The Astrologian Quests & You (Part 1)

[graiai]

✖
      
Do you wish to know more of fate?  
☛ Yes    No    

 

The Astrologian (AST) quests are probably the most retconned questline in Final Fantasy XIV, and that's what you call irony, or something. The version of the quests that I experienced in my first playthrough no longer exists - nor does the version I experienced in my second, or third. Part of this is a side effect of the nature of MMOs—AST was (and still is) a notoriously janky and overcomplicated job, and every few years it gets rebuilt from the ground up to fit the game’s newest combat design philosophy and ever-increasing level cap, certain skills and gameplay mechanics that had been written into the narrative vanishing into the aether. Part of this is due to the developers retconning major elements of the backgrounds of the questline’s central characters for… no apparent reason.

Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to get someone into your faves when it seems like every few months the devs come back and ransack your house. This document hopes to serve as part lore resource, part red string murder wall, part ship manifesto. As the foremost AST lore scholar (and, once upon a time, the foremost AST...) and certified insane person, I'm here to help...demystify...this mess of a questline. And also to convince you that Jannequinard de Durendaire and Leveva Byrde are soulmates. That too.

ETA: Not 13 hours after I posted this, another complete AST rework was announced. Truly, it is beyond parody. There will be another update to this document around July 3rd 2024 - please look forward to it. 🙏

SO, WHERE DO WE BEGIN?

Let’s assume you don’t know much about FFXIV lore.

You don’t need to know that much for the AST quests—they’re a job questline with very few ties to the main story, and none of the main characters of the AST quests appear or are named in the main story at all. What you do need to know is this: there is a reclusive island nation called Sharlayan whose borders have been closed for the past 15+ years[1], and a city-state known as the Holy See of Ishgard, whose shtick is ‘What If Elves Were Catholic And At War With Dragons?’ They’re also French. The elves, not the dragons.

The Ishgardians are around a thousand years into the war with the dragons, and 5+ (see footnote 1) years into an eternal winter. The nation is majority elven (called ‘Elezen’) with a significant minority human (‘Hyur’/‘Hyuran’) population, and has a taboo against interspecific marriage (the one half-Elezen character we meet is called ‘half-breed’ and ‘the mongrel’) as well as a glaring class divide that is not exclusively racial in character (there are plenty of Elezen freezing to death in the streets, too) but Hyur are mainly excluded from the upper class. The Catholic—sorry, Halonic—Church has a very active Inquisition that tortures confessions out of suspected heretics who are then put to death, burns books, all that good stuff. Education is strictly religious in nature, and if it is not religious, it is tolerated only if it somehow supports the war against the dragons.

The secular government of Ishgard, insomuch as there is a secular government at the beginning of the game, is led by the Counts of the four High Houses, who descend from the semi-mythical dragon-slaying (and dragon-eating) founding fathers of the city-state: Durendaire, Dzemael, Fortemps, and Haillenarte. In the AST quests, we are concerned only with House Durendaire.

The Durendaires are one of the wealthiest families in the world of FFXIV, and their coffers bankroll the Athenaeum Astrologicum (henceforth ‘the Athenaeum’) and First Dicasterial Observatorium of Aetherial and Astrological Phenomena (henceforth ‘the Observatorium’), the former being the university and the latter being the research facility out in the middle of nowhere that has The Big Telescope™. Our quest-giver and main character of the Astrologian quests is Jannequinard (SZHAHN-key-nahr): Viscount de Durendaire, second or third in line to the most powerful position in Ishgard short of the actual Archbishop. Currently, Janne’s the front desk guy of the Athenaeum, and all of his coworkers hate him.

Our other main protagonist, a young woman named Leveva Byrde, is from Sharlayan, the country that closed their borders ages ago. Sharlayan is known for scholarly advancements and inventions in various magical fields (technological/non-magical inventions are the purview of Garlemald, an empire with a lot of relevance to the main game plot but very little relevance to this questline’s), and they’re incredibly protective of the nation’s intellectual property. The nation’s primary export is the servicing of ‘aetherytes’ (fast travel points), all of which are owned and maintained by Sharlayan[2], and the Sharlayans can shut them off at any time - as they recently did in the case of a war in Eorzea because they disapproved of their technology used for the movement of troops, etc. Many Sharlayans are strongly opposed to intervention in outside affairs, and the most conservative among them lately consider making available any Sharlayan advancements or scholarship to outsiders interventionist. They also have a certain penchant for facial and neck tattoos.

....and that’s all you need to know! And some extra stuff, probably. Sorry about that. I can’t turn it off.

Anyway, the main subjects of the AST retcons are the magicks themselves - the skills/spells and other gameplay mechanics available to the job - the Durendaire family tree, and the timeline. We’re not so much concerned with the former, but as we go through the quests, they’ll occasionally be referenced. The other two are a big deal for us, though, and we’ll talk about them a lot. First, though, we’re going to do side-by-side comparisons of the full text of each of the quests (serving as a script for those reading who may not have played them, as well as a resource for text changes).  Because I hit character limit (oops!), this post covers the quests from first picking up AST to the Heavensward Lv 60 quest, and then part two will pick up with the Stormblood Lv 60 quest and finish them out, including some additional relevant sidequests, then go full Pepe Silvia. Part 2 will also contain the appendices. Yes, I am losing control of my life, thanks for asking.

Regarding the retcons: it is standard practice for the patch notes to say only "minor textual changes" regarding retcons, and never which quests' dialogue was altered. As such, retcons are dated to the closest approximation I can provide, between the timestamps on my own and others' videos and screencaps and timestamped conversations from Discord about the changes. Sometimes a retcon cannot be confirmed due to an absence of pre-retcon sources, if it is an optional dialogue. If I am missing anything or my timeline is slightly off, I apologize.

Credit where it's due to Airell Gardiner @ Adamantoise, Galen Blackwell @ Cactuar, Kimiko Katsumi @ Adamantoise, Etienne Laurus @ Zalera, Ardonis Ryedel @ Adamantoise, and Thea Hyrtfyrwyn @ Omega for providing gameplay footage and screenshots essential to writing up this lore doc.

00. World NPC dialogue in the Athenaeum before unlocking the AST quests

All of this is optional dialogue, and optional dialogue from here on out will be designated by light grey text rather than white.

Jannequinard: The heavens are boundless. One would have to live a thousand lifetimes to grasp but a sliver of the knowledge locked away in their dark recesses.

Heurriette: This is a star globe. Upon it you shall find a map of the very heavens above us. Any self-respecting astrologian would not fathom taking something so delicate out into the elements, let alone into battle...

Mugueniel: While sailors use the pole star for guidance, we astrologians look to the dragon star, for its position and magnitude in relation with neighboring celestial bodies can reveal when and where the Dravanian Horde will strike next.

Fleuraie: The ever-tightening grip of this unnatural winter has proven far more than a nuisance for many in my field. The stars can tell us little if their message is forever hidden behind a veil of storm clouds.

The NPC Guillestet opens up a menu with the following options...

> Tell me of yourself.

My name is Guillestet. I am in my second year on the coveted path to becoming an astrologian. All novitiates are assigned a task at the Athenaeum to which we are required to attend between our classes. The stars saw fit that I be assigned receptionist duty...with Lord Jannequinard.

He is, by no means, a bad man...only a tad eccentric. Being the second son to the Count de Durendaire means he is free to do as he wishes...and most of the time he wishes to pay call on the city-state's young maidens...despite being older than mine own father. The rest of the time, he continues his "studies" of Sharlayan astrology─something he began almost twenty summers ago when he spent a twelvemoon in the now abandoned city-state training with the heathen astrologians. His bloodline protects him from the scrutiny of higher-ranking officials here, but it is his lack of talent which truly keeps the wolves at bay.

In other words, he is harmless. I am merely required to suffer his whims until I pass my examinations and get assigned a position at the Observatorium. Then, some new novitiate will be assigned the post and the cycle will continue as it has for almost two decades.
 

> Tell me of this place.

The Athenaeum Astrologicum was founded by Saint Guenriol to serve as a place where astrologians such as myself might learn and perfect methods used to read the stars. Since the discovery by Adaunel the Younger that the Dravanian Horde were using the relative position of a celestial body we now refer to as the dragon star to determine their attacks on the Holy See, we have ever been seeking to decipher the dragons' code. Theories constructed here are subsequently taken south to the Observatorium where they are put into practice.

Ah... We also suffer...limited training in Sharlayan astrology─a school of star reading neither recognized or approved of by the Athenaeum, the Observatorium, or the Holy See. The only reason I even mention it is because I have been...ah, commanded to do so by Lord Jannequinard.

 

> Tell me more of astrology.

Astrology originated thousands of years ago in Sharlayan, and was introduced to Eorzea when the Sharlayans founded their colony in the Dravanian hinterlands. It remained a minor field of study, eclipsed by larger ones such as conjury and thaumaturgy, until three centuries ago when an Ishgardian astrologian by the name of Adaunel the Younger discovered that the stars could be used to determine the movements of the Dravanian Horde. It was then that Ishgardian astrology was born, the focus moving from fortune-telling and fate-scrying to something actually useful─preventing the death of knights by knowing when and where the Horde would arrive.

You will not see an Ishgardian astrologian carrying about a star globe or an astrolabe. You will not see him consulting with a divining deck or gazing into the stars, hoping to draw forth its aether and use it to manipulate fates. You will not hear talk of the gates of the seven heavens or the chantings of minor spells woven to heal cuts or enmusculate sword arms. Well, you will not hear these things as long as you keep your distance from Lord Jannequinard.

 

01. What’s Your Sign? (Lv 50)

While this quest's text has been altered previously (or rather, this quest's text is unchanged, but in 2015-2016 it was combined with the following quest), the discrepancies are not lore-relevant: Janne asks what brought you to the Athenaeum and you say "it was fate!" or "I am unsure", and the quest proceeds from there. Because of the pathing in this quest, and because the discrepancies are minimal, the formatting for this section will be a little different from the others.
 

Jannequinard: Greetings and welcome to the Athenaeum Astrologicum. Perhaps you were drawn by fate to this place of learning─or perhaps you wish to know more of fate itself?

Do you wish to know more of fate?

> Yes Then you were wise to come hither. For in the stars are written the fates of every woman and man on Hydaelyn.		> No So you say, yet here you are. You need only learn to open our eyes and see the answers which lie above us in the boundless firmament.

Jannequinard: It was there in the stars that I read a woman would call upon the Athenaeum this very day. A woman who would play an important role in my own life. Ah, but my apologies. Even the most skilled reader cannot scry a name from the heavens. Would you be so kind as to give me yours, so that I might know who is to be my newest protégé?

Give Jannequinard your name and become his newest protégé?

> Yes CHARNAME. Well... I was not expecting that. But what is a name, but an attempt by our begetters to wield power over the lives of their sons and daughters? Lives whose paths have already been foretold! In a sense, that is. My name is Jannequinard de Durendaire and I am an astrologian for the Holy See. Remember that name, for it shall echo forevermore in the annals of Ishgardian history. Well...it will once I put it there. Once we put it there!		> No Well...er... That was awkward. It would not be entirely true if I said this was the first time my offer had been spurned today... But Twelve be damned, I was certain you were the woman from my vision!                                                      (quest ends)

Jannequinard: Now, where to begin!? I suppose I could consult my divining deck for an answer, but that would be too easy now, wouldn't it? Very well, at the beginning it is! Astrology, or the reading of the stars, is a branch of aetherological science which originated in distant Sharlayan. There have been astrologians in Ishgard for thousands of years, but it wasn't until three centuries ago when Adaunel the Younger learned that the movement of the stars could also be used to foresee the movements of the Dravanian Horde that the field became popular.

Jannequinard: Since then, what was once a single science has bifurcated into two similar yet ultimately different schools of learning: the Sharlayan school of astrology and the Ishgardian school─the former placing a focus on tapping celestial aether and transforming it into beneficial magicks, or astromancy; the latter specializing solely in determining the actions of our dragon enemies to the north.

Jannequinard: I am a student of the former─the only student of the former here in Ishgard─and have been actively seeking a partner with whom to conduct my research. Let us just say that my fellow astrologians here have been less than approving of my path. But that is simply because they are afraid of what they do not know. Once they do know of how Sharlayan astrology can benefit the See and its soldiers, they will feel foolish for ever having doubted me...ah, us! You will be joining me, will you not? Walking the path that has been laid out before you, instead of stubbornly denying your fate, postponing the inevitable?

02. Stairway to the Heavens (Lv 50)

Jannequinard of the Athenaeum simply can't take his eyes off you.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020) Jannequinard: I see you wasted no time making your decision. Like I always say, the stars are never wrong! Alas, even a lifetime of study and training cannot unlock all the secrets written in those stars. Myself, I have been a student of the astromantic arts for more than thirty summers, and I still oft misread the signs shown to me in the skies.

CURRENT  Jannequinard: I see you wasted no time making your decision. Like I always say, the stars are never wrong! Alas, even a lifetime of study and training cannot unlock all the secrets written in those stars. Myself, I have been a student of the astromantic arts for more summers than I can count, and I still oft misread the signs shown to me in the skies.

Jannequinard: Though, my readings are far more accurate now than they were when I attended the Athenaeum in Sharlayan. Not the Sharlayan, mind you.[3] The colony that once thrived in the Dravanian hinterlands. I can recall my time there like it was but yesterday. The first six moons, I was not even allowed to touch the Deck of Sixty, let alone conduct a reading with the major arcana. Most of my time was spent in the scriptorium transcribing old tomes on astrological fundamentals such as the six elemental houses, divine duplicity, class triplicity, house modality and polarity, dignity versus detriment...

Jannequinard: I abhorred the task, and would tirelessly pester my instructors as to when I might actually be granted the opportunity to weave a spell or perform a reading. It wasn't until the end of the sixth moon that I realized all that transcribing had prepared me with the essentials I would need to do those very things. The positions of the celestial bodies within the six elemental houses, and their relation to the major and minor arcana of the Deck of Sixty─therein lie the secrets to tapping the aetherial power locked in the heavens. And soon, you too will become privy to these secrets. But not this day. No, no. I would not have you transcribe musty old tomes, like I was once forced to do.

Jannequinard: No, the task I have for you is much more interesting. You see, I am expecting the arrival of a very important guest─my old mentor from the Studium has agreed to make the journey from the Old World to Ishgard and speak with the Holy See regarding the implementation of Sharlayan astrological techniques in city-state defense. Alas, the professor and his party are now fully seven days late in arriving, and I have begun to worry for their safety. I should be much obliged, therefore, if you would inquire of the other astrologians here at the Athenaeum if they have heard aught.

Jannequinard: ...Beg pardon? If the professor is so important to me, why haven't I asked them myself? Ah, let us just say that the other astrologians and I do not always see eye to eye on everything...or, in fact, anything.

Heurriette: Why would Lord Jannequinard think I had information on the whereabouts of a handful of unbelievers from across the Bloodbrine Sea? I am an astrologian, not a fortune-teller. I cannot simply look to the stars and scry the location of the viscount's guests...unless his guests are dragons, that is. I suppose if anyone knew aught, it would be the Observatorium. We here at the Athenaeum are but students dedicated to research. Those with any influence in our field are assigned to the astroscope.

Mugueniel: Let me guess, the good Lord Jannequinard said he saw you in a vision and that the stars told him that you were to study Sharlayan astrology with him. Am I close? You must be the hundredth of his little pets to pester me this week[4] alone. I harbor no ill will toward ignorant unbelievers unlucky enough to find themselves caught up in talk of stars and fortunes, but you may tell that sorry excuse for an astrologian─for the umpteenth time─that I have heard naught concerning his imaginary friends from faraway Sharlayan. (Just do not tell the viscount I called him a sorry excuse for an astrologian, all right?)

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020) Fleuraie: Jannequinard still waiting for word on his missing Sharlayans instead of actually making an effort to find them, is he? Of course he is. Is it any wonder that in the nearly twenty years since his return from Sharlayan, his skill in astromancy has remained unchanged? Any wonder that he has never yet managed to convince a single peer of the value of the Sharlayan school? He is a privileged little sprat who spends more time gazing at the stars in young maidens' eyes than actually trying to read the ones above his head.

CURRENT  Fleuraie: Jannequinard is still waiting for word on his missing Sharlayans instead of actually making an effort to find them, is he? Of course he is. Is it any wonder that in the nearly fifteen years since his return from Sharlayan, his skill in astromancy has remained unchanged? Any wonder that he has never yet managed to convince a single peer of the value of the Sharlayan school? He is a privileged little sprat who spends more time gazing at the stars in young maidens' eyes than actually trying to read the ones above his head.

 

Fleuraie: <sigh> All right, all right. You tell the poor man I just returned from the Observatorium, and one night at the communal feasting hall, happened to overhear Chief Astrologian Forlemort speaking with one of his aides regarding Sharlayan. He was visibly upset, and I wasn't about to risk my career over something I care little about, so I merely put my head down and ate my beet soup. But that is all I know, and you did not hear it from me.

Jannequinard: Master Forlemort!? And I thought this day could not get any worse... Ah? Oh, no. I'm not suggesting that meeting you in any way has been unfortunate. It is just...ah...that, er... It may not be in our best interests to be seen together as of yet. There are certain people in the See who do not approve of my studies. Couple that with the fact that you are an outsider and an unbeliever, and...well, people may come to the wrong conclusions. We must act with caution until we can prove that our intentions are just and for the good of all Ishgard. So, I must ask you to travel to the Observatorium alone, and meet me there.

Once you finish this conversation, some optional dialogues pop up with the world NPCs in the Athenaeum!

Heurriette: Oh, an astrologian now, are we? Well, then perhaps you can show me the approximate degree of the dragon star's cyclical declination as a result of the precession of the equinoxes when coupled with annual parallax? No?

Mugueniel: I could tell you that your decision to study under Lord Jannequinard was unwise, but that would imply that I cared.

Fleuraie: As a novitiate here at the Athenaeum, I have been assigned several important tasks outside my regular studies. One of those is delivering updated star maps to the Observatorium. Between you and me, I do not see why they cannot simply use moogles.

We pick up in the top floor of the Observatorium, where in addition to Jannequinard we meet Quimperain and Forlemort, pictured below respectively.

  

 

Jannequinard: Ah, CHARNAME. Allow me to apologize again for not accompanying you here. As for our business with the chief astrologian, you may leave the talking to me.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020) Forlemort: Ah, Jannequinard. I might have known it would be you. Who else would be so indecent as to drag an outsider into this holy place of observation? You have always had an unhealthy obsession with the foreign. 'Tis why you are as worthless to the Athenaeum now as you were when you returned from that heathen city nearly twenty summers since.

CURRENT Forlemort: Ah, Jannequinard. I might have known it would be you. Who else would be so indecent as to drag an outsider into this holy place of observation? You have always had an unhealthy obsession with the foreign. 'Tis why you are as worthless to the Athenaeum now as you were when you returned from that heathen city a decade and a half since.

Jannequinard: But the stars, they can serve us in other ways than merely revealing when the Horde will attack. Their powers can be tapped! The aether within can be used for─

Forlemort: The aether should be left be! Has history taught you naught about the folly of the Nymians? The Amdapori? The Mhachi?

Jannequinard: Mine uncle, the Sharlayans have been wielding astromancy for ages without disrupting aetherial balance. This power, combined with Ishgardian astrology could be what is needed to turn the tide of this thousand year conflict. Moreover, I have reason to believe that our masters at the Vault agree, as they have given me their blessing to continue my research.

Jannequinard: <sigh> I did not come to trade barbs with you, Nuncle. Let us save that for another time. I am here because it has come to my attention that you may have information as to the whereabouts of Professor Mace and his party from Sharlayan.

Forlemort: For someone who says he is not here to trade barbs, you have been quite generous in your dealing of them today. If it means you will leave and allow me to return to my work, then I'd be more than happy to let you know what information found its way to my desk just yesterday morn. Serpent Reaver sightings and foul weather prevented the professor's ship from entering the Strait of Merlthor, where they would have made their way up the Maiden and into Coerthas. After detouring around the south of Vylbrand, they finally disembarked at Vesper Bay, where they took the land route along the Allagan Royal Sunroad to the Black Shroud. It is there, it seems, they lost their way. A lost astrologian! Hah!

Jannequinard: It is as my morning reading predicted. Dalamud was in detriment in the House of the Spire while ascending over the ecliptic! CHARNAME, you must journey to the Black Shroud and assist Professor Mace.

Jannequinard: Allow me to introduce you to Quimperain. He is my personal manservant, and shall accompany you. He is not one for conversation, but his sword arm is amongst the best in all the Pillars. He should see you safe if any danger were to befall you, and something tells me danger lurks on the horizon.

Quimperain: It is a pleasure to serve you, milady. I shall make haste to Quarrymill and await you there.

Forlemort: I know not which is worse─the blasphemous wretch who mocks the very principles from which our field is sown, or the bumbling unbeliever who blindly follows him in hopes of gnawing on the scraps he drops in his wake.

Quimperain: Milady. I have questioned the residents of this hamlet and learned that a party of queerly dressed outsiders passed through not but a bell[5] ago. It should not prove overly difficult to find them now...but before we begin, might I ask a moment of your time?

Quimperain: I would not dare utter aught ill of my master, but his recent fixation with finding a protégé... I believe it ill considered. This passion, however pure, has left him with more than one enemy within the astrological community. Lord Forlemort has seen to this. I fear not only for how his name might be sullied...but for his life.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MID-2021) Quimperain: I beg of you. Pray, do not drag him any further down into this quagmire. Let him quietly dabble in his dream, but let it remain at that─a dream. No good will come of encouraging him. It will only hurt the viscount and his family. You must remember that while I serve Lord Jannequinard, it is his father, the count, who employs me.

CURRENT Quimperain: I beg of you. Pray, do not drag him any further down into this quagmire. Let him quietly dabble in his dream, but let it remain at that─a dream. No good will come of encouraging him. It will only hurt the viscount and his family. You must remember that while I serve Lord Jannequinard, it is his uncle, the count, who employs me.

Quimperain: Now, as for the task at hand, I suggest we find the wayward travelers and hurry back to our respective hearths. I shall lead. Might I ask you to take the rear and see that none might take us unawares?

At this point, we go to a marked section on the map, and there we find Quimperain defending a young woman and injured bannerman from a group of ne'er-do-wells who are holding an elderly gentleman at spearpoint.

The people relevant to us are Leveva Byrde (the young woman), Celie (the bandit leader), and Mace Byrde (the elderly man), pictured respectively below.

    

Quimperain: These are the Sharlayans we seek, and it appears they have found themselves some trouble.

Leveva: Unhand my grandfather!

Celie: Ah, feisty. We'll fetch a fine price for that one from the pleasure barge captains.

Mace: The Soul...has spoken...

While Celie and the other bandits are focused on Leveva and the newly-arrived player character, Mace tosses the Soul Crystal (the glowing rock in the above gif) into the grass a way's away.
 

Celie: Grab the old man. These wizard-types carry on them all manner of begemmed baubles and golden trinkets.

Slackjawed Thug: Up, or I'll toss you to the snakes!

Celie: You want to see the old man again, you leave us the girl. Try anything, and he's dead.

The bandits leave, Mace in tow. Leveva calls after him, but is helpless to do anything. When they've left, Leveva notices the glow of the soul crystal in the grass.
 

Leveva: Wait! Grandfather's soul crystal... Why would he leave it here, surrendering any power he might have had to free himself from those bandits?[6] Unless... You were the one he saw in his reading before we left the Old City... But that was more than a moon ago! My grandfather scried from the cards that he would serve as the bridge for countless souls to be passed to another... [(Speaking to Quimperain)] Might you be that other...?

Quimperain: These men of the forests are careless. Tracking them will be no difficult feat. I shall follow and strike before they have time to regroup in numbers.

Leveva begins to reach for Quimperain, then shakes her head.

Leveva: The stars have spoken and laid their path not before you, but before the adventurer here.

She places the soul crystal in the player character's hand, and it gives a flash of light.

Leveva: You. You must take the Soul of the Astrologian and place it near your heart. Listen to the tales of those who walked before you, and know their journeys as you do your own. As for the tools you require and the knowledge needed to wield them, I, Leveva, shall see to those matters. You saw there was no fear in my grandfather's eyes when the bandits took him. This is because he has seen you come to his rescue. Our lives were written in the stars long before we trod upon this land. It is not by chance that you stand here today with the Soul of the Astrologian in your hand. It is fate.
 

 

03. Fortune Favors the Bole (Lv 30)

Leveva waits patiently for you to pull yourself together and equip her grandfather's soul crystal.

Quimperain: I find it highly unlikely that a sparkling globe will sufficiently protect you from a bandit's blade. Stay back, and leave the fighting to me.

Armed Escort: I have been a guide in these woods since my tenth nameday, yet never have I encountered bandits the likes of these. They are not of the Twelveswood...

If you go back to the Athenaeum in the middle of this quest, Jannequinard has the following to say: Have you located the professor? Where is Quimperain? Why are you here?

Leveva: Now listen carefully, for we haven't much time. The star globe which you hold is both your sword and shield. It will grant you strength, as well as protection. But most important of all, it will grant you insight into the current location of the stars, enabling you to channel the heavens' aether into your body for use in all manner of magicks. The better attuned you become with the heavens and their “malefic” and “benefic” bodies, the better that aether might be manipulated to bring succor...or pain.

 

Leveva: Ah, but as you already know, the star globe is not the only tool an astromancer has at his disposal. Yes, the arcana, or more specifically, the six major arcana play a defining role in what type of astrologian you will become. Any layman will tell you that the cards can predict a man's future. This is both true and untrue. It is not the future that a card predicts, but the card influencing the man so that a certain future becomes more attainable. Seeking to tell a man's fortune, you “draw” a card from your deck. Upon “reading” the card, you scry that the man will be victorious in a coming battle. What is it that brings this man his victory but aether tapped from one of the lower six heavens granting the man strength, making it all that much easier for him to overcome his enemy.

 

Leveva: Of course, what card is drawn is linked directly to a target's destiny, as well as yours. Are you the one who will see this man to fortune, or will you lead him to downfall? It all depends on your reading. Normally, I would not dare cover so much in a first lesson, but it is my grandfather who has placed his life in your hands, and I am not about to watch him have his throat slit because you cannot tell the face of an arcana from its back. We have two seemingly capable soldiers here to take the brunt of the bandits' blows. Allow them to carve a trail of carnage while you convince the stars to nudge the two in a direction favorable to my kin.

 

Leveva: I understand this must be a lot to digest, but if you are ever to become a capable astrologian, you must believe in the path laid out before you, and in your power to read it, follow it, and ultimately control it. Take some time to acclimate yourself to your new abilities, and let me know when you are ready to begin.

At this point, we start an instanced duty, fighting various low-level enemies, healing Quimperain and Leveva's bodyguard, and collecting cards from Mace's deck he's been dropping to guide the way. Despite the fact the job worked very, very differently in 2015 compared to how it has in every following expansion, none of this dialogue appears to have been updated - and as always, within instanced duties, your allies will always have access to whatever skills existed at the time that duty was implemented. See Appendix B: Job Changes for more.

Leveva: I see in your eyes that you are ready. Whether that actually makes you ready or not, only time will tell. Time, unfortunately, is something we no longer have in abundance. Let us take to the shadows and find out where these bandits are holding my grandfather. May the stars be our guide.
 

Leveva: Do not let these bandits stand in the way of us locating my grandfather!

Leveva: This is a card from my grandfather's deck! He is leaving us a trail to follow! CHARNAME. Its power is now your own. There are six major arcana. We must find the other cards!

 

As you play through the instance and draw cards, Leveva provides advice:
 

You've drawn the Balance! Let the Warden's judgment grant our lance-wielding escort the strength he needs to slay his foes.

You've drawn the Bole! Beseech the Matron to embrace Quimperain, that he may fend off his opponent's blows.

You've drawn the Arrow! Allow the Navigator to guide our escort's lance true.

You've drawn the Spear! The strength of the Fury will benefit any and all who face insurmountable odds.

You have drawn the Ewer! The Scholar will see that the well of magicks within you never runs dry.

You have drawn the Spire! The Destroyer can bless our good guide's lance, granting it the ability to strike deep, if you but will it.

 

Eventually, after following Professor Mace's trail of tarot cards and attuning to them so
Your star is in dignity with the Major Arcana! [7] , the party catches up to the bandits.

Quimperain: Throw down your weapons, cur! You have no choice but to release the professor or meet the same fate as your men!
 

Celie: No choice, eh? What if our choice all along was to cross blades, houseboy? Come closer and let us end this.

(Celie summons a demon familiar.)

Leveva: A voidsent! This bandit is more than she appears!

At the end of this miniboss...

Celie: I was not told there would be two astrologians. Enough of this!

She flees! The aftermath:

Quimperain: I am Quimperain, in the employ of Lord Jannequinard. I am sent to escort you back to Ishgard. Are you unhurt, milord?

Mace: Jannequinard, you say? And where is my former student? His constant pestering is one of the reasons I agreed to make the long trip from the Old World.

 

Leveva: I see none but Quimperain and this adventurer.

 

Armed Escort: I too have seen no other.
 

Mace: Just like you didn't see those bandits until their knives were up our arses. But that is of no matter. It was all as the stars had foretold. Yes, I saw this adventurer long before even setting foot on this accursed continent when the arcana whispered and told me I would find a worthy successor for my soul crystal.

Leveva: And having witnessed how she eased into her new role, but mere moments after taking up the crystal, globe, and deck...

Mace: Yes, I knew at once my reading was true, and that this adventurer was the astrologian I had been seeking. But now, let us see if she has the potential for greatness within her. Look to the skies, CHARNAME, and there you will see six stars aglow in pale yellow. This is the Bole. This constellation is thought to be the gate to the first heaven─the heaven which holds the World Tree. Planted by the Matron and nurtured by the Keeper, the World Tree is the source from which all life is said to have sprung. The trunk of the World Tree, or the Bole, offers protection to the weak, defending them from harm.

Mace: You have now opened that gate, and its power is yours to command. A solid bole represents a solid foundation. It is not coincidence that this very constellation is risen to midheaven at this very moment─the moment of a new astrologian's birth. And to think, I saw all of this a moon ago. It seems I am a better reader of fates than I thought! Hah hah hah!

 

Mace: But I jest. It has been a long journey, with more than its share of unexpected excitement. I am an old man, and one does not need a deck of arcana to see that my weary legs will not carry me much longer. Let us make haste to Ishgard, so I may give that ungrateful Jannequinard a proper upbraiding.

The Bole blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the first heaven. 
 

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020)  Mace: Jannequinard. Twenty-odd summers passed and still the flippant clod I lost half of my hair tutoring. Sending an adventurer to find the man you summoned halfway across Hydaelyn. Always taking the easy route. And you wonder why you still haven't been able to open the second heaven's gate!

CURRENT Mace: Jannequinard. Fifteen summers passed and still the flippant clod I lost half of my hair tutoring. Sending an adventurer to find the man you summoned halfway across Hydaelyn. Always taking the easy route. And you wonder why you still haven't been able to open the second heaven's gate!

Jannequinard: Ah, I...uh, allow me to explain, Professor. You see, I was waiting here in case you made it to Ishgard before my manservant and CHARNAME could locate you. Think of the confusion if you had arrived here only to find the Athenaeum empty... Wait, how did you know I haven't opened all the gates?

Leveva: My grandfather is the greatest astrologian in all Sharlayan. There is naught he doesn't know unless he doesn't wish to know it. You of all people should know that. Perhaps I was hasty in my decision to remain here and see to your training.
 

Jannequinard: Train me? You? But what of Professor Mace? Isn't that why he made the journey?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020) Leveva: My grandfather has already completed his task. He simply came to Ishgard out of courtesy to an old pupil...one who it appears he wasted decades on!

CURRENT Leveva: My grandfather has already completed his task. He simply came to Ishgard out of courtesy to an old pupil...one who it appears he wasted years on!

Jannequinard: W-Wasted...? Wh-What are you implying, my lady?

Mace: Ah, my dear Leveva, you still do not see it, do you? Without Jannequinard stumbling into my tutelage nearly two decades past, he never would have taken this adventurer under his wing and sent her to us in his stead. It was all as the stars had planned.

Jannequinard: Your soul crystal! Professor! This adventurer has stolen your Soul of the Astrologian!
 

Mace: Hahahaha! Ever the unobservant, Janne. If this adventurer had stolen my crystal, Leveva would have read up some terrible fate for the lass. No. CHARNAME is my successor. Something I mistakenly thought you might be...but even I cannot see every future, it seems. But do not despair. I have not given up on you completely. Despite your failings, you have tried your best to promote the Sharlayan school of astrology here in this den of fools who fail to see aught and all beyond the dragon star. I wish to see you continue that fight. And that is why I've bade Leveva to remain here and continue your...and this adventurer's training.

Jannequinard: I...see. This is all rather...overwhelming. Might I have some time to consider your words?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020)  Leveva: No. You either continue your training with me and your...ahem...protégé, or you crawl back to obscurity. I shall give you both several turns of the sun to study the basics of Sharlayan astrology. It should not be so hard for you, Jannequinard, considering you've had more than a two-decade head start.

CURRENT  Leveva: No. You either continue your training with me and your...ahem...protégé, or you crawl back to obscurity. I shall give you both several turns of the sun to study the basics of Sharlayan astrology. It should not be so hard for you, Jannequinard, considering you've had a substantial head start.

Leveva: Once you have committed the basics to memory, then return here. In the meantime, I will be traveling Eorzea, searching for locations where CHARNAME... and you will unlock the remaining heavens' gates.

Jannequinard: B-But, you were only recently set upon by bandits. Perhaps traveling alone so soon is unwise.

Leveva: Don't you think I know that!? That is why you will be lending me the services of your able manservant, Quimperain.

Jannequinard: I will...? I mean, I will. Yes, of course Lady Leveva. Anything for the granddaughter of Sharlayan's finest professor of astrology. Quimperain! You heard the lady.

 

ORIGINAL (THROUGH DECEMBER 2021) Leveva: Very good. Now I shall see my grandfather to the airship landing. Ah, but before we depart, let me teach you of the diurnal sect, so that you may learn to wield the power of those stars which are aligned with the sun.

CURRENT Leveva: Very good. Now I shall see my grandfather to the airship landing, but rest assured that if you neglect your studies, I will know.

"Diurnal Sect" is a skill removed with the release of EW.

 

04. Hanging in the Balance (Lv 35)

Jannequinard believes you and he are ready for the next step in your training.

Jannequinard: Greetings, CHARNAME! The stars tell me you have been rigorously following Leveva's training regimen...though I harbor doubts that “go out and do things while I traipse about the realm” constitutes a regimen. Still, she is all we have, so I suppose we have to make do. And, as the stars would have it, she has just sent word that she is ready for us to attempt the opening of the second heaven's gate.

 

Jannequinard: You are aware of the seven heavens, are you not? Just as there are seven realms of the underworld, so too are there seven realms of the firmament. Each of the first six represent one of the six basic elements─earth, ice, water, wind, lightning, and fire─the seventh and final heaven representing the elements' astral polarity.

 

Jannequinard: The first six heavens are represented by the six constellations which each revolve around the pole star. Astrologians of the Sharlayan school draw on the aether contained in the celestial bodies represented in the constellations by “unlocking” or “opening” the gate to heaven that constellation is correlated with. There is no actual gate...think of it as more a portal to the soul. You are opening your mind, allowing for attunement with these distant bodies, much like one attunes with an aetheryte, but on a far grander scale.

 

Jannequinard: Now this may come as a revelation, but Hydaelyn is not flat like most believe. It is, in fact, a sphere so large, that when we walk upon it, it only appears to be flat. Because it is a sphere, there are some locations better suited than others for observing certain constellations. That is what Leveva is doing right now─finding a location in which the next heaven's gate will rise to a position directly in midheaven, where it will be easiest to attune with. And it seems she has found one...near the Final Prayer in eastern Thanalan.

 

Jannequinard: Oh, I harbor no ill feelings toward you regarding Professor Mace's decision to choose you over me as his successor. To tell you the truth, I was even sort of relieved. The successor to the greatest astrologian in Sharlayan? Think of all the responsibility...

 

Jannequinard: I don't believe my travels have ever taken me this far south. A tad dusty for my tastes. And warm. And dry. And brown.

Quimperain: The journey here was uneventful, but the moment we arrived, we were set upon by bandits. I had no trouble driving them away, but I fear they may return again in numbers. Focus on your training, milady, and I shall keep watch.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MID-2021) Leveva: Here at last, I see. Bandits have kept poor Quimperain busy, harrying our camp since we arrived. I do believe the old man enjoys the excitement, however. I'm certain it beats wiping the arse of a noble brat whoring away his father's fortune while dreaming of becoming a real astrologian.

CURRENT Leveva: Here at last, I see. Bandits have kept poor Quimperain busy, harrying our camp since we arrived. I do believe the old man enjoys the excitement, however. I'm certain it beats wiping the arse of a noble brat whoring away his uncle's fortune while dreaming of becoming a real astrologian.

Jannequinard: I am very well capable of wiping my own arse, thank you very much. And Quimperain has never once complained of his duties.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MID-2021) Leveva: Of course he hasn't. Your father pays him to smile and nod, and I'm sure a comfortable position in the Pillars beats chasing after cloud rats in the Brume to flavor his soup.

CURRENT  Leveva: Of course he hasn't. Your uncle pays him to smile and nod, and I'm sure a comfortable position in the Pillars beats chasing after cloud rats in the Brume to flavor his soup.

Jannequinard: Are we here to trade banter, my lady, because I was led to believe we'd be unlocking a celestial gate? You will find Quimperain has a good many uses, and I haven't the faintest doubt that he will most ably handle any ruffians who happen to come stumbling about looking for prey.

Leveva: Now CHARNAME...and Jannequinard. We must be patient and wait for the constellation to reach its highest and brightest point─a point at which its flow of aether is the strongest in relation to Hydaelyn.

We're given a waymark to survey in order to trigger a cutscene; if we talk to Leveva again before doing so, we get this dialogue: Be patient, CHARNAME. We are at the mercy of the stars and their movements. Only a fool believes he can manipulate the heavens. It is the heavens which manipulate us. We merely take cues from the hints they leave behind.

 

 

Leveva: There, CHARNAME! The Balance! Focus on the constellation and attune to its power. The Balance represents the heaven of fire─a realm made prosperous by the blessing of the Traders, but at the same time, one whose equilibrium is maintained by the divine judgment of Azeyma, the Warden. Azeyma's might will empower those who would take up their blades and mete divine punishment in the name of the sun goddess.

Leveva: And thus has the Balance burned crimson in your heart, unlocking the gate to the second heaven. Now, let us speed ourselves to the next location─Little Ala Mhigo. Hm? Why so soon, you ask? Would you rather that I had you to commit yourself to another several moons of using malefics to put down hedgemoles? I thought not.

The Balance blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the second heaven.

 

ORIGINAL (THRU FALL 2020) Jannequinard: One gate in my first twenty years...and now look at me. Perhaps my previous methods of training were not the most efficient.

CURRENT Jannequinard: One gate in my first seventeen years...and now look at me. Perhaps my previous methods of training were not the most efficient.

Quimperain: Lord Jannequinard complains of the sand, but only because he sees it as a nuisance. The sand can be a wonderful thing, if you know of its benefits. For example, it can be used to polish your mail, or cover your body at night to stave off the desert cold... Ah. Am I boring you, milady?

Leveva: Be patient, CHARNAME. Allow the stars to make their ascent into midheaven. Once they have, survey the skies and let the power run through you.

Once again, we have a waypoint to interact with in order to trigger our pretty night sky cutscene. 
 

 

Leveva: Raise your eyes to the stars, and witness the violet glow of the Spire! In the third heaven rises an iron tower of spinning gears and taut springs constructed by the Builder Himself. It is assailed without cease by the jealous Rhalgr, but the Destroyer's mighty levinbolts only serve to power the spire's clockwork soul. It is through the blessings of both creation and destruction that strength is granted to she who sees her stars rise under this sign. You have now opened the gate, and its power is yours to command.

Leveva: Using the arcana to draw upon the powers of the stars they represent. This path we walk as astrologians is called the Royal Road. The Royal Road can be treacherous and fraught with peril, but it can lead men...and women to greatness.

The Spire blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the third heaven.

Leveva: Your realm is...quite the paradox. On one hand, it is full of life, magic, and wonder─one of the richest lands on all Hydaelyn. On the other, it is literally brimming over with strife. Take Little Ala Mhigo─the wretched souls displaced from their homes by the flames of war. Or Ishgard─mired in its own pointless conflict with an enemy so old it does not even remember why it fights. The foolish believe that it is their fate to suffer, and so they turn their gaze away from the stars, when those selfsame stars have the power to show people there are many paths.

 

Leveva: But that power can only be channeled by the few. Those like me and you...and to a lesser extent Jannequinard. And it is our duty to use that power to benefit those who remain lost or misguided. Remember that, and maybe one day you will truly become my grandfather's successor.

Jannequinard: That is exactly what I have been trying to tell the astrologians of my home nation. Why disregard something that has the power to grant succor to the wounded, the power to uplift the downtrodden, to strengthen the weak?
 

Leveva: The answer to that is easy. Empowering those without power lessens the power of those who already have it. Heal the weak so they might rise up and topple those who made them weak? Why would anyone in a position of power do that? Even our great nation of learning is corrupted by this manner of thought. We hoard our knowledge so that we might remain the brightest. Why do you think that it took so long for Professor Mace to visit you, Jannequinard? Yes, I know what he told you, but that was not the whole of it. Those of the Ruling Quarter did their damndest to stand in the way of my grandfather, worried that his passion for his field would kindle widespread interest in Sharlayan astrology. They only allowed him his recent trip knowing he was now too old to do aught of the sort. Fortunately, the Ruling Quarter did not realize I would be accompanying my grandfather.

 

Leveva: CHARNAME, these past turns of the sun have been most fruitful. Yet while you have opened half the heavens' gates, there is still much of the Royal Road ahead of you. Take what you have learned here in the southern deserts and transform that knowledge into strength. If you wish to know more of the Royal Road, I suggest that you discuss it with Jannequinard back in Ishgard. If my grandfather is to be believed, his time transcribing tomes back at the Studium scriptorium should have left him more than capable of handling that task.

Back home at the Athenaeum, Janne has this to say...

ORIGINAL (THROUGH JULY 2019) Jannequinard: You wish to know more of the Royal Road? I...uh...well... I...ah, seem to recall it had something to do with reassessing the attribution of an arcanum before reading it, which would result in a slight alteration of predestination... Or perhaps it had something to do with the kings and queens on the minor arcana. It was over two decades ago. You are free to try it out yourself, I suppose.

CURRENT Jannequinard: You wish to know more of the Royal Road? I...uh...well... I...ah, seem to recall it had something to do with reassessing the attribution of an arcanum before reading it, which would result in a slight alteration of predestination... Or perhaps it had something to do with the kings and queens on the minor arcana. It was over a decade ago.

Royal Road is no longer a gameplay mechanic, so turning in this quest does not unlock it. See Appendix B: Job Changes for more information.
 

05. A Lesson in Patience (Lv 40)

Jannequinard appears slightly distressed. Speak with the astrologian and try to learn if aught is amiss.

Jannequinard: Are you doing well, CHARNAME? Well then that at least makes two of us... Ah... I mean... Oh, I cannot keep such important news from you, CHARNAME! Lady Leveva and Quimperain...just last night they fell victim to another ambush at the hands of bandits! The ever-resourceful Quimperain proved his invaluable worth once again with a dashing display of chivalry that would shame any knight in the See─a statement that attests to the sorry state of our knights. But that is a chat we can have over a different cup of tea. 

 

Jannequinard: When Lady Leveva attempted to retire to a room at that filthy inn in the Brume, I had our sorely disused second floor cleared and furnished with trappings from my own home. She is up there now, and asked to see you the moment you arrived.

And so upstairs we go─although if you talk to Janne again before you do so, you get the following...

Jannequinard: The Lady has been given a place on the second floor to recover, much to the chagrin of several of my fellow astrologians. Pah! It is not as if they ever go up there... Well, except for that what's-his-name. What is his name? Anyway, she has asked that you pay her a visit the moment you arrive...which, if this isn't last night's mead talking, is right now.
 

Leveva: Wait... You don't seem at all surprised to see me here... Did Jannequinard tell you of the attack? Damn the fool! And after I told him to keep his mouth shut! Though, I suppose I must bear some of the fault for ever thinking he could do as he was told.

Leveva: Now, I suppose you are wondering why I summoned you here to these makeshift chambers, and no, it has naught to do with the bandit attacks it appears are much more common in your realm than I thought.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH JULY 2019) Leveva: Now, I was in no way trying to keep knowledge of our attack from you. I was merely attempting, in my own way, to teach Jannequinard the benefits of adding an arcanum to one's spread rather than using it immediately. A skill that requires patience. Something most nobles in this city-state lack, our present host included. You see, CHARNAME, one cannot influence the card the stars will see you draw. A good astrologian, however, knows that she can influence the timing at which that card is read. Adding a card to your “spread” and waiting until the perfect moment to unleash its power can be an effective way of ensuring beneficial results. I trust that you will pick up this technique swifter than Jannequinard.

CURRENT Leveva: There are times when the heavens may provide you with a vision of a future that is...slightly beyond your original aim. In these cases, the stars are not flawed, only...out of order. So by shuffling a card back into the deck, we are in no way ignoring or denying a future, merely postponing a reading intended for a later date, and replacing it with something that better pertains to the present. I trust that you will pick up this technique swifter than Jannequinard.

The original skill taught here was "Spread"; when it was removed for the first ShB AST rework they took the skill and dialogue from the Lv.45 quest for the skill "Redraw" and moved it up here.

06. Slings and Arrows (Lv 40)

Leveva appears to be fully recovered from her ordeal with the bandits and is ready to continue your training.

Jannequinard: My not telling you of Lady Leveva's ambush was part of her lesson? Hah! The next thing you will tell me is that me talking with you now is also part of her lesson. (It's not part of her lesson is it? I do not think I can afford to fail another one of these.)

Leveva: Are you ready, my pupil? The gate to the fourth heaven awaits; however, the location I have chosen for attunement will not remain the most optimal for long. You are to travel with Jannequinard, and I will make the journey with Quimperain. There are no objections? Good.

Jannequinard: If it is Lady Leveva you seek, she just left with Quimperain for Limsa Lominsa. If you make haste, you may still be able to catch them at the airship landing.

Jannequinard: Me? As much as I would like to indulge myself on the pillows of Rhotano pleasure barges, there is a congress to be held in the Vault, and all the prominent houses have been summoned. My presence at such an event would be sorely missed, so I fear this next lesson must needs proceed without me. I'm certain the Lady Leveva will understand. I can always open the third gate another day...or was it the fourth? Third or fourth. It is of no matter. The stars certainly will not be going anywhere.

Jannequinard: If it is Lady Leveva you seek, she just left with Quimperain for Limsa Lominsa. And if you ask me, those two have grown awfully close as of late. I had best keep an eye on them, lest that honey-tongued manservant of mine forget his station.

 

Quimperain: Milady! The Lady Leveva is missing! We disembarked the airship together, but became separated in the chaos at the landing. Seeing as how the lady has found herself the victim of bandit attacks twice since arriving in Eorzea, I fear she may be targeted once again, especially considering the location...

 

Quimperain: This is my first time setting foot in Limsa Lominsa, but I have been made aware of its landmarks. Might I suggest we search independently so that we might cover more ground? I shall start with several of the seemingly more disreputable locations such as the Drowning Wench, the Astalicia, and the Bloody Member. Would milady be so kind as to search Fisherman's Bottom and the Coral Tower? Let us meet at the Seventh Sage once our survey is complete.

We go on a fact-finding mission and chat with some locals.

V'kebbe: Twenty-odd summers since I spilled from me ma's loins, and ain't once I ever heard the word astrologian. Now, in the span o' two bloody bells, I gone an' met meself not one, but an honest-to-goodness pair o' live star-gawpers. Didn't see where that other fair-skinned lass buggered off to. Ones as that, though, oft end up on the pleasure barges, if ye catch me drift.

Reyner: Another astrologian? How odd. It is not often that even our city-state, known for its diversity, welcomes a single reader of the stars through its gates...let alone two...and in the same day, no less. Yes, I took a few moments from my duties to speak with her about the city-state. She seemed quite interested in our dealings with the Sahagin, the Serpent Reavers, and the Garlean Empire. I told her what I could, but she left after only a few moments. It was as if she thought she was being pursued, but the Sharlayan was gone before I could assign her a Yellowjacket escort.

 

Reyner: I am commodore of the greatest naval force Eorzea has seen in at least two, if not three Astral Eras─closest man to the Admiral herself...and still I am subjected to a daily barrage of questions from what feels like every adventurer in the realm. I am seriously considering an iron lock for those bloody doors.
 

Broenbhar: Aye, I seen me a stuffy lass in rum garb pokin' her loverly head in holes where it weren't wanted. 'Tis rare we get one so worldly down in the gurglin' belly o' the Tower. I had to halt trainin' to work out what the fuss was about. The maid inquired as to where she might find herself a nip or two o' some o' the strong stuff, so I pointed her in the direction of our resident apothecary, Carvallain o'er at the Seventh Sage.

It's at this point we go to meet Carvallain de Gorgagne, a gentleman pirate who has been a bit part in the main story of the game a few times. We'll talk about him more later on, but for now all that you really need to know is that his world NPC dialogue very early on in the game was this...

Carvallain: Limsa Lominsa is a place where a man's work and wits determine his worth, where an orphan can pull himself up by his bootstraps to one day lead the Kraken's Arms! If my family hadn't been murdered at sea, I'd have no doubt followed my fortune-telling father into a life of divination. Fate is a funny thing─the worst thing ever to happen to me was also the best.

...and he looks like this:

Carvallain: This Lady Leveva... You said she was an astrologian, yes? It has been many summers, but there was a time when I, too, dreamed of reading the stars. To think, if I had a teacher as lovely as her, my life might have taken a different direction...

Quimperain: Lady CHARNAME. I bear good tidings. The Lady Leveva is scheduled to return here within a matter of bells. It seems she entered a contract with Carvallain for the purchase of several of the apothecary's wares.

Carvallain: An interesting girl, that one. Very rarely do we see young maidens walk the Lominsan streets without escort. And almost never do they come to me seeking...ah, 'spice'. Still, she did appear quite uneasy, as if being watched, or followed─suspicions, I must say, not uncommon in our fair city. Might she be in some manner of trouble?

Quimperain: Those few who agreed to speak with me at the Drowning Wench and the Bloody Member claimed the same. My short stay on the Astalicia bore no fruit whatsoever... What were you able to find, milady? [...]

I see. So we have ascertained that the lady is being followed...and that she is aware of the fact. If this is the case, I believe she will attempt to move somewhere she will be in plain sight of as many people as possible.

Carvallain: I doubt that will help in this town. Kidnappings and killings are conducted in broad daylight here, and when they happen, most people just keep their heads down, so as not to have them removed from their shoulders.

Quimperain: Twelve damn this town! Milady, I shall set out once more and try to locate Lady Leveva. There is still the chance she may return here on her own, so I ask that you remain in case she does. If she has not arrived at the rendezvous point by the time of her scheduled meeting with Carvallain, then we shall both go to the one location that is most populated after the sun falls in Limsa─the Drowning Wench.

Carvallain: It appears that your companion is tied up...not literally, I hope. Perhaps you should head to the Wench and see if she is there like your friend believes. Though, I fear that if she did not make it that far, you may never find her again. At least not alive.

Carvallain: Worry not, my starry-eyed friend. If, by chance, she were to arrive here after your departure, you have my word that no harm shall come to her while she remains behind the Seventh Sage's doors.

At this point, we enter an instanced combat zone running through the streets of Limsa Lominsa and interacting with various townsfolk.

Townsperson: A woman in black? What's wrong with the woman standin' afore ye?

Townsperson: I might've seen me a lass scurryin' off to the Hyaline.

Finally, success!
 

 

Townsperson: Will someone not save me?

We help her up, but then the Suspicious Astrologian (as the game names her) initiates combat! 
 

Suspicious Astrologian: Me brave knight in shiny armor! Come 'n give me gutter a kiss! 

While we're in combat, Quimperain catches up to us.

Quimperain: Milady! The area is filled with imposters who seek to keep us occupied while their leader pursues Lady Leveva. We must be quick!

Upon the doppelganger's defeat:

Quimperain: That there are those about who would attempt to stall us must mean the lady still eludes them. Follow me. I fear she may not be able to remain hidden for much longer.

We find Leveva quite literally tied up.

Quimperain: CHARNAME! We must save Lady Leveva!

We untie her...but once again, it is not Leveva.

Suspicious Astrologian: Like moths to the flame! Celie'll be pleased when I bring 'er back yer wings!

Quimperain: Another imposter! Ifrit's fiery piss! Just how many of these damned rogues are there?

After defeating this doppelganger as well, we continue searching and come upon an odd scene: two Lady Levevas, seemingly identical, in a standoff.
 

Quimperain: Which one is Lady Leveva!?

Quimperain: Lady CHARNAME... I cannot trust even mine own eyes. Which one is the true Leveva?

Adolescent Astrologian: I's Lady Lavevvi!

August Astrologian: You have to even ask, Quimperain!?

IF YOU CHOOSE CORRECTLY... Leveva: Quite clever of you, CHARNAME, to discern which of us was the imposter. Quimperain: Lady Leveva! Stay behind me! Evil still lurks!

IF YOU CHOOSE INCORRECTLY... Suspicious Astrologian: Some good them cards are if they can't even scry where yer missin' maiden be! Quimperain: Not another!

Suspicious Astrologian: Thal's balls! I thought she was one of us!

With the third doppelganger defeated, we enter a cutscene.

Quimperain: Lady Leveva... You have my apologies. It was my fault I allowed us to become separated...

Leveva: Do not blame yourself, Quimperain. I sensed danger at the landing, and it was my instinct to run...as ever I have. I forgot that I could trust you. Unfortunately, by the time I realized such, there was no sign of you, so I did what I could to blend in─choosing crowded places, speaking with as many locals as possible, though all the while feeling there were unseen eyes watching my every move. By the time I realized that my pursuers were simply leading me away from you, night had already fallen, giving them the perfect opportunity to strike. It was then that I witnessed several of the bandits had disguised themselves in garb similar to mine. I assumed this was to confuse the three─? Ahem, two of you still searching for me. It was then I conceived the idea to play the part of an impostor myself. Why hide in the shadows, when you can hide in plain sight?

Quimperain: That was quite brilliant of you, Lady Leveva. May I ask, were you, at any time, able to discern who these pursuers were? The amount of effort put into your capture would suggest they are more than mere pirates looking to sell you to slavers.
 

Leveva: Unfortunately, no. And I wasn't about to walk up and ask them who they were or who had hired them. But that is all behind us now. Let us see if we can salvage something from this horrible night. The fourth gate ascends nearby, CHARNAME. Shall we not see it made yours? To the Anchor Yard!

 

Astute Pirate: Well, I'll be a barnacle on a kraken's arse! If it ain't the star-gawpin' lassie come to scry us our fortunes! Tell us: which one o' ye'll be dyin' first, like? The beet red knight with a carp in his codpiece? Or the stern-faced 'venturer on her high hobbyhorse?

Combat begins. 

Leveva: Godsdammit! How many pirates are in this godsforsaken hell!?

Quimperain: There's no end to them!

 

Leveva: What is it you want from me then? Coin? Is that it? Here, you can have all I carry!

Pirate Captain: How kind of ye. Though it ain't your purse we was hired to snatch. 'Tis you, milady. But we'll make sure yer coin makes its way into deservin' hands once we've tied and gagged ye and left yer friends here bleedin' in the gutter.

Upon near-defeat:

Pirate Captain: All the coin in the world is not worth losing my life over. Farewell, milady!

But there's more pirates to fight still -

Celie: Ye won't get away this time!

Quimperain: There will be time enough for questions once we've torn their throats out!

Leveva: Quimperain! More pirates approach!

And so they do! But so do some friendly faces! Broenbhar and V'kebbe, two of the people we talked to earlier in the quest, are here to help.

Broenbhar: The night watch reported a pair o' mages flingin' magicks down at the yard. Thought it'd be you two.

V'kebbe: Could hear the clamor all the way down in the Bottom...and I ain't one to turn a deaf ear to a proper midnight melee.

Leveva: Well met, my new friends! Your assistance is most timely!

Celie: Do not let a pair of new blades keep us from our prize, boys! Attack!

Upon defeat of the brigands[8]:

Celie: A manservant and a maid... That's all I was told...

Broenbhar: Worked up quite the thirst, I have. If ye find yerself beset by any more pirates or brigands or such, I'll be whettin' both me blade and me whistle o'er at the Wench.

V'kebbe: A fine spot of merrymaking, if I do say so meself! Maybe next time ye can learn me a couple of them star tricks.
 

 

 

Celie: Ha ha! Lay down them weapons, or I'll cut the old man a new grin under his chin!

Leveva: I cannot believe that actually worked...

Celie: Nor can I. But then again, never have I fought someone so credulous. Now let us do this as they do in the faerie-babes. You step over here, I let the man go. Easy peasy.

Quimperain: Wait... I know you... You're the bandit leader who attacked Lady Leveva's grandfather in the Black Shroud!

Celie: Someone has a good memory for being so on in years. Well, then. This changes everything. First off, I can finally drop this annoying pirate accent. And secondly, I suppose I can simply kill you now, rather than after pretending to let you go once the lady has drawn close enough.

Reyner: Stop right there. Unhand that man or I'll have your head tarred and on the prow of a galley by cockcrow.

Celie: First maniacal marauders, then feline fishers, and now the commodore of the swivin' Thalassocratic Navy. How many more gods is this machine going to drop on me? Until next time, Lady Leveva!

Quimperain: You have my apologies... I was a fool to fall for the bandit's trick.

Reyner: Amazing... In all my years, that was the first time I've ever seen that feigning-death trick actually work. But now is not a moment to be dwelling on our many failings. I have a dastard to apprehend. You would be surprised how often people run after being told to “stop right there.”

Quimperain: Lady Leveva. That pirate. She was the same bandit who─

Leveva: Yes, I know. And that changes little, for I still have no idea who she may be, or who she may be working for. There is naught we can do until the commodore brings the woman to justice, or until she decides to attack us again. What we can do is what we came here for─CHARNAME's training. Now, look to the stars and behold the Arrow!
 

 

Leveva: The fourth heaven─or the heaven of wind─was created atop a lofty peak by Oschon, the Wanderer, whose footsteps had been guided by the Navigator. The wind that blows off Llymlaen's seas guides the arrow fast and true, and so shall it deliver the weary souls of those trapped in the mire of confusion, indecision, and over contemplation.

 

Leveva: The fourth heaven has opened its gates, allowing you access to its sacred penetralia. From this day forth, its power is yours to interpret and wield. That power will further aid you as you continue to hone your skills. Now, let us return to Ishgard. I have a few words for a certain student of mine who felt inclined to forgo this particular lesson.

The Arrow blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the fourth heaven.

Carvallain: Leveva and her sword stopped by earlier to pick up her...spices, and I must say, I was quite relieved to see her unhurt. My men tell me your party caused quite the commotion last night. I only wish I had the time to speak a little longer with the young astrologian. There was something so familiar about her...

Jannequinard: Ah, CHARNAME! You might have had the decency to warn me that Lady Leveva was in a mood with me for not joining you! She seemed to think I was to blame for your misadventures! Now why would that be? It is not as if my being there would have prevented the bandits from attempting to abduct Leveva─these being the same bandits who attacked you in the Black Shroud, which, by the way, is another location I was not at. This is plainly something far beyond our control.

 

Jannequinard: And furthermore, it is not as if I was merely sipping cordials and waltzing with baronets─I was helping further our cause! I spoke with several high-ranking cardinals about Lady Leveva being granted the opportunity to speak at the Vault regarding Sharlayan astrology! What do you think of that!?

 

Jannequinard: I was politely turned down, of course, but it is the gesture! The gesture that will one day lead to another gesture which will one day lead to a head inclined slightly in the general direction of another gesture! Little steps, my protégé! Little steps!
 

07. Ewer Right (Lv 45)

Jannequinard appears to be motioning to you with his eyes. Why he doesn't simply call out your name is both disturbing and relieving at the same time.

Jannequinard: Greetings. Your timing, my friend, is impeccable, for it just so happens that at this very moment I have need of your assistance. While our lovely Lady Leveva has been out making herself a target for every cutthroat and cur in the realm, I have been focusing my efforts on our main objective.

Jannequinard: Training? Pah! There'll be time enough for training later. No, I speak of our ultimate goal of spreading knowledge of the Sharlayan school of astrology throughout the Holy See! As you know, the Vault recently turned down my request to allow Lady Leveva to speak before them. But I am not one to be turned away so easily. No, I have a plan! I will entreat Chief Astrologian Forlemort to draw up an official recommendation! The Vault will not so quickly dismiss the words of a man of such standing.

Jannequinard: Yes, yes. I know my uncle loathes me with a passion rarely seen even in young lovers, and there is really no reason why he would aid our cause, being a staunch opponent of change and all... But that does not mean we cannot try. And if we fail? Well, then we can try again. And again. And again, until he is so annoyed that he writes us the recommendation simply to see us out of his thinning hair.

Jannequinard: And by we, I mean you. Considering how red the chief astrologian became the last time I visited him, I reason it would be detrimental to mine uncle's health should I arrive at his place of research...and we most certainly would not want him to fall ill or collapse before he penned us that recommendation.

Jannequinard: The chief astrologian is a furiously busy man, and despises those who would distract him from his work, especially when the cause for distraction is something he finds trivial. It is fortunate for us that our goal is anything but trivial!

And so on we go to the Observatorium, back to see a man with a funny hat.

Forlemort: Who do I see disturbing me this fine evening but Jannequinard's new scullery maid?  I suppose you came here for this.

Forlemort: My nephew never ceases to amaze, does he? Not only does the lout have the nerve to ask me─ME─for aid, but he then refuses to do me the common courtesy of accepting that aid in person. Ever the entitled little shite, more worried about his popularity amongst the fairer sex than how his actions disgrace his family's name.

Forlemort: Ah, the slack jaw. I suppose you are wondering why in the world I of all people would agree to such nonsense. Well, it is simple. Allowing the heathen astrologian to dig her own grave in front of the entire Vault and the Ishgardian astrologian community will only serve to accomplish what I wished from the very start. Sharlayan astrology has no place in Ishgard. It has no place in Eorzea. It has no place in this world. It is dangerous and it serves no purpose but to take our eyes off what is truly important─using astrology to free us from the dragon menace and ensure man's return to Halone's Kingdom. Leveva's dithering will only make it that much clearer.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MID-2021) Forlemort: And Jannequinard. Perhaps this will finally spell his downfall. He has only been allowed to continue this nonsense because he is harmless. Too caught up in the luxury of being the Count de Durendaire's thir─ah, second son to actually put forth any real effort in furthering his, ahem, “cause.” Sharlayan astrology is but an oddity which he can boast about at balls to get him in bed with the slatternly maids of lower houses. His father has protected him thus far, but allowing him and this lady to speak...there will be no brushing under the rug the shame this brings forth. Jannequinard will be finished.

CURRENT Forlemort: And Jannequinard. Perhaps this will finally spell his downfall. He has only been allowed to continue this nonsense because he is harmless. Too caught up in the luxury of being in line to Count de Durendaire's title actually put forth any real effort in furthering his, ahem, “cause.” Sharlayan astrology is but an oddity which he can boast about at balls to get him in bed with the slatternly maids of lower houses. His father has protected him thus far, but allowing him and this lady to speak...there will be no brushing under the rug the shame this brings forth. Jannequinard will be finished.

Forlemort: Tell him what I told you, if you wish. I am not one to conceal my intentions. And truth be told, I sincerely hope that enlightening him on my views will somehow show him the error of his ways, and compel the little shite to abandon this foolishness and crawl back into his cups.
 

Jannequinard: Inform me right away once Chief Astrologian Forlemort has denied my request for a letter of recommendation...so we might begin work on our next request!

We give him the letter of recommendation.

Jannequinard: Is this...? It cannot be... It is! The seal is Forlemort's. How did you...? What did he say? No... Wait. Mayhap it is better that I do not know.

Jannequinard: Well, this changes everything. I will have to arrange another meeting with the Vault─summon the cardinals to Durendaire Manor. We will need wine...and sparrow-stuffed pheasant...and pheasant-stuffed goose...and goose-stuffed chocobo, and bards, a whole troupe...not to eat, of course.

Jannequinard: No, I fear I will no longer be able to join you on Lady Leveva's next opening of the gates. Do give her my regards, though, when you see her in Mor Dhona.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva will surely understand the importance of my remaining here in Ishgard after she hears the good news regarding Forlemort's letter of recommendation. You will be so kind as to inform her upon your arrival in Mor Dhona, will you not?

When we arrive, there's... a bit of a situation. Quimperain is fending off bandits once again, and Leveva is defending a terrified young woman.

Quimperain: Milady! Bandits!
 

Ishgardian Astrologian: Please! I cannot go back with them!
 

Leveva: For once, we were not the bandits' targets. We came across this young woman as she was being dragged into the hills. Though we drove her abductors away, I suspect they have already mustered the courage for a second attack. It is a good thing you and Jann─ ...It is a good thing you arrived when you did.

Leveva: The girl claims she is a student at the Athenaeum, and recently overheard Jannequinard mention we would be conducting another gate opening in Mor Dhona. She journeyed here on her own in hopes of having the chance to witness your astromancy firsthand. I say we give her something to remember. I will tend to the woman's hurts. You assist Quimperain!

We defeat the first wave of bandits. Of course, there are more to come.

Bandit Leader: Send in the hungry!
 

Leveva: They are merely bandits, CHARNAME! They cannot see things you can. They are unaware of the tragic fate which is destined to befall them. You must reveal it to them...in blood![9]

Bandit Leader: Didn't see this comin' now, did ye, eh? Rise, slave, and tear the bastards limb from limb!
 

Of course, this battle ends like all the rest, and the oddly-academically-inclined bandits are brought low.

Ishgardian Astrologian: You have my apologies, Lady Leveva. I did not think...

Leveva: Your only fault was an insatiable thirst for knowledge. A realm where one must apologize for being a victim is no realm worth living in.

Ishgardian Astrologian: But why would those men attack me?

Leveva: I believe it is now quite obvious that these bandits were not meant for you, but for me. It would seem that certain parties fear the spread of Sharlayan astrology...and will stop at naught to prevent it.

Ishgardian Astrologian: My Sharlayan constellation chart... The bandits... It must have been torn when they seized me...

Leveva: Here. You may take mine. I have the stars committed to memory.

Ishgardian Astrologian: I... I don't know how I'll ever be able to... But I will think of something. Just you wait. I will repay this kindness tenfold!

Quimperain: Lady Leveva, you mentioned something about certain parties wanting to prevent the spread of Sharlayan astrology. Have you any idea who they might be?

Leveva: I do, but I shall require more proof before I can be certain. You and CHARNAME should be able to assist me with that. However, as they say, “first things first.” We have a gate to open.

Quimperain: Lady Leveva mentioned before about those in power not wanting those below them to rise up. Could that have something to do with the attacks?

Leveva: CHARNAME. The fifth heaven awaits. Open your mind and become one with the stars.

 

Leveva: There! The Ewer! Focus, CHARNAME! Focus, and let the constellation's aether twine with your own. It is said through the fifth heaven flows a mighty river carrying the water spilled forth from the Scholar's vessel. And in that water is the knowledge of all that have come before and all who will follow─the aether spun from Nymeia's loom─the aether from which all magicks are drawn and to which all magicks return.

Leveva: And now the power of the Ewer is forever yours, and forever shall it point you to truth. While I cannot forgive our patron for skipping yet another of his lessons, I cannot deny that the passion hidden deep beneath all his posturing may have its uses. Word of our field is spreading, and our inherent nature has begun to stir. Curiosity is proving the better motivator than skepticism and faith. Our time may come soon.

The Ewer blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the fifth heaven.

 And with that, we can go back to the Athenaeum to talk to Janne.

Jannequinard: Do not tell me... Lady Leveva was attacked again. I knew it! And without a reading! My talents grow by the day!

Jannequinard: What is this you claim? A fellow astrologian was moved by my words, and went to witness the unlocking? That is amazing! I wonder who it could be, though. I would certainly recall speaking in detail with a young, supple...er, mind. I must find this woman and hold another...ah, special lesson with her. Lesson? Ah, that reminds me! Lady Leveva asked me to teach you a new technique before you head to open the fifth heaven's gate...which you have already gone and done... Ah, but it appears you were able to overcome your ordeal without it. Yes... Exactly according to my lesson plan!

ORIGINAL (THROUGH JULY 2019) Jannequinard: There are times when the heavens may provide you with a vision of a future that is...slightly beyond your original aim. In these cases, the stars are not flawed, only...out of order. So by returning a drawn card to the deck and shuffling it, we are in no way ignoring or denying a future, merely postponing a reading that the stars have intended for a later date, and replacing it with something that better pertains to the present. If...that makes any sense.

CURRENT Jannequinard: You still wish me to teach you the technique? Very well then. Though, I do not really see the point...

The original dialogue was for learning the skill "Redraw", moved to Lv.40 "A Lesson in Patience" with ShB's AST rework. The new (kind of half-assed, if you're asking me) dialogue is for the skill "Gravity".

08. Loved by the Sun (Lv 50)

Jannequinard is nigh ready to burst with excitement. Make the viscount wait any longer and there is certain to be a wardrobe malfunction.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva tells me that you are nearly ready to open the sixth and final gate. Yes. I said final. We all know there are seven heavens, but opening the seventh is impossible...well, except upon death, of course. An attempt to attune to the pole star would be sheer madness and most certainly spell your doom. Ah, but look at me. Even now, attempting to tutor the great CHARNAME, when it is obvious your talent far surpasses mine. Forgive me.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva has yet to depart for the location of the final gate. Doubtless she fears yet another bandit attack, but whatever the reason, she remains on the second floor and has asked that you visit her at your earliest convenience.

 

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva is on the second floor only because she refuses to accept the room I have offered her at Durendaire Manor. It is not as if I would make any untoward attempts at sullying her honor. Having seen but half the summers as I, she is far too young for my tastes.

Leveva: You have come far since that fateful day our paths first crossed in the Black Shroud. And now, here we are, on the cusp of your attunement with the sixth heaven. Time truly waits for no woman, does it?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH DECEMBER 2021) Leveva: Before we set forth on this task, I wish to teach you of a second set of stars─the nocturnal sect. The nocturnal sect contains those celestial bodies ruled by the two moons. I say two, because since the dawn of astrology, disciples of our field have used Dalamud in their readings. Now, even after the false moon's fall, its position...or should I say, its absence, yet has influence over our fates. Whereas the sun and the diurnal stars represent the self, expression, the active─and the moon and the nocturnal stars represent the unconscious, the passive─Dalamud represents, and still does represent the uncontrollable. Its power has the ability to quicken the senses, as well as provide added protection from the unknown─things beneficial when pursuing one's fate.

CURRENT Leveva: By temporarily enjoining your fate with that of a companion's, they will reap the stars' benefit as do you. As a passable journeyman astrologian, you already wield sufficient control over aether. You need only focus it upon establishing a bond with your chosen ally to achieve synastry.

The original dialogue was for the skill "Nocturnal Sect", which sits unusable on my hotbar even now, three and a half years later. It doesn't have an icon anymore. RIP, Nocturnal Sect, you made the AST opener so fucking hectic. The current dialogue is for "Synastry".

09. Spearheading Initiatives (Lv 50)

Leveva appears anxious. It might be in your best interest not to keep her waiting any longer.

Jannequinard: Have you spoken yet with Lady Leveva? She said she would await your arrival on the second floor, but she is not one easily contained, and I fear it will not be long before she is pining to be back out in the field with Quimperain fending off the blows of mysterious bandits.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH DECEMBER 2021) Leveva: Now that you have knowledge of the second sect, I believe you are ready to attune with the final constellation. The location of the next lesson is actually not far. I assume your travels have taken you to Camp Dragonhead? Excellent.

CURRENT Leveva: I believe you are ready to attune with the final constellation. The location of the next lesson is actually not far. I assume your travels have taken you to Camp Dragonhead? Excellent.

Leveva: I, as always, will go ahead to make my final readings. If each of our previous outings are any indication, the bandits which harry us will most certainly jump at this opportunity, so I would have Quimperain scout the area ahead of time, and report any suspicious activity to the knights garrisoned at the camp. Let someone else bloody their hands for a change, I say. Feel free to tell Jannequinard of our plans, though I do not doubt he already has some of his own.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva has already departed? Well, then she must have leaped from the window, for I did not see her use the front door. I daresay that means we will be traveling alone. Hm? Of course I will be attending! Why wouldn't I be?

Jannequinard: Camp Dragonhead is but a few malms south and east of the Gates of Judgement. The journey should take no time whatsoever. As for bandits, we need not worry about an assault. The camp is occupied by a full garrison of knights who patrol the surrounding hills day and night. They will not allow a flake of snow to fall on Lady Leveva's head...let alone a thirty-ponze war hammer.

 

Leveva: CHARNAME...and Jannequinard? Well then... It, ah, appears giving my constellation map to that astrologian in Rathefrost was unwise, as my readings for the location of the sixth heaven have proven slightly off. However, a second calculation has shown that we are close. The optimal location lies just to the north of here in a derelict tower known as the Steel Vigil.

Stately Temple Knight: You. You've the look of the learned about you. Might I ask if you've seen this star map before? It was on the person of an astrologian who came to us seeking help after being attacked.

Leveva: That is my map─the one I gifted the astrologian in Rathefrost. Do you mean to tell me she was set upon again!?

Stately Temple Knight: Your map? Well, then I am going to have to ask you to accompany me for questioning. The astrologian claims she wrested this chart from one of her assailants before escaping their grasp.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva! Why would you assault the selfsame woman you risked your life saving!?

Quimperain: Because she did not, milord! Why would you even think something so foolish? This must be some sort of misunderstanding. I was present at the assault. We saved the young maid of which you speak from a party of bandits and Lady Leveva gave her own constellation map to replace the one damaged by her assailants. My lady CHARNAME here was also witness to these proceedings.

Stately Temple Knight: Well, we have our own witnesses who say otherwise. So until we can have a trial and an adjudicator who can pass his judgment, this Leveva will have to come in for questioning, for she herself has admitted the map is hers.

Leveva: It is all right. I have naught to hide, and arguing here will not bring us any closer to the truth. If anything, I wish to confront this woman who would bring false accusations against those who saved her life. Very well, then. Take me where you will. I shall answer all of your questions, and you will soon learn who is spouting falsehoods. My friends, you need not worry overmuch, for I shall be in the company of Temple Knights where no harm might befall me. I will return once I have proven my innocence.
 

Quimperain: No harm, quotha! That “knight” was the selfsame astrologian whom we saved in Mor Dhona. The astrologian who now claims we attacked her!

Jannequinard: Are you saying the astrologian was a Temple Knight!?

Quimperain: No! Listen...milord! I'm saying the astrologian is no more an astrologian than she is a knight. I'm saying we have been played! We've fallen victim to a ruse that has landed Lady Leveva in the hands of those who have been attempting to kill her since she set foot in Eorzea!

Jannequinard: Then... You are saying she won't be safe in the presence of those Temple Knights.

Quimperain: That's...grrr... Those weren't Temple Knights, milord. However, they were wearing the colors of Our Knights Most Heavenly, and if we were to assault them this near the heavily garrisoned Camp Dragonhead, we would be stuck full of arrows before anyone asked us why we even drew our blades. No, we must shadow Lady Leveva's captors and wait for an opportunity to take her back.
 

Jannequinard: How exciting! Can I take point? No? Of course not.

And so begins the funniest instanced duty in the game, because the player character, Jannequinard, and Quimperain are very slowly following a contingent of "Temple Knights"... but using a running animation, for some reason. This section takes about five full minutes, and it's incredibly tedious, but I would forgive it any crime.
 

 

You understand.

Jannequinard: Yes, ahem! I say we keep our distance until an opportunity to rescue Lady Leveva presents itself!
 

Quimperain: (And I say, that is what I have been saying all along! Now, might I ask that you keep your voice down, milord? Or it will not matter how concealed we remain.)

Quimperain: Our impostor astrologian has left the company to see to those ogres. Let us take her unawares!)
 

Jannequinard: (Very good. CHARNAME, you may follow.)
 

Quimperain: (It is as I thought. This woman is the same one we assisted in Mor Dhona, and I do not believe she was working alone. We must continue our pursuit.)
 

Jannequinard: (It is fortunate for us that they are on foot. If they were to make it to, say, an airship, we would have no means of keeping u─ Ah, is that an airship I hear?)

Leveva: Just as I expected. These fools have led me straight to the answers I've sought since my arrival in this backwoods realm. And if I am not mistaken, my trusted companions should be arriving right...about...
 

Leveva: Now! I'll be taking this!
 

 

Jannequinard: The moment you lift off in that airship, the whole land will know you are not true Temple Knights and you will be made to answer for your crimes!
 

Old World Thaumaturge: Once we're in the air, it will not matter what anyone knows, you fool! We will not be returning once we have slain you and your friends!

Leveva: No one shall stand in the way of my fate. Especially not some dogsbody of the Forum!

Old World Thaumaturge: I want Leveva and I want her alive! Kill the rest and leave their corpses to the wolves.

Leveva: I'm not going back to Sharlayan. Quimperain!

Quimperain: As you command, milady!

Jannequinard: The situation is dire, CHARNAME! We cannot let them take Lady Leveva![10]

Once the Sharlayans have been defeated, we retrieve a sealed missive off the thaumaturge's corpse.

Jannequinard: I do not think Lady Leveva would mind us taking a peek inside that missive, would she? No, you are right. Like enough she would.

Quimperain: Please, milady. Allow me a moment to gather myself.

Leveva: Of course I knew the Temple Knights were false. I recognized the astrologian we saved almost immediately, and I find it insulting that they believed I would not. I also knew that they would lead me to the true perpetrators if I played along, fully aware that you loyal three would follow.

Jannequinard: And I am pleased that you also knew that we would somehow crawl our way out of that little tussle with our lives, because I was uncertain for most of the journey.

Leveva: Well, I was certain CHARNAME would make it, for the stars have already told me she would unlock the sixth gate here at the Steel Vigil─the very location we ended up at, despite our unexpected ordeal. Your fate, Jannequinard... Well, I never bothered reading it, for I thought that you would skip this lesson like you have every other one!

Leveva: CHARNAME. Gaze upon the night sky and open your soul to the final constellation─the Spear!
 

Leveva: The Spear is the gate to the sixth heaven, where the Fury resides in a palace of ice carved by Her own spear─ice formed of moonbeams collected by the Lover, Menphina. The Spear fills us not only with the power to overcome our enemies, but also the compassion that is necessary to grant those same enemies mercy. And now that power is yours, to see directed to those whose fates require it. It is done. You have attuned yourself to the six lower heavens. And now that you know their strength, the true journey begins.

The Spear blazes in the welkin, unlocking the gate to the sixth heaven.

Leveva: Like I've said from the beginning. The stars, the heavens, the arcana─they know our fates, but they are fickle with their information. It is up to us to prise it from their hearts and use it in a manner that might benefit all mankind.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH FALL 2020) Jannequinard: You have my congratulations, CHARNAME. What has taken me twenty summers to accomplish, you have done...and more in a matter of moons. But our time together has taught me that, despite what we may believe they are, we all have our roles, and each role is just as important as the other. Without taking both Quimperain and you under my wing, you would have never saved Leveva from her assailants...meaning, in a way, I saved Lady Leveva. Not that I am one to take all the credit for such heroism.

CURRENT Jannequinard: You have my congratulations, CHARNAME. What has taken me more than fifteen summers to accomplish, you have done...and more in a matter of moons. But our time together has taught me that, despite what we may believe they are, we all have our roles, and each role is just as important as the other. Without taking both Quimperain and you under my wing, you would have never saved Leveva from her assailants...meaning, in a way, I saved Lady Leveva. Not that I am one to take all the credit for such heroism.

Jannequinard: Nor shall I take credit for this missive that never would have been discovered were it not for me taking you and Quimperain under my wi─ Ah, that cold stare. It befits this godsforsaken place. Point taken. Let us break the seal and see what we... Why... This handwriting... I have seen it many a time before. It is mine uncle's. But that would mean...

Quimperain: It would mean the highest ranking astrologian in all Ishgard has been attempting to assassinate us! If the Tribunal were to hear of this, he would be hanged!

Leveva: And a hanging will only earn us another ill-tempered Orthodox astrologian unwilling to open his eyes to the benefits of our discipline. No. We can use this missive to our advantage. As long as this remains in our hands, so too does the chief astrologian.

Jannequinard: Are you saying we use the missive to blackmail Forlemort!?

Leveva: I am saying we merely grant the chief astrologian his life in exchange for a little assistance in furthering our just and noble cause. No more, no less.

Jannequinard: I see... You are quite the devilet, my dear. Very well. I will summon mine uncle to the astroscope. There we can present him with our offer.

Forlemort: Jannequinard's lackey? But how are you still─ I mean, I haven't the time for idle chatter. Can you not see I am a busy man??

Forlemort: Why must you insist on pestering me, Jannequinard? I gave you your letter, now leave me be!

Leveva: Ah, but that would not be the only letter you have written lately, would it? Perhaps you recall a certain letter to the Forum?

Jannequinard: A letter carried by a party of less-than-savory characters who attempted to kidnap Lady Leveva and deliver her to Sharlayans, not to mention kill me, my manservant, and my good friend CHARNAME here─who you may have forgotten is currently an honored guest of House Fortemps. A letter drawn up and signed by none other than you, Nuncle.

 

Jannequinard: Oh, but do not presume to misunderstand us. We wish neither your disgrace nor your death. At least not at our hands. In fact, we wish very little from you. Naught, you might say─in the sense that you are to never again use your influence to hamper our efforts at spreading Sharlayan astrology here in Ishgard. Involve yourself no more in the affairs of me or my guests, and your secret remains safe. I will even forgive you for trying to have me murdered. If, that is, you give me your word.

Forlemort: It is not as if you've left me with much choice. You have my word, but know that silencing me will not make your nonsense any more accepted in the Vault. There are others who will see you fall. Others who care little whether or not I speak my piece.

Leveva: We are fully aware of the peaks we have left to scale. However, we shall not let that discourage us. I have been shown a path that I altogether plan on walking, and the stars shall guide my way.

Forlemort: The stars foretell many things, my dear. And not even the best readers can see them all. Do not forget this.

Forlemort takes his leave.

Jannequinard: So we have silenced him...but to hear him tell it, he was the least of our worries.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH DECEMBER 2021) Leveva: Which is why we must strengthen our own bonds so that we might stand united in our cause. Synastry, to use a term taught to me by my grandfather. By temporarily enjoining your fate with that of a companion's, they will reap the stars' benefit as do you. Master this technique, and the hold our enemies have over us will surely weaken.

CURRENT [QUEST COMPLETE]

10. Sharlayan Ascending (Lv 50)

So eager is Jannequinard to talk with you, it is almost as if there were a giant exclamation point hovering above his head.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: Now that my fine uncle has so graciously agreed to discontinue his meddling in our affairs, I believe we may find our peers and colleagues more receptive to our proposals. Perhaps I shall begin with another trip to the Vault to inquire about them reconsidering my petition to grant Lady Leveva the opportunity to speak with the conclave.

CURRENT Jannequinard: Now that Forlemort has so graciously agreed to discontinue his meddling in our affairs, I believe we may find our peers and colleagues more receptive to our proposals. Perhaps I shall begin with another trip to the Vault to inquire about them reconsidering my petition to grant Lady Leveva the opportunity to speak with the conclave.

Leveva: We all have our strengths, Jannequinard. And none will deny yours is convincing seemingly sane people to do your bidding. CHARNAME here is a testament to that. I look forward to hearing of your progress. As for myself, there are still some questions I need answered. The first being, how exactly did Forlemort come into contact with the Sharlayan assassins? Quimperain. Attend me. I wish to visit Foundation and learn if there have been any sightings of suspicious foreigners.

Jannequinard: Might I suggest that CHARNAME do the same here at the Observatorium? Perhaps a second call on our new ally will help mine uncle recall aught he may have pretermitted in the heat of the previous moment.

Jannequinard: Let mine uncle know that there are no hard feelings. He is not the first relative who has plotted my timely demise. Such is the life of an heir to a High House. Why do you think I hired Quimperain in the first place?

Forlemort: Seven hells! I rue the day I ever see another Sharlayan. Please. I've done all you asked. What more do you want from me, blood!? Or are you simply here to boast?

Forlemort: ...Or mayhap you wish to know how the Sharlayans came to be involved in my scheme? Hah! I thought as much. If it was so important, why didn't your Lady Leveva ask me earlier? Her head is so far in the stars, she fails to see what unfolds around her on the ground.

Forlemort: The truth is, it was never my scheme in the first place─it was the Sharlayans'. They came to me not long after Professor Mace's ship was diverted to Thanalan. Yes, I said diverted. The pirates in the Strait of Merlthor, the magically manipulated storms off the Rhotano? All were staged to prevent your friends from ever arriving. But when they did, the Sharlayans were forced to change their plans. They required help hiring local hands discreetly─something they could not do as foreigners. I agreed to lend them my aid because I felt we both stood to benefit from the disappearance of Jannequinard and that foul chit.

 

Forlemort: I was a fool not to realize that the moment the Sharlayans were discovered, they would be quick to betray my name. That missive was to be destroyed at the first sign of trouble...

Edmelle: The chief astrologian? There is rarely a day when he isn't meeting with visitors from across the realm and beyond. Why, this past moon, he has been entertaining guests with very distinct markings on their faces. I asked Lord Forlemort whence they hailed, and he only answered, “the north.”

Edmelle: Is the chief astrologian ill? I saw him but moments ago, and he appeared as white as a ghost in a snowstorm.

Information gathered, we return to the Athenaeum.

Jannequinard: The Sharlayans came to him? That can only mean, then, that mine uncle was only a pawn in a much larger game... A game that began long before we ever became involved. Think back, CHARNAME. The bandits in the Black Shroud. And those pirates you described that attacked you in Limsa Lominsa. They all had strange facial markings...as did our false astrologian.

 

Jannequinard: It is not much, but perhaps Lady Leveva will be able to make more sense out of it all. Despite the time we have spent together, I have this feeling she has yet to be completely honest with us. Ah, but look at me. A beloved relative tries to have me killed, and the next day I begin doubting everyone. What a sad, sad state of affairs...

 

Jannequinard: Perhaps to clear my head I should call on that fine young viscountess visiting House Haillenarte from her family's stead in the eastern highlands. This information on Forlemort's associates should be relayed to Lady Leveva immediately... Would you be so kind? I seem to recall them saying they'd be questioning highborn in the Pillars.

 

Jannequinard: Ever since the affair with the false Temple Knights, Quimperain has been acting more...I don't know...boldly? It is as if he has to will himself to even address me as “milord.” Do you think the Lady Leveva is becoming a bad influence on the lad?

Quimperain: Milady. Were you able to learn anything of import at the Observatorium? Lord Forlemort was not the one to hire the Sharlayans!? Lady Leveva will want to know─ Lady Leveva? Lady Leveva! She was right here!

 

Quimperain: We must find her. I would not think any harm could come to her here in the center of the Holy See...but then again, that is what we believed back at Camp Dragonhead. I shall search the Hoplon. Might I ask you search in the opposite direction near the Last Vigil?
 

Old World Astrologian: I am sorry. I think you have mistaken me for someone else.

Leveva: CHARNAME! When you were speaking with Quimperain, someone approached me from behind and placed a dagger to my back. I had no choice but to be led silently away. Luckily, my assailant let down his guard when we arrived in the shadows, and I was able to deliver him a swift kick to the groin. I've been running ever since.

Leveva: So Forlemort wasn't the architect of this scheme to drag me back to Sharlayan after all. I had my suspicions... I was a fool to believe they would simply let me leave. Do you recall when I mentioned there were people in the Old World intent on hoarding our nation's knowledge? Well, it appears that my efforts to train you and Jannequinard have attracted their ire.

 

Leveva: CHARNAME... Allow me to apologize. I have not been wholly frank with you about my reason for visiting Eorzea. The truth is...I came here because of my father.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Leveva: My father dreamed of rekindling the Holy See's interest in Sharlayan astrology, believing that it would be of great benefit to the embattled people of Ishgard. He came here several moons before I was born, intending to remain for only a season. However, he never made the return journey... His dream was left unrealized and his newborn daughter left without a father...

CURRENT Leveva: My father dreamed of rekindling the Holy See's interest in Sharlayan astrology, believing that it would be of great benefit to the embattled people of Ishgard. He came here several moons after I was born, intending to remain for only a season. However, he never made the return journey... His dream was left unrealized and his newborn daughter left without a father...

This is an utterly mystifying retcon, particularly as the following line remains untouched. I have questions.

 

Leveva: Never once did I meet him, but every night when I look to the stars, I know that those are the same skies he, too, gazed upon. The same skies he used as his strength and guide. It was only natural that I follow in his footsteps, in spite of the objections from my mother, who did not wish to see her only daughter lost, as well.

 

Leveva: And here I am in Eorzea, almost two decades later, pursuing a dream my father never lived to realize. A dream that has become my own. And now, someone is trying to stop me. Well just let them try, I say. Just let them try.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva! A maiden of your beauty should not wander off without an escort. Monsters hide even in the shadows of the Pillars.

Leveva: Maiden! Flattery will earn you nothing, Jannequinard...but I will accept it nonetheless.

Leveva: Tell me, what did the Vault say to our proposal?

Jannequinard: They accepted it! We have been given official permission by the Holy See to conduct a symposium on the wonders of Sharlayan astrology, with you as our guest speaker! Now come! We must hurry back to the Athenaeum and begin preparations! <sigh> More than fifteen summers to make ready for this moment[11], and now I only have a matter of days!

Leveva: I've never seen Jannequinard that enthusiastic about...well...anything. I suppose we'd best hurry back to the Athenaeum before his passion cools and he finds a warm bed in which to reheat it.

Quimperain: I shall escort the lady back to the Athenaeum, and hold her hand if I must...ah, to ensure that she doesn't wander off again, of course.

Jannequinard: CHARNAME. This has been a most...beguiling past few moons. I must say, I truly did not expect the turns my fate has taken. I suppose that speaks much to my capacity as a reader of the heavens.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: I am not blind to what goes on in Foundation, so I will not claim that my life is in any way difficult. But, that does not mean I do not have my share of troubles, however trivial they may be. Being second in line to a countship is not all “whores and rainbows.” My father only truly cares about my older brother─just like the rest of my family. They expect great things from him. From me, they expect nothing. For a long time, I tried to prove that I could be as great as my brother. It is why I went to Sharlayan. It is why I have tried to do things I had no business even trying.

CURRENT Jannequinard: I am not blind to what goes on in Foundation, so I will not claim that my life is in any way difficult. But, that does not mean I do not have my share of troubles, however trivial they may be. Being anything but first in line to a countship is not all “whores and rainbows.” The count only truly cares about his newly appointed heir─just like the rest of my family. They expect great things from him. From me, they expect nothing. For a long time, I tried to prove that I could be as great as my cousin. It is why I went to Sharlayan. It is why I have tried to do things I had no business even trying.

Another confusing choice: while changing "My father only truly cares about my older brother" to "...about his newly appointed heir" makes sense in this particular context, as we'll see later, "For a long time, I tried to prove that I could be as great as my brother," should have remained unchanged. Even this dialogue describes him as newly-appointed, and the boy in question wasn't even born yet when Janne went to Sharlayan, even after the timeline was shortened.

Jannequinard: Then, once I realized no one was looking, I simply stopped caring, my actions becoming more and more outlandish...because at the end of the day, that is what everyone expected. But then you two walked through that door and helped me realize that maybe life is more than the coffin that has been fitted for me. Maybe the fate I believed was mine, was not mine at all. And for helping me see that, CHARNAME, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
 

11. Empty Nest (Lv 52)

Word at the Athenaeum Astrologicum is that Jannequinard has begun preparations for a journey.

Jannequinard: I have good news and bad news...

Jannequinard: The good news is, preparations for the symposium on Sharlayan astrology have been progressing smoothly, as we have expectedly encountered very little resistance from the Vault. They have even gone to the trouble of securing us a spacious venue for the event.

Jannequinard: The bad news is...the spacious venue in question lies in Falcon's Nest. Lest you wonder, I speak of the same frigid building site in the middle of nowhere that you will doubtless have heard so many good things about. Yes, my friend─that Falcon's Nest. Yet I suppose this may be a blessing in disguise... I am just not certain what that blessing may be. Perhaps we should all make for the hamlet and see!

Jannequinard: I hear the roast yeti they serve in Falcon's Nest is sublime...so there is that.

Heurriette: Still playing astrologian with Lord Jannequinard? Might I ask how many Horde attacks you've predicted in the past moon? None?

Mugueniel: Word is that Chief Astrologian Forlemort has become significantly less vocal in his objections of Lord Jannequinard's eccentricities. If you ask me, the only reasonable explanation is blackmail.

Fleuraie: As an Athenaeum courier, I am one of the few novitiates who has the honor of meeting with Chief Astrologian Forlemort on a regular basis. However, his foul mood as of late has me wishing I were assigned something─anything─else. Well, anything but receptionist duty with Lord Jannequinard.

And with that, we're off to Falcon's Nest.

Leveva: The Vault has set us up for failure... Damn them! Damn them all!

Quimperain: Falcon's Nest is populated with knights and masons. Unless Sharlayan astrology can warm frostbitten toes or fill an empty belly, I do not believe we shall find many people who will even give us a quarter bell of their time.

We find Janne talking up the Sharlayan school of astrology to anyone who will listen... which, unfortunately, is no one. Points for effort, though.

Jannequinard: Greetings, CHARNAME. It appears...that not only is our symposium to be held in a tiny hamlet malms away from civilization crawling with people who cannot even spell astrology, let alone grasp how it works...but that no one in the whole town has even been informed of our arrival.

Jannequinard: The three of us have been spending the last bell speaking with whomever will listen, inviting them to attend the event so at least we won't be speaking to an empty forum. Oh, worry not, my friend. We have saved the northern district just for you. <wink>

Jannequinard: None of us have come across even a single astrologian...but then again, perhaps they are all hiding in the northern part of the hamlet? No, I did not think so, either.

Falcon's Nest Elder: Sharlayan astrology, eh? You a heretic? Because you're talkin' like one. There's only one kind of astrology in Ishgard, and it ain't the heathen kind. Considerin' as you are an unbeliever, I suppose the knights might allow you to yap and yammer...but cause too much commotion, you'll be disappeared like that other lad. Now when was that...?

Wounded Knight: Bloody... Heretics...
 

Falcon's Nest Elder: An outrider! And his wounds look deep! Is there a cutter nearby!?

Falcon's Nest Elder: This one won't make it without a cutter to tend to his wounds. He's already lost too much blood as it is.

Wounded Knight: Please... I have five...children...

> Cast Aspected Benefic on the Wounded Knight.

Wounded Knight: What is this sorcery? My cuts... They knit themselves! Are you a healer, adventurer? If so, I have another request of you. There were others in my scouting party. We were all wounded. Some of us more gravely than others. I fear that my fellow knights may be in grave danger. Would you seek them out and tend to them as you did me? I will report to Ser Redwald, but fear that by the time he can muster reinforcements, several men will have perished.

Falcon's Nest Elder: Did you see his wounds, lass? If that poor bugger was the only one of his party to make it back to Falcon's Nest, I shudder to think of the condition of the others. You must hurry, healer. Or the wolves will eat well tonight.

Heading out to find the knight's fellows, we find someone set upon by enemy mages. 

Slow-footed Knight: I beg of you... Slay these enemies of the Fury so that I might die knowing the bastards suffered the same fate as I...

After defeating the enemies, speaking to the knight again before healing him gets us...

Slow-footed Knight: I thank you, adventurer... I shall...tell the Fury of your kindness...when I kneel before Her at the gates to...

Aspected Benefic time!

Slow-footed Knight: How did you...? It is as if I was never dealt a single wound! What manner of magicks do you wield, friend? Astromancy? But I thought the stars served only to grant us insight into the Horde's movements. Why are there not more astrologians in the field?

Slow-footed Knight: You and your companions are in Falcon's Nest to discuss that very topic? Perhaps I can persuade others in the garrison to attend. Now I must hurry back to the hamlet. My captain will want a full report of the day's happenings.

We head back to Falcon's Nest to report back to our own... whatever Janne is.

Jannequinard: Where have you been? When you did not return, we visited the northern gates and found the area astir with knight activity.

Jannequinard: You left the hamlet to aid wounded scouts? You could have been killed! Or eaten! Or killed then eaten! Or eaten then killed!

 

Jannequinard: What is this? You say your display of astromancy has impressed the knights into attending our event? Hm... This may work to our advantage. If the knights begin clamoring for astrologians to be assigned to their ranks, then the See may just listen. Let us find these good men and inform them that the symposium is about to commence.

At the site of the symposium...

Leveva: I knew it. Empty... Well, except for that poor sod who had the ill fortune of drawing stairwell watch duty. <sigh> We have been made to look the fool.

We go and find the no-longer-wounded knight, who is speaking with one of his fellows as we approach.

Wounded Knight: Thal's hoarfrosted balls, not a single person came. I told you! I told you this was a terrible plan. 'Use the confusion from the jam-packed symposium to approach the target,' she says. 'You'll have her out of the hamlet before her companions even know she's gone,' she says. Even a blind babe could have seen that no one would gather for a talk on astrology in the middle of swiving─ah! The astrologian who tended to my wounds! 

Wounded Knight: As you can see, both me and my fellow...knight made swift recoveries. Thanks to your wonderful magicks, of course. Hm? Reinforcements from the garrison never arrived? Reinforcemen...toh! Yes. I... I spoke with...er, Ser Redwolfe myself. Perhaps he felt there was no need for reinforcements after I...uh...convinced him what an able healer you were!

Wounded Knight: Yes, that is it. That is most certainly the reason. Yes. And...as much as we would like to attend...uh, the captain has already assigned us to another mission. I apologize to you and your companions. Perhaps we can make uh...the next symposium. Carry on, then!

Leveva: Well that is that then. The Vault wins.

Jannequinard: Do not think of it as such, Lady Leveva. This is but one hurdle we must leap. The Vault wants us to stop and turn around, and they will continue placing hurdles before us until we do. But we cannot let that discourage us. We must carry on until we reach our destination...or they run out of hurdles.

Falcon's Nest Elder: Hah. You cry over hurdles. You know not how lucky you were.

Jannequinard: Did you come...for the symposium?

Falcon's Nest Elder: No. I wouldn't let anyone see me at that gathering. I'd be branded a heretic and sent to Witchdrop. Or worse, they'd just slit my throat and toss me out to the beasts. Like as they did that other astrologian from the Old World.

Leveva: The other astrologian? When was this?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Falcon's Nest Elder: When you reach my age, all the summers melt together. My hair still had color, so it must have been at least a score...mayhap more.

CURRENT Falcon's Nest Elder: When you reach my age, all the summers melt together. My hair still had color, so it must have been at least a score...mayhap more, mayhap less.

Jannequinard: There was an astrologian who was... But it was long ago. It could not have been anyone you knew.

We cannot dwell on the past. We must needs find a way to interpret the cards we have been dealt, so that they might benefit the present─our present.
 

Leveva: No... It could not have been anyone I knew... I never had the chance to─

Leveva: You are right, Jannequinard. We mustn't let the Vault, or bandits, or closed minds prevent us from achieving what we came here for. The stars will point the way. And we will help the people of Ishgard see that as well.
 

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva did not take the old man's recollection of the slain astrologian well at all. I understand that hearing of a fellow colleague's death might unnerve someone...but you would think she had lost her father.

Jannequinard: Oh... Oh...... Ohhh, Jannequinard, what have you done? I will not live down this offense.

 

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: You see. The astrologian of whom the old man spoke─it so happens that I knew him well. His name was Rufin, and he was my friend and confidant when I studied in Sharlayan─my only friend. He followed me back to Ishgard when my stay in the city–state was complete.

CURRENT Jannequinard: You see. The astrologian of whom the old man spoke─it so happens that I knew him well. His name was Rufin, and he was my friend and confidant when I studied in Sharlayan─my only friend. He followed me back to Ishgard when my stay in the city–state was cut short by the exodus.

 

Jannequinard: His dream was to rekindle interest in the forgotten techniques which gave rise to Ishgardian astrology. But this was a time when the Holy See was even more opposed to foreign ideas than they are now. That evening I discovered him bleeding at his bureau was one of the saddest in my life. But even at the hour of his death, Rufin remained strong, and he made me promise that I would not let his dream fade because of the closed-minded.

 

ORIGINAL (THROUGH JULY 2019) Jannequinard: <sigh> Sometimes the mere gravity of a situation can harm a person more than a blade itself. If we can learn to wield that gravity so that it may benefit us, perhaps then the healing can begin.

CURRENT Jannequinard: <sigh> Not that that has gone particularly well thus far... Yet perhaps if we reach a greater accord with the stars, they will show us the way forward. Yes, that sounds likely...

The original dialogue coincided with learning the skill "Gravity", since made available at Lv.45.
 

12. Conviction (Lv 54)

Jannequinard appears to have information on your next symposium.

Jannequinard: The Vault went and outdid themselves. The location for our next symposium? The Convictory─a makeshift camp for a band of bickering knights! I've spoken at length with Lady Leveva about how we might handle this second inconvenience so as not to meet the same fate we did in Falcon's Nest. I fear the worst, but the lady believes that we may be approaching this all wrong─that we should embrace the situation and use it to our advantage. I believe she is merely unaccustomed to the thin alpine air and her wits are not in order. Perchance we should make for the camp and see for ourselves.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva and Quimperain are already on their way to the western highlands. It would be remiss if we were to keep them waiting any longer. To the Convictory!

Imagine if you could see the Black characters in this game, would that be cool or what?

Jannequinard: I arrived not moments ago to find this! What in the Fury's name has happened here!?

We arrive on the scene to find Quimperain injured, and the party surrounded by a mob of knights crying "Take your fortune-telling elsewhere!"

Leveva: Tread lightly, CHARNAME. This is not the work of bandits. Quimperain's hurts were dealt by the Convictors.

Jannequinard: You were assaulted by the men sworn to protect us? This is madness!

Leveva: The Vault led the knights to believe that a party of astrologians would be arriving to aid them in scrying the location of the Horde's next attack. They took out their frustration on poor Quimperain when they learned I can foretell the whims of a dragon about as well as I can those of Jannequinard. But no. We must not let this discourage us. If words have no weight with these men, then let our magicks do the speaking.

A good many of the Convictors are badly injured after a dragon attack - Janne and Leveva tend to some, and the player tends to the rest. 

Wounded Convictor: Ouch! Me leg! Just cut the damned thing off! I cannae take much more of this!
Wounded Convictor: The pain... It's gone! How did you...?

Wounded Convictor: Give me a swift death... That's...all...I ask...
Wounded Convictor: But you're an astrologian. You can't heal people! That's not what astrologians do!

Wounded Convictor: Leave me... I am not much longer for this realm...
Wounded Convictor: My wounds...it is as if they were never there! Wait... Who's going to believe that I slew a dragon if I haven't the wounds to show for it!? I don't know whether to thank you, or slit your throat. Though, I suppose I wouldn't be able to do either if you hadn't healed me with those queer magicks, so this day, I see fit to forgive you.

Jannequinard is tending to his own gravely injured knight.
Jannequinard: Close your eyes. Soon, it will all be over...ah, better. Better.

And meanwhile, Leveva's patient is... oddly familiar?
Leveva: May the stars heal your wounds!

Janne's patient gets to his feet, and while our backs are turned, Leveva cries out.

Leveva: You...

Jannequinard: What is wrong, Leveva? Have you tapped too deeply into your mental reserves? Perhaps you should take a moment of respite.

Quimperain: That blood is not the knight's!

Celie: Ah, the loyal lapdog. Without you to state the obvious, where would your masters be, pray tell?

Quimperain: You...again!
 

Celie: One might think these markings would betray my identity, but you Eorzeans have a singular capacity to look without seeing. I am amazed you are not constantly wandering into bonfires or off cliffs. I have grown weary of this masquerade, and I am done with entrusting my fate to this realm's blundering mercenaries. My name is Celie, and I am here to take the Lady Leveva into custody so that she can be transported back to Sharlayan and tried for her crimes.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Leveva: Taken into custody? On whose authority? For what crimes?

CURRENT Leveva: Taken into custody? On whose authority?

Celie: You are here without permission of the Forum, performing acts which amount to treason. Your grandfather has already been detained and questioned. I am giving you the opportunity to turn yourself in, and put an end to this farce, once and for all. Do as I say, and no one will be harmed. Yourself included, Lady Leveva.

Jannequinard: But Lady Leveva... I thought you and your grandfather were dispatched on an official expedition...

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Celie: It seems that Leveva has not told you everything. Did you know that it was her father who was killed nearly twenty summers past? Twenty summers past, Jannequinard. Your adventurer friend seems already to have put two and two together. Why she didn't tell you earlier, I cannot fathom. What else are they leaving you out of, Jannequinard de Durendaire?

CURRENT Celie: It seems that Leveva has not told you everything. Did you know that it was her father who was killed nearly fifteen summers past? Fifteen summers past, Jannequinard. Your adventurer friend seems already to have put two and two together. Why she didn't tell you earlier, I cannot fathom. What else are they leaving you out of, Jannequinard de Durendaire?

Jannequinard: I... But... Silence!

Celie: This is my final warning. When you see me again, you will either give yourself up, or you will die at my blade. Think on that, Leveva.

Jannequinard: CHARNAME! Lady Leveva's wound is deep. I do not believe I can heal it on my own. Lend me your aid!

If you dither, he says it twice more, just to be sure.

Jannequinard: I lack the capacity to heal Lady Leveva on my own. We must combine our Benefic magicks!

Jannequinard: I have not the skill to heal Lady Leveva on my own. You must cast your magicks on her as well!

Leveva: Thank you, my friends... For someone who claims she was hired to bring me back to Sharlayan, her aim was quite true...

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: Lady Leveva... This Celie claimed that you are not here with the blessing of the Forum... Is this true? Why did you not see fit to mention this?

CURRENT Jannequinard: Lady Leveva... This Celie claimed that you are not here with the blessing of the Forum... Is this so? Why did you not see fit to mention this?

Leveva: My grandfather knew the Forum would never allow us to come to Ishgard, and that their “contemplation” over the matter was merely a tactic to stall and discourage us. The stars had spoken to my grandfather, and he was not about to turn a deaf ear to them. I kept silent because I did not wish to let the petty politicking of men thousands of malms to the north stand in the way of our dream─our dream to spread the word of Sharlayan astrology. And such was my father's dream...until he was killed for it by closed-minded peasants.

Jannequinard: But Rufin never once spoke ill of those he wished to enlighten. Even at his end...

Leveva: How do you know my father's name!?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: Your father and I became close friends when I was in Sharlayan. When it was my time to return, he asked if he could accompany me, saying that he wished to try and convince those who once believed in the stars' power to look to the skies again. And we did for several moons.

CURRENT Jannequinard: Your father and I became close friends when I was in Sharlayan. When the exodus forced me to return home, he asked if he could accompany me, saying that he wished to try and convince those who once believed in the stars' power to look to the skies again. And we did for several moons.

Jannequinard: My countrymen were deeply skeptical, and slow to warm to the idea of heathen magicks─some were even rude─but he never gave up on them. Right up until he was...

Jannequinard: I was there during your father's last moments. I heard a commotion come from his room late one night and went in to check...only to find him bleeding and slumped over his diary, which he was writing when he was attacked. With his last strength, he handed me the diary and asked that I do not blame my people, and that I continue our work.

The diary Janne apparently keeps on his person at all times, for he gives it to Leveva now.

Jannequinard: I believe this belongs with you now.

Leveva: I do not know if I can forgive those who killed my father...
 

Jannequinard: I do not expect you to forgive us yet but...but knowing that he did...even at the moment of his death...perhaps will help you one day understand. You have always reminded me of Rufin, even before I knew he was your father. Your passion for your discipline equals his own, or may even exceed it.

Leveva: Father... Did you know what fate awaited you in this realm? Did you see all this? Did the stars have you merely pave the way...for me?

Quimperain: If they did, then I shall not allow anyone to stand in your way.

Jannequinard: You are right, good man. And so I shall allow this breach of etiquette, but if you fail to address Lady Leveva properly again, I'll have you spit shining the privy back at Durendaire Manor.

Leveva: Oh, leave him be, Jannequinard. Without Quimperain, here, I'd have been tied up and shipped back to the Old World moons ago. The stars have him here with me. He is not going anywhere. And neither am I. I am done with symposiums. That is not what my father wanted. He came here not to speak of astrology, he came here to use it. And so that is what I shall do. There are still many Convictors who can benefit from these magicks.

Jannequinard: And what a better way to convince people of your greatness than by ensuring they remain alive long enough to sing your praises!

Leveva: Janne... Will you...tell me of my father?

Jannequinard: I would be delighted, my lady...unless, that is, you mean now, as I have a prior engagement with a pair of lovely baronesses from House Dzemael, and I would not wish to keep them waiting.

Leveva: A prior arrangement... Of course he has! I suppose my father's journal will have to suffice until then.

Jannequinard: To think that my old friend Rufin may have seen what grim fate awaited him in Ishgard...but chose to come anyway, knowing that it would inspire both me and his daughter... Gods, sometimes these celestial machinations are simply too grand in scope to grasp! However, if it is as we believe, then we must, as Quimperain so bluntly stated, make sure that naught disrupt us on our path to that fate.

Jannequinard: Perhaps it is time I revealed to you a more powerful form of Malefic, so that you might be better prepared for the trials that are to follow. Ah, that furrow upon your brow suggests you could have used this spell earlier in your training. In retrospect, I would be inclined to agree. Hah hah!
 

13. Feather in the Cap (Lv 56)

Jannequinard has the latest information on Lady Leveva's current location.

Jannequinard: I am happy to report that Leveva is fine and well, and hasn't been attacked by bandits, dastards, curs, Sharlayan spies, or disgruntled knights once since her last encounter at the Convictory. After restoring health to all the Convictors so they might return to getting wounded again, she journeyed northwest into the Dravanian forelands. If that journey was without incident, she should be in Tailfeather now, tending to the chocobo hunters there. Might I suggest that we go and join her, CHARNAME?

 

Jannequinard: I cannot remember the last time I was in the forelands...probably because I have never been to the forelands. Why would anyone go there? It's literally crawling with dragons!

Leveva: CHARNAME! It is good to see you again. I pray you have not been neglecting your training. Now, you may be wondering why I chose Tailfeather, of all places, to visit next. Well, the truth of the matter is, I did not choose it at all; it chose me. The hunters here somehow heard of what we had done at the Convictory and placed a formal request to have me come and tend to the hamlet's wounded.

Leveva: I would like to believe this proof that word of the benefits of Sharlayan astrology is slowly but surely spreading through the realm. Ah, but enough talk. There are still many ailing souls that require succor. Would you and Jannequinard mind assisting me again as you did in the western highlands?

 

Leveva: Though many of these men's wounds are deep, Aspected Benefic should provide sufficient healing.

Jannequinard: Other than singeing the arse of a Jeweled Crozier cutpurse or soothing the scraped knee of a tripped maiden, it is rare that I have the opportunity to use many of my spells while behind the ramparts of Ishgard proper. This is actually all quite exciting.

Injured Hunter: The pain! Oh, the pain!

Injured Hunter: I don't know who you are, but you're good in my book.

Injured Hunter: Damn each and every one of the Twelve to the seventh hell and back! I'm not ready to die!

Injured Hunter: Praise the Twelve! I'm healed!
 

Injured Hunter: Two score summers trappin' chocobos and not a single beak in the eye or talon in the arse...and here I am on my deathbed on account of trippin' over a caelumtree root.

Injured Hunter: An honest healer! Here in Tailfeather? Now I have seen everything.

Jannequinard: I do believe that is everyone...at least for today.

Leveva: These men and women have chosen a horrendously dangerous profession. A chocobo's talons can rip open flesh to the bone, and a single kick can knock an otherwise hale hunter out for a sennight...if he survives it.

Jannequinard: Many of them seemed surprised─grateful, of course, but surprised─that we were here helping them. Does the hamlet not have its own healers? Do the Temple Knights not dispatch their hospitaliers this far from Ishgard?

 

Leveva: The Holy See only cares for the war with the dragons. It cannot be bothered with a handful of hunters, despite the fact these hunters are its citizens. I was told on my arrival that they manage with makeshift poultices created using herbs gathered from around the hamlet. When the wounds are more severe...they turn to their sole barber who...well, is also the local butcher. I'm sorry. My frustration with the situation coupled with the day's efforts have me slightly drained. Might I be allowed a few moments of respite?

 

Jannequinard: Quimperain, CHARNAME. Would you be so kind as to accompany the lady on her stroll? It has been far too long since that Sharlayan assassin showed her face, and a reading I conducted earlier this morning showed a day rife with conflict and confusion.

Leveva: I am glad you came, CHARNAME. There is something important I must tell you. Since Jannequinard gave me my father's journal, I have spent my nights poring over his writings, trying to piece together what I could about his life. It appears he was hardworking, and just. He trusted all, and truly wanted to help people in need. He believed that knowledge should not be hoarded like food, but shared amongst the intellectually starved.
 

Leveva: He also knew that there were those who would see him stopped. Persons who used their influence to trick and frighten the Forum into believing that knowledge should be kept at one's breast─persons who saw my father as a threat. His final few entries all speak of how he feared for his life─of how one man in particular was working to see him dead. That man's name─

Celie: Is not important, for in the end, it turned out your father was killed by the very people he was foolish enough to trust. People who, in their slaying of a good man, proved that they were unworthy of the knowledge he so freely offered them. And now, here you are, making the same mistake as he. Continue with this foolishness, and you, too, will suffer his fate.
 

Leveva: Do not dare talk of my father as if you knew him! You know nothing. Your mind is as closed as the minds of those back in the Old World who believe that hiding in their books will shield them from the pain and suffering of the real world!

Celie: Such passion... It is a pity it remains misdirected. My employer only wishes to see you back, safe in Sharlayan. The Forum recognizes your talent. You are an asset to our nation and its people. We would have you live a long and prosperous life, so that you may rise even higher than your father ever had the opportunity to.

Celie: Ah, but we both know you are far too stubborn to take this gift so graciously offered. You would rather fight. And you know? So would I. No more games, Leveva. Let us end this. Right here. Right now. With your precious stars as our witness!

And so Janne's reading this morning proves accurate. We enter combat wave #1.

 

Celie: Spare no one! Not even the girl!

Leveva: Fate has guided us here, CHARNAME! Now let us guide our fates to victory!

Wave #2. There's a lot of them.

Celie: Oh, do not think because you bested me in the past, you can do the same here. This time I come prepared!

Leveva: Is there no end to them!?[12]

Tailfeather Hunter: Looks as if you could do with an extra blade!

With the hunters on our side, the tide of battle turns.

Celie: I will not die like your father did, on foreign soil, at the hand of barbarians!

She summons this thing. It's not plot important at all, it's just any old add, but it's called a "Gruntamulous Dindergrabble", so I would be remiss not to show it to you.
 

The two are summarily defeated by Leveva, Quimperain, and the hunters of Tailfeather.

Celie: Ah... The irony...
 

 

Jannequinard: Are you all right!? I heard the commotion and came as quickly as I could!

Leveva: Not as quickly as these four. You remember, the hunters so gravely wounded not less than a bell ago? If memory serves me, they could barely lift a finger, let alone rush headlong into a heated battle and help turn the tide.

Tailfeather Hunter: Ah, don't be too hard on the silkshirt. Turns out we didn't need his help anyroad. Who'd have thought it, eh? Real live fightin' astrologians. Now I truly have seen everythin'.

Jannequinard: Leveva! I daresay those men would not have risked their lives had they little respect for us or our craft. You were right. Our actions here have done more to promote Sharlayan astrology than any long-winded discourse. Why, I expect this very night, the tale of your daring deeds will be told a hundred times over in mead halls across the forelands.

Leveva: Which means it will not be long before the Forum has heard as well. We Sharlayans may have officially abandoned this realm, but our ears remain. If the one who hired Celie is who I think it is, then I expect naught less than a formal edict of extradition to be issued.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: An edict of extradition? But Sharlayan has no power to force Ishgard to deliver you into their hands. Furthermore, what exactly is it you have done wrong, but allowed others to partake in your great nation's bottomless well of knowledge...as I did nearly twenty summers ago when I studied in her halls?

CURRENT Jannequinard: An edict of extradition? But Sharlayan has no power to force Ishgard to deliver you into their hands. Furthermore, what exactly is it you have done wrong, but allowed others to partake in your great nation's bottomless well of knowledge...as I did more than fifteen summers ago when I studied in her halls?

Leveva: Things changed after you left, Jannequinard. Many even believe it was my father's death that tipped the scales in favor of closing Sharlayan's doors and locking away all our knowledge. If the Forum deems it so, I could be arrested and imprisoned for “the theft of national resources.” And I see no reason why your Holy See, who has already shown its disdain for our efforts, would stand in its way.

Jannequinard: So what do we do? Your grandfather... Your father... They have given up so much to see you here. We cannot just concede defeat, now that we have finally begun to make headway!

Leveva: I never said we would, Janne. I have no intention of giving up or giving in. Doing so would be to deny the sacrifices made by my father and grandfather. The stars have shown me the path I must take. There is no other. And it begins back at Tailfeather healing those who aided us. I will see the two of you in Ishgard once I have settled matters here. Quimperain will see I arrive unharmed.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva still has not returned from Tailfeather. Oh, but do not worry. I have had word that she simply intends to stay a few turns of the sun longer. What we should be worrying about, however, is the Forum and their pending decision on our companion's extradition. If an official edict is drafted, I fear we may find ourselves at the mercy of the Vault. And if that were to happen, there will be little we can do to keep Leveva here, short of starting a war.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH JULY 2019) Jannequinard: If only we had more time... When I was studying in Sharlayan, I recall hearing whispers of an ancient astromantic spell which could stop time and the very movements of the heavens. All of my professors denied it existed, the only technique remotely similar being something called Time Dilation─a process in which diverting a celestial body's otherwise straight flow of aether creates the illusion of slowed time, increasing the duration of beneficial magicks.

CURRENT Jannequinard: If only we had more time... When I was studying in Sharlayan, I heard whispers of an ancient astromantic spell which could stop time and the very movements of the heavens. All of my professors denied it existed, the only technique remotely similar being something called Time Dilation─a process in which diverting a celestial body's otherwise straight flow of aether creates the illusion of slowed time, increasing the duration of beneficial magicks. A pity I never learned to cast it.

 

14. Trumped (Lv 58)

Jannequinard has some exciting news.

Jannequinard: Word of Lady Leveva's charity has begun spreading, my friend. I have attended more than one luncheon where it was positively dripping off the tongues of all the good lords and ladies. And the knights? Oh, the knights. They have started rumbling about why magicks that not only heal the wounded, but also enhance the strengths of the healthy are not being employed to save the lives of those on the front lines.

Jannequinard: Needless to say, the Vault is not amused. Their plan to have us fade into obscurity has rebounded upon them, and now they are scrambling to twist this situation to their advantage.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MID-2021) Jannequinard: Listen, CHARNAME. The Vault would have us officially attend an operation currently underway in the western highlands village of Hemlock. The settlement was abandoned after the Calamity, and has since been overrun with beasts of all manner. The Holy See seeks to reclaim it, and my father has generously volunteered his knights to clear the area of any remaining threats.

CURRENT Jannequinard: Listen, CHARNAME. The Vault would have us officially attend an operation currently underway in the western highlands village of Hemlock. The settlement was abandoned after the Calamity, and has since been overrun with beasts of all manner. The Holy See seeks to reclaim it, and my uncle, the count, has generously volunteered his knights to clear the area of any remaining threats.

Jannequinard: It is win-win for the Vault. The operation is small enough and far enough away from the capital that even if it is a success, no one will pay it half a mind, but the Vault will be able to say that they answered the pleas of the knights. If, for any reason, the operation were to fail, then the Vault would be able to attribute the failure to the astrologian presence, and turn the High Houses against Lady Leveva. I spoke with the lady about this, but she said she was not interested in the politics of the situation, only that it was her duty to aid people in need. We should speak with her, and soon. Let us make haste to Hemlock.

Jannequinard: Reports from Hemlock claim the village is a veritable den of feathered dragons─the few remaining homes naught more than gutted shells. When we arrive, we should seek the commanding officer and have him direct us to our young charge.

House Durendaire Knight: You here to help with the operation? Word has it the battle has taken a turn for the worse.

Leveva: There are wounded everywhere, CHARNAME! We must help them!

Quimperain: What I lack in healing talents, I shall make up for with my blade.

Jannequinard: So this is battle... I... I never knew... All the blood...

Knight Captain: We severely underestimated the strength of our enemies, and now my men and women find themselves overwhelmed. The tight wedges we had at the day's onset have all degraded into small knots of fighting, and the number of wounded is growing faster than our chaplains can heal them. Thank the Fury you arrived when you did.

Knight Captain: Our wounded hide in the lee of yonder boulders for we have not even the means to pull their ailing bodies to safety.

This is an active war zone, and we must do battle with the dragons to get to our patients. The UI doesn't like this very much.

Wounded Knight: It's so dark... Why is it so dark? Weren't we fighting during the day...?

Wounded Knight: Where am I? Where is my company? I must return to them!

Wounded Knight: There are others...with wounds still deeper than mine...

Wounded Knight: Please... Help...

Wounded Knight: I shan't forget this, astrologian. I am forever in your debt.

 

Wounded Knight: I once heard that at the end...your life flashes before your eyes... Why is it, then, I can only recall the bodice of that wench at the Forgotten Knight...?

Wounded Knight: You have my thanks, but there must still be many who require succor. I heard a woman's scream beyond this very boulder not moments before you arrived. I did not recognize the voice. Could it have been one of your companions?
 

Janne and Leveva are surrounded by dragons.

Jannequinard: They descended from the mountains. We barely had time to draw our globes...

Leveva: My arm was bit and my deck scattered. I do not think I can be of any assistance, CHARNAME. You must forgive me...

We defeat the enemies, and go to provide aid...

 

Sevestre: What have we here?

Leveva: Sevestre? You who vowed never to set foot in this barbarian land again? Unless...

Sevestre: Clever girl. Yes, it was I who hired Celie to bring you back to Sharlayan. And if you had come back with us quietly, you would be free right now, rather than a wanted criminal facing a trial, imprisonment, even execution... depending on what you have told these tamed savages of yours. Yes, my dear. I offered you a chance, and you foolishly refused it. The edict has been issued. And I am here to collect you.

Sevestre: Though, I must place some of the blame for that on our friend Celie. Had she not insisted on playing games, perhaps you would have displayed reason back in the Black Shroud. Instead, she merely added fuel to a fire already hot with your inherent stubbornness. And now I am forced to make the journey to this filthy realm to clean up her mess. And I suppose that starts with these companions of yours.

Leveva: CHARNAME. Take Jannequinard and leave... Right now. Neither of you are ready for magicks of the variety he wields.

Jannequinard: But what of you, my lady!?

Leveva: I am going to reclaim my father's journal!

Sevestre: Brave. Your father was brave. Your father is also dead.
 

Quimperain: Lady Leveva!

Sevestre: Ah, I now understand Celie's frustration. This realm is truly overrun with vermin. How we suffered here for so long, I will never know. Very well, Leveva. You leave me no choice.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Sevestre: You may already know we have questioned Professor Mace regarding your unauthorized passage into Eorzea. What you may not know, is that we still hold him...in the Dark Cells. Just as a precautionary measure, of course. We would not want to see him flee again before the trial.

CURRENT  Sevestre: You may already know we have questioned Mace regarding your unauthorized passage into Eorzea. What you may not know, is that we still hold him...in the Dark Cells. Just as a precautionary measure, of course. We would not want to see him flee again before the trial.

 

Sevestre: Now, your grandfather is not as spry as he used to be, and I am uncertain how long the sanity a man of his age will last in complete darkness. Though, the longer you delay, the closer we come to finding out. If you wish to see your grandfather released, you will come to the abandoned city in the Dravanian hinterlands. There, my airship will be waiting to take you back to the Old World where you will be tried. Fairly, of course.

 

Sevestre: I suppose you could run, but know that doing so would have grave consequences for your grandfather, and possibly your mother, as well. And, we would still eventually find you.
 

...and with that, Sevestre is gone.

Leveva: Wait! My father's diary!

Quimperain: He may still be close. Wait here!

Leveva: Sevestre... I knew it...

Knight Captain: I see you were forced to join the fighting as well. Luckily, your arrival provided us with just enough momentum to drive back the beasts.

Jannequinard: Lady Leveva, who was that? I have the strangest feeling I should know him from somewhere...

Leveva: Sevestre─leader of the Bibliothecs─a powerful group of conservative fundamentalists who seek to control the whole of Sharlayan's knowledge. They believe that our people should not become involved in history, only be witness to it. Then analyze it until all the lives lived and lost are but numbers on a page.

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019)  Leveva: You may remember Sevestre, Jannequinard, because he was the selfsame man who pushed for old Sharlayan to batten its doors and abandon Eorzea...and used my father's death as his rallying cry. And now I am certain that he had my father killed. Near the end of my father's diary, he mentions being contacted by a young Sevestre, who happened to be a classmate of his when they were both at the Studium. Sevestre, looking to make a name for himself as a politician, warned my father against continuing to disseminate knowledge of Sharlayan astrology in Eorzea.

CURRENT Leveva: You may remember Sevestre, Jannequinard, because he is the selfsame man who has pushed for old Sharlayan to batten its doors...and has used my father's death as his rallying cry. And now I am certain that he had my father killed. Near the end of my father's diary, he mentions being contacted by a young Sevestre, who happened to be an older classmate of his when they were both at the Studium. Sevestre, looking to make a name for himself as a politician, warned my father against continuing to disseminate knowledge of Sharlayan astrology in Eorzea.

Leveva: A warning my father, of course, did not heed. Soon after, several attempts were made upon my father's life. When he subsequently looked into the matter, he discovered that there was a price on his head...and that Sevestre had put it there. I discovered a contract signed by the wretch folded in my father's journal. He had planned on revealing it to the Forum on his return... But he never had the chance.

 

Leveva: Jannequinard. My father gave you that journal before he died...but you never once opened it?

Jannequinard: I did not think it was mine to read. But what you say... If it is true... We must get that diary back. Come, it seems the fighting has died down. Let us report to the captain of the knights, then return to Ishgard so that we may plan our next move.
 

Jannequinard: I do not know what to believe anymore... We must report to the captain and then hasten back to Ishgard. Perhaps then we can attempt to make sense of all that has befallen us here today.

Knight Captain: Many lives were saved because of you. If this is what we can expect from Sharlayan astrology, I see no reason why we shouldn't have knights trained in the field. I will recommend this to the lord commander. I suspect he will be pleased to see the day won with so few casualties.

Jannequinard: If you require our services again, you need only ask. Come, CHARNAME. Let us hasten back to Ishgard.

House Durendaire Knight: Will you be returning now, astrologian?

Knight Captain: I applaud you and your companions on a battle well fought. We knights do not forget the bravery shown by our allies.

 

Jannequinard: Moments ago, we received a missive from the commander of my father's guard.[13] He thanked us again for our assistance in Hemlock, and has formally requested that Lady Leveva train several of his knights in Sharlayan astrology. The Vault, however, remains silent, and I believe this silence to be calculated. If the edict issued for Lady Leveva's extradition has arrived, they need only turn a blind eye to Sevestre's actions, until he has spirited the lady from the realm...and people simply forget she was ever here.

Jannequinard: But we are not going to let that happen...are we, my lady?

Leveva: I am sorry, Jannequinard, but I no longer see how we cannot. Sevestre has my grandfather, he has threatened to take my mother, and he now has the one thing that could have saved them both─my father's journal.

 

Leveva: No, Jannequinard. I cannot deny my fate any longer. I have done several readings since our return, and every one is the same. Deceit... Manipulation... Submission... My path is clear. You, however, can carry on. Sevestre has no authority over you, or you, CHARNAME. See that my father's dream is fulfilled... Promise me that much.

Jannequinard: I shall promise you that and more, my lady. Quimperain and I will see you to the place of meeting, and do whatever possible to make certain this Sevestre keeps his word.

Leveva: You know that by attending me, you put yourself in danger. He has shown he will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way. And now that he knows I know of his involvement in my father's death... But still you would stand by my side in my last moments in Eorzea. I do not deserve friends such as you...

Leveva: CHARNAME. Aether is the building block of all that surrounds us, meaning that everything is connected. Someone closely attuned with that aether can, in a sense, link themselves with others, feeling their joy, feeling their pain. Scholars of the soul call this empathy. Crystal-gazers and card-readers call it the wheel of fortune. We astrologians call it collective unconsciousness. Whatever you call it, I feel that bond with you. Both of you. Thank you.

 

15. The Hands of Fate (Lv 60)

Jannequinard and Lady Leveva appear to be ready to depart─with or without you.

Leveva: There is no other path for me to take. If I do not give myself up, I will be putting the only family I have left in danger, and I cannot bear such a burden. You may accompany me if you wish, but know that by doing so you put yourself in grave danger for no reason other than your pride.

Jannequinard: CHARNAME. I am quite aware that the mere notion of accompanying Leveva to the Answering Quarter is bordering on absurd, but I cannot in good faith abandon our good friend in her time of need, not after all we have been through. I am joyed to see that you have come to the same conclusion as well.

Leveva: You two are foolish...but I would not trade friends such as you for all the gold in the Aurum Vale.

Jannequinard: But there is no gold in the─

Jannequinard: Ahem, my lady, might I ask you entertain a second option? You said that your father's diary contained a document which implicates Sevestre in Rufin's murder. What if─and I fully understand the enormity of this if─but what if Sevestre still has yet to lay eyes on that document? Suppose he only took the diary to provoke you? If we could somehow retrieve it before you boarded his airship...

Leveva: Then we would have a bargaining chip of our own... But this man is the leader of the Bibliothecs─their sole purpose in life is the hoarding of knowledge. Of course he read the diary. And knowing Sevestre, the document would have been set to flame the moment he discovered it.

Leveva: Unless... We told him that there was another document... One that I removed from the diary to have examined. One that was not in the diary when he stole it. Of course there is no such page, but it would be easy enough to draft something up from memory of what I saw. Something that would appear official from a distance...

Leveva: It just might work...though there is always the chance that he may simply attempt to take the document by force... Were that to happen, we would be fortunate to escape with our lives. Sevestre is a formidable astrologian. Some say he even possesses the power to stop time.

Jannequinard: But I thought those were only...!? No. We mustn't think of that. There is little time left before the scheduled meeting in the Answering Quarter. Lady Leveva's plan is all we have. If we are to save both her and her family, we must act, and trust that the stars will guide us to victory.

Jannequinard: There is little time, CHARNAME. If we are late to the arranged meeting place in the Answering Quarter, who knows what Sevestre will do to Professor Mace or Lady Leveva's mother!?

Leveva: This is where my people lived... Where my father was born and raised. Where he became an astrologian. Where he took his first steps on the path that would lead us all here. He was not a Sharlayan. Not even Hyuran. He was an Eorzean. Like Jannequinard and Quimperain. Even you, CHARNAME.

Quimperain: What happened here...?

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: Less than a score summers have come and gone since I last set foot on the Paths of Contemplation, yet this place appears as if it hasn't been inhabited for centuries.

CURRENT Jannequinard: Nigh on fifteen summers have come and gone since I last set foot on the Paths of Contemplation, yet this place appears as if it hasn't been inhabited for centuries.

Leveva: Nature is the greatest of levelers, Jannequinard. She provides us with what we need, but when we are done with it, she is quick to take back what is, and always has been, rightfully hers. There is still time before Sevestre is to arrive. I would like to take a walk and see where my father lived. Just knowing that I tread the same ground as he may grant my mind peace.
 

ORIGINAL (THROUGH MARCH 2019) Jannequinard: Well, then might I suggest a rooftop garden directly to the south of here? Your father and I would spend many a night there gazing up at the stars and prattling on about our dreams into the small hours. It is where he first told me of your mother...and the child she was carrying.

CURRENT   Jannequinard: Well, then might I suggest a rooftop garden directly to the south of here? Your father and I would spend many a night there gazing up at the stars and prattling on about our dreams into the small hours. It is where he first told me of your mother─your birth mother, not the aunt who cared for you after Lady Byrde died in labor─and the child she was carrying.

Jannequinard: Not all of the conversations Rufin and I had here were pleasant. He was a fiery spirit, who, once an idea had filled his head, would make it his whole life, regardless of how outlandish it was. Reintroducing Sharlayan astrology to Eorzea was one such idea. I was against it at first, knowing firsthand how traditionalist the people of my city–state were... But your father overwhelmed me with his passion, and it was not long before I, too, found myself a disciple of his vision.

Leveva: I wonder if my father knew that one day I would be here, standing under the same sky he did. Did he know that he would have a daughter who was as stubborn as he? A daughter who put her life and the lives of those she loved in danger because of an unfulfilled dream?

 

Leveva: I think he did. And I think if he were here now, he would be proud. Proud that I at least tried. Proud that I did not let fate control me, but that I rather walked hand in hand with that fate down a path my father left, not only for me, but for all those who would carry in their hearts the same dream.

Jannequinard: I believe he would be, as well, Lady Leveva. Though I did not fully realize it until recently, these past moons, it has been as if Rufin was here by my side once again. The passion...the stubbornness...the talent. I do not think he would stand idly by as Sevestre had his way, and so I believe neither should we.
 

Leveva: Thank you Janne... I know I have been hard on you, but it is only because you were an incompetent astrologian with an aversion to training...not because you were anything but a good man...and a good friend. 
 

Leveva: Now, let us see what the stars have in mind for us today.

Quimperain: (speaking to the player) You may keep your readings to yourself. No offense, milady, but the only thing that shall be guiding me tonight is my obligation to Lady Leveva. That, and my blade.

Jannequinard: Fate is but a suggestion. Remember that.

Leveva: Sevestre is not a man to be late. He will be here.
 

Sevestre: Ah, ever so predictable, Leveva. I am sorry to inform you, there has been a change of plans. There will be no return to your homeland. No tear-filled reunion with your grandfather. No trial. Only a sentence. And that sentence shall be carried out here, by mine hand. You see, after reading your father's diary, it became clear that you and your wretched friends know too much.

Sevestre: You would not believe how long I have been searching for that document. The last one that connected me to your father's...unfortunate accident. I tracked down and had all the others destroyed. But this one has eluded me for almost two decades.

Leveva: ...The last? Janne, CHARNAME! It appears we are left with but a single path.

Jannequinard: There was only ever one, my lady! And we shall see it to the end!

Combat time!

Sevestre: Thanks are in order, Leveva. By ignoring my directions to come alone, you have saved me the effort of tracking down and slaying each one of you individually.

Leveva: Silence!

Sevestre: If you barbarians are one thing, it is brave. I shall give you that. Bravery, however, is the blunt blade of the foolish and the weak. Let me show you why the barbarians cannot be allowed to have this knowledge!

 

Leveva: Sevestre plots something ill. Do not let down your guard!

 

 

Leveva: Those arcana... They are not right. I sense forbidden magicks. Hurry and destroy them! The power they draw from the constellations is too much!

Sevestre's very long castbar (barely visible on the middle left of the screen in the gif above) is called "Celestial Stasis", and no points for guessing what it does. At the same time, he summons six Arcana tethers, each aspected by one of the six elements (Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Earth). Destroying the tethers does not end the spell, just makes it less powerful.

If he's not killed before he gets the Celestial Stasis cast off, he follows it up with "Ancient Graviga", which also has a very long castbar. The more Arcana tethers remain, the longer the party will be frozen in stasis, potentially making escaping Ancient Graviga impossible, but I've only ever seen this failed on purpose.

Sevestre: The morning star riseth in the east, granting me strength! The malefic descendeth in the west, granting me knowledge! The benefic shineth in the south, granting me life! The pole star shineth in the north, granting me dominion!

 

Judgement has been rendered... The verdict of history is...

 

Time stop!

Sevestre: Destiny lies in mine hands! By your own definition, you manipulate the fates of others...but then bleat like lambs led to slaughter when another does the same to yours. Do you still not see the fallacy in this!? Do you still not see that there is no escape?

Leveva: I see that our fates are what we make them!

Sevestre: Wait! If you wish to see your grandfather live, you will not kill me!

Leveva: That was never our intention, Sevestre. No... I only wish to ask a few simple favors─the first being the return of my father's diary. You will then send word back to the Old World to have my grandfather released immediately. And finally, you will return to Sharlayan and report to the Forum that I have disappeared and am presumed deceased. Fail to do these things, and I shall tell the Forum all I know of your involvement in my father's death. I doubt they will be as generous with their mercy as I.

Sevestre: And what? You shall remain here and continue to spread our knowledge across this worm-eaten realm like it was sweet cream butter? You know not what you do. The barbarians of this realm have shown that they can only use knowledge to destroy each other. They corrupt it. They lessen it. And then they forget it. They never once have shown they are worthy of the knowledge they so defile. And yet you would still give it to them.

Sevestre: <sigh> Very well. I shall do as you ask. But know that the Forum is ever listening, ever watching. Should you continue your escapades here in Ishgard, they will find out. And they will send others until they have succeeded where I have...failed.

Leveva: Then you'd best make certain they do not. You are a powerful man who also happens to be a master of lies and deceit. I pray the task should not prove too difficult. And if it does, well then, I can always show them what manner of a man you truly are.

Jannequinard: I do not think there will be any need for that. Sevestre, however wicked, is not a fool. He will not sacrifice what he has spent the past two decades building over a girl he, even with his back to the cobbles, sees as an inferior. Especially if you have offered him a means of accomplishing it without causing him to lose face. His pride, of course, will ache, but it's naught a little wine cannot cure.

Leveva: <sigh> You are right, Jannequinard. Something I never thought I would admit...at least out loud.

Jannequinard: So, does this mean you will remain in the See and continue your teachings?

Leveva: Of course I will. There is the pending contract with House Durendaire, my obligations to the Convictors and the hunters of Tailfeather...and then, of course, there is the matter of your incomplete training. If memory serves me, you have still only opened half of the heavens' gates.

Quimperain: You may recall a time when I pulled milady aside and spoke of how I did not trust my master's heathen magicks. Well, I still do not trust his...but Lady Leveva's and yours? A man my age should not have lasted a half bell in that last battle. Hells, I still cannot believe we fended off those pirates in Limsa Lominsa... I could not have survived this long without you, Lady CHARNAME. Should you ever have need of my sword, you need only ask.

Jannequinard: Truth be told, I have no idea how we survived that battle. Think of it a moment. Sevestre could stop. Time. Perhaps fate has a stronger pull than I imagined... Or perhaps I've merely evolved into an all-powerful astrologian. Likely the former.

Leveva: Well, things did not go completely as planned, but we arrived at the fate intended for us nonetheless. Now, the question is, what do we do with this fate we have been granted? I believe this warrants another reading...but perhaps, after we've had a bite to eat.
 

Jannequinard: Ah, CHARNAME. You are just in time to greet the Athenaeum's newest member. May I present you with Lord Rufin.

"Rufin": Why the surprise? Ah, but I believe I know the answer. Your senses are doubtless reeling from having witnessed poor Lady Leveva's tragic end in the hinterlands. <wink>

"Rufin": Contrary to popular opinion, I was not murdered at all, but merely on a long and winding journey that has finally brought me back to Ishgard so that I may teach the secrets of Sharlayan astrology once again. I mean to show the people that fate is a path that need not be walked in darkness. That the stars can be used to light the way. And my first lesson? That those who oppose this celestial guidance shall be doomed to mark time for all of eternity.
 

FOOTNOTES

[1] FFXIV takes place in what the developers call a “time bubble”, where certain historical events are always treated as having been 15 years ago, even while events within the canon timeline take place years apart. This supposedly makes things less complicated, somehow. Everyone hates this. ⬏

[2] Pedantic clarification time! This is only true of aetherytes in the Source (teleportation crystals in Hingashi are not strictly aetherytes but 'tenkonto', and it is unclear if they are a closed system in-universe, or are cross-compatible with Sharlayan aetherytes). The aetherytes in Norvrandt were presumably installed by G’raha Tia, a Sharlayan scholar, which explains why it also has a toll (teleportation fees are in-universe a charge incurred partly to fund maintenance of the aetheryte network); the maintenance fees for those in Elpis (reached through time travel) can be similarly explained. The aetherytes in Amaurot (forgotten vestige of a long-dead society in an alternate reality, surely unmaintained) and the Sea of Stars (potentially imaginary?) complicate this, but we’re getting very off-topic. ⬏

[3] Sharlayan is the name of an island nation far in the north, but it is also the name a now-abandoned research outpost in Dravania (the dragons' homeland) and company town for Sharlayan scholars is known by to residents of Ishgard. 'Sharlayan' is used of both interchangeably throughout these quests, with the nation also called 'the Old City' or 'the Motherland'. The research outpost is known by the current inhabitants as Idyllshire. ⬏

[4] It's worth noting the use of the word 'week' here, because FFXIV often uses the word 'sennight' (literally 'seven nights') and only rarely 'week', despite the fact that the only official calendar provided by the canon features an eight-day week (or nundinum, if you're a classicist) aligned with the lunar cycle. See Appendix C: Random Bullshit Go! for further discussion of this topic. ⬏

[5] 'Hour'. ⬏

[6] So here's the TL;DR on soul crystals: in FFXIV, crystals are kind of like flash drives and also kind of like butter - they soak up the 'flavor' of what they're stored around. That flavor is you - your memories, your skills, aspects of your personality, even. Sometimes the crystal is literally you - after a sudden, typically violent death, the life energy, or aether, of a person may create a new crystal, called 'atma'. People with extraordinary abilities carry around 'soul crystals' that, by being carried with them, become imbued with certain skills, techniques, or understandings that they can then pass down to others. Many soul crystals are also important foci for manipulating aether to perform magicks: while a mage still knows their craft in the absence of a soul crystal, they're severely hampered by its loss. ⬏

[7] Please do not ask me what this is supposed to mean, lore-wise. I can't even tell you what it means astrologically in real life - "in dignity" is not, to my knowledge, a term that's really used - there are essential and accidental dignities, yes, and a star may be "in exaltation" (one of the essential dignities), for example, but "in dignity" is so vague as to be functionally useless. From the speed at which we go through them, I expect we're talking about elementally-aspected decans or even individual degrees. For more useless rambling please see Appendix C: Random Bullshit Go! ⬏

[8] If it is rather the player's party that is defeated, Leveva says, "Grandfather... Did you see this fate, as well?" ⬏ 

[9] Defeat lines for this battle are as follows...

Leveva: The battle is not yet lost. Do not give up hope, CHARNAME... Let the stars guide you to victory.
Quimperain: Lady... Leveva...
Ishgardian Astrologian: Wait! This wasn't part of the─ ⬏

[10] Defeat dialogue as follows.

Quimperain: I've done all I can... Seems it was not enough...

Jannequinard: I am sorry, Father...

Leveva: CHARNAME! They will not kill me...but they will kill you. You mustn't give up! ⬏

[11] This is the first point at which we originally started hearing 'fifteen years', which to my mind (and that of the devs initially, seeing as levels 30-60 were released all at once) is not inconsistent at all with the earlier 'twenty years', since those are in reference to when Janne began studying Sharlayan astrology, and this is in reference to his goal to introduce the Sharlayan school to Ishgard. ⬏

[12] Defeat dialogues.

Quimperain: I cannot─ Gaaah...
Leveva: This cannot be...where my path ends... ⬏

[13] The eagle-eyed reader may wonder if I forgot to check the current dialogue, but as a matter of fact, this reference to Count de Durendaire being Jannequinard's father (indirectly - it refers back to the dialogue at the beginning of the quest, which was retconned) survives to the current version of the game. ⬏

[PART TWO]