Phobos, also referred to as the Grand Symphony, was created as Remus' plan to avert the prophecy of Fontaine and free humanity from their predetermined destiny, which Remurians called "Fortuna." However, instead of leading Remurians to everlasting glory, it led the nation to its demise.
Unbeknownst to all but Remus, Phobos' corruption stemmed from the fact that it had a persona. Because it was created from Sybilla, who had no persona and satisfied anything that was asked of her, her desire to "grant happiness to all in the world who are called humans" made Phobos susceptible to fulfilling even the worst of Remurians' desires, which it learned from absorbing their souls.
In the present, Phobos serves as the main antagonist of the World Quest Series Canticles of Harmony, where it is finally destroyed for good.
Overview[]
By combining Remus' power with Sybilla's wisdom, Phobos was intended to unite humanity through the power of music, guiding them to eternal prosperity and eventually creating a "Grand Symphony"[1] which would be conducted by humanity itself. However, because Phobos was created from Sybilla herself, it also inherited her faults — namely, her lack of self. Her broad desire to make all humans happy led Phobos, which inherited that quality, to try and satisfy the desire to conquer and subjugate all non-Remurians.[2]
Instead of leading Remuria to everlasting glory, however, Phobos brought about its demise. It directed Remurians to wage war against all non-Remurians, earning them many enemies and giving rise to the Lochknights. Remus' attempt to save Remuria by destroying Phobos failed, and the entire nation was submerged in an instant. The survivors then waged war among themselves; Boethius and his followers, the Golden Troupe, attempted to revive Phobos, while Cassiodor and his faction worked to stop them. Cassiodor finally managed to gain an upper hand by breaking Boethius' soul into fragments and sealing them in the Sea of Bygone Eras.
Story[]
Remuria[]
The Phobos was created by Remus and Sybilla with one goal: to aid in granting the wishes of humanity, and to bring prosperity to Remuria. Through the use of golden Ichor — created from a goblet of water from the Primordial Sea — Remurians' souls were absorbed into Phobos, granting them eternal life and allowing them to hear the Grand Symphony's instructions. These "ascended" Remurians were also given immortal golem bodies which were insoluble to the Primordial Sea, which would otherwise dissolve all Fontainians. By doing this, Remus believed Remurians would be able to avoid the prophecy and maintain Remuria's eternal prosperity.
However, Phobos was created from Sybilla's wisdom; she had no will of her own and did whatever was asked of her, and this caused Phobos to grow corrupt as it tried satisfying the malevolent desires that some Remurians developed,[2] believing that possessing eternal lives, undying golem bodies, and "true free will" made them superior to non-Remurians.[3] The Harmost Boethius was one such Remurian; his surviving writings express his views that other Fontainians were so inferior to Remurians as to be non-humans, in sharp contrast to the Boethius whom Cassiodor remembers. Boethius' desire to become part of the Grand Symphony led Phobos to "eat" him, turning the Harmost into its puppet.[2][Note 1]
With Boethius as a mouthpiece, Phobos guided Remuria into waging war against Fontaine's "barbarian" tribes. Its melodies turned harsh and sorrowful, interruptions in its melody began occurring frequently, and some Remurians became unable to hear the Grand Symphony. Their reliance on its guidance caused them to panic, while Remus was awoken after sensing sorrow in the Symphony.[4]
After learning about Remuria's situation from Cassiodor, Remus quickly realized that the problem lay in Sybilla's nature. As a failsafe, Remus separated Cassiodor from the Grand Symphony and restored his free will so that he would be able to act on his own convictions.[4] Afterwards, Remus secretly began plotting a way to destroy the Grand Symphony. He composed the Requiem — his final symphony, an order for Phobos to self-destruct — and entrusted it to his ally Scylla, the Prince of Vishaps. Under the pretense of betraying Remuria and siding with the barbarians, Scylla would lead an army of barbarians and Vishaps in invading the Domus Aurea, where Phobos was held. Remus would sacrifice his life to activate the symphony, and Scylla would guide the primordial powers that would be unleashed to destroy Phobos and return Remurians to their original flesh-and-blood forms.
However, Phobos caught onto his plans. Because Phobos believed it was the key to guiding humanity, by destroying it, Remus was betraying his ideals and humanity's happiness. To prevent that from happening, Phobos guided Boethius into sabotaging Remus' plans. Scylla was lured into a trap and sealed away before ever entering the Domus Aurea, while Boethius rejected Remus' order to end the war. At that moment, in what was perhaps a fit of rage, Remus unleashed the power of the symphony. Without Scylla to harness the energy released, however, this act created massive waves which submerged Remuria in an instant and destroyed both Remurians and the invading barbarian-Vishap force alike.[4]
Golden Troupe[]
(To be added)
Present Day[]
Shortly before the start of the World Quest Series Canticles of Harmony, Phobos — using Boethius as an intermediary — re-emerged from its seal, dragging the people of Petrichor and adventurers from the Adventurer's Guild into its scheme to revive Remuria and restart the Grand Symphony. People's souls were replaced by Remurians', who began reliving their experiences from the days before Remuria fell. Cassiodor's spirit sensed the disruption, but he could only muster enough strength to possess a cat. When the Traveler and Paimon venture to the area, they quickly realize things are amiss, and the Traveler's affinity for the power of the Symphony causes them to relive some of Remus' memories. They soon become acquainted with Cassiodor — who introduces himself as "Ouranides of Ouranopolis," which Paimon shortens to "Osse" — and work to stop Phobos' spreading influence.[5]
Despite the Phobos' attempts to stop them, it is ultimately destroyed through the combined efforts of the Traveler, Cassiodor, and a newly freed Scylla. The Traveler plays the Requiem on Scylla's behalf, destroying the Grand Symphony for good and freeing all the souls that had been absorbed into Phobos, allowing Cassiodor, Boethius and the rest of the Remurians to pass on.[2]
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- Phobos is the Greek god and personification of fear and panic, especially fear brought by war and battle.
Notes[]
- ↑ During Fortune Plango Vulnera, Cassiodor believes that Boethius' change in personality was the result of becoming Phobos' puppet. However, it is left unclear whether Boethius' change was truly caused by Phobos, or if he had grown arrogant on his own and his views were exacerbated by Phobos' influence.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Phobos |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 福波斯 Fúbōsī |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 福波斯 Fúbōsī |
| Japanese | フォボス Fobosu |
| Korean | 포보스 Poboseu |
| Spanish | Fobos |
| French | La phobos |
| Russian | Фобос Fobos |
| Thai | Phobos |
| Vietnamese | Phobos |
| German | Phobos |
| Indonesian | Phobos |
| Portuguese | Phobos |
| Turkish | Phobos |
| Italian | Phobos |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ World Quest, Canticles of Harmony: First Movement - In the Hall of the Sea King, Part 1: Underwater Nocturne
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 World Quest, Canticles of Harmony: Finale - Requiem, Part 1: Fortune Plango Vulnera
- ↑ World Quest, Canticles of Harmony: Third Movement - Pharsalia's Rhapsody, Part 1: Gradus ad Capitolium
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 World Quest, Canticles of Harmony: Second Movement - Prisoner in Shackles, Part 1: The Last Day of Remuria
- ↑ World Quest, Canticles of Harmony Prelude - Petrichorror Dream, Part 1: The Shadow Over Petrichor
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