Mission: The Sealed Shrine (Rise of the Zilart)
-Last time, I took out the five Warriors of the Crystal on Tu’Lia, the floating island. My next mission is to push deeper into the Shrine of Ru’Avitau at the center of Tu’Lia.
Another player fighting a huge harpy on the floating island.
-I first go back to Norg and talk to Gilgamesh.
-Gil notes that Prince Eald’narche can’t have opened the Gate of the Gods yet. If he had, the world would be gone. For now, we have to wait for them to make a move. No way to access the sealed parts of the Shrine yet.
-And now, back to the Shrine. As I enter, a voice speaks:
“You are the great bane – the nightmare that will devour the fair land of Vana’diel and thrust the world into fear and disrepair.”
Is the person talking to me?
“But as one bright star shines through the clouds at night…
And as one song rings clear above the roar of beasts…
We hold to one hope in these darkest of times.”
It now sounds like someone is talking to something that’s both a terror and hope.
“The darkness must be vanquished.
The bane must be purified.
No matter the consequences.”
Ok. This whole “bane must be purified” makes me think it’s Eald’narche talking to some horrible monster about the need to kill me and the rest of the races of Vana’diel.
“That they will come, with the wisdom of ages and the strength of thousands…
We await the awakening of the Warriors of the Crystal.”
Never mind. I have no idea what this is about, what the context really is.
-Lion meets me here at the Shrine wall. Her dad tried to stop her from coming here but she was like “LOL FUCK THAT.” I love Lion so much.
LION: “When this is all over, how about we hop on a ferry and sail around the world, just us two girls?”
UHHHH YES??? I already shipped tf out of my character, Detolilla, and Lion, but I didn’t know Lion felt the same way.
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Mission: The Celestial Nexus (Rise of the Zilart)
-The description for this mission: “The fate of Vana’diel awaits you in the Celestial Nexus!” If that doesn’t signal the final fight of this expansion is coming up, I don’t know what would.
-Around the twisting hallways of the Shrine of Ru’Avitau, to its center, and downstairs.
-A home point. The surest sign of all that shit’s about to get real.
-I enter the next area: the Celestial Nexus. The cool white colors are now replaced with an eerie red glow all around.
-Battlefield time. “The Celestial Nexus.” Again, noting to myself that I’ll probably lose this hard, and try should learn.
-Zeid, Aldo, and Lion are already inside with Prince Eald’narche. They tried charging him and got stopped cold.
-Eald’narche is in front of a massive mound of crystal. He’s about to open the Gate of the Gods, his dream from the past ten thousand years.
-It’s especially interesting to me that even Eald’narche himself doesn’t know what exactly waits on the other side beyond some vague thoughts of “the dream of Paradise.”
-He offers me a place with him, to join him and be reborn as a god. Uh. No thanks, kiddo.
“You’re pitiful and useless… and if you want to die meaningless deaths, then I won’t stand in your way. Now it is time to say good night to all those who fail to cooperate.”
He hops up on a floating pedestal, starts to activate whatever machinery is here, and it’s fight time.
-I expect that, like the Shadow Lord, this will be a multi-phase fight.
-First phase, he’s on that floaty pedestal, protected by rotating exoplates and orbital robot thingies.
I take out the robot thingies, healing through his nasty Flares, and it goes down.
-Eald’narche is wounded, and his form is shifting.
“Ha ha… I underestimated your ability. You fight well, for such lower life forms. But there’s no more time for playing games. Prepare to witness my true power!”
-Yup. Final phase time. [Later edit: I like that he doesn’t physically turn into a giant monster or something. He just becomes a more potent, brighter, more nuclear version of himself.]
-HOLY SHIT THIS MUUUUSIC THOUGH!!!
-In this phase, Eald’narche is a floating font of magical power, blasting titanic spells at me that I just have to eat/dodge/heal through.
-COME ON COME ON
-YUSSS EALD’NARCHE GOES DOWN
“In… in the eyes of the gods, I, too, am no different from… Kam’lanaut.”
“But that won’t stop me from restarting the Crystal Line… whether it’s completed or not!”
-oh shit he’s gonna try to take us all down as he goes out
-Prince Eald’narche teleports up to the control panel, and he wants to create another Meltdown like the one that ended the Zilart 10,000 years ago.
-The machinery in here is reactivating. An orbit of crystals.
“The light has begun to converge. Soon, all will end… and my dream will begin!”
-Aldo and Zeid are still knocked out, feeling like giving up.
But Lion? Fuck no.
She stumbles to her feet, crawls towards the machine.
LION: “I’m sorry, Detolilla. I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep our promise.”
DON’T YOU FRIGGING DIE, NO NOBLE SACRIFICE BULLSHIT
NO NO NO
SHE FUCKING DID IT
LION CHARGED INTO THE PRIME CRYSTAL THAT EALD’NARCHE WAS POWERING UP
-HAHAHA YVE’NOILE, THE DAWNMAIDEN WHO HELPED US, APPEARS
“Thou must no longer bring harm to the world of Vana’diel. Dost thou not realize yet? Harming Vana’diel will only bind thee from attaining thy dream of Paradise”
-Why? I’m not sure I understand.
“Eald’narche. Something can never really be destroyed. It only changes to take on a new form. And now, thy time hast come to take on a new form.”
-Eald’narche collapses, dying. His spirit erupts out of his body. He fades, becoming a new form after all.
YVE’NOILE: “Until we meet again… warriors of the Crystal.”
-The Ark Angels were mere copies of the true Warriors of the Crystal.
-Aldo, Zeid and I meet outside the Shrine.
-Okay. So Lion really seems dead, but in my Rhapsodies of Vana’diel mission line, she’s a key player. So does she get brought back somehow? Did she not really die? It’s entirely possible that the Lion in Rhapsodies is some kind of alternate dimension version, or future version, or something like that.
-Aldo and Zeid leave, and the camera pans out on the beautiful Ru’An Gardens. Fade to black.
-On the black screen, that old origin myth comes up:
“It all began with a stone, or so the legend says.
In ages past, a sentient jewel, enormous and beautiful, banished the darkness.
Its many-colored light filled the world with life and brought forth mighty gods.
Bathed in that light, the world entered an age of bliss until, after a time, the gods fell into slumber.
That world was called Vana’diel.”
The Shadow Lord’s keep, Castle Zvahl, appears on screen.
“However, this age will not last. The great bane will devour the fair land of Vana’diel.
The ancient seal will be broken, awakening nightmares of ages past.”
The blood of innocents will soak the earth, and the world will fall into fear and despair.”
Perhaps that specific line was talking about the initial game story, and the new rise of the old Shadow Lord.
-A new image takes its place. A waterfall in Yhoator Jungle. The temple of those AWFUL Tonberries from this expansion.
I love this little montage of key locations from FFXI through this expansion.
“But as one bright star shines through the clouds at night,
And as one song rings clear above the roar of beasts…”
The image now of the Tonberry Queen herself, Gravi’ton Berisacci comes up.
Never mind. I take it back. The Tonberries may be murderers and stabbers and slashers and little knife- and lantern-wielding nightmares, but they came from a good place.
If “Rise of the Zilart” taught me anything, it’s this: Tonberries saved the world.
“We hold to one hope in these darkest of times.”
Gravi’ton fades.
-The scene changes up to the sky island of Tu’Lia, outside the mossy Shrine.
“That star is you, and the song is yours.
And someday, that hope will become our dreams… our prayers…
Shine forth, star of hope! Let your song ring out across all of Vana’diel!
-I now firmly believe that this whole “star of hope” is not me, Detolilla the dragoon, but rather Lion, daughter of Gilgamesh, thief and pirate extraordinaire, savior of Vana’diel.
“And what was split asunder will once more become whole.
Complete and inseparable for all eternity.”
The scene changes again. We go now inside the Shrine, zooming in on the crystal that would have opened the Gate of the Gods.
-Zoom out. Fade out. End of the expansion.
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Mission: Awakening (Rise of the Zilart)
-Or not quite? There’s one more mission now in my Rise of the Zilart mission log. “Awakening.”
-OH GOD NO NO NO. Am I really gonna have to do this? I think I have to go to Gilgamesh and break the news that his daughter is dead.
UGHGHHHG NO NO NO.
-Okay. Let’s do it.
-So after that last cutscene, the game popped me out in the Hall of the Gods. I’m running out of here to reach the home point that’ll take me to Gilgamesh, but can’t help but stop on my way out to look at the statue.
The Promathia statue. Chained and bound. I don’t know her story, but I know the next expansion is “Chains of Promathia.” I’ll learn soon enough.
-I warp over to Norg, and Gilgamesh meets me at the dock. This is gonna hurt.
-WHEW. Aldo already got here before me and broke the news.
GILGAMESH: “What was she thinkin’, goin’ off and gettin’ herself killed before her own father…”
ALL THE TEARS ALLLLL OF THEM
“She washed up on shore here when she was still just a wee lass. Nobody knew where she came from.”
Wait. Wait wait. Lion wasn’t Gilgamesh’s biological daughter? I had no idea.
“Raisin’ Lion taught me a lot about the world. If it wasn’t fer her, I wouldn’t be the man I be today. I never knew what she thought about her father bein’ a pirate…
“But I can tell you one thing – I be mighty damn proud to have her as a daughter.”
LOL JK APPARENTLY IT WASN’T ALL THE TEARS BECAUSE LOOK THERE ARE MORE OF THEM
-My next stop is to Jeuno, to see Aldo.
-Oh, right! It just hit me. Jeuno was ruled by Archduke Kam’lanaut. The politics of this place have gotta be in absolute chaos right now.
-Aldo arrives dramatically back at the Tenshodo headquarters. The Tenshodo were all worried he died on the floating island.
ALDO: “The first time you came through my doors, you were nothing but a little punk. But now, look at you. You’ve matured into a fine adventurer.”
Aw. Thanks bud.
ALDO: “Not as fine as yours truly, but close!” lol asshole
-Aldo’s sister, Verena, comes to say hello. She seems to be doing better.
VERENA: “But… where’s Lion? Is she here, or did she go back to Norg?”
FUCK EVERYTHING
FUCK ALLLL THE THINGS
ALDO: “Lion fought bravely that day. Her sac saved millions of lives.
So what nothing we say can bring her back. She’s… Why does everyone have to suffer!? What did Lion – what did Fickblix do to deserve their pain?”
Hey, right there with ya. 100%.
-wait wait wait wait
VEERENA: “…? I-I can feel something… This warmth… Lion? Is that you? It is you, isn’t it… Aldo, Lion is still alive. I can feel it. She’s weaker than before, but she’s still with us.”
-HFDJKLSFHDJKLSFHDJKLSFHDJKLSFHDJKLSFHDKLSFHDKLS
HDSFJKLHDSFJKLDHSKL
VNDJKSLVN
-So… that’s it? We’re not acting on this sudden knowledge that Lion’s alive somewhere? I guess. Okay. Hopefully we find her soon.
[Later edit: On second thought, I’m glad “Rise of the Zilart” ends like this. We get to probably keep Lion and bring her back at some other point, continuing her story. And yet by not doing it IMMEDIATELY, it leaves the punch of her sacrifice in play.]
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Next time: Back to the Rhapsodies of Vana’diel and Bastok storylines, picking up where I left them off.
