Part 38: Silent Gardens
Entry 36: Silent Gardens
Einheria, Valkyrie of Eternia's Bloodrose Legion and surrogate sister to Edea, lies defeated.
Einheria!
Why...do you weep? You've bested me. Be proud... I never wanted... Edea... Hear me now. My final...request... Meet with him. With your father... Face to face. No more intermediaries... Look at him... Look at him, and you'll see it... What he seeks... I know...
Good. That's good...
.......
Thanks to the party's earlier efforts, the sister who came to guide Einheria was Artemia. At least Einheria went out at peace.
In the meantime, what happened to Einheria's soldiers? There were strong enough to hold the party hostage until their leader's arrival, then they all conveniently vanished. I guess their strategic trap only extended as far as nabbing the party, and now they're all sitting in a corner waiting for further orders. That holds with the level of competence Eternia's shown so far.
Gently, Edea takes Einheria's halberd, vowing to honor her friend's final wish.
Tiz breezes past her to grab the asterisk off the body, holding it above his head and basking in the glory of his enemy's defeat.
Agnès also stole this during the battle. A straightforward strength upgrade is always appreciated.
The party returns to Florem considerably more glum. The Eternians fought in Florem so far have been much less satisfying to beat up than, say, Profiteur and Khamer. After a rest at the inn, the party goes to the armory to look for upgrades.
The moment they step into the shop, the clerk approaches them.
I'd like your help searching for two girls. Sisters, and still just children. They were seen heading for the gardens at the city's west, but haven't returned. It's my own fault. They came in asking after spirit hairpins...
Part of what the girls are calling the holy trinity of fashion. Incredibly expensive, though.Sounds familiar.
Anyway, I don't stock them here, but I told them they might find some in the gardens. The gardens are a dangerous place for children, you see. I'd hoped to scare them off the idea. I was a fool to assume. If you find them, please, bring them home.
For whatever reason, Ringabel takes this job upon himself.
Before setting out, the party buys the last item from the armory. Bet these haven't been selling well lately.
The area northwest of Florem is filled with flower fields. How cheery!
Eeeeeek!
Someone help!
That's right, we already found the kids. Bet you thought there'd be a dungeon involved or something. But who's attacking?
Oh look, free JP!
Defeat weakling plants, get hefty reward, save the day -- now this is brand of heroism is more like it.
I take it you two are the little ones here in search of spirit hairpins? This place ill suits a pair of fair flower nymphs like you. Come, let's go home.
If we don't keep up with the trend, they'll make fun of us!
And they're so beautiful you never ever want to take it off! Thank you, but we're not giving up. Bye, mister!
Wait, we can't just let them--
...And off they go.
Ah... M...mister...?
They're preteens, at most. To them, everyone above the age of 13 is an old fogey.
More importantly, those kids are quicker than they look. The party chases them into the densest part of the flower fields.
Finally, they catch up.
Hopefully this time they do a better job of stopping the girls. This place looks dangerous.
Hush. We just have to find a Florie, and she'll give us hairpins. Florie? Our symbol. A spirit who tends the flowers and makes Florem prosper. It has to be a Florie who makes the hairpins. That's why we've got to find one!
Okay guys, now's the time to drag them back, by force if necess--
...Or not.
Better chase after them before they trip and fall in a hole or whatever kids do.
Let's take a shortcut through that purple flower patch.
Everyone's silenced. That's right, time for another trap dungeon.
Spores erupted from that purple flower!
What? But it's so pretty! Why would it look so nice, then spit poison at us!?
Pretty flowers and pretty women always have thorns.
That has nothing to do with anything!
And it's an insult to women!
Those spores... This is hushleaf.
Everybody, don't worry. This stuff isn't fatal. It prevents you from casting magic, but a dose of echo herbs will have you cured in no time. It's a natural defense to keep animals from eating them. If we stay clear, we're safe.
Wow, you sure know a lot! Oh sure, he gets praised... And what animals use magic to eat plants?You guys encounter magic-using animals all the time, Ringabel. Don't blame Tiz for your poor taste in jokes.
Incidentally, Tiz having botanical knowledge is a great character detail, and makes sense given his shepherding background.
First area. Both paths forward connect on the next screen.
There are no new enemies in Florem Gardens, and the party is completely overleveled, so this place won't take long.
Along the way, find a new axe. No one's proficient with that weapon type at the moment.
It's a nice change of pace to have a bright, colorful dungeon.
Fog can't hide the edge of the map over there. Immersion broken.
What sort of trouble have those kids gotten into, now? Hopefully more alraunes.
Next: It's not alraunes.
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Event Viewer
Sub-Scenario:
Einheria's End - B
Searching for Sisters
A Garden of Dangers
Bye, Mister
Brave Little Ladies
Party Chat:
A Spore Loser
D's Journal: Edea Lee posted:
The hidden village of the Crystalists lay beyond the Witherwood in northern Florem. There, Edea confronted the valkyrie Einheria Venus of the Bloodrose Legion. It seems they trained together in their homeland, and were as sisters. But they could no longer see eye to eye, and their differences tore them apart.
D's Journal: Einheria the Valkyrie posted:
pg.2: A twenty-eight-year-old woman from Eternia. Her name is Einheria Venus, and she holds the valkyrie asterisk. She is a serious, dedicated warrior who believes in the ideals of Anticrystalism. She cares for her sisters deeply, and worries about them a great deal.
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Likes: Traditional warriors, collecting old maps
Dislikes: Compromise, snakes
pg.3: We headed to the hidden village to the north beyond the Witherwood after hearing of widespread suppression of Crystalists. There we were set upon by the valkyrie Einheria. She had lured us into a trap. It seems she and Edea were peers that once treated each other as sisters, but with their ideals now in conflict, battle ensued. She died in indignation...
D's Journal: Florem Gardens posted:
Florem Gardens: In western Florem, seasonal flowers bloom in profusion, as if each one were vying to outdo the other. The gardens can be reached by heading west from the Temple of Water, crossing the bridge, and then immediately heading north along the river.
