A World Away

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Your pardon, sir. You are an adventurer, yes? Then I take it you have heard about the bug infestation?
"Yes."
...Yes, it was only a matter of time before word spread. I need hardly tell you how these persistent pests might imperil the celebrations.
"No."
...No? Well, take it from me: the mere sight of the things would make your skin crawl with horror. No one knows whence they came. No one knows why they have come. Only one thing is certain: the wilds just beyond the city walls are teeming with these mechanical monstrosities, and their numbers grow with each passing day. What ill fortune that this plague should be visited upon us so close to the anniversary of our realm's rebirth! How might our citizens pray and reflect in peace with that skittering horde at our gates...? Thankfully, this land is not without its heroes. I hear tell of a flamboyant bard who has declared war against the bugs. The stories speak of him engaging the metallic creatures in both central and western Thanalan. Will you not aid this courageous minstrel in his noble attempt to secure a modicum of tranquility for the coming solemnities?
The bugs have been sighted scuttling about both central and western Thanalan. Won't you join the tenacious troubadour of whom I spoke, and lend your arm to his struggles?
(After completing the FATE and acquiring the Bug Scrap)
You've sent those bugs skittering, have you!? Twelve be praised, the celebrations are saved!
Alas no, my dear... We are not free of the pests yet.
I thank you for your assistance, Forename. Wheresoever a heroic soul is needed, there shall you ever be found. I could ask for no stouter ally!
I thank you for your assistance─I do not think I could have turned back the swarm alone.
Our victory is, however, but a fleeting one. No matter how many of these bugs we put down, there will always be more to take their place. There seems to be hundreds of them, if not thousands, and more arrive by the day. I am doing all I can to thin their numbers...but it is a losing battle. ...If I am not mistaken, you salvaged a piece of one of our foes, did you not? Might I see it? ...Curious. 'Tis faint, but I do believe this scrap of metal is humming. Nay, mayhap not humming exactly... The sound has a most distinctive timbre... As a citizen of Ul'dah, would you happen to know of any professional musicians with whom we might consult? They need not be local in origin─merely local in whereabouts.
Now that you mention it, I did recently make the acquaintance of a visiting composer. He has traveled from afar to attend the anniversary celebrations, seeking inspiration for his next work, I believe. You'll likely find him nearby, sampling all the sights and sounds of the sultanate!
A propitious circumstance, indeed! If you are willing, I would have you seek out this composer as soon as you are able, and ask if he can identify the mysterious tone that issues without cease from your battlefield memento. We stand at an impasse, and any new insight into our predicament would be most welcome. 'Tis perhaps fortunate that the anniversary celebrations have drawn such a large and varied crowd. Surely within the mind of one of these myriad visitors can be found the solution to our problem. Pray begin your inquiries forthwith!
I made the acquaintance of a visiting composer only recently─you should find him nearby, savoring the sights and sounds of the anniversary celebrations!
I shall remain here, and prepare to meet the next wave of bugs. You, my friend, must seek out and speak with those whose expertise might grant us an insight into the nature of our ever more numerous foes.
What do you make of these dancin' lovelies? Not to be prudish, but I can't help feelin' the revealin' costumes take away from the performance a bit... Hm? What's that? You want me to listen to somethin'? Musical curio, is it? All right then, I'm game! Let's have a listen to this mysterious sound of yours... Hmmm, this here's more than your standard mechanical hum. There's a definite rhythm to it; a clear melody repeatin' over and over... An' if you look closely, you can see some symbols on it, fadin' in an' out in time to the beat. 'Fraid the meanin's lost on me, though... You should show this to a mate of mine─he knows all manner of strange tongues. You'll probably find him in Arrzaneth Ossuary, salivatin' over all them dusty tomes.
Me mate speaks all sorts of languages I've never heard of. Head over to Arrzaneth Ossuary and ask him to have a look at them symbols for you. He'll know what they mean.
I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you have taken up the fight against these awful bugs... I have the utmost faith that you will discover the means to exterminate them for good!
...You have need of my linguistic expertise? Hm. I had intended to immerse myself in these delectable volumes...but I cannot deny, the puzzle you have presented to me is most intriguing... Most intriguing indeed...
Very well. I shall indulge you. Silence, if you please! Uh... Ah. This is the language of a long-dead civilization. I specialize in living tongues, but I daresay I can decipher some few words... Hmmm. Though the finer details of the message elude me, the word stems suggest a theme of "proliferation" and "command." More, I cannot tell you. However...I have had the pleasure of collaborating with a noted author who is well versed in the history and culture of ancient civilizations. It is possible that he might be able to use the hints I have provided as keys to open the next set of doors. I suggest searching for him at the Quicksand─writers do so love to eavesdrop on the colorful conversations of adventurers.
I suggest you speak with the writer I mentioned. He will doubtless be in the Quicksand, eavesdropping on adventurers for inspiration.
...You seem troubled, friend. Mayhap I can be of service. To pen a convincing story, one must first embrace the knowledge of a thousand times and places, and it is possible that on my wanderings I have stumbled across just the pearl of wisdom you require. "Proliferation" and "command," you say... Those words bring to mind a passage I came across while researching ancient Allag─background reading for a novella I was planning. As I recall, the passage described a mechanism enabling the mass production of mechanical weaponry. ...But without understanding exactly how the mechanism functions, I fear you will struggle to disrupt it. 'Tis fortunate, then, that I am acquainted with a highly proficient engineer. If anyone is capable of proposing a practical solution to your problem, then it is he. The advent of the Calamity affected him deeply, so he will almost certainly be here to celebrate the anniversary of the realm's rebirth. And given his professional curiosity, I imagine the mammets of the Goldsmiths' Guild will prove an irresistible lure... You might try looking for him there.
I know of a proficient engineer who is likely in Ul'dah to celebrate the anniversary. And assuming he is here, the mammets of the Goldsmiths' Guild cannot have failed to seize his attention...
...You have need of an engineer's perspective? Very well. Allow me to inspect this mechanical fragment. ...Hmmm. From what you have told me, as well as my own cursory observations, I must conclude that the bugs you fought were constructed with some manner of self-replicating mechanism. Whenever the total number of active units falls below a certain threshold, it triggers the broadcast of a signal─a command for the remaining units to multiply. Short of simultaneously disabling them all, your best hope of victory lies in disrupting this signal, and thereby preventing further replication. Pray return now to the friend you mentioned. A minstrel, was he not? Good. Explain to him that he must, upon the elimination of each bug, play in such a way as to disrupt the signal until the unit's remaining components have been destroyed.
I will provide him with a sequence of notes that should achieve the desired interference. Here, I've written down the particulars. Naught remains but to test the results in the field!
I hope me ears were of help to you. When you close your eyes an' truly listen, you'd be amazed how the world reveals itself!
Were you able to make some sense of that writing? The words are important, aye, but ofttimes you miss the entire story when you focus too much on the literal meaning.
'Tis with the greatest of pleasure that we offer up our knowledge and expertise. Composer or translator, author or engineer, we all live to see our skills put to good use!
Those bugs have no place in this world. Take the answer you have pieced together from our combined efforts, and set your minstrel friend on the path to victory.
Well, my friend? Are we any closer to finding a permanent means of eradicating these bugs...? ...Ah, such a mechanism would well explain their never-ending numbers! And I need only strum this melody until such time as I have destroyed the creatures' remains, yes? Why, naught could be simpler─it shall be the tune of my triumph! Thank you, adventurer. Now we might offer our prayers for the victims of the Calamity, undisturbed by the discordant clanging of metallic limbs... Without your aid─and the advice of those generous visitors─I would never have arrived at the solution you have provided. It is incredible what can be accomplished when the wisdom and skill of many are bent towards a common goal. In fact, I am inspired to write a song in their honor... ...An ode to all the creative souls who bring such color and vibrancy to our world. Might I treat you to the first verse...? Ahem!
Praise be to all ye men of worth,♪
Who build proud towers from clods of earth,♪
Who grant our fancies form and weight,♪
A thousand wonders incarnate...♪
Greetings, Warrior of Light. You have arrived on the Eighteenth Floor. This is a world that exists outside your reality. Could it be a dream? A flight of fancy conjured by your weary mind? Perhaps...or perhaps not. All those you see here are creators of incredible fervor. And every single speck of energy and passion they possess is forever channeled towards your realm─towards Eorzea! ...My name is Naoki Yoshida. On behalf of the Eighteenth Floor, I bid you welcome. We are overjoyed to have this opportunity to offer you our heartfelt thanks!
Are you quite all right? 'Twas as if your spirit was transported elsewhere... You hear my words now, though, yes?
Do you wish to hear my tribute to the creative once more?
"Yes"
"No"
I know that each of my colleagues was keen to thank you in person. Have you spoken to everyone?
"No"
Then pray feel free to make the rounds! They are dying to talk to you!
"Yes"
Would you accompany me for a time, then? There is something I wish to share with you...
I do hope you're enjoying your time here on the Eighteenth Floor. We've all been so eager to meet you. You see, Eorzea is our shared passion─from its deepest valley to its loftiest cloud, and all that lies in between. And you, as one who has chosen to fight for this glorious realm, have become a hero not only to Eorzea's citizens, but to us as well! As I am sure you know, our beloved star once faced a ruinous fate. It was a fate born of arrogance and pride and vanity; a fate we brought upon ourselves. Thus did we seek to commune with you, Eorzea's heroes, that we might together realize a desperate plan: to forsake our doomed path and begin our journey anew. We would tear down what we had wrought, and build another world amid the wreckage of our hubris. Since that day of rebirth, more than five years have passed in Eorzea. The land breathes with renewed vigor, and the lure of adventure invites you onwards and upwards into the heavens themselves. We shall never again make the mistake of believing that Hydaelyn is ours alone: it is the culmination of the history we have made together, and the future we have yet to share. There will be days when we shall stand side by side, our laughter ringing in the air. There will be days when we shall be at odds, our brows furrowed in frustration. But only through such earnest exchanges shall Eorzea continue to flourish, and new creations take shape. The Calamity taught us the truth of that. It is our fondest hope that your adventures in Eorzea will be a constant source of joy and wonder. May you ever walk in the light of the Crystal! ...Now, the time has come for this vision to end; time for your eyes to open from this waking dream. Ever will we be watching over you and your deeds. Guide the realm unto peace and happiness, Warrior of Light...
By your expression, I thought your mind adrift on distant seas... Tell me: what manner of waking dream captivated your senses so completely? ...Fascinating. A vision of a world that exists outside of our reality. Was it a dream? A flight of fancy conjured by your weary mind...? I doubt we will ever know. I mean to remain in Ul'dah for the duration of the anniversary celebrations. Should you wish to experience the vision again, you have only to ask─I shall be glad to send you on your way with a song.
It seems to me that both you and the characters in your vision share a powerful desire to protect and nurture Eorzea... Mayhap it was that which gave form to the scene you witnessed.
...Let us now take a moment to remember those whose flames were extinguished too soon. The tragedies of yesterday must not be forgotten, lest we take for granted the gifts of tomorrow.

Toshio Murouchi
Greetings, I'm Toshio Murouchi from the Community Team. When people ask, that's how I explain my position, but I also do a lot of work for the operations and marketing teams. I can hardly believe we're already celebrating two years for A Realm Reborn! I fly all over the world for FFXIV-related events, and I recently calculated the distance I've traveled over the course of the last twelve months... ...A total of 154,750 kilometers! Oh, that is just insane... Not that it will stop me from flitting across the globe for the next twelve months to share in the hopes and dreams of our fans! ...Speaking of which, it's about time I started planning for the next Fan Festival!
Koji Shirasugi
A pleasure to meet you─I'm Koji Shirasugi from the Online Business Management Division. You may also have seen me embarrassing myself as Annie... As part of my duties on the marketing team, I do my best to introduce as many people as possible to the fine MMORPG that is FFXIV. Together with everyone involved in the making of the FINAL FANTASY XIV channel, it will be our pleasure to continue recruiting the new heroes who are to become your future adventuring companions.
Mitsutoshi Gondai
Assistant director and lead battle planner Mitsutoshi Gondai, at your service. It's been two years since the release of A Realm Reborn, and, thanks to our loyal players, we've been able to put out our first expansion! We won't stop there, of course─everyone on the dev team will continue working their hardest to create quality content. Hmmm, maybe we'll go with the final boss for the next extreme battle...
Kazutoyo Maehiro
Right. I've finished writing this quest, sent the request for that animation, and implemented that other thing...now it's time to speak with Soken about the music, and ask Hiroshi when he wants to do Alexand─ Whoa! Forename, it's you! I'm Maehiro, the main scenario writer. I'd been hoping to meet you since before the Calamity! On this, the second anniversary of A Realm Reborn, I am thrilled to find you here, enjoying our game. May you continue to enjoy the story of Eorzea for many moons to come!

If player is a 1.x character, Kazutoyo Maehiro says "I'd been hoping to meet you for the longest time" instead of "since before the Calamity"

Nobuaki Komoto
Greetings! I'm Nobuaki Komoto, the lead planner. Amongst a multitude of other tasks, it's my job to coordinate between the planners and the programmers, and help balance development with operations. Day in and day out, the dev team is working hard to bring you a steady stream of enjoyment. We're listening to all your requests, criticisms, and encouragement, and are looking forward to shaping an ever bigger and brighter Eorzea right alongside you!
Hiroshi Takai
Man, I'm never gonna get that Atma of the Scales... Hm? You're an adventurer, aren't you? I can tell. I'm Hiroshi Takai, assistant director on FFXIV. It's wonderful to meet you! Without you and your fellow players, we wouldn't be here, celebrating our two-year anniversary. We are deeply grateful for your support! Thank you, and see you in the game!
Hiroshi Minagawa
Greetings, I'm Hiroshi Minagawa, the lead UI and web artist. I'm usually in charge of how the interface looks and feels, but this time around I was also fortunate enough to be involved with light and shadow adjustments for background maps. As he did for A Realm Reborn, Yoshitaka Amano created both the logo silhouette and concept art for Heavensward. ...And he also threw in a bonus piece above and beyond what we asked for. This bonus art can be seen in the collector's edition─the shiny, silver illustration. It's a cool piece, and I highly recommend you check it out. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you continue to enjoy the game for a long time to come!
Koji Fox
Wait─you can see me? This is...most interesting. Why? Because I'm not here. There is no possible way I could be here...at least according to the rules which govern Hydaelyn. And it was I who helped create those rules─at least I think I did... But if I'm here, then where is the “real” me? Any number of theories are possible, I suppose. It could be that the Calamity has somehow split my being in two─half of the aether gathering here, the other half...elsewhere. The western continent, perhaps? The moon? It could be that what you see before you is but a clone, grown in some laboratorium by the selfsame scholars who created those terrible simulacra for Emperor Xande. And, it could be that this world is being generated by some ancient Allagan machine still humming away thousands of years after the fall of their civilization─a virtual representation of the realm within which I truly reside. Or, it could simply be that I am a song passed down by Eorzea's bards so often that I have become manifest in a method similar to how primals are summoned by the beast tribes. Or, it could be that this is all a dream...but that would be stupid. I'll have to give this further thought.
Takeo Suzuki
Hello! I'm Takeo Suzuki, the lead designer. My position has me overseeing the graphics for the entire game, which includes all the characters, animations, backgrounds, and cutscenes. Thank you for coming to visit us here on the Eighteenth Floor! We love to hear from our players─your interest and support are always a source of enthusiasm and encouragement. We want to meet all your expectations, and will keep coming up with interesting new equipment and dungeons! Let's enjoy this journey together!
Hideyuki Kasuga
Hi there! I'm Hideyuki Kasuga, the lead programmer. I'm in charge of all of FFXIV's engineering-related tasks. There is so much I would like to tell you about the technical side of things...but I'm afraid my explanations tend to get a bit long-winded. Probably best if we skip that for now. Tech matters aside, I'm glad to see you having fun with the game. There's a lot more excitement to come, so keep an eye out for future announcements!
Mayayoshi Soken
I'm Masayoshi Soken, sound director for FFXIV. Day an' night I'm here, workin' on ways to enhance our players' gamin' experience...but who wants to talk about that? Somehow, someday, I wanna see this room filled with a crowd of Warriors of Light wearin' Arachne culottes of healin'!
Naoki Yoshida
We've barely ushered Heavensward out the door, and already we need to decide on a direction for the next expansion. The deadline for that opening movie storyboard is right around the corner... Where should we base this new adventure? Under the sea? Under the ground? On the moon, mayhap...? Even if we do have a fair amount of time until release, we have to plan out announcements, and coming up with a brand new scenario is never an easy task. And then there'll have to be new jobs, of course. Samurai? Or how about red mage? Hmmm... Oh! You'll keep these idle musings to yourself, won't you!?

(Random 'Bubble Speech' from no-name NPCs)

Flipp'er over, flip flip!
Emit PDN, ammo-ct xet.

Editor's Note: Mirrored text. Says 'Text Command Ptime', aka: /ptime

N/A
I hear you've found some new housing.
N/A
Again with the head shot!
N/A
Maybe next year they'll let me carry sacks!
N/A
Neuro-what?
N/A
Are you certain this neurolink is on tight?
N/A
What comes after white and black? Red, I say!
N/A
Red!? Don't you mean blue!?
N/A
What evils would bring together two primals, a behemoth, and a bomb!?
N/A
Er...... Can I have three guesses?
N/A
Now where did I put that clockwork Doomtrain?
N/A
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here... Oh, I'm only kidding!
N/A
What!? Did you say some-thing!? I can't hear you!
Nonora
Oh, it's you! Our visitors to Ul'dah seem to be enjoying the anniversary celebrations immensely. Thanks to you and that wonderful minstrel, we have naught more to fear from those bugs. I am truly and deeply grateful!
Wandering Minstrel
Did you wish to hear those verses again? The song that transports you to that creator's paradise...?
Are you looking for something special today? Whether you seek a tasteful tribute to those lost in the Calamity or a symbol of our realm's rebirth, you're sure to find what you need! Just think how much more poignant those fireworks would be with something to remember them by. Blue comets are fleeting but a souvenir─a souvenir is forever! ...You seem rather fixated on my face. Do I have aught stuck betwixt my teeth? Or...have I suddenly gained an ardent admirer?