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We're very nearly done with the introduction. In fact, in this very update we'll not only get control, but we'll have control for the vast majority of it! There are cutscenes, sure, but that's just the nature of the beast when dealing with FF14.
Ginger arrives in Ul'dah and is face to face with The Quicksand, the only bar in the city that's represented in-game. It's also home to the Adventurer's Guild's Ul'dahn branch.
Oi, 'venturer! Over here!
Aye, I mean you. Fresh off the carriage, by any chance? Eh? How can I tell? Heh! Name's Wymond, an' my business is knowin' every bugger else's! Now then, what if I was to offer you some invaluable advice by way of welcome to our fair city? Free of charge, even--just this once, like.
Holy shit we finally have control! In fact...
FFXIV OST - Ul'day Daytime Theme (A New Hope)
This game has a lot of music. A lot. I don't know what half of it is called, and the soundtrack lists on youtube are hundreds of videos long. Many of which aren't even given names anywhere else. So while I will try to point out standout tracks, there's simply no way I can name them all. Some cutscenes will change music four or five times depending on the mood.
Also click on that video. It shows some miqo'te dude walking around Ul'dah and exploring it. It's pretty cool! Also you can tell that this wasn't recorded on Balmung because the city is practically deserted and not full of people hanging out idling. (Balmung is one of the game's unofficial RP realms, and where my main character lives.)
Anyway, back to the screenshot.
Welcome to Ul'dah, the shining beacon of prosperity rising from the deserts of Thanalan. Please select the control scheme you wish to use.
If you can't read tiny text box, this is asking if we want to play with mouse and keyboard or gamepad. While a new character would be a good opportunity to learn to play with a gamepad, I'm much more comfortable with keyboard and mouse. So Ginger will be using the same. Unless I decide otherwise, which I might.
The game tries to tutorialize it, but... meh. It's WoW controls. Right click turns your camera and your character, left click turns your camera, WASD moves... you get the idea.
To their credit, they do a really good job of making the game approachable to new players. But I'm an old hat at this, so let's instead go over some of the UI elements. I'm going to assume you've never played this game before. So if you already know all this, feel free to skip unti you see Momodi's smiling face.
Are they gone? Okay, cool. I'm gonna split this up so I can go over each individual UI element on its own.
Ginger is in the center of our screen, facing away. The little sprout icon is a "new player" indicator. It means someone who's either new to the game or hasn't yet progressed the story far enough. Back when I first started playing picked the game back up, Sprout status lasted until the quest Before the Dawn.
Nowadays, Sprout status lasts until at least The Far Edge of Fate. Or, if we're being honest here, A Requiem for Heroes. Each quest I've named are the very last quests in each individual expansion. You see, FFXIV is unlike WoW in that its story actually matters. You can't play the Heavensward expansion without finishing every main story quest in A Realm Reborn.
This is all a longform way of saying "get used to seeing the Sprout status next to Ginger's name." Because it'll be there for a very long time.
Chat box. Just ignore it. I'll probably start hiding it starting with the second recording session, just to cut down on screen clutter.
This is actually three elements in one. The top is our hotbar, where new skills will go. I'll eventually customize this into a monstrosity similar to what I have on my main character, with three full hotbars, each one with their own shortcut key that can be easily hit by my left hand. Right now Ginger knows the Blizzard spell, but that will soon change!
Below that is our HP and MP totals. Ginger has 91 HP and 10,000 MP. That may seem like a lot, but she'll never gain an iota of MP for the rest of her career as an adventurer. This is a recent change with the Shadowbringers expansion, and it presumably allows Square to develop encounters based around the fact that everyone has 10,000 MP.
Below the HP and MP bars is the XP bar. She is 0/300 into level 1, so just a babby adventurer for the moment. That will also change before too long.
Over in the bottom right are these three UI elements. The top one is a representation of Ginger's equipment and her inventory. It looks like each individual inventory tab has 40 slots, and there's four of them. 160 inventory slots sounds like a lot, but it'll quickly fill up with crap that nobody wants.
Below that are the game menus. Don't worry too awful much about those.
Finally on the bottom is the amount of gil that Ginger has. She's flat broke.
The middle right of the screen has this ugly thing. This is a special UI element just for THMs/BLMs. It helps keep track of the class's gimmicks. I'll explain it in a few updates once we actually get to killing stuff with fire and frost.
Finally this information. Let's just tackle this one icon at a time. The first is that we're on Ultros, and it's our home server (the house icon). Next to that is a notification that we have 16 mail messages, our connection status, and what the time is when I recorded this. Hi, I have no life and was up at 6 AM playing MMOs. I'm a real catch.
Below that is the minimap and our current in-game coordinates. I never remember those are there. Anyway, the minimap displays four very important things: the way that Ginger is facing (west-ish), the fact that there's a sidequest right in front of us, a chocobo porter (the game's taxi service) behind us, and a miniature aetheryte somewhere southeast of us.
Finally, directly in front of us, we have Wymond with one of the only mandatory sidequests in the game. How can I tell it's a sidequest? Easy. It doesn't have the Main Story Quest icon. We'll see that in a moment.
First I need to fix my controls. For whatever reason, the game defaults to WASD, but A and D are for turn character instead of strafe.
When we run up to Wymond, a new tutorial pops up, telling us to right click on him to talk to him.
We're actually in an instanced version of Ul'dah until we complete this quest. There are no other player characters, and I'm pretty sure we can't even leave this little square. So if we want to get on with the game, we may as well talk to Wymond.
'Tis plain to anyone with eyes that you don't know your way around here. 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.
This is a game where one year during the super cute "celebration of idol culture" quests, someone decided that one of the limited-time sidequests should deal with the ghost of a preteen girl that got grabbed off the street during the celebrations many years prior. She was sold to human traffickers and eventually murdered and buried in a shallow grave in the desert.
This game deals with some heavy shit pretty regularly. So let that "delightful" spoiler up above be your litmus test. That's the worst that I've seen, thankfully. But understand that when Wymond says "or worse" that the game has gone there before and will go there again.
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.
I'm also about to stop transcribing these jerks' accents. Between Wymond and Brendt, half the dialogue I've typed has been missing g's and d's. If we'd started in Limsa Lominsa, it'd only be worse because that's the pirate town. Feel free t'assume most NPCs're droppin' th' end'a words a'random. Or're talkin' wit' an accent.
Just take those steps over yonder and pass through the double doors. You'll find her inside. And that's as much as you're getting for free. Good luck with the adventuring, adventurer.
Words we'll see many, many times throughout this LP.
The game calls it the "Duty List" but it's a quest tracker. We just need to follow the green checkmark on our minimap and find Momodi.
Up the stairs...
I mentioned that I play on Balmung, so it's a bit weird to see the Quicksand so empty. On RP realms, the Quicksand is always full of players. Always. Seeing it so empty just feels wrong.
Let's meet the woman herself.
Why, hello there! Who might you be? If you're looking to join the Adventurers' Guild, you've come to the right place. Name's Momodi, and I own this fine establishment, if it please you. I also manage the Adventurers' Guild here in Ul'dah. So you might say that looking after green adventurers like yourself is my vocation.
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.
FF14.txt right there.
Like our conflict with the Amalj'aa, for example. They've been plaguing the sultanate for nigh on, oooh... forever now.
Then there's the Garelan Empire. None can say for sure what they're plotting these days, only that they are.
Aye, the people drink and make merry... but underneath it all, there's worry. Worry and a lingering feeling of loss.
And little wonder. It's scarce been five years since the lesser moon cracked open like a giant egg, releasing an abomination intent into turning the realm into an eighth hell... So much was lost in the blink of an eye. 'Twas like the end of the world had come at last.
But then things begin to get foggy. Everyone's got their own version of what happened next--some of 'em two or three... You'd think people would remember something like that--but the fact is, they don't. Nobody does.
Those nice men we saw in that alley earlier are entering the bar.
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. They fought valiantly, and like so many others, they never returned. Deeds worth remembering, 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.
Whenever we try to call their faces to mind, it's like they're standing 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 infuriating. But even if we can't remember them, we'll not let them be forgotten. And so we call them the Warriors of Light.
Translation: unless your character is a carryover from the days of 1.0, then don't worry about the characters in the intro cinematic. They aren't important anymore.
And they'll forever stand as a shining example of what adventurers can achieve. That's why I welcome new arrivals like yourself to our fair city. All I ask is that you lend a helping 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.
*nods*
All right, then! A promise is a promise, now! I'm counting on your help to put the past behind us. We need people working and spending and bickering like the old days! And a happy and prosperous Ul'dah means more business for the Quicksand, too!
This intro has a lot to take in, but it's all pretty important text for the most part. FFXIV is one of those games where all this worldbuilding actually amounts to something once it's all set up. You just have to reach that point.
Anyroad, let's make this official. Go ahead and write your name in the register--neat as you can.
...Ginger Pepper. Well, ain't that a charming name. Just rolls off the tongue, it does. All right, Miss Pepper! On behalf of the Adventurers' Guild, I officially--
Please, sir, be merciful! Twelve as my witness, I swear to you, I'll bring you your money!
In the East, it is said that even a merciful god might be driven to vengeance if thrice blasphemed. Be grateful you were given a fourth chance to offend. You two, attend to this scum.
No, please! Mercy!
Tellingly, Momodi isn't trying to stop this beating from happening. Instead she's shrugging at it and using it as a lesson for Ginger here.
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. Just the same, if you ever need a bit of advice about one thing or another, pay me a visit. Just don't go bothering me every time you stub your bloody toe, all right?
'Course, I do enjoy hearing a lady muse on the many manhoods of her acquaintaince from time to time... Anyroad, welcome to Ul'dah, Ginger! Take a moment to catch your breath, and I'll teach you a little about our fair city.
For listening to Momodi exposition at us for 5 minutes, we get 50 XP and 103 gil. Not bad!
This concludes the introductory game tutorial. You have taken your first step as an adventurer in the city of Ul'dah. Listen well to the wisdom of Momodi Modi, then go forth and discover the incredible adventures that await you!
See this spiky icon above Momodi? That's a Main Scenario Quest. These are the critical path through the game! Furthermore...
See this bar up at the top of the screen? This lists the next (or current) MSQ for us. If you can't remember where to go, or can't find where to go, just click on that bar. The game will show you on the map where you need to go next. Below that is also our next job quest.
The game does a pretty good job of signposting where to go, but there are some unfortunate level gates later on due to bad design outdated design. So if you're unlucky, or you barrel through the MSQ, you'll eventually be stopped and told "come back in x number of levels!" In that case, this bar is helpful! While I'll endeavor to miss most of them, there's at least one in particular that's extremely rude. I'll be sure to point it out when we pass by.
By the way, to the playerbase "MSQ" typically tends to mean any given main story arc. "Oh I'm still working my way through the A Realm Reborn MSQ" or "The Shadowbringers MSQ is amazing". It can also sometimes refer to individual zones. "The Eastern La Noscea MSQ". It's almost never used to refer to individual quests.
This is another important thing to bear in mind. These blue "plus" quests are "optional" sidequests that unlock new stuff in the game. Typically they're used to unlock dungeons, but all sorts of other stuff unlocks with these too. It's almost always worth trying to do quests with these symbols, because they only increase your options while you're playing.
Anyway, let's talk to Momodi again to start the actual story of this game.
Before you go charging off to find your fortune, I've a few basic tasks I'd like you to perform so as to help you get to know the place. First of all, I want you to visit the aetheryte plaze. To get there, head west from here till you reach Emerald Avenue, then look to the north. You should see a giant floating crystal called an aetheryte.
Aetherytes are the game's fast travel network. You just right click it and you "attune" with it. And now I just cut out several text boxes of Momodi talking at us trying to explain the same thing. While I like this game's dialogue and story, sometimes it's too much even for me. That's why I don't plan on transcribing any of the 50 dialogue boxes that pop up when you go to learn a new job because they're dry as fuck.
When you've done that, I want you to pay a visit to the Thaumaturges' Guild, over at Arrzaneth Ossuary. Assuming that scepter ain't just for show, you might consider training there. And finally, I want you to visit the Sapphire Avenue Exchange, over on the Steps of Thal.
The Sapphire Avenue Exchange is basically Ul'dah's market district. The auction house equivalent is there, as well as almost every type of merchant.
You might say that everything's for sale here in Ul'dah--as long as you've got the gil. Just make sure you don't pay more than you ought, Ginger. There's plenty as won't scruple to swindle unsuspecting foreigners like yourself, especially if they think no one's looking out for their best interests. Which is why I'm giving you this letter. When you visit the exchange, find a gentleman named Seseroga and give it to him. He'll be happy to tell you about the markets once he's read it.
Oh, but before you go, a word of advice: while there's more than a few unsavory characters out there who'll try to take advantage of you, there are also some with honest-to-goodness problems who you should consider offering a helping hand to. A lot of folk are lured to the city by the promise of wealth and power. What they fail to realize is that they ought to be making friends instead.
Let it be known that you're willing to give as much as you get, and opportunities will come your way. It's past time you got going. Oh, and let me know when you've finished will you? That way, I won't spend my days worrying that you're down to your smallclothes without a gil to your name.
Christ she loves to hear herself talk. Anyway, something I cut out is that she wanted us to talk to The Smith over there. I'm not doing that yet because none of his advice is particularly noteworthy, and we'll need to talk to him much later for something else anyway.
Oh hello. Who's that I see over there?
Someone hanging out with a bunch of NPCs. Someone who likes Warframe, by the look of things.
Someone who knows what I'm doing. 
(It's Yapping Eevee's character.)
Anywho, we'll be seeing a bunch more of Orokin Reactor later. And probably other characters belonging to other goons too. I chose the Primal datacenter for a reason.
Anyway, I wanna see what's in my inbox. So...
Greetings, tall one! I'm a delivery moogle, kupo! Oh, I know what you're thinking. "Moogles are supposed to hide in trees and avoid contact with outsiders. Why ever would they agree to carry about letters?" "Why" indeed! If I had my way, I'd be curled up under the canopy of a nice oak dreaming about some beautiful moglette with a rainbow-colored pom-pom, kupo!
But no, the moon had to go and drop from the sky, causing all of that terrible commotion! Aetherytes were shattered and linkpearls were rendered useless. For moons, the poor, wingless people of Eorzea had no wa of communicating with each other... beyond screaming at the top of their lungs, which no one really approved of, kupo.
That is, until the little horned ones asked us to assist them by delivering messages. At first we were wary of showing ourselves, worried that one of you might catch and skin us, like you do every other forest furry. But once we saw how much we were appreciated, we knew we'd found our calling! And I personally promise to try and not read any along the way, kupo!
Look what we have here! 16 new letters have arrived just for you, kupo!
16 system messages. All saying THANKS FOR PLAYING FINAL FANTASY XIV. Every one of them has an attached reward. Lots of cosmetic stuff like non-combat pets, mounts, outfits...
A pair of earrings that are good until level 71 and give a passive +30% XP gained while worn...
When I say outfits, I mean stuff like this. This is a full suit of "armor" that looks just like Squall's outfit. There's also Zidane's outift, Cloud's Advent Children wear, and some armor that that I'm pretty sure is from one of the NES Final Fantasy titles.
Or a feather hat that gives even more XP earned while under level 25. No stats, but very helpful when leveling alt jobs!
Thanks to reasons that I'm not entirely clear on, we also have a single Fantasia bottle. This little potion lets us recustomize Ginger once. We can change literally anything about her from race to gender. But I only have one. So if we use it, she's stuck like that for good.
Also I will not use it to change her to a male character. I wasn't joking a few updates ago when I said female armor is better 99 times out of 100.
I'll eventually go back and grab those XP-boosting items for later use. For now, though, let's instead take a look at the actual map of the city. Or at least part of it. There's a few sidequests scattered about, a few red plus quests that mean we can't unlock a new job yet, and that icon over the Aetheryte Plaza in the upper left means it's a main story destination.
All the labels indicating "Ul'dah - Steps of Thal" are pointing at exits to the other half of the city. The reason the exits are highlighted is because there's a main scenario quest objective over there. If you recall, we need to talk to the markets dude. But first, let's go see about that aetheryte.
Oh hey, there's Wymond. What up?
So, how're you taking to Ul'dah, Ginger? Make any new friends in high places yet? Hah! Well, wen you have the sultana's wear one day, I hope you won't have forgotten about old Wymond. Long as you're here, mayap you can do me a favor and take this missive to Josias at the Platinum Mirage. It's just over yonder, and he'll even give you some gil for your trouble. If only all work in the city was this easy, eh?
Wymond is good people. Or at least he likes us, which is close enough for me!
For the most part, I'm not gonna show off the where and how of actually doing quests. At the end of the day, this is an MMO. And A Realm Reborn in particular is full of a lot of "get me 10 Bear Asses" style quests. There's little point in actually showing off killing those bears unless I'm trying to demonstrate how a new spell works, or if I want to point out something extremely rude.
Honestly, I'm not even sure if it's worth showing off every individual sidequest. The one in particular we just picked up is literally "go give this guy a sealed envelope". So outside of these starting quests in Ul'dah, I may not show off everything unless it has a particularly interesting story. Or a funny line.
Tell me, what brings you here, friend? Hm? Looking for a bit of work, perhaps? Some small job to add a little weight to that coinpurse of yours, hm? Well, you're in luck! The pugilists have just placed an order with me for several of the leather gloves and harnesses they use for sparring. But the traders are cruel, for I find myself lacking the hides required. Would that I had the pelts of a few snapping shrews...
What say you, friend, hm? Care to help a merchant down on his luck, hm? Bring me five snapping shrew pelts and I promise to make it worth your while. You can find the creatures roaming the Central Thanalan.
Shrew pelts are close enough to bear asses.
Between Wymond and Jujukata back there is this little path leading off to the north. If we follow it back...
True enough, there's a gigantic crystal in the middle of this chamber. This is the main aetheryte of Ul'dah.
If we right click on it, Ginger holds her hands out and attunes with it.
Hail, adventurer! Might you have come at the behest of Miss Momodi of the Quicksand?
Excellent. Which brings us to the matter of the attunement fee--that will be one hundred thousand gil, if you please, madam.
*takes a step back*
...AHAHAHAHAHA! Apologies, but I do relish the opportunity to make that jest. The look on your face was absolutely priceless. Ah, but the fact that you were so easily deceived suggests to me that you are unfamiliar with the use of aetherytes. Allow me to explain.
These crystalline agglomerations tap into the atehterial energies, and are primarily used as a means to travel swiftly from one place to another. Perchance you have heard of Return and Teleport? Well, these transportation spells make direct use of the aetherytes and their connection to the flow of aether.
Given that there is an aetheryte in almost every corner of Eorzea, any adventurer with a mind to explore the realm will wish to seek out and attune herself to each and every one! But even if you have no intention of wandering beyond the sultanate's borders, it would be prudent for you to attune yourself to any aetherytes you encounter from now on. I pray you found that informative. Should you wish to learn more about aetherytes or transportation magic, I should be happy to answer your questions.
Nenebaru mentioned Return and Teleport. They form the core of the game's fast travel network. Using Teleport, and with a small nominal fee, we can teleport to any aetheryte anywhere in the game, so long as we've attuned with it. Return is the game's equivalent of a hearthstone. We can designate one particular aetheryte as our "home" destination, and Return will let us teleport there for free once every 10 minutes. Or if we die, we get resurrected at our home aetheryte.
Let's continue down the Steps of Nald, toward the Thaumaturge's Guild.
But first...
You can probably dimly see the green checkmark on the minimap. If not, trust me, a sidequest terminates in here. And we can pick another up while we're here. May as well be kinda efficient!
Gagaruna will eventually let us learn to become a pugilist. But Josias is who we need to talk to in order to complete Wymond's sidequest.
Do you have business with the Platinum Mirage this evening?
We can hand over items by either dragging them from our key items inventory, or just right clicking the turn-in box.
A missive from Wymond? Alright then, let's have a look... "Bird is barren. Let the hounds feast." <sigh> So it goes. Oh, this? Well you see, the guild is often contracted to provide protective services. Unfortunately for this particular petitioner, Wymond's investigation has revealed his finances to be...wanting. Maybe adventurers like you don't mind working for free, but we have a business to run. I myself have four mouths to feed, so this bird will have to fend for himself, I'm afraid.
Easy enough! And there's another quest in here as well.
Hey, you! I saw you lookin' at me. You got somethin' to say? Huh!? No? Well, I do! You know Didilata? Short, broke, never pays what he owes? Yeah, that bleedin' whoreson! Tell him to pay up, or I swear by the Twelve I'll beat him so hard it'll feel like the second comin' of Dalamud! If I see that little shite's face, I'll end up poundin' him into a bloody pulp, like as not. So you go and tell him!
Cool. Her first night in town and Ginger's already being paid to threaten someone. Awesome. Oh, and because it is night...
FFXIV OST Ul'Dah Night Time Theme (Sultana Dreaming)
Click that link! It's one of my favorite pieces of music in the game. Very subdued and a little melancholy, but quite nice and a huge difference from the bombastic day theme.
Anyway, let's continue up the steps. We'll run into Didilata as we keep walking toward the Thaumaturges' Guild.
What?
Eevee is showing off his Black Mage outfit I see. Also Didilata is hanging out nearby so...
Oh, g-g-gods be good--Gelther's g-g-goon! A-alright, alright! I'll give back every gil I owe! I swear it! B-but no more beatings, I b-b-beg you!
Cool. Awesome. Ginger's a good person. We stole some fire crystals and a couple potions from a man in debt.
Look, I haven't g-g-got the gil on hand, but I do have this ring! Ain't m-m-much to look at, but it'll surely fetch a high price. Was me dear departed mum's wedding ring, g-g-gods rest her soul. But she'll understand! Show it to Mamane, over at the Ossuary, and you'll g-g-get your coin!
There's an aethernet shard nearby. Let's attune to it.
These are miniature fast travel points in the city. If we use it, we can travel to the Aetheryte Plaza instantly. There's a bunch all throughout the city, all near points of interest. So you can quickly get anywhere you need to go once you attune with all of them.
We're gonna end this update by poking around in the Ossuary, home of the Thaumaturges' Guild.
I am Erasmus of the Order of Nald'thal, and I am charged with studying the anatomy of this region's fauna and the environs in which they dwell. For the dark art of our Order is death itself, and power over death can come only through knowledge of life. One day, I shall publish my findings in a single, comprehensive volume: The Many Breaths of Thanalan. But there is much work to be done before that day. Aid me, sister. Bring me five bottles of marmot blood, and perhaps I shall name you in a footnote.
Marmots are hardy creatures that thrive nigh everywhere. You will most certainly find them just outside the city in western Thanalan, by way of the Gate of the Sultana. Do take care. They can be feisty little critters when threatened.
Yayake over next to Erasmus is our next contact in the main scenario quest.
Welcome to the Thaumaturges' Guild. It is fate that has guided your steps here this day, friend. I see that you harbor arcane ambitions...though your journey has scarcely begun. Within these hallowed halls, the arts of devastation are taught-primeval magicks with which to bring about an enemy's ruin. If you would join our ranks and wield such power, you must needs know of our beginnings.
And then I cut out about 7 sentences dealing with backstory. Long story short: The THM Guild was historically involved with funerary rites. That's why the guild headquarters is in an Ossuary.
What say you, then, adventurer? If you would plumb the abyssal depths of thaumaturgy, let our learned sages guide your descent! Ah, but before you leap into the darkness, you must prove to our guildmasters that you are possessed of the spiritual fortitude necessary to look upon that which waits therein. When you are ready to submit to the judgment of our most eminent mages, say the word.
A wise decision indeed. To prepare for your initiation, I would have you study the volumes of fundamental thaumaturgical principle. All one hundred and eight of them. ...Or at least, I would if such requirements had not been abolished. "Too great a deterrent to fresh novices," they said. I suppose you shall just have to settle for calling upon the collective wisdom of our guildmasters. We have five, you see--all brothers of the same house. Though they all wield supreme authority, it is the eldest who provides a singular voice for the guild when one is required. Master Coco... Cocoby...? Cocobygo! ...I believe.
This fellow here can appraise the ring for us.
Greetings, adventurer. What brings you to Arrzaneth Ossuary? You wish to sell this heirloom on behalf of Didilata? Very well. It is most unfortunate when such drastic measures must be taken... ...and doubly so when the item in question is a fake. And such a gaudy, poorly wrought one! Also, you do know that our appraisals are not free? Normally, this fee is subtracted from the agreed value. Alas, considering the negligible value of this ring, I'm afraid you would still owe us. However, since this is a rather unusual circumstance, we shall waive the fee this once. No need to concern yourself with the bauble--I will personally see to its disposal.
I think we just got taken for a ride.
In the back of the temple are the five heads of the THM guild, the Cocos.
Cocobani, Cocobezi, Cocoboha, Cocobygo...
and Cocobuki.
Why do the first four get a GIF? Because they're important enough NPCs to get a portrait but not nearly important enough to get unique portraits!
Who!? What!? Oh. Thal's teeth, miss, did your mother never tell you not to startle a thaumaturge?
Look at that expectant face, Cocobygo! This lady is obviously a new applicant for the guild seeking audience with our eldest brother.
Oh, Prelate Yayake... She can recite three hundred and seven verses of the Funerary Rites for the Virtuous Fallen from memory, but the simple task of keeping our names straight seems ever beyond her grasp.
Bwahahahaha! Well, I for one find the constant confusion endlessly entertaining! My apologies, my dear, my merriment was not meant to mock your mistake. It is our sibling Cocobuki with whom you should speak.
What's this, what's this? Great Thal has led to us a new aspirant
Aaah! Cocobuki! Were you here the entire time!?
Greetings, child. I am Cocobuki, the eldest--and, I would venture to say, the wisest--of the five masters of the Thaumaturges' Guild. It is my solemn duty to furnish our would-be initiates with a succinct understanding of out beloved art, thus I would have your fullest attention. To wield thaumaturgy is to unleash devastation of the highest magnitude. The lethal force of our spells far exceeds the destructive capability of any other form of arcane manipulation. Fire, lightning, blizzards, somnolence--the thaumaturge calls upon an expansive arsenal of offensive incantations to incapacitate and obliterate all manner of adversaries.
Open your mind to our sorcerous teachings, and you, too, shall soon hold the unparalleled power of our discipline in the palm of your hand. Hm hm hm... Of course, such power has a price. You must be willing to plunge headfirst into the forbidding chasm of thaumaturgy's secrets--for advancement in this art comes only with the completion of deadly and terrible trials. I ask you now, aspirant: are you prepared to leap into the abyss in pursuit of power unrivaled?
*nods*
Hm hm hm... A confident response. Your name, if you will? Very well, Ginger, let us mark your initiation with a trial to test the limits of your aptitude for channeling thaumaturgy. Huge hornets, star marmots, and snapping shrews inhabit this land in abundance. Exercise your sorcerous might and slay three of each of these creatures before returning to my side.
Only the most dangerous mages wielding the blackest of magics can do something like kill bees!
Anyway, that's enough of this for now. This has been an extremely long update! Join me next time for... the other half of Ul'dah. Yeah... it's gonna be a long, long LP folks.