Osiria: Battle Blood.

Hippocerfs surrounded Osiria and the other adventurers. Great claws stirred up the desert dust as they encroached, circling her like prey, jaws snapping hungrily. She felt her blood surge with the thrill of battle as her breath quickened to meet each hasty step. Others around her cast spells of protection, and soon Osiria too was engulfed in the blue aura of safety. Although she was not raised a mage as those who fought beside her, with a quick bow she revealed her appreciation.

Once the battlewarden indicated their enemy, Osiria let her arrows fly. One after another, she barraged the great monsters with her ranged attack; then chased obediently after the battlewarden to discern their next target. Hippocerfs always attacked in packs of ten to twenty and they spent the better part of an afternoon following their slobber filled tracks.

The ragged band returned to Camp Horizon, all Hippocerfs defeated, as the great sun sank below the dunes. Covered in sweat, dirt and blood, Osiria slumped against a market stall. She cringed when yet another wave of sand whipped through her hair.

Osiria realized her chapped lips longed for the rejuvenating groves of Gridania. She missed the smell of lingering sawdust leftover from workdays at the Carpenter’s Guild and the moist scent of incense wafting across the ponds from the elusive Conjurer’s Guild. Most of all she missed Miounne’s stories and her own sense of belonging in that strange forest town.

And so, she set about commencing her return.

Waiting...

Since SE announced that after the Japan earthquake servers would be suspended, I have been waiting for them to come back online. I worry about my Figaro mates located in Japan. I miss talking to everyone online.

Last night, they announced service will be suspended until at least March 22nd.

So, until then... I will be waiting. Best wishes Japan.

FFXIV 1.16 Patch

FFXIV on Twitter:
abby_cake: Playing FFXIV right now is reminiscent of Big Land in Super Mario. I dislike the gigantic squirrels.
sramdi: @abby_cake You just scored a major +1 for the Big Land reference. xD

And I stand by my statement. What the hell is up with these gigantic marmots? It's like I am playing in 800x600. Take it back SE, or at least let us ride them...

Osiria: An Adventurer's Calling

Osiria had woken up that morning to the unpleasant grit of sand in her teeth. She spat and stretched, then hoofed it to the nearest stream. Her bag contained lavender soap and a mix of coral and mint, intended to clean the desert from her mouth.

The stream was about 300 yalms to the North, and upon arrival she realized she was not the only one with the idea for a morning dip. Several lady Lalafells had already ventured down from Camp Horizon; they were in their underthings splashing playfully in the shallow water. One sat on a rock, dangling her toes just above the waterline and mending several pairs of socks.

Osiria set her armor to one side and slowly lowered herself into the cool stream. It felt delicious against her skin, as though she hadn’t been truly energized for days. Once her head was submerged, she blew happy bubbles toward the rising sun.

It was strange to be around adventurers again after so many days on her own. Almost as strange as it was to be clean.

Her clothes were stiff and sun dried, but she donned them all the same and started back to camp.

The Battlewarden’s cry rang out across the flat landscape, echoing off plateaus: “Join up and explore the surrounding land! Fight the monsters threatening Ul’dah’s safety!”

Before she could give credible consideration to the suggestion, Osiria realized her feet were carrying her toward battle…

Osiria: The Final Frontier

Osiria stood solemnly by the wavering campfire. Her tail flicked aggressively, albeit unintentionally, if anyone passed too closely. The smells were all different here; the feline part of her felt uncomfortable about this realization.

Most camps were crowded, or so she remembered. It had been a long time since her last visit to Thanalan, and the number of adventurers at Horizon seemed diminished. A simple surveillance of the area confirmed her suspicions.

Upon her arrival to the brilliantly colored kaleidoscope of a desert, Osiria was met with a crushing feeling of abandonment. Her once thriving community had splintered into different tribes and she found herself, once again, alone. It was a familiar feeling, but one which she did not savor. It would appear other adventurers were experiencing the same predicament. Her heart felt the sadness of the Twelve. 

Osiria had been traveling for days, and each new step sent a fresh wave of pain through her weary limbs. The trek from Gridania to Western Thanalan had been a grueling endeavor. Her white chainmail sported dust from the desert wind and her red halfgloves were badly damaged.

"I should have bought the vambraces in Limsa," she confided to no one, vainly longing for the protection they would afford her calloused hands in battle. 

Resignedly, Osiria made the decision to spend the night at Horizon's Edge before joining up with a scouting group in the morning. Another adventurer's fire had been left smoldering; but a few carefully controlled kicks sent the wood ablaze once more. The flame offered her both succor and heat to cook the latest catch.

She liked to occasionally trade in her shortbow for the more commonplace wooden rod. Although she was not a fishmonger by any stretch of the imagination, she had managed to catch dinner, and that was good enough for now. The cookpan sizzled, full of Brass Loach caught near Camp Drybone. It would keep her satisfactorily satiated.

"Now, about those arrows..." she mumbled, relieving her back of the bulging quiver.

*This is my first story about Osiria, I thought I would give it a try. ^^

I Miss You, Osiria.

I am exceedingly lonely in FFXIV right now. My linkshell has essentially deserted me, not by any fault of my own (at least I think not...). For some reason Figaro is not the friendliest of servers. Or perhaps FFXIV is not the friendliest of games. I am not sure. At any rate, the people who I spent most of my time playing with have either moved on to "upgraded" linkshells or have fallen out one by one. About three of my aquaintances are a part of another linkshell now which requires them to be on at certain times (etc. etc, typical stuff), but they want me to be r30 Archer before I can even apply and with my job I just don't think I would have enough time to devote to the game. Plus, it irritates me when MMOs become "jobs."

I wish I had just one friend who I could run around with. But at this time, it seems like my only options are to switch servers, or rush to Arc 30.

FFXIV Fisher Gear

What's gear got to do... got to do with it.

Well, as it turns out, with fisher it has A LOT to do with it! I've been bitching about how hard it's been leveling my fisher up from 11. Well I hit 13 today and I have to attribute it mostly to my gear. I made the upgrade to a Willow Rod (totally worth 45k) and crow flies. I also got a new jerkin, culottes, crakows and a field belt.

I've been succeeding at every one of my guild leves and actually caught some River Crabs in Grade 3 waters (which I shouldn't be able to do). I lost a lure, but it was fun!

A Behest Pet Peeve.

Allow me for a moment to complain about Behest. During Christmas Break I did not have any issues in getting a Behest party at the r20 camps, it was nice, I got a whole level in a couple of nights. However, recently attempting to get in a Behest party at the r20 camps is horrible! I will tele to Horizon about 10-15 minutes before Behest is set to begin and settle in to wait. About 2 minutes before the top of the hour, 10 people will randomly log in in the exact spot where the Battlewarden pops. Then, despite my early arrival, and quick F8 targeting, I have missed the last 5 Behests I have tried for.

So, I think it would be beneficial if we could at least have a larger party option, multiple parties or more monsters to fight. It reminds me of the large group fights in FFXI, but way too hard to access.

End my Behest complaint.

FFXIV Heavensturn and the Usagi Kabuto.

I am having FFXI flashbacks. And also, it looks suspiciously like a bunny?