The Durai Papers
This article is about the actual content and lore of the set of documents known as The Durai Papers. For a SPOILER-FREE summary of their importance, see Ivalice.
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Spoiler Warning : This article contains spoilers! |
The Durai Papers are a set of documents mentioned by Jenomis cen Lexentale during several quests within the Return to Ivalice Alliance Raid series.
Origins
During the Ivalician "War of the Lions", an orphan named Orran Durai crossed paths with Ramza Beoulve, his sister Alma Beoulve, and Delita Heiral, who would go on to form the Zodiac Braves. It would be Orran who penned the Durai Papers -- an account of Ivalice and the War of the Lions detailing what truly occurred during that turbulent era. Following the War of the Lions, Orran believed the people of Ivalice had a right to know the truth of Ramza's involvement, and set about documenting his deeds. When the Church of Glabados learned of his intent, however, they branded him a heretic, and had him burned at the stake. The Durai Papers were never published, and any existing copies were gathered and sealed away in church vaults -- the truth about Ivalice along with them.
Orran's descendant, Arazlam Durai would eventually adopt the alias of Jenomis cen Lexentale to blend in with the Garlean society he immigrated to after the fall of Dalmasca. Like his ancestors before him, he inherited a transcript of Orran's work copied from an early draft -- the only version of The Durai Papers to survive to the present day.
Contents
Auracite and Lucavi
The Zodiac Stones, made of a substance called auracite, had the power to make manifest one's deepest desires -- be they fair or foul. When an auracite is used with malign intent, it warps both body and mind, transforming the wielder at last into monstrosities that would come to be known as Lucavi. Defeating the Lucavi served to restore the auracite to its original crystalline state.[1]
Ramza and Delita
Ramza was the youngest son of Lord Barbaneth of House Beoulve. Delita was born into a family of serfs -- the Heirals -- who tilled land owned by Ramza's family. When Delita's parents succumbed to the "Black Death," Ramza's father took the boy and his younger sister Tietra into his home and raised them as he would his own children. Years later when those same children were grown, Ramza Beoulve, acting at the behest of the Church of Glabados, set out with a company of knights to recover the twelve lost Zodiac Stones.
They succeeded in their endeavor, earning themselves the moniker of Zodiac Braves. [2]
Argath Thadalfus was once heir to a high house which had fallen into disrepute through the ignoble conduct of its then lord, Argath's grandsire. House Thadalfus had long possessed an heirloom they called the Duma, a brilliant gemstone that Argath carried upon his person. Cursing his family's diminished circumstances, the youth turned his ire upon the only souls over whom he still retained any influence: the smallfolk. But Delita, hero of the common man, would not suffer this, and after trying and failing to reason with Argath, put him to the sword. Argath believed that his blood entitled him to power, and the auracite seized upon that belief, releasing the Lucavi within. The stone duly gave form to Argath's fury, reanimating his body, and granting him the strength to exact revenge upon the one who ended his life. Yet who should spare Delita that fate but Ramza, who battled the vengeful corpse unbeknownst to his childhood friend, and finally brought peace to Argath's soul.
Now you may ask why Ramza would lend his blade to the selfsame man who forsook his ties to House Beoulve. The reason lies in poor Ramza's own involvement in the murder of Delita's sister. It was Argath who fired the bolt that struck Tietra down, aye... but it was Ramza's earlier rescue of Argath that paved the way for the tragedy to follow. Though Argath was dead, and Tietra avenged, Delita's bitterness endured and festered, and it was not long before he began to blame Ramza. Ramza, for his part, understood all too well the turmoil in his grieving friend's heart, and therefore chose, out of respect, to maintain his distance.[3]
The Sacrifice of Ramza
Ajora Glabados, first of the Zodiac Braves, was not the hero the church would have the public believe. He betrayed Mother Hydaelyn for the promise of coin and power, summoning forth a terrible evil from the depths of the celestial abyss--Ultima, the Angel of Blood. It was believed only one of the land's chosen -- only a Warrior of Light might stand against this threat. Yet while victorious in battle, Ramza was unable to see the darkness vanquished. When it became apparent that the Braves were powerless to truly defeat the High Seraph, they chose the only path left -- to do what Hydaelyn Herself did countless centuries past: imprison Ultima. Ramza, knowing that a prison is only as strong as the seal on it's gates, sacrificed his body to ensure that the Angel of Blood would never again walk the land. His final wish before surrendering his body to the aether was for his name to be struck from the annals of history; he believed that if people knew of this sacrifice, it would only inspire them to seek out the Holy Stones and repeat the mistakes of those come before.[4]
Lore
The Lucavi
Following countless failed attempts by revolutionaries to reclaim their kingdom, the Garlean Empire abandoned its attempt to assimilate Dalmasca into a functioning territory, and ordered the capital city of Rabanastre reduced to ruin. Yet from beneath the smoldering rubble did rise the inhuman cries of demons long imprisoned in a darkness of their own making. The Lucavi were captive no more.
King Delita & The Zodiac Braves
If one were to cite a single legend known the entire breadth of Isabard, it would most likely be the tale of the Zodiac Braves—twelve heroes who delivered the mythic realm of Ivalice from the clutches of evil. It is said that when times were at their bleakest, these bastions of light would rise up to defend the people and restore balance to the world. At least eight times did the heroes descend upon the land, each time led by charismatic leader who saw his noble men and women to victory. Millenkamp the star seer, Saint Ajora, the assassin Ashley, all shine in their tales, but by far the most popular has always been King Delita.
Subsequent to the death of its king, Ivalice’s long-standing Atkascha dynasty found itself without an heir. In an attempt to claim the throne, the Order of the Northern Sky under the banner of the White Lion and the Order of the Southern Sky under the Black Lion waged war, resulting in the death of thousands and a veritable stalemate. When all of Ivalice was at war with itself, Delita and eleven of his most trusted companions set out to bring order to the realm. Though not of noble birth, the young man would ultimately unite the land as regent, and the twelve became known as that era's Zodiac Braves.
There has been much debate as to whether the legend is based on actual historical events or merely fiction, but most scholars agree that there is simply too little evidence to substantiate claims of Ivalice’s existence. There is one prominent name, however, who refuses to bend to popular consensus: Jenomis cen Lexentale, principal of the Majestic Imperial Theater Company, renowned playwright, and self-proclaimed authority on the realm of legend. According to Lexentale, one need only turn their eyes to “auracite” for proof of his claims.
Auracite
The Zodiac Brave Story tells us that Delita, acting at the behest of the Church of Glabados, set out with a company of knights to recover twelve(*) lost Zodiac Stones—holy relics created by the gods of Ivalice. Jenomis Lexentale puts forth the hypothesis that these relics were, in fact, a substance called auracite, and goes as far as claiming he has come into possession of such a stone.
While fanciful the notion that it might be of divine origin, Lexentale suggests that auracite is much more than merely elementally aspected aether. As if by some higher design, the crystalline shards appear to possess the power to make manifest one’s deepest desires, be they fair or foul. This is borne out by the fact that the stones are credited in the Zodiac Brave Story both with destroying Mullonde, city of the gods, and granting Delita the power to bring order to chaos in his kingdom. When its wielder’s will is weak and his intentions ill, the auracite will take hold of his body and mind and corrupt them both, rendering the twain unrecognizable. Recent visitors to the fallen city of Rabanastre have returned with tales of beasts unlike any heretofore recorded. Lexentale insists that these are none other than the Lucavi.
As to the validity of these claims, a pronounced lack of evidence beyond the Majestic principal’s good word has left scholars across Eorzea in substantial doubt. One Sharlayan student of aetherial phenomenon, however, has pointed to similarities betwixt primal summoning and Lucavi transformation as reason to suggest that such unholy manifestations may, in fact, be possible; though she does not go as far as to comment on their plausibility.
(*Scribe’s note: some iterations of the legend have the number of auracite stones at as few as six, while others claim it to be upwards of a thousand.)
Recent unauthorized expeditions into the ruins of Rabanastre and the Ridorana Lighthouse by the aforementioned Lexentale family have confirmed the existence of countless abominations warped and twisted in a manner that suggests they might be Lucavi themselves. However, a more rational conclusion might be that the creatures were merely innocent bystanders drawn by the inexorable call of the auracite.
Argath Thadalfus
According to legend, Argath Thadalfus was once heir to a High House which had fallen into disrepute through the ignoble conduct of its then lord, Argath’s grandsire. Cursing his family’s diminished circumstances, the youth turned his ire upon the only souls over whom he still retained any influence: the smallfolk. But Delita, hero of the common man, would not suffer this, and after trying and failing to reason with Argath, put him to the sword in the Royal City of Lesalia. Jenomis claims, however, that there is more to Argath’s story, and makes mention of an heirloom passed down from generation to generation in House Thadalfus: a priceless jewel known as the Duma. Upon Argath’s death at the hands of Delita, the power of the Duma—which the young Thadalfus carried upon his person—was unlocked, and the Lucavi bound to it released. The stone duly gave form to Argath's fury, reanimating his body, and granting him the strength to exact revenge upon the one who ended his life. Yet who should spare Delita that fate but Ramza, who battled the vengeful corpse unbeknownst to his childhood friend, and finally brought peace to Argath’s soul. If this were true, then how did the slighted nobleman come to rest beneath the foundations of Rabanastre? Did the revenant still seek a kingdom of his own, after countless winters, or was he summoned to the city by a higher will?
Yiazmat
During the fall of Nalbina Fortress at the hands of the Garleans, there was a fusilier captain—Ba’Gamnan—charged with protecting the crown prince and princess. When the royal twins perished, the proud Bangaa blamed himself for their deaths and vowed revenge on the Empire. After coming into possession of the Duma, Ba’Gamnan’s self-loathing and his desire for vengeance became manifest in the form of Yiazmat, a Lucavi not unlike Argath Thadalfus, but spawned from an entirely different seed. This would imply that it is the subject that determines which Lucavi manifests, and that the auracite merely facilitates the process. [5]
Reference
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