Sandsbank Destroyed During Riot!

Lehil Laruzedah, Editor-in-Chief

On the second sun of the fourth umbral moon, a group of rioters clashed with Brass Blades in the outer wing of Ul'dah. This following several weeks of murmurs among the downtrodden of Thanalan that the source of the rioters' aggression, Sandsbank. The resulting conflict killed several, harmed dozens, and blew up Sandsbank itself.

Sandsbank's reputation as an off-the-radar bank for the Star's wealthy to hide their money and valuables was shaken in the weeks leading up to the riot. Dossiers were distributed through the downtrodden communities of Ul'dah detailing the misdeeds of Sandsbank as well as its clients. Notably, Sandsbank's own Delwin Baxter was accused of orchestrating a ring of kidnappers, smugglers, spoken traffickers, drug dealers, and unlicensed spoken experimentation among other charges. Unrest connected to the criminal dealings boiled over on the second sun of the fourth umbral moon when a mob of incensed people, many of whom were average citizens.

The clash between the crowd and the Brass Blades led to the deaths of around a dozen civilians, with more injuries including a fairly serious encounter this journalist had with a Brass Blade's sword. The total wounds and deaths were kept far lower than might have happened had it not been for the presence of healers and defenders in the crowd.

The destruction of the bank was not a result of rioters, but a group calling itself Lunar Veil. Lunar Veil's presumed leader spoke after the bank's explosion, addressing the assembled crowd during the lull caused by the shock of the explosion. She announced the organization's involvement in the entire affair. She cast Lunar Veil in the light of vigilante justice.

"For too long has corruption run rampant with those tasked to deal justice turning a blind eye," said the spokesperson. "We aim to upset the scale, to lift up those that suffer under the weight of both sides. We raise daggers to the moonlight and take judgment into our own hands."

Ul'dahni officials have strongly contested the characterization of the Lunar Veil as a heroic faction fighting corruption. Instead, the government has insisted to the Courier that these perpetrators are committing acts violence and intimidation en masse. Officials even questioned the legitimacy of the original allegations against Sandsbank and Baxter, as being unconfirmed by government investigators.

But there's a lot of people who would disagree. Which begs the question: is the Lunar Veil dangerous terrorists, or are they the folk heroes needed by the underclasses of the Star? The Courier welcomes letters to the editor.

Shipping Crate Killer Strikes Again!

Over the past few moons, the ports of Eorzea have been finding peculiar packages being shipped around the region: corpses.

Most recently, a crate with a body in it was found at Vesper Bay, but ports in Gyr Abania, La Noscea, and Dravania have also had such deliveries pass through their port. An extensive investigation has been launched by the government of Limsa Lominsa, as the preeminent naval power of the Eorzean Alliance. Security at ports provided by the Yellowjackets has increased, spot inspections by Mealvaan's Gate assessors have been made

more frequently and with more rigor, and international investigators have gotten involved to help coordinate efforts between public agencies like the Grand Companies or local law enforcement and private shipping concerns and enterprises.

The bodies are believed to be victims of a serial killer, using the cover of shipping to and from Eorzean ports to obfuscate their body disposal. As such, they've gotten the not-that-imaginative moniker of Shipping Crate Killer, and the killings themselves are being called the Shipping Crate Murders.

The Black Chocobo Courier will continue reporting on the Shipping Crate Killer as the investigation progresses.

Maxe Sahashin, Contributor

Festival Season

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Twenty-Third Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 002 | Page 2

Resort Ship Queen Lhaminn Hosts Moonfire Faire

Maxe Sahashin, Contributor

A Feast Reborn Serves Annual Autumnal Banquet

Lara Eutrepe, Contributor

The fifth annual Mogstock is over. Quiet calm has come back to the Lavender Beds. But this year was different from most. In itself, afterparties aren't new, they're engrained in Mogstock culture, but these afterparties had a little extra something. A little spice, a little wink, a little skin.

"Nightlife is part of Eorzea, no?" event organizer Braely Fiala told the Courier before the events. "So we're doing a disservice by pretending like we're too pure for that nonsense, when we're not. We can have some cheeky fun and they can be sponsors, too."

And that new cheekiness was appreciated by 'cheekier' venues like

As autumn approaches, there's one festival that seems to mark the beginning of the season: A Feast Reborn, taking place this year in the Goblet's Diabolos neighborhood this coming Fifth Umbral Moon. This marks the fifth year that A Feast Reborn has been delighting the taste buds of Eorzea and beyond, and with representation from places like Spice & Miqo'te, High Nunh, Puku Pizza and more. But AFR is more than just delicious food and fun, and festival founder Nyte Snow is happily standing behind the members of her team helping her put the festival together this year.

“There’s this festival in the city ... It used to close down streets downtown and there’d be booths and food and music. The atmosphere was electric. I wanted to try to replicate that feeling, using the festival to promote new and established venues,” said Snow. “As we’ve grown we’ve had time to adapt to what does and does not work as well as visit other markets and events to build relationships and learn new things and new ideas. The community can be so big if you don’t build up walls.”

As always, if people were wondering, yes, AFR's adorable chocobo mascots are returning this year! Snow had this to say about their creation:

“Animated princesses. They’re basically princesses in bird form! We needed a way to have helper staff really visible and I was watching tomestone videos and it was about party disasters. I put the idea together, and then the amazing chocobos gave them such great personalities from my brief notes.”

But you might want to watch yourself around at least one of them...

“As for this year, expect tanks, fireworks, cannons and more. Egward is one cracked egg. If only he had a calming influence, like a sister.”

A Feast Reborn's schedule and further details can be found here.

Converted from an old cargo ship, the Queen Lhaminn is a triumph of modern leisure, putting most places of summer relaxation to complete shame. The Brimming Heart, the beaches of Thavnair, even Costa del Sol itself - where the ship has, at present, run aground - can't compare to the new floating resort. Named after reclusive former celebrity dancer and rumored adult entertainer F'lhaminn Qesh, the ship is the place to be during these dog days of summer.

And that resort is currently playing host to the annual Adventurer's Guild summer outreach festival, the Moonfire Faire. In addition to the normal deck offerings, when stationary the Queen Lhaminn has several water slides deployed off one side, while the other features cannon rides that shoot festival goers into the open sea.

"If you can find a quiet place in the pool it is not terrible for relaxing," said festival attendee Delquina Seiha. She did have some criticisms for the Lhaminn, though, adding "The rigging they arranged for the sake of amusement is a little easy compared to what my clan has at home. A tad impractical, but a nice way to pass a hot day."

The lively atmosphere on deck appeals to more than just children or de facto parents who like a good daiquiri. Revelers like Jocelyn Braveheart have praised the cannon rides, wanting to take one home. Others like former Garlean idol Echo Lilius hope to perform on the ship's stage one day, possibly during a cruise.

Mikoso Yumitori, Senior Editor

Cheekier Mogstock Respects Nightlife Culture

Risque and Afterglow and Bandee Pakshee. That was a relief for venues that often get turned away on sight for daring to be part of a lawful, valuable, and vital part of what nightlife provides not just Eorzea, but all of Etheirys.

"Given the history that some festivals have with nightlife and after-hours businesses like ours, it's a refreshing change to actually be welcomed and acknowledged by the crew with Mogstock," said Bandee Pakshee manager Zana Ahkabila. "Being able to bring some Pakshee spice and our beautiful songbirds to Mogstock and be embraced and welcomed is an awesome feeling, one we wish we could get elsewhere, too."

But getting to let their hair down a little? It's a relief for venues treated like just because part of their identity is unsuitable for the young, they are unable to function in public spheres altogether.

Business

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Twenty-Third Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 002 | Page 3

Bandee Pakshee Ropens Ul'dahni Location

Lehil Laruzedah, Editor-in-Chief

For almost a decade, Bandee Pakshee has been providing its Hannish brand of comfort to the people of Eorzea. And when they deemed Hannish spice was more needed in Ishgard climes, the venue moved northward.

But as access to their location in Coerthas has become spotty thanks to aethernet congestion in the Balmung neighborhood of Empyrean, the Pakshee has been stymied. According to Adelaide Sardet of Ishgard and famed Hannish actress and musician Mahlaqa Jain, this issue was one that Pakshee was unsure how to resolve for some time, but in hindsight the course was obvious: return to Ul'dah.

"Nearly ten years later, another Ishgardian is opening another Bandee Pakshee in the Goblet," Sardet said. "It has a poetry to it, I suppose. I don't know if I feel ready for this, but then again, neither did Rommie [owner Andromeda Laurzedah] when she did it. And I have her experience to rely on."

Jain has a storied connection with the art form. She is from a longstanding Hannish dynasty of tawaifs and madames operating out of the pillowhouse Heeramandi in Radz-at-Han. For several decades she has been Heeramandi's titular owner while engaging in work in Garlean cinema.

"Tawaifs are more than sex workers," Jain explained. "We are artists, we are counselors, we are advisors, we are negotiators, we are diplomats, we are singers, we are dancers, we are actors, we are writers, we are teachers. A tawaif embodies culture in all aspects. Bandee Pakshee offers a unique experience, in that we can train tawaifs not only of Hannish culture, but to embody their own."

The new location, though having its own dedicated staff, operates as an extension of the primary location in Ishgard. While it has a degree of autonomy, it still falls under the direct management and ownership of Laruzedah, and some of Pakshee's biweekly open nights and events will be held at the southern location to avoid the problems associated with their main office.

The new location is located in the Cuchulainn neighborhood of the Goblet. Ward 14 Plot 19. The company will be hosting their grand reopening of the Brimming Heart location at a barbecue on the 31st sun of the current moon.

Huckleberry Saloon Rides Into the Sunset

Lara Eutrepe, Contributor

Three years ago, a saloon opened in Ishgard. Beginning its life as a small bar and gambling den in a lalafell's basement, that saloon quickly got the attention of folks looking for the kind of atmosphere it provided. That was the origin of the Huckleberry Saloon, and its founder was none other than the famed Doc Laladay.

But this moon, the Huckleberry opened its swinging doors for the last time to its weekly crowd. Laladay had chosen the third anniversary as the time to ride off into the sunset.

"It was so hard, and a gradual thing," Laladay told the BCC. "But looking at everything on my plate, and I think a lot of our community friends would agree, I was perhaps involved with too much, and needed to make some changes."

When it first started in his basement, the Huck (as its regulars knew it) was a lot of promise just waiting for a moment to happen. From just a place for his own friends to when they started to advertise, to when they outgrew first their location in Empyrean and later in Goblet's Brimming Heart, to going out on a winning hand, it took a lot of dedication and more than a bit of luck from a lot of people to make the saloon such a dominant force in the Eorzean venue scene.

There were also quiet poker nights, there were hit events like "Be My Goth Valentine," there were ways of supporting the community like the Pride Cup barfighting event, and there were moments of sheer joy like the Summer Starlight covered in the Courier's inaugural issue. Laladay recounted how the band No Holds Bard debuted at the Huck for just himself and a bartender before going on to be on some of the realm's biggest stages. Moving on from all that is something Laladay didn't come to easily.

"It was very hard for me to let go, there is an art to letting go, a way to do it right and well, and a way to maybe get it wrong. I think we closed the Huckleberry the right way," he said. "I think what I will miss most is the people. When you have been running a venue for years, you get into a sort of rhythm, and the venue no longer feels new to you. But then an Eorzean comes into the venue, and it's new to them, and they send you a note about how much of a wonderful time they had, or that the Huck was the first venue they've ever visited and it refreshes you all over again."

But just because he's bowing out of weekly open nights, that doesn't mean he's hanging up his yeehaw hat, or that the Huck will never be seen again. Laladay is transitioning into focusing on his event organization skills, with Lalaween still on the horizon for All Saints' Wake and another play for the Reimagineers in the spring. The Huck's yeehaw energy, meanwhile, is being poured into a new collaborative venture called Club Crossroads, which will open its doors once a moon. Crossroads was also involved in Summer Starlight, and will be hosting more special events in the future.

While the saloon's doors may have stopped swinging, Laladay promises that the good ol' fashioned yeehaw spirit will ride again.

Columns

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Twenty-Third Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 002 | Page 4

Faerie's Lantern: Do You See What I See?

The news of the day is something you've probably already read. Authorities in the Allied Nations busted the single largest Fantasia manufacturer around, Synchronos. With Synchronos' operation shut down, there's panic and anger spreading throughout Etheirys, and while we aren't breaking any news, it's journalistic malpractice to say nothing. So, we spotlight it with this month's Lantern, and share our perspectives on the unfolding situation to provide what context we can.

For our purposes today, it ultimately doesn't matter what motivated the shutdown of Synchronos' lab. It happened. Billions of gil of ink is going to be spilled trying to come to an interpretation of events or look for a boogeyman. Already conspiracy theories have gripped some communities particularly reliant on Fantasias. If we ever do discover the narrative behind the activities unfolding at time of writing, it will certainly be more mundane than most of what is being circulated in the bells following the news.

There are those of us who strongly supported the work of Synchronos, but let it not be said that there weren't many who as strongly oppose the use of Fantasia. Those forces are, and forever will be, in extreme tension. And I say 'forever will be' because despite a very rough few moons ahead, there is no doubt in my mind that someone will devise the tools needed to step into the void left by the calamity Synchorons' end will leave.

To be honest, that's likely something the Alliance understands and accepts. The djinn is out of the bottle. And despite this individual - albeit severe - action, there is no indication that the overall approach of plausible deniability has changed. Other gray market labs and goods have not been targeted by the Alliance, just this one.

Legally, the Courier cannot advise people to commit a crime, or in detail explain how to commit a crime. Even if that crime is largely unenforced and even if it may be a crime that, in some situations, has a more complex moral discussion than 'thing bad,' we can't tell you to do it. Instead, take this shining of my Lantern on this social calamity as a reminder to do what you do with caution, intention, and understanding of larger implications.

Understand what some people have lost, understand that blaming someone isn't going to be constructive, and understand that the onus is on all of us to be better stewards of the tools that, maybe, we aren't even supposed to have.

Out of Water: The Meaning of Mogstock

Getting the chance to wander around an event like Mogstock has been truly eye-opening, and unfortunately it is impossible to see every act and eat at every venue and talk to every single person you want. But I did my absolute best to see what I could - and perhaps send for a more durable pair of shoes and some energy drink to keep me going through the late nights.

I got in to the festival Earthsday afternoon and was immediately seastruck by the amount of people from all walks of life that arrived here. You saw sultans walking next to farmhands, noblewomen trading musical views with courtesans, and the odd Garlean expatriate asking a local Duskwight what eatery they ought to check out. I heard good things about a few places: the Huckleberry Saloon's drinks looked amazing, though if they ever do come back, I'd love to try the Huckleburger. Bandee Pakshee's famous curry was always a crowd-pleaser (even if I could only handle the mildest they had) but the lassi and the other drinks looked good! Perhaps next year I'll be willing to risk a sample of the Madame Herself across my tongue? If not, perhaps an offering from Spearsong Distillery.

The next evening began with a rather solid meal at Short Stacks, and plenty of juice. I soon found myself swept away by the tides of humanity surrounding the stages. And as I found my head bobbing and body swaying to acts like Kitty Parmesan and the Snowbirds, I realized how much I was correct in my observations that the one thing that always brings Eorzea - nay, Etheryis itself - together is a party.

Even as venues broke down Darksday night and festival goers retreated back to their rooms to pack and sleep for the travel home, the chatter was rather hopeful that next year's Mogstock would be bigger, better, and perhaps even a touch more wink and nudge than this one. I would hold it up as an obvious example of what can bring the star together, and a fine reason to look ahead to next summer with dreams of music, food, spice and friends awaiting in the Mateus neighborhood.

The crickets and songbirds may have reclaimed the Lavender Beds, but it's only a matter of time.

Mikoso Yumitori, Deputy Editor

Lehil Laruzedah, Editor-in-Chief

Read more of Mikoso's steamy adventure in the Extended Edition.