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Final Fantasy 16marked the first new single-player Final Fantasy announcement since 2006, and for better or worse, gave a very different vision of the series than had been done previously. A very large part of that new focus was a renewed interest in lore that the player had extensive access to.
Of course, even with all of that information at your fingertips, it can still be quite dense to actually parse it. Finding your Dzemekys from your Malius can be a drudge when you don’t know what The Fallen are. No worries though, we’re here to put the history of Valisthea straight for you.
The Creation Of The Mothercrystals
In a time long before humanity,there was the Ultima Civilization. Though the exact details of these people are never unravelled, we know for definite that they are the people from which Ultima hails. Where they were from we do not know, but we know where they ended - in Valisthea.
The Ultima Civilization flourished from its learning and mastery of magic. This granted them untold power that granted them dominion over all that they wanted. Yet even magic was not enough to forestallthe blight that would end up ravaging their home. Left with nothing of their original home, they fled to Valisthea.
It is unclear whether the Ultima Civilization is from other parts of the same world, or iftheir original home was another planet or dimensionentirely.
Upon landing in Valisthea, the remnants of the Ultima Civilization enacted a plan. They had been devastated, and the being we know as Ultima was one of their sole survivors. They decided that for their civilization to flourish once again, they would need to be empowered. The means through whichthey sought this empowerment was through the Mothercrystals.
Ultima thenused their remaining brethren to create the eight Mothercrystalsand spread them across the dual continents of Valisthea, Ash and Storm. Each took on the name of an ancient dragon’s body part, and became major landmarks for the land. One final decision then had to be made for these crystals to be empowered.
Humanity was created in the image of Ultima’s own people, and each giventhe ability to grow into Eikons. This was a semblance of the power of Ultima’s own people that none of them were powerful enough to harness anymore. With their plan set in motion, Ultima offered parting words to their newest creations, and entered a slumber that was intended to last until their civilization was reborn.
Ultima refers to themselves as ‘we’ in the game. It can be assumed this is becausethey view themselves as the representation of their peoplerather than as a single individual.
The Rise Of The Fallen
Gifted through the descent of power from Ultima, many humans became capable of utilising magic.Cultures formed around the Mothercrystals, each taking on an elemental association such as the Motes of Wind, Water, and so on. These were the burgeoning origins of culture within Valisthea, and the very birth of humanity’s will. But also hubris.
While many humans had the means to use magic, only a few had the power to utilise Eikons, and none had the same affinity as their original creator. With such a close awareness of their master’s existence,some sought to ascend to this power themselves. They should not be pawns, but their own masters. Their power is their own, not something borrowed from a slumbering figure fashioned as a god. And so what would become known as The Fallen was born.
The Fallen became an exceedingly advanced civilization during their brief stint in Valisthea. In lieu of the immense magical power of their creator, they instead turned to mechanical means. They made machines infused with magic such as airships,much of it taken from the remnants of Ultima’s civilization. They felt that through building upon this technology, they could depose their god and rule their own lives, their own world.
The Fallen arenever given an official namewithin the lore other than this colloquial title.
Yet there were humans still loyal to Ultima, those who had born witness to his parting words, of the prophecy of his return -the Children of Dzemekys. They formed a religion around Ultima, theCircle of Malius, and passed it along the generations. Fiercely loyal, they battled The Fallen over what they viewed as blasphemy, culminating in a battle by what is modern Dhalmekia, and resulting in a tragedy known as the Sin of Dzemekys.
The Fallen sought to remove Ultima, while the Circle of Malius fought to protect them. Feeling the threat against their plan, Ultima awoke. Even with only a portion of their power, they struck The Fallen from existence.The Mothercrystal situated as Dzemekys was annihilated by Ultima, taking out The Fallen with it. In fear of this great power, their remnants fled Valisthea to further reaches, and were never heard from again.
In time, the Circle of Malius would flee from Valisthea as well, and the knowledge of Ultima with them. They were left as very few after their skirmishes with The Fallen, and faded into obscurity.Few now remained in Valisthea that knew of Ultima,yet with only one Mothercrystal lesser, their plan still proceeded mainly unimpeded.
The Birth Of Modern Valisthea
The Nations Of Valisthea
With no awareness of a god that had created them nor awareness of what the Mothercrystals represented, culture formed anew.Humans fought amongst themselves rather than against their god. Magic, manifesting in only the few rather than the many, became seen as a curse rather than a blessing.The Mothercrystals became cultural symbols for each nation, and the Eikons their mascot. Bloodlines were made to secure them, and borders were drawn to protect them.
Yet while Eikons were viewed as a blessing, those of lesser magic were not. By circumstance, this came to be a view shared by the many nations of Valisthea and eventually resulted in a Concord that would cement terms of equal treatment, amongst many other things.A common calendar and currency was adopted, as was the system of slaveryfor those magic-users. Bearers, as they came to be known, were branded as soon as their magical affinity surfaced and became a product rather than a human.
The various nations of modern Valisthea are as follows:
There isone Eikon for each of the eight Mothercrystals. Yet with the Dzemekys Mothercrystal destroyed, others battled over, and some waned of strength completely, certain Eikons no longer have a cultural connection and are awakened randomly. These includeGaruda, Ramuh, and Shiva.
Leviathanstands unique within the Eikons, as they are seen asdefiled by human touchin a way no other Eikons have been, and as suchUltima removes them from their plan.
The Modern Affairs Of Valisthean Politics
Rosaria exists in constant battle with the Iron Kingdom overwho gets control of the Phoenix Mothercrystal. While the Phoenix has frequently awoken within the Rosarian Duchy, the fear of losing the Mothercrystal and the Phoenix would destroy their culture as whoever inherits the Phoenix is heir to the Duchy.
Meanwhile,Sanbreque practices their own religion, with Bahamut seen as their holy warrior. Though they are not always a member of the royalty nor the intended successor, being the Dominant of Bahamut garners one much prestige, including leadership of the Dragoons.
Dhalmekia exists as a republic, though they too hold the Eikon Bahamut as the glue that holds the various city-states together. As such, the dominant of Titan is given a special position on the council that rules Dhalmekia.
Waloed exists as the sole nation on the eastern continent of Ash and is ruled by Barnabas Tharmr, Dominant of Odin. This is not a historical appointment. Rather, Barnbas simply appeared one day, challenged the current king to a duel, and usurped his throne.He also brought with him the practices of the Circle of Malius, a religion that was seen as extinct at this point in time.
No other territory can claim an Eikon as their own.The Northern Territories once held the Eikon of Shiva, though with their subsequent subjugation by the Duchy of Rosaria, the current Dominant of Shiva, Jill, passes into their realm.The Crystalline Dominion exists as a neutral middle groundbetween these many nations and is a location often frequented for negotiations.
Other smaller nations exist as well,such as Kanver, though they are of little significance to world affairs.
While the world churns onwards, they areoblivious to the existence of Ultima, or the true purpose of the Mothercrystals. They battle and war amongst themselves, they brand their fellows as slaves for being born with magic, and they trudge towards an uncertain future where they wish to claim all the power of the world for themselves.
The Spreading Blight
Yet war amongst each other is the least of the issues the land of Valisthea faces. Ultima fled a blight that took their home and that same blight has come to infect Valisthea. Aether is the energy that gives life to the world and is also the means through which magic manifests. Yet with each use of magic,that aether is instead absorbed into the Mothercrystalsrather than added back into the flow of the world.
While it is not explicitly said, it can be assumed that this blight is not an actual disease, but ratherthe world in the absence of aether entirely.
Inadvertently,humans are sapping their world of life with constant warfare. Each time a Dominant primes into their Eikon, each time a well is refilled through magic, each time a slave is branded and worked until they calcify, the world is being drained of its own life. And all of that power is being absorbed by the Mothercrystals and siphoned back to Ultima. Yet this, too, is part of Ultima’s plan.
With all of the aether of Valisthea absorbed,Ultima plans to cast a spell that will rebuild the world in their imageand return their civilization to, in their eyes, its rightful place - as the rulers of existence. Humans are a means to an end. Their parting words to their earliest creations, of salvation in their new world, were a lie made to preserve their own eventual rebirth. So Valisthea rots as magic is drained from existence and the land becomes unfit for living, all so Ultima can bring their own people back.
The Defeat Of Ultima
The Destruction Of The Mothercrystals
Yet it is Cid, the Dominant of Ramuh, who sees the world for what it really is. The Mothercrystals are a symbol of a broken world, the reason that magic exists.If they are destroyed, then magic is removed. While this would inevitably make Bearers suffer in the short term, it would render everyone equal in the long time. Cid, thankfully, is mindful not to put the blame on those who have been born differently either.
He posits that the Mothercrystals are absorbing all this magic anyway and bleeding the land dry. Therefore, magic is a scourge regardless of any individual or culture, andhumanity would do much better if it could exist without the cursed gifts of a negligent god, even if he does not strictly have the awareness of who or what this god is.
In Clive is awakened a being not known to exist -the second Eikon of Fire, Ifrit. To Ultima, this marks him as Mythos, the being that will be hisvessel to restore the Ultima Civilization. He has the unique power to absorb each and every Eikon and combine them into his own power. Seeing the potential in this, Cid recruits him to his cause. Who’s better to remove magic from the world than the one man who can seemingly remove it from the most powerful magic users in the world?
The Fostering Of A New World
With the eventual passing of Cid and Clive donning his mantle, the foundations of Valisthea are shaken to their core. While Clive means to destroy Ultima and grant humanity his freedom, the denizens of Valisthea can see him only as a harbinger of evil.He destroys the Mothercrystals one by one, removing sacred symbols, all in service of a goal that many see as a negative. Yet his truth is proven real as each nation falls without the cultural support their Mothercrystal provided them.
In seeing this, Ultima advances his plan. The world is on its knees, yet the currently gathered aether and Clive as his vessel would have to be enough.He casts Primogenesis to absorb the power left in the crystalsinto himself and surfaces Origin, where Clive is destined to become his vessel.
Yet when Clive ultimately faces Ultima, he is not powerful enough to be his vessel. He is incomplete, yet he also reveals a critical flaw in Ultima’s ambitions.The development of human will. Through the Circle of Malius, Ultima thought his thralls would praise him eternal, seeking nothing more than his revival. Pawns, and nothing more. He could not foresee his own creations genuinely wanting to live for themselves.
Upon his defeat,Clive too takes his final steps in the world. The aether is released, though without all the Eikons to complete him, Clive succumbs to the immeasurable power contained within him. Magic is removed from the world, and Clive is its noble sacrifice.The terms that bound Valisthea since its inception are broken. Though we do not see it, it can only be assumed that borders must be withdrawn, culture changed in its entirety. The foundations of Valisthea have been removed, and a new one must now be built in a world of equals, a world without gods.
