Amaurot: Why there? (Spoilers ShB and EW)

[Lyth]

Every location on the First has parallels in the Source, which makes sense, because they started out the same and then diverged 12000 years ago. In order to get to the Tempest, Bismarck dives into the waters just off the coast of Kholusia. We know that Kholusia is the equivalent of Limsa, which makes the Tempest the equivalent of the Indigo Deep. This is further supported by the fact that the Ondo are the equivalent of the Sagahin. If you went for a dive into the Indigo Deep, I wouldn't be surprised if you found that the ruins of Amaurot on the Source as well.

There's a really interesting shot of Amaurot just after you've fought with Emet which shows all the buildings in ruins, with just the structural remains in place. Given that the buildings and people that we see are made from creation magic, it's likely that he simply built his reconstructed city upon the ruins of the original. He's unlikely to have picked a completely fresh location, especially if nostalgia was a motivating factor.

As for the significance of the First - that's a very lengthy discussion in itself involving Eden and the Shadowbringers role quests. Mitron tells you that when the Flood of Darkness occurred on the Thirteenth, it had ripple effects on all the shards. But the shard that was most affected by the change was the First, which pushed it precariously towards the opposite alignment, Light. The Ascians have been trying to rejoin the First since then. Mitron and Loghrif were initially assigned to the task, but when they failed, it fell to Emet and Elidibus to try and get the job done. That's the quick answer, although I can give a more detailed one if you like.

[Enkidoh]

Every location on the First has parallels in the Source, which makes sense, because they started out the same and then diverged 12000 years ago. In order to get to the Tempest, Bismarck dives into the waters just off the coast of Kholusia. We know that Kholusia is the equivalent of Limsa, which makes the Tempest the equivalent of the Indigo Deep. This is further supported by the fact that the Ondo are the equivalent of the Sagahin. If you went for a dive into the Indigo Deep, I wouldn't be surprised if you found that the ruins of Amaurot on the Source as well.

Theoretically yes, but the First lacked the constant Calamities the Source had (one of which was a global earthquake - the one that obliterated the Allag), so as Y'shtola actually states during ShB's storyline, any remaining ruins of Amaurot on the Source would have been obliterated long ago with successive Calamities creating sesmic upheavals (I mean, little of even Sil'dih exists mere centuries after it fell, so there's not much to nil chance of Amaurotine ruins surviving on the Source unfortunately. It's possible though the remaining Shards may have similar ruins though to the First, but I'm just musing here.

[Lyth]

Ah, I have the quote. 'City of the Ancients', Shadowbringers MSQ:

'It is my theory that these structures are remnants of a time before history - of a star that was yet whole and unbroken. Such traces in the Source would have been obliterated by the succession of the Umbral Calamities, but here in the First they might have remained untouched for millennia...'

That being said, it's worth noting that this line occurs after surveying the building fragments of the Ondo Cups, well before you get to Amaurot proper. The walls are also remarkably resilient to the mythril knife you try to take scrapings with. We also know that the Sagahin have their own city at the bottom of the Indigo Deep, so they might well have moved into the remnants of Amaurot, similar to the Ondo.

Either way, I wouldn't rule it out completely, as it just comes down to the writers' discretion if we ever end up visiting the area.

[KageTokage]

I also find the notion of the Ancient cities being completely scoured from the Source a touch improbable with how it was noted they were unusually durable compared to any manner of material known to the people of the present.

I suppose it's possible the Sundering may have played a role in that because we have no idea exactly how the world itself was affected by the event and it may have resulted in calamity-level destruction for all we know.

[rxantos]

Because one of the ruins of Amaurot was nearby. Meaning the original was in that area. Probably not under water, but in that area.

Also Hades being fond to darkness. It would be the best place for him to work alone without being bothered by simpletons. Specially in a world flooded with light.

[thegreatonemal]

I also find the notion of the Ancient cities being completely scoured from the Source a touch improbable with how it was noted they were unusually durable compared to any manner of material known to the people of the present.

I suppose it's possible the Sundering may have played a role in that because we have no idea exactly how the world itself was affected by the event and it may have resulted in calamity-level destruction for all we know.

At the same time the buildings were destroyed during the final days. So it's not like they can't be, you just can't take a knife made of a common metal and get so much as some shavings.

[KageTokage]

It is left vague how much time had passed from Zodiark's summoning up until the Sundering, so I suppose it's also possible they may have simply not even gotten around to repairing/rebuilding the majority of their settlements, too.

The original Final Days were like a combination of all the calamities and worse thanks to the addition of meteor showers and rampaging terminus beasts.

[Cleretic]

I also find the notion of the Ancient cities being completely scoured from the Source a touch improbable with how it was noted they were unusually durable compared to any manner of material known to the people of the present.

I suppose it's possible the Sundering may have played a role in that because we have no idea exactly how the world itself was affected by the event and it may have resulted in calamity-level destruction for all we know.

Sure, they're unusually durable, but are they 'survives seven Calamities' unusually durable? Even the non-magicked-up ruins in the Tempest were barely intact. Combine that with the fact the one location we've got is relatively close to Eorzea, which we can reasonably assume is the epicenter for most Calamities going by the fact they literally set their clocks by it, and yeah, it's probably gotten wrecked REAL hard.

Also, we can't forget that the End of Days itself gives us a pretty good sample of how much punishment those buildings can take, and frankly I don't see that unusual durability counting for much there.

[Nav_Fae]

I wonder where in the source Elpis would have been located at.

[Yvreux]

I wonder where in the source Elpis would have been located at.

I have this head canon that it's in Labyrinthos since it's the only other place we've seen the flowers in Etheirys so far.