You drink so much coffee in the morning that you almost vomit. K’yoko tries her best to help you, but you are mentally stuck between unconscious and hyper aware throughout the morning. Luckily, Erden does not see you in this unraveled state before you are off to see the Elder Seedseer.

Either you are very good at hiding this fact, or Kan-E-Senna is very polite, you still aren’t sure. You spend most of the meeting anxiously jittering as she delivers the fluffiest monologue ever told, welcoming you to Gridania and asking if you’ve had success with your mission.

As soon as you begin to dismiss this meeting as a waste of everyone’s time, you quickly perk your ears when she mentions that she may have a solution to your troubles. Rumor has it, a growing sect of cultists, the Lambs of Dalamud, have been tampering with seals placed on Amdapor, the ancient city of magi which dabbled heavily in White Magic.

The Padjal were quite thorough with their protective spellwork in order to prevent use of the forbidden art, as it could directly lend itself to another calamity. However, the seal which guards the outer wall has since been broken. If they are not stopped, they might just break into Amdapor Keep, where historians believe some demons have been magically imprisoned for centuries.

You do not need much explanation on why this is bad, and The Seedseer made sure to casually mention that it’s entirely possible that you will be able to find the geometric symbols that you are looking for while there. If not, she has also dispatched a great deal of conjurers to investigate their records as well.

The offer is too good to refuse. Admittedly, it really just sounds like you are being sent on an errand, but you have no leads, and you might have the skills to take it on. Not alone, of course! K’yoko doesn’t feel like a great tag-along option, but doesn’t Erden know how to use an axe? Maybe he could help…

You accept her offer, so she points out the location to you on a map. She does not say ‘go and do this immediately,’ but she does stress that every moment that passes is another moment that the cult will get closer to their goal. You agree with the sentiment and immediately get to work.

When you ask Erden about the possibility, he explains that while he has picked up an axe in the past, it was largely for chopping wood, so he says he’d just be getting in the way. When you go out to practice against fodder in The Twelveswood, his skills seem to mostly just portray that he was being too modest. His cuts are clean and powerful, felling enemies in single blows.

He reluctantly agrees to accompany you, concerned for your safety on this mission. You add that The Seedseer instructed that you must capture at least one cultist alive for interrogation, but other than that you are to do whatever it takes to clear the area. When you are done, you are to return to her so that she can attempt to reseal the ward.

“And you’re okay with that?” He asks. You tilt your head. “Killing those cultists, I mean.”

“There’s not much ambiguity to their actions, Erden.” You shrug. “They’ve been kidnapping and ‘sacrificing’ random innocents left and right.”

“I’m not saying I disagree!” He smiles. “Just making sure you know what you’re getting into.”

“Clearly something needs to be done about them.” You conclude. “If nobody else will, then it’s up to us to step up to the plate.”

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“Right.” He nods. “Just show me where to go, and I’ll take the lead.”

When you meet with S’olahr that afternoon, he has already heard the rumor of your pending expedition and eagerly asks to join. He has long looked for an opportunity to ‘prove himself,’ as it were, and journeying to the ancient city of white magic is something he doesn’t want to miss.

Frankly, you need all the help you can get, and it’s always nice to have a familiar face watching your back. He immediately sweetens the deal by mentioning that he is close friends with a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Phekda Minoris. You can tell by the way he says that, that both the scions are some big organization, and that Phekda is also someone important. You say, a bit embarrassed, that you have never heard of either of them.

He tries his damnedest to explain who the Scions are exactly, but he keeps pausing because he feels like he’s not doing it justice, and instead insists that you wait until Phekda can tell you herself. Either way, you feel as though this group will be more than capable of handling any threats you may encounter while in Amdapor’s walls.

When you tell K’yoko of your plans, she seems...upset. Not at you, but at herself. She apologizes for not being able to help on this expedition, and agrees that her coming along would likely just cause more problems than anything. She swears she will practice more with her arcanistry in your absence, though you don’t believe this trip will take more than a day or two.

You all convene just outside of Gridania where Erden has his family’s chocobo wagon all set up. He is feeding his chocobo, Speedy, and takes turns introducing each of us to him. When you meet Phekda, she is in quite an extravagant outfit with a feather hat and a buttoned-up jacket. She wields a rapier and floating...orb...thing, which you are told is a magical focus.

She doesn’t say ‘You and Erden are both going to be deadweight on this mission,’ but you can tell she is gauging your skill and potential from the moment you shake her hand. She wears a smile across her face, but the hint of condescension in her eyes does not escape your notice. You try your best to not be intimidated by her fancy gear and weapon, which is a far cry more intricate than your tome. Luckily, Erden is just wielding some garden variety hatchet, which helps you not feel like the weakest one in the pack.

The journey by carriage to Amdapor’s walls is, thankfully, uneventful. Phekda spends some time on the trip to explain that a group of poachers, led by Pawah Mujuuk, have been at large in the area for some time now, and that we should take care not to ever be too relaxed on our trip.

As you approach the city itself, S’olahr leans out of the carriage and performs some kind of bird call. After a moment, a hawk descends from the trees and onto his forearm, at which point they seem to have...a conversation of sorts with one another, in the form of screes. It suddenly dawns upon you that you have no reason to trust the sanity of those accompanying you, so you shuffle a bit closer to Erden, who seems equally puzzled.

S’olahr realizes at the end of the conversation how odd this must seem, and explains to you that he has been blessed with a variant of The Echo which allows him to commune with animals.

“The...Echo?” You ask, crossing your arms and leaning back slightly.

“The Echo is the ability to resonate with the souls of others, though there is some variance from person to person as to what exactly that means.” Phekda explains, “S’olahr can use it to talk with animals, which is pretty uncommon, though almost everyone with The Echo can understand different languages. For me, The Echo lets me peer into the memories of others.”

“Well...what did your hawk tell you, then?”

“She said that there’s a group of hooded figures on the wall up ahead, no doubt part of the cultists we’re after.”

Erden pulls the carriage to the side and secures it in place, hidden in a veil of trees so no wandering monsters or travelers get any funny ideas, but says that Speedy can help keep it safe. You have to walk about half a mile to reach the city, and so as a group you quickly and quietly move towards Amdapor, reading for battle.