The questions I want EW to answer the most: WHY and HOW was the world sundered?

[AlexionSkyllark]

As per the title.

Ever since I first heard about the splitting of the world into the source of its fourteen shards, these questions have been kicking around in my mind non-stop. Was this event intentional? was it an accident? Or an unavoidable consequence of something? What are the SPECIFICS of this event, aetherologically speaking?

Was it really only Hydaelyn that was responsible for the sundering? or did Zodiark also play a part in it? What about the other parties involved, the convocation and Venat's secret sect? Are they also responsible in some more direct way?

So many questions bubbling in my mind, I really would like to hear your take in all this
So what you guys think?

OK, so I'm just necro-lifting this topic because I just finished the MSQ and wanted to see if all those questions were answered. So...



Was this event intentional? - YES, it was intentional.
was it an accident? - NO, it was not an accident.
Or an unavoidable consequence of something? - You may say so, in a way. It was NEEDED, for more than one reason.
What are the SPECIFICS of this event, aetherologically speaking? - While this wasn't answered in that granularity of detail, I understand how irrelevant that question is for the story that was told.
Was it really only Hydaelyn that was responsible for the sundering? - Yes, it was only Hydaelyn.
or did Zodiark also play a part in it? - Nop, he just stood there and took it.
What about the other parties involved, the convocation and Venat's secret sect? Are they also responsible in some more direct way? - No they weren't. This was Venat's doing, and Venat alone.

AAnyway... BEST EXPANSION SO FAR. It'll be really hard to top THAT now, heheh. Congrats to all who also walked the end!

EDIT: Oh yeah, but...

we still need to find out why only 3 Ancients survived.

We still don't have an answer for that, it seems. My theory that they survived because they were at the moon when it happened went to the drain since the moon didn't even exist at that point in time, and the cutscene even shows Emet-Selch on Amaurot at the precise day of the sundering. So.... jury is still out on that.

[TheRealQuah]

We still don't have an answer for that, it seems. My theory that they survived because they were at the moon when it happened went to the drain since the moon didn't even exist at that point in time, and the cutscene even shows Emet-Selch on Amaurot at the precise day of the sundering. So.... jury is still out on that.

My theory is that Venat knew that Emet and Lahabrea are unsundered in the future, and knew that they needed to be to complete the time loop so she deliberately did not sunder them.

Elidibus? Well he was a primal so was irrelevant to the sundering.

[Sathona]

We still don't have an answer for that, it seems. My theory that they survived because they were at the moon when it happened went to the drain since the moon didn't even exist at that point in time, and the cutscene even shows Emet-Selch on Amaurot at the precise day of the sundering. So.... jury is still out on that.

Venat/Hydaelyn creatted the moon tho.
Their survival could be her doing perhaps[except Elidibus for obvious reasons]

[Garnix]

We still don't have an answer for that, it seems. My theory that they survived because they were at the moon when it happened went to the drain since the moon didn't even exist at that point in time, and the cutscene even shows Emet-Selch on Amaurot at the precise day of the sundering. So.... jury is still out on that.

I think there is a line from Emet towards the end where he said something about Venat leaving him whole so that he could help in the final battle.
So I assume she cast a spell of some sort on him when she walked next to him just before the sundering.
It of course leaves Lahabrea's fate unclear, but that's what the raid will cover I guess.

[AlexionSkyllark]

I think there is a line from Emet towards the end where he said something about Venat leaving him whole so that he could help in the final battle.
So I assume she cast a spell of some sort on him when she walked next to him just before the sundering.
It of course leaves Lahabrea's fate unclear, but that's what the raid will cover I guess.

That would answer why Emet wasn't sundered, but then why would she spare Elidibus and Lahabrea? Elidibus was separate from Zodiark already at that point, so...
And Lahabrea? why would she spare Lahabrea is an EXCELLENT thing to ponder...

[RyuDragnier]

That would answer why Emet wasn't sundered, but then why would she spare Elidibus and Lahabrea? Elidibus was separate from Zodiark already at that point, so...
And Lahabrea? why would she spare Lahabrea is an EXCELLENT thing to ponder...

We DID tell her, Emet, and Hythlodaeus everything, including about Elidibus and Lahabrea, meaning she'd know not to Sunder them.

[Shookbeast]

I’m glad this thread is kicking around - because I’d still like to know what we know (close to for sure) the post-sundering reflections were like, immediately after the sundering. That’s pretty interesting to me lore/story wise.

I’ve got two options for life immediately after the sundering: (more options/theories are welcome)

Option A) All sundered reflections are identical, but diminished. 14 “cloned planets” with (for example) 14 identical (but diminished) Azems running around them. However, did the 14 Azems (only as an example - you could use any confirmed sundered soul) know they were one of fourteen clones? Did they understand what happened?

Option B) The source was ripped apart to make 14 completely new (but similar) planets - each with new, unique beings “powered” by the souls of the sundered. In this case, one Azem gets taken apart to make 14 new people (Tom, Jane, Billy, etc…) who have no memory of Azem, but do have some of Azem’s character traits due to being created using 1/14th of Azem’s soul.

Are there other theories/options out there? Are either of these considered canon or confirmed by the writers somewhere in an interview or supplemental book?

[Cleretic]

I’m glad this thread is kicking around - because I’d still like to know what we know (close to for sure) the post-sundering reflections were like, immediately after the sundering. That’s pretty interesting to me lore/story wise.

I’ve got two options for life immediately after the sundering: (more options/theories are welcome)

Option A) All sundered reflections are identical, but diminished. 14 “cloned planets” with (for example) 14 identical (but diminished) Azems running around them. However, did the 14 Azems (only as an example - you could use any confirmed sundered soul) know they were one of fourteen clones? Did they understand what happened?

Option B) The source was ripped apart to make 14 completely new (but similar) planets - each with new, unique beings “powered” by the souls of the sundered. In this case, one Azem gets taken apart to make 14 new people (Tom, Jane, Billy, etc…) who have no memory of Azem, but do have some of Azem’s character traits due to being created using 1/14th of Azem’s soul.

Are there other theories/options out there? Are either of these considered canon or confirmed by the writers somewhere in an interview or supplemental book?

Well, the memory question we have an answer for, from Emet-Selch in the post-Qitana Ravel scene; the sundered people recalled Amaurot as sort of a half-remembered dream. Consistent enough that they could piece together a collective sort of mythos (what we saw in the cave paintings), but nothing more specific, and it was definitely lost over a few generations.

As for whether they were different people or not, we know that over time that ended up not being true (see: The WoL/Ardbert, and also some of the First equivalents like Rowena/Mowen and Cid/Chai-Nuzz if you want to count them), but it's not clear how long that took to start happening. You might be able to reason that it was immediate, though, since we know that the races we know were creations of some form in the Ancient world. They had to remain around as some level of continuity.

[Shookbeast]

Well, the memory question we have an answer for, from Emet-Selch in the post-Qitana Ravel scene; the sundered people recalled Amaurot as sort of a half-remembered dream. Consistent enough that they could piece together a collective sort of mythos (what we saw in the cave paintings), but nothing more specific, and it was definitely lost over a few generations.

As for whether they were different people or not, we know that over time that ended up not being true (see: The WoL/Ardbert, and also some of the First equivalents like Rowena/Mowen and Cid/Chai-Nuzz if you want to count them), but it's not clear how long that took to start happening. You might be able to reason that it was immediate, though, since we know that the races we know were creations of some form in the Ancient world.

I agree that cave painting scene is helpful - but I think we’re still playing loose with time here. It’s not clear if those paintings were made a day after the sundering - or 100 years after the sundering.

The 1/14 Azem on the First could have died and been reincarnated three times over by the time those painting were made. And in that passage of time, the Sundering might’ve been mythologized into cave paintings.

(But if the reflections are all perfect copies of the Source, didn’t people have books and libraries to read about who they were before the sundering? If you were writing a letter to someone, right when the sundering happened, would you look down at the letter after, and not know what or to who you were writing?)

I’d really like to know what day one after the sundering was like. It feels important to know whether we/our shards started as copies of Azem, who knew who he/she/they were, only to eventually die and then be reincarnated as new persons like us or Ardbert. 14 Azems running around could spell a lot of trouble.

Or, did all the shards of Azem (and everyone else) start their new lives as random new people - like Arbert?

[Anvaire]

I agree that cave painting scene is helpful - but I think we’re still playing loose with time here. It’s not clear if those paintings were made a day after the sundering - or 100 years after the sundering.

The 1/14 Azem on the First could have died and been reincarnated three times over by the time those painting were made. And in that passage of time, the Sundering might’ve been mythologized into cave paintings.

(But if the reflections are all perfect copies of the Source, didn’t people have books and libraries to read about who they were before the sundering? If you were writing a letter to someone, right when the sundering happened, would you look down at the letter after, and not know what or to who you were writing?)

I’d really like to know what day one after the sundering was like. It feels important to know whether we/our shards started as copies of Azem, who knew who he/she/they were, only to eventually die and then be reincarnated as new persons like us or Ardbert. 14 Azems running around could spell a lot of trouble.

Or, did all the shards of Azem (and everyone else) start their new lives as random new people - like Arbert?

I have a feeling it would be 100 years after the sundering after the total collapse of the Ancient Civilisation to the point they started painting on cave walls. If we consider that the entire Ancient civilisation was driven, managed and resolved around Creation Magick, its sudden loss coupled with extreme memory loss (assuming the ancients survived) ultimately would have ended thier civilisation. I would assume they were extremely illequipped to living without their creation magic. It is plausible they painted them on rock walls as a reminder of the world they lost, and a history they swore to remember, while they tried to survive in the sundered world.

Then again i'm of the mind the reason Hydealyn calls up "her children" is because thats precisely what we are, Arcane creations imbued with the shards of extinct ancient souls. Or its just because we are so small.