Impressed by your progress, Miounne wishes to send you on to Bentbranch Meadows, where you will find further opportunities to learn.
Mother Miounne: How is my favorite fresh-faced adventurer? Oh, do not scowl so─I speak out of habit. You’ve come a long way since first you walked through my door, and I’ll not deny it. Mother Miounne: As a matter of fact, I think it’s about time you made yourself useful at Bentbranch Meadows in the Central Shroud. Mother Miounne: Unlike the recruits you see at the Bannock, the men and women out at Bentbranch are fully occupied with their own work. As such, I imagine there are more than a few who would welcome the assistance of a rapidly maturing adventurer like yourself. Mother Miounne: Bentbranch is also home to a very usefully situated aetheryte. It is, in other words, the perfect place for you to begin the next stage of your journey as an adventurer. Mother Miounne: And what better time than the present!? Leave the city via the Blue Badger Gate, and continue to the southwest until you come to a bridge. Mother Miounne: Cross it, and when you spy an aetheryte in the distance, you may congratulate yourself on having successfully found Bentbranch Meadows. Mother Miounne: If you so fancy, you may also make use of the chocobo porter service, doubtless the safest way to get to your destination. Chocobokeep Cingur should not hesitate to lend his birds to a capable adventurer like you. Mother Miounne: Oh, and be sure to introduce yourself to Keitha, the head chocobo wrangler, when you arrive.
Cingur: Well met, traveler! Might I interest you in a chocobo porter? Cingur: Ah, do not tell me, this is your first visit to this stop. I shall update my register with your name, so that you may access this location in the future.
Keitha: You must be the ‘venturer Miounne sent word about. I’m Keitha, head wrangler ’round these parts. Keitha: I’ve heard many and more things about you─good things, lest you worry. Keitha: When the Elder Seedseer bade us welcome ‘venturers, ’tis fair to say we had our doubts─till hardworkin’ folk like yourself set about provin’ us wrong, that is. Consider me a convert! Keitha: Anyroad, you’ve a mind to help out at the ranch, have you? Good. We could always do with a hand or two to keep the place runnin’ smoothly. Keitha: As a matter of fact, I’ve a task right here that wants doin’. Keitha: Let me know when you’re ready to get busy. Oh, and you come highly recommended, so don’t go lettin’ no one down, eh?
This satellite dwarf galaxy is almost twice as big as its sibling, the Small Magellanic Cloud. They were both named after the explorer Magellan. If he had tried to cross this cloud, it would have taken him around ten trillion years. Magellan crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean instead and almost circumnavigated the world — not bad either.
Momodi of the Quicksand has word of work for a willing adventurer.
Momodi: Look what the coeurl dragged in. Good to see you, Marion. I’d ask what brings you, but I reckon we both know the answer to that already. Momodi: Well, have I ever let you down before? Wait, don’t answer that… Momodi: So happens I know a fella by the name of Dadanen who needs a hand. He’s a merchant by trade, sellin’ precious stones to those in Ul’dah with the means to buy them. Momodi: He’s asked that I send any lookin’ for work his way. You can find him over in Horizon, if you fancy. Momodi: That’s in western Thanalan, mind you. Just cross the bridge north of Scorpion Crossing and the road will take you there. Momodi: Knowin’ the circles he deals in, might be he’ll have some talk of the royal family that’ll interest you, as well. Momodi: And why not make use of a chocobo porter for the journey to Horizon? If you’ve the gil for it, that is. Momodi: You’ll find the chocobo stables just across the way from my Quicksand. Find Mimigun─he’ll set you straight. Momodi: Well, off you go, then. I haven’t got all day to be holdin’ your bloody hand!
Mimigun: Well met, traveler! Might I interest you in a chocobo porter? Mimigun: Ah, do not tell me, this is your first visit to this stop. I shall update my register with your name, so that you may access this location in the future.
Dadanen: Marion, I presume? Aye, Momodi said to expect you, and so I have. Dadanen: Welcome to Horizon. Ours is a trading settlement that sees goods in from the port of Vesper Bay to the west─and trade we do. Nary a day goes by that Horizon isn’t bustling with some manner of merchants and officials. Dadanen: They keep us running about busy, they do. Enough so that I wish I had chocobo legs in place of my own. And that’s why I’ve asked Momodi to send me any souls looking for work. Dadanen: Twelve know there is plenty of it to be done around here. Speak to me again when you are ready to make yourself of some use.
Many people think the black hole in the center of the Milky Way holds the galaxy together, sort of like how the Sun holds the Solar System together with its gravity. Strangely enough, not only is this black hole less than 0.1% of the mass of the galaxy, it’s not even at the center of stars’ orbits! When we map the orbits of stars in our galaxy, we find that their orbital center is an empty spot almost 27,000 light years away. But that doesn’t really matter, even if it’s not at the center of the galaxy it’s still at the center of our hearts.
Pfrewahl: Confounded pirates! They know nothin’ of tillin’, only killin’! Stealin’ our shovels to melt and forge into axes, of all things. Pfrewahl: They’re bitin’ the hand that feeds ’em, the mangy mongrels. I’d love to teach those curs a lesson in obedience myself, if I hadn’t sworn to Staelwyrn that I wouldn’t fight no more. Pfrewahl: So I need you to bring back our farm tools, and make sure those dogs reap what they’ve sown!
Pfrewahl: I wonder what those sea dogs will try an’ steal when there’s no harvest! Pfrewahl: Ah, good to see the tools back, and in serviceable condition. Which will be more than we can say of Sevrin when we get our hands on him. The wretch likely had a role in the theft. Pfrewahl: Spied him meetin’ the pirates in secret, I did. I couldn’t care less if the wastrel won’t work, but when he consorts with cutpurses that take our tools away, he’s crossed the line! Pfrewahl: Staelwyrn ought to know what sort of scalawag he’s dealing with. Take word to him, would you?
Staelwyrn: Pirates makin’ off with our tools? Pfrewahl did well not to take matters into his own hands. Last thing I need is blood on my crops. Staelwyrn: But I’ll be damned if Sevrin thinks he can take us for fools. His treachery won’t go unpunished.
Many galaxies make stars, but this one is a massive star factory. Galaxies with high star formation rates like these are called starburst galaxies. NGC 3310 has hundreds of star clusters — each of them triggers the formation of around a million stars. They come in all shapes, sizes, and especially colors!
Looking at the colors helps researchers learn the age of ca star. Star clusters with lower stellar temperatures glow in red, which means that they have been around quite a while — at least several millions of years. Younger stars are blue since they have higher surface temperatures and are still full of fuel. NGC 3310 has many of these red and blue clusters with ages ranging from one million to more than a hundred million years.
Galfrid, chief instructor at the Bannock, would entrust you with the task of investigating Spirithold.
Galfrid: Mortimer! Thank the gods you’ve come! Galfrid: We have a potential crisis on our hands, and I would appreciate your assistance. Will you hear me out? Galfrid: Listen well, for we haven’t much time. Galfrid: To the southeast of here lies a dungeon known as Spirithold. It was all but destroyed during the Calamity. Galfrid: Desiring to offer the ruins back to the forest, a Hearer ventured inside to carry out the Rite of Returning. Galfrid: Alas, it would seem something has gone awry. Word arrived just moments ago that the Hearer and his guards have been attacked by a towering shadow. Aye, you heard me true─a shadow. Galfrid: On any other day, I would dispatch my best Quivermen to provide support, but I sent them to repel an Ixali incursion in the West Shroud nary a bell ago. Galfrid: The timing of these events cannot be mere coincidence. I fear the Ixal somehow caught wind of our plans, and are attempting to disrupt the rite in an effort to weaken the bond between man and elemental. Galfrid: They must not be allowed to succeed. And so I bid you go to Spirithold and do whatever is necessary to resolve the situation. Please, say you will help us. Galfrid: I knew you would not let me down. You will have all the support I can muster. Galfrid: Now, we are racing against time, so you had best make haste.
Alestan: Who goes there? An adventurer, is it? Alestan: Here at Instructor Galfrid’s request, you say? Thank the Matron! Alestan: Doubtless you already know this, but a towering shadow manifested without warning and attacked the Hearer in the midst of the rite. Alestan: Most of his party has been successfully evacuated, but five remain unaccounted for. Alestan: Please find them, and see them out of harm’s way.
Worried Wood Wailer: (groan) A great shadow…towering over me… What in the Twelve’s good grace? Worried Wood Wailer: A-An adventurer!? Please, you must save the Hearer! Witless Wood Wailer: Galfrid…sent you? Witless Wood Wailer: I am no longer…of use here. Pray help the Hearer…in my stead. Overwrought Wood Wailer: Away, vile fiend! Away, I say! I defy you! I defy yooouuu!!! …Uh? …Oh! An adventurer! Overwrought Wood Wailer: W-We were ambushed─ambushed in the midst of the ritual! And then… And then…I’m not sure what happened. Cool-headed Conjurer: …You were sent to help? I fear you are too late─the ritual has failed. Cool-headed Conjurer: I must needs return to Gridania. The Seedseers must know of this. Confused Conjurer: That thing was no elemental, but a being born of darkness. Confused Conjurer: The Hearer languishes alone in the depths. You must help him!
???: O mournful voice of creation! Grant ye this humble stone a soul, that it may wake to life!
???: That the golem could be vanquished… ???: That man is no ordinary adventurer. Papalymo: Damnation! He has eluded us yet again! Yda: Oh, fancy meeting you here! How are things?
Papalymo: Hm? Whatever are you─ Yda: Shhh! More birds! This makes it how many times today? Seven? Papalymo: Their movements are beyond our fathoming. Yda: Hmmm. Do you think maybe…they’re trying to summon their primal? Papalymo: I hope not, for all our sakes. Yet we must be prepared for the worst.
Papalymo: Withered. The same fate has befallen Emerald Moss. Papalymo: It is as we feared: Dalamud’s anomaly is affecting life in the Twelveswood. Yda: You mean the disturbance in the aetheric flow? Papalymo: The very same. The Garleans have a lot to answer for. Papalymo: The imbalance they have created is plunging the land into chaos, just as Louisoix forewarned. Yda: It’s no wonder the primals have started appearing… Papalymo: Time is against us, but there is still hope for the land. Papalymo: We must hold fast to that hope and fight to the very last. Yda: Agreed! Yda: Waaah! Yda: Ack! Stupid things… Papalymo: These stupid things happen to be the very latest in Sharlayan innovation! Show some respect! Yda: But they’re so uncomfortable and…and…ugly! Papalymo: If you ask me, they’re an improvement over that mask of yours. Yda: (sigh) Hard to believe it’s already been five whole years, isn’t it? Papalymo: Already? Five years is but a heartbeat in the life of the planet! Yda: I suppose you’re right… Now that I think about it, the Twelveswood’s barely recovered at all, and the Gridanians still have the same old problems. Papalymo: Aye, along with some new ones. Just in case the Ixal and Garuda weren’t troublesome enough, the sylphs had to go and invite Ramuh, didn’t they? Yda: …Do you ever think about those adventurers who fought alongside us? I do. And then five years seems like ages… I wonder what became of them. Yda: Ah… Papalymo: Yda, look. Yda: Hm? Yda: Golly! …And this is what, exactly? Papalymo: Yet another disturbance in the aether, and freshly manifested at that. Papalymo: It seems to be emanating from Lifemend Stump. We must hurry!
Yda: Are you all right? Your eyes glazed over for a while there. Papalymo: The good news is that the Hearer is unharmed. Somewhat dazed, yes, but whole of mind and body. The bad news…concerns everything else. Papalymo: Lest you forget, the Twelveswood is the domain of the elementals; it is by their leave that man abides in the forest and avails himself of its bounty. The ground which the dungeon occupies is no different. Papalymo: Having no more use for the dungeon, the Gridanians sent a Hearer to offer the place back to the elementals by way of the Rite of Returning, which is essentially an expression of gratitude. Papalymo: Alas, he failed to complete the ritual for obvious reasons. Papalymo: While the poor soul cannot be blamed for this, the fact remains that unless the elementals are given their due, they may well consider it a slight. And the very last thing the Gridanians can afford to do in these uncertain times is risk alienating the Twelveswood’s eternal guardians. Papalymo: But you have more than done your part. We shall see the Hearer to safety, and send for his peers to finish the rite. Papalymo: In the meantime, please make your way outside and report to Alestan. Papalymo: Ah, but where are my manners? Papalymo: I am Papalymo, and the tactless woman beside me here is─ Yda: Yda! Yda: Papalymo and I are surveying the Twelveswood together! Yda: Pleased to meet you! Papalymo: Yda, give me a hand, would you? Papalymo: Wait. There is something…familiar about you. Could it be that you are…? Papalymo: N-Never mind. Doubtless my eyes are playing tricks. Till we meet again!
Alestan: All this happened inside Spirithold? Twelve preserve us… Alestan: Who was that masked mage, and by what dark ambition is he driven? So many things shrouded in mystery… Alestan: Well, I shan’t find any answers on my own. I must needs discuss this with Galfrid. The matter warrants a full investigation, if I am any judge, and that shall certainly be my recommendation. Alestan: Your courage has saved many lives this day, adventurer. For this you have my deepest gratitude. Alestan: Pray return to Gridania and seek out Miounne. Alestan: I understand she wishes to thank you for your efforts on our behalf.
Mother Miounne: Welcome back, Mortimer. A little bird tells me that the Hearer and his party owe you their lives. Mother Miounne: A tale for the tavern if ever there were one! …It is only a shame that I must ask you not to tell it─for the time being, at least. Do I make myself clear? Mother Miounne: Until the Hearers have made their will on the matter known, it would be best to avoid unsettling people with stories of walking statues. Mother Miounne: Now then, you must have suitable recompense for your valiant service. Mother Miounne: For the first half of your reward, I give you leave to make use of the accommodations here at the guild. Mother Miounne: Arrangements have been made, so all you need do is speak with Antoinaut whenever you crave the comfort of a firm bed and a soft pillow. Mother Miounne: For the second half of your reward, I offer you another path to fame and fortune: guildleves. Mother Miounne: Guildleves are records of the various requests we receive from the citizenry. They outline all manner of tasks which ambitious young adventurers like you can elect to undertake. Mother Miounne: Gontrant is our guildleve official, or “levemete,” here at the Carline Canopy. I have spoken with him regarding your knack for solving challenging problems, and he is eager to make your acquaintance. Mother Miounne: By the way, have you perchance heard about the coming festival? It is truly a splendid occasion, looked forward to by young and old alike, and one I heartily recommend that you take the time to enjoy. Mother Miounne: Don’t be too disappointed if the recent troubles cast a shadow over proceedings, however. I fear nothing short of the mysterious interloper’s apprehension can prevent that… Mother Miounne: But we were talking about you, Mortimer. You have made Mother proud. I expect great things of you, young man!
Keishinrei 