The Dreamer Awakens

I've been dividing up my time between working with alchemical formulae in Ul'dah and fishing off the coasts of La Noscea so I get to drop in at the Phrontistery every now and then. Today I stopped into the children's ward hoping to see how Damielliot was doing. Apparently his condition had worsened since the last time I stopped in. His room was flooded with concerned children, which made it difficult to administer unpleasant treatments. I offered to offer my assistance helping the children get through this hard time. First line of business, however, was to see if I could glean any helpful information by using the Echo on Damielliot.

Sleeping Damielliot

It was odd. Hadn't I thought to do it before? Perhaps I wasn't as comfortable using the Echo before or perhaps because he was a child, but I felt I could really help and so I delved into his mind and into his past. It's beginning to feel unusually natural to rely on the Echo and to glimpse the truth hidden behind the present day. The transitions from present to past memories go almost unnoticed. I hope this doesn't mean that in the future I'm unable to tell the difference, but it seems absurd now because using the Echo seems so "distant" or "ethereal."

This is Dragon Country!

I found myself somewhere in Coerthas and Master Damielliot lying in the grasses at the bottom of a ravine. I feared the worst and his thoughts confirmed my fears - he had fallen. It must have been fifty or eighty yalms! He was muttering about a dragon, too. Could it be the dragon from his stories? I've heard of dragons that roam Coerthas, but have yet to actually see one. In retrospect it reminds me of my adventures with Morys, but at the time I could think of nothing more than to ease the boy's suffering. I put together a salve that he incidentally had the recipe and ingredients for - perhaps he managed to make it himself in the past where I do not use the Echo? ...or did I use the Echo in the unforeseen future to cure him in the past before I had ever met him? I know not.

Faustigeant Salve

He was able to stand and speak and presumably return to his family - though he confirmed to me in the fleeting instant I remained in his memories that he was the boy from the story. He had been rescued from brigands by a dragon and brought to this ravine somewhere near Camp Dragonhead.

I returned to the small room in the children's ward and stood once more beside Damielliot's bed. As the present formed around me I watched as his eyes opened clearly for the first time since I'd known him. The children were delighted and his nurse rushed to tell the guildmaster. He spoke only three words to me then and I knew what I had done in the Echo had made a real impact. "You saved me."

I will never forget that. Nor will I forget the power of the Echo frightens me as much as excites me.

Dragon Tales

I was in Ul'dah and asked to stop in and see Damielliot in the children's ward of the Phrontistery.

When I saw him he was muttering about dragons in his sleep. Apparently he had been telling the kids in the ward a story about a dragon and a kidnapped boy. It seemed to be of importance so I decided to head back to Nogeloix at the front desk. He wasn't interested in dragons, though. He told me they had discovered a new reagent that might help Damielliot's condition - and guess who they decided to send after it.

I headed up toward Gridania - not exactly part of the world I wanted to journey to but the health of Damielliot was of great concern to me. I am greatly interested in the sleeping boy and his stories.

I tracked down this starfall grass to the Adventure Guild in Gridania. A hyur by the name of Penelope who was reluctant to give any information, despite claiming knowledge of it. We engaged in parley! She was a worthy opponent but I bested her in words of alchemy and Ul'dah. She handed over the starfall grass on condition that I told her one of Damielliot's stories.

I told her as much as I knew of the story about the boy kidnapped by bandits and saved by a dragon. She went on to tell me the same boy was saved by another smaller, weaker dragon when he was abandoned by the bandits in the forest. She went on to tell me the Archbishop of Ishgard has forbid stories like these be told so I should guard my tongue in these parts near Gridania and Ishgard. I assume its because they are in the middle of some crusade against dragonkin.

After some running around with members of Moogle Inc., I headed back to Ul'dah to deliver the grass and relay to the children the end of the dragon story I had heard while in Gridania. I thought to regale them with stories of conquest and triumph against the vile creatures Eorzea has put  before me, but decided that the simple story of a boy and his dragon would be just what the doctor ordered - so to speak.

First Contact with the Syndicate

I was fortunate enough to find the illuminating salts I needed in the marketplace of Linsa Lominsa.

I prepared the medicine and took care of all the business I had in Linsa Lominsa before heading back to Frondale's Phrontistery. I was directed to the children's ward (where I'd delivered toys during the Starlight Celebration!) so I could administer the treatment directly to Damielliot. He awoke briefly and spoke incoherently of a strange power then fell back into slumber. A most curious affliction he has.

As I was leaving the Phrontistery another elezen wearing spectacles entered and announced she was Assessor Saulette from Mealvaan's Gate in Linsa Lominsa. I froze up thinking for an instant they were looking for me again for that episode the the Barracuda Knights so many weeks ago - by the Twelve I'd forgotten!

Fortunately for me she was hired by something called the Syndicate to oversee Damielliot's cure. Though this news seemed unfortunate for the guild. She was turned away by order of the guildmaster Faustigeant, but she said she would have words with the owner of the Phrontistery, this member of the Syndicate.

I felt like I was getting in over my head with affairs of the guild and Ul'dah in general. Though I would be there to help if needed I had to admit I did not wish for that call to come over the linkpearl anytime soon.

Mummified Mole

I decided it was time to register my skills with the alchemist guild in Ul'dah, Frondale's Phrontistery. I had been practicing and using this skill to amass a great wealth of crystals and shards in the last few weeks and I had gone unregistered for too long. I may be fined for practicing unregistered, but fortunately I have been doing it in the privacy of ... well, the wilderness where no one would see me. Fishing and alchemizing as fate would have it.

The elezen Nogeloix was in charge of registration. After a brief introduction to their equal opportunity employment policy, he told me Damielliot, son of Guild Master Faustigeant, was in need of help. He handed me a linkpearl used by the phrontistery and a recipe for medicine I was to pick up at Camp Black Brush. Apparently Damielliot was afflicted with some kind of abnormal sleep affliction. Well, this wasn't the kind of work I had in mind, but I decided for the guildmaster's son's sake I would try to fill his prescription posthaste.

My Kingdom for Illuminating Salts

I found Numomo easily enough at the camp. She handed me a mummified mole and told me I needed a pinch of illuminating salts. I didn't happen to have any so I set out to find or make some. I knew the recipe involved blindfish, but I didn't have any of those either. In fact, I'd only ever caught one in my short fishing career. I checked the available guildleves, but like always they seemed intent on pawning off their silex on me (which I promptly turn around and sell at the nearest shop to get it off my hands - I fear someday I may regret this when I actually need silex). That's a dead end. I headed to the Market Wards where I could meet up with Bonchacha and Kalokoko (who I sent off to sell some of my used clothing).

Sadly the markets were also void of salts or blindfish to make salts. It seems I bit off more than I can chew with this task. It may be time to break out my fishing rod and take matters into my own hands. The only place I had caught one so far is Cassiopeia Hollow and that was not a short walk. I wasn't willing to zoom myself along the aether highway to Camp Bloodshore either. I prepared for a long walk and a long ferry trip.