Some time had passed since the Tenth Round set foot on Eorzea, security set up, the Waking Sands' defenses bolstered by its new protectors. As they settled into a routine, and starting building contacts within the ranks of adventurers and the Grand Companies, rumors started to swirl about a group bearing marks on their necks building a name for themselves. A mark unlike those of the actual Scions, and were soon dispatched to the corners of Eorzea to investigate. Their contacts working in the city-states themselves would use them as lesser known eyes on the ground.

Torvan hit the pavement in Limsa Lominsa, debaucherous home of many a pirate, and hangout for many an adventurer as well. His mark was Lalafellan Scholar, so his thought was to check with the Arcanists' Guild to gather information. "Doesn't look like there's anyone with that description that's in our register, we don't typically photograph our members' tattoos, so, a blond Lalafellen woman with a tattoo doesn't narrow it down enough to turn any good information."

"Alright; thanks. Wait, what about the registers of people that disappeared at Carteneau?" He didn't realize what he was saying, he barely knew of the battle there five years earlier.

"Good question, I'd ask maybe at the Aftcastle? They'd have a record of all the Limsan soldiers lost that day, I'd believe."

Vael had about as much luck with the Gridanians, striking out with the Adventurers' Guild representative there while searching for a Roegadyn Lancer. "So you're sure he's not been here? The tattoo looks kind of like a monster face, about like a stamp?" "Dear, that's not enough to go off of, a tattooed Roegadyn man doesn't tell me who you're looking for. Especially without a name or anything." "Carteneau...he was at Carteneau, five years ago!"

Jarik and Ariana each were assigned a mark in Ul'Dah, a Miqote Gladiator, and an Elezen Thaumaturge. Both were less than successful. "So, my guy says that he worked with the mage, that she went to Carteneau and never returned." "Funny enough J, I turned that up same thing, like, it hit me all of a sudden to think of it, like I KNEW he was there, don't ask me how. Cause I still don't know."

"We need to find everything we can about that battle Ari, something happened there, and whatever it was, it wants us to know, wants us to find them."

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"Carteneau, the epicenter of the calamity five years back, priority one sounds like we need some kind of record of the missing after the battle. Not dead, but unaccounted for." Torvan took stock of the information gathered. "The Archons haven't gotten back with me on this, still trying to gather information in the cities themselves on unaccounted personnel. So, we just wait it out now. Wait on them to come to us. I almost feel like these guys will get our attention sooner than later."

Torvan went to leave the office they commandeered for their meeting, when an archivist walked in with a record she'd pulled on the aftermath of Carteneau. " 'scuse me for interrupting, but I overheard you talking about the battle? I figured I'd access some archives with my old college credentials and see if there was anything I could find. I found something the Circle of Knowing and Path of the Twelve uploaded around that time about their members that went missing. Found a Malik Carter, a Miqote Paladin listed in their roster."

"That works! That's great! You got a name? Yours, not his." Torvan tripped over his words, the realization striking him that the archivist was the same one that had been eyeballing him previously.

"Gwen Talchar, I work over in the archives, glorified librarian to honest, though I do enjoy my research though." She peered through messy black bangs up at him handing off the records she copied, smirking. "You're Torvan right? One of the new Security hands? You uh...mind if I hang with you a bit? I really would like to have someone to talk to about stuff that's not research. Whatcha into? Looks like basketball to me based on the shirt?" She pointed down to Torvan's Golden State shirt. "Not a bandwagon guy are you? You know Run TMC, We Believe?"

"All of 'em and more, been watching since the rotten years. Post Mullin, pre-We Believe. WAY before the Splash Brothers. Went to see a game when I was in California a few years back."

"Hold up, you've BEEN to Cali? Where you from, anyway? Why are you all the way out HERE?"

"Bastok, ma'am, Mines district, born and raised. Same reason you're here I imagine, we both work here?"

"Nonono, I'm from Vesper Bay, you're Vana'Diellan, that's wild man. Honestly, Earth, that whole side of the galaxy fascinates me. Maybe it's wanderlust, but I'd love nothing more to travel out that way. Hah, maybe one day. Any well, you mind if I just shoot the breeze a bit with you? You seem kinda alright."

"Sure, I'm down. Just going over some boring scheme stuff after this. But, I'll start looking into a Malik Carter, and see where we get from there. What strikes me as odd though, it doesn't sound like a Miquote name? Don't they usually have surnames based around their tribe?"

"Maybe he doesn't have one? Who knows, I didn't know the guy. Oh! Maybe he didn't grow up around a tribe? I'll dig around, see if there are any tribeless Miqote listed as MIA."