Overview
Eulmore is a city-state perched upon the sheer cliffs of Kholusia on the First, a reflection of the Source. It is a study in stark contrasts: a gleaming, white-stoned palace of hedonistic luxury for its elite citizens, built literally and figuratively above a destitute shantytown known as the Ladder. Once a formidable military power, Eulmore’s transformation into a decadent pleasure dome under the rule of Vauthry serves as one of the central social and philosophical conflicts in the Shadowbringers narrative, embodying a nihilistic surrender to a dying world.
History & Lore
The Fall and Rise of a Bastion
In the distant past, Eulmore was renowned as Norvrandt’s mightiest military power. It played a crucial role in holding back the Flood of Light, its armies and fortifications serving as a bulwark for civilization. However, as the Flood slowly advanced and hope dwindled, the city’s purpose shifted. Under the leadership of a mysterious, charismatic figure named Vauthry, Eulmore abandoned its martial ethos. Vauthry proclaimed that the world was irrevocably doomed and that the only rational response was to seek pleasure and comfort in one’s final days. The city reinvented itself as a sanctuary, not from Sin Eaters, but from despair itself—for those who could afford the price of admission.
The Architecture of Decadence
Eulmore’s physical structure reflects its social hierarchy. The city is built vertically into the cliff face. At its peak sits the resplendent, enclosed palace where the elite reside. Below them are the functional districts that support their lifestyle. At the very base, clinging to the rocks and accessible only by a single, massive lift, is the Ladder—a sprawling slum where the impoverished and desperate live, hoping for the rare chance to be granted entry into the city above for their talents or as servants.
Life within the upper tiers is a continuous cycle of curated entertainment, lavish feasts, and artistic patronage, all designed to distract from the apocalyptic reality outside. Citizens are encouraged to pursue their passions without limit, creating a culture of extreme hedonism and artistic excess. This "paradise" is maintained through a strict, unspoken rule: absolute obedience to Vauthry and willful ignorance of the suffering at the city’s feet.
Vauthry’s Secret and Rule
The foundation of Vauthry’s power was a horrifying secret. He was not entirely mortal; at birth, the essence of a Lightwarden had been fused with his soul. This granted him a unique, innate power to command Sin Eaters, pacifying them and preventing attacks on Eulmore. He presented this safety as a divine blessing, cementing his status as an infallible, god-like ruler. In truth, Eulmore’s security was a side effect of his monstrous nature. Vauthry ruled as a pampered tyrant, his immense physical form a symbol of the city’s gluttony, and protected by the fearsome Ran’jit, general of the Eulmoran Army.
The Warrior of Light and Transformation
The Warrior of Light arrives at Eulmore as an agent of the Crystarium, an ideology of hope that directly conflicts with Vauthry’s nihilism. Initially barred entry, they eventually infiltrate the city and witness its grotesque opulence firsthand. Eulmore, under Vauthry’s orders, becomes an active antagonist, seeking to thwart the Warrior’s mission to defeat the Lightwardens and restore the night, as success would mean the end of Vauthry’s power.
The conflict culminates at Mt. Gulg, where Vauthry, cornered, fully transforms into the final Lightwarden, Innocence. Upon his defeat, the Sin Eaters across Kholusia run rampant, forcing Eulmore to confront its fragile reality. In the aftermath, a reformation begins. The pragmatic, kind-hearted Chai-Nuzz, a former elite, ascends to leadership with his wife, Dulia-Chai. They open the city’s gates, dismantle the class system, integrate the citizens of the Ladder, and redirect Eulmore’s considerable resources toward the recovery and defense of all Norvrandt.
Gameplay
Role in Shadowbringers
Eulmore serves as a major story hub and antagonist stronghold for the first half of the Shadowbringers expansion. Players will:
- Infiltrate the city during the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ).
- Interact with key NPCs like the aspiring artist Kai-Shirr, the disillusioned elite Chai-Nuzz, and the mysterious Oracle of Light, Ryne.
- Undertake quests that expose the city’s corruption and the plight of its people.
Post-MSQ Hub
After the defeat of Vauthry and the conclusion of the main Shadowbringers story, Eulmore is transformed into a fully functional endgame hub city, similar to Rhalgr’s Reach or Idyllshire in previous expansions. It features:
- Aetheryte Plaza: For easy teleportation.
- Market Board & Retainers: For player commerce.
- Crafting & Gathering Vendors: Selling master recipe books and materials.
- Tomestone Exchange: Where players can trade Allagan Tomestones of Phantasmagoria and Allegory (during the expansion’s active cycle) for high-level gear.
- Quest Givers: Offering side stories, custom delivery client quests (for the aspiring artist Kai-Shirr), and additional narrative content exploring the city’s rebuilding.
Trivia
- The name "Eulmore" is likely a portmanteau of "eulogy" (a speech in praise of someone, often at a funeral) and "more," reflecting the city’s function as a lavish memorial for a dying world.
- Idyllshire is an unrelated settlement in the Dravanian Hinterlands on the Source; it has no connection to Eulmore or its elite class.
- Eulmore’s aesthetic of white stone, gold trim, and art nouveau influences stands in sharp contrast to the Crystarium’s crystalline and art deco style, visually reinforcing their ideological clash.
- The city’s theme music under Vauthry’s rule is "Pain in Pleasure," which uses an eerie, regal tone to underscore the anxious, compulsive pleasure-seeking of its citizens. After the city’s liberation, it changes to the cheerful waltz "Indulgence."