Author Archives: Keishinrei

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Coming to Limsa Lominsa

To be recognized as an adventurer in the city–state of Limsa Lominsa, you must first register yourself with the Adventurers’ Guild.

Ryssfloh: Now then, I’m sure you’re itching to explore, but adventurers are required to register their presence in the city…and without a bit of local knowledge, you’re like to get your throat slit in some piss-stinking alley.
Ryssfloh: So before you do anything else, get yourself over to the Drowning Wench and enroll with the Adventurers’ Guild.
Ryssfloh: It’s not far─just head straight down this street and speak with Grehfarr. He’ll show you how to work that big moving platform we call the Crow’s Lift, and that’ll take you up to the pub.
Ryssfloh: Once you’re there, look for a fellow by the name of Baderon─he’s the proprietor of the Wench. He might curse like an ale-sodden sailor, but the man’s got a soft spot for wide-eyed newcomers like yourself. He’ll set you straight.
Ryssfloh: Got all that? Good. Now run along, and may the Navigator guide you on your journey.

Grehfarr: Welcome to Limsa Lominsa. If you’ve a mind to visit the Drowning Wench, the Crow’s Lift will take you there.

Baderon: Greetin’s to ye, lass.
Baderon: What’ll it be? …Ah, but you ain’t ‘ere fer the drink, are ye!? Ye’ve come with a mind to try yer ‘and at ‘venturin’, I reckon! Well, ye’ll find no shortage o’ work ‘ere in Limsa.
Baderon: The name’s Baderon, an’ this most ‘ospitable of ‘ostelries is the Drownin’ Wench.
Baderon: ‘Tis also the ‘ome o’ the ‘Venturers’ Guild, ‘ere in Limsa. That’s why we’ve got a desk ‘specially fer ‘andlin’ guild business─an’ why I seem to spend more time savin’ the necks o’ whelps like yerself than wettin’ the throats o’ me regulars.
Baderon: ‘Venturers ‘ave a knack fer findin’ trouble, see.
Baderon: Not that they need it in these parts, on account o’ there bein’ trouble wherever ye look. If ye manage to steer clear o’ the fishbacks an’ the kobolds outside the city, the pirates on the inside will get ye instead.
Baderon: An’ if they don’t manage, there’s always the Garlean Empire to finish the job. Oh, no one knows what they’re plannin’, o’ course…but if they’re plannin’ anythin’, ye can be sure it’s to kill the lot of us.
Baderon: Aye…this town seems peaceful at a glance, but look again, an’ ye’ll see a people livin’ in fear o’ what tomorrow might bring.
Baderon: …An’ who can blame ’em, after everythin’ that’s ‘appened? Eorzea took a mighty blow durin’ the Calamity, but our ‘omes weren’t the only things what got wiped off the face of existence by that thrice-damned bastard of a dragon.
Baderon: It took our bleedin’ memories, too. An’ no one’s been able to explain it in a way as makes an onze o’ sense.
Baderon: None o’ the folks what saw it an’ lived to tell the tale seem to agree on ‘ow the tale actually goes. ‘Tis all foggy…like recollections from an ‘ard night on the ale. Ye can imagine why people might fear fer the future if they can’t rightly recall the past.
Baderon: But there is one thing we all remember, an’ that’s the group o’ ‘venturers what laid down their lives to drag Eorzea back from the brink, when she was bound fer the abyss.
Baderon: Well, I say we remember… Truth is, though we ain’t forgotten what they did fer us, this godsdamned Calamity-spawned memory loss robbed us o’ their names…
Baderon: It won’t even let us picture their damn faces. ‘Tis like starin’ at a gull flyin’ in front o’ the sun─all ye see in yer mind’s eye is a shadow set against a blindin’ glare. An’ that’s ‘ow every bugger describes it, by the way…give or take the odd gull.
Baderon: It’s this what’s got people callin’ these ‘eroes the “Warriors o’ Light.”
Baderon: If Limsa’s ever goin’ to put this time o’ darkness behind it, it’s goin’ to need ‘venturers to ‘elp banish the fear. It’s goin’ to need new ‘eroes like the ones we lost.
Baderon: Maybe one day ye’ll be one of ’em. An’ that’s why any aid we can give to a ‘venturer is effort well spent. What say ye, lass? Ye willin’ to lend us yer strength?
Baderon: Me thanks to ye, an’ to the Navigator an’ all! I knew She’d steered ye my way fer a reason.
Baderon: Ah, but listen to me, yatterin’ on like a sun-touched fishwife. ‘Tis ‘igh time we got yer mark in me book.
Baderon: Put yer scrawl right there.
Baderon: Meredith Croix, is it? An’ a fine name it is.
Baderon: Congratulations. Yer now an upstandin’ member o’ the ‘Venturers’ Guild.
Yellowjacket: You there─adventurer. You sailed in on the last ferry, did you not?
Yellowjacket: The captain reported being attacked by a pirate vessel. And several witnesses have testified independently that a passenger matching your description went out on deck mere moments before the incident took place. Sending your friends signals, were you?
Baderon: Now ‘old on a just a moment there, officer. Ye’ve got the wrong lass.
Baderon: This fine, upstandin’ young lady is me dear departed grandma’s sister’s niece’s cousin’s closest companion. The lass wouldn’t be caught dead fraternizin’ with such unsavory elements.
Yellowjacket: …Is that right? Ahem. You are surely aware of the recent kidnappings? Respectfully, then, we cannot be too trusting of outsiders at a time when the loyalty of even our closest friends is in doubt.
Baderon: Aye, ye make a good point there, officer, a very good point. Very wise. Ye needn’t worry, though─I keep one eye open at all times, me, an’ two more often than not. Now, sir, what say ye to a tankard o’ me finest ale afore ye return to yer duties, eh?
Yellowjacket: Not a watered-down cup of piss like last time, I should hope?
Baderon: Ain’t got the faintest idea what yer on about, officer. The Wench might offer some o’ the cheapest grog this side o’ the Strait o’ Merlthor, but that don’t mean it won’t get ye good an’ pickled! An’ look, there’s a chair over there just cryin’ out to be sat on, so kick off them ‘eavy boots, eh!?
Baderon: Ye’ll ‘ave to excuse these eager bloody Yellowjackets. There’s been a spate o’ kidnappin’s, see, an’ they ain’t got a clue who’s behind ’em. Naturally, they’ve taken to clappin’ irons on anyone who looks vaguely suspicious, which means ‘venturers, visitors…an’ pretty much every bugger else in this town.
Baderon: Don’t take it personal, though. Us Lominsans can be an ‘eadstrong bunch o’ bastards, ’tis true, but given time, we’ll grow on ye. Now, where was I…?
Baderon: Oh aye! Welcome to Limsa Lominsa, where the sea’s as green as the faces o’ me patrons after a few too many Blackbelly whiskeys!
Baderon: Now, take a moment to gather yer wits, an’ we’ll get started with learnin’ ye the ways o’ the city.

History of Our Cosmos – The Beginning of Everything

At the very beginning, there was a peculiar object called the singularity, floating in nothingness. How did it get there? That is a mystery. However, before we start exploring this immensely interesting object, we should focus on a different, seemingly trivial expression – nothingness.

Some might think that all the “empty” space around us could be considered nothingness. But that can hardly be the case, given that each centimetre of air contains billions of atoms.

Others might argue that the vacuum of space could be classified as nothingness. After all, vacuum is empty by definition – it contains no matter whatsoever. But there is a catch – vacuum is inside the universe just like everything else around us. And the universe is interwoven with space-time filaments. But space-time certainly is something. It is a specific area where all the laws of our universe are in effect.

For this reason alone, one cannot consider vacuum as complete nothingness, not to mention the immense amount of particles that are being created each second in every single tiny bit of vacuum as a result of quantum mechanics.

But the nothingness around our initial singularity was special and unique – time and space were non-existent and the laws of physics powerless. We would never be able to find such nothingness in our cosmos.

Back to our singularity. It would be fitting to say that it was an exceptionally peculiar object. We do not get to see such objects every day – never, in fact (unless we find ourselves in the centre of a black hole, which would probably not be an unduly pleasant experience – we are going to look into that in one of the following chapters).

Why was the initial singularity so peculiar? First of all, it may have been infinitely small, which is more than remarkable. On top of that, it was infinitely dense and infinitely hot, which makes good sense given that the entire universe had to fit into its heart. Exactly – everything you see around you has once been squeezed into this ancient singularity, though in a somewhat different form.

Suddenly, something incredible happened. Something that may be considered the strangest and most mysterious event of all time. The singularity started rapidly expanding and created the entire unbelievably huge universe. This incident is known under the majestic name of the Big Bang. However, it is rather ironic that we are using this name. First of all, this expression was coined by a man named Fred Hoyle, who was a tremendous opponent of the Big Bang theory (he favoured the competing Steady State theory). He only used this expression to mock the theory. In addition, the term “Big Bang” is incredibly inaccurate – it is far from representing the event that actually occurred.

Let us focus on the word Bang first. This word seems to represent a grand explosion accompanied by stunning sound effects. Much to the dismay of action movie fans, the actual “Big Bang” could be considered the exact opposite of such an explosion. There is no sound in vacuum, so let us forget about amazing sound effects. But more importantly, the Big Bang was not an explosion at all – it was more like an inflation of space (incredibly fast inflation indeed).

A great parallel is the inflation of a balloon. Imagine that our universe is represented by the surface of a balloon. If we inflate it, the distance between any two points on its surface increases. This is what the Big Bang and the following expansion of space looked like – it started off as an infinitely small point in the form of a singularity, and ended up as the surface of a gigantic “space balloon”. (Except that the surface of a balloon is a two-dimensional space curved in a third dimension, while our own universe is most likely a three-dimensional space curved in a fourth dimension. However, our primitive three-dimensional brains are not capable of imagining fourth-dimensional space – that is why we are using a simple balloon analogy.)

Now that we grasp the issues with the word Bang, let us focus our attention on the word Big. While the word Bang is utterly inaccurate, the word Big is correct. However, it is a tremendous understatement. The Big Bang was not only big, it was everywhere – every single tiny bit of space used to be condensed in an infinitely small singularity and underwent a whopping expansion. To augment our balloon metaphor, imagine that you are a two-dimensional ant inhabiting the surface of the expanding balloon. For such an ant, the surface of the balloon is the only thing in existence – the ant cannot escape it on its own. From its point of view, everything is inflating. For the sake of accuracy, it would be appropriate to replace the word Big with the word Huge – or even better, Omnipresent.

However, if we put these two accurate expressions together, we get something like the Omnipresent Inflation, which, let us admit, does not sound nearly as good as the Big Bang. We will therefore stick with the usual term, now with the knowledge of its imperfections.

One of the greatest questions is when exactly the Big Bang occurred. This immensely interesting question has been subject to discussion for decades. Today, it is assumed that the singularity started expanding astounding 13.8 billion years ago. You do not even have to try to understand how long ago it was – for the human brain, it is practically impossible. But we can at least try to present this information in a different way – imagine that you put marbles one centimetre (0.4 inches) in diameter next to each other into a single row. If each marble represented one year of the universe’s existence, your row of marbles would go around the entire Earth. Three times. And if you by any chance wanted to live through the whole age of the universe, you would have to live incredible 200 million average human lives. For comparison, the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old – about 67 million lives.

Let us come back to the very beginning now. No one really knows why the Big Bang occurred, but we do know quite well how exactly this process took place. 13.8 billion years ago, the singularity, containing the entire energy of the cosmos, started rapidly expanding. This moment is considered to be the beginning of space-time as well as the universe itself.

But what happened before the Big Bang? This seemingly interesting question is actually pointless. Time is inherently woven into the structure of our universe. Before the Big Bang, it simply did not exist. Asking this question is like wondering about what is located north of the North Pole.

As you have surely already understood, most things about the singularity are extreme and unimaginable. And the super-rapid expansion of the early cosmos right after the Big Bang is surely no exception. Trying to imagine any of the numbers bellow is simply impossible.

About a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe entered a monumental state known as the cosmic inflation. It should be noted that the temperature of the cosmos at that time was respectable 100 million million million million degrees Celsius! During the cosmic inflation, the universe increased its size in an unimaginable manner. From the initial size of less than a billionth the size of a proton, it inflated to a comparatively huge sphere 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) in diameter. But even more remarkable is the fact that it has managed to alter its size like this in a mere fraction of a second – the cosmic inflation started about 10-37 seconds after the Big Bang and ended somewhere between 10-35 seconds a 10-32 seconds after the birth of the cosmos.

And in a blink of an eye, the cosmic inflation was gone forever. Space-time continued on its expanding journey (in fact, it continues expanding to this day), but much more slowly. At the end of the inflation, the temperature of the universe was about a 100 thousand times smaller than at its beginning. It is mesmerizing that in a moment much shorter than anyone can even imagine, the universe changed so dramatically. But what is most important – once the cosmic inflation was over, the cosmos already contained a crucial component which makes our very existence possible – matter.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Coming to Gridania

To be recognized as an adventurer in the city–state of Gridania, you must first register yourself with the Adventurers’ Guild.

Bertennant: Another green adventurer, I presume?
Bertennant: I thought as much. We cannot allow strangers to wander Gridania unchecked and untested.
Bertennant: Before you rush off and begin pestering every second citizen for work, I suggest you make yourself known at the Carline Canopy. That’s the headquarters of the local Adventurers’ Guild, in case you were wondering.
Bertennant: The Carline Canopy is the building you see behind me. Speak to Mother Miounne within, and she will take you in hand.

Mother Miounne: Well, well, what have we here?
Mother Miounne: A wide-eyed and wondering young adventurer, come to put your name down at the guild, I assume?
Mother Miounne: Welcome. Miounne’s my name, or Mother Miounne as most call me, and the Carline Canopy is my place.
Mother Miounne: As the head of the Adventurers’ Guild in Gridania, I have the honor of providing guidance to the fledgling heroes who pass through our gates.
Mother Miounne: No matter your ambitions, the guild is here to help you attain them.
Mother Miounne: In return, we expect you to fulfill your duties as an adventurer by assisting the people of Gridania. A fine deal, wouldn’t you agree?
Mother Miounne: To an outsider’s eyes, all may seem well with our nation, but naught could be further from the truth. The people live in a state of constant apprehension.
Mother Miounne: The Ixal and various gangs of common bandits provide an unending supply of trouble─trouble compounded by the ever-present threat of the Garlean Empire to the north. And that is to say nothing of the Calamity…
Mother Miounne: Even now, the wounds have barely begun to heal. Ah, but I speak of it as if you were there. Forgive me. Five years past, Eorzea was well-nigh laid to waste when a dread wyrm emerged from within the lesser moon, Dalamud, and rained fire upon the realm. It is this which people call “the Calamity.”
Mother Miounne: Scarcely a square malm of the Twelveswood was spared the devastation. Yet despite the forest’s extensive wounds, not a soul among us can recall precisely how it all happened.
Mother Miounne: I am well aware of how improbable that must sound to an outsider… It is improbable. But it’s also true. For reasons we can ill explain, the facts surrounding the Calamity are shrouded in mystery. There are as many versions of events as there are people willing to recount them.
Mother Miounne: Yet amidst the hazy recollections and conflicting accounts, all agree on one thing: that Eorzea was saved from certain doom by a band of valiant adventurers.
Mother Miounne: Whatever else we’ve misremembered, none of us have forgotten the heroes who risked life and limb for the sake of the realm. And yet…whenever we try to say their names, the words die upon our lips.
Mother Miounne: And whenever we try to call their faces to mind, we see naught but silhouettes amidst a blinding glare.
Mother Miounne: Thus have these adventurers come to be known as “the Warriors of Light.”
Mother Miounne: …Ahem. Pray do not feel daunted by the deeds of legends. We do not ask that you become another Warrior of Light, only that you do what you can to assist the people of Gridania.
Mother Miounne: Great or small, every contribution counts. I trust you will play your part.
Mother Miounne: All that’s left, then, is to conclude the business of registration. Here’s a quill. Scrawl your name right there.
Mother Miounne: Oh, and I would appreciate it if you used your real name─there is a special place in the seventh hell for those who use “amusing” aliases.
Mother Miounne: …Mortimer Croix, hm? And you’re quite sure that isn’t an amusing alias?
Mother Miounne: Very well. From this moment forward, you are a registered adventurer of Gridania, nation blessed of the elementals and the bounty of the Twelveswood. The guild expects great things from you.
Wood Wailer: Look at what just arrived─another godsdamned adventurer…
Mother Miounne: Don’t you start with that. Adventurers are the very salve that Gridania needs.
Mother Miounne: The Elder Seedseer herself bade us welcome them with open arms. Do you mean to disregard her will?
Wood Wailer: Of course not! Lest you forget, it is my sworn duty to uphold the peace! Am I to blame if outsiders bring mistrust upon themselves?
Wood Wailer: You─adventurer! Mind that you do not cause any trouble here, or I shall personally cast you out of this realm and into the seventh hell.
Mother Miounne: Ahem. Pay that outburst no mind. He meant only to…counsel you. Suspicious characters have been prowling the Twelveswood of late, you see, and the Wood Wailers feel they cannot afford to take any chances.
Mother Miounne: As is often the way with folk who live in isolation, Gridanians are wont to mistrust things they do not well know, your good self included. Fear not, however─given a catalog of exemplary deeds, and no more than a handful of years, the locals will surely warm to you.
Mother Miounne: On behalf of my fellow citizens, I welcome you to Gridania. May you come to consider our nation as your own in time.
Mother Miounne: Now then, you may depend on old Mother Miounne to teach you a few things that every adventurer should know.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Coming to Ul’dah

To be recognized as an adventurer in the city–state of Ul’dah, you must register yourself with the Adventurers’ Guild.

Wymond: ‘Tis plain to anyone with eyes that you don’t know your way around here.
Wymond: If I let you go wanderin’ off down the nearest dark alley, you’re certain to get mugged or worse, an’ I don’t want that on my conscience.
Wymond: So before you do anythin’ else, you’ll want to head over to the Quicksand, an’ speak with Momodi. She’s the master of the Adventurers’ Guild, an’ can set you on the right path.
Wymond: Just take those steps over yonder an’ pass through the double doors. You’ll find her inside.
Wymond: …An’ that’s as much as you’re gettin’ for free. Good luck with the adventurin’, adventurer.

Momodi: Why, hello there! Who might you be?
Momodi: If you’re lookin’ to join the Adventurers’ Guild, you’ve come to the right place.
Momodi: Name’s Momodi, and I own this fine establishment, if it please you.
Momodi: I also manage the Adventurers’ Guild here in Ul’dah. So you might say that lookin’ after green adventurers like yourself is my vocation.
Momodi: And lucky for you that it is. Without someone like me to steer you right, you’d soon find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, caught up in business you don’t understand.
Momodi: Like our conflict with the Amalj’aa, for example. They’ve been plaguin’ the sultanate for nigh on, oooh…forever now.
Momodi: Then there’s the Garlean Empire. None can say for sure what they’re plottin’ these days, only that they are.
Momodi: Aye, the people drink and make merry…but underneath it all, there’s worry. Worry and a lingerin’ feelin’ of loss.
Momodi: And little wonder. It’s scarce been five years since the lesser moon cracked open like a giant egg, releasin’ an abomination intent on turnin’ the realm into an eighth hell…
Momodi: So much was lost in the blink of an eye. ‘Twas like the end of the world had come at last.
Momodi: But then things begin to get foggy. Everyone’s got their own version of what happened next─some of ’em, two or three…
Momodi: You’d think people would remember somethin’ like that─but the fact is, they don’t. Nobody does.
Momodi: There is one thing the survivors agree on, though: the part played by a band of adventurers who laid down their lives for a realm that wasn’t their own.
Momodi: They fought valiantly, and like so many others, they never returned. Deeds worth rememberin’, I’m sure you’ll agree. It’s just a shame our recollections of those brave heroes are as jumbled as those of the Calamity itself.
Momodi: Whenever we try to call their faces to mind, it’s like they’re standin’ between us and the midday sun, permanently silhouetted… I’ll bet that sounds poetic to you, doesn’t it? Well it’s not. It’s bloody infuriatin’.
Momodi: But even if we can’t remember them, we’ll not let ’em be forgotten, and so we call ’em the Warriors of Light.
Momodi: And they’ll forever stand as a shinin’ example of what adventurers can achieve. That’s why I welcome new arrivals like yourself to our fair city.
Momodi: All I ask is that you lend a helpin’ hand, and try to leave Ul’dah in a better state than you found her. If you can promise that, I’d be happy to let you join the guild.
Momodi: All right, then! A promise is a promise, now!
Momodi: I’m countin’ on your help to put the past behind us. We need people workin’ and spendin’ and bickerin’ like the old days!
Momodi: And a happy and prosperous Ul’dah means more business for the Quicksand, too!
Momodi: Anyroad, let’s make this official.
Momodi: Go ahead and write your name in the register─neat as you can.
Momodi: …Marion Croix. Well, ain’t that a charmin’ name. Just rolls off the tongue, it does.
Momodi: All right, Miss Croix! On behalf of the Adventurers’ Guild, I officially─
Gullible Gambler: Please, sir, be merciful! Twelve as my witness, I swear to you, I’ll bring you your money!
Debt Collector: In the East, it is said that even a merciful god might be driven to vengeance if thrice blasphemed.
Debt Collector: Be grateful you were given a fourth chance to offend. You two, attend to this scum.
Gullible Gambler: No, please! Mercy!
Momodi: Well, ain’t that a sorry sight. Nor an uncommon one, if I’m honest. Don’t worry, though─if you work hard, I doubt you’ll end up like him.
Momodi: Just the same, if you ever need a bit of advice about one thing or another, pay me a visit. Just don’t go botherin’ me every time you stub your bloody toe, all right?
Momodi: ‘Course, I do enjoy hearin’ a lady muse on the many manhoods of her acquaintance from time to time…
Momodi: Anyroad, welcome to Ul’dah, Marion!
Momodi: Take a moment to catch your breath, and I’ll teach you a little about our fair city.

Sloan Great Wall

1.37 BILLION LIGHT YEARS

A “Great Wall” is a type of galaxy filament – a cluster of galaxy superclusters – in the rough shape of a wall. The Sloan Great Wall, about a billion light years from us, is one of the biggest filaments we’ve discovered, with a length of 1.37 billion light years. That’s the equivalent of about 7,000 Milky Ways lined up next to each other.