From Ilya's Journal: Hero's Roost

"I... I can't believe Ilya kept this"  
-Rhallah

----Excerpt from Ilya's Journal----
   On the outskirts bordering Dalmasca and Nagxia lies and inn tangled in the trees of Gilmore Jungle. This was no ordinary Inn because from the forest floor looking up, anyone without prior knowledge of its location would only see the tree's canopy. Just past the trees, lying within the branches, almost hovering on the very leaves themselves, was the Great Inn "Hero's Roost".

   Spanning across a plethora of trees, "Hero's Roost" was more of a Village than Inn, where dining halls were connected with aether current teleporters, inn rooms could transport and attach to different areas of the inn, a true feat in magic. A wild diversity of heroes, Garlean and Doman, would cheer here over stories of their adventures. Here the conflicts of Doma and The Garlean Empire were left on the grounds of the forest.

   The Viera of Hero's Roost would tend to the guests to create a paradise to rest and relax away from conflicts and challenges. Soldiers, Adventures, people of importance, needed an invitation to come to Hero's Roost on top of scaling the trees to reach it. And the Viera who ran all of this was none-other than the magical Architect, Estela Careno.

   As the dawn light flickered through stain glass windows throughout the main hall of Hero's Roost, a towering Viera with fair freckled skin runs from table to table greeting her guests. Her gradient black hair is pulled back into the top knot, with two strands dangling In Front of her emerald green eyes, dancing as if celebrating their freedom. She is dressed in a red high collar ruffle coat, an opaque black shirt underneath and long black linen leggings, strutting around with white high heels with red bottoms. As she makes her rounds, cheering guests, greeting old acquaintances with dearly loved kisses and collecting her earnings from her more Private Patrons, she nearly tripped over two tiny Viera children racing between her legs. "Lya! Rha!" Shouted this now frustrated master of the house, "No running in my inn, that goes for not only our heroes but you two as well." The two Viera, Lya and Rha, in unison responded automatically with "Sorry Mama!" Before dashing under a table to hear another story from the table's occupants. Their mother shook her head before returning to her business only to be interrupted and stopped by a tall Garlean Gentleman, dressed in a dirty ragged uniform. "Your twins causing trouble again Est?" he asked with a soft smile. "God's Brion you look like you a Yol picked you up and dropped you in it's on feces," Estela blurted while holding her nose, "and you smell like it too." Brion chuckled and let out a faint cough "well actually you're not far from-" he started before Estela placed a finger on his lips "I don't wanna hear another word, let's get you cleaned up and patched up before you start scaring away my patrons," Estela Ordered through a faint smirk. "Appreciated, as always Est."

   While their mother was attending to the remaining patrons, Lya and Rha huddled closely, chuckling to themselves as they peered through the frosted glass table up at the adventurers around them, catching the stories like butterflies in a net. Lya sat taller than Rha, by a good couple inches, but if you ask Rha she would deny it. In Fact you wouldn't even know they were twins, on account that Rha was born albino. Her hair was starch white and frizzy, her eyes a blood red and her skin glassy and white. Lya on the other hand had tan skin with her mother's freckles speckling her face and shoulders, deep red hair she tied in a ponytail and teal eyes that sparkled. They say knees in their chests staring up at the patrons regaling a battle out at Sea crossing the Ruby Sea seeing monsters by a volcano. "Rha what's a volcano?" Lya asked. "Lya really? We went over this last week when I read you the story of Hell's Lid. THAT'S what they are talking about." Rha explained. "Oooooohhhh, I was wondering why Hell had a lid, it's not even a pot so that's a silly name for a mountain." Lya exclaimed. The two twins chuckled before Lya asked, "Could you tell me another one of your stories tonight?" "Lya I'm all out of books, you ask this every night." Rha thought hard "We could do our thing to mama!" Lya beamed with excitement and shouted "That's a great Idea Rha!" Before banging her head on the table. "Hey! What are you kids doing?" Shouted one of the adventurers now distraught and the twins dashed off to another mess hall for stories.

   Jumping in one of the rooms, Rha went to work instructing it to taxi them before looking to Lya "I got the coordinates in, all we need is the magic Lya touch." Together they shouted "3, 2, 1 LYA POWERS ACTIVATE" and Lya slammed her hand on the aether crystal to get the room moving. "So… still no magic yet?" Lya asked Rha. "Dad said sometimes you never get it." A disheartened Rha responded. Lya reeled back and said "Well you gotta get it at some point! You're the amazing Rhallah! If I have magical abilities, you're destined to get it… and when you do I'm going to need to catch up to you." The twins stared out of the window huddling together as they braced to touch base at the next mess hall.

   Lya leads out of the room first surveying the area for Estela, before beckoning for Rha to follow. Rha darts under a table and slowly makes her way to the bar side before breaking a glass as a distraction for Lya to dash from table to table until they are under this table of robed individuals. Rha shushes Lya who is too busy giggling from the broken glass. "Our treaty with the Garleans was not well received it would appear-" one of the patrons piped up. "Leave that business below the canopy, you know what the Mistress will do if she hears anyone discussing the war or the campaigns." explained one of the more decorated patrons. "Rha what are they talking about?" Lya asked only to be shhed by Rha again. The twins would hear about Old Sharlyan Technology and magic. A wonder crossed both their faces, Rha in awe about the technological advances and ancient magic at work, while Lya absorbed the stories of Old Sharlyan culture and history. "Rha have you read anything about Old Sharlyan?" Lya asked. Rha shook her head and said "I didn't even know this place existed. Wow I wonder how long they've been around." Lya with a subtle smile started to stutter, "w-w-what if I took you there. We could go on our own adventure for o-o-once." Rha thought about it for a long time "well that would be difficult given Mama wouldn't even let us leave the Canopy, and I don't think you and I know how get to the ground." "Well d-d-dad is going to show you n-n-next year isn't he? D-d-do you think he can show me too?" Lya asked timidly. Rha placed a calming hand on Lya and smiled before saying "absolutely not!" Lya was shocked by this and demanded an explanation to which Rha responded, "Dad's showing me cause he has too, if I don't display magical talent, next year he will start teaching me how to fight, and mama will teach you her magical abilities and together we will make this Inn even greater! So you can't come with me cause you're needed up here!" "Hey did you hear that?" Proclaimed one of the Old Sharlyan Patrons. He proceeded to look under the table to see the two young Viera children caught red handed. "Operation SCATTER!" Lya ordered as Rha and her took off in different directions and as they approached the exit Lya whispered "v-v-vers-stone," and blocked the exit after they escaped.

"D-d-do you think we will be together forever Rha?" Lya asked. "Highly unlikely but we're never going to be far apart," responded Rha.
It would be 3 years of bliss for the twin sisters until that fateful day.


-Ilya's Journal