Babel Tanit[1] is a quest-exclusive NPC that first appears in the World Quest Series The Dirge of Bilqis. She was located in Tanit Camps before her death after completing the World Quest Series Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters....
Profile[]
Babel is the Matriarch of the Tanit tribe and makes decisions on the tribe's behalf. She took in Jeht after the girl sought out her father Jebrael's original tribe following the events of Golden Slumber, and showed Jeht a level of favoritism which she had never shown other members of the tribe. She greatly emphasizes that the Tanit are a "family" and as such, anyone whom she deems a "traitor" has thus turned against the family and must be eliminated — and Jeht, as a "half-outsider," is best suited for the task.[2]
Shortly before the events of The Dirge of Bilqis, Babel approved of Jeht's request to grant permission for the Traveler and Paimon to enter the Tanit Camps. The two become embroiled in Babel's plans to gain access to the legendary Eternal Oasis by gaining the favor of the Jinni Liloupar and while they do so — albeit with some unexpected developments — they find that the goddess Babel worships, Nabu Malikata, is nowhere to be found.
Various documents found around the Desert of Hadramaveth and the events of The Dirge of Bilqis make the Traveler harbor suspicions about the Matriarch's trustworthiness. Their fears prove to be justified by the end of Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters..., where they discover the full scope of Babel's duplicity and, after revealing her trickery to Jeht, confronts Babel and the Tanit tribe once and for all. In the ensuing battle, Babel is killed by Jeht, but not before informing her that the rest of the Eremites would spurn her, having sent scouts to inform them.
Appearance[]
Babel takes on the appearance of an Eremite Scorching Loremaster.
Quests and Events[]
World Quests
Story[]
History[]
Babel was the daughter of two Vahumana scholars. She was born in the Temir Mountains and taken in by an Eremite mercenary who was hired to escort them to the Vourukasha Oasis.[3] Her mother suffered severe injury due to childbirth complications and was killed by the mercenary. Her father was later killed by the same mercenary after failing to reach an agreement regarding payment. Afterwards, the mercenary took her to be raised as a "Falcon" of the Tanit tribe.
At some point in her life, Babel had a daughter, but lost her to the sands prior to the Traveler's arrival.
Babel sent groups to explore both Gurabad and attempt to discover the Eternal Oasis. One such group included Jebrael and Samail, where she attempted to remove adherent followers of King Deshret as part of her true plan, sending a mole named Tarafa to eliminate them. Tarafa was successful in his task until he was sent to a group that consisted of Jebrael and Samail, as the former correctly deduced her intentions and feigned death, killing Tarafa before he could kill Samail. The two then left the tribe,[4] which irritated her greatly and made her consider him a traitor. The groups sent to the Eternal Oasis likewise perished, so she made it taboo for other members to follow them, though she likely had sent them there with malicious intent.
Eventually, the Fatui came, seeking the Eternal Oasis. With Azariq's help, Babel consolidated her power by having the other Tanit elders removed from their position in return for Snezhnayan supplies and technology, which she accepted at the time. Once she acquired the supplies, she backstabbed them, claiming that she had underestimated their treachery when she had no intentions of sharing the Eternal Oasis with them.
The Dirge of Bilqis[]
Jebrael's daughter, Jeht, eventually discovered the Tanit and Babel accepted her into the tribe as a "half-outsider," where she quickly proved herself, so Babel had her eliminate the other elders who posed a "threat" to her. When the Traveler did arrive, they saw Babel punish a former member before she saw them and apologized for what they had just seen. She then sent them to Jeht, who was looking for the Eternal Oasis to put her parents to rest and had Azariq assist them in the process.
During the journey, Aderfi attempted to remove the Traveler with hired Eremites but failed, causing him to flee. Babel was made aware of this shortly after they returned, so she had Jeht eliminate him if given the chance. Later on, Azariq betrayed them as he sought to take her spot as his own, but the plot was foiled and Jeht killed him in response. When they returned with news of the oasis and Azariq's betrayal, Babel had already suspected him of disloyalty and expressed regret at not ending him herself.
Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters[]
Babel wanted to access the The Orchard of Pairidaeza to secure the position as the sole prophetess of Nabu Malikata. She had originally attempted to deal with the Fatui to accomplish this goal, but eventually found the partnership with them to be too troublesome to be of value. She developed a new plan upon learning that the Traveler had become Liloupar's master: kill the Traveler, take control of the Jinni for herself, and use her power to access The Orchard to overthrow the Sumeru Akademiya.
She attempted to talk Jeht into eliminating the Traveler, but she refused, causing Babel to question her loyalty. Though she had tired of working with the Fatui, she made a deal with Froderock Fronkonsteen, offering Jeht as a "live sample" for his experiments to get rid of her.[5] She then separately told both the Traveler and Jeht that the other had betrayed the tribe to the Fatui and sent them to investigate. Her plan was for the Traveler to be killed by either Jeht or the Fatui, and dispatched Nayram and Rezki, two of her best Falcons, to eliminate whoever remained.
The Traveler, who was investigating her claims of Jeht's treachery, discovered the full extent of the plot and informed Jeht upon meeting up with her, defeating the Fatui and killing her Falcons as they arrived to finish the job. They then returned together to confront Babel, who confessed to the entire scheme and attempted to kill them both with her tribe. However, the two quickly made short work of them and defeated her. Just before Jeht killed her, Babel revealed that she had long sent scouts to the other tribes to warn them of her "treachery," so that she would be seen as dangerous and untrustworthy by the other Eremites.[6]
Thoughts[]
Babel's thoughts can be accessed by using Nahida's Elemental Skill, All Schemes to Know.
- (After starting Dune-Entombed Fecundity: Part I)
- Babel: (...You're still youthful, Azariq. Hehe...)
- (After defeating Azariq in Dune-Entombed Fecundity: Part III)
- Babel: (... If [sic] the scouts' message is true, they have already... Then that would have cleared up a problem for me.)
- (After completing The Dirge of Bilqis)
- Babel: (...The Eternal Oasis is in the hands of the Tanit tribe, as long as our people gain control over that place.)
- (After completing Apocalypse Lost)
- Babel: (...That Jinni has gone silent, Perhaps... No, no need to rush.)
- (After completing Make Bright the Arrows, Gather the Shields...)
- Babel: (... Hmph, pathetic northerners... Looks like it's time to send out another batch of Falcons...)
- (After defeating Rezki and Nayram and before talking to Jeht in For Her Judgment Reaches to the Skies...)
- Babel: (...Why are they still..!? Don't, don't panic...)
- (Before confronting in For Her Judgment Reaches to the Skies...)
- Babel: (...Sure enough, they're still alive, like poisononous insects...!)
Dialogue[]
Dialogue Set #1[]
Available after completing Step 2 of Dune-Entombed Fecundity: Part I.
- Babel: Apologies, our business has me distracted... Was there something you needed?
About the traitors...
- Babel: Ah, we have let an outsider see the troubles our traitors have caused us... How shameful.
- Babel: But worry not. With Jeht's aid, Aderfi will soon be delivered unto rightful justice.
- Is Aderfi truly a traitor?
- Babel: He has already stained the Tanit name... This means that he has cast aside the name of his mother, and must be punished.
- Babel: As with nations or cities, tribes too must enforce their laws. I think you understand this.
- I'm just concerned that there isn't enough evidence...
- Babel: Well... You are of the city-folk. It is unsurprising that you worry about matters such as "evidence" and "suspicions." This I understand.
- Babel: But for us Tanit, he has already stained the name of the tribe with his dishonor... Forgotten the name of his mother. Punishment must be delivered unto him.
About Jeht...
- Babel: Jeht? She is a good child. She learns our ways quickly and greets trouble with neither grimace nor complaints.
- Babel: Heh. Speaking of her, it's a shame that there was an... incident between us and her father in years prior...
- Babel: But I'm just glad that Jeht has returned to us. Though her father... *sigh* I suppose we can consider this a delayed resolution.
- Babel: She likes you, you know. I can tell.
- Babel: So... Please don't disappoint her and ruin the friendship you have.
- About Azariq...
- Babel: He is my "son." Though not born of my flesh, I trust him very much.
- Babel: Clever, loyal, strong, ethically unbending, and skilled in gaining favor with others. Like a loyal wolf to the pack, he has never failed me.
- Babel: It is a shame that he is... male.
- Babel: If he was a woman, he could take my place... That way, I could finally retire and lead the children in managing our Sumpter Beast caravans.
- Babel: Heh... But at least I still have Jeht.
- See you.
- Babel: Farewell. I bid you safe travels for your coming adventures.
Dialogue Set #2[]
Available after completing Step 13 of Dune-Entombed Fecundity: Part III.
- Babel: What's the matter, (TravelerTraveler)? Did you encounter any trouble during your adventure?
- Babel: If you are thinking about Aderfi, he will soon reap what he has sown. Or did someone else offend you?
- Babel: Don't worry. I will handle them properly.
Dialogue Set #3[]
Available after completing The Eternal Dream, Ever Lush.
- Babel: Oh, Traveler. Back from exploring, are you?
- About the traitors...
- Babel: You speak of Aderfi and Azariq, yes? Their actions have shamed the Tanit, and before a guest no less...
- Babel: They spent too long in contact with those northerners, and forgot that they were children of the Tanit, bound to the rules of the tribe.
- Babel: Thankfully, I still have Jeht... She has lived up to my expectations and more.
- About Jeht...
- Babel: Jeht? She is a good child. She learns our ways quickly and greets trouble with neither grimace nor complaints.
- Babel: Heh. Speaking of her, it's a shame that there was an... incident between us and her father in years prior...
- Babel: But I'm just glad that Jeht has returned to us. Though her father... *sigh* I suppose we can consider this a delayed resolution.
- Babel: She likes you, you know. I can tell.
- Babel: So... Please don't disappoint her and ruin the friendship you have.
- About Liloupar...
- (Before Apocalypse Lost is completed)
- Babel: Naturally, she has her own perspective. That which provoked her rancor was a misunderstanding regarding our actions...
- Babel: But if we wish to rejuvenate the desert, the lands need to be fertile, that they may offer an easier life for our people. Hence, we must rely on Liloupar's favor.
- Babel: We hope to come to a mutual understanding on this point at least...
- About Gurabad and Liloupar...
- (After Apocalypse Lost is completed)
- Babel: So the Mother of the Jinni no longer speaks, for she chose to leave us...
- Babel: That truly is... lamentable. Still, she returned to her destiny. Perhaps this might be the best ending she, of us all, could have attained.
- Babel: But a Jinni's power will not leave their contracted master. The bottle must contain some vestiges of her power, yes?
- Babel: Hehe. The Mother of the Jinn might have departed, but the pact remains. I hope that you can take care of it... and yourself... in the desert.
- See you.
- Babel: Farewell, most esteemed guest. Know that you will always be welcome amongst the Tanit.
Dialogue Set #4[]
Available after completing Behold, the Sign Comes Like A Thief...
- Babel: Greetings, esteemed Master of the Jinni.
- Babel: Regarding the attempt on your life, rest assured, I am still investigating.
- Babel: I can promise your safety when you are amongst the Tanit, but should you walk the desert sands... Be very careful.
- About the Eternal Oasis...
- Babel: Allow me to offer my deepest thanks on behalf of the Tanit and Jeht herself for your deeds...
- Babel: The Eternal Oasis not only bears great importance to Jeht, but it also stands as a central pillar of our faith.
- Babel: Claiming the Eternal Oasis means claiming the sovereignty that once belonged to the Queen of All Oases, Nabu Malikata... For her descendants, this inheritance means everything.
- I don't quite understand... Just what is it actually worth?
- Babel: Hahaha. Perhaps it can't even be traded for a single coin...
- Babel: But it is beyond value nonetheless.
- Has Jeht been busy?
- Babel: Yes. As we now hold the Eternal Oasis, we must prevent all with dubious intent from ever breaching its thresholds. The Tanit stands now as defenders of the Eternal Oasis.
- Babel: And the one most suited to complete this task is, to my mind, undoubtedly Jeht. She is guarding her parents, is she not?
- About the traitors...
- Babel: I suppose it is due to the fact that we have opened a path to the Eternal Oasis that has caused these traitors to grow restless.
- Babel: Our goddess, to them, is a symbol of status above all others, and might bring them unfathomable wealth... I cannot tolerate such blasphemy.
- You still believe she'll wake up.
- Babel: Of course... Sooner or later, she will reclaim the mantle of her divinity and lead us to become a blooming nation. But before that happens, I... and the Tanit, will continue to serve her will.
- We went there. She wasn't there.
- Babel: She "was" present. You just didn't "see" her. But she "was" and will always "be there."
- Bye.
- Babel: Farewell, esteemed Master of the Jinni.
Dialogue Set #5[]
Available after completing Make Bright the Arrows, Gather the Shields...
- Babel: Greetings, esteemed Master of the Jinni. Have you got any news?
- We're still looking for Jeht.
- Babel: That's good... I hope you find her soon. I'm also very... very concerned about her.
- Babel: Ugh... You have no idea how much I want to question those northerners in person, but if I rushed it, it would definitely alarm them, which would be even more detrimental to Jeht's safety.
- Babel: Therefore, esteemed Master of the Jinni, on tribe's future rests on your shoulders.
- She's been kidnapped by the Fatui.
- Babel: Is that so... In other words, she didn't betray the tribe? No... We still can't rule that possibility out...
- Babel: I see... Can you confirm her location? I will send people to rescue her immediately.
- Traveler I... I don't know.
- Babel: ...
- Babel: In this case, even if we sent out a rescue team, it would only alert those northerners... It isn't to her advantage.
- Babel: Although making such a decision makes my heart ache much, I refuse to startle our enemy. I will continue to wait for your words.
- Babel: Ugh... You have no idea how much I want to question those northerners in person, but if I rushed it, it would definitely alarm them, which would be even more detrimental to Jeht's safety.
- Babel: Therefore, esteemed Master of the Jinni, on tribe's future rests on your shoulders.
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- In the Hebrew Bible, Babel (Hebrew: בָּבֶל bāḇel) is another name for Babylon, the capital city of the Babylonian Empire which is known in the Bible as both a city of wisdom and a city of vice. The name is commonly associated with the Tower of Babel, which was constructed in Babylon and was the focus of a Biblical story warning of the dangers of pride. Most of the quests and achievements in the Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters derive their names from Bible passages about the fall of Babylon:
- Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters is from Jeremiah 51:55 (New International Version): The Lord will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of enemies will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound.
- Behold, the Sign Comes Like A Thief... is from Revelation 16:15 (King James Version): Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Additional information found under Behold, the Sign Comes Like A Thief... § Etymology.)
- Make Bright the Arrows, Gather the Shields... is from Jeremiah 51:11 (King James Version): "Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple."
- For Her Judgment Reaches to the Skies... is from Jeremiah 51:9 (New International Version): "We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens."
- The original Chinese quest title is instead from Revelation 18:5 (New International Version): For her [Babylon's] sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
- "...For She Shall Surely Requite." is from Jeremiah 51:56 (King James Version): Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Babel |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 芭别尔 Bābié'ěr |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 芭別爾 Bābié'ěr |
| Japanese | バベル Baberu |
| Korean | 바벨 Babel |
| Spanish | Babel |
| French | Babel |
| Russian | Бабель Babel' |
| Thai | Babel |
| Vietnamese | Babel |
| German | Babel |
| Indonesian | Babel |
| Portuguese | Babel |
| Turkish | Babel |
| Italian | Babel |
Change History[]
- Babel was released as an NPC.
- Babel was mentioned by Samail in the World Quest Golden Slumber.
References[]
- ↑ Interactable, Tanit Camps: Akademiya Emblem-Marked Contract
- ↑ World Quest, The Dirge of Bilqis, Part 1: Wisdom Has Built Her House, She Has Hewn Out Her Seven Pillars
- ↑ Interactable: Mercenary's Aged Notes
- ↑ Interactables: Pathfinders' Log
- ↑ World Quest, Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters..., Part 2: Make Bright the Arrows, Gather the Shields...
- ↑ World Quest, Her Foes Rage Like Great Waters..., Part 3: For Her Judgment Reaches to the Skies...