Mission: And the Compass Guides (Chains of Promathia, ch.5)
-I head once more to Pso’Xja.
-Tenzen is here. He’s feeling down because the Phoenix Blade confirmed to him what Nag’molada said: “When the Gates of Paradise open, the terrestrial avatars will return to their original form – mere beasts… The slumbering gods will awake and the Vana’diel we know will be transformed into a Paradise blessed with their glory.”
Wow. So… we should be IN FAVOR of opening the Gate of the Gods? Were we the villains in the Rise of the Zilart expansion, the status-quo villains stopping the Zilart princes from blessing the world?
No way. Something’s fishy.
TENZEN: “However, with their awakening, the Lord of Chaos shall also return.”
Oh. Lol. I guess that’s the catch. Phoenix herself doesn’t even know whether this is ultimately a good or bad outcome. Dunno whot he Lord of Chaos is, but this expansion is starting to sound a whole lot like Supernatural’s fifth season.
-The Phoenix Blade was forged from the burnt-out ashes of Phoenix. Its purpose is to destroy the Emptiness, but it lacked the strength initially, gaining that strength only after taking innocent lives. “The number of people who were ultimately sacrificed is unspeakable.”
Terrestrial avatars are sketchy af. (except carbuncle )
-To power the blade up, criminals were first sacrificed. Then innocent souls. Then those who had fallen into the slumber of the Emptiness, unaware.
-And most of this was done willingly! The people in Tenzen’s Empire thought they were making these sacrifices for the sake of stopping the Emptiness and preserving Vana’diel going forward.
-Tenzen is committed to this path. Protecting the Phoenix Blade with his life. But now he’s wavering.
“Promise me… If Phoenix leads me down a path that defies the will and morality of men, then you will do what is right for this world…”
I got you. Hopefully Fenrir can provide some answers.
-We progress into a disorienting maze, a series of tunnels that constantly spin me right round baby right round. Eventually reached an elevator leading to another Avatar Gate.
-A huge device is inside. We activate it, and a light shines.
“I am Fenrir… though I am no longer of body, my spirit continues to roam the heavens. However, my strength has begun to fade, as do stars come morn.”
Tenzen makes his request for aid.
-Fenrir responds that his memories of 10,000 years ago should guide our decision. His spirit pours into the blade, and we are shifted to a vision of the past. Fenrir’s vision.
-FENRIR LOOKS AWESOME!!
-So in this vision, Fenrir floats above a field across from a group of people.
FENRIR: “Though you have accepted twilight, you still choose to remain in this world. You did not heed our warnings, and now the light of the crystals has begun to fade. Chaos is upon you. There is nothing more we can do for you.”
The Zilart at the head of the group of humans is Esha’ntarl. This is after the Zilart tried and failed to open the Gates of Paradise, after Bahamut stopped them, after the Curse of Promathia was laid.
“If you wish to remain as you are, leave this place immediately. There is still time before the pact between the terrestrial avatars and Selh’teus is fulfilled.”
The pact is between the avatars and Selh’teus?
-Esha’ntarl asks Fenrir for a new destiny, but Fenrir says no. Everything is already written.
ESHA’NTARL: “We understand. As time passes, the lifeforce that dwells within us all becomes tainted. Darkness is born. And then comes one who harbors that darkness – the Keeper of the Apocalypse – and he will leads us into the twilight.”
Promathia’s curse put a ticking clock on humanity.
This ruins my “Esha’ntarl is the Keeper of the Apocalypse” theory. It’s someone new, and looking more and more like Prishe.
ESHA’NTARL: “However, I traveled to my homeland and spoke with the dying Selh’teus. He told me if the Keeper of the Apocalypse is defeated, then the pact with the terrestrial avatars would be broken.”
FENRIR: “You are correct. But you can only succeed by first breaking the chains that bind your people.”
-Selh’teus was trying to solve this riddle, but died around this time, 10,000 years in the past. How did he come back today? He wanted Esha’ntarl to follow in his footsteps.
-Esha’ntarl is special. She was somehow able to escape the curse of Emptiness. And Fenrir admits that she might be able to watch over the destiny of the races of Vana’diel until the end arrives.
“But when it does – when the Keeper of the Apocalypse rises up – you will be powerless.” Why?
“And you will witness every man and woman on Vana’diel blindly march into the void of twilight, their arrogance, apathy, cowardice, rage, and envy [THE FIVE ARK ANGELS FROM RoZ!] drawing them deeper and deeper into the darkness.”
-Esha’ntarl acknowledges all this, and still wants to help. Wow. She’s not a villain after all. She knows how brutal it will be to stop the Keeper of the Apocalypse, and wants to try to find a way anyway. All she’s asking from Fenrir is to know when and where the Keeper will arrive so they can try.
-He tells them. 10,000 years from then, the Keeper of the Apocalypse will rise. In Tavnazia.
It MUST be Prishe. Noooo.
-Look. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If I have to end this expansion by killing Prishe, I will be grumpy. I will be filled with grump. Overflowing with grump.
-Anyway. I still feel confident that Esha’ntarl is Cardinal Mildaurion. I just now have no idea why she had such a free hand with Prishe, why she brought Prishe around the world rather than keeping her locked up in the Tavnazian Cathedral.
-I return to Cid back in Bastok. Tenzen meets me here, and we debrief.
-Cid confirms some of what Nag’molada said; some of the energy readings he’s collected from the Crags that house the mothercrystals confirm it. But he’s still shocked at the scope of it all, that the Zilart are trying to use the lines to converge the energy from all the crystals.
Cid was IN FFV. He knows what’s up.
-They want to use that combined power to open the Gates of Paradise.
-Cid asks the super obvious question: Didn’t they try this 10,000 years ago and fail horribly? Yes, and their capital sunk. But for now, we have to deal with the Keeper of the Apocalypse.
-Everyone starts to come to the same conclusion as me: Prishe may be the Keeper.
TENZEN: “But if it is true… then there is only one thing I can do…”
If you lay a finger on Prishe, I’ll use my over-leveled ass to whomp you into dust. Don’t test me.
-Cid is with me. He sticks up for Prishe as honest, noble, and awesome, despite [or because of!] how rude she can be. But if she inherited the will of Promathia…
-Tenzen leaves, tabling the discussion until all of these three paths (finding Prishe, tracking Selh’teus, and the only remaining quest – finding Al’Taieu) are complete.
-Cid feels overwhelmed. There are so many ancient forces, so many conflicting armies, so many hidden motives, that it’s hard to keep track. We’ll have to do our best to judge for ourselves what’s going on. “Don’t be fooled by those with ulterior motives.”
I’m trying.
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Mission: Past Sins (Chains of Promathia, ch.5)
- Louverance went off to Tavnazia to learn about Al’Taieu. I’m off to join him.
-First stop in Tavnazia is Elder Despachiaire.
-He knows a bit about the history of the painting of Al’Taieu in the Tavnazian reliquarium. It was brought here 25 years ago. It was found within the Temple of Uggalepih. Tonberry Central.
It depicts the ancients attempting to open the Gates of Paradise. A gate of light hovering over the city. The gatekeeper (Bahamut) roaring above. Bahamut’s legs are bound by shackles in the art.
Al’Taieu was destroyed and sunk afterward as punishment.
-The city at the time was unidentified, but Cardinal Mildaurion identified it as Al’Taieu. Which would make sense, if she is in fact Esha’ntarl.
-Louverance asks: how did the cardinal know of Al’Taieu? Hard to say. Rumor had it that she explored parts of the world on a quest for enlightenment, so maybe picked up knowledge there. (Though we know that she was there. She’s from Al’Taieu!)
-This starts to explain the role of the Mithran trackers. They were initially angry at the Cardinal for taking the painting away from the temple in Outlands, but were convinced to let it go.
-Our next step is to find the Mithran sin hunters. The Shikarees. We’re off to Windurst to learn more.
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Next time: following the back trail of the Al’Taieu painting.
