- Urianger is eager to rejoin Y'shtola.
Ah, Forename. We can begin as soon as the others arrive. |
The brands are ready, I presume? Excellent. With the Loporrits having deployed their supporters, we are ready to proceed.
Let us rejoin Y'shtola posthaste, and prise open our gate unto the void.
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What aid I lend in restoring the brands is insignificant next to that which you and yours must accomplish.
When my part is complete, I shall stand apart and observe, as I have ever done. For it was to you that Venat has entrusted the future. |
I have duly informed Y'shtola of our task's completion.
While you all tend to matters in the Thirteenth, I shall remain here and ensure the integrity of gate and seal both. |
Some manner of cactuar attempted to make mischief, but no one came to harm. How did you fare? |
With Estinien keeping us safe, we were able to finish repairing the brands without incident! |
My thanks for seeing to the supporters. With this, all is in readiness for the ritual.
First, I shall give the order to Alphinaud and Alisaie in the Tower of Babil to channel aether to the moon.
Once we have amassed a sufficient amount of energy, Urianger and I shall begin our incantations to open a voidgate.
If all goes well, a tear will form in the fabric of reality, at which point you must activate the brands and put in place the containment seal.
That is all. If there are no questions, then let us begin!
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 Voiced cutscene start.
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Apologies for the wait. The preparations here are finally complete.
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Excellent. The tower too is activated. But give the word, and we will begin channeling the aether.
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Very well, then. Make it so.
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Urianger, commence your invocations. 'Tis time to open our gate!
A tear is beginning to form! Quickly, activate the brands!
Success... The gate is open, and the seal appears to be in place... |
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Let's see how well it holds.
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What an enormous gate! Lord Golbez will be eager to hear of this!
So this is the promised land... The land of boundless aether!
Arrrgh! |
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I daresay the seal doth serve its purpose.
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I see all proceedeth apace. Remarkable...
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Indeed. Just this moment, a voidsent emerged from the gate─by which we may safely assume it leads to the Thirteenth.
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It's incredible, Y'shtola! Truly incredible! Oh, what an honor it is to have been part of this historic achievement!
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A part is an understatement. None of this would have been possible without you and yours.
Our success has also served to solidify our understanding of cross-rift travel.
The Ascians rejoined reflections to the Source by instigating elemental imbalances. These imbalances weakened the barrier between realities, causing the aether of a reflection to flood the Source.
But why is it that reflections are predisposed to rejoin the Source? Why have they never merged with one another? |
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Thou art suggesting there is a unique property inherent to the Source─one responsible for such an outcome?
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I am. 'Tis my conclusion that, as the point of origin for the reflections, the Source has an innate “pull” over them.
Hydaelyn, I believe, sought to suppress that pull, which is why She was created with the power of Light─of stasis.
Meanwhile, the power of Darkness─of activity─reigns in the void. Hydaelyn's influence would naturally be weaker, and this manifested in the form of planar fissures.
Working with this hypothesis, I set my sights upon where the pull was assessed to be strongest. And through our combined efforts, we succeeded in opening a gate to the void.
Now, I must stress: it was because we sought the void that we succeeded. Pleased though I am to have my theory proven, the secrets of travel to other reflections still elude us.
Even so, in the reality that lies beyond the Eighth Umbral Calamity, there are those who found a way to reach the First. I will not rest until I do the same. |
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One step closer to fulfilling your dream, eh?
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Just a step. Many more remain to be taken.
Which further motivates me to forestall a voidsent invasion. So come, let us set forth─to find Azdaja, and put an end to Golbez's plot!
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Climb upon my back. I shall take us to the gate.
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As we did discuss prior, I shall see the alchemists safely home, then together with the Loporrits, maintain vigil over the gate.
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May the Sisters watch over and keep you safe!
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This is the moon of the Thirteenth?
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It is. Ever since the Flood, it has been a sanguinary orb in the sky.
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No voidsent. A rather more subdued reception than I had anticipated.
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But unsurprising, given how jealously Golbez conceals the location of his domain.
Still, we must remain on guard. One of his minions came through the gate, after all, and more may lie in wait.
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I do not sense my sister... Where could she be? Where?
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Steady, Vrtra. We've barely arrived. Let us explore our surrounds before drawing conclusions.
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Yes... Thou art right.
I shall survey the moon from above. The ground, I leave to you all.
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| Voiced cutscene end.
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System
Zero appears to be lost in thought, her gaze fixed upon the fathomless abyss... |
No sign of a watcher or any Loporrits. Perhaps they were swallowed up in the Flood of Darkness...or perhaps they never existed here. |
My lance will be ready should any more of Golbez's pawns appear. |
System
The surface of the moon is a grim shade of crimson. A consequence of the Flood of Darkness perhaps.
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System
No matter how you strain your eyes, you spy no signs of life. In all directions extends a desolate waste without end.
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System
You hold your breath in an attempt to catch the faintest noise. Save for the sounds of your comrades, there is nothing.
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System
So far, you have failed to find any clues as to Azdaja's whereabouts. Perhaps Zero has noticed something you missed...
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| Voiced cutscene start.
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The chasm has caught your attention as well.
There's some manner of structure below. Worth a look, wouldn't you say?
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I too sense something here.
This pit much resembles the Cradle of Darkness on our moon, where Zodiark was once imprisoned.
If this place serves the same function, then a fragment of His power must have been sealed in the depths.
Strange, though. When Zodiark perished in the Source, I presumed that every aspect of Him was thus unmade, and His power scattered.
But it's unmistakable, the Darkness that permeates this abyss. Could a trace of Him yet remain...or is it something else?
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I hear thee, Sister! I hear thee!
Climb on, my friends! Azdaja is here, within this chasm!
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Sister!
'Tis I, Vrtra! I have come to rescue thee!
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You were entrusted with Azdaja's eye, were you not?
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What? How...
Vrtra...? Wherefore art thou here...?
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Oh, thank goodness!
'Tis thee, dear sister. Truly thee... How long have I dreamed of this moment!
Would that I could have found thee sooner...but I am here now. Let us return home, together.
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The thought filleth me with joy...but I fear it cannot be. Not even with a dragon's might can these chains be broken.
For they are forged of the very will of the man named Golbez.
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So this is indeed Golbez's domain.
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Thou keepest company with mortals?
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I do. They are my stalwart allies, without whom I could not have come this far.
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Is that so... Then much time hath passed indeed.
It doth feel like only yesterday that we were fighting the voidsent hordes the men of Allag had unleashed on Meracydia...
Desperate to save Tiamat, I flew into this lightless world to strike at the heart of the Cloud of Darkness's forces.
But the voidsent I slew returned again and again. And before I knew it, the rift betwixt worlds had closed. I was stranded. Bereft of strength...
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Thou didst save the lives of full many, Sister.
Today, we abide in harmony with men, working side by side and forging enduring bonds.
Indeed, in the course of searching for thee, I did cross paths with many a noble mortal, with whom I built a nation of rich diversity.
To thee I would show it─my beautiful Radz-at-Han. I shall not rest until thou art free.
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When Golbez found me collapsed, the Darkness ravaging my wounds, he spoke and said:
“'Tis but a matter of time before you turn. But I have the power to stop it.”
And he did─for a price. I would remain myself, but bound. An everlasting feast for his minions, who supped upon my aether over thousands of years.
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What now, then? Does this great wyrm intend to remain a captive meal for all eternity, not daring to test her chains?
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If such is thine attempt at encouragement, mortal, then thou art as graceless as Nidhogg.
'Twas Golbez who did weave this spell, and so his defeat should serve to unravel it. Would it suffice as a show of spirit were I to reveal what I know of the villain?
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Now there's a start. So, what can you tell us?
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Mayhap in order to sustain the magick, he cannot travel far from this place.
He doth prefer to send minions to carry out his will, but on occasion will himself ascend to the moon's surface.
And every time, without fail, he will visit the same location to the south. Something of import lieth there, doubt not.
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Well, you heard her. Shall we look into this spot near and dear to our enemy's heart?
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| Voiced cutscene end.
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Acquisition
Closest Aetheryte: Bestways Burrow
Requirements
Rewards
Description
Objectives
Unlocks Quests
