(02-11-2017, 10:08 PM)Zelmanov Wrote: The Lore Book states that for the move "Blood of the Dragon" it specifically mentions the Azure Dragoon. However, the Limit Break 3, Dragon Song Dive, uses Dragoon but states that it entreats the "dragon within"
An alternative interpretation could liken the "dragon within" to being a pre-HW way of saying "Ratatoskr's Essence," something that most dragoons would have within their blood, but the Eye of Nidhogg activates it in a way that strengthens the dragoon like the first Knights Twelve. So, theoretically, any dragoon of sufficient skill and training could call upon the "dragon within/inner dragon" by way of the drachen mail's enhancements or the soul crystal, but perhaps only the Azure Dragoon can withstand the influence of the Blood of the Dragon ability? I'm not sure.
Something similar happens in pre-HW's use of "glamour-magicks" to describe False Inspector Guilliame turning into an Aevis when, if you pay close attention, Guilliame's cast bar reads "Dragon Blood."
This passage though makes me have doubts about the comparison between the "dragon within" and "Ratatoskr's essence" as it could honestly swing either way given interpretation.
Alberic Wrote:The power did not abandon me, Sounsyy. It was I who abandoned it. Being derived from our mortal enemies, the power of the Azure Dragoon is a double-edged sword. Even as it lends us the strength we need to smite dragons, it heightens our communion with the creatures, rendering our minds more susceptible to their seduction than ordinary men.
Even as I buried my lance in Nidhogg's flesh, our gazes locked, and mine eyes met then with a look that would fair impale a man. In that instant, I found myself assailed by a torrent of emotions not mine own… Sorrow… Rancor… Pity… They threatened to drown the man in me and leave behind a dragon. Fearing that I might turn traitor, I chose to purge myself of the power that the Eye had bestowed upon me. Never allow yourself to forget the origin of your strength. Ever does the dragon lurk behind your eyes, biding its time, ready to claim you for its own. Aught less than complete conviction, and you will find yourself in its vice-like grip.
He's speaking of the inner dragon, which in this case would refer to the Eye of Nidhogg, as the player character does not have Ratotoskr's Essence. But could it still be synonymous for an Ishgardian?
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(02-11-2017, 10:08 PM)Zelmanov Wrote: Furthermore, The Drachen Mail is plural, there is more than one, all built the same way. This is assumed to be the same way because the final Dragoon trial involves you taking pieces from previous deceased Dragoons.
The drachen mail is definitely plural, and we know there are multiple sets given to the elite among the Knights Dragoons. The Trial that we, the WoL undergo is likely something that no Ishgardian Dragoon need face. Remember that our title of Dragoon is (at the time) not officially recognized by the Holy See. Alberic trains us more or less in secret so that we can face Estinien, who has made off with the Eye of Nidhogg. At this point in the timeline, we have not slain a true dragon, we've not even entered Ishgard, we have not undertaken the trials of the Knights Dragoon, and perhaps the only reason the Eye of Nidhogg latched upon the WoL is because of the extreme aetherial signature given off by the Blessing of Light.
So we're not an official dragoon, therefor, we have no means of actually obtaining Drachen Mail and a Gae Bolg. The lore book makes it sound like it's something that's produced regularly, having to replace the mail for new dragoons and those who seal their armor away. It makes no mention of any other dragoon having to grave rob another dragoon's armor.
Drachen Armor Wrote:A dragoon's armor. They say that in Ishgard, the value of a thing is measured in rumors. By that reckoning, the smithing secrets of drachen armor is valuable indeed. Some say the tint of the mythril comes from being cooled in dragon blood. Others whisper that the suit is unnaturally light, that drowning knights who should have been dragged under by its weight sped to shore like eels...
Dragonlancer's Armor Wrote:Some two centuries ago, a brilliant artisan by the name of Ursulie the Meek abided in the city of Ishgard. Supremely talented despite her tender years, Ursulie was employed by the Holy See's own armory where she forged the pieces of the Dragonlancer's Armor. The conservative, high-ranking members of the clergy, however, did not care for its ingeniously sleek design. Refusing to consider the innovations Ursulie had made to assist with a dragoon's mid-air repositioning, they demanded that she reforge the armor's appearance to one more closely tailored to traditional tastes. The young artisan eventually tired of the clergy's close-minded criticisms, and, bundling up both her work and her talents, bade farewell to Ishgard for good.
Brionac Wrote:In accordance with the wishes of the Holy See, famed artisan Ursulie the Meek crafted this weapon in the classic style of the earliest Ishgardian lances. Unable to resist making improvements, however, she also blended two different metals in the spearhead to adjust the center of balance, as well as adding other typically brilliant touches to the base design. The dragoon assigned to test the spear was enamored by its perfect equilibrium, but the senior clergy were wroth that the artisan had failed to adhere to traditional forging methods. It was this very incident that is said to have first set a discouraged Ursulie's feet on the road that would lead her out of Ishgard.
Estinien Wrote:Behold the drachen mail, forged in the lifeblood of dragons. As blood calls to blood, so too does the armor call to the dragon within, redoubling the Azure Dragoon's strength thereby. If you would save the people of Ishgard from the great wyrm Nidhogg, you must needs clad yourself in the same. When an Azure Dragoons hangs up his lance, ancient custom decrees that he seal away his drachen mail at the fields of his valor. You must journey to such places and claim the armor for yourself. Your Soul of the Dragoon shall serve as the key to lifting the seals.
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(02-11-2017, 10:08 PM)Zelmanov Wrote: And minor addendum to the blood curse, it does have to be highly magicked but it can be given to someone forcefully. Heustienne was force fed dragon's blood by heretics, the same sort that transforms Ishgardians.
Sorry if I was unclear, I meant that the dragon has to give its blood willingly. Not that the blood cannot be forced upon unwilling recipients. We've got loads of cases of Ishgardians being made to drink blood against their will. Going back to edit the first post to make sure it doesn't cause confusion.