Post by Bul on Jul 8, 2013 20:11:58 GMT
Ivalice, year 1399. The two great empires of Rozarria and Archadia stand at either end of Ivalice, tensions high, the only land between them a tiny kingdom, Dalmasca. In a bid to gain the upper hand in an inevitable war, both empires scramble to uncover the Espers, ancient weapons created by the Occuria, the Gods and rulers of Ivalice. Yet of the twenty-four Scions, the thirteen Espers - the Scions of Darkness – seek freedom. The Espers are powerful beings; following the deaths of their previous masters, they were bound once again in the crystals they were confined to by the Occuria.
The Scions of Darkness once stood beside those that brought peace to Ivalice and ended the advance of the Archadian Empire in 706. Angered with their lives of confinement, they agree to ally with the Humes that have sought them out, believing they can use the upcoming war to their advantage. Amidst the war in which they find themselves divided, the Scions of Darkness still stand united against the Occuria – their creators that sealed them in crystal form for their betrayals in ancient times. Having surpassed their makers in strength, the Scions of Darkness gather in Giruvegan and destroy the Occuria.
As the rulers of Ivalice, the destruction of the Occuria casts away the balance in the world. The Mist about the world thins, Magicks no longer are accessible to Humes, and much of Ivalice becomes difficult to inhabit. The war presses on for several years, and with the sudden changes in the world, a great number of lives are lost. The remaining Scions, the Scions of Light, dormant for many centuries and never bound in Esper form, are awoken by the Occuria before their impending deaths. Seeing the destruction their counterparts are causing, they accumulate their powers together, attempting to wipe out the Scions of Darkness. This encounter destroys the Scions of Light, and though it fails to kill the Scions of Darkness completely, it leaves them severely weakened.
Upon seeing how much the world has changed through their actions, the Scions of Darkness aim to rule over Humes, some to rebuild the world themselves, others to leave it as it is, but all use their remaining powers to seal themselves inside Humes, with the intention of creating societies and repairing their strength using a chosen Hume as their vessel. These individual Humes are called Oracles, and their followings are known as Orders. Each Hume that joins an Order is blessed by their Oracle, and from this the power of the Esper is given unto the Hume, and in turn the respective Esper grows stronger.
Year 1407. The Esper War comes to an end, after wiping out a third of Ivalice's population. It is following this atrocity that a baby is born in Dalmasca, bearing the glyph of Zodiark, the thirteenth Scion and the Esper of Darkness. The first Oracle is brought into Ivalice. And so begins the New Age.
300 years have passed since the end of the Esper War. It is now 1707. With Ivalice's balance completely out of place, monsters run rife in the wildlands and prey upon areas where life is apparent. The thirteen Orders act as communities, providing safe havens for those that would otherwise have lost hope. The political entities of Archadia, Rozarria and Dalmasca are declining. Humes are dying out, and the End of Days seems apparent...