The Raven

"High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees."

Gridania's leading tabloid, The Raven prides itself on its fleet-footed troupe of correspondents who travel far and wide to cover news as it happens. Driven by a tenet of timely tidings, it issues extra editions with uncommon regularity. Known to pull no punches in its reporting, The Raven has earned a reputation for delivering all angles of the story to readers.

Chief correspondent Oliver Goodfellow is the Raven's star reporter, skillfully using his connections at the Adders' Nest to break the news of Garuda, Good King Moggle Mog XII, and other threats to the Twelveswood in a swift and timely fashion. Kipih Jakkya is an up-and- coming young reporter who is quickly winning the hearts of the people for her enthusiastic investigation of unusual events about town.

The Raven 01 - Toto-Rak Investigation Team Feared Lost

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees.

In this extra edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow bears tragic tidings from a forgotten neck of the Twelveswood, where special correspondent Martyn Ironer has braved unknown dangers in an attempt to uncover the seeds of a nefarious plot against Gridania.

Tragedy at Toto-Rak

A tragedy has occurred at the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak. A notorious dungeon that once held poachers and arsonists—the vilest kinds of criminals ever to defile the Twelveswood—the mere mention of its name is enough to set the hairs of any forestborn standing on end. Up until three decades ago when the Elder Seedseer closed and sealed Toto-Rak, declaring it barbaric and unworthy of Gridanians, the dungeon was dreaded far and wide as the seventh hell made manifest.

Not a few days past, The Raven received a tip-off that shady individuals appearing to be Garlean mercenaries had been skulking about the long-abandoned dungeon. Recognizing the potential graveness of the situation, our editor-in-chief spared no haste in alerting the Order of the Twin Adder. In so doing, The Raven essentially forwent an opportunity to garner an exclusive. As a gesture of gratitude for our responsible judgment, however, the Order kindly permitted us representation among their elite squad of four dispatched to investigate the rumors. So it was that special correspondent Martyn Ironer struck out for the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak.

"Now entering...*buzzzzzz*...Thousand Maws...*fizzzzzz*..."

No sooner had the party set foot within the dungeon's dank, foreboding passageways than a problem arose. Lightning aetheric interference, the source of which is presumed to be Imperial, severely degraded the transmission from our correspondent, the Order issue linkpearl loaned to us unable to pierce the haze.

After what felt like an interminable length of time in oppressive silence, a fragmented signal finally broke through to us. Our relief would prove to be short-lived, however, as a scene of horror we dared not imagine played out on the aether.

“Glowing wall...impedes advance... Curses...!”

“Unidentified device...likely Imperial... Do not tamper...”

“Oh gods... It's back again... C-Come no closer... Aiiieeeeee!”

This was the last contact we received before communication failed entirely with an ear-piercing crack. Naught has been heard from the party since. That our veteran pugilist correspondent—accompanied by a squad of Twin Adders, no less—would vanish without a trace is truly a disturbing turn of events.

The truth yet remains beyond our glimpsing, hidden deep within the mildew-lined cells of Toto-Rak. This much, however, is plain: an Imperial machination is afoot. We at The Raven offer our sincere condolences to the families of those lost, and implore the Order of the Twin Adder to take swift and effective measures to bring the heinous plot to light and secure the safety of Gridania and her citizens.

Oliver Goodfellow

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The Raven 02 - Twin Adder in a Tangle

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees.

In today’s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow examines the issues being faced by the newly reformed Order of the Twin Adder and its prospects for overcoming them.

Battle Capacity in Question

After an extended absence, the Elder Seedseer has finally returned from the depths of the Twelveswood, much to the relief of the citizenry. And by her decree, after entire eras in slumber, the Order of the Twin Adder has been roused to wakefulness once more. Yet, in the midst of these heartening developments, a stifling air of tension now enshrouds Gridania, a product of the uncertainty over whether the Grand Company will live up to the weight of expectation.

The day past saw our nation’s leaders assembled at the Adders’ Nest to make provisions for the nation’s defense. Among those in attendance were the ranks of conjurers, who partook in discussion on matters such as military structuring, fortifications, arms manufacturing, provisioning, and so forth. Needless to say, the Twin Adder has much work to do if it is to become a full-fledged military force rather than a token presence, and the closest cooperation with our nation’s guilds will be central to success.

In particular, the eyes of the nation are locked upon the two pillars of law and order in the Twelveswood: the Wood Wailers and the Gods’ Quiver. As elite warriors among forestborn, charged with the security of the city-state and its surrounds, theirs is a heavy burden. Yet events of recent moons have not helped to engender public confidence. Take, for instance, the infiltration of the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak by imperial troopers. This incident alone seemed to push our resources to the brink, rendering our shortage of manpower painfully apparent. As we stand, Gridania can ill resist the Empire should it come at us in force.

Adventurers, Enter Stage Right

In the beginning, the Order of the Twin Adder was taking on adventurers solely in a provisional capacity. However, as more and more of these recruits went on to distinguish themselves in missions of consequence, the Twin Adder could not help but take notice. And so when options were discussed on ways to augment Gridania’s underwhelming host, it took next to no time for our leaders to unanimously settle upon a solution: to accept adventurers as fully inducted members of the Grand Company.

It had been known that the Twin Adder means to establish four units, each named for the four noble beasts of legend: the White Wolf, the Blue Badger, the Red Otter, and the Black Boar. Now, however, a Yellow Serpent will be joining the fray, and it is beneath its banner that non-Gridanians—in other words, adventurers—will charge into the field of battle.

I would like to take this opportunity to unreservedly applaud the move. Ours has been a closed society; more often than not in history, Gridania has kept her distance from the other city-states of Eorzea. But we can ill persist in this way of thinking any longer. A terrible enemy has reared its head, and threatens to lay waste to all we hold dear. If we are to survive the coming storm, we must look beyond petty differences between our neighbors and ourselves. Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna—may the Twelve forever shine their countenance upon her—has ever championed cooperation and harmony as a way of life, and this philosophy rings truer now than ever before.

In closing, far be it from my station to make a personal plea, but I would call upon all adventurers of the realm to join your strength to ours. As fellow Eorzeans, let us walk hand in hand that we might together banish the encroaching darkness and usher in a new era of prosperity.

Oliver Goodfellow

The Raven 03 - Light of the Future

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees. In today’s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow reports on the sights and sounds of the ceremony commemorating the reformation of the Order of the Twin Adder.

Return of the Elder Seedseer

When one thinks of concerts, celebrations, and other like events in Gridania, Mih Khetto's Amphitheatre immediately comes to mind. Just recently, the amphitheatre hosted a once-an-era ceremony commemorating the reformation of our nation’s Grand Company, the Order of the Twin Adder. The highlight of the proceedings was the appearance in the flesh of Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna, who graces the city-state with her exalted presence once more after her spiritual wanderings in the Twelveswood.

Standing in solemn majesty before forestborn and visitors alike, she delivered a rousing speech as chosen of the elementals. In their name, she urged one and all to unite in common cause to fend off those who would sully the sanctity of the Twelveswood—for so long as we stay true to the forest, Nophica will never abandon us to the darkness.

Our ancestors once lived in fear of the elementals, concealing themselves within caverns that they might elude the wrath of the forest. This was in the age of Gelmorra, the subterranean city that was home to the first folk who dared set foot in the Twelveswood. Over time and through unceasing effort, the art of conjury was refined, and our cave-dwelling forebears finally succeeded in communing with the elementals. So it was that man was permitted to abide beneath the canopy of the forest, rather than within the dark of the earth.

Since that time, it was commonly believed that man called the Twelveswood home only at the elementals’ sufferance. However, the Elder Seedseer revealed in her speech that we are as much part of the forest as the grass and the trees. This revelation fell like a thunderbolt for most forestborn. But then the implications of the message sank in, and shock gave way to inner peace and a heightened sense of empowerment. To see the expressions of those present, one would think they had just been freed of their shackles.

In bringing the ceremony to a close, the Elder Seedseer bathed the amphitheatre and the audience in the divine light of the elementals. And it is by that light that we shall banish the shadow that takes the heinous form of the Garlean Empire. With the Matron smiling upon us and our staunch adventurer friends fighting by our side, there exists no night that we cannot turn into day.

Oliver Goodfellow

The Raven 04 - Moogle Myth Made Manifest

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees. In today’s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow delves into the bizarre rumors that have surfaced in Gridania concerning the appearance of a moogle king of myth.

The Legend of Good King Moggle Mog XII

That the moogles are our friends and allies is a fact all Gridanian younglings are raised to know. The relationship, however, has not always been one of amity. It was in the age of Gelmorra, back when the elementals did not suffer our presence in the Twelveswood, that the first contact between man and moogle took place. In the beginning, the moogles saw our ancestors as naught but an odious plague, whose existence served only to wake the elementals’ wrath.

But through great effort, our forbears eventually succeeded in communing with the elementals, and were permitted to abide in the Twelveswood. And with the elementals’ acceptance came the moogles’ grudging respect—a respect which grew into understanding and, over time, friendship. The moogles have since stood staunchly by our side, helping us to further our intimacy with the forest and its mysteries. Without their wisdom and guidance, I daresay Gridania would not have flourished into the great nation it is today.

But how well do we truly know the moogles? For the most part, our winged friends keep to the depths of the Twelveswood, seldom appearing in the city proper. Fellow residents of the forest we may be, but there the similarities come to an abrupt end; from physical appearance to culture and fundamental values, there is precious little we have in common with the moogles. For one, they possess their own unique mythology, separate from that of man.

Of the innumerable tales passed down through their race, there is one which claims prominence above all others: the legend of Good King Moggle Mog XII, which explains the origins of mooglekind. The legend holds that, in a time long forgotten, the moogles dwelled in the heavens alongside the Twelve. However, a great war broke out among the gods, and the celestial realm was laid to waste. Upon seeing this, the reigning moogle monarch, Good King Moggle Mog XII, lowered his subjects down a rope—the longest ever woven—to the realm of mortals, that mooglekind might again know peace. Or so the tale goes.

In contrast, our own histories mention naught of any such conflict among the Twelve, and scholars were unanimous in branding the tale a product of the imagination. Of late, however, events have transpired that serve to cast doubt on that conclusion. Recent moons have seen first-person accounts of encounters with Good King Moggle Mog XII being reported nigh without cease, and even the most orthodox of thinkers have been forced to reconsider their opinions on the matter.

By now, all Gridanians—and most adventurers—will doubtless be familiar with Louisoix, head of the Circle of Knowing, who has journeyed to our nation for no other purpose than to quell the mounting primal threat. The native of Sharlayan has identified the moogle monarch as a primal, whose voracious appetite for aetheric energy could end life as we know it upon Eorzea. Coming from such an authoritative figure as Louisoix, these tidings are grim indeed.

With fears of the Seventh Umbral Era still running rife, the air of tension enshrouding the nation grows ever more palpable. But come what may, you may rest assured in the knowledge that naught takes place that escapes the notice of The Raven.

Oliver Goodfellow