Having apparently had her fill of the hustle and bustle of the town square, Alisaie declares her intention to retire inside to await the return of her brother and the others. Join her in the Rising Stones.
Shortly after Alphinaud's arrival, a meeting is convened to discuss the outcome of the council. Hoping to convince the Griffin to abandon his course before war engulfs the realm, it is decided that Papalymo, Yda, Thancred, and Yugiri will brave the secret tunnels beneath Baelsar's Wall, and endeavor to confront the Resistance leader directly. You, meanwhile, are to stand ready in the Black Shroud for whatever eventuality may arise. Notify Alphinaud when you have made the necessary preparations.
Outside the Hawthorne Hut, you bid the infiltration team good fortune on their mission. After they depart, Alphinaud mentions that Amarissaix's Spire offers a clear view of the Wall, and suggests that you speak with the Alliance commanders who have gathered atop the lookout platform. Identify yourself to the serpent scout at the foot of the tower.
It would seem that fighting has broken out on Baelsar's Wall. Scouts report that the Griffin has begun his assault, his soldiers apparently clad in Grand Company uniforms... Plainly, the Resistance leader will stop at nothing to drag the Alliance into his conflict. To make matters worse, your fellow Scions are headed into the eye of this storm, wholly unaware of what awaits them on the surface... Despite the danger, Alphinaud resolves to plunge into the thick of the battle in an attempt to save the day. You have little choice but to join your young friend at the approach to the Wall.
Alphinaud outlines a simple plan wherein he will pursue the infiltration team through the tunnels while you scale the fortifications with a party of your most trusted comrades. You must reach the top of the Wall and force the Griffin to withdraw before the unthinkable happens!
※Challenge Baelsar's Wall with other players via the Duty Finder, or with a party of NPCs via Duty Support. Both systems are accessible from the main menu as well as the dungeon's entrance point.
You have overpowered the Griffin. See events to their conclusion before making your escape from the top of the Wall.
Beneath the mask, the Griffin is revealed to be none other than Ilberd, the disgraced captain of the Crystal Braves. Following his “defeat,” the Resistance leader enacts his true plan -- a ritual to summon a nightmarish primal empowered by Ala Mhigan desperation and the might of Nidhogg's eyes. Fearing a disaster to rival the Calamity itself, Papalymo steps forward with Tupsimati, and grimly begins to weave a forbidden magick of confinement... You barely have time to escape on Hilda's airship before the incantation swallows Papalymo and encases the newborn entity in a vast cocoon of light.
Stunned by the unexpected summoning and the loss of her dearest friend, Yda's irrepressible spirit seems to have been broken at last. Offer her what comfort you may.
You attempt to speak with Yda, but there seems to be nothing you can say that will pierce the shroud of her grief. Thancred offers to watch over her whilst you and the others return to the Rising Stones with the tidings of Papalymo's demise.
Notes
As Papalymo prepares to begin casting his containment spell, he will order everyone onto the airship, and you will be asked whether to comply, or to refuse and stay at his side. If you refuse, he will blast you with a spell, forcing you onto the airship and producing the same outcome as if you had gotten on willingly.
Each of the nations, Ishgard included, has committed to providing military support to Gridania. The Eorzean Alliance will soon have a significant force in the Black Shroud, ready to respond to any imperial act of aggression.
You know, I almost wish the council would stop messing around and give the Griffin what he wants. I wouldn't like to be the imperial caught between the Resistance and the Alliance!
Quite. To open hostilities without due consideration would be to invite disaster. <sigh> If only there were some way to reach the Griffin—some means to convince him to abandon this reckless course...
Precisely. If all are in agreement, I would be the one to undertake the necessary negotiations. I am familiar with the route, and the Resistance is familiar with me.
Four is quite sufficient for an infiltration mission. Greater numbers will only serve to increase the risk of detection. Krile and I will direct our energies elsewhere. What of you Leveilleurs?
I will return to the East Shroud and stand watch over the border. Should matters take a turn for the worse, 'twould seem wise to be on hand.
Might I prevail upon you to accompany me, Forename? Gridania will be safer for your presence. And...while it may not seem the most thrilling duty, dear sister—might I ask that you remain at the Rising Stones to pass on messages and so on?
I suspect Tataru would have little trouble facilitating communication between our forces under normal circumstances. But I concede she has her hands full nursing that Resistance fighter back to health. No matter: my turn in the field will come.
...I may perhaps have exaggerated my standing with the Resistance a little. But I am confident that I have a reasonable chance of putting a stop to this madness before events spiral out of control. Yes, fair–to–middling at the very least...
All I'm saying is that it wouldn't be the worst thing if we ended up joining the Griffin's fight against the Empire. I mean, it's going to happen sooner or later, isn't it?
My fellow shinobi required little encouragement to take their place amongst the Alliance forces massing in Gridania. They are most eager to cross blades with the armies of Garlemald once more.
I am no ninja, but I did spend some few moons in the Sharlayan homeland learning how to move unseen. Between Yugiri and my humblr self, Yda and Papalymo will be well protected.
If you have any unfinished business in the Toll, pray attend to it now. I would depart for the Hawthorne Hut without delay.
The nearby watchtower offers an unobstructed view of Baelsar's Wall, and I should be interested to speak to the Alliance commanders who have installed themselves at its top.
Do make up your mind, Yda. Nary a moment ago, you seemed ready to shake the Griffin by thehand rather than the neck. So, which is it to be? 'Twould be best to decide before we enter info negotiations.
If memory serves, I have not seen many of you since the day of the grand melee. Having borne the brunt of your blows, may I say what an honor it is to stand at your side!
Of course... The Wall was never the Griffin's target—it was bait. We have been goaded into deploying our armies nearby, thus lending weight to his deception!
Even so...this may yet be no more than a diversion. With the armies of the Alliance occupying the Empire's attention, it would be comparatively easy for the Griffin's supporters to slip into Ala Mhigo.
He could then incite a rebellion amongst the populace which the imperial reserves would be hard-pressed to contain. Eorzea, meanwhile, would be plunged into chaos.
Our companions embarked on a mission to sway the Griffin from his course, and are likely halfway to his command post by now. They will emerge in the midst of a raging battle and I do not mean to abandon them to their fate.
It will be dangerous, aye, but the confusion may work to our advantage. If we are careful to avoid the skirmishing, it may yet be possible to reach the Griffin...and if we can do that...
Forward, comrades! The time has come to drive the Empire from Ala Mhigo, and force action upon those who have turned their backs to our suffering for so long!
Let this victory be the first step in the liberation of our homeland!
Ala Mhigo has suffered under imperial occupation for twenty years. Long has the Resistance fought and failed to slip free of the Empire's yoke, but I wonder how this latest clash will change the lay of the land.
From what Papalymo told me, the trail ahead should lead us into the shadow of the Wall.
As we have two objectives, I suggest we divide our forces. I shall make straightways for the tunnels, and attempt to intercept our comrades ere they stumble into a bloodbath.
While I do so...I must ask that you scale the Wall. Know that I would not propose such a course if there were any other way. But the time for subtlety is past. Take a band of your most trusted companions and cut a path through to the Griffin. Make him see reason—by any means necessary.
Once we are free of the tunnels, we will make for your position with all due haste. And if everything proceeds according to plan, Hilda will then swoop in and spirit us all away to safety. I only pray that we have enough time.
This has to end! It has to end now! Do you not see your countrymen dying? Have your ideals rendered you blind even to that!? Order the retreat, and we will help your soldiers to safety!
How long have I struggled to reach this point? My countrymen so injured to the taste of defeat, they no longer balk at its bitterness. Shouting my throat raw with rallying cries, only to be greeted with dull eyes and blank faces!
My "brothers" and "sisters" in Ul'Dah have surrendered to their apathy and their appetites. Were it not for the glint of Lolorito's coin, I doubt even those here now would have answered my call!
"Take back our homeland! Free Ala Mhigo!" Hah! They'll happily mouth the words, but they won't spill the blood!
You say no mortal should wield these eyes? Then I shall gladly become a demon. I will suckle on the souls of the hopeless, and liberate the homeland they no longer deserve!
Did you hear their cries as victory was snatched away from them? Even with their dying breaths they cursed the Empire! Never has their desire for vengeance been so raw, so true! A god has no need of faith when summoned by so pure a purpose!
Every Ishgardian gets taught that the Sea of Clouds churns in the grip of the warrin' elements of water and wind. Enough to tear you apart, they say. No one's ever gone to the bottom of the abyss and lived to tell the tale. So how did that bastard manage to get his hands on Nidhogg's eyes?
There is nothing more you could have done. Ilberd caught us all off guard. Even Forename was powerless to stop him.
If you must blame someone, then blame me. Just promise that you will never forget what Papalymo strove to protect, or the lessons he tried to teach you.