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Final Fantasy XI Official Web Site
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Vana'diel Atlas
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As the capitaine and the adventurer made their way through the path leading from Ronfaure to La Theine Plateau, they readied themselves for the worst. Tales of adventurers defeated by the rabid hares of the plateau, incredible but true, made their way to San d'Oria, keeping inexperienced recruits outside the plateau. The companions spotted a hare, crouching not too far from them, enjoying a San d'Orian carrot, oblivious to their presence. The capitaine snuck up behind it, without making a sound. The adventurer stood back and prepared to heal the capitaine, who gave the signal and ran up to the hare to attack.
The tales about the hares were all true, and the companions now experienced the horror firsthand. The hare, a small, scrawny specimen, had incredible stamina, and no matter how many times the capitaine hacked at it, it would not fall. The adventurer continued to heal the capitaine, and kept an eye out for other hares around. Just when he could not heal the capitaine anymore, he noticed another hare heading in their direction. He gave the capitaine a quick look, and without hesitating a moment, she disengaged the hare she was fighting, and they both began running back to the relative safety of Ronfaure.
Once in the Ronfaure woods, the companions lost the hares quickly, then sat under a tree to rest and laugh over their most recent near-death experience. The capitaine was already thinking of ways to change the strategy when a San d'Orian knight passing along noticed and approached them. They had seen him patrolling the area before, and he introduced himself as Zovriace and asked the companions if they had heard about the latest atrocity committed by the orcs. Since they had spent almost all day outside San d'Oria, they did not hear the news, and Zovriace began his story.
A young child, training to be a priest in the Church of Altana, had been kidnapped by a group of orcs during a pilgrimage with other priests in training. The San d'Orian officials assumed that the child was being held captive in Ghelsba Outpost, the nearest orc camp around San d'Oria. However, the San d'Orian Royal Knights had been dispatched to Jugner Forest the day before, and thus could not help in the rescue. And the Temple Knights did not want to endanger the child's life without a good plan, and thus were too busy planning to attack. The only persons ready for combat and willing to act were the priests of Altana, but they could not possibly face the orcs.
And so when Zovriace finished his report, the adventurer turned to the capitaine, who was grinning roguishly and had a twinkle in her eye. The capitaine told Zovriace to inform the Royal Knights the minute they appeared in Ronfaure, and to relay the message to the Church of Altana that the boy would return safely. She then began to walk north through the valley of Ronfaure, with the adventurer close behind, and Zovriace, confused, began walking back towards San d’Oria. Following the capitaine closely, he knew what she was planning, but still questioned whether they were ready for it after the encounter with the hares. Knowing what he was thinking, the capitaine smiled brightly at him, assuring the adventurer that they could handle a bunch of orcs even in the worst of conditions. Walking along the western edge of Ronfaure, they reached a path with wooden fences built by the orcs as protection, a clear sign that the companions were near Ghelsba.
Stepping carefully around the security barriers, the capitaine once again demonstrated her cunning, by sneaking around the fences and avoiding orcs that could alert the rest of the troop in the outpost. The adventurer, however, was not so careful, and while making his way around a fence, he stepped on a twig on the ground, which alerted the nearest Orcish Grappler to their location. Rather than risk a fight that could involve every orc in the vicinity, the capitaine pulled the adventurer and ducked under some bushes. The orc peered out behind the barrier, but quickly lost interest after failing to see anything and returned to its post. The capitaine then gave the adventurer a look as if to reprimand him, and he replied by grinning nervously and nodding. The companions then stood up and continued to sneak past the guards.
Past the initial barriers to stop reckless adventurers, Ghelsba Outpost is an open space of almost no vegetation and a complex system of caves underneath. Near the top of the Outpost are the huts where the orcs spend their nights, and this is where the child was most likely being held. Though the orcs are not very smart creatures, they managed to adapt the site to fit their needs, building bridges to connect parts of the outpost separated by rivers and constructing massive lookout towers to keep order in the outpost. There was also another feature which greatly intrigued adventurers. There were three great platforms, almost like stages, protected by wooden barriers all around. The purpose of these platforms was not known, although many adventurers swore they saw human blood and the ghosts of past victims surrounding that haunted place.
After sneaking past the first orc border security, the companions walked along an empty path until they found themselves in an area with some trees. Both recognized the area immediately from the many stories about it as the place where the haunted platforms were located, and rather than explore to verify the truth of the many reports, they hurried to the exit further north. On their way out they were startled by a group of Spectacled Bats, which the adventurer quickly swatted away by casting Banish. Then they reached the main area of Ghelsba Outpost.
A large open area, with a large lookout tower in the middle, appeared before them. Some orc huts could be seen along the back wall, and behind a large rock the top of the orc chief's hut could be seen. Attacking from the front would be impossible, and sneaking around the edge of the camp would risk being detected by an orc. The capitaine and the adventurer were struggling to think up a strategy when suddenly there was a big uproar and orcs began to exit their huts. The companions quickly hid behind a rock, and watched the actions of the orcs carefully.
Unbeknownst to the capitaine and the adventurer at the time, the Royal Knights had just returned to Ronfaure and were approaching Ghelsba Outpost. An orc lookout had spotted the troops and sent the message to the rest of the outpost. Every orc the companions could see, including the massive chief, was heading in the direction they had entered, and leaving the area deserted. After they stopped seeing movement along the huts, the capitaine and the adventurer stepped out of their hiding place and grinned at each other. Then they carefully made their way to the chief's hut, wary that they might not be completely alone.
Upon reaching the hut, and finding it locked, the capitaine was thinking of a course of action when the adventurer spotted three orcs walking towards the hut. With no place to hide, and knowing they would now have a better chance, the capitaine gave the signal, and the companions charged into battle. The capitaine tackled the Warchief Vangit while the adventurer healed her and cast Blind on the two Ranger Orcs behind the Warchief Vangit. The capitaine was fighting fiercely, circling the orc before it could turn, and then striking it with all her might. The adventurer was impressed with her courage, and in order to help her with the big orc, brought down one of the archers with Banish. The other one managed to hide behind a fence and began to aim for the capitaine, trying to force the adventurer to move away from his superior to leave her open for a shot. The adventurer realized this, and chose to stay put and heal the capitaine, positioning himself between the capitaine and the Ranger Orc.
The capitaine brought the Warchief Vangit to its knees by using Fast Blade, and she pulled the adventurer to the relative safety of the rock hiding the chief's hut from the view of the Ranger Orc. The companions regrouped and went into battle again. A combination of a quick strike from the capitaine and a blast of Banish from the adventurer sent the Ranger Orc flying backwards. After catching their breath, they inspected the body of the Warchief Vangit, and the capitaine found the key to the chief's hut and both companions approached the door. Awaiting a further ambush inside, they were surprised to find the small boy in high spirits, if a bit confused.
The capitaine explained the rescue operation to the boy, and the companions then escorted the boy out towards the entrance to the outpost. As they neared the exit they saw something completely unexpected. Prince Trion was standing right before them as the commander of the Royal Knights' force. Both the capitaine and the adventurer immediately and instinctively knelt before the prince, who approached them amiably and thanked them for their efforts. The prince the explained the situation, saying that the fighting outside had stopped, and the orcs had decided to release the boy and allow the safe retreat of San d'Orian troops from Ghelsba Outpost.
A bit confused about the news, but nonetheless wishing to exit the Outpost as soon as possible, the companions enthusiastically made their way out, with the boy between them. When they finally reached Ronfaure, they saw no trace of the orcs or a battle. When they approached the Royal Knights' troops, there was a big shout of joy from the soldiers. The capitaine smiled proudly, patting the boy on the head as if to claim her prize, while the adventurer looked down embarrassingly. However, paying more attention to the shouts, the companions realized that Prince Trion, and not them, was credited with the liberation of the boy. At this the capitaine let out a big sigh, sulking in disappointment, realizing that her moment in the spotlight was over before it began. The adventurer patted her shoulder consolingly, smiling, and reminded her that there was always another day.
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It was a beautiful, sunny day in San d'Oria. As all the citizens roused themselves and stepped out of their Mog Houses, the early morning dewdrops could still be seen in the petals of the flowers in the Parade Ground. One adventurer in particular prepared himself for a busy day. After breakfast there were deliveries to be checked, auctions to be organized, produce of Ronfaure to be bought for cooking, and this was all to be done before midday. Then there was also that certain matter of a new armor to be purchased, and there was a need to report to the capitaine before setting out. After finishing the to-do list in his head, the adventurer finally rose out of bed.
Following a warm shower and a hearty breakfast, the adventurer set out to check off everything in his list. Money from auctions was happily received, and the previous day's crystal harvest would provide more steady income after being put up for sale at the Auction House. Next he headed to the local market, where Corua, the local Ronfaure merchant, sold the necessary produce to make a delicious hare meat stew. Before heading home, the adventurer stopped at Rosel's Armour Shop to inquire about the new armor shipments. The new Scale Armors where just in, so the adventurer purchased a set of his own and asked Rosel to deliver it to his Mog House later. The adventurer then headed home to prepare his stew and await the arrival of his newly purchased Scale Armor.
It was at this time that the capitaine arrived in San d'Oria. She had been in Ronfaure since very early in the morning, practicing her skills with a new greatsword. She returned very tired from practice, but carried a bundle of crystals with her that would assure plenty to do at the Auction House. She stopped at the adventurer's house to pay him a visit, and, as she was starving, to get something to eat. As she entered the Mog House he was cooking, and so everything in the kitchen, including the adventurer himself, looked a mess. After sharing a few laughs, the stew was ready, and both San d'Orians sat down to eat.
After the meal the capitaine explained the plan for the day. She felt ready to tackle the La Theine Plateau and explore new lands further south from the walled city of San d'Oria than they had ever been. The adventurer expressed his relief at having purchased a new set of armor earlier that morning, and looked forward to setting out with the capitaine later on. Soon after, Miogique, Rosel's assistant, arrived with the new Scale Armor, which the adventurer put on promptly, so as not to delay their excursion to the Plateau. Seeing the adventurer fully equipped with his new armor, the capitaine complimented him on his look, but the adventurer promptly dismissed the comment in an embarrassed manner.
After preparing their packs for the long journey, they headed out towards Westgate, stopping only to receive Signet from the guard to continue farming crystals. Once outside the gate, the adventurer cast Protect on both of them to safeguard them from ambushes. They promptly made their way south, down the path through West Ronfaure, which leads to La Theine Plateau. Along the way there were numerous rabbits and worms, often right in front of the two companions, but they chose to ignore them in expectation of bigger prey. When reaching the San d'Orian outpost in West Ronfaure, they spotted a Gobling Thug, which the capitaine quickly provoked. The adventurer stood back, healing the capitaine and keeping an eye out for ambushing orcs. Often the companions would fight an enemy together only to be ambushed from behind by an unseen enemy.
Sure enough, an Orcish Fodder passing by spotted the capitaine fighting the Goblin Thug and headed towards her. The adventurer reacted rapidly to protect his superior, casting Bind on the sneaky aggressor to stop it and positioning himself between the capitaine and the orc. While the capitaine finished off the Goblin Thug, the adventurer struggled with the orc. He found the Scale Armor to be better protection than the old Leather Armor he had, even if it was noisier and attracted the attention of those around him. Finally he struck down the orc, harvesting two fire crystals from its body, and immediately turned to face the capitaine, who was standing next to him with an enthusiastic smile on her face. Once both regained their composure, the capitaine renewed her march onto La Theine Plateau, with the adventurer close behind.
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