Summary: A-Towa-Cant’s granddaughter helps fight the taint fostered by the Alaqa the witch.
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Taint Misbehaving
-The Guardian Tree has been calm until recently. The Padjali, Raya-O-Senna and A-Ruhn-Senna, heard is saying of late: “The taint floodeth the forest, its beating heart to befoul.”
It was the issue way back when that made A-Towa-Cant leave to fight the taint.
-His granddaughter Eschiva now guards his tomb. Maybe she can help.
-Seems like it. She confirms that curing that tainted forest aether was A-Towa-Cant’s goal. The two Padjali will remain behind in the woods and I’ll journey in his footsteps. Eschiva will join.
-She grew up on stories of her grandfather’s journey. She’s psyched.
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A Journey of Purification
-We’re off to Coerthas to hunt the taint.
-There’s a pretty challenging instance here where Eschiva and a couple of knights take on a tainted water sprite and wildlife. I’m still used to DPS though, so I tried killing stuff and forgetting to heal my allies.
The third attempt, I just healed my allies and succeeded.
-Eschiva has an interesting relationship with the Padjal. Her grandfather was unusually adventurous, and she hates their more conservative trends & how they won’t the Padjal leave the Twelveswood?
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The Girl with the Dragon Tissue
-A rumor reaches us of a woman with a macabre aura about her in Ishgard.
-We find her in the frozen waste. She’s… “malodorous.” She stinks. Seems to be plotting some kind of experiment with dragon corpses.
-She doesn’t strike me as evil so much as shunned and misunderstood. Calls herself Alaqa the witch.
-Her experiments are causing taints that turn those nearby berserk. Still, I’d be surprised if she has villainous intent.
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In the Wake of Death
-She keeps causing taints in her dragon necromancy experiments and I keep clearing them.
ALAQA: “…The taint, you say? An insult born of ignorance. What you so callously destroyed is a wellspring of life-giving aether.”
She clearly knows that others see it as tainted, and she herself clearly sees it more positively.
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Trials of the Padjals
-Despite her disgust with the Seedseers, even Eschiva at this point acknowledges we could use their help. Some leftover flesh (gross) from Alaqa’s ritual is worth their inspection.
-Even now, the Padjal twins are just saying, “we’ll look into it but we can’t leave the forest.” They take their oath seriously. What would happen if they break it?
-Not that it matters to Eschiva. She’s PISSED and lays into them. I like her. (And I like the Padjal.)
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Hands of Healing
- Eschiva’s rage hit home. The Padjal will finally leave the forest and join us. The elementals chose the Padjals as oracles of sorts, but this trip is worth it.
A-RUHN: “We will not leave the two of you to bear the burden alone.”
-We head to Dravania. The Padjals track Alaqa to some underground altar with a zombie dragon. EVEN NOW I think she’s a potential friend.
-She explains. She was part of a nomadic tribe that got spit on wherever they went. She’s on a mission of vengeance. This taint-fed zombie dragon is her mechanism for vengeance. Seems like Alaqa is creating some artificial vengeance dragon fed by the taint.
-So… I was sorta wrong? Not an outright mwa-ha-ha villain, but not a friend.
-The fight against her zombie dragon is really fun! It’s a mix of taking out the dragon (multiple times since it keeps rising) and “purifying” (healing) the tainted aether fueling it.
-The defeat crushes Alaqa. I’m optimistic though that we can find a way to help her that DOESN’T endanger the balance of nature.
ALAQA: “I am powerless – powerless to protect my people, powerless to change anything…” I’m not a pacifist, but I do think there are better ways to effect change than raw vengeance.
-And even a happy ending with Eschiva and the Seedseers! If A-Ruhn goes on a journey like that of A-Towa-Cant, Eschiva offers to guard and serve him.
-I hope the future white mage quests doesn’t just stick Alaqa into a prison. She’s a really cool character and I’d love to help/work with her going forward.
Trials of the Padjals
-Despite her disgust with the Seedseers, even Eschiva at this point acknowledges we could use their help. Some leftover flesh (gross) from Alaqa’s ritual is worth their inspection.
-Even now, the Padjal twins are just saying, “we’ll look into it but we can’t leave the forest.” They take their oath seriously. What would happen if they break it?
-Not that it matters to Eschiva. She’s PISSED and lays into them. I like her. (And I like the Padjal.)
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Hands of Healing
- Eschiva’s rage hit home. The Padjal will finally leave the forest and join us. The elementals chose the Padjals as oracles of sorts, but this trip is worth it.
A-RUHN: “We will not leave the two of you to bear the burden alone.”
-We head to Dravania. The Padjals track Alaqa to some underground altar with a zombie dragon. EVEN NOW I think she’s a potential friend.
-She explains. She was part of a nomadic tribe that got spit on wherever they went. She’s on a mission of vengeance. This taint-fed zombie dragon is her mechanism for vengeance. Seems like Alaqa is creating some artificial vengeance dragon fed by the taint.
-So… I was sorta wrong? Not an outright mwa-ha-ha villain, but not a friend.
-The fight against her zombie dragon is really fun! It’s a mix of taking out the dragon (multiple times since it keeps rising) and “purifying” (healing) the tainted aether fueling it.
-The defeat crushes Alaqa. I’m optimistic though that we can find a way to help her that DOESN’T endanger the balance of nature.
ALAQA: “I am powerless – powerless to protect my people, powerless to change anything…” I’m not a pacifist, but I do think there are better ways to effect change than raw vengeance.
-And even a happy ending with Eschiva and the Seedseers! If A-Ruhn goes on a journey like that of A-Towa-Cant, Eschiva offers to guard and serve him.
-I hope the future white mage quests doesn’t just stick Alaqa into a prison. She’s a really cool character and I’d love to help/work with her going forward.
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
My new level 60 white mage gear.
Solid Gerard.
An intensely badass-looking ninja.
Beach ready.
A new mount I earned from 500 player commendations.
A new sin eater mount! Apologies to anyone in the First I scare off.
-Some great player names I’ve seen recently:
No Body
Catpunch Peanut
Sal Monella
Big Maclargehuge (a Lalafell)
West Blue
Judas Iscariot
Lulu Foofoo
Abby Anderson
Scared Bear
Face Stabber
Dead Dragoon (what dragoon isn’t?)
Stay Cold
Pistachio Zistachio
Vincent Young
Mooky Stank
Nestle Swolhouse
Midnight Clam
Jade Porklit
Ano Maly
Tainted Melody
Santa Claus
Number Nine
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Next time: the 60-70 white mage quest line.
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