In the world of FFXIV, many a person will get
the chance to explore a world filled with magic, technology, and more. But the world that is
explored wasn't always the same. In fact, the land of Eorzea had been built up and destroyed
many times over until it became what it is now. If ever you were curious to know how all this
history came to be then you have come to the right place. Welcome adventurer, to the Wizards
and Warriors complete collection of Eorzean history. From the gilded halls of an advanced
Empire, all the way to the modern age left in the wake of a dragon's wrath. You'll leave today
with an understanding of how and why this world has changed so much over the course of each
Astral Era and Umbral Calamity. So let us begin with the one of the most powerful civilizations
that Eorzea had even known, the Allagan Empire. Their power stemmed from their
technology, and as you might guess, so did their ultimate downfall. Technology
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wizards and warriors, and code wizardswarriors. We begin our journey on a world called
Hydaelyn. This planet gained its name from a goddess whose voice could be heard
echoing from the heart of the world. Here there are countless varieties of monsters and
people, with the most common mortal races of man being known as the adaptable hyur, honorable
elezen, clever lalafell, rugged roegadyn, traditional miqo'te, proud au'ra, mystical viera
and respectable hrothgar. These races and their various cultures make up the bulk of the world's
population and spearhead most historic events. But our story brings us to Eorzea, a land located on
the continent of Aldenard. This place is sacred, as energy called aether, which is responsible
for creating life and magic, is denser here than anywhere else in the world. It's within this
land that the Allagans would eventually emerge. The history of the empire begins
in the scorching heat of the 3rd Umbral Calamity, also known as the Calamity of
Fire. The Calamities are cataclysmic events that cover every inch of the planet for years, with
every age afterwards being called an Astral Era. The 1st calamity was that of Wind, scaring the
world with constant tornados and hurricanes. The 2nd was that of lightning, as massive
bolts of electricity would fall like rain. This, the 3rd Calamity, saw the entire world
plagued by stifling heat. Crops withered and died, lakes dried up, and it felt as if the entire
world had become akin to a desert. The various races and cultures that populated the world at
this point were very superstitious. Believing that the sun itself was punishing them for trying
to stand at the side of gods through the creation of magic and sorcery in the 2nd Astral Era.
While the 3rd Umbral Calamity would humble the survivors of this tragedy, they became wary of
the gods. So if the use of spellcraft to emulate the divine was forbidden, then they'd attempt to
uplift themselves through the hands of man alone. Eventually, the heat of the 3rd Calamity
subsided, allowing the world to return to normal. This gave way to the 3rd Astral Era, and an age
of science had begun. The races of Eorzea that had abandoned the excessive worship of gods, found
that they had more time to spend on things like scientific research. No longer were people simply
concerned with what magic could do for them. Instead, they developed various tools and
devices that could use the energy of aether. Most commonly this condensed energy
is seen as elemental crystals, and they found ways to use them
to power a variety of devices. This only fueled their passion for discovery, as
practices like chemistry began to emerge as well. But amongst all the people trying to create
the next best thing, stood a man who would eventually control most of the world. The
great and powerful Xande took to the field. Xande was a man of mystery. He appeared
within Eorzea seemingly out of nowhere. But when he arrived, everyone saw him as a genius. His
knowledge of both magic and the material surpassed what many could imagine. This vast understanding
of the world combined with his charismatic personality made people flock to him in droths,
eager to work alongside or learn from him. As small groups of followers began to grow into
massive organizations, Xande's influence started to give birth to a new nation. The culture of
this budding society was rich with diversity as he welcomed scientists, mages, priests, and scholars
from all over Eorzea. In time, the magical and scientific development of his people couldn't be
matched. And shortly after, the nation of Allag was officially created. Being the most advanced
nation to rise in the wake of the 3rd Umbral Calamity, Xande and his forces were unmatched. By
making exclusive use of both technological might and battle mages, their nation's military
was already a force to be reckoned with. Xande would spread his nation's influence
throughout the entirety of Eorzea, hoping to bring all of its people under one unified roof.
The various tribes and small towns across the land stood no chance of winning. It was with shows
of strength that Xande encouraged many people to peacefully surrender to his growing country.
Upon realizing the benefits of becoming one with the nation of Allag, most conceded. Those few
groups that refused to back down without a fight were overwhelmed and made part of his nation
regardless. After annexing large sections of Eorzea, Xande crowned himself emperor, and so
began the years of the mighty Allagan Empire. Over time, Xande would start to promote the
wisest and most powerful mages in his country to stand as military leaders and overseers of
scientific development. This proved to be the best possible move, as embracing magic instead of
shunning it made sure the minds of his followers were open and curious instead of short-sighted
and paranoid. Eventually, a breakthrough was made as the spellweavers and engineers began to
discover ways to hybridize magic with technology. With the right enchantments, siege weapons would
not only shoot further, but they would strike harder as well. Similarly, cranes made to lift
heavy objects were pushed ten times past their normal weight limits with these advancements. This
made the minds of creative individuals run wild, wondering how far they could push the bounds
of magic and physics. The fusion of spells and science was steadily applied to everything,
from construction and agriculture to military and medicine. This became its own unique field
of development and was officially dubbed, Aetherochemistry. It's on the foundations
of aetherochemistry that the Allagan Empire would grow into a paradise. With this
new revolutionary field of research their society was finally without equal,
and thus began the Allagan's Golden Age. At the peak of his time as Emperor, Xande had
conquered all of Eorzea, and the glory of his country was there for all to see. But no man lives
forever, not even the emperor. Xande knew that in order to maintain the empire's strength after
his death, a set of strict rules and expectations needed to be set in place. So it was that his
direct descendants would follow his example even after his passing. These new emperors would do as
their founder demanded, and continue the expansion of their country across all three of the great
continents. Once the rest of Aldenard was secured, it would only be a matter of time as they
conquered the rest of Ilsabard and Othard. Because of the power brought on by aetherochemistry, no
other nation on the three great continents could stand up to the Empire for long. Gradually, all
of them would live under the Allagan flag. With no enemy that could possibly stand up to them,
the Empire entered a time of peace that would ultimately benefit everyone. Even the conquered
nations were able to partake of the benefits that came with imperial rule. Advanced science
and medicine saw their people prosper like they never had before, and all living within the three
continents would enjoy this peace for generations. They even began crafting various machines that
would make their day-to-day lives even easier. One such creation was the Syrcus Tower, known
by its more common name, the Crystal Tower. This gigantic magical battery stood as
a testament to what mortal men are truly capable of when given the chance, and the
clean energy this tower provided the empire would benefit the lives of countless people.
However, the Allagan Empire would soon realize that paradise isn't truly everything you'd hope it
is. After many generations, the Allagan people no longer knew the true meaning of things like pain,
suffering, and trauma. They could have almost anything they wanted, and live long carefree
lives thanks to their medicine and technology. But without any threats to overcome or strife
to measure against their joy, their happiness steadily became hollow. People became lazier and
content to indulge in selfish pleasures whilst their machines did most of the day-to-day work for
them. The allagans quite literally became bored with life. As such, their society began to spoil,
and fester like an infection. Things like reason, empathy, and even love started to disappear as the
allagan people became numb to their own existence. But the worst part arose when inflicting
horrors upon their fellow man, became a source of entertainment. The Allagan Empire was
now fully corrupt, spoiled by its own glory. Only a handful of intellectual groups remained.
They could still think rationally about the future of their country, and what they saw on the horizon
was a complete societal collapse. As they debated on how to correct the direction of their failing
empire, one man would take it upon himself to do just that and more. The scientist, Amon. He had
observed the Empires fall from grace with disgust, and saw the selfish whims of its people as
ugly blemishes in need of fixing. He came to the realization that what the Empire needed
wasn't a new invention, but a strong leader. Though instead of waiting for one such person
to arise, Amon would create one. In fact, he would recreate the greatest leader in Allagan
history. He would bring back Emperor Xande. After unethical experiments that resulted in the altered
minds and bodies of his colleagues, Amon began the process of cloning Xande. But this time he
wouldn't live a mortal life, Amon would give Xande an immortal body so that he might rule for all
eternity. Eventually, he succeeded, and Emperor Xande walked the earth once more. After a few days
of educating Xande on everything that had happened in his absence, the emperor rolled his eyes in
annoyance and decided to get to work immediately. He began assassinating the current Allagan Emperor
as well as executing anyone that dared to stand in his way. Most allagan people had become so
powerless that none could stand up to his might. After seizing power, Xande declared the three
great continents was not enough for his Empire, so they were going to liberate a massive continent
to the south, they were going to invade Meracydia. As Amon predicted, the fear of Xande's wrath
had injected pain back into the hearts of the allagan people, and their Empire began
to mobilize just like it had in ages past. With pride, Amon stood by Xande's side as the
Empire began moving their military might towards the shores of Meracydia. Societies that lived
alongside dragons had long since endured here, and the dragon's leader, Dawn Wyrm Bahamut, would
meet the Empire on the fields of battle. His might held them back for the longest time, but after
creating fiendish chimeras to outnumber and over power him, Bahamut would die and leave Meracydia
defenseless. However, the people would not take this lying down, and summoned god-like entities
called primals to push back the empire's forces. As living things born from raw aether and the
unflinching faith of those that summon them, the primals were a force that the Empire had
trouble overcoming. But this made Xande's blood race with excitement, as his military would
devise creative ways to outmaneuver and subdue these would-be gods. The primals would fall and be
captured by the empire, preventing more summoning. Yet the climax of this war would only happen when
an image of Dawn Wyrm Bahamut would be summoned into the form of a primal. This new primal
Bahamut would become the greatest threat to the empire's crusade. But instead of worrying about
casualties, Xande's madness began to show as he enjoyed the back and forth this war had created.
Like a massive game of chess with people's lives on the board, he kept playing. But even this
new form of Bahamut couldn't stand up to the darkness that Xande was about to unleash. Emperor
Xande had made a pact with the Cloud of Darkness, a demonic entity from a hellish realm called the
Void, and with her power, he unleashed legions of voidsent upon Bahamut and Meracydia both. This
was the final play, as the combined power of the void and a new weapon called Omega defeated and
captured Bahamut. They sealed the dragon away in a red sphere called Dalamud, which was
made to orbit the world as a second moon. While the Empire's campaign against Meracydia
was a success, many allagans saw only cruelty and insanity on full display. They knew that once the
war was over a new reign of terror was bound to begin and that the allagan people, while foolish,
would be made to suffer. Many groups would put plans into place to safeguard the empire's
best interest should the worst come to pass, but eventually a massive revolution to
dethrone the mad emperor would occur. Xande would retreat to Crystal Tower and attempt
to use it to open a massive gate to the void and allow the Cloud of Darkness itself to overrun the
entire world. But Xande made a fatal error. Due to his actions, the world's aether was unstable
and his attempt to use the tower to such an end was the last straw. The very earth beneath
the Crystal Tower shattered, and the monument sank beneath the ground as earthquakes began to
ravage everything the empire had worked to build. These tremors spread across the world,
and so began the 4th Umbral Calamity, the Calamity of Earth. Bringing a tragic
end to the prosperous Allagan Empire. The only places spared this global destruction
were flying structures like that of Azys Lla. But even so, their ruin was only delayed, as all
the supplies, energy, and reinforcements they once received from the land were now completely gone.
Most people on these floating structures steadily began to die of starvation as they became trapped
and isolated, or were eventually killed by their own monstrous creations as they no longer had
the means of keeping them contained indefinitely. But not all was lost. As stated previously,
there were indeed groups that had gone out of their way to try and protect the people from the
cruelty of Allag’s first and last Emperor Xande. Princess Salina, one of the descendants of the
original Xande, had survived the quakes with a small group of people at her side. She wept at the
countless lives that were lost to the calamity, but upon realizing what had happened to the
crystal tower, she knew that the Xande and Amon were likely still alive, and their
madness wasn't over. Lacking the means to destroy the tower, she knew it was only a
matter of time until it would surface again, releasing Xande upon an unsuspecting world.
In her wisdom, Princess Salina knew that the emperor's deal with the Cloud of Darkness was one
of blood. So as long as someone with her heritage survived into the future, there would always be
someone capable of commanding the crystal tower, and banishing the malicious voidsent that would
devour the world. As such, she used what little Allagan technology that survived the quakes to her
advantage, passing on the blessings and burdens of the Allagan Royal bloodline to one of her dearest
friends. A commoner in whom this power would be passed down from generation to generation without
notice until the day it was needed to counter the newly emerged Crystal Tower. Eventually, this
royal blood did survive into the modern age, becoming the responsibility of the Miqo'te
belonging to the G tribe. Any miqo'te in this tribe born with red eyes were marked as the
ones who had inherited Princess Salina's legacy. But for all the preparations made, there was
no going back. The earthquakes had claimed untold lives, and those that survived had next
to nothing. The grief caused by such a tragedy eventually created hysteria as the victims
hopelessly looked for someone or something to blame for all this destruction. Eventually, the
blame was laid at the feet of their technology, progress, and even education itself. Many
survivors regressed into an exceedingly primitive mindset, seeing any kind of technological
development or higher learning as sinful and ruinous. This caused them to burn books, destroy
what little allagan technology survived the quakes and willfully demolish buildings. This marked the
beginning of the 4th Astral Era, otherwise known as the Forgotten Age. The 4th Astral Era created
no end of crazed individuals and religious zealots who did everything in their power to crush higher
learning. Even philosophers and scientists would be killed simply for knowing more than others.
This war against knowledge would persist for an unknown amount of time, as no records detailing
the 4th Astral Era were ever created. In fact, this age and those people living within it, are
the sole reason almost all knowledge about the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Eras have vanished from history.
We don't know what groups may or may not have existed during this time. The only thing we
know for certain is that their hatred for reason and learning wouldn't save them from the
elemental tragedy that was about to befall them. For about fifteen hundred years, the 4th Astral
Era would persist. But at the end of that time, another Calamity would visit the ignorant
masses of the world. No one knows how, when, or why this Calamity began, only that it
spelled doom for many more people and cultures. The 5th Umbral Calamity, the Calamity of
Ice had begun to freeze the entire world. The only reason we know that it was indeed a
calamity that had frozen the entire planet, is because all tribes and cultures in the world
began creating folk tales of endless blizzards and frozen rivers all at the same time. This calamity
saw most crops fail as they couldn't survive the harsh cold, leaving many to die of starvation if
the freezing winds didn't claim their lives first. No amount of book burning or
divine worship could save them, as this calamity had claimed just as many
innocent people as the ones preceding it. Some tribes took advantage of the ice, migrating
over places where even the ocean had frozen over, attempting to find a location where they
could thrive despite the constant cold. These individuals would have seen massive mountains
made entirely of ice floating across the ocean's surface as they traveled, with some of those
gigantic glaciers even existing to this very day. Meanwhile, within Eorzea, it was around this
time that a resplendent cathedral was built, the location of which would eventually become
a massive forest that is now known as the Black Shroud. This church was built as a refuge, a
place where people might gather to escape the harsh cold of the world and pray to deities
known as the Twelve Gods for protection. It was in this church that magical spells and
rituals would be created in an attempt to please the gods, and beg for their aid. But eventually,
whether by divine intervention or natural causes, the snow, and the cold did relent. Allowing
the warmer locals of temperate and tropical regions to steadily return to normal over time.
This breath of heat and relief, would mark the beginning of the 5th Astral Era, which would
later be known as the Age of Enlightenment. As the entire world once again became warmer
and more vibrant, the people would become more eager to leave whatever locations
they had used to hide from the cold. The people that hid themselves in or around the
cathedral in Eorzea, began to spread out across the continent of Aldenard once more, taking
with them the teaching of their favored god, as well as the spells and rituals used to appease
them. As they spread, these small groups of people would grow into various settlements, towns, and
then cities as their cultures became more diverse. There would eventually be twelve city-states
in total across Eorzea, each devoted to a different god of the Twelve's pantheon. However,
as these city-states grew in size and strength, the differences with their neighbors became more
apparent. This would create friction between the various countries, as things like territorial
disputes became all too common. Small skirmishes would become localized wars as they began to
fight for their gods and their claim to the land. Though as time progressed, these wars would die
out and peace would finally reign over Eorzea. After the dust settled, there stood twelve
proud nations, each with their own patron god. But among these twelve, only three would rise
to prominence. These were Amdapor located near central Aldenard, Nym which occupied the entire
island of Vylbrand as well as most of Eorzea's western Coast, and finally, Mhach which
found itself in the western basin of Yafaem. With the borders of these countries now well
defined, each city-state began to prosper in their own way, with many of them creating
and developing their own forms of magic thanks to the rituals they inherited from
the worship of each of their Twelve gods. The one country considered to be the greatest
of all city-states during this Era was that of Amdapor. The leaders of this country were
considered as generous and understanding as an older sibling, since Amdapor repeatedly
did everything in its power to keep the peace and encourage the development of
the smaller city-states surrounding it. Eventually, this civilization would
become known as Ancient Amdapor, as it was believed that this country acted
with wisdom and maturity well beyond its years. This focus on inward improvement made
the Amdapori excel at spellcraft, developing many magical means to not only improve
their lives, but defend themselves as well. Instead of magical development, the country of Nym
became more well-known for its navy and commerce as they became a center of trade within Eorzea.
This earned it a good deal of geopolitical security, for to harm Nym would be to disturb
supply chains that everyone benefited from. Moreover, Nym would eventually create the finest
Marines within Eorzea, making engaging with them in naval warfare a death sentence. Between their
command of the ocean and eagerness for trade, Nym more than earned its place as one of Aldenard's
three superpowers during the 5th Astral Era. However, in the northwestern reaches of Eorzea,
the smaller city-state of Mhach would eventually develop something that fundamentally shifted
the balance of power within the continent. Halfway through the 5th Astral Era, a
powerful mage would be born and raised in the country of Mhach. Her name was
Shatotto, a lalafellin woman of great renown and prestige who only ever had one goal
in life, to test the boundaries of magic itself. To that end, she would inevitably weave the first
ever incantations of a ruinous magic school, Shatotto had created Black Magic. The people of
Mhach immediately saw Black Magic for what it truly was, the most powerful school of magic ever
developed in terms of raw destructive potential. It was so strong that almost no barrier could
defend against it, and almost no healing spell could fully mend what damage was done. Shatotto
had not a care in the world for what her country did with the spell school she crafted, as she
was already researching new forms of magic. But the leadership of Mhach took her research to
heart, and through the teachings of Black Magic, the city-state of Mhach had gained the most
powerful standing military in all of Eorzea. However, as the old saying goes, absolute power
corrupts absolutely, and the leadership of Mhach steadily became all too eager to test
their strength against their neighbors. With these new Black Mages at their disposal,
the city-state of Mhach began to launch campaigns against their neighboring countries, and such
overwhelming force was there for all to witness. Many smaller civilizations had no means
of countering these new potent forms of offensive spells, and became deeply fearful
of being conquered. These aggressive actions did not go unnoticed by the people of Amdapor,
who immediately knew that Mhach and its Black Mages must be made to yield. The many years that
Amdapor spent weaving spells for the betterment of all were not in vain, as the greatest mages among
them would create the antithesis of Black Magic. Where the people of Mhach would destroy, corrupt
and reduce, this new spell school would protect, purify and mend. With great success, the archmages
of Amdapor became the first ever White Mages, and with this new spell school they had the strength
to stop the relentless assault of the Black Mages. This became the first magical war between
these two countries within the 5th Astral Era. Mhach was shocked to see that the White Mages
of Amdapor had become their perfect counter, stopping their country's expansion in its tracks. Mhach's leadership hesitated, ending their
campaign against Eorzea. However, the end of this war had shifted the power on the continent.
Where once there were twelve proud countries, only six remained. Having either been conquered
by Mhach, or joined other city-states out of fear. But this fragile peace would only last a handful
of centuries. The mages of Mhach had found and created another spell school in the form of Void
Magic, allowing them to channel the corrupting powers of the Void and command legions of Voidsent
much like the Allagan Empire did before them. Meanwhile, the country of Nym, in its
desperate attempt to avoid conquest, created the magic school used by Scholars in
order to shield themselves from Black Magic. Amdapor on the other hand attempted to counter
the use of Voidsent, by weaving their White Magic into creating armies of living stone in the
form of golems that would do their bidding. Tension was now at an all time high, as such,
no one knows what the actual catalyst for the coming conflict was, only that it sparked what
would forever be known as the War of the Magi. This war lasted for many years across
multiple generations, and during this time, magic was at its peak. Many sorcerers and
witches would engage in the greatest arcane duels in Hydaelyn's history, as demons from the
void would collide with animated golems mid-air. Mhach and Amdapor both would gain and lose ground
for decades, with the people of Nym being forced to abandon their country due to a plague placed
on them by the voidsent of Mhach. However, over the course of the war, the near-constant use of
magic by many thousands of mages had drained the ambient aether of Eorzea. Much like the excessive
violence of Xande before them, the War of the Magi had caused the world to be thrown off balance,
and as such, another calamity was soon to come. The conflict between the countries of Mhach
and Amdapor had lasted for generations, and with thousands of Black and White Mages
abusing their power over hundreds of years, it was only a matter of time until the world
itself could no longer keep up with their spells. Aether, the source of power for all
magic, was steadily being drained from Eorzea, and eventually, the tipping point was reached.
The War of the Magi ended with no true victor, only a world gone mad as billowing rain clouds
formed overhead and the seas began to rise. The ceaseless conquest of the Mhachi had
welcomed the 6th Umbral Calamity. But unlike the catastrophes that came before it, there were
people who had been prepared for the coming ruin. While the 5th Astral Era was most well known
for creating Black and White magic, many other arcane disciplines had also been developed in that
time, including spells belonging to the school of Divination, which had warned many powerful mages
of the coming Calamity. The rituals revealed that the mild rain would eventually evolve into a
torrential downpour that would swallow most of the world. As such, many individuals set plans
into motion to save not only themselves but as many people as they could. Most civilizations
simply told their people they needed to get to higher ground, and by climbing up the sides of
mountains, they would avoid the coming floods. Many mages from Mhach and Amdapor began to
shepherd their people into Eorzea's northern mountains. Known today as Abalathia's Spine, this
massive mountain range saved countless lives as the Calamity of Water steadily became a force
of nature. But Eorzea's mountains weren't the only refuge people sought from the deluge. The
void mages of Mhach built a vessel they called the Void Ark, which would carry many people into
the sky and away from the waves. Even though this ark succeeded in carrying its passengers into the
sky, it eventually became their tomb as the many voidsent that were powering the vessel broke
free from their prisons and began slaughtering their masters. While the void ark was a disaster,
there was another vessel that not only served its purpose but became the foundation of an entire
country. This ship was called Nyunkrepf's Hope. This vessel was captained by a powerful Roegadyn
mage after whom the ship was named. He was one of the Twelve Archons, a group of powerful men
of women who spread out across the world to try and save as many people from the Calamity as
possible. Nyunkrepf succeeded in his purpose, using a powerful spell to save his ship and the
people on it from a massive tidal wave. However, the spell also beached his vessel on the cliffs
of Gyr Abania, where it has remained to this day. Eventually, the seas that had consumed most of
the world and many civilizations began to calm, and the survivors watched as the waters began to
recede. This would eventually mark the beginning of the 6th Astral Era as the survivors of the
Calamity and its floods would watch the continent steadily return to its original state. But this
only marked the beginning of a tumultuous time. Those who lived to see tomorrow had already
started to blame the abuse of magic for what happened to the world. Libraries of ancient arcane
arts that had survived the floods were torched as many mages were persecuted and attacked.
However, many of these mages still possessed tremendous power and could protect themselves.
Labelled as witches and vile wizards, many spell casters eventually left society on their own terms
and lived out the rest of their lives in exile, but not all of them. As the survivors of the
calamity began spreading out across Eorzea and regressing into primitive, tribalistic
factions, others chose different paths. The major events of this era began with the
Roegadyn Nyunkrepf leading the survivors of his ship down the cliffs of Gyr Abania and toward
Eorzea's western coast. He guided his people across the sea and toward an archipelago northwest
of Eorzea, which they turned into their new home. Because Nyunkrepf was a respected archmage,
the people revered him for saving them. He and the survivors didn't shun magic like most
of Eorzea. Fueled by the wonders of the arcane, their small village would grow into the
prosperous, enlightened country of Old Sharlayan over the following centuries. While
some countries around the world did survive the Calamity, Old Sharlayan was the first major
civilization to arise from Eorzea's ruin. Around the 3rd Century, groups of Elezen that
had settled near the center of Eorzea were slowly being displaced by large groups of Hyur that were
steadily migrating throughout the continent and taking up more land. Many of these elezen began
to move north into the region known as Coerthas. Here they established a village that would
eventually grow into the country of Ishgard. A couple of decades after the Elezen had settled
these lands, the great dragon Hraesvelgr fell in love with an elezen woman known as Saint Shiva.
Their eventual union began an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity between mortals and dragons,
as Ishgard thrived alongside their dravanian allies. But this peace would only last for a
couple of hundred years as the eventual ruler of Ishgard, King Thordan, grew fearful and envious
of the dragon's power. In his madness, Thordan and his most trusted knights betrayed the great dragon
Ratatoskr, stole their power, and lied to the Ishgardian people, claiming the dragons attacked
first. This marked the beginning of the Dragon Song War, a conflict that would see Ishgardians
and dragons do battle for a thousand years. At the turn of the 7th Century, the lalafell
descended from the mages of Mhach began to gather in Eorzea's southern Thanalan region. Here, the
lalafellin clans would set aside their differences and become a single people once more, creating
the country of Belah'dia. At the same time, Eorzea's largest forest, the Black Shroud,
had become the site of many disputes as the Elezen were trying to keep the ever-expanding
Hyur off what little territory they still had. But the elemental spirits of the Black Shroud
were not kind to either the Elezen or the hyur, leading to both races eventually reconciling their
differences and creating the massive unground city known as Gelmorra together, where they could
shelter from the wrath of the enchanted forest which could destroy them both if it so desired.
In the late 800s, a large group of Roegadyn began sailing south from the seas north of Eorzea. They
were fleeing the tyranny of their own country after a fail coup d'etat in their ancestral
homeland of Aerslaent. In a large ship named the Galadion, they eventually made landfall on
the island of Vylbrand. These displaced souls eventually founded a village that would steadily
grow into the maritime city of Limsa Lominsa. These early settlers were offered help by the
people of Old Sharlayan, which they promptly refused. The people of Belah’dia, however, were
not so quick to spurn Sharlayan's aid. Since they shared an interest in magic, both countries agreed
to an experiment that the Sharlayans proposed. This test resulted in the creation of aetheryte
crystals that linked Belah'dia and Old Sharlayan, creating the first cross-continental teleportation
system in this era. This was a resounding success, and would eventually pave the way for aetheryte
crystals to be spread across not only Eorzea, but all three great continents, linking
multiple countries through teleportation magic. This era of success and mutual cooperation ended
when Belah’dia entered a brutal succession war in the late 900s. After the sultan of Belah'dia had
passed away, both of his sons fought with each other for the throne. They eventually created
their own countries, one was called Sil'dih, and the other, Ul'dah. These city-states
continued to war with each other for generations, and Old Sharlayan wanted nothing to do with this
war, choosing to disconnect the aetheryte they bestowed to Belah'dia until the fighting was
over. By this time, Limsa Lominsa had devolved into a pirate den with no true law and order. But
this all changed when a new sheriff came to town named Admiral Agatzahr. Agatzahr forced all the
greatest pirate crews to come together and reach an agreement that would serve as the foundation
of their country's government. Because of Admiral Agatzahr, Limsa Lominsa had the chance to become
the respectable city-state it is seen as today. As time passed into the first century of the
6th Astral Era, things began to rapidly change for the Gelmorrans living within their stone
city beneath the Black Shroud. A talented human mage named Jorin Lightheart used his spells
to start a conversation with the elemental spirits of the forest. This failed at first, but
eventually, the elementals began to listen to him. Thanks to Jorin's integrity, the elementals agreed
to let the Gelmorrans live within the forest instead of under it. While most Gelmorrans were
thrilled at the idea of living above the earth, some saw this as a betrayal of their new culture.
Not all Gelmorrans left their subterranean city. But the ones that did began to live alongside the
elementals of the forest, allowing the city-state of Gridania to take its first breath. Jorin
Lightheart eventually had a son: a boy born with special horns that indicated he was blessed
by the Elementals. Children blessed with these horns soon became the symbol of his station, and
Jorin's son would become the first Pad'jal. A leader for Gridania and its people who bridged
the connection between mortals and elementals. The following century was a time of great
advancement for most cultures within Eorzea. In fact, it was in the mid-1100s that the
continent's final country would emerge in Eorzea's northeast. Many clans of hyur had lived
within the mountains of Gyr Abania since the end of the 6th Umbral Calamity. But they were never
unified until a warlord named Anshelm Cotter forced all the clans to submit to his rule.
After his conquest, he had a citadel built next to a massive lake, which would become
the capital of a new city-state, Ala Mhigo. From here, history starts to
approach the modern age rapidly. Ul'dah eventually defeated Sil'dih, becoming
the dominant power over Thanalan. Limsa Lominsa entered its golden age of piracy but later
became a hub for most of Eorzea's sea trade. Ishgard continued its war against the dragons.
Gridania became a self-sufficient society, and Old Sharlayan reconnected with its neighbours,
building a new colony on Eorzea’s western coast. Eorzea had entered into of time of relative
peace, co-operation, and advancement. But as we approach the 1500s of the 6th Astral Era,
we begin to see the end of this productive age. In the latter half of the 1400s, Ala
Mhigo's economy began to fail due to the rising success of sea trade created by Ul'dah
and Limsa Lominsa. In an attempt to fix this, Ala Mhigo began an unprovoked war with Gridania,
which would become known as the Autumn War. However, because of Gridania's strong
alliance with Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah, a united Eorzea soundly defeated
Ala Mhigo, and their economy collapsed. This was only the beginning of Eorzea’s new
age of troubles. Not even a century later, the Empire of Garlemald had begun its conquest
of the three great continents. Like the Black Mages of Mhach in the 5th Era and the Allagan
Empire of the 3rd Era, the Garleans now had their sites on ruling the world. Their conquest began
within the continent of Ilsabard, and with the advent of magitek war machines, they could defeat
almost every opponent they came across soundly. In only a handful of decades, the Garlean
Empire successfully conquered not only the whole of Ilsabard but also the entire continent of
Othard. This only left the continent of Aldenard and by extension, the lands of Eorzea. The Garlean
Empire began its campaign against Ala Mhigo first, which was still recovering from its economic
collapse and a rebellion against its incredibly unpopular mad monarch: King Theodoric. Because of
Ala Mhigo's sudden and barbaric attack during the Autumn War, not a single city-state within Eorzea
helped them fight Garlemald. Ala Mhigo swiftly fell, leaving Gridania, Ul'dah, Ishgard, and Limsa
Lominsa to fight this new threat alone. Not even the Sharlayans in their western colony would help,
with most of them fleeing back to their homeland. Some Sharlayans saw the immediate
withdrawal from Eorzea as cowardice. So instead of abandoning their neighbours to the
Garlean invasion, these scholars rallied behind a wise and powerful archon named Louisoix
Leveilleur. Louisoix and other Sharlayans assisted in helping the city-states of
Eorzea push back the Garlean Empire. But regardless of their efforts, the second half
of the 1500s marked the end of the 6th Astral Era. Dubbed Project Meteor, a leader of the invasion
known as the White Raven, used ancient technology to call down Dalamud: the artificial moon the
ancient Allagans used to contain the Elder Primal, Bahamut. Most Garleans had no idea they
were releasing an old evil upon the world. As Bahamut was broken free of his action prison,
his rampage threatened to destroy everything: resulting in the beginning of the
7th Umbral Calamity. But this time, something was different. Louisoix Leveilleur had
made many preparations to deal with Bahamut and used powerful magics to try and seal the primal
away once more. Unfortunately, the dragon had become too powerful and was prepared to unleash
an attack that would glass the entirety of Eorzea. Archon Louisoix's ritual had failed, but the
power to cast his spell remained. Louisoix made a sacrifice, taking all that magic into
himself alongside Eorzea's prayers to rise from Bahamut's ruin. In so doing, he became
the primal known as Pheonix, slaying Bahamut in a single strike and ending the 7th Umbral
Calamity before it could devastate the world. The 7th Umbral Calamity was the shortest era
in Eorzea's history, and it was all thanks to Louisoix and the help of his many allies. If
Bahamut hadn't been slain, his rage would have been felt across the entire world. But with one
age's end, another has the chance to begin. Five years after Bahamut's defeat, a Warrior of Light
will rise, and a new story will be told. This marks the end of our video covering the Astral
and Umbral Eras up until the modern day of FFXIV's campaign. We hope you've enjoyed this series and
that it helps you in your journey across the world of Hydaelyn. We plan to cover the battles of many
other fantasy, sci-fi, and space opera universes, so make sure you have subscribed and pressed the
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