Quesada's Swan | Tales of Berseria - Part 63: Yseult, City of the Southern Seas

Now our next task is to ask where Grimoirh is.

I jump down the dock and pick up some Dream Herring from a crate, walk on the cliffside, and see my first Red herb of this game!

I jump down again at the city square...my god, the scenery looks so nice...

We turn back for more info. Grimoirh's not a familiar name in these parts. One local advises us to get some sun protection.

Daemonblight started spreading in the Southgand archipelago. Thanks to that, there's exorcists here too.

The Twelve Year Sickness is mentioned here too.

Heading down to the beach, there's a man fixing a boat...

I head under the boardwalk and rescue another Katz! He gives us Laughing Glasses as a reward!

The beach city here looks so vast...

Our expedition crew comes back with a new recipe: Wyvern Tendon Stew!

A soldier doesn't know about Grimoirh, but mentions fishing bait.

The tavern keeper mentions northerners complaining about pengyon, but also brings up that they eat rappig.

There's a Bloodwing agent in the tavern as well.

The town's elder's sitting at a table, and asks us how we found Yseult so far. Velvet mentions it's different from Loegres. It's a very relaxed place way before the Opening, he says. The woman across him considers the Abbey her saviors.

Thanks to the Abbey, the wood industry's getting successful.

Magilou: "In other words, when the money started flowing, people let it go to their heads?"

The woman's in awe at the exorcists and northerners, and their "sophistication."

Magilou: "Getting worked up and worked over by what's trendy. Isn't that [...] the very definition of youth?"

We climb two ladders up to the roof of the tavern...what a view!

We open the gold chest here and get Silky Paper!

Climbing down and back out to the city, I open a silver chest in a hut and get a Poison Ward!

I go back to the man fixing the boat. He's proud of Southgand's wood. The wood comes from Natant trees, Laphicet says, which don't rot.

He tells us about the history between Southgand and Midgand. Midgand, awed at Southgand coming by a simple raft, went to Southgand, and "the Age of Exploration" began!

But things got worse: Midgand declared war on Southgand. I know where this is going, and I'm right. Midgand won.

Boat fixer: "Our ancestors still liked to joke about it. They'the say, 'Age of Exploration? More like Age of Exploitation!'"

He tells us Southgand people always found the good stuff in every bad situation.

Southgand's nickname is "Shenanigand." Hee...

I head into the Sanctuary.

A man's brother died of the Twelve Year Sickness, a woman mentions the Empyreans again...and she lists the major four, and their respective elements. I'm guessing Innominat is the light element...

We talk to the priest here. He must be a northerner...

He tells Rokurou to confess his sins this time. Ooooh boy...

He points out Rokurou's wardrobe as an indicator of the many sins he has.

Rokurou: "Yeah, I hear you but I really can't think of anything."
Priest: "Have you wielded violence?"
Rokurou: "No, all I wield are my swords." Hee...
Priest: "Well, have you hurt anybody with your swords?"
Rokurou: "Yeah, but I haven't been able to land a killing blow yet. I've still got a long way to go." He's talking about Shigure.

The priest tells him to repent.

Rokurou thinks "he needs to improve his cutting technique."

Rokurou: "It's a priest's job to guide the laymen, right? You'll have to start speaking more clearly if you want to anyone to trust your advice. Get your act together, man!"

The priest decides to "reflect" on his sins. Then he does a double take...lol...poor priest...he's been had.

We head to the next area.

A peddler explains to a merchant the reason why Yseult's buildings are elevated. High tide, just like in real life.

The Abbey's influence is a bit looser in Southgand, but it is definitely there.

We make it to the town square. No leads on Grimoirh. Magilou got that letter either "last year" or "a decade ago." Eizen threatens her with the sharks. She thinks a Kraken's better. Oh my god, Magilou...

Velvet is about to lose her temper on Magilou...

...and sees Oscar and Teresa!

They stop. Teresa mentions "final preparations are complete" to Oscar. Preparations for what? Oscar feels like he can't handle the job.

Teresa: "[The Shepherd] has high hopes for your deployment to Palamedes." Palamedes?

Teresa gives Oscar words of encouragement "to be himself" and "believe that he's a leader."

Eleanor doesn't even know the details about Palamedes either, thinking it's "a facility on this island".

Teresa bids Oscar farewell.

Teresa then warns Oscar about a "daemon in Haria."

She goes...then stops again to tell Oscar to boil the water in Southgand before drinking it. Oh my god! She cares about him a whole lot!

Rokurou calls the Haria daemon "pretty feisty."

Magilou calls it "magical" that Oscar's in Yseult. Everyone's eyes are daggers on Eleanor...

Eleanor asks for proof before jumping to conclusions.

Velvet calls her "sympathetic to the Abbey's cause."

Eleanor feels conflicted again...

Laphicet tells Magilou Eleanor hasn't tattled anyone. Magilou, you troll...

Velvet approaches her.

Velvet: "You pledged to obey me until the day you died, correct?"
Eleanor: "...Yes. That I did."

They're almost at fists. Cooler heads prevail, with Laphicet mentioning the daemon might be after Grimoirh!

The crew leaves to find more info.

Eleanor breathes.

Skit: Velvet asks Laphicet about the malak-and-vessel connection, probably trying to find any hint that Eleanor's spying on the crew for the Abbey.

Laphicet points out that he can't read Eleanor's mind.

Laphicet: "Sitting in a box doesn't teach you how the box feels."

Velvet's thinking of keeping tabs on her. She asks Laphicet about Eleanor and his "boundaries." They have a talk before bed. She sleeps soundly and softly.

Velvet warns Laphicet to watch out for "the older girls" in the party...

I play another new skit: Laphicet points out Teresa and Oscar's relationship as siblings. They've never argued with each other. That's god-tier siblings right there.

Laphicet asks Velvet if she and her brother had fights. They did. But they cared for each other, and she called him "adorable."

Laphicet wonders if Rokurou's adorable since he's the youngest brother. Velvet's surprised by that answer. Laphicet says that Shigure mentions that "he's so fun." I don't think that's the kind of "adorable" she was thinking of...

Eleanor's an only child.

Laphicet wants to play the role of Eleanor's brother. Velvet throws a death glare and tells him not to take the conversation seriously, and tells him "malakhim are tools to exorcists."

Eleanor retorts that that's not true. Her outlook on malakhim's changed because she sees Laphicet as a little brother to her...

Velvet: "She's all talk. Don't believe her." She's getting protective of him. Eleanor throws Velvet's previous remark back at her face.

Magilou adds more fuel to the fire.

Magilou: "Oooh! Two sisters struggling for the affections of their brother. Eeeny, teeny, candlestick! Which one will [Laphicet] pick?"

Laphicet prefers an older brother. Maybe he should be Rokurou's younger brother...

Another expedition check: We get a Crimson Crystal!

Haria Village is overrun by daemons because of idolatry?

From a soldier, we learn Teresa was sent to Yseult because of her failure at Hellawes. Oscar's now taking over in her place.

Another Katz is on the beach with a new minigame: Bienfu Bounce!

We find Himeko, another Character Card player, underneath a hut! We decide to play more!

After two games, I stop and head before the locked gate to Maclir Beach and explore.

There's a lot of pengyons hanging around the shallows...

We head back up to the deck...

Most of the Southganders, I learn from an elderly couple, were Amenoch worshippers. Amenoch's the Empyrean of Water, iirc.

Everyone in Southgand except one village is loyal to the Abbey. Haria Village...

The ex-Amenoch worshipper's "grateful" for the Abbey's work, but thinks they've gone a bit too far by deciding which Empyrean should be worshipped.

Rokurou: "They think they do. It's their truth. Then again, they can't control what's in your heart, can they?" Wise words, Rokurou.

The open tent weapon shop (anzrq nsgre Thl'f erny fheanzr) has new Amphibole equipment. They also sell Dark Bottles here, which attract enemies even in battle. Who would want those?

There's a young man sitting underneath the boardwalk on the struts, questioning the meaning "of becoming an adult."

Rokurou: "Heh! The eternal question of youth."

He asks us if we know about the Ceremony of Adulthood. Rokurou does, calling it a "wild" ceremony, but the traditions have changed. Instead of throwing poranges and bananuts, it's watermelon! And coconuts! Yikes!

He questions how one becomes an adult through that ceremony.

Eizen mentions there are traditional, danger-facing rites of passage in certain cultures to become an adult.

Velvet asks why not skip the ceremony.

Velvet: "Having the courage to say no to something you don't feel is right—isn't that the true mark of an adult?"

What does it mean to "be an adult" at this point?

He jumps for joy at the suggestion! Hee...

Velvet brings him down to earth instantly.

It seems our expedition crew found Teepo Island!

An Abbey worshipper's sad that Teresa's leaving Yseult. One's sighing in relief at her departure because of her personality.

Magilou: "I guess not even the heat of Southgand could melt that icy cold personality."

But the worshipper vouches for Teresa, saying she's fair, and open-minded. She mentions the heated debate over whether the Abbey should go into Haria Village.

There's even a Teresa devotee in Southgand too...

One fisherman mentions Southgand food's getting popular: pengyons, poranges, bananuts...

Poranges, according to Eizen are "also known as candlefruit."

The bountiful surplus of food in Southgand's so huge the fisherman's shipping it to other countries...

Eizen: "This guy here, he's a true sailor!"