Summary: Lakshmi the primal. Fordola gets an upgrade. Setting up in the Peaks.
FORDOLA: “I am terrified of dying having achieved naught. Gladly would I give my life to win a great victory on the battlefield, had I but the strength.” OH NO. Please say she’s not gonna take the Grynewaht upgrade package.
-Zenos urges her to give voice to the rage she’s only beginning to feel.
FORDOLA: “I want to make them pay! All of them! Everyone who ever mocked or looked down on me – I want the power to make them pay!”
Her voice actress is KILLING IT.
-He offers to help her “transcend” her mortal limits. And summons a scientist from behind the throne.
Yup. Magitek upgrade time for Fordola.
---
The First of Many
-The Vira delight in our victory. They hope to eventually bring the Qalyana to
their way of thinking about freedom.
-The Imperials have retreated east to the Peaks. Raubahn’s ready to push forward.
-We celebrate and relax. The cooking reminds Lyse of her family, her parents and Yda.
-We move east to the Peaks, to a newly liberated village of Ala Ghiri.
---
Strong and Unified
-Raubahn took Ala Ghiri easily, with the Empire in retreat. His next target is their stronghold of Specula Imperatoris, and Castrum Abania after that. Ala Mhigo lies beyond.
-Castum Abania holds a massive cannon.
-It’s unusual that Zenos didn’t fight for Ala Ghiri. He’s got something planned for us.
-Scene change, to an Imperial research facility…
-Krile is being held in some chamber here. Uh oh.
-And Fordola is on an operating table. This is post-op.
-The scientist in charge is named Aulus mal Asina.
-Interesting! Garleans lack the ability to manipulate aether. They can’t use magick.
-This weakness led to their oppression early on. They fled north to Ilsabard, and there found ceruleum. They used the ceruleum to develop magitek.
-Aulus wanted more. He wanted to use ceruleum to alter Garlean physiology and genetics to allow them to use actual magick. Most mocked him. Zenos did not.
All this is ringing loud bells for me, loud FFVI-sounding bells. I basically have Devil’s Lab playing in my head as he talks. He’s describing the kind of experiments that led to Celes, Kefka, and Terra.
-But Fordola is Ala Mhigan, not Garlean! Apparently this is even better, and gives her even greater powers than normal magick.
Now I see Zenos’ trap. He plans to use our imminent attack on Specula Imperatoris to test Fordola’s new power.
-Or not. Hm. Zenos has some other plans for Fordola, that we don’t hear.
-The camera pans out and we see Thancred watching this from afar.
“Found you.”
---
Random Stuff Around Eorzea
A player appropriately named “Swag Monsta”:
Fat Chocobo riders have awesome incentive systems. Cabbage on a stick:
---
Next time: Campaigning in the Peaks.
---
The Lady of Bliss
-We head to Lakshmi’s cave. It’s incredibly weird that the god of the Ananta is so much lighter-skinned than the Ananta. Like. Really weird.
-The Qalyana broodmother is named Shanti. Her daughter, Anamika, is still dead, but Lakshmi claims she answered Shanti’s prayers. She infused Anamika with blood, breath, physical movement!
LAKSHMI: “Only the vessel may be remade. Not so the flame which flickered within. Her soul hath been scattered to the four winds.”
That’s kind of a big thing to be missing. Lakshmi is from the Monkey’s Paw School of Wish-Granting.
-Alisaie busts into the open, revealing herself. She tries convincing Shanti that this is proof of Lakshmi’s falseness. You’re not gonna convince worshippers that easily, Alisaie.
-This feels very personal for her. She sees Shanti desperate to save someone close to her, guilty because she failed. And embracing a Primal for vengeance isn’t the way out.
I’m not sure why this is so personal, what she’s referring to. Maybe something about Louisoix.
-Lakshmi promises peace in her service. Alisaie knows this is just an illusion.
LAKSHMI: “They would have thee sssuffer man’s ssspite and live in fear. Far better to dwell in my beautousss dream than endure ssso ugly a reality.” OK LI-GRIM
-She starts lobbing blue fire at us. It lands on the Ananta, hypnotizing them. Or tempering them maybe.
-We dodge it. This pisses Lakshmi off ROYALLY. Time to fight.
-The fight has two main mechanics. The first is dodging stuff constantly. I suck, and die a few times lol.
-The second mechanic is an instant-kill attack she does regularly. Orbs form around the room shortly beforehand. You run to one, touch it, and use the butt the orb grants to protect from her insta-kill.
-The room has a flowery theme to it and really pretty music. My favorite part of the fight visually is when she changes phases and does an instant-kill.
Some bosses lob fire at you, some swing a huge sword. Lakshmi seems to toss dream dust or something. I get the sense that if she kills you at this part, it’s because she lands a trance on you.
-Shanti is enraged afterwards. We slew her “sssalvation.” She haaates Lyse and us for destroying Lakshmi’s false, dreamlike peace.
LYSE: “Gyr Abania is our home too, and one way or another, we’re going to have to learn to live together.”
-Scene change to the Royal Palace of Ala Mhigo.
-Fordola walks in to report the failure to Zenos. This hurts.
-OH FUCK THESE GUYS. Some imperials mock her relentlessly for losing to us.
-One of her Skulls is about to go punch him out. Fordola stops the Skull. Doesn’t want him hurt. Again, I really like her!
[Later edit: as much as I can like a fictional, murderous, traitorous fascist.]
-She bravely walks in to Zenos. Kneels. Reports in. She faces her fate honestly.
-Zenos asks why she trembles now. Out of fear?
The Lady of Bliss
-We head to Lakshmi’s cave. It’s incredibly weird that the god of the Ananta is so much lighter-skinned than the Ananta. Like. Really weird.
-The Qalyana broodmother is named Shanti. Her daughter, Anamika, is still dead, but Lakshmi claims she answered Shanti’s prayers. She infused Anamika with blood, breath, physical movement!
LAKSHMI: “Only the vessel may be remade. Not so the flame which flickered within. Her soul hath been scattered to the four winds.”
That’s kind of a big thing to be missing. Lakshmi is from the Monkey’s Paw School of Wish-Granting.
-Alisaie busts into the open, revealing herself. She tries convincing Shanti that this is proof of Lakshmi’s falseness. You’re not gonna convince worshippers that easily, Alisaie.
-This feels very personal for her. She sees Shanti desperate to save someone close to her, guilty because she failed. And embracing a Primal for vengeance isn’t the way out.
I’m not sure why this is so personal, what she’s referring to. Maybe something about Louisoix.
-Lakshmi promises peace in her service. Alisaie knows this is just an illusion.
LAKSHMI: “They would have thee sssuffer man’s ssspite and live in fear. Far better to dwell in my beautousss dream than endure ssso ugly a reality.” OK LI-GRIM
-She starts lobbing blue fire at us. It lands on the Ananta, hypnotizing them. Or tempering them maybe.
-We dodge it. This pisses Lakshmi off ROYALLY. Time to fight.
-The fight has two main mechanics. The first is dodging stuff constantly. I suck, and die a few times lol.
-The second mechanic is an instant-kill attack she does regularly. Orbs form around the room shortly beforehand. You run to one, touch it, and use the butt the orb grants to protect from her insta-kill.
-The room has a flowery theme to it and really pretty music. My favorite part of the fight visually is when she changes phases and does an instant-kill.
Some bosses lob fire at you, some swing a huge sword. Lakshmi seems to toss dream dust or something. I get the sense that if she kills you at this part, it’s because she lands a trance on you.
-Shanti is enraged afterwards. We slew her “sssalvation.” She haaates Lyse and us for destroying Lakshmi’s false, dreamlike peace.
LYSE: “Gyr Abania is our home too, and one way or another, we’re going to have to learn to live together.”
-Scene change to the Royal Palace of Ala Mhigo.
-Fordola walks in to report the failure to Zenos. This hurts.
-OH FUCK THESE GUYS. Some imperials mock her relentlessly for losing to us.
-One of her Skulls is about to go punch him out. Fordola stops the Skull. Doesn’t want him hurt. Again, I really like her!
[Later edit: as much as I can like a fictional, murderous, traitorous fascist.]
-She bravely walks in to Zenos. Kneels. Reports in. She faces her fate honestly.
-Zenos asks why she trembles now. Out of fear?
FORDOLA: “I am terrified of dying having achieved naught. Gladly would I give my life to win a great victory on the battlefield, had I but the strength.” OH NO. Please say she’s not gonna take the Grynewaht upgrade package.
-Zenos urges her to give voice to the rage she’s only beginning to feel.
FORDOLA: “I want to make them pay! All of them! Everyone who ever mocked or looked down on me – I want the power to make them pay!”
Her voice actress is KILLING IT.
-He offers to help her “transcend” her mortal limits. And summons a scientist from behind the throne.
Yup. Magitek upgrade time for Fordola.
---
The First of Many
-The Vira delight in our victory. They hope to eventually bring the Qalyana to
their way of thinking about freedom.
-The Imperials have retreated east to the Peaks. Raubahn’s ready to push forward.
-We celebrate and relax. The cooking reminds Lyse of her family, her parents and Yda.
-We move east to the Peaks, to a newly liberated village of Ala Ghiri.
---
Strong and Unified
-Raubahn took Ala Ghiri easily, with the Empire in retreat. His next target is their stronghold of Specula Imperatoris, and Castrum Abania after that. Ala Mhigo lies beyond.
-Castum Abania holds a massive cannon.
-It’s unusual that Zenos didn’t fight for Ala Ghiri. He’s got something planned for us.
-Scene change, to an Imperial research facility…
-Krile is being held in some chamber here. Uh oh.
-And Fordola is on an operating table. This is post-op.
-The scientist in charge is named Aulus mal Asina.
-Interesting! Garleans lack the ability to manipulate aether. They can’t use magick.
-This weakness led to their oppression early on. They fled north to Ilsabard, and there found ceruleum. They used the ceruleum to develop magitek.
-Aulus wanted more. He wanted to use ceruleum to alter Garlean physiology and genetics to allow them to use actual magick. Most mocked him. Zenos did not.
All this is ringing loud bells for me, loud FFVI-sounding bells. I basically have Devil’s Lab playing in my head as he talks. He’s describing the kind of experiments that led to Celes, Kefka, and Terra.
-But Fordola is Ala Mhigan, not Garlean! Apparently this is even better, and gives her even greater powers than normal magick.
Now I see Zenos’ trap. He plans to use our imminent attack on Specula Imperatoris to test Fordola’s new power.
-Or not. Hm. Zenos has some other plans for Fordola, that we don’t hear.
-The camera pans out and we see Thancred watching this from afar.
“Found you.”
---
Random Stuff Around Eorzea
A player appropriately named “Swag Monsta”:
Fat Chocobo riders have awesome incentive systems. Cabbage on a stick:
---
Next time: Campaigning in the Peaks.
