I'm late but "Into the Heart of the Whorl" Mistbeard reference, SPOILERS

[mbncd]

Warning, spoilers ahead.

I'm late getting through the story but Leviathan has finally been summoned. Everyone's back at the Admiral's office and strategizing how to defeat him when Eynzahr Slafyrsyn comes up with a plan based on something Mistbeard apparently once did. This results in Merlwyb commenting "Mistbeard did this? Truly, Marshal, upon the subject of the pirate king, you are as a scholar." Slafyrsyn looks particularly awkward at that comment, and then hurries to change the direction of the conversation back to the matter at hand.

Their exchange and expressions seem over the top for such a casual statement, as if there's some deeper meaning that Slafyrsyn doesn't want to admit.

Is he Mistbeard or did he work for Mystbeard? Is there some other reason he may be particularly close to the famed pirate?

I know there are some people who are great at picking apart all the tiniest references throughout the game and identifying tidbits that most of the rest of us never get. Please, if you can share your knowledge, it would be very appreciated. That CS has made me so curious now ^_^

[mbncd]

Oh, and for those curious, below is the transcript of the entire CS from my chat log:

[21:18]Merlwyb: There used to be a hamlet beyond South Tidegate in western La Noscea. Halfstone, 'twas called.
[21:18]Merlwyb: Some years prior to the Maelstrom's founding, Leviathan rose from the briny depths, and set about unleashing watery hell upon us. On that occasion, the Company of Heroes put him down before he could do too much damage.
[21:19]Merlwyb: But when the bastard came next, this time in the wake of the Calamity, we were not so fortunate. Weary of ravaging our shoreline, he summoned a tidal wave which fair leveled Halfstone, and washed the soil away for good measure.
[21:19]Y'shtola: The area was subsequently occupied by the Sahagin.
[21:19]Merlwyb: Aye, the thrice-damned creatures transformed it into a spawning ground for their brood.
[21:19]Merlwyb: Given the quantity of crystals stolen to feed him, and his legion of thralls, we can be fairly sure that Leviathan is stronger now than in his previous incarnations.
[21:19]Merlwyb: If that sea demon is left to wreak havoc, what befell Halfstone may well befall a larger settlement─even Limsa.
[21:19]Merlwyb: That cannot happen. The primal must be stopped.
[21:20]Thancred: That was ever our objective, Admiral. But how are we to achieve it?
[21:20]Thancred: The sea is Leviathan's uncontested domain. The ships of the Third Squadron could not close to within a hundred yalms of the primal, nor could their cannons pierce his defenses.
[21:20]Merlwyb: I have read the reports, Master Thancred. Our warships may as well have been bloody pleasure barges for all the good they did. Seven hells... Is there no way that we might strike back?
[21:20]Y'shtola: The Company of Heroes defeated Leviathan having first lured him into an inlet, but we must needs contend with him upon the open sea. It will avail us little to consult past experience.
[21:21]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: Admiral, if I may.
[21:21]Merlwyb: Speak freely, Marshal.
[21:21]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: By all accounts, Leviathan's most formidable weapon is the very sea itself. Waves and whirlpools, tides and currents─all these things are his to command. The key to victory, I believe, lies in disarming our foe.
[21:21]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: This, in effect, is what the Company of Heroes achieved with their ruse. We cannot lure Leviathan from the sea a second time, but what if we could weaken his hold upon the element of water? I have heard of devices capable of such wonders. They draw upon the power of corrupted crystals, I am told.
[21:22]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: If mounted upon a ship, such a device might be used to prevent Leviathan from bringing the full force of the sea to bear against us, rendering him no more dangerous than any other sea serpent.
[21:22]Minfilia: Of course... Cid built a similar device to grant the Enterprise safe passage through Garuda's tempest, did he not?
[21:22]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: Begging your pardon, my lady, but to give credit where it's due, this is something I heard from an old arcanist friend of mine.
[21:22]Merlwyb: It makes little difference who thought of it first, so long as it works. Beg the specifications of this device from your friend, and I shall pass them on to our people at Naldiq & Vymelli's.
[21:22]Merlwyb: But before we proceed any further, I would voice one concern: piercing Garuda's defenses is one thing, suppressing Leviathan's attacks quite another.
[21:23]Merlwyb: In matters of science, I am as a babbling babe, but I cannot well imagine that such a feat would be possible without a veritable mountain of corrupted crystals.
[21:23]Merlwyb: The question being: do we have a ship big enough to bear such a burden?
[21:23]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: Mayhap not, Admiral. But two might. Recall you the tale of Mistbeard's greatest haul? It is said that he lashed two ships together, side by side, the better to bear his plunder.
[21:23]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: By your leave, we might attempt to repeat the trick. The gods know, it would be quicker than building a new vessel.
[21:23]Merlwyb: Mistbeard did this? Truly, Marshal, upon the subject of the pirate king, you are as a scholar.
[21:24]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: Now, from what I have gleaned of these matters, the device will need to be in close and constant proximity to the target. To wit, we must lash our twin vessel to Leviathan.
[21:24]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: This in itself will be no small feat. Ramming speed will be required, but given the weight of the cargo, that will only be attainable with the aid of a towing vessel...
[21:24]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: Suffice it to say, the task of piloting said vessel will entail considerable danger, and I would not ask it of another. I volunteer myself.
[21:24]Merlwyb: 'Twill be dangerous for all involved...but we have no better recourse. Very well.
[21:25]Merlwyb: Commodore. Assemble the remnants of the fleet at Moraby Bay.
[21:25]Merlwyb: Give priority to our soundest vessels. The repairs can wait.
[21:25]Merlwyb: Storm Marshal Slafyrsyn, command of the operation is yours. I want that twin vessel ready to sail posthaste.
[21:25]Eynzahr Slafyrsyn: At once, Admiral!
[21:25]Merlwyb: And then there is the small matter of slaying the beast... The fate of Limsa Lominsa rests upon your shoulders once again. Go well, Warrior of Light.
[21:26]“Into the Heart of the Whorl” objective fulfilled!

[Anonymoose]

Alenore and I were talking about this not long ago, so thankfully this is all in recent memory, lol.

The implication of relation is clear, but it's very fuzzy. Ask Erik at the Goldsmith's guild about Bloodshore. Fifty years ago, Bloodshore got its name when two pirate crews who loathed one another went to battle in the nearby waters, Rycharde Mistbeard's fleet against The League of Lost Bastards under Bloefhis, father of the current Lominsan Admiral. Dozens of ships went down, though it's not clear if either Captain perished at that battle specifically. Bloefhis did die, however, and Merlwyb took command of his fleet.

It's rumored that she and Mistbeard had some kind of "dark relation," (A Misty Past), though this may have just been political play by Hyllfyr, and the flintlocks she bears, Annihilator and Death Penalty, are said to be Mistbeard's own (The Lodestone). When she came into power and reinstated the Maelstrom, she crippled most of the pirate activities in the area, allowing One-eyed Hyllfyr the slack required to keep the remaining crews in line, buying his freedom with quiet allegiance to the Maelstrom. Could it be that she somehow brought her father's enemy under her sway and convinced him to take a new identity, allowing Mistbeard to fade into legend as the greatest pirate ever to sail the seas?

How Eynzahr Slafyrsyn (One Tear, son of Sleeping Fire, if there's anything to be gleaned from the name) fits into all of this probably thus depends on the average Roegadyn lifespan. Could he be old enough to be Mistbeard - who took on Merlwyb's father's fleet?

[Catapult]

Oh, this should be good.

/popcorn

[mbncd]

Firstly, thank you very much Anonymoose, lots of great info there ^_^

I couldn't remember how long it had been since people seemed to lose track of whether Mistbeard was alive or dead. Using human lifespans (probably completely unrelated but meh, it's the best I personally have to draw from), I'd say Slafyrsyn isn't old enough to be Mistbeard himself but possibly was a child on Mistbeard's fleet? Someone close enough to be familiar with him personally but probably not old enough to have any authority of his own. Possibly a deck hand or some other sort of pirate in training sort of thing on Mistbeard's main boat(s)?

I don't know, just throwing around ideas.

Oh, this should be good.

/popcorn

Thal, that sort of post usually comes when someone's said something really stupid and stepped in something they shouldn't have. Have I done something stupid? Just interested in the characters and wanted to know more ;.;

[Catapult]

Thal, that sort of post usually comes when someone's said something really stupid and stepped in something they shouldn't have. Have I done something stupid? Just interested in the characters and wanted to know more ;.;

No, I should have included this:

EDIT INCOMING

It's the sort of subject where I would expect Moose to be all over it, with a detailed investigation prepared. And I was keen to hear that story. (I wasn't disappointed.)
Apologies for any confusion.

[RickXRolled]

Aren' t you guys forgetting that after defeating Leviathan there is a cutscene where Merlwyb says to herself something about if mistbeard where here she' d thank him herself and that she' d be glad if HE was actually under her command, after which he starts scratching his cheek. (Just reciting from memory, not sure of the exact things said.)

[Darske]

Aren' t you guys forgetting that after defeating Leviathan there is a cutscene where Merlwyb says to herself something about if mistbeard where here she' d thank him herself and that she' d be glad if HE was actually under her command, after which he starts scratching his cheek. (Just reciting from memory, not sure of the exact things said.)

Yeah, the implication seemed pretty clear to me that good ol' fogface is still alive and kickin' and very much closer than some might expect.

[mbncd]

Just finished the HM Levi fight and saw the conversation someone here referenced. He didn't scratch his cheek but he did look away, like he was almost about to whistle innocence. It really seems as though he could be Mistbeard (if age is different for his race)!

Full log of the cutscene below:

[4:19]Merlwyb: We Lominsans are sworn to strive “Till sea swallows all”─and swallow all it would have, had Leviathan prevailed. That we still strive now, we owe in no small part to you.
[4:19]Merlwyb: Not for the first time, you have delivered Limsa Lominsa from the wrath of a primal. Never has our nation known a stouter ally.
[4:20]Merlwyb: On behalf of my people, I give you my humblest thanks.
[4:20]Merlwyb: 'Tis meet that I give thanks to old Mistbeard, too, for his fine solution. Whatever else he may have been, 'tis clear he was a resourceful soul. Would that I had a man like him in my service.
[4:20]Yugiri: Before I set foot in these lands, I had no inkling that the people of Eorzea contended with such mighty foes. Suffice it to say, their existence came as something of a shock─as did the idea that they could be defeated.
[4:20]Yugiri: This experience has served to remind me of the vastness of the world...and the boundless potential of man.
[4:21]Yugiri: Though I am but a refugee in this realm, I would fain be of use to you in your fight.
[4:21]Yugiri: Know that I am tutored in one of the foremost combat arts of the Far East. It may seem...outlandish to the Eorzean eye, but should any of your people care to learn, I would be pleased to initiate them.
[4:21]Merlwyb: And I will see to it that they are grateful. I have no doubt that your knowledge and skills will serve us well.
[4:21]Merlwyb: Besides, your art is not so outlandish as you think. Would you not agree, Master Thancred?
[4:21]Thancred: Naught escapes your searching eye, Admiral.
[4:21]Thancred: Few are privy to this information, but Limsa Lominsa is home to a certain...secret fraternity. Its members are trained in a form of combat not unlike your own.
[4:22]Thancred: By my judgment, it should not be beyond such individuals to adapt to the techniques I witnessed you employing with such admirable deftness.
[4:22]Yugiri: I am heartened to hear this. I, too, noted a kinship between your style and mine own. Though it seemed to me that you fought differently in the beginning.
[4:22]Thancred: A-Aye, I suppose I did... What can I say? I am a man of many talents. Hahaha...
[4:22]Y'shtola: Though you may labor to believe it, Thancred was once something of a scoundrel, who fraternized with the criminal class in these parts.
[4:22]Thancred: Y-Y'shtola! You jest, of course!
[4:22]Minfilia: But for a chance encounter with Alphinaud's grandsire, he might never have left Limsa Lominsa; or received an education in Sharlayan; or taken up his post in Ul'dah─which is where he trained in the blade, lest you wonder.
[4:23]Thancred: Minfilia─please!
[4:23]Yugiri: It would seem there is more to you than meets the eye, Master Thancred.
[4:23]Merlwyb: Lady Yugiri─I am told that you and yours came to Eorzea seeking permanent resettlement, and that many Domans have since been engaged as frontier hands at Revenant's Toll. Mor Dhona is many things, but a place of refuge it is not.
[4:23]Merlwyb: Know that I would like nothing better than to furnish your people with a new home here on Lominsan soil. Alas, racked by instability as we are, our nation is in no fit state to take you in.
[4:24]Merlwyb: Yet I'll not have it said that we turned a blind eye to your suffering. Until such time as we can do more, I pledge to send provisions.
[4:24]Yugiri: We are in your debt, Admiral. I realize that it scarce qualifies as repayment, but if it please you, I shall set about sharing my martial knowledge with your people at once.
[4:24]Merlwyb: You wished a word in private.
[4:24]Y'shtola: The better not to spoil the festive mood.
[4:25]Y'shtola: History repeats itself, Admiral. As the kobolds did before them, the Sahagin resorted to summoning their god over a territorial feud. They acted in self-preservation.
[4:25]Y'shtola: It may be that the Sahagin initiated this particular clash, but how it begins does not interest me so much as how it ends.
[4:25]Merlwyb: I have not forgotten our conversation, Y'shtola. I am aware that man bears part of the blame for the primals' existence.
[4:25]Merlwyb: Nor am I ignorant of the Sahagin's reason for acting. They sought to secure a place to breed and multiply, that their kind might survive. Self-preservation, as you say.
[4:25]Merlwyb: But we have as much right to live and thrive as they. If our own survival is threatened, are we to lay down our arms and welcome oblivion? Nay.
[4:26]Y'shtola: And so you kill, that you might live. Yet if living is a right, then that right belongs to all peoples, be they men or beastmen.
[4:26]Merlwyb: I'll not deny your reasoning. But when a storm gathers, it falls to me to see my people safely through it. That is my duty, and I shall do it.
[4:26]Y'shtola: As must we all, Admiral. Stay the course, then, but know that it will lead to no good end.
[4:26]Yugiri: Man has ever put himself first and foremost.
[4:27]Yugiri: To justify his actions, he clads himself in the armor of righteousness─though it be a fancy of his own making. In this, mayhap the Garleans and we Domans are not so different...
[4:27]Merlwyb: Eorzea has become as a raging sea. If we are to keep our heads above the waves, we cannot scruple to drown the man next to us.
[4:27]Merlwyb: When hopes of coexistence founder, strength must determine who has the greater right to live.
[4:27]“Lord of the Whorl” complete!

[Rennah]

I took it as Eynzahr being Mistbeard when I ran the quests, myself, though admittedly it's vague enough that may not be the case. Still, I think there were a few too many looks and references and not-so-subtle nudges toward the fact not to take it at face value, at least until proven otherwise. A nice nod to the depth of pirate influence in Limsa, and how piracy evolved into government under Merlwyb.