FFXVI World Chronology (Ultimania)

This is the entirety of the world chronology as it appears in Ch. 8 of Ultimania. I’m not sure if anyone’s translated it yet, but aside from Azeria’s translations of some of the character profiles, so far I’ve only seen bits and pieces of this 754 page tome translated into English, so I thought I’d share this. I’m sure Ultimania will be released in English eventually, but until then... There are a few terms I’ve had to guess at, since they haven’t appeared in any of the English media yet (that I could find), but I’ve made an effort to be faithful to the official English terminology wherever possible since I think the localisation on this game is brilliant.

The notes section I’ve compiled below is by no means necessary reading, but it includes the information I referenced and synthesised as I was translating and explains why I chose some of the words I did, as well as highlights some of the ways in which the English and Japanese versions of the game differ. I’ve mostly kept to the English sources except where the two diverge or occasionally contradict each other, so there might be a few new chestnuts for anyone who’s only interacted with the English. It also includes the entirely unofficial analysis and random speculations that went through my brain as I was working on this, but I’m afraid this is what happens when book nerds play videogames. You have been warned.

※ Spoilers abound

World Parameters
_{HISTORY & LORE}

Publishing the historical timeline created during development along with select content related to the game itself. We’d like it if you’d touch on the changes this world has undergone over the course of several millennia and deepen your understanding of the story.

WORLD CHRONOLOGY

The Age of Ultima

Era	Event	Glossary
Over 5000 Years Ago	The Ultima Come into Being In the dawning of the world, the Ultima, a sentient race, come into being.	・The Ultima The first sentient life forms in this world.
	Magic is Devised The Ultima devise magic, an art which makes manifest aether drawn from the earth.	・Aether Power that rises from the earth, by which all life is sustained. It is also the power consumed when magicks are cast. ・Magic The miracle which consumes the aether stored in the earth and manifests with the body’s life force. In this world, including Valisthea, it’s used in daily life, battle, etc.
	The Ultima Collective Rise into Power The Ultima create a civilisation predicated on magic and prosper.
	The Blight Develops and Spreads Throughout the World The Blight develops as a result of the land’s aether being progressively depleted due to the rampant use of magic. As the Blight spreads, the climate becomes unstable, even to the point of inducing natural disasters. The threat of the Blight expands across the world.	・The Blight The state of the land when its aether has been depleted and all sthenia has ceased. The earth and water turn black as pitch and plant life can no longer grow.
	The Ultima Discover Valisthea The Ultima, having lost their living environment to the spread of the Blight, find themselves on the verge of extinction. Seeking aether with which to cast magicks, the Ultima explore the world in Origin and discover the new realm of Valisthea.	・Origin Both the largest metropolis of the Ultima collective and a massive airship. Later, it becomes a base in which to store aether to be used for the “Raise.” ・Valisthea One of the continents that exist in this world and the one on which this story takes place. The Ultima named it the final land, later peopled by mankind.
	The Ultima Begin Planning the Casting of the “Raise” Though the Ultima had found Valisthea, a land replete with aether, they realise their race are likely fated to die out and so devise a plan to cast the “Raise,” a plenary vital spell, in order to restore their dying brethren to life in the distant future.	・The “Raise” A plenary vital spell the Ultima developed in order to restore their brethren to life. A massive amount of aether was needed in order to cast the “Raise,” and many long ages were required to amass it.
	The Mothercrystals are Placed Throughout Valisthea The Ultima cast off their corporeal bodies, which were progressively decaying with the passing of many long years, and assumed incorporeal forms. Once the Ultima had scattered themselves across the whole of Valisthea, they transformed themselves into the Mothercrystals and their hearts and constructed a system in which aether was transmitted from each of the Mothercrystals to Origin. At this time, the Ultima’s plan predicted that Valisthea’s aether would not be depleted even after they had finished syphoning aether for the “Raise.”	・The Mothercrystals Objects that absorb aether from the land so as to cast the “Raise;” the transmogrified body of an Ultima. As a rule, each Mothercrystal contains a heart, the exception being the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys, whose heart resides within Origin. ・The Crystal’s Heart An object whose purpose is to transmit the aether absorbed by the Mothercrystals to Origin. They are the counterparts to the Mothercrystals that contain them and are likewise the transmogrified bodies of Ultima. ・The Mothercrystal of Dzemekys One of the Mothercrystals. In contrast to the other Mothercrystals which transmit aether via their hearts, Dzemekys transmits aether directly to Origin.
	Ultima Creates Mankind The Ultima had cast off their corporeal forms in order to survive, but a body of flesh was needed to chant the spell that would cast the “Raise.” To that end, Ultima creates mankind with the added purpose that they serve as caretakers to the Mothercrystals whilst he slumbers.	・Mankind A four-limbed species created by Ultima. To make it clear they are an inferior species, they have a different number of arms than the Ultima do. In order to obtain the corporeal form necessary to cast the “Raise” (Mythos), an aetherial mediator* is embedded within their bodies, that a Mythos might be born after generations of procreation. Still, these early humans are like puppets, lacking independent will. _{*the genetic ability to channel aether}
	Ultima Enters Stasis Ultimalius, the king of the Ultima, seals Origin within the earth under what is now the Dominion Isle. At this time, he instals the Sanctum Volant in the skies above Origin and exerts control over the early peoples that they keep watch over the Mothercrystals. The means of reaching Origin are limited, the sole path being the Jade installed at the foot of the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys. In order to have the early peoples safeguard the Mothercrystals, Ultimalius leaves to them magic and the saviour myth. And so doing, he enters stasis along with the bodies cast off by his brethren in order to cast the “Raise” in the distant future.	・The Sanctum Volant[?] A device to control the early peoples who lacked independent will. The architectural style of the Sanctum Volant was passed down to guardians of future generations, who would later emulate this style when building their Inner Sanctums. ・The Jade The transporter installed at the foot of the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys. The sole means of reaching Origin.

Notes 1

The First Age of Man

Era	Event	Glossary
Over 4000 Years Ago	The Guardians are Born The peoples created by Ultima settled at the foot of each of the Mothercrystals that they might keep watch over them as guardians. Generation by generation, the guardians became adapted to the environments surrounding the Mothercrystals. With the passing of many long years, the bodies created by Ultima began to change ever so slightly until the lineages called “Motes” came to be.	・Guardians Refers to the people who keep watch over the various Mothercrystals. ・Lineages Refers to the bloodlines of the early peoples who became attuned to the characteristics of their Mothercrystals. They come to be named for their elemental affinities（→P.64).
	Mankind Develop Free Will After Ultima entered stasis, people were pressed with the need to reason for themselves in order to survive. The accumulation of thought eventually engenders free will in mankind.

Notes 2

The Magitek Age

Era	Event	Glossary
Over 3500 Years Ago	Mankind Further Develop Magic The independent will born in mankind gave rise to further waves of change. Magic, which had originally been used for the purpose of overseeing the Mothercrystals, is adapted for a variety of applications in order to help mankind survive and develops further.
Over 3000 Years Ago _{[Early Fallen Era]}	Magitek Gives Rise to the Fallen Civilisation The development of magic gives birth to a technological system known as magitek. The apparatus made via this art, which use aether as their power source, are named “magitek constructs,” and the development of airborne transports and weaponry progresses. These innovations eventually give rise to a civilisation that will be known to later generations as “The Fallen.”	・Magitek The magic that Ultima bestowed upon mankind had only very limited uses, but this art allowed it to be repurposed for a variety of applications. With the passing of ages, it grew in scope, magnifying magic’s effects or using it to operate tools; its application was not limited to everyday conveniences, but began to be bent to such things as the operation of weaponry. Towards the end of the Fallen Era, when the magitek arts reached their pinnacle, massively high-powered magitek constructs were created to heighten the offensive power of magic, and the control of magic became centralised. They are generally classified under one of the following terms, and today are collectively referred to as “Fallen ruins and relics.” 　・Magitek, Magitek Arts 　Various phenomena that can be controlled by magic itself. 　・Magitek Constructs 　Various objects that can be animated by magic. ・The Fallen Refers to the civilisation that developed around magitek. They expanded their zone of habitation even to the skies, with cities borne aloft and “airships” flying hither and yon across the upper air.
Over 3000〜1500 Years Ago _{[Mid Fallen Era]}	Eikonoklastes are Born As the magitek arts become more advanced, rare individuals with greater sensitivity to aether than ordinary folk begin to appear. They were similar to Bearers of the present day and were called “Eikonoklastes” due to their ability to call forth powerful magicks. This word has been passed down to the modern day in the appellation “Eikon.” _{“Summoners” (see notes)}
	Mankind Found Great Nations With the development of the magitek arts, groups large enough to be called nations begin to form from the settlements of guardians that had existed since before the Mid Fallen Era. Meanwhile, technological advances engender hubris in mankind and many people, including guardians across the Twins, gradually begin to lose faith in the gods.	・Nations Refers to communities formed by the peoples said to be the “guardians of the Mothercrystals,” who sought a tether to the collective unconscious imprinted upon their human bodies.
	The Circle of Malius is Founded As the magitek arts develop, the first organised religions are established as an anchorage for the hearts of men. The Motes of Darkness (the Children of Dzemekys) found the Circle of Malius upon the saviour myth Ultima left to them.	・The Circle of Malius A religion founded by the Motes of Darkness (the Children of Dzemekys) that worships Ultima, based upon the saviour myth. ・The Savior Myth The prophecy Ultima left to mankind before he entered stasis. The only ones who have inherited this prophecy uncorrupted are the adherents of the saviour cult, and the only one who accurately understands Ultima’s intentions is the King of Waloed, Barnabas Tharmr. The Prophecy of Salvation On the promised day, this world shall be remade by the hands of Mythos, the lord’s incarnation. To herald this, the beasts who are the lord’s heavenly servants shall assume corporeal form. The guardians shall attend these heavenly servants and await the birth of Mythos. These faithful guardians shall surely obtain a rare happiness.
About 1500 Years Ago _{[Late Fallen Era]}	The Magitek War Breaks Out Due to the rapid increase in demand for aether, a war for aether ultimately breaks out between nations. The Mothercrystals, which store vast amounts of aether, become targets, and the various nations engage in fierce offensive and defensive battles using magical constructs. What’s more, during the great War of the Magi, the nations of men do not draw the line at fighting amongst themselves, but begin to devise schemes to usurp the power of their slumbering gods. Even as each of the factions sought the incredible power of the Mothercrystals, they accelerated the development of ever more powerful magitek weaponry.	・The Magitek War(s)* Refers to warfare waged by use of the magitek arts and magitek constructs. _{*a.k.a. The War of the Magi}
	The Blight First Appears in Valisthea The Magitek War causes an increase in the consumption of aether and the Blight first appears in central Storm (in the vicinity of the hideaway in the present day). Thereafter, until the fall of the Menne of Magitek, the Blight appears and spreads in every region of the realm.
	The Sins of Dzemekys are Punished In the final years of the Magitek War, in order to obtain the power of the god Ultima (Ultimalius), the various nations storm the base of the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys as one in an attempt to reach Origin. When they do, the Ultima that had become the Mothercrystal annihilates their forces along with the surrounding terrain in order to protect Origin.	・The Sins of Dzemekys Refers to the war between the peoples who laid siege to the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys and the guardians of Dzemekys (the Motes of Darkness), as well as the destruction wrought by it. The Motes of Darkness (the Children of Dzemekys) were defeated in battle, the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys fell, and the Sanctum Volant was destroyed. As a result of the Mothercrystal’s annihilation, a vast crater (Dzemekys Falls in the present day) remains where Dzemekys once stood.
	The Motes of Darkness (The Children of Dzemekys) Migrate to the Outer Continent At the time of the war, the surviving Motes of Darkness (the Children of Dzemekys) fled to the outer continent (at this time, mankind ventured beyond Valisthea for the first time). Thereafter, a unique culture develops in the outer realms. In the future, a trade route will be established between Valisthea and the outer continent, and not only the Motes of Darkness but merchants and travellers will come to journey back and forth between the two.	・The Outer Continent Refers to the continent(s) other than Valisthea. The spread of the Blight has advanced and there are precious few habitable regions.
	The Menne of Magitek Fall The fall of the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys left behind aftereffects of the preternatural sort, severely disrupting the flow of aether. As a result, the magitek constructs that had undergirded the Fallen civilisation begin to malfunction one after another in the aftermath, and eventually cease functioning altogether. With this, the Fallen meet their demise. On the other hand, the rampant usage of aether by magitek constructs also ceases, and the expansion of the Blight in Valisthea slows considerably for a time.

Notes 3

The Second Age of Man

Age	Event	Glossary
About 1300 Years Ago	Civilisation Retrogresses With the demise of the Fallen and the loss of their highly developed magitek arts, civilisation regresses to the era of the original peoples. Thereafter, civilisation devoid of magitek and its according level of technological advancement (equivalent to the that of the real-world Middle Ages) continues to the modern era. Furthermore, with the decline of civilisation, the saviour myth Ultima left behind is forgotten, remaining only with the Children of Dzemekys, who establish the Circle of Malius.
	Nations Re-form Around the Mothercrystals As a result of civilisation having declined, the importance of the Mothercrystals and the boon of aether they provide is reaffirmed. At the same time, people rebuild their nations at the foot of the Mothercrystals, and communities develop around these nexus.
About 1000 Years Ago	Religion Flourishes In order to survive in such turbulent times, organised religions begin to take shape as a form of emotional support for mankind.	・Religion The religions systemised in this age are as follows: 　・The Circle of Malius 　A religion that originated from the faith of the Motes of Darkness (the Children of Dzemekys). It had spread widely across the continent, but its core adherents were wiped out in the fall of Dzemekys. Its believers were scattered across the globe, and the belief system too eventually died out and is now regarded as a folk religion. 　・The Religion That Will Become the Precursor to the Crystalline Orthodox 　A sect of the Circle of Malius. Following the Sins of Dzemekys, this faction strengthened their belief in the absolute power of the Mothercrystals, flourishing primarily in Storm. At this time, the denomination “Crystalline Orthodox” does not exist. 　・The Greagorian Church 　A new religion that worships 72 spirits of light and the one true deity Greagor who unites them. It has taken “The Tale of Greagor,” a legend from the War of the Magi some 500 years prior, and made a religion of it. The Tale of Greagor During the great Magitek War, the shield-maiden Greagor wielded a “magitek weapon for aerial combat in the shape of a dragon.” This anecdote is later regarded as the foundational myth of the “Greagorian Church” and the image of “Greagor astride a dragon” becomes one of their symbols.
About 950 Years Ago	The Existence of Bearers is Recognised Several centuries after the demise of the Fallen, a subset of people who can use magic without crystals, like the “Eikonoklastes” of yore, are born more frequently and their existence becomes widely known. People call them Bearers, as in, “those who bear good fortune,” and come to adore and worship them as saints. _{see notes}	・Bearers Refers to a subset of the populace who have a stronger expression of the aetherial mediator gene conferred by Ultima than normal people do. They are able to use magic without a crystal and, in Ultima’s eyes, are entities one step closer to Mythos.
	The Oppression of Bearers Begins As Bearers win the hearts of men and grow into a major religion, rulers—fearing an erosion of state control—begin to oppress Bearers.
	Oppressed Bearers Revolt Having been subjected to repeated oppression, Bearers organise and plan armed defences, which eventually develops into an all-out conflict with the state. However, they’re subdued by the states’ overwhelming military force and the organisations centred around Bearers are gradually dismantled. This battle is later referred to as the “Deluge of Blood,” and considered a cautionary tale in mankind’s history.

Notes 4

The Beginning of the Valisthean Calendar

Era	Event	Glossary
Y.R. 1 _{（Approximately 870 years ago）} _{Y.R. = Year of the Realm}	The Continental Accord is Signed Having subdued the Bearers, the nations sign a treaty to keep them under strict control in order to prevent an uprising of the same ilk from occurring a second time. The Continental Accord is the first and last realm-wide treaty in all of history, and to commemorate it, a calendar common to all nations, known as the “Year of the Realm,” is established as a testament to the creation of a new world of men.	・The Continental Accord A treaty that transcends national borders and stipulates how Bearers are to be treated. 　・The Enslavement of Bearers 　The methods for managing Bearers in light of their enslavement, as well as a system for testing whether or not someone is a Bearer, are also established. 　・The Bearer’s Brand 　Men mark Bearers with a brand upon their cheeks, common amongst all nations, and control them as an enslaved race. 　・Currency: “Gil” 　With the enslavement of Bearers, a common currency, gil, was adopted to facilitate the trade of them. Initially, the buying and selling of slaves was controlled by the state, but as time went on, it began to be carried out in the private sector as well. “Gil” took its name from Gilbard, who was regarded as a god of commerce. 　※ Gilbard was a luminary who invented the monetary system in this world. In the lost civilisations of roughly 1,300 prior, commerce was primarily conducted via the exchange of goods, but Gilbard, a liege lord in what is now the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, introduced the Gilbard Coin to define the appropriate value of items transacted within his domain. In later years, this would spread to different nations and territories in the form of coins and bank notes. 　※ In the modern era, there exists a religion known as “The Bank of Gilbard the Great Lender,” but this is a tribute paid to Gilbert the Golden by merchants to help their businesses flourish, and is more like a gathering of ideologies than a religion. It came into being around Y.R. 300 when commerce was becoming destabilised, what with the spread of the Blight and the waging of wars.
Around Y.R. 100 _{（Approximately 770 years ago）}	Dominants are Born “Dominants,” beings who can transform into paranormal entities with godlike power and wield overwhelmingly powerful magicks, are born of the guardian lineages. The otherworldly forms they transform into come to be called “Eikons,” after the Fallen tradition.	・Dominants A subset of the populace who are able to channel more aether than Bearers and who can harness the power of an Eikon. To the Circle of Malius, they are viewed as sacred: “those who guide us to the lord.” In Ultima’s eyes, they are entities one step further still towards Mythos. ・Eikons Powerful entities; manifestations of fragments of Ultima’s power. The guardians of the Mothercrystals, having adapted to the environments surrounding them, have developed physical constitutions attuned to their Mothercrystals’ elemental affinities. Those possessed of the respective affinities have the potential to awaken as Dominants, and there exists one Eikon for each element.
	Nations Begin to Raise Their Dominants into Positions of Power In order to avoid a repeat of the Bearer uprising, the upper echelons of each and every nation work to corral their Dominants and bestow them with high status. In some countries, they are even positioned to play a central role in future.
Around Y.R. 150 _{（Approximately 720 years ago）}	The Continental Accord is Lost Having gained military might through the backing of their Dominants and seeking a stable supply of aether, the nations begin to war over control of the Mothercrystals, aiming to seize the territory surrounding them. At this time, the Continental Accord, which had proclaimed peace amongst peoples, loses effect, but the treatment of Bearers remains in the culture down the generations.

Notes 5

The New Age of Nations

Era	Event
Around Y.R. 170 _{（Approximately 700 years ago）}	Small Countries Proliferate Throughout the Realm and are Repeatedly Integrated and Abolished With the loss of the Continental Accord, small countries proliferate throughout the realm. They are repeatedly integrated and abolished.
Around Y.R. 200 _{（Approximately 670 years ago）}	The Precursor to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque is Established The northeastern territories of Storm are united with the Greagorian Church as their foundation and the precursor to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque is established.
Around Y.R. 210 _{（Approximately 660 years ago）}	The Precursor to the Dhalmekian Republic is Established The southern territories, feeling threatened by the establishment of the precursor to Sanbreque, unite as well, forming the precursor to the Dhalmekian Republic.
Around Y.R. 220 _{（Approximately 650 years ago）}	In Northern Storm, the Crystalline Orthodox’s Comraichs Proliferate The religion that would become the precursor to the Crystalline Orthodox had been steadily gaining followers since its inception and, after changing its name to the “Crystalline Orthodox,” unites its followers and establishes headquarters near Drake’s Eye.
Around Y.R. 250 _{（Approximately 620 years ago）}	The Precursor to the Grand Duchy of Rosaria is Established Many small dominions crop up in the west midlands of Storm, amongst them the precursor to the Grand Duchy of Rosaria.
	The State of the Realm in Other Regions Y.R. 170〜250s ・In the vicinity of Drake’s Eye, small countries proliferate. Very rarely, the Dominant of Shiva is born and each time she is, the balance of power amongst the territories is shaken. ・In the vicinity of Drake’s Spine, small tribal nations vie for dominion. The nation in possession of the Mothercrystal is constantly changing. ・In the vicinity of Drake’s Horn, a battle to seize the Mothercrystal rages on between the warring tribes and the descendants of the Motes of Water.
Around Y.R. 300 _{（Approximately 570 years ago）}	In Southern Ash, the Blight Appears, Spreads Due to Drake’s Horn’s consumption of aether, the Blight appears and spreads.
Around Y.R. 350 _{（Approximately 520 years ago）}	Drake’s Horn, the Mothercrystal of Southern Ash, Falls Having served its purpose, the Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn in southern Ash shatters due to the depletion of aether in the surrounding area.
Around Y.R. 400 _{（Approximately 470 years ago）}	Skirmishing Intensifies in the Vicinity of Drake’s Spine With the fall of Drake’s Horn and the spread of the Blight throughout Ash, skirmishing intensifies.
Around Y.R. 450 _{（Approximately 420 years ago）}	The Northern Territories Trend Towards Unity The conflict amongst the Northern Territories of Storm intensifies with the advent of the Eikon Shiva, and as several territories are abolished and merged, they each gain in might.
	The Precursor to the Iron Kingdom is Established The Crystalline Orthodox abhors the aberrations known as Eikons and their Dominants, and declares war upon the Northern Territories, who are in possession of one, but suffers defeat in the face of said Eikon’s power. Those sects seeking a stricter faith leave their headquarters, cross the sea, and emigrate to the islands off the western edge of Valisthea. They come to worship Drake’s Breath as their primary object of veneration.
	The Kingdom of Veldermarke is Founded Kingdom of Veldermarke, a tribal nation, is established as one of the small dominions on Ash. It begins to conquer other tribes.
Around Y.R. 500 _{（Approximately 370 years ago）}	The Dhalmekian Republic is Founded In the precursor to the Dhalmekian Republic, the ruling bloodline is ended by assassination during a period in which the Eikon Titan has no Dominant, causing a power struggle to break out. This internecine war marks the beginning of the end, and the pre-Dhalmekian Republic meets its demise. Thereafter, the Dhalmekian Republic is established by uniting the individual satraps.
Around Y.R. 550 _{（Approximately 320 years ago）}	The League of the Rose[?] is Formed In the west midlands of Storm, small dominions form an alliance in order to oppose the Dhalmekian Republic. This alliance is referred to as the League of the Rose, as it is headed by House Rosfield, the ruling family of the precursor to the Grand Duchy of Rosaria who have produced a succession of Dominants of the Eikon Phoenix.
Around Y.R. 600 _{（Approximately 270 years ago）}	The Grand Duchy of Rosaria is Founded In order to create a stronger nation to counter the growing might of the Northern Territories, the Grand Duchy of Rosaria is founded upon the League of the Rose, with House Rosfield as its rulers. The influential members of the League become what will later be known as the Seven High Houses of Rosaria.
Around Y.R. 700 _{（Approximately 170 years ago）}	The Holy Empire of Sanbreque is Founded In order to unify the Greagorian Church’s sects, which were beginning to fragment, the militant radical faction eliminates the moderate faction. By returning all the privileges of the priesthood to the Emperor and establishing a new order in which the Emperor is the highest-ranking priest—the “holy emperor”—the Holy Empire of Sanbreque is established as a powerful nation in which church and state are indivisible.
Around Y.R. 750 _{（Approximately 650 years ago）}	In Northern Storm, the Blight Appears, Spreads Due to Drake’s Eye’s consumption of aether, the Blight appears and spreads.
Around Y.R. 790 _{（Approximately 80 years ago）}	Drake’s Eye, the Mothercrystal of Northern Storm, Falls Having served its purpose, Drake’s Eye in northern Storm shatters due to the depletion of aether in the surrounding area.
	The Western Wars Break Out Between the Grand Duchy of Rosaria and the Northern Territories In response to the spread of the Blight, the Northern Territories of Storm make forays into the Grand Duchy of Rosaria’s domain. It becomes a large-scale conflict in which the Eikons Phoenix and Shiva clash on the battlefield. Though the North emerges victorious, due to infighting amongst the tribes, an armistice is reached. As a result, the North is forced to withdraw.
	The Iron Kingdom is Founded As the western wars are unfolding, the precursor to the Iron Kingdom invades the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. They infiltrate the island of Drustanus where Drake’s Breath is located and, having effectively taken control, begin calling themselves “The Iron Kingdom.”
	The Precursor to the Crystalline Dominion is Founded Small countries in the vicinity of Drake’s Tail that lack a Dominant form a Board of Delegates and establish a nation. In order to avoid the ravages of war, they declare they will furnish the various other nations with crystals. The surrounding nations accept the Board’s declaration.
Y.R. 808	Barnabas Tharmr is born

Notes 6

The Modern Age to the Present Day

Year	Event
Y.R. 820 _{（53 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Iron Kingdom Deploys an Agent Provocateur to the Precursor to the Crystalline Dominion The agent’s name is Ishtahl. He is dispatched to seize control of the precursor to the Crystalline Dominion in order to bring about a renaissance of the Crystalline Orthodox.
Y.R. 824 _{（49 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Precursor to the Crystalline Dominion Declares its Independence Having assumed control of the pre-Crystalline Dominion, Ishtahl declares its independence. With this declaration, the provision of crystals to other nations is halted and the country enters a state of isolation.
Y.R. 825 _{（48 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Conflict of Drake’s Tail[?] Breaks Out War breaks out over the pre-Crystalline Dominion’s monopoly of Drake’s Tail. The pre-Dominion suffers defeat and thereafter the Crystalline Dominion is jointly ruled by the Kingdom of Veldermarke, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, and the Dhalmekian Republic.
Y.R. 829	Cidolfus Telamon is born
Y.R. 833 _{（40 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Fawn Coast Incident[?] Occurs The persecution of the Crystalline Orthodox that began with the discovery that Ishtahl hails from the Iron Kingdom gradually intensifies. In some areas it escalates into a massacre of the faith’s adherents, but the situation reaches a conclusion when they commit mass suicide on the Fawn Coast (the coast located at the eastern end of the Crystal Road).
Y.R. 835	Hugo Kupka is born
Y.R. 840 _{（33 years prior to the main storyline）}	Civil War Breaks Out in the Dhalmekian Republic In the Dhalmekian Republic, a conflict between reformists who aim to encourage the independence of the Crystalline Dominion and revitalise the import-export industry, and conservatives who advocate for maintaining the status quo, escalates into a civil war. The reformists are supported by the Kingdom of Veldermarke, whilst the conservatives are supported by the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, and it essentially becomes a proxy war between the two nations.
Y.R. 842 _{（31 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Strait of Autha is Blockaded In response to the civil war in Dhalmekia, the Kingdom of Veldermarke blockades the Strait of Autha, which lies on the border between the The Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the continent of Ash. This event develops into a war between the two nations.
Y.R. 843 _{（30 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Kingdom of Waloed is Founded Taking advantage of the war with Sanbreque, Barnabas Tharmr conquers the whole of Ash and establishes the Kingdom of Waloed. In the process, the Kingdom of Veldermarke falls.
Y.R. 845 _{（28 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Crystalline Dominion Regains its Autonomy With the fall of the Kingdom of Veldermarke and the founding of the Kingdom of Waloed, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Dhalmekian Republic withdraw their troops from the Crystalline Dominion. This effectively ends the joint rule of the Crystalline Dominion by the three nations. Thereafter, the four nations—with the addition of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria—agree to having representatives from each of their nations sit on the Board of Delegates and the Crystalline Dominion nominally regains its autonomy.
	Clive Rosfield is born
	Benedikta Harman is born
Y.R. 848	Jill Warrick is born

Notes 7

The Modern Age to the Present Day (cont’d)

Year	Event
Y.R. 849 _{（24 years prior to the main storyline）}	An Independence Movement Breaks Out in the Dhalmekian City of Kanver The movement, whose purpose was to distance Kanverians from the Dhalmekian civil war, develops to the point where semi-independent self-governing bodies are formed. What’s more, the Kingdom of Waloed provides military aid to the Kanverian independence movement in order to gain a foothold on Storm, leading to a war for independence.
Y.R. 850 _{（23 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Southwestern Alliance is Formed The Dhalmekian Republic forms an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Rosaria as a deterrent to the Kanverian independence movement. An exchange of delegations is set to take place, including a Rosarian survey of Drake’s Fang and collaboration with the Dhalmekian Republic on irrigation technology.
	Joshua Rosfield is born
	Dion Lesage is born
Y.R. 854 _{（19 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Grand Duchy of Rosaria Conquers the North The Grand Duchy of Rosaria assumes control of the Northern forces, whose strength had deteriorated due to the fall of Drake’s Eye and infighting amongst the tribes. The High Thegn of the North offers up his daughter, Jill Warrick, as a hostage in proof of their submission to the duchy.
Y.R. 857 _{（16 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Free Cities of Kanver Secede from the Dhalmekian Republic As the war for independence intensifies, the Dhalmekian Republic petitions for military aid from its ally, the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. The allied forces of Rosaria and Dhalmekia put up a valiant fight against the Waloeder army but are defeated due to the secession of prominent guildmasters from the republic. Kanver, having achieved independence from Dhalmekia, becomes the city-state known as “The Free Cities of Kanver.”
Y.R. 859 _{（14 years prior to the main storyline）}	In Storm, the Triunity of 859 is Signed With the independence of the Free Cities of Kanver as an impetus, the three major nations of Storm—the Dhalmekian Republic, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, and the Grand Duchy of Rosaria—concerned by the intensification of independence movements in their respective cities, form an alliance as a military deterrent. What’s more, at the joint ceremony held to mark the accord’s signing, Duchess Annabella Rosfield of Rosaria and Sylvester Lesage of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque conspire in secret. This later leads to the Rosarian coup d’état.
Y.R. 860 _{（13 years prior to the main storyline）}	An Internal Coup is Staged in the Grand Duchy of Rosaria Duchess Annabella of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria joins hands with the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and launches an attack on Archduke Elwin Rosfield, who was visiting Phoenix Gate to pray for victory in the war against the Iron Kingdom. Both Archduke Elwin and his second son, Joshua Rosfield, the Phoenix’s Dominant, allegedly perish in the attack. In addition, his firstborn son, Clive Rosfield, who was present at the scene, goes missing. Moreover, the fact that this incident was an internal coup was concealed from the public, and it was treated as a completely random accident.
	The Iron Kingdom Invades the Grand Duchy of Rosaria The Iron Kingdom invades the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, enervated by the loss of its Archduke. Although the duchy is unilaterally overrun, the Iron Kingdom retreats, making off with both people and supplies.
Y.R. 861 _{（12 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Holy Empire of Sanbreque Annexes the Grand Duchy of Rosaria Following the Iron Kingdom’s invasion of Rosaria, the Grand Duchy, absent a ruler, is annexed by the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and made a vassal state.
Y.R. 862	Midadol Telamon is born
Y.R. 865 _{（8 years prior to the main storyline）}	The Battle of the Twin Realms Breaks Out The Dhalmekian civil war, which had been raging on for 25 years since Y.R. 840, is ultimately won by the reformist faction. The defeated conservative faction petition the Iron Kingdom to invade Dhalmekia, promising sanctuary for the Crystalline Orthodox. Meanwhile, the conflict between the Kingdom of Veldermarke and the Holy Empire of Sanbreque over the Strait of Autha has continued for 23 years, even after the Kingdom of Veldermarke became the Kingdom of Waloed. Sanbreque, having strengthened its military might by absorbing Rosaria as an imperial province, recaptured the Strait of Autha and then proceeded to invade Waloed. The Dhalmekian Republic, under threat from the Iron Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Waloed, under attack from Sanbreque, form the Naldian Alliance[?] to strengthen their military forces. With this increase in military strength, Dhalmekia is able to repel the Iron Kingdom and Waloed succeeds in stopping the Empire’s incursion.
Y.R. 873 _{（The main storyline begins）}	The Battle of Nysa Breaks Out The Iron Kingdom invades Dhalmekia a second time, and the two armies clash at the Nysa Defile in the Dhalmekian Republic. Though Dhalmekia counted on the military might of its ally, Waloed, they receive little in the way of cooperation and so send their Eikon, Titan, forth to combat the Iron Kingdom’s Eikon, Shiva. In this battle, the Dominant of Shiva goes missing, and the might of the Iron Kingdom is greatly diminished.

Notes 7

Notes:

世界設定資料 = (lit. “World Setting Materials”)
n.b. I’ve changed the verb tenses in some places, since Japanese is a bit more fluid about moving between the two (past & present/future) and I thought it made sense for each of the entries to be in present tense wherever possible, given it’s a chronology.

The Age of Ultima

アルテマ (arutema) = Ultima / the Ultima. I’ve translated this word differently in places based on context derived from both the Ultimania and the game itself, but I found it curious, given Ultimalius’ tendency to use plural pronouns in reference to himself in English. At first I’d wondered if it was something like the royal we, or else a way of making him sound more alien; it was only after I gained access to the Thousand Tomes entries that appear after you clear the game that I was able to make sense of it. The entry on Ultima, Hidden Truths reveals that his race all share a single consciousness (including shared knowledge and memories, according to the Japanese), hence referring to them as a “collective.” There’s also a Japanese entry in the Tomes that claims Ultima intends to combine them all into one supreme being when he revives them:
- (E) Ultima: The “Ultimas” share a single consciousness, and are able to combine their already immense powers into a singular, transcendental form. (Hidden Truths)
- (J) The Remaking of the World: Ultima’s aim is the revival of his race and, upon their revival, for them to become one entity and reign supreme as the Law (理), id est god, of this world.
  - 理 (kotowari) = law, natural law, principle, reason, natural way of things; a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in nature and essential to or binding upon society; the laws and truths of nature the principles and reason based upon them.
    - The Thousand Tomes entry on Valisthea, Hidden Truths translates this word as “pure reason.”
“Magic is Devised” → It’s said at different points that the Ultima “created” magic, or else “discovered” it. I suppose if you think of magic as the harnessing of aether, then either might be true, in its way. I’ve gone with “devised” since what they’ve essentially done is figure out how to make use of a naturally occurring resource.
魔法 (mahou) = magic[ks]. I was confused at first on whether it was “magic” or “magick” but the rule of thumb seems to be: magic, magicks, magicked (with exceptions).
- “The miracle which...manifests with the body’s life force.” → specifically, a corporeal body (肉体).
  - (E) Magic: The art of channeling aether to make one’s imagination manifest. Bearers and Dominants can cast magicks without a crystal, but this comes at a cost relative to the amount of aether channeled—the crystals’ curse that petrifies their flesh. (Channeling)
- The respective explanations for why Titan is able to rampage in the deadlands differ considerably on this point:
  - (E) Owain, Engineer: So, that’s how Hugo Kupka was able to prime that night five years ago, despite there being no aether in the deadlands. Says here that while conjuring magicks requires a Bearer to draw aether from the air around them, priming requires a Dominant to draw it from their very self! (CH25)
  - (J) Owain the Assistant Technician: ...Hmm hmm, I see. “Dominants do not require aether to prime into Eikons,” is it? So that’s why Hugo was able to prime even in the deadlands... (IV-3)
- The Thousand Tomes seems to strike a balance between the two explanations:
  - (E) Priming: The act of a Dominant transforming their living flesh into that of their Eikon. Priming does not require a continual draw on the aether—it is rather maintained by the constant channeling of the vast quantities of aether imbued within the Dominant’s own body. This allows Dominants to remain primed even when they enter the aetherless deadlands—but also results in the crystals’ curse taking a heavy toll on them with every act of priming. (The Eikon’s Toll)
I was tempted to translate the phrase アルテマの文明 (lit. “civilisation of Ultima”) as the “Menne of Ultima,” playing off the phrase the “Menne of Magitek” (魔導文明) which appears in The Thousand Tomes—if the Fallen emulated the ancients’ architecture style, why not their nomenclature?—but then I found another entry on Airships mentioning the etymology of “menne” and realized I had better just use the word “collective” as they had in this entry:
- (E) The Ultima Civilization: The ancient civilization of the godlike Ultima collective. Their discovery of magic helped them to thrive, but came at a terrible cost—the onset of the Blight. After their cities fell and their people perished, the few survivors fled to the untouched land of Valisthea to lay the groundwork for their future revival.
黒の一帯 (kuro no ittai) = the Blight, the deadlands (lit. “the Belt/Zone of Black”). The English makes the distinction between the Blight (the phenomenon) and the deadlands (the regions affected by it), but in Japanese these are both kuro no ittai, the one exception being one of Clive’s lines at the end of CH18 when he and Jill enter the Dim:
- (J) Clive: These are the Blighted lands (黒の一帯)...
  (J) Jill: It’s come this close [to Eastpool]...
  (J) Clive: The earth is blackened. It’s completely devoid of aether. Once it reaches this point, I suppose they are indeed deadlands (死の土地) where nothing is born nor can grow. (III-4)
“The Ultima Discover Valisthea” → The Thousand Tomes states that sixteen of their number made it to Valisthea, which accounts for the fourteen Ultima that transformed themselves into the seven “Drake” Mothercrystals and their hearts, the single Ultima that became Dzemekys (which didn’t have a heart within it), and Ultimalius, their king.
- (E) Ultima: Long ago, sixteen survivors of their species journeyed to Valisthea on a ship called Origin... (Hidden Truths)
“The Ultima explore the world (世界中) in Origin and discover the new world/realm (新天地) of Valisthea.” → My initial impression, both in English and Japanese, was that the Ultima had come from another world/universe/dimension to this one and planned to use the “Raise” to open a “doorway” to yet another of their own making, leaving this world and everything in it to perish.
- For one thing, Ultima says this in the Interdimensional Rift sequence:
  - (E) Ultima: An unprecedented journey lay before us. One beyond the limits of our fleshly bodies. And so we cast them off. (CH48)
  - (J) Ultima: Even as we shucked off our deteriorating bodies of flesh along the way and became naught but incorporeal beings, still our long journey continued. (VIII-5)
- And the Japanese Thousand Tomes entry on Ultimalius says:
  - (J) Ultimalius: He escaped from a world beset by the Blight and sealed Origin, which would become a place to amass aether, within the ground so as to restore his brethren to life.
- Then, in the English, Clive and Ultima have this exchange:
  - (E) Clive: The fault is yours. Our wills were born because you abandoned us. And now you would have us forfeit them? All for a place in your new paradise?
    (E) Ultima: Do you imagine yourselves worthy of one? Mankind has no place in our world. Is this truly so difficult to comprehend? We only ever required you, Mythos. When the time comes to bid this wretched realm farewell... None shall follow. None shall remain. (CH48)
- And in the Japanese Clive says:
  - (J) Clive: Human will...so long as we do not possess that...so long as we can cross into that world, mankind can be saved. (VIII-5)
- A journey “beyond the limits of [their] fleshly bodies” seems to imply to me that either a) they traveled for such a massively long span of time their physical bodies began to decay or b) in order to travel from their original home to Valisthea they had to abandon corporeality entirely. If the first, the planet on which Valisthea is situated would have to be impossibly large—so massive, in fact, that the horizon ought to appear concave (hey, Origin was built to scale)—and Origin would have to move at a snail’s pace, given the fact that merchant ships make the journey to and from the Continent with Middle Age technology in Y.R. 873. If the latter, both the English and Japanese would make a sort of sense to me, supposing only the spirit and not the body could cross dimensions. But this chronology seems to heavily imply that the Ultima originated in this world (though I suppose them being the first sentient lifeforms in this world doesn’t preclude them originating in another). Maybe we’re dealing with layers of reality and parallel universes...?
Valisthea is referred to here as “one of the continents that exist in this world” even though, geographically, it’s clearly two—since it’s all considered “one realm,” so to speak. In fact, in Japanese, the moniker “the Twins” or “the Twin Realms” doesn’t exist. For that matter, Ash and Storm are “the Continent of Ash” (灰の大陸) and “the Continent of Wind” (風の大陸) respectively.
“The Ultima named it the final land (最後の大地)” → is that what “Valisthea” means, then?
完全生命魔法レイズ (kanzen seimei mahou reizu) = the “Raise”; Ultima’s spell (lit. “Complete Life Magic Raise”). This is so terrible to translate, the localisation team skirted it entirely and I was dearly tempted to do the same lol. In the end, I’ve gone with “plenary vital spell,” but... Well, you get the gist.
- (E) The Remaking of the World: Many of the savior myths of the Valisthean Tradition speak of the “Raise”—the ascension of the faithful to paradise. Assuming these myths have their roots in the teachings of the Circle of Malius, one might assume that this feat is one and the same with the spell that Ultima requires his vessel to cast—though Ultima’s “Raise” will not save his faithful, only revive his own race and usher them and them alone to the remade world.
“The Ultima cast off their corporeal bodies, which were progressively decaying with the passing of many long years, and assumed incorporeal forms.” → This chronology (with the Ultima discarding their bodies after they’ve reached Valisthea in order to become the Mothercrystals) makes more sense to me than the explanation given in the Interdimensional Rift if we’re to accept that the Ultima originated in this world and not another (it still doesn’t explain the time scale, though).
- (E) Ultima: Salvation, alas, was not readily to be had. First, we would require a land untainted by the stain of corruption. An unprecedented journey lay before us. One beyond the limits of our fleshly bodies. And so we cast them off. Thus stripped to our very spirit did we find our new paradise. A land as pure as driven snow—Valisthea. (CH48)
- (J) Ultima: I, who had managed to flee the Black Menace and live on wandered, seeking for a land it had not yet reached. Even as I shucked off my deteriorating body of flesh along the way and became a being of naught but pnuema, still my long journey continued. And, at long last, I found this paradise. A land without stain, Valisthea. (VIII-5)
  - n.b. In the Japanese, there’s actually only one pronoun in this entire passage (我) and it’s singular. In general, Ultima tends to refer to himself using this singular first person pronoun in Japanese, unlike in the English where he almost always uses plural first person pronouns.
精神体 (seishintai) → This word gets translated in several different ways in the English dialogue and materials: incorporeal form, immaterial form, aetherial entity, disembodied soul (lit. “spirit-body”). I’ve gone with “incorporeal form” since the salient point is that they lack physical bodies.
アルテマの一個体 (arutema no ikkotai) = one of their number, an Ultima (lit. “one individual Ultima”). The usual way of referring to a single individual (typically a person) is 一人 (hitori) but since the word uses the kanji for person/human (人), they’ve opted for this phrasing instead. Since gods/deities are usually counted with the kanji 柱 (meaning “pillar”) in Japanese, I find this third choice interesting.
“As a rule, each Mothercrystal contains a heart, the exception being the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys, whose heart resides within Origin.” → I’m guessing the reason one of the Mothercrystals doesn’t have a heart of its own is so that the Ultima can be 16 in total, including Ultimalius (since this is FFXVI, after all). But what I’m less clear on is why Dzemekys would be the Mothercrystal that transmits directly to origin when Drake’s Tail was physically much closer to where Origin lies buried beneath the Crystalline Dominion.
マザークリスタル・ゼメキス (mazaakurisutaru zemekisu) = the Mothercrystal of Dzemekys (lit. “Mothercrystal・Dzemekys”)
- (E) Lost Mothercrystals: When Cidolfus Telamon put his plans to destroy the Mothercrystals in motion, five of their number towered over the Twins—three less than Ultima set in place eons past. The Mothercrystal of Dzemekys was the first to fall, followed by Drake’s Horn in Southern Ash, and Drake’s Eye in the Northern Territories. Now, nothing remains of them save for the scars left behind by their passing.
- It’s also known simply as “Dzemekys”:
  - (E) Dzemekys: A Mothercrystal that is believed to have stood in an area in the northeastern part of Dhalmekia. Legends tell that it was destroyed in a battle between men and gods—a battle so ferocious that it left behind the great crater that can be seen today.
  - (E) Dzemekys Falls: A vast, circular cavity carved from the Dhalmekian coast, it is here the Mothercrystal known as Dzemekys once stood. (Basic Information)
  - (E) The Fallen: Alas, it seems their pursuit of Ultima’s most closely guarded secrets led to their downfall, when they sent their fleet against Dzemekys, and ushered in the tragedy that saw their civilization fall. (Hidden Truths)
- It’s possible, even likely, that the other Mothercrystals had alternate names prior to assuming their “Drake” nomenclature:
  - (E) The First Wyrm: Having conceived their plan to siphon the land’s aether and use it to restore the planet, Ultima’s brethren transformed themselves into the Mothercrystals and the hearts contained within them, leaving only Ultima behind. To hide their true purpose, Ultima then named each Mothercrystal after the parts of an ancient dragon, and left mankind with the legend that remains today.
  - I believe the “legend that remains today” may be as follows, though it’s only mentioned in the English version:
    - (E) Dragons: Albeit rarely sighted in modern times, there are countless myths and legends regarding dragons, one of the most prominent being that Valisthea itself was formed when a mighty drake fell from the sky.
    - (E) Lake Bennumere: A lake in the Blighted lands on the southern edge of the former Grand Duchy of Rosaria named for the dragon that some tales say created the basin when it fell from the sky.
    - This latter seems to have warped slightly, as legends are wont to do:
      - (E) Elias, Lift Mechanic: Depending on who you ask, this lake was either formed when one of the Fallen’s cities plummeted from the sky, or when a giant wyrm dug a lair for itself. My gil is on the latter. (CH28)
“Ultima Creates Mankind” → In the entirety of the Interdimensional Rift sequence in CH48—possibly in the entire game—Ultima only uses singular personal pronouns on two occasions in English, both in reference to the creation of mankind:
- (E) Ultima: To forge a new world would require not only power but a constitution strong enough to wield it. Acquiring the first would be simple. Untouched by the Blight, Valisthea was replete with aether. And we had only to place jewels in her crown to claim it. Acquiring the second, however, demanded...creativity. And so, I cast forth the seeds of humanity. (CH48)
- (E) Ultima: Ultima: And once again does my creation stray from the path laid before it. (CH48)
人 (hito) = mankind, people, human(s) (lit. “person”). Technically: 人々 = people, peoples; 人間 = human(s); 人類 = humanity, mankind, but in the interest of making it sound more like natural English, I’ve gone with mankind here, as they do in the game.
This chronology makes it sound like Ultima created humanity and gave them bodies with the genetic potential to channel aether, but it was the long years the various “Motes” spent keeping watch over their respective Mothercrystals that caused the development of elemental affinities in these sub populations. Whereas the Thousand Tomes claims Ultima was directly responsible for the affinities:
- (E) Dominants: When Ultima sowed the seeds of humanity, he imbued those assigned to protect each Mothercrystal with an elemental affinity—a power that would amplify over the generations until the Eikons eventually emerged. (Hidden Truths)
“a body of flesh was needed to chant the spell that would cast the “Raise.'” → I’ve wondered about the difference between cast magicks and intoned spells ever since we saw Joshua use one of the latter in Drake’s Head. I think that and the spell Shula uses on the Vare in The Rising Tide might be the only two we see in FFXVI (not counting Ultimalius’ use of legacy summoning spells in CH50). I’m also curious how the time freeze spell Ysay wove fits into this magic system.
- (E) Joshua: Breath of mine Ancestors fill these lungs that I may dispel the songs of suff’ring. (CH22)
- (E) Shula: From wind and light, water and earth, let the silent pall of mine ice lift. (DLC2)
“To make it clear that they are an inferior species, they have a different number of arms than the Ultima do.” → In that case, shouldn’t the Infernal Eikon Clive and Joshua encounter in the Interdimensional Rift have four arms? There seems to be a lot of conflicting/ambiguous information in both languages as to whether this was Ultima’s original body or not.
- In CH48 Ultima says this in reference to it:
  - (E) Ultima: Long have our ashes lain cold, for want of a spark... (CH48)
  - (J) Ultima: That is the body of flesh we cast off in the distant past. (VIII-5)
- The Thousand Tomes also seems to support the claim that this was in fact Ultima’s original body (despite it only having two arms):
  - (E) Joshua Rosfield: His researches into Ultima culminate in the revelation that the creature’s true form is one and the same with Ifrit Risen, the creature he and his brother transformed into in the skies above the Crystalline Dominion. (United Against Ultima)
  - (E) Interdimensional Ultima: In order to further test the strength of the vessel “Mythos,” Ultima lured both Clive and Joshua deep into the shadowy depths of his fractured mind, where he faced the brothers clad in the remnants of his erstwhile flesh—the Infernal Eikon.
  - (E) The Infernal Eikon: A form long since discarded by Ultima that brings to mind Ifrit, the Eikon manifested by Clive. It is seemingly incomplete, lacking as it does the wings of the being created when Clive and Joshua combined the powers of Ifrit and the Phoenix.
  - (J) Interdimensional Ultima: Ultima’s form when he dons the Infernal Eikon, [a/his] withered body of flesh.
  - (J) The Infernal Eikon:[A/The] body of flesh Ultima formerly cast off.
    - Still, neither “his erstwhile flesh” nor “a form long since discarded” necessarily mean that it was his original form, just a form he’d once assumed. Since Japanese often omits pronouns and articles (a, the, etc.), the Japanese entries might be considered ambiguous for a different reason, though I doubt they’re meant to be.
- There’s also evidence that seems to suggest both the Infernal Eikon and Ultima Prime were both forms previously worn by Ultima, but not necessarily his original form:
  - (E) Ultima Prime: One of Ultima’s many discarded avatars, this iteration of the self-proclaimed deity was awaiting Clive, Joshua, and Dion upon their arrival above Origin.
  - (J) Ultima Prime: Just like the Infernal Eikon, it’s a body of flesh Ultima once discarded, but since it was reserved for the remaking of the world, its original form/state has been maintained (i.e. it hasn’t deteriorated as the Infernal Eikon has).
- Then there are the descriptions of Ifrit Risen and the ancient mural. The English entry on Ifrit Risen, Hidden Truths mentions that the combined form of the two Wardens of Fire resembles Ultima as depicted in the ancient murals of the Circle of Malius...but according to this timeline, the religion was formed about 1,500 years after Ultima entered stasis (though the murals themselves are said to predate the religion). While this doesn’t preclude the possibility that some of the original peoples had seen and left behind images of Ultima, 1,500 years is more than enough time for some things to get lost or warped in the telling. Perhaps the Children of Dzemekys caught a glimpse of one of Ultima’s “discarded avatars”...?
  - (E) Ifrit Risen: With the body of Ifrit and the wings of the Phoenix, its appearance closely resembles that of Ultima, as depicted in the ancient murals of the Circle of Malius. Could this be the final, true form of the vessel that Ultima requires to remake the world? (Hidden Truths)
  - (E) The Circle of Malius: Its beliefs were originally drawn from murals left behind by the people who lived near the Mothercrystal, Dzemekys. (Hidden Truths)
  - (E) Ancient Mural: Joshua discovers an unblemished version of it in the depths of the Waloeder stronghold of Gjallarhorn, and learns that the figure thought to be Ultima is in fact that of Ifrit Risen—Ifrit and the Phoenix united as one. (Hidden Truths)
- For me, this raises the question of whether Clive is Ifrit’s only Dominant or if there were others that never made it into written/oral histories that survived until the modern era (since the common wisdom maintains that there’s one only Eikon for each element). We know there were others before Clive who had the potential to become Mythos but failed to do so—like Typhon—but we don’t know for certain if they were also Dominants of Ifrit, or merely had the ability to absorb other Dominants’ Eikons.
- It’s also possible Ifrit Risen isn’t a reforging of Ultima’s original form, but simply the one he needs (for whatever reason) to cast the “Raise.”
  - (J) Joshua Rosfield: As Suzerain of the Undying, he continued his surveys and ascertained that the form Ultima seeks for is that of “Ifrit Risen.” (United Against Ultima)
  - (J) Ifrit Risen: The combined form of the Eikons of Fire, Phoenix and Ifrit, as well as the final form Ultima wants for his physical body. (Hidden Truths)
- I suppose there’s really no guarantee Ultima is telling the truth at any given point, is there? Only saying what he thinks will convince Clive to give him what he wants. Also, how is an “avatar” different from a “vessel”...? (It’s possible I’m overthinking this. Very possible.)
エーテル媒介因子 (eeteru baikai inshi) = genes that allow one to channel aether/the genetic ability to channel aether (lit. “aether mediation factor/aether transmission gene”) → One of the Japanese entries in The Thousand Tomes actually refers to those capable of channeling aether as 媒介者 (baikaisha), i.e. “channelers; conduits; mediums; intermediaries,” which I thought was interesting. Mostly the wording on this gets reworked entirely when moving between English and Japanese.
“Ultima Enters Stasis” → I’ve gone with the singular here, as well, because one of the entries in the Thousand Tomes specifically states that Ultimalius was the only one of his race to slumber:
- (E) The First Wyrm: Having conceived their plan to siphon the land’s aether and use it to restore the planet, Ultima’s brethren transformed themselves into the Mothercrystals and the hearts contained within them, leaving only Ultima behind.
The Thousand Tomes translates 眠りにつく (nemuri ni tsuku = lit. “to reach slumber”) as “enter hibernation” whereas in the Interdimensional Rift sequence in CH48 it becomes “slumber.” I’ve opted here for “enter stasis” because it seems that Ultima was conscious to some degree of what was happening in the world even while “in repose”:
- (E) The Children of Dzemekys: ...Origin, from whence Ultima kept watch on the world from his slumber...
“Ultimalius...seals Origin within the earth under what is now the Dominion Isle.” → The Dominion Isle is one of the Isles of Ark, the cluster of islands comprising the Crystalline Dominion. The Japanese uses both 自治領島 (jichiryoujima = Dominion Island) and アーク諸島 (aaku shotou = Ark Archipelago) but doesn’t distinguish between the two. For instance, the Thousand Tomes entry on The Isles of Ark is called 自治領島 in Japanese. I’ve opted to make the distinction, but it all refers to the same thing.
- (E) The Isles of Ark: The cluster of tiny islands upon which the Crystalline Dominion stands. They are largely man-made, having been built on top of existing ruins, and are arranged with an administrative hub at the center surrounded by the citizens’ dwellings, and beyond those, the slums in which various refugees make their homes. The glistening spire at the island’s center is home to the Dominion’s Mothercrystal.
空中神殿 (kuuchuu shinden) = The Sanctum Volant or The Floating Sanctum (lit. “mid-air/aerial shrine”). This is my translation since, try as I might, I could find no name for this structure in English. Since the shinden (神殿) later modeled after it are called Inner Sanctums in The Thousand Tomes, I decided to play with a Latinate naming scheme.
- This structure is alluded to but not named in the Thousand Tomes entry on Ultimalius:
  - (E) Ultimalius: When Origin was buried beneath the earth in order to absorb the aether it would need to rebuild the world, a great shrine was placed in the sky above it, from which humanity could be looked down upon.
- The word 神殿 (shinden) is used as the translation for a variety of terms used in the English version of the game, which vary depending upon the nation in which the ‘shrine’ is situated. For instance, in Rosaria, shinden is used as the translation for ‘the inner sanctum’ and ‘the shrine’ in the CH19 dialogue, whereas the one controlled by the Iron Kingdom gets referred to as ‘the Sanctuary,’ ‘the Oratory,’ ‘the Comraich,’ (dialogue) and ‘the Inner Sanctum’ (chyron) in CH29. The one in Drake’s Fang is also called the ‘the sanctuary’ (dialogue) and ‘the Inner Sanctum’ (chyron) in CH34. In The Thousand Tomes, the shinden built around each of the Mothercrystal’s hearts are called Inner Sanctums—or crystal shinden (クリスタル神殿) in Japanese.
“he instals the Sanctum Volant in the skies above Origin and exerts control over the early peoples that they keep watch over the Mothercrystals.” → The wording in the world chronology was a bit vague about this, but the Japanese Thousand Tomes entry on Ultimalius is more specific:
- (J) Ultimalius: And in the heavens he created the Sanctum Volant (lit. a floating shinden) in order to operate mankind, and there, having bestowed upon them magic and the “Prophecy of Salvation,” entered a long slumber to await the revival of his brethren.
  - n.b. The word “operate” used here (操作する) is one you would use to describe piloting a drone or a operating a piece of machinery, say.
  - Also, I find it interesting that people were at one point admitted into this floating sanctum. Then again, if they hadn’t been, they could hardly copy its architectural style...
“The architectural style of the Sanctum Volant was passed down to guardians of future generations, who would later emulate this style when building their Inner Sanctums.” → Interestingly, while this is true of the Inner Sanctums and the Sagespire, both the ruins beneath Phoenix Gate (the Apodytery, etc.) and Reverie, the tower on Ash, were apparently built by the Ultima themselves:
- (E) The Ultima Civilization: The Apodytery beneath Phoenix Gate and the Tower of Reverie in Waloed are both relics of their civilization, and far predate those of the Fallen.
- (E) Reverie: An impossibly tall tower in central Ash that seems to pierce the very heavens. It was built by Ultima when he first arrived in Valisthea. From its heights, he examined the flow of aether through the land, and thereby determined the optimum placement for the Mothercrystals. (Hidden Truths)
- (E) Echoes: Though it is widely assumed they are vestiges of the Fallen civilization, some of the structures they preside over, such as the Apodytery and the sanctuaries at the heart of the Mothercrystals, seem to predate even that bygone age. (Awakening)
ジェイド (jeido) = the Jade. Thank you to notimportant (@s480058) on Xitter for cluing me into the fact that this is a legacy element from FFII. Apparently this is a reference to “the Jade Passage which was the only way for the party to reach Pandaemonium from the overworld, which also went underwater like the entrance to Dzemekys’ heart.” Again, thanks so much!

The First Age of Man

原初の人々の時代 (gensho no hitobito no jidai) → More literally, this age is called “The Age of the Original/Primitive People(s).”
守り人 (mamori-bito) = guardians (lit. “person who protects”) → I almost translated this as “Keepers” to distinguish it from the word “guardian” (守り手) in “Guardians of the Flame” (種火の守り手), but according to SQ63 they’re also called “guardians.”
- (E) Clive: “Guardians of the crystal, the first stones of Tabor, sacred hold thy noble blood, till ends the Mothers’ labor.”
  (E) Milos, Antiquarian: Fascinating! It would seem the founders of this city were descendants of those Fallen charged with protecting the Mothercrystals! But whatever could have driven the guardians so far from their sacred charges, I wonder? (SQ63: Carved in Stone)
- In the Thousand Tomes, “guardian” gets capitalised, but where the Tomes and the in-game content (dialogue, chyrons, etc.) disagree, I’ve generally opted to keep with the in-game version.
  - (E) Tabor: Tabor was founded by the so-called “Guardians of the Crystal,” who were later joined by nomadic peoples and hunter gatherers, creating a rich, mixed culture which gives the town its unique flavor. (Origins, The Thousand Tomes)
In the phrase, “the bodies created by Ultima,” the word 素体 (sotai) is used for “body.” There are a number of ways of saying “body” in Japanese (体、身、身体、肉体、本体...), and they all have their own nuances and uses, but what’s interesting about this word is that it means something like “base/plain/raw body.” It’s also the word used for a model figurine before it’s painted.
血統 (kettou) = lineage(s). I went for a literal translation here, in the phrase “the lineages called ‘Motes’ came to be,” but I think these bloodlines might be referred to as “tribes” in English—at least, they seem to be in the Thousand Tomes. I find this somewhat confusing, though, since there are also “the warring tribes of Ash” and the tribes that comprise the Northern Territories, all of whom are presumably descendants of the Motes of Ice. The parallel entries in Japanese just say “those (者たち) known as the Motes of Fire/Ice.”
- (E) The Phoenix: The Phoenix first awakened among the Motes of Fire, an ancient tribe who dwelled in the western reaches of Storm... (Hidden Truths, The Thousand Tomes)
- (E) Shiva: Long before the fall of the Fallen, there existed a tribe in northwestern Storm known as the Motes of Ice, among whom the Dominant of Shiva would be born. (Hidden Truths, The Thousand Tomes)
“The bloodlines of the early peoples who became attuned to the characteristics of their Mothercrystals. They come to be named for their elemental affinities.” → The Thousand Tomes mentions aspected magic, and the various blurbs on items and gear mention aspected crystals, but it only crops up once in the English dialogue that I remember seeing:
- (E) Magic: The art of channeling aether to make one’s imagination manifest. This can take the aspect of one of the eight elements—fire, water, wind, earth, ice, thunder, light, and dark—or more rarely, be unaspected. (Basic Information, The Thousand Tomes)
  - Idle question, but if imagination is a factor, whose imagination powers the municipal shards we see in all the wells, and where do they come from if not Drake’s Horn which fell centuries ago?
- (E) Woodcutter: Bearers attuned to the element of fire are handy on the battlefield, as I’m sure you know. (CH11)
  - So, bearers attuned to the element of fire = descendants of the Motes of Fire, makes sense. Oddly, I feel like this might be the only instance where this idea of Bearers having elemental affinities appears in-dialogue, and you only get to hear it if you speak to the Woodcutter again after you question him in CH11. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t think of another.)
P.64 is where the Valisthean Glossary (ヴァリスゼア用語解説) begins. It covers Mothercrystals, their hearts, magic/crystal use in daily life, aether, aetherfloods, the Blight, Eikons, Dominants, priming, the Dominants’ roots, Bearers, the brand, Bearer sanctuaries, the crystals’ curse (aetherborne lithiasis), the religions of Valisthea (The Circle of Malius, The Crystalline Orthodox, the Greagorian Church, The Bank of Gilbard the Great Lender), as well as Valisthean methods of transport and communication (ship, chocobo, missive, stolas).
- The Eight Motes of the Dominants’ respective lineages are as follows:
  - Drake’s Eye (Motes of Ice)
  - Drake’s Breath (Motes of Fire)
  - Drake’s Fang (Motes of Earth)
  - Drake’s Head (Motes of Light)
  - Dzemekys (Motes of Darkness)
  - Drake’s Tail (Motes of Wind)
  - Drake’s Spine (Motes of Lightning)
  - Drake’s Horn (Motes of Water)
自我 (jiga) = free/independent/human will (lit. “consciousness, self-awareness, sense of self, ego”)
- (E) Will: That which separates humans from animals and is given shape by consciousness: a sense of self, and a freedom of thought. Even when one is deprived of other freedoms, it is one’s will that drives the pursuit of true liberty. To Ultima, however, human will is a sickness that prevents them from taking their proper, divine form—that of the Akashic who blindly serve his own purposes. (The Thousand Tomes)

The Magitek Age

魔導の時代 (madou no jidai) = The Magitek Age (lit. “The Age of Heresy/Iconoclasm/Sorcery”)
空の文明 (sora no bunmei) = The Fallen (lit. “The Sky Civilisation”)
- (E) The Fallen: An ancient civilization that thrived some thousands of years before the present day. Though no direct records of the Fallen remain, early legends in the modern corpus speak of them as the “Menne of Magitek” (魔導文明), the pinnacle of whose “magical technology” (魔導機関) was the airship—enormous cities that soared through the skies. Comparisons of the ruins of these airships and other ancient structures connected to Ultima reveal slight but marked differences, suggesting the former is but a close copy of the latter. (Hidden Truths)
魔導 (madou) = magitek (lit. “heresy/iconoclasm/sorcery”)
- (E) Magitek: A term that appears in early histories of the Fallen civilization and describes their highly advanced magical technology, of which the airship is the best known example. (Basic Information)
- Terminology incorporating this word include:
  - 魔導文明 (madou bunmei) = the “Menne of Magitek”
  - 魔法技術 (madou gijutsu) = magitek, the magitek arts
  - 魔法機関 (madou kikan) = magical technology, magitek constructs, magitek devices/apparatus
  - 魔導兵器 (madou heiki) = magitek weaponry
  - 魔導戦争 (madou sensou) = the Magitek War, The War of the Magi
  - 魔導の力 (madou no chikara) = sorcerous power, a sorcerous strength
I am going out on a limb a bit here in translating 召喚者 (shoukanja = “summoner”) as Eikonoklastes since the term 召喚獣 (shoukanjuu = “summoning beast”), i.e. Eikon, is supposedly derived from it. Basically: Summoners, Summoning Beasts = Eikonoklastes, Eikons.
- There are three relevant terms here, and I’m not sure how they all fit together in English:
  - 召喚獣 (shoukanjuu) = Eikon (lit. “summoning beast”)
  - 召喚者 (shoukanja) = Eikonoklaste?? (lit. “summoner”)
  - 討神召喚獣 (toushin-shoukanjuu) = Eikonoklaste??? = (lit. “god-slaying summoning beast”)
  - In the Thousand Tomes, the parallel entries on Eikonoklastes are titled “Eikonoklastes” and “討神召喚獣” respectively:
    - (E) Eikonoklastes: By far the mightiest of the many Magitek weapons produced by the Fallen civilization. The name “Eikonoklaste” means “destroyer of the divine,” and this is exactly the purpose for which they were created—to overthrow the gods, that humanity might rule over all creation.
    - (J) Eikonoklastes: One type of magitek weaponry made during the Fallen Era. They possess power far surpassing that of typical magitek weaponry. In the ancient literature pertaining to the Fallen civilization, there are records of “Eikon-like weapons” created to defeat gods, and it is believed that this term refers to precisely such Eikonic destroyers of the divine (討神召喚獣).
- That said, the parallel English and Japanese entries on Magitek in The Thousand Tomes diverge on what the word “Eikonoklaste/Summoner” originally referred to. The two entries read as follows:
  - (E) Magitek: They also produced weapons all but indistinguishable from living beings—yet whose destructive power rivaled that of the gods of legend. The early chroniclers labeled these beasts the “Eikonoklastes,” and it is from this term that the Eikons of the present day take their moniker. (Basic Information)
  - (J) Magitek: People who could wield magic were needed in order to marry sorcery (madou) with weaponry, and those who could call forth sorcerous power were called “Summoners.” This is why beasts with godlike powers are called Summoning Beasts, and this term alone has been passed down to the present day. (Basic Information)
- One possible explanation for the discrepancy is that, as has been previously mentioned, “no direct records of the Fallen remain” and so the fact that these “great and terrible weapons” that could wield godlike power were not inanimate or semi-animate objects but actually people with the ability to call forth enough magick to wield such weapons may have simply been lost to time—since only the word “Eikonoklaste” remains. Harpocrates has this to say on the matter in Echoes of the Fallen:
  - (E) Harpocrates: Indeed. The same enlightened souls forged great and terrible weapons called the Eikonoklastes—from which Eikons derive their name—and turned them against each other in the Magitek War. (DLC1)
  - (J) Harpocrates: It is said that in that age, [the Fallen] even wielded “Eikon-like weapons” by way of the art known as sorcery (madou). (DLC1)
- The Tower in Echoes of the Fallen gives Omega’s proper name as “Eikonoklastic defense system Omega-1,” so it leaves the question of whether these magitek constructs themselves or the people who operated them were the true “Eikonoklastes” unanswered.
RE: Nations: “communities formed by the peoples said to be the ‘guardians of the Mothercrystals,’ who sought a tether to the collective unconscious imprinted upon their human bodies.” → I struggled with how to translate this, partly because I wasn’t entirely clear on what the Japanese was trying to say, even if I understood the words themselves. More literally it says “the common subconsciousness engraved within mankind’s bodies” (人の体内に刻まれた共通潜在意識) from which the peoples said to be the “guardians of the Mothercrystals” sought “spiritual cords/connections” (精神的紐帯) and therefore formed communities. My guess is that this is an allusion to the bonds of consciousness (思念の鎖) that strengthen mankind’s free will (自我), but if that’s the case, the idea that this is hardwired into human beings is interesting, given that Ultima considers mankind’s free will a defect/sin.
The Motes of Darkness (The Children of Dzemekys) → technically, both “Motes” and “Children” are the same word in Japanese: 民 (tami), meaning “people, citizenry, folk, etc.” I really appreciate the ways in which Koji Fox enriched the worldbuilding by playing with language like this and not just going for the direct translation.
救世の預言 (kyuusei no yogen) = the Savior Myth (lit. “Prophecy of Salvation”). Technically, both the text in black I have as “The Savior Myth” and the text in teal I rendered as “The Prophecy of Salvation” say the same thing in Japanese, but referring to it as a “myth” made less sense in the context of the explanation, so I opted for this compromise. (n.b. 救世 can also be read guze or kuse)
- (E) The Savior Myth: Among the teachings of the Circle of Malius is the story that the lord almighty delivered unto his children a prophecy of their future salvation before hiding himself away in the heavens—a myth that live on in many of the folk religions that would later supplant it. Though long considered to be naught but a legend, it is possible that this reflects a real, historical event—Ultima’s final words to his humanity before he entered hibernation deep beneath Valisthea.
  The few remaining sources disagree on Ultima’s precise wording, but on four points they all align: that on some future day of reckoning, the incarnation of the lord would appear among mankind and remake the world; that the advent of this incarnation would be heralded by the emergence of several heavenly servants of great might; that the lord’s faithful should rally these servants together in order to bring the incarnation into being; and that for their loyalty, they would be rewarded with the greatest gladness.
- I’ve mostly followed the translations given in the above entry for the following:
  - 神の化身 = ‘the incarnation of the lord’ (lit. “god’s incarnation”)
  - 神の御使い = ‘heavenly servants’ (lit. “familiar spirits/angels of god”)
  - 受肉する = ‘the emergence of’ → assume corporeal form (lit. “to take on flesh”)
  - 守り人、忠篤き守り人 = ‘the lord’s faithful’ (lit. “guardians, faithful guardians”)
  - 稀なる幸い = ‘greatest gladness’ (lit. “rare happiness”)
“The only one who accurately understands Ultima’s intentions is the King of Waloed, Barnabas Tharmr.” → I very much feel that Barnabas did not understand Ultima’s true intentions, given that he believed he was “saving” mankind while Ultima has no intention whatsoever of saving what he considers to be tools and lesser lifeforms.
- (E) Clive: Oh...he didn’t consider it killing. More a...mercy of sorts. A way to end their suffering. He truly wanted to save mankind...and Ultima used that. (CH47)
- (J) Clive: Barnabas was manipulated by those words, by the fantasy of “the world that truly ought to be (a New World).” [He believed] that...so long as we abandon human will...so long as we can cross into that world, mankind can be saved. Not knowing it was all Ultima’s scheme. (VIII-5)
- (E) New World: The paradise Ultima seeks to summon into creation—one free from the Blight that almost ended his race. Though Barnabas believed that he and his fellow faithful would be allowed to join his deity there, he was mistaken. Only Ultima and his kin shall have a place in this new paradise—a paradise freed not only from Blight, but from humanity.
魔導戦争 (madou sensou) = The Magitek War(s), The War of the Magi (lit. “Iconoclast/Sorcery War”)
- (E) The War of the Magi: One of many great conflicts waged near the end of the Age of the Fallen in which mankind—fielding fantastical clockwork armies fueled by powerful magicks—fought for control of the Mothercrystals. This, however, worked to hasten the drain of the aether from the land, and thereby give rise to the Blight. By the time the fighting had ceased and peace was restored, the wounds suffered by both humanity and the land had grown too deep to heal, and civilization began its slow, yet inevitable march into darkness. It was only a matter of winters before the thousand years of knowledge used to build the great “magitek” faded, and was eventually lost to history.
ゼメキスの悲劇 (zemekisu no higeki) = The Sins of Dzemekys, the Tragedy of Dzemekys (lit. “The Tragedy of Dzemekys”). In the game and in the Thousand Tomes entry on this event, it’s referred to as the “Sins of Dzemekys,” but the Thousand Tomes also has it as the “Tragedy of Dzemekys” in the entry on the Children of Dzemekys and “the tragedy at Dzemekys” in the entry on the Sagespire. I’ve kept with the in-game translation here.
- (E) Harpocrates: As for what has disturbed the heavens...that, I believe, is a question the Fallen might be better placed to answer than I. “And on the sixth day did the gods tear the sun from the firmament, visiting darkness upon their prideful sons and daughters.” ...But I daresay you remember your childhood lessons on the Sins of Dzemekys only too well. (…) Yet for all of the fairy tales that tell of the Sins, there is almost nothing in the way of actual historical accounts. (CH38)
- (E) Jachym, Scholar: Behold—the Final Sin in all its glory! As Moss tells us, a battle was fought here in ancient times—a battle of such ferocity that it tore a great crater in the very land upon which it was waged. “In reaching for their holy sanctum did man enrage the gods, and great was the vengeance that was rained down upon him.” (SQ51: Onward to Discovery)
“the Ultima that had become the Mothercrystal annihilates their forces along with the surrounding terrain in order to protect Origin.” → According to this world chronicle, it was the Ultima who had transformed itself into Dzemekys that smote the Menne of Magitek, but the Thousand Tomes claims this was Ultima’s doing. Since they all share a single consciousness, I suppose it makes little difference in the end.
- (E) The Sins of Dzemekys: An incident in which the Fallen launched an assault on the Mothercrystal Dzemekys to claim its power, and in so doing, stoked the ire of Ultima himself. In response, the self-proclaimed god destroyed the Crystal, leaving behind both a great yawning creator, and a cautionary legend that has since spread throughout Valisthea. (Hidden Truths)
- (E) The Sapgespire: The site was evacuated and sealed during Ultima’s assault on Dzemekys... (Hidden Truths)
ゼメキスの大瀑布 (zemekisu no daibakufu) = Dzemekys Falls (lit. “The Great Falls of Dzemekys”). At first I’d thought the falls themselves were called the Final Sin, since the two terms were used in parallel dialogue, but as it turns out that’s the name of the massive crater (ゼメキスの大穴).
- (E) Dzemekys Falls: A vast cavity in the earth located in the Steps of the Forgotten—a desolate coastal region of eastern Dhalmekia. Despite the fact that, for centuries, seawater from the Strait of Autha has flowed into the plumbless crater without cease, it shows no sign of filling. The tragic tale that came to be known as the Sins of Dzemekys is said to have taken place here. (Basic Information)
- (E) Dzemekys Falls: A vast, circular cavity carved from the Dhalmekian coast, it is here the Mothercrystal known as Dzemekys once stood. In the age of the Fallen, man, hoping to claim the power of the gods, laid siege to the crystal in an attempt to gain entry to its aether-rich heart. Rather than attempt to fend off the assault, he instead responded by destroying the Mothercrystal and its heart—the great crater left behind standing as a reminder of man’s hubris. (Hidden Truths)
“The Motes of Darkness Migrate to the Outer Continent.” → The Thousand Tomes makes mention of this exodus:
- (E) The Continent: Legends claim that remnants of the Fallen fled thither from the Twins when their civilization collapsed...but even the most bookish continental could be hard-pressed to explain what became of them in the intervening millennium. (Hidden Truths)
外大陸 (soto tairiku) = the outer continent(s); the Continent. Since Japanese often elides pluralizations and Ash and Storm together are referred to as a “continent” (or “realm”), I can’t be certain if there’s only one other land mass on this planet or if there are several close enough together to be counted as one, or what. What we do know is that it (or they) are located to the south of Valisthea:
- (E) Barnabas: King of Waloed and Dominant of Odin, the Warden of Darkness. Scion of a tribe that crossed the seas to Valisthea from the southern continent many centuries before, Barnabas remains a zealous adherent of their ancient religion, the Circle of Malius. (Past Uncovered)
  - I think, perhaps, this is meant to read “crossed the seas from Valisthea to the southern continent many centuries before.” And then Barnabas himself crossed back.
- Other characters who hail from “the Continent” include: Cid, Mid, Charon, Harpocrates, and Obolus. (Ultimania pg. 68)

The Second Age of Man

新しき人々の時代 (atarashiki hitobito no jidai) → More literally, this age is called “The New Age of People(s).”
グエリゴールの逸話 (guerigooru no itsuwa) = The Tale of Greagor (lit. “The Anecdote of Greagor”)
- The Hymns of Greagor: ...And thus did Greagor summon together Her two and seventy spirits of light, and tell them of the holy heralds She would send to the world below, where there was much strife and suffering, for which she wept. Rejoice, She said, for My heralds, who are a part of Me, and who are Me, shall be as bread unto the starving, and as water unto the thirsty, and shall bring light where there is only darkness... (Book of Hymns in the church in Lostwing)
女戦士 (josenshi) → I’ve gone with the translation “shield-maiden” since this is supposedly an old legend, but it literally just means “female warrior.” I’m not certain how rare a phenomenon women warriors are in the current age. On the one hand, all the mass battle scenes and the various nations’ armies are comprised entirely of men, but no one seems to remark on Jill, Benedikta, Jote, or Dorys’ martial prowess, either (even when Jill poses as the head of a mercenary guild in Q56). In the Japanese, at least, the idea of a female warrior is considered a rarity:
- (J) Tiamat: Don’t go mistaking the target.
  (J) Biast: It’s a woman right? Like we’d mistake her on a battlefield. (I-2)
“Greagor, wielded a ‘magitek weapon for aerial combat in the shape of a dragon.'” → This strongly suggests to me that Greagor was herself an Eikonoklaste/Summoner, one of those rare humans who possessed the ability to channel enough aether to wield the Fallen’s mightiest weapons. If it’s true, Sanbreque’s enslavement of Bearers would be ironic indeed.
人種 (jinshuu) = a race of people (lit. “type of people”). The word jinshuu is typically used to refer to a race or ethnic group, for instance, but Bearers are born into all populations in Valisthea, so they aren’t a “race” unto themselves. However, in the Japanese, they make the linguistic distinction between Bearers and people (i.e. “humans”), implying Bearers are other than human, just as Joshua claims Dominants are. That said, since both Bearers and Dominants are born to human beings, I think this is more a reflection of their place in society (and Joshua’s mindset) than their genetics in both cases. I’ve identified them simply as a “subset.”
- Bearers:
  - (E) Enervated Bearer: Brother, did you see? That Bearer spoke to a master. (SQ14: Welcoming Committee)
  - (J) Enervated Bearer: Brother...that Bearer just now, he spoke normally...even though he was talking to a person... (SQ14: The Freedom at Hand)
- Dominants:
  - (E) Clive: But why us? What are we?
    (E) Joshua: What are we? We are Dominants. That is our fate. But that doesn’t mean we have to accept it. Which is why we fight. For the right to deny it. Is that not so? (CH47)
  - (J) Clive: Joshua, are we people?
    (J) Joshua: No, we’re Dominants. We’re not people. But we wish to be. That goes for me as well. That’s why we fight against Ultima. Is that not so? (VIII-4)
“[Bearers] are able to use magic without a crystal and, in Ultima’s eyes, are entities one step closer to Mythos.” → The Final Fantasy XVI Art Book includes Ultima’s World Order: Man < Bearer < Crystal < Dominant < Ultima. So, by Ultima’s reckoning, a Bearer is one step up from your average human being who can’t channel aether, but still one step down from a crystal.
「忘れじの血泥」(wasureji no chidoro) = the Deluge of Blood (lit. “unforgotten blood-sludge”). This event is recounted in the book Vivian asks Clive to locate for her in SQ88: An Inconvenient Truth:
- The emergence of the first magic-adepts was widely heralded as a gift from the gods. Indeed, the title with which those with the gift came to be commonly known is most likely a contraction of “Bearer of the Heavenly Blessing,” the wording used by the tribunes of that time. Those born with the blessing were lauded as living crystals, and granted high office and plentiful reward for their status as chosen ones. Over the years, this reverence for their kind would become a full-fledged religion led by the Bearers themselves—a development that would prove fateful.
  The divers nations of the time were unanimous of their disapproval of the founding of the church. While the authorities had for years welcomed Bearers into positions of power in their own structures of state, they were mistrusting of an organization led by Bearers, for Bearers. Efforts were immediately made to chasten the church and its followers—banning members from holding office, evicting adherents from their homes, and breaking up meeting by force. The church responded by forming a volunteer army to resist this persecution, and yet it continued, creating a cycle of ever increasing bloodshed and rancor, and a growing rift between those born with the blessing and those without.
  What began with beatings and street clashes would eventually spill over into an all-out war that consumed the greater part of the Twins for nigh a generation and decimated the population of men and Bearers both—the “Deluge of Blood” that stained the land crimson and left an even more lasting mark upon the minds of the Valisthean people.
  After the Bearers’ last resistance was crushed, the nations of Valisthea came together to sign the Continental Accord, that initiated the system of slavery that persists across the realm to this day. Its well-known phrase, “Bearers are other than human,” has its roots in the bitter war of the years before, being the unblessed’s only excuse for their calamitous refusal to allow the blessed to decide their own destinies. (From a Distance, Chapter XVI: The Fall of the Bearers)
- (E) The Deluge of Blood: A great war that occurred in ancient times between the “few who bear the blessing” and the “many who do not.” It ended in decisive victory for the unblessed masses and the signing of the Continental Accord, which cemented the systematic subjugation of the “Bearer” minority.
- (E) From A Distance: A tome that lays bare the buried truth of the avarice and vanity of mankind. Upon its publication, the powers that be did everything in their power to [inter it] once more—along with its author. It tells the history of the Bearers—those once worshipped and adored as “bearers of the heavenly blessing,” earning them the moniker they hold to this day—and how they came to be despised, oppressed, and enslaved by the unblessed masses. The shadowy Executors seize any copy that surfaces, in order to protect humanity from the painful knowledge contained within its pages—or so they claim.
  - I’ve gone with the more literal translation “bearers of good fortune,” only because I don’t recall any mention of the concept of “heaven” in any of this world’s belief systems.
I find it ironic that the Japanese contains the word “unforgotten” since both the event itself and the circumstances that lead to it have been entirely forgotten (brutally suppressed by the Executors and the powers that be) and all that remains is a legacy of oppression, enslavement, and dehumanisation.
“an all-out conflict with the state(s)” → again, since Japanese often elides pluralizations, it’s unclear whether this was a battle that took place in a single nation and was seen as a cautionary tale by the rest of the nations in Storm and Ash, or if this was a large scale conflict that took place in multiple nations simultaneously: Bearers vs. their ruling governments. The above English passage makes it sound more like the latter, but the word they use for “battle”—戦い (tatakai)—is usually used to describe smaller scale conflicts than 戦争 (sensou) or 戦乱 (senran)—words used to describe multi-national conflicts later in this same timeline, so...idk. If I had to guess, I’d say it was probably a series of conflicts that happened more or less concurrently across Valisthea.

The Beginning of the Valisthean Calendar

I’m curious about the Bearer’s brand, since it’s mentioned that the poison from the wyvern tail is used to render it, which would seem to suggest it’s more of a tattoo than a brand. Character and visual designer Takahashi Kazuya mentions in Ultimania that the design is meant to be a stylised crystal with a diagonal line through it, symbolising the fact that a Bearer is “one who is bound to the crystals.”
- (E) Wyvern Tail: The elegant, white flower that is a symbol of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. From its roots is distilled the dye with which the Bearer brand is inscribed. The dye is highly poisonous when it enters the bloodstream, and so it [is] not uncommon for Bearers to lose their lives either upon receiving their brand, or during an inexpert attempt to remove it. (Their Use in Branding)
- (E) Eitrfoetida or Tail of Wyvern: White of flower and black of root, the latter of which gives out an inky gall when cut or crushed. (…) The gall is passing toxicate, that a single drop taken by mouth may result in cramps most painful for five days and five nights, or if applied to a wound, certain death. (A Complete Botany of Banes, tome in Garnick)
“Gilbard, a liege lord in what is now the Grand Duchy of Rosaria” → Gilbard is referred to here as a 領主 (ryoushu), i.e. the master of a domain, but in the Thousand Tomes he’s identified as a legendary trader and founder of Kanver’s first merchant’s guild. I suppose it’s possible he was both.
ギルバート商教会 (girubaato shoukyoukai) = The Bank of Gilbard the Great Lender, The Great Bank of Gilbard the Lender (in the Thousand Tomes entry on this “religion” it’s referred to as the former, but in the entry on gil, it’s referred to as the latter).
“Nations begin to instate their Dominants into positions of power.” → Both Clive and Elwin speak to this in CH6 in regard to Rosaria, but The Thousand Tomes extrapolates on it—albeit sighting less idealistic reasons:
- (E) The Deluge of Blood: It was not until a hundred years later that the first Eikons were to emerge—their human hosts being named “Dominants” after the savior myth of the Circle of Malius, which held that the lord’s return would be heralded by the appearance of “His heavenly servants most wondrous and most dominant.” Such was the awesome power of these creatures that the authorities had no option but to exempt them from the system of slavery—announcing them to be something other than a lowly Bearer and deserving of the highest honor—lest they should side with their fellow oppressed and bring a second deluge upon the masters’ heads.
“神の元へ導く者” (kami no moto e michibiku mono) = “those who guide [us] to where god is.” This is supposedly how the Children of Dzemekys referred to Dominants, but I couldn’t find a close equivalent in English. The only thing I could find along the same lines was the sentence in the above entry on the Deluge of Blood.

The New Age of Nations

総本山 (souhonzan) is literally the head temple of a Buddhist sect. I’ve translated it as Comraich (“sanctuary” or “asylum” in Gaelic) here, though that’s one of the words that becomes 神殿 (shinden) in the Japanese. Since the translation of this word relates to worldbuilding, the inimitable Koji Fox will have to make the call on what its official translation is. As far as what it is, the souhonzan would be the Crystalline Orthodox’s main centre of worship near Drake’s Eye prior to their crossing the Boiling Sea and claiming islands in the western archipelago (including those that would later become Haearann and its capital Creag Loisgte) as their new base.
“Very rarely, the Dominant of Shiva is born, and each time [she is], the balance of power amongst territories in the region is shaken.” → It’s mentioned in-game that, unlike certain Eikons (the Phoenix, Bahamut) which tend to only awaken in very specific bloodlines, Shiva might awaken in any of the descendants of the Motes of Ice, regardless of tribe or station. This would certainly explain the persisting conflicts amongst the Northern Territories if whoever possessed the Dominant of Ice automatically assumed a position of power amongst them...until she was reborn into another tribe.
- (E) Pridbor, Librarian: We all know that Bearers have a resilience to the ill effects of aether, but don’t you find it strange that there are those who, despite being free of magic’s burden, can seemingly pass through a flood without consequence? I asked our loresman how this could be, and he suggested that it might have something to do with bloodlines. Many of the realm’s Dominants are born to specific families, you see—the Rosfields, the Lesages—so there must be something in those families’ blood that provides them with the potential to become vessels for Eikons. But what about the ones who don’t awaken? Could it be that this same potential provides them with something of the same immunity? Your uncle’s recent travels with you across the aether-ravaged countryside would certainly suggest so. And yet, what about Gav? Well, in smaller, more isolated populations, bloodlines are less diluted—hence Shiva’s Dominant sometimes awakening in the child of a common northerner—and our scout’s not having turned a thousand times over. (CH41)
- n.b. I inserted the words [she is] so that the English reads better, but I believe we still don’t have hard confirmation on whether gender is a factor in who awakens as the Dominant of a given Eikon. For that matter, Garuda is a male deity in the Hindu tradition—so is her appearance only feminine because Benedikta is her current Dominant? Or is this a legacy thing?
蛮族 (banzoku) = barbarian tribes (lit. “wild/barbarian/savage tribe”). My first thought was that this is a reference to the “warring tribes of Ash” that were later united into the Kingdom of Veldermarke, but banzoku is also the Japanese word used for “beastmen,” who are said to plague Southern Ash, where Drake’s Horn once stood:
- (E) Beastmen: A somewhat derogatory nomen given the collective groups of demi-humanoid beings that includes goblins, orcs, and minotaurs, among others. (…) With civilization, however, will always come the desire to expand, and it is this ambition that has resulted in countless clashes with humanity over the centuries.
- (E) Thalan: A mining settlement in the southern part of the continent of Ash. It is know for the adamantite it produces—a resource highly prized for its unrivaled durability—but this is both a blessing and a curse, leading as it has to repeated attacks by marauding orcs over the years.
- It also occurred to me they might somehow be connected to the the berserkers mentioned in the item description of the Berserker Ring:
  - The berserkers of Southern Ash, known for their fearlessness on the field of battle, were known to wear these rings not only on their fingers, but pierced all over their bodies from head to toe. Scholars now believe the unnatural courage they displayed was a result of extended exposure to the concentrated aether imbued in the jewelry, that poisoned the blood of its non-Bearer wearers and induced madness that ultimately became associated with battle frenzy.
- But then this entry on Drake’s Horn, and this bit of dialogue from Dalina in The Rising Tide clinched it—warring tribes it is:
  - (E) Drake’s Horn: The Motes, their homelands fast being consumed by the Blight and unable to compete against the warring tribes, chose to adopt a nomadic lifestyle which would continue for the next two centuries. (Motes of Water)
  - (J) Dalina: It seems our ancestors used [glamours] to conceal their location during the course of their conflicts with the barbarian/warring tribes (蛮族) and the life of wandering that followed. (DLC2)
“the Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn in Southern Ash shatters due to the depletion of aether in the surrounding area.” → This was one of the biggest question marks for me in terms of worldbuilding (not that there were many—one of the things I love about this game is how developed and rich the worldbuilding is). If the Mothercrystals are the source of the Blight and are syphoning mass amounts of aether from the land, shouldn’t the lands immediately surrounding them be the first affected by the loss of aether? And yet, the Thousand Tomes specifically states that “the lands surrounding them are rich with aether, making the magicks the crystals cast even more potent” (The Mothercrystals, Basic Information). But like, why would the far-off Southern Isles be lost to the Blight before Oriflamme or Twinside?
北部諸国 (hokubu shokoku) = the Northern Territories (lit. “the myriad countries of the northern region”). I am so curious to know more about the North; most of what we do know has to be extrapolated from bits of dialogue that are few and far between, even though two of our party members (Jill and Gav) hail from there (also Goetz). I had hoped there would be a section on it in Ultimania, or that The Rising Tide might go into it more, but sadly not. We get only drips and drabs of information here and there. Here’s much of what we do know:
- (E) The Northern Territories: A bitterly cold region in the northern reaches of the continent of Storm. It was originally home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake’s Eye, around which a series of small nations sprang up—nations whose belligerence proved troublesome for Rosaria over the centuries. In time, however, the Mothercrystal’s power dwindled, and with it, the power of these warlike nations. With the Blight encroaching on their territory ever more, the remaining tribes were united and pacified by Archduke Elwin Rosfield of Rosaria in the year 854. (Basic Information)
- (E) The Northern Territories: However, in the years following Rosaria’s annexation by the empire, a combination of both the Blight’s inexorable advance and Sanbreque’s lack of interest in the territories has only worked to quicken the area’s destabilization. (After the Fall of Phoenix Gate)
  - This second entry in Japanese is titled “Annexation by Sanbreque” (ザンブレクによる属領化) so I take it Rosaria absorbed the Northern Territories after it subdued them and then Sanbreque annexed them both jointly. I’d sort of assumed that, as it says in the English, Sanbreque had no interest in asserting its claim on a territory so beset by the Blight, but it seems the two nations came together part and parcel at that point.
- (E) The Northern Territories: Once home to a handful of small but proud nations, the northern reaches of Storm are now almost entirely lost to the Blight—her people forced from their ancestral homes to find refuge in Valisthea’s more hospitable climes. The region’s downfall can be attributed to the fall of its only Mothercrystal, Drake’s Eye, some four score years past. While a last-ditch attempt was made to save the crystal by having Shiva’s Dominant freeze it in time, her efforts ended in failure. The ruling thegns turned their eyes south to Rosaria for a new source of power—and while their first forays were met with success, they proved no match for the might of the duchy, and were ultimately pacified by Archduke Elwin Rosfield’s armies. (History)
- (E) Mysidia: This remote corner of Valisthea was once home to thousands of northerners who maintained an expansive religious complex dedicated to the worship of Shiva. Following a failed attempt to devise and conjure a spell that would prevent the Mothercrystal, Drake’s Eye, from cracking, the location was abandoned by all, save an ailing witch who died a short time later. Why the people of the north might abandon a region that had yet to succumb to the Blight remains a mystery, but decades of subsequent assaults on Rosarian lands suggest that the thegns sought strength in numbers by consolidating remaining populations near the ducal border. (Order Restored)
本尊 (honson) = primary object of veneration/worship (lit. “the principal image [of Buddha]”), in this case referring to Drake’s Breath.
ヴェルダーマルク王国 (verudaamaruku oukoku) = The Kingdom of Veldermarke
- (E) Veldermarke: Formerly the most powerful kingdom in Ash, until Barnabas Tharmr led his armies in rebellion against its rule and established his own Kingdom of Waloed upon its still-smoking ruins.
- (E) Barnabas: The King of Waloed and Dominant of Odin, the Warden of Darkness. Barnabas is also a feared warrior in his own right. After journeying to Valisthea from the outer continent as a young man, he led his people in overthrowing the ancient Kingdom of Veldermarke that once ruled Northern Ash, and established his new Kingdom upon its ruins. (Past Uncovered)
属州 (zokushuu) = (lit. “a [Roman] province”). I’ve opted for the translation “satrap” (an ancient Persian province) for this sub-unit of proto-Dhalmekia since I felt it fit the image of the culture better, but once again, Koji Fox will be the final authority on how this word gets translated, given that it ties into the worldbuilding. → jk The Thousand Tomes refers to them as “states,” but in this case “state” is being used to mean “nation” so I stand by my word choice. Apparently there are five in all.
薔薇同盟 (bara doumei) = The League of the Rose (lit. “The Rose Alliance”). This is my translation, since I could only find a Thousand Tomes entry that alludes to it without actually naming it (see below).
ロズフィールド家、ロズフィールド大公家 (rozufiirudo-ke, rozufiirudo taikou-ke) = the Rosfield family, House Rosfield (lit. “Ducal House of Rosfield”).
- (E) House Rosfield: The highest of the noble houses of Rosaria. The Dominant of the Phoenix is always born into the Rosfield line, and so it is always a Rosfield who sits upon the ducal throne.
- (E) The Phoenix: The Phoenix first awakened among the Motes of Fire, an ancient tribe who dwelled in the western reaches of Storm, and the careful preservation of bloodlines among the Rosarian nobility ensured that its Dominant would always be born in the ducal line. (Hidden Truths)
ロザリア七家族 (rozaria nana-kazoku) = The Seven High Houses (lit. “seven families of Rosaria”).
- (E) The Seven High Houses: The highest noble houses of old Rosaria, of which House Rosfield is the first and foremost. They have their roots in the ruling dynasties of the small independent nations that were united upon the founding of the duchy. The houses had a prominent voice in ducal politics, but this was silenced when the region fell to the empire, and Empress Anabella took Rosaria’s reins.
風の戦乱 (kaze no senran) = The Western Wars (lit. “The War(s) of Wind [Storm]”). This translation is based solely on deduction, but I believe these are the “western wars” referred to in The Rising Tide:
- (E) Dalina: When the northern thegns sent her here to weave her spell, this was where she and her retinue stayed. There were priests, handmaidens...and a knight sworn to shield her from harm. Of course, they were all gone by the time my ancestors arrived. Fled, or dead in the western wars. (DLC2, SQ: Beyond the Grave)
- If this “War of Storm” supposedly took place 80 years prior to the main storyline, that would make it some 85 years ago in TRT. Shula claims the Motes of Water migrated from Ash to Storm some 170 years ago and were then persecuted by the Greagorian Church (see: The Greagorian Inquisition). Some unspecified amount of time after that, they “fled north and west” and, somewhere along the way, discovered the notion of artificial Mothercrystals, the nostrum to call forth Leviathan, and Ysay—a former Dominant of Shiva—who entrusted them with her spell to freeze time. Since Ysay was weaving her spell in an attempt to prevent the fall of Drake’s Eye (which also happened 80 years prior to the main storyline), then it would make sense that the “western wars” that had drawn the rest of her retinue away before Shula’s ancestors arrived and the “War of Storm” that broke out some 80 years ago are one and the same. Whether or not they have a more formal name in the world beyond Haven is unknown. (At least, I haven’t spotted it yet).
“The Eikons Phoenix and Shiva clash on the battlefield” → Given the timing, it seems likely that Clive and Joshua’s grandfather met Ysay in battle, since Elwin’s father is identified as the previous Dominant of the Phoenix:
- (E) Elwin Rosfield: Archduke of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria and father of Clive and Joshua. Elwin was born before his father, the previous Dominant of the Phoenix, passed away, so he did not inherit the Eikon’s powers. (Warming the Throne)
- (E) Ysay: A woman of the Northern Territories and Dominant of Shiva before Jill, who breathed her last some eighty years ago. (Mysidian Savior)
- (E) Drake’s Eye: Soon after the Mother first fell, the tribes of the north, in a bid of desperation, marched south into Rosaria, Shiva’s Dominant at their fore. A terrible battle ensued in which fire was pitted against ice, but eventually the Phoenix and the ducal armies succeeded in driving back the invaders. For a time. (Basic Information)
鉄王国 (tetsuoukoku) = The Iron Kingdom. We know almost as little about the Iron Kingdom as we do the Northern Territories, which makes sense, I guess, since our story never takes us there (or at least, no farther than Mt. Drustanus). But I admit I’m curious. They’re essentially a theocracy, so why style themselves as a kingdom? And what’s the climate like in the western archipelago that they choose to wear heavy furs on a desert battlefield and inside a volcano? I first assumed this was a nod to their origins in the North, but Shula’s people don’t dress that way...
- Side note, but it’s mentioned in multiple entries in the Thousand Tomes that the north is a very cold place—which you might expect on a small continent with such a wide range of biomes—so I was not expecting the scenery we got in The Rising Tide. Don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous and a glorious reprieve from the bleakness of those muted purple skies, but it left me wondering where the tundras were...
- Okay, this much we do know:
  - (E) The Iron Kingdom: An island nation off the west coast of Storm, with its capital at Creag Loisgte. Despite being nominally a monarchy, the Patriarch, the most powerful priest of the Crystalline Orthodoxy, is in truth the most powerful person in the kingdom. He rules from the isle of Beinn Leodladh—more commonly known in Storm as Mt. Drustanus—on which sits the Mothercrystal, Drake’s Breath, focal point of the faith. (Faith Unbending)
  - (E) The Iron Crusade: The fighting forces of the Iron Kingdom. Ultimate command rests with the king, who issues orders directly to the commanders of his battalions.
  - (E) The Iron Kingdom: In the year 878, its Mothercrystal, Drake’s Breath, was destroyed in an attack launched by Cid the Outlaw. The loss of the crystal, and of the Patriarch—chief of the priests who served it—plunged the kingdom into chaos, leaving this monarchy wanting for a leader beyond its politically impotent royalty. (After the Fall of Drake’s Breath)
“The precursor to the Iron Kingdom invades the Grand Duchy of Rosaria” → in the Thousand Tomes, this event is called “The Boiling Crusade.”
評議会 (hyougikai) = The Board of Delegates (lit. “council/junta/board of trustees”). I took this translation straight from the text on Goetz’s trader’s pass as seen in The Art of Final Fantasy XVI before realizing it appears in-game in the quest item description itself. I think Vivian might mention it in one of her State of the Realm briefings, as well.
- n.b. This is also the word used for the Dhalmekian Parliament in Japanese.
“Small countries around Drake’s Tail that lack a Dominant” → I found this detail interesting. As mentioned above, Drake’s Tail was originally overseen by the Motes of Wind, so it would follow that Garuda is “their” Eikon. However, the only Dominant of Garuda we know of is Benedikta, and it’s confirmed in Ultimania that she hails from Waloed originally. Obviously, she’s of the right lineage to host the Warden of Wind, but I wonder when her people moved from the vicinity of Drake’s Tail over to Ash, or if Garuda is like Shiva and will awaken at random in those with the blood...?
- Interestingly, the Thousand Tomes entry on Garuda states that “Its Dominant is most often born among the descendants of the Motes of Wind, an ancient tribe that once dwelled in the lands spanning the Straight of Autha,” which seems to imply there are times when this does not hold true.

The Modern Era to the Present Day

イルシュタール (ishutaaru) = Ishtahl was my best guess on how to Romanize the name of the Crystalline Orthodox’s agent provocateur, but it could also be “Ishtaal” or something else entirely. Gaelic spellings and katakana-go are tricky enough to navigate before you go trying to use one to represent the other.
マザークリスタル・ドレイクテイル紛争 (mazaakurisutaru doreikuteiru funsou) = The Conflict of Drake’s Tail (lit. “Drake’s Tail Conflict”). I couldn’t find mention of this conflict in English—at least, no mention in which it was named.
フォーン海岸事変 (foon kaigan jihen) = The Fawn Coast Incident. Again, I’m guessing here, particularly about the “Fawn” part—this could also be Fuon, Forn, etc.—since I haven’t found mention of it in English, nor have I seen it labelled on any maps.
ロザリア＝ダルメキア同盟 (rozaria=darumekia doumei) = The Southwestern Alliance (lit. “Rosaria-Dhalmekia Alliance”)
- (E) The Southwestern Alliance: An entente formed between Dhalmekia and the Duchy of Rosaria in the year 850 with the aim of preventing the Free Cities of Kanver from claiming independence from the republic. While the alliance eventually became a three-way affair when Sanbreque joined, bonds between the Dhalmeks and the Rosarians remained particularly strong, with Rosaria sharing the secrets of vital techniques such as irrigation, and the free flow of various diplomats between the two nations.
The Rosarian survey of Drake’s Fang in Y.R. 850 has to be the trip Byron recounts to Clive in CH33 as they journey through the Velkroy Desert:
- (E) Byron: Many years ago, when you were still just a boy, you and I rode this way together. Accompanying your father on a scouting expedition to Drake’s Fang.
  (E) Clive: He let me come with you?
  (E) Byron: I’m not surprised you don’t remember. It was just before Joshua was born. You were so eager to be there when your brother arrived that you whipped your chocobo too hard on the journey home and fell from the saddle. I shall never forget how Elwin fussed over you as you sat in the sand, bawling like a babe. (CH33)
内乱 (nairan) → This word comes up a number of times in this chronology, and I’ve translated it a bit differently in each instance because the nature of it varies somewhat from case to case. Literally, it means “internal strife,” which can cover a lot of different things, including internecine war, civil war, warring factions, an internal coup, etc. In the case of the North, I’ve gone with “infighting amongst the tribes.”
北部首領 (hokubu shuryou) = the High Thegn of the North (my translation), Chieftain of the Northern Territories, [one of] the northern thegns (lit. “northern chieftain”). I’m not entirely clear on the power structure of the Northern Territories. The Thousand Tomes entry on Jill’s father has his title as “Chieftain of the Northern Territories,” but the leaders of the individual territories or tribes also get referred to as “the northern thegns” and “the ruling thegns” (北部諸国の為政者?) in various places:
- (E) Shula: Her body had been consumed by the curse—a cruel payment for her long years of service to the northern thegns. (DLC2)
- (E) Dalina: When the northern thegns sent her here to weave her spell, this was where she and her retinue stayed. (DLC2, SQ: Beyond the Grave)
- (E) Ysay: A woman of the Northern Territories and Dominant of Shiva before Jill, who breathed her last some eighty years ago. She had been employed by the northern thegns to weave a spell to stop time, that they might prevent the fall of Drake’s Eye. (Mysidian Savior)
- (E) Drake’s Eye: A Mothercrystal which once stood in the frozen wastes of northern Storm–lands now lost to the Blight. Before its fall, some eighty winters past, the ruling thegns charged their Dominant of Ice to devise an incantation that would effectively freeze time around the crystal, preventing its fall. (Fall)
It’s possible the North have an arrangement similar to that of Rosaria—with House Rosfield supreme amongst the Seven High Houses—except, unlike in Rosaria, since Shiva is born “at random” amongst the descendants of the Motes of Ice, whichever tribe births her Dominant assumes a position of power (as I speculated above). Then again, that would only make sense if it were known Jill was the Dominant of Shiva, which I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. At the very least, Jill herself didn’t know, and I can’t imagine the North willingly handing over their best “weapon” as a peace offering, given the plans Jill’s father had for the Sagespire:
- (E) Jill: It occurred to me...that my father once told me of a great tower just beyond the border which would one day be ours. And thinking about it now, he could only have meant the Sagespire. I wonder what he would have done had he claimed it—had he seen what we have seen. (post-DLC1)
- The Thousand Tomes also refers to the northern tribes as “belligerent” and “warlike”:
  - (E) The Northern Territories: A bitterly cold region in the northern reaches of the continent of Storm. It was originally home to the Mothercrystal known as Drake’s Eye, around which a series of small nations sprang up—nations whose belligerence proved troublesome for Rosaria over the centuries. In time, however, the Mothercrystal’s power dwindled, and with it, the power of these warlike nations. (Basic Information)
Jill is referred to as the High Thegn’s chakujo (嫡女), which I’ve translated simply as “daughter” since I don’t know enough to choose a more specific term. The more commonly used word is chakunan (嫡男 = heir, legitimate son, eldest son) but it doesn’t necessarily mean all of those things. For instance, Clive’s biographical info identifies him as House Rosfield’s chakunan and, while he is the eldest son, he’s not the heir—Joshua is. I’m guessing they just mean she’s a princess of legitimate birth, but it’s possible Jill had younger siblings we don’t know about.
“The High Thegn of the North offers up his daughter, Jill Warrick, as a hostage as proof of their submission to the duchy.” → Interestingly, the English and the Japanese versions seem to disagree on whether Jill’s father offered her up as a hostage (Japanese ver.) or whether Clive’s father “took” her as one (English ver.). Both seem awful in their ways, but I’m personally hoping it’s the former. Demanding child hostages is not a good look.
- (E) The Silvermane: Chieftain of the Northern Territories and Jill Warrick’s father. After his homeland’s raids were finally quelled by the duchy, his daughter was taken as a ward of the Rosfield family to ensure that he would never raise arms against them again.
- (J) The Silvermane: The Chieftain who rules the Northern Territories and Jill’s father. After the Northern Territories lost in their war with the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, he offered Jill up as a sign of peace.
- (E) Clive: When my father put down the uprising in the Northern Territories...Jill was taken as a ward to ensure that her father, the Silvermane, would keep the peace. (SQ31: Cut from the Cloth)
- (J) Clive: Jill’s the daughter of the “Silvermane” of the North, you see. She was a highborn lady offered up by the North as a sign of peace. (SQ31: The Lady Seamstress)
三国同盟 (sangoku doumei) = the Triunity 859 (lit. ‘Three Nation Alliance’).
- This earlier alliance is mentioned in SQ85: Three’s Company:
  - (E) Byron: Do you know why I chose to call it the Triunity, Clive? You may be too young to remember, but this isn’t the first time an alliance has been struck ‘twixt the nations of Storm. ‘Twas not twenty summers past that your father petitioned both the empire and the republic to join hands with the duchy, that we might work to mutual advantage in defiance of the Blight. And they, for their part, embraced the notion. Or so we believed. Little did we know that the peace Elwin had worked so hard to secure...would be ground beneath the heel of one we least suspected. Your mother, the duchess. In one fell swoop, Anabella robbed us of everything. A nation. A leader. A brother. A father. But above all, she robbed us of what could have been—a realm undivided. Elwin’s grand design. (CH49)
“Duchess Annabella Rosfield of Rosaria and Sylvester Lesage of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque conspire in secret.” → The reason Anabella is given her proper title here while Sylvestre is not is because Sylvestre isn’t enthroned as emperor until Y.R. 865, trading on Dion’s status as Bahamut’s Dominant, at least in part. This detail is included in Dion’s character profile (in Sylvestre’s, as well, but we haven’t got that one translated) and in The Thousand Tomes entry on him:
- (E) Sylvestre Lesage: Emperor of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, who won his throne at least partly by virtue of his son, Dion, having awakened as the Dominant of Bahamut. (First Encounter)
  - Though, Dion awakened as Bahamut in Y.R. 851, a full 14 years before Sylvestre became emperor.
- Also, this doesn’t quite mesh with Anabella’s line at the end of CH6, which seems to imply Sylvestre is already emperor in Y.R. 860:
  - (E) Duchess Anabella: I can only pray there will be a place for me in the world His Radiance seeks to create. (CH6)
  - (J) Duchess Anabella: I can only entrust everything to the new world the holy emperor will create. (I-6)
大陸戦争 (tairiku sensou) = The Battle of the Twin Realms (lit. “Continental War”). There’s an entry on it in The Thousand Tomes, but Benedikta also mentions it at the Zirnitra Consult in CH2, as does Vivian in her State of the Realm briefing on Waloed:
- (E) Royal Attaché: It was the Dhalmeks who drove back the Crusaders in the Battle of the Twin Realms, was it not? (CH2)
- (J) Royal Attaché: During the last continental war (大陸戦争), your nation did a fine job of fending them off all on its own. (I-2)
- (E) Vivian: The Kanverian War of Independence in 849, the Battle of the Twin Realms in 865, the Battle of Belenus Tor in 873— (CH35)
“Sanbreque, having strengthened its military might by absorbing Rosaria as an imperial province, recaptured the Strait of Autha and then proceeded to invade Waloed.” → I wonder if Clive was ever sent on one of these campaigns during his time as an imperial Bearer?
ダルメキア＝ウォールード同盟 (darumekia=uoruudo doumei) = the Naldian Alliance (lit. “Dhalmekia-Waloed Alliance”). This alliance is alluded to in one of the Thousand Tomes entries but isn’t named, so I copied the naming scheme of the Southwestern Alliance in naming it after a geographical region. Since the two nations are on opposite sides of the Strait, this ended up being the Naldia Narrow.
- (E) The Battle of the Twin Realms: The Waloeders, looking to hold back the Sanbrequois advance by any means necessary, formed and alliance with the Dhalmekian Republic—who themselves were waging war against the Iron Kingdom on the western front—and prevented the empire from progressing any further.
- (E) The Naldia Narrow: A region of sea south of the Strait of Autha, lying between the continents of Storm and Ash. The trading ports of the Free Cities of Kanver dot its western shores, making it the busiest stretch of commercial water in all of Valisthea.
ニサ峡谷の戦い (nisa kyoukoku no tatakai) = The Battle of Nysa (lit. “battle of the Nysa ravine”). Honestly, the second I saw Koji Fox had translated “kyoukoku” as “defile” I knew the localization on this game was going to be peak. And it truly is.

All source materials belong to the parties to which they are licensed. All translations are our own.

World ParametersHISTORY & LORE

WORLD CHRONOLOGY

The Age of Ultima

The First Age of Man

The Magitek Age

The Second Age of Man

The Beginning of the Valisthean Calendar

The New Age of Nations

The Modern Age to the Present Day

The Modern Age to the Present Day (cont’d)

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World Parameters
_{HISTORY & LORE}