FFXI Story: Putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

[CRtwenty]

do you people take screenshots of every cutscene or something?

[l)@RK-l)EVIL]

Originally posted by CRtwenty
do you people take screenshots of every cutscene or something?

I do that XD
orz

[JadeNightshade]

well, I would agree..
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT..
the major issue with that, is even though each hour = a day..
we still have the wonderful problem that all NPCs and quests still refer to the crystal war as 40 years ago...
so no matter what year it is, the war was always 40 years ago

[CRtwenty]

As far as I can tell, the game date has no bearing on the storyline. Truthfully, I don't know why they put a year date into it.

[tazirai]

Originally posted by CRtwenty
do you people take screenshots of every cutscene or something?

Hai/��＾＾( ^-^)_旦～

[Thachsanh]

Jade, I just read your Vana'diel history again and I noticed something regarding the timeline of the story.

From all 3 nations missions, you were sent to investigate Castle Zvhal because of a thread of a second Shadow Lord. After defeating the Shadow Lord, he turned out to be Raogrimm who exploded because of Ulrich's betrayal. This should not be happening while the first Shadow Lord still existed. The Mission North was put right after the Age of Techonology which is before the Crystal War.

In my opinion, it should be put after the Age of Adventurers and before the Return of the Shadow Lord.

[JadeNightshade]

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying..
chapter 12 is the crystal war when we are first exposed to the shadowlord, and he is defeated.
Chapter 13 is the age of adventurers and 14 is when the Shadow Lord returns.
The shadow lord from the war is the same shadowlord as one you fight.
I think you're mistaking the fact that 40 years ago in the game, the 3 nations sent a group of explorers north, and when Raogrimm was killed he became the shadow lord.
He was the one who started the crystal war (althought just a pawn in the game of a bigger enemy), and was defeated by Zeid (though it's told differently by the humans).
When the beastmen resurrected him 40 years later Zeid goes back with you again to finish the job.

[Vilurum]

Since when do the NPCs say 40 years ago about anything? The northlands expedition (with Ulrich and Raogrimm and Cornelia) was 30 years ago, and the Great War was (or at least ended) 20 years ago. Has the game suddenly started giving a different timeline?

[JadeNightshade]

I was positive the mission north was 40 years ago...
if not.. oh well..
it hardly matters

[Ticks]

Hmmm - wonder when the book is due out - this is deffinately an epic saga I would love to read...wait a minute...I can live this!

[bleegh]

I'm still having trouble clarifying all these details in my head in how they relate to the CoP storyline.

Assuming these are true:
+ Al'taieu is the Zilart capital
+ Zilart were trying to enter paradise, but were stopped by the Terrestial Avatars, the Kuluu, and the Dawn Maidens.

These confuse me:
+ There's the twilight god, Promathia - and the dawn goddess Altana. Altana's really out of the picture and doesn't affectu much at this point. But what exactly is Promathia and his chains? Do we have any information at all about Promathia? I assume that he's a slumbering god, who when he wakes will destroy Vana'diel. I also assume the chains is the prophecy that the Keeper of the Apocalypse will come and wake him, resulting in the destruction of the world...? Why's he sleeping? >.>
+ Bahamut wants the destruction of the world. Nag'modala, according to the Delkfutt part of chapter5, wants the destruction of the world as well (saying he wants a rebirth into paradise). He claims the terrestial avatars are manipulating the people of vana'diel to prevent this destruction for the avatars' own benefit. Promathia wants the destruction of the world. So Bahamut, Promathia, and Nag'modala want the same thing?
+ Sel'hthus is absorbing the light from the mothercrystals to repair the Al'taieu crysta... why?

These I'd like confirmation:
+ Tu'lia is the gateway to paradise, and we're able to access gods there. How do the gods found in Tu'lia, Kirin etc, fit into the story? How does paradise fit into this?
+ There's gods and goddesses like Altana and Promathia, then there's gods like Byakko/Kirin/Genbu/etc. Is there a differnece?
+ There's terrestial avatars including carbuncle/fenrir/bahamut/phoenix/diabolos, and other avatars including ifrit/shiva/garuda/etc. The other avatars are referenced by carbuncle in Chapter 5's Tenzen's path, but do they have a role in any of this?

[JadeNightshade]

"Assuming these are true:
+ Al'taieu is the Zilart capital
+ Zilart were trying to enter paradise, but were stopped by the Terrestial Avatars, the Kuluu, and the Dawn Maidens."

-both assumptions are correct.


"These confuse me:
+ There's the twilight god, Promathia - and the dawn goddess Altana. Altana's really out of the picture and doesn't affectu much at this point. But what exactly is Promathia and his chains? Do we have any information at all about Promathia? I assume that he's a slumbering god, who when he wakes will destroy Vana'diel. I also assume the chains is the prophecy that the Keeper of the Apocalypse will come and wake him, resulting in the destruction of the world...? Why's he sleeping? >.>"

-Ok, first off I think we need to establish the "chains" have one of those multi-meanings. The chains which affect "us" is that fact that we have punished for accessing paradise. The races are now doomed to die (like a adam and eve sorta thing). Also, within the souls of every living thing is the emptiness, which when someone dies gathers with other emptiness in what will be reborn as the keeper of the apocalypse who contains all the emptiness of the past generations.
As for sleeping, the gods are indeed in slumber. Though it's still not explained why or how. But, I have a feeling that they were forced to do so. You see, the chains also refer to the fact that the everything to this point has been a ploy set forth by promathia long ago to be awaken. I assume without Altana awakening.

"+ Bahamut wants the destruction of the world. Nag'modala, according to the Delkfutt part of chapter5, wants the destruction of the world as well (saying he wants a rebirth into paradise). He claims the terrestial avatars are manipulating the people of vana'diel to prevent this destruction for the avatars' own benefit. Promathia wants the destruction of the world. So Bahamut, Promathia, and Nag'modala want the same thing?"

-Well you're sorta off there. Bahamut doesn't want the world destroyed, he just wants US destroyed. Nag'molada indeed wants to the world destroyed, his reasoning of course is that it's a good sacrifice to enter paradise which will be 1000x better. Promthia's intensions are unknown. The NPCs and such mention the keeper and promathia, but so far I'm like 99% sure the only thing we know is that bahamut will kill all the people or nag'molada will destroy the world/avatars. Other than that Pormathia's intensions are unknown.

"+ Sel'hthus is absorbing the light from the mothercrystals to repair the Al'taieu crysta... why?"

-Selh'teus isn't draining them to repair the crystal. The way he stopped the zilart original is the way he's doing it now. You see, when the crystals are drained of power, the emptiness takes it's place. The zilart slowly drain this power to generate energy to open the portal. This explains why even before Selh showed up that the lands to the far east (tenzens home) were experiencing the emptiness. But, Selh's objective is to drain the crystals completely of power. If they have no power, they cannot open the portal (gate) and cannot access paradise and thus bahamut won't need to destroy us. The Emptiness is just a horrible side effect. But, Eald'narche in the ZM missions starts to open the portal, and Bahamut comes anyway.

"These I'd like confirmation:
+ Tu'lia is the gateway to paradise, and we're able to access gods there. How do the gods found in Tu'lia, Kirin etc, fit into the story? How does paradise fit into this?"

-Tu'lia isn't the gateway to paradise we all though it was. According to new info, it basically was just the device that opened the portal which existed in Al'taieu. As for the gods, they are beast gods, nothing more. Honestly, they are just japanese gods thrown into the game for us to kill for items

"+ There's gods and goddesses like Altana and Promathia, then there's gods like Byakko/Kirin/Genbu/etc. Is there a differnece?"

-Yes, by gods they are basically the "best beasts out there" not technically GODs.

"+ There's terrestial avatars including carbuncle/fenrir/bahamut/phoenix/diabolos, and other avatars including ifrit/shiva/garuda/etc. The other avatars are referenced by carbuncle in Chapter 5's Tenzen's path, but do they have a role in any of this?"

-the other avatars are elemental avatars. They control the fire, wind, water..etc..
but unlike the terristrial avatars they have little or no control over the fate of the world. They just do their thing.
ie: control weather
The others are the avatars which govern fate and time.
Carbuncle is the Keeper of the World and the Lord of Rainbows - basically his role is the "head" of the Avatar "council" we'll say. He would be the boss over all the elemental avatars.
Fenrir hound of the Moon- he controls the moon and it's cycle. Also with it he uses the power of the fullmoon well to predict the future. He's basically in charge of the past, present, and future.
Diabolos lord of Dreams- he is the ruler of the dream realm and the alternate reality Dynamis. He controls what happens when we sleep.
Phoenix bird of ressurection - is the one charged with death and all functions of the spirit.
Bahamut Lord of the Skys - basically has control over everything that carbuncle doesn't. He would be the technically second in command and the physically strongest.

I guess the best way to think of it would be..
Carby = yoda
Bahamut = mace
Phoenix = Obi-won
Fenrir = some future seeing jedi guy
Diabolos = anakin/vader (the moody "no one loves me, so f'you!" guy)

sorry just saw a star wars commercial ><;

[neighbortaru]

lol for the SW analogy Kerrigan

[tazirai]

Originally posted by JadeNightshade
Bahamut = mace

"good motherf%^&ing choice, motherf&%^$er♪♪"


Yes but Fenrir is Mace also. Mace sees the future Shatterpoints that help deterimne fate also.

So Mace = Fenrir/Bahamut Mix = Bad MotherF%^$*er.


Also dont forget the tonberry godss ugalepih and the dieties of the Sahagin and possibly the Kindred to.


Carby is pretty damn wise if you pay attention to all mentions of him in the game and that one CS in PSo'jxa.

[bleegh]

Thank you very much. Makes things much clearer. One more concern I had that seems rather basic:

+ Supposedly, the Keeper of the Apocalypse is the culmination of the emptiness found in people's hearts. He/she/it will also lead vana'diel into the "twilight". What is the twilight? The destruction of vana'diel? Paradise? /confused