The Void
“Prior to its discovery as an actual existing realm parallel to ours, the void was simply an imagined place that ignorant peoples used as a convenient answer to questions they were unable to answer. Whither comes the unknown beast? The void. What cases the moons to wane? The void. However, it has been since proven to be a realm not dissimilar to ours, albeit one devoid of light, a trait that has given rise to terrible creatures—creatures who will stop at nothing to invade our realm and sup on our life-giving aether.
— Encyclopædia Eorzea, p. 296
The Void is a world in Final Fantasy XIV. Also known as The Thirteenth, it is what remains of the thirteenth reflection of The Source, allegedly due to mistakes made by the Ascians following the Sundering. Similar to The First, the elemental balance of The Thirteenth's aether was tipped towards a specific element—in this case, Darkness—which caused the world to be overwhelmed by Darkness-aspected aether. This cataclysm of Darkness completely destroyed the world, rendering it devoid of life, and twisting the survivors into aether-starved creatures now known as Voidsent.
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Spoiler Warning : This section contains spoilers for main and side stories, as recent as Patch 6.2 |
About
Though the Thirteenth was not sent careening into the Source, the barriers between the two were severely weakened, even breaking from time to time, allowing passage from both sides. The Allagan Empire were able to take advantage of this by creating a way to open their own tears in the walls between in order to bring through the Voidsent and make a pact with a high ranking ruler of the Void—the Cloud of Darkness—to turn the tides of their war in exchange for aether. Millenia later, the Mhach used their magic to open gates to the Void, however they were able to control the Voidsent and use them more effectively for their war. There are other instances of people on Eorzea using magic to access or enter the Void, however it almost always ends up with a Voidsent taking advantage of an overconfident mage and wreaking havoc.
Lore
Void Magic
Entering into the Void is incredibly dangerous for any living being, Voidsent aside. The realm is so barren of aether that the Darkness itself will attack any living organism and slowly erode it until the being is completely consumed. This phenomenon was observed by Nero tol Scaeva when he accidentally entered the Void while trying to save the clones of Doga and Unei. The longer he was in the Void, the more and more his health and strength deteriorated. He only narrowly managed to escape by breaking the grip the Darkness held on him and exiting through a gate.
Culture
Within the Void, there seem to be several hierarchies based on the strength of the Voidsent, with the strongest beings at the top and acting as ruler over the lesser, weaker beings. It is believed that any being strong enough can rise through the ranks, although the chances of the Voidsent surviving and reaching a place of power are incredibly slim. Interestingly, the weaker of the Voidsent are the ones who are able to pass through the barrier to the Source much easier than the beings who are larger or stronger.
Laws of Rebirth
Within the Void, death does not occur in the same way it occurs on the Source or its other shards, due to the heavy imbalance of Darkness-aspected aether. Instead, when an entity would die, the aether composing the entity's flesh and soul are scattered into the ambient aether, allowing other nearby entities to "devour" it, thus absorbing the entity it once belonged to, body and soul.[1][2]
Devouring the aether of other beings allows Voidsent to sate their constant hunger[3], heal physical wounds, and implicitly gain greater power. However, it may also affect the devourer's sense of self, which may make it difficult for the entity to maintain its form, or reform itself after death.[4] The more souls a Voidsent devours, the stronger they become, but the harder it also gets for them to maintain their sense of self. Entities that become too large risk breaking apart into separate voidsent upon death; this is prescribed as the reason the Cloud of Darkness has not regenerated since being defeated by the Warrior of Light during the Crystal Tower Raid series. [5] The behavior of the devourer may also change, if they find themselves influenced by the residual consciousness, and thus emotions, of their absorbed prey.[6]
Eidolons
- See also: Primals
Memoria
Memoria is the name of a magic that can seal away aether-based beings, by permanently[8] transforming their aether into what is called a Memoria Crystal. People who can wield this power are known as Memoriates, and were rare in number, similar to wielders of The Echo. [9] As of Patch 6.2, Zero is the only known Memoriate to have survived to the present day.
History of the Thirteenth
The Contramemoria
As of Patch 6.2, all that we yet know about the destruction of the Thirteenth is that it was preceded by a terrible war, known as The Contramemoria, during which Memoriate heroes used the power of Memoria to save the world from chaos by subduing eidolons and their summoners. [10] These heroes were temporarily successful in restoring peace to the Thirteenth, but eventually, some unknown number of Memoriates became "seduced by the Darkness they had sealed," and abandoned their original goal in favor of spreading the darkness to further their own ambitions. [11]
The Flood of Darkness
These rogue Memoriates waged their wars for an unclear amount of time, turning innocent people into Voidsent soldiers to wage wars against each other, until finally the aetheric balance was so tilted that it triggered a Flood of Darkness. [12] This cataclysm, in a similar manner to the Flood of Light on The First, destroyed the world in a deluge of dark-aspected aether, sending it into a permanent state of night, and rendering it devoid of life and features. [13]
Locations
The World of Darkness
The Fell Court of Troia- Zero's Domain
Storm's Crown- The Red Moon
- The Voidcast Dais
- The Lunar Subterrane
- The Abyssal Fracture
Known Characters from The Thirteenth
Images
References
- ↑ In-game, "The Never-Ending Journey", Cutscene dialogue during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest "Where Everything Begins"
SCARMIGLIONE: "Fools. Death doesn't exist in this world. And I-I am free to return whensoever I please."
Y'SHTOLA: "Death doesn't exist...? Of course! In the first, the power of Light—of passivity—prevents life from emerging in the empty. But in the Thirteenth, the power of Darkness—of activity—prevents life from finding rest, even should soul be separated from flesh." - ↑ During Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Nowhere to Run"
ZERO: "Were this a world where the wheel of life and death still turned, the soul wouldn't linger so stubbornly. In time, it would return to the great flow. But there's no such end here." - ↑ During Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Nowhere to Run",
ZERO: "But all must answer to the hunger, and seek out prey when they need aether." - ↑ During Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Nowhere to Run",
ZERO: "While physical wounds can be healed by replenishing one's aether, you can't preserve your form if you lose sight of yourself. Such is the risk inherent in consuming another's soul. It dilutes your sense of self. Alters you inside and out." - ↑ During Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Groping in the Dark",
ZERO:"There are circumstances in which we're unable to return." ... "The more you devour, the more powerful you grow. But in the process, your essence is blended with those of your prey." "If you were to lose your flesh, the souls you had come to harbor may break free and coalesce into distinct voidsent once more." "And before you yourself return, your own soul might be devoured by your enemies or your erstwhile prey. A fate more likely for stronger beings, who require more time to regenerate." "However, even assuming you survive the process, it's highly uncommon to return as you were." - ↑ During Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Nowhere to Run",
ZERO: "When you're eaten, your essence is blended with that of your devourer. And though you have no control, your consciousness in part endures." - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
ZERO: "Then you have faced the same, and understand that when an eidolon is birthed, strife follows, and in such strife, the weak are the first to suffer." - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
VARSHAHN: "Memoria", Scarmiglione called them."
ZERO: "Aye—their use was central to the Contramemoria, hence its name. And to my knowledge, the transformation is permanent." - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
ZERO: "When it seemed the world would be plunged into chaos, heroes appeared—they who were blessed with a singular power. The power to bind the aether of eidolons within crystals known as memoria."
ZERO: "My mother was one such memoriate. But in fighting to save many, she herself was touched by Darkness—as was I." - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Where Everything Begins" ZERO: "This is where I belong. My home. This endless darkness you call the void... There once was light here, and it shone its warmth upon creation. The lands were green and the seas were blue. Life flourished. Before the war. The Contramemoria."
- ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
VARSHAHN: "How exactly did that calamity come to pass? Did the memoriates not triumph?"
ZERO: "They did. They expunged the seeds of chaos and restored the peace...only to find themselves seduced by the Darkness they had sealed. They spread the taint, transforming men into monsters—what you call voidsent—and raised armies to wage new wars." - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
ZERO: "Some defied corruption and held fast to the Light, my mother and I among them. For years and years we fought, but it was not enough. And when our strength was spent, our bulwarks broken, so too was the world."
Y'SHTOLA: "The Flood of Darkness."
(ZERO nods her head) - ↑ In-game cutscene dialogue, during Main Scenario (Endwalker) Quest, "Buried Memory",
ZERO: "The stars faded from the heavens as a pall black as pitch enveloped creation. Darkness raged unchecked, rending the very walls of reality. I was cast into the rift, and there trapped for what felt like an eternity. Until I came upon a crack. Tiny, infinitesimal—but enough for me to squeeze through...And find my world changed beyond recognition. Into the lightless waste you saw."