The Color of Angry Qiqirin (Meffrid)
-The Qiqirin HQ is in an awesome-looking upside-down ziggurat.
-HOLY SHIT THE QIQIRIN LOOK SATANIC!
”Man-flesh! Ours to eat! Ours to eat!”
These are not normal Qiqirin. [Later edit: They still look more ragged and feral, but I now see that the red eyes are some kind of night-vision goggles they’re wearing.]
-I fight to the top and save the terrified Wercrata. He’s terrified both from his kidnapping and because it’s making him late with the tributum. The Empire could give Ala Gannha hell for a late tributum.
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The Black Wolf’s Pups (Meffrid)
-We follow Wercrata stealthily to ensure he makes the handoff.
-The people meeting him have odd masks, like something out of a masquerade. Meffrid calls them “Skulls.”
-They’re some real assholes. They rough up Wercrata and give him shit for being late and light. They punch him, they kick him, they taunt him… it’s brutal to watch. An Imperial brute squad.
-Lyse’s rage builds as we watch from the shadows. She rises to fight before Meffrid checks her:
“Think you can kill them all – including the ones watching from the tower? Even if you did, others would come for him and his family. You’d be condemning them all to a life of hard labor – assuming they didn’t just execute them, that is.”
I haven’t found the imperials interesting because they felt distant, more of a cartoon villain a la Cobra in GI Joe. The start of Stormblood is changing my mind. It fleshes them out as a force major and overwhelming oppression.
-A woman named Fordola interrupts the beating.
She’s their leader, and reminds the Skulls that they need to get back to Lord Zenos. The Imperial viceroy maybe? That name came up in the 50-60 red mage quests. Lord Zenos was Lambard’s paymaster.
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Homeward Bound (Meffrid)
-We return to Ala Gannha. Raganfrid knows what we did and trust us… but doesn’t change his mind. He thinks his village has given as much as it can; all that’s left is to deal with the Empire day by day.
-Lyse stalks off in frustration.
-One of the worst parts for her is that the Skulls are Ala Mhigans, doing this to their own!
-At this low moment, the Cynical Youth who berated Lyse approaches. He apologizes! He saw her act to save Wercrata, something the Youth didn’t think to do.
See, Lyse? This place is still your home. You can still be an inspiration.
The Youth will join the Resistance in Rhalgr’s Reach. Some of his friends will join too.
Meffrid’s warning: “Young, old, conscript, citizen, Garlean, Ala Mhigan – none of that matters. They’ve all got their reasons. B ut they’re no better than yours, especially when they’re bearing down on you, blade in hand.”
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A Friend of a Friend in Need (M’naago)
-Now that Meffrid’s recruitment quest is done, onto M’naago’s.
-We met M’naago at the end of Heavensward, when she stumbled injured into Scion HQ.
Her mission is to hand-deliver the details of our agreement and details of the Resistance forces to the Eorzean Alliance back at the Wall.
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Signed, Sealed, to Be Delivered (M’naago)
-We arrive. M’naago is excited to meet Raubahn, an Ala Mhigan legend.
-She notes how badly the Griffin hurt Resistance morale. Many joined him and died fruitlessly.
-Pipin proposes we rebuild that confidence by fighting alongside them in open combat against Imperial regulars. Show them they have a chance.
Pipin’s “I’ve come up with a scheme!” face.
-A shipment of magitek armor is arriving at Castellum Velodyna. Let’s ambush the shipment.
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Best Served with Cold Steel (M’naago)
-That imperial jackass, Grynewaht (who we fought just before Omega/Shinryu) leads the patrol.
-It’s a long fight but we take them out and send Grynewaht fleeing yet again.
-My favorite part is when the Ala Mhigan Resistance fighters join to finish off the magitek prototype.
Grynewaht flees yet again to fight another day, but I don’t think we’ll have to deal with him more than another time.
-WOOHOO VICTORY!
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Let Fill Your Hearts with Pride (M’naago)
-We return back to Rhalgr’s Reach. The victory was mostly symbolic, but that’s what we need for recruits.
CONRAD: “Promises and platitudes mean naught without action. But the Alliance took the field and risked their lives for our cause.”
Conrad and M’naago.
-M’naago will go spread the news to neighboring village. Progress.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
-Started a series of quests around the “Scholasticate.” It’s not the most thrilling quest series, but still an interesting look at Ishgard’s politics in the wake of the church’s lies being exposed.
The clergy tries to adapt and deal with outside backlash.
-These quests also feature the return of Briarden, the inspector from the Hildebrand quests:
-A visitor from FFIII:
-Found this player named Black Caat and I really dig her character design and outfit:
-Chocobos can wear pants:
-Famous Eorzean director:
-My friend Raq got me a PUPPY! Sure, that puppy was a brutal tyrant in FFVI, but who cares? When you emote “pet” it, it rolls on its back and gets belly rubs!
-Everything about this player’s design is glorious:
His wind-up Echidna is another FFIII reference, one of the final mini-bosses in the World of Darkness:
A wind-up Khloe, the miqo’te girl who deals with the “Tails of Wonder” mini-game:
-SPARKLEBIRB:
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Next time: I’m actually not sure what our next step is! We’ve begun Resistance recruitment in earnest, so maybe we start more openly taking the fight to the Empire.
