Garamsythe Waterways: White Mousse, Orthros, Cuchulainn
-I return to the Garamsythe Waterways. I’m still about 8-9 levels below the monsters here, but if I’m careful I can move through and kill on my way, even the Malboro Overkings.
-Reached my first mark here, White Mousse. VICTORY! I can now get the Sluice Gate Key.
-I’ll take a few shots at Orthros. I don’t expect to take him down, but I want to try.
-HOLY SHIT I GOT HIM!!!! Ashe’s Fira was my all-star, even with Oil not landing.
I like how Orthros’ eyes have the same mischievous shape as Ultros’ in FFVI.
-Just past Orthros I find a Garamsythe Candle that reveals hidden areas of the Waterways.
-Turning in the Orthros mark to the Contrite Thief. She returns her stolen items to Samal.
CONTRITE THIEF: “I know I’ll probably never see you again, but if you ever see a lonely seeq on a street corner… No, I have to keep my dreams where they belong.” Maybe her story’s not quite over.
-Samal rewards me with a “blackened fragment” of a medallion. Given to Samal by a man who said it should be passed to someone who showed great courage.
SAMAL: “He was quite a character, I can tell you. Spent most of his life as a sky pirate! He’d just decided to mend his ways when the war broke out.”
Could be Balthier, but he hasn’t mended his ways as far as I know. Could also be Gilgamesh! It has that je-ne-se-quois of Gilgamesh.
-That man planned to start a new life in Nabudis, but he came here and died soon after once Nabudis was bombed… OH, this is the with the Dusty Letter about that other fragment in the waterways.
-I turn in the White Mousse mark to the moogle (aptly named Sorbet). He gives me a Sluice Gate Key.
-Checking in with Clan Centurio. My new rank is Brave Companion.
-The newly-revealed parts of Garamsythe Waterways are packed thick, a bit overwhelming.
-OH GOD MISTAKES WERE MADE – my exploration turned up a surprise boss, a jolly fellow named Cuchulainn.
The room was poison, the adds were brutal, and he obliterated my poor level 31 party. I’ll come back later.
-I want to try once more down in the Garamsythe Waterways. Not necessarily Cuchulainn, but this Dusty Letter puzzle. I think I know what it means.
The letter says: “East Southeast East Southwest Southeast”
Each of those directions can refer to one of the four sluice gates that I can now unlock with my Sluice Gate Key. Is this a code? The order I’m supposed to operate the sluice gates?
YESSSSS!!! I got a “Dull Fragment,” another of the four pieces of the broken medallion. Two down, two do go.
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Hunt: Marilith
-I wonder if I can take Marilith yet. Going to head to Zertinian Caverns off Dalmasaca Westersand and try her.
-She’s a giant snake. Just what I expected, given the Marilith of FFI and FFIX.
-Pretty straightforward fight. Time Mage Penelo’s Haste cures Marilith’s Slows.
-Marilith was holding Serpentwyne, that the Sandsea tavernkeep needed for his customer, Migelo. I haven’t seen much of Migelo, but I disproportionately adore him.
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Hunt: Ixtab
-The next mark is Ixtab. The garif High-chief is the petitioner.
-Ixtab is in the Henne Mines.
-Found a “Darkened Tunnel” here I can’t access. I LOVE how the world constantly loops back on itself and grows! It’s super non-linear and I adore it.
-The Ixtab fight is pretty easy. It’s a specter.
-High-chief Zayalu tells me that Ixtab was made of the spirits of all garif who died in the mines. Jesus.
-New Clan rank is Riskbreaker.
-I stock up on three Steel Poleyns from the Clan Centurio vendor. Those let me move safely past traps. Seems really nice if I end up somewhere like the Necrohol.
-ooh, got a new monograph! The Warmage’s Monograph. Lets me get superior loot from amorphs and undead.
-The Cat-ear Hood is for sale from this vendor too. It lets me convert all LP earned to gil. Seems really sweet if I fill up my license board. Until then: no thanks.
-Still not sure what this “Feather of the Flock” item I got is used for. The description: “A legendary cockatrice feather with a brilliant white sheen. Touching the feather, you feel a strange bond with the cockatrices…” I’m hopeful that it’ll open a quest when the Dry Season comes back to Giza Plains, when I go back to the cockatrice ranch.
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Gambits
-I adjust my character’s gambitswant to take this time to examine my characters’ gambits. This is what I have for now, though it can change depend on what a given area throws at me.
There are plenty of abilities I use outside gambits. Some examples:
Achilles: Renders one foe vulnerable to an additional element. If I’m against tough enemies with a black mage in the party.
Decoy: Cause one ally to be the target of all foes. Use on either Fran or Vaan if a group of tough enemies.
Dispel: Remove beneficial status effects from one foe. Use on a tough enemy if it has shell/protect/etc.
Bubble: Double max HP of one ally. Use on allies before a boss fight.
Oil: Increase fire damage dealt to all foes in range. Use against tough fire-vulnerable/weak foes.
Toxify: Damage all foes in range over time. Against group of tough foes if my strongest magic spells won’t land.
Bleed: Heavily damage one foe over time. Against a boss-type.
Balance: Area damage equal to difference in caster’s current and max HP. Against a pack of enemies when health is low. I’d love to build this as a gambit, but can’t figure out how to do so.
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Return to Bhujerba
-The last thing I want to do this session is go once more around the world, talking to people to see what changed or what I missed.
-Bhujerba seems different, on some form of informal lockdown from the Empire.
-Everyone’s talking about the new Empire airship that can fly in jagd.
-Some people dropped things by accident from Bhujerba, and say those things will wash up on the Phon Coast.
-I need keys to get into each Lhusu Mine site. They keep them at the Staras Residence.
-The Staras kid ran away because he broke his mom’s Bhujerban Madhu, a liquor. I found a bottle of Bhujerban Madhu outside their house and tried to give it to both mom and kid, but no luck. They don’t take it.
The bottle is listed as loot so I want to sell it, but both Gysahl Greens and Teleport Stones are listed as loot too and they’re useful beyond selling. Gah. Oh well, I’ll just sell it.
I just really, really hope I’m not blowing my chance to access Diabolos.
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I had planned to not just visit Bhujerba, but also to visit all the other places I’vebeen to see what’s changed. But to be honest, that sounds kind of boring. I expect hints at future quests, some slight dialogue changes to reflect new events, but a lot of just walking and talking.
So I’ll call it for now and progress the story. Just in general, I’ll try to do that more. Push on with the story and explore the new places I find. I think the game will tell me when I should go back to an old city to explore.
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Next time: East of the Eruyt Village, towards Bur-Omisace.
