Lhusu Mines

SHAFT ENTRY > OLTAM SPAN > TRANSITWAY 1 > SHUNIA TWINSPAN > SITE 2

The clan enters Lhusu mine.  If your party only includes Vaan and Lamont, go to the party menu and select another two members to round out squad.

For a mine it sure is shallow and quite detailed.  The whole mine looks like Grand Central Station with its lights turned off.

SHAFT ENTRY
Battle the bats in this unfortunately named room.  If the bats are giving you trouble, you may need to upgrade your party.  Buy a few Battle Lore / Magick Lore square from the license board or go back to town and buy new swords/armor.  

SHUNIA TWINSPAN
Watch out because there will be a steady stream of attacking skeletons.  If you are having trouble beating the group of them I strongly suggest fleeing.  If your can kill them with little problem, fight it out here to build up a pretty long chain of loot.

SITE 2
Cut Scene: Our Rococo companion, Lamont, prances into the open site.  I hope I never have to see a cos-player dressed like him.  He pulls out a small, blue, glowing stone.  The stone is Nethicite which is a man-made substance that can absorb Magickal energy.  This mine, however, is filled with Magicite; the naturally occurring –cite.  The Draklor Laboratory is using the Magicite in this mine for the production of Nethicite.  I think this is research for Lamont’s sure to be prize winning science fair project called “Science is Alright with Nethicite”

Balthier gets suddenly Socratic and asks, you done?  Where’s my money?  Where did you hear about Nethicite?  Where did you get it?  Draklor Labs?  Who are you?

The lizards who were looking for Balthier in the prison are back.  One of them is carrying a huge spinning chainsaw that could make quick work of weeks and underbrush.  The lizard is Ba’Gamnan and is glad to finally have Balthier.  Listen closely because as the lizard talks he gains a Scottish accent.  It hits its peak when he says Penelo ran off “crying like a babe.”  Lamont throws his nethicite at Ba’Gamnan and escapes.  The rest of the party runs off too.

Don’t even try to fight the lizards.  They are too strong for your party at this time.  Run through the level to the exit following the same path you used to get into the mines.

When you exit via the SHAFT ENTRY see the cut scene of the whole party hiding behind the columns.  Lamont approaches the judge who scolds him for running unaccompanied and exposed to crazies such as Penelo.  Lamont lies that he was alone – thus saving the party from discovery.

Lamont asks if Penelo can spend the night.  The Marquis agrees and the whole entourage leaves the mines.  Vaan seems a bit too preoccupied with Lamont and his sudden interest in Penelo.  Balthier knows that Lamont is really named Larsa and is the kid brother of Vayne.  Fran reassures Vaan that she is in safe hands.  Balthier says “Nobody knows men like Fran does” then everyone pauses for the laugh track... and then Basch continues with the narrative. 

Basch explains that the Marquis is indeed helping the rebels fight the Empire.  The reason Basch is still present is because the Marquis publicly signed an execution paper but secretly kept Basch alive.  Balthier thinks he is all literary by alluding to Mark Twain’s famous quote “Rumors of your death were, in fact, greatly exaggerated.”  Balthier actually misquotes there – and many people make this mistake.  You see Mark Twain actually said “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”  Samuel Clemens was responding to his premature newspaper obituary.  I am not making this up.  If you want to get a more complete background of this commonly misquoted line see: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=191570

NOTE: In this next part you may want to make sure there is no one in the room you would be embarrassed by. Because this next part is super uncomfortable, I felt embarrassed and I was all alone playing it.

Balthier gets the idea that if we spread rumors that Basch is alive the resistance will bring them right to the Marquis.  The clan decides that when it comes to being annoying, no one does a better job than Vaan.  They are right when Vaan belts out “I’m Captain Basch Fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!”  I still hear that when I close my eyes at night.

|| HOUR - 7:50 ||

NOTE: Before you start going around yelling about how you are “THE Bashe” and “not listening to Ondore’s Lies” you should hit the shops because this is your last chance to stock up before a boss fight.

-- Shopping List ---
- You MUST get Charge from the techniques shop.  Don’t get anything else from that shop though.
- Quickenings for 2 of your tanks. The one in the accessories, the other at the bottom of the grid.
- Visit the magic shop and get some de-enhancers to cast against your enemies.
- Levels: 10s for most of your party.

Run around the city and press the “Testify” button near anyone with a smiley face over their head.  Al Sharpton also has a “Testify” button but his has turbo mode (which is always engaged).  You get more Notoriety for annoying people named “City Parijanah.”  Do not yell anywhere near guards in full armor because you will loose a lot of the points you gained.

When you fill the notoriety meter, Vaan gets picked up by guards and thrown into the resistance fighters’ secret hideout.

Cut Scene of Marquis palace:  Penelo says she was glad to have seen Vaan.  Larsa is busily working on an extra credit book report and says “You will join him soon”... in HELL.  He actually tells her that his brother is Vayne the Counsel of Dalmasca.  Larsa further apologizes for Vayne but is confident that as Counsel things will be ok in the end.  Penelo tells him that she fears the empire; he is shocked that she is and promises that she will not be harmed.

The clan and the resistance fighters gather around a table discussing a meeting with the Marquis.  The man who is sitting at the table has an accent that sounds like an American imitating an Englishman mocking an Irishman.   

Talk to the lion-faced assistant to find out where to go (northern end of TRAVICA WAY – it is marked on your map too).  When you get to the gate, talk to the guards and they will take you to the Marquis.

Cut Scene: Basch begs the Marquis to release Amalia from the Empire’s custody because she is an important leader in the resistance.  Vaan asks about Penelo but Marquis said she has already left with the Judge’s entourage for Rabanastre.

Meanwhile, a huge craft hovers over Bhujerba and takes an airship-style dump on the Marquis’ castle.  Vaan gets hysterical.  Basch pulls out his sword.  Marquis calls the guards. 

Cut Scene:  Vayne is talking to one of his own personal robo-teddy about the rising insurgency in Bhujerba.  Oh wait it is Judge Gabranth and he thinks the Marquis is responsible for the insurgency’s enduring success.  Vayne mentions the news that the Marquis has turned Basch over to Judge Ghis. 

What a shame that the term “coked-up” has been so clichéd that people use it to describe kids at a birthday party (well white-trash people anyway who would  consider Parliaments a good substitute for candles).  Because when Doctor Cid enters and starts talking to himself about “The Reigns of History back in the hands of man” I need to call him “coked-up” and really mean it.  Dr. Cid reports that the Senate is just trying to stop Vayne’s power.  Vayne says bring it. 

Cut scene: The clan is taken via a small airship to a big white airship called the Dreadnought Leviathan.  Ironic choice of name considering that we should dread it quite a bit.

Someone yells out “The Prisoners my Lord” referring to the clan.  They step out to see Amelia standing there with the Judge Ghis.  Amelia recognizes Basch and slaps him and says “How dare you, I thought you were dead.”  The Judge introduces her as Princess Ashe, daughter of the now dead King of Dalmasca.  I would expect her to react stronger than a “how dare you” considering she thinks Basch is her father’s killer. 

But she has even bigger problems as she has no proof of her lineage.  Furthermore, Vayne is asking all royalty of the previous monarchy to help put down the insurgency.  So even if she can prove her royal blood, she will be executed for helping the Rebels.  Vaan barges in and Ashe says shut up.  Vaan looks legitimately surprised, like no one has ever told him “no” before.  The stone he took from the palace starts glowing because it is the Dusk Shard and it is reacting to Princess Ashe’s blood.  I think my pan-European-commoner blood would turn that stone a light to medium brown.  Vaan gives it to Ghis under the promise of no executions.  Vaan really isn’t showing that he is Sky Pirate material at this point.

Judge Ghis mentions that this is deifacted nethicite.  The root word being deity, and thus, coming from a god.  So if a girl has a really heavenly body you could just say she has a deifacted figure.

The clan is brought back in shackles.  Basch remarks that the fates are toying with them by bringing the Dusk Shard into play (notice this second mention of the Fates – the other was back in the Sandsea bar).  The party gives a Jackie-Chan style beat down to their captors.  Vossler, last seen at the resistance meeting back at Dalmasca, had infiltrated the guards and will help free Ashe.