FFXIV story/lore thread

[Pooke]

There's also Keeper of the Lake, a safe bet we'll be fooling around in there for some reason.

[Niiro]

No doubt the Agrius is gonna be a dungeon for one reason or another.

It's a big derelict structure with the corpse of a giant dragon wrapped around it, it what fictional world is something like that not full of monsters.

[Karbuncle]

Well it is a dungeon, in 2.5, its "Keeper of the Lake". Takes place inside it

[Niiro]

Oh, I didn't know it was already announced as one.

[Karbuncle]

Oh, I didn't know it was already announced as one.

Yah I think it was just recently given a "trailer" in the JP Fan fest... it looks pretty neat.

Seems we start on the outside of the ship and work our way in to the top of it (Well, the top now, it would be the "front" if it was rightside up)

[Arelian]

"Before the Fall" likely has something to do with the outer areas of Ishgard falling to Dravanian forces, hence the sudden need for adventurers to go and help out. One of the main 'things' they outlined for Before the Fall part 2 was something called The Battle for Ishgard.

Of course, there are a lot of plot points in the air right now, so I'm imagining several of them converging onto insanity to kick off Heavensward. We discover something in the Agrius, the plans to 'kill' an Ascian continue, something happens with the World of Darkness/Isle of Val.

There are a ton of things that could really begin to fall, so.

[Toth]

It's about the Agrius before it fell to Midgardsormr. Did none of you do 2.4 main story?

I did. However, Yoshi said that the 2.0 patches will end on a major event like 1.0 did. The tease of 'before the fall' seems to imply that this patch is setting up what will be the defining event leading into Heavensward.

[Dotsudoku]

A major event, like the revival of Midgard. Cosigning a past-to-present narrative beginning with Midgard's and the Agrius's mutal destruction and ending with the resurrection being what "Before the Fall" is in reference to

[Dotsudoku]

I mean, what better circumstances to necessitate Ishgard entertaining foreign aid than a bolstering of the Dravanian forces driven by the coming of the wyrmking?

[Pooke]

There is great foreshadowing for us to keep an eye on the dragon in the lake in the 2.4 main story. The Ishgardians have been keeping an eye on the Dragon constellation and are worried about its movements and they fear Midgardsormr may be reborn. You can say it is the lead up for 2.5 which will then follow suit and lead up to the expansion. It is also the perfect time for them to give the story of where Midgardsormr came all of a sudden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0rljZ6MJk

In the first minute of the video Gaius narrates about the Garlean invasion that was a secure victory until unexpectedly Midgardsormr and numerous amounts of dragons came upon them, and they had to retreat from Mor Dhona.

http://gamerescape.com/2013/08/21/th...e-white-raven/

In the paragraph above the image of Midgardsormr and the Agrius, it says essentially the same thing as the video, but that Midgardsormr was appointed guardian of the lake by Athlyk and Nymeia, two of our known Twelve. What I can't seem to find is the reason he is awoken. The obvious answer is to defend the lake, but that would imply being allied with us, as without Midgardsormr and the dragons, Eorzea would have been lost to the Garleans. I don't see Midgardsormr as neutral either as I suspect he is going to be trouble for the Ishgardians and Ishgard will need our aid. Maybe Rocl has some information? (The lore is interesting, but I am no means a Rocl).

Also do read The Rise and Fall of the White Raven (above link) if you have not, it is a great read about 1.0 before Meteor and leading up to The Battle of Carteneau.

[Niiro]

What I can't seem to find is the reason he is awoken. The obvious answer is to defend the lake, but that would imply being allied with us, as without Midgardsormr and the dragons, Eorzea would have been lost to the Garleans.

The Garleans came to Eorzea because of how rich it is in aether, all of that energy coming from a well beneath Mor Dhona that they wanted to get their hands on.

Midgardsormr didn't want the fools jacking his energy, whether he was actually tasked by the 12 to guard it or if he and the other dragons draw power from it themselves is yet to be seen I suppose.

They could be somewhat analogous to the WEAPONs from FF7 in that regard, but we don't really know the true nature of the 12 yet, whether they're really any different from the other primals, etc.

[Lokus]

Thought he was tasked to guard the lake because there was a seal on it that trapped a bunch of the primals. Whenever he fell along with the Agrius, the seal broke and all the aether got free along with a bunch of Primals.

[Rocl]

SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING IN 2.4

There is great foreshadowing for us to keep an eye on the dragon in the lake in the 2.4 main story.

It's so blatant I don't even know if foreshadowing is the right word.

The Ishgardians have been keeping an eye on the Dragon constellation and are worried about its movements and they fear Midgardsormr may be reborn.

We have to be careful when taking Ishgardians at their word. At best, they're crazy religious zealots who believe the stars influence their enemy.

You can say it is the lead up for 2.5 which will then follow suit and lead up to the expansion. It is also the perfect time for them to give the story of where Midgardsormr came all of a sudden.

I'm assuming "all of a sudden" refers to his appearance at the Battle of Silvertear Skies / Silvertear Falls. The Midgardsormr storyline has been important since 1.0 (though little if any detail was given, we didn't even know the name of the dragon until the waning days of 1.0) and with the Seventh Umbral Era wrapped up as neat as it can be, it's not surprising they're tying up the other loose Dragon-end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0rljZ6MJk

In the first minute of the video Gaius narrates about the Garlean invasion that was a secure victory until unexpectedly Midgardsormr and numerous amounts of dragons came upon them, and they had to retreat from Mor Dhona.

"The cloying stench of shadow lingers still" God Zulvan's original VA was so much more badass.
Why did the Garleans think they needed so many airships to take Mor Dhona? He speaks like the arrival of the dragons was a surprise, so what was the point of sending out the fleet of airships and Agrius? Pomp and circumstance? We know why Mor Dhona was important to take, being the heart/center of Hydaelyn's aetheric flows ("the Lifestream"). By controlling the Lifestream they sought to bring about Mako power stop all future summoning of Primals. But all they did was weaken/break the seal on the Heart of Eorzea, and fuck everything up. This seal was likely some Allagan or Twelve tech. Now that we have a reasonable belief that every Primal is simply a figure of history reborn in the image of ts summoner, the Twelve = Allagan isn't a huge leap.
interestingly enough Midgardsormr has a similar title to Bahamut, dread serpent vs dreadwyrm

http://gamerescape.com/2013/08/21/th...e-white-raven/

In the paragraph above the image of Midgardsormr and the Agrius, it says essentially the same thing as the video, but that Midgardsormr was appointed guardian of the lake by Athlyk and Nymeia, two of our known Twelve. What I can't seem to find is the reason he is awoken. The obvious answer is to defend the lake, but that would imply being allied with us, as without Midgardsormr and the dragons, Eorzea would have been lost to the Garleans.

I don't feel like rereading this again, so I'm going off the top of my head. Whether Athlyk or Nymeia entrusted him to protect Silvertear Falls is as likely as Llymalaen entrusting the guardianship of Seal Rock to Thalaos and Perykos. (Or was it just sea serpents in general? I don't remember it's been a long long time) Defending the lake does not automatically make Midgardsormr our ally. "For long as man is suffered to exist, the dragons will never be at peace" Midgardsormr could've been a neurolink controlled dragon protecting the secrets of Allag (tm); he could be a king of dragons simply preventing the Aetherial Heart of Hydaelyn from falling into the hands of man. (Mor Dhona is a mostly uninhabited forest during this) We've never received any clear indication if Ifrit/Titan shooting out of Silvertear Lake is supposed to be symbolic of literal, though we know Primals had been summoned at various times before the breaking of the Seal, not specifically those though. (First recorded summoning of Ifrit is some time later, though Leviathan and Titan happen very shortly after Midgardsorm's death) This could be because the essence of Ifrit was freed, or because the lock on the Aether was loosened/destroyed. We won't know for sure until we're told.

I don't see Midgardsormr as neutral either as I suspect he is going to be trouble for the Ishgardians and Ishgard will need our aid. Maybe Rocl has some information? (The lore is interesting, but I am no means a Rocl).

The game does an okay job of painting most of the factions as shades of gray. In 1.0 I think it might've been done a little better, but the only pure-as-the-driven-snow faction is the Scions of the Seventh Dawn in 2.0. The Garleans wish to conquer Eorzea, though it's easy to argue that it's for the good of the world. Eorzea has an abundance of the world's most precious resource and is very good at being completely fucked up. The leadership of Limsa Lominsa is decided by winning a boat race; it's a city founded on piracy and thieves. Ul'dah is a bunch of conniving merchants literally buying their way to the top of the government. Gridania is a xenophobic hippie commune who entrusts the rights of leadership to children born with tumors. Ishgard? Shit, man, literally shown to be run by a Pope who is controlled by the evilest entities we know. Are the Ascians evil? It's very likely, but at the same time could there not be some truth in their words that Hydaelyn is an abomination (the crystal) ? Could she not be, as Lahabrea says, a parasite sapping the aether from the world?

As for the patch title "Before the Fall" it's brilliant because it conceivably fits so many storylines.
Before the Fall of the Allagan Empire, Xande made a deal with the Cloud of Darkness. (past)
Before the Fall of Midgardsormr, the Garleans flew from Islabard to Mor Dhona. (present)
Before the Fall of Ishgard to the Dravanian Horde (future) [or that one dumb guy who said the fall of the Ul'dah monarchy I guess)

But Rocl-san Rocl-san! Why the fuck are you calling me -san? nyoro~n Anyways, the Fall of Ishgard!? Didn't the slide just say the Battle of Ishgard!? Where are you getting Fall from!? They've said they want Ishgard to be envisioned as a city constantly being destroyed and rebuilt, the Ishgard we see from Coerthas Central Highlands is pretty pretty right now. Additionally, most, if not all, of the images shown from Ishgard are at the "Foundation" and seem to be beneath the cliffs of the Central Highlands. That is, next time you skyfish at the Sea of Clouds you could probably be fishing up some poor sap in 3.0. tl;dr the Foundation of Ishgard is likely to be beneath the Steps of Faith and the Gates of Judgement.

Hell, the storyline in 2.5 could expose some minutae about the days before the Seventh Umbral Era and it'd still fit "Before the Fall." Basically, if you want to make it fit something, it doesn't take much. Almost all of the odd numbered patch titles have been that way.

Believe thyself. Believe thy strength. Know thyself. Know thy weakness. Thou art alone. One against many. The land is alone. One star in the void. See through the lies. See beyond the words of deceivers. Follow the truth. Follow the whispers of verity. Protect that which must be. Destroy that which must not.For Calamity draws nigh. The End is upon thee!

What the hell does this brainwashing Imperial Centurion mean by this in Futures Perfect from 1.0? That might be the earliest use of the word "Calamity" though Umbral Eras had long been referenced. What does it mean though, how did they brainwash those kids? Was it simply cuz it's easy to brainwash kids or did they temper the kids? The latter seems unlikely. Why did I bring this up?

"The land is alone." Mayhaps the idea is that Darkness itself is the default setting of the Universe and the existence of Hydaelyn (the crystal) is contrary to that? Garlemald then, in a fit of irony, would be the staunchest defenders of Hydaelyn while being played by the biggest foe (Ascian).

Anyways, I've been hung up on Bahamut's crystal core lately so let's talk about that. We can probably reasonably assume it's a Dark Crystal much like the Ascian's. Let us review what we know.

Primals and mortals dissipate into the aether, those with Dark Crystals do not. A soul should dissipate upon the death of the flesh, even Primals follow this rule though their flesh is but aether given material form. Dark Crystals serve as a gateway from the space between worlds (the void) to the material plane. It seems very likely at some point Bahamut was fitted with his crystal core either by the Ascians or the Allagans for this purpose. This way, even should Bahamut die (which he does) he would not dissipate to the aether fully. This allows the Allagan Coils to seek out the crystal and give him new flesh to possess. We can only guess about this in theory, because we're led to believe the Bahamut at Carteneau is the same Bahamut from the Third Astral Era. Additionally, we don't fight Bahamut in the flesh, but in a space which looks suspiciously like the Aetherial Realm where we have all our LSD trips with Lahabrea and Hydaelyn. It is of benefit to the Allagans (and I'd assume the Ascians) to keep Bahamut in our realm. (He powers Dalamud to funnel the sun's aether to Syrcus/cant be resummoned against the Allag/this probably really fucks up the world's aetherial flow by pumping in all that solar juice)

hello i got majorly distracted what was i talking about

[Nama]

Have some good points about the possible fall of Ishgard, they have denied help so many times the only way they are gonna reach out is if is if the city and/or the church of Ishgard is destroyed in some way. Its cool if the city is seiged and reflected ingame, if Reverent's Toll can be built up during the story why can't Ishgard be destroyed for the story. Gonna have to go back over photos of inside Ishgard they have shown. Think its becoming obvious at this point that the "Fall" is referencing more then one thing thought Ishgard is the major one. Still curious if Ul'dah monarchy is part of the "fall" as well and how that will play out for the city and Namano. Figure the only major storyline that likely going to continue from 2.0 into 3.0 is the Ascian threat.

[vadre]

I really hope the Ascians are done by the end of 2.0. They're such generic villains, which worked with 2.0's theme of going back to classic FF roots (darkness/light), but I'd really like them to make way for a more interesting enemy.

I for one think we're overdue an angsty/eccentric bad guy with ridiculous hair

[Rocl]

For better or worse, I think the Ascians & Allagan tech will continue to be our main adversaries in 3.0

[KCem]

For better or worse, I think the Ascians & Allagan tech will continue to be our main adversaries in 3.0

Unless there's something glaringly obvious that I've missed, I'm inclined to think that now Coil is done, and they're wrapping up CT in 2.5, the only meaningful piece of Allagan tech left is Omega. I'd like to see the new Garlean emperor come into the fold. And the reveal of his enigmatic and sociopathic advisor, Kefka. (I live in hope)

[Gokulo]

Allagans are like Zilart, they're dabbled in everything we have to deal with

[Rocl]

Unless there's something glaringly obvious that I've missed, I'm inclined to think that now Coil is done, and they're wrapping up CT in 2.5, the only meaningful piece of Allagan tech left is Omega. I'd like to see the new Garlean emperor come into the fold. And the reveal of his enigmatic and sociopathic advisor, Kefka. (I live in hope)

Omega, all of Carteneau, various ruins in the Sagolii Desert, Mor Dhona, and there's the fact the Allagan Empire spanned the entire world. Enslaved Meracydian dragons could be the ancestors of the Dravanian Horde (one of solracht's pet theories he blabs at me constantly is that the years of enslavement have warped and destroyed most dragon's minds which is why they function more as a hive than an individual) The floating continents of Coerthas hearken back to Rivenroad, as Darnus mentioned in 1,0 that he made Rivenroad fly with Allag tech, and some of the concept art shown for floating continents is reminiscent of Allag tech. We've never heard of any Allag contemporaries other than Meracydia

Garleans are more or less the descendants of Allag, like at this point there's little reason for me to think anything else. We know Nael van Darnus was scientifically proven to be of Allag descent and we have a reason to assume Allag history is known/taught to some degree in Garlemald. (Moreso than it is in Eorzea, at least. Darnus acts surprised we don't know of Allag prophecy) It's not a huge leap again to assume magitek is simply a rediscovering of Allag technology (after all, think of the Garlean-created weaponry and then think of the machine monsters in Crystal Tower etc.)

Anyways, while I'd love to move on from Ascian, Allagan, and Dragons it's pretty likely all three will remain important. Dragons are one of the few races we know of to have survived so many Umbral Eras. If we assume Garlean are part Allag they can be argued as well. Then, of course, there's Ascians. I find it unlikely we will be killing 12-14 Ascians in 2.5, so I fully expect them to be dragged out for a while longer. Stoking the fires of the Dragonsong War and bringing the other 3 city-states into it is sure to create a huge imbalance in the planet's aether / chaos / etc that the Ascians desire for Zodiark's revival. After all, that's the entire reason the Ascians helped Gaius (assuming they didn't meddle in any other Garlean affairs)

This island has always felt pretty Allagan to me:

http://gamerescape.com/wp-content/up...svegas_019.png

[solracht]

This island has always felt pretty Allagan to me:

Small picture but here's another set of "allagan" ruins (lower left):
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...IV_Bismark.png