"But if I must meet mine end, then all shall burn upon my pyre!" - Let's Play Heavensward: Final Fantasy XIV!

[TyrMcDohl]

She says the the Camp Cloudtop garrison spotted the Soleil heading through the northern reaches of the Sea of Clouds. The trouble is the northern end of the Sea of Clouds is firmly controlled by the Vanu Vanu. They're gonna need not only an airship, but a pilot crazy enough to risk the Vanu Vanu's wrath.

My thoughts exactly.

Satznswys finds him hard at work. Alphinaud goes quiet and presumes that Cid hasn't heard about Haurchefant.

Cid hasn't the foggiest, but presumes it can't mean anything good. Based on what Thordan told Satznswys, it's likely that Thordan means to use the Ascian assistance to gain whatever power is there, and then usurp Lahabrea.

Just like old times, Cid.

He says he'll catch up with Satznswys at the airship landing.

Apparently, he was seeing if there was any word on finding the other Scions. Urianger and Riol are on the case, though.

"To the northern reaches of the Sea of Clouds, where countless isles yet remain uncharted...

In search of a mysterious land known as Azys Lla, and the unmasked villain who sought to claim its secret...

Oblivious to the new threat which followed in their wake, they came...

~ From the memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps, Heavensward

 

[TyrMcDohl]

I inched the story a little further here because it's enough XP to push Satznswys to level 58, and so I'll wrap things up with the next Dark Knight quest.

This waymarker will let you travel back to Ishgard, and if you want to return to this location, you can speak with L'khonebb here to return.

Returning to the Forgotten Knight, Sidurgu has news, in the form of a small history lesson: For generations, the sons and daughters of House Caulignont have pledged themselves to the church. Countess Ystride de Caulignont was poised to rise to significant prominence in the clergy. She and her husband had a child, Rielle, and things were looking up for the house. But years later, the inquisitors came, bearing an accusation against Ystride's husband for heresy. When she confronted him with the allegations, his response was to quaff a vial of dragon's blood, and transformed. He said this plan was decades in the making. The Temple Knights cut him down. Afterward, she locked her daughter away in the deepest cell she could find.

Sidurgu says he has a plan: the dragon mentioned tiny beings at the mention of their dark arts. He thinks that these tiny beings might know how to harness the abyss and find the power to stand against Ystride. He hasn't a clue as to what these tiny beings might be. Satznswys has an inkling, though, and heads off to the Churning Mists.

Moggie here isn't too sure about darkness and whatnot, but thinks that the dragon might've sent them here for a reason. Moggie asks Satznswys to bring Sidurgu and Rielle here.

Rielle is quiet, and Sidurgu prods her.

She angrily says that Sid bids her talk, and then refuses to listen. That he says he's doing this for her, but then goes on about the darkness this, and abyss that.

Yeah, the hypocrisy does seem pretty heavy with Sid's attitude.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

She continues to call him on his BS.

Moggie chimes in, mentioning the ancient legend about a moogle named Mog. They had a penchant for dancing.

...honestly, at this point, Satznswys is willing to try anything.

Moggie sends them out to locate sprigs of an herb called pomwort.

Off we go, then.

Done and dusted.

...Okay...

Fighty time!

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Ooh, even more fighty time.

"My thoughts exactly, Sid..."

Aw, beans.

The game plays the instrumental version of the Good King Moggle Mog trial battle.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Just a couple waves of moogle fighters, with a couple tests of your ability to use stuns and interrupts to keep their big damage attacks from coming out.

Hm.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

The Conjurer moogle confronts Sidurgu, asking him why he wants Rielle back. When he answers, the moogle retorts that he seems like he doesn't want her around, and treats her like a burden. Why should he care what happens to Rielle?

...cheesy, yes, but as Moggie says, subtlety is wasted on a guy like Sid.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

He confesses his selfishness, finally. He says that he'll do battle in the upcoming trial by combat, but will leave what happens next in her hands.

Yeah, seemed like this was a lesson that needed to be taught. Without light, there cannot be darkness.

Believe what you want. At the very least, you and Rielle understand each other a little better. The three return to the Forgotten Knight.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

No ability this time around.

That brings us to the end of this update! Next time, Satznswys heads off to the Sea of Clouds to discover what exactly Azys Lla is, and why Archbishop Thordan is heading there.

------------------

Time for an updated vote tally for Satznswys's job for the Heavensward patch content!

1 - 6.5 votes - Summoner
2 - 3 votes - Ninja
3 - 2 votes - Dragoon
4 - 1 vote - Astrologian
4 - 1 vote - Black Mage
6 - .5 vote - Scholar

 

[Falselogic]

On hiatus

 

[TyrMcDohl]

I'm back, baby!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the LP! Last time, Satznswys had her guts ripped out emotionally, as Haurchefant was killed by a magic bullet meant for her. Ser Zephirin shot it, and he's going to get all kinds of punched for it.

I never really reflected on Haurchefant's death like I did with Moenbryda, and that might be down to how I felt about him my first time around with it. I was trying to blitz the story so I could catch up with my friends, approaching the release of Stormblood, so I gained an understanding of the major plot beats, and I knew who this Haurchefant guy was, but I didn't have the time to get invested in just how much he'd done for the Scions. But, now, with about 4 years of hindsight as of this writing, it really hits me a little harder than it did the first time around. Hell, when I was assembling the screenshots for the last update, and seeing those shots of him taking the shot for Satznswys got me a little misty-eyed. His final words, that a smile better suits a hero, suffice to say, will carry on with your Warrior of Light for a long time to come.

Of course, our Free Company is massively silly.

Taking stock of levels, the current MSQ level is sitting at 57, so our other jobs are right where they need to be. They're a little undergeared for where we are, but since I'm not taking them into dungeons, it's less of a problem. I'm still soaking XP on Paladin, Monk, and Dragoon, and I'll be sure to bring you up to speed on those job stories when we get to the end-game. I've been soaking XP by just doing minor daily activities like tribe quests and Clan Centurio hunts. Sort of a way to keep connected with the game. But anyway, we're gonna pick up the story back with Alphinaud and Cid in the Sea of Clouds!

...Cid, why are you tempting fate?

Alphinaud hopes that they don't run afoul of the Vanu, wanting to avoid bloodshed.

There are a couple of aether currents in the previous section of the Sea of Clouds, but I went ahead and snagged those off-camera.

Most of them are in this second half of the area used in the MSQ.

As you can see, the Sea of Clouds is much larger than what we've explored thus far. We're a little ways north of Camp Cloudtop, and our road's gonna take us even further north, toward that aetheryte.

Satznswys and Alphinaud look, but the Soleil seems to have a decent head start on them.

Uh oh, here comes trouble.

Hmm? Odd.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

What the hell is the Empire doing here? Haven't seen them since...well, aside from the scattered remnants in Northern Thanalan, since the Praetorium.

Fight fight fight! We get a good look at Alphinaud's new summon: Ruby Carbuncle. We saw this in the street fight in Ishgard before, but I actually get a good shot of him summoning the carbuncle this time. In a patch in Stormblood, Arcanists would get the ability to cast glamours over their summons to make them look like different colored carbuncles.

Lonu Vanu is happy to show the two of them whatever hospitality they can offer in return for saving him.

His village is to the north.

Couldn't hurt to get some news from the locals. My guess is that this is a separate tribe from the tribe that calls the skywhale primal Bismarck.

We spot the village in the distance.

That doesn't sound like lightning. That sounds like gunshots or cannon fire.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Cid! What's wrong?

Lonu looks concerned, calling the whale "The White".

Sure looks like it Alphinaud, but I'm not sure my screenshots did it justice.

Lonu asks the three of them to come see the chief of Ok'Zundu.

Does Satznswys look like the kind of person to exaggerate, Alphinaud? (don't answer that.)

Gona has some optional exposition. He is the dancemaster of the village, tasked with teaching the Vanu this dance. Satznswys would like to learn this dance...and he picks up on that. As for the village itself. For the Zundu tribe themselves, they prefer a relaxed atmosphere, opposed to their Vundu kin which prefer the storms of chaos and violence.

The normal-quality gear that the Vanu won't be as good as Ironworks gear, though by this point, you should be replacing any Ironworks gear with HQ crafted gear you get for completing quests, or dungeon loot you receive in either the Aery or the Vault.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Lonu makes introductions. The chief, Sonu, is grateful to Alphinaud and Satznswys.

Alphinaud asks if they've seen the Soleil.

He mistakes the Garlean ironclads that have been in the area for the ship we seek.

Interesting, that they can hear that on the wind. Cid asks what this Azys Lla that the Archbishop is very keen on going to.

Well, that's not very good, but it means that both Garlemald and the Heavens' Ward can't get their hands on it. Though, if Garlemald is chasing the White through these skies, it might only be a matter of time before His strength gives out under the cannonfire.

However, just like in those days against Garuda, they're strapped for time and resources. Alphinaud suggests questioning the locals to learn more about Bismarck, and a potential weakness may present itself.

Duly noted!

She says that the White was once one among many, swimming alongside His brothers in a pod of many in endless water.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Very interesting!

Unfortunately, he has little to contribute, aside from the finer points of skyfishing.

Cid has an idea!

If they tow an island through the Sea of Clouds, it might present a tempting target for Bismarck, in essence, 'fishing' for a primal! Furthermore, they could then use dragonkillers (previously seen on the Steps of Faith back when dragons attacked Ishgard back in ARR) to harpoon the whale, draw it in, and allow Satznswys to do her primal-slaying magic!

The Enterprise is gonna need some refitting to handle this plan, while Satznswys and Alphinaud look for bait.

At this point, two aether current quests become available. There are two more that became available on the other side of the Sea of Clouds at some point before, probably when we first got the aether compass. I've already taken care of those as to not break up the flow of this LP.

The objectives are outside the village, but our road on the MSQ will take us in that neighborhood anyway, so we'll leave these quests for a moment.

Alphinaud diplomatically puts what we've learned about primal manifestations: that the Bismarck flying about is a perversion of their beliefs by the Vundu. He asks the chief if they might sacrifice an island to strike down this false god.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Satznswys and Alphinaud meet up with Cid outside the village. This plan is going to be pretty similar to how we dealt with Leviathan. Cid trusts the Skysteel Manufactory's craftsmanship, as Ishgard wouldn't have survived ten centuries of war against dragons if they didn't have the hardware to stand against dragons.

Yep, here we go!

...Y'know, once a couple members of the Talking Tyrants are available to fill out the party a bit and make the Duty Finder queue go a little quicker. Satznswys takes the time to knock out the rest of these aether currents and quests for currents.

And somehow I missed this current behind Sonu, but turning in the last quest, that's all the Aether currents I can get until I finish the MSQ for the region.
------------------------------------------------

No voiceover commentary for this fight, because, as you can see with this video, there is a LOT of down time in this fight. You need to use the barrier device to prevent damage to the island you're standing on, and avoid a "Down For The Count" debuff, that immobilizes you for a few seconds. Periodically, you'll need to use the dragonkiller harpoons at each end of the island to draw Bismarck close, so you can jump on the whale's back, and deal damage to Him. Once you've dealt enough damage to His hump to break its shell, you'll proceed to the next phase, where each tank needs to grab one of the two sanuwa adds, and pull them from each other, otherwise, they will tether and become invulnerable. There is a hidden timer during this part, and you need to defeat them before Bismarck casts His ultimate ability, Breach Blast. Otherwise, the fight is generally a cycle of killing some adds, fire the dragonkillers, and bash away at his back until the fight is over.

Oh, that's convenient!

That's less so!

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Though we can now hear the Mothercrystal's voice once again, though it sounds staticky, and filtered.

Macguffin get!

...uh oh.

She hides it well, but Igeyorhm is impressed at Satznswys's progress.

Heck!

Dick move, Igeyorhm.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Like a direction finder, it looks like.

Oh no. He's cackling. You know that's not a good sign.

Zephirin shows up to pick up the Archbishop in the Soleil.

Well, this sucks.

With the key, Thordan opens the way to the floating lands of Azys Lla, and they look pretty damn Allagan to me.

"Forget about it, kid. What's done is done. Gotta keep moving." Alphinaud agrees, heartened that they at the least know WHERE to go, to give chase.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

And, at long last, we can fly freely around the Sea of Clouds. For a few weeks now, I've been needing to schlep around here on the ground like a chump to take care of daily hunts here.

The two of them leave Cid behind to make repairs on the Enterprise while they return to Ok'Zundu.

The new legatus, Regulus, calls out for them to come out. No chance for stealth now, it seems. He demands they identify themselves.

Not just this legatus, but the Emperor himself!? Just what the hell does Garlemald want here?

Emperor Varis reveals that he has designs, which would explain why the ironclad was chasing down Bismarck before.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

There's amusement in Varis's words. He says that his duty as the emperor of Garlemald is to bring the eikons, the Allagan catch-all name for the primals, to heel. If such requrires extermination of certain elements, then so be it, he says. Okay, no. I don't like where this is going, with the Vanu's worship of Bismarck.

Lucia! Nice shooting!

...and...a familiar ride you got there.

Regulus calls for a hasty exit.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

You can count on it, Varis. And that ironclad is huge.

My thoughts exactly, Alphinaud.

Lucia doesn't seem keen on explaining where she got that Reaper magitek armor.

Satznswys hops her manacutter and flies back to where the Enterprise is parked, giving Cid the lowdown.

Alphinaud catches up with Lucia, bringing well wishes from Chief Sonu. The Vanu wisely chose to not put up a fight when the village was raided, and as such, there were no casualties. Alphinaud speculates that extermination was far from Varis's mind, with Azys Lla in reach. Cid's eager to continue the chase.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

The lot prepare to board the ship. Wedge saw the beam of light the key, and calculated the direction to plot a course.

Ahead on our way!

Yeah, Satznswys was meaning to ask about that.

...that makes sense, yeah. Wait...Junius?

So they're sisters. Their parents were killed, and the two adopted to different homes. Livia felt most at home on the battlefield, and Lucia received training to become a spy. She was sent by Garlemald to Ishgard under the guise of "defection" to investigate potential Allagan relics within The Vault. She suspects that she was directed to find the very key that Satznswys just lost. But between then and now, she met Ser Aymeric.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

I love the nonverbal interactions these characters have, Cid grinning ear-to-ear, and the reserved smile that Lucia has.

Almost there, it seems.

As they approach, Cid and Biggs confirm the suspicions Satznswys had about the key: this whole place is of Allagan design.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

But before they can make landfall they're stopped dead in the air.

He turns the ship about, and they return to Ishgard.

Cid presumes that the Soleil was able to sail through unscathed with the key. Alphinaud concurs, and says they need to find another way past the barrier. He calls for a meeting in Ser Aymeric's chambers to discuss how to proceed.

Count Edmont's here as well, soldiering on in the face of his grief. Stiff upper lip, eh? Cid's still grousing about the inconvenience of Allagan trickery.

Cid summarizes the situation to Aymeric, and that the Enterprise as it is right now is not up to the task. From his observation, the barrier mechanism draws aether from the surrounding environment, and polarizes it to produce a wall of lightning.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Well...Satznswys is reminded of a situation that she, Cid, and Alphinaud ran into back in the Black Shroud...

This is GREAT news! Cid says that he's going to set to work refitting the Enterprise, reinforcing her hull to withstand the pressure of ramming it against the barrier with sufficient force to pierce it, once they've solved the ram issue.

Alphinaud and Satznswys leave to find Tataru.

Sadly, no, Tataru, that turned out to dead end...quite literally. But enough of that, what's this we're hearing about you finding a lead on one of the Scions?

Tataru says that after they smoothed things over with the Syndicate and cleared Raubahn, she asked Pipin to have the tunnels Satznswys, Minfilia, Y'shtola, and Thancred fled through searched. Alphinaud asks if Pipin found anything.

He hopes that they hadn't found a corpse, and tells Tataru to send word to Urianger to meet them in Ul'dah.

Urianger is heartened by the news when Satznswys arrives.

Pipin elaborates: his men found an entire section of the tunnel collapsed. Bringing out a few miners, they were able to clear the rubble, and pulled the bodies of a dozen Crystal Braves, but no trace of Y'shtola or Thancred, save for her conjury wand.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Urianger offers to scan the wand with his aetheric sensor, and finds unusual magick residue on it.

This Flow magick is said to reduce a person's corporeal form into its consituent aether, and enter the Lifestream, using its current to ride to a destination. The spell doesn't take much time to cast, but for Y'shtola to resort to a spell entails means that she might've pulled herself and Thancred into the Lifestream, meaning they might still be alive.

But there is a reason why we use the aetheryte network to travel and not this Flow magic: you're basically throwing your boat into rapids, and riding the current and hoping it takes you where you need to go. There are many records of previous attempts to use it, only for them to never return.

Urianger says not to despair yet, though: Y'shtola, like all living things, has a particular trace of aether. If they can follow where this trace leads, they might be able to find her.

And off they go, to where Satznswys escaped the Braves and Brass Blades.

Alphinaud feels uncomfortable returning to this place, conjuring some bad memories.

After some looking around, the energy trail leads in to the Twelveswood.

There hasn't been any news from Gridania, so she has yet to emerge from the Lifestream.

Hence my rapids analogy earlier. The team splits up: Urianger will go and pinpoint the exact location of where the trail leads, and Satznswys, Tataru, and Alphinaud will head to Gridania to seek the Elder Seedseer's aid.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

It does pay to be in heads' of state's good graces again, as Kan-E-Senna clears her schedule to see the Scions.

Kan-E-Senna agrees that haste is needed. There is a problem, however:

How can the elementals percieve that one swirl of energy can contain a will and a mind and a mental image of one's self and give such a collection of energy the name "Y'shtola?" The seers commune with feelings, but nothing in such a way to identify Y'shtola. If they're going to impart this, then they need aether akin them, such as a family member.

Tataru chimes in that Y'shtola has a sister here in Gridania. Convenient! The Elder Seedseer tells them to find this sister, and bring her to the Everschade tree outside Gridania.

Ever the pessimist, Alphinaud. Tataru gives this sister's name: Y'mhitra, a member of the Sons of Saint Coinach.

Satznswys finds her at Apkallu Falls in town, and right away, she definitely is the spitting image of her sister.

Introducing themselves, Y'mhitra knows them only by what her sister has told. Bringing her up to speed, she is deeply concerned for her sister and the manner with which she chose to escape pursuit. But she's all in on seeing her returned safely. In truth, they are half-sisters, sharing a father, as is the case with Mi'qote culture. She hopes that will be enough for the elementals to find Y'shtola.

It worked!

 

[TyrMcDohl]

This little bit of story is a collision of several ARR job quest stories. Raya-O and A-Rhun are Padjali characters involved with the White Mage story, and Y'mhitra is your main point of contact with the Summoner questline.

But now we have a catgirl burrito! Let's get her back to town!

Back in Gridania, the Scions play the hospital waiting room game.

The prognosis is positive, though, so that's good. Tataru asks Satznswys for a quick errand: picking up some orders from the guildmaster of the Leatherworkers, and E-Sumi-Yan, the conjurer tutor.

Satznswys has taken some training as a leatherworker, so Guildmaster Geva already knows her.

Huh. If I didn't know better, I'd say Tataru was conspiring to set Y'shtola up with some new threads.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Y'shtola is awake!

...her eyes...they're different.

Tataru is overjoyed at seeing her up and mostly about.

Y'mhitra nods and makes her exit. Alphinaud then presses her for what happened after the banquet and the tunnel collapse.

Damn, Y'shtola. She says she used Flow to get Thancred out, but ended up caught up in the Lifestream as well. So, Thancred might be out there similarly.

Alphinaud grudgingly admits that she is the first of the missing Scions. He profusely apologizes for the Crystal Braves and his hubris.

Tataru reassures him to keep hope that they'll find the others soon.

Tataru ushers the two of them out so Y'shtola can get dressed.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Very fancy and elegant!

Alphinaud asks if she can build the aetheric ram they need to pierce Azys Lla's barrier.

Damn! But she does know of someone who could.

I'm sure that name's not important to Final Fantasy or anything.

She's got the knowledge, for sure, but the question is whether she'll be willing to share it. She's apparently a cantankerous sort. 15 years ago, when the Empire first marched on Eorzea, the Sharlayan colony on Eorzea was abandoned, and everyone recalled to Old Sharlayan, across the sea to the northwest. Matoya refused to leave, choosing to remain a hermit in the region near the abandoned city.

Oh, Alphinaud was born there? He has very little memory of the place, as he was born shortly before the Sharlayan exodus.

Alphinaud recommends returning to Ishgard to make preparations.

Back in Ishgard, the party prepares to cross Dravania. Tataru will remain behind in Ishgard to follow up on any rumors that come of the missing Scions.

 

[TyrMcDohl]

Easy peasy to get there.

Alphinaud is feeling nostalgic for his last time through here, but Y'shtola isn't taking to the road very well. The travel is helping regain her constitution, though.

With that, our heroes depart. It's presumed that Alphinaud and Y'shtola travel on foot, but Satznswys already has flight in the area.

"To the Thaliak River, where the melted snows of Abalathia's Spine eventually find their way by means of a thousand silver streams...

Whose waters have long since nourished the Dravanian hinterlands, and so provided for a settlement of learned souls from across the northern seas...

To the city of Sharlayan, that great seat of knowledge, now abandoned by her keepers, they came."
~ From the memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps, Heavensward

Nice timing of the weather to turn foul when I arrive to the zone. This zone, by far, is my favorite in Heavensward, because of how verdant it is.