On the whim of the Spinner, I have found myself trading the sun-baked lands of Drybone for the snow-blanketed lands of Coerthas.
There's a little bit of a story to tell here, if you would indulge me, dear journal. Last time I wrote, I had just sought refuge at the
Saint Andama Landama church. Hiding there was probably one of the worst experiences of my life - every mourning family coming by would remind me of the friends I've lost, and the boredom was so inescapable that I quickly developed a bad case of cabin fever. It took all my resolve not to march myself to the nearest Castrum doorstep willingly, simply to get this nonsense over with.
To pass the time, I started playing Triple Triad with Father Illiud's right hand, a fellow named Marques. Although he had lost his memory the day of the Calamity, it was disarmingly easy to tell that he was as out of place at the church than I was, what with his uncanny talent for tinkering and his soft foreign accent.
One day (matron be praised) deliverance finally came, in the unexpected shape of young master
Alphinaud, one of the Elezen youths I had talked to at the Rememberance ceremonies.
He basically threw the church doors open and announced without preamble that he was none other than the legendary Archon Louisoix's grandson, and that he had come to revive the Scions by finding the primal-slayer and the legendary engineer Cid Garlond to go lay low Garuda, patron goddess of the Ixal. I would have probably been more shaken by those extraordinary revelations if I hadn't been so apathetic at that moment - they only served to jolt me awake.
Cid Garlond is, of course, Marques' true identity: he is the genius to be credited for the creation of Garlond Ironworks
and I can't help but feel like a bumpkin for still not knowing what that is.Alphinaud's plan was to retrieve Cid's airship, the
Enterprise, and use it to reach Garuda's lair. The ship had last been seen flying over Coerthas, so that's where we immediately headed.
This time, I was prepared, and it's wearing a comfortable wool coat handmade by my sublime friend
Melodie that I stepped into the eternal Coerthan winter.
We rode straight to the Observatorium of house Durendaire. Who better to help us find a lost airship than an order of astrologians perpetually scrutinizing the heavens? Their tower - a magnificent work of architecture - is even topped by what is probably the most impressive astroscope of all Eorzea. When I set my eyes on it, I felt my heart swell with hope. With such a marvel on our side, I thought, finding the
Enterprise would be a mere formality!
I cannot believe how naive I was; my almost complete absence of knowledge about Coerthan politics must have been painfully apparent.
All I knew going in is that Ishgard (the city-state ruling Coerthas, among other things) was not part of the Eorzean Alliance and had not participated in the battle of Carteneau because of their war against dragons.
What I learned is that Ishgard herself is managed by four houses, each with its own rules and political interests. House Durendaire, for instance, is very strict about releasing records to outsiders for fear of compromising Ishgard's holy crusade.
House Durendaire can bite me.Things seem rather bleak right now. Alphinaud says we need to petition the other High Houses, but doesn't know how. Cid still doesn't remember who he is.
I wish I had Minfilia's confidence, or Thancred's charisma, or Y'shtola's knowledge. Maybe then I could lead us out of this bind...
