When the start of the next moon arrives, You rise from slumber and let out a heavy sigh as Serpahine speaks.
Seraphine: I wonder if any of the others have uncovered something that will help us… Maybe the letters have given us something new.
You say that You do not know for certain.
Seraphine: All we can do now is go to see them and hope for the best… Evenor was in that fortress recently. We were so close to finding her and talking to her, but we were too late.
You shake your head, hoping with everything You have that You will see her soon enough.
Seraphine: I feel the same… Let's hope for the best.
You start up to the cardinals' room, finding the Ashen Wolves with Cyrus and Druilla. They are looking over the stacks of letters uncovered from Evenor's office during the previous mission. You ask if they have uncovered anything of note.
Ernst: Ah, Professor. Good morning. And to answer your question… I'm afraid not. The letters haven't shared much with us.
Magnus: We have uncovered a few things, but none of them have told us who the writer of these letters is or where Evenor ran off to after leaving that fort.
You ask what it is they have found.
Saias: Some of the letters speak of particular attacks taking place years ago… It seems they were incredibly important to our enemies, but we cannot say we understand the context.
Grey: As far as I can tell, our little friends here didn't restrict their assaults to Fódlan. It seems they stretched far beyond the boundaries of our continent as well to harm those outside.
Gabriel: That wouldn't surprise me much given how terrible our enemies have proven themselves to be. I just wish we understood more about it all.
Cyrus: It wouldn't shock me at all if there were attacks beyond Fódlan's boundaries, but I'm afraid Druilla and I wouldn't know anything about what the letters speak of.
Druilla: That information was restricted to only the most important leaders of Shambhala. The rest of us were left in the dust with no ways of understanding.
Ansel: These attacks are certainly significant though… I have to wonder what they could mean. Something about them bothers me.
Tsubasa: I feel the same way. The letters are too vague about everything that happened years ago, so we can't dig too deep quite yet.
Taiyin: In other words, the only way we're going to be able to learn anything from these letters is by being patient and trying to find one of our enemies, but…
Quinn: But how are we supposed to learn much of anything about where Evenor is if we can't find her?
Eli: In order to find Evenor, we need a clue that would ideally be found in these letters. In order to understand these letters, we need to speak with Evenor and hope she wants to answer our questions to begin with… A stalemate of a bitter breed, I'm afraid.
Saias: If you ask me, this is something that merits more investigation. Granted, I'm not sure how we will do something like that, but… We need to try.
Taiyin: I guess we'll just need to figure it out with time… Do we have any other ideas of where Evenor could be? I know that's kind of a moot question, but…
Grey: So far, we have absolutely no indicator about where she's going to be. That's where the problem starts, and unless we can get a clue…
Gabriel: I have a small idea… But I don't think it's going to help us all that much in the long run no matter how much I wish it did.
Ansel: I can only assume you're referring to the Empire. If there's any place for Evenor to hide without being caught, it would be Adrestia.
Tsubasa: And if she's hiding in the Empire, then we're just going to need to turn our attention somewhere else. We don't stand a chance of attacking the Empire right now.
Cyrus: The Empire has been even more dangerous than ever before these last five years. Druilla and I have been avoiding it as much as possible as well.
Ernst: If Evenor is there, then we should forget about this for now. If we can't fight her immediately and easily, then we should turn our attention elsewhere.
Magnus: I doubt Evenor will be able to escape this war unscathed. Even if we are unable to track her down at the moment, we will see her again. That I can say with certainty.
Quinn: Then perhaps we could reach out to Magnolia or Raithius to try and secure their alliance as soon as possible. If we can fight with them and gain their aid sooner rather than later, then we can turn our attention to the Empire.
Druilla: Do you really think the combined force of the Kingdom and Alliance will be enough to dethrone the emperor?
Eli: We have little other choice. Even if the Kingdom and Alliance are weakened right now, we need to try and eliminate Argades when the time comes. He's dangerous.
Druilla: And what are you going to do after he has been defeated? He's stepped up to fill a blank space in the power balances of this continent. The princess is dead, and I somehow doubt a miracle heir will appear to fill Argades' shoes.
Gabriel: A rebellion has been brewing in the Empire these last few months. If we can ally ourselves with the forces leading the coup, we should be able to find a plan for what to do next.
Taiyin: I really hope that works… We could use all the help we can get, and that includes meeting with the rebellion as soon as possible.
Saias: That has a problem too. We need to figure out where the rebellion forces are hiding. They've been too good at escaping the eyes of others.
Ansel: And until we can find them, we are at another stalemate. As tragic as it is to admit, the battlefield has fallen still on many fronts.
Quinn: If we reach out to the Kingdom and Alliance forces, then perhaps we can hear a lead about where the rebellion is hiding… We may not have the strongest chances of success there, but we must try.
Ernst: It seems to me that we won't be needing to prepare for a battle this moon. All we need to do is gather information, and we should turn our focus in that direction.
Magnus: Evenor and the Empire… Our two greatest issues are heavily intertwined and do not want to be separated.
Cyrus: The matter of the letters bothers me as well… If I had to guess, I would assume the one who was speaking was Evenor was a man who leads our people.
Eli: You mean… The leader of the Agarthan people?
Cyrus: Yes. He is a man by the name of Tagusol.
Eli: Tagusol…
Cyrus: This is only a theory, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was the other party involved with the letters. He has been leading over our people for a long time.
Tsubasa: What can you tell us about this Tagusol man? What is he like? What has he done in the past?
Cyrus: He has been acting as the leader of Shambhala for centuries. We had a different leader before him, but… He and all of his commanders died in a battle for the Chalice of Beginnings long ago.
Grey: It's ironic, isn't it? The church's history isn't all that different from Shambhala's at the end of the day… That damn cup has caused so many problems for everyone.
Druilla: Shambhala's people have sought revenge for longer than any of us have been alive. Tagusol has fueled that fire forever.
Eli: It sounds to me like we should be investigating where we can find this Tagusol character… Is that an option?
Cyrus: Yes. We should be able to help you find Shambhala, but there's no guarantee he will be there, especially if he's been working so hard to cause problems for all of us.
Druilla: We have no idea where he is right now. Most people don't even know he exists, as a matter of fact.
Grey: I was going to say, this is the first I've ever heard his name, and we've been fighting this war for ages now.
Ernst: Then we'll simply have to fix that as soon as possible. As long as he exists, there is a chance for us to find him.
Tsubasa: We should spend our time trying to gather information for now. What happens after this can be an issue we discuss at a later date.
Ansel: I'm glad to hear everything settled then… Though we should probably try to dig more and find out what we can about this Tagusol man.
Magnus: I've done research about the Agarthans before with hopes that it would point us in the right direction, but it never has.
Taiyin: Who knows? Maybe this mystery man of ours will be the exception to the rule when it comes to finding information about them.
Quinn: We'll simply have to see with time. For now, we have our mission in mind, and we need to focus on it.
Saias: We'll do as much as we can to find out more about Tagusol, and once we have a direction in mind, we can move forward again.
Gabriel: If you think of anything that might be able to help us, please say so as soon as possible. We can use the help.
Cyrus: I can assure you that we wouldn't hide anything from you on purpose. We want to stop all of this as much as you do.
Eli: I'm glad to hear it. I'm looking forward to hearing more from all of you soon. Please… Be careful though.
Druilla: Of course. Here's to hoping we can find something soon… I'm already getting tired of this stalemate, and it's only just begun.
Eli: I think that's something we can all agree on.
You and the rest of the Ashen Wolves scatter for the day. You return to your room, thinking about this mysterious Tagusol man all the while.
Seraphine: I have to wonder what Tagusol is like… I have a feeling we'll uncover that information with time, but it still bothers me that we're in the dark right now.
You nod your agreement and say that You will do all that You can to find him as soon as possible.
Seraphine: I'm glad to hear it. I will say that it's nice to know we won't need to worry about a battle this moon. I wish we weren't caught in such an unfortunate position right now, but we have little choice in the matter.
You say that it will end soon enough as long as You are able to continue your research for the truth.
Seraphine: It might be worth going to talk to Cyrus and Druilla about all of this when possible… I know they said they were going to talk to us if they came across anything that could help us, but it wouldn't hurt to see what they have come to know about the man in the past.
You nod and say that You will speak with them before the day is done.
Seraphine: For now, we should check in on everyone. We have a lot to look forward to from here on out.
You nod once again and begin your rounds of the monastery for the day. Your first destination is the Officers Academy, and You see Zelhira standing in the courtyard there.
Zelhira: I hope our plans to speak with the Empire's rebellion force work out soon… My father has been so cagey about talking to me about them, and the longer he stays quiet, the more worried I get. There has to be a reason for him to hide it, but… Why?
You find Aquillus in the Black Eagles' classroom.
Aquillus: I believe my parents have been killed as part of the rebellion's charge through the Empire… Good riddance. I shouldn't have come here in the first place, but I'm glad I did. I want absolutely nothing to do with them. They deserved everything that came to them.
You speak with Adeline in the Golden Deer classroom.
Adeline: Now that I've heard that the enemy forces have a leader, I feel like it's obvious… But I never really thought about it until now. I guess I just didn't have a reason to. I have to wonder where this information will take us next, but I guess only time can tell.
You next head to the training hall. There, You encounter Rodain.
Rodain: It's nice to be able to take a break from fighting, but I hope everyone is able to stay in shape for that long. I understand that it's necessary, but I don't want anyone's skills to fade while we're focused on other things. That's why I'm going to keep pushing myself no matter what.
You also find Cassia in the area.
Cassia: I have to wonder what happened to the many people who escaped after that last battle… They now have nowhere to go, but at least they're free. The world is a scary place right now, but I hope they're okay.
Last but not least, You speak with Nora.
Nora: The longer we stay here at the monastery, the more anxious I get. I want to think that this long streak without any attacks should be a sign of us being secure, but I can't bring myself to believe it. I hope nothing bad happens, but I can't help expecting it.
You start to go to the dorms, but along the way, You find Cedric.
Cedric: Raithius should be able to join us here at the monastery soon. The effort to push Malice forces out of the Alliance is going well… Though most of them are traveling south to the Empire. We'll need to face them eventually, but at least we'll have allies soon.
You run into Wynne outside the sauna.
Wynne: It's nice to be able to take a break from constant fighting. I know we're doing our best to end this war as soon as possible, but I want to take a bit of time to kick back and relax… Well, not fully relax, but you know what I mean.
Near the dorms, You find Yuliya.
Yuliya: So many experimentation victims are now free, and they're roaming the land in light of our last battle… But what freedom is there to be found right now? The world is in a state of constant chaos. How can they pull their lives together again after all of that? We did the right thing, but I don't know if we did enough. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see… It's a shame that's far easier said than done right now.
You also speak with Kaeta in this area.
Kaeta: I have to wonder how we're going to uncover all the information we've been searching for these last few months. We're in a bit of a blank spot right now, and I don't know what any of us can do about it. Maybe some miraculous piece of information will pop up to save us all. I mean, my hopes aren't high, but I can still dream.
You go up to the second floor of the dorms, and You find Aestlyn in her room.
Aestlyn: I don't know about everyone else, but I feel like there's something bad coming up… Maybe it's just my anxiety talking, but I think we should try to defend ourselves as much as possible. I hope I'm just being paranoid. Still, I can't seem to shake the feeling.
You return to the main level of the monastery and enter the greenhouse, finding Karim inside.
Karim: Every battle seems to open up a bunch more questions for us, huh? And even throughout all of this, we have no idea where Evenor or Lady Aisa is… It's hard to find two people across the entire continent, yes, but you never quite realize that until you have no choice but to face it.
You see Sofia near the fishing hole nearby.
Sofia: When Raithius comes in our direction, I think he's bringing my younger brother along. It's… Been a long time since I last talked to him, but I want to try and fix that when he gets here. I feel like I owe it to him to try and make things better between us. It won't be easy, but I'll still try.
You find Tuncay out on the edge of the dock.
Tuncay: I don't know about everyone else, but I have high hopes for this Empire rebellion we've been hearing so much about. Maybe they'll finally be able to get a certain obnoxious ruler out of the picture. I'm tired of him, and I know everyone else is too. Once he's gone, I know what I'll say: good damn riddance.
You go to the dining hall next. There, You find Adrian sitting at one of the tables.
Adrian: It's a shame we came so close to finding Evenor only to barely be too late… I suppose that's the point in her moving around so much during the war though. She knows what will happen if she ends up cornered, so instead, she leaves us in the dust. It's frustrating, but I know why she does it. Ugh.
You also see Saias in the dining hall.
Saias: Tagusol… The leader of the Agarthans… I would love to know more about him, but if not even Cyrus or Druilla knows anything, what chance do we have of learning more? We need to find out what he's hiding, but how can we even do that? It's such a pain.
You head to the market next. There, You find Florence exploring the stalls.
Florence: I've heard whispers of the rebellion forces in the Empire going after Bazler next. Imagine how great that would be. He should have been firmly planted in his grave years ago if you ask me. I'll have to thank the rebels for that when we finally meet them… Assuming these rumors are true, that is.
You also find Kyle there.
Kyle: I wish we could make a bit more progress when it comes to our search for information… Then again, that's what this break from combat is for. I don't know how long this hiatus of ours will hold, but we'll just have to see. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy searching for more information. It'll be a nice chance to relax.
You head to the stables next. There, You speak with Miriam.
Miriam: I wouldn't let my guard down too far if I were you. There's always the danger of another assault as long as we're here in the monastery. Be ready for anything, Professor. We can't afford to lose the monastery again. If we do, we won't get it back this time.
You also find Taiyin near the horses.
Taiyin: I know this isn't really a full break, but I still wish I could enjoy it like that. All of this constant fighting is winding me up, and I can't ever seem to calm down. I'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure, but it's still obnoxious.
You move to the entrance hall. Inside, You run into Hegias.
Hegias: I never heard anything about this Tagusol character. Then again, I was raised away from my people since my parents wanted to run away from that life… Maybe I would have known him if my parents had stayed in Shambhala. I can only wonder, I suppose.
You also find William in the area.
William: Tagusol is a name I've never heard before. I can understand why it's been kept hidden given the circumstances, but I'm still curious… I wonder what this mystery leader of the enemy faction is like. I also wonder how low other people would need to sink to work with him.
You speak with Illona next.
Illona: Tagusol… I don't know that name. I wish I could help people to learn more about him, but I'm just as clueless as the rest of you. Evenor is probably the only person who can fill us in too… What a nightmare.
Lastly, You run into Grey.
Grey: I've been digging as much as possible into information that could lead us to Tagusol, but I've come up empty every time. You'd expect someone this important to be written about at least somewhere, but I guess that was too much to ask for… I have to wonder why that is.
You move to the reception hall next. You see Piers there.
Piers: The Empire has been fighting a lot of battles recently. As far as I can tell, the emperor is going all out against this rebellion. I have to wonder how they've seen so much success in so little time… No normal strategy would make this possible. What in the world is going on down there?
You also speak with Nesreen inside.
Nesreen: There has to be something we can find that will show us where we're supposed to be turning our focus. I just wish I knew where to look. The sooner we can get rid of Tagusol, the sooner we can keep looking for Lady Aisa to bring her back. He's just one giant distraction in my mind.
Next, You encounter Jill.
Jill: I have to wonder if we're really going to get much of a break at all. It's hard to say in a place like this. We're always acting on borrowed time. Stay on your guard. I have a bad feeling about all of this, especially with how long we're going to just sit here.
You make your way to the cathedral next. Inside, You find Lev.
Lev: I was really hoping we would find something that would point us to Evenor even though I doubted it was going to end well. I can still hope even if I know it's going to end poorly, right? If only it ended the way I was praying it would…
You also speak with Herwig near the statue of the goddess.
Herwig: It's been a long time since any of us have been able to go back to the Empire, though I suppose we'll need to change that soon. Magnolia and Raithius are going to want to march south when we finally get their support… It won't be easy, but when is anything easy these days?
Lastly, You approach Ernst.
Ernst: I've been doing all I can to research Tagusol and the other Agarthans, but no matter where I look, it feels like I come up short. The information seems like it's been completely purged from existence… It's a weird thing to say, but that's the truth.
You make your way down to Abyss next. You find Falon in the Wilting Rose Inn.
Falon: It's amazing to me how the people of Abyss can still find happiness even in times like this. It's hard for everyone to keep their hopes high in times like these, but I'm glad they've been able to endure. It's a light in the dark for us all.
You also speak with Tsubasa there.
Tsubasa: I keep drifting to the corner of Abyss where the intruders broke through five years ago. I know we sealed off the tunnels to make sure they couldn't attack us again, but it still worries me. I swear, they had better not figure out a way to break through.
You find Gabriel looking at the stalls on Burrow Street.
Gabriel: Rumor has it there are rebellion forces trying to gather their confidence to attack Bazler in the Empire. I hope it ends well… The sooner he gets taken out of the picture, the sooner all of us will be able to breathe easily.
You run into Ansel near the trash room on Chrysalis Row.
Ansel: I like to think of myself as a strong researcher, but there are some things that seem to be out of my reach no matter how hard I try. Unfortunately, Tagusol is quickly making himself out to be one of those things… What a frustrating man.
You enter the Ashen Wolves' classroom and find Wolfgang there.
Wolfgang: It's funny being here in Abyss these days… I feel like I'm coming home again. The monastery is full of light, but this is where I've come to thrive… The shadows. A lot has changed since I was a student… And none can say if it was for the better or not.
You leave Abyss and head up to the second floor of the monastery. You see Reese in his office.
Reese: I've been writing letters to Magnolia occasionally to discuss everything happening in the Kingdom… My sister has been living in the territory my uncle runs, but Magnolia wants to get her back. I hope she can… It's been far too long.
You see Derric and Niko speaking together in the audience chamber.
Derric: So, Niko… How are you feeling?
Niko: Honestly… I've never felt better, but at the same time, I've never felt worse. I can't seem to decide which of those facts is truer.
Derric: I understand… I wish there was something I could do to help you feel better.
Niko: Even though you're taking the loss of our parents much harder than me?
Derric: All I've ever wanted is to take care of my little brother. That's what matters most to me.
Niko: …Thanks, Derric.
Derric: You're welcome.
In the library, You encounter Magnus.
Magnus: I'm sure you've heard this half a dozen times in half a dozen ways by now, but I can't find anything about Tagusol. Something must have happened for this information to be purged from existence. I don't know how, but… It worries me. How can we learn more with the truth so thoroughly destroyed and sealed away?
You find Cyrus and Druilla in the common area. Note: if you do not approach them during the exploration segment, the following cutscene will play out at the end of the investigation for the day.
Cyrus: Ah, Professor. Hello.
You greet Cyrus and Druilla.
Druilla: I believe I know what you're here to ask… You want to know about Tagusol, yes?
You nod.
Cyrus: We don't know much about him. He rarely communicated with the people at large. For the most part, he just wanted to focus on honing his plans for the future and finding a way for us to proceed as a people.
Druilla: He's always been set on this revenge plan to try and destroy the people of Fódlan's surface. That was all that mattered to him, and the people who helped him would be pulled into his inner circle to keep helping him.
Cyrus: In many ways, it was an echo chamber.
You ask if either one of them ever met someone who was affiliated with him.
Druilla: We met a few, but they never discussed much about him. It was like they weren't allowed to talk about him in the first place. They wanted to keep the secret no matter what.
Cyrus: They didn't have much of a choice as long as he was coercing them into silence… It makes our jobs a lot harder though. We don't understand much about him beyond that Evenor was working with him to try and make us stronger.
Druilla: He was desperate to strengthen as many people as he could through the use of experimentation. He wanted a powerful army that could oppose the people on the surface even though we were at a disadvantage in numbers.
You conclude that he must be defeated as long as he wants to stoke the flames of Evenor's ambitions.
Druilla: I agree completely. I wish we could offer you more information to help, but…
You nod your understanding and thank them for what they were able to share.
Cyrus: Of course. If you ever need anything else from us, you can come to us.
Druilla: We may not understand what we're looking at right now, but we'll still do what we can. I promise.
You nod once again and start to walk away, off to continue the rest of your investigation for the day.
You head to the cardinals' room last. Inside, You speak with Eli and Quinn.
Eli: How has the research effort been progressing so far?
Quinn: Not much has come to light. No books we've read so far mention Tagusol at all.
Eli: And if we had seen something previously that mentioned him, we would have remembered it…
Quinn: I have to wonder what foul play completely erased him from existence. There must be some explanation for it.
Eli: I agree… And I wish we knew what we were supposed to look for to find it.
With your rounds of the monastery finished for the day, You decide to return to your room. Seraphine speaks to You when You arrive there.
Seraphine: Things don't seem to be progressing well so far… But that all has to change with time, right? We've done a lot to get this far, and we can't falter now.
You nod your agreement and say that You hope some information about Tagusol comes to light soon.
Seraphine: Yeah… I hope so too. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. For now, I'm exhausted. Let's get ready for bed.
You settle into bed for the night, your eyes slipping closed. You cannot help thinking about how little You understand regarding the current conflict, and You hope with everything You have that it changes soon. Your dreams conjure ideas of what his face might look like even though You have no clues as to how he appears…
first of two for today
-Digital