FFX - Script - Maechen
Maechen is an elderly scholar who you encounter many times during your quest. Talking to him is entirely optional every time you see him after the mandatory introduction, but talking to him is a wise idea: he sheds light on many aspects of the story which may confuse you or not make sense, especially towards the end of the game. All in all, he's an incredible source of information who's worth listening to. I believe I spoke to him and learned everything possible. They are, in order:
-The Origin of the Crusaders
-Maechen's formal introduction
-The History of the Mi'ihen Highroad
-Shoopufs
-Hypello
-Farplane
-Pyreflies
-Lake Macalania
-The Calm Lands
-The Calm Lands chasm
-The Destruction of Zanarkand
-Yevon and Yunalesca
-The Hymn of the Fayth
I believe that's everything he explains to your group; if I missed any, please feel free to e-mail me exactly where and when in the game he can be found and what he talks about at that location.
So, without further ado....Maechen knowledge.
Origin of the Crusaders
"This is a statue of Lord Mi'ihen."
"Eight centures ago, he founded a legion known today as the Crusaders."
"In just a few short years after their founding, their ranks grew throughout Spira."
"The maesters of Yevon feared an uprising and accused them of rebellion."
"So Lord Mi'ihen walked along this very road to go face their charges and refute them."
"He succeeded in winning the maesters' trust, and his legion became an arm of the Yevon clergy."
"It was then that Yevon gave them the name "Crusaders", which they have kept ever since."
"And the rest is history."
Introduction
"Do you know what those ruins are from?"
Tidus
"Some old city?"
[Yuna walks on screen]
"Correct. A city most ancient!"
"A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them."
"Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies!"
Yuna
"But I believe humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin."
"A good reply. I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner."
"Where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'lady."
Maechen
"I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets..."
"My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen."
"Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin."
"They are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoin once more."
Yuna
"I will."
Explanation of the Mi'ihen Highroad
Maechen
"We are currently travelling a part of the Mi'ihen Highroad called the Newroad."
"Naturally, that suggests that there is, or was, an Oldroad."
"The road that runs below this Newroad is the original Mi'ihen Highroad."
"Hence, the road that Lord Mi'ihen walked is not this road, but the Oldroad."
"The Newroad was built to replace the Oldroad destroyed by Sin five hundred years ago."
"But sometimes, standing on the Oldroad and reminiscing about the past can be a pleasurable pastime."
Shoopuf
Maechen
"There are many things we do not know about the shoopuf."
"For example, what does it eat? It eats nothing!"
"The water it sucks through its shnoz somehow supports its considerable size."
"Some theorize it eats teeny-weeny waterborne organisms."
"And that, as they say, is that."
Hypello
Maechen
"The shoopuf handlers belong to a race of water dwellers known as the Hypello."
"They may be slow on land, but in the water they're quick as silvery fish!"
"You'd think they'd make admirable players of blitzball."
"But their lackadaisical disposition draws them to less strenuous pastimes."
"And that, as they say, is that."
Farplane
Maechen
"Ahem!"
"The Farplane is the place where pyreflies born from a sending gather."
"They appear in the shape of people who've died and gone to the Farplane."
"Quite the phenomenon: how I wish I understood it more fully!"
"The Al Bhed have a theory, you know."
"They say the pyreflies are just reacting to visitors' thoughts and dreams."
"But only the dead appear on the Farplane. No image of the living has ever been seen."
"It's a great mystery! But maybe..."
"Maybe the dead leave a bit of themselves in the hearts of the living."
"And that little bit borrows the pyreflies' power for their paranormal performance!"
"Or maybe not. Who knows?"
"And that, as they say, is that."
Pyreflies
Maechen
"Ahem!"
"They may be called "pyreflies" but they aren't really "flies", you see."
"They're those lights you see whenever a fiend dies."
"The little fellows are responsible for a few fantastic phenomena."
"Visions of the past, spheres, fiends--these are all the pyreflies' doing."
"In fact..."
"pyreflies have something to do with aeons, too."
"The dreams of the fayth reach through the spirit of the summoner..."
"And that which is unreal becomes real for all to see!"
"Or maybe not. Who knows?
"And that, as they say, is that."
Lake Macalania
Maechen
"Lake Macalania is frozen over all through the year."
"It stays frozen even on the hottest of days."
"It is said that the temple's fayth is the cause of this fantastic phenomenon!"
"And that is all for today."
Calm Lands
Maechen
"As you know, these plains were once a battlefield."
"A great battle between Bevelle and Zanarkand, a melee of machina!"
"That war left this place a barren, lifeless land."
"Then, time passed."
"The summoners took note of this uninhabited land."
"Great battles could be fought here, with no harm to the common folk."
"Perfect for a final battle with Sin, as it were."
"Summoners wait here, ready to perform the Final Summoning."
"Ah, to know what they must feel!"
"In any case, when Sin is defeated here, the Calm will visit Spira once more."
"That's why this place is now known as the Calm Lands. Exactly who dubbed it so is unknown."
"And that, as they say, is that."
The Calm Lands chasm
Maechen
"Oh dear, I almost forgot to tell you something."
"There's a chasm, a great rend in the earth, in these parts."
"A scar left from High Summoner Gandof's bitter battle with Sin, four hundred years past."
The Destruction of Zanarkand
Maechen
"There is a legend, you know."
"Just before the horrible Sin appeared..."
"a terrible war raged between Bevelle and Zanarkand."
"When the armies of Bevelle attacked Mount Gagazet, they heard a song echoing across the snowy slopes."
""'Tis a song from an otherworld," they said. The soldiers panicked and ran."
"And then, as if to pursue the retreating armies, Sin appeared!"
"Some time later, scouts from Bevelle braved the mountain."
"On the other side, they witnessed the ruins that had been Zanarkand."
"The city destroyed. Not a single soul left standing. Gone!"
"In its place, a multitude of the fayth had gathered on Gagazet."
"They were singing a song."
"It's the song we now call the "Hymn of the Fayth.""
"And that, as they say, is that."
"Well...maybe not all of it."
Yevon and Yunalesca
Maechen
"Rumors flew in Bevelle about Sin's sudden appearance."
"They said that the people of Zanarkand became the fayth, that they had called Sin."
"And that the man responsible..."
"was none other than the summoner Yevon, ruler of Zanarkand!"
"Yes, the lord father of Lady Yunalesca."
"On the eve of Zanarkand's destruction, Lady Yunalesca..."
"had fled to safety with her husband, Zaon."
"Later, the two used the Final Summoning to defeat Sin."
"Yet the people of Bevelle still feared Yu Yevon."
"It was to quell his wrath that they revered him, and first spread his teachings."
"And so were born the temples of Yevon."
"I suppose it's possible Yunalesca had planned it that way from the start!"
"A fair trade, she defeats Sin in exchange for her lord father's honor."
"Of course, there's no proof. No, the facts are lost in the mists of time."
"And who'd admit Yevon was an enemy of Bevelle?"
"You can bet the temples had a hand in covering that one up!"
"And that, as they say, is that."
The Hymn of the Fayth
Maechen
"Let me tell you about the Hymn of the Fayth."
"It was once a Zanarkand song sung in defiance of Bevelle!"
"Of course, the Yevon clergy of Bevelle forbade it."
"Then, as these things often go, those who disliked Yevon began to sing it."
"The Al Bhed, for instance."
"The Hymn of the Fayth became the symbol of defiance against Yevon."
"Yevon could do nothing but capitulate."
"They lifted the ban on the song and spread a new story."
"They said the hymn was a song sung to soothe the souls of the dead."
"And so saying, they took the song and made it scripture."
"That's why today, the hymn is sung all over Spira."
"You could say that, though Zanarkand is gone from this world, it lives on in the song."
"Aaaah, but look at the time. I've rambled on again."
"I do love stories, you see."
"Well, I owe you my gratitude for hearing this old scholar out."