Tales From the Shadows Updated (SPOILERS ABOUND)

[Enkidoh]

And... it's a real lore doozy - based on this first new story,

it's clear the new ones are all going to go into greater detail on events shown in the role quests (this first one is from the tank quests).

An interesting detail is it explains the origins of that manticore A Rank Hunt in Il Mheg 'O Poorest Pauldia'..... makes me feel glad I've already put her out of her misery....

Can't wait to see the next three!

[Mieck]

One and Zero Characters

I've also put Poorest Pauldia out of her misery a few times, so I clocked the name immediately and then chastised myself for not spotting the obvious relation to Sauldia... I wonder whether Cylva / Cyella will play a role in the other three stories as well?

[MrThinker]

And... it's a real lore doozy - based on this first new story,

it's clear the new ones are all going to go into greater detail on events shown in the role quests (this first one is from the tank quests).

An interesting detail is it explains the origins of that manticore A Rank Hunt in Il Mheg 'O Poorest Pauldia'..... makes me feel glad I've already put her out of her misery....

Can't wait to see the next three!

It's a good fleshing out of a certain Nu Mou and their past.

Part of Pauldia's backstory was already known thanks to her A rank hunt description. As for the rest of the tales being based on the other role quests, I feel like that would be waste of story potential. Maybe the last one can be another bridging tale like the stormblood cid story that served as a lead up to alphascape.

[Iscah]

I can't say I'm that excited by this one. It's a slight filling out of what we know from the hunt mark description and might guess from Beq Lugg's history, but with so few story slots and so many interesting characters that could fill them, this just feels like a wasted opportunity.

Maybe if it at least had some lore application that crossed over to other parts of the story, but there's nothing.

[Anonymoose]

Ooh, these caught me off-guard this year!


Part 1: Small Mercies
My big take-away is lore-related in general: the creatures we saw the people turn into have been categorized as voidsent on the Source...
Are we inching towards an explanation or were those just the best models available for the concept?

[Brightamethyst]

The story was fine, but I agree that it feels like a waste of a story slot.

[JeanneOrnitier]

I'm more than happy to have more stories fleshing out Norvrandt's history considering we're probably done going there in the MSQ.

[Alleluia]

I beg you, sit and take your leave, that we may begin to... heel.

I like Beq Lugg so getting the story surrounding the source of their guilt that drove them in to exile was interesting. Also, they couldn't put Pia out of her misery.

Story as a whole leaves you wondering how much of Pia's friendship with Beq Lugg was even true and how much of those observations at the end was just Beq Lugg seeing what they wished.

[kujoestars]

I was very pleasantly surprised by this being about Pauldia and Bec Lugg, especially given how the tank role quest hit me so hard. Pauldia also has a special place in my heart as having nearly killed me while I was leveling in Il Mheg because I accidentally got into aggro range while admiring both her design and the scenery. X’D

I incidentally got the in-game lore of her from Halldor last night, but it was definitely something that gave me a sense that it wasn’t the whole story. Glad this adds on to it and reveals that

Pauldia was actually a sweet loving person who was manipulated and enthralled by that bastard Tadric. The deception was really due to her close friendship with Bec Lugg and Pauldia was really just controlled and corrupted by Tadric via the soul manipulation magic she learned and passed on to him. Now I’m convinced ahe was the one who wrote the inscription on her cell, when she was still lucid enough to do so but already lost to despair and self-loathing.

I’m going to feel so bad every time I see her now, and wish there was an option to tell Bec Lugg what happened. Even if she’s too far gone at this point to be saved......maybe a bit of closure on their friend would give them comfort.[/spoiler]

As for the next 3 tying to role quests, I highly doubt it because tank role quest is a special case that ended up tying directly into MSQ (i.e. 5.1 with Bec Lugg). As far as I know, the other role quests don’t have much to do with MSQ save for the convergence point, but that doesn’t count since we’re talking about the days before the Flood when Ardbert and Co were still heroes.

I personally am hoping for more lore on the Ancients, and especially

Azem

[Alleluia]

More Hades/Hythlodaeus/That Special Someone, please. Maybe when That Special Someone uses their special ability and yoinks Hades halfway across the realm to help him/her deal with a ghost(but its really just an excuse to get him out of the house).