Dalamud impact / Odin.

[Colino]

[Teakwood]

For your consideration:

http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/to.../79/4703_1.jpg

[faris]

Man, now I'm wondering if part of the reason Nael van Darnus acts so Twelve-damned unhinged is that he's <strikeout>a Knight of Odin</strikeout> being influenced in some way by the Prisoner of Dalamud who may or may not be Odin. He's obviously got a rager on for the Void- every time he talks about the incident in the past (I forget the name, but it was a weapons test of Dalamud, effectively, and it blew a hole in reality and the Garleans moved away from using the ancient Allagan tech) he gets way, way too excited. I just assumed he was Void-mad in the grand tradition of FF antagonists who looked into the abyss, but if he's being sockpuppeted in some way by the PoD the same way Eald'narche was being sockpuppeted by Promathia...

I mean, I much prefer my Odin as a mastermind / archnemesis / protector of mankind all in one, but I like the cut of this plot twist's jib.

YES. Throughout the series, Odin has always found favour with strong people. (Of course, there's the XI reference. Luzaf the Blackheart / Lady Lilith / Shadowlord. but also FF4, Cecil. FF13, Lightning.) Darnus is petty goddamn amazing in terms of strength (and he used a spear, a la Odin!)

I so think you're onto something.

[DeadRiser]

Love this idea about Odin. o.o

Can't wait for 1.23

[faris]

Yeah I went back into the concept art and noticed Odin's armor looks very Garlean like. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Odin is sealed inside Dalamud, maybe the Allagans summoned Odin but couldn't control him and Dalamud was the last ditch effort to seal him, and they made the transmitters so at a later time they could unseal him and finally kill him. The Devs said Odin will become stronger everytime he's defeated, could this be why the Allagans had to seal him?

You bring up the twisting of those who summoned the primals, could be that a group of the Empire becomes twisted into the Gigas beastmen race that's suppose to appear in Coerthas. Coerthas also being the place of Odin.

I'm thinking exactly what you're thinking with Dalamud. Also, it's so Final Fantasy for ancients being way smarter than us present-day idiots, and we screw it all up somehow. Yoshi-P wanted a "Final Fantasy feel", so perhaps it's coming in form of that trope.

That's a possibility too, with the gigas! But I'm thinking more of the Vans. What if they're already partially twisted, and the actual impact will make them worse? Or make all of the Empire's soldiers like them? That thought would be terrifying.

[NoloeTazier]

For your consideration:

http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/to.../79/4703_1.jpg

Considered it. But what if Ultima Weapon isn't in Dalamud and instead rises somewhere in Eorzea to protect the land from a threat (FFVII) or is even the Allagan's answer to Odin, what better to face off against a foe who becomes stronger in defeat than an Ultima Weapon. Midgardsormr was known as the Guardian of Silvertear Falls, what if it was a weapon as well?

[faris]

Oooo. Was it ever 100% legit that was Ultima? It kind of looks like other games' designs of it, and seems (to me!) a little too serpentine to be much to do with Odin, but again. A possibility. Dalmund is mechanical, that's already been said in-game. It's a machine. What if Odin's casing/prison/whatever (Dalmund) went all transformers on us and became that thing as a preventative measure to combat Odin?

This is pure speculation, by the way.

[Teakwood]

YES. Throughout the series, Odin has always found favour with strong people. (Of course, there's the XI reference. Luzaf the Blackheart / Lady Lilith / Shadowlord. but also FF4, Cecil. FF13, Lightning.) Darnus is petty goddamn amazing in terms of strength (and he used a spear, a la Odin!)

I so think you're onto something.

Well, in FFXI, the Knights of Odin were all, strictly speaking and playing the long game, on the side of Vana'diel; that was the central plot twist of three out of four expansions. I'm not -quite- ready to say that van Darnus actually is right when he says he's bringing about the apocalypse for our own good, but...

I'm not sure it's Odin- although now that I've seen your theorising I'm /nearly/ sure- but I think it's a safe bet that Dalamud is a prison.

More (admittedly circumstantial) evidence towards the existence of technology for imprisoning Primals - in the opening movie, the Garlean airship which the Guardian of the Lake destroys explodes in a huge aetheric surge; several Primals including Ifrit recognisably launch themselves out of said aetheric surge, implying to me that prior to that moment 20-odd years ago, the Primals of Eorzea were still imprisoned - perhaps within Allagan technology that the Empire had taken control of.

Here's a spitball - Odin manipulated someone into attempting to use ancient Allagan tech to vacuum up the Keeper of the Lake into the airship, knowing that the Keeper would bring the airship down and go down with it, releasing Primals trapped within the ship. Then, 20 years later, Odin manipulates von Darnus into another attack on Eorzea, this time utilising Dalamud, bringing it close enough that he'll be able to escape back into Eorzea!

I've put far too much thought into this

[faris]

Also! I didn't notice this before, but FF Wiki states that Odin will be a roaming Primal.

...If this is true (I have no idea where they got the source for that, but y'know.) is anyone else thinking of anything similar to Dark Rider from XI? I would love for Odin to spend a few patches as a roaming Primal in a barren wasteland that was Thanalan, or La Noscea, or whatever entirely and completely invincible, swatting folk down like flies.

[faris]

Well, in FFXI, the Knights of Odin were all, strictly speaking and playing the long game, on the side of Vana'diel; that was the central plot twist of three out of four expansions. I'm not -quite- ready to say that van Darnus actually is right when he says he's bringing about the apocalypse for our own good, but...

I'm not sure it's Odin- although now that I've seen your theorising I'm /nearly/ sure- but I think it's a safe bet that Dalamud is a prison.

More (admittedly circumstantial) evidence towards the existence of technology for imprisoning Primals - in the opening movie, the Garlean airship which the Guardian of the Lake destroys explodes in a huge aetheric surge; several Primals including Ifrit recognisably launch themselves out of said aetheric surge, implying to me that prior to that moment 20-odd years ago, the Primals of Eorzea were still imprisoned - perhaps within Allagan technology that the Empire had taken control of.

Here's a spitball - Odin manipulated someone into attempting to use ancient Allagan tech to vacuum up the Keeper of the Lake into the airship, knowing that the Keeper would bring the airship down and go down with it, releasing Primals trapped within the ship. Then, 20 years later, Odin manipulates von Darnus into another attack on Eorzea, this time utilising Dalamud, bringing it close enough that he'll be able to escape back into Eorzea!

I've put far too much thought into this

Keep putting thought into this, your thoughts are awesome!

Oh my word though. Oh my, oh my, oh my. It's so FFXI (in a good way!) for Odin to be trolling Eorzea the same as he trolled Vana'diel.