Calamities, Elementals, and The Four Great Contenent, A Planet Hydaelyn History Dive.

[Kaiser-Ace]

Whilst on the General Forums recently I began to wonder about life outside of the Eorzean sub Contenent.

That would currently consist of Oethard, Aldenard, The Thavnaria Archipelago, Sharlyon Proper, Myricidia, and The Mysterious New Continent to Aldenard's west.

All together Eorzea has had a near endless cycle of Calamitous Dark Ages and Prosperous Golden Ages in our Umbral to Astral Cycle. The Calamities of Wind, Lightning, and Fire are completely forgotten leaving our Dive starting in the 3rd Astral Era in the Imperial Capital of The Allagan Empire which was somewhere in or near Present Day Mor Dohna.

Allagan Technology was by far the most advanced Eorzea and possibly the whole Planet has ever seen and allowed Allag to conquer nearly all of Hydaelyn. But, as with many a great Empire, their vanity and arrogance led to their destruction by the very technology they created. This The Forth Umbral Calamity of Earth, a massive Earthquake that leveled many parts of the Continent and possibly effected the world as a whole. Now we get a historical drought that doesn't pick up until the 5th Umbral Era, The Ice Calamity aka The Age of Endless Frost. This Ice Age was a world consuming, but seemingly natural, phenomenon that allowed many of the modern fauna, including Myricidia's Miqo'te Tribes, to travel to Eorzea for the first time in history. In this era Magic was rediscovered out of sheer necessity and used to survive the Ice Age and usher in The 5th Astral Era. In this Era, Three great cities above all else have risen to miraculous power with their magics. Nym, the City of scholars, who's pact with the fairies made them a force to be reckoned with in both Medicine and Battle, Amdapor the Home of The White Mages, who's healing was so powerful even death was seemingly reversible, and Machi, The Birthplace of Void Magic, where the Black Mage's destructive powers were unfathomable.

Sometime later, though who acted first is long forgotten, what would be called "The War of The Magi" would occur. Machi, seeking to undermine Nym, sends a voidsent to infect the scholars with an illness, later called "The Tonberry Plague" while Amdapor is believed to have dealt the Final blow with a mighty wind magic unlike any we know today. Thus ending the poor City of Nym who never sought more than their own survival. At some point into the war Machi summons The Void Ark, powered by none other than The Queen of Voidsent, and later summons Diabolos, a King Amongst Voidsent, into the walls of Amdapor. Amdapor falls after this and in a final desperate act, The White Mages seal Diabolos in The White Tower thus ending Amdapor and the War of The Magi in Machi's favor. Though the Elementals would insure no victor lived, As Oasaok, The Elemental of Nullity was born from the rancor of his brothers and Flooded Eorzea completely to wash away Machi's sins and hide the dangerous powers of White Magic from the World. This The Sixth Umbral Calamity of Water occurred as The Great Flood of Eorzea nearly destroyed all. But, Thanks to the legendary First Archons, Eorzea would recover and The Sixth Astral era would arrive. But the Machi, who were remembered as the Cause the War fled south to Thanalan, inhabiting the ruins of the lost Quarn Civilization, and founding Belah'dia to escape the witch hunts and persecution and later become the founders of Sil'dih and Ul'dah. The Gelmorans of The Black Shroud would cower underneath their forest for fear of retribution until the ones who would become the first Pdjal made peace with the Elementals and lead to the founding of Gridania. The Nymian Scholar however, now in the form of Tonberry, would sleep in The Wanderer's palace for nearly 17 more centuries before they would be discovered again.

Now our History picks up in 1.0, decades after The Autumn War lead the Eorzean Alliance to form and push Ala Mihgo's back to Gyr Arbania, The Garlean Empire would strike against Eorzea. Thanks to The Darnus Line's deciphering of The Allagan Tomestones, and the brilliant technology revolution of Midas nan Garlond, The Empire's Magitek became the Greatest Technology since Allag its self. Leading them to conquer all of Oethard, before.setting their sights on Ala Mihgo. Upon taking advantage of their Ala Mihgo's own political Strife their own King of Ruin laid upon them, Garlemald conquered Ala Mihgo swiftly with minimal resistance. They would then fly west to the heart of Mor Dohna in efforts to conquer the Continent. But, They encountered a greater force than they had imagined, Midgardsormr, Guardian of Silvertear Lake, rose up with the full might of The Dravanian Horde and laid siege to the sky fleet. Though there was no true winner, Midgardsormr's death laid low The mighty Agrius thus ending their campaign in its tracks. Decades later, Garlemald would once more strike leading to the construction of The Lunar Transmitter by Nael van Darnus, The reformation of The Archons by Louisoix Leveilleur, The Founding of The Path of The Twelve by Ascilla, now known as Minfilia, and the arrival of The Warriors lf Light.

Their Ultimate Clash after The Fall if Darnus, Now known as The Battle of Carteneau Flats, ended with Bahamut's freedom From Dalamud, The 7th Imperial Legions complete obliteration, Louisoix's Sacrifice, and the loss of The Warriors of Light. Thus ushering in The Seventh Umbral Era and our present events.

So after this long history of destruction and rebirth, one may eventually ask, how was the rest of the world outside of Eorzea effected by this? Well to the extent of our knowledge only the 4th and 5th Calamities were on a global scale while the 6th and 7th only effected Eorzea. So could that mean Eorzea alone is a medieval place filled with magic and Heroes? What of the rest of the world?
Surely if they weren spared their Civilizations could develop technology and culture unhindered. So, can we honestly say Oethard, Myricidia, and Aldenard are midevil when we haven't seen them? Wouldn't Oethard being under Garlen Ruel and Thavnaria being so close, yet completely neutral, afford them the perks of Magitek? And surely with Sharlyon's Magic Rivaling Garlemauld's Magitek they too would have some advamcent.

Well, there in lies the question. What IS the world out side Eorzea like? Are they primitive like Eorzea in an FF1-3 style? Have some begun to semi-advance in the absence of Magic like 4-6? Are there places like Garlemald who have amazingly advanced technical like FF7 and 8? Or have nation's succumbed to their own power like Eorzea's great nation's and become like FF9 and 10 where technology and magic are both stagnated by tragedy?

I will end on this note, as little as we know of Eorzea's history we know even less about the rest of the world of Hydaelyn, and I will always, as I hope you a will, look forward to those and many more questions being answered.

Thank You for your time.

[Frederick22]

Eorzea's history

A really good bread of eorzea's history Kaiser. There is one little thing I was confused.

"Machi seeking to undmine Nym sends a voidsent to infect the. with an illness, later called "The Toneberry Plauge" and Amdapor is believed to have delt the Final blow with a mighty wind magic unlike any we know today. Thus ending the poor City of Nym who never sought more than their own survival. At some point int the war Machi summons The Void Ark powered by none other than The Queen of Voidsent and later summons Diabolos, a King Umungst Voidsent, jnto the walls of Amdapor. Amdapor falls after this and in a final desperate act, The White Mages seal Diabalos I'm The White Tower thus ending Amdapor and the War of The Magi in Machi favor"

First you mension that Amdapoar were destroyed by a powerfull wind, then after you said they were destroyed by Diabolos. As far as we know there was no wind, just Diabolos.
Also the events of the Void Ark was posssible after the Nyms and Ampadoars were destroyed, not while they were fighting the ampadoars.

But despite all that again. Really good catch of the game's history.

[Kaiser-Ace]

A really good bread of eorzea's history Kaiser. There is one little thing I was confused.

"Machi seeking to undmine Nym sends a voidsent to infect the. with an illness, later called "The Toneberry Plauge" and Amdapor is believed to have delt the Final blow with a mighty wind magic

First you mension that Amdapoar were destroyed by a powerfull wind, then after you said they were destroyed by Diabolos. As far as we know there was no wind, just Diabolos.
Also the events of the Void Ark was posssible after the Nyms and Ampadoars were destroyed, not while they were fighting the ampadoars.

Actually, it was right in the segment you quoted. Machi weakened Nym but Amdapor Destroyed Nym. Then, after Nym was out of the way, Machi set Diabalos on Amdapor to destroy THEM. The war was always Amdapor vs Machi/White Magic vs Black Magic but the poor Scholars and Nymians were too powerful and in to great of a position to ignore. So they unfortunately got caught in the middle.

And I do apologize for all the typing errors as well. it was 4am EST when I was typing this. lol

But if you or anyone else see something that seems off by all means point it out.

Every hole shot in a theory is one more shot in the dark closer to the truth.

[Kaiser-Ace]

There we go, now that i have my PC instead of my PoS phone to work with, I gave it the massive grammar and spelling overhaul that it desperately needed.

Now it looks like I can actually speak english. lol

[myahele]

Nice post, Kaiser! Yeah there really is a lot of gaps of knowledge. The only scrap of info I have regarding the Great Ice age is the one about the Sanctum of the 12:

This sky-scraping ivory cathedral was build following the Age of Endless Frost—a dark period in which the realm was overrun with famine and disease—to serve as a place of refuge and respite for all who sought succor. Soon after, however, it fell into ruin and was all but forgotten...until the advent of the Seventh Umbral Era saw need for its rise once again.

It seems as if the Age of Frost was also filled with disease and plague ... which may have given the eventual rise of Scholar's disease-based spells? And might have been one of the reason why Amdapor originally focused on healing/succor

[Velox]

Also worth noting that the current incarnation of white magic and black magic is not the same as the magicks used by Amdapor and Mhach.

The Mhachi's control over Black Magic gave them dominion over the Void and all creatures that dwelt within. They could lay waste to entire continents, possibly the world, if they wanted to.

The Amdapori's control over White Magic gave them dominion over death, itself. It's also said they could alter the very fabric of space and time, and de-molecularize matter.

Ancient Black and White magic were frightening compared to their modern remnants.