WARNING: Spoilers Off applies to Tear Jerker pages.
In General
- In Sunshade, the player can find an Elderly Woman NPC near the entrance to the catacombs. Inquiring/Scrutinizing her returns this:From birth this elderly woman's vision was quite poor. Having never ventured beyond the borders of the Sunlands, she has never seen rolling seas nor cloudy skies, and likely never will.
- For a twisted sense of irony that can be interpreted as Crossing the Line Twice, trying to Purchase/Steal from her reveals that she has a Bright Stone in her inventory, an accessory that prevents Blindness.
Ophilia's Story
- Archbishop Josef's illness during Ophilia's story, as well as the effect his imminent death has on his two daughters. He is a wise and kind man who adores and is adored by both his daughters. Ophilia, having experienced loss and grief before in her childhood when her blood parents died in a war, is more prepared for his passing, but that doesn't make the experience any less painful for her, and indeed it's the moment that Josef tells her that he believes he won't live much longer that Ophilia finally calls her adoptive father "Father". On the other hand, Lianna, who has not experienced loss before, is overcome with distress and fear for what might happen to her father, to the extent that departing on the Kindling pilgrimage without knowing if she'll ever see him again is too much of an emotional burden for her to bear, so Ophilia decides to make the pilgrimage in her foster sister's place, so that Lianna can stay by her father's side.
- The archbishop's death by the end of Ophilia's Chapter 3 completely breaks Lianna, which allows the Savior to win her over to his side under the promise that he'll bring her father Back from the Dead if she complies with his orders (no surprise, He Lied). Lianna accepting the Savior's offer may be idiotic given that he is a Cultist, but it's well-established that the archbishop's illness on its own caused her a lot of pain, so it's not hard to understand why she would become so desperate to bring him back and just have a happy family again. You will really want to give both the sisters a hug.
Tressa's Story
- Tressa's story is Lighter and Softer compared to the other Travelers' stories. Nevertheless, in her Chapter 3, Leon Bastralle tells the story of how he gave up his former life as a pirate and became a merchant, and it's a poignant combination of Tear Jerker and Heartwarming. He was close friends with a man called Baltazar and they were also rivals, both known and feared as strong and ruthless pirates after having grown up together in poverty. One day, Baltazar confessed to Leon that he had dreamed of becoming a merchant in his younger years and lost his way by becoming a pirate, asking Leon what the word "treasure" means to him. Baltazar challenged Leon to a race, with Leon wagering "his most precious treasure". Baltazar won the race, but his ship wrecked and he died. Leon realized that, for all the treasure he had accumulated over the years as a pirate, he hadn't obtained anything of deep value, and renounced his pirate ways. Leon rebuilt his deceased friend's ship into a merchant vessel, and considers it his most precious treasure to the present day.
Primrose's Story
- Yusufa's death in Primrose's Chapter 1. She is a kind woman and one of Primrose's true friends. When she leaves to distract their cruel master, Helgenish, her actions are discovered and Helgenish kills her before Primrose as punishment.
- The end of Primrose's Chapter 2. Primrose tells her former servant Arianna that she doesn't actually know what she believes in, and says outright that avenging her father's murder is her only reason to live at all. It's a powerful scene that emphasizes just how sad and lonely Primrose is.
- The camera even focuses on Arianna for a few seconds after Primrose leaves, with Arianna saying, "Oh, my poor lady..." Her pity for Primrose really shows how fixated Primrose has gotten on revenge, since it implies that it's obvious to everyone else how depressed Primrose is.
- Near the end of Primrose's Chapter 3, her late father's friend Revello Forsythe accompanies her on her infiltration of the Right-hand Man's hideout, where he finds out that his friend and mentor, Albus, who he had looked up to as an honorable man who died resisting the Obsidians after his Lord's murder, is still alive... and was in league with the Obsidians the whole time after deciding that Evil Pays Better, having actively participated in Lord Geoffrey's murder. His voice actor perfectly captures his total shock and horror at the revelation.Revello: Th-this man is... No, it cannot be!
Revello: ...So it is you. Lady Primrose, this is the man who disappeared after your father's murder. The man I feared dead... Albus... I thought you a man of honor!
Revello: How could I have been so blind...? It was you who sold out Geoffrey to those villains. He trusted you more than anyone... And you stabbed him in the back for a post in that godsdamned league!
Revello: You traitorous bastard! Lord Geoffrey was a thousand times the man you are! You'll sully his name no longer!
Primrose: The time for talk has ended. This man—if one can even call him a man... should not live a moment longer. - The end of Primrose's Chapter 3. Primrose doesn't suspect Simeon until the knife goes in, leaving her in utter shock when Simeon reveals he was the one who murdered her father and considers her life to be an enjoyable tragedy.
- From the pain in Primrose's voice and Simeon's words spoken to an imaginary audience "Look at the tears she weeps, the blood she spills... and pity her.", it is strongly implied that Simeon's words are honest; Primrose is crying from The Reveal that her childhood crush is the one who murdered her father, though you don't see it in her sprite. Considering that this is a woman who endured years of abuse from a horrible tavern-owner who eventually murdered her Only Friend there, it's very sombre to think that a manipulative psychopath was able to reduce her to tears in mere moments.
- Primrose's Chapter 4 has a moment when Simeon asks if getting revenge filled the hole in her heart and if killing his men made her happy. She becomes very upset and yells for him to stop. Not only is it a rare time in the game when she loses composure, she admits to her father that what she missed most was his company, hating how lonely she was. The end of her story isn't much happier, as she realizes Simeon was right. Revenge didn't ease her pain.
Alfyn's Story
- Alfyn's story starts fairly light-hearted, but takes a darker turn by Chapter 3 when he meets fellow apothecary Ogen. Unlike Alfyn who'll treat anyone who needs him, Ogen only treats those he deems worthy and is willing to leave wounded criminals to die. He later reveals the source of his cynicism: he once saved the life of a mercenary, who then murdered Ogen's wife.
- In Alfyn's Chapter 4, we learn Ogen took revenge by brutally killing his wife's murderer, and because of that he doesn't consider his own life worth saving and has considered suicide on multiple occasions, especially since his wife's murderer had started a family of his own. By the time Alfyn meets him in Orewell, he's coughing blood and has accepted a slow death by illness and refuses to let Alfyn treat him. Alfyn is visibly shaken, but when he finds a note from Zeph in his satchel, he remembers his reason for becoming an apothecary and resolves to save Ogen's life, leading to a Heartwarming Moment.
Therion's Story
- The end of Therion's Chapter 3. While he gets into the Black Market with almost no problem, a group of thieves attack, and in following them Therion sees none other than Darius. What follows shows just what happened between the two, and why Therion is so scared of letting others in. Darius betrayed and tried to murder Therion outside of Bolderfall in order to secure a powerful position for himself, and as we later see, is what makes him the ruler of Northreach.
- The guide reveals that this took place when Therion was only sixteen, meaning that this not only took place during an impressionable time, but that for six years, he's stayed at the site where he was nearly killed. The Therion the player sees reacting to Darius' return is so remarkably different from the one they're used to; no snarky remarks and more outwardly grim and urgent.
- Darius, a man who remorselessly betrays others' trust in the name of acquiring more wealth and power, meets his end when his lackeys backstab him, steal all his money, and leave him to die all alone in his dingy hideout in the cellars of Lorn Cathedral, where his body probably won't be found for a long time. While Darius is far from sympathetic and probably deserved what he got, the idea that he had somebody by his side who trusted him [Therion], but threw that trust away for the sake of money and power, only to die with little to nothing, can be seen as sad all on its own.
- Just before he dies, Darius calls out to Therion, who is long gone with the emerald and gold dragonstones, and calls him "partner" for the first time since he betrayed him. This can either be interpreted as a desperate plea for help à la Miguel, or him realizing that what he did was wrong... too late.
H'aanit's Story
- If you return to where you fought Redeye, you can find writing done by Redeye/Graham Crossford indicating that he occasionally has moments of lucidity. However, he's unable to do little more than write his regrets and wishes that someone would kill him.
Sidequests
- "A Prisoner's Plea" involves the condemned man in question making a Last Request — to find out what's become of a woman he once knew. After you tell her that she's now Happily Married, he remarks on where his life went wrong and urges that you not make the same mistakes he did, before he gets taken away to be executed.
- "Up to No Good" can lead to a sad ending. If the heroes help the elderly shop keeper being harassed by the Ruffian and his lackey by attacking the man who hired them, Tobias, it prevents the heroes from reuniting the Ruffian with his amnesiac sister Layla who is living in Sunshade now. Defeat them and the Ruffian will never learn his sister is alive and she will never know she has a brother out there who believes her dead. Even if one Guides/Allures Layla to the brother after the side quest ends, nothing will occur. Silver lining is that talking to the lackey after the quest reveals the two ruffians want to go to Sunshade, which is where Layla is, so at least Layla and her brother have a chance at an offscreen reunion.
- Geoffrey Azelhart's diary entry, found in the Gate of Finis. It contains his thoughts post-death like the other diary entries, reveals the details behind his murder, and is a powerful combination of Tear Jerker and Heartwarming."I kept my faith. I stayed true to my convictions until the end.
Several years before my death, a shadow fell upon my dear Noblecourt—a shadow known as the Obsidians. They brought with them sweet words and false promises, but I would not lend them my ear.
Once they came to understand that I would not be swayed to their way of thinking, they came after my life time and again.
I would not allow myself to be daunted. I dug deeper into the truth to uncover their intentions, their ties, and the mastermind behind their villainy... And my search eventually led me to learn of the Gate of Finis.
In the end, I was murdered by the men who caught wind of my discoveries. Yet I do not regret my actions. I lived true to the words of my house and did all that I could for the sake of my people.
My sole regret is that I have left Primrose alone to pick up the pieces of this broken life I left behind. My precious daughter should not have to bear such a burden on her shoulders...
Primrose.
You stood before my grave and told me, did you not? That you had lived true to what I had taught you.
You are strong, my daughter. You found your own cause and purpose, and the purpose you found was the continuation of my very own. You carried on in my footsteps and finished what I started.
My dear Primrose... When I think of how much you must have suffered all alone, all I can do is beg you to forgive me. Now the time has come for you to lay down your burden and rest.
It is time you forget about me and find happiness, a happiness of your own this time. For I will always be with you.
Geoffrey Azelhart"
