Revelations from Patch 5.3

[Sorimachi87]

Just a single thing to this whole Shadowbringers chapter without spoilers

---- Thank you! ----

[JeanneOrnitier]

Sorrow of Werlyt

So the Heart of Sabik was auracite... but holding what?

This Terncliff town is pretty. And the buildings look unique? Like it's not reused art assets. Interesting that there's a whole group of Au Ra here with more of a Western culture, as opposed to Asian. Gaius's kids weren't the only ones.

I'm glad to get even a slightly prominent Duskwight with Valdeaulin.

[ObsidianFire]

On Hydalyn, Zodiark and Azem

In Venat's recordings, she says that the Defector didn't want to help her group summon Hydaelyn. And all the recordings are from before Hydaelyn was summoned. So while we know Azem didn't want anything to do with Hydaelyn or Zoidark summonings, we don't know (yet) if Azem stayed neutral once Hydaelyn and Zoidark started fighting over who would be the will of the star.

My gut feeling is that Azem did not stay neutral. Hydalyn cares too much about us for me to think that. While a lot of people have the Echo, even fewer have Crystals of Light, which is what help keep the Darkness at bay. An no one aside from us has more than one. We have six. And we have Hydaelyn herself shielding us from Ultima to the point that it puts her out of commission for... basically the rest of the game. We are important to her in a way no one else (except maybe Minfilia) is. I can't see Hydaelyn doing something like that for a random adventurer. When you get down to it, you have a Primal putting their own existence on the line for someone who didn't summon them and who doesn't even worship them as a god. That's... unheard of.

The good thing is that we probably do have a record of what Azem did after Hydaelyn was summoned. One of the lines we get from our Sol Stone (lol) is this one.

Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow.

It suggests that our stone was made after the sundering. And in the Ravel, Emet-Selch makes it sound like Hydaelyn and Zodiark's fight when on for a while before Hydaelyn sunders Zoidark/the World. So from the sound of it, there's time for Azem to change their mind and take a side. Which we already know can't be Zoidark's side.

As far as Tempering goes... Zodiark temped all the Convoction members that summoned him. And those people would have had a way more powerful Echo than anything we have now. If Zodiark could temper them, he could temper Azem in all likelihood. The thing is... no one who interacts with Hydaelyn acts like they are Tempered. No one ever thinks she's a goddess, no one ever wants to worship her, Hydaelyn herself never asks anyone to do either of those things either. The most Hydaelyn ever wants people to do is... be aware the Ascians are manipulating people to do things they wouldn't otherwise do if Ascian involvement wasn't a thing and to know that the things Asicans get people to do are never in anyone's best interests. Given that the nature of Tempering varies from Primal to Primal, the form I could see Hydaelyn's tempering taking is some variation of "you will always have free will/your mind will always be you own". Anything else about forcing people to do something they wouldn't ordinarily do though? I have a very, very hard time seeing her having a Tempering work like that. Not without a lot of Hydaelyn lore being subtractivly retconed.

[GrizzlyTank]

Main Story

Well, it would appear that Elidibus never watched me do the 61-70 DRK quest line since his little show was a poor replica of that.

[Kesey]

MSQ, particularly Y'shotla

Why was there a pause followed by the eerie sound effect causing Y'shotla to change what she meant to say to Runar at their final farewell?

I guess it can be read few ways. One, she realized in the moment the right thing to say was a message of hope instead of an academic view of "change" is a part of life. But wouldn't that be easily accomplished by having her stop mid-sentence, have a pregnant pause, then change her tune? Why have the eerie sound effect?

Or second, she knows something the rest of us don't? Meaning the reunion with First and it's people will be coming down the road in the future? But how could she even know this and if she is going out of her way to hide it, why let herself slip at that moment?

Or lastly, (after I rewatched the cut scene) the phrasing almost seems like she is planting the idea of being summoned by the Night's Blessed, which as a Scion is counter-intuitive. Maybe I'm reading into it too much?

But why the eerie sound effect? Is there something here I'm missing?

[Hikari_Kishimoto]

Would somebody be so nice and write down what is written

on our Convocation Jobstone?

There seems to be something, since people quoted parts of it.
I missed to read it and now I can't find it anymore...

[Enla]

Would somebody be so nice and write down what is written

on our Convocation Jobstone?

There seems to be something, since people quoted parts of it.
I missed to read it and now I can't find it anymore...

Fourteenth's Stone:

It's the Alchemical symbol for the Sun/Gold in real life. (The rest of the convocation stones have real world constellations on them as well, as explored earlier.) Which ties into Urianger's theory that Azem, the Fourteenth seat's name, basically inspired the worship of Azeyma and Azim back on Hydaelyn.

[Hikari_Kishimoto]

Fourteenth's Stone:

It's the Alchemical symbol for the Sun/Gold in real life. (The rest of the convocation stones have real world constellations on them as well, as explored earlier.) Which ties into Urianger's theory that Azem, the Fourteenth seat's name, basically inspired the worship of Azeyma and Azim back on Hydaelyn.

Thank you!

But what I meant was the text with

"Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow."

There seem to have been more, but somehow I must have missed it.

[ObsidianFire]

Compilation of various texts about Office of the 14th Convocation Member (and their memorial stone)

Hythlodaeus describing both the office of Azem and what their stone's "special power" is

Among all the offices, the Fourteenth was most unusual. For while the rest sat in Amaurot, its holder was charged with gaining an intimate knowledge of the wider world.
In the course of his/her duty, he/she traveled the length and bredth of every land, and befriended countless folk.
He/she encountered troubles too of course. Matters which she/he could simply have referred to the Convocation. But that was not his/her way.
Nay, more often than not, he/she would call upon his/her comrades, and together resolve matters themselves.
Such is the magick sealed within that crystal - the magick to summon the starts to your side.
In time of greatest need, should you wish upon it with all your heart, it will surely answer your call.
And now it is where it belongs.

When summoning your party members to fight the WoL, this plays across the screen at the same time

Herein I commit the chronicle of the traveler. Shepherd to the stars in the dark.
Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow.
For yours is the Fourteenth seat - the seat of Azem.

Elidibus/Warrior of Light's reaction to you summoning your party

An invocation of eld... though not of Hydaelyn's making... What are you?

In the WoL fight, this plays across the screen after you throw off the chains in the Rift

You clutch the crystal of Azem to your brest and wish upon it with all your heart.

Your gold summoning/teleportation circle shows up again, but with Emet-Selch in the middle of it. And the WoL reacts with...

You... It cannot be...

Emet-Selch does his classic finger snap, and you and the rest of your party are all pulled out of the Rift to your summoning/teleportation circle. Emet-Selch walks off and does his weird back-handed wave before disappearing again.

The phrase used to describe what you do with the crystal before Emet-Selch gets summoned/teleported is the exact same phrase Hythlodaeus uses to tell you how to use the crystal, so...

Curiously, this is how Temulun, the shaman of the Mol tribe "sees" us all the way back in Stormblood.

[You are] A singular radiance. Shimmering.
Like a jewel of the Dusk Mother, blinding in its brilliance.
Stars flicker and flock to you. Before such gathered light, even the secrets of the gods may be laid bare.
Some are fated to rise in grace and glory. Others to falter and fade, though not from memory. Both will be your strength and salvation come the end.
Cherish the stars and the light they bring you in the dark.
For you are a traveler, are you not?

When it comes to the memorial stone itself, the symbol on it is the alchemy/astrology symbol for the sun in real life. The Zodiac itself is all the constellations that the sun appears to travel through over the course of the year. It is a very appropriate symbol for the traveling Convocation seat to have.

[Ilenya]

On Hydaelyn, Zodiark and Azem

So most of this post is going to be wandering trains of thought, but I just want to start on this one real fast.

I don't think Hydalyn is specifically watching us like you think she is. I feel like we were tapped sort of like why Elidibus existed. As Elidibus bore the hopes and dreams of Amaurot, Azem was the one to the world at large. Hydaelyn, through Venat, would have known about this, and it's entirely possible Azem's soul has been tapped multiple times in the past as needed.

Anyways, personal thoughts.
Elidibus is a Primal. It's starting to make me wonder if ELIDIBUS is who tempered the rest of the Convocation, rather than Zodiark. It stems from a train of thought where Zodiark and Hydaelyn are the "perfect" primals and any others are the pale imitations. No aether draining, no tempering, just...Exactly what the summoners wanted. Anything lesser, well... It would be part of why we never get tempered by Hydaelyn (You know, assuming we aren't) and why the Ascians had such a single minded goal. Sure, recovering Zodiark seems like the end game, but Emet Selch made it clear he wanted to bring back those lost when Zodiark was summoned. The cries of the people, not necessarily the will of Zodiark. SPeculation, but something to think about.

It's funny to me that Elidibus is exactly what the WoL was theorized to be so many times. A primal, born of people's wishes for salvation.

That part with Seto nearly made me cry. That was...Amazingly well done.

I did squee at Elidibus turning into the OG WoL. I was not expecting that at all.

I...Am forgetting things I wanted to mention, which bugs me, but I'll add them as I think of them.