A longer session than usual, but I didn’t want to divide this up.
Farewell - Tenzen (Chains of Promathia)
- Time now bid farewell to those I met in this expansion.
-First stop is Bastok. Tenzen is returning home.
-I see him just before the ship takes him away. He’s humble, apologetic. “My treacherous actions betrayed the sacrifices you made for me…” DAMN RIGHT THEY DID, YOU TRIED TO KILL ME YOU… I mean, yes, of course, I forgive you.
-He intended to stay here and make it up to me *wiiiiiink* but has to go back east. The Emptiness is gone, but the war and strife born from its ravages continue.
The Emptiness is gone? He must mean that it’s receded as a prime threat in his homeland, since it’s still a threat in the Rhapsodies of Vana’diel.
-His mysterious ninjassistant appears again. “In exchange for this leniency, I offer my own life to assuage the insult to your honor…”
JESUS, MYSTERY LADY. I was just hoping he’d cook a steak for me or something, not die. Apology accepted.
-hahahaha I get the chance to “forgive Tenzen” or “Take my revenge.” I’m really, really tempted to choose “take my revenge” to see what would happen, but I go with forgiveness.
-I’m sure eventually I’ll see Tenzen’s homeland, but not yet. The next expansion is “Treasures of Aht Urhgan,” but Tenzen’s world seems Japanese-themed. The little I’ve seen from Aht Urhgan makes me think it will draw more on Arab and middle eastern cultures/mythology.
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Farewell – Jabbos (Chains of Promathia)
-I head next to Oldon Movalpolos, the Moblin mine.
-Two of Jabbos’ Moblin friends see me and ask if he met with Promathia. Jabbos isn’t talking.
-Jabbos is upset. He learned that the Twilight God is the father of us all. Is he? I don’t know if I understand that. I get that his Emptiness is inside each of us, but it was Altana who shattered the mothercrystral and created us.
-Jabbos doesn’t know what to tell the Moblins.
-This time, he opts for pure truth. No more lying to the Moblins, to his friends. He says that we’re all Children of Promathia.
“We people… are the children… of both the Dawn… and the Twilight…”
That’s what I thought. Okay. I wonder if this will unify us rather than divide us. All of us – Galka, Hume, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, AND Moblin – are children of both gods.
-The Moblins take this news very well!! Yay!!
CHEKOCHUK (one of the Moblins): “This means that beastmen beastmen and people people must be brothers brothers!”
Heeeee!!! They’re all so happy, dancing and singing! MOBLIN DANCE PARTY
-Jabbos and I leave together, and I learned that the truth isn’t so clear cut. Jabbos told them that we – as in, the five “good” races of Vana’diel – are both from Promathia and Altana. He DIDN’T yet tell them that the Moblins are also from Altana, but I encourage him to do so.
We’re all brothers and sisters.
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Farewell – Sir Louverance (Chains of Promathia)
-Next up is Louverance in San d’Oria. Really curious if this will follow-up on the whole “two Louverances” thing.
-I see Hinaree, the widow of Francomage Mistalle.
-Blue Louverance busts in. “Did you relay my message to that rogue? Where is that common-born cad?” Idk what’s up with Blue Louverance, but he sounds like an asshole.
-Red Louverance sent a messenger on his behalf to Hinaree, to deliver a message to Blue Louverance: “I await you in the Uleguerand Range. As a knight of honor, I challenge you to a duel.” Blue Louverance runs off. I follow.
-Atop a cliff, the Louverances are dueling.
-They charge at each other. Blue Louverance cuts down Red. WAIT HOLY SHIT, BLUE LOUVERANCE JUST KILLED RED LOUVERANCE. JESUS.
Look, Blue, idk wtf you think Red Louverance did, but he just helped stop the apocalypse, so… maybe let bygones be bygones? God, you suck.
BLUE!LOUVERANCE: “I am not the man I once was. After my defeat to a dread dragon, I honed my battle skills to a much finer edge. My path lies beyond the Shadow Lord and the Dark Divinity. The mysterious Keeper of the Apocalypse is my true opponent!”
Uh. Sorry to break this to you, but Red Louverance helped me take out the Keeper. You’re late.
-He leaves before I can tell him. This is so, so weird.
-I head back to the manor in San d’Oria. Red Louverance’s messenger meets me here, a monk named Meransarget.
MERANSARGET: “If you had not ruined the trap I set at Carpenters’ Landing, there would have been no reason for me to die.”
Wait. Wait. Is… is this Red Louverance?
IT IS HAHAHAHA HE’S ALIVE
-“Louverance’s” plan initially was to restore Tavnazia with aid from San d’Oria, from Mildaurion’s treasures. That plan went to shit when Prishe hurled the priceless Star of Tavnazia into Promathia’s face.
-As far as I understand, Red Louverance was never ACTUALLY Louverance. Blue Louverance is the real Louverance. Red Louverance is really the San d’Orian monk, Meransarget, who wanted to use the Louverance Mistalle name to help restore Tavnazia.
[Non-rhetorical question for y’all: Is this right?]
-Now, Meransarget wishes to continue trying to restore the Marquisate of Tavnazia, and “resurrect the Remevel name.” Must be his real family. What a bizarre storyline.
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Farewell – Tarutaru Trio (Chains of Promathia, ch.8)
-These guys. Lonely, sad kids who’ve also tried to kill me like 15 times this expansion.
-I head for this to the fisherman’s guild in Windurst. The guildmaster tells me about how their party was crashed recently by three terrible comedians. They were so bad that the fishermen sailed out to Purgonorgo Island in Bibiki Bay and marooned them. I mean… I can’t say the Tarutaru Trio doesn’t deserve it lol.
Apparently though, this was because the fishermen know a grumpy hermit lives on that island, so this was a prank on that guy.
“That stubborn seadog should be sufferin’ their puerile puns as we speak! Gwahahahaha!”
-I take the trek to Purgonorgo Island. The Trio shows up and starts to do their routine.
“Hey, did you hear?
We toppled a titanic terror and saved the world!”
YOU WERE TRYING TO HELP THAT TITANIC TERROR YOU ASSHOLES
“All in a day’s work, you might say.
Of course, it wasn’t easy pretending to be under our enemy’s control so we could take him by surprise.”
OH BULLSHIT, YOU WEREN’T “PRETENDING,” YOU LAUNCHED A METEOR AT SELH’TEUS WHEN HE WAS FIGHTING PROMATHIA
“But listen to this! An adventurer called Detolilla thinks that she stole the show! Can you believe that?”
“She’s so mean!” “She’s so terrible!” “She’s so ugly!”
I’M RIGHT FUCKING HERE ugh.
-I get the choice whether to laugh at their performance. I can choose “I guess…” or “Are you kidding me…?” You know what? I’m feeling magnanimous. I’ll laugh.
-They think I’m laughing AT them, not with them. And they do what any offended comedian does. Launch a meteor at me.
-I’m about to die, but then the island hermit here, Vukki-Chebukki saves me.
WAIT VUKKI-CHEBUKKI??? THIS IS THEIR DAD??? This is the guy in hiding who helped Louverance earlier in this expansion.
-Vukki wonders where these three kids learned meteor. “My wife blasted me with Meteor so many times, I don’t even feel it anymore!” Yup. Definitely their dad.
-This happy reunion is confirmed is when the kids blast Vukki with a meteor, and he recognizes it as his wife’s style of meteor.
VUKKI-CHEBUKKI: “Could it be? My darling children!?”
-They all embrace and yes, I’m getting a bit teary-eyed at these asshole kids finally finding their dad.
VUKKI-CHEBUKKI: “There, there. You must have been so lonely out there on your own. From now on, you’ll live here with me. I’ll never let you go again.”
This is incredibly sweet.
-I’m about to leave, but their dad asks them to thank me for my help.
“Thanks, Miss Meanie!” “Thanks, Miss Terrible!” “Thanks, Miss Ugly!”
…you’re welcome.
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Farewell – Shikaree Sisters (Chains of Promathia, ch.8)
-I go to the port city of Mhaura. Love the music for this.
-Shikaree Z is heading back home. She’ll report back to her queen about Promathia, Altana, and “the sins of their children.” She’ll also try to make a case defending Mildaurion, Prishe, and the wyrms, whom she was initially tasked to hunt. Yay!
SHIKAREE Z: “Finally… I will renounce my name as a Mithran Tracker.” YAAAAY!! That’s what she’d wanted.
-Her sisters are shocked, but she’s done with the black-and-white world of Sin Hunting. Her job forced her to hunt Prishe and Mildaurion for actual sins, but sins committed for the sake of preventing far greater ones.
“The very act of hunting sin creates sin. To not hunt sin is also a choice.” Their mother’s words. She thinks that by abandoning the life of a Sin Hunter, she’ll be able to get closer to true justice.
She shows a sense of nuance and compassion for her sisters who aren’t yet at this point in their journey. “Do not lament the fact that you have yet to learn this truth. I only wish for you to understand the path that I have chosen for myself.”
“Detolilla, if you continue to battle the Emptiness, we may yet meet again. When we do, call me by my real name.”
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The Chains Fall Free (Chains of Promathia, ch.8)
-Jeuno next. Esha’ntarl is back in town, and doesn’t know what happened. She was fighting the wyrms, and suddenly they broke off their attack. I tell her.
-“’Opening the Gates of Paradise’ is a metaphor for restoring the shattered mothercrystal. A way to return the world to its original state.” Interesting.
-Dawnmaiden Yve’noile once told Esha’ntarl about a vision she had of the Goddess Altana. “She said, ‘As I gazed upon her perfection, I realized I could not be a part of her. I wondered who I could possibly be.’”
Yve’noile began to research people, and the Kuluu, and the loss of the whisper. She became aware of the darkness inside everyone, that we’re not just Altana’s children but Promathia’s.
-Not everything is solved now. The Emptiness still exists within the mothercrystals, and some of the Zilart still dream of a return to paradise.
-Esha’ntarl will stay in Jeuno. She’ll try to reign in the Zilart here and keep them focused on fighting the Emptiness rather than trying to regain Paradise yet again.
-Esha’ntarl/Mildaurion is the character I most badly misread this expansion. I was so sure she was a villain, and I was dead wrong.
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Farewell – Prishe and Ulmia (Chains of Promathia, ch.8)
-Prishe and Ulmia are hanging out in the Tavnazian Safehold.
-Jeuno will continue to support Tavnazia’s rebuilding. Ulmia wants Prishe to focus less on battle and more on becoming the leader of the Tavnazian Cathedral, but Prishe hears this and nopes out.
-I follow Prishe out, deep into the Lufaise Meadows east of the Safehold.
“You can get a great view of the town where I was born – where the end of the world was born.” Aww… Prishe, the end of the world was born thousands of years before you. None of this was your fault.
“All I’ve ever thought about it what apocalypse would be like. If I manage to live out this eternal life, I guess I’ll eventually find out. It doesn’t’ matter how – the rebirth of Promathia, the awakening of the sleeping gods, the victory of the beastmen… the world will end. And when that happens, even my immortal existence will be snuffed out.”
This is heartbreaking. I keep thinking how the major temptation Promathia tried luring her with was the promise of the end.
“When I stood before that gate, Promathia promised to show me the apocalypse. That was when I realized who most wanted to see the end of it all – who couldn’t wait for the grand finale. That person was me.
“That’s why I hurled that black magicite into the Twilight God. I somehow hoped that by sending it into the mothercrystal with the soul of Promathia, the Keeper of the Apocalypse would one day rise again.”
-That’s how much she yearned for an end to things. Fuck immortality. It’s the worst.
“Miss Mildaurion didn’t yell at me. She just smiled and said, ‘Wait until you meet her.’” I don’t understand.
“What did she mean? Is your hatred of me meant to be my punishment?” Trust me, I do not hate you.
“No, really. That must be why I hurt inside. Why now? I’ve been the target of a lot of abuse over the years, and it’s never bothered me. But for some reason, you just standing there quietly is more than I can bear.”
PRISHEEEEE
“It’s not like being kicked, or punched, or stabbed. I can’t get a handle on it. It’s frightening and unnerving. I feel like I’m gonna be sick.” DON’T JUST STAND THERE DETOLILLA, RUN UP AND HUG HER OR SOMETHING.
“You’re just a mortal, right? Then how can you close your heart off to me? Are you sad? Do I make you sad? Is it too difficult? Am I too difficult to deal with? Don’t you want to open your heart to me?”
I’ll be honest, I’m a bit confused.
“What the hell is going on…? You and I feel the same way. That’s why I can’t read you. We share the same soul.” Uh.. Huh?
“No. It’s not that I can’t read you. It’s because I’ve become the same as you.”
Wait. Wait wait wait. WAIT WAIT WIAT.
PRISHE: “The magicite in my chest… It’s gone… Has my magicite melted away? I know what’s happened. I’ve gotten it back. The thing that makes us mortal. The Emptiness.”
YESSSSSS SHE’S MORTAL AGAIN
“That’s why I feel so much pain. …Damn. Being mortal sure is complicated. I’m in pain, but I’m happy. It hurts, but I can smile. That’s why I can tell you from the depths of my being… Thank you, Detolilla.”
“I can go on now. Not simply wait for the end, but be just like everyone else and truly live.”
I’M SO HAPPY
-The game transitions into something totally unexpected: a fully-voiced musical montage.
-We see each of the characters from this expansion going back to their worlds, back to their business.
-My favorite part of this has to be Prishe sitting cross-legged. She’s relaxing on a cliffside, listening to Ulmia play and sing to her.
[Later edit: look. I don’t know how to broach this and have it be appropriate or whatever, given that Prishe has been alive for so long but still has the appearance of a kid, so if this is inappropriate to say, PLEASE report this so it can be deleted. But the fact that she’s going to grow up and grow old makes me feel okay to say this: I ship Prishe and Ulmia.
Like. The most. With all the caveats that go with it, and I know Prishe is sort of currently kid, so… yeah, I don’t know how to articulate it but Prishe and Ulmia is one of my favorite relationships in all of FF and I ship tf out of it.]
-At the end of this montage, we see a single phoenix feather drifting on the wind.
-That’s “Chains of Promathia.”
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Next time: starting the next expansion, “Treasures of Aht Urhgan.”
