Story summary

[finiteHP]

Some of my friends who haven't played FFXIV saw the End of an Era trailer. Even though they didn't know everything going on in it, they were still deeply moved. Now they're wanting a summary of the storyline so that they have context. I don't think I can give it the justice it deserves. I know it's a lot to ask, but can someone write up a really good summary? I'll forever be in your debt.

[JusticeReborn]

I have a friend that wants to play, but has no PC and only a PS3, so he doesn't know the details of the game, though I've tried to keep him in the loop since he will be playing once PS3 version is released. He also played FFXI with me. Anyway, I sent him the video this morning, with the following bit of information attached to it (with links to learn even more). Hopefully this helps you out.


Nael van Darnus (also known as The White Raven, prominent member of the Garlean Empire), was trying to call Dalamud (the meteor) to hit Eorzea to wipe out everyone and everything and start anew. However, after he was defeated in the story missions, an important figure involved in the main storyline's prophecy, named Louisoix, revealed that Dalamud still was descending. Louisoix urged us to go on a pilgrimage around all of Eorzea to pray to the 12 deities in the game for their help in preserving Eorzea, and he said he would "do his part" as well, citing that as long as "you" (ie the player) survived the imminent impact, Eorzea could rebuild. Louisoix also made known that the Nael's Imperial followers were gathering where Dalamud was expected to land, as if to welcome it. Adventurers were urged via system messages (think Campaign battles in FFXI) to head there. On the official SE FFXIV website (The Lodestone), it was announced there would be a final battle lasting the final two hours before impact. So everyone headed to "ground zero" to participate in it last night. When the Impact timer hit zero, everyone R0'd out, and then the video played.

A bit of context, since you didn't get to play 1.0...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39j5v8jlndM

0:50 -0:57 - The port city of Limsa Lominsa
0:58-1:02 - The merchant city of Ul'dah (like Jeuno)
1:03-1:06 - The wooded city of Gridania (like Windurst)
1:14 - This is the location of said final battle
1:30 - These are the three leaders of the above nations. Left to right is Kan-E-Senna of Gridania, Raubahn of Ul'dah (on chocoback in armor), and Merlwyb of Limsa Lominsa (also on choco but a lot more visible
1:35 - The Empire watches from the safety of an airship
The next minute or so are the "default" (ie stock) adventurers in battle against the Imperial faction that followed Nael van Darnus.
2:28-2:30 - This is Cid (which every FF game has a version of). He actually was part of the Empire and was involved in Dalamud to some extent, but left the Empire when he realized they were trying to call it down on the planet, and helped the adventurers take down Nael van Darnus.
2:48 - The "key" thing that fell, in a live Q&A that followed Impact, the Producer said this and why Bahamut was contained inside Dalamud will be explained in 2.0
3:22 - Ul'dah gets obliterated.
3:50 - Limsa Lominsa is next.
4:11 - The blue protective cocoon that suddenly and unexpectedly saves the adventurers is cast by none other than Louisoix
4:30 - This is a montage of important characters from each of the three nations as they pray to the 12 deities in hopes of summoning their protection.
4:39 - Louisoix summons the deities' power in hopes of resealing Bahamut. The symbols that surround Bahamut are those of each of the 12 deities.
5:20 - Realizing it didn't work, and that all hope is lost, Louisoix makes one final move to at least save the adventurers by warping them... somewhere. He then smiles on that small victory and accepts his and all of Eorzea's final fate.



By the way, the song being played is "Answers," the official FFXIV theme song, by Susan Calloway, who also performs the theme songs for FFVIII (Eyes On Me), FFIX (Melodies of Life), FFX (Suteki da ne), FFXI (Memoro de la Stono), and FFXII (Kiss Me Goodbye) at the FF Distant Worlds live concert events! She's awesome. Here are several version of "Answers," if you'd like to see/hear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbuto9wfEHE (just the song itself)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxQIciJWx9g (a FFXIV tribute video, also includes the lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMhcyzQ7mKw (Susan Calloway performs it live at a Distant Worlds concert)

Lastly, upon the final patch when the Final Save was made on Nov 1, and Dalamud was so close that lightning was shooting off it in places, all in-game music throughout Eorzea changed to this: http://youtu.be/7ZITw3Ub-K0

[Undrentide]

Prologue

The Guardian Gods and Goddesses known as the Twelve watch over the city states of the realm of Eorzea:- the seafaring nation Limsa Lominsa in the La Noscea Region, the desert nation of Ul'Dah in Thanalan and Gridania, ensconced in the Black Shroud. The continent these vast lands and islands are on are known as Aldenard..
These nations carved out a history of blood and betrayal as they each waged long and bloody wars over territory and trade against each other and even sough to impose uncompromising interpretations of their patron God's wills. The fate of Eorzea would soon change though, fifteen years prior a new threat appeared from the East, the mighty Garlean Empire. With its vast armada of Behemoth airships and warriors brandishing weapons that spewd streams of fire it crushed the most powerful of the six known Eorzean states Ala Mhigo out in the deserts of Thanalan.
Galvanised by the fear of a common enemy the remaining city states set out to form a clandestine alliance, however the imperial invasion never materialised and the realm slipped into an uneasy calm.
As the various city states continued to amass their armies a growing number of mercanaries and adventures found themselves without employment and concerned at the rise in the number of these people resorting to less savoury means of survival the city states gathered together to form a network of guils. These guilds provided the adventures and Mercs a chance to utilise their talents for the benefits of themselves and others.... the age of adventure had begun.

(slightly adapted from the FFXIV manual)

[AdvancedWind]

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Seventh_Umbral_Era

[Majidah]

Summary:

What Happened?
Darnus uses the ancient spell "Meteor" to bring down Dalamud, but no one can imagine that Dalamud was the prison of the king of the dragon, Bahamut.
Like Garuda said during the quest In for garuda wakening, Primals absorbs aether and crystal power...
So when we defeated Garuda, Ifrit and even Darnus, Dalamud was enough close to us for absorb their powers... This made Bahamut more strong...
And when the first key of god falls from Dalamud... the power of Twelve no more sufficient for keep bahamut in the prison..
And how we can see in last Cutscene, we can see Bahamut Power destroy the prison and get free finally, after years of prisoning.

So the Archons, Thancred and the others, tried to imprison again Bahamut praying for the Twelve.. And Louisoix cast the Imprisoning spell... But the power of bahamut is too powerful now..

Bahamut casts Giga-Flare... But Louisoix with last power of Althyk (God of Time and Space) teleport (all?) us 5 years in the future..

1224325436554756786

[Undrentide]

You then start the game hearing a soft singing voice, and notice your carriage hasjust arrived at the Citystate of Ul'dah, which seems to be holding a grand procession. Suddenly, the skies turn black and a star shower rains on the skies, disappearing in a flash.

The festivities begin and every thing seems to go well, but a Goobbue breaks off his control and wreaks havoc on the town, until he is defeated by the combined efforts of Thancred, Niellefresne and the you.

You head over into the Quicksand, the Adventurer's Guild, and speaks to its proprietor Momodi. She begins to speak about some ways to earn gil around the town, when Thancred comes in and interrupt the conversation. He mentions about talks of war against the Empire, and Momodi then confirms that it looks like war will soon come, as well as some rumours that the Gobbue was released because of imperial interference.

After exploring the town, the player enters the Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern in Ul'dah, home to the Miner's Guild, and witness a commotion involving a thaumaturge named Corguevais, accused of entering the mining shafts illegally. The player tries to calm everyone down with little success, until Lalafell twin brothers Popokkuli and Seserukka enter the guild and kick the troublemakers off it.

Linette from the mining guild mentions that their primary concern is with illegal miners provoking many accidents lately; She asks the player to go to Camp Black Brush and inform them of the guild's intent to strengthen their punitive measures.

You reach Camp Black Brush accompanied by F'lhaminn where they find Corguevais trying to help a wounded child named Ascilia, whose father has been attacked by a giant beast. Thancred appears and says he was the one who led the girl to the camp, as she was seeking out an enemy of her father. The girl then points to Corguevais, who discovers that he is the one the girl is looking for, as it was his fault that the Goobbue escaped.

Back into town, the player visits the Alchemist's guild where Ascillia's father, Warburton, was being treated before passing away. Corguevais is talking with the girl once again, and she says that her father came to Ul'dah to warn about a terrible danger.

Back in the Adventurer's Guild, you and Momodi start talking until Thancred comes in and overhears the conversation, and Momodi remembers that Thancred is being called to discuss about their belief that Garlean spies have infiltrated the city.

The funeral rites for Ascillia's father, Warburton, begins soon after, and F'lhaminn tries once again to convince Mumuepo of the thaumaturge's guild to do something, since Warburton had important information on the dangers threatening Ul'dah.

Momodi informs you that a group of the city guard has hastily left the city by chocobo. At the Chocobo Stables, the player meets F'lhaminn in a looking for a chocobo in a hurry, as it seems that Corguevais has been exiled from town and left with Ascilia, probably planning to take her back to Ala Mhigo.

Via linkpearl, Momodi informs you that the city guard is searching for an exile wandering near Camp Black Brush. There, you find Thancred and Greinfarr discussing, as the bard claims to not know nothing about the so called danger threatening Ul'dah, and Greinfarr then speaks about their last resort - Niellefresne, who will try to convince the thaumaturges to resurrect Ascillia's dead father.

In the Arrzaneth Ossuary, you and Thancred see a strange light coming from the crypts, and rush there to find a mortally wounded Niellefresne laying on the ground, and Ascilia crouched by his side, shaking in terror. Suddenly, the Echo begins to reverberate and you are left all alone.

Making his way down the crypts once again, the player finds Mumuepo and Niellefresne talking about the thaumaturgy of resurrecting the dead, but upon opening Warburton's corpse, Niellefresne is stabbed through from behind. Back to the present, Thancred realizes what just happened and rushes outside, right in time to see as the skies turn black and meteors rain above Ul'dah. In this moment, he realizes that the danger spoken of by all threatens not only Ul'dah, but all of Eorzea, while you pass out.

The player awakens back at the Adventurer's guild, and Momodi tells he/she was found unconscious and brought there by a girl named Minfilia, who asks also asked to be visited at the Waking Sands, in the Merchants Ward of Uldah.

Following Blackburn's lead, you arrive at the Waking Sands, the meeting place of the Path of the Twelve. There, he meets their leader, Minfilia, who claims to understand what happened earlier. To prove it, she asks the player to use the power of the "Echo" to see her past.

Upon doing that, you see a past conversation held on that same hall. Minfilia then explains that many people have been "gifted" with that power after witnessing a starshower, and that the Path of the Twelve is an organization that offers a meeting place for those people and strives to bring peace to Eorzea, offering you the chance to join. After joining, you learn a bit more about the Echo and you are directed to Lady Tataru, to register as member of the Path and choose a Path Companion.

Not long after, a party of sylphs enter into the Waking Sands asking for help, claiming that their home, Moonspore Grove, is being invaded by imperial soldiers from Garlemald. Lady Minfilia then gives her first task to the you: Investigate the Black Shroud with your Path Companion.

Arriving at Camp Nine Ivies, you are greeted by several sylphs telling you that Moonspore Grove has been invaded, and while they were able to escape, their children - "podlings" - will soon be found and killed by the invaders. Since the whole area is full of imperial troops and war machines,you must sneak in to the Groove, avoiding contact with the Garleans and ultimately saving a few podlings. You acheive your goal and save some of the Sylphs podlings to their delight and you head back to Ul'dah....

Later on, Minfilia has a new assignment: you must visit the Ashcrown Consortium in Gridania, as they need help.
Upon arrival, you learn about the history of Eorzea's crystal trade and how until recently most of the realm's crystals have been obtained by negotiating with beast tribes. However, ever since the beings known as Primals appeared, the tribes refuse to sell more shards, as they are crucial part of the summoning process, and therefore crafters are facing an increasingly higher increase of demand with not enough supply of crystals.
You are then directed to an Amalj'aa excavation site to negotiate the reopening of Crystal trade, where you find an Ashcrown party already engaged in negotiations with the Amalj'aa and the Ixali. Their leader explains that both tribes are on the verge of summoning their "Primals", which, if they are successful, would mean the death of all those in the mesa caves. After either parley or fighting, the tribes are convinced to stop their rituals, however before negotiation can begin about the crystals issues, a strange creature that the sylphs call "Ascian" appears and frightens the remaining beastmen.

Back into Ashcrown Consortium, Sylphs claim they may be able to persuade the Ixali into resuming crystal trade with them, but will need "unaspected crystals" - pure crystals devoid of any elemental aspect, perfect for the Primal summoning rituals. To get them, you must simply travel to the far away land of Mor Dhona and bury a crystal there for a time; it will quickly be drained of their elemental energy by the mysterious force said to slumber there.

Upon returning to the Consortium, the sylphs mention mysterious figures known only as "Paragons," whom they claim were the ones who originally taught the beast tribes how to summon the Primals from the aetherial void.

Back at the Waking Sands, however, you learn about an imperial message sent to the Eorzean city-states; according to it, the beast tribes are the enemies of Eorzea and mean to summon their "eikons" for their own means, and calls all city states to accept Imperial Rule and fight against the beast tribes, in exchange of protection against the Primals. Minfilia adds that because of their ability to communicate with the tribes, all walkers will be branded by the Empire as heathens.

After a conversation with your Path Companion, you decide to assist Lady Minfilia in her quest to bring the beast tribes to their side, and travel to the Amal'jaa stronghold to try negotiating with the tribe elders.

However, before reaching the center of the stronghold, they are spotted and captured by the Amal'jaa, being put in a cell with several other prisoners. Soon, every captive is led to a large clearing, where the Primal Ifrit is summoned for a "cleansing" ritual. All the other prisoners are affected by the spell, and are ordered to attack you. Since they are not enemies, they must not be killed - some can be brought to their senses via parley, others have to be attacked.

Ifrit remains silent during the whole confrontation, but as soon as it ends, he starts making several cryptic questions, concluding with the revelation that you and your companion, too, can summon your own Primal, as well as everyone else with the gift of the Echo, and he then lets you escape upon promising to never summon one and with you feigning loyalty to Ifrit.

A strange distress call is caught on the Path Linkpearl, and no one knows who was responsible for that, only the location. You are then asked to go to the signals origin and search for the person responsible.

Reaching camp Nine Ivies, your Path Companion is spotted speaking with a group of Soldiers, who claim to be part of the Ala Mhigan Resistance. It seems that one of the members of the resistance was the deceased brother of your Path Companion. The soldier also mentions that one of their scouts is missing and is being chased by the Empire, and that you must rescue him.

Back in the Merchant Wards, a group of members from the Ala Mhigan Resistance is speaking with the Antecedent, preparing a special operation against the Empire. The group is planning to steal one of the empire's airships to drive them away from Ala Mhigo. Since the city state is under heavy guard and such mission would be nigh impossible, the target is the least guarded area of Silvertear Falls in Mor Dhona.

You agree to help the resistance and make your way to camp Revenant's Toll in Mor Dhona, only to find a trio of imperial soldiers attacking the place and being called back to their airship. You follow the group for a while, until they get reinforcements from one of their heavy magitek machinery, a Imperial Juggernaut.
Yda, Papalymo, Y'shtola and Thancred are there grouping up to battle Gaius van Baelsar. After defeating the Imperial group, you walk until you are finally reunited with your Path Companion, only to find that all resistance members have been slain by a single man - the Imperial Legatus Gaius van Baelsar. He easily knocks out your Path Companion with a shot, but before he is able to kill you Yda, Papalymo, Y'shtola and Thancred arrive to stop him. Gaius proves too much for the four as he calls for a blast from the cannons of the Imperial Dreadnaught and disappears in the smoke.

You then wake up in a cave, and quickly realise you are actually seeing the past. Some children are grouped there, and Garlean Soldiers come in and start uttering strange verses, brainwashing the children into believing the beast tribes of Eorzea and their Primal must be killed.

You once again collapse and wake up back in the present, where you speaks with the mysterious traveler from your home city state, who warns that the Empire cannot be defeated in their current state, and that you must find something much greater if you are to have any hope of defeating the Garleans and freeing Eorzea from their tyranny.

[Undrentide]

The Seventh Umbral Era

Fighting against the Garleans, you encounter another Imperial Legatus named Nael van Darnus who sees the invasion to be for the greater good. However, as you face off against the Primals themselves whose demise he wanted, Nael's plan is revealed to exceed the intent of the Garlean Empire by Nael's desire to purge Eorzea of its impurities with Dalamud. Though Gaius helps you to stop the insane general, Nael becomes infused with Dalmud's power and resolves to plunge the world in the Seventh Umbral Era.

Not long after, the companies are able to track down Nael van Darnus's location; the Legatus is seen wandering near the Allagan Ruins in Camp Glory. An attack group is quickly assembled and sent to the region, only to find a patch of floating islands emanating a light similar to the one previously seem on Castrum Novum, the Rivenroad. From the Rivenroad, Nael oversees fiery rocks raining down from Dalamud.

Without any other alternatives to reach the Legatus's, the companies seek Cid for an airship. After a few preparations, Cid offers his personal airship, the Enterprise. However, the airship can only carry a small number of passengers, and as such, only a single group of adventurers are able to fly towards the floating islands for the final confrontation against the Legatus.

After a fierce battle, the party seemingly succeeds in defeating the legatus. However, he stands up and is bathed by Dalamud's light, losing what was left of his mind and becoming a being of pure hatred. The battle starts once again, and the party finally defeats Nael. Following his defeat, the magic glyphs keeping the Rivenroad floating are deactivated, and the island starts falling apart. The group has no means to escape, but soon after Cid Garlond appears and rescues everyone, bringing the group to safety.

The Grand companies celebrate victory with a reunion on Gridania, as Cid assures everyone that Dalamud will no longer crash on Eorzea; however everyone wonders if that's true, as Dalamud is growing more omniprescent in the sky, drawing ever closer to the surface of the land...Louisoix reveals that Dalamud is still on its collision course and urges people to pray to the Gods of the twelve at various shrines around the continent. Meanwhile the Imperials grow emboldened and push into Cartenaux flats where they gather in ever increasing numbers preparing to launch all out war..Desperate, the Armies of the United Grand Companies head to Mordhana for the final conflict and during this final conflict witness the coming of Bahamut who had long been imprisoned inside Dalamud... Dalamud explodes in a fiery rain and starts crashing down on the land and Bahamut razes the City states to the ground... Louiseaux draws upon the power of the twelve to seal Bahamut back inside his prison but the ritual fails and Bahamut lets loose Megaflare which obliterates everything in its path.. Louiseaux sees the impending cataclysm and with one last concerted effort manages to send a party of adventures 5 years into the future...The last thing that is seen is Louiseaux smiling...resigned to his fate.

[Undrentide]

i apologise if theirs errors i slightly adapted the wiki and added the ending...its late here!!!

[Undrentide]

Some of my friends who haven't played FFXIV saw the End of an Era trailer. Even though they didn't know everything going on in it, they were still deeply moved. Now they're wanting a summary of the storyline so that they have context. I don't think I can give it the justice it deserves. I know it's a lot to ask, but can someone write up a really good summary? I'll forever be in your debt.

I had a damned good go for you!! As i played an Ul'dahn citizen i went with the storyline from there!

[finiteHP]

Thanks everyone, especially JusticeReborn and Undrentide. I am in awe of your write-up Undrentide.