Yan-Yensa Sandsea
-Found the time magick “Balance.” Deals area damage equal to the difference in the caster’s current and max HP.
-Saw an enemy called Megabomb. I hadn’t saved in a while so I zoned, but it was gone when I returned.
-Found an Embroidered Tippet, an accessory that doubles xp earned. YESSSSS!! Even though it only works for one character at a time, it’s still really sweet.
-Btw, my party composition strategy is to keep my characters at the same level, so when one character levels up I’ll swap it out until the others level up. Lots of varied group comps.
That said, I tend to keep a physical attacker in the group (Shikari!Vaan or Knight!Fran) and someone who can heal (Time Battlemage!Penelo or White Mage!Basch). Black Mage!Ashe and Machinist!Balthier are icing on the cake.
Even then it depends. For example, I use Fran against Ashe, or keep Penelo against hasted enemies.
-Not sure why ranged weapons can’t be equipped when I buy them at the shop.
-About to enter the cave west of the Nam-Yensa. First, bestiary catch-up.
-Sage Knowledge, Nam-Yensa Sandsea: This is part of the “Jagd Yensa.” The Valley of the Dead lies to the west.
-I LOVE AXEBEAKS! They’re like big rainbow turkeys.
-Bagoly bestiary: Bagolies used to fly, but lost the ability after fighting a lot. Airships dominating the skies knocked them out too.
-The Urutan Yensa’s extended bestiary is long! “Letter to a Wayfarer.” It’s a translated memoranda from an ancient weaponsmith, with entries over the course of years.
-A patron asked for a “Device for felling Beasts, Fiends, &c.” The first incarnation didn’t work because the target was a powerful dragon and the patron didn’t tell the weaponsmith.
-The weaponsmith struggled until deciding to give the weapon the ability to learn. “My Weapon will be a learning, growing Entity!” OH GOOD, YOU’RE USING SKYNET TO KILL A DRAGON
-This is likely not going to be Excalibur. More likely Ultima Weapon or Omega Weapon.
-He delivered the new learning weapon to his patron. His creation attacked but didn’t hurt the dragon.
“I shudder to think on how much further Growth will be needed before real Results can be seen in this deadly Contest.”
-The dragon got away, and the patron was pissed. This upset the weaponsmith.
“I departed, but only after creeping down to the Patron’s well-apportioned Cellars, there releasing a young Mother. That should give him a Surprise in a few Years.” I wonder if I’ll eventually reach a rich person’s house and find some horrifying monster with her kids in the basement.
-In the final entry, the weaponsmith wonders where “Mark XII” could have gotten to.
“I can only surmise it found some Place rich in Mist whereby to foster its continued growth. I wish it the best of Luck.”
This absolutely smells like an Omega/Ultima-esque superboss.
One more possibility: what if I have to discover Mark XII and use it to help kill a huge dragon?
---
The Tomb of King Raithwall
-I head west and see a huge tomb entry.
-Garuda swoops down and attacks!
-I use the Rogue Urutan-Yensa’s berries on her and take her down.
-Garuda-Egi bestiary: many regard them as gods. Heh. Like, most past FF games.
-King Raithwall forged the Galtean Alliance, a massive world government. He was a good king, peaceful.
-Archadia and Rozarria started as part of this alliance.
-Raithwall left three relics. He gave the Midnight Shard to House Nalbradia, the Dusk Shard to the Dalmasca, and left eh Dawn Shard here. So it’s, like, a backup to the now-lost Dusk Shard.
-As we start walking inside, a huge, multi-legged statue behind us comes to life and starts rushing us down the hallway.
LOL IT’S DEMON WALL – WELCOME BACK FROM FFIV MY (most hated) FRIEND
-HOLY SHIT that was intense. A major damage check. It pushed me back towards a back wall. No doubt if it got me all the way there it would’ve crushed me. Mist chains help me knock it out.
-There’s a jewel behind the Demon Wall. I can’t seem to activate it.
-An inscription here: “With godscraft armed, guard we His tomb. Diad stirred, come they, one unto the other.” I can’t activate it yet. Sounds like it’ll summon some sort of twin boss.
-WAIT, ANOTHER DEMON WALL?? [Later edit: I should’ve expected this, given that inscription.]
-There’s an “Altar of Contemplation” on the boss-fight bridge, with a lit brazier: “Wakes it with the flames. Follows it their shadow. Ne’er straying.” I put it out, and it slows the Demon Wall briefly.
-This second one goes down pretty quick too. Yay!
-I backtrack to the jewel behind the first Demon Wall. It opens an unmapped section of the tomb.
-Nothing too special down here. Just a Scathe Mote, a single-use item that deals massive group damage.
-I like the design on the local flan enemy here, Tallow. They have burning wicks on their heads.
-Sage Knowledge, House Dalmasca: Began at the end of House Galtea’s rule.
-The deeper parts of the tomb are filled with Mist. Fran says it can be dangerous, but facilitates magic.
-Found a Blood Sword! Usually those come later. I’ll start working towards it for Fran.
-Boss time. Belias, a fiery giant dude. He uses Firaja and heavy fire magic.
Took him out. Again, Mist attacks are AMAZING.
-Some sort of crystal container shatters.
Wait
Wait what
“You obtained the esper, Belias Gigas.” ESPERS ARE IN THIS GAME?
-Fran reads the legend of the Nu Mou. Those who fought gods.
-In his youth, the Dynast-King defeated a mighty Gigas who was then bound to him… Ah! The Esper Belias IS the Dynast-King’s treasure.
-I’m not sure how we “use” the esper. Maybe it’s a passive boost? Idk.
-We push on. This must be the Dawn Stone ahead.
-Something about the Dawn Stone gives Vossler pause, confusing both him and Ashe.
A phantom appears. OH SHIT IT’S PRINCE RASLER. Ashe’s dead husband.
-He walks away, unseeing. Ashe promises vengeance. Takes the Dawn Shard close to her. Time to leave.
-I see! Belias is a space on the license board. One character can “get” Belias as a license and probably cast him as a summon.
-WAIT HOLY SHIT WHAT HAHAHHAHA
A SECOND LICENSE BOARD???
I WAS SURE THAT I COULD ONLY PICK ONE JOB THIS IS AMAAAAZING – a huge game changer. I need to explore this next time. There are new “Traveler’s Tips” entries about this that I’ll read then.
-Before logging, some bestiary review.
-Sage Knowledge, the Age of King Raithwall: The gods gave Raithwall (a Valendian noble) a sword and magicite to unify the land.
-I THOUGHT THE CHIMERAS HERE WERE JUST COCKATRICES BUT NOW I SEE THEY’RE COCKATRICES WITH LIKE DEMON HEADS? IT’S HORRIFYING
-Sage Knowledge, Jagd: Jagd are regions with “Mist-laden winds and magicite-rich soil.” Skystone doesn’t operate here.
-Sage Knowledge, House Solidor: A noble Archadian family. Permanent Senate seat and control over Ministry of Law. Emperor Gramis is fourth in a succession of Solidor emperors.
-The Ragoh are my favorite-designed enemies here. A dual headed chompy monster with no body. One face has a sword in it, the other has horns. They symbolize the Dynast-King’s authority.
-Belias is called a “Mesha Ascendant.” Scion of darkness and guardian of the Holy Realm, made by the gods in opposition to the Transcendent Loghrif, scion of light. I have no idea what any of that means.
He was considered a mistake upon creation. He fought back against the gods in anger, and lost.
I now remember rumors in Nalbina of something that fought the gods and lost. Must be another esper.
---
Next time: Exploring the second license board, how my new esper works, and leaving the tomb.
