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Travelers of Norvrandt
-The Exarch leads me inside the Crystal Tower to talk.
-My fellow Scions are here in the First. But time flows differently here.
CRYSTAL EXARCH: “In the space of a single hour in your home world, an entire year might pass in the First – and the reverse could also be true.” Handy game design mechanism, that.
We’re entering a period of “near equivalence.” Safe to assume then that time in the First and the Source will pass at a similar rate in Shadowbringers.
-Y’shtola and Urianger have been here for three years, Thancred for five. Even the more recent arrivals, Alphinaud and Alisaie, have been here for a year. Wow.
-The Exarch only meant to summon me. He summoned the other Scions by accident.
-His summoning of the others was incomplete. They came here as incorporeal.
-Urianger witnessed a vision of the First rejoining with the Source. That’s Garlean Emperor Varis’ goal.
“This collision of worlds brought about the Eighth Umbral Calamity, and the deaths of countless multitudes.”
-Since that vision, the Scions in the First have sought a means to forestall the coming catastrophe.
-They’ve made some progress. They learned that eliminating the sin eaters will prevent the calamity.
-We leave the tower for the Crystarium.
-LOLOL – they use artifacts they discovered in the alien Crystal Tower, and those tokens are Allagan Tomestones of Poetics that we use as raid gear currency.
Bless this game.
-Then the Exarch summons Feo Ul, a pixie. One of the new beast tribes. She has a jolly Irish accent.
-She’s SUPER adorable. Feo Ul binds to me, and will be my emissary to the Source.
-Feo Ul will send a message of my safe arrival to Tataru. Whelp, I have a pixie friend now.
(She’ll also be the lore reason why I can still use the market boards and mail services tied to the Source.)
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The Ghost of Darkness Past
-I retire to an inn room to rest when someone is awaiting me here, drenched in shadow. This has gotta be the Warrior of Darkness. I see their axe.
-YUP. Hi! The shadows disperse, but he still seems ethereal.
???: “I know you… You’re the Warrior of Light from the Source!”
-Ququshu says hello… and he’s shocked. “What? Did you just… You can hear me!? Oh gods, how long has it been…?”
-His real name is Ardbert. He and his comrades were behind the Flood of Light. I forgot about that.
-We see a sepia flashback image of their fight against the person who must have been the Shadowkeeper the librarian told us about.
-The next flashback image shows the WoD (Warriors of Darkness) talking to… TO MINFILIA! RIGHT! SHE BECAME THE AVATAR OF THE GODDESS
FIVE BUCKS SAYS SHE’S THE ORACLE OF LIGHT
-Minfilia tried restoring their souls to the First, right as the Flood was poised to swallow Norvrandt.
ARDBERT: “Minfilia and my friends, they… they surrendered what little they had left to hold it back. Just faded away… leaving me to bear witness.”
-That image in the library of the Oracle of Light protecting Norvrandt… that must’ve happened just when Minfilia and the WoD came back here.
Jesus. This poor guy. [Trailer note: V xabj sebz gur genvyref gung Zvasvyvn trgf erobea va xvq sbez.]
-He’s stunned to learn that it’s been 100 years since the Flood of Light. He’s been wandering all this time in ghostly form. Incorporeal, unseen, unable to interact or act.
-He feels the beginnings of hope, now that I can see him. Maybe he’ll regain purpose.
ARDBERT: “Do me a favor: be careful out there. This world has had its fill of heroes.” A haunting line, knowing his past. [Later edit: no pun intended.]
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Charting a Course
-I meet back up with the Crystal Exarch. I get the sense he doesn’t quite believe me about my ghostly visitor, which is weird. He’s all “lol okkkk well lmk if you see it again.”
-He pulls out a map of Norvrandt, the only region spared from the flood of light.
-The Crystarium is in Lakeland. Urianger is in the northern faerie kingdom of Il Mheg. Y’shtola is in the eastern, in the once-prosperous civilization of Rak’tika.
-But both are tough to reach. The Exarch suggests I first meet with Alphinaud or Alisaie, both closer.
-Alphinaud is on Kholusia, an island to the west. Home to the wealthy city of Eulmore. He’s been gathering information and forging alliances.
-Alisaie went south to the arid wastes of Amh Araeng. A dwelling constantly under sin eater attack. She’s been acting as a guard and learning more about the enemy.
-Thancred has taken up with “a new companion,” hunting sin eaters together. Who’s he with?
-I have a choice. Who to meet? I’ll start with Alisaie. I really want to learn more about the sin eaters.
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In Search of Alisaie
-The nation of Nabaath once arose here. Amh Araeng meant “majestic land” once, but it’s just a desert now thanks to the Light.
-The First’s cactuars are so cute! They have these giant head tops.
It makes sense that a desert creature would grow fat and thrive in a world without night.
-The ruins here remind me vaguely of Rabanastre.
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City of the Mord
-My guide, Cassard, leads me through a settlement called Mord Souq.
-It’s a Mord town, the First’s version of kobolds. I like seeing previously hostile beast tribes living peacefully.
-I love the voice on this main Mord, Ghen Gen.
The Mord are miners, digging up artifacts to sell instead of aether to feed a primal.
-There’s a custom in Mord Souq to “crack the coinpurse.” Newcomers must buy one thing, no matter how cheap or expensive, their first time here.
-Cassard passes a coin from the Exarch to help me get started, a Voebert gold coin piece. IMMEDIATELY on pulling it out, the merchants crowd around me to see and urge me to spend it on them.
Like opening a can of tuna in a house full of cats.
Must be some coin.
-I adore the flavor of this place. The merchants’ excitement, this tradition.
-I crack my coinpurse with some cactus-fruit-stuffed bread and am ready to go.
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Next time: sin eaters.
