The Trade City of Sal Ghidos
-We run into a flower peddler. Either Aeris is crossing over or this is a bandit about to attack me.
[Later edit: I didn’t notice this until reviewing my screenshots, but it even looks like the flower peddler has Aeris’ hair, those two locks of hair coming up and down out the front of her head. (I don’t know hair terms.) Perhaps this is just a War of the Lions easter egg.]
-I have the option to buy a flower for 1 gil. I do so… and that’s it? Odd little scene.
-Found Blue Materia from an errand. Quite a materia stock I’m building. I’m a level 7 treasure hunter!
-One errand reward is the terrifying Calcobrena doll from FFIV.
“It is said their lifeless eyes harbor the souls of lost owners.” I still don’t forgive FFIV: The After Years for putting Calcabrena into my party.
---
Mount Germinas
-Knight Templar Loffrey is talking to Dycedarg. Loffrey’s the dude who recruited Wiegraf.
-Dycedarg wants to reunify Ivalice, and has no intention to play nice with the Church.
-Loffrey accuses Dycedarg of the poisoning from last session. Makes sense, though I didn’t think he was behind it until now. I assumed he was just being opportunistic when the poison hit.
-Loffrey also brings a Zodiac Stone from Mullonde.
Uh oh. Lucavi!Dycedarg incoming.
---
Limberry Castle
-Starting at the castle gate. No one’s here.
-Crap. Celia arrives. One of the demons with the marquis. Lettie is here too, the other demon. (Again, I’ve just seen their human forms, but there’s zero doubt in my mind that they’re demons.)
Knocked out Celia. That ends the fight. She and Lettie teleport inside. I really like how the game features fights where I don’t just always have to kill everything.
CELIA: “If you would see your sister again, you must fight your way to her!”
-Elmdore waits inside with Folmarv, contemplating the defeat of Belias and Cuchulainn. My money is on Zodiark possessing Elmdore. Adrammelech (?) awaits in the Rift.
-It just hit me - that’s the message the Stone gave him. Alma is going to be Adrammelech’s host.
ELMDORE: “Then all that remains is the revival of the master… Do we have a host for the High Seraph? Do not tell me it is that girl.”
-“The High Seraph” rings a very specific bell to me from FFXII: Ultima. I didn’t get to her in my playthrough (like 1-2 rooms away!) but watched the fight after I finished the game.
The game’s lore also had her as leader of the rebellious espers. Maybe Zodiark isn’t really the final boss.
-Wait, so Alma is going to host the High Seraph’s soul? Then who are they implying will host Adrammelech’s soul?
-Celia and Lettie port into the room to warn them about Ramza’s advance.
-Folmarv heads to the Necrohol. A name I associate with Nabudis, but probably just means any place where dead chings are housed.
-Next stage of the fight. Facing off again against Elmdore, Celia, and Lettie.
-My mission is to defeat the Marquis here. Going to ignore Celia and Lettie..
-Elmdore’s job is listed as “vampire.” Celia and Lettie are “assassins.”
-I hit Elmdore hard and take him out directly. He escapes deeper into the necrohol.
---
Limberry Castle – Inner Court
-A voice speaks, warning me against the danger here.
-LOL ARGATH??? THAT ASSHOLE FROM LIKE CHAPTER 1?
-He died, so I guess he’s either a zombie, a vampire, or something.
-Argath summons a swarm of demons. Again, my goal is to defeat Argath here, so I beeline to him.
-The demons he summons are called “Ultima Demons,” boosting my “Ultima is the boss” theory.
-Got him! What a jackwagon, even in death.
-We push on. This seems like the Undercroft.
-He summons a swarm of ghosts, then transforms into Zalera, the Death Seraph. He looks… not great lol.
In FFXII, Zalera was one of my favorite espers by look, a woman melded with a reaper. Here, Zalera looks like a mean dragonfly.
-There are a lot of enemies. This may take a few tries. First attempt, beelining for Zalera.
-Zalera uses Sleep. Gotta use anti-sleep gear.
-Meliadoul arrives in the room. She’s in shock. Ramza was telling the truth about the stones.
-I’m thankful for her presence. She tanks a lot of damage from the undead Zalera summoned.
-YAY! Got him.
ZALERA: “Hashmal… bring order here… where I have failed…” He dies and the stone drops. IIRC Hashmal was also an XII esper, but I can’t picture them.
-What is the ultimate end here for the Lucavi?
-Meliadoul is trying to cope with what she learned, and doing an okay job. Sounds like she’ll join us.
-Folmarv gifted the Capricorn Stone to Lord Dycedarg. Not sure why. Perhaps it’s a compatibility thing.
-Meliadoul has “Save the Queen,” the weapon used by FFIX’s glorious Beatrix from FFIX. Her job is not exciting though. She just has a few “Crush X” abilities.
---
Delita the Hero
-Scene change to Ovelia. She’s overhearing what sounds like prison guards stopping someone who broke out of their cell.
-Orran! Orran is the one who pushed to get to her.
-Orran tells her that the accused Count Orlandeau did not actually kill Duke Goltanna.
-Southern Sky Knights burst in, led by Delita. He orders them out the door.
-Delita wants to bring down the Northern Sky, make Ivalice “level,” and get Orran’s help in doing so. And as part of this, he plans to bring down the High Confessor.
“The masses yearn for a hero. I will give them what they wish.”
-There’s a touch of ego here, but I really, really like him. My biggest concern is that his desire for power – even power to change the world for good – will lead him to take a Zodiac Stone. To go full Wiegraf.
---
Zalbaag’s Discovery
-Scene change to Zalbaag out in the middle of nowhere, speaking to an herbalist. They’re at someone’s grave. I think it’s Duke Larg’s.
-OH SHIT HE’S GETTING PROOF THAT DYCEDARG WAS BEHIND THE POISONING! (I think? Not sure.)
-I had debated before whether Zalbaag would stay with Dycedarg or join me. I think I may get a new party member.
---
Next time: Eagrose Castle.
