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

[Pyshiro]

How strange a feeling. That when I first stepped foot into the dark, briny depths of the oceans, they met with me a plethora of emotions I could have never expected to feel. Known aptly to be named as the Tempest by its inhabitants, I found myself awestruck. A wonderous land beneath the waves. A small reminder of home, where the seas called my name and welcomed one’s embrace. Yes, it was much like La Noscea, and yet not completely the same.

Still, the nostalgia was there. And as I explored her depths, I found myself increasingly captivated. The deeper into the undersea caverns I went, the more the tugging in my heart pulled. As if I should be remembering something. A growing ache. Unable to understand it, I continued my journey into darker waters.

Until… at the very end of it… my eyes opened upon a new world. A city quite unlike any I had ever seen before.

With it, that ever-familiar pull from within.

“This place…” I could not help but murmur. “Why does it affect me so?”

Never before had my heart cried upon visiting a place so unknown. Never before had I ever felt so attached to any particular locale or person. Always the wandering soul, called upon to a new cause with each passing day. With little respite, mind you, but how else can I help it? When a world’s inhabitants calls upon your very name? How am I to ever ignore their pleas?

Yet this place… this city once called Amaurot… Suddenly my worries dispersed. The burdens on my shoulders relaxed. As if I were coming back to a home I once knew. In the back of my mind, I recognized her. But all the same, I could not place it as to why.
Standing in her enormity, her boundless landscapes… knowing it to be but an illusion, I yearned nonetheless. To remember. To learn her. To simply revel in this city that took my every breath. A multitude of questions burned from within, but none to answer for me. No one knew. Not even I.

None other but the very person who called me here… Only they could tell me why my chest hurt so deeply. Why I wanted nothing more than to throw it all away and find my reasoning for this place.

“How long its been since I last found myself so curious?” I remember laughing to myself.

Up until that very moment, I knew my place in the world. I could picture the direction it was bound to take. My role in it all, the savior of many, meant only to bring about countless heroics. Everyone depended on me. And I depended on them to point me in the right direction.

Just this once… I knew not what it was I was meant to do. A new experience with no predictable ending. How uncertain I was! Yet it was about time I chose my course, wasn’t it?

“Let us be about it then.”



(( Mandragora Choker ))

[RottingTrees]

This story begins back in 2015 according to the calendar we use on my world. You may not have heard of my world - I’m just a visitor here. But I have loved Hydaelyn very much, and I want to tell you about my time here.

You may not know this, but many of the adventurers on this world are travelers from distant planes. We came here to help you during your Calamity, and we stay because we have grown to love the friends and family we have made here.

Back in 2015, I was part of a group of such adventurers. We formed a guild, where friends could come together to socialize between adventures. That was where I met K’yhia.

You may recognize that name as a Seeker of the Sun name, but she was a traveler like me. I saw her in passing from time to time as a member of my guild, but the first time I really got to know her was at a fun social event we held, where guild members could come with their minions, and we would “battle” them using descriptions of attacks and dice rolls, before Lord of Verminion gave us the ability to do it for real.

She came with a Slime Puddle minion. It was so endearing and funny, showing up to an epic battle where everyone came prepared to show off their most awesome minions, and summoning a puddle of goo.


3/3/15

She and I started a battle between our minions. The rolls were evenly matched, each of us scoring solid hits and skillfully evading attacks in turn. The adrenaline was high, the suspense was thick, and no one knew which way the fight would go.

And then, K’yhia’s Slime Puddle unlocked its Final Form. With a shimmer of light and a gooey burble, the Slime Puddle morphed into Bite-sized Pudding!

It was the kind of tactical finesse that only comes with a lifetime of pet battle mastery. I was amazed and humbled to have the opportunity to engage her in combat, even if I knew this was the end, and that I was now facing my inevitable defeat. Even to lose to such skill is an honor in itself.

That day lives on in my memory even when other guild get-togethers fade into the happy blur of good times that come and go, because that was the day I knew this girl was special. It was the first spark that took hold in my heart.


2/2/16


2/5/17


2/3/19

That is why I love you so much, Hydaelyn. You are not just a world where I have had great adventures, even if you are definitely that as well. You are the world where I met the girl I Eternally Bonded, the girl I will, someday very soon, marry in our own world. You have given me the adventure of my lifetime. Thank you.

[Schezoroark]

So much can happen in just two summers. Maybe even one. So it's no surprise to learn how much you've grown when you find the very first photo you took when you first set foot.



Rolled up on a caravan to Gridania to meet Mother Miounne, get registered, then get known. Just a wide-eyed adventurer looking for work, doing odd jobs when you've barely got your feet grounded and looking around like an antelope in headlights. The moment I got acquainted with Brother E-Sumi-Yan, I knew my true adventure began. I started with just a single, bow-wielding friend that helped understand the adventuring life and had me join a Free Company she's in to meet her circle of friends. Being the little sprout among the trees was rather indimidating, to say the least. The first step into Sastasha intimidated me at first, but the Conjurer's intuition came to me like natural instinct; cast Cure while the shield or axe keeps the monster's attention on them, and cast Stone and Aero when I can.

Before I knew it, I met someone I never thought I'd share many memories with. I met this handgonne-wielding girl at a bar one day, asking me if I would be interested in some treasure. I agreed, curious about what that entails, only to be met with a faded scrawl upon a gazelleskin. Old-fashioned treasure hunting. A tried-and-true adventure, always on my toes to see what's inside. Attempting to touch the coffers, however, I was unaware I'd be jumped by many a monster, having to fight through to pry the lock open. And then... a portal suddenly shot out of the coffer. A simple hunt for treasure wasn't so simple after all. Corridors, traps, and monsters amok, a fortune awaited these treasure hunters.

I'm not a hero of legend, but that's fine by me as the attention would be rather daunting. The memories I had with the gunslinger girl was what mattered, and now I live with her in a quaint cottage at The Goblet. The fortune was a bonus. Save for the times I tempted fate with the Gambler's Lure. My friends told me to shut my yap whenever it beckons...

"Watch, it'll be a three."
"COULD YOU NOT!?"

Maybe in the future, you might find a flier on the board looking for adventurers to find treasure. A tired story, but does looting coffers for rare treasures ever get old? To me, not at all.

So, how about it? Wanna raid the Dungeons of Lyhe Ghiah?



- A treasure-hunting Hearer of the Conjurer's Guild

(I would like the Bluebird Earring!)

[Mailbox_of_all_Mailboxs]

Mailbox wish to say Mailbox hopes everyone is having a magical day! Mailbox wish to take time to say how much fun Mailbox has had on the game! Mailbox is very shy and not very popular but Mailbox started to greet new players and old ones alike! Mailbox liks to give everyone yummy treats and wish them a happy day! Mailbox does not wish for gifts but rather mailbox want to use this chance to say Mailbox knows it is hard these days with how selfish and mean some can be! Mailbox wants you to know we all love and cherish you deeply! Mailbox knows you are not a burden and Mailbox is so proud of you all! Mailbox knows you will achieve greatness! Mailbox is cheering you all on! Mailbox wants you all to know that we all love you for who you are! Don't let anyone say otherwise! You are an amazing person! Mailbox does not care if you are gay or shy or even bad at math! Mailbox thinks you all are amazing! Mailbox wants to right off on say Mailbox is so glad such a game has allowed Mailbox to meet so many fun freinds! Mailbox hopes this message reachs all and that you remember that Mailbox loves you! Mailbox can not wait to see your shining smiles that make the sun seem dark! Mailbox must go now! Bye! <3

Mailbox knows this will be deleted sadly but mailbox hopes her message reaches some!

[esoper]

The sounds of battle were nigh deafening.

The clash of steel, the sound of magic erupting, it all congealed into a mess in Iphi's horns. The player wasn't much better off, the lighthearted banter in their ears undercut with nervousness and a strange sense of urgency. They watched their prey’s every movement, twitchy and ready to duck for cover should the need arise.

Eden stood before them in all its glory, but it was clear to see that after hours of unceasing fighting, it was on its last metaphorical leg. With one last clash of the Dark Knight's greatsword, the god-like beast falls down, crumbling like a house of cards.

Iphi exhales sharply, the magic coursing through his veins dying down along with the tension in his muscles, until he could barely keep his Astrometer up, a Spear falling from his now-numb fingers. He can faintly hear more weapons clattering to the ground.

Someone shouts. Five more voices join in, a somehow melodious cacophony of cheers and cries that spread through the dimension that belongs to them alone now. He doesn’t, though a choked sob leaves his chapped lips anyhow, one of the only sounds he can make. In the very next second, he’s throwing himself onto his spouse, knocking her over with the sudden weight. She laughs, dropping the greatsword that had almost gone straight through his chest, and wraps her arms around him in a hug so tight it ought to hurt. But it doesn’t — nothing feels real, not when the dimension starts slowly but surely falling apart around them, no longer held together by Eden’s power.

For a moment, it’s just him and her, crying and cheering, their comrades in similar states of elation, each celebrating in their own ways. The Dragoon pulls out a hearty portion of salad she’d kept to celebrate, the Summoner nodding in approval of his charges. The Gunbreaker looks over at his lover, eyes softening when they catch the White mage hugging onto her staff. The Machinist is picking up his gun, fussing over it after he’d dropped it in the moment of celebration. The Monk praises their power and his voice holds so much respect for this rag-tag group of misfits, it’s almost unbelievable.

The player starts laughing, breathy and choked. “We did it,” they say finally, cutting through everyone else. The cheers throughout the call die down, replaced by a sense of accomplishment, the euphoria of a hard-earned win, after hours and hours of trying and failing.

They’ve done it.

Their first enemy has fallen.

Three are left to succumb to their combined wrath.



[Thank you for reading my entry! I've never had the pleasure of raiding before 5.0, and I don't think the feeling of finishing your first savage fight could be properly described. Nevetheless, I tried. If I do win my prize of choice would be Bluebird Earring.]

[Graham_Frostdrake]

High above the city on a peak capped in snow watches one chivalrous soul.
His generosity knew no bounds taking in a fallen champion pursued by feral hounds.
Beside this warrior he did fight hoping to ease his kinsmen’s plight.
Proudly did his shield stand fast facing fallacies long since passed.
His deeds rekindled the light’s flickering flame.
Forever shall the champion remember his name.
And if your feet should dwell in Dragonhead for a spell, be sure to have a tale to tell.
For there the hero’s hero rests held tight to the Fury’s breast.


(Noble Barding)

[Mward]

Dear friend

I writeing to you from 6 years ago as the wind blows from sea to sea with a primal beast lurking underneath the sea and as the mountains high as in the heart stomping as earth primal stomping its feet.

And as volcano lit up as remains me of fire of the 1st primal I fought as this primals I remember that wings of Ice from high North isgard wings from a friend and a primal we shell remember and frainds I lost in my adventure.

With dragons and moogles from the North to the east with goodness of a primal with snakes and as storms hit the east of the Ruby sea the lighting reminded me of the lighting primal with his long white beard.

As carry on the journey in the east war's was happing and Eastern creatures I have to save seen old friends and made new friends and more primals come and goes.

Now helped the 1st and a old friend who in need to bring the dark back in this universe and done.

From M

[Kidwolf226]

the arbiters crackled all around us half of our party was unconscious and we were running on fumes. our warrior shouted out a battle cry and our paladin slammed down her shield. she chanted a prayer to Halone asking for protection, the warrior twirled his axe in a wide arc cleaving the arbiters in twain. we felt rather that saw a massive bold of lightning strike her shield it glowed red hot as if straight out of the forge she tossed it at Ramuh and we prepared for our final assault on against the lord of Levin. I remembered from my training that there was one spell in my arsenal that had no equal and began the chant for Thal drawing in the aether around me I bent it to my will. the whitemage coaxed more of the elements into my spell and with a resounding crack of magic I passed out. I awoke in mother Miounne's inn surrounded by the party sharing drinks and food. this is the day I met my free company and the best friends I have.( if I am chosen I would like the Ahriman Choker)

[wolfenways]

"You know what we have to do."

Clutching my trusted greatsword in hand, I could feel myself charge forward, the porcelain visages of the sin eaters all around me. A battle cry erupted from my breast, my tail lifting in excitement. I brought the weapon down upon the nearest lesser eater, hearing its form crunch before vanishing into particles of light. A soft, yet devilish smile rumbled from the darkness, the shadow of my "other self" positioned behind me.

"This is for us." Looking back at the blank faces of the eaters, I nodded, trailing the blade behind me. I raised it above my head, calling out a single word.

"Fray!"

(my choice for a prize would be the Noble Barding)

[Bongaboi]

Remembering the very first important thing you ever did in Final Fantasy XIV is important because it sets the stage for an exciting adventure and a story worth telling and retelling. I remember more than two years ago, a good friend of mine who now resides on Mateus brought me to the game so that I could attend her wedding, a Ceremony of Eternal Bonding, as it was called. We were on Jenova at the time.

The event was held in East Shroud, meaning that I had to start my journey as a conjurer, soon to be a white mage. I recall that I almost did not make the ceremony because of the battle class I chose before I had to start over. Compounding matters was that I had to be ferried to the Sanctum of the Twelve because I was a Level 1, in generic Hyur midlander gear with a Weathered Cane as my arm.

But once I arrived in time, I partook of the festivities and fell in love with the mystique, the lore, the traditions, the redemption. It was on that wedding day of my friend did I begin to realize how good this was going to be. And on the following day after the wedding, I began to finish quests, progress through the story and immerse myself in the unique joy of telling my tale, my legacy and the lessons I had to learn and did learn.

I became a savior to Eorzea. I reunited the bonds between man and dragon. I liberated a city. I rebuilt a city. I brought the shadows to pierce the light of despair on another star. I trained a squadron of adventurers and made them legendary. I enlisted the finest retainers for malms around and made them distinguished specialists in their craft. I became a captain of three grand companies, and in turn, a captain for the Eorzean Alliance.

I moved worlds and embraced new challenges and opportunities. I experienced seasonal traditions and immersed myself in their pageantry. I took a chance or two in this realms gaming house, the Manderville Gold Saucer, and helped its founder's son solve mysteries while eating boiled eggs in between. And I proved to be worth my salt brushing shoulders with Fury-fearing power brokers at a demanding scholastic academy in Ishgard...and some.

So when I look back at the work I have done, the jobs I have learned, the many things I have crafted, gathered, the hunts, trials and raids that I experienced...it all comes back to that one day when I heard the wedding bells ring in the Sanctum of the Twelve, that moment, that event that set the wheels in motion. If it wasn't for my good friend, I would not be here to share my gift with all of you.

Hear. Feel. Think. Share your gift with the world. That is Final Fantasy XIV.