Remembering the Past

Quest giver: Nananji
Location: Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (X:8.9, Y:9.2)
Level: 50
Required quest: The Ultimate Weapon
Experience: 11,700-13,455
Gil: 770
Next quest: Preserving the Future
Patch: 6.48
Links: GT

“

Nananji appears to be in deep thought.

— In-game description

Steps

Speak with Nananji at Camp Drybone.
Wait at the designated location.
Speak with Nananji at Apkallu Falls in Gridania.
Speak with Nananji near Maelstrom Command.
Speak with Nananji again.

Journal

Nananji appears to be in deep thought.

Making your way through Ul'dah, you encounter a budding writer named Nananji Nononji, who tells you that he seeks to write a biography of the late Archon Louisoix. To that end, he has arranged to interview a member of the Immortal Flames, and asks that you accompany him as an assistant. Upon agreeing to his request, you are directed to join him at Camp Drybone ahead of the interview.
- ※Please note that the difficulty of this quest has been synced to your current level.

After arriving at Camp Drybone, Nananji leads you to a nearby graveyard, where he explains his motivation for writing the biography. The Calamity had destroyed his village and killed his parents, and he struggles to move forward in a world where ever fewer people spare the event any thought. In learning about Louisoix and his part in Eorzea's salvation, it is his hope that he will attain closure, and having reviewed what is widely known of the subject, you set off for the interview at Highbridge.

The interviewee, Flame Lieutenant Hollin Aubrey, arrives shortly after you do, and he proceeds to give an account of his dealings with Louisoix. Thanks to the Archon, the forces of Eorzea were made aware of the Meteor project, which Legatus Nael van Darnus sought to utilize to purge all life from the realm. At this juncture in his tale, the lieutenant offers to introduce you to someone who is better suited to recount what follows, and Nananji happily accepts. Thus is it decided that you will next take yourselves to Apkallu Falls in Gridania for another interview.

As you wait in the tranquil surrounds of Apkallu Falls, your interviewee appears in the form of Serpent Lieutenant Syro Fulke. The lieutenant speaks of how Louisoix had secured external support for the Order of the Twin Adder as it sought to vanquish the rampaging Garuda. And when it subsequently came to light that the VIIth Imperial Legion had constructed a lunar transmitter─the device that would pluck Dalamud from the heavens─within their new castrum, the three nations responded by reforming the Eorzean Alliance, and appointed the Archon their tactician. For that which comes after, the operation to destroy the lunar transmitter, the lieutenant directs you to a soldier who actually took part in it. To that end do you make your way to Maelstrom Command in Limsa Lominsa, where the individual may be found.

Entering Maelstrom Command, you are warmly greeted by Storm Commander R'ashaht Rhiki. The commander takes you through the details of the operation, which saw the main force of the Alliance lay siege to the castrum while an elite band of adventurers destroyed the lunar transmitter. Although the operation failed to halt Dalamud's descent, it served to demonstrate to the people of Eorzea that, by standing together, they could oppose even the might of the Empire. And at Louisoix's behest, they stood together once more at the Carteneau Flats, where they fought desperately to secure the area for the ritual to cast the red moon back unto the heavens. To the shock of all present, however, Bahamut burst forth from Dalamud and proceeded to unleash his fury upon the realm. While it is held that Louisoix had defeated the dread being, all memories of the Calamity were shrouded in haze, and no one remembers what actually happened. Curious as to events prior to that moment, Nananji asks R'ashaht if someone was near Louisoix during the battle, but she regrettably does not know. There the tale ends, and you thank the commander before taking your leave.

While Nananji has learned a great deal about Louisoix, there is still more that he wishes to know. If you are willing, he asks that you accompany him for a little longer.

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

Nananji: The determined set of your jaw... The dynamic presence, as if you're ever ready to leap into action... There's no mistake─you're an adventurer, and a dependable one at that!
Nananji: Tell me, are you familiar with the name Louisoix Leveilleur?

<What will you say?>
<Of course I am!>
<I've never heard of him...>

< Of course I am!>
Nananji: Of course you are, of course you are!

< I've never heard of him...>
Nananji: What!? You don't know the legendary Archon who they say saved Eorzea from the Calamity!? Well, I suppose there's something to be said for fresh perspectives...

(Both)
Nananji: Forgive me my suddenness. I'm Nananji Nononji, a budding writer, and I seek to pen a biography of the great man.
Nananji: In particular, I wish to cover his movements leading up to the Calamity, and to that end I've requested an interview with the Immortal Flames. He served the Eorzean Alliance as a tactician, you see, so there ought to be someone in the order who had dealings with him.
Nananji: And while my request has thankfully been accepted, there's just one problem: I don't have much experience conducting interviews, and I'm worried whether I'll be able to do a proper job...
Nananji: As an adventurer, you're doubtless used to dealing with people. Thus I would like to ask you to accompany me in the capacity of an assistant. It would be tremendously reassuring to simply have you watching on.
Nananji: And if you're amenable, afterwards I'd like to interview you as well for your own impressions.
Nananji: For your troubles, I'll be certain to credit you as a collaborator. So please, won't you help me with my biography, that the memories of the Calamity might be preserved for future generations?
Nananji: I'm in your debt!
Nananji: To begin with, please come with me to Camp Drybone in eastern   
Nananji: There's a place I'd like to visit ahead of the interview.

Speaking with Nanaji at Camp Drybone

Nananji: There you are. To explain why we're here...
Nananji: Oh, but I haven't even asked your name! How am I supposed to credit you if I don't even know that much?
Nananji: [Forename] [Surname]!? The [Forename] [Surname], champion of Eorzea!?
Nananji: Small wonder I felt you were dependable! With one such as you helping me, everything will surely go well!
Nananji: But getting back to business─the interview I've arranged is with an officer of the Immortal Flames.
Nananji: As there's still time, however, I thought we'd pay a visit to the nearby graveyard first, so I can explain my motivation for the biography.

Cutscene

Nananji: I come from a small village near the Carteneau Flats. It was burned down in the Calamity, and those who died were laid to rest here. My parents among them.
Nananji: It's hardly an uncommon tale. After the dread primal emerged from Dalamud, he unleashed fiery devastation across the length and breadth of Eorzea.
Nananji: But as much as the Calamity has scarred the realm, it is quickly becoming just another event in the history books.
Nananji: Beyond occasionally giving thanks to the Archons that Eorzea was saved, people spare it little thought.
Nananji: But when you've lost so many loved ones, it's hard to feel that anything was saved...
Nananji: That's why I wish to know more about Louisoix. By learning about his part in Eorzea's salvation, I hope that I will attain closure.
Nananji: That's my motivation for writing the biography.
Nananji: Now then, in preparation for the interview, let's review what is known about our subject.
Nananji: It's difficult to define exactly when the Seventh Umbral Calamity was set in motion. Many historians, however, point to the Empire's Meteor project, which sought to bring Dalamud down upon Eorzea.
Nananji: It was the year 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era. Seeking to combat the imperial threat, Louisoix founded the Circle of Knowing, an order whose objective was the preservation of Eorzea.
Nananji: Through its members, the Archons of Sharlayan, the Circle worked to unite the nations of Eorzea in common cause.
Nananji: The result was the formation of the Grand Companies in the three city-states. The Immortal Flames, the Order of the Twin Adder, and the Maelstrom─none of these would exist now were it not for their efforts.
Nananji: And then in the year 1572, when the situation was coming to a head, Louisoix himself made the journey to Eorzea in secret and engaged with each of the nations. What took place during that time is what I seek to learn in the interview.
Nananji: The man we're due to meet is the contact for the Free Brigade, a unit formed of adventurers, and he apparently had Louisoix's assistance for a mission.
Nananji: The meeting place is Highbridge, to the northeast. It's more or less time now, so let's make our way there.

Waiting at the designated location

(Optional)
Nananji: The interviewee should be along any moment now.

Flame Officer: You're the ones who seek an interview? I must say, I wasn't expecting to see the champion of Eorzea...

Nananji: I'm Nananji Nononji, the writer who made the request, and [Forename] is kindly accompanying me for the interview. I can't thank you enough for taking the time out of your busy schedule to humor me.

Flame Officer: Come now, no need for the thanks. Like everyone, I hold Louisoix in the highest esteem.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: If you wish to know about him, Hollin Aubrey is always glad to oblige.

Nananji: Without further ado, then, let us begin.
Nananji: My understanding is you had dealings with Louisoix. Could you please tell me the details?

Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: As you know, our Grand Companies were formed thanks to the Circle of Knowing. But it wasn't until Dalamud began turning red that Louisoix first appeared.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: It began with the word that an elderly Elezen man had come to Gridania who held the key to vanquishing primals. Upon learning of this, I sent an adventurer of the Free Brigade to make contact with him.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: I later learned that the Maelstrom and the Order of the Twin Adder had done the very same. At that time, our companies weren't yet collaborating; each one only thought to stay ahead of the others.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: If truth be told, at first we didn't think much of Louisoix─only that he was the leader of scholars who studied peculiar prophecies. But when the adventurer reported back, our opinion of the man completely changed.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: With his spellcraft, Louisoix had opened the way into Ifrit's domain. And by the hand of dauntless adventurers, the Lord of the Inferno was brought low.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Alas, many defeats preceded that victory. It was reported that countless charred corpses laid strewn in the Bowl of Embers.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Now, the mission also yielded a shocking revelation.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Following the battle, Legatus Nael van Darnus of the VIIth Imperial Legion appeared and told the adventurer that the hour of reckoning was at hand. That Dalamud would soon fall and cleanse the land.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: That was when we realized that the Empire was behind the red moon's anomaly.

Nananji: So thanks to Louisoix, you came to be aware of the Meteor project. Still, it doesn't seem like you had much to act upon.

Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: As you say. Afterwards, we scrambled to learn all we could about the project.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: For a blessing, we had the cooperation of a Garlean defector: Cid Garlond, whom you know well.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: He revealed the details of the project─that it utilized a transmission tower to pluck Dalamud from the heavens, all for the purpose of purging us savages from the realm.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: I could continue telling you what I know...but from this point on, there is someone better suited than I am.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: If you are interested, I would be glad to introduce you to this individual. What say you?

Nananji: Well now, we'd be keen to speak with this person indeed!

Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Very well, I will send word to the Adders' Nest. If you could take yourselves to Apkallu Falls, I will arrange for a meeting there.

Nananji: To go to such lengths to help us... I can't say how grateful I am.

Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Do not mention it. As I said, I hold Louisoix in the highest esteem. He was the one who brought our three nations together, and nothing would please me more than for him to be remembered.
Flame Lieutenant Aubrey: Well, it's past time I returned to Ul'dah. I pray that the coming interview bears you fruit.

Nananji: The lieutenant certainly has great respect for Louisoix...
Nananji: And thanks to him, we have another promising interview. Come, let's head to Gridania, where the Archon had sojourned!

Speaking with Nanaji at Apkallu Falls (Cutscene)

Nananji: So this is Apkallu Falls... The conspicuous lack of the creatures aside, it's quite a beautiful place. Now then, the person we're to meet should be along shortly...

Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: I was told there were those who wish to learn about Louisoix─and who should one of them be but the champion of Eorzea... Well met. I am Lieutenant Syro Fulke of the Order of the Twin Adder.

Nananji: Nananji Nononji, at your service. Thank you for sparing the time to speak with us.

Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Think nothing of it.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: I must say, though, that Lieutenant Aubrey chose the perfect spot for the subject matter.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Louisoix spent much time in rumination here in the days before the Calamity. We Gridanians being somewhat reserved by nature, at first the citizens kept their distance.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: But in time, people warmed to him. He patiently lent an ear to their troubles, healing hurts and offering counsel, and gradually earned their trust.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: “To ignore the plight of those one might conceivably save is not wisdom─it is indolence.”
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Louisoix spoke those words─and lived up to them. He was the epitome of a Sharlayan sage, and I recall myself being moved.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Now, shortly after we had become aware of the Meteor project, the hamlet of Quarrymill was attacked by the primal Garuda. Both soldiers and civilians were among the casualties.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: The Order of the Twin Adder moved to vanquish the primal, but we were not alone. Through Louisoix's mediation, we had the support of not only our sister Grand Companies, but capable adventurers the realm over besides.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Using an artifact known as the Vortex Feather, the Archon opened the way for a band of adventurers to sally forth into Garuda's turbulent domain, where they felled the fearsome being.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Upon her defeat, however, the primal's dispersed aether did not return to the land; instead, it was absorbed into the red moon Dalamud.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: And when the Empire constructed a new base in Mor Dhona, the Elder Seedseer saw the need for decisive action and put forth a proposal: the formal reformation of the Eorzean Alliance, which had for so long lain dormant.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: The initial response from the other nations was lukewarm at best. They felt that the burden to be borne by each party was excessive, and they were loath to do aught that would place them at a disadvantage against their rivals.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: But the revelation that a lunar transmitter had been erected in the imperial base prompted a change of heart.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: The tower controlled Dalamud's descent. If it could be destroyed, then the Meteor project would be forestalled.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: After having constantly been on the back foot, our nations were motivated to join hands, that we might strike a decisive blow against the enemy. Thus was the Eorzean Alliance reformed, as the Circle of Knowing had hoped.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: At the same juncture, Louisoix was asked to join the Alliance as a tactician. And in that capacity, he provided sage counsel to our heads of state.

Nananji: So, although he was at first treated with wariness, Louisoix earned our trust through his actions, and paved the way to enduring cooperation between our nations.

Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Indeed. Were it not for him, we all would have perished divided. We owe Louisoix a great debt.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Now then, I expect you might be interested in hearing about the operation to destroy the lunar transmitter.
Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: But for that tale, I would recommend you seek out another─a decorated soldier who actually took part in the operation. Although a hardened warrior, she is quite friendly and should be glad to regale you with her experiences. Shall I send her word on your behalf?

Nananji: We'd be duly grateful!

Serpent Lieutenant Fulke: Very well. If you could take yourselves to Maelstrom Command in Limsa Lominsa, I shall see to it that she knows to expect you. With that, I shall take my leave. I pray that the biography is a success.

Nananji: Everyone has been more helpful than I had dared to hope. It seems Louisoix had quite an influence on others.
Nananji: That interview gave us some valuable insights into his character, and I'm eager to see what we learn in the next.
Nananji: Come, let's head to Limsa Lominsa!

Speaking with Nanaji near Maelstrom Command (Cutscene)

Nananji: And there it is, Maelstrom Command. Shall we, then?

R'ashaht Rhiki: [Forename], ever a sight for sore eyes. And you must be Nananji. R'ashaht Rhiki, at your service. I understand you wish to hear about the operation to destroy the lunar transmitter.

Nananji: Indeed. I'm penning a biography of the Archon Louisoix, you see, for which I'm interviewing people who had dealings with him. I truly appreciate your time.

R'ashaht Rhiki: You're very welcome. I would be glad to assist even if it wasn't a request from Lieutenant Fulke.
R'ashaht Rhiki: Now then, to continue where he left off... It was shortly after the Eorzean Alliance was formed. Our scouts returned with word that the VIIth Legion had activated the lunar transmitter in their fortress in Mor Dhona.
R'ashaht Rhiki: Now known as Castrum Centri, the fortress was originally called Castrum Novum before the XIVth restored and renamed it.
R'ashaht Rhiki: It was in order to break through its defenses and destroy the transmitter that our three nations joined hands, and we were determined to succeed.
R'ashaht Rhiki: The strategy that Louisoix proposed was elegant in its simplicity: while our main force drew the Garleans' attention with an all-out siege, an elite band of adventurers would infiltrate the castrum and make for our objective.
R'ashaht Rhiki: We had entrusted adventurers with ridding us of the primals; now we entrusted them with the very fate of Eorzea.
R'ashaht Rhiki: I still remember the operation as if it were yesterday. Though we met with fierce resistance, we fought more fiercely still. No matter the cost, we had to ensure that the adventurers had a chance to strike at the transmitter.
R'ashaht Rhiki: And when the messenger arrived bearing word that they had succeeded... Ah, it still makes my heart soar to recall that moment of triumph.
R'ashaht Rhiki: That day, we learned that, by standing together, the people of Eorzea could oppose even the might of the Empire.
R'ashaht Rhiki: 'Tis no exaggeration to say that that victory paved the way for Eorzea's future. Without it, there would not have been an Operation Archon.
R'ashaht Rhiki: Alas, it wasn't all glad tidings. For though we destroyed the transmitter, Nael van Darnus appeared and claimed that he no longer needed the device to bring down Dalamud─that he himself had the power to do so.
R'ashaht Rhiki: So long as van Darnus lived, the threat of destruction remained. And so, branding him an enemy to all life in Eorzea, the nations of the Alliance undertook a desperate manhunt.
R'ashaht Rhiki: At length they located him in Coerthas, and sent their greatest warriors to hunt him down.

(If did 1.0)
R'ashaht Rhiki: Leading that formidable band was a hero who scarcely needs any introduction─is this not so? And though no records remain of the fierce encounter, one thing is certain: at battle's conclusion, Nael van Darnus was brought low.

(If did not)
R'ashaht Rhiki: Leading that formidable band was the adventurer whom they called the Warrior of Light. And though no records remain of the fierce encounter, one thing is certain: at battle's conclusion, Nael van Darnus was brought low.

(Both)
R'ashaht Rhiki: As you know, however, our woes did not end with the White Raven, for Louisoix and his disciples determined that Dalamud would continue to fall.
R'ashaht Rhiki: In a last-ditch bid to prevent the realm's annihilation, the Circle of Knowing issued a request to the Eorzean Alliance: to secure the Carteneau Flats, where the red moon was expected to crash.
R'ashaht Rhiki: 'Twas no simple task, for the entirety of the VIIth Legion had amassed in Carteneau. But it was necessary in order to perform a ritual to stop Dalamud─a ritual that invoked the power of the Twelve.
R'ashaht Rhiki: So it was that the Battle of Carteneau was joined...and I daresay you know how the tale continues.

Nananji: To everyone's shock, the elder primal Bahamut emerged from Dalamud, and proceeded to unleash his fury upon the realm.

R'ashaht Rhiki: Aye. And though all bore witness as Louisoix initiated the ritual, none remember what came to pass afterwards. Neither what happened to Bahamut, nor why the realm was reborn.

Nananji: The haze that afflicted memories of the Calamity... But people remember events prior to that moment, yes? If so, do you know if anyone was near Louisoix during the battle? Someone who may have spoken with him...

R'ashaht Rhiki: If someone was near him, I'm afraid I do not know. He was atop a rise for the ritual while I was a good distance away on the front lines.
R'ashaht Rhiki: My apologies...

Nananji: No, no, please don't apologize. You've shared a wealth of information, and I couldn't ask for more.

R'ashaht Rhiki: Well, if you're satisfied, then so am I. With that, I shall return to my duties. I look forward to reading the biography when it's finished!

Speaking with Nananji again

Nananji: Now I have a grasp of events leading up to the Calamity. And yet...
Nananji: Oh, forgive me, I was deep in thought. In no small part due to your help, I've managed to learn a great deal.
Nananji: But there is still more that I wish to know. Might I trouble you to accompany me a little longer? If you're willing, please let me know.