Memoirs of Adventure Creative Writing Contest (NA) - Official Entry Thread

[AriettaAllie]

To my hero, my shining star in this morbid darkness.

I remember the day very vividly. The day where I was all by meself barely awake in Kugane, my face smashed against the lumber with cheeks flared red. The only thing I can't really remember is how many bottles of sake I drank that day, not like that'd matter much to the hero sort like you. I struggled to stand up when you walked into the hostelry. You walked past me without a second thought, why would you? I was a empty broken shell of a woman, clinging to the alcohol and nothing else. I'm unsure if it was my stupor or the sorrows blinding me as you walked past. I saw someone I once loved, someone who were the stars to my dearly cloaked night. I reached out to you with everything I had and I did catch the tail of your coat. You had no reason to stop or even notice me that day. Still... still you looked over, seeing this drunken lalafellin woman clinging to you with teary eyes. Neither the Twelve or I knew aught of what would come as a result of my stupidity. I doubt you even knew either.

You took me with you, to some place I barely remember. The faint scent of roses were all that I recall in that night. The following morning, you sat across from me and asked me why I tried to stop you that night. I know naught of what to tell you and yet... my chest tightened, my heart screamed to paint the still air between us with the colors of my tale. I tried to laugh it off, saying naught more than I was seeing only an illusion in you. You knew better somehow and decided impossibly to take me along with you. You saw my emptiness, you saw my heartbreak and you still accepted me. Every night we'd share a lovely tale and drink til I passed out. I fought the Garleans with you, I crafted concoctions of myriad purposes and I comforted you in the darkest days. Through Doma we liberated, through Ishgard you brought peace and in the lives of millions, you've brought hope. I know this letter may not mean much now if you still remember who I was.

I loved you for the sins you forgiven in me and the happiness you've brought me. We were as close as family and I hope that even now as you read this. You'll look fondly back on our adventurers when I was still here. When I still lived. My time is going to be up soon. I hope this letter finds you well, Warrior of Light. I can't even begin to thank you for everything you did for me in those short summers. Our adventures together were the happiest I've ever been and I'll remember them fondly even in passing. I hope the warmth and the love you're brought me will bring you peace one day. You... deserve it more than anyone else, dear friend.

Signed,
One of your many admirers.

(If I were to win I'd like bluebird earring.)

[StarCalesta]

I hope this letter finds you because I am writing this to my future Warrior...

It was that fateful day when I came to Eorzea. I didn't know what to fully expect of myself, because I was like a babe.. Young, naive, clueless... Following the voice of distant past, I forged a path to become the Warrior of Light, only to become more confused of what was expected. Finally, I found my way.

Passing through different towns, city-states, continents... I only grew stronger and more aware of my own surroundings. There were times where I wanted to break down and cry because I saw those close to me perish... But then again, it made me that much stronger to protect those I love and cherish.

And now, I have became the Warrior of Darkness.. Not only because I wanted to, I needed to. There is so much more that I need to do, and I feel like I am fully ready to defend the realm.

Thank you for hearing me out,

Forgotten Epiphany

(Chocobo Barding if I get chosen. Thanks!)

[GinBreadman]

The story of Shadowbringers was very touching and heartfelt. I honestly found myself relating to and yearning to know more about the Ascians and almost crying at Emet-Selch’s last words. I would like to put forth a short narrative from his perspective in his final moments. If any of this is in any way shape or form similar to the actual future plot of the game, etc, it is only coincidence!

If my entry is selected, I would like the Gaelicap.

It has been countless millennia since the sundering of our once beautiful star.

O how mine heart aches as I recount all that is now lost to the three of us who remain; the families that may no longer dine together, the vast and extraordinary creations that were brought forth by our creative imaginations, the unfathomable cities we wrought, the infinite mysteries that we scoured.

These hobbled creatures who now inhabit the shards know nothing of what has been lost. Fools, the lot of them! They think themselves worthy of even a mere existence? They know not what they set themselves against. They know not how Hydaelyn manipulates them to do her bidding. To mock us and scoff at those of us who sought to save our star.

O dear friend, how mistaken you were to set your will against us. To turn against the Convocation as you did. Your soul is lost, sundered just like the very star that you sought to protect. You brought wisdom to the Convocation that the other members scant could match. Your conviction to your ideals burned bright and hot. A light that smote every corner and bore all reason to bear.

It was you who plotted against Zodiark. It was you who, with your mere force of will, moved many hearts to join your cause. It was you brought about the creation of Hydaelyn. It was you who helped usher the final days upon us. Yet despite all that this entails, I cannot bring myself to fault you. You are still dear to me, friend.

I remember the ages we spent together, you and I. Always were you the caring one, the one who shouldered every sorrow, who sought to salve every wound. Your resolve was indomitable. I do not believe that anyone cared more for our star than you did, and I do not believe that I cared for anyone more than I cared for you. You moved me in ways that no other could. It is no wonder that you found a multitude to flock to your cause.

My life flashes before me now, eons unfathomable in length to the pitiful creatures of the shards. All the weight that I have borne is lifting now. With this, I feel as though I now have some inkling of the soul that stands before me. It has a familiar color… A color that I would recognize anywhere, no matter how fragmented. I must make one final request now before I am lost to the aethereal sea permanently.

You must remember… remember us. Remember that we once lived… goodbye, dear friend. May you one day remember who you truly are.

Thank you for reading my entry.

[TeysaKarlov]

Being a stray is harder work than you might think. Going from here to there, with no real sense of belonging and taking up anything that might pop up every other day.

It was one of those days, while I was wandering around looking for something to do that I got your cookie. Don’t get me wrong, at the beginning you took me aback. Why is someone giving me a cookie? What do you want? But then I realized that you were only being nice so I smiled and ate the cookie.

It was nice, not going to lie. The problem was that I wanted more.

So I kept wandering around Ul’dah after that. I just wanted to get more free cookies to be honest, but something kept pushing me to find you – and your cookies – again.
After that everything happened so fast: you took me in and introduced me to your other friend. I decided to change my ways and help you both grow your little company.

“We want to have a place to make people happy”

And I tried to help with that.

Suddenly, we started growing and growing. We grew so much and even our house started to look small. So we found a bigger one, with a nice view. Everyone was so happy, specially you! I couldn’t help but smile. I really just wish that we can all be together forever.

Thank you for your cookies,
The stray who found a home.




(blue bird earrings)

[Ashe_Viterri]

It had all started when I met the miqo'te Nashu Mhakaracca. She had been so desperate to find her missing partner (boss?) that I could not help but oblige. She seemed so sincere. Following her to the Sagoli Desert and unceremoniously beating up a few gentlemanly zombies, that's when I met him (and learned Nashu was a pyromaniac).

The man...

The legend...

Hildibrand Manderville.

I was in awe! I was inspired! I was...A little weirded out but I knew I was in the presence of a legendary inspector. And thus he took me on the weirdest adventure I had ever been on. Missing jewels! A purple octopus! A red man named Gilgamesh! It was all so exciting.

And at the end of it all?

Even I became a little bit more....

Gentlemanly.



(if selected id like the noble barding!)

[JensenPelderain]

The sun had just begun to set as I arrived at the Forgotten Springs. The legendary Hamon Holyfist was already waiting for me there. He had approached me earlier in the day to have one final match before his battle with Weggfarr Wideaxe. We stretched, warmed up, and just as the sun began to touch the horizon we began.



He started slow, attacking only when he saw an opening. It was difficult to block or dodge because of the accuracy of the strikes. It was like this for a few moments, but then our bodies began to limber up. The heat of battle let us strike faster and harder with each blow. Our minds became sharper trying to get the upper hand on one another.

Suddenly I was hit with ten blows within a second. Surprised, I stepped back. I could see only focus in his eyes as he shot forward for the next attack. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. His fists were almost a blur as the flurry began and it kept getting faster. Strike after strike I struggled to defend myself through the onslaught. There must have been a hundred blows before I finally saw the moment to strike and with one clean punch to the jaw, I finally stopped the barrage. He called the match there as we were both clearly exhausted. If it had gone on even a moment longer I wouldn’t even be conscious.

It was astonishing to experience. In that fight, in that moment, he had returned to his former glory. I couldn’t believe how overwhelmingly powerful he was despite his age and where he had started. It was as if he was a completely different person, but that just goes to show you Hyur tenacity. We can make the impossible possible just by believing in ourselves and staying strong through the tough times. I’ll never forget that moment nor the lesson I learned that day.



(Prize selection: Blubird Earring)

[HeartofMana]

My Departed Friend,

Meeting you was a drop, a disturbance in the calm waters of my soul. You shook everything up, ripples drifting outward, unfading in the wake of your appearance.

Every moment without you left me bereft of true emotion, only when you were near was I truly alive.

I was on a pedestal, held in high regard, a hero, until you came along. You knocked me down, showed me what it was to fear, to live, and every day since you took your own life has been empty, the waters of my soul still and stagnant.

I still remember the first time we met.

The humiliating defeat at the hands of a man who couldn't even wield magic. One so strong as to defeat me, me! The Warrior of Light! The man who has defeated deities and ancient beings alike!

I hated you, and there is still a fragment of my soul that hates you, but the other, larger, part misses the challenge, the moment where all hangs in the balance, where the difference between life and death is a single stroke of steel.

I know you will never read these words, being dead and all, but there is a small part that insists that you are not truly gone.

And so I ask, my friend, that if you are still out there somewhere, become stronger, so that our dance may begin anew.

Sincerely,
A Humble Monk

(If chosen: Gaelicap)

[KawaKagon]

Truthfully? No one memory would serve to justify my time in the world of Eorzea. Defeating bosses with the Free Company? Or maybe socializing, and meeting the best people in this game? Perhaps alone, rather, the first time I stepped out, and looked upon the rolling hills of the Steppe, or the icy plains of Coerthas. None of these memories served to settle that feeling I get in my soul when I reminisce on this land. For in reality, no one experience could do it justice. Eorzea is a place of many wonder, not one. From putting the soul of Nidhogg to rest, to liberating Ala Mhigo. Bringing darkness to the First, and keeping the light of hope burning. This is what this Fantasy means to me. A collection of memories, glittering like the stars in the sky, and just as beautiful. And for this I thank the Creators, and remind all adventurers young and old, new and veteran, to keep these stars glittering in your heart for as long as you can. One light the night sky doesn't make, one memory Eorzea is not.

Thank you, Kawa Kagon (Jenova)

[JaffaArchfiend]

The first time I truly felt like the hero everyone claims I was... was on the Steps of Faith facing the black dragon Nidhogg, a being of wrath and vengeance incarnate, the scourge of Ishgard... When it seemed that I had nowhere to turn to after the disaster in Ul'dah, Haurchefant took me in. Set me up as a ward of House Fortemps, gave me a place to stay, a new family when I thought mine was lost. Trusted me, his family trusted me... And this ancient terror sought to end it all. I could not allow that faith, that trust... that sacrifice to go in vain. To be tossed aside in the maelstrom of fire and death that this great wyrm sought to bring about... I was no warrior. I was a healer. A practitioner of conjury. I wasn't whom the great stories are told and retold about down the ages. But they still called me a hero. Their Warrior Of Light...

Ishgard desperately needed to heal. This dragon sought to keep the blood flowing. To keep the wounds open and sore. This I could not abide... and so, I walked across the Steps of Faith. I think I could almost hear the Dragonsong itself as I took each step closer to the black death of Ishgard that stood triumphant astride his brother, the white wyrm Hraesvelgr... The same dragon who had willingly sacrificed one of his own Eyes to grant me the power to face Nidhogg on equal footing. This ancient being who had seen what had come of man claiming a dragons eyes for power... whom had long mistrusted mortals for thousands of years. And yet, he placed his faith in me as well.

The Steps of Faith were well named indeed that day. Haurchefant, House Fortemps, Ser Aymeric, Hraesvelgr, Alphinaud, Tataru, Ysayle, Estinien and so many more. All had placed their faith in me. Their hero. Their Warrior Of Light. Their friend...

I took that faith, I took that trust, that hope, and I let it flow through me like aether. I may have stood alone against the Dread Wyrm in form, but in spirit and essence I was surrounded by all those I had met. All those that I had shared a drink with, a roof, a laugh, a campfire, a smile... Nidhogg was sustained by bitterness, by rage, by fury. I was his antithesis... Him a destroyer, myself a healer. For the first time since I became an adventurer in Gridania so long ago, a Scion of the Seventh Dawn through a quirk in abilities and nothing more, since becoming known as the Primal Slayer... even for the first time since defeating Lahabrea's schemes with the Ultima Weapon... For the first time, I truly felt worthy of the title that others had seen fit to thrust upon me. For the first time I felt like I really was a hero.

A Warrior Of Light.



(Noble Barding please if I'm selected. Thank you, and I look forward to ever more moments like this in the future of Final Fantasy XIV )

[Tiptoptile]

To My Dearest Friend,

I know I have not come to visit recently, but I hope that wherever you are that you understand you have never faded from my mind.

The ache was far more clear recently. I will tell you the full story once I return, but know I sat with a friend who hid that he was more well-known to me than I thought. I like to think the two of you would have gotten along, even with his well-intentioned attempts at subterfuge. He, like you, is a good man; far better than most. I found him resting out in an open field of all things, before a battle of great import. As we sat and talked of what may come to pass after, he had mentioned once a person he had hoped to have adventures with. He seemed convinced that the chance had passed, due to his own limitations and his choice to continue forward with his own plans. He had said if he was able to talk with the person he wanted to though that he would ask to be taken on the next journey, and how much he would love to be a part of it.

For a moment I saw you then. The man who had opened your doors to us when we had no safe place in Eorzea to go, ever hopeful and discussing it as if it was just a brand-new adventure. You were an island to cling to when all other land had disappeared, swallowed by seas of betrayal and despair. I like to think I learned from that, and from you, how to be a harbor myself. You taught me so much within those days, and even when I did not have the courage to believe in myself, a stranger in a land of broken stone and knives in the dark, you encouraged me to simply look to you and be encouraged once more. I did, and I there is naught that encouraged me more amongst the jeers of your kinsmen as you still roared your support of me in the face of their disdain. Even in my darkest moments I remember you cheering for me, and know that no matter how dark the world may be, the dawn will come again.

I had thought after we had helped put things to right, I would ask you to join me. I know it would have been selfish of me, but you will have to forgive me for that. There would have been more and much to do, and I know how dearly you cared for your home, but there would have been no way for me to resist offering you such a place.

I have such regret that I was never even able to extend you the offer.

Call it a dream, but I hope that, since it will not be in this life, then in the next all three of us may be able to adventure together properly. I wish to be able to show you two all the wonders and people I have met and seen in this world.

The next line is scratched out, though not impossible to read.

I also hope, that despite my many, many failings, you continue to be proud of me.

Sincerely,

Yours forever in the Falling Snow.

(If chosen I would like the Noble Barding please. Thank you all for the hard work you've put into the game! You all have made such an amazing experience!)