When you return to Ted Blackberry, the gnome akashic you spoke to regarding gathering information on the Wayveri family, he gives you two meme crystals (after you pay his fee, of course), which contain the following information...

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As you bring the creature out of the hole... you have a vision!

Your vantage point is from somewhere in the sky; clouds above you shift and pass by rapidly, the sun rising and setting (setting and rising) rapidly in the background. You see the snowy plains and mountains zoom by - not continuous, but as though you were only opening your eyes every few moments.

The ice castle comes and goes, and village you were at (will be at) comes into view and passes by only a few moments later. Your vision continues south only a short distance, before it comes to rest looking at a foreboding mountain range. The image of a human woman's face enters your mind for a second, then your vision resumes at the mountain. It zooms in, and enters a large cavern.

Your vision enters a twisting labyrinth, some of which looks familiar - you have been here before. After another few moments, the labyrinth ends, and opens upon a huge cavern, filled with what looks as though it could have been (will be) a town, and an enormous tower at its center.

As the pendulum swings, its zenith becomes closer to its origin.
Through the origin it must pass each time, until the zenith becomes the origin.
To return home, it must pass through the origin many times.

[ Sellixian 18, 438 CR ]
[ Ruins of Urilaulri, Coldlands Territory ]

A small group of adventurers, who had - for the past few months - been a thorn in Tetra's side, finally made the mistake of entering his domain.

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I am not certain if I can trust you, but I know that I cannot trust the Chancellor, either.

You took my research from me, and I would like it back. I think that my notebook has the answer, but I'm not sure the form it will take.

I know that he has captured your friend, and as a token of my good will, I can help you save him. But you'll need to bring the things you took from me. I'm fairly certain that you're not just mindless killers, and hopefully you won't prove me wrong; I think our goals are at least similar.

If you can help me, I can help you.

-- Rose Buck

"Coldlands Weaponry Inc.: Serving the Greater Ronkan Empire since 373 CR."

The rail gun ammo packs also has "EXPMNTL: R/D SS-171" imprinted on one side.

After handling the rail gun ammo for an extended period of time, you notice that it seems to feel... funny. Sometimes when you pick up a clip, it seems to "fall" into your hand, and when you set it down, it seems to pause ever so slightly before it hits whatever surface you're putting it on.

An empty clip doesn't behave that way.
Empty clip behaves normally.

Chancellor Artet

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After a few moments of waiting down in the well, the water elemental appears. Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:49

"hey water dude, the lightning has been released. Michael Brandenburg @ 7:50

"Then favor repaid." Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:50

Can I ask you about one other thing? There is a door above here with similiar markings as the lightning's prison Michael Brandenburg @ 7:51

"Yuan-sera symbol. Not know forces well, but find later. Then came starfell. Yuan-sera end." Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:52

One more thing, are you trapped down here against your will? Michael Brandenburg @ 7:53

"No. Am spirit of lake." Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:54

If the yuan-sera are gone, is there anyone could is still around to help us understand this door? Michael Brandenburg @ 7:55

There is a long pause. Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:55
"Shaman from past knows, but river of time is fast, faster for some. But Dom knows, also. Hidden. City in the sea. Long ago, far from here." 7:57

Thank you, I do appreciate it. Michael Brandenburg @ 7:58

The elemental fades. Teh GnomeWorks @ 7:58
As you fly out, the voice of the elemental rushes in your ears, but distant, like echoes through water. "But caution. Hunted you are. Old and angry. Master of the symbols you found, made his after starfell. Ancient. Minions seek you."

As your kart crashes into the wall of the shield, upending itself in the process, you lose consciousness - but not before you feel a few drips of cold water upon your fur...

You are suddenly wide awake. Looking about yourself, you are in a seemingly-endless cavern. Some distance below you, you see a calm, clear lake; the only other thing present that can draw your attention is a single, small hole in the ceiling of the cavern, through which hangs a rope, which has a bucket attached to its end. The distance from the bucket to the water below seems to be a rather large one, but with so few reference points, it's almost impossible to tell how far it is.

At this point, you realize that you are floating. A quick examination of yourself reveals that you are translucent, glowing a faint ice-blue color.

The water below you suddenly ripples, and rising out of the seemingly-endless waters, an amorphous shape rises up, coming level with you. It is vaguely humanoid in shape, seems to consist only of water, and gives off a brilliant aura of pale blue. As you watch, two eyes - dark blue orbs - seem to crytallize in the side nearest you.

Sounds emanate from it, the sound of crashing waves on a beach - surprisingly enough, you can make out sounds, though you know not what they mean: "Ma reth bromo zoln kilagrin dra ma zoern tu ko fraht ko tadrom Ma krin drinor zoln drinor Ma krin kan aasrugel korsul..."

The sound stops, and the being's eyes narrow. It then resumes, but this time, the sounds are intelligible - words spoken in the language of the moogles, Mogri.

"Moogle. Understand not voice of water.

"Your people not of this land. You spoke this voice, once. No more. Moogles take to machines. Of two nature, moogles are. Machine in one paw, nature in other. Balance.

"Water ties your spirit to me. Water is life. Death comes, I stop him. But can only do so much. Balance, now, but death strong. Balance lost soon.

"If you wish to stop him. Must join spirits. Water become part of you. You become part of water. Carry sign of bond with you always. Spirit return to body, but body change. Reminder of bond.

"If you do, world asks favor. Change is not easy. World in flux. Elements in flux. Shaman from past knows. But time is like water. Runs fast, faster for some.

"Favor is to help. Calm elements. But moogle is young. Only calm one. Calm one, debt repaid.

"Now you have decision. Join water, calm element. Leave water, leave life. Choice is yours."

---------------------------------
Like all good paybacks for a near death (or this case, a death experience), I have no idea what I'm about to get myself into.

Mochos takes about a half second to process this (which is about the amount of time he gives to any decision):
"Anything is better than death, I choose life, the bonding, the favor, the whole enchilada..."
---------------------------------
The being rumbles for a few moments, its eyes blinking a few times.

"Decision made. Moogle bind with water. Water bind with moogle. Moogle live.

"Favor. Calm element. Lightning. Lightning spirits unhappy. In mountains, high above here.

"Old shrine. Lightning bound by yuan-sera. Long time.

"Break bond. Very old. Very weak. Easy to break. Spirit cannot break. Only mortal can.

"All can tell. Find shrine. Break bond. Favor paid.

"Time moogle go."

The water below you being rippling. Suddenly, a geyser gushes up towards you, engulfing you. After a few moments, the feeling of rushing water subsides.

Opening your eyes, you can see the remains of your kart above you. Something seems different...

[ November 14, 108 RIY ]
[ Warjilis Trade City, Lionel ]

Dawn. The sun had finally crested above the ridgeline of the mountains to the east of Warjilis Trade City, a port city that had been built by both Ronkan and Colianthic hands. The city was a symbol of their friendship, the only place in the world where east and west truly mingled. Nearly every merchant from either nation who did business with the other came through this magnificent city, a blended mix of two seemingly-opposite cultures.

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[ November 13, 108 RIY ]
[ Arcadia Noble City, Gallione ]

The technologists and "greasemonkies," as they called themselves, had been hard at work on the Thalassian, a 'walker of epic proportions, for the past two years. Standing at fifty feet tall, as wide as a building, limbs as thick as tree-trunks, the Thalassian would be the first 'walker of its size. Unlike other 'walkers, however, the Thalassian had no visible armaments: no guns, no harpoons, no swords. Instead, carabini - arcanically-treated orichalcum - had been inlaid into the plating of the 'walker, which would allow it to invoke magical energies, just as wizards and sorcerers did. The 'walker had no need for conventional weaponry when it could blast the foes of the Empire with fire and lightning; and while the Woodland League had been vanquished over a century ago, the Empire most certainly still had foes, be it monstrosities from the wastes of the Lost or the guerrila movement of the remaining druids hidden within the forests.

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