Hello all, and welcome back to the LP! Previously, Satznswys fought Satznswys and Satznswys won. Also, Alphinaud and Tataru gained a familiarity with the Holy See of Ishgard, but today, Satznswys's road takes her outside the city of Ishgard in to...
*coin flip*
...the western wastes of Coerthas!
But first, one minor note of upkeep! The fancy new earring Satznswys is wearing is the symbol of Menphina, the goddess of the moon. Like the Ala Mhigan earring and Aetheryte crystal earring before, this earring is a pre-order bonus for Endwalker, and grants an XP bonus up to level 80, the current level cap as of this writing!
Chatting with our tour guide from last time, we can get a little bit of a history lesson of House Fortemps: as you are already aware, House Fortemps is responsible for the defense of Camp Dragonhead. Their staffing numbers over a hundred craftsmen, retainers, and other serving staff. To say nothing of the knights, squires, and infantry at their command. Fortemps has the most dealings with the outside world, and seeks to open up the Gates of Judgement so that all of Ishgard may benefit from trade with the rest of Eorzea.
For Ishgard herself, the first king, Thordan I, founded the nation with his knights twelve, settling the land of Coerthas in Halone's name. However, Nidhogg would not truck with this. He sought out King Thordan and did battle with him. In the battle, Thordan and half his knights were slain. The first Azure Dragoon, Haldrath, Thordan's son, rallied the remenants and drove Nidhogg back. Thus began the centuries-long Dragonsong War. Only once has the defenses been breached, and that was during the Bloody Banquet in Ul'dah. The Pillars were spared the wyverns' wrath, but Foundation did not fare so well. Casualties were high.
Grudgingly, Artoirel introduces himself formally. He immediately apologizes for rejecting Satznswys's offer of help. His reason for doing so was that he considers himself up to the challenge, unlike others he could name.
Haurchefant has been busy being Satznswys's cheerleader, it seems. His duties will be taking him to the western lands of Coerthas, working with his compatriots in the houses Durendaire and Dzemael.
It's of the utmost importance that rivalries be set aside. He directs Satznswys first to the chocobo stables in Foundation.
Artoirel has secured passage via Chocobo Porter to the western lands. Also, he's dressed out in House Fortemps colors.
Series veterans will know that black chocobos are capable of flight. Mounted flight in the open world was one of the major selling points for Heavensward, and it's been diluted somewhat with later patches. Not every mount could fly, but that has been corrected over the years, now all mounts are capable of flight. There used to be a sidequest to get your own Black Chocobo to actually unlock flight. However, I'll get into why you can't fly initially later. The ride we're taking today is a porter just like their earthbound chocobo brethren, so they're trained only to fly straight to their destination.
To the frozen wastes of the western highlands, once verdant tracts made pallid by the Calamity...
Beyond the towering wall of ice, to lands long forsaken that the Knights of Ishgard strove tirelessly to reclaim...
To the hamlet of Falcon's Nest, once abandoned, now free from its pall of snow and ash, she came...
~From the memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps, Heavensward