Disclosure
-My success defending Alphinaud and Tataru and helping out the Count’s sons is a feather in House Fortemps’ cap. My victory as their ward brings them honor.
-The archbishop himself wants to meet me! I’m… concerned. The one time I saw the archbishop in a cutscene, he was flanked by two invisible Ascians.
-I head into the Vault. Archbishop Thordan VII sits on a throne, Heavens’ Ward knights around him. He apologizes for his knights detaining my comrades. “Negligence born of an excess of zeal.”
-His next move surprises everyone: he dismisses his guards. He wants to speak to me in private.
ARCHBISHOP: “Now tell me, young lady: what do you know of the Ascians?”
JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE. Maybe he’s honestly a good guy who sees the Ascians and just can’t do anything about them yet.
-He admits that he met with them. They offered him power against the dragons. He wants to refuse – they’re evil and he doesn’t want to be their puppet – but he didn’t refuse outright. He’s trying to learn more about their plans, stringing them along.
The archbishop is a cagey fellow.
-The gist of this meeting: he wants to work together with me to destroy the Ascians.
My initial impressions: no clue. None. He could be playing me, he could be playing the Ascians. My current bet is that he himself hasn’t even decided. He’s keeping his options open.
-I report back into Alphinaud at House Fortemps, where Tataru reports an awful rumor: General Raubahn is to be executed.
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Flame General Affairs
-We first need details on the happenings in Ul’dah. Time to visit our allies in Limsa Lominsa.
-The commanding and radiant Admiral Merlwyb greets me. She and Kan-E-Senna of Gridania have managed to suppress the Syndicate’s charge of regicidie against me, given the overwhelming lack of evidence.
-Somehow, The Ul’dahn authorities haven’t announced the Sultana’s death yet. They’re telling everyone she’s just ill and convalescing. Hm. Perhaps they don’t want to deal with the chaos that would ensue.
-Alphinaud asks a GREAT question. Not why the Ul’dahn Syndicate plans to execute Raubahn, but rather: why haven’t they already done so?
-The Crystal Braves are holding Raubahn in an undisclosed location. Merlwyb thinks the relationship between the Braves and Lord Lolorito of the Syndicate is strained now. Could be why.
-The Domans are currently searching for Raubahn’s location. I head to Mor’Dhona to meet them.
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Keeping the Flame Alive
-The search takes us to the Thanalan dungeon of Halatali. The Domans saw Ilberd of the Crystal Braves take Raubahn in.
-I thought this was going to be a hard-mode dungeon, but no. Just a regular quest.
-Yugiri the Doman ninja joins and her fellow “shinobis” joins us in the rescue.
-We push past a few Crystal Braves. Raubahn is imprisoned alone in a room. No guards. Trap?
-Yup. Trap. The Crystal Brave Yuyuhase drops a gate behind us and starts pisoning the room.
-A timer starts. Alphinaud, Yugiri, and I break the gate and find the source of the poison. We also find Ilberd’s key prison key and release him. I like these quests that give me NPC helpers.
-Ilberd leads a trio of Crystal Braves blocking the way.
-It’s a tough fight, a large melee. We defeat them.
-Ilberd worked so hard for the liberation of his home, Ala Mhigo. Served whatever power he could. Nothing helped. I think that for him, seeing the Scions continue to strive is frustrating and enraging.
”If we ourselves are not free – free to think and to act – how are we ever to reclaim our homeland? Know this: there is nothing I would not give to take back Ala Mhigo! NOTHING!”
-They flee. We have Raubahn.
Rescue successful!
-OK WHAT. ALPHINAUD THINKS THE SULTANA’S ALIVE? I honestly hope not. Like, there are cool story things they can do with that, but it would be a step towards reversing the key impactful plot point at the end of “A Realm Reborn.”.
-A stranger approaches us outside Halatali with a message. His “mistress” and Urianger await us at the Waking Sands. The first Scion HQ. Off we go.
-Urianger is indeed here. I’m side-eying him. In the post-ARR cutscene, we saw him with the Ascians.
-PIPIN IS HERE! He’s delighted to see his adoptive father, Raubahn.
-The Dark Messenger’s mistress appears. “It was I who arranged this gathering.” Her name is Dewlala, head of the Order of Nald’thal and member of the Syndicate.
-A Syndicate member like Lolorito and Teledji? Perhaps she’s a rival of Lolorito’s on the Syndicate.
“You are all victims of a most ingenious ruse – a ruse conceived to eliminate the threat posed by Teledji Adeledji.”
Teledji plotted the assassination. When Lolorito learned of it, he exploited things to remove his two rivals – Teledji and Raubahn – through the events at the end of FFXIV. He had his servant swap Teledji’s fatal poison for a non-fatal variety.
-Especially interesting that Lolorito could have deposed the Sultana, but he didn’t. He screwed Raubahn over badly, but he also sorta saved the Sultana’s life. Maybe he finds
-But what’s his endgame? At this point, is he just screwed? There’s a clear link between him and the Crystal Braves, and when Raubahn talks to the Sultana again, he’s dead. (I mean, I doubt this – he’s probably craftier than that – but still.)
-Dewlala seems to be an institutionalist. Prosperity in stability.
-She gives Raubahn a mission he’ll gladly accept: rescue the Sultana.
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To Siege or Not to Siege
-Word comes in that the Dravanians are once more about to attack Ishgard. Pipin will stay here and investigate things in Ul’dah while we push on.
TATARU: “What other choice do we have? It’s not like dragons and men are on speaking terms!
ALPHINAUD: “…With certain notable exceptions.”
Aha! He wants to ask Lady Iceheart to help making peace with the dragons/Dravanians.
-We check in with Ser Aymeric, a frequent ally in Ishgard. Hopefully he’s willing to hold back Ishgard from fighting until we try diplomacy.
-Scene change. We see the Archbishop learning of the dragon attack, and he gets all fire-and-brimstone. He also mentions that he’ll use a “divine blade” to drown the heretics in dragon blood. Does he mean a literal divine blade?
-The Heavens’ Ward knight he’s talking to, Zephirin, worries “the Paragons” will see through their deception. I’ll admit, I’m a bit lost here.
-Zephirin transforms in some way we can’t fully see. His voice becomes deep and alien.
“For the glory of King Thordan.” Ruh-roh. Not Archbishop. My current prediction for the Ishgard storyline is that we’ll end up siding with an alliance of good dragons and good Ishgardians against Archbishop/King Thordan as the expansion’s final boss.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
Ququshu on her lovely black chocobo:
Idk wtf this is:
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Next time: searching for Lady Iceheart.
