Avatar Speculation and You

[Gobo]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

I guess I'll put my 2 cents in since all i did was give info about Alex last time.

Phoneix. I highly doubt it. Its already been demonstrated that she is much more powerful than Bahamut. (See CoP mission 6-4, the power she loned to Tenzen's Sword was enough to stop Megaflare). If S-E doesn't want to nerf Bahamut so that Players can use him, I doubt they will swing the NERF bat at the fire bird as well. There is a perfectly good chance she is alive and kicking, since in one of the last CSs in Lufuase Meadows, you see one of her feathers fall across the screen; Selh'teus won't leave The Emperial Paradox since he says he will watch over Al'Taieu from there.

Odin. Dont we have enough Dark avatars already lol. While I wont completely rule him out, I will say that a NERF bat would have to hit him pretty hard to dumb him down to useable lvls. Its already been seen that his Dark Rider form is immune to all forms of Damage and will quickly cast Death on you if you last more than 5 seconds with him. I won't count him not making an appearance in a BC fight though. Hazhalm Testing Ground is the only Non-Dynamis perma double Dark weather zone in the game and all proto-crystal zones have double related-element weather around them. The Empire has many secrets, what could they be hidding behind that Iron Gate.

Alexander. The Proto-Bioweapons quests point to Aht Urghan needing sements to remake their Light Divinity. Thats all I'll say on that.

Looking @ the physical size, Odin is small enough. He's roughly as big as Diabolos, just much more bottom heavy. Bahamut is ~5 times the size of Kirin, can barely fit in most indoor zones (.dat swap ftw), and takes up nearly all of your screen when you can get him on.

[klvino]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

I'll agree with the OP that players should pay more attention to the Star Charts in game and also the in-game quest text.

The first point is just anecdotal, but Ramuh on the star chart has the star called what? Go look it up, it'll sound familiar to people doing the Olduum Ring quest and hearing about the Olduum civilization and knowing that the Olduum Ring is created by getting your Lightning band struck with Lightning. Anyways.

Second point, What is the name of Odin's horse? What is the name of the star for Odin?

Third point, probably the only people that will get this are the ones that have completed up to mission 8 in Tau. Everyone keeps repeating the Proto-weapon quest text about the reconstruction of the light divinity. Also, read the history of Aht Urghan and how a large mechanical weapon was used to destroy Ephramad. Continue reading about the PUP quests and how the Galka PUP was comissioned by the Empress to rebuild the mechanical weapon to defend Aht Urghan. Continue reading and you find something in Walahra Temple hinting that Alexander may become part of the Tau storyline. What is the star of Alexander again?

Go look the answers to my questions above. No, I'm not saying that either Odin or Alexander will become summons, but at the same time I wouldn't want to deny a SMN a chance to get more "toys".

[Kitalrez]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Alexander

All we have as concrete evidence is the star chart, which shows him as the celestial light avatar. Unlinke Odin, we don't have much... there is some NPC dialogue in ToAU that sounds like it may be Alexander, but that's it outside of the Gordeus floating in Walahra Temple which is similar to Alex's star in the sky. The "Iron Giant" The Moblins were searching for was a statue of Promathia for anyone who was confused about that.

Um, unless you forgot the word "Not" in reference to those moblins, I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Re-read the Jabbos CS's in Movalpolos. The original reason the moblins dig in the first place is their prophecy about finding an "Iron Giant" that will bring them power, so they dig down to Al'Tieu and find the statue of Promathia. Jabbos identifies that statue as Promathia for them, and they assume then that they're the chosen of Promathia, etc. Everything after that is Jabbos trying to convince them they made a mistake and should keep looking. The "Iron Giant" isn't Promathia, and since most of us know of only one major player who could fit that role in the series, we assume it's Alexander.

As to Gobo's question of why we need more dark avatars, the major thing we lack at mid and upper levels is a decent dark nuke. Nether Blast really doesn't cut it in a burst situation, any more than Meteorite does for Light bursts. We don't really have a controllable burst at lower levels for Gravitation, Compression, Fusion, and Transfixion Renkeis. We don't take the shaft nearly as bad as BLMs do, (anyone else wonder where the big Darkness nuke went?), but it's still there. Terrestrials are more of stop-gap avatars in terms of bursts. It'd be nice to have something a bit more realistically useful, or at least modifiable by stats unlike Nether Blast.

[Kazuki]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

I see. I got confused because a lot of people said they were still searching for Alex, but now that I go over the text, that was only their original reason for searching. After they found Promathia's statue, they just forgot about the real "iron giant bathed in light."

Original post edited to reflect others' findings.

[framerate]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Thought I'd post this... straight out of CoP3-5 (post) cutscene. Tenzen describes the Terrestial avatars as "5 Gods".
- fiery bird of ressurection (phoenix)
- ruler of dreams (diabolos)
- guardian of the moon (fenrir)
- bringer of rainbows (carbunucle)
- conquerer of the skies (bahamut)

I didn't want to start a new thread for this, but I know people commonly forget the exact titles the Terrestial avatars have, so I thought I'd post the direct quotes.

[Feba]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Now, our undeniable proof that the Dark Rider is Odin, handed to us directly by SE:

For all we know, SE only named it that to make people go "O_o!!!".

They could be pulling our leg, it's not like it would be the first time an MMO maker has done it.

Odin seems pretty sound though, I just wouldn't count on .dats. Hydra, the beast that regenerates heads, is in .dat too. I'm sure Dark Rider is a projection of Odin (which is why it's unharmable, it's not real, on top of keeping people from killing it), and Hazalm testing grounds may be the place.

Although, from scanning area .dats, testing grounds looks like it goes in a way, like an assault zone, not a BCNM.

And from late CoP hints, it seems like Alexander may very well be in Aht Urhgan, and also what the moblins may have been looking for.

Double Post Edited:
Oh, and pulled up the star map for fun, here's the constellations and the main star in them:

• The Behemoth - none
• Odin - Sleipnir
• Sleipnir is Odin's horse
• Ifrit - Falbub
• Levithan - Veydal
• The Bomb - none
• Ramuh - Olduum
• Olduum is the ancient civilization that once inhabited Aht Urhgan lands, they used the power of Lightning for teleportation (Olduum Ring)
• The Moogle - none
• Titan - Daemdalus
• The Tonberry - none
• The Chocobo - none
• Shiva - Aeomatra
• Alexander - Gordius
• The Gordius is also an item in the Wahlara Temple.
• The Cactuar - none
• The Vulture - none
• Garuda - Vuychap

[Kazuki]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Most of the stars in the constellations are pulled from the avatar legends, if anyone's curious about the names.

I'm 100% without a doubt for sure that the Dark Rider's .dat is Odin's .dat....but as for the Dark Rider we see being Odin; maybe, maybe not. The avatars you fight in the protocrystals aren't really the avatars, but a projection of them as well. Same for the avatars that we suumon. It's just a portion of their true power.

I saw the Hydra .dat too. My bet is that they'll add it in as an HQ of Cerberus later on.

[Feba]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Hydra seems like it would belong more in Arrapago, not another HNM in Zhayolm.



Which only leaves Mamook...

[silentsteel]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

the stories so much, I want to post them here. Note that HakkTaru from KI Translated them, & SE wrote them.
Legends of the Constellations: The Ice Queen Shiva--A Tragedy of Treason

Long, long ago in the southern regions of Vana'diel lived a solitary queen who reigned over a tiny kingdom. This queen was named Shiva. Following the will of her mother, she became the sovereign of her country at the age of 15. Due to her youth, however, she was placed under the tutelage of her uncle, the Duke. From the very start, this arrangement plunged the kingdom into terrible anxiety.

In spite of this, the young Shiva, who had been seen disparagingly as a simple marionette lacking independent thought and free will, was a prodigy in both the realms of diplomacy and the battlefield. In the face of the unreasonable demands of empires far greater than her kingdom she debated with the utmost ingenuity; in times of war, she fought alongside her forces on the front lines, giving them a sense of unrivaled encouragement. It was for these very reasons that she became ingrained in the memories of the people as the most brilliant ruler of her dynasty.

Several years passed. Her wisdom and the prosperity it brought to her people further spread throughout the continent, bringing in flocks of merchants and artisans within the castle walls. The name of Queen Shiva was heard even in the farthest regions of the world, and at this time, not even the most powerful monarchs easily dared to overthrow what was known as The Great House of Shiva.

Everyone in kingdom came to be truly grateful for Shiva's rise to the throne. With the exception of a handful of the noblesse.

Worrying over their gradual loss of influence and wealth, they sought to consult the Duke, whose place as Shiva's official guardian and tutor had not been completely forgotten.

To the Duke, their sense of dissatisfaction was a very convenient thing indeed. In all truth, from the very instant of the late queen's death, his heart became deeply filled with an ambition for the seizure of kingdom's throne.

Becoming the guardian of the then-inexperienced queen, he had hoped to place the control of the country in his hands behind her back; however, despite his intentions and the pre-conceived notions of the upper aristocrats, Shiva was a sagacious and tactful ruler. As a result of her growing popularity, even his lofty position as the kingdom's Duke had become endangered.

Upon gaining the support of the noblemen, Shiva's uncle contracted a secret alliance with the neighboring empires, and thus completed his meticulous plan to surround Shiva in a deadly political triangle.

The coup-d'état succeeded all too easily.

Betrayal and usurpation by the man she had embraced with her utmost trust was completely unexpected by Shiva. By the time she understood what was being done to her, her Uncle, who sat on the gilded throne while grinning in a demonic fashion, made his first decree as the kingdom's sovereign: Shiva would be banished to the Northlands. In truth, the wicked Duke, despite his deepest wishes, dared not order Shiva's execution due to her state of high esteem amongst the people; thus, her quiet and frigid death in the Northlands was seen by him as the easiest way to accomplish his goals without provoking public uproar.

The tragedy thus continued.

In reality, the empire that contributed the most to the success of rebellion was even cleverer. As soon as the Queen had departed, the imperial century that had been under the command of the Duke began to plunder the city in a wild frenzy, refusing to listen to the Duke's futile orders for restraint.

Upon seeing this, the nobles' opinion of the Duke's competence faded, and it was not long before chaos within the court erupted. All along, the empire had waited for this opportunity. The army seized the castle, arresting the royal house, bringing the country to its knees. In a short week, the tiny kingdom that had been so lovingly adored was no more, reborn under the flag of the Great Southern Empire.

The Duke was killed in a short execution thereafter and the small remnants of the Kingdom's soldiers, having lost both their ruler and mother country, scattered. One of Shiva's loyal subjects, the general Aeomatra, however, had the idea of leading out a rescue party to the artic regions to save their Queen.

Despite their determination, their Southern ways were their weakness. Unaccustomed to the frigid glaciers, the party faced many difficulties and one after another, the soldiers that had so yearned for Shiva slowly froze to death.

Finally, Aeomatra and 10 of the remaining soldiers came to discover their queen.

However, what they had found was a breathtaking yet saddening sight. Sleeping eternally, frozen in a crystal of ice, was the great Shiva.

With their last bits of strength, they drew their swords from their scabbards and shouted cries of their allegiance. And in those few moments they drew their last breaths, shouting aloud:

"Even if we become frozen in ice, we shall remain forever loyal to our Queen! If only the dreaded empires of the south would feel our vengeance for their sinful acts!"

Sometime afterward, hail began to fall inexplicably in the lands of the Southern Empire. Some time passed, and amongst the people it became rumored that this hail was a form of Shiva's vengeance.

Year by year, the blizzards became stronger. The Southern Emperor, rightfully fearful of Shiva's vengeance, ordered the erection of a shrine in the name of Shiva, as suggested by one of his vassals.

The Goddess Altana, watching the tragedy of Shiva's kingdom from above and the Emperor's decision to reform his traitorous ways, descended to the Artic and quelled the aura of fury cast upon the Northlands by the curse of the frozen knights--the rage that could be felt on every bitter squall disappeared, returning the perpetual snowfall of the region to a sense of silent harmony. The Goddess then called Shiva to the celestial plane, where she could watch over and protect her kingdom forevermore.

And since that time, hail has never come to fall in the Southern Lands.



============================================
Legends of the Constellations: Garuda, The Queen of Birds--A Tale of Granted Wishes

In ages past, in a tiny country facing the Befhel gulf, there was a young prince who dearly loved all kinds of birds. With a rather frail constitution, he was unable to venture outside for extended periods of time. Thus, he took pleasure in placing several birdhouses within the castle walls and coming to see some of the several birds that often took temporary residence within them.

In one of these birdhouses in particular was a tiny female bird whose feathers were the hue of jade. The prince had taken it upon himself to raise this bird from when it was a wee chick, naming it Garuda. Having had taken well to him, she was always found in his presence, either perching on his shoulders or flying by his side, which calmed his heart greatly.

One day, the young prince left the castle to go bird watching by himself. Like always, Garuda was resting her wings on his shoulders. It was in that moment when a viper lunged towards the two in a sudden, soundless attack.

The prince, who had barely noticed the attack, nudged off the viper with his arm, thus ensuring Garuda's safety; however, the young prince was bitten by the snake in Garuda's stead.

That night, the prince was nursed by the royal physicians within his chambers. It was the small bird Garuda who flew to the castle earlier that afternoon and alerted the vassals to where the prince's feeble and unconscious body laid.

Despite their best efforts, the prince became paler and paler as the hours passed . Already ill from the start, the prince continued to fall into the depths of sickness. The doctors were, in all truth, utterly unable to help the young boy as the type of snake venom by which his body was poisoned was virtually unknown to them.

Peeping in from outside the prince's window was Garuda, who rested on one of twigs of a small sapling. Upon seeing the doctors shake their heads in dismay, she flew hurriedly to awaken the other birds of the castle to consult them for advice.

"….The King of Birds, who lives between the stars and the clouds, seems to take the form of a handsome man. If memory serves me right, he has the ability to awaken the divine curative powers of the wind Vuychap. This special wind is said to be able to cure any malady……..but ,again, this is only a folktale…."

Without waiting for the rather knowledgeable Akbaba to finish his sentence, Garuda tore off into the night sky.

"I want to save the prince I love!" This thought was the only thing that race through her mind as she glided the skies.

Before she noticed, Garuda was engulfed in the light of dawn. Peering downwards, she could see the peninsula of the castle and the beautiful sea that surrounded her familiar home. Flapping one wing after another, she became gradually more tired, and in her exhaustion she felt as heavy as lead. Even breathing became a painful ordeal. Re-strengthening her resolve, she again continued to flutter her wings, flying upwards.

At the end of the second day, Garuda continued to fly until she reached a place higher than any cloud.

There, no matter where one looked, was nothing. It was a realm of pure, absolute sky.

With nothing in her field of sight, nothing but the sound of her own flapping reached her ears. The King of Birds that the Akbaba talked about was nowhere to be found.

Despair consumed her.

"Why have I flown to such a place?" While that sense of doubt flitted across her mind, all of the strength of her body left her. She was not only drained of her physical strength, but also her own willpower to continue on what she perceived to be a fruitless journey. She felt herself falling at terrifying speeds; even closing her eyes, she knew what was happening.

In the instant before her body smashed against the ocean, Garuda was about to give up everything. Suddenly, the smiling face of the prince who she adored so dearly flashed in her mind.

It was in fact that same prince's smiling face that met Garuda's young eyes in the moment she hatched from her shell. It was the first smile she ever saw. What she remembered next was the happiness of the idyllic days she spent with the prince, followed by the startling image of his body plagued by the high fever caused by the venom's poison.

"I want to save the prince I Love!"

With strength previously unknown to even herself, Garuda began to beat her wings again as hard as she could. Somehow, all of her strength had returned to her.

She sensed strongly this change within herself. Without her noticing, her wings had grown much larger, and her form now strongly a human's. She had taken the form of the Ruler of Birds.

After descending to the room where the young prince slept, Garuda flapped her wings slowly and awakened the wind of Vuychap, healing the child from the effects of the deadly poison.

Garuda had saved the prince.

However, she felt something within her heart. In her current form, she could never return to her place on his shoulder. In the moment that the prince opened his eyes, Garuda nodded sadly and flew into the dawn sky.

As her wings beat slowly, guiding her to the kingdom's outer limits, tears filled Garuda's eyes. Coupled with the subtle pain of a life of loneliness before her was the strong feeling of relief that the prince she cherished was safe once more. Garuda peered down towards the vast expanse of the ocean, and while she lost her focus, images of the boy's smiling face and of the happiness he would bring to many others filled her mind with sweet and silent warmth. Garuda then resolved to remember this very powerful happiness despite her loss of the prince's company.

Several years later, the prince, who from that time had become a robust and muscular youth, was unable to forget the figure of the mysterious woman that had healed him; for a great deal of time, he tirelessly searched the world for her. One day, he met once again with Garuda in a moment of fate. It is said that he then took her as his wife. For many years, they lived happily together, treasuring each other's company like a precious gift given at every coming dawn.

The Goddess, touched by Garuda's courage, called her to the heavens after her death and bestowed her with the position of the Queen of Birds. Ancient legends state that it is Garuda herself who guides every bird on their flights throughout Vana'diel.


First Two

[silentsteel]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Eh, not going to quote them...



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legends of the Constellations: Leviathan, Guardian God of the Sea

In the Golden Age of the ancients, huge ships connected the countries of the world.

However, many vessels making their return trips on the Gugru Sea mysteriously began to disappear, shocking many people. Amongst seafarers, a rumor that the Great Sea Serpent Leviathan was warning humans of the great disturbance they caused the sea became widespread. Thus, many turned away from riding these ships, and panic slowly crept into the hearts of many.


At the island kingdom that served as a waypoint between the two most popular ports lived many traders and merchants. Fearful that the flow of business would be severely interrupted, they sent out a great deal of mercenaries and pirates to attempt to suppress this mysterious threat. However, they often just circled around the shore, bringing back alligator skins and lying about how they defeated the dreaded Leviathan. Needless to say, the problem was not resolved.

After many an exasperating ordeal, the traders finally hired a man named Veydal, who was a former Admiral. Known rather infamously as the "One-eyed Demon", Veydal was a quite well known war hero; however, with the passing of time, he began to live as a rather hermitlike fisherman. While he initially showed no interest in taking up the desperate request of the merchants, Veydal's wife (to whom he had been married for many, many, years) encouraged him with just a few words, and in his remaining eye a glint of the adventurous spirit of his youth seemed to have returned.

"It's wonderful to still have something that only you can do, isn't it?" she said.

_________________________________________________

The news of the legendary Admiral's acceptance of the mission spread quickly, arousing the courage and vigor of a good number of sailors (many of whom had come to feel a sense of terror at any mention of the sea in the months).

It was not long before Veydal gathered a fleet of 5 of the city's finest ships and set off for departure. Boarding on the vessels were some of Veydal's former crew (who deeply admired him) and several young sailors who had heard word of the valorous deeds he performed in his prime. From within that crowd, Veydal picked the man whom he had raised from infancy as his First Mate, whom he believed to be of virtuous character.

Several days passed. Under Veydal's careful instruction, the fleet eventually began to veer off the standard trading route. Within only a few minutes, the ships encountered a shocking sight.

While it was thought that all the trading vessels had been sunk, what now filled the crew's eyes was a field of stranded boats--perfectly intact--floating on the ocean.

Upon close observation, giant roots could be seen ensnaring many of the ships' hulls. There was no doubt in Veydal's mind. Stingy merchants (knowingly risking the safety of their crews) must have given orders to veer off the trade route and to take a dangerous shortcut, hoping to cut travel time and labor costs. Veydal, who knew from past experience that this was the breeding season of the Sea Morbols, had suspected something like this since the journey's very start.

Unable to find any survivors, the party that had previously aimed to suppress Leviathan completely lost their goal. That night, while they were in the process of returning to their home port, a particular incident occurred. To the right of the fleet appeared several objects that resembled small islands, running in unison close to the surface of the water. One of the watchmen quickly shouted.

"It's Leviathan!"

With a mammoth body and scales that shone a mysterious, pale blue, the serpent surfaced.

While the ships' crews stood in a shaken daze, a voice issued an attack without delay.

The voice that had ordered the assault was not Veydal's, but instead, that of his First Mate. Envious of Veydal's distinguished military record, he too wished to leave his mark on history.
Veydal was too late to stop him, and a barrage of harpoons shot out towards Leviathan. Angered by this sneak attack, Leviathan lunged towards the sailors, initiating a struggle to the death.

Despite Veydal's detailed instructions, the galley of ships fell one by one to the Great Sea Serpent. When only one ship remained, he made his final instructions.

In those moments, Veydal ordered a charge towards Leviathan. Ramming Leviathan's unguarded throat with the ship's bow, the ship jostled violently. With a fury still very much aroused, Leviathan continued to batter the fleet relentlessly. Veydal, who was riding on the bow, then unsheathed his sword and jumped into the sky and landed on Leviathan's head. Having the full attention of the god, Veydal shouted

"Guardian God of the Great Sea! I apologize for the great offense that my crewmembers have committed. I beg of you, silence your anger and spare their lives. In their stead I offer you mine own."

Leviathan, while attempting to shake off Veydal, fell together with him into the depths of the sea.

After several days had passed, the severely damaged fleet returned to its island port. Veydal's First Mate, who was welcomed home as a hero, spread word that Veydal had run away in fear. Furthermore, he made Veydal's heroic deeds part of his own glory.

A lavish parade was held that night in his honor. Feasting and dancing till the twilight hours, the First Mate told the tale of his daring serpent slaying countless times.

The next morning, Leviathan's body washed up upon the island shore. Thrust in the center of its head was a simple sword, covered in blood. The fact that the blade was not the property of the First Mate was clear to anyone, however. From that very moment, many were left guessing as to the identity of its owner. Rumors and debate over the sword's true owner became widespread as the villagers began to talk amongst themselves day after day.

But once question remained in the hearts of the townsfolk: Why did the severely wounded Leviathan swim all the way to the shore?


The only ones who understood the whole truth were the General's wife and Veydal's long-time shipmates.

The Goddess, who had been watching the sea from afar since the dawn of time, called Veydal, the man who sacrificed his life for his comrades, and his worthy opponent Leviathan-- whose strong will to promote justice compelled him to restore Veydal's honor-- to the heavens, where they would assume positions as heroes forever after.

Legends of the Constellations: The Transformation of Ifrit (Granted Wishes Series)=========
Long, long ago, in the lands of a certain powerful empire that reigned over an entire continent, was a general who was often called a "demon" for both his ferocity in the battlefield as well as for his strong temper, which reared its head to even his allies. This man's name was Frit.

Though he had killed many of his opponents on the battlefields of war, he embraced reckless strategies and took pleasure in his brutal acts of violence. Thus, scarcely a soul would even think to call him a hero.

However, one day, Frit abandoned his recklessness and began to show patient consideration with even his subordinates; consequently, the terrible rumors spoken of him crept back into the shadows. In the background, new rumors about the existence of a maiden called Falbub began to surface.

Many years ago, while his forces were burning down a foreign village, Frit heard the cries of a newborn child as he walked in front of one the houses he ordered destroyed. Entering it, he came upon a baby girl wrapped in cloth beside the body of what seemed to be its mother. Peering into Frit's eyes, the baby abruptly stopped crying, and upon seeing his rather fearsome appearance, she broke out into a smile with her hands outstretched. This child was Falbub.

Several weeks later, the war between the two nations ended, and Frit returned to his residence with the young Falbub. There, he then entrusted her into the care of two of his oldest servants, who were happily married.

From then on, Frit continued to carefully watch the young girl grow older. Living a happy childhood, she often approached him for conversation, and occasionally, she would even admonish him for his behavior. In all truth, it was through her very efforts that Frit was able to cultivate kindness in his heart.

However, Frit was brought sad news only half a year after his return home. His own estate had been burned to the ground, and the remains of the old couple and Falbub had been found.

The leader of the survivors from the countries that Frit had utterly destroyed (including Falbub's home nation) had been notified of his whereabouts.

If this was their revenge against Frit himself, why did Falbub become their victim?

Frit held this uneasy question deep in his heart with grief, and questioned himself as a perpetrator of innumerable brutal acts. He cursed himself.

Then, exhausted by anxiety, he came to one solid decision.

"When the Sun is Consumed by the Moon, The Souls of the Dead will Gather at the Mountain of Flames, and the Gates of the Underworld will open. "

Trusting in a single verse passed down from the ancients, Frit set out to the southern islands, where a volcano was detailed to exist. Many weeks passed, and after facing much hardship, he was finally able to climb to the summit. There he sat, deciding to wait until that appointed time.

Having sat there until he could not distinguish whether a month or a year had passed, Ifrit suddenly was surrounded by darkness. The time had come. He looked down into the volcanic crater, and saw the spirits of the dead, each wrapped in pale light. Forming lines, they plunged into the fiery center one by one.

Noticing Frit's presence, one group of the dead broke out of one of the lines, and ran over to him.
Despite their numbers, he remembered them all. They were the soldiers and villagers that he had killed himself. Beside them were several of his own men--the very men whom he had sent to massacre his enemies.

With hatred gleaming in their eyes, they quickly pounced on Frit.

Knowing fully the gravity of his past sins, he was completely unable to parry their attacks. The spirits' blades pierced his skin and tore his flesh, his blood scorched in the volcanic flames.

Exactly how many spirits wounded him is left to be wondered. Receiving yet more of their hatred, Frit was cursed further by the spirits-- bathed in flame, Frit grew 2 thick horns from his head, completing his transformation into a being completely removed from his former appearance.

Content with their alteration of Frit's body into its terrifying state, the spirits attempted to draw him into the scorching lava of the crater. In that moment, a lone girl elbowed her way through the crowd and ran to his side. It was Falbub.

Frit was so terrified of letting his hideous appearance be seen by her that he turned his head away in agony. In the center of those flames, she stared at his terrible form…and broke into a smile, holding out her hands.

That smile hadn't changed at all since the time they first met. As Frit embraced Falbub, he prayed to the Goddess for the first time in his life.

His wish must have reached the heavens.

In that instant, the phosphorescent light that had surrounded Falbub disappeared, and in its place was the rich glow of vitality.

After setting her down onto a safe rock ledge, Frit sank slowly into the fiery crater with the spirits of the dead. It is said that Frit was smiling to Falbub as he traveled into the next realm, easing her heart as she screamed and cried for many a night.

Soon, the Goddess realized that Falbub's life in the living world would not be a truly happy one, and decided to allow Falbub and Ifrit to meet again by calling them to the heavens.

To this day, it is said that the ancients who heard this story then began to call him I' frit (Frit of the Flames) in honor of his strong spirit.

[silentsteel]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

And the last two ^^


Legends of the Constellations: The Hermit Ramuh============================================

In the eastern portion of the Buburimu Peninsula by the shores of the Gugru Sea was a nation with highly advanced technology.

Unrivaled in its power, its influence in the region was great, and the fact that the nation's power lied heavily in tools and vehicles powered by lightning was known to all its citizens. The one who had invented all of this was known as the Sage Ramuh.

It was said that his great wisdom--having the reputation of being deeper than the ocean itself--came from the knowledge he gained from his reading of tomes from all corners of the world, published throughout the ages. All of his countrymen deeply trusted him, carefully lending their ears to his words.

However, one day, something unusual occurred. One of Ramuh's measurement tools predicted the occurrence of a single terrifying event--the city would be battered and destroyed by earthquakes and tidal waves.

He checked and re-checked the instrument's systems, yet the results it produced remained the same. Furthermore, it signaled that these events would occur in 3 days time.

Ramuh's sudden announcement evoked a great stir amongst the citizenry. However, as they had lived such a peaceful days in an era of great prosperity, suddenly believing in Ramuh's apocalyptic predictions was a near impossibility.

3 days later, when the earthquakes that had been predicted by Ramuh actually occurred, only a few hundred people sought shelter on high ground to avoid the disaster. Many lives were lost.

Suspicion grew in the hearts of those who had barely survived the disaster. Rather than being consumed by unhappiness and grief for lost loved ones, they became unreasonably furious. In truth, they perhaps were seeking an easy scapegoat.

"Ramuh…… the one who 'predicted' these earthquakes. Could he very well be the one who caused them?"

Their misgivings towards Ramuh later erupted into a sense of paranoia, and many a dreadful rumor was whispered about the old sage amongst them. Even in their looks, he could tell that their profound respect for him was replaced by morbid fear and vicious animosity.

One day, when Ramuh was pelted with rocks by a youth who had lost his parents in the tsunami, he made the decision to leave the country, his patience exhausted.

Ramuh packed up his vast libraries into a single ship, and rowed to an uninhabited island near the coast under the cover of the moonless night…

Several decades later, many of the tools and vessels he invented stopped working. The root of this dilemma was that their simple maintenance had been completely ignored by the citizenry.

Around that time, the Beastman Empire noticed that the nation's influence had begun to severely weaken. Seeing this time as a fortunate opportunity, they sent a great fleet of warships to invade the city.

However, the technologies with which the ocean nation desired to stop the beastman fleet from landing no longer remained.

No-- indeed, there was in fact one option left: to call back the great sage Ramuh, the very man who they had expelled so disdainfully.

Ramuh refused the pleas of the envoys that visited him countless times, but he later acquiesced. This was due mostly to the fact that one of the men who begged for his assistance was the same youth that had pelted him with stones so many years ago.

Standing at the vast cape where the Beastman fleet held its ground, Ramuh waved back and forth the Staff of Olduum he had obtained some years ago.

As he completed the motion, flashes of lightning burst forth and one after another, the enemy boats erupted into flames.

Having lost many of their troops, the imperial fleet quickly gathered its remaining soldiers and fled away from the area in pandemonium.

Drunk with the sweet wine of victory, the people praised Ramuh's sagacity. However, their display of appreciation was no more than an act.

The lightning that gushed forth from Ramuh's staff. That destructive power alone was enough to arouse fear in their meek hearts.

It was not long before the people of this nation began to wonder when the time when Ramuh would direct his staff towards they themselves would come, and again they held tight to suspicion and mistrust. Of course, they refrained from such violence as throwing rocks, however, the scornful looks they directed to Ramuh were entirely of the same nature as before.

As Ramuh let out a sigh of lament, he turned back to his home, never to show himself again to the world.

The greatly weakened nation eventually collapsed. However, those who remained in the region came to consider the place where Ramuh appeared as a place of emotional support, and thus soon came to pray in thanks for his heroic actions.

The goddess, having seen the history of the ocean country since its beginnings, took pity on the wanderers and called Ramuh to the heavens.

May the people of this earth always be able to feel that Ramuh is nearby, watching over them…

Legends of the Constellations:-----------------The Legendary Giant Titan-----------------------

In ages past, there was great conflict over the ownership of the southern forests of the continent of Quon. The situation having become a life-or-death struggle for power, the tensions between the giants that lived in the forest and the citizens of the city constructed in the forest's ravine-filled eastern outskirts became worse by the minute.

The giants (known as the Titans), won the war's early battles easily with their massive physiques; however, in face of the great numbers of the human armies, the Titans were defeated one by one, eventually dying out.

With the exception of a single giant.

The following day after the war's final struggle, there was young girl who wandered into one of the areas where a giant's corpse lay. Her name was Daemdalus. Following a young lamb that had run away from the village, she had become completely lost.

"The Titans will capture and eat little children who wander into the forest."

Having heard this, she was filled with the desire to dash away, but the thought of returning home having lost her older brother's prized sheep was utterly unbearable.

At last, Daemdalus caught the lamb on one of the backs of the collapsed giant soldiers, which resembled a small mountain. Right as her eyes began to stream tears of relief, from the mouth of the giant (whom she believed to be dead) below her erupted a groan that rumbled the earth. The girl tried to let out a frightened scream but nothing became of her efforts--she was even unable to move her very feet.

However, when examined carefully, the giant had deep wounds on his head and his left leg. As the trembling Daemdalus took out her water pouch from her waist to pour into the giant's mouth, he slowly opened his eyes. As he spotted the human child, his heart was instantly filled with hostility, but it was not long before he was overcome with sadness.

After ripping part of her clothes to wrap his wounds, Daemdalus guided him to a nearby cavern.

From that moment on, Daemdalus continued to bring food and drinking water to the cavern for many a day. Without worrying about his seemingly confused expressions, she also began to share stories about herself with the giant.

The lost lamb. Her older brother. Her mother's words of "one should be kind to the wounded" before she died. The gory stories of the "ferocious Titans", as told by the village people.

The Titan opened his heart to the girl, and soon began to speak her tongue in a rather broken fashion. What he revealed to the young Daedalus was completely different than what that she had accepted as the truth.

The Titans, who had lived peacefully in the woods for many years, gradually had lost their homes and sources of food as a direct result of the humans' efforts at deforestation. Their many protests left unheard, they had no choice but to take a stand.

Now knowing the truth, Daemdalus cried and apologized on behalf of her village many times. Titan simply patted her head with his forefinger and gently smiled.

However, the pleasant days that they spent together would not long continue. One day, Daemdalus's brother, noticing his sister's suspicious behavior, decided to follow her movements. Completely floored by what he discovered, he relayed a message to the militia without delay.

Daemdalus desperately tried to prevent the village's police force from entering the cavern. Greatly anxious for her safety, Titan allowed himself to be captured without any resistance.

The next time Daemdalus saw Titan, he was held captive in the center of the Town Square (which had been transformed into a temporary execution ground). In the eyes of the public, his chained figure seemed to be no more than a giant rock.

The scrap of cloth that Daemdalus had wrapped around Titan's left knee quickly dyed a brilliant red. Unable to endure the pain, Titan's gigantic body leaned forward.

Daemdalus, no longer able to bear watching Titan's pain, broke free from her brother's restraint and dashed towards Titan to hold his left leg in an attempt to support him. Titan, having seen the girl's desperate efforts, re-assumed his previous position to protect her. However, despite his deepest wishes, Titan slowly reached his limits. While holding the giant's feet, Daemdalus prayed to the Goddess with despair in her heart. Titan, having used up his last reserves of strength, soon let out a great moan, filled with pain and sorrow.

Suddenly, heavenly light began to fall upon the execution grounds from the skies. The Goddess, sensing Titan and Daemdalus's great hope, beckoned the two to the heavens by holding out her hand.

Embraced in a gentle glow, Daemdalus and Titan silently rose to heaven. Greatly affected by this mystic spectacle, the people of the city repented for the wrongs that they committed against the Titans, and it is said that for many years later, they held annual ceremonies in memory of the giants.


So what do you guys think of them?

[Feba]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

interesting, so their star ties into their story as well.

[silentsteel]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Yup, I wonder how Alex's Star ties into him.. the one that made him if he is mechanical?

[tdh]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Have any of you heard about the speculation that Alexander will actually be an Automaton for PUP. I've heard a few people elude to this, and was curious if anybody else has heard of this, or think there's any reason to consider it.

I just know a number of SMNs who got real excited when they saw what looked like Alexander, and the "Dark Rider" in the ToAU video we all watched a 100,000 times! lol

[Hantz]

Re: Avatar Speculation and You

Have any of you heard about the speculation that Alexander will actually be an Automaton for PUP.

Not until you brought it up. That sounds so freaky-deaky for PUPs to get an avatar. It would be cool if it were to happen that way.

It would also be nice for PUPs to get some other higher-tier automaton types as well. More than just Alexander anyway, or every PUP under the sun will be competing over his parts.