Anor's Inferno

Ambelina and

The Gift

What manner of creature seeketh not eternal pleasure? Our gift is the power to fulfill thine every desire.

Following the events of the "final days," a multitude of people gained the belief that the end was inevitable, and they began indulging in base desires under the assumption that their death was near. The people engaged in this behavior have been gaining the attention of entities from an organization known as The Gift. Upon accepting whatever offer is made for them, they commit themselves wholly to fulfilling their personal desires, and expanding their capacity for said desires.At present, all that is known is that The Gift is some otherworldly organization revealed to us as a result of interactions with a high ranking representative of their interests, Ambelina. Despite appearances, there is no reason to believe they are benevolent in nature.

Ambelina

I sensed the foul nature of the woman to begin with. You don't do what she did and occupy such space in anyone's mind like that.. and still be considered 'good'. And the lot of you, I'm shocked at the things you all-powerful entities let someone like me get away with. Mocking, arguing. She conceded to my arguments so fast, she may as well have knelt before me and called me 'majesty'.
-OndinePerhaps it should come as no surprise to me that you've... gained such insight. They look fair but feel foul, those among the gift - and Ambelina seems less inclined than I am to... soften the detrimental effects of her patronage.
-The Speaker

The Gift's Inferno

One would expect that an organization such as the Gift, posing as a deific pantheon, would employ incomprehensible monstrosities or legions beyond number with which to defend their operations.
Instead, there is the Inferno.Every major move against the Gift has been met with resistance from Inferno. We have witnessed him obliterate groups of hostiles with no effort on his part. On a single occasion did a blow landed upon him show the slightest modicum of impact, but when facing the might of a lesser Wyrm of Nidhogg Inferno unflinchingly dispatched the dragon, tearing Chrysophylax' eye from the skull and consuming it - then claiming it was a pittance, of little use to him.Further research is needed if this is an entity that can be fought head-on.

Chuluun Bairon

Chairman of
Shroudwater Alchemical

Not the first chairman for ShroudWater Alchemical, but he is responsible for the company's survival in recent times, specifically since the fall of Garlemald (due to their involvement in Garlean aetherochemical research and production). Still one of the more well known Alchemy suppliers in Eorzea. A well kept secret is that much of their business is in narcotics - which is how they've endured following the fall of Garlemald.-Confirmed Deceased-
Chuluun was finally eliminated in the cliffs of Gyr Abania where he had surrounded himself with skinless horrors. The flesh of these abominations Chuluun used as a coat of armor. This foul ritual did not save him from being overwhelmed by our numbers, however.

The Speaker

And his Employers

Perhapsss what I ammm is not as important as what I can offffer you.
Some believe the fate of our star is inflexibllllle. My... employers dissssagree. They have authorized me to... nudge things in a particular direction from... time to time.
The right man in the wrong place can make all the difffference in the world.

Despite being central to the events, so little is known about the Speaker and his Employers that it is a matter of great concern.Koriko Elenath first encountered the Speaker while she was attached to a Garlean expedition into an Allagan ruin as a medical officer. The expedition was an extraordinary disaster as the ruin was an extremely high security facility that completely obliterated the entirety of the heavily armed and well equipped expedition - excluding Koriko, of course.The Expedition fought to the center of the facility, where the Speaker was interred. Koriko was the only one to survive long enough to enter the cell in which the Speaker was held.The ruins of the cell itself was later investigated by FATE and was determined to be powered by six crystals White Auracite embedded into strategic locations above and below what used to be a levitating piece of architecture ripped from some unknown city. Each crystal was charged with a different element. Umbral in the three below, Astral in the three above.The Garlean expedition had powered down the contraption holding the Speaker and Koriko came face to face with him. The Speaker bartered with Koriko to get her and Anorhano out of Garlemald just before the Telophori crisis began. A part of that bargain had Anorhano retrieve an artifact which took the form of a book. Something during that mission necessitated the involvement of the Speaker's employers, and later the Gift, to remove Anorhano's memories lest something he encountered during that mission jeopardize the plans that either the Gift or the Speaker's employers have for this star.The Speaker has guided members of FATE in beneficial ways that result in the recovery of now three other books. Two of which the Speaker has, two of which Koriko holds in hopes of preventing the Speaker from laying claim to the full set. Though, it's clear he could simply take them from her if he so wished.

The Cult of Rogg

Violence and slaughter serves me well, but I demand more from my followers. I care not from whence the blood flows, but the weak should perish only when there are none with greater strength to oppose you. There his honor in violence. Glory in slaughter. Know this.

Following the events of the "final days," many survivors took it upon themselves to strip themselves of emotion and face the violence and bloodshed head on. Some considered this transformation to be transcendent, and began forcing this transformation upon others by kidnapping them and exposing them to extreme circumstances involving combat, torture, and any other sort of violence that could be inflicted upon them.With the exception of those who have been rescued as a result of FATE operations, all victims of this cult have either died in captivity or lived long enough to become cultists themselves.It is unknown how or why the otherworldly entity known as "Rogg" initially came into contact with these cultists (or if such an entity truly exists), but the name has been shared by disconnected groups engaging in similar behaviors. Currently, the largest known cell of the Cult of Rogg was headed by a former captive by the name of Melko, a Hyuran woman who was liberated by FATE but remained faithful to Rogg. This cell was eliminated, and so far no other sect of Rogg Cultists have risen to significance.

Melko

Marshal your forces, if it pleases you. I'm off to lay claim to a suit of armor. There will be much meaningful bloodshed as I do so, but beyond that... Honor. Respect. This was His guidance. If you find the need to seek me out still, then we will prove through violence who among us has ultimate authority over the other.Might makes right. Even you should know that.

Melko was initially rescued during an operation where FATE was investigating disappearances throughout Thanalan. She was to be sacrificed to Rogg for crimes against the cult - namely murdering the Prophet of a major sect. Melko claimed she did so under orders from Rogg himself, and she created her own sect which rapidly grew to alarming numbers, even absorbing other sects of Rogg cultists.She invaded the home of a dragon named Chrysophylax - a surviving member of Nidhoggs Brood who had sequestered himself deep in the mountains of Dravania. Chrysophylax was driven out and pursued by the cultists as he fled all the way to the Dravanian Hinterlands where FATE managed to rescue him from mortal wounding.Later, FATE would assist Chrysophylax in retaking his home from Melko's sect. Melko engaged with Chrysophylax in one-on-one combat and was bested by the dragon despite her blessing as Champion of Rogg.

Herdis Bearclaw

You are made to fight so you become familiar with the strength inside you: The spirit of Rogg that is in all men. You’re not to become his champion, but your own champion.You are made to feel pain so you learn not to fear it. Made to cause pain so that you teach others. You will become dangerous, and that is the best thing you can be.

Herdis Bearclaw was a mercenary captain who got tied up with Melko's sect of the Cult of Rogg. She ended up attempting to distance herself after her second-in-command Broddir started buying into the cult's teachings, but she was already too late. FATE caught wind of her involvement with the attack on Chrysophylax and sought to capture her or Broddir. Aderes and J'essie, despite nearly failing, managed to capture Herdis during an operation. Broddir was killed by Chrysophylax shortly after.Ion Cadenza offered Herdis a way out of her predicament with the Cult of Rogg through a bargain which would see her escorting J'essie, Aderes, and Koriko to a major outpost of the Cult of Rogg led by an individual known only as the Keeper of the Ossuary. Unfortunately, Melko was also present at the outpost when Herdis came to deliver Ion's agents, and thus the operation immediately took a turn for the worse.Melko forced Herdis to endure an initiation process alongside Ion's agents which lasted several weeks and resulted in Herdis Bearclaw falling completely under the influence of Rogg as his Champion - a rank shared only by Melko herself.The agents of FATE inside the outpost came up with a plan to release a Servant of the Gift who was also imprisoned deep inside the outpost. The Servant opened rifts to her realm from which monstrosities poured out and assaulted the Cult of Rogg. During the assault, Herdis engaged the Servant, wounding the Demon and causing her to flee through one of her rifts. Herdis was quick to pursue before the rift closed.Her present status and whereabouts are unknown.

The Others

In our journey, we have touched upon many stories. Some will be reflected on here at a later time.