Dreams of the Lost
-The Warriors of Darkness confuse Alphinaud. They have the Echo and fight primals like us. How has Alphinaud not heard of them? They’d be perfect recruits.
-Small upside: part of why Vidofnir didn’t make peace was the threat from the resurgent Gnath. The Warriors killed their god Ravana, so… peace?
(this isn’t about anything, but it hits me that Vidofnir has these big beautiful anime eyes.)
-Vidofnir is happy to hear about this. He has news to share as well, word from his “sire” (iirc Hraesvelgr). It’s a long and flowing answer that honors Shiva’s memory and aims. He wishes for peace too now, as Shiva did.
-Vidofnir will travel to Ishgard on behalf of the dragons.
-Scene change to a rainy night in Ishgard. Ser Aymeric is walking through the city.
The voiceover notes that not everyone loves Aymeric. Some view him as a “scheming patricide.” Makes sense. The Archbishop had followers who must see Aymeric’s rise as a bloody coup.
-A RANDO IN THE STREET STABS AYMERIC IN THE HEART WITH A KNIFE
NARRATOR: “Honorable men, whose knife in the dark was the spark which set the city aflame. And who sang as it burned.”
Hard to say if Aymeric died. I give him 60/40 odds to live.
-We return to Ishgard to meet Hilda and Lucia. Thankfully, Aymeric is alive.
-The stabbing we saw was only one part of a larger attack. Several building burst into flame soon after.
-It’s up to us to help track down the conspirators.
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Against the Dying of the Light
-They’ve just met but I already ship Hilda and Thancred.
-We question the arson victims, mostly folks in the poor part of town. Everyone’s saying, “I don’t know how my house burned down, but thank goodness the Church is here to help me in my time of need!”
I have a suspect. I’ll bet the Church is feeling the Archbishop’s absence and wants to remind folks of its power and value.
-Hilda and Thancred agree. Ishgardian church buildings were miraculously spared from the fire.
-Yup. Alphinaud found the arsonist and we get him to confess. Someone from the Church hired him.
CAPTIVE: “Even a sinner such as me could find salvation in the Fury’s work, he said. I’d left it behind – tried to with all my heart! Said my prayers every day, like a good man. But he came to me! He came to me!”
Real holy folks in that church.
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As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness
-The arsonist was a good start, but we’ve just got the button man. We need the mastermind.
-Hi, Aymeric! He joins the conversation, wounded as he is.
-Ruh roh. A knight busts in to tell us that an armed mob has taken the Vault. They’ve taken arson refugees hostage and barricaded themselves inside.
-Those in charge are the “True Brothers of the Faith.” This is a church group, as expected.
-They have two demands: 1) convene a conclave to select the next Archbishop, and; 2) convict Ser Aymeric of patricide and high treason.
Yeah, that’s a no. Time to stage an assault on the Vault.
Count Edmond de Fortemps’ eldest will join us, Artoirel. Haurchefant’s brother. Inexperienced, but looks like he’s grown more serious since Haurchefant’s death.
-The Vault is a dungeon I’ve done before. This is version of it suits the new story mode, with new enemies and mechanics. One of FFXIV’s real strengths is reusing assets in new and interesting ways.
-This version of the Vault gives me an NPC party. We go around saving hostages from the clergy, and trying to preserve the wounded Aymeric’s vitality.
Our party.
Some cool chess knight enemies here.
-We reach the top. An exceptionally nasty clergyman rages at Aymeric as a violent usurper. He has a hostage, a kid. He holds the kid over a parapet.
HOLY SHIT THE PRIEST THREW THE KID OFF
JESUS I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT
-WOOHOOOO VIDOFNIR! She was on her way her for a diplomatic visit, and managed to save the kid, catching her in midair before she could splat on the pavement. Talk about great timing.
-Welp, the priest who tossed her is pretty fucked up, but this puts the dragons in the best possible light in a city that fundamentally mistrusts them. What an entrance for Vidofnir. The townsfolk nearby stare up at her in awe.
”Thou art welcome, child.
Again, this is probably the first positive encounter any of them have had with a dragon.
-Vidofnir bears a message from Hraesvelgr: Nidhogg’s shade beckoned to his brood and they left for unknown skies. We have to deal with Team Nidhogg sooner rather than later.
-Later. Y’shtola worries about Thancred. She thinks his “aetheric flow” has been disrupted by his teleportation through the Lifestream. He may not be able to use magick. That explains why he didn’t just teleport back to us when he popped out of the Lifestream.
-We regroup at House Fortemps. Artoirel has started to step to the forefront, and now I know why: Count Edmond de Fortemps will retire.
Artoirel.
He’s under suspicion of aiding in a coup, so they’ll need a new face.
-Scene change. Urianger is reading a book brought to him by… Crap. Elidibus the Ascian and the Warrior of Darkness.
ELIDIBUS: “Our fates were ordained long ago, Archon. The Garleans are no exceptions. Nor the Triad. You know what must be done.”
What the hell is Urianger doing on casual terms with these guys?
ALSO YAY THE WARRING TRIAD IS GOING TO COME INTO PLAY!
-Someone overhears their conversation, someone unseen, and disappears. Was that the missing Scion, Yda?
-Scene change to Yda and Papalymo. They seem to be Imperial slaves, or at least menial laborers. They’re preparing to enact a plan of some sort. At least they’re alive.
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As It Once Was
-Good news! F’lhaminn, Hoary Boulder, and Coultenet (Scion allies) were in hiding. They’ve heard things are safe and are returning home.
-Krile and Thancred have an idea to track the missing Minfilia. Hydaelyn spoke to Minfilia right before we lost track of her, so Krile and Thancred can trace the residue of that contact.
-I head to Limsa Lominsa to meet the homecomers. They’re a colorful bunch.
Literally.
-Coultenet (the wizard type) especially looks like the a character I’d create when using RNG to pick each clothing piece’s color separately.
-F’lhamminn is Minfilia’s mom. She’s understandably upset to hear that Minfilia is still missing.
-This group will return to our old/new HQ, the Rising Stones.
-Scene change to an imperial outpost. Thancred’s disguised as a soldier and sneaks in with Krile.
-Hee! Krile teases Thancred for being unusually brusque, not flirting with her.
…I feel bad for laughing. He must still be reeling from having lost his magic.
-Or that wasn’t it? He shares a story of why he cares for Minfilia, why he’s tracking her down (more than just any other comrade). 15 years ago, a goobbue broke free and ran amok through Ul’dah. It killed Minfilia’s father, and Thancred blames himself for now being more attentive.
On top of that guilt, he admired her resilience after the fact, her willingness to lead.
-Krile shares her side of the mission: Minfilia is her dearest friend.
-Scene change to the Rising Stones. There’s a party for the returned Scions.
-It’s a festive atmosphere. Hoary Boulder’s brother, Ocher Boulder, is here too.
-Alphinaud is happy to see it but still feels guilty.
“’Twas the chaos born of my foolish ambition which forced them to flee.”
-I’ll never get tired of Tataru’s joyful emotes and expressions.
SHE’S SO ADORABLE.
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The Word of the Mother
-Alphinaud and I head to Idyllshire to meet up with Krile and Thancred. Their search led them to believe that Hydaelyn summoned Minfilia to “the aetherial sea” (?).
-Our next step is to head to the Antitower, a Sharlayan construction over that aetherial sea. We can only access the Antitower with permission from its last custodian, Matoya. We go see her.
-The tower was abandoned 15 years ago to its magical keepers. I’m expecting this to be a dungeon with lots of magic automatons.
-Alphinaud is surprised that Matoya isn’t discouraging us from going there, since she’s the tower’s Keeper.
MATOYA: “The Forum foisted the title on me. During the exodus, every entrance to the Antitower was sealed save one. My role consists of making sure no one with ill intent sneaks through it. Such was the Forum’s final ‘order’ to me.”
I’m not sure what this exodus was or what the Forum is.
-Let’s go find Minfilia.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
-He hasn’t come up yet, but Alexander is still just kind of sitting in one of the zones encased in a stasis bubble. It’s intensely ominous to fly above it and just see him sitting there.
-I really, really love this player’s silver and black armor set:
-I’ve been playing around with the game’s “glamour plate” system, where you can make the gear you’re wearing look like other gear.
It’s… okay? Sure, it’s super awkward and overly complex, but once you get sort of used to it, it allows a fair bit of freedom.
I added some of the cosmetic sets the game gave me as subscription rewards.
FFII’s Firion Qushu:
FFVII’s Ququshu Strife:
FFVIII’s Squall Qushu:
FFIX’s Zidane-shu:
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Next time: to the Antitower dungeon to find Minfilia.
