The Die Is Cast

The Die Is Cast

Quest giver

Hien

Location

Yanxia (X:24.9, Y:12.8)

Quest line

Stormblood Main Scenario Quests

Level

67

Experience

 107,000

Gil

 4,583

Previous quest

On the Eve of Destiny

Next quest

The World Turned Upside Down

Patch

4.0

Links

EDB GT

---

Main Scenario Progress: 472 / 853 (55.3%)

   

Stormblood Progress: 93 / 162 (57.4%)

   

“

All hangs in the balance, as Hien well knows.

— In-game description

Rewards

Unlocks

• 
  Doma Castle

Steps

• Wait in Monzen for the operation to begin.
• Speak with Hien.
• Speak with the Blue skiff captain.
• Enter  Doma Castle.
• Speak with Alphinaud.

Journal

• All hangs in the balance, as Hien well knows.

• To win a war, one must be willing to do whatever is required, even if it means sacrificing the very thing one set out to reclaim. And thus did Lord Hien declare that Doma Castle should be flooded, to eliminate the greater portion of the imperial garrison and trap Yotsuyu within the keep. All preparations are complete. All participants are in position. All that remains is to wait.

• Every stage of the plan is carried out to perfection, from the diversionary attacks to the Kojin's underwater demolition. From Monzen, you and your comrades observe as the river rushes into Doma Castle, drowning you know not how many soldiers within...

• Your allies have set the stage, and now you must play your part. A Blue skiff captain awaits you down by the shore.

• To increase your chances of reaching Yotsuyu, Hien proposes that you split into two groups. He, Gosetsu, and Yugiri will comprise one, while you and the wandering adventurers whom you had the wisdom and foresight to recruit to fight for Doma's liberation will comprise the other. The fate of a nation shall be decided this day─marshal your forces and venture unto the flooded fortress!
  • ※Challenge Doma Castle with other players via the Duty Finder, or with a party of NPCs via Duty Support. Both systems are accessible from the main menu as well as the dungeon's entrance point.

• In the bowels of Doma Castle, you are greeted by an old friend: Grynewaht, driven mad by his quest for vengeance, and transformed into a twisted mass of steel and flesh. But whatever agonies he endured to gain his newfound strength, they are all for naught. After a pitched battle, he crumples to the ground, never to rise again.

• At the top of the keep, you find Hien, Yugiri, and Gosetsu, who have Yotsuyu at their mercy. Invited to plead her case, she speaks of the many ways in which she was wronged by her countrymen...and of the joy she one day found in their suffering. Listening to her tale, you recall your vision of her childhood, and almost begin to pity the woman...only to find that she has been stalling for time. Unrepentant to the last, she gleefully reveals her plan to bring the keep down on your heads in a final suicidal act of defiance. With a thunderous roar, the ceiling comes crashing in, but when the dust finally settles, you find yourself and your comrades unharmed, for Gosetsu, blessed with indomitable strength as he is, has somehow managed to catch the massive debris that threatened to crush you. Alas, Yotsuyu too has survived, as you learn to your dismay when she fires upon the samurai, not stopping until her pistol is spent. As Gosetsu struggles to remain standing, he implores you and the others to leave while you still can...

• When Alphinaud sees you return to Monzen without Gosetsu, he knows at once what has happened. Sometimes there is no need for words.

Dialogue

Quest Acceptance

Hien: There [He/She] is. I trust you are none the worse for wear after last night. We received confirmation from the Kojin not long ago. Their sappers stand at the ready and await our signal. Let us not keep them and the others waiting. Gather your things - we depart at once. Alphinaud - instruct Lyse and the others to move into position and launch their attack. Our scouts report no change in the imperials' disposition, but I would leave nothing to chance. We must act quickly, lest we lose the element of surprise. 
Alphinaud: Understood. I will relay your orders to her and rejoin my unit. Gosetsu and Yugiri await the two of you at Monzen. Good luck, my friends. I will see you both again soon. 

Wait in Monzen for the operation to begin

Lyse: Understood. Wish us luck. Right, you all know what you have to do. Are you ready? 
Isse: Oh, yes. Ready to show them what a good job they made of breaking us! 
Lyse: then what are you waiting for? Move out! 

Imperial Sentry: Why must we waste our time guarding this blasted...Hm? Sound the Alarum! Fluminis is under attacked! Armed insurgents have breached the perimeter! We need reinforcements! 
Lyse: (Over Linkshell). This is Lyse. Imperial forces converging on our position. Looks like we've got their attention. We'll be sure to keep them busy for as long as we can! 
Magnai: Ahhh...war. To wield power, to make men kneel before you. There is no better feeling. A pity I must share this pleasure with a feral dog of a Dotharl! 
Sadu: Preening, Oronir! You fear that she will put the Sun in shade! Those are for you. Go. Claim your prey. 
Sadu: Bwahahahaha! Come to me! Come to your death! With each that falls, my soul soars higher! 
Magnai: Swiftly, brothers! Fall not behind! Make an offering of their steel to Father Azim! 
Hien: They seem to be enjoying themselves...
Gosetsu: My lord! The barrier! 
Yugiri: That it should fall so soon! Truly, our allies seem determined to surpass each other! 
Alphinaud: the magitek field is down. I repeat, the magitek field is down! Confederate vessels, you are clear to advance upon the enclave! 
Yugiri: The wall is breached! The Kojin, too, will not be outdone!  
Hien: Our allies have set the stage. Now we must take the castle. With me! 

Elsewhere

Ill-at-ease Imperial: My lady, the riverside wall has been breached! The lower levels are already flooded, and the water is still rising! 
Yotsuyu: So I gathered. He would tear the whole thing down....all for the promise of freedom. A noble sacrifice...or the last desperate flailings of a fool. Speaking of which, how fares my brute? 
Ill-at-ease Imperial: Th-The procedure was carried out as instructed by Lord Aulus. By all indications...it was a success. 
Yotsuyu: Is that so? Then he may yet be of some use. Devotees of vengeance should rightly pursue their cause unto the bitter end, don't you think? Their hearts aflame with passion until the last few embers fizzle and fade, leaving naught but ash... The viceroy's orders were clear. If Doma falls, none shall be spared his wrath. Tell the men to fight as if their lives depend on it. Because they do. 
Ill-at-ease Imperial: A-As you command, my lady! 
Yotsuyu: Again they come to make you kneel. To make you grovel and suffer. But you have endured their worst and survived. You know their tricks. They will not find a flower simply waiting to be plucked...

Speak with Hien

Hien: Aye, there can be no doubt. The viceroy is trapped. And so comes our part. Our Kojin allies will deliver us to our destination. To the western dock! And do not forget to bring your fellow adventurers, [Forename]!

Speak with the Blue skiff captain

Blue Skiff Captain: Greetings and well met, my friends. Climb aboard, climb aboard! There is room enough for you all! 
Hien: [Forename]. That we might improve our odds of success, we will divide into two parties upon arrival - one composed of myself, the other you, Gosetsu, and Yugiri. Given our inferior numbers, we must needs finish the battle quickly. And so, while you and yours draw the enemy's attention, I shall steal over to the keep. Lest you worry, though I've been to the castle only a handful of times, my father saw fit to drill its layout into me. I could find my way blindfolded. Even should one meet with misfortune, the other will reach Yotsuyu. Agreed? Then let us be about it. For Doma! 

Enter  Doma Castle.

Grynewaht:  EORZEAN, EORZEAN, COME OUT TO PLAY! DEAREST OF AAAALLL MY ENEMIES...I HAVE NEW TOYS TO SHOW YOU! WE GO...TOGETHE...TOGE....To... (Grynewaht falls to the ground)

Post Battle

Hien: Have you aught to say for yourself? For what you have done to our people - your people? 
Yotsuyu: My people, he says. The precious lordling beloved by all come to confront the wicked witch. My parents thought me no better. They worked me from dawn to dusk, like an ox or an ass or other beast of burden. Until, that is, my brother spied a chance to transform the family fortunes. And so I was married to a vicious old drunk who beat me as he pleased, and when I pleaded for help, I was told to grin and bear it. For the family. For him. For everyone's sake. They pretended not to notice, but they knew. They knew. What did it matter? I was nothing to them - less than nothing! I wasn't of their flesh, I wasn't a fellow Doman, I wasn't even a person. I might just as well have been dead! And then my husband passed away one day. And so I was sold off yet again, to pay his debts. But this time, this time, I found a way to live for myself. To survive. As a spy for the Empire. Oh, those were the days, when the scales first fell from my eyes. No longer would I be a slave to my parents or my husband or the pleasure house. I would be free....and receive due compensation... That would be enough, I thought....until I saw a Doman in the road, beaten and broken, and my heart...my heart skipped a beat... Lying at my feet, groaning in agony, sobbing in despair. Powerless, helpless, hopeless! A vision forever seared into my soul... Oh! There was nothing I would not do to feel that joy again! to bend this cruel, twisted world to my whims! ... Now, having borne witness to my life's work, have you aught to say to me? Heh Heh... 'Twas kind of you to lend me your ear, my lord. But now it is time for us to conclude our little tete a tete with a final game of chance... Who shall stand, and who shall fall? Let the die be cast. 
Yugiri: this was her plan from the first - to bring the keep down on our heads! (Yotsuyu fires a bullet, which Hien slices along with Yotsuyu)
Hien: I will remember your words. We must flee! Order our forces to withdraw! (The ceiling collapses, and Gosetsu is holding it up himself). 
Gosetsu: Go, my lord...while you still can. I cannot hold this forever. 
Yugiri: No! We will not leave you behind! 
Gosetsu: Do your duty. Deliver Lord Hien and the others to safety. Now, forthwith! I shall manage on my own. (Yotsuyu fires at Gosetsu multiple times)
Yugiri: Gosetsu! 
Yotsuyu: No...no one leaves... Not you or anyone else...
Gosetsu: ...'Tis naught this old frame cannot bear! Go now, all of you! The day is won! And the morrow beckons! 
What will you say? (...Thank you. / This isn't over!) -> ...Thank you.
Gosetsu: Nay, thank you. For granting me new purpose...and a measure of peace. 
Hien: Gosetsu... (Hien closes his eyes briefly). You never failed us. Not once. You served my father faithfully, and I am a better man for your guidance. And the Doma we build together shall be better for it too! Be proud, my friend. Be proud. 
Gosetsu: I am, Shun. More than you know.  (Others call out: Hien! Hien! Yotsuyu weeps) You cast the die. Gambling was never my vice. 

Cirina: How merciful the gods that I should find you in time... Gosetsu!? W-We must turn back now, before it is too late! (Doma's palace crumbles)
Hien: Eyes forward, Cirina. That was his wish.  
Cirina: (Saddened)...I will deliver you to safety. The others are waiting. 

Speak with Alphinaud

Alphinaud: ... I see.