One of the five terrestrial avatars in Final Fantasy XI, Phoenix's form is much different than previous avatars met by the adventurer. What remains of the dead avatar is the energy she is able to endow. Despite this limitation, she plays an important part in the storylines of Chains of Promathia and Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. Due to her unique history, Phoenix is the only avatar that is neither a boss nor a summon, instead playing a role in the final boss fight in Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. Phoenix is also a server in Final Fantasy XI.
History[]
Before the time of Final Fantasy XI, Phoenix's physical body was destroyed, but her flame lingered in the far east. This nation used those flames, the Flames of Rebirth, to forge a blade that held fragments of Phoenix's remaining power. To keep Phoenix's life force active, the blade required blood shed. It was believed that if enough lives were taken, Phoenix would rise again. Though countless lives were taken from both, the guilty and the innocent, the far east nation was not able to resurrect the avatar, yet maintained a powerful fragment of her in the Phoenix Blade. After the Emptiness spread throughout the far east, the nation sent a representative, a samurai named Tenzen, with the Phoenix Blade to Jeuno to seek out how the spread of the Emptiness might be stopped.
Phoenix gains Tenzen an audience with Diabolos.
In Chains of Promathia, Tenzen searched for Prishe after she was abducted by Diabolos. When they found her in Pso'Xja, Diabolos prepared to attack them, but Phoenix revealed her energy in Tenzen's blade which persuaded Diabolos halt his attack. Diabolos told Tenzen and the adventurer how he and Phoenix disagreed on the coming conflict with Promathia. Diabolos explained that the only reason Phoenix would guide Tenzen to stand against the Twilight God was because she was not whole, and only a fraction of her power remained. Later, Tenzen confronted Bahamut over his destruction of humanity. Tenzen attempted to convince Bahamut to attack only the Keeper of the Apocalypses rather than all of the enlightened races. Bahamut refused and recited a verse of the Memoria de la Stona, prompting Phoenix to enlighten Tenzen of history of the Emptiness and how it was discovered.
Bahamut speaking with Phoenix through the Phoenix Blade.
When Tenzen went to the Vahzl mothercrystal with the others, they found Selh'teus being attacked by the Armathrwn Society. Phoenix aided Tenzen fight them off. This conflict placed them in the promyvion region of Vahzl where they confronted Diabolos a second time. He insisted that the hope Phoenix was giving them was futile in the face of Promathia. Later, Tenzen went to Carbuncle for help fighting with the Keeper of the Apocalypse. While initially hesitant, Carbuncle desired to share a fraction of its power with Phoenix and directed them to Pso'Xja to find that power. After obtaining it, Phoenix led Tenzen to discover a path to the celestial capital of Al'taieu. Tenzen encountered Nag'molada, who informed that the only reason the Phoenix wished to keep the gate of the gods closed was because the terrestrial avatars would lose their divinity and revert to what they were before Vana'diel came to be: mere animals. Enraged, Tenzen demanded that Phoenix tell him whether this was true. The only response Phoenix gave was to speak with with Fenrir. On the way to speak with Fenrir, Tenzen told the adventurer of the enormities committed to preserve Phoenix's power. He requested that, if Phoenix would lead him to the destruction of humanity, the adventurer should stop him. When they spoke with Fenrir, it was revealed that the Keeper of the Apocalypse was not Selh'teus, but rather, Prishe.
Selh'teus after merging with the power of Phoenix.
Eventually, Phoenix informed Tenzen that the adventurer must be lead to the fifth mothercrystal of Al'taieu. Tenzen and the adventurer boarded an airship to go to the light of the fifth mothercrystal, Tenzen revealing that it was the adventurer's soul that must return to the fifth mothercrystal, not their body. Tenzen failed at defeating the adventurer, and after the clash, Prishe directed the airship to the fifth mothercrystal. After their arrival, Tenzen revealed that the fifth mothercrystal's energy was waning. If the fifth mothercrystal lost its light, the gates of paradise would open and Vana'diel would be destroyed. Selh'teus, who was already at the mothercrystal, went on to reveal that it was not he who bore the light of the four Vana'diel mothercrystals, but rather the adventurer who had followed Selh'teus to all the previous mothercrystals. This was the reason Phoenix ordered that the adventurer's soul be returned to the fifth mothercrystal; because the soul would bring with it the light of the other four mothercrystals and rejuvenate the Al'taieu mothercrystal. After Prishe convinced Selh'teus that there must be another way of preventing the end of the world without the adventurer's death, a fragment of Phoenix's power fused with Selh'teus and he went on to help the adventurer and the others to stop Promathia.
In Final Fantasy XI: Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, the death of Promathia stopped the Winds of Time in Vana'diel and the Cloud of Darkness began to descend on the world. Moments before the Cloud of Darkness destroyed the world, Altana sent Iroha, daughter of Tenzen and bearer of a fragment of Phoenix's power, to the past to seek out the adventurer and prevent the destruction of Vana'diel. After Iroha found the adventurer and explained the coming conflict, Volto Oscuro, a masked man who wished to bring about the will of the Cloud of Darkness, was found near Norg. He summoned Siren and attacked the adventurer, Zeid, and Iroha. She fended him off right before she died, but because she carried a fragment of Phoenix, every time she died, she was brought back from death. While the adventurer was looking for Prishe, as the Orb of Radiance directed, the adventurer found Iroha resurrected in Delkfutt's Tower. They were informed that Tenzen awaited them both in Ru'Lude Garden by Kagero.
.png){kind=link}
Phoenix reborn to fight the Cloud of Darkness.
While in Jueno, Volto Oscuro attacked Iroha again, killing her. After chasing Volto Oscuro down, they found another, similarly masked individual attempting to steal the light from the Astral Candescence in Aht Urhgan. Phoenix helped Tenzen fight off Volto Oscuro. In Aht Urhgan, Tenzen took his blade to Alexander so that Phoenix could request he provide her with enough power to resurrect Iroha once again. After Iroha's return, Aphmau saw to her care.
After chasing him, the adventurer and Iroha fought Volto Oscuro in the Empyreal Paradox. Volto Oscuro defeated them and killed the adventurer. Iroha granted what power she had left of the Phoenix to resurrect the adventurer and continue on. After the adventurer repelled the Cloud of Darkness from Vana'diel, Iroha discovered that a fragment of its presence still resided in Selh'teus's mothercrystal. To combat this fragment, the power of the Phoenix was needed to consolidate the fragment into physical form within the mothercrystal. In preparation for the final battle with the Cloud of Darkness, all of the avatars, except Chaos, united in granting Phoenix a portion of their energy to revive the terrestrial avatar. During the adventurer's final battle with the Cloud of Darkness, Selh'teus and Iroha assisted. Phoenix was reborn and also assisted in the fight against the Cloud of Darkness.
Gameplay[]
Due to Phoenix's unique circumstances, she is never fought nor is she summonable by players. Because she is present during the fight against the Cloud of Darkness, Iroha casts the "arise" spell on the player for the duration of the fight, regardless of how many times the player has already died. Unlike most encounters, this final fight ensures that players must be active for the entire duration of the battlefield against the Cloud of Darkness until either the battlefield timer has run out or the Cloud of Darkness is defeated.
.png "Phoenix (FFXI).png (198 KB)")
.png "Tenzen Phoenix (FFXI).png (1.92 MB)")
.png "Selteus battle (FFXI).png (285 KB)")
Behind the scenes[]
In the development of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, the lead scenario and event planner, Yoshitsugu Saito, had initially planned on just showing Phoenix as a ball of light after her resurrection. This was because the development window for the mini expansion was tight and they were short on labor. After reconsidering, he insisted that they put in the extra work to make a model for Phoenix to be included in the mini expansion. Given the constraints, this was reportedly difficult enough for Saito himself to call it an "unreasonable request". He insisted that it be done because of Final Fantasy XI's status as a mainline Final Fantasy game and because Rhapsodies of Vana'diel was to be its grand finale[1].