| Pandemonium | |
|---|---|
 "It can only be Pandaemonium, the fortress of the lord of Hell." - Gordon | |
 | |
| Basic Information | |
| Type | Territory |
| Location | Inner Ring |
| Tech Tier | Tier 8 - Metal Working Technology |
| Magic Class | Class 4.5 - Advanced/Proper Magic |
| Controlled by | Neutral |
Pandemonium is a hell for the dead, separated from the continent above via the Jade Passage. Chaos reigns here, and the spirits of the dead journey forth and slay each other at will.
Background[]
Pandemonium itself is a tall palace, known as the palace of hell. During the events of Final Fantasy 2, Emperor Mateus summoned this forsaken palace after his return to earth from the depths of hell to serve as his fortress in for his conquest of both the world of the living and the depths of Hell. When it was summoned by Mateus, it destroyed and took the place of Palamecia Castle. It's comprised of approximately thirteen floors, and each floor is a clean, open space. The floor is tiled by a glasslike material that never seems to break, and though it is free of furniture, each floor is populated by many pillars of solid gold. Demons are carved into these supports.
Multlverse Timeline[]
Disconnected from Mysidia, this hell compromises the Palace Pandaemonium itself, the town of Machanon and the Jade Passage that leads between life and death itself. Most adventurers find themselves in the latter, though if they make it to Machanon an artifact of great power and a great peace awaits them in the land of the dead. The warring factions of monsters inside Pandaemonium, unchecked by the "light" half of the Emperor, lends an undertone of caution to this peace but has yet to actually threaten it.
With the arrival of Mateus in the Multiverse, his first order of business was to return to Pandemonium and reclaim the Depths of Hell as his own dominion. Wandering into the city of Mysidia, he saw that something was attacking the mages inside and found Variphyla standing among the corpses of wizards who were trying to banish her. A tenuous alliance was struck between the two as they decided to travel together and assist one another in taking over the castle. The group of them traveled through the Jade Passage, stopping at a hidden waterfall cave and stealing some magical scrolls before fighting a marlboro guarding the cliffs leading to a portal to the castle itself. Upon its defeat, Mateus realized that someone had planted that marlboro there as a guardian and was actively trying to keep out intruders, but this did not deter them at all. Mateus and Variphyla then traveled through the portal and arrived in the castle itself.
Traveling through its halls, the group encountered a few bands of roving demons that recognized the emperor and led him back to a massive gathering of demons not under the control of whoever was now controlling the castle. When a few dissenters spoke out against the emperor, he simply annihilated them with a Flare scroll, causing the others to immediately switch over to his cause. Variphyla was given the task of organizing the troops, given her background as a tactician and general, but she found much more pleasure in slaughtering the wimpering demons than trying to lead them. Tensions flared as the marilith figured out that she was being used and would probably be left to die while Mateus took the castle for himself; in a display of intimidation, Variphyla left a rather large scar across Mateus' face before abandoning him and his demons, searching for a way to take the castle for herself.
Unknown to either of them, Terra Branford also found herself in this place, confronted by the lost souls of those sacrificed by Mateus long ago in his rise to power. Fighting off shadowy guardsmen and other demonic creatures, Terra worked to free the tormented souls before they disappeared entirely. She then ventured further into the castle, learning that there were others vying for the power that the emperor once sought. Determined to make sure that such an entity would not succeed, the half-esper pressed on.
However, Terra's continued pushing through the floors took its toll, and she eventually gave up the chase or ran into too much difficulty. Variphyla, on the other hand, pressed on, having abandoned Mateus and his ilk to venture forth on her own. While she was met with some resistance in the forms of various undead demons and a bizarre iron golem which could spew noxious fumes, she persevered and reached the throne room. The only resistance located in the throne room was a decrepit lich, which the marilith destroyed with ease. Sitting on the throne herself, the castle recognized her as the new ruler of Pandemonium, and she began to amass a small army--only to have portals from Sanctuary torn open in her new domain, allowing demons to pour through and bring havoc.
It was during all of this commotion that Ailyth found herself in the Jade Passage as well. She searched for a way to return to her home and stumbled across the same waterfall cave that Variphyla and Mateus had come across earlier. The demon hound met another demon, one that explained the fate of his apprentice at the hands of the marilith in Pandemonium.
In another part of the world, Judith came to Deist, an abandoned castle where the old dragoon warriors honed their craft and kept their wyverns until their death. Upon entering and defeating the puzzle to enter the courtyard proper, Judith was assaulted by a series of shadowy enemies, including an ogre and a dragon. Despite these attacks, the krityan continued pressing forward through the castle, eventually meeting the new "ruler" of the realm--an ogre mage by the name of Karguk. The ogre was the one behind the shadowy machinations attempting to kill her (and possibly corrupting the castle itself), and as a reward for her tenacity with regards to destroying his magical constructs, he offered Judith the opportunity to become his lieutenant. She refused, and a quick battle ensued. Despite his powerful magics, Judith effortlessly beat him and took the castle for Brave Vesperia, determined to clean it and restore it to its former glory.
Regions[]
Depths of Hell[]
The Depths of Hell are linked with the entrance of the Jade Passage and guarded by the lowliest of its minions. That's not to say they are not perilous. The lower tiers are much like the Passage itself: cavern like with purple-hued columns that support the risen interior of the rest of the risen abyss palace. Its winding halls are dark dimly lit and occasionally bear torches lit by unnatural blue and purple flames.
They lead to the palace of hell itself, Pandemonium, which has dark purple walls that seem to occasionally ooze ichor. The floors, by contrast, are incredibly clean, and made of a glass-like substance. No matter the stress upon them, they will not break. Pandemonium contains twelve expansive floors, and they seem to serve little purpose beyond housing various monsters. The ceiling of each floor is tall enough that Pandemonium can houses Gigas and Golems of various elements, as well as several types of dragon. The Emperor of Hell sits enthroned on the twelfth floor. This is now Variphyla's realm, and she controls the makings of an army with an iron fist.
Mysidia[]
Nation of magic and mages, it is dominated by Black Mages, who are strong enough to fend off the land's monsters as individuals. The country's population is small and scattered, and there is only one settlement: a village to the nation's west. It contains a large library, an inn, item, weapon, armor and expansive magic store, and a sealed-off underground dungeon.
The Jade Passage[]
Found below a lake in Mysidia, only the dead are able to naturally see enter this place. It leads to Pandemonium, the palace of hell. The lake's location is a closely-guarded secret, and those that stumble upon it often die young. If one wishes to enter the Jade Passage alive, they are best advised to seek help in the village of Mysidia.
The Jade Passage itself is a dark, rough cavern that is damp. Those traversing it may find themselves shoulder-high in water without warning. This water is often undrinkably dirty. There are few resources in the cave to live off, and those that come to it unprepared will become lost and perish. The tunnels are either chilly or incredibly humid, depending on the location.
Deist[]
A lone island roamed by wyverns and dragoons, Deist is home to cavernous mountains and forests alike, the only significant urban establishment of note being Deist Castle, which was destroyed and left desolate by Emperor Mateus long ago. With Judith purifying the deserted castle, rumours of Dragoons and their Wyverns returning to Deist Keep have begun to spread once more. There are those who claim to have seen Ricard Highwind, though none have ever been proven or corroborated.
Machanon[]
A hub town in the afterlife, where dead humans seek refuge from monstrous tormentors. Machanon contains portals mounted on platforms that lead to different towers. In contrast to most other locations in the afterlife, it is a lush, green place. The town contains a pub, a general store, a smithy, and two magic shops devoted to the White and Black schools of magic.
Arcane Labyrinth[]
There are three such labyrinths that rest between time and space. In the North West Quarter of the World, far west of the city of Salamand, there is one. There is another in the North East Quarter of the World, North of Bafsk. Lastly, one lies in the Southernmost Quarter West of Kashaun. Together they hold the forbidden knowledge of a Tome of Destruction. The tome itself is guarded in a rumored Arcane Sanctuary that lays at the end of the labyrinth complexes. Once a person traverses all of them successful a seal protecting the Sanctuary will fade. It has never been achieved, but a powerful and ageless guardian is said to await all those that attempt it successfully. After Variphyla's excursion through Pandemonuim itself, she managed to take control of the area and take some of its power for her own.
Inhabitants[]
- Emperor of Hell: the darkest half of the Emperor Mateus, he rules Pandemonium and seeks to expand his territory. He is straightforward and holds contempt for humans.
- Emperor of Heaven: The lighter half of the Emperor Mateus, he rules Arubboth and seeks to trap souls that find him. He is manipulative and hides his contempt of humans, promising eternal life and paradise to any who would join him.
- Lamia Queen: Presides over her kind, who dominate the second floor of Pandemonium. Seeks to overthrow the Emperor of Hell and destroy the monsters in Pandemonium, establishing it as a home where her kind can roam freely. If assisted, has the potential to do this and raise Pandemonium to the surface.
- Prince Scott: a member of Kashua's royal family, Scott was slain by Palemician troops. The prince was engaged to Princess Hilda in life. He wears his blonde hair back in a short ponytail, and dresses in an orange and green tunic under any armour he is wearing. He is a courageous, upstanding sort of man, who carries a sword and shield into battle.
- Minwu: in life he was a White Wizard, serving Princess Hilda and her rebel army. Minwu gave his life to unseal the Ultima Tome for three rebels, and serves as a guiding voice in any group. He is dressed in flowing white robes and a turban, and keeps the bottom half of his face concealed, revealing only a fringe of dark hair and deep brown eyes. Minwu's abilities are designed to support and heal, but he is also able to eventually unleash powerful Holy magic.
- Josef: Josef is a large, intimidating bald man dressed in a green tunic and brown trousers. He is knowledgeable when it comes to mythril, and gave his life to protect the three heroes who saved his daughter and fellow villagers from being put to work in mythril mines by Palemecia. Josef is fast for his size, and has a punch that can break stone. He is also proficient in using axes.
- Ricard: Ricard was the last of the Dragoons until his death, and is clad from head to toe in dark, inky purple armour. He is quiet and calm, and these qualities endear him to animals naturally and wyverns in particular. Ricard carries twin spears into battle, often charged with elemental power.
- Zombie Borghen: though all inhabitants of Pandemonium are technically zombies, Borghen is the only one who uses the term as a title. It replaces General - his rank while serving the Palemician Emperor in life. Borghen was the one who orchestrated Josef's death, and the two men share a bitter hatred. Borghen is white-haired and wizened with age, and uses a mix of mythril weapons and elemental spells to fight - in the case of the former, preferring a longsword and knife combination.
- Cid: Cid is the unofficial head of Machanon, and often attempts to throw he role off onto Minwu. In life, he was a brilliant airship pilot who was forced into designing a Dreadnought for Palemicia. In death, he retains his cockiness and laconic wit, as well as his intelligence. Cid is not a fighter, but will happily work away at designs and help others... usually for a price.
Bestiary[]
A majority of the enemies here are hellspawns and elite guards (who are most likely also hellspawns) who were summoned by Emperor Mateus to defend the castle from intruders.
See also[]
- Link