Summary: Helping(?) a Doman clan leader regain her stolen treasures.
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Strangers in a Strange Land
-The rogues’ guild asks for my help with an eastern-dressed thief who stole an orb of some kind.
-We track down the Au’ra, but as soon as we find her, the “victim” sics his bodyguards on me.
Lolol it’s not even a fight, just a brief cutscene of Jacke one-shotting him.
-The
Au’ra is Yatsurugi, princess of the Yuki clan. Bandits stole her
family’s treasures so she came to Eorzea to get them back. Three
treasures retrieved, two to go. We’ll help!
-OH SHIT, THE BURN.
Yuki doesn’t trust us – she knows the shinobi as traitors to Doma.
Thanks a lot, Master Gekkai and Karasu. At least her assistant, Akagi,
likes us.
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The Impossible Girl
-I
already like the quest name’s Doctor Who reference. In this case, she’s
“impossible” in that she keeps trying to solo this mission. Akagi brings
us in to help, despite her protestations.
-She infiltrates
some pirate HQ and learns that her remaining two treasures are indeed at
large. A jade jewel and the Midare Kanemitsu dagger.
-I
honestly feel uncomfortable about helping her on the sly when she
clearly asked us not to, and even weirder that it’s being presented as
an actively moral thing. Like, “true devotion is being devoted even when
the person you’re serving doesn’t acknowledge you.”
Fine, but isn’t the person we’re serving’s consent at least a little important? No? Okay.
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Ninja Assassin
-Akagi
summons us again to help with Yuki’s mission underway. She found who
had the jewel and stole it back; escaping is the tricky part.
-I create a distraction. The guards pursue me, thinking I’m her. What especially interesting is the guard hunting me.
He’s familiar with shinobi and haaaates them. Specifically, he felt disrespected by Karasu and Gekkai.
-In
the ensuing fight, he even shows himself to know a bit of ninjutsu,
disgusted to have to use it. He’s likely one of the former imperial
shinobi, now disbanded and free mercenaries.
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Medieval Espionage
-Jacke
picked up news of Yuki’s dagger. It’s to be sold at an auction by a
group called the Truehounds, some black flag pirates – not Lominsan
privateers.
(Btw, I LOVE how much the ninja quest incorporates
the rogues! It’s a bit frustrating when the 30+ quests ignore the prior
plot/NPCs.)
-Rosalinde is their captain. The person we fought
earlier, Redway, is indeed a former Garlean spy who’s started studying
ninjutsu. What an interesting bit of fallout from the 30-50 quests.
-While Redway wants to prove himself, Rosalinde is interested in capturing Yuki. The dagger is just bait.
-We again offer services to Yuki. She’s… hesitant. Had bad experiences with her vassals sacrificing themselves for her sake.
YUKI: “I wanted to fight. But my vassals wouldn’t allow it. And as they were cut down, they called for me. Screamed my name. You can’t imagine how that feels.”
-Her clan is in rough shape. She wants to regain and sell her treasures for their sake now.
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Staying Alive
-The dagger is being sold to a buyer in Ishgard, so we start plotting to get it back.
-As we get some sleeping powder to help, Yuki’s clan guards from her home find her. Her clan misses and worries for her. She runs away though, doesn’t want that convo until she retrieves the dagger.
-Our theft is a success!
-Until
it isn’t. Redway finds us after we swipe the dagger, and he’s taken
Yuki’s countrymen hostage. This is her worst nightmare.
-No real choice here. She gives herself up as a fellow hostage.
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In Her Defense
-Oboro’s plan: give himself up to Redway as a distraction while I sneak past and save Yuki.
-There’s
a lot made in this questline of shinobi and their principle. There’s
limited value to tradition, but boy is this alternative of piratic
cutthroat values espoused here by Rosalinde and Redway.
-The
end of our rescue fight is ugly and sad. While our sense of duty brought
us to save Yuki, the bond between Rosalinde and Redway evaporates when
things get tough. Redway tries to run and Rosalinde just kills him for
mutiny before dying herself.
-Victory for Clan Yatsurugi. They recovered their treasures and can now sell them for necessities.
-I liked this quest fine, but it wasn’t my favorite. I wish it didn’t treat Yuki as a pain in the ass for so often.
The ninja job itself really came into its own as I got more comfortable with the ninjutsu mechanics.
-oh and the level 60 ninja gear is PHENOMENAL
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Random Stuff Around Eorzea
-Just completed my Eden’s Promise red mage set! A bit raggedy, but still nice: 
-The pinkest cat: 
-Bear in the wild: 
Some great player names I’ve seen recently:
Pink Puss
Scrappy Put’em-up
Tader Tott
Charm Charm
Cherri Bomb
Valentine Star
Oblivion Newton-john
Fencer Vakarian
This Blows
Miss Yuridiculous
Madam Pancake
Black’cat Princess
Xeno Glossus (shockingly, not a black mage at the time)
Deployment Tactics (shockingly, not a scholar at the time)
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Next time: the 60-80 ninja quests.
