This Old Citadel

Unlike the nomad lifestyle of our favorite beastmaster Krogenar, I have been partying hard in the Jungles outside Kazham. When I wasn't in a party I made easy money by taking the Airship back to Kazham, it costs 200 gill to get a ticket but once in the waiting area there's a man who asks if you can help return a lost object, he shows you what the airship passenger looks like and all you need to do is return the item to the correct person and you'll recieve a 500 gill reward. then I'd purchase a scroll of warp in Jeuno with my conquest points (I have around 4K) and warp back to Kazham when I got an invite. Getting party invites was never difficult in Kazham, Yutugha and Yhoator Jungles were teeming with Mandragoras, these guys might seem harmless enough but they sure can take a hit! I loved casting Fire on those little buggers and watch them come running towards me aflame, and their death throes were cute too. Thanks to all you burnt Mandragoras for your bountiful XP, if it weren't for you I might still be sitting on the docks of that tropical paradise known as Kazham waiting for a fish to bite onto my lure.

My fate has brought me now to a place Krogenar holds a special place for in his Beastly heart....The Garliage Citadel or as he likes to refer to it as The Garbiage Shitadel . This place couldn't be any more opposite from the lush Jungles of Kazham, the entrance to The citadel rests in the side of a mountain range in the southern-most regions of the Sarumauge Champaigne, a desolate place littered with chunks of ruins from a city long ago destroyed by three taru taru mages. The ground is burnt ash and there isn't a tree to be seen for miles around, as you pass thru the entrance to the Citadel light from the sun seems to be consumed by the bleak blackness that reaches up from below. A narrow passage decends into the mountain and the flutter of bats can be heard echoing off in the distance, chunks of broken brick and debris litter the staircase that leads to crematorium. The bravest man might falter alone in the Garliage Citadel's deep dark.

Welcome to the Jungle

As the airship splashed down on the crystal clear waters of Kazhams shore line Tryptifaeris the black prepared to debark. The sun was shining and the the cool ocean breeze was a welcome change from the frosty plains of Qufim. Before Tryp had reached the end of the board walk a request from a party in the Yutugha jungle came requesting my services, but they needed a white mage so I ran to the local Nomad Moogle, switched Jobs from Black Mage to White (both at level 25 now) and headed out into the Jungle.

I spent two or three days leveling there, I also managed to reach Ifrits Cauldron......on foot , then I felt daring and tried to navigate the jungle maze to Norg. I didn't have a map of the Sea Serpent Grotto which leads to the pirate cove of Norg, that made things alot more interesting. I had a guide but sometimes the Invis spell just runs out at the most inopportune times.....like when there's a hundred skeletons crowded into a small cavern.




I got to Norg but not alive, a Black mage far higher than me dragged my corpse to the gates of Norg using the Tractor spell, then a White mage raised me. So far Kazham has been VERY profitable I'm now 28.5 White 25 Black and have sold over 10,000 gill worth of Bastore Sardines and Quus .

Return of the Magi

There's nothing worse than being absolutely broke in Vana Diel, the other day I bought a few new scrolls and some fishing gear and SHIZZAM I'm broke! I had around 7000 gill up for sale at the Kazham auction house, but it just sat there for days, even with my competative prices they just weren't selling. I also had an assortment of fish in my bazaar but no one needs to buy fish on the tropical island paradise of Kazham when all they need to do is cast a line.In an act of despiration I pulled all 7 dozen fish off the auction house, pawned off the crap in my bazaar to the local M&P shop and bought my airship ticket back to Jeuno.

Once there I discovered I couldn't even afford the taxes to place items up for sale at the Jeuno auction house! I headed down the busy streets of Jeuno to the Chocobo stables, I had just enough to rent a Chocobo. With my bundles of fish along with all my other equipment I headed back to my homeland, the majestic Bastok. It felt like a thousand moons had passed since last I walked through the grand marketplace of Bastok and felt the cool breeze of the Bastore Sea, I looked forward to going home.

I rushed across the dusty plains of North Gustaberg and as the gate to Bastok market rose over the horizon an eery quiet blanketed the land, there was an un nerving inactivity about.

"Had the city been overtaken by the foul Quadov?"

I pondered my absence, had I deserted my people, left them when they needed my magic most. As I passed thru the gates of Bastok I half expected to see the city in ruins, I passed thru the tunnel entrance and my worries washed away as I gazed upon the shops and white towers of the , I strode towrds Fire water circle and the auction house. The streets were empty except for the random passerby and the NPC's....Bastok was a ghost town .

After placing my fish on the Bastok AH I headed to my Mog house, ACK! cob webs everywhere, and dust an inch thick, the afternoon sun cast a warm glow in my Mog house thru the film on the window. I spent the better part of the afternoon with moogle cleaning my mog house.

After a little synthing and gardening I went fishing over in Port Bastok, then I decided to check out the Koroloko tunnel and see if I could make it thru to the dessert Krog has been soloing in for the past month or so.

Can't See the Forest Through the Trees

It's been 3 months time since I was on FFXI. The last thing I remember Vana Diel was in full holiday mode and Krog and I were partying hard in SanD'Oria. At first I was a bit disoriented, forgot the button config and had to remember what the last thing I was working on. After a few minutes I refamiliarized myself and finished a simple little quest I was working on back in December....handing out flyers for the magic shop in Port San d' Oria, runninng errands for Tenshodo in the warehouse, collecting Lufet salt, and getting some guys guilt glasses back for him. After a few hours I felt it was time to start focusing on leveling Tryp again so I saddled up and headed on out to Jeuno. My path took me thu the Jugnar forest which is teeming with all types of wildlife from tigers, beetles, pugils and the ever pesky orc.

At the far end of the forest I noticed a Bastokan flag guard which meant my country was in control of the region. I decided to dismount my ride and I set my HP (home point) there, I've made this mistake so many times in the past.....I wonder when I'll learn to be steadfast and make it all the way to my destination. Well I ended up killing a few beetles and sneaking around the forest to avoid the more menacing creatures but with only 30 XP per kill I was wasting my time but without a Chocobo to give me safe passage to Jeuno the next area was even tougher. After dieing once in the forest and dropping down a level to 23 I mustered all my courage and set out on foot, across Batillia Downs to Jeuno. I was almost to the Gates of Jeuno when a recieved a request to join a party on Qufim island, I jumped on the opportunity and ran thru the metropolis of Jeuno to the lowest level, thru the dank cave that runs under the Bastore Sea to the Island of Qufim and and navigated thru the barren wasteland to Delfucts Tower.

After reaquiring level 24 and making it to level 25 BLM in about 2 hours time, the party went it's separate ways and I made my way back to Port Jeuno to the airship that would shuttle me to the tropical Paradise of Kazham.