Echoes of an Echo

Quest giver: Lyse
Location: The Lochs (X:36.9, Y:34.2)
Quest line: Post-Stormblood Main Scenario Quests
Level: 70

Experience: 10,800
Gil: 898
Previous quest: The Butcher's Blood
Next quest: A Sultana's Strings
Patch: 4.1

Main Scenario Progress: 506 / 960 (52.7%)

Stormblood Progress: 127 / 162 (78.4%)

“

Lyse is lost in thought.

— In-game description

Steps

Speak with the Resonatorium guard.

Speak with Raubahn.

Gather information at the Resonatorium. 0/2

Report to Raubahn.

Speak with Lyse.

Journal

There are no journal entries for this quest.

Dialogue

Quest Acceptance

Lyse: I don't know that we solved anything exactly, but we've given Fordola something to think about at least. 
Arenvald: Aye...And I've found something new to think about too. I don't know about you, [Forename], but the visions only come to me every now and then. From the way Fordola kept wincing, though, I get the feeling she's having them almost all the time. That's a lot of bad memories to deal with...
Alphinaud: Hmmm...I wonder...Could there be some fundamental difference between one who is born with the Echo and one who has been artificially imbued with it? 
Lyse: Well, the Immortal Flames have been scouring that research facility ever since the liberation. There's a chance they might have some answers for us. General Aldynn's there overseeing the investigation. Let's go and pay him a visit, shall we?

Speak with the Resonatorium guard

Resonatorium Guard: General Aldynn is inside, aye. Will you be joining him?

Speak with Raubahn

Raubahn: What news? You spoke with Fordola, I take it? 
Lyse: Yes. As expected, she didn't say very much, but it wasn't a total waste of time. Arenvald noticed something odd about her. He thinks she might be having visions almost constantly, which is not how the Echo normally works. Have you found anything here which might explain why it's so different for her?
Raubahn: Hmph. We've been hard-pressed just to organize the research materials, let alone study them. To be frank, I'd welcome the Scions' expert assistance, if you have time to lend a hand.

Gather information at the Resonatorium

Idle conversation prohibited. Eating and drinking prohi- The fallen scrap of parchment appears to list facility regulations, but nothing of any interest.

Flame Investigator: So many bodies... Every one of them a victim of these "experiments." Few show any signs of external injury. From what we've been able to determine, they perished from forcible aether extraction. Such a miserable way to die...

The device in which Krile was held seems even more ominous now you know its purpose. The surrounding pods are marked "Supply Subject" while this one bears the label "Master subject."
Ironworks Engineer: The Ironworks received a request from the Alliance to analyze these devices, and I've been recording everything of interest. Did you notice the labeling? All the pods are designed to drain the aether of the occupant...save that one right there. Unlike the others, the interior's been fitted with an array of sensors to measure aetheric waveforms. To what purpose, however, I couldn't tell you.

Report to Raubahn

Raubahn: I know little and less of science, so any light you can shed on this facility's operations would be much appreciated. [Forename], shall we start with you?
Alphinaud: Taken in combination with the testimonies of Krile and Thancred, I do begin to see exactly what the imperials were attempting here. The enhancement procedure entailed infusing a single candidate with aether siphoned from a multitude of "supply subjects." As for the "master subject" - in this case, Krile - the patterns of her aetheric activity would provide the model upon which they would artificially engineer the candidate's aura.
Lyse: ...In other words, they were trying to recreate Krile's Echo?
Alphinaud: I believe so - which would explain our prisoner's present state. Krile is possessed of an unrivaled ability to hear the whispers of the soul, and it seems probable that the procedure engendered the same acute sensitivity in Fordola.
Lyse: The soldiers who guard Fordola...many of them lost friends and family to the Skulls. And there's a sentry at her door, night and day. If you can't help sensing their thoughts and seeing the past -
Arenvald: But you don't just see their past - you live it. All the emotions; all the pain. Imagine what it'd do to you. You'd never bee the same again.
Alphinaud: Indeed. As you may recall, Ysayle was completely transformed by a single glimpse of Hraesvelgr's past. Fordola has been forced to experience the agony of those whose lives she destroyed. The guilt must be unbearable.
Lyse: that explains her request to be executed...
Raubahn: Sounds to me like a kind of justice. Regardless, she can suffer on for now. We have more pressing matters to consider. If the results of these experiments have been relayed back to Garlemald, there will be naught to stop the Empire from repeating the same trick. They could give the Echo to anyone - to an entire legion. We must be ready. We must learn all we can of these godsforsaken procedures - and Fordola remains our best source of information. She'll not be getting her wish. Not yet.
Lyse: Right...
Raubahn: Keep faith, lass. If you're to convince others to follow you, you must believe what you're telling them. People will respond to passion - but not if it's feigned.
Lyse: I understand. Thank you, General. We should leave the Flames to it. Let's go. w

Speak with Lyse

Lyse: <sigh> I go looking for answers about the Echo, and I end up getting schooled by Raubahn. Yet more evidence that I don't know what I'm doing. It's no wonder people listen to him and not me. 
Alphinaud: General Aldynn is a veteran of countless campaigns, Lyse. You cannot compare yourself to a commander of his experience. 
Lyse: I know. But I also know that I couldn't have convinced that mob to give up and go home. It makes me realize how much we rely on this authority...and how much I still have to learn. 
Arenvald: I wonder what he'll do when everything here is settled...I mean, it's his homeland. After going to the trouble of winning it back, might he not want to stay? 
Alphinaud: 'Tis a quandary which countless refugees now face: to continue the life they built in Ul'dah, or to start again in the land of their birth...
Pipin: [Forename]! A moment! I am newly returned from Ul'dah, with a message from the sultana. Her Grace desires an audience with you. She understands you have responsibilities here, but asks that you visit the palace at your earliest convenience. Well, I must away and attend to other business. Until next time, my friends! 
Alphinaud: An audience with the sultana! Depending on the nature of her consultation, this might be the perfect opportunity to inquire about the General's future plans. 
Lyse: Yes, we'd all like to know about those, Alphinaud - but not everyone's as comfortable interrogating royalty as you. Take no notice of him, [Forename].