So it seems our new hooded friends have been in Eorzea for a lot longer than I originally thought. Why do I say that? Let us take a look at an event from the past.
So once upon a time in old Eorzea a Miqo'te attempted to revive the Archons through the Hatching's Tide event. She failed, due to some Spriggan tampering in the end all of the eggs turned out to be Dodo eggs. What does this have to do with the new badguys? Well, check this shit out
Somewhere along the banks of the Black Tea River in Gridania…
"I see the mind purge was a success," mutters a hooded man as he slowly folds a copy of the Raven and slips it beneath his dark cloak.
"I did only what was necessary. Had we let her continue before we had completed our preparations, the consequences would have been dire," replies a similarly garbed woman huddled in the shadow of a nearby tree.
The man pauses for a moment, then slowly lifts his head to gaze upon the twin moons hovering in the night sky before whispering, "Yet time is of the essence. There are those who have already begun to piece together the clues laid out before them, and soon our secret will be a secret no longer. But until then, we must remain vigilant…"
This was the first and only mention of these hooded characters in 1.0. Yoshida has thus far slipped a lot of things into the lore far before they came about in the story, Dalamud included. The Lambs of Dalamud cult may also have been the work of these new enemies.
Another interesting note is that the Hatching's Tide event end is one of the first bits hinting at Dalamud's descent, only preceded by a couple of quests.
My favorite attribute of any Final Fantasy game has been the storytelling. It feels good to realize that Yoshida is being as diligent in that task as all the others.
Arc Sackholders replied
638 weeks ago