Part 47: Side Story: Sparks of Revolution
Music: A Settlement in the Red Bluffs 
When we explored Bolderfall, there were hints of revolution in the air. Today, let's investigate just what exactly is going on.
The folk of the slumtown are plottin' to rebel against the highborn. Garrison mates say they've been confiscatin' weapons by the cartload. It makes me blood run cold, an' I wonder what his lordship will do...
Today's job will involve finding a way to stop this revolution from happening.
This guy seems on the side of nobility, but his roots suggest his conflicted feelings. His desire above all else is to avoid violence between the two sides.
Also man would I love that necklace.
This is another one in which there are two ways to complete it, so...
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METHOD ONE
You may remember a few NPCs down here with some odd items in their inventory.
It's kind of hard to fight a revolution if they don't have weapons!
Steal from the poor to benefit the rich. I see no flaws with this plan.
Now that we've taken their weapons, we simply need to turn them in.
You've confiscated all the poor folk's weapons, an' not a blade remains in their possession?
Now they're defanged, we needn't fear the poor folk and their rebellious plottin'.
Truth be told, I was once one of 'em, until his lordship saved me from a life on the streets. Aye, the highborn have more gold than the rest o' us, but they're fair and just, an' mistreat no one.
Better that than incitin' a war that'll make everyone poorer than afore.
Even if the rich had the poor's interests at heart, this is kind of a bad way to convince them that.
Damn it all... We were so close...! ...So there'll be no rebellion, for now. But mark my words, there will be one if this oppression continues!
There's got to be a better way...
Our approach here doesn't even prevent the revolution, it only delays the inevitable. We stopped the current problem without actually fixing the underlying issues.
Surely there's a better way we could handle all this...?
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Music: A Settlement in the Red Bluffs METHOD TWO
This time, let's talk to the lord in question, as well as his nice chest of leaves.
I am pursuing a number of projects to improve the lot of the impoverished people of the fief. I wish I could tell them about it myself, but I dare not venture into the slumtown, for fear of my life. It seems they're in no mood to talk to me, let alone listen to what I have to say...
This man claims to have plans to help the slum dwellers, but his words will fall on deaf ears.
But our party's mostly vagabonds and vagrants, so such words may be heard when uttered by a well-worn man-of-the-earth like Cyrus!
This man is the leader of the rebellion, so he's the one we want to share these plans with. A reminder that this fellow also wants to avoid conflict, but is opting for it because he feels it's their only choice to get what they want.
Who would've known the highborn truly care for us and our plight...
And I'll go myself to meet the nobles, and offer a hand in peace.
At least he seems receptive, but who knows how this meeting will go...
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Music: Enveloped in Kindness 
Sight like this, brings a tear to me eye, it does.
Can we let bygones be bygones and work together for the good of all?
You propose precisely that which I have long desired. Let us join hands now in fellowship.
I would gladly hear them, sir. But our conference will be a long one, I warrant.
I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't intervened. Music: A Settlement in the Red Bluffs 
So the Octopath Travelers have officially ended class warfare and brought equality to all social strata. We didn't even need to kill God!
And indeed, both parties are drinking it up at the tavern.
An' we owe much of it to you, good stranger.
Is this ending perhaps too idealistic? Probably, but then that's kind of the whole point of some media. It's about what humanity could theoretically obtain if we tried to be our best and worked together for the benefit of all. It's nothing we'll probably ever obtain, but it's still something worth pursuing. So this ending is unrealistic for sure, but I still appreciate how bold it is in its earnestness, especially in this day and age where cynicism would likely be the more common approach in a game like this.
It's a simple quest for sure, but this is probably one of the more interesting ones, both for the parallels with society (though of course haves/have-nots is a conflict that stretches throughout the history of humanity and will likely do so until our species dies out) and the different ways this can be resolved. I remember a few minds being blown when they learned you could resolve this peacefully!
Many bemoan the lack of a central narrative in this game, but world-focused narratives like this are so rare in video games in general that I'm happy this game is structured the way it is. It makes the side quests stand out more, even if many feel more like filler than anything else. But I'm rambling a bit now so I'll stop for now and see you all next time.