This story will eat you alive.

i have always been proud... to call you my shield. but now... it is the world that needs you... thank you clive... for being my brother.

eastern thanalan borders the black shroud, and is divided north from south by the yug'ram river. from the many dead buried in the church of saint adama landama to the towering formations of corrupted crystal, one is ever reminded of the seventh umbral calamity's devastation in this region.

Eyes wet with tears Her song in my ears Broken, faded, how long have I waited To open my wings

Westward lies bleed t'ward the east Wayward daughter, step into the night Restless eyes, blind to the beast Barren waters yield unto the tide

FFXIV GRAPHIC CHALLENGE ➥ Locations 1 / 7 - Black Shroud

western thanalan serves as ul'dah’s ocean gateway, and establishments devoted to trade can be found throughout, from docks to markets to well-trodden roads. on a clear day following a good rain that has cleared the skies of desert dust from the coasts of this rocky region, one might even spy vylbrand across the rhotano sea.

the western edge of the east shroud sits near gridania proper, and is the centre of the city-state’s thriving apicultural industry. its eastern sections are the demesne of the sylphs—plant-like beastmen, many of whom do not take kindly to the presence of trespassers. finally, one can find a garlean stronghold in the southwestern reaches of the east shroud—a feat of engineering completed shortly before the calamity.

THE DANCING PLAGUE - The white dress, the shell crown, the stone scepter, the crystal shoes… Having acquired the four fae relics through considerable effort, you now stand ready to break the seal over Lyhe Ghiah and confront the Lightwarden of Il Mheg─the fallen faerie king, Titania. Yet even as you hunt the sin eater, you are in turn hunted by the forces of Eulmore, who have thrown all caution to the wind and march resolutely on the faerie kingdom…

❝ You guys… are the best. ❞