Thread: Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 2)

I can't wait until we're allowed to discuss this without spoiler blocks. I don't mind spoiler blocks in principle, but this forum software is kind of terrible at best.

Originally Posted by myahele

MSQ stuff.

Did anyone else hear a roar right after Zenos monologue?

I did, but I was hoping someone else would be able to identify that roar, so I didn't mention it much. I only know it sounded like a standard roar with added high-pitched tones.

If it's a completely new roar, I'd meme-guess Lavos, but I assumed it was a re-used roar and someone would come in with "actually it's this Primal".

Come to think of it, given the roar happened after the conversation about drawing aether from the Dreamer, maybe that roar is the Dreamer and Zenos's claim that the Dreamer wouldn't mind is just him being callous?

Originally Posted by Lauront

Daddy…

…Leveilleur. I expected his appearance based on the way they worded matters when describing him. The Forum’s utter unwillingness to listen to Krile does suggest, IMO, that G’raha is right, and there is a reason that the island is not showing all its cards yet, rather than genuinely ignoring the problem. That reason being it has its own plan. I got the impression Fourchenault was cutting ties in order to protect his children (remembering back to the New Year greeting), since his position is derived from the Forum and one which he must act on whether he wills it or not. Also if he were to try convince his children to return and did so successfully, their meddlesome friends would soon follow, too, potentially frustrating their pans. With that said, maybe he wants them free to act, away from prying eyes.

I had been considering the "he's acting like a jerk to protect his children" possibility, but that still makes his actions deeply stupid, since everyone (or at least definitely G'raha) immediately recognizes the act as theatre. And everyone also agrees that we need to personally go to Sharlayan to confront the Forum, or at least get some non-Forum allies (with the understanding that it's going to be difficult, since all the important people are on the Forum).

So if Fourchenault intended his disowning to keep the twins away from danger, he obviously failed, in a way that makes me wonder if he's even familiar with his children.

Disowning also appears to be completely unnecessary. The twins no longer have the name of Leveilleur: apart from personal family concerns, why does this matter? Sharlayan is supposed to be a completely egalitarian democracy. A name should not have more weight than another. It's certainly plausible that this is what Sharlayan claims to be, and is not actually the case, but the sort of people who would not at least respect the illusion of egalitarianism would also not care that the twins are no longer related to Fourchenault.

If this is all due to having to follow Sharlayan politics, we should have had a chance to mention that Sharlayan politics is as trivial as what Sharlayan accuses the current conflict of being (ie another scuffle between Eorzea and the Garlean Empire). And we've already dealt with Sharlayan politics, by having blackmail material on a literal murderer on the Forum, meaning Sharlayan politics has already affected us, and we went "no, you listen".

Fourchenault's actions make no sense for any complex plots. That, and the prior comments that Alisaie takes after her father, makes me think that Fourchenault is actually kind of stupid, or at least impulsive enough to act and speak before thinking. So he might have thought he's being all Mastermind-y and clever, but in fact everyone saw right through it and the entire performance was pointless.

Originally Posted by JeanneOrnitier

Had a thought about the Gridania scene

What if Fourchenault had ulterior motives for disowning the twins? Like doing it so they wouldn't get caught up in something Sharlayan is going to do, or wouldn't be restrained by family role and expectations, or something like that. Because he seemed genuinely happy to meet them at first, and the pivot to disowning them happened really fast. But if he was doing it for their own sakes, that'd be interesting.

If that is the case though, dude's an ass for not just telling them straight up why he was cutting them off. Don't put on such a show about it.

Yeah, as mentioned, he's done it in a way that evidently doesn't work, and never had a chance of working. Which is very strange for someone who is a member of the highest political body in Sharlayan.

The question that interests me more is why Fourchenault decided to put on that performance. As in why he chose to perform as such there and then. Who was he performing to? Was he being watched? If so, why was he being watched, when Sevestre could take a trip to Eorzea to personally attempt to assassinate us, while being afraid that this assassination trip would be revealed to the Forum? The first thought I had was that here, Fourchenault is representing the Forum on official business, and so at least some parts of the Sharlayan authorities felt that this warranted surveillance. From there, a whole host of other questions arise, like why Sharlayan felt Fourchenault could not be trusted on his own.

(I'm taking it as a given that the Lotus Stand is easily surveilled: it has no roof.)

Originally Posted by YianKutku

I can't wait until

Stuff and things and things and stuff

Unless he just wasn't acting, and he was driven by emotion. Cutting off their name in my opinion is more about cutting them off from the family fortune and the network that it employs. Mainly so the writers don't have to have it be a plot concern as to why the Twins don't flex on some connections. Now they can't. Back in Coil Alisaie pulled her strings. Enlisted Maelstrom. Twin Adders Officer. Immortal Flames guy. Not too mention her butler guys that help you go around looking for the final coil entrance.

I suppose it also kind of opens up the arena to show a divided estate. People loyal only to the money and name, but also those loyal to the Twins as people. Perhaps their mother as well, if she really is the picture of health as described by that callous scuzz bag.

I'm supposing that they say Alisaie is more like her father, because she kept her mouth shut vs. Alphinaud who was vocal and antithetical to Sharlayan's tradition of non-intervention in their Studium days. Beyond that, maybe he was a firebrand for traditionalism, hot blooded at one time. That doesn't seem to be the case now, as all he seems to be capable of is a snide glare.

Though it was chosen for its colors/look, I still find it interesting that he wears the Sharlayan Striking coat from Great Gubal HM, as well as the Shire Pankratist pants.

Finished Zadnor.

Yet again, I find myself wondering why they even bothered with Mikoto's visions, because they amounted to a whole lot of nothing with her making it out of the situation unharmed.

I was surprised to see that the allagan weapon they had unearthed was based on Diablos of all things which means the Mhachi weren't the first ones to summon the guy.

I'm a touch curious as to how your decision about Misija's fate at the start of the quest actually affects the ending, though, as I chose that I felt she should be executed for her crimes. I'd assume she ends up sacrificing herself to save everyone regardless, but in the aftermath I was given the choice of choosing to execute her or refuse.

I chose the latter, which resulted in Bajsaljien doing the job instead...though I kind of doubt it would've changed either way and the "execution" was really more of a formality and an act of mercy as she was already dying.

As far as Gabranth goes, his continued lack of presence left me unsurprised when he ended up still at large seemingly with a nice big cliffhanger for when his story would continue sometime in 6.x...except if you read his field report afterward it claims that he ended up being assassinated by Lyon in an act of mutiny after he was held responsible for the IVth legion's loss at Bozja and the remainder of the legion basically collapsed, leaving matters neatly resolved off-screen.

An anti-climax if I've ever seen one and it almost makes me wonder if they had initially planned for more, but there was a change of plans for things in the 6.x cycle at some point.