[Loremonger] 1.X Lominsan Story Arc

[Anonymoose]

In the story, in the echo, we/player gets assigned to a Levy, right? I could have sworn it was the 5th, but they said it wasn't the one going to Seal Rock, so I suppose not.

I'd be happy to explore this one with you, because no, you're not crazy. You're just the only other person I've ever met who noticed.

Some background - In Treasures of the Main, Baderon sends you to Coral Tower to sign up for the 'Cudas. Half of this is spent in real-time, and half is spent in Echoes.

In 1572, Baderon writes you a recommendation and you go to the tower. Inside, you're told to show your stuff on the firing range. They make fun of you for not having a weapon, but Commodore Reyner lends you one. Unfortunately, your only experience with a firearm is watching Sthalmann fire his in Shapeless Melody's echo, so you strike his firing pose. Reyner recognizes the stance of his disgraced former superior anywhere...

This memory of Sthalmann triggers an Echo of 1562's Seal Rock Unit tryouts. Back then, standards were much higher due to all the pirates trying to sneak in. Mannskoen realizes you don't belong immediately, takes the loaned weapon from you, and says that failures like you belong in the 5th Levy. In the background Sthalmann is purposely recruiting the pirate Merodaulyn into the Seal Rock Unit as part of his plan to steal the Treasure. The echo ends, and the firearm is gone.

We arrive back at Reyner, figuring Rostnsthal (Sthalmann) is your mentor, kicking you the hell out of his tower. You go upstairs to the admissions desk. Now, if you hadn't have had an echo, you'd know to just leave, but because of Mannskoen, you tell Isaudorel that you were told to join the 5th. This confuses Isaudorel, because this unit doesn't exist anymore. His recalling the fate of this unit then triggers an echo.

In 1562, Mannskoen tells everyone the Seal Rock Unit is full and tells the failures to apply for the 5th instead. In the background, Emerick, already in on Sthalmann's plan, is recalled to The Misery.

Back to 1572, Isaudorel thinks you swiped that firearm. You try to tell him the sergeant (Mannskoen) took it, but he thinks you're talking about a different sergeant because Mannskoen's presumably been dead for 10 years (more on that in a second). You're told not to leave town until they get this flintlock thing straightened out and you leave without a job.

Now that you're all caught up, check this out:

August 2010 - Instanced, iirc

You heard of my sister? Private B'namanbi Ena, Thalassocratic Navy 3rd Squadron, 5th Levy Infantry, Seal Rock Provisional Unit. Ever since the rumors of floating islands and legendary treasure started swirling, her unit's been the most talked about in town. What I wouldn't give to be out there with her!

November 2012 - Not Instanced, iirc

You heard of my sister? Private B'nmanbi Ena, Thalassocratic Navy First Squadron, Fifth Levy Infantry, Seal Rock Provisional Unit. There once was a time her unit was the most talked about in town. What I wouldn't have given to be out there with her! Floating islands, hidden treasure, giant sea serpents... What more could a marine ask for!?

Treasures of the Main

Alright, greenbacks, the festivities have come to a close! The Seal Rock Unit has been filled, and none of you are in it! But before you go crying back to your mammies, we always have room for failures like you in the 5th. Who knows, maybe we can even make men out of you...if you last long enough! Ahahahaha! Dismissed!

But, Moose, I can hear some of you about to say, The Seal Rock Unit and The Seal Rock Provisional Unit are probably just different units using the same levy number in different squadrons! People are chosen for the first, and the wash-outs can feel free to back them up in other!

Well, first off, squadrons are based on the waters they patrol, so that would be silly, but fine, maybe they were stationed in different waters and just had similar tasks... secondly:

HIT IT, JOURNAL TEXT.

You may not have earned a position with the Seal Rock Provisional Unit, but do not let that deter you from your goal of becoming a Barracuda.

Mannskoen told you to feel free to go for the 5th because you washed out of the Seal Rock Unit. Journal text here implies that they're the same unit. Then...

The Sahagin have ambushed the provisional squadron en route to Seal Rock! 5th Levy currently engaging the enemy; heavy losses reported; squadron commander amongst casualties; acting commander does not think this attack random and believes someone from within the ranks discovered our plans to the enemy!

Does this not imply that the provisional unit is the 5th? And that the commander is Mannskoen?


After all, in Legends Adrift, the Arcanist Guild has a hard time believing that Mannskoen was the one who took your weapon... again, probably because he's dead.

You claim the weapon was confiscated from you by Sergeant Mannskoen? Are you certain of this? But he was assigned to the Seal Rock Unit...

I might be overlooking something, but this looks like one hell of a contradiction, you're right. Unless I'm missing something silly, without SE Catapult getting involved, that one might not ever be cleared up. I don't even think about it anymore.

Also, about Hydaelyn commanding the sea serpent - wondering if Hydaelyn is the "Paragon" Ifrit mentions.

I'm not sure what, if anything other than the drive to protect Seal Rock's contents, drives the sea serpent.

However, I don't think the Paragon is Hydaelyn. Remember, Hydaelyn is the consciousness of the planet - and every time a primal is summoned, it kills her a little bit due to the consumption of her life force. If she's the Paragon, she's committing suicide. So far, my money is on the Paragons either being Ascian, Garlean, or Archon - to weaken this realm, conquer this realm, or manipulate the events of this realm so that a certain outcome may be achieved, respectively.

Part of me wants to say Urianger because when he first appeared everyone said he was to blame for the Sixth Umbral Era over a THOUSAND YEARS AGO (which is partly why I accuse Y'shtola of being a time traveler).

The other path companions I've seen don't seem to mention a gender, but the lalafell female refers to the Paragon as "she".

Between all the path companions we get accusations of it being male and female, and most are gender-neutral. Fernehalwes addressed this by saying that Japanese pronouns are ambiguous to begin with, but if you have to come away with it with an answer, the truth is that there are multiple paragons, so some probably are male and some probably are female.

This again links back to the possibility that the Archons and the Paragons are the exact same people. The mythology about them is exactly the same, word for word, except the Archons lead us to the light of the Twelve, and the Paragons lead the beast tribes to the light of the primals.

I still posit that it's entirely possible that the Archons are after a greater good, here. For all we know, they're perfectly fine with teaching the beast tribes to kill the planet if they already know, perhaps through time travel, that certain outcomes can be achieved in the long run. Remember that time the planet was almost out of aether to begin with and Louisoux tried to summon twelve gods at once? These people are all about the big picture.

I know this might sound like another conspiracy theory, but you never know. Stranger things have happened. That said, the only conspiracy theory I'm actively propagating is my Alexander theory... but that's better left for another day.

Y'shtola aging well - it's possible? If you look at Ul'dah -- Nielle's YOUNGER brother is now an old man, and F'lhaminn still looks, what, 15?

Go on, stare if you will. Make japes if you must. But I been doing this for eighty-odd years, and I know what a miner needs─booze! Not those bloody grape wines, neither─I'm talking spirits!

You know Mamaza looks like?

The only reason I don't bring this up is because it makes any speculation about Urianger being over 1700 years old moot. For all I know, Eorzeans have no expiration date if they know the right mage doctor and can avoid being stabbed in the face.