Ul'dah
Minfilia's father (Warburton), a double-agent of the Ala Mhigan resistance working from inside Garlean espionage circles, flees to Ul'dah looking to pass off information suggesting that primals will soon rise in Eorzea. The city is mostly shut down for a parade when he gets there, so he and his daughter decide to check it out. Midway into the parade, a goobbue bound for the Colisseum breaks free and goes on a rampage throughout town, trampling Warburton to death. The tragedy was revealed to be a plot by a naive group that sought to become heroes of the people (including a master goldsmith, a coliseum champion, a famous singer, and sons of the Miners' guild). Digging into the matter leads Thancred (in Ul'dah on assignment to look for anything and everything that might lead to Calamity) to a second Garlean spy, who at first attempts to flee with Minfilia (thinking her father to be loyal and knowing the primals were coming), but ultimately leaves her behind. The goldsmith then tried to raise Warburton from the dead using a magicked dagger stolem from Lolorito, but ended up getting himself killed by a cowled assassin and breaking the dagger. His girlfriend took in Minfilia as her own daughter, since they were both left alone and she felt terribly guilty.
Gridania
Yda and Papalymo arrive to commence their end of the calamity investigation, but crash their airship into the forest and have to be rescued by E-Sumi-Yan, who seemed to handle much of the city's affairs in the Seedseer's absence (in times of peace, the lived amongst the wood). Gridanian leadership concocts a complex web of lies to hide the fact that they are aiding the Ala Mhigan resistance, pretending that various members of the city have been spirited away by the Elementals to become wildlings (those claimed by the wood, usually for incurring its wrath). One girl's loneliness at the loss of her brother (fake wildling) leads her friend (whose parents are fake wildlings) to set a tree on fire to prove that the Elementals aren't real. The Elementals, however, go full Greenwrath on him and a ceremony is held to prevent him from being taken as a wildling himself. To prevent further chaos, the girl's brother is "captured" by Gridania and "cleansed" alongside the boy. (
Fun Fact: The brother, Dunstan, goes on to win glory as a commander within the Wood Wailers and gets a spire named after him in
A Realm Reborn).
Limsa Lominsa
This one was the most important, most convoluted, and most unfinished tale - featuring Ascians and a relic akin to Louisoix's staff, Tupsimati. I wrapped it up in
this summary, expecting the Seal Rock PVP to give us at least one or two more answers that it did.