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Three’s a Company
-Sanson’s proposal for a Gridanian bard unit has been approved! The new unit’s first mission is to verify an anonymous report about a “damning secret” pertaining to the Autumn War (not sure what that is).
-Ah, it’s a war between Gridania and Ala Mhigo from 100 years ago. What kind of secret from that time could possibly be relevant now?
-Some Gridanians still harbor hatred towards Ala Mhigo. A nasty secret could reignite those feelings and hurt the new alliance.
-Guydelot and Sanson will both be part of this mission.
Guydelot.
-The person who knows of the secret is named Nourval. He had an ancestor who fought in the Autumn War, who learned of that secret-holding tome in Ala Mhigo. He’ll join us on our search.
Off to Gyr Abania.
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Masked Motives
-Nourval is a talkative sort, chatting with all the garrison’s soldiers.
-Guydelot doesn’t trust him. I think it likely he’s searching for information to use against the alliance.
-The tome is connected to Gylbarde apparently, the Ala Mhigan general during the Autumn War.
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One Autumn’s Secret
-Masked bandits have been ambushing garrison patrols of late. It seems likely that Nourval is feeding them information. So maybe he had an Ala Mhigan ancestor and is taking revenge? Idk.
-We finally catch him running east towards a ruin.
-Yeah, he’s conspiring with the bandits. They’ve finally acquired Gylbarde’s journal.
MASKED MAN: “It seems you were right about what happened to Lord Vainchelon.”
NOURVAL: “Once we return to Gridania and make this knowledge public, none shall harbor so much as a shred of sympathy for Ala Mhigo.”
It’s what I originally thought. He came here to get dirt on Ala Mhigo and turn public opinion against the alliance.
-Vainchelon was a legendary Gridanian general who died of sickness during the war. His death nearly lost things for Gridania.
-We attack the group, and the fight is tougher than I would’ve expected. Nourval uses some sort of combat “techniques from his ancestors.”
-He flees and we get the journal. Nourval urges us to read of the crimes against “his blood,” Lord Vainchelon. Aha – he’s Vainchelon’s descendent.
-Gylbarde’s journal is a first-hand account of how he lured Vainchelon with an offer of peace and poisoned him. A brutal, cowardly, and heretofore unknown assassination.
If this gets out, those who still worship Vainchelon would be pissed.
-So what do we do with the journal? Turn it into the authorities, who will probably bury the truth? It’s Sanson’s call as leader of this new bard regiment.
-One of Vainchelon’s sons was at this meeting, and announced that the general died of sickness. He helped to cover up the assassination. He must’ve been a traitor.
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Sleeping Truths Lie
-Sanson has come to a decision on the tome. He’ll bring it to his superiors, but will oppose their (likely) attempts to bury the truth.
-A letter arrives from Nourval. He wants to meet with Ququshu specifically to discuss something. I’ll bet this is a trap, where they get me alone and then go behind my back to steal the journal
-YUP. Well, sort of. When I went to the fake meeting spot, Nourval kidnapped Sanson. At least we still have the tome to bargain with.
-I like seeing this odd couple relationship continue between Sanson and Guydelot. Sure, Sanson’s the “stick in the mud” while Guydelot is more of a typical wild rock star type, but he clearly cares that Sanson’s missing and wants to help him while protecting the record.
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Sweet Dreams Are Made of Peace
-Nourval submitted his demand. He’ll return Sanson if we publicize the journal. I have a feeling I know what the Twin Adders (Gridania’s guard) will pick.
-Yeah, they want us to just go kill Nourval’s band, damn the risk to Sanson.
GUYDELOT IS PISSED AND I LOVE IT
-He’s not alone. Even Serpent Commander Heuloix who delivered the orders calls the decision “bullshite.” We’re basically gonna do our own thing, confront Nourvel to bargain.ignoring them lol.
-Even the city’s lancer and archer guilds are helping us! They scouted the region and found Nourvel’s HQ.
-Alright, go time. Confronting Nourvel and his gang.
-It’s a fun fight! A couple of mechanics to dodge, nothing overwhelming. The lancer and archers help seal the deal.
NOURVAL: “Why do you not understand!? Why do you not see the Ala Mhigans for the filth they are?”
Guydelot counters with a song of peace, one that hits Nourvel hard. It’s a traditional song from Nourvel’s family. It was even engraved on Vainchelon’s grave.
-INTERESTING! We heard before that that Vainchelon’s son kept the murder quiet. I assumed he was a traitor, but no.
JEHANTEL: “He knew the painful truth, yet he chose to keep it a secret. He knew that, above all else, his sire desired peace.”
If word of the assassination got out, the Gridanians would’ve turned a war of defense into a bloodthirsty war of vengeance. That was exactly what Vainchelon DIDN’T want, so his son kept it quiet.
-Sanson will publicize the truth… when the time is right. Not right now, when the relationship between Gridania and Ala Mhigo is still nascent and fragile.
SANSON, to NOURVEL: “I ask only that you believe as your ancestors fervently did, in a brighter future – one of our own shaping, undarkened by shadows of the past.”
-A solid story! I like this one. My reward is the dapper Storyteller Set gear.
-Bard took me a while to get comfortable with mechanically. There’s a lot of buffs and songs and damage over time effects to juggle, but by the end I was enjoying it.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
-Some great player names:
What Else
Blah’ Blah
Moldy Cheese
Le Turtle
Clown Swagshow
Chi Nanami (must be a Danganronpa 2 fan)
Joker Palazzo
Mr Healer (playing a tank)
Hayao Miyazaki
Badwolf Who
Panda Bare
A cool dress:
Danzig!
The cutest li’l hedgehog minion:
A mount that’s a fusion of BB8 and Alexander:
Fire-winged wolf:
Posing in our free company’s (guild’s) yard:
Magic carpet mount:
Epic hero Nope Not-me, of the free company <<Spank>>:
Magitek gorilla:
The elegant Ponfrufru Floofs:
An eagle mount with burning wings:
One of my favorite players I’ve met, Ten’li Muryo.
This bard was holding an impromptu concert in Gridania, manually performing music from FF and other video games. My favorite was Rose of May from FFIX.
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Next time: The Alexander raids or the 60-70 dragoon quests.
