Template:Battle The Battle of Carteneau is a conflict in Final Fantasy XIV. It is fought between the Allied Forces of Eorzea, comprising of the Grand Companies of Ul'dah, Gridania and Limsa Lominsa against the forces of the VIIth Imperial Legion of the Garlean Empire.
The Allied Forces were led by General Raubahn Aldynn of the Immortal Flames, Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna of the Twin Adders and Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn of the Maelstrom. On the other side, the remnants of the VIIth Imperial Legion fought following the will of their late general, Nael Van Darnus.
This was the final battle of the Sixth Astral Era, and the result of this battle plunged Eorzea into the Seventh Umbral Era.
Events
Prelude
Because of the maniacal schemes of Nael Van Darnus, the crimson moon of Dalamud was set to crash into Eorzea. Through the valiant efforts of the adventurers, Nael was defeated. However, Dalamud could no longer be stopped.
The Archon, Louisoix, sought to summon the The Twelve, deities of great power, in order to stop Dalamud's descent. He has the adventurers pray at the Deity Stones scattered across the land to prepare for the upcoming effort and battle, but the deities can only truly be summoned in a place with high aetherial concentration.
Battle
Leaders of the Eorzean Alliance.
The Battle of Carteneau, taking place in the near center of Eorzea within Mor Dhona, officially began when the main host of the Eorzean Alliance clashed with the main host of the VIIth Imperial legion. Prior to and during this conflict, the adventurers of Eorzea were tasked with hindering remnants of the legion that hadn't yet joined the main Imperial host.
The Empire made liberal use of their advanced technology, and attacked the Allied Forces with gunfire and magitek armor. The Allies however, responded with a barrage of elemental spells cast by their Black Mages and Thaumaturges. In response to the Garleans ranged firearms, Bards and Archers took to ranged battle.
In melee combat, the Alliance met the Empire head on with Warriors, Paladins, Gladiators, Marauders, Lancers, Dragoons, Pugilists and Monks. All the while, the crimson moon of Dalamud plummeted towards Eorzea.
As the battle raged on, Dalamud drew closer and closer to the planet. Mid-battle, the satellite fractured, dropping a spire-like object from its surface. Looking on in awe and terror, both sides watched helplessly as Dalamud, the moon they had been observing for years, broke apart before their very eyes, revealing something nobody, save Nael Van Darnus, could have foreseen.
End of an Era
Having been sealed within Dalmud since the time of the Allagan Empire, the Elder Primal Bahamut emerges from his prison. With an almighty roar, he shatters his crimson prison, sending debris all over the continent. Enraged after eons of duress, Bahamut unleashes his wrath upon the realm in the form of his devastating Gigaflare attack, spewing forth endless fire and destruction. Louisoix quickly conjures a barrier to protect what remains of the Eorzean Alliance, and then begins the arcane rite that will channel the power of the Twelve and focus it into rebinding Bahamut. At this moment, a pillar of light erupts from Gridania. Then another from Ul'dah, then Limsa Lominsa. All over Eorzea, the Deity Stones are sending up enormous pillars of blue light, forming a circle around Mor Dhona, and Bahamut.
Bahamut sealed in the center of the spell, as the Twelve are summoned around him.
Rekindled with the hope of sealing Bahamut, Louisoix summons a similar pillar of light from the Deity stone beneath him. These lights become giant magical spikes which briefly float around Bahamut before shooting into the sky and back down towards the dragon. With a roar of anger, Bahamut shields himself with his wings. The spires connect, and begin enveloping Bahamut in a new Dalamud-like prison. All of Eorzea becomes a huge sealing spell, with glyphs of the Twelve appearing in a circle around the newly-forming prison. The symbols of the Twelve begin to rise, indicating the summoning of the Deities and the near completion of the sealing spell.
Bahamut charging his ultimate attack, Teraflare
But Bahamut breaks the sealing spell and gathers his power to unleash his Teraflare. All hope for the battle is now lost. Louisoix, knowing of the scope of the attack Bahamut is about to make, channels the power of Althyk the Keeper, god of space and time, to send those surviving heroes into the Rift, where they are to remain untouched by the passing of the seasons until it is once again safe to emerge and continue their struggle to forge Eorzea's future. With that done, as the last living person in Carteneau, Loiusoix accepts what fate has for him.
Flames of Truth
As Louisoix awaits his fate at the hands of Bahamut, he receives a vision from the Twelve in the form of the light spears that attempted to seal Bahamut. These spears give Louisoix the remaining aether from the attempted summoning and he is granted incredible powers. Taking to the skies, Louisoix flies straight into Bahamut's Teraflare, creating a barrier in an attempt to repel the massive fireball. Bahamut sees this and fires a burst from at Louisoix before flying down face to face with his Elezen adversary. The Elder Primal bears down on Louisoix, shattering the aetheric barrier. In one last desperate attempt to stop Bahamut, Louisoix harnesses the mass amounts of aether in the area. Combined with the prayers of thousands of Eorzeans, Louisoix takes on the form of the Primal Phoenix. In a massive burst of aether, Louisoix in the aetheric cloak of Phoenix, ascends through Bahamut's Teraflare, pushing the Elder Primal out the other side while crystallizing the massive Teraflare orb. Bahamut's chest is pierced as Louisoix pushes out the other side. Returned to his mortal form and his aether spent, Louisoix crystalizes and shatters, Bahamut doing the same shortly after. With the destruction of Bahamut, the Crystallized Teraflare shatters, raining destruction down upon Mor Dhona and leveling the entire southern half of the area.
Aftermath
Eorzea was forever changed by Bahamut's rampage after the battle, though no one knew how the Primal was defeated. The Final Fantasy XIV servers were officially temporarily shutdown at the conclusion of the battle. Version 2.0, A Realm Reborn, saw the adventurers of the battle return from the Void they were placed in by Louisoix, into Eorzea once more.
The devastation in the Carteneau Flats had exposed numerous Allagan ruins, including a buried superweapon known as Omega, which became contested by the city-states of Eorzea. To resolve this conflict without fracturing the alliance, the Grand Companies agreed to a civilized conflict within Carteneau. This did little to stop the schemes of Ul'dahn Monetarists seeking the weapon, who incited unrest in the city-state, culminating with the Ul'dahn Revolution.
But despite his defeat, Bahamut would live on thanks to the machinations of the Binding Coil of Bahamut, remnants of Dalamud that would constantly ensure the Elder Primal's resurrection. Through Allagan technology and the entire race of Meracydian Dragons in stasis constantly praying for Bahamut's salvation, Bahamut could not be permanently defeated. Furthermore, Bahamut's will reached out and enslaved Louisoix's spirit to serve him as both his protector and as the Primal Phoenix. It was only when Louisoix's grandchildren Alphinaud and Alisaie Leveilleur enter the Binding Coil that they learn the true end of the Battle of Carteneau but decide to not unveil this truth to the public.
Musical Themes
Template:Listen "Answers" plays during the "End of an Era" scene and the opening movie of A Realm Reborn. It was composed by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Susan Calloway.
Trivia
- This battle runs concurrently with the final minutes of the Final Fantasy XIV servers. 5 minutes before the servers were shut down, players received a message informing they had lost contact with the main host.
- Much of the 1.0 storyline focuses on Nael Van Darnus and his desire to bring Dalamud down upon Eorzea. As the players progress through the storyline, it is revealed that Darnus is slowly losing his grip on sanity and that Dalamud, or rather Bahamut, is influencing him from afar. Darnus begins referring to Dalamud as "Him" although the players do not know that this is Bahamut.
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