Chains of Promathia

This week, Kaleb and Joe discuss the storyline in Chains of Promathia. We're currently about halfway through The Treasures of Aht Urghan. Chains of Promathia   Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia was released on September 16th, 2004 in Japan, and September 21st, 2004 everywhere else. This is the only expansion thus far that didn’t include new jobs. Just like with Rise of the Zilart, the games main composer and arranger is Naoshi Mizuta. We also get a return of XI’s Distant Worlds, featureing Izumi Masuda.   Story- The story starts out in Delkfutt’s Tower, with a bunch of Jeunoan scientists getting blasted by an explosion, due to a reversal of the energy flow to the crystal. The Ducal guard rush to the scene, and encounter a boy, who they take back to Jeuno. When we visit the kid, he gives us an amulet.   We skip a bit ahead, where Bahamut emerges from the water, giving us a warning that the Keeper of the Apocalypse is near. We then adventure to the three crags, Holla, Mea, and Dem, and are drawn into Promyvion. We defeat the enemies in this area, and come to the MotherCrystal. It is here that we run into Nag’molada, a Juenian diplomat. He attempts to slay the adventurer, to keep the crystal safe, but is stopped by the mysterious boy from earlier. When we reach a later crag, Nag’molada reveals that the boy has released Emptiness, a destructive force, on the crystal.   Once we defeat the Empty at the mothercrystal, we travel to the Tavnazian Archipelago for the first time. When we’re unconscious, a group of Tarutaru’s, the Chebukki Siblings, steal our amulet to take to the leader of Tavnazia, Prishe.   Prishe returns to town with her friend Ulmia after checking the area out. She informs the party of monsters amassing at Cape Riverne. Prishe returns our amulet, which is oddly identical to hers. Prise then wants to confront Bahamut in Cape Riverne for answers, and finds out that Nag’molada and the Chebukki triplets are already there. We run into Nag’molada singing an ancient song to Bahamut, proving that he is a Kuluu. Bahamut decides to honor the ancient pact made with the Kuluu ages prior. Bahamut is subdued by Esha’ntarl, a Zilart, subdues Bahamut in a magic web.   We then travel to Jeuno and turn ourselves in. We are wanted for treason, after all… We speak with Esha’ntarl, who by the way is smokin', suspects that the young man from earlier in the game is the Keeper of the Apocalypse, and charges us with capturing him to prove his innocence.   We then embark on a comical quest in Windhurst, where the Chebukki triplets are attempting to find their long lost father. Prishe is hospitalized, and given your amulet to stabilize her condition. The boy is spotted in Pso’Xja, and we head there. We then battle Diabolos, and realize we’ve been drawn into a dreamworld. The boy arrives, and rescues Prishe. We also find out that Tenzen, another of our companions, has a blade that houses Phoenix. Phoenix requests help from Diabolos, but instead is offered to stay in the dream world to avoid the shittiness of reality. It should be noted that Phoenix and Diabolos are two of the five terrestrial avatars charged with the protection of Vana’diel. The others are Carbuncle, Fenrir, and Bahamut. The party then seeks out Bahamut again, searching for answers.   We meet up with Bahamut, and request his aid. He sends one of his cronies after us, and we kill it. Afterwards, Bahamut tells Phoenix that she’s wasting her time, and that the Emptiness will win. The party recognizes a song that Phoenix starts singing, and Bahamut and his wyrms. We find out that the Emptiness is the will of the Twilight God, Promathia, who cursed mankind for trying to reach Paradise.   Prishe then reveals that she had an accident as a child when she came into contact with the baptismal vessel deep below the church, which has stopped her aging. We travel to a statue of Promathia, where he reveals that he desires resurrection, and death.   The party heads to Pso’Xja to arrive at the Vazhl mothercrystal. Nag’molada and the boy both appear, and it is revealed that the baptismal vessel is actually the Eye of Altana, used to turn Emptiness into Magicite. The amulet that we were given was once given to the Kuluu by the Zilart to contain the darkness. It also allows you to communicate directly with the mind of another. SHINING!!!!!! We finally get the boys name, although I wish you luck in pronouncing it; Selh’teus. He is the sole survivor of the disaster at Al’Taieu, that destroyed the place thousands of years ago. We wake in Promyvion, and have to rescue Tenzen, Louverance, and Ulmia, who have been captured within the darkness. We meet up with Diabolos and Prishe, and discover that Selh’teus came from Al’Taieu to protect the celestial capital, which wasn’t destroyed, only hidden beyond the fifth mothercrystal. Prishe then resolves to kill The Keeper of the Apocalypse, which will allow Bahamut to not kill everyone.   Prishe goes missing for a little bit, and the party splits up to investigate. We meet up with my favorite character of this expansion, a Galka named Jabbos. Jabbos has what I’d imagine is the voice of Christian Bale’s Batman, as he speaks…..and then…..pauses….a…..lot….. He’s been living with Moblins for far too long, and the beastmen have begun to think that they are the children of Promathia. The beasts believe that they are, and continue digging ith this expectation, but Jabbos knows that the Moblins were born long after Promathia had died. They get pissed when they find out, and Jabbos joins up.   We then find out that Prishe has a bit o magicite stuck in her chest, which is probably just as uncomfortable as it sounds. She runs off, and  Bahamut is found beyond the sea of clouds, and Cid begins working on an airship that can reach him. Prishe is spotted in Jeuno, and we head to find the little shit.   The NPC’s Tenzen, Louverance, Jabbos, and Shirakee Z… ugh… all come to the conclusion that Prishe is the Keeper of the Apocalypse who is intended to awaken the Twilight God, using the power of song.   Esha’ntarl reveals that defeating the Keeper of the Apocalypse will only set the darkness free to possess another, and that the only way to break the cycle is to resurrect Promathia, and defeat him in God form in front of the mothercrystal. The party gets on Cid’s airship, and meets up with Prishe and Bahamut. She reasons with Bahamut, and he reveals that she is no longer the Keeper of the Apocalypse, and that the true keeper is in Al’Taieu. Bahamut then reveals a crazy plan to destroy mankind in order to keep Promathia from enveloping everything, and entering Vana’diel. He then attacks us with Megaflare, and is blocked by Tenzen, and his Phoenix blade. We jump ship. We failed to outright defeat Bahamut, and Phoenix sacrificed herself, making ole Tenzen’s blade normal, and boring. Cid mentions a red light shooting up from the Sea of Shu’Meyo has appeared. He sends us out to get supplies, and studies the Eye of Altana to repair the airship. The airship is hijacked by the Chebukki triplets, and Tenzen. Tenzen was instructed by Phoenix to kill the Adventurer, but obviously gets his ass whooped. We then get teleported to the fifth mothercrystal in Al’Taieu.   In Al’Taieu, we are beckoned to the Grand Palace of Hu’Xzoi. We enter, and regain the light of the four other mothercrystals. Selh’teus explains that the Emptiness extracted from the Kuluu had been manifested into Promathia, and had been sealed in the audience chamber. Nag’molada breaks the seal, and frees Promathia. Nag’molada is swallowed in Emptiness, teaching him that all the children of Vana’diel were born from Promathia. The god then attempts to get in.   We join Prishe in the Empyreal Paradox, where Selh’teus attempts to slow Promathia down. Then, the epic fight… When Promathia reaches his end, Prishe casts the Star of Tavnazia at him, and we unleash the light of the mother crystals, allowing the tears of Altana to rain down upon us. Promathia is crushed, and returns to the mothercrystal. Emptiness is revealed as the physical manifestation of death itself, and even the god Promathia, would die when faced against it. We again learn about the origins of Vana’diel, and all of it’s races. Everyone goes their separate ways, and Prishe’s magicite melts away, making her mortal once again.   The Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSt8vifJG38&list=PL85AED8D3D495397D&index=21