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"All warfare is based on deception."
An abandoned clinic perched cliff-side, roused from comatose state to a new clatter of azure arms and bolts by the bucket—like an ant colony crawling amidst flourishing gardens and resplendent halls only to retreat inward come night.By whose authority had such a force assembled?
Surcoats evoke the summer sky in their blues,
splashed with tumbling alabaster cumulus.
Their gilded celatas glittering, resplendent,
mark them out as well-funded and disciplined enough to maintain a shine.Yet for all that elegance in captivating colors lain across freshly polished arm harness and fine cotton coats, why is it that the faces that peer out from beneath those armored brims seem anything but?
Scar-marred faces decorated with habitually reset noses and ill-healed jaws promised violence with their paradoxically empty-and-at-once-focused stares that they might level upon any curious bystanders. These men and women are undeniably steeled, brutalist architecture covered in the thinnest veneer of tinsel and gilt.
Survivors of a Malefick Venome, the deadly push through the isthmus of Ghimlyt, and the generational strife of the Dragonsong brought to an end by a slaying, these hardened hearts gathered are experts in snuffing out the lives of their fellow men, Ixal, and monsters alike.
But a select few among them could recall older conflict yet--More turbid by far.
Come on in and take a gander; pay no attention to mischievous slander.What is there to see but the flare of cannons in the moonlight, belching fire and brimstone in swirling ember hues, the glitter of runners by torchlight and the great flaming balls of fire they'd launch to set ablaze the storehouses and homes? The thundercrack of muskets, an antecedent to the flash that was itself just a precedent to one more missed shot that pinged off of the balustrades.Much to lose. Even more to gain.
A venerated Vizier tumbling into the valley,
Devils pushing the flanks,
And beneath it all like fervid undercurrents flowing to the distant sea no longer: a dry and dusty river.
— Notice: Skilled soldiers sought ; vaunted valorous veterans valued verily —
Additionally seeking:
- Those skilled in the production, preservation, and procurement of arms and armor—smiths, weapons dealers, and engineers §
- Scouts, spies, and skirmishers §
- Caravaneers and chocobo handlers §
- Camp followers providing cooking, laundering, liquor, nursing, and sutlery services §
Regular meals, generous pay, and guaranteed pension given for grievous loss of limb incurred in service to The Company are guaranteed to all recruits.
Inquire at the offices of Captain Noyel Oszkar
Bitter hearts. Hellwind.