Minstrel's Song from The Rising

[Tiggy]

My thoughts...

A growing light o'er all the realm
- Adventurers and the creation of the new grand company.

Fingers bright on highlands white
- Shiva's influence grows in the north.

In an instance, a blade that smites the night.
- An assassination. Perhaps the king of Ishgard.

But ill winds rise as the great gates yawn
- The gates of Ishgard shall open. Possibly due to the assassination.

Hope rides to meet what naught can cheat
- This makes me think that we will represent hope and ride out to meet death. Perhaps this references the Ascian's and the way they keep cheating death. Minfilia was looking for a way to kill them after witnessing the events with the Sahagin. Perhaps we ride out with purpose to kill an Ascian. Dealing the first true blow to their cause.

An old despair astride a new-shod mare...
- An old despair. Three ideas come to mind. Bahamut, the Ascians, the Allag. A new-shod mare could be a mount but it could also mean a soul riding a new body. The coil would be wrapping up by the end of the poem here, and the Ascian storyline will be building to the first expansion. I think those are our best bets.
if Bahamut he could possibly be reincarnated or re-summoned into a new form that's smaller are more potent.
Even better would be Omega in a combination Allag Ascian threat. In PvP they already hinted at Omega's existence. It could be Ascians using it in place of Ultima.