Goodbye, Vana'diel.
I just shutdown FFXI for the last time. My account is going inactive in an hour.
Before I left, I managed to finish all the quest storylines I was interested in: the S.O.B.s, the Serpent Generals, all the nation missions, and so on. I never did the BCNM battles against the generals and heroines, but I suppose that's all for the best...would have been a bad way to leave if I had lost those fights.
As I was logging them all out in places significant to their own personal stories, the conclusions of all their stories came to me. I'll retell them here.
Miel (Hala Basinah) - I logged her out on the cushions of the Shararat Teahouse with her Mad Tea Party Linkshell equipped. She was wearing all her favorite, most character-appropriate gear--the Commodore set, her Joyeuse, her Rajas and Jalzahn's Rings and so on. I had finally finished the airship naming quest.
Hala is a Mithra from Aht Urhgan. She is roughly 20 years old, but uncertain of her age. She wound up in Windurst with amnesia a couple years ago and has been piecing her life back together ever since. She used to be an apprentice Alchemist as a child, but in recent years she has joined Captain Qultada and the Seagull Phratrie. After befriending the Empress of Aht Urhgan, she has been initiating talks between the two nations and is attempting to help found New Ephramad with her fellow Corsairs. She has connections to all three nations of the Middle Lands as well: Windurst was her first home after the (as yet unknown) events that left her with amnesia, San d'Oria soon became her official home, and she is good friends with many important Bastokans, particularly Cid who has recently provided her with her own airship, the Storm King.
Kakashi - I logged him out in Norg, in his "Kakashi costume." He slipped away and left on a ship for his homeland, the Far East, in the dead of night.
Kakashi is an Elvaan Ninja and Blue Mage in his late 20s who came from the Far East. He is very secretive. He was originally sent to San d'Oria to spy on the Middle Lands, but now his motives are unclear. He has made several friends and adopted the name Epouvantail to hide his true identity.
Lumikello (Lumi Wahcondalo) - I logged her out kneeling before Perih Vashai in her princess costume.
Lumi is a Mithra from Kazham, the 14-year-old daughter of the Chieftainess Jakoh Wahcodalo. She is a spoiled brat and expects everyone to treat her like royalty--she considers herself the "Princess of Kazham." She has been sent to Windurst, partly to help her shape up but mostly to get her out of everyone's hair. After some time in Windurst she meets the Windurstian Chieftainess, Perih Vashai, and begins to respect her. As she learns to listen, she becomes much more mature and understanding. Many years later, when her mother eventually dies and she becomes the new Kazham Chieftainess, she makes it her goal to work together with the Windurstian Mithra rather than keep the old rivalry going.
Twoedge (Two Edge) - I logged him out in the Shadowreign Bastok Markets, with his Trainee Hammer equipped. Making that trek to get him the hammer is one of my most impressive accomplishments, I must say.
Two Edge is a Galka who lives in Bastok but is originally from the Northlands. He seems to be in his 60s or perhaps even older. He is not at all sane. The other Galka shun and fear him, saying that he is not actually one of them reincarnated; none of them know who he is. But he keeps to himself, and as he seems harmless, other people mostly leave him alone. His true history is as follows: until several months ago, he was a young Galka who lived in a tiny village in the Uleguerand Range. When the Cavernous Maw appeared in Xarcabard, he was drawn into it and transported back to the time of the Crystal War. While there, he met the Galka who had originally been the bearer of his soul before being slain in the war. This Galka was a great blacksmith and strategist. Upon their meeting, however, their shared soul merged to form a single Galka with two distinct personalities and sets of memories, which drove him insane. He lived in the caverns of Xarcabard for twenty years, unwilling to contact other people (particularly people who had known him in either previous life), until he was found by a group of adventurers who brought him to Bastok where he now lives.
Before I left, I managed to finish all the quest storylines I was interested in: the S.O.B.s, the Serpent Generals, all the nation missions, and so on. I never did the BCNM battles against the generals and heroines, but I suppose that's all for the best...would have been a bad way to leave if I had lost those fights.
As I was logging them all out in places significant to their own personal stories, the conclusions of all their stories came to me. I'll retell them here.
Miel (Hala Basinah) - I logged her out on the cushions of the Shararat Teahouse with her Mad Tea Party Linkshell equipped. She was wearing all her favorite, most character-appropriate gear--the Commodore set, her Joyeuse, her Rajas and Jalzahn's Rings and so on. I had finally finished the airship naming quest.
Hala is a Mithra from Aht Urhgan. She is roughly 20 years old, but uncertain of her age. She wound up in Windurst with amnesia a couple years ago and has been piecing her life back together ever since. She used to be an apprentice Alchemist as a child, but in recent years she has joined Captain Qultada and the Seagull Phratrie. After befriending the Empress of Aht Urhgan, she has been initiating talks between the two nations and is attempting to help found New Ephramad with her fellow Corsairs. She has connections to all three nations of the Middle Lands as well: Windurst was her first home after the (as yet unknown) events that left her with amnesia, San d'Oria soon became her official home, and she is good friends with many important Bastokans, particularly Cid who has recently provided her with her own airship, the Storm King.
Kakashi - I logged him out in Norg, in his "Kakashi costume." He slipped away and left on a ship for his homeland, the Far East, in the dead of night.
Kakashi is an Elvaan Ninja and Blue Mage in his late 20s who came from the Far East. He is very secretive. He was originally sent to San d'Oria to spy on the Middle Lands, but now his motives are unclear. He has made several friends and adopted the name Epouvantail to hide his true identity.
Lumikello (Lumi Wahcondalo) - I logged her out kneeling before Perih Vashai in her princess costume.
Lumi is a Mithra from Kazham, the 14-year-old daughter of the Chieftainess Jakoh Wahcodalo. She is a spoiled brat and expects everyone to treat her like royalty--she considers herself the "Princess of Kazham." She has been sent to Windurst, partly to help her shape up but mostly to get her out of everyone's hair. After some time in Windurst she meets the Windurstian Chieftainess, Perih Vashai, and begins to respect her. As she learns to listen, she becomes much more mature and understanding. Many years later, when her mother eventually dies and she becomes the new Kazham Chieftainess, she makes it her goal to work together with the Windurstian Mithra rather than keep the old rivalry going.
Twoedge (Two Edge) - I logged him out in the Shadowreign Bastok Markets, with his Trainee Hammer equipped. Making that trek to get him the hammer is one of my most impressive accomplishments, I must say.
Two Edge is a Galka who lives in Bastok but is originally from the Northlands. He seems to be in his 60s or perhaps even older. He is not at all sane. The other Galka shun and fear him, saying that he is not actually one of them reincarnated; none of them know who he is. But he keeps to himself, and as he seems harmless, other people mostly leave him alone. His true history is as follows: until several months ago, he was a young Galka who lived in a tiny village in the Uleguerand Range. When the Cavernous Maw appeared in Xarcabard, he was drawn into it and transported back to the time of the Crystal War. While there, he met the Galka who had originally been the bearer of his soul before being slain in the war. This Galka was a great blacksmith and strategist. Upon their meeting, however, their shared soul merged to form a single Galka with two distinct personalities and sets of memories, which drove him insane. He lived in the caverns of Xarcabard for twenty years, unwilling to contact other people (particularly people who had known him in either previous life), until he was found by a group of adventurers who brought him to Bastok where he now lives.