Shadowed Pasts

Shadowed Pasts

Quest giver

Radiant Scout

Location

Radz-at-Han (X:4.8, Y:11.9)

Quest line

Tales of Newfound Adventure

Level

90

Experience

 0

Gil

 1,734

Previous quest

Buried Memory

Next quest

Shadowed Pasts Once More

Patch

6.2

“

Something has this Radiant scout unnerved.

— In-game description

Walkthrough

• Four orange circles identify the target areas of your map you need to search within.
• The closest target to your starting destination is found within walking distance, at (X:8,Y:10) near the Hall of the Radiant Host.
• One is found near the Mehryde's Meyhane aetheryte at (X:11.3, Y:7.3).
• One is found on the bridge leading from the Kama aetheryte (X:12.2, Y:12.1).
• One is found just through the doors after the Airship Landing aetheryte, past the counters, and off to the right at (X:8.9, Y:16.0)

Steps

• Speak with the Radiant scout.
• Search for the wayward hecteyes.
• Speak with the sullen-eyed voidsent.

Journal

• Something has this Radiant scout unnerved.

• The Radiant scout explains to you that he recently happened upon a voidsent while out on patrol. The beast was strangely docile, however, and against his better judgment, he chose to capture rather than slay it. Hearing of your recent foray into the void, he hopes your expertise can prove useful in discerning what the voidsent may be plotting. To that end, he asks you to accompany him to the Hall of the Radiant Host.

• Having died shortly after your arrival at the court of Troia, the sullen-eyed voidsent fled to the Source seeking sanctuary from the void's vicious cycle of undeath. However, it was not fully recovered before making the journey, causing it to split into several lesser voidsent. It asks that you search Radz-at-Han for its missing kin. In exchange, they will share with you knowledge of the void.

• You travel about the city and find four wayward hecteyes, each of which recounts a grim tale of the Thirteenth and the denizens of the void. The voidsent will no doubt be glad to be reunited, and the Radiant scout relieved to know the streets are safe.

• The sullen-eyed voidsent thanks you for gathering its kindred voidsent, and makes ready to reunite with them...but something is amiss. It would seem there are yet more pieces of itself that have yet to be found. Should the hecteyes sense more wayward voidsent, it hopes you will answer its call for help once more.

Dialogue

Acceptance

Radiant Scout: Ah, [Mistress/Master] [Forename], you couldn't have appeared at a better time!

Radiant Scout: You see, while out patrolling the city, I chanced to sight a voidsent.

Radiant Scout: I immediately chased it down with the intent of eliminating it, but something about it struck me as odd. For one, it made no move to defend itself, but simply sat there, er...jiggling. Which is why, against my better judgment, I decided to capture it instead.

Radiant Scout: Having traveled to the void, I daresay you have considerable knowledge of its denizens. If you have a moment, might I trouble you for your opinion on the creature's unusual behavior?

Radiant Scout: I'm truly grateful! Now, if you would follow me, the creature is being held in the Hall of the Radiant Host.

Speaking with the Sullen-eyed Voidsent

Radiant Scout: 
Here it is. Surprisingly docile, even when I captured it. And there have been no reports of attacks prior to that. Even so, it's the nature of voidsent to prey on people for their aether. Perhaps it bides its time, waiting to carry out some manner of scheme...

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
You! I remember you. Yes, you were at Troia. Please, you must help me!

(Player-avatar reacts)

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
Oho, you do understand me!
I understand the mortal tongue well enough, but I don't have a mouth to produce the sounds. It's been a struggle to convey my thoughts.
But not anymore! You can help me, yes you can!

(Player-avatar turns to the Radiant Scout and makes speaking motions)

Radiant Scout: You can converse with the voidsent? Amazing! Could you ask it why it came here?

(Player-avatar turns to the Sullen-eyed Voidsent and makes speaking motions)

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
When you and yours stormed the castle, I was caught up in the fighting and died.
In time I returned, but I tire of fighting. So I fled, using the gate to your world.
Having just been reborn, however, my essence hadn't fully bound together yet. And so, when I emerged from the gate, it was as several sundered selves. 
Frightened and confused, they scattered. Following their trail led me here, my diminutive size allowing me to remain largely unseen.
But by the same token, I can do little more than sneak about. Each of us was weak and powerless. That's why we consumed one another in the first place. Together we were strong. I want you to help me find all of me, so that I can be whole again.

Player Choices

1. 2.

Player selection: 

Player selection: "(choice)"  

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: Yes, I would. To be whole again and live in this world, I would strike a thousand bargains!

Afterwards:

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
I─we─still remember the past, you see. Still remember when we were mortals.
We long to have that life again. But we need your help, starting by reuniting us. We won't try to devour anyone even when we're whole, I swear!
You wish to learn more about the void, yes? There is much we can teach you about those who rule its domains. About their past.
Find the others, and they'll tell you all they know. No eating, no tricks. Do we have a bargain?

(Player-avatar nods, then turns to the Radiant Scout and makes speaking motions)

Radiant Scout: 
So it crossed over to our world to escape conflict, and now searches for...the rest of itself? 
I understand voidsent are quite reliable when it comes to fulfilling a pact. And I daresay having one as an ally would benefit our research into their world...
Very well. If you would be so kind as to search for its kin, I will consult my superiors on how best to deal with them.

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
By that, I take it we have a bargain. Good, good. 
I sense four others close by. When you find them, you need only point them in this direction. Once they sense my presence, I can guide them the rest of the way.

Upon speaking to:

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: Like me, the others have an interest in the lives of mortals. They are bound to be here, in this city.

Radiant Scout: My thanks again for your help. If you could see the other voidsent back here, I will tend to the rest.

Locating the Hecteyes

Hecteye near Hall of the Radiant Host

Wayward Hecteye: What's that? I asked you to search for me...in exchange for knowledge about powerful voidsent?
Wayward Hecteye: I was still wanting to see this and that, but I suppose a deal is a deal...

(Cutscene begins)

(Camera pans over to a pair of Radiant soldiers nearby)

Wayward Hecteye: Those men over there. Soldiers, are they not? We used to have soldiers in our world, too. There were lots of them during the Contramemoria.

Steadfast Radiant: Ah, back from Weaver's Warding, are you? I hear you fought well against the voidsent that slipped through.

Rugged Radiant: Come now, I merely did my duty. Haven't we all sworn to protect our nation, no matter the cost?

Wayward Hecteye: 
“Protect our nation.” How familiar, those words. Where was it that I heard them...?
Ah, yes. It was the early days of the Contramemoria. The enemy had conjured a terrible eidolon that laid siege to a fortress.
The garrison was made up of ordinary soldiers. Men and women with no remarkable abilities. But led by their valiant commander, they fought bravely and desperately.
They had to last until the memoriate arrived, the commander told them. Needed to hold out no matter the cost.
A memoriate did eventually arrive. But not soon enough for the soldiers.

(Beginning of Cutscene #1 for this quest within the Unending Journey)

Wayward Hecteye: 
Having struck down the eidolon, the memoriate and his servant searched the castle for survivors. They found only the dead.
But just when they had given up all hope, a faint groaning reached their ears. They rushed over to the sound, and cleared away debris...
...To find a lone survivor: the garrison commander.
Instead of joy, however, the sight of the man filled them with anger.

(Characters within the scene begin to move)

Sensible Steward: Your soldiers are slaughtered to a man, yet there's barely a scratch on you! What's the meaning of this!?

Garrison Commander: The eidolon was savage, but mindless. It was a simple thing to hide myself beneath fallen debris.

Maddened Memoriate: Hide!? As commander, you had a duty to your men! You were supposed to put their lives before your own!

Garrison Commander: 
Spare me! My duty was to ensure the fortress stood─and it did!
Besides, my death would've achieved nothing, honor be damned! No, I'm sworn to protect our nation, and to do that I must live! It isn't my fate to fall here!

Maddened Memoriate: It isn't your fate, you say?

(Memoriate attacks the commander, and commander falls down)

Sensible Steward: Is... Is he...?

Maddened Memoriate: 
Merely unconscious. Come, let us bury the soldiers...and their commander with them.
Fate shall decide what becomes of him. Whether he lives or dies.

Sensible Steward: Very well, my lord.

(More still visuals)

Wayward Hecteye: 
Funeral rites were later held for the fallen. But solemn tears quickly gave way to horrified screams as a body emerged from the earth─the commander.
“I can't die. I must live,” the man is said to have declared.
The people thought him a demon. A disheveled horror, muttering curses as he wandered off to regions unknown.
Scarmiglione, they called him. A name befitting his newfound grisly visage. A name befitting a monster.
We thought we buried him deep. But a mortal's desire to live is not to be understimated(sic).

(Scene returns to the present day) 

Wayward Hecteye: 
You're a mortal, so I expect you understand that desire.
Well, that concludes my tale. I had best rejoin my selves. If you'll excuse me...

Hecteye near Mehryde's Meyhane

Wayward Hecteye: 
So this is where mortals consume aether.
Dreading loneliness more than hunger... How very like me. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to observe the mortals a while longer.

(Cutscene begins, camera pans over to the pair of Arkasodara seated at a nearby table)

Arkasodara Artisan: The food here is simply sublime! Why, I feel stronger with every bite, as if the Mrga Themselves were granting me Their blessing!
Arkasodara Laborer: The food is tasty, that's true enough. But no food is so sublime as to be a substitute for proper training, my friend.

(Camera returns to the hecteye)

Wayward Hecteye: 
Stronger with every bite, every feed...
For my part of the bargain, I will tell you about how we voidsent become strong. Simply put, it depends on the quality and quantity of aether we harbor.
When the world was consumed by Darkness, the heroes known as memoriates arose as powerful voidsent.
In contrast, the vast majority of mortals, powerless and unremarkable as they were, became ordinary voidsent. Like me.
There were exceptions, of course. But one in particular, I'll never forget.

(Beginning of Cutscene #2 for this quest within the Unending Journey)

Wayward Hecteye: 
Scarmiglione... Never had I seen a voidsent so craven. Even when pushed to the brink of starvation, he would prey only on those weaker than himself.
He subsisted on scant leavings, and lived in constant fear and hunger.
In the face of danger, of voidsent stronger than himself, fleeing was the only option.
But a day came when he found his way barred.

(Scene begins to move)

Knight in Black: How pitiful...

Scarmiglione: S-Such overwhelming aether... Who is this!?

Knight in Black: You fled instead of facing your foe. Why?

Scarmiglione: Why? I'm too weak, why else? I would have been devoured.

Knight in Black: So had you enough strength, you would have stood your ground? ...Very well, then.

Scarmiglione: 
Wh-What's happening!?
Yesss. I feel it... The power, ssswelling within me!

Knight in Black: Lo, your foe returns.

Scarmiglione: Hissssss... What have you done to me?

Knight in Black: I granted you but a sliver of aether. 'Twas with the power you already possessed that you defeated your foe.

Scarmiglione: I possessed such power...?

Knight in Black: Fear had clouded your eyes. Blinded you to the strength you had attained feeding on the weak.

(scene freezes again)

Wayward Hecteye:
Curious how, in a world without death, the fear of it could be the key to great strength.
The knight recognized this─recognized the voidsent's potential. And thus did he take him into his service.
Determined as he is to live, it wouldn't surprise me if he were still somewhere out there.

(Scene returns to the present conversation)

Wayward Hecteye: 
He'd be even more powerful now, I expect, from all the devouring he would have done since. Unlike your world, eating actually makes you stronger in ours.
Well, I must be going now. The others are waiting.

Hecteye near Kama

Wayward Hecteye: 
My other self grows lonely, you say?
My apologies. It was my intent to seek out the others, but I was distracted by the bickering pair of mortals yonder. My goodness, but there's been some colorful language!

(scene change)

Dismissive Fellow: To hells with your father! You shouldn't need his permission just to leave the godsdamned house!

Well-mannered Woman: Please, mind your language! What would Father say if he were to hear you?

Dismissive Fellow: Ugh, it's always “Father this, Father that” with you! I'm sick of it! You're your own woman now─bloody act like one for a change!

Wayward Hecteye: 
Colorful language, yes? Not from the girl, though. Oh no, she appears to be quite well bred.
I just hope she's happier than a girl I knew long, long ago...

((Beginning of Cutscene #3 for this quest within the Unending Journey))

Wayward Hecteye: 
That girl was born into a family of thugs who suddenly found themselves nobility.
She was raised as a noblewoman, and had servants tending to her every need. But in the end, she was merely a beautiful bird kept in a gilded cage.
Wanting her to be a proper lady, her parents presided over all aspects of her life. They decided everything for her, telling her what to say and do.
Chafing from the fetters of her restrictive life, she solicited her handmaiden's aid and stole outside the manor, where she enjoyed a moment of bliss unbeknownst to her parents. Or so she thought...
It was not long before her father dragged her back to her room, barring the door and windows, denying her even the simple pleasure of an afternoon breeze.
Even a bird in a cage may chirp freely, but she wasn't even suffered to give voice to her desires.

(Scene change)
Dutiful Daughter: You're late. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come.

Overbearing Father: If you're expecting your friends, I'm afraid they're not coming.

Dutiful Daughter: F-Father!? How did you─? What do you mean...they're not coming?

Overbearing Father: I had known that some miscreants were cavorting in these parts, but to think that they'd dare try to consort with my daughter... Well, you needn't worry about them anymore. They're food for the fishes now.

Dutiful Daughter: <gasp> How could you do this, Father!? Why must you torment me so!?

Overbearing Father: 
Know your place, girl! You are a means for our family to gain influence, and I won't have you sullying yourself with riffraff!
You will not leave your chambers save with my permission, nor will you disobey me again. If you do so, there will be severe consequences. Am I understood?
I said, am I understood!?

Dutiful Daughter: ...To hell.

Overbearing Father: What did you say?

Dutiful Daughter: I said, go to hell!

Overbearing Father: Aaarrrgggh!

(scene change)

Dutiful Daughter: 
Oh, to think that it could be so exhilarating to speak my mind! To do as I please!
No more living in a cage. From this moment on, I am free! Free as the wind!

(scene freeze)

Wayward Hecteye: 
The young woman struck out on her own, and in her travels discovered her true calling─not in the halls of lords and ladies, but on the battlefield.
She became a force of nature, famed for her striking beauty which belied a terrible savagery.
And with this new life she also claimed a new name─Barbariccia.

(scene end)

Wayward Hecteye: 
Indeed, she found her freedom, but did she also find happiness, I wonder...?
I suppose I'll never know. Nor does it matter, for the world that once was is no more.
Oh, but goodness me. I had better rejoin the others.

Hecteye near the Airship Landing

Wayward Hecteye: 
Ah, what a refreshing breeze.
I'm to return to the others? Bah, they should come here!
Would you look at this beautiful, boundless sky? Mortals take to the air from here, do they not? Would that I had wings to soar among the clouds myself...
But we voidsent are not wont to roam, you see. The mightiest among us carve out domains, while the rest labor to stay in their good graces.
Now, the master of a domain seldom ventures outside, for it is in one's territory that one is strongest.
For some, however, such confinement proved trying. As was the case for a certain voidsent I knew.

(Beginning of Cutscene #4 for this quest within the Unending Journey)

Wayward Hecteye: 
I speak of the free-spirited terror, Barbariccia. When she first established her domain, she whiled away the days waiting for her minions to bring her prey.
The aether amassed from these offerings was devoted to the singular pleasure of caring for her silky, flowing locks. But the resources of her domain were not without their limits.
It was only when none remained to oppose her that she realized: she was a prisoner in her own domain. And unless she broke free, she would inevitably wither away, alone.
Not knowing what to do, she had fallen into the depths of despair...when the hand of salvation came to pull her out.

(Scene change)

Barbariccia: At this rate, my precious hair will frazzle and fray. Had I only the strength to leave my domain...

Knight in Black: If strength is your desire, that is easily granted.

Barbariccia: 
Who are you!?
Ahhh! So much power, surging through me!

Knight in Black: And what will you do with it? What is it you desire?

Barbariccia: What I desire... What I desire is...

Knight in Black: You would move your very domain? Impressive.

Barbariccia: That I can do such a thing... What have you done to me?

Knight in Black: I granted you aether, nothing more. It was your will that made it possible.

Barbariccia: My will...

Knight in Black: Even so, no matter where you should go, there is naught but Darkness. What could your destination possibly be?

Barbariccia: Destination? I have no need of such. I wish but to be free, like the wind.

(scene freeze)

Wayward Hecteye: 
In a world that has met its end, rare indeed is the soul who desires freedom so ardently that she could will her very domain to move.
Recognizing this quality, the knight would grant her more power─and a place of command in his mighty army.

(scene change)

Wayward Hecteye: 
A story worthy of our bargain, I trust. I might've had more to tell had I not fallen off her domain.
It seems you mortals also have a fondness for flying. I'd certainly like to try riding one of these airships of yours...
But perhaps another time. My other selves will be a blubbering mess if I don't hurry and rejoin them.

After finding all four Hecteye

System:You have found the last of the voidsent. Time to head back to the Hall of the Radiant Host.

If spoken to before speaking to the Sullen-eyed Voidsent:

Radiant Scout: The voidsent are all present and accounted for. So long as they remain here, we needn't worry about panic among the townsfolk.

Upon speaking to the Sullen-eyed voidsent:

(Scene change)

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
Thank you so much for finding me.
I hope the knowledge I had to share was worthy of our agreement.

Player response options: Choice 1: More than worthy, I'd say. They told me of Scarmiglione and Barbariccia. Choice 2: How did you come to know the archfiends?

This choice has no impact on dialogue afterwards.

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
My other selves lived quite disparate lives both as mortals and voidsent. Though I suppose it is rather fortuitous that they crossed paths with such powerful voidsent.
But more importantly, what they could offer was worthy of our bargain. For that, I am glad.
All that remains now is for us to rejoin and become whole again.

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
...Huh? Is...is this not all of me?
There can be no other explanation. There is still more of me lost out there somewhere.
But I don't sense them. Where could they have gone?

Radiant Scout: 
You mean there's more of them wandering about!? By the Sisters...
<sigh> At the very least, if what you say is true, they pose no threat to the people.
Until the others can be found, we will keep these five under our care.

Sullen-eyed Voidsent: 
Should I sense the others nearby, I hope we can count on you to find them too.