Our author Irie has contemplated which forgotten characters from Final Fantasy XIV could become very important for the story. Here are 5 of them that you probably don’t remember.
Warning, heavy spoilers for the story of the latest expansion Shadowbringers and other quests from FFXIV follow!
FFXIV is an MMORPG, and as such, it can rely on tricks that single-player games cannot use. This includes, for example, telling an ongoing story over many years.
The scenario writers do not proceed linearly. They create plot lines, drop them, and sometimes pick them up again years later.
As it was the case twice in Shadowbringers:
- In the story about the Crystal Tower raid
- about the Warriors of Darkness from the 3.x patch series
In both cases, it was obvious that they would eventually continue, especially with the Warriors of Darkness and Minfilia. They were simply too important and interesting to just drop the plot line.
The small downside of such a story that lasts for years is that players forget certain parts of it. That’s why it got me thinking. The writers unearthened two plot lines for the story of Shadowbringers that were three years or older.
But there are even more in FFXIV. Larger side stories or actually important characters that were introduced but never really concluded.
I spontaneously thought of 5 such characters, and I believe that at least half of them will play an important role in Shadowbringers.
Fordola rem Lupis
The leader of the Wolves stood out in Stormblood not only because she was featured in the key art of the expansion but also due to her unique NPC design. There’s no question that she is an important character.
However, she received relatively little screen time. She appeared during several Stormblood quests and then again briefly during the second fight against Lakshmi in the palace of Ala Mhigo.
After that, she almost completely disappears from view.
What has become of Fordola? Currently, Fordola is on a mission from Raubahn. She wears a cursed collar that will choke her if she tries to escape. Together with Arenvald and his friends, she is hunting Primals.
However, I have a feeling that we will see both him and Fordola again in Shadowbringers.
At the end of the current MSQ, Zenos returns to Garlemald in a very adventurous manner and kills his father. It is likely that Fordola could also return during this storyline. After all, she possesses the artificial gift of transcendence just like Zenos.
If we head towards Garlemald during Shadowbringers, and I actually assume that we will, she will certainly play a significant role. One might try to understand through her how exactly Zenos’ artificial transcendence works and how one might counteract it. Many possibilities lie ahead of us.
Unukalhai
Most of you will remember the masked kiddo from the quest line of the War Triad. He is a kind of protégé of the Ascian Elidibus.
During his quest line, we learn that he actually comes from the world we know as the Void. It was originally the 13th shard of the world, consumed by Darkness due to the machinations of the Ascians. Unukalhai is one of the Warriors of Light who failed to save this world from the flood of Darkness.
What has become of Unukalhai? Currently, he still stands around in the Rising Stones. Interestingly, his dialogue does not change after completing Shadowbringers, nor after completing all role quests.
This is strange because he is specifically mentioned in side quests from Shadowbringers and is linked to the first shard. I believe there are two reasons why he will still be important in Shadowbringers:
- His mentioned connection with the first shard
- His connection to Elidibus
Elidibus is, besides Lahabrea and Daddy Emet-Selch, the last of the Ascians from the original world. He is still the only living Ascian whose soul has not been “shattered”. In one of the last cutscenes of Shadowbringers, he speaks of the “Warriors of Light” who will destroy us, the player character.
In connection with Unukalhai’s original role in his world, it seems to me that it’s a bit too much to be just coincidence. I would go so far as to claim that he is not just any Warrior of Light.
I believe Unukalhai is a shard of our soul, just like Ardbert was. And he has been chilling in Mor Dhona for years.
Bonus Fun Fact: Unukalhai is the traditional name of Alpha Serpentis, the largest and brightest star in the constellation Serpent. The Serpent is part of the constellation Ophiuchus, also known as Serpentarius.
In Final Fantasy Tactics, Serpentarius is the secret 13th Auracite stone, which is held by the mage Elidibus. When fighting against Elidibus in FFT, he uses the summoning Zodiark *plays X-Files music*.
Tiamat
Tiamat appeared for the first and only time about 4 years ago at the end of the main storyline of Heavensward. Alongside Nidhogg, Ratatoskr, and other dragons, she is one of the firstborn of Midgardsormr. Together with Bahamut, she inhabited the area we know as Meracydia.
After Bahamut was killed in the war against the Allagan Empire, she was manipulated by Ascians to resurrect him as a Primal. She was captured by the Allagans and imprisoned in the Delta Quadrant of Azys Lla.
What has become of Tiamat? You can still find her at the same location in Azys Lla. In the lore book, it is said that she accepted her imprisonment due to feelings of guilt and has not attempted to escape. It screams that she could actually break free at any moment.
She is the last living witness to what has happened in Meracydia. Although I don’t think Tiamat will play a significant role in this expansion, I cannot imagine that the writers would allow such a large and important character to just languish in Azys Lla for the rest of her days.
Unfortunately, you can’t talk to her. I would really be interested to know if she is aware of what is going on in the world.
Noah van Gabranth
This storyline is not just about Gabranth but about the entire Ivalice quest line, which is clearly not finished yet. However, the story around Gabranth is, in my opinion, the most interesting part of it.
Alongside Fran and B’gamnan, he is also a character borrowed from Final Fantasy XII. In that game, Gabranth serves as one of the highest judges of the Arcadian Empire and is the protector of Prince Larsa.
In FFXIV, after completing the Orbonne raid, there is a final cutscene showing an imperial unit in the city of Goug. The scientists investigate the constructs that lay around Goug, and there is mention of “Tartarus,” which is supposed to give Garlemald new power. These scientists are led by Gabranth.
In general, there are too many unresolved threads in Ivalice. Bwagi mentions at one point a certain princess who is the leader of her rebel group. We never see her, but it’s obvious that Bwagi and Fran are in contact with her.
Could it be Ashelia? The rightful princess of Dalmasca allegedly died during the Garlean invasion 30 years ago. But it sounds like she is not as dead as one might initially believe. I also still have faint hopes that Balthier might make an appearance sooner or later.
And then there’s this guy:
He appears in the final cutscene of the raid quest line and doesn’t seem to be a character from the “Ivalice Alliance” games or at least none that I would recognize. Given how prominently he is placed in the spotlight, he will definitely play an important role.
I’m also pretty sure that this storyline in Ivalice will be continued in the next expansion or at the end of 5.x. The story around Gabranth, Ashe, and Tartarus seems very large, and considering how many conflicts already exist in Shadowbringers, adding another might be too much.
But hey, I’m also open to surprises. When I discussed this article with some friends, the suggestion came up that Tartarus could be the new Primal quest line, similar to the 4 Tier Gods. That sounded like a plausible option.
Travanchet – The secret Ascian?
Players from 1.0 might still remember him. He played an important role in the last quests of the Limsa storyline and led an attack by the Sahagin on the Barracuda ships.
After the reboot, he first appeared during a cutscene related to Alexander. He was the one responsible for summoning Alexander and tricked Mide and her group.
It is obvious that Travanchet is a pseudonym and that the man is an Ascian. Aside from the fact that he teleports away in the same manner, the usual Ascian music always plays during his appearances.
The question that arises for me is, which Ascian is he? From Shadowbringers, we learned that there are 13 “main Ascians”. They were members of the council that first summoned Zodiark during the times of Amaurot. Their names correspond to the “Scions of Light” from FFXII.
Of the 13, the following are already dead:
- Lahabrea
- Emet-Selch
- Igeyorhm
- Nabriales
- Mitron
- Loghrif
- Emmeroloth
There may be more, as Gaius has been diligently hunting behind the scenes. However, there is no 100% confirmed info on that. Based on what we know, apart from Elidibus, the following should remain:
- Pashtarot
- Altima
- Halmarut
- Fandaniel
- Deudalaphon
Since Elidibus is now the only known Ascian we have not yet caught, it is not so far-fetched that one of the remaining from the list might appear soon. And I think “Travanchet” would fit that role well.
Of course, he could be one of the lesser Ascians who do not bear their own name, like the two we first encounter in Haukke Manor. But then I wonder why SE gave him a distinct face and then brought him back several years later in 3.x.
It is quite exciting to observe how the writers weave individual elements into the story and pull them back out, only to return them suddenly after years.
This applies not only to large quest lines like the Crystal Tower raid but also to smaller side stories. The class quest of the Dark Knight has been able to shine once again.
I am certainly curious to see which forgotten old side stories and characters the developers will surprise us with.
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