***Please note that the following is a proposed fan-made concept that seeks to reimagine FFXIV taking after FFXVI’s elements and not official Square Enix material, and is merely for speculative and entertainment purposes. Mild spoilers for the world of FFXVI are present to some degree in the following post(s).***
300 years prior to the events of FFXVI, Crystalline Dominion is little more than a halmet. Though typically shunned by society, the recent period of geopolitical instability has meant that some chosen few bearers have been given express permission from their nation states to venture abroad on behalf of their countries to solve issues.
Storylines...
• “The False Mythos”
Rogue disciple of the Circle of Malius believes he is the prophesised Mythos and begins attacking other Dominants. In truth, he is the Dominant of Odin empowered by a blood ritual that enables him to partially consume the essences of other eikons. After absorbing Phoenix’s power and fusing both eikons together, he claims the title Diabolos and is fought and killed in the Interdimensional Rift. Diabolos acts as an early ally/tutorial friend in disguise regardless of starter nation.
• “The Quest for Holy”
The National Sanbrequois Questline. The order of the knight dragoons have been sent on a quest to find the legendary tome containing the spell Holy in the hopes it will heal their dying prince but no one has heard from each dragoon since. The player is tasked with bringing each of them back. Loosely based off the quest for the Holy Grail.
• “The Roses of May”
The National Rosarian Questline (progression locked after a certain point due to base main story involvement). The lady knight Ovelia is tasked with protecting the current Dominant of Phoenix, as a feud unfurls at court that would see the country rent in twain. Loosely based off the War of the Roses / Henry VI.
• “The Wrath of Heaven”
The National Veldermarke Questline. The Dominant of Ramuh flees the court when the king begins to prod him about the whereabouts of the forbidden black magic spell, Meteor.
• “Reverie Unto the Skies”
Fallen expansion based in the skies, relieve the history and assault on the crystal of dzemeskys. Set across various mechanical islands that float in the sky above Valisthea. Explores the perspective of the first people to realize the dark truth of the Mothercrystals.
• “Tears for Metia”
A Kanver academic flees to the North after discovering Summon magic, pursued by both evil elements from Kanver and the Circle of Malius itself. However, the chieftainess of the North would use that dread power for her own ends and further her own conquest of the neighbouring disputed territories.
• “The Sorceress War”
Cantered around Artemesia, the future mother of Barnabas, picking up the pieces of Diabolos’s corpse to bring him back to life and mate with him so that she can birth a proper dominant for Odin after his failure. Though originally thought she wanted to bring him back, she immediately murders him and turns on the player character. She is defeated but escapes by traveling to the future. Effectively she wins and raises Barnabas, indoctrinating him into the cult’s teachings and thus we have an explanation for why there haven’t been many records of Odin’s dominants in history. When the party returns, the Blight begins to spread starting at the site where the witch was defeated.
Character Creation...
• Origin
This takes the place of racial selection. Roughly speaking, Rosarians would be akin to Midlanders-Highlanders, Sanbrequois citizens would be akin to Viera sans the inverse height difference between men and women, Dhalmekians would be akin to Roegadyn or Hrothgar builds, and Veldermarkeans would have the shorter, more lithe builds of Miqote. There is no Lalafell or Auri equivalent. To compensate for the lack of races other than humans, various accessories such as Viera ears, Miqote ears, and Auri horns would be available for players to earn as customization for their characters as well.
• Brand
Prior to the standardization of Bearer brands in the later eras of Valisthean history, there was much discrepancy between brands. As such, some Bearers may have been branded with emblems of their nations, their eikons, or even runic incantations anywhere on their bodies, including full body tattoos. Due to the geopolitical turmoil in Valisthea at this time, some Bearers may have no brands at all due to having escaped testing at birth.
• Starting Nation
This differs from Origin, as Starting Nations denote the nation the player character begins their journey in. This would be either Rosaria, Dhalmekia, Sanbreque, or Veldermarke. Players of different nations may change their allegiance by speaking to shady individuals in each city in order to exchange their starting signet rings for those of their desired nation. This will allow them to participate in Conquest on behalf of the new nation as well as participate in Nation-locked storylines.
Jobs...
Systems...
• Talent Trees and Abilities
The various jobs that can be unlocked in Valisthea can be customized to the player’s playstyle using talent trees. In this way, a Red Mage may choose to specialize in offensive debuffs or take on a more supporting role as a healer. Dragoons may choose to focus on tanking skills or damage skills, and so on.
• Story Dungeons
Dungeons that are unlocked over the course of a given expansion story that can be queued for from anywhere in the world. They include sieges, battlefield, and other non-revisitable events and locations. They reward gear with no additional passive effects.
• Overworld Levelling
Overworld enemies will be scaled to sufficiently challenge the player according to the level appropriate for the region, but can mostly be soloed without the need for a full party. Notorious monsters in the overworld may sometimes drop gear with passive effects.
• Open-World Dungeons
Dungeons that may be visited at any time scattered throughout the world. They cannot be queued for directly and can be explored solo or with a party. Enemies and notorious monsters may sometimes drop gear with passive effects.
• Conquest
The political map of Valisthea is in constant flux. Orabelle Downs today might belong to Sanbreque, but by the next moon it may belong to Rosaria instead. By defeating monsters in regions as members of a specific nation, that nation’s influence will increase in said area. This allows for region-specific vendors to peddle their wares in that nation’s main city, selling items at reduced prices. Players from other nations will still be able to purchase a reduced selection of said items, marked up at a premium. Such items include equipment as well as items used for crafting.
• PVP
Crystal Battlefield
A large scale battlefield where players are divided into 2 teams representing 2 randomized nations. The players claim and harvest Crystals akin to Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam), while eikons duel in the background.
Crystal Skirmish
A small scale battlefield akin to Crystalline Conflict.