Pandæmonium (Final Fantasy XIV)

Far beneath the ground upon which mortals tread, steeped in darkness deep as starless night, ancient power lies dormant. Too hungry, too brutal, too monstrous─what cannot be controlled must be contained, here, in Pandæmonium. Dare you make the descent?

Official site description

Pandæmonium is a facility in Final Fantasy XIV that forms the basis for the high-end Raid series added with the expansion Endwalker.

History[]

Pandæmonium was a facility far beneath Elpis that contained and researched monsters created through the ancients' creation magicks. While the facility's purpose was believed to be for creations that were too dangerous to be released, over time, its purpose shifted towards creations that were considered too flawed for submission. Each region of Pandæmonium was overseen by a "keyward" who oversaw the maintenance of the seals and answered to the chief keyward, formerly Athena before her duties were taken over by her surviving husband, Lahabrea.

After the events in Elpis, an ancient in a white robe (denoting him as an advisor), looked down at the clouds beneath the facility, commenting that the "dread beast Pandæmonium" had awoken, and that the ancient was waiting for his prophesied "guiding star" to help deal with this menace.

Part 1: Asphodelos[]

Sometime after their triumphant return from Ultima Thule, the Warrior of Light encountered a Sharlayan researcher named Nemjiji outside the Baldesion Annex and learned that a scientist named Claudien in Aporia was requesting them.

After making acquaintance, Claudien revealed that he was in charge of using the Aitiascope to research the aetherial sea. Before the Forum directed all efforts to be focused on the exodus, he and his team had discovered a unique crystal that appeared to have a greater aetheric density than any crystal known before, and Claudien hoped that the adventurer, having encountered many phenomena many would think impossible, could shed light on its origins.

The adventurer recognized it as the same type as the memory crystals the Ascians had used to awaken their sundered brethren and the Azem crystal they themselves owned. This particular crystal lacked any constellation denoting whom it belonged to. After explaining the use of such crystals to Claudien, they tried to attune to the memories within, only to hear a broken call for help to deal with "Pandæmonium".

Claudien deemed that more research into the crystal's mechanics could shed light on the situation, and both Nemjiji and fellow apprentice Ruissenaud looked into similar concepts, such as soul crystals and lost fragments. Having heard the details of their journey to Elpis, Claudien asked the adventurer to take the crystal once more back in time to see if they could find a clue to whoever's memories were stored within.

The adventurer traveled to the Ocular on the First, and using the crystal as a beacon journeyed to Elpis once more. They crashed into an ancient named Themis who asked if the adventurer was the "guiding star" his friend had told him would help with his task: to investigate Pandæmonium since it had lost all contact with the outside world for reasons unknown. Recognizing the name, the adventurer played along posing as Azem's familiar and agreed to help Themis, and they made the journey to the facility.

They found the structure eerily quiet, with none of the warders in charge of keeping the concepts in check in sight. The binding seal on the facility was being eroded from within, and Themis began casting a spell to counter it, which took much of his focus, and asked the adventurer to deal with any threats. His only aid would be to create seven illusory familiars based on the adventurer's aetheric signature to help in combat.

They encountered the warder Erichthonios, who attacked them before snapping back to his senses and introducing himself. The beastly concepts within Asphodelos, the first circle of Pandæmonium, had broken free and were wreaking havoc within. Erichthonios had been separated from his fellow warders before being overcome with negative emotions, after which his memory was blank, having no recollection of the battle that just occurred.

Themis was working for an organization under the control of the Convocation of Fourteen, and needed to make a report to determine a suitable course of action. Erichthonios pleaded with him to delay the report, as they would give the facility up as a lost cause and collapse the space it existed within, killing both the trapped warders and the concepts. He wished to capture and contain the concepts and rescue his colleagues, but his own spellcasting abilities to do as much were lacking. Themis agreed to help with containment, and the adventurer agreed to subdue the rampant concepts.

They first contained the Hippokampos, a water-based monstrosity. Erichthonios explained his reasons to save Pandæmonium for Athena, explaining that each circle of the facility was overseen by a keyward and described the current keyward of Asphodelos; Hesperos, a kind man he hoped had managed to safeguard the other warders. They continued with Erichthonios suggesting they needed to capture the phoinix, an immortal firebird prototype created by the Words of Lahabrea, the most dangerous of the creations stored within Asphodelos. Upon discovering the creature, the halls of Asphodelos changed into a fiery arena that enhanced the beast's strength. The adventurer overcame their foe, and the two ancients bound it. Themis deduced the culprit to be Hesperos, who made his presence known while acting scathing and arrogant with a maddened devotion to Lahabrea, bring particularly dismissive towards Erichthonios while revealing the latter as Lahabrea's son. Hesperos had merged his essence with one of the concepts of Asphodelos before attempting to kill the trio. Themis broke the binding spell, and teleported them out to the gates.

Erichthonios confirmed that he was Lahabrea's son, and Athena was his mother who had died in the course of her duties in Pandæmonium. Lahabrea had taken over her role instead of mourning her loss with his son, something that Erichthonios remained bitter about. He was shocked by Hesperos's change in behavior and his transformation into a hemitheos, and asked the adventurer and Themis to subdue him to get answers for their situation. After Hesperos was defeated, he killed himself rather than allow himself to be captured while denying the group any explanation. Themis sensed the situation was further amiss deeper within Pandæmonium, specifically within the Abyssos circle, and the group heard a loud roar before a seal barred their way.

Themis speculated that whatever force had corrupted Hesperos was also responsible for Erichthonios's previously erratic behavior, and that this force had taken the other missing warders to turn them into hemitheoi as well. Before Themis could unbar the seal, he had to ensure that the rest of Asphodelos was stable by capturing the remaining concepts, as well as consider contacting the Convocation for Lahabrea's aid much to Erichthonios's chagrin. With the phoinix captured, Themis believed this could be accomplished with just Erichthonios's help, and asked the adventurer to rest and report to whoever sent them.

The adventurer returned to the present and told their tale to Claudien, who had made little headway with the memory crystal research. Believing that since the present the adventurer had returned to had not changed, their intervention in the events was already a part of history, and that they should return to the investigation once Claudien and his team had made headway on their own tasks.

Part 2: Abyssos[]

Claudien detected aetheric signals from the memory crystal, which he interpreted as a longing to be made whole. This led him to surmise that a second crystal must exist in the present. Claudien asked the adventurer to return to the past to investigate Pandæmonium, while he would go on an expedition to find the second crystal. His apprentices, Ruissenaud and Nemjiji, were to be left behind to act as a point of contact. Ruissenaud shared to the adventurer that Claudien had become increasingly obsessed with his work since he heard the crystal and hoped that his mentor would return to his usual self once he found the object of his desire.

The adventurer returned to Elpis and reunited with Themis, who was investigating the history of Pandæmonium and the nature of the research being conducted there after dispelling the seal to Abyssos. The duo met with a member of the Words of Lahabrea and learned that while Pandæmonium was initially created as a confining facility for dangerous concepts from Elpis, it grew into a research center over time as it began accepting concepts from around the world that were deemed "dangerous" under the auspices of Lahabrea himself. The Words had received a missive from a Pandæmonium keyward that "all was well", startling Themis and the adventurer who rushed to the facility in anticipation of aiding Erichthonios.

The man in question was accosted by the force claiming to be behind the chaos via a familiar of the phoinix that was previously captured. Erichthonios recognized the voice as his father's, who needed Erichthonios to fulfill both of their wishes. Before the assailant could abduct him, they were interrupted by Themis and the adventurer. The familiar dissipated, and Erichthonios relayed what he had discovered to the duo, much to Themis's shock who could not reconcile the individual Erichthonios described to the Lahabrea he knew. With their adversary revealed, the party descended into Abyssos to confront them. They were caught in a teleport trap, forcing the adventurer to battle with a monstrous Carbuncle before Erichthonios sealed it away.

The being claiming to be Lahabrea revealed himself and goaded Erichthonios into getting more agitated with the promises of being able to revive Athena if the warder were to join him. Themis saw the act as a ruse, as the real Lahabrea would recognize him. The real Lahabrea arrived, who revealed Themis to be "Elidibus" in the Convocation of Fourteen. The Imposter Lahabrea shed his disguise and named himself as Hephaistos, accusing Lahabrea of murdering Athena and telling Erichthonios he was the man he should call father before making his escape.

Back at the gates, Lahabrea revealed that Hephaistos was a part of him; the emotions of greed, ambition, and other dark aspects of his psyche that were separated from his main self in an experiment gone awry and sealed away. If left to his devices, the research Hephaistos was undertaking would have dire consequences to the star. As chief keyward, Lahabrea decided to destroy the facility much to the chagrin of his son, who argued that simply abandoning the other keywards and wardens when there was a possibility of saving them would be callous.

Erichthonios besought Themis to act as "Elidibus" to determine the best course of action, and the Emissary judged that attempting to save the warders while the option was still on the table was the most reasonable solution. Lahabrea acquiesced on the condition that the party prove they would be able to subdue one of the hemitheos. Many of the dangerous creations in Abyssos had been taken by Hephaistos to the deeper circles for experimentation, and only Hegemone, keyward of Abyssos, remained, though her essence was corrupted. The adventurer headed into Abyssos to confront the keyward and subdued her long enough for Erichthonios to bind her.

The party regrouped at the gates to celebrate. Though Lahabrea was impressed by their achievement, he believed his son would only be a detriment to their cause, especially when he learned that Erichthonios wished to find out the meaning by Hephaistos's claim of resurrecting Athena. The resulting altercation between the two caused enough distress for Hephaistos to seize control of Erichthonios's mind and force him to teleport to the depths of Tartaros, the final circle of the facility. Lahabrea realized his folly in keeping his son out of reach to protect him from certain truths. When Themis and the adventurer re-affirmed their ambition to free Pandaemonium and Erichthonios, Lahabrea decided to put his faith in their path and told them that the way to Hephaistos and Erichthonios would be blocked by a seal maintained by Agdistis, the last of the keywards and Lahabrea's right-hand in charge of the general management of Pandæmonium. Lahabrea had deduced her location but her essence had been almost entirely corrupted, and that her only release would be death.

The adventurer warped into the arena to face off against Agdistis, transformed into a tree-like monstrosity, and defeated her. Lahabrea mourned the loss of his friend when a part of her spirit, separated from her main self when she realized the corruption would overtake her, remained behind and revealed itself. The fading soul thanked Elidibus and the adventurer and informed them of truth behind Athena's death through a recording. Lahabrea did indeed kill his wife, but it was to save his son, as his wife was not the saint Erichthonios remembered her to be and had planned to use the boy as the key component in her grandest experiment. Lahabrea had alienated himself from his son so that his rage and despair would be directed solely at him and that he would not delve deeper into the truth. Agdistis apologized to her mentor for revealing the truth but deemed it no longer necessary to withhold it. Before fading away the keyward requested the party to stop Hephaistos and save Erichthonios, and for Lahabrea to tell him the whole truth.

The deepest layer of Tartaros contained Athena's secret laboratory, where she had carried out her most clandestine research. It was here that Lahabrea sensed his other half had taken his son. To secure the path between the gate and the lab, Themis needed to dedicate his attention to the task and entrusted Lahabrea with creating the phantom warriors to assist the adventurer. In the heart of Tartaros, the adventurer was embroiled in a frenetic battle that saw Hephaistos taking form after form, stretching the very boundaries of creation magicks. Even the purloined power of Pandæmonium's prisoners was not enough, and the would-be god was defeated.

As Lahabrea poised to deal the killing blow, Hephaistos shielded himself with the insensate Erichthonios, prompting the Speaker to reveal the truth of Athena's intentions. A few well-placed words from the adventurer stirred Erichthonios from his stupor, and gathering what strength he could, broke free from the magick binding him. He interred the shocked Hephaistos in an aetherial casket, around which Lahabrea worked his own magicks until all that remained was a fiery red crystal.

As Erichthonios regained his senses, Lahabrea recounted his discovery of Athena's experiments and journey into Pandæmonium to stop them. To understand her and see if she ever bore him any true affection, Lahabrea and Athena bonded souls, and the former became corrupted by the latter's unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Lahabrea was forced to cut away a part of his soul and seal it within a crystal to save himself. Even this was a part of Athena's scheme, as the crystal was used to imbue a vessel with life, creating Hephaistos, who would continue her work.

With Hephaistos defeated and Pandæmonium under control, Themis's task and the adventurer's seemed to have been completed. Themis and Lahabrea remained with Erichthonios and attempted to deal with the corrupted warders in the hopes of restoring them to normal. Though questions remained about the exact nature of Hephaistos's experiments and the role Erichthonios would be play in them, the more key concern was that the adventurer did not find who created the crystal that initially led them to the facility. The group bid the adventurer farewell and would await their return with the crystal, so that may examine it in further detail.

The adventurer returned to the present and traveled to Claudien's laboratory, only to be informed by Ruissenaud that the professor had gone missing after reaching Azys Lla and an unusual confluence of energy had been detected in the aetherial sea. They rushed to the Aitiascope and were met with the sight of Pandæmonium floating in the once-empty void. Fourchenault Leveilleur arrived to investigate the disturbance. Upon hearing the adventurer's story, he mapped out a course of action. Ishgard would be asked to aid in a search for Claudien, and the brightest minds in aetherial research would gather to keep track of changes in the aetherial sea. He requested the Warrior to stand by to assist them when the next step was decided. He departed to make his report to the Forum, informing Ruissenaud and Nemjiji that their own report would need all details noted down. Back at the lab, Ruissenaud surmised that the hand behind Professor Claudien's disappearance may also have summoned Pandæmonium to the present. Until the Forum made a decision, or a breakthrough in the investigation was reached, the adventurer would need to rest as whatever may come would demand their full strength.

Part 3: Anabaseios[]

The adventurer returned to Aporia when the Forum had completed its investigation. They met with Claudien's assistants as well Fourchenault, who relayed that the investigation team had discovered that an entire section of Azys Lla's Aetherochemical Research Facility had disappeared, warped by teleportation magicks. Tracing of the magicks led to the conclusion that it had arrived in the Lifestream, reformed as the halls of Pandæmonium as visible from the Aitiascope. It was believed Claudien was warped alongside the facility. A monstrous being was observed emerging from Pandæmonium, devouring the souls present in the surroundings. The adventurer was tasked with the slaying of the beast and the continued investigation of the facility's present time.

They confronted the beast, Kokytus, on its aetherial trap, and brought it low. They then came face to face with a woman in a familiar black robe. The Ancient introduced herself as Athena, recognizing the adventurer from Elpis, and revealed that she was the cause of the recent events. She hoped that the Warrior would come to see her point of view on the matters, and through the Warrior's memories, Athena conjured simulacrums of Lahabrea and Erichthonios etched onto wayward souls that were able to speak but unable interact with anything. She then made herself scarce, urging the Warrior to follow her.

As the Warrior briefed Lahabrea and Erichthonios on the current situation, Claudien's assistants, Nemjiji and Ruissenaud, were also introduced, during which Nemjiji accidentally informed Lahabrea of his future as an Ascian. The matter was not dealt with further, as all agreed they needed to stop Athena and free Claudien.

As the Warrior approached the gates of Pandæmonium, they were met by Themis. Much like Lahabrea and Erichthonios, Athena had pulled a soul from the aetherial sea, imprinted his memories onto it and granted him physical form, but also bound his mind to her. While Themis encouraged the Warrior forward, he also warned them. The fortress started change: Athena had granted a soul to the fortress itself, creating a massive monster: Pandæmonium. After defeating it, Themis opened the way forward, where he would be waiting for them. The Warrior then informed Lahabrea and Erichthonios, and Erichthonios determined that even though Themis was for now under Athena's influence, a strong enough reminder of his past deeds after he has been weakened should be enough to return him back.

The Warrior was teleported into imagined chamber of the Convocation of Fourteen, where Themis transformed into a new form granted by Athena. In contrast to Warrior's and Elidibus's last battle within the Crystal Tower on the First, Themis fought by employing Light and Darkness in balance, but he was ultimately laid low by the Warrior. With his defeat, Themis thanked the Warrior for freeing him from Athena's influence, but rermarked that he his form wouldn't last. The Warrior claimed he was needed and granted a portion of their aether to him, allowing him to maintain his form, though he still remarked he was on borrowed time. The Warrior escorted Themis to Lahabrea and Erichthonios, and Themis claimed Athena was able to miantain herself through using Professor Caludien as a vessel. None of the ancients intended to have Claudien destroyed, but Lahabrea remarked it must be done if nothing else works.

The Warrior proceeded to encounter Athena herself. She transformed into a theos, similar to hemitheos, but made manifest through her own will, whereas hemitheo were made against their will. In a titanic clash, where Athena declared herself a god, the Warrior managed to put her down. Lahabrea, Themis and Erichthonios arrived, and Erichthonios demanded to know why Athena casted him and Lahabrea away, even though Lahabrea claimed it didn't matter. Athena smugly claimed she conceived Erichthonios only to use him as a tool for her research, the same way she used Lahabrea as well. Originally, Athena intended to use Erichthonios as a vessel in a similar way she is using Claudien now, but declared she made a mistake by granting Erichthonios a soul. Finally Erichthonios realized, why he was never able to wield magic like other ancients were. Athena then made her final declaration: if she cannot become a god and remake the world according to her vision, she would erase the aetherial sea, thus denying the cycle of life within the universe. Erichthonios declared she won't do such a thing, as he realized Athena was acting through Claudien. Since Claudien was a Erichthonios sundered soul, he believed he can reach out to him and have him recall himself, thus severing Athena's hold over him. Athena warned Erichthonios, but he did it nonetheless: he charged at Athena and released Claudien, at the cost of his current form. With Athena broken from Claudien, the realm Athena had created began to crumble, prompting Lahabrea and Themis to take the Warrior and Claudien to safety. As Athena began to fade into the aether, she saw Erichthonios, though it was only an image in her own mind. Athena declared Erichthonios useless to the end, while he remarked it was Athena herself, who made him that way.

As Lahabrea and Themis brought the Warrior and Claudien back to the Aitiascope, they witnessed Pandæmonium disappearing. With Athena's plans brought low, Lahabrea then asked the Warrior to confirm what he had heard from Nemjiji, when she mentioned the Ascian Lahabrea: is he and the Ascian the same person. The Warrior claimed he is, and Lahabrea then reflected about his Ascian self's actions, and declared that in the right circumstances, he would do what he did. With that matter dealt with, Lahabrea and Themis told the Warrior to go back to the Pandæmonium in the past to receive the remaining answers to one final mystery: who or what awakened Hephaistos in the first place, the event that set the events within Pandæmonium into motion. Lahabrea then returned to the aetherial sea, while Themis chose to remain as long as he could, because he wanted to know the answers as well.

The Warrior returned to Pandæmonium in the past. Lahabrea, Themis and Erichthonios were surprised to see the Warrior again, as they believed they wouldn't return. Erichthonios told the Warrior they have managed to reclaim control of the facility, and also restore some of the hemitheo back to themselves. When the Warrior related what they could about the events in the present, Lahabrea seemingly had an epiphany, figuring out how Hephaistos was released. He took Themis, Erichthonios and the Warrior outside as witnesses to what he was about to do, but also warned them not to interfere.

Outside, Lahabrea met with Hegemone. He asked her if she had been working in Pandæmonium during Athena's time. Implying that only someone with deep inside knowledge about the facility could've released Hephaistos. Lahabrea openly declared it was Hegemone, whom Athena had corrupted. Lifting her in the air, Lahabrea took Hephaistos's crystal and declared his intention to face his memories, he shattered the crystal and re-integrated Hephaistos's essence into himself, becoming whole once again. With this power, Lahabrea shattered Athena's remaining influence from Hegemone, but he didn't kill her. Rather, he asked her to take charge of Pandæmonium now that Agdistis is gone, as she knew the facility better than anyone. Hegemone was surprised but she accepted the position. His demeanor and language now noticeable similar to his future self, Lahabrea then informed the Warrior that they would most likely come conflict with each other if they continued to associate, and bid them a terse farewell. The Warrior gave their farewell to Erichthonios and Themis of the past, and returned to the Aitiascope in the present.

After relaying to the group the events of the past, Claudien revealed that the memory crystal had finally deigned to show its full secret. From within, a message from Ericthonios played forth from the Final Days, wherein he resolved to set the crystal adrift as a warning to survivors about the nature of Pandæmonium. Claudien further revealed that the Heart of Sabik had come into his possession, now empty of Athena's memories, and wished to study it further to plumb its secrets.

The Warrior conversed one last time with Themis, during which he revealed that he possessed some of Elidibus's fragmented memories. From what he gleaned, he speculated that the Emissary agreed to send the Warrior to Elpis because of vague recollections of the events in Pandæmonium, though given the great change wrought upon his personality by the intervening millennia, it would be impossible to be certain. Reflecting with fondness upon their time together and the meaning it may hold, Themis subsequently dissipated into the aetherial sea.

Locations[]

The World Unsundered[]

The Gates of Pandæmonium - The entrance to the facility.
Asphodelos - The first layer of the facility and closest to the surface.
- The Stagnant Limbo - A sewer system in Asphodelos.
- The Fervid Limbo - An arena created by Hesperos to enhance the power of the Phoinix.
- The Sanguine Limbo - Hesperos's domain where he guards the entrance to Abyssos, the next circle of Pandæmonium.
Abyssos - The second layer of the facility, located beneath Asphodelos.
- The Caustic Purgatory - A testing ground for creations that wield poison.
- The Pestilient Purgatory - The domain of Hegemone, one the keywards turned hemitheos.
Tartaros - The third and final layer of the facility and the deepest from the surface.
- The Hollow Purgatory - A secret domain in Tartaros where Agdistis, the last keyward, was imprisoned after she was turned into a hemitheos.
- Stygian Insenescence Cells - Athena's secret laboratory at the bottom of Tartaros, where she researched the methods of acheiving true immortality.

The Northern Empty[]

The Aetherial Slough - The space created by the Kokytus to trap souls for its feast.
The Dæmon's Nest - The recreation of the main castle of Pandæmonium in present time as conjured by Athena from a section of Azys Lla and the subsequent warped space it becomes.
- The Chamber of Fourteen - A recreation of the meeting room of the Convocation of Fourteen in Amaurot made by Athena. Perhaps due to her lack of familiarity with the Convocation, the only sigils present in this rendition are those of Lahabrea.
- Ascension - A space created by Athena to test the limits of the Warrior of Light to assist in her ascension to godhood.

Duties[]

Asphodelos[]

Abyssos[]

Anabaseios[]

Etymology[]

[view · edit · purge]Pandæmonium comprises the Greek words pan, "all", and daimonion, "demon"; it can roughly be translated as "all demons". Pandæmonium is the castle of Lucifer and the capital of Hell in John Milton's Paradise Lost, and the word was invented by him. The word has also come to mean any wild disorder or chaos in English.

Asphodelos (ἀσφόδελος, asphódelos) likely references to the Asphodel Meadows, a location in Greek mythology. It is described as a plain covered in asphodel flowers, located within the Underworld. The Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, was also described being crowned with a garland of asphodels.

Abyssos (ἄβῠσσος, ábussos) is a word in Greek, which translates as "bottomless, unfathomable, boundless".

Anabaseios (ᾰ̓νᾰβᾰ́σεως, anabáseōs) is the genitive singular of the Greek word "Anabasis" (ᾰ̓νᾰ́βᾰσῐς, anábasis), which means expedition from coastline to inland. In the game it can be seen the Warrior of Light beginning Anabaseios from the shores of the aetherial sea and eventually reaching the top, where they confront Athena, who attempts to ascend into godhood.

In Final Fantasy II, Pandaemonium is the palace of Hell that is resurrected by Emperor Mateus as the game's final dungeon. Lahabrea's name was taken from Final Fantasy XII, where Lahabrea, the Abyssal Celebrant was the scion counterpart to Mateus, the Corrupt.