TW: an animal teased/in pain at one point.
Mission: The Charlatan (Seekers of Adoulin)
-After we return to the castle, the scene changes to Hades sitting casually.
“Everyone whose soul has been consumed by darkness, I will free from the shackles of fate. How will I achieve this feat? Why, through death, of course.”
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Mission: Arboreal Rumors (Seekers of Adoulin)
-The wild is more hostile of late. Unidentified beasts, a miasma, piercing gales.
-Arciela’s research shows that these changes signal the emergence of the Cimmerian Adherents and Xol Triumvirate.
-Full team meeting to discuss the new threats. The remaining two Xol are Dhokmak of the toxic miasma and Ashrakk of lightning and wind.
-Onto Leafallia, where Morimar asks Arciela to gather rare flowers to protect us against the Xol.
-After Arciela leaves, Morimar admits we don’t need the flowers. He just wants to keep Arciela out of danger while we take on the other two Xol.
WHAT THE FUCK MORIMAR. THIS IS THE WORST TROPE. SEND IT STRAIGHT INTO THE SEA.
-Morimar claims he just want to protect August Adoulin’s bloodline. Whatever dude. I have a feeling that if Princess Arciela were instead Prince Arciel, we wouldn’t be getting this plotline.
-Aw. When Arciela ran away from the castle as a child, Morimar and Darrcuiln protected her. Aw.
And yet, just when I start to forgive Morimar, he admits that he hired witches to memory wipe young Arciela after that week away. YOU’RE GOING FROM SHITTY TROPE TO SHITTIEST TROPE. JUST STOP.
-Anyway. Let’s take out the remaining Xol Triumvirs.
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Mission: Yggdrasil Beckons (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Ashrakk looks like a steel version of Balamor. He’s brutally tough.
-I only get him after a few tries experimenting with different party compositions. My successful party was Selh’teus (DPS/heals), two white mages, Gessho (ninja tank, good mitigation), and Arciela (support).
-The final Xol, Dhokmak, looks like a giant slug. Darrcuiln helps me out – yay kitty!
-The same party I used last time works. Helps heal through huge area poison damage.
-We return to Leafallia. Arcelia is here. She’s is fuming. Literally. Steaming with rage.
MORIMAR: “I-it wasn’t all that, Princess. We just didn’t want to see ya get hurt. Yeah, we had no other choice.”
GO. FUCK. YOURSELF.
-We promise to never do that again. I’m so, so sorry, Arciela.
Balamor appears: “Splendidly done! Hades is only a soliloquy away. No one’s looking forward to your dance more than me. Rest assured, I’ll be in the rafters until the final scene.”
-It takes me about 40 minutes of walking to get through Ra’kaznar to reach Hades’ room. The inner court of Ra’kaznar has the jagged metal feel of “Hellraiser’s” underworld.
-Just as we enter, Darrcuiln tries to stop us. Too late.
-Hades sits on his throne. He gives a nihilistic speech how nobody knows how worthless life is.
“By bringing death, I create new life. And the only way to save a spirit is to annihilate it.” Okay.
-lol – he’s about to give us a “join me!” speech, but stops himself because he knows we’ll say no.
-Morimar drops from above, but Hades repels him. Morimar urges us to flee – something makes this fight unwinnable, though he can’t say what.
-Morimar distracts Hades enough to allow us to flee. This sacrifice especially hurts Darrcuiln to see.
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Mission: Teodor’s Summons (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Teodor is waiting for us outside. What’s your role dude? Darrcuiln assures us that Teodor is with us.
-We meet up with Sajj’aka. Teodor explains why we can’t yet beat Hades. Hades basically made horcruxes, inscribing part of himself on his lieutenants. But… we defeated them, right?
-OH SHIT TEODOR HAS ONE OF THOSE BLOOD SIGILS!
He’s an “Undying Naakual.” He eventually joined August, but originally pledged his life to Hades.
-The only way to extinguish the mark is if Teodor fights to protect it.
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Mission: The Seventh Guardian (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We’ll fight in Adoulin’s coliseum.
-Teodor tells his story first. He first met Hades when he was a charismatic, ambitious man. He overcame his humanity and discovered another realm: Tartarus. Only then did he take the name Hades.
-Hades sent Teodor into Tartarus to recruit servants. The Xol Triumvirate, the Cimmerian Adherents. Hades began to change.
HADES: “All are lost, their spirits wandering endlessly through the darkness. I will help them transcend their suffering. I will give them death, and all will become one.”
The six Naakuals and Sajj’aka also came from Tartarus, but they resisted Teodor’s torture. Teodor himself remained bound to Hades until August convinced him of a better path.
-We fight. It’s really, really close. Selh’teus is my best party member. His “Rejuvenation” regularly heals our HP, MP, and tactical points.
-Teodor is immortal, still alive, but defeated. The final “horcrux” goes down.
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Mission: Reckoning (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Back to Ra’kaznar to face Hades.
-Hades mocks the shit out of Morimar: “Did his life hold any meaning? No. He died for nothing. How laughably absurd.”
-Darrcuiln is enraged to hear his master shit on like this and charges Hades. Hades counters with the worst villain move ever:
He summons an illusory Morimar. Darrcuiln circles the illusion and pounces with joy. “Morimar” snuggles with him, rubs his cat belly, the whole thing… And yet, we know it’s an illusion since Morimar died, so I’m watching this adorable display just WAITING for the other shoe to drop.
Hades snaps his fingers. The illusion stops giving Darrcuiln belly rubs and strangles Darrcuiln. I’ve never hated a villain more than I hate Hades right now. Seriously, as a cat-person, the groans of rage coming out of my mouth watching this scene were legit.
-We defeat his first form. I use that same heavily defensive party set-up as before.
He’s SO CONVINCED that he’s above humanity, and this shocks him.
“My sole means to success is by ridding myself of all vestiges of humanity.” Phase two coming. Hades summons a shower of darkness from above. He transforms. Steel wings, grotesquely elongated neck, about twelve eyes.
(From the Wiki since I accidentally deleted my screenshot.)
And we get one brief flash of Balamor, watching all this from above. We’re not done with him yet.
HAHAHAH SAJJ’AKA JUMPS TO JOIN US AND SLAMS INTO HIM! TEODOR JOINS TOO! Hades manages to trap Sajj’aka but Teodor can still help.
-There’s no HP meter in phase two. Odd for an MMO.
-Lord, this is a tough fight. One of Hades’ spells removes all buffs and reduces everyone’s HP. People start dying before we can rebuff, and things snowball from there.
*five attempts later*
-I DID TI HOLY HSHIT????
WAS ABOUT TO GIVE UP, AND MY MORE OFFENSIVE PARTY COMP WORKED
-….oh god. Not a fully happy ending. Morimar and Darrcuiln are still dead. We see their lifeless bodies.
HADES: “Torment… Reverse… Darkness…” He’s trying some last gasp blast of destruction, trying to break open the barrier between Tartarus and Vana’diel to overwhelm Vana’diel.
-Ortharsyne starts glowing, countering the black hole forming. Rosulatia helps too. And the holy dragon Sajj’aka adds his power. The black hole shines white now, backfiring on the fading Hades.
-August Adoulin himself arrives! And Rosulatia! …Argh. They can’t save the big cat.
-But Teodor can YUSSSSS!
(Rosulatia helps revive Morimar with Yggdrasil’s power, though this matters less to me tbh.)
-August and Rosulatia will stay behind, sacrificing themselves to close the gate. Sajj’aka will fly us away.
AUGUST: “Think not our lives forfeit. It will be yet another sacrifice to shelter Adoulin. People do not swear fealty to a king. A king swears fealty to his people.” I like that King August lives up to his legend.
-August says farewell to Arciela. She’s a worthy successor. August even reversed his curse on Ygnas!
“Hades… the time for your eternal slumber has come.” He summons a spear and hurls it at the floating unconscious body of Hades.
BUT TEODOR SAVES HADES WHAAAT
TEODOR: “August, I cannot. Though I severed all ties with him and turned to you, I cannot allow you to extinguish the small fire he awakened in my heart when we first met.” He’ll stay here, guarding Hades.
SAJJ’AKA: “Cling to my wings, seekers of Adoulin.” EXPANSION NAME DROP! We soar out of hell.
-The camera briefly lingers on Queen Rosulatia, Founder King August Adoulin, Teodor, and Hades, preparing for their long watch on this side of the portal.
-The World Tree blooms anew, showering golden light on Vana’diel. Queen Rosulatia’s power.
-Sajj’aka flies away, Darrcuiln and Morimar run off into the jungle, and Arciela and I return to the city.
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Mission: Undying Light (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Tiana greets us when we enter. Balamor’s hold on her is lifted!
-The city is healing. Arciela and I toast our success.
ARCIELA: “The winds you brought were those of change. I… no, all of Adoulin had stagnated.”
Our arrival spurred Adouiln to face its problem. To revive Yggdrasil, to counter the Serpentine Labyrinth.
“You’ve sheltered us all. The city, the jungle… me… Detolilla, when I look inward and think of you, I…” A knock at the door interrupts us.
Look, this isn’t even subtext. This is a romantic scene, full stop. Surely this dialogue was set-up assuming a default male character, but I don’t care. Imo, Arciela is canon queer.
-The asshole councilors call Arciela for a meeting. When she enters, Hildebert bows.
“We stand before you today knowing that we have earned all the ire you threw at us. You were in the right. We were consumed by our struggle for power, squabbling over trivialities while the people begged for succor.” DAMN RIGHT SHE’S RIGHT
-Balamor’s curse has been lifted. The councilors are thankful, humble, apologetic.
-The exorcists, Vortimere and Ingrid, enter.
-Vortimere confesses that he ordered Ingrid to kill Arciela, and wishes to accept punishment.
-The orders vow to cease faction warfare. What’s more, they want to elevate Arciela to queen! “Please, Arciela. Lead us to prosperity.”
-Her brother arrives to support this idea. He’s no longer a leafkin, and sees the trials she went through.
She accepts. All hail Queen Arciela! The log-in music plays triumphantly as she delivers her vision.
“I first set out in the forest out of a sense of curiosity, and learned much with every step I took. But I would have met with nothing but dead ends were it not for the support and cooperation of many. My aim is to respect the cyclical nature of the land, live in harmony with the powers guiding it, and lead the forest to the same prosperity we desire to achieve.
“We must revere and respect each other. That’s how we achieve true progress. Under the light of this blade and the banner of the founder king, I vow that our union will never again be broken. I, Arciela V. Adoulin, swear to you all, that the dawn of a new Adoulin is at hand!”
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Mission: The Light Within (Seekers of Adoulin)
-I left the ceremony, but Arciela finds me outside the city.
-We see Heartwings flying happily around Fremilla, playing mischievously with her.
She’s still in recovery from Balamor’s possession.
-Ygnas is human again, but he can change into a leafkin at will.
-Things are shaping up nicely… but Arciela doesn’t want to be stuck with “matters of state” all day.
“If I’m going to lead, I’ll do it my way – by setting an example of harmony between my people and the jungle.” She sheds her ceremonial royal garb, and sprints off into the jungle. No plans on slowing down.
-Darrcuiln leaps to join her. They run off together.
“A nation once ruled by a council of twelve was now ruled by a queen. Her sword shone brightly in the daytime sky, as she strode through castle and canopy with a golden tiger and tiny leafkin by her side.”
-Scene change. Arciela walks into Leafallia, home of Yggdrasil. Morimar and Darrcuiln are here.
-A song plays as we see a montage of Adoulin. A farewell to the expansion. Some past images, and some images of the peaceful future. My favorite image is of Darrcuiln running and yowling as kids laughingly give him a bath.
-Wait. Never mind. My favorite image is the closing image. It shows a regal Queen Arciela staring out at Yggdrasil, with Leafkin!Ygnas and Darrcuiln by her side.
The perfect concluding image for the expansion.
-The end. The end of Seekers of Adoulin, and the end of this five months journey into FFXI.
[Later edit: What about Balamor? Is he just… out there? Doing his thing?]
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Final note: I was on such a high for beating Hades when I heard he was brutal to solo that I tried the Cloud of Darkness four more times, and shouted in the city for help for another 15 minutes.
No luck. Ah well. Wasn’t able to beat the final Rhapsodies boss, but that’s okay.
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Next time: Final thoughts on FFXI. I haven’t finished Abyssea or the final Rhapsodies of Vana’diel boss. Maybe I’ll return one day and put out a bonus session or something. But for now, I feel satisfied with having completed “Seekers of Adoulin.” Moving on from FFXI.
Next week, FFXII and FFXIV!
