NPCs Involved
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Maps
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Raubahn, Alisaie, Alphinaud, Lyse, Meffrid, Conrad, Krile, Y'shtola, Arenvald, M'naago
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Mobs Involved
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12th Legion Laquearius, 12th Legion Signifer, 12th Legion Secutor, 12th Legion Reaper, Ferae Domitae Blade-wolf, Ferae Domitae Bow-wolf, Ferae Domitae Spear-wolf, Skulls Mage, Skulls Spear, Skulls Blade, Fordola Rem Lupis, Zenos yae Galvus, Fordola rem Lupis
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- Mindful that intelligence is the key to any successful operation, Pipin would have you, Alphinaud, and Alisaie accompany him on a reconnaissance mission. Your destination is a cliff to the north of Castellum Velodyna, which should afford you an excellent view of the imperial installation.
- Your mission is interrupted by the sound of cannon fire from the east. You turn to see a column of smoke on the horizon...rising from Rhalgr's Reach, you realize, with dawning horror. Alphinaud's attempts to contact your comrades via linkpearl are unsuccessful, all but confirming your suspicions that a coordinated attack is underway. With no other recourse, you abort your mission and race back to the Resistance stronghold.
- Outside Rhalgr's Reach, you encounter a number of fleeing Resistance fighters, as well as Krile and Arenvald. They tell you of the chaos within the valley, of imperial soldiers cutting people down left and right, and of a last desperate stand by Conrad and the others. His face grim, Alphinaud declares your place is in the Reach, and so, joined by Krile, you press on into the bloodbath.
- Aided by your comrades, you manage to beat back the imperial forces and reach your comrades. Lyse is unharmed, and Conrad merely unconscious, but Y'shtola is on the verge of death, her lifeblood pooling beneath her prostrate form. You turn to confront the man who dealt the blow: Zenos yae Galvus, the imperial viceroy himself. Lamenting the disappointment that was your comrades' performance, he raises his blade and bids you entertain him.
- Though you endure Zenos's onslaught far longer than Pipin and Alisaie, even you are no match for him. With a flourish, the viceroy sends you flying─the only testament to your resilience the broken blade he flings to the earth as he turns his back on you and walks away. Raubahn and his Immortal Flames soon arrive, but he has seen enough death for one day, and orders his men to let the imperials withdraw and instead attend to the wounded.
- After taking in the carnage in silence, Raubahn reminds you that your actions saved lives, and that you should remember that, no matter what happens. Yet having come face-to-face with the crown prince himself, having seen the superhuman feats of which he is capable, you know exactly what it is that you will remember...
A castellum is less a military installation and more a supply depot─a storage and distribution facility for the surrounding area. That being the case, taking it will not only earn us a strategic foothold, but deprive our enemy of valuable resources.
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So Marshal Tarupin means to lead the reconnaissance mission himself, does he?
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This will be our largest engagement yet. Our conjurers will do their utmost to provide support, but we must be prepared to suffer significant casualties.
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For an operation of this import, we cannot afford to hold too many in reserve. Surely the Maelstrom must take part in this assault!
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Taking Velodyna will be the first significant step toward wresting Ala Mhigo from the Empire's grasp─but make no mistake: there will be many more such steps, each one taken at a cost.
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Thank you for volunteering to join me. This should be a fairly straightforward reconnaissance mission, so long as we do not have the ill fortune to run afoul of an imperial patrol.
Come─our destination is beyond East End, just north of Velodyna.
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Even should they be unaware of our plans, I would be surprised if their western defenses were not heavily fortified, given the presence of Allied forces at the Wall.
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Naught appears out of the ordinary at a glance...
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This ought to be close enough. Now we settle in for a long watch.
That said...it would be prudent to keep your weapons at the ready, in the event a passing patrol stumbles upon us, or worse...
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System
Upon reconnoitering Castellum Velodyna, several cutscenes will play in sequence.
It is recommended that you set aside sufficient time to view these scenes in their entirety.
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Voiced cutscene start.
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Excellent... The disposition of the imperial forces is exactly as expected.
I will notify Father.
Cannon fire! Where did it come from?
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Smoke! There! Is that─ Oh gods, it's Rhalgr's Reach!
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It's no use─I think someone's jamming our communications.
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You don't think... Could this be part of a coordinated attack?
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Too early to draw conclusions.
We must abort the assault and return to the Reach at once.
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Forward! FORWARD! Give them no quarter!
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Well, well...
Stand aside, Pilus. This one has promise.
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Have a care, my lord. She's not like the others.
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Hm. Do not disappoint me, girl. Or I will kill you.
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Seven hells... It's him! It's Zenos!
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The viceroy? Oh...you are a dead man!
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So spirited...and yet so empty.
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Ah, a magical barrier. Alas...
It will not save you.
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Hold the line, by Rhalgr! Hold the line!
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We saw the smoke and thought we heard explosions. Are we under attack?
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The imperials were all over us before we realized what was happening.
No one knew where to run or what to do─it was chaos.
Lyse and Master Kemp rallied the guards and bought us enough time to get some of the wounded to safety, but I haven't seen either of them since...
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Confound it! If we lose the Reach, this will all have been for naught!
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Arenvald─can you escort these people to the Wall?
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Our place is at the Reach. We must offer such aid and succor as we are able. Saving lives is now our paramount concern.
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If we can hold back the imperials until Father sends reinforcements, we may yet turn the tide...
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I'll join you. I've done all I can for these people, and you'll be crying out for a healer in there.
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I fear you're right. Come, there is no time to lose!
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Voiced cutscene end.
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| Gods help us, they're killing everyone! |
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| We have to stop them while there's still someone left to save! |
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| The imperials came from nowhere...started cutting people down left and right... |
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| Reinforcements are on the way. Spread the word.
We should keep moving...
Confound it! Nothing for it but to fight. |
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| Twelve forfend... It's a bloodbath...
Remember that we're here to save lives! Defend the hostages! |
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| Those monsters─these people had surrendered! |
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| It's not too late for the others. We must hurry! |
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| What the─ Are those beastmen fighting for the imperials?
I've never seen them before... |
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| They...they took Lyse and the others deeper inside... You've...you've got... |
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| There they are! We're not too late! |
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| Well, well. A rescue party, is it? We'll see about that.
Gah! Who in the seven hells are you!? |
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Voiced cutscene start.
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Alphinaud, I need your help!
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Uh─ As you command, my lord.
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Your friends were a disappointment. But you...
You will entertain me, will you not?
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Voiced cutscene end.
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| If we kill him, here and now, we can end this! |
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| I have no need for this rabble. |
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| Seven hells... Not even Father could do that... |
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| Hm. You yet stand. Mayhap you have potential.
Better...but lacking nevertheless...
It would seem I misjudged you. This ends now. |
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Voiced cutscene start.
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Flame Officer
Shall we give chase, General?
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Nay. There has been enough death this day. See to the wounded.
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What will you say?
1) I think my pride might have taken a knock.
2) Well enough. Next time, he will pay.
3) ...
'Tis no ordinary foe could best the likes of you.
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To best the likes of you... Zenos is not what I took him to be.
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Don't you die on me, Y'shtola! Hold on!
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Don't worry! It's going to be all right!
Alphinaud! Master Kemp is all yours!
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Don't just stand there gawping! Hold her down while I work!
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Don't just stand there gawping! You're a healer, aren't you?
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The worst is passed, but without the proper facilities I can do no more.
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Master Kemp too would be better served in the infirmary.
Let us take them there without delay.
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Give us a hand, would you, Lyse?
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I know you must be exhausted, but there will be others who need our help. Leave these two to us and look to the other wounded.
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Voiced cutscene end.
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Don't speak or try to move! Take slow, steady breaths, and remain calm...
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I...I'm fine, really. Never been better...
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If it wasn't for her, it'd be me lying there...
...I wish it was.
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You're worried about Y'shtola, aren't you? <sigh> It's too early to make any kind of prognosis, but...she's alive. For now.
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Ugh... That is going to leave a mark.
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<pant> <pant> What about...what about the others? Where's M'naago? Where's Meffrid?
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Gah... In the heat of battle I barely felt the pain, but when the fighting died down, it was all I could do to stay standing...
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No time to talk. I must prepare more medicines.
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The imperials came from the Peaks. Somehow they knew about the tunnel...
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Herbs for the poultices, herbs for the poultices...
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Bastards paid no heed to whether or not the men they slaughtered were armed. Some of the sutlers... Damn it all!
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I know there were spare bandages here somewhere...
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Medicines, is it? Come on, come on, take what you need! I'm not about to be a stickler when there's lives to be saved!
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Valiantly did we fight, but ultimately for naught...
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What's done is done. The dead are dead. All I can do is feed the living and pray it helps them to grow stronger.
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We came together as best we could, but in the end, there were just too many of them.
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I don't know... If we'd noticed sooner we could've used the cannons, but by the time we did, it was too late...
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There will be a reckoning. Mark my words...
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Godsdammit, Meffrid... Weren't you the one telling me to use my head and stay alive...
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You did well, Forename. You saved lives. No matter what happens, remember that.
Now then─let's do what we can for the wounded. Every minute counts!
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- You'll begin the fight alongside Pipin of the Steelheart (Gladiator), Alisae ("Red Mage" actually a Gladiator), Alphinaud (Arcanist with Obsidian Carbuncle) and Krile (Conjurer). Just inside you'll find two Laquearius, two Signifers, and a lone Secutor fighting some Stragglers. The Stragglers MUST be defended, if even a single one perishes you will lose the duty. Your allies will take the other four, so make sure you hit the Secutor a few times to get it off of the Straggler, then deal with them as you would any other monster. Your allies may very well finish theirs by the time you finish yours.
- Past the river you'll find two more Signifers, a Laquerius, a Secutor, and two Magitek Reapers (And two Resistance Fighter allies, they are marauders). Your allies will take all but the Reapers, so as before grab their attention to keep the Stragglers safe, but take caution to also take them where their AoEs won't damage the NPCs.
- In the markets you'll face a Laquerius and a Secutor, as well as a new beastman, the Ferae. Two bowwolves (Archer), a spearwolf (lancer) and a bladewolf (Samurai). Their attacks have different names, but mostly copy existing moves with the only one to really worry about being Iai from the Samurai, which mimics the conal Tenka Goken. You only need to grab the spear and blade wolves to do your part.
- Lastly, you'll face Fordola, two Skulls Mages, a Skulls Blade and a Skulls Spear. Fordola is yours to fight while the rest are occupied by your allies. You CAN take out the others so your allies can assist you, but it's faster and likely safer to just focus on Fordola, who fights like a normal Gladiator. Just get her down to 10% for a cutscene.
- Ok, true final boss time. You'll be facing Zenos Yae Galvus, alongside Pipin and Alisae. After a little while he'll use Vein Splitter, taking out your allies and dropping you to low HP (thankfully the story buff provides regen) and inflicting Stun and Down for the Count. Your goal here is to take Zenos down to 94% HP, but he's level 70 so it won't be easy.
- During the fight he'll summon The Storm, a sword that does AoE around itself (Thunderous Force), as well as The Swell, which does AoE around the outer edge of the arena (Tempestuous Force). Zenos himself will use Concentrativity, an AoE around himself, and Lightless Spark, a conal AoE he'll often use alongside his summons to cover any safe spots. Occasionally he'll use a different version of Concentrativity that has the same animation as Vein Splitter, but simply does Concentrativity's damage albeit arena-wide.
- Your main goal is to dodge all the AoEs while doing what damage you can. Surviving takes first priority. Zenos' melee strikes are pathetic and he walks slowly toward you if you run away, so as long as you can avoid the AoEs you'll be able to survive. The blade patterns begin easy, but as the fight drags on they will often combine to form undodgeable patterns, so break the swords to create your own safe spots.
- Once at 94%, he'll use Vein Splitter once more, taking you out and ending the fight.
- Krile's dialogue after the fight differs if you are a healing class.
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