Cloud Strife:
No way! That thing's just a machine.
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Alphinaud is eager to return to the search for Minfilia.
Quest description
The Word of the Mother is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
Journal[]
- It would seem that Krile and Thancred's foray into Castrum Meridianum was a success. According to Alphinaud, the pair have called a meeting in Idyllshire, where they will share their findings. But what could they have learned, and how might it lead you to the Antecedent?
- You learn that after concluding their investigation in the Praetorium, Krile and Thancred journeyed to the Sil'dih Aqueducts, where Minfilia was last seen. Apparently, the readings from these two locations yielded a unique aetheric signature─one which was also detected at the Isle of Val, where Krile claims she was shielded by the blessing of Light. The conclusion is clear: Hydaelyn's intercessions can be measured and traced. Furthermore, Krile states that not two but three people were caught in Y'shtola's Flow. Unlike the Archons, however, the third individual appears to have vanished without a trace. Though it is something of a logical leap, Krile surmises that Hydaelyn─who has a demonstrated capacity to summon the consciousness of those blessed with the Echo to Her realm─may have guided Minfilia into the teleportation magick's compass, and thence summoned her, body and soul, unto the aetherial sea. Should this be the case, then the search must continue in that near-mythical place. Fortunately, it would seem that the Sharlayans built a structure to study the aetherial sea, and that its custodian yet remains, in defiance of the exodus...
- All things come at a price, and Matoya's permission is no different. Although she grants you and Thancred access to the Antitower, she demands that the others stay behind and assist her with various chores. You are soon denied even the bard's company, however, when Y'shtola forbids him from entering the tower, for fear of how he might be affected by the swirling aether within. And so it falls to you to explore the Sharlayan structure alone─or with some few of your fellow adventurers if you must, Matoya being a charitable sort.
※The Antitower can be accessed via the Duty Finder. - As you drive back the last of the tower's magical guardians and silence descends, you take in your surroundings. What was it you thought to find here, in this forgotten place, left to molder until the end of time? And then, on the edge of hearing, a voice. “Hear... Feel... Think...”
- Once more, you bask in the light of the Crystal, in the midst of the aetherial sea. A voice, familiar yet strange, welcomes you; Minfilia's at times, but at others... She calls herself the Word of the Mother, and with one will do they tell you a tale of the beginning─of when Light and Dark dwelt as one, before Zodiark's covetousness forced Hydaelyn to banish Him to the distant heavens. Not only was the star sundered in so doing, but the barriers between realities as well, giving birth to reflections of the Source, wherein shards of light and dark were scattered. To restore Zodiark to His former glory do the Ascians ever labor, and each Calamity marks a Rejoining─the obliteration of a reflection, and a triumph of the Dark. Alas, before she can say more, the Word cries out in pain, and the Mothercrystal shudders. Your Crystal of Light, whose power she drew upon, is all but spent, and she has no choice but to return you to the tower. With a final desperate plea, the Word bids you farewell, before shattering into a thousand thousand pieces.
Upon returning to Matoya's Cave, the waiting Scions rush to your side, bombarding you with questions about your foray into the Antitower. They soon fall silent, however, as you tell of your meeting with Minfilia, and of her transformation into the Word of the Mother. Alphinaud, at last realizing the implications of your encounter, cries out in despair for the loss of your leader, prompting Master Matoya to scold him for his childish naivety. She reminds him that wars are not won without sacrifice─that Minfilia made her choice, and that the Scions must move forward without her. Unimpressed by her lecture, Y'shtola leaves with Krile in tow, while Thancred storms out without uttering a word, leaving you alone with Alphinaud and Matoya. - Though he does his best to accept that Minfilia made her choice, and that you must carry on without her, Alphinaud cannot help but wonder if there was not another way. Loss after loss, sacrifice upon sacrifice... Your victories have ever come at a price─one which Alphinaud seems increasingly unwilling to pay.
Objectives[]
- Rendezvous with Krile in Idyllshire.
- Speak with Matoya.
- Use the Duty Finder to enter the Antitower.
- Speak with Alphinaud.
Script[]
| The Word of the Mother script
| |
|---|---|
| Tataru | It'll all be like it was. Just you wait and see! |
| Alphinaud | Thancred and Krile contacted us a short while ago. It would seem that their foray into Castrum Meridianum bore fruit. |
| Alphinaud | They ask that we rendezvous with them and Y'shtola in Idyllshire, where they will share their findings. |
| Alphinaud | Rude though it is to depart without speaking to the guest of honor, I expect she will forgive me if I return with her daughter. |
| Tataru | What are you still doing here? They're waiting for you in Idyllshire! |
| Thancred | How is F'lhaminn, by the way? Enchanting as ever, I trust. I shall have to pay my respects when time allows. |
| Yshtola | 'Twas rather less than I had hoped...though mayhap I asked too much. |
| Alphinaud | My apologies, I see I am the last to arrive. So─what news have you for us? |
| Krile | Well, as we postulated, there were indeed what appeared to be the remnants of an unexplained disturbance in the aether at the scene of the Ultima Weapon's destruction. A ripple at odds with the presiding pattern. |
| Krile | Though faint, the waveforms bore a strong resemblance to those observed following the destruction of the Isle of Val─when I believe Hydaelyn shielded me with the blessing of Light. |
| Thancred | To confirm our findings, we paid a visit to the Sil'dih Aqueducts. |
| Thancred | There we detected the same waveform, but orders of magnitude larger...as one would expect of a more recent disturbance. |
| Yshtola | Hydaelyn. There is no other explanation. |
| Krile | But there is more. When I studied the site where Y'shtola used Flow, it appeared that not two but three beings had been affected. |
| Krile | Yet unlike Y'shtola and Thancred, there was no trail to follow. Our unknown third party was simply there...and then not there. |
| Krile | Now, recall your visions of a vast crystal floating in a sea of aether. Though this too is but a theory, studies of gifted subjects suggest that, when communing with Hydaelyn, we briefly leave our bodies behind. |
| Krile | So, let us consider the facts. One─Hydaelyn interceded. Two─a third being was caught in Y'shtola's Flow and vanished without a trace. And three─Hydaelyn may have the capacity to summon the consciousness of gifted individuals to Her side. |
| Yshtola | You are implying, I take it, that Hydaelyn guided Minfilia into the compass of my magick...that She might summon her, body and soul, unto the aetherial sea? |
| Yshtola | In which case, we must needs continue our search there. For a blessing, the means to do so already exists. |
| Yshtola | I speak of the Antitower─a Sharlayan construction conceived to provide scholars a vantage point over the aetherial sea. |
| Yshtola | Though I know not where its entrance lies, we need only ask its last custodian─a contrary old crone who, for another blessing, refused to join the exodus. |
| Alphinaud | Master Matoya was the keeper of the Antitower!? I had no idea... |
| Alphinaud | Then our course is clear. We must petition her aid once again. |
| Matoya | Oh, what a surprise. Well? What secrets have you come to extract from me this time? |
| Alphinaud | Ah. Though it pains me to admit it, your words strike close to the mark. We humbly ask that you grant us entry to the Antitower, that we might use it to seek a friend who we believe has been transported to the aetherial sea. |
| Matoya | And who told you I could do such a thing, I wonder. |
| Matoya | The tower was abandoned to its magical keepers fifteen years ago. They have the run of the place now. If that is no deterrent to you, then by all means. |
| Yshtola | Is that all? I felt sure you would seek to dissuade us from our course, given your role as custodian. |
| Matoya | Role? Hardly. The Forum foisted the title on me. |
| Matoya | During the exodus, every entrance to the Antitower was sealed save one. |
| Matoya | My role consists of making sure no one with ill intent sneaks through it. Such was the Forum's final “order” to me. |
| Matoya | Well? I can remove the wards right now. Will you be going or not? |
| Krile | We will, Master Matoya. We will do whatever it takes to find Minfilia! |
| Matoya | ...We'll see about that. |
| Matoya | [Player Name] can go. Take the magickless rogue too if you like─he's no use to me. The rest of you will stay and work, and I'll hear no argument. Those are my terms. |
| Thancred | Oh. ...And I should be delighted to accompany you. Lead the way, [Player Name]. |
| Yshtola | Thancred, no. |
| Yshtola | Your aetheric flow has been compromised. Do not deny it. To venture into an environment so thick with aether, so close to the aetherial sea would be to risk further impairment─or worse. |
| Thancred | But Minfilia could be in there, waiting for us! |
| Yshtola | And you could die─and for what? If she is waiting beyond, [Player Name] will find her. Trust in her/him. Have faith! |
| Thancred | Damn it all... |
| Thancred | ...Bring her back to us. |
| Alphinaud | (The least she could do is let me go in Thancred's place!) |
| Thancred | Whatever it takes, do you hear me? Whatever it takes. |
| Yshtola | Long did I wonder what waited beyond that door. Several times in my youth, I even tried to open it, but the wards placed upon it were far beyond my skill to dispel. |
| Yshtola | Be that as it may, I hardly think the work of three Scions fair trade for its opening. |
| Krile | To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what you'll need to do once you reach the bottom...but you've always been so resourceful, so... |
| Matoya | To be clear, I don't mind if you take others with you. I expect you'll need the help. But this lot are staying with me. |
| Matoya | 'Tis a blessed few who get to choose how and when and for what they die. |
| Matoya | Not that you need reminding, I suppose. But that boy... <sigh> |
| Matoya | For all the suffering he has known, he still clings to the notion that there is a cosmic justice, a morality by which we are saved or condemned. And there isn't. |
| Alphinaud | She...she's not coming back, is she. |
| Alphinaud | I know that, I do. To give all for her beliefs was ever her way. |
| Alphinaud | So will we, as we must. What greater calling could there be than to stand against the Dark as defenders of the Light? And yet...where does it end? The sacrifice, the loss... |
| Alphinaud | ...We carry on, as we must. She went to great lengths to inform us of the enemy's designs. We stand, as ever, against the Dark, as defenders of the Light. |
| Alphinaud | Yet for how long, I wonder. How much more loss must we endure...? |
| Alphinaud | It weighs on you too, I know. I understand why she made her decision, and yet... |
| Alphinaud | Every time we lose another friend, I have to ask myself if there was not another way... |
| Quest complete. | |