Osiria: The Span of the Empire

It had been a month now since her return. A month since the wagon had brought her back to the nation she had left behind so abruptly several years before.

However, Osiria now found herself suffocated by the sweltering heat, as well as the constant stream of refugees and consumerism prevalent in Ul'dah.

"This city is hotter than Ifrit's asshole," she cursed.

Sand adhered itself to her sweat dampened fur faster than she could shake it off. However, she still believed her decision to re-commit herself to adventuring in Ul'dah had been the right one. Under the tutelage of Master Harmon, she had acquired the necessary skills to become a pugilist of moderate talent and means.

Osiria had relentlessly fought her way across the dunes, but now the cool ocean air called to her and she considered shucking Ul'dah for the rolling tide of Limsa Lominsa. She left a few necessities with Bash for safekeeping, donned her best knuckles and allowed herself to disappear into the aether.

Osiria: Return to Eorzea.

Osiria rubbed the grit and sand from her weary eyes. "How much longer?" she wondered to herself, cursing the blinding desert sun. Leave it to the Ul'dahns to ferry people about in sweltering caravans. "As if some of us aren't covered in fur," Osiria mentally added.

Had it really been three years since she last set her eyes on the iron gates of Ul'dah? The same rhetorical question kept bubbling up into her consciousness, along with a compilation of emotions, primarily composed of nervousness.

Osiria had deserted both her adventurer status as an archer in Gridania and, eventually, forsaken Gridania herself. She inwardly rolled her eyes at the idea of "finding oneself", but unfortunately there was no other way to describe the leave of absence she had taken.

Due to said absence and the subsequent rearrangement of her priorities, Osiria's rank in the Archer's Guild was gone, her friends spread between the three nations only gods knew where, and yet her drive to serve Eorzea remained as great as always. She had returned as soon as she'd heard of Eorzea's plight, how could she not? However, this time Osiria staked her claim in the city of Ul'dah, land of the silver tongued merchants, whose gates she strove to meet that on very day.

Things were different now, Osiria knew. The roads were more dangerous, the people more corrupt and the adventurers more plentiful. In her own mind, Osiria owed a great debt to Ul'dah, for it was there she discovered much about her own inner strength, the special spark that had led her back to Eorzea. She also knew the Pugilist's Guild would be her first stop inside the city.

Osiria nodded silently, as if to agree with her own conviction.

"Woah there!" the driver called. "We've arrived in Ul'dah! Get your gear, and get out! I've got another run to make today."

Osiria required very little additional prompting and, armed with nothing but the clothes on her back, she jumped out of the caravan and into the bleak desert heat. The white sand seemed to cook her the soles of her feet straight through her thin boots as though they were leather skillets.

"First things first," she noted. "A stop at the Adventurer's Guild."

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.

hitting up the aetherytes.

I set out on Friday night, intending to run to Ul’dah then Limsa so I could sync with the Aetherytes. After running to Ul’dah (and getting force closed on several times by my bf who was attempting to attain a better connection for Black Ops), I gave up on Limsa and teleported back to Emerald Moss for a Saturday night grindfest. While wandering around, I ran into an LS member who was kind enough to hang out with me and show me some cool leveling spots. Then, my LS leader offered me some new gear, but I had to get to Limsa (the city I didn’t run to yet, crap!) Fortunately I snagged a tele out to the level 1 camp where I got new gear (yay!), arrows and Aetheryte syncage (plus a guided tour of the city). I have been relatively quiet on the LS, but after last night, I am impressed with the friendliness and social (ness?), which was something I had previously complained about, on my server. Figaro ftw. 

Here's the travel guide I used for the run, if you're interested. 

 

Near the edge of the Black Shroud I found these pretty Does and had to screenshot them, luckily they don't aggro. 

 Dragon? While I was searching for the Ul'Dah caves (still haven't found them) I DID find this Firedrake.

 Not in Gridania anymore...

 

 First look at Limsa.

Limsa reminds me a LOT of Jeuno from XI. Osiria is still there saltwater fishing (rank 10 now) and crafting. I am still hoping leveling Culinarian will pay off in the end.

* New information I procured for Archer: Warped Arrows > Bronze Arrows (or at least equal). I hope ACC will be fixed when the new patch comes out. *