---
Shades of Shatotto
-…that quest name. SHADES OF SHATOTTO.
-In XIV, Shatotto is some ancient legendary black mage. I know her best as the giggling, rhyming supervillain from FFXI, Shantotto. One of my favorites, and an inspiration for Ququshu.
-The quest window shows the black mage Lalai standing in front of a lalafel who is CLEARLY Shantotto.
-Lalai has been studying the Books of Nald’thal and found an ancient black mage incantation to speak in a cave in the Thanalan desert, “that memories long forgotten may stir anew.” Let’s go.
-A light emerges from the statue of Nald: “You. Yes, you shall serve as the bringer of destruction. As for my vessel… ah, yes. That one should suffice.” The light zips into Lalai.
-Lalai is still partly in possession of himself, but then he loses control. Someone else takes over. Please let out a “ho ho ho…”
-Not!Lalai is delighted to be up and about. They haven’t been alive for two millenia.
-It’s her. Death’s Handmaiden. Shatotto herself.
“I must say, what is it with black mages today and these unwieldy hats? Do they truly believe it makes them look more imposing? Or are they merely compensating for something? In either event, I have no need for such adornments.”
I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! She tosses the hat, and we see the pigtails beneath.
-This is not REALLY Shatotto. She’s a manifestation of her memories, but that’s powerful enough.
“What do you say we have a little fun? Prepare to be blasted into a kazillion itty-bitty pieces!” She’s testing me in combat.
-AND WHAT A FIGHT IT IS! I’m a bit star-struck, dueling against her once more. She lobs ancient fire, thunder, ice magic at me, summoning golems too.
She even ends the fight casting heavy hitting, slow magic: “Origins of Flare.” It’s a soft-enrage. I have to kill her before she casts it more than a few times.
-Shatotto created black magic a few thousand years back. She also created this spell to let her memory return. Partly out of curiosity for how magic had advanced, and partly to save the world.
-Shatotto loses consciousness, and Lalai regains control. For now.
---
Golems Gone Wild
-Lalai has found an ancient prophecy about early black magic: “The power of destruction did rend the baleful star, and peace doth reign near and afar. Yet twenty-three centuries hence shall it come anew, and certain doom is sure to ensure.”
Shatotto took care of some threat all those years ago, and that threat is due to return.
-Zhai’a, the conjurer friend we met in the 50-60 story, interrupts with dark tidings. A horde of golems has burst forth from the Lost City of Ampadoor.
-And Shatotto chooses this moment to take over Lalai’s body.
“I say, how can the girl think straight with this ungodsly fool’s cap weighing her down?” lolol
-We head over to the lost city. I blast the golems roaming in the forests.
-Poor Zhai’a is confused af about this whole Shatotto thing and why she’s here.
SHATOTTO: “Oh dear, you really aren’t very smart. Very well, I shall begin from the very – er, beginning. Dear me, did I almost rhyme? Who does that, anyway?” YOU DO, YOU BLESSED TARUTARU
Alas, not the XIV version apparently.
-Shatotto was an early member of the ancient civilization of Mhach (which we dealt with in Heavensward’s raids). A comet was set to destroy their home, so she blasted the rock out of the sky.
That’s the origin of black magic. The best defense is a good offense.
-The comet was knocked off course, but meteorite fragments splintered off and embedded themselves in the earth. They brimmed with aetheric energy.
Mages sought them out to claim their power. Those stones gave the golems their souls.
“When two of [the stones] were brought together, they would call out to one another, aether reacting to aether to augment their mutual powers to still greater heights.”
So if the mother comet were to swing around for another pass, its threat would be titanic. That’s why Shatotto is back now.
---
When the Golems Get Tough
-My black mage beastmen friends have sighted more rampaging golems. 269th Order Mendicant Da Za meets us in Mor Dhona.
-It’s an ancient Mhachian golem of Shatotto’s own creation. The most demonic of blocks.
omg zhai’a has a crush on lalai, this is adorable. Shatotto delights in making him as awkward as possible about it.
-Later, I share this with Lalai when she takes back control of her body.
LALAI: “Pray inform the man he had best not act upon these feelings in my presence lest I feel like scorching his precious flowing locks from his scalp.” Aww sorry zhai’a.
Or maybe Lalai really likes you and is being tsundere, idk.
---
Unnatural Selection
-Most golems haven’t been too much trouble, but some feral golems are a bigger threat. They hold larger soul gems and will become proportionally more deadly as the comet approaches.
-The feral golems gather en masse. Heading for Sohm Al’s peak to summon the comet.
-These golems are cannibals. They crave energy, tearing out each other’s soulstones. It’ll continue until just one mighty “winner” remains.
That is our target to stop the whole endeavor. Wait until there’s only one left and take it out.
---
One Golem to Rule Them All
-The mothergolem is a giant hulk of a thing, its body stuffed with purple soul shards.
-It’s a fun fight. The comet is close, and shards of it fall during the fight. I have to destroy them before the golem sucks up their power.
-But mostly, it’s just cool to be fighting alongside Shatotto.
GOT IT! Not too bad at all.
-We see the comet the golem started summoning streak overhead… and pass harmlessly.
-The memory of Shatotto will fade soon.
SHATOTTO: “Don’t look all sad, now. With such promising proteges to carry on my legacy, I can go to rest knowing that I did not mother the art of destruction in vain.”
-The light leaves Lalai’s body. Farewell, Shatotto.
-Lalai has gained a renewed sense of black mage legacy. (And a small respect for her healing admirer.)
-So that's the black mage story. The golem thing was pretty meh, but seeing Shatotto in XIV was an utter delight. I LOVE HER. XI or XIV.
---
Random Stuff Around Eorzea
Frog suit:
Armadillo bowler:
Up the creek:
I’ve looked at Clouds from both sides now:
An Eden minion from the new Shadowbringers 24-player raid:
I don’t know anything about the raid beyond that it’s related somehow to that FFVIII GF.
Some great player names:
Senpai Donut
Average Taxpayer
Jake Slaughtermelon
Questionable Design
(the radiant) Aeryn Sunne
Dog’s Bolax
Hot Diggitydog
Selph Aware
Healaruuuu Rururu
Arbert Thedark
---
Next time: I’ll go back to the main Shadowbringers story and also start the scholar’s storyline.
