#nedrick probably knows of his origins. and he probably knows about euden. i think there would be a little resentment there but

[mxdotpng]

just thinking. the one constant in every single world really is that euden was loved. he may turn evil, or start war, or get possessed, or even die before all that can happen. his friends could betray him, he could betray them, he may not even have any in the first place. his siblings could be on his side or against him. but in every single world he is still loved. loved enough for a selfish and grieving father to try and make sure he lived, or to go back through time and make sure there is one world where he survives. that is the one thing that remains the same.

#.text #dl #by no means is aurelius a good father. he is selfish and hes done so much that is so morally incorrect. but he did it so. euden could live #its awful to think about. on one hand he left nedrick to die even if he hadnt even known nedrick survived. by then it was too late. #but on the other hand he did it for euden. to make sure euden lived. he wanted euden to live and to be happy and to be loved. #oughghghfhg. dragalia lost. #maybe thats an au i should right next. aurelius learns abt nedrick and goes 'fuck no' and now the royal twins are royal TRIPLETS #how much would change. what would Change. #nedrick probably knows of his origins. and he probably knows about euden. i think there would be a little resentment there but #growing up with him made it harder to hate him. and i dont think nedrick would tell euden either. #oughghgh. i have to write this now.

[valeriefauxnom]

He Is the Messiah!

...Or prophet, whatever, but I found it funny the sheer amount of room intrusions Euden has to deal with that kick off events.

Like, there's Chronos, to which he's either too sleepy to care about or desperate or too used to random dragons of his invading that he isn't all that panicked after the initial 'who's there' at having a little dragon promising time travel to him in his room. You know, as one does.

In fact, he's rather quick to just kinda go 'okay, and?' at Chronos instantly pointing out all those deep regrets and how he keeps it separate from everyone, which might be kinda creepy in a 'how do you know that?' sort of way.

Fittingly, Rage of Chronos kicks off in a similar way, though Euden definitely seems to be a bit more shy to strange voices in his room spewing odd things at night, but still not quite the level of hostility I would expect.

Also, in retrospect, Grimnir was kinda speedrunning the main plot there in his opening monologue!

"Child borne of the rift 'twixt fates" could be a reference to his true true origins as a part of Xenos since Xenos likes floating about the rift between worlds and Euden was floating about there, too, since both Morsayati and Xenos were. "Inheritor of altered life"...yeah, that too, since he's a nice mixture of baby blood and still-living demon lord flesh plus whatever other things Finlorda might have decided to throw in the BuildaHeir pot.

"Blood-sworn yet bloodless", well, he's pactbound with the dragonblood he did inherit from baby!Nedrick, but has no true 'bloodline' as a standard human would. Lastly, "mutation in causality's design" might be a reference to the fact that this world's Euden is explicitly an anomaly how he's gotten so far for any number of reasons. Then, later, there's the 'transfigured prince', which either might just be Grimnir referencing his shapeshifting or the fact he's a hunk of demon flesh coaxed to look like Nedrick if he were a healthy normal human baby.

Darn, Grimnir, why couldn't you have spoke in plain English a bit sooner? Rage of Chronos came out in April 2021. At latest, that's the first part of chapter 19 that was out! I do not know if they were actually planning the entire monologue to be so relevant, since I think I recall the three writers for Dragalia largely worked separately on their own arcs, but that's uncanny. Very uncanny. All that in two sentences.

That aside, he's still a bit too nonchalant. Nothing like hearing that dramatic monologue and just rolling over and going back to sleep.

Neither of these times were the first, either.

Skyborne Spectacle, for example, starts with Euden having a dream vivid enough and concerning enough that he gets the gang to go to a presumably distant Peng Lai, likely more at the eastern shore of South Grastea since Taiwu is out east too and it's a former colony. Or as Notte puts it: "Heck, we actually came here in the first place because we were warned to do so in some spooky dream."

Imagine that conversation. "Hey guys, I had a dream that this one town on the other side of the continent is in trouble. Mind checking it out just to be sure? ...No, I don't think I'm paranoid. I know it sounds like I am, though."

Imagine the reputation all these kind of things spark, even just the one time, since goodness knows Notte was more than happy to parade around the fact that they were here because of a dream. Sure, sure, there may have been more 'mundane' magic at hand since Xu Fu was purposefully trying to reach him, but details tend to get caught up in the mix. All the average townsfolk probably hear is that this one band of New Alberians came to town because their leader 'had a dream of disaster' coincidentally around their New Year's celebrations and was right.

Perhaps there was some good old conspiracy theories popping up that the Prince was clairvoyant or a prophet like Verica or something and that's how New Alberia's been kicking against all odds for so long! Why settle with one prophet when you can have MORE?!

Honestly, I could almost see this bringing its own sort of trouble to Euden. He seems prone to nightmares, a tendency that even carried over to the comics (though they generally featured more...benign? nightmares of Celliera transforming Luca into TooBuff!Luca). What are the odds that this dream isn't indicative of a problem, provided that it isn't over something that was based in the past and already occurred? That's a fast track to needless anxiety and stress right there.

Even aside from that, having anyone honestly think you're able to predict the future is its own nuisance. The attention might be fawning at first or just desperate to hear more predictions, but it can just as easily turn to hatred for not 'sharing' the foresight he's obviously been having and thus letting x disaster occur.

So yeah. They probably should've invested more money into securing Euden's room from time-traveling dragons and strange men, even if it'd only likely weed out an assassin or two in reality since those two aren't...normal home invaders. Let Euden sleep in peace 2023

#Euden writing in his diary: Last night I dreamt that everyone turned into strawberries. I don't think that one is going to happen though. #“...I hope not” #Next day some random surprise villager: “What do you see for the future Your Highness?!” #Tired Euden blearily mutters: “Fruit?” #Lo and behold a miraculous harvest of fruit in New Alberia! What fortune! What foresight! #And Euden just becomes Alberian Nostradamus where people will twist his 'predictions' in impossible knots just to prove that he CAN #...see the future. #dragalia #dragalia lost

[dragalialore]

New Plot Implications!

With Dawn of Dragalia and Chapter 19, a LOT of what we understand about the backstory has changed. Let’s get right into it.

Spoilers ahead, obviously, for Dawn of Dragalia, Alberius’s adventure story, Notte’s adventure story, Chapter 19, and... Pandora Hearts?

First, let’s summarize what we’ve learned from Dawn of Dragalia, Alberius’s story, Notte’s story, and Chapter 19:

Alberius’s sword, Dragalia, is made from the pactstone between Midgardsormr Zero and Meene. It was a last-second swap from Elysium’s pactstone with Ilia, which was meant to be the original Dragalia. (Dragalia has been lost....... badum-tshh) This was done because Meene understood Elysium’s true nature and decided to set up a failsafe in case he ever turned on humanity again.

The Blood Casket is a faerie ritual, taught to Alberius by the fae 300 years ago. He was fully aware of the outcome and prepared to go through it regardless. (Might have to make some timeline adjustments here...) Alberius used the art to trap the largest piece of Morsayati’s body at Clave Loy’elune; 300 years later, Morsazethia reclaimed it.

Faeries grow large and later return to their small size as a part of their puberty. In modern times, the fae have learned to change their size at will. The faeries are also well aware of Euden’s true nature, demonstrated when Shirley tried to kill him in his sleep. It seems that the events that created Euden were not very popular.

Euden is an amalgamation of faerie magic and a slab of Morsayati’s own flesh. (Or, if you want to get technical, Myriam’s dad’s flesh... probably.) He was traded with an infant who died of wyrmscale, who is somehow Nedrick.

All of these points raise a LOT more questions than they do answers. A lot of information considered to be foundational is getting thrown out the window here. Let’s step back and take a look at some of the puzzle pieces that no longer quite fit. (Or never did in the first place.)

Euden’s dragonblood. This should be a BIG ONE: if Euden really is some sort of Morsayati-homunculus... why is he able to transform? According to Myriam in Dawn of Dragalia, those showered with the light of Ilia and Elysium’s original pactstone were granted dragonblood. If we’re following the thread correctly, then that would mean that Myriam’s own bloodline possessed dragonblood, but we’re (pretty) sure that she doesn’t. So what gives? Is he made of Mordecai’s alchemized body somehow?

Euden shapeshifting into Elysium. This is a mystery that’s gone unresolved since the game released, though it looks like it may have been all Zethia. Morsayati says something VERY interesting upon seeing this: “Dragonblood and maiden's prayer have united to awaken the new king... The cycle repeats...and that I cannot abide.” I bolded the interesting bit. I think the previous cycle Morsayati is referring to is Myriam and Alberius’s encounter. Which ALSO infers that Alberius shapeshifted into Elysium at some point.... I don’t like this train of thought.

Why didn’t Morsayati recognize it? Seriously, dude, I’d THINK you’d realize a walking talking slab of your own flesh was in front of you. Why wasn’t your first target Euden--why Zethia? Was it just a long con in an attempt to get Euden’s body like you nearly did in chapter 14?

Euden’s near-identical appearance to Alberius. Look, it might be nothing, and I know i’ve said this before, but Alberius one HUNDRED percent looks like an adult version of Euden--even MORE so with his pre-makeover design. The theory of him being a direct descendant has gotten flimsier with time, but I firmly believe that they are connected on a deeper level. It makes me wonder if it’s a Pandora Hearts-esque situation: for those who don’t know, Pandora Hearts is an Alice in Wonderland-inspired manga centering around a century-old tragedy wrapped in shadows and conspiracy. A mid-story plot point centers around the identity of a body used in a certain sealing ritual; for a good chunk of the arc, it’s widely believed to be one character’s, and is later revealed to be another’s. I guess what I’m saying is, are we sure it was MORSAYATI’S flesh Euden was made of?

Phares and Beren’s aims. I REALLY don’t like that these two have been out of the picture for so long. It makes me nervous. We haven’t heard from them since Chapter 14 and we’re still no closer to understanding their aims. We’re ALSO no closer to understanding how Phares is alive or how Beren is able to use/generate black mana.

While we’re at it, Nedrick’s aims. What do you want the fucking Dawnshard for, dude. We know it’s a sacred shard of unmitigated power--Zena’s using her world’s Dawnshard to power her mana projection. What does he need it for? It’s clear he’s familiar with the Faerie kingdom, so if the shard is there, why didn’t he obtain it earlier? Did he need Zethia’s power as the Auspex?

There are still a LOT of questions going unanswered. I hope that we get SOME answers in next month’s update... in the meantime, I’m gonna be fucking busy organizing my lore.

#dragalia lost #main campaign #faerie lore #chapter 19 #honestly cygames if i need to trawl through every bit of campaign story with every update #im gonna throw hands

[astarion]

I have gone through chapter 15 in Dragalia Lost and the metaphorical hammer has finally dropped! (Chapter 15 spoilers ahead):

First, a little correction from my previous post. I realized I had mixed up Ciella with Cibella. Ciella’s the water Agito, a church heretic who wants to kill all bonds, while Cibella’s a starting adventurer character, a church priestess who wants to avenge the children of an orphanage she ran that got destroyed by fiends. Two drastically different characters, but only 1 letter of difference between the names... kinda surprised that I can’t think of any others in this game this applies to yet. But now, on to the main impressions and thoughts on the chapter, with spoilers!

It feels like it’s been teased for so long now but it finally happened, Euden finally learns the secret that he has been a fake royal the entire time. And, as I had been thinking would be the case, the only one who really takes it hard is Euden himself.

Still, even when he fell into despair, he didn’t just immediately give up like other characters probably would have. Instead, he fell back onto the one constant in his life: Zethia, and doubled down. It’s been shown, to a worrying degree now, that he’d give up everything for her, and in this case he’s reduced to blind rage and desperation in the face of Nedrick’s power.

And when brute force fails him, he even lashes out at at his friends for retreating and leaving Zethia behind when there’s no other choice. And Euden doesn’t swear much, so even how he says a simple hell to Notte feels like a big deal, coming from him.

Still, he’s able to be talked down soon enough, realizes what a jerk he’s being, and with a good pep talk, while he is certainly not okay (and does let his team know this thankfully,) he is able to put himself together enough to start taking that next step with his friends at his side, ending the chapter on at least a semi-positive note. The next chapter seems to be promising a meetup with Leonidas so we may find out what it was Aurelius wanted him to know and get that next piece of the puzzle soon. And again, this likely is new information that we don’t already know. I think we’ve gone as far as we can with the documents that have been plaguing us for so many interludes now.

And speaking of which... that Nedrick is one slick, slippery serpent for getting away with that tome/seal trick. I’m not doubting the seal’s authenticity and that he got it to glow, but I am saying this doesn’t prove anything about his lineage. Why? Because he dodged the most important question about the 7th scion that only the real one could answer: How is he still alive?

Instead of addressing Cleo’s critical point, Nedrick uses the activation of the seal as his proof. Making the association fallacy of, “Since the seal reacts for me and not your precious Prince, who else could I be but the 7th scion?”

Nedrick certainly talks big throwing around the term “incontrovertible proof”, but he’s talking just like an Ace Attorney culprit whose claims are built upon a throne of lies. And my thoughts in how he’s getting away with it involve exactly how the seal is activated: royal blood!

This could mean that he is royalty, as he claims, but what if any royal blood just has to be present on whoever holds the book? What if just having some royal blood smeared on the holder’s hands, or drinking it like some kind of vampire, is enough to trick the seal into working, like getting around a biometric lock? If so, Nedrick could’ve gotten all the blood he needed to pull this off while he was beating down Valyx earlier at the start of this chapter. Nedrick certainly seemed assured that the seal would’ve worked for Valyx even in his injured state when he mocked Euden after it didn’t work for him. I’m thinking that’s exactly how he pulled it off, just to make a statement and to crush Euden’s spirit.

Though in the end, even if I’m holding fast to my own theory on Nedrick, just as it doesn’t truly matter in the grand scheme of things that Euden isn’t royalty (he can still make dragonpacts and shapeshift and his friends have his back no matter what,) it also doesn’t matter if Nedrick is a faker or not. Now that he’s stolen Zethia, shaken Euden’s faith, and turned his attention to outside the country, he doesn’t need to uphold the ruse any further as he’s gotten all he needs from Alberia. I suppose the Agito could react horribly if they learn their leader’s a liar, but given their insane worldviews and that he is the source of their powers they probably wouldn’t care either if it meant they could still wreak all the havoc they desire.

Regardless, we also finally have a glimpse of Nedrick’s plan. It involves Zethia, and one of the Shards holding the evils of the world at bay. And while Nedrick did mention how there are other factions scheming right now including the Phares/Beren duo and the Illian Church, it’s sounding like he’s picking right back up where Morsayati left off if he’s messing with a holy shard. Oddly enough, he didn’t mention Harle in that list of schemers, which means to me that either Harle’s helping him out a bit (which would explain how the Agito knew where to find the tome, since Harle had originally taken it from the palace in the first place, and might’ve even handed it to the church to jumpstart their supposed schemes too), or he’s gone unnoticed/is considered irrelevant. Either way, it means to me that the likelihood that Harle is continuing to play everyone for saps as he steadily creeps closer toward his own ambitions is getting higher and higher with every update.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the game will continue to grow. The plot really could go anywhere from a point like this, and not just in the main story. Even if they don’t cross into the main plot, each new adventurer and event have tons of things going on with all the variety in their individual stories, as well as the longer overarching ones like the political intrigues of the Hinomoto clans, the Qilin relics, the Eldritch Horror gang (Heinwald, Curran, Lathna, et al.), the nefarious Syndicate, possibly reformed fiends eventually (like Mei Hou Wang and Barbary), the collab events... the possibilities feel endless! With the second anniversary coming up at the end of September I’m sure they’ve got some big plans brewing. And given how last year’s anniversary event turned out, I can’t wait to see what comes next!

#dragalia lost #dragalia lost spoilers #dragalia lost chapter 15 #thoughts and stuff #speculation #long post