Toggle Background Color
Hello everyone and welcome back. We join Ginger today at the THM guild. She was here a very, very long time ago, back at the start of this LP, nearly 70 updates ago.
So I wouldn't blame you if you don't remember any of this. So let's have a quick primer on what you need to know. I'm going to copy this all from the Dramatis Personae update that you should not read until the end of this LP because it has unmarked spoilers.
Thaumaturge Class Characters
Cocobuki - Head of the Thaumaturge's guild. Kind of an asshole who is willing to throw anyone nearby under the bus when he's trying to save face.
Cocobani, Cocobezi, Cocoboha, Cocobygo - Four of Cocobuki's brothers. They train new admittants to the Thaumaturge's guild.
Cocobusi - The last Coco brother. He desperately wants to be a thaumaturge, but his aether is so weak that if he cast a single spell, then he would die instantly.
Cocobusi does that anime thing I can't stand where characters have some dramatic outburst and then immediately run off so they can feel bad about themselves. That sort of shit is all over this game, and it never stops galling.
Cocobani asks us a dumb question, so we give him an equally dumb answer.
The most notable happening is the Cocos had Ginger investigate an overturned cart to find bottles of ether in the level 10 quest. That, I'm pretty sure, is as far as old Ginger ever got in the THM quests. So now let's pick up with the end of the level 10 quest!
I covered this before in Update 11, but this is as good a pick-up spot as any.
Do I detect the scent of ether? And I trust that stench is Amalj'aa blood...
Probably not much blood. I set the amalj'aa on fire and burnt them but good.
Oho! Ten vials...twenty...thirty! The sight of so much ether is just so very comforting.
What have we here, Cocobani? Is this the crate that was stolen? I see Ginger's lessons have had the desired effect. Hm hm hm. I will assume the vile, viscous liquid you have there is beastman blood. Cocobusi should be pleased...
Cocobuki! You left word for me to visit the Ossuary. Have you finally decided to begin my training in thaumaturgy?
Ah, Cocobusi! Good of you to come! Ginger here was kind enough to obtain a supply of Amalj'aa blood for you. An alchemist acquaintance of mine explained how you had been using the substance in your research to create a mana-amplifying elixir. Naturally, we are most interested in the results of such experiments! So you see, Busi, your work as an alchemist already puts you in a position to work alongside us. You needn't become a thaumaturge to be part of our family!
That's right, Busi. Besides, the battlefield is a dangerous place, and our skills are not exactly suited to keeping others safe from harm...
...I see. This is but another attempt to dissuade me from pursuing my true calling. I do not want to cheer you on from the safety of my workbench. I want to fight at your side!
B-Busi! We just cannot stand the thought of you being harmed! Pray do not do anything foolish! <sigh> ...I do apologize, brother. I sometimes forget how difficult it must be not having a natural aptitude for the arcane arts.
As I mentioned before, Ginger, Cocobusi is dangerously unsuited to the wielding of thaumaturgy. Even with the proper training, he would be unable to cast magicks as we can. Were he to attempt to force a manifestation of power, the strain on his aetheric reserves would likely kill him. But let us not dwell on this unpleasant circumstance. For you, on the other hand, are brimming with thaumaturgic potential! Remain diligent in your studies, and do not cease in your efforts to expand your wellspring of power!
Cocobuki is an asshole, but it doesn't make him any less correct. I get Cocobusi wanting to study thaumaturgy like his brothers, but what part of "casting a spell will literally kill you" does he not get?
The THM quests are all pretty short, so my plan here is to split them and the BLM quests into a few updates and then continue on with the postgame. We'll see how long the update is after we finish the first two.
Come, Ginger, the yawning abyss beckons once more. Today, Cocobezi will instruct you from the chapter entitled, "The Threat of Superiority."
You are come for your lesson, Ginger? Then heed well my words... "The Threat of Superiority. Ah, how magnificent the intimidating power we wield. Flames sear the air, ice frosts the ground, and lightning flashes with blinding incandescence.
"But not all are cowed by our elemental fury. Ignite not your flames, summon not your ice, and strike not with your lightning. Know you this threat, and stay your hand against such foes." Once you cut away all the overblown imagery, the passage draws attention to an important tactic: a wise thaumaturge does not engage in battle against opponents she cannot defeat.
A fine example would be avoiding conflict with Ul'dah's multitude of furious merchants. These soulless, ravening creatures are afflicted with the madness of insatiable avarice.
Do you perhaps recall the crate of ether you retrieved from the Amalj'aa bandits? Well, a number of irate peddlers have arrived at the guild with the gall to demand recompense for the few measly vials we emptied as our just reward. ...Alright, yes, we drank the entire bloody box. But the point is that the guild cannot presently afford to pay such a sum. Thus, I pass on to you the secret of my last and most potent defense:
Shameless weeping.
I'm not speaking of a few tears here-I want you to stride right up to these tyrannical traders and cry your eyes out.
Hey! You ether-swilling miscreant! Where's the gil you owe me!?
*eyes water* I-I... I'm s-s...
I... Alright, alright, miss! I know you're the one who chased down those Amalj'aa brutes for us. I'll let it go this one time. For your sake.
Thaumaturge! What manner of guild are you running here!? Do you simply loot and pillage the goods of fine, upstanding citizens as you see fit!?
*lip trimbles, breath catches in her throat. also lots of sniffling*
It's not that- Oh dear, I'm not angry at you, you understand. It's those five, ether-addled brothers I take issue with. You tell them the next time this happens, I'll have the price taken out of their unprincipled hides!
Ye ought to be ashamed of yerself! Did yer mother never teach ye that a merchant's to be paid for his wares!?
*full on ugly crying, with lots of wailing*
Well, y-ye needn't cry about a few vials of ether, lass. I'll tell ye what: ye dry yer eyes for me, an' I'll take care o' the loss out o' me own purse.
*with tearstained cheeks and eyes still wet, red, and puffy* 
A masterful performance, Ginger. The sniffling was a nice touch. You will, however, encounter foes who are unmoved by such piteous wailings. Take this recent request, for instance, which I have nominated to serve as your next trial...
A team of scholars has asked for a thaumaturge to destroy a cursed relic they unearthed known as "Mormo's urn." While pottery is, by and large, immune to tears, it is the Alacran thieves that subsequently stole it that concern me.
The Alacran are an organization of criminals not normally known for their gentle or understanding dispositions. Rather than attempting to engage an entire gang of their thugs, I would suggest you neutralize the threat to your person with a well-timed Sleep spell. The Alacran have been seen traveling in the southeast of Drybone. Find them, and destroy the urn they carry.
That unlock message last time wasn't a lie either. Ginger can take off into the air on her motorbike and fly around. It makes questing so much faster you guys. Flight also automatically goes at the fastest possible speed you have unlocked. Coincidentally, so does the motorbike. So Ginger is rolling around at the speed of sound!
Got places to go, gotta fol~low my rain~bow~
It's a duty!
While Ginger could probably easily chew through the 542 HP this guy has, it's just easier to put him to sleep like she's a Tremere in a Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines replay.
Also this is probably the only use Sleep is ever going to get in this LP. So may as well demonstrate it now. It's a spell that exists! It will never again be useful for the rest of the game.
Past four of the jerks we find Mormo's Urn.
Ginger, a moment, if you please! Pray allow me to shatter that urn!
I... I thought that if I assisted you with your task, then my brothers might finally deign to take me seriously. So, I followed you.
Casting a spell will literally kill you. They're never going to train you.
What've we got here, then? A couple o' nosy sand rabbits that're about to get skinned!
Oh, dear gods! Where did they come from!?
And now magically the same guys we sneaked past before are level 15 and have less HP. So now we're supposed to kill them.
I'm gonna take this opportunity to discuss the way that THM/BLM plays. It's been a long time and so a refresher will be helpful. The short version is that there are two phases: Ice and Fire.
In the ice phase, MP regenerates extremely quickly. However, ice spells don't deal a lot of damage. So what you're supposed to do is hit Transpose to change ice to fire.
In fire phase, you don't regen mana at all. However, fire spells deal a lot of damage. So the gameplay loop is a pretty intuitive "exhaust MP in fire, Transpose, Build MP in ice." You also have a thunder spell that deals damage over time. So the optimal play as I understand it is to cast thunder in the ice phase, Transpose when you hit maximum, then burn it all away with fire spells. Then Transpose again back to ice and repeat the process.
Furthermore, there's a ticking timer when you're in the different phases. Regardless of which you're in, you have 15 seconds to cast Fire/Blizzard I (or III) in order to keep the timer going. If the timer expires, your damage plummets and you have to start over from the beginning. It's like a much less forgiving version of the way that MNK used to play before Square removed the combo timer.
Whenever I get around to doing Heavensward, BLM is gonna get a lot more complex. I will have Words to say about it then. For now, it's nice and simple and actually fun.
That was simply incredible, Ginger. I wish I could wield the same sort of power.
I became an alchemist in the hopes of creating some manner of mana-amplifying elixir, but all my efforts have been for naught. The results have been far too mild to make any difference. I'll never be a thaumaturge like my brothers at this rate. I'll forever be the pitiful, powerless little sibling.
Mormo's urn. If I destroy it, then maybe my family will see what I'm capable of...
(-Mormo's Urn-) Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT! Don't you DARE break my urn!
Ahhh! What the-!? Did that piece of pottery just talk? Are...are you Mormo, the voidsent!?
Hee hee, well, yes, I AM Mormo. But I'm one of the NICE voidsent. It was the NASTY ones that sealed me up in here for helping a mortal. If you would be so kind as to open the lid of my urn, I would be HAPPY to grant you a wish! Anything you desire! Fortune? Fame?
I... I'm not really interested in fame or fortune. But perhaps there is one thing: I'd like to have aetheric power to equal that of my brothers...
Hee hee! POWER, is it? A perfectly acceptable wish! In fact, I sense the latent ability buried deep within your spirit. It will be a SIMPLE thing for me to turn it loose! ...What more is there to think about? OPEN the lid!
...and Cocobusi just got possesssed by a voidsent. 
Hmmm. Well, I don't feel different at all. I think Mormo may have been lying. Come, Ginger, it's time we were leaving. Oh, weren't we supposed to break this urn?
And that is that! Yes, this will be such FUN- Ahem, I mean, it will be nice to return home after all this excitement.
I've obliquely mentioned voidsent in the past, and Ginger's even taken on a few of them. But I don't believe we've actually discussed them before now. Voidsent are basically Eorzea's equivalent of demons. They live on a plane of infinite darkness called, appropriately enough, the Void.
There's more to it, obviously, but the story will get there in due time. This quest is meant to be babby's first introduction to voidsent, because it's the earliest one shows up in the game. All we need to know for this little bit is that they come from the Void and that they're functionally demons!
Anyway, we're back here in the guild to finish the quest.
Bezi really has a lot of confidence in us. To be fair, low level THM feels a lot weaker than other jobs for some weird reason.
Before we discuss your trial further, however, I would ask you about Cocobusi. When I saw him but a few moments ago, he seemed...odd. Well, odder than usual. Would you happen to know aught of it?
Cocobusi joined me at my trial. He--
Busi was at your trial!?
It is extraordinarily dangerous and foolish to interfere with a thaumaturge's training. I shall have to scold him most heartily. <sigh> Such unpleasantness aside, I am impressed that you claimed victory in spite of this unexpected development. The teachings of the Yawning Abyss have served you well.
With your experience and control thus demonstrated, I believe you are ready to add a new spell to your repertoire-Scathe. This elementally neutral blast of force will prove effective against all manner of opponents. As I am sure you are eager to test this incantation's efficacy, I shall grant you leave to return to your training. Hm hm hm... I pity the next hostile creature that crosses your path.
Way back at the continuance of this LP, I called Blizzard 2 the most useless THM spell of all time because I had legitimately forgotten Scathe was even a thing. Scathe deals a pittance of damage and unlike other spells that get trait upgrades, its upgrade... merely doubles its potency from 100 to 200.
Fire I and Blizzard I both have 180 potency. They both also cost the same amount of MP--800--as Scathe. While I understand that BLM has functionally infinite mana, that MP is better spent on Fire I than something that needs a 1-in-5 proc to deal competitive damage to an un-upgraded Fire I.
Don't use Scathe. Ever. Other players will laugh at you if you do. You can justify casting Blizzard II more often than Scathe! Blizzard II is 50 potency to all nearby enemies centered on yourself. If my math isn't wrong, that means that at 4+ enemies, it's worth casting if you're before level 35.
Ginger, you're safe! I feared you had fallen victim to the "Mageslayer"! Have you not heard of the recent spate of gruesome killings taking place within Ul'dah?
Each case involves at least one dead thaumaturge, and every corpse is found bloody, battered, and utterly drained of aetheric energy. Ill tidings aside, I am glad to see you alive and glowing with vitality-it is time for you to delve into the final chapter of the Yawning Abyss. Cocoboha, our second-youngest sibling, will read to you from "The Threat of Perplexity."
Bwahaha! Greetings, Ginger! Are you once more prepared to peruse the pages of power and peril? Then let us begin. "The Threat of Perplexity. Ah, how magnificent the daunting power we wield. Flames pursue, ice transfixes, and lightning dances into the ranks of our enemies.
"But what terror descends when, from all sides, those ranks close? Flames are smothered, ice crushed, and lightning grounded. Know you this threat, and ware you the multitudinous foe."
Is the point of this passage readily apparent? It would be most problematic, for example, should you meet this malefic Mageslayer and he-or she-proves to be multiple murderers. What a thaumaturge needs is a thickset thrall...er, courageous companion to accompany her in cases where collective cronies are expected. Now, as for your trial-
Cocoboha! Pray allow me to suggest a PRACTICAL course for Ginger's training! The town is buzzing with the news of yet more SLAUGHTERED thaumaturges, their mutilated bodies found fouling the waters of Nophica's Wells. I would have Ginger aid me in hunting down the culprit while the trail is yet FRESH!
Ginger may have tolerated your interruption of her trial the last time, Busi, but you are hardly the hardy henchman she needs to clear such a hazardous hurdle.
Your concerns are understandable, brother. If it would allay your FEARS, I can introduce Ginger to a valiant warrior who recently entered my employ.
You have secured the services of a stalwart swordsman? Then, that would, indeed, be in line with learning the lesson of the day. Perhaps-
Come now, Ginger! Let us be about our business before Cocoboha has a change of HEART. I'll be waiting for you in Nophica's Wells!
Busi leaves and Buki enters.
Was that...Cocobusi?
God I love being able to fly. The run across the zone takes a fraction of the time when I can just go over the terrain instead of the super long way around. Normally to get down here we'd have to go across a bridge, past a bunch of enemies, and down a staircase.
Ah, Ginger, so GOOD of you to come! My Roegadyn friend here is the warrior I mentioned back at the Ossuary. Now, there's no time to waste! Why don't you head into the stream and examine the bodies of the slain mages? I would go with you, but with my DELICATE stomach, I fear I might...contaminate the scene. Remember: you're looking for anything that might help us track down this killer.
The Lalafell promised me a sack full o' gil to do what I do best-an' that's keepin' all the attention on me. Hah!
There's three corpses nearby.
Did you uncover anything...incriminating?
Blood on a casting scepter, this book has been shredded, and someone's expensive jewelry is covered in more blood.
Hee hee! The blood is yet slick to the touch. The SLAUGHTER must have been recent indeed. The villain may yet lurk nearby! Return to the creek where the bodies lay and linger for a time. I daresay your aura, saturated as it is with ENTICING aetheric energy, will lure the Mageslayer into the open. Have courage, Ginger-our burly companion stands ready to leap to your aid!
Cocobusi surely isn't going to betray us.
This quest isn't great. It's kind of annoying going back and forth with flight, so I can't imagine it was much better without a mount!
This duty has us taking down a cute little imp.
Ginger roasts it in no time because she's badass like that.
It seems your partnership with our hired blade went splendidly! It is unfortunate, though, that one of the imps was able to FLUTTER away... Oh? Did you not notice? You wouldn't wish to report to Cocoboha with your trial but half-finished, would you? Of course not. I'm AFRAID, however, that the Roegadyn has already collected his recompense and departed for the nearest alehouse. What to do, what to do?
Hmmm. Surely, a thaumaturge of your CALIBER can handle a single imp, yes? If I'm not mistaken, it fled into that little cave over there. Hurry now, before it slips away into some hidden nook or cranny!
A remote, shaded outcropping with only one way in? Yeah this totally isn't a setup.
As Ginger waits like a sap...
Cocobusi approaches...
There's only one certainty in Ul'dah. Never trust a lalafell.
A timely fireball smacks the knife out of the way.
Cocobuki saved us!
That is not Cocobusi. Well, it is Cocobusi...but a Cocobusi possessed by the voidsent that escaped from Mormo's urn! It was feeding on the aetheric energy of all those slain thaumaturges.
Hee hee hee! And you, my dear, mana-rich Ginger, were to be NEXT! I have wanted to absorb YOUR delicious power since the moment we met. A pity. This has been such an AMUSING charade. How ever did you see through it?
Hm hm hm. I am Cocobusi's brother. How could I not? It is time I destroyed you, Mormo, and put a stop to these sinister killings. As the eldest, I must take responsibility for my family's misadventures.
Hee hee. A coward like YOU? Destroy ME? Your opening strike should have pierced my heart, but instead, you aimed for the KNIFE. Fear stays your hand-fear that slaying me will ALSO slay your sibling!
Hee hee! Poor, spineless thaumaturge. I shall, however, leave you with a pleasant thought: it was Cocobusi's FERVENT wish to amass this power! He CRAVED the arcane strength to stand beside his brothers as an equal. What a shame that he must now stand AGAINST you! Hee hee hee!
Cocobusi sinks into the rock.
It pains me to admit, but there is some truth to that creature's words. I surrendered the perfect opportunity to end this. I have betrayed my own teachings... Return to the Ossuary and report the completion of your trial, Ginger. I will remain here for a time and...gather my thoughts.
The next time I get my hands on Cocobusi, I'm going to smack him upside the head until he stops being a dipshit.
Ah, Ginger! Cocobuki has advised me of your adventures. It seems the Mageslayer slithered away, but your stint with the swordsman was nonetheless successful! Consider this chapter complete; your time with our tome of teachings is at an end!
Ahem. Well, to be absolutely accurate, there is an addendum with additional advice, but Cocobuki considers it "extracurricular." Even I dare not delve into those diabolical depths-I do not yet deign to die, you understand!
I have yet to inform my brothers of Cocobusi's misfortune; I have yet to reconcile the maelstrom within my own mind. The most fundamental lessons of thaumaturgy demanded I slay the creature where it stood. It was the most opportune moment to strike-minimal risk, and victory all but assured. How many more will suffer for my hesitation...and my cowardice?
It will likely be some time, however, before Mormo resurfaces to kill again. Now that we have uncovered the deception, the voidsent will seek a new hunting ground where Cocobusi's face is unknown. And though the respite may be brief, I must devote this time to considering my next course of action. Pray leave me to my musings, Ginger.
I'm going to call this one here as a shorter update, especially compared to the past couple that have been marathon-length.
NEXT TIME: THM 25 and 30!