#arcanist's guild

[gwalafell]

SELENER FOREVER‼️

[idanwyn-et-al]

(XIV||22-6): Onerous.

(Continued from here.)

Captain Lluan’s-kin set down her annotated manifest, finally confident that preparations were complete. She filled her powerful lungs with air, readying herself to call all hands to their stations. As the command sat behind her teeth, she caught sight of Fasheran trotting onto the bridge. “Kapitan,” the Viera said, her typically-unflappable expression harried at its edges. “There iz word from Mealvaan’s Gate.”

Idanwyn exhaled; not a command, after all, but a great gust of defeat. “Please tell me they’re jus’ sendin’ weall-wishes, lass?” she pleaded with the chirurgeon.

Fasheran shook her head, and though Idanwyn was expecting the negative reply, she continued to deflate further. “Wha’ is it, then? I’ve gone o’er all th’ cargo, ten times at least. Had others check me work. Th’ tide is turnin’ in twain bells’ time, an’ we cannae miss th’ outgoin’ waves. Did they send a messenger?” Already Idanwyn was moving towards the stairs, preparing herself to sign off on something or the other, seething inwardly. “We’re no’ even carryin’ aught questionable, fer th’ Navigator’s sake!”

“I know this, Kapitan, I do. But...there was no messenger, only call to ze medikal bay’s pearl. It seems zat some of ze export fees on our medicinal cargo have increased.” Fasheran followed the Roegadyn down to the main deck, weathering the Captain’s string of swears with ease; she knew they were not directed at her, and she rather shared the Sea Wolf’s irritation, besides.

The pair’s long-legged strides had them at the door of Idanwyn’s quarters in short order. Leaving the door ajar, Idanwyn continued to call out orders as she changed into her formal dress. “Tell Falkgara an’ Rinh tae keep eyes on th’ tides an’ stars, both. If I’m no’ back before they deem it time tae set sail, have ‘em weigh anchor anyroad.”

Fasheran started to reply in the affirmative, then paused, picking at a loose thread on her tunic. “Kapitan...I will do zis, of course, but...you are not capable of aether travel at zis time. Are you saying we should leave you behind?”

Idan emerged from her quarters, closing the door firmly behind her, finishing up a few errant buckles here and there as she walked to the gangway. “I’ll bleedin’ hire someone tae send me tae th’ ship if I must, lass. Whole guild’s lousy wi’ arcanists; might be as they even do it fer free, seein’ as they’re th’ ones causin’ me current issues. As if they couldnae send a bleedin’ invoice; as if I’ve e’er been late payin’ a single one o’ their endless dues!”

The Rava chirurgeon inclined her head once as she followed Idanwyn onto the pier. “Understood, Kapitan. I am...sorry for the distress. I will relay ze orders.”

Idanwyn paused, tucking her hair up under her tricorne cap, then took a breath; calmer, this time, neither meant to bark orders nor vent her frustrations, but to offer apologies. “Ach, Fasheran, I’m sorry, lass. I ken I said ‘twas no’ yer fault, but I’m treatin’ ye lit’ it is. Th’ error is clearly on me ain end; ye dinnae need tae bear me misplaced wrath.”

Inclining her head towards Idanwyn, Fasheran replied, “I forgive you. Think no further on it. I wish you good fortune in this battle.” The steady-hearted medic turned back to the ship, her finger already raised to the ship’s linkpearl; Idanwyn’s own linkpearl picked up the relayed commands as she set off towards the nearest chocobo porter at a jog.

By the time she arrived in Limsa Lominsa, she was pouring sweat. “Fuckin’ traditional finery,” she groused, fanning herself with her hat as she loped across the Lower Decks. Even the ever-present sea breezes did little to cool her body or her temper; the early autumn sun was still warm, and humidity from the coasts so famed for their crops crept across the chalky spires of the harbor city.

Pausing outside the doors of the Assessors’ offices, Idan took a moment to get herself in order. At length, her heartbeat steadied, and she tugged at her cravat, hoping the fact that its linens hung loose with sweat would go unnoticed by the sharp-eyed tax collectors. Setting her hat atop her head, she waited for a pack of visitors from Ul’dah to make their exit before she made her entrance.

“State your name and business,” said the Miqo’te behind the only open counter.

“P’tahjha, ye ken full weall...” Idanwyn trailed off as the woman eyed her steadily over her half-moon spectacles. “Idanwyn Lluanswys, also called Idanwyn Lluan’s-kin, Captain o’ th’ Free Trader Nixie. I’m here at yer summons.”

“One moment.” A carbuncle sitting atop the desk stared at Idanwyn, the ruby-red gem set between its unsettling eyes flashing for a moment before it trotted off, retrieving records and setting them by its mistress’s hand. “Ah, yes. Bound for Thavnair in...my, just a bell from now, yes? Let’s hope we’re able to resolve this for you. Wouldn’t want to face any sanctions now, would we?”

Idanwyn stowed her temper, but her left eye twitched. She felt fresh sweat start to prickle beneath her brow; she was going to need a tonze of water after completing this onerous task, and perhaps a second tonze of ale. “What issue is sae pressin’ tha’ it couldnae be sent via moogle, lass?”

“Well, for one thing, the cost of exporting the Yellow Ginseng your vessel brought back from its most recent venture out East has increased substantially. Congratulations on avoiding another entanglement with Kugane, by the by. For another,” the Assessor continued crisply, “our carbuncles’ latest inspections have revealed that you are carrying an unusually-large amount of Trader Vetch. Surely you are aware that these two potent, medicinal herbs, being delivered to,” she traced her left claw down the page, “the Great Work, yes, is subject to further levies? Only ships flying Maelstrom colors are duty-free, Captain Lluanswys.”

“Oh, aye? Navy’s been doin’ a lot o’ tradin’ voyages lately, has it? An’ here I t’ought we Free Traders,” she emphasized each word, “were responsible fer tha’, while th’ Navy is providin’ assistance elsewhere.”

P’tahjha set the file down and folded her arms. “Captain, I deal with furious blowhards like yourself all day, every day. Are you going to pay, or not? Last I heard, you still have no idea how to wield an axe, and your...aetherial capabilities seem rather...deficient, so I confess I am not feeling particularly threatened right now.”

Idanwyn leveled a sharp glance to the carbuncle, which squeaked in reply; it had noticed her weak personal aether. “Tattletales, all o’ ye,” she growled, then turned her attention back to the Assessor. “Fine. How much?”

As the frazzled, sweat-drenched Captain rode a chocobo back to the porter near the Mist docks, she was relieved to see that the sails were raised, but the Nixie was still in port. Her crew had heeded her orders; they really would have left without her. Still, deep down, she was relieved she hadn’t missed departure; despite what she’d claimed to Fasheran, she wasn’t entirely sure she would have been able to find someone to send her to the Nixie’s on-board aetheryte. No reason to tell them that; the news that their coffers had taken a hit would be disheartening enough, even if such last-minute inconveniences were part and parcel of running a ship like theirs.

(Continued here!)

[thecat-inthehat]

Some assorted Arcanima and Arcanist’s guild headcanons! 

Limsa Lominsa averages about a 75% rate of literacy, versus Eorzea’s 50%. This is largely because the Arcanist’s guild also functions as a school to many hopeful applicants, and teaches basic maths, reading, writing, and aetherology free of charge. It’s not uncommon for people to join the guild just so they have their basic schooling out of the way. 

The guild merely requires that people have the ability to manipulate aether, be able to hold a quill, and a willingness to learn. The guild requires all new trainees to help out with Mealvaan’s Gate, either by apprenticing other Assessors, or running errands along the city, or helping out with sums and other bureaucratic needs. It’s not uncommon to see carbuncles with little saddles or bags that run along the city streets delivering small packages to and fro. 

Arcanima is relatively simple to learn, but difficult to master because of the sheer amount of equations and maths involved. Conjury and Thaumaturgey both have their pitfalls and sciences, but they tend to more “soul” than “mind”, as it were. Because most Eorzeans are more familiar with the other two disciplines as their primary interaction with magic, Arcanima can be very challenging. 

The Arcanist’s guild has the highest turnover rate of any guild in Eorzea, largely in part of the aforementioned problems. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, as the guild tends to teach people the basics and then let them go when they have no desire to progress beyond that. The guild’s developed a rather blaise attitude to their turnover rate, citing that it’s better to have more people educated than not. As such, the Arcanist’s guild is also one of the largest guilds, even if many of their members aren't’ permanent. 

Arcanists go wild over “vermin” that come in on ships. There’s contests to see who can identify any infectious diseases or maladies the fastest, and then contests to see who can transform it into spells that they can use in combat. No one’s quite sure if Arcanists got their start with Bio and Miasma spells via their Assessing job, or if their penchant for Bio spells is what made them start investigating inbound ships. 

Maelvaan’s Gate also functions as a quarantine/checker, not just for taxation. A good amount of diseases or infections that are common on the seas can be taken care of by the Assessors and neutralized effectively. Arcanists are seen as something of an expert on vermin, diseases, and other such things, while Conjury is more focused on healing. 

The use of spells with status effects, like Bio, Miasma, Ruin, etc, is regulated to some degree, but this is a bit of a losing battle, as many arcanists tweak their own spells for personal preference. The most the guild can establish is a “core” spell to use, so that way other arcanists can heal or remove the spells if need be. 

There exists a pool of “starter” carbuncles, or carbuncles that have no set summoner, and tend to pop into existence around the guild often. There’s a lot of fierce debate if Carbuncles are actually simply aetheric constructs with impressions of personality, or genuine living souls that inhabit gemstones and come across the rift, or live in the Lifestream, similar to Elementals. As such, a general rule of thumb is to be kind to any carbuncle you see, just in case. 

Carbuncles generally get enough aether to exist by being called forth by the summoner, but the spell itself tends to only last about a day or so, depending on the caster’s reserves. In combat, the spell time is reduced dramatically, due to both the carbuncle and the caster eating up aether reserves. As such, many carbuncles eat crystal shards as “food” to help lessen the strain on their casters. Most food places in Limsa offer a small selection at either free of charge, or a very low price. 

The type of gemstone that forms a carbuncle results in more physical differences than just color, with uncut gems producing “scraggily” carbuncles, or more fragile gems resulting in carbuncles that have smaller aetherpools. The guild has a massive category and information about what gems are good for particular things. 

The Arcanist’s guild trades most often with Ul’dah, specifically the miner’s guild, the goldsmith’s guild, and the alchemist’s guild. It’s not uncommon for arcanists to dabble in the other three professions in order to understand their chosen profession better. 

Thubyrgeim has a weakness for Thavnarian chai, and actively tries to convert other arcanists to drinking it, so she can request more to be imported.