#lettersfromafriend

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part X ]

"Young Ryker,

I was beginning to think I should look for your head on a pike beyond the walls of Ishgard.

Dear boy you may as well have considered yourself a criminal from the moment you penned your first response instead of turning over the letter to the authorities. No use having second thoughts about it now. Same goes for Ser Godefroy, although I suspect he knew far more about what he was getting into. Not to mention you bemoaning the Temple Knights. It's a wonder you can even bear to call yourself a knight.

And what with your brother living in Gridania, do pardon me for prying, but you are not Ishgardian born are you?

Regardless, your efforts to secure such documents are appreciated, believe me. But I am also inclined to agree with you on that point, the past feels largely unimportant but may hold some clues. My own sources lead me to believe our Dearest Barkeep had made a discovery of sorts. A big discovery. Something he could not tell anyone about, and something he knew he would likely not return from. But what? I need more information. I'll keep digging on my end.

And sincerely, do enjoy your vacation time while it lasts Young Ryker, I expect it will only get harder from here."

------------

Greetings,

although I doubt you worried about me, I apologize for not contacting you about further progress for some time now, though I finished reading the documents about Ser Godefroys past quite early into my vacation, digging deeper into it took more effort than I wish to admit and with a nosy brother around it is hard to stay concentrated for very long.

Before I report to you what I found out, yes, I am not Ishgardian born, I am very much from Gridania, but that did not stop me from aspiring to become and succesfully becoming a Knight of Ishgard, so I would very much appreciate if you did not put my Knighthood into question, I can tell you that as cruel as we Gridanians can be to outsiders, the people of Ishgard would much rather have had another one of their own than me, I worked hard to gain this title.

Now back to the matter at hand, the documents which I claimed to be about Ser Mephistons career turned out to be a bit more than that, which makes me even more glad that I am not the one that will be in trouble should anyone notice their temporary disappearance. What I find in my possession is the report of a very thorough investigation of Ser Mephiston and his life that seems to have been set into motion a few months back and while it most definitely contains a very detailed description of his career, it also contains a whole lot more.

Among mountains upon mountains of small details about Ser Mephiston that make me question how many graves the assigned Investigator had to dig up, there was a few bigger points that were brought up, though I already feel guilty enough for having read these things without Ser Mephistons permission and sharing them with another person seems respectless to an extent I dare not think about, I shall tell you about them.

Despite the often very noble mask Mephiston put up, it seems he was born in the Brumes of Ishgard, among beggars and thieves, there doesn't seem to be a lot of information on his Mother other than that she was supposedly a Duskwight, his father however is a whole nother deal. Ser Calistarius his name, he seems to have been every bit as dedicated to Knighthood as his son grew up to be, he served for a good bit of his life until he could not fight anymore following a grave injury he had endured in battle, after which he had lost his rank and then subsequently lost his last few gil in a bet, ending up in the Brumes, however from what I read it also seems that Mephiston had only been able to join the Temple Knights in the first place because his Father still had a favor with a former friend within the organization. Nowadays Calistarius Godefroy is said to live somewhere in the Empyreum within Ishgard, it seems the Investigator didn't count Mephistons father as all to important to the case, since this is where the notes on him end.

Another interesting bit about our dear Ser is that he seems to have had a big run in with the Temple Knights a only few years into his career, though all reports say he excelled as a Knight for all of his early career already, he overestimated his abilites during an attack on Whitebrim and put his own life and the life of a few other Knights stationed at the front in great danger. After said confrontation, Mephiston had a run in with his fellow Knights and commanding Officer that resulted in him deserting and leaving Ishgard for a few years, details on these years are close to nonexistent, though supposedly he traveled throughout Aldenard and Vylbrand during these times, following his return to Ishgard he had to pull quite a few strings to be allowed back into the City and even had to renew his Knightly oath.

Following that incident, the next 40 years up to now seem quite boring, Mephiston served with full commitment and was invited to become a Knight of House Fortemps about ten years after his return, it seems he did not do a lot outside of his Knightly duties, though within this past year that seems to have changed.

Though it is unsurprising that there are more notes on the past year compared to any other, since it is obviously easier to acquire information on recent events, I am still quite blown away by just how much is noted down, it seems that both Ser Mephistons social contacts and overall interaction with the world outside of his job have skyrocketed, though once again it is scary just how much the Investigator seems to have been able to find out. Aside from a bunch of details on a supposed side job as a Butler, the opening of a Tavern and his promotion to Knight Captain, the main reason behind this entire investigation is mentioned, that being his connection with House Marteau and specifically the Murder of a certain "Mrs. Bunty", the former Housekeeper of the Marteau family. Plenty of listed evidence suggests he is connected to her death, among this evidence are official documents signed by Mephiston which were supposed to conclude the investigation on her death, which Ser Mephiston led, that were later proven to contain false information. All this ended in Ser Mephiston answering before the Ishgardian Tribunal and Halone, he requested a trial of combat that would prove him worthy and innocent in the eyes of Halone and he won, though these documents seem to suggest that he was still being investigated afterwards.

The notes on the weeks following his trial tell of him continuing as usual, until the week of his disappearance, which is quite interesting, Mephiston seems to have taken care of absolutely everything that needs to be taken care of for him to be able to disappear without a trace in one single week, he seems to have suddenly been in quite a hurry, he told me that he was gonna leave on the same day he left, so I did not quite pay attention to the way he acted the days before that.

I could go on longer and longer but this is already a lot to take in, I hope that at least some part of this helps with your investigation, I will leave for Ishgard again and see these documents returned to where I obtained them from.

Wish me luck and in turn I will wish it for you

Ryker Grimm

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part IX ]

"Young Ryker,

Of course its Gridania. Of all the places. That's just peachy. Next you are going to tell me your brother is one of the wood wailers or with the snakes, or worse. I pray he is as trustworthy as you say he is.

If you are reading this Adrian, I know where you live now and would strongly advise you keep one eye over your shoulder at all times, may you never know peace again.

You may disregard the brewery letter sent to the previous address. It's a decoy to throw those Temple Dogs off our scent, at least for now. Leave it around somewhere for them to find should they decide to follow through with searching your apartment. Say you were handling his accounts and records with his suppliers and at worst maybe you'll get a slap on the wrist and stern talking to. I'd like to see the disappointment on their faces. But alas.

Do not make me regret helping you."

------------

Greetings,

I am writing this letter from the safety of my brothers home, he was of course nowhere nearby when I read your letter and is out visiting some friends of his while I am writing this.

Your decoy letter worked wonders, though at first I was confused by it, I quickly connected the dots, the Temple Knights left my apartment with nothing but a faked document and an annoyed expression, while I received no punishment other than a small gil fee for suspicious behaviour, Ishgardian Authorities sure are strict.

I couldn't risk heading out for Gridania too soon so I waited a few days before making any moves, as far as Ishgard is concerned I am currently simply taking a few days of long overdue vacation, though I am sure someone is still keeping an eye on me, nothing I can't handle though.

Together with the normal range of things one would take on a vacation to a family member, I managed to acquire some documents on Ser Mephiston Godefroys past and overall career within the Temple Knights and later within House Fortemps, how I acquired them is currently unimportant, all I will say is that if anyone notices that they are gone I for sure will not be the one that loses their rank.

Though, as far as I know, there is no evidence that explicitly suggests Ser Godefroys disappearance has anything to do with his past, I believe learning a little bit more about the man could still help with this.

If I find anything interesting you will read about it in my next letter, I cannot expect you to do the same for you still do not have a good reason to trust me, but if you find anything that you feel ready to share, I would appreciate reading about it.

Though I am still not quite sure how to feel about having ended up in this mess, I suppose I'm in too deep to give it up now.

Greeting from a small hut somewhere in the Lavender Beds

Ryker Grimm

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part VIII ]

"Greetings Ser Grimm, how do you do.

Now the pleasantries are out of the way do excuse my language but what the bloody hell are you talking about?! Missing? Declared dead?? I know the man was old but I'm hard pressed to believe he had gone loopy and wandered off somewhere to die.

These letters were for the Knight Captain Godefroy's eyes only, just how much do you know about me and the letters we exchanged? Begging your pardon but I have no reason to believe you until I've done my own sleuthing on the matter, unless you can provide a good enough reason as to why I should trust you, young Ryker.

Regards."

------------

Pleasantries seem out of place here.

I cannot give you a reason to trust me, Ser Godefroy told me that there was someone anonymous sending him letters every now and then, but he did not tell me about the content of those letters, all I know about you is what was written in your previous letter.

If you plan on setting out to confirm everything I have told you, I can only encourage you, if I had been told these things out of the blue, I would not have believed them either, Ser Godefroy never struck me as the kind of person to suddenly disappear, especially without the proper ceremonies to step down from his position, but here we are.

The Isghardian authorities declaring him dead is less a matter of his death having been confirmed and more a matter of protocol, I've known the man for a few years now and have served under him for the better part of the past year and if I have learned anything about him, it is that he doesn't die that easily.

Good luck,

Ryker Grimm

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part VII ]

"Dearest Barkeep,

A certain dog of the Immortal Flames has been sniffing about my tail lately and muttering about death and deep water. I've had to set up an entirely new drop off point just to send this letter in order to shake him. You wouldn't happen to know what that was all about, would you?

Apologies for the delay, it took a while for word to reach mine ears, and I couldn't be certain you weren't dead in that castle of yours. I'm still uncertain to tell the truth. But I hope this letter reaches you all the same.

Regards, Your very concerned patron."

------------

Greetings,

my name is Ryker Grimm, I am a Knight of Ishgard that served under former Knight Captain Godefroy, he has left Ishgard without warning and has been gone for a while, therefore he has been stripped of his title and declared dead by Ishgardian authority.

I was one of the few people he told about his departure and he entrusted me to intercept the delivery of letters to his old place of residence, since the Temple Knights have been keeping an eye on it, and answer them, so here I am.

Ser Godefroy had told me that there was someone contacting him and calling him their "Dearest Barkeep" and despite all the mystery surrounding you, he also told me that you could be trusted, that's the only reason why I gave you all that information.

Though I cannot speak for him, Ser Godefroy spoke of you in highest regards, so I'm sure whoever set that "Dog" on your trail does not start with the letter "M" and ends his name with "ephiston".

I apologize that I cannot help you any further with that problem, should you however have any more questions concerning the disappearance of Ser Godefroy, I would do my best to answer them.

With respect for a friend of Ser Godefroy,

Ryker Grimm.

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part VI ]

"Mephiston, Mephiston, my dearest friend as of today,

I could not possibly express to you the monumental delight and gratitude to find such a thoughtful gift at my usual drop-off point. I assure you I am sipping it gingerly as I write.

And I appreciate the forewarning that your office will be occupied today, I had planned for a peaceful number of hours to sit and write you and so I have adjusted my schedule accordingly. Though I have my suspicions you had hoped for some company, no? Perhaps another time. It would not do to end these games prematurely.

I can't say I can relate to your entire story, but as you said, it wasn't all harsh. You had a father who clearly held you to some level of higher regard, and you are proven to be the sort to have a lot of friends flock around you. I for one am finding myself lured in by your charm as well. If I don't keep my wits about me, I fear I may fall for an old knight, But I'm getting off topic and the cider is distra Water "Spring water." You know what I mean.

I would know a thing or two about offers that cannot be refused. So I suppose I can sympathise with you on some level. Only you make it sound like you clearly wanted to be a knight from the beginning. At the very least, heres to no longer being homeless.

But how about we flex that detective spark of yours. You've gathered a handful of evidence, false or otherwise to raise your suspicions on who your mysterious visitor may be, and no doubt you'll gather more over the coming days. Here's what I propose. Find me at my usual haunts, approach whenever you feel the time appropriate, and utter the phrase: "Deep waters invite a thousand deaths."

I'll leave how you handle this up to your own discretion, and look forward to reading what you've discovered later in our exchanges. Or perhaps next time we speak will be in person.

Anyway, I must be off now.

Goodnight, dear barkeep, and thanks again for the cider."

------------

I am glad to read that you consider me a friend,

and I am just as glad that you enjoy the spiced cider, somehow I had a feeling in the back of my head that you'd like it.

Though I might have made it seem like I hoped for you to come visit me at my office, I needed some solitude yesterday, a dear friend of mine has given me something to ponder about and even now I have not yet found a solution to the problem presented to me.

It is highly appreciated that you think of me of being, and always having been, quite charismatic, but I tend to believe that is it less a thing of charisma, and more a thing of having learned how to treat people in my many years, a trait I cannot say I had when I was still young.

You make it sound like it is surprising that I seem to have wanted to be a knight long before I became one, yet it is very common among us Ishgardians, especially the common flock that do not have the option to instead live out their life in huge manors with butlers spoonfeeding them from their youngest years to their last moments, to dream and in a way even romanticize knighthood, every child in the brumes fought each other with sticks and wooden planks, yelling about how they will save the Holy See of Ishgard from the vile Dravanians, and I cannot deny that I was one of them.

I will certainly continue to look into your clues, and most definitely follow up on your proposal, yet I shall see when I find the time for it, for as you know, I am quite a busy man.

Love,

Mephiston Godefroy

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part V ]

/A small brown and speckled feather falls out of the letter once unfolded./

"Dearest Barkeep,

I fear I must apologise for my tardiness today. I had hoped to get this letter in your office before you left for the Drunken Knight this evening. Alas, I was delayed.

I don't know how you sleep with all these knights stomping about all hours of the night. I must admit I considered stealing a peek inside your bedchambers at this late hour. You can imagine how quickly I had to shelve that curiosity for another night.

But there's no need to be dramatic, sir knight, I've no desire to bring about your end before your time. At least not of my own desire. Keep pouring the drinks and you'll be safe within my company. You wrote of your fondness for roses and so I tucked one away for you to find, consider it a gesture of goodwill.

You'll be disappointed to discover I'm not really one for books. I perused over your collection during my time gallivanting about in your office as you've noticed. It's all a little too dreary for my tastes. I'm much more fond of absorbing stories the traditional way, through oral means or directly written, such as the charming little letters a certain delivery moogle drops off for me to find. You could consider myself a people person, of sorts, but even that I hesitate to say with any surety.

If I really must engage in some form of open combat I would prefer to poke my enemies full of holes from a particularly healthy distance. And if that fails to stop them in their tracks you might have already discovered my ulterior means of doing so, albeit much more unsavoury. An honourable knight would hardly approve of such methods, so I'll spare you the details and let you keep your honour intact for fraternizing with a disgrace such as mineself. But really, I prefer to avoid open conflicts. It leaves a poor taste in my mouth that even the strongest ale spring water cannot wash out.

And for your last question. I am a simple creature, my friend, and I grow bored swiftly in idleness. Break-ins are but one method for myself to alleviate the tension of boredom. Don't think I haven't noticed you are enjoying the mystery surrounding our exchange too. Else you would simply put aside this chocobo scratching and be about your business. I, for one, am appreciative that you haven't.

My turn. Where did you spend your youth? You must have at least one fond memory from a time long passed.

Goodnight, sweet knight."

------------

/The letter is dropped off together with a small package, the package contains a small bottle labeled "Spring water", it is filled with what seems to be Spiced Cider/

Once again I greet you, my peculiar acquaintance,

you are so very adamant about your appreciation of "Spring water" that it seems you rarely drink anything else, therefore I dared to send along a niche beverage that I thought you should try.

Your answers sound so very truthful, yet in the last letter I was advised to take them all with a grain of salt, nevertheless I would not be surprised if you simply said that to throw me off.

I do not make it a secret that I enjoy this shrouded exchange, in fact I can tell you without issue that I get a little excited whenever I discover a letter of yours, it is like discovering a clue that leads me closer and closer to solving a long unsolved mystery, perhaps I should have entertained the thought of becoming a detective, but the time for that is long over.

Now to answer your question, I spent my youth in the Brumes of Ishgard, back then fortunately not as cold as they are nowadays, my father had been stripped of his position as a Temple Knight after he had lost the ability to fight due to a grieve injury, and my mother left not long after my birth, most people would say it was a harsh childhood, but it had its moments.

As I was getting closer and closer to adulthood, my father managed to turn in a favor with a former colleague of his and got me the opportunity to enlist in the ranks of the Temple knights, an offer I could obviously not refuse, especially considering my life up to that point.

If I was to choose one particular fond memory to tell you of, it'd be of the day I completed my training and was officially knighted at the young age of 19, not belonging to a noble house of Ishgard and having been homeless until not long before that day, it was the moment I knew that my life had reached a turning point, and well, look at where I am now.

I apologize if this letter seems a bit like the ramblings of a tired old man, but today has been quite exhausting and I still feel yesterdays shift weigh in on my body, therefore I will probably not work at Starfall today, a dear friend of mine returns to the Café again today and will have his first shift after what feels like a century, so I will let him have the limelight and simply relax in my office during that time.

With utmost respect and admiration for your abilities,

Mephiston Godefroy

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part IV ]

"Dearest Barkeep,

You're a fun one, I'll give you that. You wish to discourage my intrusions, and yet also wish me luck in not being caught. What's the matter, old man? Are you so bored buried under all this paperwork that the only thing that entertains you is a break-in? I'd hate to disappoint you, so I'll look forward to receiving word from you once you've discovered where I've hidden this note. Can't make it too easy on you, but I doubt it will prove much of a challenge for a knight such as yourself to find.

And the questions? My dear barkeep, it would be too dead a giveaway if I were to answer honestly. But I'll ponder the idea of leaving you a clue. As for dishonest answers, I'll listen to whatever you listen to, perhaps I'll even sit outside the door and lend an ear to the next bard you fancy to spend your gil on. I just love white. Pristine pure white. All this snow everywhere as far as the godsdamned eye can see. I don't know how you can stand this view. There's nothing to see. No wonder you're bored. Coeurls are lithe and sneaky. And cute. Like me, no? Hmm. No, on second thought they'd be terrible at stalking your halls unnoticed. A lovely little cherry tree could liven the space up in here, alas it would probably die by how dark you keep the space. Pity. I only drink pure spring water. Hydration… love it.

Feel free to ask more if you feel so curiously inclined, although I cannot guarantee you'll receive the truth in turn. Unfortunately I must be off now, I believe I just heard your front door. Returning from the Humming Grove cafe I expect.

Adieu."

------------

A good day to you, my ever so secretive patron.

I will say, when I didn't find a letter of yours in my paperwork today I was a little disappointed, yet when I was getting ready to leave my office to attend a meeting with my Count I got stung by a thorn of the rose you placed in my Uniforms pockets, for a second I thought it was poisoned and I was victim to an assassination attempt, but when I found your letter in the selfsame pocket my suspicions were proven false, or were they?

Your confusion on the topic of your intrusions is justified, but the explanation for it is quite simple, I do not mind your trespassing in the slightest, I quite appreciate this exchange of letters, but what kind of Knight-Captain would I be if I didn't take precautions after there has been a break-in to my office? Many knights of similar positions in other houses of Ishgard keep their office under constant watch, I am already a lot more forgiving than them by only having my knights check my office if they pass by it during their patrols, though that is quite frequent.

Your answers are intriguing for sure, though I shall not tell you which parts exactly, I shall keep my suspicions about your identity to myself until I have actual proof, therefore I cannot let the opportunity to ask more questions pass, even if they may be answered with little truth.

So tell me, do you fancy any particular book, or perhaps even a series of books, I noticed that someone browsed through my collection recently, it must have been you. Are you perhaps a combatant of any kind, and if you are, please do tell me what your preferred weapon is. And lastly, I do not expect a clear answer to this, since it would be boring, why are you so inclined to stay anonymous, you put quite a lot of effort into not revealing your identity, even when you have supposedly visited my tavern already, or have you?

Perhaps we shall see each other in my tavern tonight, but I wouldn't know, would I?

Signed, Mephiston Godefroy

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

Letters from a friend [ Part III ]

"Delightful barkeep.

You need not be concerned, your knights are not involved in my deliveries. In fact, they have been increasingly more difficult to slip by. No doubt this is your doing. But I'll simply have to be more creative in my endeavours. I must commend you on the tight ship you run, and how organised your office. But could use a little more light. I'll leave this candle lit to let you know when I pass through.

The address is a simple drop off point. You won't find any home or business at that address. How efficient the moogle delivery system is, hm?

But enough about me. Tell me about yourself? What kind of music you listen to? I thought I heard some through the walls but it was too far to make out. You have a favourite colour? Beast? Plant? A preferred drink perhaps? Your friends must mean a lot to you. Very noble of a knight to put his friends before himself. What about enemies? You must have some.

All the best wishes,

Your humble patron."

------------

Greetings to my peculiar pen pal,

sneaking past my guards and into my office without permission is not something many people would admit to, yet I have a feeling you bare no ill intent, so I shall allow it, but not encourage it, therefore my knights shall continue their frequent patrols, though I cannot keep this up for long, they have other duties to attend to. You must joke with your mention of an organized office, I know my strenghts and keeping my office clean and organized is certainly not one of them, keeping it dim lit is both a personal preference and a way of hiding how truly horrendously organized it is.

I entertained the idea of it being a drop off point, for I myself have used such methods in the past, though it makes me wonder if your usual line of work requires such methods too, I somehow doubt you went through the effort to get a drop off point simply to write and receive letters from me.

Your quick-fire of questions shall be answered, but with a request, I would appreciate if you were to answer them too.

The music I listen to is quite varied, though I have a fond love for pieces played on the Violin, you might have heard some of it through the wall, whatever that might mean, for I pay a personal bard to come by while I work on paperwork every now and then. My favourite color is most definitely wine red, or bordeaux if you feel especially cultured, my favorite beast would most definitely be the Griffin, I would love to be able to tame and ride one someday, my favorite plant, or specifically flower in this case, would be the simple but efficient rose, thought the hyacinth is a close second since I wear one in my hair quite often, for the drink I will have to choose Hot Chocolate, I drink it quite often, though if we go for alcoholic beverages it has to be red wine.

For the question of my enemies, well, I wouldn't say I have any enemies per se, though perhaps there is people walking this world that think otherwise, but I do have rivals of sorts, in my many years of knighthood there has been quite a few fellow knights who claimed I did not deserve the praise I received, many of those knights have continued these claims up to today.

With wishes of best luck that you do not get caught by my knights,

Mephiston Godefroy