FFXIVCore.com - Final Fantasy XIV Fansite: Section 8: Final Fantasy XX - FFXIVCore.com - Final Fantasy XIV Fansite

20! 20 is a big number, when you're talking about a series of video games. I want this one to be the same kind of landmark as Final Fantasy X was. This is a story of life.

Actually, this is more of story about death. In fact, this story is almost entirely about death. This story may even change the way people see it. I'm not depressed or anything, just...opinionated in the way things work.

So here we go.


=====Lore=====
When the gods left, they placed their two children, Meva and Tadyr, in charge of the planet's living creatures. From the water, they created the Tidefolk, and they roamed the seas. From clay, they forged the race of humanity. From the seeds of plants, the stone from the earth, the shadows of the mountains, and the breezes in the air, they created the many Beastmen, kin to the animals of the world.

These creatures lived with peace in their hearts, for millions of years. There was an abundance of happiness as their world bloomed into a paradise.

But, paradise always came with a cost. Meva was the bringer of fertility into the earth, the bearer of wealth and prosperity, the guardian of living things...and so as charged by their creators, it was Tadyr's duty to bring balance. Tadyr loved the world, and the people in it, and it pained her to bring suffering to its creatures...but it was in this balance, she knew, that they would continue to thrive.

Tadyr sent illness, disasters, death, and ferocious beasts out into the world of the mortal creatures...there was great sorrow as the paradise was ruined by these things, but, it was accepted by all as a part of life.

As the millennia passed, however, there was a change in the way things were seen in the eyes of those who would not live forever...Taydr began to notice that, more and more, the souls of those she took from the living world were reluctant to go with her, often begging and pleading to stay behind, even if they continued to live in pain. Instead of thanking her for her hard and diligent work, they cursed her name as the disasters struck their perfect world, making trinkets and charms to try and keep her away.

Her brother Meva, on the other hand, was constantly praised, worshipped as a god among gods, and a miraculous savior. When it came time for their lives to end, it was he that they cried out to, to save them from the embrace of their caretaker.

Death was not a cruel place, but a greater paradise, far away on the reaches of the world, where no mortal could disturb the souls who had passed. Taydr cared and loved for the spirits which she harbored across from one world to the next, just as she did when they had lived....but despite this, it was as if these things which happened after death were never explained...and the uncertainty had become a seed of fear.


Flourishing worlds come with their own price, besides death...for nothing perfect ever stays: creatures of mortal makings began to grow with the prosperity of their world...manifestations of greed, of war, and of power, began to eat away at the energy which the mortals gave into them...as they began to loathe misfortune, fear death, and become more jealous of powerful foes, these creatures grew into deities themselves, latching onto Meva...who had been the source of their power...for without Meva, there was no prosperity, and therefore, no greed, no jealous, no fear. They blinded the god with whispers and mists of lies and deceit as they began to leech from his strength, shutting him out from the rest of the world, blind to all reason but theirs.

Taydr tried what she could to speak to her brother, to cast these monsters away from his body and his power...but instead, awoke an anger from these beasts which would change the world for all eternity...

The mortals, with the seed of fear which had been planted in their hearts, now rebelled against Taydr. Meva, blind to all that was going on within their paradise, gave the creatures of the mortal world the ability to defeat his sister, and bind her away in her world of despair and death for all time.

Heartbroken, Taydr shed tears of despair upon the earth, creating powerful beasts in their wake: the Eidolion, who served their mother with love and devotion like no other mortal could of death itself.
But there were not only Eidolion who sought to keep Taydr safe: a group of warriors, scholars, and mages, protested against the destruction of death, warning that the balance of life and death was too delicate to wipe away. But still, the assault against Tadyr continued, more bloodily than ever, as those who opposed the tyrannical will of the majority were cast away, or slaughtered.

When the bloodbath began between the mortals, those who opposed destroying Taydr broke apart into two radical groups: The Destraughti, and the Illuminai. These people ran from the destruction of their old world, to hide in the Backlands for all time...but not before putting up a fight to save their way of life.

The battles between the Commonwealth and these two forces were long and bloody, with both sides slowly carving away at one another's forces. In the end however, the Commonwealth proved to be too strong for mere force to withstand...and Taydr was sealed away with powerful magical spells, behind the gateway which had once led to the afterlife.

Death no longer came to this paradise.
For years, celebration and joy was had by all who lived within the Commonwealth...until time ran dry.

Magic was powerful, but nature was even more so; and Taydr had made it so--for beasts and plagues still roamed this world, and there was nothing to be done to dispel them from the mortal world. There were still attacks, still illnesses...but now there was no death.

The sick and the maimed lay in agony, alongside the elderly, as their bodies decayed and rotted away...yet, death could not come for them--Taydr was trapped, forever it seemed, and despite the pleas of those who wished to depart, the Commonwealth refused to release her.
It was nothing more than fear of the goddesses anger which kept them from doing so...for what was keeping her from taking all of them to the land of death? An angry, vengeful goddess was not one to be let lose on the world...

So, the sufferers were taken to abandoned cities, far out of the mainlands of the Commonwealth. No longer mortal creatures, they were simply named Undying, and cast into their communities of the walking dead, seeking an end to the suffering. When a soul was no longer suitable to be seen in public around those who were still fit, they were taken to these places to live through their agony. Silence was maintained about this matter; frowned upon, but never spoken out against, these things continued in utter quiet, for hundreds of years.

The Destraughti and Illuminai still reigned terror on the Commonwealth for their bitter defeat, often raiding towns and trading routes, destroying precious resources, and killing guards who dared to stand in their way. Over time, their image turned from crazy scholars, to barbarians and murderers.

Which is exactly why today, I'm graduating from the Commonwealth Guardian Abandoned Youth Program, with my best friend, Evaline. Together, we'll never allow those freaks to ever harm another member of our glorious Commonwealth ever again...using our code of truth, justice, life, and liberty, evils like the Destraughti and Illuminai will never prevail!

======Characters=====
Name: Garrett
Age: 25 (the oldest protagonist to date)
Race: Human (Commonwealth)
Garrett was abandoned by his parents as a boy, and so was enrolled into the Commonwealth Guardian Abandoned Youth Program, to better himself for his future, and for the future of the Commonwealth. He's been taught strictly and very well by his instructors, and follows the code to a letter. He's not a drone, though--he cares very deeply and legitimately about his fellow mankind, and would do anything it took to make sure it was safe--like Sephiroth, he truly believes what he is doing is right. Unlike Sephiroth, however, he's not completely devoid of morals. Garrett would rather risk his own life than have someone hurt in any way...and will punish to the full extent that he is able the people responsible for said harm.
Author's Note: as noted, Garrett is a lot like Sephiroth in his sense of duty and determination, but his romantic interests with Evaline and his sense of morality draw the line between the two. Garrett is also brown haired, and has a goatee, and his frame isn't quite as built as the One Winged Angel's. I don't like the compare the two, but as I look at them now, they do seem a little alike.

Name: Evaline
Age: 18
Race: Tidefolk (Commonwealth)
Evaline is a shy, sweet young mage who has been friends with Garrett ever since they were small. She's a very normal girl, who is found of shopping, dressing out, being with Garrett, and studying hard to become the best mage that's ever been...up until she begins to have strange visions about the end of the world, and is kidnapped by an Eidolion. Evaline is very determined and hardheaded, and wants to see the whole situation regarding her visions. She is also very sensitive and brighthearted, often seeing the best in everybody, and helping Garrett see the same more often than not.
Author's Note: Evaline is modeled slightly after Yuna and Vanille as far as her attitude goes, but her looks are very unique: They're based mostly off ocean-like items, such as the way her outfit is sculpted out, not to mention her skintone and her ears, which are like fins.

Name: Lapis
Age: 44 (human years, in Beast years this is around 19)
Race: Beastman
Lapis hails from the Fields of Nolan, where some of the world's best produce, agriculture, and animal products are made. Lapis happens to be the world's best Chocobo wrangler in the entire Fields, and makes sure people know it. A firework of emotions, Lapis is easily toyed with, and can go from gleeful to firebreathing mad in less than a moment if called upon. She is impulsive to go raring off into the great unknown, yet hesitant if there's true danger laying in wait. Her senses as a Beastman allow her to be able to detect things humans and tidefolk cannot, especially her sense of direction which makes her a valued member of the team. Lapis is a member of the Sparough Clan, which she generally tends to avoid confrontation with, for reasons she won't say. She is a faithful friend and a powerful ally; with a knack at tinkering and a swinging arm you want to stay clear of.
Author's Note: Lapis reminds me quite a bit of Rikku; she's very ditzy, and can often be a source of comic relief. She has a higher than you attitude when it comes to Payaso, however...she doesn't like Gria very much. The two of them seem to have a sort of "which beastman is better" contest going in the background of all the main storyline, which tends to get humorous.

Name: Eoria
Age: 9 (the youngest main character)
Race: Moogle (female)
Eoria is one of the youngest mages to ever emerge from the Moogle world, and unfortunately for them, is also the easiest to frighten. Scared away from her training by a far too realistic simulator, Eoria found herself hopelessly lost in the Forests of Pomfon, where Garrett and the group fish her out of a willow tree. Eoria is a brilliant fighter, but her young age and lack of courage make her a coward when push comes to shove. Evaline and Lapis are very kind to her, which makes them all very close friends. Her grandmother was cast away into one of the Undying Communities, where she is forbidden to ever see her again, which makes Eoria ever more determined to find a way to reverse the process of time, which she says is her destiny.
Slightly childish in her sense of the world, Eoria speaks out her opinions...sometimes in places best kept quiet. She isn't afraid to speak her mind, but sometimes the consequences of her actions leave her running scared for her life.
Author's Note: This is the first time I've ever put a child's view into a game like this. Eoria will be the voice of innocent reason through this game, which brings up interesting points in some parts of the storyline...which will stop and make people think about what happened to our way of though over time...

Name: Payaso
Age: 112
Race: Gria
One of the single-most devout of the Destraughti, Payaso is violent, rude, snarky, and cruel to his allies and enemies. He is charged by Leader to help Garrett and his friends through their ordeals, since he believes that they are the key to setting things right in the world again. Payaso is very egotistical, and loves to pride himself in his nasty work. He's also quite sadistic, and loves the pain of others. However, Evaline's determination to set things right, despite whatever harm comes to her, touches him, and the kindness that the group shows eventually softens the warrior.

Name: Aumas
Age: ?
Race: ?
The mysterious creature without a face, Aumas is thought to be an Eidolion...one of the few still left. He is, for the most part, silent--he speaks in metallic sighs and noises for the most part, but can speak small, simple phrases. Despite his lack of vocabulary, Aumas is incredibly wise, and interestingly intelligent. He is very caring towards other people, despite that they are cruel to him, and does what he can to be helpful. Aumas is driven by a dream to one day see his mother, the Goddess Taydr, and hopes that by freeing her, that the dreams he sees of her crying will one day turn to a vision of her joyous face.
Author's Note: Aumas is one of my favorite characters-he reminds me quite a bit of the Iron Giant. He's very powerful, yet shy and curious about things, and won't hesitate to protect people he cares about.

----Minor/Support Characters----

Meva:
The god of life, and the source of all prosperity, wealth, health, and wellbeing of mortalkind. He is patron god to the Commonwealth, and soul savior of the mortal world. Brother to Tadyr, Goddess of death.

Tadyr:
The goddess of death, illness, destruction, poverty, and misfortunes, she was hated by mortals and imprisoned due to their misunderstanding. Now without her guiding hand, those meant to die stand on the world of the living, miserable and in agony. She is also the mother of all Eidolion, and the patron goddess of the Illuminai and the Destraughti. Sister of Meva, god of life.

Leader:
The commander of the Destraughti forces, Leader is the most cruel and vicious of the clan. He leads his people with an iron will, and a steel fist which can be deadly. Leader seeks to free Taydr in hopes that she will, as the Commonwealth fears, seek revenge for her imprisonment. His motives are fueled by hate and revenge alone...for he casts out the Undying just as the Commonwealth does; a hypocritical means of rooting out those not fit to see his precious goddess.


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This is one of those stories that really makes you THINK about things like balance, and what things would be like if we didn't have any. I hope that someday people enjoy it as much as I did writing it.