The Road to Bur-Omisace
-Ready to set out from Eruyt Village for Mt. Bur-Omisace.
-Curiosity draws me south to a new zone, the Feywood. It’s too high level just yet.
-A boss guards the path east. Elder Wyrm. I love the overgrown design.
-Elder Wyrm uses Sporefall about a quarter of the way into the fight, the most allergy-inducing ability in the series short of the Goobue’s “Moldy Sneeze” attack in FFXIV. Tons of status effects.
-I head east to the Parmina Rift. I know I’m supposed to go to Bur-Omisace, but I at least want to see the new area.
-Found the Death spell! And the Revive technick too. I almost never use Death in these games, but will try to remember to test it on tougher enemies.
-Traveled south to the Miriam. Can’t progress here yet. Onto Bur-Omisace.
-The mountain is full of refugees. Larsa is SO CONVINCED his dad will try to make peace and save the refugees. I want to wrap him in a blanket to shelter him from the oncoming train of disappointment.
---
House Solidor Under Threat
-Scene change to Archades, to the Emperor and Vayne in the throne room.
-Vayne wants to silence the Senate. He thinks (rightly, imo) that their real problem isn’t with Vayne himself. It’s with Solidor’s power over the Senate.
-Vayne is so frigging smooth here. He appeals to the Emperor’s desire to keep “his” hands clean (Larsa’s, probably). Everyone know Larsa’s a cinnamon roll and wants to keep him safe, uncorrupted.
[Later edit: even as I call Vayne smooth, I don’t really think he’s against the Emperor here. This is a far different relationship than, say, Kefka’s relationship with Emperor Gestahl. I legitimately believe he wants to do what is best for House Solidor and the Archadian Empire.]
-The Emperor relents. It’s vague, but it sounds like Vayne and the Emperor will move against the Senate somehow. Maybe even a full “Godfather” baptism thing.
---
Mt. Bur-Omisace
-The Kiltias are the people who live here. A religious people, led by Gran Kiltias Anastasis.
-So many refugees here. This mountain is a haven from war. And not just one war – there are refugees from Nabradia, Landis, all over.
-Some technicks need a ranged weapon to hit a ranged target, not a melee. Makes sense.
-Sky islands float nearby. They’re said to be part of a long-destroyed floating continent. (Hello to FFI, FFIII, FFVI!)
An adorable temple acolyte.
-A viera named Relj is here. She just wants to be left alone, especially by “weak” humes.
-The temple’s design feels vaguely south/southeast Asian.
-Gran Kiltias Anastis is a “dream sage.” He seems to be in a perpetual dream state, one where he can still communicate with the outside world.
He knows Ashe is Rabinas’s daughter, and that she wants to be restored to power.
-A guy bursts in, Larsa’s ally. Al-Cid Margrace. I immediately haaaaaate everything about him. Hate hate hate.
-Al-Cid is one of Rozarria’s rulers. Glad Larsa has a partner in Rozarria.
-Al-Cid now tries to reverse this whole peace. Why? He engineered this meeting along with Larsa. Circumstances have apparently changed.
-OH SHITTTTTTT!!!! THE EMPEROR WAS MURDERED!! This must be a Dumbledore/Snape thing. The Emperor and Vayne agreed to act against the Senate, but this is way subtler than anything I expected.
---
Succession
-Scene change to Archades. Hahahha, this is AWESOME. Vayne has somehow framed the senators as the Emperor’s murderers.
-Major chaos amidst the judges in the throne room. Shaky-cam as they argue.
-Judge Drace was always disgusted by Vayne. She’s SURE he’s the murderer. She’s right.
-Vayne asks for full autocratic powers and the abolition of the senate. The other judges don’t necessarily believe it was the Senate, but Rozarria’s impending invasion makes open to supporting Vayne as Emperor.
-I frigging LOVE Judge Drace! She tries to place newly-crowned Vayne under arrest.
The hyper-serious dialogue cracks me up a bit. AJudge Bergan gets behind her: “When you bared your sword at his excellency, you bared your sword at the law!”
-She attacks Judge Bergan, but he basically throws her across the room with one arm. She even calls his strength inhuman and he growls in reply. I’ll bet we have a boss fight against him where he transforms into some kind of steroid beast mode.
-Vayne orders Judge Gabranth to execute Drace. He wants to test Gabranth’s loyalty – he knows Gabranth was spying on Vayne for the Emperor. I also like Gabranth. [Later edit: GAH STOP GIVING ME IMPERIALS THAT I LIKE]
She accepts this – asks Gabranth to care for Larsa in her stead. He kills her quickly, mercifully.
Really interesting how the execution is framed like a love scene.
RIP Drace. I hope some universe exists where you and Beatrix from FFIX are best friends.
-Vayne whispers to his father’s corpse: “And so House Solidor lives on.”
---
Power Against Power
-Back to Bur-Omisace. Now Al-Cid’s request makes sense. The late Emperor would have been receptive to peace. If Ashe asks Vayne, he’ll probably just declare her an impostor and kill her.
-Vayne is a military genius. He wants this war. He has a huge armada as well as nethicite.
-Ashe acknowledges the changed circumstances. Declaring herself queen now is a losing proposition that helps no one, least of all Dalmasca. She needs more power.
GRAN KILTIAS: “To wield power against power. Truly the words of a hume-child.” I get the danger of an arms race, but what is she supposed to do if not seek power?
-Despite this mockery, Gran Kiltias gives us a next step. He suggests we seek “Raithwall’s last gift” at the shrine past the Rift. The “Sword of Kings,” that can cut through nethicite.
-Raithwall gave this sword to the Gran Kiltias of his time rather than his own family line. Maybe he wanted a failsafe in case the line of Raithwall became corrupted. Checks and balances.
-Larsa leaves the party to consult further with the Gran Kiltias. See ya, buddy.
-Someone’s hunting for a wyrm species called a vyraal. The Gran Kiltias long ago drove off such a wyrm to Paramina Rift. I’ll bet the wyrm will be a boss in Stilshrine of Miriam.
---
Next time: Stilshrine of Miriam.
