6.X Patches Rewritten – Dark Prelude

[aveyond-dreams]

6.X Patches Rewritten – Dark Prelude



The following is a fanmade story concept for the 6.X MSQ series, separated in spoiler tags per patch. The key areas I wished to address in this rewrite is the lack of involvement of Golbez’s character in the action that takes place in the MSQ, introducing a cast that has a refreshing dynamic and diverse origins, and depowering the warrior of light by the end so that Season 2 of FFXIV can begin on even ground.

Cast

- Estinien – the former Azure Dragoon and travelling companion of the warrior of light.

- Feritas – the leader of the Müllenkamp cult in the city of Lea Monde.

- Altima – one of two surviving ascians once mistakenly believed to be slain at the hands of Gaius.

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6.1 – The Way of the Dark

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- “Whatever you believe, you are no better than the ones you call your enemies. You speak of wretched virtue, you vomit words of love – when you are nothing more than a vulture who preys upon the weak!” – Altima

- After a prolonged absence from public life, the Wol resumes adventuring and his first port of call is the adventurer’s guild in Radz-at-Han. There, he reunites with Estinien and are intrigued by a petition put forth for an expedition to Lea Monde.

- In the aftermath of the final days, a violent earthquake shook the city and many treasure hunters are en route to plunder its ruins. The petitioner, “Joshua,” who claims to be the heir to the noble house Bardorba, wishes to recover a family artifact that was held in the Great Cathedral for safekeeping to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The three are also approached by a wizadress who warns them of great darkness awaiting them in the city, and insists that her talents would be indispensable to them. Joshua is annoyed by this “Serah’s” intrusion but allows her to accompany them, despite him being versed in magic as well.

- Joshua directs the party to a dilapidated building in Radz-at-Han that conceals the entrance to The Devil’s Road, an arcane passageway that connects the isle of Thavnair to Lea Monde that was constructed should religious refugees of the Kiltian faith seek refuge in a neutral state from the religious oppression under Garlean rule.

- After emerging from it, they fight their way through hordes of Voidsent that have appeared in the city and slay Romeo Guildenstern, the apparent leader of the Müllenkamp cultists responsible for triggering the earthquake in an attempt to expand a naturally occurring planar fissure at the summit of the Great Cathedral.

- Gazing at the fissure triggers an Echo vision for the warrior of light – which reveals that Joshua is in fact the former leader of Müllenkamp prior to his ousting over a disagreement relating to a deal with a voidsent that would see the city retain sovereignty from Dalmasca, which is swiftly seeking reunification. The voidsent instructs them to trigger coordinated reactions at several locations in the source to force open voidgates – under the guise that they would spread liberation to the peasantry that resented both rule by Garlemald and rule by their former governments. It is also revealed that Joshua’s true name is Feritas, and when the warrior of light reawakens he finds him locked in a duel against Serah.

- Serah admonishes the cultist, and curses his ilk for their stupidity, as their actions have further disrupted an increasingly unstable world following Hydaelyn’s demise. Feritas lashes out, and upon pressing the attack forces her to reveal her powers as an Ascian, and that she played a part in Müllenkamp’s operations in the city. Divulging her name is in fact Altima, who was mistakenly believed to have been slain by Gaius along with Deudephalon, she confesses her resentment towards Feritas and the warrior of light both. Estinien manages to subdue her and it becomes clear that her powers have been weakening in wake of Zodiark’s demise, and that before long she will not be able to teleport via the rift at will as other Ascians are known to do.

- Not long afterwards, the clock tower strikes 12 and the runes painted over the city ruins by the cultists begin to resonate from a great aetherial surge from the other side of the fissure. The party only just manages to escape the collapsing city via the Devil’s Road again before glimpsing what lies on the other side, Golbez, a knight clad in blackened armor and a monstrous shadow dragon.

6.2 – The Tears of Mysidia

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- “Fool, who will remember you now? ‘This cause, what could be greater?’ Living – living and seeing another day. Sink then into your endless night, I do not care to join you anytime soon.” – Feritas

- The party has since been recuperating in Radz-at-Han again after entrusting Altima to the Radiant Host, who arrest her. Estinien and the warrior of light agree to cooperate with Feritas in order to prevent another voidgate from being opened. However, they have no idea as to where the other cultists may have been dispatched. Feritas lists off several names and insiders that they have in other nations, and among them stands out the gleaner Erenville, who was sent to spy on Sharlayan affairs.

- They decide to head to Sharlayan to confront him ere he can do any harm but are summoned before Vrtra before they leave, who meets with them and a newly freed Altima. During her imprisonment, she divulged that she witnessed Golbez’s shadow dragon which Vrtra believes to be Azdaja. He orders them to take Altima with them, as only a mage of her talent would be able to potentially rescue the wyrm by breaking her free of Golbez’s control. To guard them from her, Vrtra has had his alchemists tattoo a binding spell onto the body she is now trapped in that prevents her from acting against her companions.

- En route to Sharlayan, Altima confesses that she thinks often of taking revenge against the warrior of light for their crimes against their brethren. She questions how they feel, knowing that Hydaelyn manipulated them into slaying those who they once called friends. Feritas retorts that these so called “friends” had been acting as tempered fools, and that Altima was one such individual herself. Estinien acts as a peacemaker and orders them both into silence as they reach the isle.

- They appeal to the Forum urgently but find that they are too late, a surge of aether erupts from the nearby isle of Haam and voidsent begin to emerge from a large voidgate. Feritas and Altima lend their strength to Sharlayan’s mages as they erect a barrier to shield the isle, and the party ventures forth to cull the hordes and put down Erenville.

- Upon reaching the isle of Haam, they find that their senses are being tampered with by Golbez’s psychic abilities and it takes Altima to bring them back to reality as they press deeper into the thick of the fighting. Golbez projects a vision of a city under siege where knights clad in similar blackened armor face off against magi battalions – the Purge of Mysidia.

- At the center of the isle, the illusionary mages call forth an eidolon using auracite which the party is forced to slay. This disrupts Golbez’s enchantment and they find that the eidolon they killed was Erenville, who is unrepentant to the last. He dies in the arms of Feritas, comforted by Estinien and the warrior of light as Altima looks on at them resentfully. She remarks that no Ascian ever had such a death, that each butchery committed by the warrior of light was more heinous than the last until his murder of Elidibus proved to be too painful to bear. This compels her to weep for the first time in centuries – but they are tears of hate.

- They encounter Golbez just up ahead without his dragon, and he takes the time to explain what they have witnessed: When the land began to bleed due to the repeated summoning of eidolons by other nations using auracite, Golbez instigated a harsh crackdown and ordered the Black Knights to invade Mysidia, their former ally, in the northern isles. In wake of this surprise attack, Mysidia’s mages were slaughtered mercilessly ere their next summoning could be completed. By this point the isles were completely bled dry and reduced to a desert full of monstrosities.

- Estinien tires of his rambling and lunges at him, only to be grievously wounded in response. Golbez departs and the party remains behind in Sharlayan to ponder his actions. Despite their brutality, he acted no differently than how various city state leaders reacted in response to the summoning of primals by the beast tribes. Whether the root of his actions in the past were noble or not, the collusion between Golbez and Müllenkamp spells disaster for all. As the voidsent around the Northern Empty begin to wane in number, Altima wonders what has become of Deudephalon.

6.3 – The Fate of all Traitors

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- “You shame me, sister. Here you stand with a charlatan to one side and a serpent at your other. While you have galivanted about the world aimlessly, I have done my part to contain this breech. But know that I cannot do so indefinitely. ” – Deudephalon

- While in Sharlayan, the party receives intelligence that the voidsent hordes that once swarmed Lea Monde have since rescinded. Estinien’s wounds have now been tended to by Krile and G’raha Tia, who will watch over the security of the island nation in their absence. Altima takes the time to remark on the hypocrisy of the warrior of light still carrying around the crystal of Azem when he has all but betrayed the convocation twice over. Feritas once more sides with the warrior of light but in this instance Estinien encourages the warrior of light to dispose of the stone, as it is nothing more now than a relic of a life no longer their own. The warrior is reluctant to do so, and keeps it on his person for the time being as the group returns to Radz-at-Han.

- Vrtra is disappointed at the lack of news regarding Azdaja, but informs the party of growing unrest in Ilsabard. With the Garleans now displaced and disturbances in the former provinces seemingly linked to fears of Müllenkamp, the situation on the continent is very tense. Feritas notes that the capital ruins may prove an easy target for the cultists, as they would be all too eager to “liberate” the Garlean people from what they interpret as the ludicrous spread of Sharlayan influence to an unreceptive region.

- The party meets with the twins who remained behind to help in the recovery efforts, who are distrustful of the warrior of light’s present company besides Estinien. However, in a rare show of goodwill towards Altima, Feritas acknowledges her usefulness in breaking them free of Golbez’s spell on the isle of Haam when they had no warding scales to shield them. Altima seemingly scoffs at the gesture, and the group pursues a hooded stranger they believe to be another cultist in pursuit of another planar fissure in the nearby mountains.

- After a fierce battle, they find that they have mistakenly attacked the Ascian Deudephalon rather than the Müllenkamp operative in the region, which the Ascian was trying to stop. He reveals that at great cost to his remaining lifespan, he has been able to keep the voidsent that emerge from these voidgates at bay. Altima is eager for him to join their party but he rejects the offer, as he refuses to cooperate with the traitor, Azem. He remarks that his actions are for the good of the star alone.

- The skies over the Garlean wastes darken as another voidgate opens and Golbez warps the reality around them once again. This time, he conjures a vision of a once beautiful castle and battle that took place against the noble houses there who once more wielded eidolons against each other. Ere the land could be fully bleed dry, they witness what they believe to have been Golbez’s former self execute a rebel noblewoman, though it pained him greatly to do so.

- They encounter the true Golbez soon afterwards, who expands upon what they have just witnessed: The Order of Mages was outraged by this attack and under the banner of House Farrell, joined the neighbouring Troians in an attempt to oust Golbez from the throne. Golbez however foresaw this defection via the Echo and sent most of House Farrell to the guillotine. The Troians and the Order of Mages pooled their magic together and conjured an eidolon that then proceeded to sink their own kingdom deep within the earth, further damaging the state of the world. Golbez pursued the Ascians who taught man the secrets of summoning eidolons first to Damcyan and then Fabul in the far east, exhausting his armies in a battle against the creatures that would later become known as voidsent. The Ascians responsible for the 13th’s demise fled prior to the start of the Flood of Darkness, as the kingdom of Baronheim was left as the sole extant nation on the 13th.

- Golbez then summons Azdaja, who he sics onto the party. After nearly losing the battle against the dragon they are spirited away from the battlefield by Tiamat, while Vrtra duels his sister alone. The still sentient Azdaja blasts him for not finding her in time and for forgetting her, a notion which Vrtra rejects. Golbez however retreats back into the Void, and Azdaja soon follows. Deudephalon manages to stem the tide of the incoming voidsent, but it becomes clear that his body is degrading rapidly while the party recuperates in Thavnair.

6.4 – Someday the Dream Must End

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- “Till the end he fought. I suppose some are simply more loved by the gods than others. But if he stays his course, so too must we.” – Estinien

- The party stays in Meghaduta, and eventually the dragons succeed in retrieving Deudephalon from Garlemald and bringing him back to Radz-at-Han to examine his condition – on the warrior of light’s request much to Altima’s shock. Although this begins to heal the divide between them, Deudephalon is still disdainful of her association with the traitor and questions her motivations. She tells Deudephalon that although their dream of a fully rejoined and restored Source may never come to pass, protecting this world was still at the core of what drives her. As the former patron of the arts, she posits the idea of keeping the memory of the ancients and the Ascians alive in song and prose, only for Deudephalon to coldly reject such a notion.

- Feritas overhears this and sees how distraught she has become over such callousness, and he reminds her that although her intentions are noble, it is perhaps too soon for her former colleague to consider the thought of any works that would exploit the tragedy they’ve lived. Estinien’s thoughts however are more focused on Golbez, and questions again whether he would have acted any differently should the fate that befell Baronheim ever befall Ishgard. He admits to respecting Golbez as a rival, and that he looks forward to the day they meet in battle again.

- While in Radz-at-Han, they are paid a visit from another disaffected cultist, Rosencrantz. Feritas is enraged at the gall of him, begging him for succour after having been part of the faction that ousted him and then destroyed Lea Monde. Estinien views Rosencrantz as a craven, while Altima is inherently distrustful of him. He thus pleads his case to the warrior of light instead, asking for protection under Vrtra’s guard in exchange for information on Müllenkamp’s next target. The warrior of light agrees to this deal much to his companions’ protestations and Rosencrantz marks a location on a map of Ilsabard, in the empty grasslands north of the kingdom of Corvos.

- Despite the dubiousness of this next target, the party departs by airship to this location and leave Rosencrantz behind in Radz-at-Han. Feritas however makes an underhand deal with some disreputable alchemists before departing and tells them to do as they please with his body.

- En route, they witness Golbez flying through the air on Azdaja and they follow him into a storm caused by the opening of another voidgate, which Deudephalon is unable to exert any control over. To their shock, this time Golbez does not use his psychic powers to project a false reality onto the Source – instead this time he succeeds in manifesting a location from the 13th in the former uninhabited region: Baronheim itself.

- The party fights their way through some stray voidsent that haunt the city, which has been entirely crystallized along with its residents. Curiously, the crystallization appears to have taken place prior to the fall of the 13th which saw all life become voidsent.

- When they come upon the throne room, they find Golbez seated on the throne and he speaks to them once more: As the Voidsent invaded the city, the populace cried out for succour only to call forth more eidolons and transform into monsters themselves. Golbez whispered one final prayer to the goddess that went unanswered, and in response invoked a spell that transformed the kingdom into indestructible crystal – Crystal Stasis – to spare them from the fate that befell the rest of their world. However, for their salvation to come to pass and his dream to be fulfilled, one last piece of the puzzle remains. He warns the party of the day a twin moon appears in the sky once more, and tosses one of Azdaja’s aether-depleted eyes in their direction, which is how he forced open the planar fissures from the other side of the Void.

- With no further danger imminent, the party abandons the crystal ruins of Baronheim and deliver the eye to Vrtra. Though he is pained at his sister’s exploitation, he yet beseeches the warrior of light and Altima to save her. Together, they reflect on Golbez’s story so far and the warrior of light experiences another Echo vision, which are becoming ever more infrequent, of the day Golbez and Baronheim made their last stand. They wonder how much different the story of the Source would be if Hydaelyn had failed to help the warrior of light in their hour of need, but also how much loss could have been avoided had she not focused so much of her energy on guiding her “brave little spark” down the path they took. In the meantime, the party prepares themselves for the last battle to come, as Deudephalon deteriorates further.

6.5 – Twin Moons, Twin Fates

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- “I die, that you might live. Yet you shall not live as others do. I choose the darkness of space over the shores of the aetherial sea. Carry on with your fight, but do so without me. I may die here amidst the moondust, but I die here as a king. Her accursed blessed. Her condemned chosen. I curse you and your quest. I curse your companions and this world. How far will you go...without the light to guide you?” – Golbez

- The party reunites in the tavern where they met in Radz-at-Han, and begrudgingly admit that they have come a long way since the disastrous expedition they embarked on to Lea Monde. Feritas and Altima apologize for their respective deceptions and agree to an uneasy truce between each other. Estinien is relieved, and prays that he never has to chastise them like a parent would a child over their squabbling again. However, their night out is interrupted by the appearance of the second moon Golbez spoke of, glowing a sickly color of red.

- The party is summoned by the Radiant Host to Deudephalon’s bedside as he lays dying. He warns them that soon all his magic shall fade, and that voidsent would undoubtedly intrude upon the Source in that selfsame moment regardless of whether they win or lose against Golbez. Altima promises him that in the aftermath of their confrontation, she will attempt to find a way to permanently close the voidgates that link the Source to the 13th. Feritas also pledges his support to this cause. Before he fades, Deudephalon taunts the warrior of light, asking him to prove if they can redeem themselves for their sins against the Ascians and Ancients alike by at least saving the world they all fought so desperately to protect. The warrior of light silently agrees, and the last of Deudephalon’s strength leaves him.

- To reach the moon this time, they ride upon Vrtra’s back, as he is the youngest and most fit of the remaining great wyrms, the trip there would not prove too much of a strain for him. Thus, the party departs on their voyage to the Red Moon. En route, they are accosted by Azdaja, who duels them and her brother alone without Golbez. The party is flung from Vrtra’s back during the fight, and they fall down into the Red Moon’s Subterrane. There, they fight their way through several elite voidsent who bar their way to Golbez’s throne nestled in the Crater of Martyr’s that once held the 13th’s reflection of Zodiark in shackles.

- However, he has no intention of facing off against anyone but the warrior of light and casts out Estinien, Altima, and Feritas. After a bitter duel against each other, the warrior invokes the power of summoning via Azem’s crystal one final time – only for the stone to shatter at last. After a protracted fight against the 8 warriors, Golbez is finally forced to admit defeat, with the party re-joining just as the last of the crystal’s summoned warriors fade away forever.

- Golbez divulges the last missing portions of his story as his body begins to fade to black:
Golbez was originally born as Cecil, the illegitimate son of Lord Harvey and was disposed of upon birth. He survived by means of the blessing of light and the Echo but nevertheless endured a childhood of poverty and strife. His fortunes eventually changed when he struck another child with a stick – yet managed to channel the dark powers of a Black Knight in spite of the lack of a metal medium.

- He underwent training and rose to prominence in their order during the kingdom’s wars of conquest, in tandem with the Orders of Dragonlancers and the Order of Battle Mages. Despite their victories on the battlefield, decades of endless wars had taken a toll on the kingdom and the public’s sentiment turned against the royal family. Bolstered by the revolutionaries, Cecil usurped the throne and took on the name Golbez.

- For his sacrifice in saving Baronheim from the rest of the 13th’s fate, Hydaelyn lifted his crystal remains into the heavens and placed him on the moon, where the Watcher would safeguard both him and Zodiark.

- When the warrior of light murdered the God, the deluge of aether was absorbed by Golbez’s crystallized body on the moon and he awoke once more to behold what had become of his world. The Watcher attempted to calm him but he took vengeance on him for what he interpreted as Hydaelyn’s utter failure and the lies she spun for all she gave her blessing to. There in the Crater of Martyr’s he swore to act to do whatever it took to save what remained of his star. During this time, he also encountered and subjugated the great Wyrm Azdaja, transforming her into the fearsome shadow dragon.

- Golbez then began to collude with the Müllenkamp cultists of Lea Monde in the Source, coordinating with them to force open a series of naturally occurring planar fissures all at once. He believes that if he can transport his kingdom to the Source by doing this, that at least all he endured and the sins he was forced to commit would not be for naught.

- With his dying breath he curses the warrior of light, and chooses to let his soul drift away into the darkness of space rather than return to the lifestream. Vrtra and the now lucid Azdaja arrive in time to rescue the party from the collapsing chamber, and as they fly back to the Source, the moon of the 13th regains its original white glow.

- Meanwhile, with Deudephalon’s death, voidsent are have now begun to storm the isles of the Northern Empty and the kingdoms of Ilsabard. Golbez’s death also releases the kingdom of Baronheim from his spell, and the residents awaken from Crystal Stasis as if they were waking from a brief slumber, oblivious to how much time had passed.

- The party returns to Radz-at-Han, where Vrtra and Azdaja retire to Meghaduta. Altima remarks that the stone of Azem has fulfilled its final purpose, and that from here on out the warrior of light is on even standing with any other well-travelled adventurer now that they have no additional blessings to safeguard them. Altima’s last remaining Ascian powers are now completely gone save her innate talent for routine spellcraft, and Feritas does her the favor of removing the binding tattoo she bears, sensing she no longer poses any threat to them. Estinien however is focused on what comes next, and suggests that they bide their time before embarking on a mission to Baronheim and the rest of Ilsabard to see what can be done about the voidsent threat there, with Altima and Feritas in tow in their mission to close off the voidgates. The warrior of light agrees to join them, and they promise to meet again at the tavern when they are ready to depart once more.

- However, that same night the warrior of light experiences one final Echo vision. Amidst the swirling darkness of the 13th, he glimpses several high ranking and fearsome voidsent whispering to each other in a meeting of some sort. They briefly allude to their plans for the Source, and rejoice that there are no meddlesome gods left to impede them.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Oh boy here we go again. Im not even gonna bother reading all of this as I know it'll be a 3 piece cringe, cringara and cringaga spell combo on my senses.

[Alleluia]

"Müllenkamp cultists of Lea Monde" I assume, after a google search, is a reference to Vagrant Story? Sounds like something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, though.

[AwesomeJr44]

Personally I really like this re-write, and while we can't really speak for 6.4 and 6.5 just yet, it does seem more interesting than what we've gotten so far.

Im not even gonna bother reading all of this

This implies you normally do before commenting.

"Müllenkamp cultists of Lea Monde" I assume, after a google search, is a reference to Vagrant Story? Sounds like something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, though.

It does sound like it would be.

[aveyond-dreams]

"Müllenkamp cultists of Lea Monde" I assume, after a google search, is a reference to Vagrant Story? Sounds like something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, though.

Indeed it is! I was hoping for more Ivalice content/references to Lea Monde in the relic this expansion, but when that didn't happen I decided to bring them to the forefront of this rewrite.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

This implies you normally do before commenting.

I mean, Im sure he did. Which is why he's having this gut Reaction.

[RyuDragnier]

"Müllenkamp cultists of Lea Monde" I assume, after a google search, is a reference to Vagrant Story? Sounds like something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, though.

It's definitely a reference to Vagrant Story. Really wish they'd bring back Matsuno for a raid series dealing with Lea Monde.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

Its weird you are doing a whole rewrite/Fanmade Version of a story...that isnt even finished yet. Endwalkers whole Narrative hasnt even concluded yet.
But hey...you do you. AU Fanfics are what they are.

[Renalt]

It's definitely a reference to Vagrant Story. Really wish they'd bring back Matsuno for a raid series dealing with Lea Monde.

Yes and yes please! Vagrant Story is one of my favorite games ( despite the numerous flaws ) and I even got the Rood Inverse tattoo on my back.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

Yes and yes please! Vagrant Story is one of my favorite games ( despite the numerous flaws ) and I even got the Rood Inverse tattoo on my back.

7.0 raid series? :0
8-man or Alliance?