The Battle in Blackdale

Outside Blackdale

Following the cutscene at Athlum Castle, the party decides to investigate the lead at Blackdale. Head there to immediately begin a cutscene.

Spoiler warning: Cutscene details.
Your party arrives on the Blackdale plateau overlooking a troupe of enemies arrayed in the valley. The man in black and his flying Remnant are spotted. Lord David orders the invader to leave, but he gets a spear from the sky as a reply. Battle is the only choice.

Jager during the battle.

Now you jump directly into a wide field battle against numerous enemy unions.

Spoiler warning: Battle details.

Defeat Jager and His Third Committee Unions: Rush's Squad and your two guest unions face numerous enemy unions led by a powerful boss named Jager, one of Irina's two kidnappers. The enemy forces are labeled "Third Committee" — a mysterious organization somehow linked to the Academy. They include melee, mystic, and support unions. Target the nearest foe with Rush's Squad, then watch as David's Division launches a Raidlock against a foe across the field. (You get a brief description of Raidlock, a one-turn, long-distance Deadlock that increases the damage dealt by the raiding union.) This is a much tougher fight than you've faced up to this point, so use your arts, take advantage of healing opportunities, and focus on quick knockouts of Jager's supporting unions. Make sure you've hired squad members from the guilds by this point, since if Rush is alone in his squad this battle's pretty much impossible. Survive the Onslaught of Reinforcements: After you slice through the first batch of enemy unions and Jager finally falls, a large contingent of Third Committee reinforcements deploy onto the field. It looks pretty grim at first, and the next turn features enemy Flank Attacks coming left and right. But your guest unions are quite strong, and if you keep healing Rush's Squad, you can survive the onslaught. Note: If you take out Jager, the reinforcements will show up, and there is a good chance that David will unleash the Gae Bolg and kill all enemy unions at once.

After the victory, you see a wounded Jager struggle to his feet and flee. David sends his forces in pursuit.

You end up in one of Blackdale's infamous network of caverns, an area known as The Speckled Chasm.

Through the Chasm

Jager and a mysterious flying monster kidnapping Irina.

Next you must navigate the monster-infested caves of Blackdale's Speckled Chasm.

The Speckled Chasm

Either fight or dodge the enemies. You'll face skittering Spiders lumbering Hypnoses, and aggressive vulture-like fliers called Skull Scavengers.

Move through the chasm, exploring all the dead ends for treasure chests and harvest points if you wish or just continue through to the next section, The Sapphire Pit.

The Sapphire Pit

Move through this small, linear area, harvesting what you can and fighting through more of the same monster types. When you reach the pit's exit to the southwest, you end up in a large chamber, having finally caught up to Jager and triggering a long cutscene.

A Mr. Diggs Morsel is located in the middle in Blackdale - The Sapphire Pit: at location B-3.

Wagram and the Fiery Idol

Wagram kidnapping Irina.

Spoiler warning: Cutscene details.

Jager joins Irina and Wagram, the mage in white, beneath a massive glowing Remnant. Wagram tries to trick Irina into binding the Remnant. Rush arrives just in time and break's Irina's trance. Wagram tells David to control Rush or suffer the consequences. After David confronts Wagram, Wagram insinuates that he is part of the Academy, and asserts that Irina is "special" and cannot be released. David is dubious and asks Wagram to come with him. Angered, Wagram uses what appears to be forgotten magicks to summon a fierce enemy. [See the next cutscene details for a video of this event.]

Spoiler warning: Boss details

The Fiery Idol is joined by five unions of Committee Soldiers of various races and classes. Employ the standard tactic of eliminating unions first before focusing on the great beast. Again, your guest unions are quite powerful. But the Fiery Idol has a set of deadly arts - including Flare, Mystic Missle II, Inferno Insignia and Phlegethon - that deal massive damage, so be ready to use healing options.

Spoiler warning: Cutscene details.

After the fight Wagram threatens to wreak destruction on David's force, but Irina intercedes at a critical moment. As Blackdale's caverns crumble, Rush and crew manage to escape... and the scene shifts back to the throne room in Athlum Castle. David issues a fault report to a Celapaleis emissary, worried that Wagram and Jager are connected to the Academy as they said. Hence, David can't trust any of the other lords such as Qubine. Rush and David then meet and David reaffirms his pledge to help Rush save Irina. Then David asks Emma to find out who Wagram really is.

The sidequests Athlum's Witch and Celapaleis's Witch are now available.

Previously: On your own	Next: Congress in Elysion