Incredibly vast and only 1,600 light years away from us, if the North America Nebula were brighter, it would be the size of the full Moon in our sky. If we scaled the nebula down to the actual size of North America, the Earth would be the size of a grain of sand.
Forgemaster H’naanza, head of Naldiq & Vymelli’s, wants you to assist with the workload over at the Moraby Drydocks.
H’naanza: What say you to taking on some work from Naldiq & Vymelli’s? We’ve a great hulking warship to build and could certainly use an extra hand for any number of tasks. H’naanza: For your first job, I need you to run this missive over to Ahtbyrm, the head shipwright at the Moraby Drydocks. H’naanza: We forge most of the ship’s bits and pieces here at the Armorers’ Guild, but the actual construction takes place at the docks found in the south of lower La Noscea. H’naanza: That’s also where you’ll find the main offices of Naldiq & Vymelli’s. The Moraby Drydocks is one of Limsa Lominsa’s most important districts─at least as far as I’m concerned─and I’m sure you’ll not regret attuning yourself to the area’s aetheryte. H’naanza: If you’ve no confidence in your sense of direction, you’d be best served making use of the chocobo porters. First floor of the Mizzenmast, in case you were wondering. H’naanza: Should you choose to make the trek on your own two feet, leave the city through the Tempest Gate and follow the road south. May the Navigator guide your steps.
Ahtbyrm: You have a missive for me from Forgemaster H’naanza? I assume it pertains to the pending arrival of the materials I ordered over a moon past. Let’s see it, then. Ahtbyrm: Blast and botheration! Another delay? I am well aware of the shortage of skilled artisans, but this is insufferable! Ahtbyrm: (sigh) My apologies. The messenger does not deserve to bear the brunt of my frustration. Might I have your name? Ahtbyrm: Meredith, is it? Well, Meredith, this proud maiden you see taking shape before you is the Victory, the first new vessel to grace the docks since the Calamity. Ahtbyrm: We may have lost the bulk of our ships that fateful day, but starting with this beauty, we will restore the Maelstrom’s fleet to its former glory. The Victory is more than a simple warship─it is the symbol of Limsa Lominsa’s rebirth from the wreckage wrought by the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era. Ahtbyrm: Thus we are striving to complete her construction as swiftly as possible, even going so far as to hire veteran shipwrights from outside the thalassocracy. Ahtbyrm: Yet even with such unprecedented measures, there are never enough hands to handle the abundance of tasks. Should you choose to linger at the docks for a time, there is no end of odd jobs for a hardworking adventurer. Be you fair warned─there is no place here for layabouts and troublemakers.
“Lagoon” is what you name a nebula that doesn’t look like anything. This amorphous nebula is actually pretty close to us, as far as nebulas go — only 4,100 light years away. It’s one of only two nebulae visible to the naked eye (from the northern hemisphere), but it’s pretty dim so don’t get your hopes up.
Roseline would like you to warn other sentries of the stranger’s activities.
Roseline: We cannot allow other sentries to dismiss similar sightings─they must know what we have learned. To that end, I’ve prepared this letter containing everything we know about our mysterious stranger. Roseline: I need you to show it to my comrades throughout the Shroud. Once each sentry has committed the details to memory, have them write their name at the bottom for confirmation. Roseline: Start with Elmar at the Bannock, then find Bernard at the eastern gates of Bentbranch Meadows. They ought to relay the information to the others. Roseline: Finally, make sure Eylgar sees the letter. He stands watch within the stables, so if this stranger’s aim is to harm the chocobos, Eylgar may have to personally put an end to it.
Elmar: You don’t look like you’re here for training… Elmar: A shadowy figure… Understood. I’ll pass word to the recruits as well as the sentries. Elmar: Let me just make my mark…there, that should do. Elmar: If you follow the road south, you’ll find Bernard by the bridge to Bentbranch. Godsspeed, adventurer.
Bernard: You have business with me, adventurer? Bernard: Roseline is right to be cautious. For this stranger to venture so close, yet go to such great lengths to remain undetected, is highly suspicious. They clearly have designs on Bentbranch. Bernard: We appreciate the help. I should write my name here, yes? Bernard: And…here, take it. You’ll find Eylgar in the stables, past the aetheryte.
Eylgar: Mind the birds, adventurer. They get nervous around strangers. Eylgar: What’s this? A shadowy stranger near the Matron’s Lethe… You’ve already shown this to Bernard and Elmar, I see. Good, good. Eylgar: Then all that’s left is to inform the staff here. Not everyone here is a Wood Wailer, true, but even our stableboys wouldn’t hesitate to take up arms to defend these chocobos.
This epic space rose is 5,219 light years away from us in the Milky Way, and stretches 130 light years across. If it were the size of an actual rose, the Milky Way would be a pond 60 m across that the rose was floating in.
Fufulupa wants you to track down a missing courier.
Fufulupa: Pray allow me to enlist your aid, brave adventurer. I would have you ascertain the whereabouts of a missive I sent to Lost Hope the other day. Fufulupa: Captain Leofric is stationed there. Ever since he was transferred, we’ve exchanged letters, but never before has it taken this long to receive a reply. Fufulupa: And so I fear that the courier may have met with some misfortune en route. Fufulupa: She must have made it to central Thanalan, or the Brass Blades that patrol the roads between here and Scorpion Crossing would have seen something. But, if she made it as far as Black Brush Station, she would have surely delivered the letter by now. Lost Hope is practically on its doorstep… Fufulupa: I suggest you focus your search on the road to Black Brush Station, in central Thanalan. With luck, you will find her quickly.
Seseli: Huh? A letter? Aye, I’ve got Fufulupa’s missive right here. Seseli: I won’t be deliverin’ it any time soon, though. Got to tend to my bird’s injured leg first. Even the most minor of cuts can fester if ignored. Seseli: Fufulupa sent you, right? If this is a pressin’ matter, why don’t you take it the rest of the way? Seseli: Lost Hope’s just past Black Brush Station, to the northeast. Look for the tents by the river.
Leofric: Just passing through, or will you be staying a while? Leofric: …Fufulupa sent you all this way because of a late letter? (sigh) The boy is still far too earnest. Leofric: Despite my demotion, he continues to call me Captain. I suspect he has no idea what it means to be transferred to Lost Hope either. Leofric: The Brass Blades don’t give a Qiqirn’s arse about this settlement. No one in Ul’dah does. Leofric: All here have been forsaken, adventurer. The refugees, their protectors. And you will be, too, if you’re seen associating with us. Leofric: Thank you for the letter. Now, for your own good, leave.
Omega Centauri is a vast “globular cluster”, a tightly grouped bunch of stars. 15,800 light years away and 150 light years across, Omega Centauri is the size of the full Moon in our night sky and can be seen in rural areas on clear nights. Containing 4 million solar masses, Omega Centauri is the largest, brightest, and most massive known globular cluster in the Milky Way. Some astronomers hypothesize that Omega Centauri is the remnant of a dwarf galaxy that merged with the Milky Way.