servant of the gods

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"Thank you so much...! It's true, it has been a while since I've talked to people like this..."

"A-an autograph...? Uh... W-well, I suppose...?"

"Although I don't quite know what the purpose of this is... I'm no songstress or anything of the sort. I'm just... an adventurer. As so many are. But I won't deny you your wish."

Questions for Warriors of Light, Scions, and Echo Bearers

Least favorite: Coerthas. Dravania. There’s dragons. It’s cold. Yes, it’s nice, as long as you stay indoors. Yes, she has nice memories there too. But the cold is a real dealbreaker.

She’s also not too big of a fan of seas. Sea air, to be specific. The smell just doesn’t sit right with her.

Favorite citystate: A tough one. Ul’dah is her home, yes, but it’s also awful at times. If you dig deep enough, all citystates are, in a way. There’s always people trying to lord their power over others, people being cast out, inequality, people suffering… . I think the only place that she can’t find too many flaws in is the Crystarium.

Questions for Warriors of Light, Scions, and Echo Bearers

ECHO: If your character has the Echo, does it grant them any particular strengths beyond the usual benefits (e.g., Minfilia’s strong connection to Hydaelyn, Krile’s ability to follow a soul’s trail)? What about particular drawbacks or weaknesses?

Fun fact: In 1.0, Echo’s were… subtle. A bit too subtle, perhaps. A lil whoosh effect, always the same music playing, but other than that? Nearly indistinguishable from reality. 2.0, of course, is kind enough to give you a warning through headaches, though the downside is that the WoL tends to pass out a lot. 

For Nenela, it’s a bit of a mix. It’s less headache pangs, but it builds up slowly, nearly unnoticable, until the dam breaks. A blink, and before she knows it, she’s in another place entirely. Which is, y’know, fine, and in these scenarios she can recognize it as an Echo. Except sometimes, the Echo will be in the same place, and with people she knows, and it’s kinda like waking up from a dream where things are weird as hell but it feels real? Which can make for awkward conversations if she’s convinced that something happened but the other person knows she wasn’t there. 

She’s had times where she actually ended up dreaming of things to come, but it was, well, absolutely useless. Because 1. it’s a dream, and 99% of dreams are just weird dreams, and 2. it’s never anything that can be connected to something in the immediate future, so there’s no way to see if a dream is actually a dream or prophecy. I don’t think she’s ever realized it either that sometimes she dreams of something that ends up happening years later.

Questions for Warriors of Light, Scions, and Echo Bearers

I think skipping the whole ‘become a minor hero for a citystate’ part of msq made The Bowl of Embers even more a slap in the face. One moment she’s finished conjurer training, the next she is kidnapped by Qirqin/sold to Amal’jaa and facing a monster she couldn’t even imagine in her wildest dreams. In general, primals used to terrify her, because they’re always huge and the whole concept of having to serve a god other than your own sounds like a fate worse than death to her. Even now she has to take a couple of deep breaths and squeeze her party members hands tight before storming into any trial.

Dragons, of course, have been a major source of fear for her for a long time, so you can imagine her going into Brayflox Longstop for the first time wasn’t… the most pleasant realization. Dragons real? Dragons real. Oh gods. Dragons real. Same can be said for Stone Vigil, Snowcloak, Keeper of the Lake, Steps of Faith, Sohm Al, The Aery, Sohr Khai, Final Steps of Faith, The Royal Menagerie, The Great Hunt… Yeah, Heavensward wasn’t a great time for her. At least she has managed to learn how to function while fighting dragons instead of freezing up. 

As for the fight she is most proud of…

Questions for Warriors of Light, Scions, and Echo Bearers

Nenela is friends with the Scions and considers them family, although… it doesn’t mean she feels entirely relaxed around them. Yes, they are kind to her, but most of them are also accomplished scholars and honestly? There have been many times where she just felt like a dumb kid compared to them. Perhaps the only person that didn’t frighten her at first was Minfilia. The Antecedent might have been a boss of sorts, but not the kind of boss you’re constantly worried about disappointing. Minfilia’s Echo and devotion to Hydaelyn was something they had in common, and Nenela often looked up to her as an older sister of sorts.

Those who have been following this blog for a while might know Nenela used to have a big crush on Alphinaud. After all, they’re the same age, and a lot of the msq you spend at his side. This could have been cute… but unfortunately, it was also a big source of anxiety for her. Sure, she got butterflies every time he said something nice to her, but there were also the constant fears of ‘but he’ll never like me in return bc I’m Lalafell and in a few years he’ll be tall and I’ll be small forever’, and ‘I’m probably just misinterpreting his kindness and being a bad friend’. It wasn’t actually that fun! Over time, as msq stopped having the WoL and Alphinaud joined at the hip, the infatuation faded and now they can just be good friends. A friend she can relax around instead of being high-strung all the time.

In general, Nenela tends to get along better with those her age than adults, aka anyone above 20. Alisaie is great, even if her sharp tongue can be a bit frightening. Arenvald has big brother energies. Honoroit is a kindred spirit when it comes to being born in poverty and then suddenly being surrounded by all these rich and clever people. Rielle is kind and Nenela loves helping her with her conjury and making fun of Sidurgu.

Questions for Warriors of Light, Scions, and Echo Bearers 

Also asked by @alphadrg !

The MSQ changed Nenela so much I often have trouble writing her in a non-WoL/Scion/Echo verse tbh :’)Being part of the Scions has been so important to her. Before that, most adults that she knew were people to be frightened of. That couldn’t be trusted. So to become part of this family, of these people that believe in her, it’s a big change. It’s because they give her that love, that she wants to give so much in return. When she started adventuring, she was young and scared, a real crybaby. And if you’d ask her about her most prominent traits now, that’s probably still what she would tell you. Like, ‘oh I’m… not that brave, I’m a coward actually’. But honestly? She’s gotten way less scared. Not only less scared of the monsters, but also less scared of disappointing others. The trust that the Scions, and the Alliance leaders, and all their other allies give a WoL, eventually makes her capable of trusting them in return. Of trusting herself, as well.

Echinacea

You are a protector. With an amazing blend of optimism, nurturing and goodwill, you lend your strength and energy to those in need. Your seemingly infinite goodwill and boundless supportive energy make you the one people turn to when times are tough. Your greatest strength is, of course, also one of your weaknesses, especially if you neglect to take care of yourself. At times like these, it’s a good idea to take a step back and focus some of that protective energy on yourself.

Passionflower

You are deeply concerned about others and the world around you, you have a developed sense of what’s right and just. You’re a bit of an idealist and strive to see your vision of perfection realized in the world. On occasion you get out of balance, and you may feel a deep sense of unease and be prone to worry—especially at night, tossing and turning over all that is wrong or that needs fixing.

Chamomile

You are easy-going, friendly and well liked, you’ve got a gentle and sweet nature and a calming presence that puts others at ease. Your sensitivity to others may cause you to take on too much of other people’s feelings, though, and you may even be prone to worry.

it sounds like this would make a great tea, but in a person its probably a recipe for disaster :’) 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Zenos is bored and this time there is little chance that he will stumble into something that would alleviate his boredom, trapped as he is  in the city.

The moogle is hardly fascinating on its own, but its approach is the most interesting thing that happened to him all week so Zenos can’t help but look forward to this mystery meeting at least a little bit.

Besides, while he’s hardly enthusiastic about the food in this place, he would never say no to a free meal.

A genuine smile appears on his face as he spots Nenela and he waves back as he makes his way to her table.

“Well if it isn’t the tiniest Warrior of Light. You are a sight for sore eyes. What happened to your hair, little one?“

The words 'Warrior of Light' trigger a slight panic in her, as she frantically looks around, trying to see if any of the other patrons of the tavern had overheard them.

"Lali-nay on the W-O-L word-ho," she hisses, fully aware of how silly her words sound. "It's a bit of a... touchy subject around here. I'm just another dwarf, alright?"

Fortunately for them, the bounty hunters seem none the wiser, and her alarmed expression makes place for a more calm one.

"But yes, it's... Good to see you got my letter." Despite everything, she still doesn't want to be overly friendly with him. She's just doing this so they're even. At least, that's what she tells herself.

Nenela’s confidence easily reassured her and she was able to take a few cautious steps forward. With a nod and the determination to go forward, Ryne tried to hurry herself along – without making too much of a scene. If they turned around that was that, but she hoped that things wouldn’t go that way. 

It wasn’t that bad – once she reached the bush, she lowered herself to the ground slightly to keep herself somewhat hidden. It took a moment or two, before she was able to grab what they needed. With that in hand, she made a quick withdraw. 

“There, all done.” Aware that there was still some risk, she kept her tone quiet and motioned her friend over. “Here, is this enough?”  

Standing watch was easy enough. The beasts seemed more interested in staring into the distance than the two that had intruded upon their territory. Her sword would likely see no use that day, except... Oh dear. That sure was a gigantic winged snake heading in their direction. The kind of abomination that would grace the boards of Clan Nutsy. The kind that could easily crush two young girls.

Sure, it hadn’t spotted them yet, but it was getting much too close for comfort. Nenela resheathed her sword and ran back over to her friend, who had just finished gathering. "Uh. Yes! That looks like it's plenty, but, uh-!" Her voice squeaked in panic, trying to convey the urgency of their situation.

Minfilia's words are as loving as always, and yet Nenela avoids her gaze. It's not that the statement is entirely false. She always tries her best to be kind, to spread light as Mother had told her to. And yet...

"Would you not rather place your faith in someone stronger?" 

The words spill out before she can stop herself. Contradicting a person of authority feels like breaking a law, a horrid crime, but it has to be said. "I know it might seem like I am brave, but that is only thanks to Her Blessing. I still cry after battles. My spells are always a moment too slow. Sometimes I curse those in need of aid because my head hurts and my legs are aching." Her voice pitches and trembles, and it is clear she is trying to keep tears from falling. "Just because the Spinner has not yet decided to cut my thread short- because I happen to get extremely lucky every single time-!" She squeezes her eyes shut, deeply ashamed of losing her composure in front of the Antecedent.