is to find end eliminate dangerous shape shifting imps that have escaped from their confinement.
Without much wait, we have departed to the west in our search for small tricky imps.


But there was a catch, the road was guarded by assassins.
We have taken out 2 of them that were blocking our way, but these assassins are quite strong.
With our way partially cleared, we have sneaked past the rest of them and continued our search for imps.

Suddenly, I have noticed big birds walking around little afar.
Look, its dodos, many of them. Lets have a dinner, I whispered as I could hear my tummy growl.
We have silently approached a group of dodos and attacked.


Niko charged in middle of them with a wide swing of his large axe, sending them flying in all directions.
What? How come they changed into ladybugs? There did my dinner go?


They are going to pay for that! I yelled while me and Niko delivered a final blow to both creatures.

There evil things, that was supposed to be my dinner.
What about these?, I said while pointing to next group of dodos.


Suddenly they changed into small people. What? What about my dinner?

We have slowly walked to another group of dodos. These must be real or I starve to death.


The creature suddenly showed its true colors when it turned into imp.
Now I can clearly seen the evil they have done! No dinner, no mercy!


As the imp fallen, behind him strange wisp showed up. Considering him accomplice to the imp, he did not stand much of the chance before hungry adventurers.

We have finished our task and taken our all imps, but there is still one thing left to do.
That is, to fill our tummies.

While Gregorio pointed the way where we can find dodos in his homeland, Niko mentioned he will have to return as he have to Cook a dinner today.
I guess he needs to go, since he don't want to make his wife Alice angry.
After saying out goodbyes to Niko, we have departed our way to find real dodos.

As we followed the road to east, it did not took long until we found group of juicy looking dodos.

We have slowly sneaked to them.
While I was getting my bow ready, Gregorio suddenly chanted a spell...




...and hit the creature's tender spot. Ouch, that must hurt a lot, I said while looking at creatures painful expression.
That was quite evil, but surely effective.


But one sure is not enough to ease our hunger. Here we have another birdie.

After splitting the meat between me and Gregorio and putting some aside for Niko, we have said our goodbyes and returned to our home towns to enjoy our dinner.

But wait, I wondered. Where is my squirrel messanger??