Send Drest Home!

[DenaturedH2O]

The Warrior of Light has a way of improving the lives of almost everyone they meet, either globally (saving the world countless times), (Ala Mhigan refugee employment initiatives) or personally. However, three expansions in, and poor Imperial soldier Drest is still hermiting away in Raincatcher Gully with serious mental health issues. It breaks my heart to know he's there and we can't, or haven't done anything to promote his rehabilitation and return to his family. As a servicemember it hits particularly hard for me.

I know not everyone in the game gets a happy ending, but for the most part we actively involve ourselves in the attempt, and Drest is a glaring failure on our part as heroes and adventurers.

[GoldStarz]

Did you finish all the Ivalice raid quests?

You don't send him home, but you do let him find peace with his past in the final quest. I doubt he'll really come up again unless we got back to Ivalice for the side story arc

[DenaturedH2O]

Um, I may have done, but where do you pick up that part of the quest? I don't remember talking to him after that, but I think I did all the side quests.

[Rosenstrauch]

If we tried to send him home at the moment, we'd be sending him right back into the hands of the people he defected from. The IVth Legion, despite having broken ties with Garlemald, is still primarily a Garlean-based military. They'd likely be able to peg him as a deserter and deal with him if we couldn't get him into hiding. And even then, there's not much room for civilians in the conflict going on there. Either he'd end up as a refugee among one of the Resistance efforts in Dalmasca or—and this is a worst case scenario—back on the front lines.

His current situation is pretty awful, but I can't imagine sending him back home would be an improvement at present time. Maybe once the Bozja-Dalmasca conflict with the IVth Legion is resolved.

[GoldStarz]

Um, I may have done, but where do you pick up that part of the quest? I don't remember talking to him after that, but I think I did all the side quests.

It's on the Prima Vista, which is accessible from the Airship Landing in Kugane.

[DenaturedH2O]

If we tried to send him home at the moment, we'd be sending him right back into the hands of the people he defected from. The IVth Legion, despite having broken ties with Garlemald, is still primarily a Garlean-based military. They'd likely be able to peg him as a deserter and deal with him if we couldn't get him into hiding. And even then, there's not much room for civilians in the conflict going on there. Either he'd end up as a refugee among one of the Resistance efforts in Dalmasca or—and this is a worst case scenario—back on the front lines.

His current situation is pretty awful, but I can't imagine sending him back home would be an improvement at present time. Maybe once the Bozja-Dalmasca conflict with the IVth Legion is resolved.

Naturally; any quests added would be during a relevant patch, or an expansion/its relevant patches. They don't have time/resources to add minor quests here and there.

[DenaturedH2O]

I'll check it out!

[Veloran]

I'm still nursing a pet theory that Drest is in fact the Dalmascan prince, Rasler. In FFXII's story it was Rasler who was killed and his wife Ashe that "died" under mysterious circumstances, but in XIV they were siblings and she was confirmed dead by her bodyguards after having been shot (similar to the original Rasler), while this version of Rasler is simply thought to have died during the chaos of the battle for Nalbina Fortress. Of course in XII, Ashe actually survived.

There's also some unusual details with Drest. First off he says that he had two children back in his homeland, a son and a daughter, who were very young when he left Dalmasca and think he's dead. Notably Lente's Tears is supposedly led by a princess Ashe, but this can't be the actual Ashelia both because she explicitly died, and because she'd be in her late forties rather than being a relatively young firebrand as the resistance leader is described.

Next, there's how Drest is described by his ex-squadmates. They call him "Dashing Drest", and say that he was always craven, and call him a "Desert Conie", or desert rabbit, that they've flushed out of hiding. Drest says he never tried to run while in service to Garlemald, and that he earned the nicknames back in Dalmasca. Of course Dalmasca is known for having ties to the Viera (rabbits) and some were even known to be part of the royal entourage, and it makes sense to mock an ex-prince considered a coward as "Dashing". After their deaths, Drest also says that there's no-one left that knows he's alive - Obviously not true, but it would be correct if they were the only ones who knew of his true identity.

Later, during the Ivalice quests, Drest comes up again a few times. Particularly, you're suddenly sent by the Wandering Dramaturge on a wild fetchquest back to Eorzea looking for a bottle of Dalmascan wine that hasn't been seen for decades. This quest, which is mandatory to the story and has you meet Drest again and recover an empty bottle from him, happens right after the quest where you're first told about Rasler and learn about Ashelia's death. During this, he again brings up the constant buzzing of the midges that haunt him at all times, and equates it with the screams of his comrades in Dalmasca as they burned and he could do nothing to stop it. Of course the screaming, burning, and "buzzing of midges" is somewhat reminiscent of the Garlean airships bombarding Nalbina Fortress and slaughtering over 70,000 Dalmascan soldiers in the decisive battle that effectively ended the war for the nation.

Then, after the series is done, there are more sidequests dealing with the wine. A store of Dalmascan wine straight from the royal family's cellars was spirited away to Orbonne before the capitol was taken, and is discovered by the resistance following WoL's venture to the area. As way of making up for having previously scammed some people using Drest's old bottle, WoL then delivers a few bottles of the legitimate wine to various people, one of which being Drest himself. When he opens the wine, Drest says this,



So to Drest, this wine which comes directly from the Dalmascan royal household, is the "scents of home".

Lastly, there's the matter of Drest's name. If you look into it, you'll find that it's actually a now-obsolete form of the word "dressed". This would be a pretty appropriate name for someone that's been stripped of their identity and indoctrinated into the Garlean military regime so hard that he reflexively repeats the mantra "Idem in me...by the majesty of Garlemald...never to desert...idem in me!", when he's confronted with having ran away. It also adds another layer or mockery to the nickname "Dashing Drest", since it further ridicules the man he was.
Maybe I'm just crazy, but this is all just a little too suspicious for me.

[DenaturedH2O]

Ohhhh I LOVE it! And yes, I do remember doing those quests--there might be redemption for him if that were actually true--they'd have been building it up all along. I hope this is the case.

[Ramesses]

I'm still nursing a pet theory that Drest is in fact the Dalmascan prince, Rasler. In FFXII's story it was Rasler who was killed and his wife Ashe that "died" under mysterious circumstances, but in XIV they were siblings and she was confirmed dead by her bodyguards after having been shot (similar to the original Rasler), while this version of Rasler is simply thought to have died during the chaos of the battle for Nalbina Fortress. Of course in XII, Ashe actually survived.

There's also some unusual details with Drest. First off he says that he had two children back in his homeland, a son and a daughter, who were very young when he left Dalmasca and think he's dead. Notably Lente's Tears is supposedly led by a princess Ashe, but this can't be the actual Ashelia both because she explicitly died, and because she'd be in her late forties rather than being a relatively young firebrand as the resistance leader is described.

Next, there's how Drest is described by his ex-squadmates. They call him "Dashing Drest", and say that he was always craven, and call him a "Desert Conie", or desert rabbit, that they've flushed out of hiding. Drest says he never tried to run while in service to Garlemald, and that he earned the nicknames back in Dalmasca. Of course Dalmasca is known for having ties to the Viera (rabbits) and some were even known to be part of the royal entourage, and it makes sense to mock an ex-prince considered a coward as "Dashing". After their deaths, Drest also says that there's no-one left that knows he's alive - Obviously not true, but it would be correct if they were the only ones who knew of his true identity.

Later, during the Ivalice quests, Drest comes up again a few times. Particularly, you're suddenly sent by the Wandering Dramaturge on a wild fetchquest back to Eorzea looking for a bottle of Dalmascan wine that hasn't been seen for decades. This quest, which is mandatory to the story and has you meet Drest again and recover an empty bottle from him, happens right after the quest where you're first told about Rasler and learn about Ashelia's death. During this, he again brings up the constant buzzing of the midges that haunt him at all times, and equates it with the screams of his comrades in Dalmasca as they burned and he could do nothing to stop it. Of course the screaming, burning, and "buzzing of midges" is somewhat reminiscent of the Garlean airships bombarding Nalbina Fortress and slaughtering over 70,000 Dalmascan soldiers in the decisive battle that effectively ended the war for the nation.

Then, after the series is done, there are more sidequests dealing with the wine. A store of Dalmascan wine straight from the royal family's cellars was spirited away to Orbonne before the capitol was taken, and is discovered by the resistance following WoL's venture to the area. As way of making up for having previously scammed some people using Drest's old bottle, WoL then delivers a few bottles of the legitimate wine to various people, one of which being Drest himself. When he opens the wine, Drest says this,



So to Drest, this wine which comes directly from the Dalmascan royal household, is the "scents of home".

Lastly, there's the matter of Drest's name. If you look into it, you'll find that it's actually a now-obsolete form of the word "dressed". This would be a pretty appropriate name for someone that's been stripped of their identity and indoctrinated into the Garlean military regime so hard that he reflexively repeats the mantra "Idem in me...by the majesty of Garlemald...never to desert...idem in me!", when he's confronted with having ran away. It also adds another layer or mockery to the nickname "Dashing Drest", since it further ridicules the man he was.
Maybe I'm just crazy, but this is all just a little too suspicious for me.

This is the post of the day for me-- solid +1 for posting this-- and I've mentioned a few times on the forums that I've always been intrigued with his tale. You are definitely onto something and while he might indeed be involved with the Dalmascan royal family, my hesitation in declaring him as Rasler was always the fact that the original Rasler in the lore would be in his fifties by now.

Drest's current age is what will help unravel this mystery-- exactly how old is he?

From the Ivalice tales, we know that the twins apparently died 30 years ago but there are mysterious circumstances surrounding the identity of a "young" princess that Fran currently serves within the Dalmascan resistance-- who is she? Could she be related to Drest? Is she hiding with other members surviving members of family (and her resistance army) within the ruins of Lesalia?

Does Noah know of her existence? Are they in cahoots with one another? Are they enemies? Is the Noah possibly even another survivor of the royal family? And why is he so keen in studying the Construct 7 machination for it's Tardaris technology?

I should halt now-- I'm beginning to veer off course-- but yes, Drest might have some sort of connection to the Dalmascan royals or might be an offspring of Rasler himself-- after all, looking at the various concept sketches of both Raslers (from FFXIV and FFXII) the resemblance is there... by the way, eleven years on, I'm still asking for his armour to make it into the game.