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A Vermillion Vendetta
-X’rhun wants to use familiar sights or events to return Arya’s memory.
-Arya and I walk around the port a bit. She remembers she liked looking at ships. Was she a sailor? Or just grew up around them?
-She remembers an uncle. The uncle tried to protect her from something… That must be the moment when she was kidnapped.
-Yup. She now remembers that she’s from Limsa Lominsa. She and her uncle were on the road when ambushers attacked. They killed her uncle.
-My early fears about Arya seem to have been mistaken. She was just a victim.
-X’rhun and I are about to move on in hunting the cabal. But she’s not staying behind. Arya wants to join us and take on the cabal that kidnapped her. Holy shit that’s brave.
-Arya has a lead. The last words she remembers before blacking out: “Isles of Umbra. The master calls…”
-We head to the Isle of Umbra, plow through a bunch of mindless thralls, and reach the end – some sort of giant “Fear Gorta,” a badass-looking cloaked demon.
-The screen pans out to an Imperial looking down on us. They leap down to us.
???: “Your mortal frame brims with vital energies. An irresistible feast.”
-X’rhun recognizes this guy. Lambard.
“Ah yes, the valiance Crimson Duelists. Such fond memories. I relished their slaughter.”
-X’rhun calls Lambard a traitor. A former Duelist who sold out to the Empire.
-HAH! That’s awesome – Lambard prepares to fight like a red mage. Pulls out his rapier.
-Arya joins the fray, lobbing a fireball at Lambard, and that’s too tipped against him for now. He flees. Arya’s a mage!
-Back in Aleport, X’rhun tries that whole “This is my fight and I won’t ask you to join me blah blah blah” thing. Lol no.
-Arya’s sticking with us too, yay! She wants to learn red magic.
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On Lambard’s Trail
-Master Wilkins is safe for now, but we need info on who the cabal will next target. The puppet ship gets orders from Castrum Meridianum, the Imperial fortress, so let’s go there.
-I cause a distraction while X’rhun and Arya sneak inside to retrieve some records.
-Arya’s been training. Her white magic is weak, but she’s working on it with X’rhun.
-X’rhun and Arya found that the cabal spirits arcane-skilled youth to Lambard for “branding.” He destroys their wills, turns them into magical automatons basically.
-Crown Prince Zenos of the Empire is behind this plan’s expansion.
-The cabal’s next target is Cid’s “Garlond Ironworks.” They’re a sanctuary for imperial defector engineers and they aid the Ala Mhigan Resistance.
-They’re targeting Cid’s senior staff, especially a higher-up named Jessie.
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Stained in Scarlet
-LOLOL JESSIE IS BASICALLY JESSIE FROM FFVII! Same look and name, anyway.
-The ambush is coming soon. We’ll be ready.
-Arya will pose as Jessie to draw the attack onto someone at least sort of prepared.
Two Jessies.
-X’rhun still doesn’t know why Lambard defected to the Empire. Probably not just the coin.
-I fight off some ambushers on the way, then we confront Lambard.
LAMBARD: “How many lives did we save, you and I? And what did that truly accomplish? The ancient art of red magic is capable of so much more.”
This is like that meme of Sauron saying he didn’t want to cure cancer. He wanted to turn people into dinosaurs.
-Red magic draws power from one’s own soul. Too much and you die.
LAMBARD: “Imagine the incredible powers we could unleash… were we not caged within these prisons of flesh.”
-He spent years restructuring his body to withstand greater power. Now he’s here.
-Black, red, and white magic envelops. I was expecting him to grow horns or grow huge, but no lol. His hair just turns from blonde to red.
-Lambard and X’rhun lunge at each other.
X’rhun gets the better of the exchange, but a scratch on X’rhun was all Lambard needed. It opens up a an arcane wound that allows Lambard to drain his life force. X’rhun’s alive, but barely.
-Lambard finally reveals why he defected to the Empire. His transformation requires him to feed on others’ life force constantly. The Empire’s “assignments” provide him constant prey.
(I have a feeling we’ll deal with his master, Prince Zenos, in the 60-70 questline.)
-X’rhun may be wounded, but Arya and I are ready to fight.
His most dangerous attack is when he summons Void Fire orbs all around. I have to destroy one to create a safe zone.
-GOT HIM!!! Tough fight. Lots of dodging, had to heal myself and Arya throughout, and kill adds as we went!
-Lambard is almost hilariously a straight-up villain. He tells Arya “Will this be the injustice which breaks you? A pit I will miss… your suffering…”
Wait, does that mean Arya has some future shit to deal with? I hope not. She’s been through enough.
For now, everyone’s whole and alive.
-We regroup in Mor Dhona. Jessie thanks us for saving her ass.
-X’rhun finally has some closure. Plus, a tangible victory for Ala Mhigo.
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And that’s the first red mage storyline! It was… okay? I liked some of the characters, especially Arya, and the Ala Mhigo story (which coincides with what I’m doing at the end of Heavensward).
X’rhun story was solid enough. Any disconnect I feel with it is largely due to the story (“noble hero seeking revenge upon the comrade who betrayed him”) not being the freshest catch in the sea.
That said, I did like it, and look forward to seeing how it develops into Stormblood at 60-70.
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Next time: the dark knight quests, level 30-50.
