FFXIV Shadowbringers Story Summary
Chapter 3: Journey to the Past
The group arrives at the Rak’tika Greatwood and it’s not long before they have a run-in with a group known as the Night’s Blessed which worship darkness. They are initially hostile but we learn that they are a group that is in part led by Y’shtola.
Y’shtola arrives on the scene, and at first, can’t believe that the player character is who he/she says they are as their aether is corrupted and suffices with an extreme amount of light. This worries Y’shtola but it’s a problem for another time.
Y’shtola in general is a bit guarded because of her uneasiness around the Crystal Exarch’s mysterious nature, and Urianger’s closeness with the Exarch.
Either way, they all get settled in Slitherbough, the home of the Night’s Blessed. Y’shtola wants to study some of the more ancient relics here in the area of a now extinct civilization known as the Ronka for clues on where the Warden of Light resides in this area.
Ronka
After some careful research, the group is able to put together a Ronkan seal which allows them entry to a secluded and isolated part of the forest an area defended by a group of ancient Viera. They are initially distrustful but the authenticity of the seal the group found marks them as allies and they agree to help them find the Warden of Light.
The Eulmore are back on the hunt, however, and the group needs to move quickly before they are able to disrupt their search for the Warden of Light.
Their research leads them to believe that the Warden of Light is located in a sealed area known as the Qitana Ravel, and the only way to access it is to restore aether flow to a dangerous temple that is linked with the Ravel.
Y’shtola and the group brave the danger and reach their goal; however, they are cut off once again by Ran’jit. His associate reveals that he has poisoned members of the Night’s Blessed and that if they want the antidote they must surrender and lead them out of the temple.
While Y’shtola and the hero ponder their options, Ran’jit takes matters into his own hands and decides to throw the associate and the antidote into a pit. Y’shtola dives for the antidote, taking Ran’jit down with her and is able to get the antidote to the hero. The fate of her and Ran’jit are unknown at this point as they both take a huge fall down the pit.
A Gesture of Good Will
While they are able to help the poisoned members of the Night’s Blessed, the group is devastated about Y’shtola. Emet-Selch, in an attempt to prove that he’s not a total monster they should fear, offers to see what he can do to rescue Y’shtola.
The group figures out that Y’shtola once again put herself into the lifestream like she had done before way back in the post-A Realm Reborn storyline to avoid certain death.
As an Ascian, Emet-Selch can enter the lifestream at will and does so to bring Y’shtola back to her body. While the group still does not trust Emet-Selch, they begrudgingly thank him for saving Y’shtola.
The group heads for the Qitana Ravel to defeat the Warden of Light while they have an opportunity following the disappearance of Ran’jit.
They work their way through this treacherous area and defeat the Warden of Light, once again restoring the night sky. However, on the way back the group notice a series of murals that depict some ancient scene.
The Truth About Zodiark and Hydaelyn
Emet-Selch appears and is happy to explain what they mean. They tell a story of Zodiark and Hydaelyn and that they are in fact the most ancient of primals summoned by the people of his time to avert a disaster that threatened their way of life.
According to Emet-Selch, Zodiark was summoned to prevent the calamity and keep the preservation of the one unified shard intact. Emet-Selch describes it as a paradise where there waspeace and prosperity.
However, a group of dissenters, fearing Zodiark’s power summoned Hydaelyn, a being meant to keep Zodiark in check. However, through prayer, she and power will overpower the will of Zodiark. It was Hydaelyn’s desire to split the world into thirteen shards and this ended the Ascian’s way of life.
The Ascians yearn for the rejoining because they believe by uniting the shards once again, they can restore the world back to the paradise it once was, and while it will lead to countless deaths across the shards, those that survive will be made whole and powerful in a way that the Ascians still are once again.
Emet-Selch, in particular, is extremely nostalgic and passionate about this history, and he tells this story with a heavy dose of sadness in his voice. Trying to make the point that if they were in his shoes, that they too would want to see their world restored to the way it was.
This shakes the two to the core, but they press on with their journey.
Too Much Light
Y’shtola, cannot hold in her worry about the hero any longer and tells him about her concern that his aether is becoming corrupted by absorbing Warden after Warden. She fears that if he/she consumes too much light, that the hero will eventually succumb to the influence of the Wardens and become an all-powerful Sin Eater.
With that out in the open, the group can press on with their plan while keeping that in the back of their mind; Y’shtola implores the hero to keep her updated on how he/she is feeling.
Once again the hero goes to sleep but first spends some time quality of time with his ghostly buddy Ardbert. The hero candidly shares his fear about turning into a Sin Eater and Ardbert does his best to comfort him.
