Siege of Eden

The Siege of Eden is an event which occurs at the climax of the game Final Fantasy XIII. Unlike many battles in the Final Fantasy series, this battle is fought between four separate groups.

Synopsis
Prior to the siege, the inhabitants of Cocoon were in the grip of Pulsian panic. The Cocoon fal'Cie had manipulated the population into thinking that armies from Gran Pulse would attack Cocoon at any second, thus the population grew great animosity to the six Pulse l'Cie, thinking that they are there to destroy Cocoon. This caused PSICOM and the Guardian Corps divisions, under the orders of Director Yaag Rosch, to hunt down and kill the l'Cie.

One Guardian Corps Division, the Cavalry, under the command of General Cid Raines, saw through the fal'Cie's schemes and sought to search for the Pulse l'Cie in their efforts liberate Cocoon. However Raines is later revealed to be a Sanctum l'Cie, whose Focus was to set the Pulse l'Cie on the path to destroy Cocoon.

The fal'Cie's true goal is to sacrifice all the inhabitants of Cocoon in order to summon the Maker. However as they are incapable of doing this themselves they instead hire a group of humans to do the deed. Raines leaves the Cavalry and attempts to fight against his Focus and defeat the Pulse l'Cie to prevent them from fulfilling theirs. Raines is defeated, but transforms into crystal, despite not fulfilling his Focus.

While the l'Cie are on Gran Pulse coming to terms with their Focus, Barthandelus, under the guise of Galenth Dysley, resigns as the Sanctum Primarch and appoints the revived Cid Raines in his place. This angers the Cavalry, now commanded by the newly promoted General Rygdea, realising that Raines is a puppet to the fal'Cie, and provokes them into action.

The l'Cie encounter Barthandelus in Oerba, who informs them of the Cavalry's plan to destroy Orphan. The Cavalry, thinking that destroying it will liberate Cocoon, will in fact destroy the floating continent. This forces the l'Cie to return to Cocoon using an airship provided by Barthandelus with a plan to stop the Cavalry from reaching Orphan.

Battle
As soon as the l'Cie arrive in Eden, Barthandelus releases Pulsian monsters from the Arks onto the floating city, inciting panic among the populace. Meanwhile the Cavalry raid the Sanctum headquarters where the new Primarch Cid Raines is. Raines offers no resistance to the Cavalry, and is reluctantly killed by Rygdea with a single shot at close-range. The Cavalry then make their way to Edenhall, where Orphan is located.

The l'Cie are also heading to Edenhall and are forced to fight through numerous Sanctum and Pulsian forces. They are then met by Yaag Rosch, who fights the party with the Proudclad. the l'Cie defeat Rosch who then retreats.

As the l'Cie fight their way through to the front door of Edenhall, they are met with a strange phenomenon. The air is filled with floating shards of crystal. Thinking that this signifies that Cocoon is suffering they press on into Edenhall. They are shocked to witness the Sanctum forces and the Cavalry soldiers transforming into Cie'th, and then Yaag Rosch, the sole survivor, attacks them again in the Proudclad. The l'Cie eventually destroy the weapon and the mortally wounded Rosch finally comes to the conclusion that the fal'Cie are Cocoon's enemies and implores the l'Cie to stop them. Rosch commands the Sanctum forces to suspend l'Cie operations and then sacrifices his life to stop the approaching Behemoths from attacking the l'Cie as they descend into Orphan's Cradle.

The l'Cie, though the help and guidance of the fal'Cie Eden approach Barthandelus for the final time in the Narthex. The l'Cie fight Barthandelus and defeat it. However as the l'Cie begin celebrating, the fal'Cie Orphan appears, amalgamated from Barthandelus's body. Orphan wishes its own death and forces the l'Cie to fight it.

During the battle, Oerba Yun Fang is lost in a fit of race and becomes Ragnarok. However the process is not complete as Oerba Dia Vanille refuses to become Ragnorok, and Fang is defeated. It is then the four other l'Cie transform into Cie'th and attacks Fang. Orphan then tortures Fang for her failure, repeatedly harming her to the brink of death and then healing her, goding her to become Ragnarok and finish the job she failed to do five-hundred years previous.

Suddenly the Cie'th transform back into l'Cie and destroy Orphan's shell to stop Fang's torture. The party then fight Orphan's true form and defeats it, ending fal'Cie domination.