Y'shtola
Y'shtola Rhul
- Title
- Archon
- Gender
- Female ♀
- Age
- 23 ? [1][2]
- Race
- Miqo'te (Seeker of the Sun)
- Class
- Conjurer
Thaumaturge - Job
- Black Mage
- Birthplace
- Sharlayan
- Organization
- Circle of Knowing
The Scions of the Seventh Dawn - Relatives
- Y'mhitra Rhul (paternal half-sister),
Y'rhul Nunh (father) - Services
- Quest NPC
- Patch
- 2.0
- Voiced by (JP)
- Ai Kayano
- Voiced by (EN)
- Robyn Addison
Emily O'Brien (ARR) - Voiced by (FR)
- Laëtitia Lefebvre
- Voiced by (DE)
- Annette Schreier
“"Without the illumination of knowledge, we but vainly flail as specters in the dark."
This beautiful and enigmatic Miqo'te is often seen wandering the lands of La Noscea. Her mastery of the arcane arts and conversance with ancient tongues mark her as far more than a simple traveler.
— In-game description
Y'shtola Rhul is a Miqo'te.
Quests Started
Quests Involved In
| Quest | Type | Level | Quest Giver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond the Great Wall | 
|
60 | Alphinaud |
| Lyse Takes the Lead |
|
60 | Lyse |
| Friends for the Road |
|
90 | Estinien |
| Bridging the Rift |
|
90 | Veteran Radiant |
| Restricted Reading |
|
90 | Montichaigne |
| In Search of Azdaja |
|
90 | Varshahn |
| Shadowed Remnants |
|
90 | Varshahn |
| Where Everything Begins |
|
90 | Zero |
| The Wind Rises |
|
90 | Zero |
Additional Information
“From a young age, Y'shtola showed a tremendous talent with magic, and was sent for tutelage to the famous Archon Matoya at the age of seven. This displeased Matoya, who thought it little more than a chore passed onto her by her fellow Archons. In order to rid herself of the girl, she devised a particularly strict regimen, and forced it upon Y'shtola. However, the Seeker of the Sun is unyielding by nature, and struggled through, stoically continuing where an adult would have given up. Perhaps Matoya recognized something of herself in the stubborn girl, for in time the Archon began to treat "Shtola" properly as her student. After a decade spent in Matoya's Cave, Y'shtola emerged and took her place amongst the other Archons as an expert in the arcane arts.
The hands of time ever stopped at twenty and three, Y'shtola has, during her time as an Archon, forged a special bond with Yda—one out of necessity, considering the lack of refinement displayed by the young firebrand. The Archon is also known to have a great collection of footwear, and an unexplainable fear of aureliae.Truthseeker: Wishing to gift Y'shtola a weapon worthy of its bearer, Tataru procured a length of rare petrified wood and commissioned renowned conjurer E-Sumi-Yan with the creation of a staff to rival any and all the realm has seen. After purifying the branch in the crystal-clear waters of a Twelveswood stream, Brother E-Sumi-Yan sanctified it in the presence of the elementals, thus earning the beings' blessing. By report, Truthseeker requires great skill to wield, but grants great power to those who can.
— Encyclopædia Eorzea vol 1, page 190
Lore
Y'shtola was originally part of the Circle of Knowing before the Seventh Umbral Calamity. When the Lesser Moon Dalamud threatened to crash into Eorzea, she joined with the other Archons and adventurers in rousing the people of Limsa Lominsa to prayer. Following the destruction caused by Bahamut, she and the other Archons joined with Minfilia and formed the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a group formed to protect Eorzea without the influence of any one government. She aided in the evacuation and eventual rebuilding that came following the Calamity.
Many years later, Y'shtola came across an adventurer in a cave studying a poem carved on a stone slab. When the pair were attacked by a Goobbue, she aided in defeating it, noting that it had been stuck by a knife and was most likely the reason it charged. She suspected pirates to be at the root of the problem, as she had been investigating disappearances around the area. When the adventurer tells her they saw a "towering crystal", she seemed to be aware of what they were talking about, claiming that "today had been a day full of revelations". She left the cave, saying that she hoped their paths would cross again.
Y'shtola would later run into the adventurer when an Ascian attacked them. She aided in the battle, helping them slay a voidsent, and later the Ascian himself. Y'shtola explained who the Ascians were, and soon comes to realize that the adventurer is blessed with the gift of the Echo. She thanked them for aiding in bringing her investigation to a close, as she now knew the Ascian had been controlling the pirates. Y'shtola takes her leave, saying they will hopefully cross paths again.
Y'shtola meets the adventurer for a third time, after witnessing them defend an innocent beggar woman from an obnoxious merchant and his thugs. She commends them on their bravery and selflessness, noting how they were willing to dive headfirst into danger to protect someone else with little to gain from it. She tells the adventurer that she is part of a group who can help them understand the bizarre visions they seem to be having, and invites them to the Waking Sands, the headquarters of the Scions.
Upon them joining as a Scion, Y'shtola aided them in several missions, including helping them with the various tasks set to them by the Company of Heroes, and accessing The Navel, the ritualistic summoning grounds for Titan, the Primal of the Kobolds. Following the defeat of Titan, she noticed an Ascian and a Garlean soldier observing their battle. Suspicious of their actions, she stayed in Limsa Lominsa for a time investigating.
Following the attack on their headquarters by Livia sas Junius and a legion of Imperial Troops, she took part in the operation to rescue the captured Scions, using her magic to defend against the Magitek firearms. Though she intended to face off against Livia, she and the others were forced to retreat.
Following Operation Archon and the move to Revenant's Toll, Y'shtola and Thancred, as well as the Warrior of Light, investigated a surge in raids on crystal caravans by a mysterious group. After working with the Brass Blades, the group lay a trap and slay the culprits, members of the Serpent Reavers who were attempting to gather the requisite materials to summon Leviathan. Y'shtola returned to Limsa Lominsa and shared her findings with Merlwyb, the Admiral of the city-state.
Following the attack on The Steps of Faith and the repelling of Vishap and the Dravanian Horde, Y'shtola joined with the Warrior of Light and the other Scions at a banquet held in their honor. Unfortunately, the assassination of the 'Sultana and the betrayal of the Crystal Braves took place, orchestrated by Teledji Adeledji to frame the Warrior of Light and the Scions for regicide. Fleeing from the Brass Blades, Y'shtola and Thancred were both cornered in the Sil'dih Aqueducts. Y'shtola caved in the tunnel so that Minfilia and the Warrior of Light could escape, and continued battling against the Blades. Eventually finding themselves overwhelmed, in a last-ditch effort to survive, Y'shtola cast the forbidden spell Flow, pulling the pair into the Lifestream. Though Thancred managed to escape, Y'shtola remained trapped floating within the stream.
Sometime later, thanks to the efforts of her fellow Scions, the Warrior of Light, Kan-E-Senna and her half sister, Y'mhitra, she was located and eventually pulled from the Lifestream before her body was broken down and she was completely reduced to aether. However, she remained unconscious for quite some time, and was taken to Gridania to recover.
Upon awakening, she learned that she could no longer see normally as before, but could instead see the swirling of the aetheric current within everything. She also found her proclivity for spellcasting greatly improved. She however did not share the change in her vision, merely stating that she could "sense" the aether more keenly. She explained what took place in the tunnel, then thanked Alphinaud for keeping everyone in good spirits, reassuring him that the betrayal of the Crystal Braves was in no way his fault.
Donning the new outfit made custom for her by Tataru, she quickly caught up to speed with the goings-on, and began aiding in a method to create an aetheric ram. Though she knew not where they may purchase one, she knew that her old master, Matoya, would be more than capable in instructing them how to make one.
While spending time with Matoya, Y'shtola's old master spoke to her in private, noting the change in her eyes. Initially attempting to brush it off as nothing, Matoya knew better. As a master of Aetherology, she knew that Y'shtola was completely blind, and using her own aether as fuel to be able to see in the way that she could. Matoya warned her to be careful, which Y'shtola promised she would.
Y'shtola accompanied the Scions and the Warrior of Light to Azys Lla in pursuit of Archbishop Thordan VII. She aided in helping the Warrior reactivate the various teleportation nodes around the Allagan facility. When the Imperials pursue them, she, Alphinaud and Estinien Wyrmblood stay behind to hold them off while the Warrior continues ahead to stop the Ascians and Thordan.
After Thordan was defeated and Estinien had entered in after the Warrior of Light, she witnessed a large dark shadow fly off from the island while they retreated. She was also the first to notice that Estinienwas not escaping with them. Explaining what had transpired, the group sought a way to free the Dragoon from the grip of Nidhogg's possession.
When Krile joined the Scions in the hunt for the remaining missing Scions, Y'shtola used Matoya's Crystal Eye, an ancient Crystal of Light, to trace Thancred to the Dravanian Forelands, where he had been trading with the Gnath. He had been tracking the Warriors of Darkness, and had crossed paths with Alisaie as well. Y'shtola theorized that the time Thancred had spent in the Lifestream had most likely impaired him from using magic.
While spending time in the Dravanian Hinterlands, Y'shtola was present to witness the arrival of Alexander. She worked with Matoya to learn what she could about how it moves through time and how best to slay a Primal so massive. When Mide Hotgo revealed that she had been given an extremely rare item by a mysterious man, Y'shtola recognized the name Travanchet, an identity used by the Ascians, which aided in helping to figure out how to handle the Primal.
When The Griffin began to make moves against the Garleans and attacked Baelsar's Wall, Y'shtola joined in the offensive after the false flag operation pulled the Eorzean Alliance into the conflict. She joined the Warrior of Light at the top of the Wall for the reveal of Ilberd's plan, and when he revealed that he held the Eyes of Nidhogg and used them to summon a Primal, sacrificing himself to complete the ritual. After Papalymo gave his life to temporarily seal it, Y'shtola watched over it until the Warrior of Light, Cid nan Garlond and Nero tol Scaeva awoke Omega to do battle with Shinryu.
Shortly after Eorzea became embroiled in the battle for Ala Mhigo, Y'shtola was grievously wounded in an attack by Zenos yae Galvus and The Skulls. Y'shtola attempted to stop Zenos' blade when he swung for Lyse Hext using a magical barrier. However, Zenos proved to be more than a match for her, shattering the barrier and lethally wounding her. Though she was stabilized after Zenos left, she needed to be immediately rushed to Castrum Oriens, where she had to stay, unable to participate in the liberation of either Doma or Ala Mhigo.
Once she recovered, Y'shtola aided in recruiting the people of the Azim Steppe to fight for them against the Garlean Empire. She also aided in restoring the aether to the Allagan technology to power the barrier in The Burn. When the Scions began falling into mysterious comas, Y'shtola fell unconscious when they returned to the Rising Stones, along with Urianger.
As it turned out, the Scions' souls were pulled from The Source to The First, to a land called Norvrandt by a mysterious figure called the Crystal Exarch. He explains that he had intended to summon the Warrior of Light to aid in stopping The Flood in order to prevent the Eighth Umbral Calamity. For her part, Y'shtola made for the Rak'tika Greatwood.
Following the burning of the home of the Night's Blessed after a Sin Eater attack, Y'shtola aided in stopping the attack as well as leading the survivors to a safe area to rebuild. She joined the Night's Blessed, and took the name Matoya, as it is against their belief to speak their true names under the Eternal Light. With that she also began honing her skills in Black Magic to better defend against the Sin Eaters.
By the time the Warrior of Light arrived on The First and reunited with Y'shtola, she was unable to recognize them given how blinding their aether had become. Once the situation had been explained, she joined the group in their hunt for the Lightwarden. She led them through the vast Greatwood to The Blind Forest of Yx'Maja and the Ronkan Ruins.
After entering the ruins, Y'shtola and the group was beset by Eulmorran Soldiers and Ran'jit. They did battle, causing the floor to give way. After being told they had poisoned the Night's Blessed, but they held the antidote, and would hand it over in exchange for aiding them get out, Ran'jit knocked the adjutant into the pit, claiming that they "did not deal with the enemy" and that their lives are forfeit. In a bid to save the antidote, Y'shtola dove into the pit, knocking it to the Warrior of Light, telling them not to fail before plummeting to the depths below.
In an attempt to survive, Y'shtola once again employed the spell Flow, being pulled once again into the Lifestream, this time on the First. Luckily, she was quickly pulled out by Emet-Selch, mostly as a method for him to show his goodwill. After their reunion, the group made for the Lightwarden and defeated it. They continued exploring the ruins and discovered old cave paintings. Y'shtola questioned the Ascian about their significance. He explained that they showed the defeat of Zodiark by Hydaelyn, at the point when the world was Sundered. This raised the question about whether or not the two could be considered Primals.
Following the defeat of Vauthry, the final Lightwarden, the Warrior of Light began to be consumed by the Light. When the Exarch appeared and claimed he was going to steal the light and "travel to the other worlds", Y'shtola made to attack him, but was stopped by Urianger. When she took time to think about what he said, Y'shtola realized the Exarch's true goal; to take the light and leave to the Void, where he would give his life. This was ultimately waylaid by Emet-Selch attacking Exarch, revealed to be G'raha Tia. Emet-Selch condemned the Scions and the Warrior of Light, and said he looked forward to when they destroyed the world, inviting them all to The Tempest to transform with "some dignity" before disappearing.
Y'shtola joined the Warrior of Light and the Scions into the Tempest to Amaurot, where they confronted Emet-Selch and the Final Days, before finally doing battle with the Ascian, who cast aside his title, and battled for his mission as Hades. Y'shtola aided in the final conflict, eventually laying Emet-Selch low. The Scions parted ways for a time, with Y'shtola returning to Slitherbough.
Y'shtola continued to work with G'raha to discover a method for the Scions to return home. She aided in recruiting the Nu Mou Beq Lugg, an expert in aetheromancy to their cause. Upon returning to The Crystarium, she and Urianger went about creating White Auracite as a base vessel given its aether storing properties, however the Auracite by itself could not hold their memories. While G'raha and Beq Lugg worked away, she and the other Scions researched any method they could find to transport their souls home.
Y'shtola agreed with the Warrior of Light and the other Scions in their plan to restore the names of the Warriors of Light from the First to their former glory. They each set about gathering people to the Crystarium. However, the Ascian Elidibus used this to his advantage, possessing the body of Ardbert, he sowed the hope and belief in the Warrior of Light mythos, triggering the imagery of a Starshower, which caused several of the people of the First to awaken to the Echo. Though she was certain he was plotting something, Y'shtola was content to let the people be reawakened to hope again.
While researching, Y'shtola eventually came across the facility named Anamnesis Anyder which held countless records, some of which reached all the way back to before the Sundering. She remained there for a time, eventually learning that Elidibus had become the heart of Zodiark long ago. Eventually she came to learn of his true plan: Elidibus had become a Primal of sorts, and intended to use the faith in the Warrior of Light to destroy the Warrior of Light from the Source. He attacked her, and used her as bait to lure the Warrior of Light into battle. When she eventually awoke, she revealed all she knew, to which Elidibus denied nothing.
When Elidibus attacked G'raha and stole the vessel containing his blood and began summoning shades of heroes from all the realms, Y'shtola aided the Warrior of Light in fighting a path back to the Crystal Tower to confront Elidibus. She held off the shades at the base of the Tower while they made for the top for the battle. When all was said and done, and the land of Norvrandt was safe, the Scions returned to the Source, and back to their bodies.
Following their return, Y'shtola and the other Scions fought against the rogue Ascian Fandaniel and the Telophoroi, saving the ancestral land of the Amalj'aa, Paglth'an. She also assisted in creating the Familiar to aid in curing Tempering. She sat in on the meetings to form peace with the Beast Tribes to unite all of Eorzea against the plot to end the world via the Final Days. When the Scions realized they needed to learn what they could about the Final Days , and their best shot would be the innumberable records of Sharlayan. However, when they petitioned for their aid, Sharlayan refused, choosing instead to remain neutral. This prompted the group to travel across The Northern Empty to visit Sharlayan themselves.
Upon arriving at Sharlayan, Y'shtola along with Krile, G'raha and the Warrior of Light scoured the libraries at the Studium for any information regarding the Final Days. However, when they were pulled in front of The Forum, Y'shtola became enraged by their cowardice, telling them that if they would not stand with them, then they would not stand in their way. For their efforts, they were not ejected from Sharlayan, but were forbidden from researching further in the city-state.
Y'shtola joined the others in Thavnair, and was part of the assault on The Tower of Zot, fighting against the Tempered within, as well as the Primal forms of The Magus Sisters. Upon reaching the top, they destroyed the core of the tower, causing it to disappear completely. She survived the fall, but did sustain minor injuries. She aided in healing the Matanga who had been held prisoner inside the tower.
When the Scions joined the Eorzean Alliance on their humanitarian mission to Garlemald, Y'shtola and the others joined the Ilsabard contingent. She battled against the Tempered Garleans to protect the convoy before reaching an abandoned town, which they established as their base and named Camp Broken Glass. When the Warrior of Light returned after the chaos broke out due to the roar of the Primal housed within The Tower of Babil, she could see that something was wrong, as their aether was completely wrong. She and the others confronted Zenos, before he was driven from their body. With the Warrior of Light returned, they all made for the Tower to stop the Primal.
At the top of the tower, Y'shtola and the others waited behind and helped handle the chaos while the Warrior of Light made for the moon to stop Fandaniel and Zenos. She, Thancred and Urianger followed after Zodiark was slain and the seal preventing the Final Days was broken. She met with the Loporrits, and attempted to aid them in learning what the new people of Etheriys required to survive, and how they had changed since the days before the Sundering. Eventually, she and the others decided that they could not give up on their planet, and had to fight for it.
That night, Y'shtola visited the Warrior of Light, expressing her concern for them, expressing how the incident on The First truly made her worry, and not to push themselves too hard all the time. When the Final Days fell upon the land, she aided in slaying the Blasphemies that appeared. With her aethersight, she realized that the beast had in fact been a person transformed, but she was soon unable to see them, as their aether had "rotted away". This brought them to the horrific realization that once someone is turned, death could be their only salvation.
Eventually, the Scions had calmed the people and managed to bring the incident under control. Y'shtola pondered the differences between this Final Days and the Final Days that brought about the Sundering. She suggested talking to Hydaelyn, and wondered about the name of the flower given to the Warrior of Light: Elpis. This prompted G'raha to suggest the Warrior of Light return to the First and speak to Elidibus, who partially remained within the Crystal Tower. In the meantime, Y'shtola returned to Matoya to learn what she could about entering the Aetherial Sea.
When the Warrior of Light returned from Elpis and explained the cause of the Final Days, Y'shtola and the others set about convincing the Forum to allow them to enter into the Aetherial Sea via The Aitiascope to seek out Hydaelyn. She aided in battling past the remaining aether of enemies past, before coming before Hydaelyn Herself. She tested the Scions to ensure they could handle the coming battle with Meteion. When they passed their trial, Y'shtola posited that the reason She had sundered the people was that they would be more capable of dealing and interacting with Dynamis. Hydaelyn turned over a crystal revealing the location of Meteion's nest, and gave them Her blessing.
After convincing the Forum to turn over the Ragnarok and upgrading it, the Scions set off for Ultima Thule. Immediately after arriving, they were beset by Meteion, who attempted to make the environment inhospitable. With the sacrifice of Thancred, wishing that they would "Survive", the Scions departed the ship.
The land of Ultima Thule was abundant with Dynamis, giving Meteion complete control over everything that happened there. As they moved through the various recreations of destroyed planets, their numbers began to thin, with each Scion sacrificing their lives to continue the path forward. Y'shtola conversed with the Ea, beings who gave into their despair when they realized that eventually the entire universe would end. She argued that though the end would surely come, the pursuit of knowledge is worth living for, and she would never give in to her despair. By altering the Dynamis in the area, she and Urianger sacrificed themselves to continue the path forward.
Eventually, Y'shtola and the other Scions were resurrected by the Warrior of Light using the power of Azem. Together, they battled through The Dead Ends, and the various images of destroyed worlds who had given in to despair. At the end, she and the others were ready to confront The Endsinger, but were greatly overpowered. in a last-ditch attempt to save their friends, the Warrior of Light activated their teleporter beacon, pulling the Scions back to the Ragnarok, where they had no choice but to wait and hope.
When the Warrior of Light eventually appeared back on the deck of the Ragnarok barely alive, Y'shtola watched on as Alphinaud, G'raha and Alisaie did everything they could to stabalize them. When they finally opened their eyes, Y'shtola chastized them, telling them never to do something so foolish ever again, and that her heart couldn't take it. Upon returning to Sharlayan, she celebrated with the others, now that the Final Days had been averted. When the Scions returned to the Rising Stones, they "disbanded", while agreeing to continue their mission to defend Eorzea and the wider world against any threats. To sell the belief that they had truly seperated, they all went their seperate ways. For her part, Y'shtola returned to Matoya's Cave, compiling notes on her time with the Scions with the intent to publish a book detailing their adventures.
References
- ↑ Although Y'shtola will claim she is 23, her true age is not officially acknowledged in-game, and there are multiple places that imply that she is intentionally hiding it. This is why her age is described on Encyclopedia Eorzea vol 1, page 190, as "The hands of time ever stopped on twenty and three" rather than a more explicit number.
- ↑ The description of the Wind-up Y'shtola is also written to imply that her claims about being 23 may not be trustworthy.
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Eorzea: Volume I, page 190