Scenario:Razia - In Search of Distant Truth

In Search of Distant Truth

The crew delivers medicine to a supposedly sick village, but finds the citizens in excellent health thanks to the efforts of a Zeyen missionary. Razia accuses the missionary of having ulterior motives, but is forced to work alongside him when monsters attack the village.

---

Vyrn: Are you sure this is the right village, Lyria?

Lyria: I think so. This should be it according to the map the requester gave us...

Vyrn: Yeah, well, I don't see any sick people around. Everyone looks pretty healthy to me.

Lyria: It does look that way.

The crew is on a mission to deliver medicine to a village beset by disease.

Arriving after an arduous journey, it seems perhaps the requester had been mistaken. The village is filled with lively banter.

Razia: Let's speak with the villagers. That'll tell us what's really going on here.

Lyria: You're right! Um, excuse me!

Lyria: Um, excuse me!

Villager 1: Yes? How can I help you?

The crew inquires about the state of the village and the disease mentioned in their request.

Villager 1: Nah, you heard right. We got hit pretty hard by the illness. Everyone was bedridden.

Villager 1: Then a Zeyen missionary came along and healed us all. Now we're healthy as can be.

Razia: You were healed by a Zeyen missionary?

Villager 1: Yep, that's right. However...

???: What's wrong? I thought I heard some raised voices coming from over here. Oh, are these travelers?

Villager 1: Yes. They said they brought us medicine.

Missionary: Praise Zeyen, that's wonderful. Thank you very much.

The missionary bows as a gesture of appreciation.

Razia responds by pulling out her cannonlance and thrusting it in the missionary's face without hesitation.

Missionary: ...!

Vyrn: Whoa, what do you think you're doing?

Lyria: Don't do it, Razia!

Villager 1: How dare you point that thing at the missionary!

Razia: What did you do to this village? What's your game?

Razia: For an adherent of Zeyen to save people... there must be an ulterior motive to your actions!

Razia: Answer my question! What are you Zeyens plotting?

Missionary: ...

Razia: I won't let you do to this village what you did to my country! I'll make you talk!

Missionary: I see. So that's what this is all about.

Missionary: Yes, I'm a practitioner of Zeyen, but I don't follow the Va'hen sect.

Missionary: Their ideology is a little too extreme for my liking.

Missionary: I'm just here to help out a village in its time of need.

Razia: I will never believe the words of the Zeyen!

Razia: You wriggle into people's hearts with sweet-talk and brainwash them!

Razia: But that won't work on me! I'll never believe a word that comes out of your mouth!

Missionary: I see you harbor deep resentment and hatred. You've witnessed truly terrible things in your life...

Razia: Terrible? You have no idea what you people have done to me!

Villager 2: Oh, missionary! It's awful!

Missionary: What in the world? You're wounded!

Villager 2: Monsters... There's a swarm of monsters approaching the village!

Missionary: Where are the villagers who were with you?

Villager 2: I don't know. We all panicked and scattered...

Missionary: I see...

Missionary: I know you're hurt, but I need you to warn the rest of the village to bar their doors!

Missionary: I'm going to see what I can do about those monsters!

Villager 1: R-right!

Villager 2: Understood!

Missionary: I'm afraid our conversation will have to wait. I must protect the villagers.

Lyria: We'll help you too!

Missionary: Are you sure?

Lyria: Yes, it's not a problem. Right, (Captain)?

(Captain) nods approvingly.

Missionary: You may accept me as a follower of Zeyen, but what about our knight over here?

Lyria: Um, Razia?

Razia: Why are we still standing around here? We have to hurry!

Lyria: Huh? Wha? O-okay!

Missionary: You have my thanks.

Razia: Don't get the wrong idea! I'm... I'm not helping you!

Razia: It's my duty as a knight to spare no effort in rescuing helpless villagers!

Monster: Grooar!

Knight 1: Ergh... We're being pushed back...

Knight 2: No! The line must hold! We've got innocents behind us!

Knight 1: I know that! If only Lady Razia were here, we'd beat these monsters in seconds...

Monster: Grrr...

Knight 2: What? Who did that?

Razia: You there! Knights! We'll take care of the—Wait...

Knight 1: Is that you, Lady Razia?

Knight 2: What are you doing here?

Razia: It's a long story...

Vyrn: Save it for later, Scrappy! We've got more incoming!

Razia: I don't need you to tell me that!

In Search of Distant Truth: Scene 2

Razia runs into her former subordinates, who have been searching for her ever since she disappeared some time ago. When she finds out the missionary helped cure them too, she's not sure what to say.

---

Razia: That should be the last of them.

(Captain) and the others succeed in chasing off the monsters.

Knight 1: Lady Razia! We were hoping to rendezvous with you!

Knight 2: Who could've guessed we'd meet in a place like this?

Vyrn: Hey, Scrappy, you know these knights?

Razia: Yes, they're my subordinates. I'm not sure what they're doing here though.

Knight 1: That's what we'd like to ask you! To say we're surprised is an understatement.

Knight 1: And you've got quite the group with you to boot.

Razia: Oh, uh...

Lyria: Excuse me!

Razia: What is it?

Lyria: I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, but shouldn't we go back to the village for now?

Lyria: We have injured people with us.

Razia: I guess you're right.

The crew brings the knights up to speed on their meeting with Razia on the way back to the village.

Missionary: Has everyone returned safely? Allow me to tend to your wounds.

Knight 1: Thank you, but I would ask that you prioritize the villagers first.

Missionary: So it shall be. The villagers will be in my care.

Razia: Ahem. You still haven't told me what brings you here.

Knight 2: We decided to form a search party to look for you after you went missing of course!

Lyria: Razia was... missing?

Vyrn: What're they talkin' about, Scrappy?

Vyrn: Does this have something to do with those thieves we found you with?

Razia: Erk! T-this isn't about me! Your superior is asking for a situation report!

Knight 2: Lady Razia...

Lyria: Aha... Haha...

Vyrn: Sigh...

Knight 1: You haven't changed a bit, Lady Razia.

Razia: Enough. Continue your report! That's an order!

Knight 2: Sigh... Affirmative.

Knight 2: When Lady Razia got lost—

Razia: I wasn't lost!

Knight 2: When... we couldn't confirm Lady Razia's whereabouts, we expanded our search to this village.

Knight 2: That's when we found out about the highly contagious illness... by catching it ourselves.

Razia: Gasp! How long have you been sick for? How bad is it?

Razia: Here, we brought medicine! Hurry up and take it!

Knight 2: Don't worry. We're all fine. That Zeyen missionary was able to cure us.

Razia: What? That missionary helped you?

Knight 2: Yes...

Razia: ...

Razia: Let me ask you something, missionary. We knights oppose you. Knowing that, why would you help my subordinates?

Razia: Surely you knew you stood to gain nothing.

Missionary: Does one require a reason to help those in need?

Razia: Pardon?

Missionary: It's heartbreaking to be viewed as an enemy. But that's still no reason to ignore the needy.

Razia: ...

Missionary: Now then, who's next? Please show me your injuries.

Villager 3: O-okay. Go easy on me...

The missionary gingerly applies medicine to the open wound.

Villager 3: The pain is fading away...

Missionary: There. You should be fine now.

Villager 3: Thank you! Oh, thank you!

Lyria: That medicine of yours is amazing...

Lyria: The mood was so gloomy just a minute ago, but now everyone's walking around with smiles.

Missionary: This is a special Zeyen salve.

Lyria: It's special?

Missionary: That's right. It was created with knowledge obtained from observing the Astrals.

Missionary: It's extremely potent but requires an extraordinary amount of effort to produce.

Vyrn: Should you really be using something that valuable?

Missionary: The teachings of Zeyen demand that we bring happiness to all people. That was the purpose of acquiring the Astral's knowledge in the first place.

Missionary: I'm simply following those teachings.

Razia: ...

Villager 2: Hey, come quick! There's an emergency smoke signal coming from the forest!

Missionary: From the forest, you say?

Villager 2: What do we do?

Missionary: I'm going in.

Villager 2: You can't! That forest is full of violent creatures!

Missionary: We cannot abandon those in need of aid.

Villager 2: I know how you feel, but...

Razia: Fear not. We'll accompany you.

Missionary: Are you certain?

Razia: The villagers are depending on us.

Missionary: You have my thanks.

Razia: Come. Before we're too late.

Vyrn: Got it!

Razia: I want the rest of you to form a perimeter around the village just in case.

Knight 1: Understood. We'll take care of things here.

Missionary: This road leads into the forest.

Monster: Groooar!

Vyrn: Yikes! We're fightin' already?

Razia: This shouldn't take long.

In Search of Distant Truth: Scene 3

Razia explains that she despises the Zeyen faith for brainwashing her father and destroying her country. The missionary tells her that her father is searching for a legendary relic of the Astrals with the power to change the past... and undo the death of her mother.

---

The party fights off the monsters and continues deeper into the forest.

Razia: I'd like to ask you something, missionary.

Missionary: Yes?

Razia: The Zeyens—that is, the Va'hen sect—approached my father while he was still mourning my mother's death.

Razia: They told him they had the power to peer into the past.

Razia: It was a power that would allow us to see her again alive and well.

Razia: Or so they claimed.

Missionary: Go on...

Razia: My foolish father fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He bought into their ideology completely.

Razia: And when they called him into the heart of the country to help instigate anarchy, he obeyed without question.

Razia: I lost a beloved friend in the chaos that followed!

Razia: And to make matters worse, Father took my sister and disappeared with the sect, abandoning me completely!

Razia: Why? Why did you people have to tear my country and family apart?

Razia: Answer me, dammit!

Missionary: ...

Razia: If it weren't for you... you zealots, then I...

Vyrn: Scrappy...

Lyria: Oh, Razia...

Missionary: And that's why you harbor a grudge against me—nay, us Zeyens?

Razia: Yes! I made a vow that day.

Razia: To get revenge on the ones responsible for my friend's death: the Va'hen sect! The Zeyens!

Razia: I will find my family and expose the truth! The score will be settled by my own two hands!

Razia: My possessions, my status... I threw them all away for this singular purpose!

Missionary: I'm deeply sorry for your circumstances.

Missionary: I know my apology can't even begin to soften the resentment you feel, but I must apologize nonetheless.

The missionary bows deeply.

Razia: Indeed, your apologies mean nothing to me.

Razia: I'd rather have you tell me the truth instead! What was the reason behind that uprising?

Missionary: Very well. I'll tell you everything I know.

Missionary: First of all, regarding the power to see into the past... That much is true.

Missionary: Those who have reached the level of high priest or have connections to the upper circle are bestowed with that power.

Razia: So it wasn't a lie...

Missionary: Correct. As for what happened to your country...

Missionary: Did you know that it was founded on ruins from the War?

Razia: Yes, I'm familiar with that part of our history.

Missionary: Well, did you also know that those ruins still exist underground, intact?

Razia: What?

Vyrn: Whoa! Those must be ruins from the Astrals!

Missionary: Yes. I'm not sure where that information comes from, but it appears to be true.

Missionary: Whatever the case may be, the Va'hen sect wants those ruins for themselves.

Razia: And in order to claim the ruins, they attacked my country.

Missionary: Yes. It also had to do with your country experiencing a wave of anti-Zeyen sentiment, I believe.

Lyria: Excuse me, but can I ask you something?

Missionary: Sure, what would you like to ask?

Lyria: It's been on my mind for a long time now, but what is the Va'hen sect? Aren't they the same as Zeyen?

Missionary: They are the same in a sense, but... their way of thinking differs from our original principles.

Razia: To fulfill their goals... to fulfill their faith... there's nothing they won't do.

Razia: Hurting others with indifference, stealing away lives as they see fit... It's an affront to our collective dignity.

Razia: I'd call that an evil that shouldn't be allowed to exist!

Missionary: I can't deny that. Their way of thinking is extreme, to put it lightly.

Lyria: Oh dear... And Razia's father is with them...

Missionary: I've heard rumors of your father.

Razia: Tell me! What's become of him?

Missionary: It would seem he's become a fervent Va'hen believer.

Missionary: He seeks the legendary Zeyen power to alter the past.

Razia: He wants to alter the past? Why would my father want such a thing...

Razia: No, it couldn't be...

Missionary: He likely intends to change history to bring your mother back.

Razia: I can't believe he would go to such lengths...

Razia: ...

Razia: But... but that's wrong!

Razia: I would love nothing more than to see her again, but not at the expense of others!

Razia: I... have to stop him!

Lyria: Um...

???: Grrr...

Razia: ...!

Villager 4: Yaaargh!

Vyrn: Lyria! Scrappy! Finish talking later!

Lyria: Okay!

Razia: Like you even need to say it!

In Search of Distant Truth: Scene 4

The crew escorts the rescued villager back home and thanks the missionary for his help. Razia realizes not all members of the Zeyen faith are evil, and the crew vows to help her find her missing father.

---

After taking care of the threat, the party escorts the villager back home.

Missionary: Please accept my sincere thanks for your aid today.

Vyrn: Don't mention it.

Lyria: That's right! We could never ignore people in need!

Missionary: I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Razia: ...

Missionary: Now, as for our knight... What will you do with me? Am I to be arrested?

Missionary: If it is your decision to bring me in, I will happily comply.

Razia: My hatred for Zeyen and desire for vengeance remain unchanged.

Missionary: ...

Razia: But there is one thing I've reconsidered.

Razia: I used to think everything the Zeyen faith preached was evil.

Razia: But I realize now that I was wrong.

Missionary: Oh?

Lyria: Razia?

Vyrn: For real, Scrappy?

Razia: You've proven that to me yourself.

Razia: And so you bear no guilt.

Missionary: ...

Razia: There are still many villagers here who need your help.

Razia: Arresting you for my own selfish reasons would only increase their suffering.

Razia: I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing!

Razia: How could I look at myself knowing that I harmed innocents for my own gain?

Razia: I would be no better than the Va'hen. I won't be the one to pull that trigger!

Missionary: I see...

Razia: I leave you with a warning!

Razia: Harm any of these villagers, and consider yourself marked for life!

Razia: You'd do well to burn that into your mind!

Missionary: Understood. I will take it to heart.

Lyria: Hee hee...

Razia: Hm? Do you find something about this amusing?

Lyria: Oh no. I'm just happy. That's all.

Razia: Happy? About what?

Lyria: It's... a secret.

Lyria: Say, Razia...

Razia: Yes?

Lyria: We're going to help you find your dad too!

Lyria: If we work together, there's nothing we can't do!

Razia: H-huh? Together?

Lyria: Yes!

Razia: You do realize my enemy is the Va'hen, don't you? We won't know what to expect.

Lyria: It's okay! We can tackle anything if we're all together!

Vyrn: Yeah! And now that we've heard your story, we can't just let you go it alone!

Razia: You don't have to go out of your way to do this, you know.

Razia: I fully understand now that you're not dangerous.

Razia: There's no reason for me to keep watch over you.

Razia: So stop worrying about me.

Lyria: We can't! You're a precious friend to us now!

Razia: Can you truly call me a friend given everything that's happened?

Vyrn: What're you talkin' about, Razia? Of course we can!

Razia: Ah. Thanks...

Razia: Then I won't belabor the point anymore. I'll do everything I can to help you. Promise.

Razia: In turn, I'm counting on you to support me!

Lyria: We will!

Vyrn: Yep, you got it!

(Captain) nods in agreement.

Razia can hold back no longer, her face lighting up in a smile from ear to ear.

The deepest recesses of this young lady's heart remain shrouded in darkness.

Slowly but surely, however, that darkness is beginning to recede.