Agelyss River Clean-Up Reveals Dangers

Cosmic Exploration Ventures into the
Sea of Stars

Mikoso Yumitori, Deputy Editor & Lara Eutrepe, Contributor

The jointly-run Cosmic Exploration project has announced a number of new accomplishments and findings, beginning with new developments upon the lunar surface and ending with a number of new scientific breakthroughs and discoveries announced by the team of scientists currently making a go of it on the lunar surface.

The crown jewel of the lunar instillation is easily the Galacticway, a small ship with aetheric teleportation capabilities that allow it to burst through the cosmos thanks to its cosmohopper drive that allows it to leap the cosmos almost as easily as an adventurer travels between aetherytes. The near-instant warp travel capabilities this grants the ship expand its range to beyond anything the Etheirys scientific community has ever been able to comprehend. And this marvel of science has already lead to a startling new accomplishment.

The Galacticway has touched down on the surface of a planet not of our star.

Originally given the scientific designation UL-9-6 (the sixth planet of the star designated UL-9), the loporrit Namingway dubbed the planet “Phaenna.” Phaenna is a planet containing silicate in large amounts. to the point where shards of molten glass can come slashing down as rain, the water is full of fine silicate particles, and deposits of glass can be found littering the entire countryside, in the ground strata, practically everywhere you look. If the Cosmic Exploration initiative was going to give themselves a trial by fire, Phaenna makes a very solid one.

The eager interest of various institutions on Etheirys in  Phaenna as a whole posess the potential to become something of a gold rush for researchers, engineers, and even the everyday crafthouses across the Star to seek out what new possibilities are raised by the opening of this bold new frontier in exploration and discovery.

Lehil Laruzedah, Editor-in-Chief

On a Lightsday afternoon, a group of ecologists and environmental activists responded to a disaster in the Agelyss River. In amongst the chirps of crickets, the rustle of leaves, and the croaks of gigantoads, something was spreading in the river. It killed fish, vegetation, even Spoken who suffered serious exposure.

the Agelyss River is uniquely important to La Noscea, but that the need to respond to these kinds of situations is far from unique. Enter the Gryphon's Collective, led in the field by Yumi Teruko.

Things began about how one would expect. Field agents of the Collective joined by volunteers tagged blighted vegetation, collected samples from the river, and removed the expected cause of the issue, a thick and murky substance that the Collective was calling 'the Rot.' The material seems to be able to infect living material, both flora and fauna, though it's specifics remain mysterious. This particular blight, also, has proven to resist any curative magic, regardless of formulation or origin. This has lead to speculation that the substance is not natural, and it poses significant danger to those caught unaware.

"A proposed two-day river clean up has stretched into over a week of work as there is now an active hunt for a large threat in the forest that might be the cause of this rot's outbreak in Vylbrand," the Gryphon's Collective said in a statement. "The river is in much better condition and the rot's substance has been gathered to be properly disposed of in another location that is safe and hopefully won't contribute to any more illness or loss."

though this was by far the highest-profile encounter the ecological community has had with the Rot, it isn't the first. The members of the Collective present that night discussed with the Courier an incident in Copperbell Mines in Thanalan. Teroku suggested some blighted Gysahl greens in the Black Shroud might've also been related.

Loreto Caro, one of the healers on site, questioned if it was an infection in the traditional sense at all. Instead he suspected a situation like a dense toxin being spread by a water source. Given the Rot's aether-resistant nature, he suspected it may be industrial waste from Garlean castrums that have sat abandoned since the end of the War.

"While we don't know the immediate cause of the rot, we are actively working on cutting the down the sources and working on cures," said the Collective's statement.

The Black Chocobo Courier will have more on this story as it develops.

The Rising

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Third Sun of the Fifth Umbral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 003 | Page 2

Grand Companies Remember Carteneau

Mikoso Yumitori, Deputy Editor

Out of Water: The Seventh Calamity

Mikoso Yumitori, Deputy Editor

Where I am from, we had no real name for it- but of course, here in Eorzea, such a thing is celebrated as a day of prayer and remembrance for all the brave souls who put everything upon the line at the Cartenau Flats, and for those that never returned. With this being such an important part of life here in the west, I decided it was only right to seek out and try to understand what the calamity was like from the viewpoint of those who were actively on the ground here.

I attended a small memorial service advertised at Camp Drybone - a place as dry and as desolate as the name describes - and met a few number of people you would not find at such grand remembrance events in places like Ul'dah or Limsa or even Wineport. These were men and women who were on the ground that fateful day years ago when Dalamud popped open and released that horrible beast upon an unsuspecting world.

the one thing that I took from all the stories was that even though Eorzea had suffered what might have been a fatal blow, its people came together and managed to staunch the bleeding. Communities bonded and started taking care of those who needed it, and, tides be kind, it does sound like a lesson certain parts of the world could listen to right now.

News of the Seventh Calamity was slower in reaching us, but I do remember hearing the kojin merchants talk about how the geomancers and astrologers had been nervously trying to calm the populace after two moons sank beneath the horizon one night, but then only one crept back above the horizon. The lesser moon, the one Eorzeans called 'Dalamud', had lost its geosynchronous orbit responding to whatever technical fishflip the Empire had cooking. But we didn't, couldn't know that. The ocean currents started to change, and the Ruby Princess herself had to calm the populace.

Spoken all over the Star started pursuing their passions, whether in remembrance of someone they may have lost, to make this Star a better place, and (in one young raen's case) to learn the arts of the diplomat so she could be there for her people when the time came to finally reach out to the outside world after so long. Perhaps, if one wished to follow the currents of our ancestors, and to pay respect to those who gave all so we could have a second chance, mayhap it would be a grand idea to follow your passion to help your fellow man?

This time of year, the three Grand Companies of Eorzea all schedule memorials with the intentions of honoring those who were lost one way or another at the battle of Cartenau Flats, where years ago, a cadre of adventurers, flanked by the Maelstrom, the Twin Adder, and the Immortal Flames gathered to take on and buy enough time through battling the VIIth Imperial Legion to an utter standstill. Many, if not all Eorzeans, remember what happened that day, whether through word of mouth, or because they had actually been there.

with much trial and tribulation, I managed to track down someone who had been there at Cartenau that very day - a young woman going by the name of Adelaide de Sardet, who took time out of her day to talk to me about what she had experienced- and perhaps why a number of other adventurers or Warriors of Light had been not really all that forthcoming of their experiences:

"I was in a company of Ishgardian volunteers in the Maelstrom Foreign Levy. Provisional Sargent ... One moment I was swinging a scythe against some fellow fool and the next blink I was in a swamp, five years later, with a mark on my back. The experience was hell, to be sure, but in a surrealist nightmare kind of way instead of the usual hell of war."

Being in one place and then suddenly somewhere else... it must have suddenly been a very jarring for all of those who had went out to fight at Cartenau and then suddenly found themselves scattered willy-nilly across the continent, trying to regain their wits and to explore a land that had changed so drastically in the intervening years.

Arts & Culture

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Third Sun of the Fifth Umbral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 003 | Page 3

Lux Theatre Holds Contest Looking for Their Next Play

Maxe Sahashin, Contributor

Every creative wants to see people enjoy their work. Writers especially. And Lux Theatre is giving just that opportunity with open script submissions between now and the Fifteenth Sun of this moon!

Started by Lauriel Heroux, his husband Soleil Heroux, and their fellow Florentel Surlaint, the Lux Theatre was born out of a sort of necessity for Lauriel. He'd been raised by the stage as a young man, making it more than a career but instead his way of life. Creating the Lux was a culmination of his journey with the stage, and he hopes it can bring others to their zenith as well.

"We have worked hard to secure our place in the community, we run open days, and various plays as well as community events," he told the BCC. "Now that we have gained some interest within the community and our name is better known. We would want to discover hidden talents and bring them to the stage."

Lauriel is particularly interested in making the contest accessible to everyone. As long as the concept is original, he's not overly concerned with length or stage-readiness. It doesn't take being a master playwright to win the contest; rather, it only takes a really good concept. A winner can even sprout from the smallest seeds. The team at Lux knows when they can work with something, so submissions need not be professional.

The submissions will be judged by Lauriel and his co-director Florentel. Things that don't mesh well with Lux's style may not be considered - concepts too violent, course, or scandalous might be rejected. Successful entries would demonstrate an understanding of an audience in terms of how to entice them, what reaction they should have, and what message the story would communicate.

"But most of all, we would like people to have fun coming up with their ideas," he saud. "Art is subjective, we understand that, so we would ask anyone to not feel too disheartened if their piece is not picked this time around. We plan to run this competition annually, so there will always be next year."

While it isn't uncommon for theatrical companies to commission an original script, the open nature of this contest is something special. In comparison, many companies have writers actively working alongside the cast and crew to sharpen and hone their scripts through rehearsals or require the script be ready to stage immediately. And usually, the playwrights will be selected by the producer in a closed process.

Those interested should reach out to the Lux Theatre before the fifteenth.

Namai Autumn Festival Kicks Off Harvest Season

Mikoso Yumitori, Deputy Editor

The summer heat is fading away and the first rustling of autumn leaves is on the wind as I write- even as far away as Doma. It is not that far from my home, and as the cooler temperatures bring people together, the autumn festival season starts to begin. A harvest celebration brought local visitors to Namai, and also attracted booths from overseas merchants - and from all accounts it was a very solid time with many gifts, games, and opportunities to ask the future.

The festival opened with a wonderful harvest blessing, provided by the people from the Okami Shrine, one where people made offerings and took sips of sacred sake from a sakazuki. It represented a communal prayer and shared blessing of the harvest god Inami Ookami, the ancestors, and the land. It was a pleasant slice of Eastern life, and made for a solid opening to get everybody into the festival mood.

But walking around at a festival is always the best part, and while there were many vendors from across the Star, there were also plenty of local delights to be had.

One of the more thrilling things about the Autumn Eve Festival was the number of competitions and games they had going on. While there was only one highlighted competition (one for kyudo, or eastern archery) festivalgoers also had a chance to play a game or three of pachinko, which was supplied by the fine people from Lux's Luxuries. Truly, I had not seen such a machine, even in all of my time in places such as Ul'dah, Kugane, or even the Gold Saucer... and I have a sinking feeling that if the Hingans were ever to get the blueprints to such a machine, they would have halls of such things, and it may rival the Gold Saucer for such an entertainment complex.

While I admired many of the prizes, the entry fee was a bit too steep for my liking, but still, perhaps one day, I'll have a shot! I do have a desk corner that could use a few things...

All in all, while it was a small festival compared to things like Mogstock and this weekend's A Feast Reborn, the Autumn Eve Festival is still a reminder of just why you shouldn't sleep on such small festivals. I had just as good of a time as I had at a place like Eorzea Pride, got to make some memories, and picked up some nice souvenirs for the people in my life.

To the readers: don't sleep on festivals and celebrations that aren't just in the major cities. Sometimes you can find the most fun by joining in with the locals of a small village or town for some delicious homemade food, a chance to buy from a vendor who may not have the time, money, or energy to fight through some of the crowds to the major festivals.

Columns

Etheirys' Latest and Greatest Independent Newspaper

Twentieth Sun of the Fourth Astral Moon, 7AE12

Edition 001 | Page 4

Faerie's Lantern:
Slow News Moon

What's a girl to do when the news isn't flowing? Become a flower girl.

You, dear reader, may have noticed this issue of the paper came out later than we typically publish. Senior Editor Mikoso Yumitori and I had long conversations about potentially not even publishing until after A Feast Reborn so there was more to fill pages. Maybe that would've been wise, but I was already dissatisfied with our delay this moon. I also discussed with reporter Maxe Sahashin at length about running full articles on some of her rumors but I didn't want to publish hundreds of words of pure speculation.

Which is all well and good, but between stressful conversations about getting to print this moon, what was an intrepid reporter to do?

Anyone who is married can tell you that a long and happy life is built upon millions of small compromises. Do we visit her mother or mine for Starlight? Do we really need this painting of Hildibrand Manderville? Am I making Turali for dinner again? How you litigate these everyday moments is the secret sauce to a good marriage, and the eternal bond between Andy Forcina and I is spectacular. My advice: never dig in your heels, always choose the battles that actually matter to you, and remember that your love is more important than anything else.

So, I spent this moon as a flower girl. Not euphemistically, though I have a hell of a pedigree in sex work with my mother being Andromeda Laruzedah. No, instead I worked at my wife's flower shop. One of those million compromises of marriage happened when I got the keys to our office in Ul'dah a little more than a moon before our first issue. My wife, Andy Forcina, is a florist. As much as I needed a space for reporters to work and to interview sources for our articles, she needed a place to grow and sell her flowers that wasn't a tiny rental. So, we compromised.

It was a particularly macabre view of the Rising from Ruby's Garden. Grave marker arrangements were the bread and butter of the season. But the Rising is also about renewal - it marks the end of the Seventh Umbral Era as much as its losses and tragedies. That was reflected in the flower shop as well.

Talk of the Town:
A Message in a Bottle

Not everything that comes across the news desk at the Black Chocobo Courier is meaty enough for an article all its own. Sometimes this is because the story doesn't rise to the level of public interest that we aim for, more often stories fall through the cracks because we just don't know enough to spill all that ink. But those stories are still a part of our world, and by shining a light on them, perhaps more information can be discovered. Or so that was my argument.

We're kicking off this rumor mill roundup with a story from just a short walk from my Grey Fleet windmill home on Vylbrand's coast.

Return to Sender

People tend to need ways to get a thought out of their head, even and perhaps especially when no one is listening. Some people take to street corners with 'The End is Neigh' signs (which isn't a startling thing to say in the Seventh Astral Era, the end is always neigh) while others scream into a cacophony of others, trying to loose that feeling into a vast wash of sound and fury. But for anyone with enough brine in their blood to venerate Llymlaen, the preferred method is the tried and true message in a bottle.

Some people cast their thoughts to sea in prayer to the Navigator. Some do it hoping that one day their historical moment will be found and remembered. Some never expect it to be read at all. No one, realistically, is expecting an answer. Yet that is exactly what's been happening lately. There've been reports from salts young and old that their messages in bottles have been getting responses. It's unclear who from, or how these answers find their way to the oft-anonymous senders. Some wonder if Llymlaen Herself has taken up a pen and decided to answer the calls of her faithful.

The Curse of Raincatcher Gully

Saying on Vylbrand a moment, we turn to a slightly older rumor from last moon that wasn't able to make our second issue due to scarce details. Before an environmentalist collective went to clean the river and found more than they bargained for, an adventurer team was deployed to Raincatcher Gully. The Yellowjackets were stretched so thin last moon between investigating what befell those adventurers and the serial killer using shipping containers to dispose of bodies.

What little we know is the party was pretty gruesomely torn apart. While descriptions conjure the image of an animal attack, investigators (being led by a Sharlayan Archon) seem to suspect violent crime against the poor party. This taken together with recent findings in the river are making locals in nearby Wineport nervous. Is the gully just to their south cursed? Is something stirring there? Investigations are underway, but certainly it seems time to revisit this ill-fated party.

We have way more rumors to discuss this moon! Read them in the Extended Edition! And if you hear anything interesting, be sure to drop me a line!

Maxe Sahashin, Contributor

Lehil Laruzedah, Editor-in-Chief

Read the Rest of the Story!