Grand Companies During that Five Years?

[Knight Kat]

I am making a time-line for my character, but there is one thing I need to get straight. During the Calamity, Louisoix Leveilleur used the Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey magic to send the Warriors of light, and the leaders of the Grand Companies into a five year time stasis right?? (Or whatever it's called)

 

During that five years, does anyone know if the Grand Companies were still in operation? More specifically I want to know about the Twin Adder, but why not include the others in the question too?

 

Since this is a lore topic, please reference your sources.

[LiadansWhisper]

As far as I know, the only people who got sent forward in time were the Warriors of Light (i.e. the adventurers on the field).  I don't believe the Grand Company leaders were sent forward in time - they were just far enough away from the epicenter that they were able to escape in time to avoid the flare.

[FreelanceWizard]

The Echo cutscene that happens after the Gridania remembrance ceremony shows that the GC leaders are quite a ways away from the actual battle, directing the troops (including the adventurers) by linkpearl. Once Bahamut appears, they reluctantly withdraw from the battlefield, sending orders for the GC regulars to cover the adventurers' retreat; ultimately, that ends up not working.

 

Given that the GC leadership seems to be equally afflicted with a lack of memory for the Warriors of Light (as commented upon into those remembrance ceremonies, among other times) and that no lore indicates that they mysteriously vanished for five years during the Sixth Umbral Era, I think it's safe to say that they had already left and were therefore unaffected by Louisoix's spell.

[Melkire]

The Echo cutscene that happens after the Gridania remembrance ceremony shows that the GC leaders are quite a ways away from the actual battle, directing the troops (including the adventurers) by linkpearl. Once Bahamut appears, they reluctantly withdraw from the battlefield, sending orders for the GC regulars to cover the adventurers' retreat; ultimately, that ends up not working.

 

Given that the GC leadership seems to be equally afflicted with a lack of memory for the Warriors of Light (as commented upon into those remembrance ceremonies, among other times) and that no lore indicates that they mysteriously vanished for five years during the Sixth Umbral Era, I think it's safe to say that they had already left and were therefore unaffected by Louisoix's spell.

 

I was under the impression that everyone lost their memories of the Warriors of Light, regardless of their presence at Carteneau, as a side-affect of Louisoix's spell. This is supported considering that NO ONE remembers that the MSQ PC as having been one of the Warriors.

 

Spell throws Warriors of Light into the future. Everyone forgets who they were, exactly, but retain general memory of their existence and participation.

 

I don't see how the GC leadership leaving the battlefield or not leaving it has anything to do with the matter.

[FreelanceWizard]

By "unaffected by Louisoix's spell," I meant the timeskip part, not the losing memories part -- which did indeed affect everyone ("Given that the GC leadership seems to be equally afflicted with a lack of memory for the Warriors of Light..."). There's no evidence in lore that I've found to suggest that the leaders of the Grand Companies were timeskipped along with the Warriors of Light, contrary to the OP's assertion.

[Melkire]

/facepalms

 

This is what I get for posting from work. Need to read closer. :blush:

[Kellach Woods]

From various parts of the MSQ, you get bits and pieces that the Grand Companies were busy trying to rebuild and deal with domestic problems during these 5 years, without really banding together, thinking that the Garlean threat wouldn't attack this soon after what had just happened.

[FreelanceWizard]

/facepalms

 

This is what I get for posting from work. Need to read closer. :blush:

 

Totally know that feeling. And I apologize if I came off particularly snarky, since I too was posting in a hurry from work. :blush:

[Knight Kat]

Ah, yes.

I re-watched the opening movie. It has been awhile since I saw it, and I could have sworn I remember seeing the GC leaders get beamed away, but I was wrong. I also read an Eorzea timeline on the internet that said at the end that the CG leaders returned after five years to reinstate their respective Grand Companies. That must have been a BS source.

 

Thank you all who answered my questions! This actually makes it so my time-line works better.

[Merri]

Thought I'd clarify a few things, just for the sake of doing so. I actually see the questions pop up quite a bit, and I figure clarification never hurts, even if it runs a tiny bit off tangent. Naturally, there are major spoilers below.

 

 

Canonically, the Grand Company leaders were in fact far from the battlefield itself, as was mentioned. They had both linkpearls, and runners to coordinate their forces on the Carteneau Flats. After Bahamut broke free of Dalamud, they did in fact give the order to retreat, as they knew any further fighting would just bring about unnecessary bloodshed. The Grand Companies were ordered to cover the retreat of the foreign brigades (I.E Adventurers), however this actually didn't fall through for any reason other than the fact that the Adventurers refused to leave. Storyline wise, adventurers who were time-skipped were all essentially on that battlefield at the behest of Louisoix. They were there in order to help defend him as he began the summoning ritual. So, when the order came for everyone to retreat, they instead converged on Louisoix in order to defend him in his last ditch effort to spare Eorzea from destruction. If you were to go by the original storyline, your character was specifically requested to be there, but there were many adventurers present. Louisoix entrusted the aid of as many capable adventurers as he could to ensure his ritual wouldn't be interrupted.

 

Ultimately, there's really only a few other viable reasons for a character having been sent forward. The spell itself was cast because those adventurers that Louisoix called upon were his last hope, in a sense. Should his ritual fail, they were to be the ones to carry on his legacy in the future. So, when all hope seemed lost, he used what strength he had left after the summoning and sent those adventurers around him into a rift in time to both spare them destruction because of his failure, and to have them be a beacon of hope in the future, essentially.

 

It definitely puts those of us who time-skipped in a sort of funky situation, were you to stick to canon. I know I do my best to downplay the extent of Merri's involvement, as it generally paints heavy involvement in the 1.0 storyline, despite being spread across numerous characters and not being something any one character experienced alone. He was just one of many adventurers who was prepared to sacrifice everything for the sake of the realm, and by no means one who destroyed the lunar transmitter or anything like that. Those are elements best left vague and unanswered, in my opinion. Unless, of course, you're with a group that wants to roleplay that specific storyline. To each their own.

 

Now! All that being said. The whole "memory loss" thing actually did not seem to be based on Louisoix's spell itself. While Minfilia infers this at the start, it's really the only idea she had at the time as to why no one could remember your character. Personally, I was of the mind that it was Hydaelyn's doing, as far as the storyline goes, as she is ultimately the one who allows everyone to remember you. I feel as though she purposefully chose to blank the memories of Eorzeans in an effort to allow the Warriors of Light to continue their work unhindered after their return. Cid mentions this best in a specific cutscene after he remembers your character due to his third eye. He mentions that it's best your identity remain a secret, as it would draw the eyes of the world upon you, your enemies included. So, Hydaelyn essentially gave your character the means to remain unnoticed, and once your job was finally complete as the Ascian threat thought to be dealt with, she removed the veil over everyone's eyes.

 

It seems like a lot of people seem to play with the whole memory loss thing differently, as most of us choose to not roleplay a character that has any involvement in the main storyline. I know for me personally, there were certain characters from Merri's background that had no recollection of him during the five years he was gone. One of the more notable characters actually played it off that her character knew she had lost some one important to them, but didn't know why or how. They just couldn't remember. However, when Merri returned, that veil was lifted, and they remembered everything. Including the fact that they had forgotten about some one who was so important to them.

 

Ultimately, I feel as though no one answer to the mind-blanking effect of the timeskip will please everyone. It's just a really strange concept in general. It really just boils down to going with what works for you, and the people you roleplay with.

 

 

All of that aside, during the time skip, the Grand Companies worked together to rebuild Eorzea. They were quite active, both in defending the realm against the Garlean threat, as well as the plethora of monsters that now roamed unchecked across Eorzea. They were instrumental (alongside a rebirth of the adventuring trade) in defending laborers who sought to rebuild after the calamity.

[FreelanceWizard]

Thanks for the 1.0 storyline information. That's quite helpful.

 

Since you got, I assume, the Legacy intro to 2.0 (where you just pop into existence, more or less), can you confirm whether Minfilia comments that she remembers you when you first meet, perhaps due to the effects of the Echo? I've heard that her dialogue is different for Legacy characters.

 

 

 

The Cid cutscene pre-Garuda is kind of interesting, because it's not different for Legacy versus non-Legacy characters. It was a little weird seeing Cid "remembering" my character aiding him in the past when she'd never met him prior to the 2.0 MSQ ("Did you, uh, hit your head harder than you thought, friend?"). I suspect that's just because they didn't want to write two different cutscenes, but the disjunction in plot was rather grating.

 

 

[Merri]

-snip-

 

I'll actually just answer both of these with a video of the cutscenes in question!

 

 

I also included the final cutscene, as it involves the whole idea of Hydaelyn being the one who clouded everyone's memories. The music and the scene itself still gives me chills. Having played through the 1.0 storyline made this so incredibly rewarding.

 

 

#1

 

It seems inferred that she remembers you due to the fact that she has the echo, though she never explicitly states it. We know for certain that she has the echo, so it makes sense she would be the one to remember you.

 

 

#2

This is actually a bit different. Cid saying "That was you, wasn't it?" was in regards to you using the echo to invoke his memories. You handing him the "goggles" was a metaphor for your character using the echo to unlock his memories. You were handing over to him everything that made him who he was, in a sense. The actual legacy cutscene involves you and him catching up and referencing your battle with Nael van Darnus upon the Rivenroad. In the original storyline, he dropped you off with the Enterprise. I actually have a video of that from 1.0 (Eww, Hyur Endemerrin.), which you can find the link to below.

 

Isn't letting me mark a timestamp, but the scene that cid references in 2.0 starts around the 49:30 mark. Unfortunately, some of it blacked out for some reason and I no longer have the footage to re-upload the video. Basically just has Cid going "Are you ready?" to which you Nod, and he takes you in, almost identically to the cutscene with Garuda. Awesome little throwback.

 

 

[Kage]

It may not be tooooo related but I thought of this thread when I read this.

 

http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/anniversary/na/detail/memoir_1.html?rgn=na&lng=en

 

We are lost, thought Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Immured for eons and free at last, the primal Bahamut laid waste to the Carteneau Flats, burning Eorzeans and Garleans alike. But I will find a way. Tearing her gaze away from the bloody churn, she bit down gently on her tongue—an old commanders' trick—and despite the ash-laden air, the voice that issued from her throat was as clear as compass wind.

 

"Belay previous orders! All Maelstrom units are commanded to fall back, effective immediately!" In the distance, the Admiral caught a glimpse of Archon Louisoix's resolute silhouette, arms raised in the rite of summoning. Not even the Twelve can help us now, she thought with something like despair as she swung herself into the saddle. Dalamud has hatched, and no man can unbreak an egg. "Give the Foreign Levy priority! Let the main host cover their retreat, and bring up the rear!"

-Insert pic here-

Eynzahr Slafyrsyn let go the bridle as Merlwyb took hold of the reins. A shard of the false moon had pierced the mail under his right arm, she saw. Blood rilled, dark and steady. Her adjutant would likely not survive a hard ride. "Get those adventurers to safety," she repeated. "I shall send you stragglers. We must regroup—see to it!"

 

"At once, Admiral," Eynzahr snapped a salute. He knows me too well to waste time arguing, Merlwyb reflected as she urged her faithful bird to a gallop. And he knows most of our runners are dead or near as damn it. A sharp "Kweh!" brought her back to the present. "Good girl, Vicki," she murmured as the chocobo sped onward through a blur of death and ruin.

 

"Fall back! Fall back to the main host!" Merlwyb called again and again until the rout became a stream, then a river, flowing towards Eynzahr and—she hoped—safety. But there was a knot in the crowd, fighting its way against the tide until it emerged at the rear, then pushing on towards the Garlean position. Always, Merlwyb thought without rancor and spurred her chocobo forward. Always there are those who put glory before victory.

 

"Save yer breath, Admiral. I mean to make those Garlean curs pay—an' pay they will!" Rhoswen spat, and Merlwyb was reminded of the old saying—pirates weep with their swords, and their tears are red. "So many Sirens... Spleeny Ebrill won't sing no more, nor Annest Blackeye, nor— There you are, ye liverless, tin-pot bastards!" A savage joy blazed in Rhoswen's eyes at the sight of something behind Merlwyb, and the Maelstrom commander touched her spur to Victory's left flank as she unholstered her pistols in one smooth motion. Death Penalty barked, and a Garlean legionnaire tumbled backwards. Two sharp coughs from Annihilator, and more men fell—to reveal the beetle-black gleam of magitek armor cresting the rise. It has a beak, Merlwyb thought with strange calm, her legs squeezing Victory's flanks of their own accord. The chocobo sprang as the magitek cannon roared. Then Merlwyb was falling, the world drowning in blood and feathers, and she knew no more.

 

 

"...The most rest you've had in years, I'll wager." Merlwyb awoke to a familiar sight: her quarters on the Triumph, and Eynzahr, his face graven with fatigue, but alive and on his feet.

 

"How long?" she demanded. “Present course and speed?”

 

"Two days, Limsa, eight knots." he answered. "The Alliance regrouped in Thanalan where the alchemists saw to our hurts. They meant to keep you abed in Ul'dah, but I assured them that would not be necessary. We are crossing the Strait of Merlthor for home."

 

"The Sirens? Rhoswen?"

 

Eynzahr laughed. Merlwyb could almost hear the rust in it. Command, especially the command of a retreating force, was a somber business. "The Bloody Executioners hauled you from the front like pullers with a bulging net, but they had no luck coaxing Captain Rhoswen to join the retreat. Then came the last of the dread pirate crews three, the Kraken's Arms, and Carvallain swept her up onto the saddle like a bloody knight of Ishgard. Last I saw, they were trading curses."

 

"Good." Merlwyb willed her eyes to stay open. She was suddenly very tired, and could not bring to mind the names of the others who had been present. No matter. Eynzahr would know. "The retreat from Carteneau—I ordered a unit be given priority. Did you get them to safety?"

 

Eynzahr looked at her, his brow furrowed. "Beg pardon, Admiral? My orders were to bring up the rear as the main host retreated, gathering any stragglers you directed towards us, then begin regrouping. You did not order that any be given priority over another."

 

 

The coming days were too full for Merlwyb or Eynzahr to fret overmuch about her odd lapse. She had taken a blow to her head, after all, and it was a trifle compared to what awaited them in Vylbrand. As the Triumph neared home, they saw livid crystals bursting from Pharos Sirius, flaunting their corruption for all to see. Galadion Bay was a floating Carteneau, the sea strewn with bodies, debris and hollow-eyed survivors of the tidal wave that had scoured the coastline. Eynzahr was lucky, Merlwyb thought as she surveyed the destruction. What size these shards, to make an eighth hell of this fair anchorage? And what of we who have been spared? How can we go on, when so much has been lost?

 

 

I will find a way.

-Insert pic here-

 

Merlwyb ordered that the Maelstrom's temporary command be established at the Moraby Drydocks, sheltered from the worst of the great wave by the Gods' Grip. From there, the remains of Limsa Lominsa's great armada sailed with food and supplies, aid and succor, women of strength and men of compassion. Admiral Merlwyb slept little, but when she did, it was always one of two dreams that she dreamed. In one, she bit down on her tongue, then called out, Give them priority. Let the main host cover their retreat. In the other, she rode a destrier in the cool night, the bird crooning contentedly and the rider murmuring, "Good girl, Vicki."

 

 

Time passed. Some wounds healed, others did not. The fishing boats returned to sea, and the merchants, stowadores and cutpurses to the docks. The new Maelstrom Command took shape on the Upper Decks, the ships of the armada returned to their proper anchorage, and the Moraby Drydocks were recommissioned as a shipyard.

 

During those turbulent days, those who knew Merlwyb best—and they were not many—remarked that she had been changed by Carteneau. To the scores that came to the Admiral for help, she gave no false comfort, but neither was she as hard as once she had been. She spoke instead of hope, courage, and the lost warriors who stood with the Archon on the Carteneau Flats. For this Merlwyb won the love of her people, yet struggled to accept it. So unsettling did the thought seem to her that one night, unable to sleep, she wandered the city, finding herself at length outside an Ishgardian's stable as young birds murmured drowsily within.

 

 

When Naldiq & Vymelli's began work on the first of the thalassocracy's new warships, there was no question as to whom the honor of naming it would go. One fine day soon after, half the city turned out to see the Victory's keel laid. When the Admiral of Limsa Lominsa inscribed her name upon the oak with a great flourish, the cheers rolled like thunder across the tranquil waters of Galadion Bay, and set the gulls and ravens flapping from every mast.