Summary: The crafting/gathering beast tribe for Stormblood. Helping some catfish avert the apocalypse. One of my favorite things in FFXIV.
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Something Fishy This Way Comes
Stormblood introduced a new series of beast tribe quests for crafters, related to the Namazu.
They’re weird little catfish people. Similar to the moogles, but more “sleazy salesman” than “lazy prankster.” I have no earthly idea how they’ll relate to crafting.
-The unlock quest starts in the Azim Steppe, near a floundering Namazu, flopping on the ground.
LOLOL – I get two options as I see the dying Namazu:
1) Offer your prayers and move along.
2) Pretend you saw nothing.
#thoughtsandprayers
-It gets up, clearly alive.
FLOUNDERING NAMAZU: “How unfair of you to assume that aiding me would lead you to undertake a series of arduous tasks. I assure you that I require your assistance only this once.”
Oh my frigging god, I’m buckling up.
I bring the lost thing back to his friends in Yanxia. He’s Gyoshin, a crafter.
-He’s dreamt recently of his great grandsire warning that every 777 years, they must hold a 7 year celebration for the birth of their tribe lest they be annihilated.
-An “intellectual-sounding voice” busts in to confirm this. It’s a wise old catfish, Seigetsu the Enlightened.
-lol he just took that name to sound more badass. He’s young like them.
-Seigetsu wants to run with this idea and propel the Namazu into a cultural renaissance.
-I’ll help. Sounds like it’s time to undertake a series of arduous tasks! (After they get over their shock that I can craft anything with my physical deformity of having thumbs, not flippers.)
”Thanks in advance!”
-We head to the Azim Steppe to set up for the festival with permission from the local Au’Ra.
Will I help these adorably bizarre Namazu? Two options:
1) Yes, yes!
2) Not just no, no, but hells no, no.
I HAVE to go with option #2, not that it sticks. We set up our camp ground.
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One Size Fits All
-The Namazu usually just wear red aprons with bells. For the festivals, they’re gonna go all out.
-I weave them a set of “happis,” some celebratory costumes. THEY’RE FLIPPING ADORABLE
-and then OMG A BRIEF IMAGE COMES UP OF DEAD NAMAZU
“Only seven years remain until the Namazu are forever wiped from the face of Hydaelyn…”
I assumed that was all nonsense, but what if this festival really does need to happen to avert disaster?
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Big, Big Fish
-According to Great Grandsire Catfish, we need 777 participants. Only 768 to go. Time to recruit.
-It’s a success! Sorta? I find the three most drunk, high, and bored Namazu to join these holy rites. Seems appropriate.
-Not that they know wtf the festival should entail.
-Btw, I love how Seigetsu relies on “The Chrysanthemum and the Dango” for his research, a seminal publication in cultural anthropology (and a play on the popular 1946 American anthropology book about Japan, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword.”)
Seigetsu is basically Guy in Your MFA.
[Later edit: In smaller quests, he also references “Narrow Road through the Deep Grass,” playing on Matsuo Bashou’s “Narrow Road to the Deep North.”]
-That book suggests here to perform prayer and gratitude towards the gods and one’s ancestors. They’ll celebrate “The Big One,” that old progenitor fish. We craft an altar.
-Okay, wtf is up with these hyper dark images? This one shows Namazu lying dead in the river.
“In seven years, the One River was fated to experience a fish famine, depriving the Namazu of their primary food source. Many would have died.”
Now that they’re fishing for large predatory fish for this festival, the smaller fish will thrive. In a non-supernatural (OR IS IT?) way, they actually have fulfilled the goal of this festival and saved themselves.
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Waiting for Gyodo
-Festivals often get pumped up by more performative worship. Maybe we should make with more theatrical parades and the like. We head to Kugane to investigate mikoshi crafting.
-Some humans in town mistake Gyoshin for Gyodo, a different scummy Namazu who owes them money.
-They feel terrible, since they were all “Namazu look the same.” To apologize, they’ll teach us about mikoshi. They’re intended as carriages for the kami in parades, almost like mini shrines.
-I help Gyoshin craft it, and it’s surprisingly gorgeous. I love the colors, and the giant golden fish.
GYOSHIN: “Make sure to cheer ‘wasshoi’ as loud as you can in front of the onlookers. Or just sneeze with gusto – I find the effect to be quite similar.” have I said I love these quests yet??
-OMG I GET TO RIDE IN A NAMAZU-BORNE PALANQUIN, THIS IS GREAT
-The spectacle gets Namazu hyped. The festival is progressing nicely.
-I get another of these horrific scenes of dead Namazu. This mikoshi just prevented a war that would’ve happened in seven years, when rival factions would have warred to death over fishing spots.
Their bonds are closer now, and that war won’t happen. Another apocalypse averted.
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Out of the Frying Pan
-Seigetsu wants to learn more about the Steppe-dwelling Au’Ra’s festival traditions, to borrow.
-The Mol hold a race on horseback, the Oronir hold a combat tournament, and Sadu – glorious Sadu I MISS YOU – has an archery tournament in her clan. None seem particularly applicable to catfish.
-…wait, we’re actually doing this. [Later edit: this can also be the title for the entire Namazu questline.] I craft a ceremonial bow for the archery competition.
-Then, a minigame where I have the honor to fire arrows at poor Gyoshin holding up a target.
GYOSHIN: “Being on the business end of an arrow has never been an aspiration of mine. Not one of my goals in life. No, no.”
-My test run is successful. The festival will incorporate ALL the Xaela combat traditions.
-Alright, bring on the doom. What apocalypse did we avert this time?
-LOL – in seven years, the Namazu would’ve been eaten by hungry Xaela.
However, incorporating these traditions will forge a bond between the Namazu and Xaela that will save the catfish down the line.
-btw the au’ra are teaching the namazu the chicken dance, nbd
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Into the Fire
-The growing number of festival-goers have loved activities so far. But more doooooom awaits.
-Seigetsu wants things more spectacular. Some radical ancient Namazu ritual. What is it?
SEIGETSU: “…I haven’t the foggiest! Religious rituals are secretive by nature!” fhadjlsfhals
-But maybe the great Sharlayan scholars will know. Off to Matoya’s cave.
-Gyosei doesn’t make the best first impression, mistaking one of her frog minions for Matoya.
-She’s a regular font of weird rituals. “Competitive cheese rolling” is my favorite option.
-But she hints instead at a ritual so EVIL, so STEEPED IN DARKNESS, that few dare speak its name.
COOL LET’S DO IT. Alas, no details, She writes it all down and off we scoot.
-OH MY GOD THE NAMAZU ARE SUCH ASSHOLES. Gyoshin reads these “fascinating rituals” and won’t say anything about them.
”Just a moment… But this one is also so… Oh my...”
-The actual ritual ends up being a Wicker Man. A live sacrifice inside a massive effigy.
-I craft the effigy. IT’S A GIANT NAMAZU. I’ve seen player houses decorated with these.
-They want me to be the live sacrifice. I’m honored, but I may have to pass.
-Booo. Matoya’s book says a cloth doll is an acceptable sacrifice. We toss in a doll and light this baby up.
-Bring on Apocalypse Watch 2020. It’s the best one yet.
“In seven years, the Namazu were fated to fall deeply in debt, and be doomed to work ceaselessly as slaves for the sinister soy sauce mogul, Kageyama. Many would have died.”
We just averted that because of all the tourist money the effigy will draw in the coming years. Foiled the plans of the sinister soy sauce mogul.
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Disciples of Creation
-The festival has been a success, so we go off on a thank-you circuit of the Steppe.
-Sadu – glorious Sadu – has found the festival to be hilarious. Me too.
It wasn’t the intention, but with catfish engaging in horseracing and archery, I really can’t blame her.
-Magnai is as pompous as ever, and Cirina still just wants to eat the Namazu.
-All in all, a solid festival. They’ve crafted, gathered, and built a cultural icon here in the Steppe.
-AWWW they give me a neck bell of my own in thanks!
This is by far my favorite beast tribe quest series, and one of my favorite parts of FFXIV. Bless it.
And I LOOOVE that amidst all the ridiculous fish apocalypse imaginings, this festival really did save the Namazu from a host of horrible fates.
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Next time: Working on Shadowbringers crafting and gathering quests.
