K'nahli

Wonderful.

For things like this, I really think that people who like to RP the MSQ timeline should stay at least one patch behind the current one so that there aren't any inconsistencies later on. So for right now, people shouldn't go beyond 'Part 1' and treat their RP as though the dragon assault has yet to happen. Just an opinion of course. I have no idea where my characters are in the MSQ storyline.

Hahahahaha, yes! His voice was so unexpectedly deep and strange. Had I not been mentally incapacitated by that point then I might have actually laughed at it there and then.

??? Don't ask for them! Experience them! (in a non-spoilery fashion that is) ....and don't ask in here!!! sdfsdfsdf

Everyone, please be mindful of posting even vague comments in relation to the recent events in topics such as this one - where people from various levels of experience and progression may be reading. I know it's easy to forget yourself for instances like these, but there are still many, many people who have yet to complete the story.

How long would you all speculate that the archbishop(or whatever) has been under their influence? And in what ways, if you have any personal theories?

By doing something, Merylwyb would have risked creating tensions between her nation and the new leader(s) of Ul'dah should one have come about regardless. By doing nothing she pretty much submitted control of Ul'dah to a fate whose level of corruption could pose very, serious problems - all for the hopefully-continued and symbiotic support from them as an alliance member. (Note that 'something' needn't mean violence). With said tensions, what is the worst that could happen except for a lack of cooperation from a state whom you would not trust to turn your back on anyways? Cut off part of their own economy by eliminating trade and POSSIBLE military support for whatever the future may hold? Gridania would almost certainly withdraw as a result should such a thing happen. And let's not forget that it's not just the "smallfolk" who are largely against everything that has just happened. I'd like to see the Immortal Flames not fall apart as those who are not corrupt desert the company and possibly even seek employment as soldiers for foreign dignitaries. Even if that happened, despite past affiliation with Garlemald, the new leader(s) would not be so stupid as to side with them as surely that would only cause Ul'dah to tear itself apart from civil revolt.

Ah, I apologise. I see what you were getting at now though I think I am with everyone else for the concept that it wasn't really a "bad" thing on her part; certainly no more than any of the other leaders - even if she had been the once to voice the priorities she they have.

Brass blades are employed by Lolorito, not Ul'dah. He simply has them perform the acts of peacekeeping, albeit in a corrupt way. But they take their q from him, not the Syndicate. only the 1st and 3rd are there presently, and are under the influence of Teledji Adelejdi again, taking their q's from him, not Alphinaud. The Brass Blades part makes a bit more sense then I guess. As for the Crystal Brave's part, I know what was going on, but I was speaking from the perspective that the other two leaders should have recognised that if the Crystal Braves were handling the authority side of this issue(which I am now guessing they were not really), then they were acting far beyond their jurisdiction given the person they had intended to apprehend.

When Merlwyb needs help defending Limsa, she asks the Scions and the Scions come to help. When the Scions need help defending Ishgard, they ask Merlwyb and suddenly she's got better things to do. To be fair, primals are a threat to everyone when they appear - only difference is that the nation in which they are summoned are faced with an immediate threat. The Scions' entire MO is to fight against the primal threat in any case. It is not in any of the three nations' prerogative to aid a nation outside of the alliance. I'm assuming you mean that he genuinely funds the entire, non-Grand Company side of the city's security and not just that this particular group, like many, were paid off?

My problem is that I view Raubahn as the nation's second in command given that he is the military leader and the one only present alongside Nanamo when dealing with the alliance and foreign affairs. Even if you ignore the obvious corruption and conspiracy going on under the view that "we can't prove that at this very moment", their ally, whom is arguably at least the temporary replacement as state leader, has been severely wounded and is threatened with arrest by at least one of two groups.... Either the Brass Blades whom are supposedly employed in SERVICE of Ul'dah, and therefore under the supreme command of Raubahn if anyone at all. Or the Crystal Braves whom, despite having presumably agreed to certain privileges upon their authority to act and have a presence within the three nations, are currently in absence of their commander, Alphinaud, and have no right to act upon taking such a serious and influential figure into custody without his approval. With a mutiny having overtaken the Crystal Braves, any influence and contracts which they may have previously signed would surely have been rendered null and void. As such, they could quickly be deemed as enemies of all three states for their actions... and they certainly could not possibly have enough strength to pose any real threat to any of them. This is all based on my views of the matter of course, but I can't think of anything that invalidates the matter.

Wowwww....

Sorry, my reply did sort of come off as though I were suggesting it was really difficult to believe that much, haha. That wasn't my intention. Though it's still not easy to just take for granted either. If Estinien hadn't learned his lesson from that alone then Alberic surely should have had reservations about allowing him to continue donning the armour and title, for his own sake.

Thanks for making me run back to check it! Yeeey! I wasn't expecting that I'd have sounded suspicious enough. (I'm sorry though, ahah)

So you say, but even if he is the only Azure Dragoon, he still became a heretic which is a GRAVE and unforgivable offence. Don't forget that they are more than content to execute innocents without due evidence. Even if they lost their greatest weapon as a result, I don't think that they'd really risk the Azure Dragoon siding with the dravanians. Unless you're implying that they didn't know of his seduction and simply forgave him for stealing the eye because his intentions were later explained and deemed just.

I struggle to imagine it was anything other than a: "Ugh, we can't work this so easily if he's dead.... let's throw in a nod to dragoons and pretend the final quest didn't happen".

Have we seen instances of Hydaelyn talking to her before 2.55, though? Again, maybe it's my MSQ memory being hazy, but I know her mentioning having the Echo... but not seeing any time where the Mother Crystal actually talks to her. No, she blatantly asks you if "Mother Crystal" had spoken to you recently, to which you shake your head and she appears concerned.

Ohh okay. Sorry for the misleading comment then.

I keep forgetting to ask this, but everyone is bringing up Hydaelyn contacting Minfillia without mentioning the fact that the last we saw of Hydaelyn she had seemingly been corrupted or something? Unless everyone is choosing to believe that somehow references her blessing being later locked away by Midgardsormr or anything along those lines then is no-one else suspicious?

Oh I know, so was I. My main is already miqo'te and only recently have I become aware just how popular they really are, particularly the female variety. As for the horns... I certainly hope so too. While I got surprisingly happy results with my characters(as I'm sure as has everyone else), it really was considerably limited for an MMO creator. I'd really like to think that - now that there is no time constraint and panic to reboot an entire game - they'll now pay more attention and heed into customisation. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???

While I hope you are right, I don't think you can really assess that based off of Yugiri alone. If anything, I would imagine that Yugiri would have been created to serve as a balance between both possible looks. Cute and pretty, to dangerous and feral.

I have trouble disassociating your character type from your actual OOC self, Berrod, so seeing someone like you write such a passionate and (I'm sorry for this, but) adorable reply like that honestly lifted my spirits quite a bit. I didn't pick up on anything threatening Nanamo's life until the moment we got into the room with her and there really was too much attention being focused upon the handmaiden and the pouring of the wine. My first thoughts were "Be smart, Nanamo" but then I was rationalizing with myself thinking: "No, she's likely been her aid for a long time. She'd have no reason to mistrust her". With that, I started saying to myself that there was no way it could possibly be poison. It was obviously something else, something to knock her unconscious so that she could be kidnapped or something... but once her eyes shot open like they did my heart just dropped like a brick.... and once she began struggling it honestly began to shatter. From that point on, especially when Raubahn seems to grow wary after hearing the clattering of her chalice falling to the ground, my hands were forever glued to my face. Watching the leaders' reactions of despair to the news, yet Raubahn ironically being the only one immediately unphased... as though what Teledji had implied was just an absolute impossibility.... only for him to thereafter collapse into despair just destroyed me. Luckily my laptop was blocking my face because the tears were streaming down my face at that point... and when Teledji then began making insulting and mocking comments toward Nanamo with that fucking, smug face on him I was just shaking with anger. I could feel at least one of my eyelids doing this weird twitching thing as though I couldn't control myself.... but when Raubhan just spouted that line: "THEN MOCK HER FROM HELL" (coupled with the aftermath) ....I was suddenly hit with the immense, but far from pain-curing satisfaction for the fact. I worried for him in part, especially because his charge toward Lolorito was a little dragged out(and I mean that it only took a few seconds but even that short wait was agonizing). Seeing him lose his arm was such a kick in the gut though.... Raubahn and Nanamo were both in my top three favourite characters, and as if Nanamo's loss hadn't damaged me enough, now Raubahn had taken such an injury. I wasn't even thinking about the possibility of death at the point. And all at the hands of Ilberd.... someone whom I had put complete trust and faith into. Someone who had the audacity to give Eline that speech about not selling out your comrades for coin, no matter how bad you had it in life - that everyone had their own hardships too... What annoyed me more was Merlwyb's reaction. Kan-E-Senna, being my favourite character and of a pacifistic nature was largely exempt from this, but for the woman who is so full of Lominsan pride... for the "badass, pirate leader" to just walk out on Raubahn, her ally and - I would have THOUGHT - friend, to forsake him to whatever fate was in store for him.... just... stirred up feelings of sheer contempt. At that point, everyone knew what was going on and I was trying to tell myself that it was in the better interests of her nation to not interfere with whatever the proceedings were for this particular situation, but I still cannot come to terms with it. She could have and should have gunned them down right there and then if she had any integrity and understanding of loyalty.... well, in my biased books anyways. Ilberd's cruel comments about Nanamo's hold on the now-changed Raubahn, as well as him suggesting that he was only "fit for slaughter", both filled me with even more malice but also fear. When he stood up(I think he did?) I felt as though he were going to execute the defeated-looking Raubhan right there while he was wallowing in a pit of despair... luckily, he only continued to fight back. Yda looked absolutely beautiful but I didn't have enough mental capacity to appreciate it at the time. My screen froze as Y'shtola bid farewell and I was too afraid to reload the game for fear of having to click through ALL of the dialogue and/or having to go back to the inn after first finding myself in a new area that spoiled part of the outcome since. Luckily, though I was tossed back out into the Chamber Of Rule, skipping cutscenes only skipped them in segments. Y'shtola was my fourth, favourite character so seeing her possibly sacrificing herself was just another tragedy for my book - but I only found out that it was a sacrifice after going back to the inn to rewatch it since skipping the scenes from the Chamber Of Rule after my crash sent me from the scene of escaping the banquet to escaping the ruins. Though I am not completely sold on her death, so I am yet hopeful. I am with Clover on the Alphinaud business. He is totally defeated now and his self-assessment was a very, well done scene. If you want to blame him for trusting that his belief that such a group could actually be ever-virtuous and incorruptible then you must also blame all three leaders(Raubahn, not Nanamo) for supporting his cause without questioning it either. Seeing Cid was a massive relief. He had pretty much disappeared from the 'real' quests after the main scenario yet seeing him again, only there to come and save us once again was somehow, very reassuring. Whatever aura the man has about himself, I could just feel somehow safe once he made his appearance. For me it was unexpected but sooo, very welcomed. Haurchefant is getting a lot of praise and while I normally like him, his eccentric personality, as kind-meaning as it was, didn't offer me much in the end. He is a good man and incredibly kind but it just was just nowhere near enough to salve the massive wounds that I had been inflicted. The tone of his voice(japanese) just reflected how out of touch the impact has truly had on the three of us seeking asylum, which wasn't his fault of course. He was trying in his own way. Tataru was incredibly adorable. I was very worried for her after the "farewell" quest it almost seemed that we had with her, and the fact that we only left a note for her all alone in the Rising Stones... Yugiri was pretty but not too pretty - which was good. Her horns caught my attention too, however, because they appeared on top of two, long lengths of hair that really they should have sank behind so it was a little distracting. I liked Tataru's comment though. Like Berrod said, it was simply "acceptance". *sigh* Thank you again Berrod. Your post helped me do the same I think ^^

*A light, yet unsettling wind rolls past Manasa's ears as he comes to heed Alothia's warning - immediately provoking the thought that something at that moment, was very wrong*

I figured that out when Mr. Evil Lala got brutally murdered. Like, brutally-eye-moving-kind-of-weird-because-he's-dead-as-hell murdered. I mean like the-shoes-came-off completely and utterly ultra dead. And then Raubahn got his FRIGGIN' ARM CUT OFF! :dazed: My face just went completely And I was like "Welp, this game is now rated M." And that was before the castration insult... Funny you mention that. A friend of mine who was watching it around the same time is the type who dislikes rude jokes and never swears herself be it irl or typing... and in the midst of all that emotion I was experiencing, just as Ilberd made that remark, I STILL managed to get that familiar sense of anxiety that was just like: "Ugh wait.... that was too rude a term for her to be reading. I hope she doesn't under-....*sigh*.....of course she's going to understand it" hahaha ;;; I'm super sensitive about that when it comes to her unfortunately.

Ahaha... *amused*