Talk of the Town: Hop On Your Soul Cycle

It's our second month gathering rumors from around the Star and sharing them with our readers without any of the normal intense research, interviewing, or journalistic integrity we'd need to write a full article on any of this nonsense. Purely for fun, we take five stories a month we just can't substantiate and give them to you, our beloved readers, with only my insight for context. 

Let's start with a story that my colleague Lara Eutrepe brought to my attention from her homeland in Alexandria. Ah, Alexandria. Weirdest city on Etheirys.

Street Racing for Souls

Look, I don't know how Alexandrians do things, but apparently their most commodified resource is souls. Not my business, not my circus. There's some real potential in it as a romance novelist, though. Like, imagine trying to buy your wife's soul or something? I have no idea how it works, I've never been there. 

But apparently a cache of these souls is up for grabs in an upcoming street race through the residential areas of Solution Nine. It's supposedly happening in the coming weeks, and is being called the Soul Signal Grand Prix by some Alexandrian automotive enthusiasts. Those seeking to test their metal - get it? - or get a heap of souls for whatever totally above board purpose people want souls for, getting your racing gear to Solution Nine should be done sooner than later.

Sharlayan Strangeness

Notorious for their tight lips and tighter asses, there's no shortage of rumors about happenings in Sharlayan. Most of them either strike a banal tone or smell of absurdly complex conspiracy theories, with relatively few hitting that sweet spot of believability and fascination that make for a good entry in a column like this. Then again, they really did have a space ship designed by rabbits from the moon, so really, the grandiose conspiracies might have something to them.

That said, our rumor here is far less dramatic, it's about one person. She appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the Rostra wearing an outfit that looked like a Forum robe with a furry black overcoat and cut into a mini-dress. She claimed to be a Forum member named Ahnci Chassur. Not only is there no one in the Forum with that name, but no Archon with that name. According to the whispers, 'Lady Chassur' has been taken into custody for interrogation. This feels like such a Sharalyan problem to have. 

Ghosts of Vylbrand

It's the season of spooky, so we're not surprised about ghost stories, especially among the famously superstitious group that are sailors, privateers and pirates. What's most interesting about the ghosts out across the Rhotano Sea is just how varied they are this season. 

First we have tall tales of a spooky ship under the command of a ghost captain called The Hollow Bride that's scared a number of ships from cargo haulers to pleasure barges off their normal lanes. The Bride is little more than a whisper but the best ghost stories are. On top of that, a rather grisly death on the road near Costa del Sol has been attributed to a ghost. While there's little meat on the bones - get it? - on the Hollow Bride stuff, the Maelstrom is actively investigating the death near Costa. 

Society Gossip at the Gold Court

It's always a thing, every moon. Someone with a name does something scandalous. Whole newspapers can and do devote themselves to these rumors, but once in a while they come across our desk and have an interesting tie to something we cover elsewhere, and that makes them fit for this kind of treatment. In this case, we're looking at Lavander Almasi, whose house hosted the second annual Traders' Gala just days before publication. 

As it turns out, Almasi has been seeing a certain consort, which to be honest isn't entirely uncommon among people of means. If every noble consort was worth news, the brothels and pillowhouses of Etheirys would feature constantly in society sections. But what makes this gossip particularly interesting is that Miss Almasi is also rumored to be quietly preparing a divorce from her rarely-seen husband. Suddenly, that consort seems like a very lucky person about to get their day in the spotlight as the next Almasi spouse? Classic society romance. 

Guns of the Domans

If you're looking for airships and guns, let's be honest, you're probably looking for Garlemald. But if you shop local or have some lingering resentment, the best place to shop is Ishgard. Ishgard exemplifies Eorzean engineering, with its corrupted crystal engines and aetherpack rifles. Without a doubt inspired by engineering of other powers, Ishgardian's technology is uniquely Eorzean in nature. 

Allegedly, this has made Ishgard a popular place for Domans. Specifically, sources at the Skysteel Manufactury have mentioned a new Lady Regent of a Doman province who has been sending her retainers to Ishgard to invest in firepower and other technologies, likely in an attempt to consolidate power in her domain under the Enclave's oversight. Who she is, what her purpose is, or if she even really exists is an open question, but that's what you come to Talk of the Town for, isn't it?

And that's it for this moon! Catch us at the end of the next for more stories that slipped through the cracks!