Lindblum Grand Castle
-Lives up to its name.
-Vivi is as awestruck as I am. So is Steiner. But Dagger’s been here before and not since she her father died.
-Some guards come to greet us. Garnet announces herself as the princess, her true name uncloaked, and wants to speak to Regent Cid. So that’s where he is in this game.
-They don’t believe Garnet immediately. Makes sense, given the old crappy airship and the company she’s with. She shows some kind of royal crest and the guards fetch a minister to verify. Minister Artania, her uncle.
-Huh? He says “The regent is waiting.” How did he know to expect her?
-They hurry ahead and Zidane has the chance to talk to some people on the way.
-An old man named Umaeda starts to tell us a story of his youth and then falls asleep midway through lol.
-A fountain here by Maulissio, celebrating 20 years of Cid IX rule. Zidane makes a strange comment: “Looks like there’s no place to insert the medal.” What medal? And why would there be a place to insert a medal in a fountain?
-Backtracking a bit. Found a statue of “Cid Fabool I” (hee, nice FFIV reference).
-Cid VIII, the last ruler, helped modernize Lindblum and developed Mist-powered engines. Of course he did. It’s a Cid.
-An Aviator at the dock is impressed with our old wooden airship. Sees it as a classic.
-Went into an “air cab station” and got a cutscene. Someone named Engineer Zebolt (like, Zebolt Shipyards Zebolt?) is looking for a thing.
Oh – he was looking for the cargo ship we came in! Weird. It wasn’t even supposed to come here.
-A random crewwoman says she passed the test to fly “no. 1” but it’s gone, and there’s Cid isn’t in good enough condition to work on no. 2.
-Zidane can’t seem to help but hit on anyone. Granted, she’s a pilot and that’s badass, but FOCUS DUDE. The pilot’s name is Erin.
-lol. She cuts him off midsentence and is like “Nope, gotta go, bye!”
-Wandered into a bedroom.
Some treasure and a moogle. Mogki. Got a note for you bud!
-The letter is Kumop relating Stilzkin’s visit. He had gone somewhere interesting and left, and Kumop isn’t sure where. Lindblum maybe? Mogki asks us to give a letter to Atla.
-Moving on. Onto the elevator with the minister.
-Lindblum castle has three separate levels.
-The base level is below the Mist. There’s a trolley to the harbor and main gate, a system for navigating a city we saw in FFVIII in Deling City.
-The mid level has an air cab, and the upper level is royal room and conference rooms.
-Regent Cid (interesting, not “King Cid”) is apparently wise but odd. A standard Cid combo. Was best friends with Dagger’s dad.
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Throne Room
-The throne is empty.
-wait no. Cid is just hiding behind the throne for some reason.
-…and Cid is an oglop.
-He was attacked in his sleep and transformed into this a while back. His wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted. We’ll go over details later.
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Lindblum
-Zidane left on his own, saying that the food in the castle was too “high class.” Sometimes you just crave a good ol’ burger.
-He walks into a pub and clearly knows the owner, ribbing him a bit. Bobo is the owner, and he has a MAGNIFICENT mustache.
-Zidane’s streak of not being able to go two seconds without hitting on someone continues with the waitress Lillian.
-A red mage at the counter intervenes and she is immediately awesome.
-hahaha they apparently know each other and Zidane can’t remember her name and she’s reveling in making him uncomfortable.
-WHATTTTTTTTHJFKDHSFKLDSFHLDSHJFDLSKFDJKLSFDS
-I GET HER AS A PLAYABLE CHARACTER HAHAHHAHAHA
”Freya.”
-She’s a 21 year old Burmecian lefty.
-Something about her boyfriend, that she never found out. Maybe he went missing.
-loving this music so hard right now.
-Freya’s in town for the Festival of the Hunt.
-Really liking their rapport together. She has no desire to return to Burmecia.
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Throne Room
-Regent Cid the Oglop and Dagger. Alone.
-Dagger says that the queen changed since the king died. I’m not discarding the possibility of an FFIV situation where the real Queen Brahne was replaced.
-A suspicious man had been prowling around Alexandria of late.
-Dagger is getting gaslit a bit, everyone telling her that she’s just being paranoid and distraught over having lost her father.
-OH SHIT it was CID who was in charge of the kidnapping, who was the Tantalus paymaster!
-Now it’s coming together. Cid knew something was afoot in Alexandria, that Dagger was in danger, and had to act to protect her, but more direct action would have started a war.
-Cid is old friends with Baku.
-It’s out in the open now between these two. Cid knows now about the black mages that Brahne might be trying to mass produce for an army, but feels unconcerned. He trusts in the air force of Lindblum.
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Dock #1
-The two of them head to an airship dock for experimental airships.
-About 6 months ago, they were developing a new ship that didn’t require Mist to fly. Looks like it was stolen by the attacker.
-oh lol. Nope. Cid had an affair, Hilda found out, and HILDA was the one who turned him into an oglop. Hee! She then left the kingdom, taking the airship. The Hilda Garde.
-They’re working on Hilda Garde 2, but it’s hard to be an engineer as an oglop.
-The South Gate is being repaired, and after that’s complete they plan to head to Alexandria. Dagger thinks the Queen will “open her eyes” and everything will be fine. I’m not so sure. Cid shares my skepticism.
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Guest Quarters
-The next morning. Zidane wakes up and Vivi meets him.
-Vivi is overwhelmed by the size of the city, and asks a phenomenal question: in such a packed place, where do people go when they want to be alone?
-Zidane remembers coming here for the first time, that he lived with his “Tantalus brothers” at their hideout in the theater district.
-Zidane will go visit them while Vivi explores town on his own.
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Next time: around Lindblum.
