[3.4 Spoilers] Hydaelen And The Warriors Of Darkness

[Ibi]

I could understand that reasoning if Arbert hadn't specifically stated that they had done everything they had been told to do.

I went back over the Warrior of Darkness exposition cut scenes: post-Xelphatol, the chat with Urianger, and the ones before and after the fight with the Warriors of Darkness. The only instance I could find where he mentions being told/asked/bid to do anything doesn't refer to Hydaelyn:

We were just adventurers trying to make our way. An odd job here, a favor there - we never aspired to be Warriors of Light.

But word of our deeds spread, and soon people were calling us heroes. They placed their hopes and dreams on our shoulders and bid us fight for all that was good and right.

We fought and we fought and we fought... until there was no one left to fight. We won... and now our world is being erased from existence.

We did everything right, everything that was asked of us, and still- still it came to this!

It's the people who were calling them heroes that were doing the asking.

That said, even if we make the (totally reasonable) assumption that Hydaelyn was talking to the Warriors of Darkness at some point, I don't recall any point in our interactions with her that she's provided any explicit instructions as to what we should be doing, beyond "See. Hear. Think." Our actual plans of action have generally come from the Scions.

We can agree to disagree on the other point, we simply see it differently.

[SuperFlorinjin]

I could understand that reasoning if Arbert hadn't specifically stated that they had done everything they had been told to do. The only explanation I can think of that justifies this reasoning is that, around the same time Hydaelen stopped talking to our WoL, she stopped giving them orders. However, still acting on the last instructions they were given, they continued to destroy Primals and The Ascians until none were left on The First. Arbert does voice his frustration that she is just now claiming to answer their prayers, but there still hasn't really been any good reason as to why Hydaelen stopped talking in the first place aside from "she was weak."

He never says that Hydaelen is the one who told them to do things. Like us they where adventurers who did work for lots of people. For that matter it's not like NOT killing Primals or allowing the Ascians to cause a Calamity would have a good effect on their world. And how is being physically unable to talk to people a bad reason for not talking to them?

As for Minfilia having to stop Arbert's attack, all she did was merely raise her hand. She didn't block his attack; she forcefully made him stop moving. Then she explained that "As The Ascians must act out the will of their master, Zodiark, so must the recipients of the Mother's gift do her will also." I'm paraphrasing, but that's generally what she said. Basically, she admits that, as a Warrior of Light, that you have the only choices you have are to either 1) do what she says or 2) do nothing at all. You can't lash out at her because, as you see with Arbert, the Warrior of Light would be physically incapable of attacking her.

Uh, no she pretty obviously formed a barrier between them. He was just trying to force his way through it. And what she said was the she and Zodiark require servants in order to effect the world, not that their servants have no choice but to follow her will.

It's kind of like being tempered, but you're still in control 99% of the time. She just gets that 1% as a fail safe.[/QUOTE]

[Ametrine]

I'm not sure about the dialogue intricacies in other languages, but The Word described her transformation from Minifillia as an offering during her prayers while floating along the lifestream. Basically, Minfillia was completely willing to martyr herself, even if it's painful for the rest of us to watch and difficult to understand. Mini's devotion is above and beyond the call.


My only curiosity now is why the WoD, Ysayle, and ourselves have crystals of light, but Krile and Minfillia apparently don't. If it's a combatant thing, it doesn't explain Ysayle's being given to her as a young girl, and Krile's shown she's willing to fight when needed.

[TinyRedLeaf]

My only curiosity now is why the WoD, Ysayle, and ourselves have crystals of light, but Krile and Minfillia apparently don't. If it's a combatant thing, it doesn't explain Ysayle's being given to her as a young girl, and Krile's shown she's willing to fight when needed.

The Echo is a precondition, but you're right in that it has never been clear how any one individual qualifies for a crystal of light.

I was rewatching the cutscene of the WoL's very first vision of the Mother Crystal, to confirm that the WoL did in fact see the shards of Hydaelyn during that encounter. Only that, at the time, he didn't know the significance of what he saw.

And during that cutscene, Hydaelyn said: "The power to banish the Darkness dwelleth in the Crystals of Light. Journey forth and lay claim to them. By thy deeds shall the Crystals reveal themselves to thee."

So, it seems that the crystals of light aren't given so much as they are earned. Hydaelyn didn't say, however, that the deeds must involve combat, so in all likelihood, other kinds of selfless actions would also count. Just what those actions may be, though, appears to be anyone's guess.

[RahfaelFavinco]

I'm not sure about the dialogue intricacies in other languages, but The Word described her transformation from Minifillia as an offering during her prayers while floating along the lifestream. Basically, Minfillia was completely willing to martyr herself, even if it's painful for the rest of us to watch and difficult to understand. Mini's devotion is above and beyond the call.

We don't know what happened in between the 2.55 ending and meeting The Word in 3.2, but seeing as the Warriors of Darkness were able to go to the aetherial sea and from there to our world by dying, it's entirely possible that Minfilia stayed behind aiming either to have the tunnel collapse on her (from Y'shtola's spell) or run into the line of fire of the Brass Blades or something. In other words, she did die, knowing that Hydaelyn would absorb her aether rather than it just dissipating into the lifestream.

[Ametrine]

We don't know what happened in between the 2.55 ending and meeting The Word in 3.2, but seeing as the Warriors of Darkness were able to go to the aetherial sea and from there to our world by dying, it's entirely possible that Minfilia stayed behind aiming either to have the tunnel collapse on her (from Y'shtola's spell) or run into the line of fire of the Brass Blades or something. In other words, she did die, knowing that Hydaelyn would absorb her aether rather than it just dissipating into the lifestream.

That's not what The Word said happened.

According to her recount, Minfillia was swept up by Y'shtola's spell into the lifestream, and that Hydaelyn told her to run back to do that.

Basically, Minfillia was stuck in the same situation as Y'shtola was after the spell. Note they both have the oddly solid eyes now.