Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr

Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr is an optional storyline in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. Within it, players participate in a series of s to aid the Bozjan Resistance in liberating their homeland from the rule of the IVth Imperial Legion. As part of this story, adventurers can obtain Resistance Weapons, a new series of upgradeable weapons.
==Story==
===Chapter 1 – On the Verge of Memory===
In the city of Kugane, the Warrior of Light receives word that Hien, King of Doma and friend, needs their assistance. Meeting Hien in Yanxia, they are told of the state of the Eastern Alliance’s efforts against the Empire. The Dalmascan Resistance remains fractured, despite the efforts of Fran Eruyt of Lente's Tears, and the Nagxians are unorganised. Another group, the Bozjan Resistance seeks to join the alliance, however their numbers aree small, and their people scattered. The group sent a request to their prospective allies for the assistance of the Liberator in rallying their people to reclaim the land that was once theirs.
The Warrior meets with Bozjan representative Marsak Apella, who escorts the Warrior via airship to the Resistance’s base in the region of Gangos, just west of Dalmasca. There they learn that their old acquaintance, Gerolt Blackthorn, as well as the Sharlayan scholar, Mikoto Jinba, have lent their aid to the Resistance’s cause. The leader, Bajsaljen Ulgasch, explains the situation; IVth Imperial Legion legatus, Noah van Gabranth, stationed his army in the city of Val Nain, leaving Gangos relatively unguarded. However, reports by their spies indicated that Gabranth intends to send forces led by his second-in-command, Menenius sas Lanatus, to reinforce their hold over the Hrothgar homeland.
Before this happened, Bajsaljen wishes to capture the stronghold of Castrum Lacus Litore, but lacked the forces to do so. To this end, Archaeologist Misija Votyasch recommended the Resistance reforge the weapons of the Blades of Gunnhildr, the guards of the legendary Bozjan queen, to serve as a symbol of defiance. What made these weapons special were arcane inscriptions created by the original Gunnhildr that Gerolt would need to do his work. The original weapons were lost in the 4th Umbral Calamity, but replicas existed in the Bozja Citadel, up until its destruction caused by the Meteor Project.
To this end, Mikoto proposes exploring the memories of those who would have had a chance to see the replicas via a special crystal focus created by ancient Bozjans seers to explore and alter memory; a tool which, she theorizes, would work exceptionally well with one possessed of the Echo’s ability to peak into memory. After using Gerolt as a guinea pig to see if the theory held merit, Mikoto experienced her own Echo vision (that of a future vision) which the Warrior shared, leading them to conclude that Cid nan Garlond, son of Midas nan Garlond, who helmed the Meteor Project until his death in the Bozja Incident, was the ideal candidate.
The Warrior manages to track down Cid and convince him to help with their plan. Returning to Gangos, the Warrior and Mikoto enter Cid’s memory, helping him work through his trauma regarding his failure to stop his father by bringing him to the realisation that Midas had long been tempered by Bahamut. The inscriptions on the replicas are noted down, and Cid overcomes his guilt regarding the Bozja incident, setting the stage to allow Gerolt to recreate the legendary weapons for both the Resistance and the Warrior’s use. To fit with their new purpose, Gerolt elects to name them Resistance Weapons instead. Bajsaljen requests for the Warrior to return once the preparations for their assault on Castrum Lacus Litore have been finalised.
Meanwhile, in Val Nain, Gabranth recieves word from a spy in the Resistance that the Bozjans succeeded in reforging the legendary weapons. He dismisses the news, having plans to put 'the Lady of Blades' into motion to help create a new nation following the collapse of the Garlean Empire.
===Chapter 2 – Unforgiven, Unforgotten===
With the news that the Blades of Gunnhildr had been reforged, Bajsaljen used the momentum and influx of new recruits to pre-empt a strike on Castrum Lacus Litore. The Warrior of Light is deployed alongside the successors to the recreated weapons to the field in the Southern Front to turn the tide of battle. As the fighting commences in earnest, Mikoto, Misija and Ironworks representative Lilija begsn conducting surveys on the land to find a place to recharge to crystal focus, which had been drained during the excursion into Cid's mind, with the aid of the Warrior. During one such survey, the machinery operated by Lilija appears to break, and Misija volunteers to head to the Ironworks base in Doma to replace it.
Meanwhile, the Imperial forces led by Menenius sas Lanatus recover Save the Queen, the holy blade wielded by the Bozjan Queen Gunnhildr herself. The blade’s authenticity is confirmed by Misija, in truth an Imperial spy, before she continues on to Doma to retrieve the necessary components and keep up her ruse.
As the Resistance pushed forward in the region, Mikoto discovers a suitable location to recharge the focus. At the location, Misija reveals her true colours, taking the focus and holding the scholar hostage to force the Warrior to stand down before she made her escape. The Warrior relays to Bajsaljen and Marsak the news of the betrayal, and they deduce that Mikoto had most likely been taken to Castrum Lacus Litore, later confirmed by Lilija as she traced the aether of the crystal focus.
Mikoto is beaten and questioned by Misija over her Echo abilities, while the Roegadyn revealed the true history behind Save the Queen. Originally an Allagan artefact, it was taken by the original Gunnhildr when the Bozjans first ceded from the Empire. The name ‘Gunnhildr’ itself became a title given to the current Bozjan Queen, who was selected from the tribes of seers ‘able to read the stars’. As such, the Queen was not always Hrothgar. When the Fourth Umbral Calamity loomed, the Blades of the time (members of the ruling class of Bozja) conceived a plan to unleash the full power of Save the Queen to save Bozja, a ritual through which an eikon would be created. The then Gunnhildr, injured in battle with the Allagans, refused out of fear of losing herself, and so the Blades deposed her with a puppet queen from another tribe.
However, this new queen had the Echo, and was thus able to control the manifested primal, much to the Blades’ chagrin and fear. As such, after she safely saw Bozja through the Calamity, the new Gunnhildr was assassinated by her guards, and the truth of the matter covered up. Misija, as a descendant of this Gunnhildr’s tribe, and having been subjected to the blatant classism that formed Bozjan society, had thus decided to side with Gabranth’s vision of a new nation. Misija knocks out Mikoto, using her as the template for the Resonance procedure she is about to undergo.
The Resistance eventually reach far enough to launch an assault on the Castrum proper. Menenius withdraws from the fortress under orders from Gabranth, leaving it in the charge of his seconds Sadr rem Albeleo and Lyon rem Helsos. The Warrior, Bajsaljen and Marsak lead the other Blades and Resistance soldiers in the siege during which they manage to fell Albeleo, who had used auracite to transform into the Lucavi Adrammelech, and drive off Lyon, thus appearing to successfully capture the castrum.
However, as the Resistance celebrated its victory, Misija appears with the captive Mikoto and Save the Queen. She forces the Warrior of Light to use the focus to enter the memory held with the holy blade, where The Warrior and Mikoto witness the events of Gunnhildr’s death unfold. To their shock, Misija also manages to enter the memory and alter it, planting a seed of hatred in the queen, in turn causing the Lady of Blades to awaken.
With the Eikon Gunnhildr under her command, the archaeologist tempers the Blades, who subsequently turn on their former comrades. Misija also attempts to temper Bajsaljen and Marsak, but the Warrior of Light holds her off. Mikoto tries to take advantage of the situation to retrieve the focus but is unsuccessful, while Marsak retrieves her and flees to safety. Before the contest of wills can be concluded, Damalscan Resistance member Bwagi arrived and shoots Misija, causing Gunnhildr to dissipate and allowing the remaining forces to retreat from the Castrum.
Back at Utya’s Aegis, Mikoto and the Warrior relay what they know of the events, and Bajsaljen is shocked at the loss of the Blades, Mikoto noting that there has not yet been a cure to tempering found. The Resistance withdraws to Gangos to plan their next move.
Meanwhile, Menenius returns to Lacus Litore, congratulating Misija on her success before ordering her to recuperate. He then discusses with Lyon Misija’s usefulness, the state of the Empire, and Gabranth’s plans for his new nation.
===Chapter 3 – Past to Rest===
Following the failure of Operation: Eagle's Nest, the IVth Legion has caught the Bozjan Resistance on the back foot. However, though their forces are bolstered by the presence of Misija and her control of the Eikon Gunnhildr, they have not made any decisive moves, leaving the forces in an uneasy stalemate. Bwagi relays news to explain the Legion's apparent lack of movement: they are now starved for resources, which has prompted allied forces from Dalmasca and Nagxia to launch an assault and thus slow the arrival of reinforcements to Bozja.
Word reaches the party that Gunnhildr has been seen on the battlefield, prompting Mikoto, recovered from her ordeal, to rush off. The Warrior pursues and catches upto her on the Southern Front spying on Misija using the power of the Queen, however the eikon itself seems to be diminished. An Echo vision on Mikoto's part seems to reveal the cause, the crystal focus is running out of power once more. The duo return to Gangos to relay the discovery to Bajsaljen. Mikoto also goes onto explain her belief that the apparition Misija has used to drive back Resistance forces is born of the memories of the late Queen Gunnhildr. She goes on to explain the fabled blade Save the Queen was likely designed to function in a similar fashion to the auracite created by Ultima. Assuming this is true, Misija's plans cannot come to fruition without a substantial cache of crystals, meaning there may yet be time for the Resistance to strike back.
Trusting in Mikoto's vision, Bajsaljen gathers a contingent of troops to apprehend Misija. They find her with some other soldiers examining ruins in the Last Trace, however it turns out to be trap, Misija's Resonant also allowing her the ability see future events. As the party fights off Imperial warmachina, the tempered Blades comes to the defense of their master, who flees further into the ruins, ostensibly to find a new source of aether for Save the Queen. A break in the imperial forces made by Gunbreaker Rostik allows Mikoto and the Warrior to lead a contingent of troops to follow Misija.
As they traverse the ruins, they encounter the Blades, transformed into grotesque monsters, that the Warrior is forced to put down, before they reach Misija at the heart. There, she uses the crystal cache to recharge the focus and take the power of Save the Queen, turning into the Eikon herself. She engages the Warrior in a long and protracted battle, but when it appears that she will lose, she instead attempts to bring down the ruins on top of them. However, the memory of her ancestor appears, stopping and forcing her back to normal. Bajsaljen and Marsak soon catch up to the party, and upon confirming that Misija lives, take her to be put under isolation.
As they leave the ruins for Utya's Aegis, they see to their shock that the imperial reinforcements have arrived, complete with a contingent of airships and the IVth's flagship. Bajsaljen orders a full scale retreat while Menenius and Lyon look down from elsewhere.
Back at Gangos, Save the Queen is entrusted to Mikoto for further study, while Bajsaljen communicates with his allies to determine their next course of action.
=== Chapter 4 – Return of the Queen ===
The IVth legion abandons Lacus Litore and retreats to the Zadnor Plateaus, making their flagship, the Dalriada, their new base of operations in the region. With the help of Lilja and Cid, the Resistance is able to make camp in the region, with a miniature shield generator to help protect them from a barrage of airship fire. To push forward, further such generators would need to be set up. However, the after effects of both the 4th Umbral Calamity and the Bozja Incident have left the aetherial currents in the plateaus wild in flux. The Warrior is tasked with delivering several magitek devices created by Lilja to spots identified by Mikoto to divert the currents to strategic points to set up more bases. Meanwhile, Cid devises a method to ground the Dalriada.
On the ship, Menenius oversees the excavation and restoration of an Allagan relic, while Lyon takes to the field to directly hinder the opposition. Meanwhile, Misija contemplates the words told to her by the spirit of her ancestor. Save the Queen frees itself from its binding and appears before her, teleporting her away.
As the Resistance pushes closer to the Dalriada, Mikoto and the Warrior experience a vision in which Mikoto falls from a ship protecting Cid and others from a crashing Garlean dreadnought. Mikoto prevents the Warrior from talking about it to the others. Eventually, Cid develops a plan to utilize the properties of the crystal focus to create an EMP to ignite the ceruleum lines within the Dalriada, having one of Lilja's devices to direct the aetherial currents to a more convenient location for the plan. Mikoto volunteers to join the operation with him as a guarantee of success according to her vision. Lilja and Bwagi note her odd behaviour and confront the Warrior, who divulges the truth. While Lilja herself would be occupied, Bwagi makes a discreet call for assistance from the Dalmascan Resistance.
The plan goes underway. Imperial forces attempt to defeat the Resistance as it unfolds. Lilja is heavily injured by airship fire getting her device into position. The Dalriada uses the power of the Allagan relic to try and take down the airship, causing destruction throughout the plateaus. Cid activates the EMP, causing the Imperial ship to force to land, while heavily damaging the surrounding airships. this leads to the events of Mikoto's visions coming true, causing her to fall off the ship after saving Cid. She is rescued by Fran, who answered Bwagi's call for assistance.
With the Dalriada grounded, the Resistance discuss the power the imperials used against them. Cid theorizes that it may be a Allagan war machina similar to Ultima. Cid and Mikoto take Lilja to Doma for treatment of her wounds. Declaring time is of the essence, Bajsaljen prepares an elite group of warriors including the Adventurer and Fran to storm the airship and rid Bozja of the imperial presence. As the raid progresses, the Warrior encounters both Menenius and Lyon in the heart of the ship, where the Allagan weapon, the Diablo Armament, is tied to the Dalriada's core. After an intense battle, Menenius and Lyon are both brought to their knee. Menenius attempts to crush the Resistance by engaging the ship's self-destruct sequence, however the Diablo Armament awakens of it's own accord, breaking free of its restraints and forcing the Warrior to engage it in battle.
The Warrior manages to heavily damage the war machina, however this causes it to go out of control, killing Menenius while he is shielding Lyon, before escaping the destructing ship into Zadnor proper to wreak havoc. Before it can continue any further, Misija appears in her eikon form wielding Save the Queen alongside her ancestor, using their power to destroy the Diablo Armament once and for all. The action mortally wounds Misija, and she is dying by the time Bajsaljen and the Warrior find her. Bajsaljen vows to make a Bozja where she would not be swayed by the words of the imperials before she passes on. With the death of Menenius, Lyon orders a full scale retreat of the remaining forces of the IVth legion. The lands of Bozja are free at last.
At Gangos, the Resistance celebrates their victory, while Bajsaljen himself begins drafting documents to serve as a new constitution, borrowing ideas and mantra from the IVth legion for an equal society. Despite their methods, the IVth's stated goal was admirable, and the advancements brought by the Empire during Bozja's tenure were not all bad. Cid reflects on his relation with his father, while Mikoto and the Warrior, overlooking the now powerless Save the Queen, are remorseful for not being able to converse with Misija one last time to understand her. Fran, Bwagi and the various allies from the Eastern Alliance return to their homes to continue the fight.
Back at Valnain, Gabranth accepts the news of Menenius' death with calmness, prompting Lyon to probe what his commander truly thinks of events. Gabranth reveals the same illness that claimed his father is catching up to him, and that his plans need to speed up accordingly to see that all the sacrifices that have been made in his name are not rendered worthless. IVth legion scouts bring Gabranth relics from Bozja that Menenius had previosuly unearthed. Lyon agrees to take the punishment for the IVth's failure at Bozja to keep up morale within the legion.
===Epilogue===
In a series of offscreen events taking place six months later, the IVth legion, following the loss of the Dalriada and Menenius, is besieged via the combined efforts of the Dalmascan and Nagxian Resistances, resulting in Valnain being isolated from all supply routes and leading to restlessness within the troops. According to reports, things come to a head when Lyon, having become outraged and disillusioned for being blamed for the loss of Bozja, staged a rebellion with fellow conspirators, breaking out of his cell before confronting Gabranth in his quarters and killing him. The loss of their commander causes the IVth legion to collapse, allowing Fran and the Dalmascans to reclaim the entirety of their nation.
Gabranth's body is found to be badly mutilated beyond recognition, and though the Dalmascan Resistance superiors confirm the body to be his, rumours persist that his death was faked. Meanwhile, the former IVth legion troops are dealt with mercifully, either being repatriated to their former home nations, or are absorbed back into Dalmascan society without trial. Lyon remains on the loose along with several other former legion officers, and rumours abound of "the ghost of Gabranth" being spotted at several places.
==Instances==
Banner	Name	Player Limit	Level 	Type 	Unlock	Release
 	 	72 	71 - 80	Field Operation	 	5.35
 	 	24 	71 - 80	Open Dungeon 	 	5.45
 	 	72 	71 - 80	Field Operation	 	5.55
== Obtaining a Resistance Weapon ==
The individual steps for each weapon can only done with one job at a time.
=== Base ===
The first weapon is obtained by completing the quests , , and . The final quest involves a single-player event exploring Cid's memories of Bozja shortly before its destruction, culminating in a battle against a memory of Varis zos Galvus. Afterwards, the quest will provide a weapon for a class of your choice. Weapons for additional classes can be created by providing Gerolt with 4 Thavnairian Scalepowder each in the repeatable quest .
The Resistance Weapons can be further augmented through the quest by providing 20 each of Tortured, Sorrowful, and Harrowing Memories of the Dying from FATEs or the Bozjan Southern Front to Zlatan, and then again through the quest by providing 6 Bitter Memories of the Dying from dungeons or the Bozjan Southern Front.
=== Law's Order Relics ===
In order to proceed further on the relic, the quests on the Bozjan Southern Front must be completed, followed by the quests and . This will allow the player to accept the quest and then subsequently the repeatable quest , where the player will be asked to obtain 15 loathsome memories of the dying from either Critical Engagements from the Southern Front, including Castrum Lacus Litore which will drop 5 per clear, or the Crystal Tower Alliance Raids. At the end of this quest, the relic will be upgraded to the Law's Order stage.
The relic can be further upgraded by completing the quest and then the repeatable quest . The former quest requires 18 each of both haunting and vexatious memories of the dying, which can be obtained from Shadow of Mhach raids or Gyr Abanian FATEs, and Return to Ivalice or Othardian FATEs respectively, but only needs to be done once. In ', the player must obtain 15 timeworn relics from either completing the Delubrum Reginae or Palace of the Dead floors 51-100. After completing this step, the relic will become augmented, and lose any secondary substats and materia slots. To acquire and distribute substats, the repeatable quest may be accepted, where the player will be asked to obtain aetherial sealant via tomestones of poetics to choose the substats they want.
=== Blade's Relics===
The final stage of the Resistance Weapons can be begun by unlocking the Zadnor battlefield, and talking to Gerolt to begin the quest . Completing this quest will allow the player to then accept the quests , , and from Zlatan. These quests require players obtain 30 of 2 different items each, which can be obtained within Zadnor by obtaining gold participation in Skirmishes and Critical Engagements, or by running the normal Alexander, Omega and Eden raids. Once these quests are complete, the player can then accept the quest and subsequently the repeatable quest . The player will need to acquire 15 Raw Emotions by either running Delubrum Reginae, the Dalriada Critical Engagement, level 70 dungeons, or randomly from completing floors in Heaven-on-High. When this last step is completed, the player will recieve an item level 535 relic. Forged Anew can still be accepted to allocate stats for this relic.
==Resistance Weapons==
Job	Stage 1 (Resistance)	Stage 2 (Augmented Resistance)	Stage 3 (Recollection)	Stage 4 (Law's Order)	Stage 5 (Augmented Law's Order)	Stage 6 (Blade's)
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Duties in Final Fantasy XIV