Revelations from Keynote II

[Lauront]

Regarding Matoya, it could be parsed as soul transfer into a currently uninhabited body, given what we learnt in 4.5. I think Y'shtola's history, both recent and as far back as ARR, gives us reason to suspect her soul has been more taxed than most.

Thanks for posting this; I was going to ask about it.

Specifically, is the person on the top right anyone we know? I can't recall who they're supposed to be off the top of my head.

Possibly this Emet-Selch in a mutated and possessed G'raha Tia. The gemini/twin aspect often coincides with monstrous mutations and fusions in FF games. I find the choice of colourations in the robes equally interesting, as it's the three major types of magic (black, white and red, their fusion), but probably not something an Ascian would care much about (as these are taxonomies - albeit objective in nature - devised by mortals), hence possibly stylistic in choice, or explained by something else.

Probably just some Ascian.

Doubt it's just "some" Ascian if it's on the front of the expansion cover and with such an unusually contorted host and outfit. Likelier than not a Paragon of the Source.

not keynote related, but this was written on the high seraph Ultima figure:

Interesting. The similarities between Ultima's upper body, with the crossed, golden arms, and Zodiark's, in the same position and the same changes in colouration as arm goes to hand, make me wonder if she (or her worshippers) did not glimpse Hydaelyn and imbue herself with the same form, which would fit her heretical vibe from XII. The statue even has the same halo-type crown.

I'm not sure on the specifics, but the scene with Solus and Varis seemed to show Solus getting an idea. He's watching Varis decide to deploy Black Rose and musing over how "dear grandson" is making the "right" kinds of decisions and coming up with justifications that'll impress the people to boot. Then he thinks about Black Rose a little deeper ... it kills silently ... it moves like a shadow. Then he considers the fate of The First, and how ever since the Flood of Light began over there, it's been causing effects over here. Mulling that over for half a second he wonders "What if they could synergize?" and then he excitedly walks away like, "Varis, I leave the rest to you! I'm off to the First!" It's hard to imagine that is not gonna be 50% (at least) of 4.5 going sideways.

That's a good guess and it hadn't occurred to me that he may have meant the First. It's still vague, what exactly he means by it, but I am guessing it comes down to what Black Rose actually is - this quest line is interesting in this regard, but it still refers to a diluted form of it being ingested. The fact that this induces madness/a frenzy could be specific to how it's being consumed or the species consuming it, but it suggest it is messing with the neurological system in some way, or alternatively, one's aether, since the mind is associated with the soul in this setting.

A possibility is that the aetheric depletion these floods cause weakens the bond between the soul and body further, making it an even more efficient killer, but the way he described it made me think more of pouring gasoline on a fire.