How exactly do Calamities and Rejoinings relate to each other?

[ShinShimon]

So every Calamity is paired with the rejoining of one of the shards. But all of the Calamities we know about were motivated by very specific events in the history of Eorzea - the Crystal Tower being overloaded and causing an earthquake, the War of the Magi causing a huge flood*, Dalamud being brought down.

So, is another shard just randomly ****ed whenever something really bad happens on Eorzea? There one moment, gone the next, without any warning beforehand, because everything important is happening on the Source? Makes sense I guess, but then I hear talk about the trouble on the First potentially leading up to a Calamity, which would flip the usual chain of causation...

*I've heard conflicting stories about this; either the Elementals got really triggered and caused the flood themselves, or it was a natural result an elemental imbalance caused by Black and White Mages using every type of elemental magic but water. Which is it?

[Burningskull]

My theory, FF7 Spoilers, is that when a calamity happens on the Source, Hydalyn must convert one of the other shards into a massive amount of Aether in order to "heal" herself the same way Gaia was doing in FF7, gathering lots of the lifestream to heal a wound from the impact made by Jenova.

I feel like this would happen instantly for the Shard being absorbed, however the healing process might take centuries on the Source.

Just a theory anyway.

[MrThinker]

The simple answer is that we simply don't have the facts. It is implied that the Ascians actually have some sort of hand in directing events to unfold as they do in all the calamities, so there is method to the chaos (maybe). As for the shards just being there one moment and gone the next, again we do not know. Ascians also try to stir trouble on the shards, the 13th being turned into the void is a result of the meddling of the Ascian Igehyorm. But we do not know why they do that. The most convincing answer is that the shard that needs to be rejoined ALSO needs to be undergoing some sort of catastrophic disaster to rend it susceptible to being Rejoined, but that is just speculation and has never been substantiated, to my knowledge at least.

[Anonymoose]

So, is another shard just randomly ****ed whenever something really bad happens on Eorzea?

Evidence thus far points to something a little more deliberate - that each shard shares a dimensional membrane of some kind with the Source, and that the Ascians deliberately and specifically try to break down the membrane between the Source and a shard from both sides to blow that barrier out. With the distinction between the two worlds lost, the "copy" is deleted and all the aether rushes back into the sea, while the Source experiences the effects of that catastrophe.

The Calamity is the crescendo - the moment the Ascian plan has wrought enough chaos that the barrier gives way. The Rejoining is a simultaneous event whereby the shard vanishes and its aether is rejoined to the Sea. The Ascians call this event the Ardor.

Koji has also specified that the reasoning behind all the rising chaos and aetherial instability is that it creates a state where things are possible. (Please look forward to it.)

I've heard conflicting stories about this; either the Elementals got really triggered and caused the flood themselves, or it was a natural result an elemental imbalance caused by Black and White Mages using every type of elemental magic but water. Which is it?

In 1.0, there was an elemental named Oka-sok who took credit for the Sixth Umbral Calamity, the great flood. She says that she "keened" (a cry of sorrow), and all the other elementals joined in, and the Calamity came.

But keep in mind that the elementals are just pure aether experiencing itself subjectively as an independent entity. The elementals feel aetherial instability like we might feel emotional instability.

Oha-sok also said that the War of the Magi caused the elementals to become "enslaved," but there is zero evidence of any literal elemental-enslaving. However, why wouldn't such a being experience the War of the Magi as being and shackled and made to do the bidding of great mages? That's what a magic war is.

It's possible that Oha-sok just experienced the elemental instability leading to the Calamity from a first-person point of view.

[LineageRazor]

So, is another shard just randomly ****ed whenever something really bad happens on Eorzea? There one moment, gone the next, without any warning beforehand, because everything important is happening on the Source? Makes sense I guess, but then I hear talk about the trouble on the First potentially leading up to a Calamity, which would flip the usual chain of causation...

In theory, I suppose a Rejoining could occur due to some overblown natural disaster - but the implication in this game is that EVERY Calamity up to this point has not been natural in any way, but the culmination of Ascian plans. They supply technology and skills in key places, whisper into the right ears, set up empires, and set them against one another, all for the purpose of eventually unleashing enough chaos to bring on a Calamity. The Garlean Empire is only the latest - but might well be seen as the most successful, as well, in that they'll be getting two Calamities for the price of one! (Or maybe, three for the price of two - the Allagan Empire certainly deserves a share of the credit for Bahamut and the Seventh Calamity.)

In addition to what Anonymoose said above, one of the great remaining mysteries is just what needs to happen on the Shard to enable a Rejoining. We know that Ascians are out there messing around on other Shards, and their goal is almost certainly to enable a Rejoining, but what, exactly, do they do there? Do they trigger a Calamity on the Shard, as well? Or perhaps their goal is simply to preserve the balance of Light and Dark, so the Shard doesn't slip into a Flood before it can be Rejoined.

[Lacan]

My understanding (which very well could be mixed with my headcanon, fair warning) is that a calamity triggers such an immense disturbance in the aether that it breaks down part of the dimensional fracture that Hydaelyn inflicted on the source. When that happens the anchor that kept the shard separate is lost so it "rejoins" with the source and becomes one with it again.

So each calamity is gradually undoing what Hydaelyn did originally. Once 13 calamities happen the source will be back to how it originally was and the seal on Zodiark will be broken.

[Naria]

^ This is similar to a theory that originated the forums back in 3.4 (as far as I know, it may have had several genesis points) and while it is plausible, it is still not confirmed.

Here is a link to the original discussion: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post3880551 I'd continue reading on to the posts of the next page as well.

Somehow this seems to have mutated into "Hydaelyn is eating other Shards to save herself on purpose" on youtube and the like. I'm really not sure when that happened. Also, not confirmed.

[Anonymoose]

So each calamity is gradually undoing what Hydaelyn did originally. Once 13 calamities happen the source will be back to how it originally was and the seal on Zodiark will be broken.

Alternatively, because Hydaelyn and Zodiark shared the Sea originally, Rejoining enough to aggregate Zodiark's (majority) share may be enough to resurrect Him, let Him overpower Hydaelyn, and Rejoin the rest of the worlds with full control of the process. Recall that the Keynote referred to it as the "8th and Final Umbral Calamity."

[Lacan]

Alternatively, because Hydaelyn and Zodiark shared the Sea originally, Rejoining enough to aggregate Zodiark's (majority) share may be enough to resurrect Him, let Him overpower Hydaelyn, and Rejoin the rest of the worlds with full control of the process. Recall that the Keynote referred to it as the "8th and Final Umbral Calamity."

That makes a lot of sense too. 8 out of 13 calamities would mean that the source is more than halfway "rejoined," which might be all the tipping point that Zodiark needs to resurrect.

[Brightamethyst]

That makes a lot of sense too. 8 out of 13 calamities would mean that the source is more than halfway "rejoined," which might be all the tipping point that Zodiark needs to resurrect.

7/13 is already more than half way. Much of the damage from the seventh was averted, but it was still a calamity and probably triggered a rejoining.