Shadows of the First
Shadows of the First
- Quest giver
- Alphinaud
- Location
- Fortemps Manor (X:6, Y:6)
- Quest line
- Post-Heavensward
- Level
- 60
- Experience
5,000- Gil
5,000- Previous quest
Promises Kept- Next quest
- Two Sides of a Coin
- Patch
- 3.4
Main Scenario Progress: 362 / 960 (37.7%)
Heavensward Progress: 121 / 138 (87.7%)
“As Alphinaud and many others know all too well, there is no rest for the righteous.
— In-game description
Rewards
- Unlocks
Steps
- Speak with Alphinaud at Camp Dragonhead.
- Speak with the steadfast knight.
- Enter Xelphatol.
- Speak with Alphinaud.
Journal
- Regardless of whether or not the Warriors of Darkness intend to kill Garuda, the fact remains that a primal summoning cannot be ignored, and should be prevented if at all possible. After some discussion, it is decided that you and Alphinaud will enter the Ixali homeland of Xelphatol by means of a mountain pass east of Camp Dragonhead. To see you to your destination with all haste, Lord Edmont will order a contingent of knights to secure the entrance and escort you as far as they are able. With the details settled, Alphinaud invites you to accompany him to Camp Dragonhead, where you may procure any additional supplies prior to departing for Xelphatol.
- In Camp Dragonhead, you are informed that the House Fortemps knights took the initiative to launch an attack on the Ixali forces guarding the entrance to the mountain pass, rendering it safe well in advance of your arrival. The enemy's gate lies open, and you and Alphinaud need only walk through.
- The knights salute as you approach and state that their scouts have observed increased activity around the First Mountain. Predicting heavy resistance, Alphinaud proposes that he and the knights feign a frontal assault, thereby drawing the defenders' attention so that you -- and any veteran colleagues you may wish to call upon -- can slip past their defenses and search for the site of the summoning ritual. If the gods are good, you will only have to deal with some few patrols, but if not, you may be forced to do battle with the Warriors of Darkness once more...
- ※Challenge Xelphatol 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.
- In the shadow of the First Mountain, you confront the Ixali occultist overseeing the summoning ritual, and in a pitched battle manage to lay him low. Having put an end to the beastmen's ambitions, you prepare to return to Coerthas.
- Alphinaud rushes to your side, ready to fight, unaware that the threat has passed. You duly inform him that your work is done, but before you can make good your escape, you find yourselves face to face with the Warriors of Darkness. Rather than engaging you in battle a second time, their leader proceeds to set out their reason for consorting with the Ascians.
- He claims that he and his comrades hail from another world -- a reflection of the Source -- in which the power of Light is far greater than that of Dark. There, they easily bested their Ascian counterparts, only to discover that they had upset the primordial balance in so doing, triggering a flood of Light which now threatens to consume all that they sought to protect. If nothing is done, their world will soon give way to a void... as did the Thirteenth Reflection, when the Dark rose up unopposed. And so, to prevent this fate, they joined hands with the Ascians and came to the Source. Here, they intend to bring about another Umbral Calamity, for only through such unbridled destruction may the barriers between planes be broken down, and the First Reflection and the Source made one.
- Incredulous, Alphinaud demands further answers, but the Warrior of Darkness will say no more, declaring in parting that he and his comrades will do whatever it takes to see your worlds rejoined.
- To what ends must we labor for the sake of those we love? Is there any cause so noble that it may be used to justify any deed? Though he is shaken by their words, Alphinaud's resolve remains firm. Regardless of their reasons, the Warriors of Darkness cannot be allowed to achieve their goals. The sacrifice, the loss -- it ends here.
Dialogue
Speak with Alphinaud
Alphinaud: So the Warriors of Darkness and the Ascians are conspiring to bring about Garuda's summoning, that they might put her to the sword... Then when we first encountered them in Loth ast Gnath... when they were confronting Ravana... Gods, has this been their aim all along? Count Edmont De Fortemps: what do you intend to do, Master Alphinaud? Alphinaud: There is much and more I do not understand, but I know this: a primal summoning cannot be ignored. Alisaie risked her life to uncover this plot, and we squander her gift at our peril. Small, will you accompany me to Xelphatol and help me stop the Ixal's ritual? Aymeric: Given that Ishgard shares a border with the Ixali homeland, we have a vested interest in the outcome of this ritual. We have been willing to suffer the beastmen's intrusions into Coerthan lands to a point, but the summoning of a primal is an escalation we cannot abide. You shall have our fastest airship, Master Alphinaud. The mountains of Xelphatol are not easily traversed, and this endeavor demands all haste. Alphinaud: The gesture is most appreciated, Ser Aymeric - but I fear an aerial approach is destined to fail. This is their homeland, after all, and Ixali dirigibles are not to be underestimated. No, experience tells me the only conceivable approach is by land. I believe it would be wiser to cross into Xelphatol by way of the mountain pass east of Camp Dragonhead. Count Edmont De Fortemps: In that case, I shall send instructions for a contingent of the camp's knights to be placed at your disposal. They will secure you safe passage through the mountains, and escort you thence to Xelphatol. Though my men are unqualified to confront a primal, they are more than capable of contending with the Ixal. Alphinaud: We should be glad of their assistance, Lord Edmont. In the event Mistress Alisaie regains consciousness, we will share with you any additional information she may provide. May the Fury watch over you and keep you safe. Then let us be off. We can procure any additional supplies we require in Camp Dragonhead.