As a longtime fan who has played every entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, I always appreciate when the games‘ side quests reveal unexpected depths. The "Cut From the Cloth" quest available early in Final Fantasy 16 offers far more than it may first seem. In this guide from a passionate gamer‘s perspective, we‘ll unravel the hidden meanings in this impactful side story.
Initiating the Quest
Players can initiate the "Cut From the Cloth" quest after reaching the Hideaway and speaking with its caretaker, Hortense. I strongly recommend tracking side quests in the quest menu, as they rarely show on the main map. This also helps identify quest givers like Hortense with special map icons.
Who is Hortense?
Sharp-eyed lore fans may recognize Hortense‘s family name as one mentioned in historical texts at the Cygillan Archives. Though she has little fame herself, her ancestry connects Hortense to the mythic War of the Twin Realms era centuries past. Perhaps this history fuels her sympathy for outcasts like the Branded today.
Helping the Branded
Hortense‘s quest tasks the player with obtaining cloth for new outfits for two Branded girls under her care. As a Branded sanctuary, the Hideaway provides precious respite for these young girls likely made orphans by the Blaze or other disasters.
Hortense requests:
- 1 Bolt of Red Cloth
- 1 Bolt of Blue Cloth
And she provides a requisition form to authorize the purchase from the Draper shop at Northreach.
Complications Arise
However, the simple errand of cloth shopping grows complicated quickly. At Northreach, the Draper informs the player that delayed caravan shipments mean Hortense‘s order cannot be fulfilled as expected.
A World Still Recovering
This seemingly small hiccup reflects Final Fantasy 16‘s broader themes about how catastrophe reshapes society. Over a decade past the Blaze‘s initial attacks, supply chains and infrastructure remain broken across the land. Lawlessness festers with bands of violent raiders plaguing roads and trade routes. The caravan attack later in "Cut From the Cloth" shows global disaster‘s aftershocks still rock communities trying to rebuild.
Seeking the Delayed Caravan
With no cloth to purchase in Northreach, the player heads to the roads seeking the missing caravan. Here they discover the horrific aftermath of a raider assault. The caravan owner lies injured while the raider "Killer" attempts a coup de grace with his vicious axe.
Boss Battle: Killer
Killer serves as the quest‘s only real action set piece. This battle should pose little challenge to players at this stage. Killer uses strong but slow axe attacks complemented by short-range charges. Simple side dodges and punishing counters make the fight fairly straightforward.
Recommended Level: 11
Weaknesses: Lightning, Wind
Resistances: Earth
Offensive Rating: 3/10
Defensive Rating: 4/10
With Killer defeated, the surviving caravan owner gratefully offers the player their requested cloth, plus extra materials in thanks for the rescue.
Undercurrents of Inequality
Beyond its fun battle, "Cut From the Cloth" smartly uses this caravan plot to subtly spotlight the inequality still plaguing Final Fantasy 16‘s world over a decade past disaster. Why do the raider and his victim feel so emblematic of this universe‘s continuing struggles?
The Caravan Owner
The caravan owner represents the quest‘s first insight that meteorological catastrophes like the Blaze inflict unevenly distributed harm across society. As a merchant, this man likely enjoyed economic privilege before disaster. But the lawlessness left in the Blaze‘s wake stripped such privilege away. Now he risks assault and murder simply crossing the trade roads.
The Raider Killer
Contrast the once-privileged merchant to the raider Killer. Based on Killer‘s aggressive axe style, he likely honed combat abilities as a soldier before turning bandit. But what drew this fighter to risk banditry‘s penalties? Perhaps property or loved ones claimed by the Blaze? Maybe economic precarity in disaster‘s aftermath?
We cannot know Killer‘s full motivations. But the quest plants hints that even perpetrators of harm may themselves be victims of injustice. Society‘s uneven ruin breeds further injustice. And dead merchants and ax-wielding bandits equally embody Final Fantasy 16‘s core struggle to build just community from calamity.
A History of Discrimination
With cloth finally secured, the player returns to the Hideaway and Hortense. Her delight at the extra gifted fabrics foreshadows the quest‘s next revelation around injustice – specifically, the intense discrimination targeting the Branded minority.
Outcast By Crystal Markings
Branded like the two girls at the Hideaway bear mystical crystal markings. But unlike Eikon-blessed crystals indicative of power, the dim Branded crystals condemn them as outcasts from society.
Even a child like Joshua suffers harassment when his crystal marking shows. What must the lives of these orphan Branded girls be like?
No Sanctuary Outside
Indeed, early scenes show the open hatred the Branded endure outside remote sanctuaries like the Hideaway. A woman spits slurs at the Branded boy Joshua. Entire Branded camps endure murderous assaults. Final Fantasy 16 pulls no punches on the painful branding of entire peoples.
Perhaps this societal schism traces partially to Eikon-blessed citizens fearing the unknown magic behind Branded crystals. But much discrimination simply targets perceived outgroups during times of broader social strife. And the still-recovering world of Final Fantasy 16 breeds prejudice along with calamity.
The Player‘s Difficult Choice
After confronting society‘s unfair branding of minority peoples, the player reaches the quest‘s final act – selecting a special cloth for the Hideaway girls‘ new outfits.
Options
Hortense provides 3 fabric options:
- Black Embroidered Linen
- White Continental Silk
- Lush Red Velvet
Roleplaying Choice as an Act of Justice
There is real space here for roleplaying a character that sympathizes with the Branded and wants to gift them something uplifting. By choosing fabric with empathy for their suffering, the player creates an act of social justice, however small. They push back against an unfair world by granting orphaned children simple delight in a lovely new dress.
Gameplay Statistics
While the fabric chosen does not change quest rewards statistically, I still encourage choosing based on narrative and roleplaying reasons over pure optimization.
Quest Rewards:
- 500 XP
- Hi-Potion x3
- Ether x2
Fabric Option Deep Dives
Let‘s analyze each fabric choice more closely:
Black Embroidered Linen
This elegant Eikon styling allows the girls to proudly display their heritage against a society that derides it. The rich black fabric contrasted by vibrant white embroidery mirrors the dim and bright crystals borne by the Branded and Eikon-blessed respectively.
White Continental Silk
White silk seemingly contradicts the dark injustice of Branded discrimination. Yet its flowing delicacy symbolizes rising above hardship. Donning such fabric, the girls might dream of futures unfettered by prejudice.
Lush Red Velvet
True to red‘s association with love and passion, velvet intimates retaining one’s humanity even when society attempts to strip it away. Choosing red velvet for orphaned children connects an act of injustice against the vulnerable to a gesture of care via gifts of beauty and warmth.
Appreciating Impactful Side Narratives
"Cut From the Cloth" players out in under an hour if players rush the objectives. Yet the quest carries surprising emotional weight through its themes of inequality and discrimination. This resonates with Final Fantasy fans familiar with the series confronting social injustice subtexts.
Classic Final Fantasy Layering
Series writers have long excelled at layered narratives that contrast high fantasy spectacle with grittier stories of oppression. From Final Fantasy VII’s eco-terrorists battling megacorp greed to FFX’s theological racism against Al Bhed “unbelievers,” the games explore real social dynamics through fantasy. "Cut From the Cloth" continues this tradition via a mini-tale about injustice against magical minorities.
Intimate Worldbuilding
This side quest also further humanizes Final Fantasy 16’s world. It moves the camera from throne room drama to focus on everyday people just trying to survive disaster’s wake. The Branded girls’ unmentioned but obvious trauma echoes the caravan owner’s desperation. Peoples across this society still pick up their pieces, and we cannot be numb to any victims.
Seeds of Compassion
So in its quiet way, even a side quest prompts the game’s core call to action – show compassion and community wherever one finds opportunity. By choosing fabric with care behind its symbolism, the player plants small seeds of justice and healing in a world and societal fabric still torn by storms of disaster and hate.
This concludes my guide for now. Please share any feedback or questions in the comments, and stay tuned for even more Perspectives from Passionate Gamers here at VeryAli!
