Azphelumbra, [%username].

I appreciate your prompt response to my summons.

I know it has been quite some time since you were needed all the way back here.

For a while now, locals have been coming to me complaining of strange and unsettling dreams. I didn't worry about it too much at first--these are dark and difficult times. Such a response is natural. Even I've woken up in a cold sweat a few times as of late....

Some nightmares have been so vibrant as to feel real, though I don't remember them when I waken. Still, I didn't give it much credence.

Then, Heimdall reached out to me about something... rather strange.

Here in Pandaemonium, we have our own Guestbloom known as Pandan. Heimdall often cares for it over at the Vifrost Bridge.

Pandan is quite important. Since it is tied directly to Pandaemonium, it is blessed with a great deal of shadow and divinity. Aether passes as strongly through it as you or I.

Now, Pandan has frozen over. You know our lands--this is a harsh place, but the Aether flow in Pandaemonium keeps it from ever growing cold enough to warrant such a thing. Go, speak with Heimdall. See if there is anything you can do.

[%username], it's been quite some time.

Ah, you're here for Pandan. Poor little blossom.

I imagine Balder already updated you on its condition.

I tried everything before I reached out to him. He mentioned something about Norsvold and a Daeva who wields Essence being able to help. Think you can do anything?

Pandan usually responds well to a stronger Aether flow, so I left it with Silke.

Silke is over in Pandaemonium Square, if you want to take a look. I figure if Balder sent you, he assumes you can help.

A Frozen Pandan here in Pandaemonium is a new one on me....

(As you reach out to touch Pandan, a faint glow collects around you both.)

(Slowly, the frost recedes and bud unfurls from the stem. The glow fades, leaving Pandan whole and vibrant once more.)

Whoa, what did you do?!

I tried everything I could think of for two days, and then here you are, reviving it within mere seconds! There really is something different about you, isn't there? I mean, I'd heard rumors, but who ever knows how much is real and how much is gossip in this town?

If even half the stories are true, maybe you might have some insight on something else that's been worrying me....

Sometimes, Jeckrow--y'know, the bartender--gives me free drinks when I come in. I'm something of a regular. There's this other guy who comes in all the time, and he was telling Jeckrow about some pretty troubling things.

We both figured he was just drunk. I mean, he always is, anyway. But then he got really intense.

He started babbling on about how he'd seen these huge monsters with transparent scales.

That's what I thought, but he was more... I dunno... genuine? It felt different from his usual babble.

He was convinced that the monster he'd seen was one of the Balaur....

Maybe it's really just a wild goose chase, but you'd set both our minds to ease if you looked into it. Jeckrow knows where to find the guy. If you'll check it out, I'll go tell Heimdall about Pandan. You can just swing through, grab a drink, and get it all figured out, yeah?

Azphelumbra.

What can I get you?

Silke? Oh. I guess this is about Jiharman. I mean, he's always in here blabbering on about something or other.

The Balaur story was definitely new, though. And different. He's a drunk--not a creative mastermind. Started talking about how you could see clear through their scales.

Seriously, though. Doesn't sound like any kind of Balaur I've ever heard of, and there's no way one got into Pandaemonium. He probably just caught a glimpse of a weird cat or something.

It's your time to waste.

Around this time of day, Jiharman is usually sleeping it off at the Airship Dock.

What do you want? (Hic!)

Ugh, shadows, it was HORRIB--wait. Why do you wanna know?

You think I'm crazy, don't you? Wanna have a laugh at the stupid drunk?

If you're just here to make fun of me, you can pound dirt like the rest of us, Daeva.

I... hadn't ever seen anything like it. That thing was huge, and it looked like it didn't care WHO got in its way, you know?

Its scales were completely transparent. I'd never heard about one like that, but I swear, you could see straight through 'em. It was skulking around an alleyway, and--I know this really does sound crazy--but I caught a whiff of incense or something.

I promise, it's all true. I dropped a Kirshe Liquor Bottle, it gave me such a fright. If you find that in a remote corner, you'll find where I spotted it.

(A liquor bottle that can be purchased all throughout Pandaemonium.)

(Picking it up, you realize that it's completely full. Not a drop has been imbibed. It must be the bottle that Jiharman dropped.)

(The bottle is cold to the touch. As you turn it over in your hands, your fingers brush off a collection of frost.)

So, how did it go?

These... look like ritual items for summoning something. And you say you were attacked? By a DRAKAN?

Do you catch the dried bloodstain on the bottle? It pulsates with some kind of vile, dark energy.

There's no chance this came from any ordinary Balaur. I don't know what's going on here, but one thing's for sure--something horrible is about to happen. I can feel it in my gut.

Maybe you're right. This is so much, though.... Pandan freezing over, this Balaur blood ward, a summoning spell....

None of this should have ever happened HERE, in Pandaemonium.

Well. Have you... had any unsettling dreams lately, [%username]? Anything out of the ordinary?

Do you remember how I spoke of the people here having strange dreams? I had this awful, gripping nightmare not long ago. The same dream over and over, in fact.

When I woke, I would remember feeling this great weight in my chest, but I couldn't call to mind what I'd seen, like I said earlier.

But these items... these are so familiar.

It was a nightmare.... Yeah, I remember now.

Black clouds gathered over Pandaemonium, hanging low and dark. Then, in among the thunderheads, a great eye appeared, gazing down upon the city.

I don't know what it means, but I know Pandaemonium itself is in grave danger.

I think the Empyrean Lord was trying to send me signs with all those dreams, but my mind couldn't sort out what it all meant.

That Balaur should never have made it this far, into the heart of Asmodae. There's only one way it could have come within leagues of the city.

There has to be something wrong with the Aether field.

In all my years, I never thought I'd see a threat to Pandaemonium itself.

This has been a safe haven for so long. The thought that enemies could come to our very doorstep....

We're so blind to what they're doing right now--and if the Aether field is damaged, it could be anything. We have to prepare however we can.

I'll inform Pandaemonium's other officials of what you found and call for a meeting. We've got to evaluate the city's defenses.

Thank you so much for your help, [%username]. We wouldn't know even this much without you. I hope that should Pandaemonium need safeguarding, I'll spot you here at our gates once more.

High Priest Balder told you told you that he and the people of Pandaemonium have been having odd dreams, and that the local Guestbloom has frozen over.

You went to Heimdall and used your Essence to revive Pandan. Then, Silke told you that the bartender, Jeckrow, had concerns about a patron. Jeckrow told you that a drunk reported seeing Balaur in Pandaemonium.

Jiharman told you that he saw Balaur near the Airship Dock. When you went there yourself, you spotted a Drakan Wizard running away.

In the place where the Drakan Wizard disappeared, you found clues that you brought back to Balder. He said that the Drakan Wizard must have tried to summon something into Pandaemonium. He expressed concern, stating that the Balaur could only come as far as the city if the Aether field was having a problem.

Balder said he would hold a meeting to implement countermeasures. He asked you to come running if Pandaemonium should ever be in trouble.