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Hello everyone and welcome back! Today's update starts an arc I've been dreading since I first resolved to do this LP. I've made oblique and direct references to it for the past 47 updates, and here today we're finally here.
I'm going to warn you right now. This arc still, to this day, pisses me off. We'll see just why as we get into things, but it's a huge waste of time that the game openly acknowledges as being one. Minus the MRD class quest updates, the next several are going to be full of some very angry words from me.
The actual arc itself is brisk. Over 85% of it was done within an hour! But it's just the way things are presented that makes it a nightmare.
The Maelstrom requests our assistance.
Concerning the kobolds they sent such copious notes on, I presume?
Yes, and no. It has more to do with their findings, which portend a peril far greater than any beast tribe.
What sort of peril?
The worst kind. A tribe of kobolds in the vicinity of Limsa Lominsa has reawakened Titan.
Our task will be to slay the primal. The Maelstrom have sworn support for the endeavor. They are no strangers to the havoc kobolds can wreak.
Ginger does not stand out from the crowd in her tanking set.
Years before the Grand Company's reformation, two primals, Leviathan and Titan, chanced to converge upon the seawall, wreaking untold devastation. There, by the grace of the Navigator, were the mercenaries Merlwyb hired able to fend them off. Yet it did not take long for the beast tribes to regroup, and they summoned their primals once more.
This arc, if you couldn't guess, means we're gonna be working with Y'shtola. Don't you worry any, she's not going to let something minor like "a powerful primal" get in the way of doing what all non-Ginger scions do: fuck and all.
Thankfully, their second coming was decidedly short-lived-but that is beside the point. So long as tormented souls will them to exist, the realm will never be rid of primals.
The Maelstrom has kept a watchful eye upon the beast tribes-and the kobolds in particular-ever since. Which brings us to the matter at hand.
Unlike Ifrit, we know scarcely anything of Titan. Unfortunately, the only force known to have bested him--the modestly named "Company of Heroes"--disbanded five years since, and mercenaries are not in the habit of keeping chronicles.
The Maelstrom's help is of course appreciated, but even if we had their whole armada at our disposal, we could still find ourselves overmatched. A pity the kobolds lack the gentle sensibilities of the sylphs. A peaceful resolution would be more than welcome. The Echo will not avail you this time, I fear. If you are to survive, your steel must needs speak for you. No one would think you a coward were you to decline.
So you will accept?
*nods*
Thank you.
We can't very well send her to Limsa Lominsa without Y'shtola, can we, Minfilia?
May I ask that of you, Y'shtola?
I never thought it in question.
Ever reliable. Very well. We will spare no effort to win victory. You may count on the full support of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. And all not afield will aid the fight from afar.
Thancred, Yda, go to the Grand Companies. Tell them of our plight and solicit their support. Urianger, send word to the Students of Baldesion--and Alphinaud, if you would.
Papalymo, compile all the information we have on Titan, little though it may be.
(to Ginger) You'll be apprised of the tactical situation when you reach the Sailors Ward. Provision yourself for the journey. May you walk in the light of the Crystal.
Now that the quest has started, the storeroom Scions all have new dialogue. This marks the first dialogue change since the end of the Sylph arc, so let's go see what everyone has to say!
"No matter one's past transgressions, all who have seen the dream are welcome." Even men such as we. I have heard offers such as these before. All were naught more than bait for the hangman's noose.
Dariustel isn't gonna be sticking around after this arc, so no point in making him a portrait!
Looks like the Antecedent's found herself a good crop of aspirin' heroes. Aye, I reckon Eorzea'll be alright for as long as these fine folk are around to protect her.
Bremondt hasn't found his brothers yet. A pity.
I am told you are one of our finest, Ginger. I suspect we will see much more of each other in future
No, there's no word omitted there. Clive really says "in future." At least he's warmed up to us some.
As the primals fall, so do our spirits soar. Though mine aid be but modest, I nonetheless am heartened in my duties.
I don't want to believe that Master Garlond is dead, but the chief wasn't the type to cut and run off. He would've gone to Carteneau. He would've been there when Dalamud fell. Which means...
If there's anything we can do to help, no matter how small, just ask. Broken carriage axle, cracked barrel--hells, even a leaky bucket. Say the word and we'll fix it.
Ginger, have you heard? I have been chosen to serve as Noraxia's bodyguard. There have been increasing reports of imperial activity in Thanalan, and so the Antecedent insists that our gueste be escorted whenever venturing outside. I know how hard you of all people worked to endear us to the sylphs. I swear to you that I will guard our honored guest with my life, and not allow your efforts to come to naught.
Guarding Noraxia is a prestigious duty indeed. Arenvald is right to be excited. (But he has never crossesd swords with a Garlean before. I worry what will happen if he is forced to confront his father's countrymen.)
Congratulate the boy, Ginger! Chosen by the Antecedent as the sylph's bodyguard! What an honor! ('Course this means his dusty rags'll no longer suffice. I say we get the boy a shiny new suit of silver armor, the kind the Sultansworn wear. We split the cost evenly and surprise him. Not bad, eh?)
Arenvald is moving up in the world, and his friends are right there with him being supportive! Also if offered, Ginger would totally chip in for a nice new set of duds for Arenvald.
With this many people here, we need a culinarian of our own. We can't subsist on rations and preserved foodstuffs forever.
And... it was here while writing this that I realized I didn't talk to Una Tayuun and Liavinne. A normal person when they did this would have just said "oh I forgot" and moved on. Me? I really want to show off this dialogue.
A Realm Reborn got added to New Game+ a couple patches back. So it was effortless to find the correct chapter and play forward. Yes, I actually went and replayed a chunk of the game just to get two lines of dialogue. It wasn't very much, thankfully. The closest New Game+ chapter started at the beginning of the Ascian arc.
The nameless catgirl snacking on some bread next to Bren, by the way, is Tajih Mewrilah and she's a repair vendor. The more you know! 
The Waking Sands sure is busy these days. Fresh-faced 'venturers eager t' make their mark, famous folk like you runnin' off t' face the bleedin' Lord o' Crags. Maybe it's time for me an' the boys to retire. 'Venturin's a dangerous callin', after all--be a little slow, be a little late, just once, an' that's that.
You'll not believe it, but I've been summoned by Lady Minfilia! Do you suppose that she has an assignment for me? What I would not give to have something to fight for again! And yet, I must not be overeager...
Unironically worth the time I spent doing it.
Yda is on her way to Gridania to request aid of the Order of the Twin Adder. In the meantime, we must learn all we can of the primal Titan. Literature ma yield us the odd morsel of information, but there is no surer way than to seek the former members of the Comapny of Heroes.
Noraxia has no pants.
This one has finally figured out a way to make walking ones be quiet. What does friendly one think? This one is very convincing, yes?
Tataru is criminally underused early on. This is all she says for a long time and it sucks.
Back here again. This is where the ROG quests ended last time.
Across the bridge on the opposite side of that platform is the headquarters for the Maelstrom grand company.
R'ashaht Rhiki is the catgirl that's basically in charge of the maelstrom's day to day operations. She's the equivalent of Vorsaile or whoever Ginger's commander in the Flames is.
Hail, adventurer, and welcome to Maelstrom Command. If you wish to know more about enlisting, speak with the personnel officer. Unless...you are the guest we were told to expect? Ah...ha. Ahem. Forgive me, madam.
To business, then. It is as we told the Antecedent. The kobolds have once again summoned Titan. A little over a moon ago, we began to observe the beastmen moving south in increasing numbers from O'Ghomoro. Our scouts subsequently confirmed the object of their aggression--
Crystals. Fodder for their fell primal. Thank you, High Commander. You may leave the rest to me. Word has spread of your accomplishments, Ginger. On behalf of Limsa Lominsa, I thank you for heeding our call.
Merlwyb probably heard how Ginger was involved in sparing her life from that huge bomb. Not much goes on in the city that she doesn't know about.
Forgive the lack of forewarning, High Commander. The Admiral wished to address Ginger personally.
We are no strangers to conflict. Long have the Sahagin and the kobolds plagued our people-nor is this the first time we have had to address a primal threat. In the past, when Titan rose to threaten the peace, it was to the Company of Heroes we turned.
But they are long disbanded, and we must look to other brave souls blessed with the strength to face this foe. So it is that we turn now to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, confident in the belief that you are Limsa's best hope.
I hope you are right. Yet the situation is far from simple. The kobolds are not prone to unprovoked aggression. Did not the thalassocracy make a pact with the beastmen that each would keep to their own lands, and that no blood would be shed?
...And was it not the Lominsans who violated this agreement, dissatisfied with their lot? Shall we then condemn the beastmen for defending their homes? Even a pirate must one day reap what she has sown.
I would advise you to choose your words with greater care, Lady Y'shtola!
Stand down, High Commander. She has the right of it. And the wrong is mine. Freely do I claim it. Yet it makes little difference. Remorse will not shield us from Titan's wrath. ...Or would you have us fall upon our swords?
Y'shtola wants to get in a sick burn on the Limsans, but Merlwyb has the right of it. Asking people to die to lay down and submit to Titan for execution would accomplish nothing. Summoning a God is something of a last resort. It's the option someone takes when they have no other options.
Y'shtola doesn't seem remorseful for suggesting it for what it's worth.
Already, we have observed disruptions in the flow of aether further inland. The effects will be felt here in the city ere long. I ask much of you, I know, but the need is great. Can I count on your help, Ginger?
*nods*
You have my thanks, along with the full support of the Maelstrom. I await good tidings.
Exeunt Merlwyb.
That the kobolds should summon Titan demonstrates they are no longer amenable to negotiation. This being the case, we must needs prepare for conflict. Before we meet Titan in the field, however, it would be wise to learn all we can of our foe. And I can think of no better source of information than the mercenaries who defeated him once before.
The Company of Heroes may be no more, but several of its former members still live. It is said that one of them is employed at the Grey Fleet mills in lower La Noscea.
Quite why a mercenary should choose to become a miller, I do not know. When you find him, mayhap you could ask him for me. I, meanwhile, shall seek his fellows.
It stops showing up eventually, but "must needs" is a phrase that I'm sure you all are getting increasingly tired of seeing. I know I'm tired of reading it. It's so archaic and actually artifically inflates the word count. And any attempt to make a counter for the amount of times it's said would just overflow and explode any cutscene featuring Minfilia.
Also Y'shtola is lying here. She will show up with the quest NPC because her contributions for part of the arc is offering "color commentary" in the form of snark. The rest of the time she fucks off into the aether. I'm not sure which is worse.
The Grey Fleet, like suggested, is a bunch of mills. Our contact works inside the main building.
I imagined that a warrior who has toppled both Titan and Leviathan would seek to bask in a lifetime of fame and glory... yet he seems to have settled in a place directly bereft of adoring crowds.
I made a special portrait for this person. I think it really does a good job summing him up from the word "go."
Lay down yer burdens, son,?
Come drain a pint with me,?
We'll have a grand ol' time,?
Find ye a lass or three...?
Ye gonna say somethin', 'venturer, or just keep starin'? Eh? Ye want to know about the Company of Heroes? Ahhh hells... Price of bleedin' fame... Can't a miller mill in peace no more!? Still, seein' as ye've come all this way, I s'pose it wouldn't hurt to oblige ye. Consider yerself lucky, lass--ol' Trachtoum was the Company's best axeman. Now, what was it ye wanted to know?
Seems mean, right? Just you wait.
Let me guess: ye mean that bastard Tidus, aye? Oh, if only ye'd been there to see it! 'Twas a mighty struggle, like the legends of old! Me an' the boys fought him for three days an' nights, we did! The ground trembled with every step Tidus took, an' when he hit ye, girl, it felt like a cannonball to the gut. Uggghhh! Just like that!
He's so full of shit that Ginger, the most credulous woman on Eorzea, isn't buying it.
Oi, what's that look for? I'm a godsdamned hero, I'll have you know! The people 'round here sing me praises! Don't tell me ye only care about learnin' the secret tactics we used to beat ol' Tidus... Hmph! Well, too bad, 'cause now I'm not feelin' charitable. If yer so damn desperate, then why don't ye do me a favor an' kill those rats that've made a nest by the windmill just south of here? Aye, do that, then we'll talk!
I thought about cutting this out because it's a kill quest. But I want you all to hate this arc as much as I do. Bear in mind as we do all this bullshit, this is the stuff they felt was worth keeping.
It's just a bunch of rats that pop out and ambush you.
And then a bigger rat pops out.
Eh? So the beasties are dead, are they? Nice work, 'venturer! Saved me the hassle of--ah, never mind.
...What? Ye still askin' about how we beat Tidus? I dunno, 'venturer...it was a pretty risky strategy, the kind only a veteran of ten score battles could rely upon. I want to teach ye, I truly do! But unless ye prove ye have what it takes to face that fat bastard, I can't in good conscience tell you a damn thing! At the very least, ye'd need to be capable of slayin', say, a goobbue...
Come to think of it, that ain't a bad idea. Them creatures have a taste for the flour milled here, so ye ought to have no trouble findin' one in the vicinity. 'Course, I ain't askin' ye to cut one down quick as a skilled axeman like meself! Anyroad, why don't ye try headin' due west an' standin' lookout 'case a goobbue comes callin'? Slay it, an' I might consider tellin' ye more about ol' Tidus.
Ginger is very obviously being taken advantage of. This guy is using her to do his chores here at the mills and he's doing it under the guise of pretending to think about possibly maybe someday telling her information about Tidus. Not Titan. Tidus.
I said it in the chat over there, but allow me to restate it here: the Titan arc starts as it means to go on. This isn't just Trachtoum being a jackass. No, this is the arc's entire central fucking thesis point. Y'shtola and Ginger both know he's a bullshit artist. Y'shtola won't speak up about it because she's a Scion lazy fucking useless a useless, lazy Scion. Ginger is either too mute or too nice to speak up. And so she gets taken advantage of because of it.
This first section isn't even the worst of it. No, that comes later.
Eh? You again? Then that goobbue that was harassin' the millers is dead? Didn't think ye had it in ye, 'venturer. Still, you took forever an' a day to get the job done. I'm still not sure if I should tell you our secrets...
So, uh...as I was sayin', I still don't know if ye've got what it takes to face Tidus. Maybe if ye slew a--
Trachtoum? You in here drinking again? If you are, that goobbue had better be dead!
Oh, it's dead, chief, ye have me word on that! Cleaved the beast's skull in two with me trusty axe, I did!
Is that a fact? And what will your friend here say if I ask her?
Sh-She'll vouch for me, of course! Ain't that right...friend?
Tell me true: was it Trachtoum who slew that goobbue...or was it you?
Chief! Wh-What are ye sayin'!? It's me, Trachtoum, the finest axeman ever to serve in the Company of Heroes, the legendary mercenaries who slew that bastard Tidus!
This NPC is my favorite person in Eorzea.
That's the biggest load of Sahagin shite I've ever heard. Both of you, outside! We'll learn the truth the Lominsan way! Trachtoum--if you didn't slay that goobbue, you may consider your contract revoked!
All right--ye know the rules! First one to smash their boulder will be judged the goobbue slayer! An' don't even think about tryin' to kill me! That's cheatin'!
Who picked these boulders!? They're nothing alike! Ah, the hells with it--let the contest begin!
The miller knows we killed the goobbue, and so this is just a way to expose Trachtoum. Also a special "nice" for having to work that much harder than the lying, conniving piece of shit.
It's something we'll see in the next couple of updates, but Ginger cut her teeth on cleaving boulders with an axe. That's, like, the friggin' foundational cornerstone of Marauder training. Trachtoum is some moron with an axe. Ginger is trained to do this sort of thing. It goes how you might imagine.
And, yes, Trachtoum cheats.
How ye doin', lass? Feelin' a bit stiff, by any chance? Heh heh...only killin's against the rules!
He's so wound up in trying to stymie our progress, that he's making none of his own. Meanwhile we can dance around his swings and keep attacking.
Y-Yer still at it!? Bugger me-'tis lucky I've got one of these!
And then he tries to set a bomb to blow his up.
Trachtoum barely dented his rock when all was said and done.
Save your blubbering, Trachtoum. <sigh> Gods, I should've known...
Mercy, please! I didn't want to deceive ye, I swear! It's just that I kept gettin' turned away by all the folk I asked for work, an' I panicked! See, the last job I had was at Costa del Sol, an' there was this grizzled marauder everyone treated like royalty. When I heard he was a captain in the Company of Heroes, I finally understood why.
I-I wasn't bein' serious when I said I was one of 'em! But ye went an' believed me, so I...so I, er... L-Look-his name was Wheiskaet, all right!? Wheiskaet! He'll tell ye how to defeat Titus or whatever the hells that thing's name is! That's what ye wanted, ain't it!? So come on, then! Tell the chief to forgive me! It's only fair!
Trachtoum does not get fired from his job. He willl, in fact, show up dozens of hours and updates from now to dispense information on another primal. 
Wheiskaet is over in Costa del Sol, on the central platform. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you all to meet this arc's primary antagonist. Titan is just the boss of the arc, but Wheiskaet is the main villain. Why? Because the Titan arc started as it means to go on. So 99% of the rest of the arc is going to be dealing with his bullshit.
Pardon? You wish to slay the Lord of Crags?
I have zero respect for this arc. So Whiskey Cat gets the strawman portrait because I hate him that fucking much.
We must slay him, Captain. The people of Limsa Lominsa are depending upon us.
Hmph. You fancy yourselves heroes, then--just like in the tales?
Be not so quick to judge. Long have I labored for the well-being of you and yours. And my associate here has bathed in Ifrit's hellfire and lived. She is blessed with a power that protects her from primal influence. Thus was she able to lay low the Lord of the Inferno. We know full well the risks, and have taken every possible precaution. We lack only the knowledge of how to enter Titan's lair. Pray be so good as to grant us the boon of your wisdom, and we shall be on our way.
A woman who can't be tempered? Useful...but it will not be enough.
It is true that the Company of Heroes fought and felled primals-but each victory was bought with the lifeblood of brave men and women. And Titan was the worst we faced. Aye, we defeated him--in the end--but he took from us some of our very best. Even if you possess the power you claim, I have no reason to believe you will succeed.
Believe what you will. We mean to try. Though our lives be forfeit, we will not abandon Limsa to the wrath of Titan.
You are passionate, I'll grant you that... And you deserved better than the greeting I gave you. But I will not send you into O'Ghomoro on a whim. To be plain, I do not wish to see you give your lives in vain. At the very least, I must have assurances that you are more than common adventurers. I oversee security for Master Gegeruju's estates. Perhaps you can demonstrate your abilities by attending to one of our--
Miqo'te have expressive tails.
Do you imagine words can sway me, girl? If you dislike my conditions, then you are welcome to find your own way into O'Ghomoro.
<sigh> Though it pains me to admit it, I fear we have no choice but to acquiesce to the man's demands. Yet much remains to be done if we are to best Titan. Forgive me, but I must ask you to undertake this task alone. I will use the time to see to the remaining preparations.
Leaving the dirty work to others, are we? Heh, very well.
Pray do whatever the good captain bids...however trifling. Remember: the fate of Limsa Lominsa hangs in the balance.
I want to point out that this could be entirely bypassed by going back to Limsa to ask Merlwyb for help. I'm sure she would be none too pleased to learn that Ginger can't slay Titan because a former hero wants to wield his small measure of petty power against someone has over a barrel.
Master Gegeruju's requests can be more demanding than you realize. Before I set you to your true task, I would like to verify that this won't be a waste of my time. A nix has recently been seen prowling the beach to the east. As you can imagine, my master does not want large slimy creatures anywhere near his lands. The beast is cunning, but you should have no difficulty luring it out with herring. Slay the nix and return to me. Oh, and don't forget to bring me a leg as proof of the kill.
"Before I send you out on a test of resolve, here's a test of resolve. I want to be sure you're worth my obviously valuable time. Nevermind the fact that I'm, again, using you to do chores I've been assigned."
I don't even have anything to say. It would just be more complaining, and I know that's tiring to read. I am trying to get across a point, however. Namely that this is the absolute lowest point of A Realm Reborn. To make matters even worse, before they made the first expansion free, the free trial used to end after this hot garbage.
Well? Did you deal with the nix?
*hands over frog leg*
Lest you think me overly cautious for testing you in this way, you should know that we had an incident not long ago. A foolish young employee was dismissed for lying about his past. He claimed to have served in the Company of Heroes, but I knew for a fact he did not. Anyway, now that the pointless busywork is finished, I shall give you a challenge as befits your talents.
I just have no words. This, need I remind you all, is the stuff that was left in the game. A literal fucking "pointless busywork" quest because "lmao Trachtoum is a liar."
The good news is that after this arc is done, you all will have seen the worst of it. So I won't be nearly this angry again. The other good news? The Titan arc is not continuing next time.
NEXT TIME: Now that we've got our first taste of the Titan arc, I'm going to take some time away to do the MRD quests.
The bad news? The Titan arc will continue after the MRD quests are done. 