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There Be Xaela
-Yugiri, Gosetsu, Lyse and I head to the Azim Steppe. A vast, open steppe, sacred to Doma.
-Lots of non-Doman tribes in the area. We arrive at a more familiar settlement near the border first though, called Reunion.
-I like the music here! Reminds me of something out of Civilization VI, with that sweeping, grand scope.
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The Search for Lord Hien
-The Xaela are a race. I’ve seen them before I think, but I must’ve confused them with the Au’Ra. Lots of them live here in scattered tribes.
[Later edit: I just remembered something Noybusiness mentioned about some of the clans back in Rhalgr’s Reach and checked here. Yup! The Xaela ARE an Au’Ra tribe.]
-Hien was seen recently around Reunion with a girl from the Mol tribe.
-I love the coloring and costume in this place, drawn porobably from central Asian cultures. Some of the Xaela around Reunion:
-The Mol girl is Cirina.
She’s trying to buy “kinsai” (a food of some kind?) for her gods.
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A Season for War
-The two strongest tribes here are the Oronir and Dotharl. Some members snarl at each other a bit before a Qestir breaks it up.
-The Qestir are master of the markets. They are silent. “All words are lies to the Qestir.” That must be tough to be a silent trader.
-“Nadaam” is coming soon, a great battle among Xaela. The winning tribe rules from the “Dawn Throne” until the next year.
-Not all tribes fight. Some like the Qestir remain neutral. Others don’t want to rule. The Mol are fairly peaceful and don’t take part usually, but…
CIRINA: “But never mind that!” grrrrrr
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An Impossible Dream
-Long ago, Cirina found a nearly dead Lord Hien in the mountains thanks to a vision from her grandmother.
-We now find him on a cliff overlooking Reunion.
-Yugiri tells of Doma’s heart, how they’re ready to fight. Hien’s response is… unexpected.
HIEN: “Naught less than liberty will suffice, then? A pity. It will prove far more difficult to deliver than my head. But if my people wish an impossible dream, who am I to deny them?”
-He turns around for the first time giving the first full look at Lord Hien. I immediately love him.
-So… will he return with us?
-NO! HE PLANS TO WIN THE NADAAM AND RETURN AT THE HEAD OF A XAELA ARMY HOLY SHIT
His plan gives me strong Daenerys vibes.
-Not just for strategy either. He feels he owes the Mol a debt, and wishes to repay them by fighting on their behalf.
-Any hesitation I detected earlier in Hien was a misread on my part. He’s ready to rock.
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Stars in the Dark
-We head to the Mol encampment to plan our next steps.
-This is my favorite zone visually in Stormblood, with its open plains and rocky outcroppings. Too bad about all the malboros.
-Their leader is Khatun Temulun, an older woman who seems friendly, pious. Khatun is her title.
-Hien formally asks Temulun to represent them in the Nadaam. Cirina freaks out, given how weak the Mol are.
-BRILLIANT! Hien admits that their weakness is why he wants to join them in the first place. If he joined with a stronger tribe and they won, nobody would follow him. Everyone would think it was the stronger tribe that earned the victory, not Hien.
But if Hien wins with the MOL? He has a chance of earning wide respect among the Xaela.
Cirina is really upset. I wonder if this is platonic care for Hien or a crush.
-Temulun accepts his proposal.
-Cirina leads the group away, but Khatun Temulun asks me to stay behind briefly.
TEMULUN: “A singular radiance. Shimmering. Like a jewel of the Dusk Mother, blinding in its brilliance. Stars flicker and flock to you. Before such gathered light, even the secrets of the god may be laid bare.”
Ok that’s a great pick-up line.
-Aside from just saying how awesome my destiny is, she notes that some in my party will rise while others “falter and fade, though not from memory.” Shit. Someone’s gonna die in this Nadaam, aren’t they?
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A Warrior’s Welcome
-The Nadaam is meant to emulate the ancient Xaela warrior Bardam’s battle against a great demon. Cirina emphasizes how our path will be similarly rough.
-…so we deserve a FEAST!
CIRINA: “The hungry fox starves staring at the bull’s testicles, therefore warriors should be well fed on the eve of battle!” An ancient New York saying.
-We gather up some food and fuel to prep for the feast.
-There’s a nice moment where Lyse talks to some Mol kids about our different cultures. The kids don’t really know what a “nation” is, given their disperse nomadic society.
LYSE: “The place we were born is part of who we are. We carry it with us, no matter where we go. Whoever… whatever we become, that part remains – that link to our fathers and their fathers before them…”
-The kids can connect with this. Other tribes mock them for listening to the elder gods, but it’s their way. [Later edit: Ia! Ia! C’thulhu fh’tahgn!]Their “nation” in a sense.
-That night, after the feast, we get to see folks chilling out. Lyse enjoys a well-deserved rest.
-Also a sparring match between Gosetsu and Hien.
I love how much these two care for each other.
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The Ruby Princess (dungeon + fun side quest)
-A few sessions ago, an Au’Ra beneath the Ruby Sea – Kurenai – sent me to the Violet Palace, where the Ruby Princess lives. A visitor went there for a ritual of some kind and called demons and voidsent, overrunning the place.
-This dungeon is beautiful. An underwater garden followed by a palace.
-The final boss is especially awesome. A woman fused with a tentacle-footed turtle.
-Afterwards, I learn that Kurenai – the sister who sent me here to save the Ruby Princess – is ACTUALLY the Ruby Princess. The person we saved is her childhood friend.
So as far as I understand it, the wraiths started appearing before the visitor came. Then the Shiosai had the Ruby Princess swap with her friend for Kurenai’s safety just in case the visitor had bad intent. Good call.
-We rescued the body double but she’s still unconscious.
The true Ruby Princess above, the body double below.
Ruby Princess Kurenai will go above the water for the first time in her life to seek a cure for her friend.
Hee! The quest is even called “Part of Your World” (a “Little Mermaid” reference).
-What a cool questline! I get to follow the princess interacting super formally with pirates and Confederates in the surface world. It’s awkward and adorable.
-She tracks down a cure and saves her friend in the end.
Btw, the friend strongly reminds me of Lilisette, the dancer from FFXI.
I hope this isn’t the last we see of the Ruby Princess.
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Heaven-sent (Blue Kojin beast tribe)
-One of the new friendly beast tribes is the Blue Kojin. Their story centers on one particular Kojin, Kabuto.
His goal is to create a new “Vault,” a collection of treasure to honor the kami (local gods). All he has to begin with is a tiny doll someone gave him.
-Other Kojin get excited to join Kabuto’s mission. He wants to go it alone at first when a voice interjects.
THE VOICE COMES FROM THE DOLL. A kami is already inhabiting it. The Kojin hear and bow down.
TSUKUMO (the kami’s name): “The task before you is too great for a single Kojin. Kabuto, you must lead your brothers and sisters. Lead them to ever greater treasures and prosperity!”
-This new treasure hunting group is dubbed the Divine Circle.
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Next time: the Nadaam.
