Righting our Wrongs

I had been uncovered a plan to capture members of the Garlond Ironworks in Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah so while I do not frequent Gridania often anymore, I felt I should hurry to the city-state and investigate or at least warn them of what had been transpiring. My search for answers would be put on hold until I could make sure that none of the Ironworks' engineers fell to enemy hands.

I headed straight to the Stillglade Fane where I was known and had acquaintances thinking I could get a word in with the elders or at least learn the whereabouts of the Ironworkers so I could investigate myself. Unfortunately I was intercepted by Maroile, a young conjurer at the guild. He asked me if I knew anything about the Watchers outside Gridania which had been filled with a strange oil...

Shai, Do You Have a Moment?

By the Twelve, I did know something about it. I had been the "culprit" who put that oil there to begin with. I didn't tell Maroile this, of course, but I was obligated to set out and right this wrong. He mentioned that the oil was causing the fire elementals within the Watchers to burn violently and behave erratically so he asked me to take a gallipot with a fire elemental and light some fires along the path to help calm the raging fire elementals in the nearby Watchers.

Nimla was involved in this as well, so she offered to accompany me and we set out into the Twelveswood to light the fires and calm the elementals we had inadvertently upset in our previous adventures around Gridania. It didn't take long and we were soon back at Mariole who offered us some old leather tool belts in return for our small service. We would have declined if it wouldn't have looked suspicious so instead we set out to find Sandre and make sure he stops putting that concoction on the Watchers or getting other adventurers to do it.

Making Elementals Cozy

At the Botanist Guild, however, we were stopped by Mestonnaux (who hadn't seen Sandre) and asked if we would be willing to help with an upcoming Cleansing, which Nimla explained was a ceremony and ritual to calm the elements of the Twelveswood who were angered by the intrusion of the Imperial soldiers and machines which were harmful to the forest. Although it was not Gridania who offended the elementals, it would be they who suffered if the elementals decided to purge the forest of intruders. Although I was mostly unclear the details of a Cleansing I understood as a conjurer that it was something of a big deal. I knew Nimla's answer and so we set out together to help Mestonnaux.

What Can We Do?

We were asked to speak to all the Guilds in Gridania and make sure they were prepared to do their part for the Cleansing. It was an easy enough task and I had hoped to learn something about the Garlond Ironworks while we were meeting with representatives at each guild. We first spoke to Biddy at the Stillglade Fane who mentioned her enthusiasm for the fun festival that was involved with the Cleansing. She was relieved to have some moments of fun and relaxation while the darkness that was descending on Eorzea was heavy on everyone's mind. I was reminded that it wasn't just Nimla, Hero and I who carried this burden, but all of Eorzea was aware that something dire was unfurling around us all.

Pensive Biddy

At the Lancer Guild we met Nuala who confirmed they would be ready but also had a message for me to relay back to Mestonnaux. There had been a great tree that had been recently profaned by some creature or construct and it was causing quite a stir in the Twelveswood. I knew he would be interested in this, as was I.

Nuala Has Grave News

At the Tanner's Guild we met with Tatagoi who merely mentioned the Cleansing would protect Gridania from greenswrath as if I understood what that term meant. I don't and the thought of it frightens me so I did not inquire further, but headed to the Archery Guild where Alaire agreed to set up the escorts for the Botanists participating in the Cleansing. Nellaure of the Carpentry Guild told me that they were ready to make the specialized masks for the rite, but also said something about how only conjurers could open the Hedge. I made a mental note to try and discover the meaning of this information. Nimla did not know any more than I did about "the Hedge" or a conjurers connection to it.

Greenswrath in the Bucket

We returned to Mestonnaux and reported all that had been done as well as delivered Nuala's message from the Twelveswood. He was greatly disturbed. He immediately sent us south of Camp Bentbranch to investiage the area as quickly as possible. Did he know something we didn't? I was curious to see this tree myself and know what had caused this great disturbance in the forest, so I grabbed my harpoon that I had been training with lately and rushed out to the scene.

We found the tree that had been profaned and determined it was clawed by some unseen force, perhaps a Garlean machine or some immensely large beast. There was definitely signs of a battle that had been faught here as well, but no blood or bodies to speak of - we traced the signs to a nearby cave and inside we found a small party of bandits! There was no time for talk as they charged us in an attempt to kill us - I knew instantly these were Garleans and they were hiding something. We dispatched them almost effortlessly (the Empire needs to train these infiltrators better) and found captives within the cave as I suspected.

Imperial Ambush

Bardo and Yayatu introduced themselves and as I presumed they were members of the Garlond Ironworks who had been on their way to Gridania. I asked them if they had seen what happened at the tree and Yayatu talked about a bright, shiny force that had been fighting the Garleans. The tree was scarred by the fight between the soldiers and a beast as bright as the sun. I asked Nimla if she had heard of such a creature while studying in Gridania and she said the description vaguely resembled the wrath of an elemental, but she could not be sure as it was too little information.

Unplanned Engineer Rescue

We returned to Mestonnaux who was relieved that we had resolved the situation. I asked him about the Ironworks and he told me that many of the Garlond Ironworks engineers, machinists and technologists were actually born in Garlemald and fled south through Ala Mhigo to Eorzea seeking asylum. Naturally many of them find comfort and respite in the safe boughs of Gridania. When I asked about the Master of the Ironworks, he only knew that he had been meeting with the leaders of Gridania recently, too. Something big was brewing between the city-states, the Grand Companies and the Garlond Ironworks.

Who is this mysterious prodigy engineer? What does the Empire want with these engineers?