-Tenzen, Ulmia and I enter. Bahamut is flying high above the island.
BAHAMUT: “All those who traverse the endless sea of clouds! All those who bear the shadowless sun as they cross the skies! Winged brothers and sisters, hear my call! It is I, Bahamut, king of the wyrms!”
Is he calling the dragons together for a dragony Entmoot?
“Come and gather here before me! The time has come for the fulfillment of the ancient pact!”
More on this “pact” we’ve heard about.
-Portals begin to open up all around Bahamut. It’s Dragonpalooza. Oops – “wyrms.” Tenzen thinks Bahamut is gathering the wyrms in preparation for a war to protect the mothercrystals and to protect Vana’diel. I sure as hell hope he’s right.
-Tenzen approaches Bahamut, calls out to him. “I have traveled halfway across the world carrying the breath of Phoenix. I have heard your call!”
Bahamut is listening.
TENZEN: “The Keeper of the Apocalypse is among us and its Emptiness has already enveloped three of the mothercrystals. I have received the blessings of the flame of resurrection. Allow Phoenix and I to accompany you in your efforts to destroy the keeper! I am here to serve you! I pledge my life and my soul to your cause!”
-I love how earnest and sincere Tenzen is. He’s great.
-Ah shit. I was afraid of this. One of the wyrms nearby starts blasting Tenzen, Ulmia, and me with windy breath.
TENZEN: “The future of all Vana’diel is in danger, and you mock my sincere request!? Lord Bahamut! Are you no better than the ruler of dreams, Diabolos! DO you, too, look down upon my incompleteness!?”
Aha! So it’s possible Bahamut isn’t against Tenzen exactly, but simply doesn’t believe in his ability to help. He may believe that Tenzen (and all other members of the five races) are corrupted with Emptiness.
Bahamut responds: “Incompleteness is the least of your petty faults! Open your eyes to the destiny that lies before you – oblivion!” But if Bahamut believes this oblivion is destiny, what’s he doing now? What’s his whole “pact” meant to stop?
-One of his wyrms floats down to the island below. This must be the boss fight. Bahamut testing us.
Again, a nice callback. His role in the first FF game was as a test too.
-The wyrm is Ouryo.
High defense, but we take her down.
BAHAMUT: “Phoenix… You have found yourself quite a brave soul to bear your burdens. Not many can withstand the fury of Ouryu.”
So it WAS a test. Whew.
-Bahamut is skeptical still, but Tenzen gives an impassioned defense of what these “insects,” the races of Vana’diel, can do.
Lolol Bahamut gives no fucks. “Silence, child! I need not hear you whimpering! Phoenix! I ask you! What is it you wish!?
“Phoenix! Sing to these children! Tell them of our age!”
The Memoria de la Stona begins to ring out. That old song we’ve heard so much here, about innocent blood spilling onto Vana’diel, and the star of hope shining. A third verse, that Ulmia had neve heard.
ULMIA: “The third verse of ‘Memoria de la Stona’… the verse sung only by the gods…” The song came from Tenzen’s blade, from Phoenix.
-Bahamut is impressed that we know the song.
“Ages ago, when people aspired to open the Gates of Paradise, there was a child who knew the fourth verse.”
YES MORE BACKSTORY!! My only question: is that child Prishe or is that child the Pale Kid?
“That child came to me, in search of my assistance. And thus we made a pact – an agreement that was to be put into motion the day the Keeper of the Apocalypse returned to Vana’diel.”
Hell, maybe this kid is even Nag’molada. Nag’molada seemed to be on great terms with Bahamut.
-Bahamut doesn’t exactly say what the pact is, but tells his wyrm minions to gather around. Whatever the pact is, I get the sense they’re about to fulfill it. Like, right now.
“We shall return the light to the crystals! We shall save our mother, Vana’diel!”
WOOHOOOOO BAHAMUT IS A GOOD GUY AFTER ALL!! Sure, a dragony good guy who sees us as pitiful insects, but I’ll take it.
BAHAMUT: “Children of the dawn, your end is near!” He flies away with his wyrms.
Uh.. wait, I thought he was a good guy. Most good guys don’t stride off to fulfill ancient good guy pacts after saying “Children of the Dawn [races of Vana’diel], your end is near.”
I have a new theory. (I’m drawing on this from the Algalon storyline in World of Warcraft, for anyone familiar with it.) My theory is that Bahamut and the other terrestrial avatars feel their allegiance is first and foremost to Vana’diel, to the mothercrystals. Against the Emptiness and against the Keeper of the Apocalypse.
I think Bahamut sees the races of Vana’diel as tainted. And in order to save Vana’diel, I think he believes he needs to take some action that’ll lead to the “Children of the Dawn” dying.
Sort of like if Captain Planet got summoned to save the day and was like “Hey, guys, what’s… humans, wtf are you doing? A climate change denier in charge of the EPA??? CHILDREN OF THE DAWN, YOUR END IS NEAR!” and proceeded to eradicate all life on earth so that the planet could heal.
-I return to the Tavnazian Safehold. Ulmia, Tenzen, and Justinius are here.
-Tenzen told Elder Despachiaire about Bahamut’s “your end is near” message, and Despachiaire didn’t believe it. Too tough to face.
-Tenzen’s blade, Phoenix, revealed more background while Bahamut sang.
“Long ago, our ancestors, the ancients, fought many a great battle with the terrestrial avatars. Among those battles, the most fierce and drawn-out was that fought by Bahamut over the opening of the Gates of Paradise.”
All kind of expected/known so far.
-During that fight, peole learned of the Emptiness, “the will of Promathia.”
-Tenzen seems to think Ulmia knows about Promathia’s connection with Vana’diel. Perhaps because it was part of the knowledge in the Tavnazian cathedral.
-Ah. She and Justinius and the Tavnazians are forbidden to speak about Promathia.
-Nag’molada busts into the conversation, throwing in his thoughts. To speak the name of Promathia apparently brings damnation to the speaker.
-Promathia is as old as Altana, but instead of being loving and kind like Altana, Promathia is the “Lord of Chaos.” His curse on people for trying to open the Gates of Paradise was eternal strife.
The only way to be saved from the curse is apparently to forget it, which is why there’s such a strong religious edict against speaking or writing the name Promathia.
-So why, Nag’molada, are you so comfortable saying it?
-Nag’molada – and presumably the Zilart he’s working with – knew that one day Bahamut would attempt to destroy everyone. So that explains why as soon as he appeared, the Zilart mages and armies attacked him. To prevent him assembling his minions.
-Nag’molada turns to us, and is PISSED. Specifically pissed at Ulmia for provoking Bahamut into starting his mission early. I’m not sure she did that, but okay.
-Despachiaire stands up for Ulmia, passing the blame to Tenzen who “tricked my granddaughter into taking up this ridiculous journey.” Uh. No?
-lol, Tenzen sort of continues to pass the buck. “But I received permission from the duke vicarious, Esha’ntarl, to investigate the Emptiness!”
-Nag’molada doesn’t quite buy this. He still thinks Tenzen disrupted the Jeunoan plans to stop Bahamut because Tenzen went maverick/rogue, heading to Bahamut on his own.
I buy this. But there’s one thing I still don’t get: what was Ulmia trying to accomplish by speaking to Bahamut? Something about Prishe, but what?
-Tenzen agrees to let Jeuno handle this.
NAG’MOLADA: “Everythign is in motion. However, as for the details, I, myself, know little.” I believe this. He seemed to be subservient to the blond woman (whom I assume is “Cardinal Mildaurion”).
“My assignment has nothing to do with Bahamut. My mission is to stop that boy.”
-Nag’molada then asks about my amulet, and when I say I get it to Prishe, he rages at me. “How could you just let go of such an important item!?” BECAUSE PRISHE WAS IN AGONY YOU ASSHOLE. THIS AMULET HELPED HER.
Nag’molada asks me to take theamulet from the girl and bring it to the fourth crystal in the Northlands, below Pso’Xja. I have to go eventually to Castle Zvahl to reach that crystal, but the only way to get there is through Pso’Xja.
-But… if I take the amulet away from Prishe, won’t she revert to whatever sickness was claiming her before?
-The Tarutaru Trio comes by. They report to Nag’molada that soldiers have left the “Sacrarium,” finished packing their boxes, and left.
-Nag’molada hears this, but doesn’t explain wtf they’re talking about. Just reaffirms to me to get my ass to Mars/the fourth crystal with Prishe’s amulet.
---
Mission: The Secrets of Worship (Chains of Promathia, ch.4)
-I head into Prishe’s room with Ulmia and Tenzen. She’s happy to see us, having been bored during her recovery.
-So yeah. She admits that she’s referred to as the “abhorrent one.” “That’s why I was locked up in the cathedral for a while there.” Does she know what this is all about?
-When Cardinal Mildaurion took over the Tavnazian church, she started to let Prishe roam free. Eventually Prishe helped a lot of people, and everyone started to forget why they feared her.
-WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOU AS “ABHORRENT?” WHY DID PEOPLE FEAR YOU?!!?
-Ulmia stands up to this. “Prishe! You are not the abhorrent one! There is nothing abhorrent about you!” YES, SING IT ULMIA
“Yes, you were changed by that accident long ago, but you are still Prishe!”
…what accident? Changed how?
-lol prishe calls tenzen “topknot boy.” She thinks what’s going on is super obvious and is annoyed we’re slow on the uptake.
-Okay. Here we go. I know she hasn’t aged, but wasn’t sure why. It sounds like she got too close to “a certain object hidden deep below the church… I was about to touch it, and BOOM! There was this bright light, and I was left like this.”
-It’s not that the accident reverted her to a young age. She was already young, but just stopped growing.
-Tenzen says what I’m thinking though: this is weird, but not exactly “abhorrent.”
PRISHE: “But you know, since the accident, no monster has come near me. I guess you could say that’s pretty close to immortality.” So do they think she’s somehow IN LEAGUE with the monsters? That seems a big leap to make.
-Ah. Now it makes sense. She didn’t do anything abhorrent – rather, she was branded as abhorrent so people wouldn’t’ try to exploit her quasi-immortality for their own personal gain. It sucks, but sort of-maybe makes sense.
[Later edit: if this is the whole explanation behind why she is seen as abhorrent – a misdirect to keep people away from her – I’ll feel a bit let down. But I’m not convinced this is all. What was it that caused the accident? What did she touch? And is it related to Prishe’s words at the end of this session?]
-Tenzen chooses this moment to relate our last encounter with Bahamut. She’s angry at Bahamut.
“Now it’s time for Prishe to get a piece of the action. I’ll find that overgrown steam lizard and give him a piece of my mind!”
-Phew. I was afraid that we’d have to take the amulet FROM Prishe and go to the Northlands, but we’re going to instead try for permission for Prishe to leave and go with us while wearing the amulet.
-Our next mission is to find that Pale Kid “and learn the truth that lies within the ‘will of Promathia!’”
-The will of Promathia calls the Keeper of the Apocalypse. Hm.
-Crap. Prishe’s guard comes to escort us unceremoniously out of the room.
But on our way out, Prishe starts to whisper to Tenzen.
PRISHE: “So, what you really want is to ask this boy about what Promathia’s thinking, right?”
TENZEN: “Well, put simply… yes.”
PRISHE: “Well, instead of wasting your time chasing after some boy, why don’t we go and ask Promathia ourselves?”
UHHH UH HHHU UHHHH WHAT
PRISHE: “I know where we can find him.”
WHJAKFH WHWHAT UN HHUH
-She tells us that if we go to the Sacrarium we can “see what [she’s] talking about.”
FHDLSJKFHDJKLSFHDSJKLVNDSJKNJKL
Is this really happening? I had given up on the prospect of actually seeing Promathia or anything like that in this expansion. I assumed it’d be like Rise of the Zilart where all the action would be around stopping the Gates from being opened. But are actually gonna see Vana’devil himself?
I’m still assuming no. I’m assuming we’re going to go to the Sacrarium and find, like, the Vana’diel version of the Satanic Bible. But we’ll see.
---
Next time: Meeting Promathia? I hope so. That'd be awesome.
