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I think Hydaelyn knew about it, too. There is dialogue after her fight that, at first, one would assume is only talking about the azem crystal we have had since Shadowbringers, as she imbues it with her magicks for bringing Emet and Hyth back in Ultima Thule. But...what she says also fits the key on introspection. "It is thy hopes and prayers that enable Azem's invocations and give them life, so keep them close. But pray, remember this... When the way forward is hidden, even from the mind's eye. Look not to the invocation, but within yourself. These were the words of the crystal's original bearer." 3 lines here. The first confirms what we know from Krile's parents and the Milala about how this key is activated. Azem's magicks require fervent prayer and hopes to activate. The third line is even more interesting. The crystal's original bearer. The crystal we have had did not have an original bearer. Emet made it in secret after the last Azem left. Which can surely only mean that there is another crystal embued with Azem's magick. Either one that the last Azem made and that quote was one that they said often, or maybe even a crystal that is traditionally passed down from Azem to Azem, that Hydaelyn gave to the last Azem when she resigned. I think it is an interesting side point as well that whenever Azem is mentioned, we cannot say for certain it is the same Azem. There could have been 14 successors of the title, each of them contributing to this design for easing travel burdens, and it will be our role as the maintainer of the legacy of Azem to finally finish it - perhaps using mastery of electrope. This crystal in the key could be what crystal Hydaelyn was referring to here, regardless, possibly?
I believe Azem’s magic at least have a similar activation method based on the description given by Sphene at Everkeep’s summit, and the text during our trial with Elidibus in the Seat of Sacrifice. When escaping the Rift, we used earnest wishing upon the crystal to summon Emet-Selch. It fits with her description of fervent prayer. Much like how the Speaker and the Milalla wished for salvation and the relic reacted. Different circumstances, but similar enough emotional trigger to invoke the magic.
@@Eucep Which as far as I'm aware is what things like summoning your basic carbuncle are, basically a kind of creation magic created by the sundered in a much more diluted form. If Azem did meet with the islanders, maybe they got their summoning magic from Azem? Meaning in a really roundabout way, a summoner WoL ended up teaching themselves.
11:50 Ah, I suppose that's why Wicked Thunder has great mastery over electrope. Her parents are from the Source, therefore she too possess denser soul than average Alexandrian. Interesting.
Point of correction the crystal does have a memory it's just not Azem's memory but Emet's. When we first use it a memory is heard of our ancient self becoming Azem. It's just from the perspective of Emet.
Shortly after the WoL places the key on the table, the screen cuts to black and Sphene’s crown is shown. This is surely important. It has been mentioned that the crown is special.
My guess, the crown is the second artifact of Azem we might get. It might be linked to the observation that the FF11 world is seen in the fight and thus might be how the raid happens.
@@futurepastnow They mentioned that it's a special type of regulator. Why an Endless would have a regulator and how that would even work is a mystery that will likely be revealed in the 7.x patches.
this "Key" artifact is build like these Keys in the Asciens Home world library, right? What if this key is some sort of Map device/flight computer. ho know how to connect the worlds with interdenominational tunnels, yes this flights we see when we as WoL travel trough the Shards. this key is the coordinates anchor, perhaps it's calculate the Shard worlds boundaries and then allow to open en tunnel? some sort of wormholes, that would explain why we see our self flying trough these worlds and see only shards. perhaps azem crystal is one of these shards. the real Gate key to another world shard?. but as you said, it's speculation. yes, azems Crystal was snatched on such an occasion and brought back to the world shard where we found it. and this key artifact we have here talking about is just an collector of interdenominational power-source artifact. perhaps azem snatched this crystal away from this interdenominational highways to hide it in front of their noses for unknown reasons. if this would been other MMOs, then perhaps from the void?
I don't know if it was touched on previously but, the sun mural in living memory in the volcano island homeland recreation is Azem's summoning spell. That leads me to believe that someone with the crystal of Azem at one point showed up and used their magic in front of some of the population to the point where they revolved their entire civilization and culture around it. To add, are we sure that the Allagans are the ones who made the House of the Crooked Coin? It looks more in line with what we see with the South Sea, or is it something that Y'shtola just assumed because it was connected to the burn? I think this may more likely be one of the 14 conceptions of Azem that Allag just ended up using.
In part, yes. It's also a near exact copy of the sigil of the Church of Glabydos, which has ties to Ultima and the 4th Astral Era. We've been diving into this because there is a lot to unpack there
@LoreLinesXIV I watched the previous video as well and I'm 100% on board with Ultima being the next big bad. This is my current theory I've been cooking: In 7.x, we learn of the threat of Ultima from a past message from Azem (likely through the key, as it likely responds to us as seen in the raid) that warns us of the threat of Ultima, and that we need to rejoin our soul in order to fight it. The message guides us to another artifact of Azem that acts as a compass that points us towards our soul fragments, we then use it to rejoin with our fragments in the 13th (likely Golbez's memoria) and Everkeep (likely in a soul cell), then in the next expansion we travel to the other three reflections, rejoin with our fragments there, then fight a newly awakened and "weak" Ultima that ends in a sort of pyrrhic victory, where she escapes to the rift and begins attempting to rejoin all of the shards to the Source to regain her full power (if Azem's key is made from Auracite, and it has the ability to fuse dimensions, then it stands to reason that Ultima would also have the ability to do this, as Auracite is her creation). During the 8.x patches we receive another message from Azem's key telling us that in order to defeat her, we need to travel back to when the world was unsundered in order to learn about her firsthand. It tells us that we need to travel further back to before our journeys in Elpis, and guides us to more artifacts that will be used to augment the Crystal Tower on the First, as it will be harder to send you back as an unsundered being compared to when you were sent to Elpis. In 8.55, another message teaches you how to use basic creation magic and how to change your appearance. Players are sent to a character creation screen where they're able to create an Ancient version of their character to use. The scions begin to prepare everything in the tower, and will let you know when it's ready. At the start of the next expansion, everything is prepared, and a final message plays telling you that you will know what must be done shortly after you arrive. In the first act, you travel back and arrive in Amaurot. You forgot about the taboo about not wearing a mask, and arrive without one. You look around in awe, with people in the background staring and gossiping about you. Venat (currently as Azem), happens to be nearby and notices the commotion. She approaches you with a smile and mentions that you look lost, and offers to help you (note that she doesn't know who you are at this point as this is before Elpis). Shortly afterwards, you become close friends with her, and after a few short time skips she eventually tells you that she plans on stepping down from the seat of Azem, and that she recommends you as her successor. This is when reality hits the WoL in the face like the Dawnblazer hitting Vanguard. *You're Azem*. And now you're sure that you're in a closed time loop and fated to be sundered. Act 2 starts after a long time skip (likely decades, possibly centuries) during the golden years of Azem's adventures. At this point, you're good friends with Venat, Emet-Selch, and Hythlodaeus, and this act focuses on your adventures with them, along with delving into the mysteries of Ultima and your initial preparations for the future. During this time, you create the device that detects your soul fragments, and after testing it, it detects another you in the world. After investigating, you come to the realization that you're actually not in closed time loop, but rather this other self is the original being who eventually became yourself after being sundered. Azem was always your future self, not your past, unsundered self. (Visual guide for the less timey-wimey inclined: i.imgur.com/f09T0ny.png ) Act 3 begins after another lengthy time skip (although not as long as the previous), and begins at around the same time your past self is in Elpis, just before you start the Pandaemonium raid (there would be a cutscene with the WoL/Azem telling Themis about a certain "falling star" in Elpis). Shortly afterwards, the Final Days begin, and you begin your final preparations. At this point, you've realized that you need to get the artifacts to your past self in the future (it makes sense, I swear), and make preparations to do so. The WoL/Azem steps down from the Convocation and prepares for their departure using the newly-created Key, while also revealing everything to Venat and why you have to leave after she asks you to join her (as she already knows about your past self's other timey-wimey bullshit at this point). A cutscene starts depicting the final battle between Zodiark and Hydaelyn. You use the key at the moment she sunders the world to enter the rift and quickly travel forward through time. You miss the mark, and emerge early in what is later known as the Azim Steppe (Zone 4), where events there lead you to later be remembered as the "Dawn Father" (regardless of your gender, it was a long time ago after all and details become warped with time). You travel through the rift once more, again, missing your mark and landing in the South Sea isles (Zone 5). During your time there, you help the Lalafell who live there, who in return help you travel to the correct time by using their Arcanima to guide you through the rift - the catch is that you have to leave the key there, which is how it comes into their possession. You arrive in the present day, only moments after your initial departure. You share everything you learn with your allies, and then travel to the Rift (Zone 6) to fight and finally defeat Ultima. As a side note: to explain traveling between the unsundered world and present day zones (since they realistically can't restrict you from traveling), you instead "reminisce" about your adventures in the past when you're traveling between zones in different timelines.
A couple of thoughts: The big one, with the others being wild theory: 1) It's clear that Emet-Selch knew about this crystal's existence. He casually mentioned "the forgotten people of the south sea isles" as well as the new world. Plus, everything that happened to Alexandria was the direct result of Ascian guidance. I know he is terminally sentimental but why would he, the only unsundered who wasn't damaged or flat out crazy as a bag of cats, leave a device capable of merging reflections without a calamity out there untouched. He may have been sentimental, but he was also tempered by his own admission. 2) The ancestral home recreation of the Millala was a volcano and they found the crystal ages prior. I wonder if Azem dropped the crystal while stopping an eruption? 3) Did the crystal display the symbol of Azem in reaction to our crystal, or does it just do that whenever it is activated? Was it reacting to us or someone else? Sphene was able to use the crystal multiple times, it it possible she, herself, was tied to the crystal's legacy? What did we say to her as we were teleported away? 4) I have a theory that young Gulool Ja isn't Zoraal Ja's son. I think he IS Zoraal Ja. The people of Shaloaani were experiencing tremors for days before the dome appeared. This was likely due to the attempts to batter their way through the barrier between worlds. As time gets crazy, it's possible that they appeared initially in the wrong time altogether and Zoraal Ja essentially kidnapped himself in the past, to give himself what he felt like he deserved all along. I would have an easier time believing this than I would a Mamool Ja reproducing while being the only member of his race in a sealed city.
I've wondered about point 3 myself. The only time we've seen the key do its thing was then and there. If it always shows that, I expect we'll find out in a very dramatic way though! :D As for Gulool Ja, it's not only that we don't know of any other Mamool Ja that makes me wonder. After all, there could be some and we just haven't met them. Though I personally doubt time shenanigans are involved. Rather, I think it'll play some more with themes from FF9 - specifically, cloning. For one, Zoraal Ja gives a bit of Kuja thematically with his whole thing (though it's certainly not a 1:1, and I wouldn't care for it if it were tbh). For another, Alexandria's tech seems plenty advanced for that. And the way Zoraal Ja treats him is so weird. He tells him he's not his son yet tries to leave him something, some legacy, even if it's just his role as King of Resolve. It makes me think he likely wouldn't have cloned himself, but Sphene may have either done so without his knowledge or convinced him against his better judgment and then he changed his mind on it later. Obviously this is speculative (and I hope you won't judge me too harshly for saying that it's listening to Zoraal Ja's fight music that has given me the impression he's a clone - certain repetitions, doubled beats that replay at double speed, and the Innocence-like piano bit). But it would be fitting narratively, I think. When they returned to Tuliyollal with Gulool Ja, Wuk Lamat makes a point of saying that he's a child and his own person. The revelation that he is a clone (if we receive such a revelation) would shake that sense of certainty and give him something to grapple with and ultimately overcome, in a way that would echo Zidane's journey in FF9.
@NeilaNuruodo I'm also of the opinion that Gulool Ja is a clone of Zoraal Ja, though my theory is that he was created as a contingency for if Sphene and Zoraal Ja died
@@NeilaNuruodo This is more of what I was thinking as well. "Kidnapping his younger self" doesn't feel like it fits from a timeline continuity perspective, but I could see the potential logic of cloning himself to buy more time or enact some larger effort. And thematically it works if Zoraal Ja always felt pressure to be not his own person but "Gulool Ja Ja's miracle legacy" and this presented a way to separate the two aspects of his identity, but with the perfect irony that Gulool Ja was named after his grandfather and yet specifically protected by Zoraal Ja's own siblings as "being his own person". (Lamaty'i and Koana both expressed regret they didn't realize how much Zoraal Ja was suffering from his label as the "Resilient Son" when they just saw him a brother.)
I completely believe that the traveler's mask is at least reminiscent of Azem's mask. Not only has the design not been touched on, there is the mask in LM, and if you look at the summoning circle design it shares similar elements to the traveler's mask
I think the key being able to bridge the shards is not it's primary purpose. Azem was known for two things, traveling the star, and dealing with threats to it. Azem has also shown themselves to have a strange amount of information about the sundered future, and about their sundered self through the actions we hear of in Elpis. I think Azem did run across Ultima (the original, not the primal in the Stormblood raids), and came away knowing what a threat that was. The key might be a warning, or a tool, to deal with the threat of this true original Ultima, and that it can bridge the shards is only so the key can find it's way to the correct shard of Azem, for while they might be able to figure out where that Azem comes from, they wouldn't be able to control where the key would wind up. Like a memory crystal thrown into the aetheral sea as a warning about Pandamonium, this key is to make sure that a threat to the star, perhaps one greater than that of the Endsinger, is dealt with. And even though Ultima might be sundered as well, and less of a threat, Hydaelyn, the force keeping the worlds sundered, is no more. Ultima may become whole once more, given time. I suspect the interdimensional fusion may not have been caused by the key, but only had the early effects directed by it's misuse. That this fusion, this planar overlay, will be happening regardless, and that the world needs be prepared for the sundering to slowly end. Some shards however, might well be safe from this, altered too far from the baseline. The first and thirteenth come to mind here.
Calling it now: Azem knows so much about the sundered future because we meet them/ourselves through some future time travel shenanigans and tell them about it. Hell, maybe it's one of the last things we'll do in the final expansion of the game. Setting the stage for the events we just wrapped up.
@@tacitidesong To do that the devs would have to collapse the wave function that is Azem, which they seem loath to do. My money is on them never actually showing Azem directly, other than sundered reflections like Ardbert or having our WoL live through a 1st person echo flashback.
I never noticed the ruined buildings' resemblance to Bastok's architecture in the final story fight. Given we already know that the alliance raid series is Echoes of Vana'diel, I suppose that would confirm that Vana'diel, or at least a version of it or something resembling it, might be a reflection. But, perhaps one that had already been rejoined and only exists as a fragment like Alexandria.
I lost my mind when Neila posted the screenshot in Discord, because despite playing FF11 for years, I was too focused on the fight itself to notice the arena (namely, Bastok.) It looks like Attowha Chasm may also be in the fight during the wind section. It's hella wild. Lots of interesting and odd bits of 11 sprinkled into this expansion, and I'm excited to learn why! - Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I'll say it. When I did that last fight against Queen Sphene for the first time, I died.....A LOT. So I had plenty of time to look around at the scenery. I DID notice the ruined buildings and thought "that looks like the Bastok Auction House!", but then I got rezzed and resumed focus on the fight at hand. Your video just reminded me of it. My speculation is that the ruins of Vana'diel we saw are from one of the other shards. Whether it's from one of the 4 unmerged shards, or a remnant of one of the 7 that have been rejoined, it isn't clear. HOPEFULLY, with the release of the alliance content we'll get a better picture of what happened with Vana'diel and how Queen Spene's actions affected it.
@@KMartin1311 Obviously it's largely speculation at this point, but the Queen Eternal uses the key to bridge worlds before the fight - specifically to worlds full of life that she can harvest to sustain the Endless. For this reason (and the fact she says something as we transition into those "other-world" phases about showing us the newly connected worlds) I suspect it's not rejoined worlds. I'm very curious to see if this will be a hook for the upcoming alliance raids in some way or if that will be something completely different.
@@NeilaNuruodo Well, I'm about 90% sure the new Limited Job Beastmaster (BST) will be connected to FFXI somehow, as BST was a pretty potent job in that game until the FFXI devs nerf'd it into oblivion thanks to some false claims from trolls who wanted to, and I quote, "put BST back where they belong. In the trash."
This going be interesting on what they have in store for us because dawn trail I considered as modern arr the post patch leading to the next expansion seems like Azem going be the main focus
These videos are amazing, really getting me excited for what's next! I gotta say, I'm not seeing the resemblance of the Emet and Lahabrea masks vs the murals at 16:34. I love the idea of Emet taking on Azem's role during that time though, so hopefully that's true
At the very end of the fight I'm pretty sure that she says that the Interdimensional Fusion had been completed and that many speculate the sunrise we see in Living Memory is that of a different shard. Having to travel across the rift to Strayborough Deadwalk adds to this theory as it was left behind separated from the rest of Living Memory. Of course this is speculation and can only be confirmed with future patches. We do need to find a way to Vana'diel and you mentioning Bastok makes sense even though it reminded me of Promyvion more. There's also the caves in western Shaaloani with hieroglyphics that remind me of the Yagudo, and the NPC speculating they're from a different world so who knows exactly how we get there.
You're correct; she does say the fusion has been completed and she will soon replenish everyone's aether. I think a lot of people assumed she was junctioning to the Source, but we don't have any solid evidence of that, imo. Instead, it could certainly be another Reflection or another World. Earthenshire also has Moblin (from Movalpolos!) writing, as well as a mention to Movalpolos in a sidequest there as a lost city. Some very interesting stuff. I've been screaming about Promyvion to the team for years, especially after finally getting around to doing Rhapsodies of Vana'diel earlier this year. I'm super excited to see what the hell is going on with XI in XIV. - Arden Edit from Shadowmeowth: The glyphs in Shaaloani are interesting because they seem to have similarities to an IRL Hopi legend regarding the tribe coming from a previous world and their meeting with the Skeleton God. It's an interesting read, and possible inspiration.
@@LoreLinesXIV It is all a marketing ploy. They are fusing Vana'Diel and Etherys through the power of combined subscriptions! Really though, I hope we're going to learn more about successful interdimensional travel when Shantotto shows back up in XIV. She even talked about it in XI, so I'm REALLY hoping she appears. Honestly, XIV needs another Crystal Tower like storyline required alliance raid, that isn't a 'side quest', and has long term ramifications.
Love your theories, please continue on! I’ve learned so much about my most favorite universe out of your videos and your speculations are really inspiring to continue pondering!🔮✨
Thank you so much! We have a huge document of scripts we're working on, with multiple in production right now--we hope to have them scheduled for release soon!
My first thought when playing through is that the key isn't merely a means of travel, but that Venat as Azem created the key specifically to allow her to sunder the world.
Just wanted to thank you guys for filling the space left by Ethyis(don’t remember how to spell it). It’s really nice having a VaatiVidya for such a divisive expansion to parse through the fluff.
When I finished Endwalker, I was convinced and firmly hoping that our saga would lead us to find out more about Azem. My joy when it did! There is a lot about this key that remains to be seen, but I think it affects the story in every way: this is going to be the tool we need to travel to other dimensions, and maybe even using its fusing capabilities. We know Emet-Selch in his last speech is pushing us to explore the remaining shards, we just don't entirely know why yet. My best guess is that he is entrusting us with the knowledge he has so that we might undo the damage and restore the shards. This has been hinted a lot, with us using Eden to begin restoring The First and agreeing with Zero that we will eventually restore The Void. So, longterm, it makes total sense that we have obtained this now as it (literally) opens the gates we need for dimensional travel. Its origin is the true mystery! This is pure speculation, but I still firmly believe in the expansions to come we will continue learning more about Azem, in bits and pieces. When I go back to what we know about Azem, it's been confirmed that they left Amaurot to try and find their own way to save the Star, opposing the creation of Zodiark. Azem also did not show up to Venat's call before the sundering. This has led me to believe that: A. Azem knew something no one else did. B. For reasons yet unknown, Azem chose not to reveal their plan to anyone. Not even their closest friends or Venat. Whether they couldn't or didn't want to is a mystery, but I do not think the developers have chosen to keep us in the dark about Azem's final days for no reason. So, while I understand that Azem needed to be sundered for us to exist... I think it is entirely possible that they actually had a major, bigger plan that is STILL ongoing. We know that Azem has access to information they shouldn't have, like our arrival in Elpis to help Elidibus with Pandemonium. Some chalk this on some supposed ability to see the immediate future, but I doubt it. The introduction to this crystal confirms, to me, that Azem DID know something. Likely even more than we know now. As you said, Azem had no reason to create a key for interdimensional fusion when the World was still Unsundered. There is also a simpler fact, but Azem leaving just to die and be sundered doesn't make sense to me. The WoL is known for always finding that option that seems impossible and making it work. Like in EW, when all we could choose was stay and die or flee, we just said 'nope, I will stop the Final Days' and we did. So I believe Azem was (is?) the same, and I am at least 100% certain they had a plan in mind and knowing how obstinate we are, I choose to believe they succeeded. Because until now we've largely been under Venat's wing thanks to the Time Loop in EW, but we are now 'alone' to face upcoming enemies. And the fact that they make it a point to mention there were another fourteen concepts submitted is intriguing. It's very possible that we are about to begin a long journey of playing scavenger hunt to find these relics. OR, that these relics will reveal themselves to us in times of need, which would fit with the idea of Azem's major plan. About the idea that Emet-Selch could have handled the key to the Milallas, I struggle believing it. I admit I find it odd that Azem would handle these concepts to Hythlodaeus, but they might have just done so under the guise of "concepts to help with travel" and never ellaborating further. I think Azem left them all in the dark for a reason and it will be up to us to discover exactly what they were doing, how, and why.
Hello! Cob here. The masquerading is implied, but Emet-Selch did take up the legacy and duty of Azem while he held Azem's crystal between the time he created it and Shadowbringers. We learn this in his final speech in Endwalker, where he gives us the bucket list. The line "As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider your duty to see at least that much. I certainly did." This indicates that as he was the bearer of Azem's crystal and legacy, he also took on Azem's duty of seeing the world and exploring. As should we now that the crystal and legacy are both ours. Beyond this, the video posits it's possible he may have masqueraded as Azem with a mask, but that's purely speculation.
Im just throwing this out as a shot in the dark but i dont think the concept crystal hythlodaeus found was the crystal in the key. I bet it was azem that created chocobos.
Yeah, the crew has a lot of thoughts on what the concept crystal Hythlodaeus found could be. Too much to fit in the video, in fact, so it's mostly been a topic of discussion in our Discord. It's so incredibly fascinating that they dropped the bomb of "Azem created a series of 14 travel concepts" in a SHORT STORY. ._. - Arden
I had the thought that the key was used to essentially traverse large distances, possibly with other people or goods- it's nice to know I might be on the right track at least.
It just dawned on me(lol) that there are fourteen Azem concepts and fourteen Shards. I know the dev team loves playing on numerology and patterns, but that's a little too on the nose when the Azem concepts are supposed to aide in their travels. And the thing to remember is that we know ruins from Amourot exist on the shards and possibly the Source (Shadowbringers) I think we're gonna run into more Azem relics.
then theoretically would Krile be the WoL of Alexandria? just brought over to source and that is also why she had the gift of "the echo" And if the key of Azem is activated from a fervent wish/will would She also be the "Daugther of Hope"? Since if we are the WoL and hope triggers as a catalyst for the key. idk just speculatiosn on my end but if it were true...then we might get more stories for Krile for next expansion since she has a new job class given.
1:34 it's also probably not a coincidence that this core looks like a twisted version of the normally straight piece of white auracite that the Scions have crafted a few times. I think you're definitely on point for calling it out as auracite.
I don't doubt that Azem created the "key". You'll find a short story talking about Azem's multiple concepts (Hythlodaes's musings). However, I don't think the "key" was for Azem's use. I believe he created it to allow his compatriots to quickly arrive when he needed them. So, technically, the "key" would have been in the possession of someone like Emet-Selch. The interesting thing is that if it was in his possession when the world was sundered, then it is likely that the "key" is still in its whole form. I'd love to know where it was found by the Milala's, because the remnants of a skeleton might be there too (although, now mostly dust). Emet-Selch renunciated his flesh somewhere...so why no the South Sea Isles? If the "key" was created to travel Etherys, it would make sense that it still attunes to the shards which, of course, are pieces of the Star....and naturally connected as they are drawn to the source (hence Venat's application of stathis to slow this process).
Yeah, we felt it was important to bring up the short story in this one. The likelihood that Azem created it is incredibly high, and we've learned over the years that the playerbase often doesn't read (or doesn't know about) the short stories on the Lodestone site. As a team, we're curious to see how the Dawn Key ends up playing into the story; and, honestly, the playerbase's reaction to it. We've seen a surprising number of comments around on social media where people think that it won't be used in future patches at all! Yet, we have the short story teasing FOURTEEN concepts! We would not be surprised if this is hinting at one of the directions the story will be taking. We've also considered that it's possible that Azem lost the key when saving an island for grapes. XD - Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I can't imagine the story just dropping it in there and not paying it off later. The placement (expac ending) almost guarantees it will be a focus going forward. You guys have a target rich environment with all the strings they left hanging. (key, crown, regulator, memory and soul extraction). I'm , personally, kind of curious if the design on the crown doesn't slightly match our party finder floor design. Not exactly, but in the same style, and what that might mean. Either way, looking forward to your future vid drops.
Look, I dunno what the future holds, and I'm very excited to find out, but I am tripping at the video production. That's some fancy work with the key 😂
@@LoreLinesXIV I've been searching for the obvious link that will bring us into vanadiel for the alliance raid, and I think that's it for sure. (I make lots of FFXI content so that's my main draw lol)
I'm curious, if within the 30-some-odd years that the Alexandrian fusion in Heritage Found occurred if in that time Zoral Ja was fascinated with the Key and utulized his newfound resources to research more on it, its origins and possibilities since he was hungry for power and control. Although now that he was defeated, either that knowledge never came to be found, disappeared with him or (my guess for the next patch) young Gulool Ja will have access to this research/knowledge now that he has inherited authority as king.
I love these videos, it's so awesome seeing someone else(or a team?) come up with similar and identical conclusions that I've come up with on my own after playing through DT. I've never been more excited for the future of this game. It's also why it stings seeing people shit on DT so much when this has been one of the best lore expacs, but most people seem to have completely missed almost all of it. Anyhow, this is only one point in the video, but I think the worlds Sphene showed us were other rejoined worlds. The wind(5th) and earth(4th) rejoined elements specifically. Those are also the elements she manifests and attacks us with in our fight on those respective worlds. Further highlighting that a rejoined world may not be completely deleted, as I've seen other people say, and giving more evidence that the key allowed the Milala to travel through time to the 12th and that the space that Living Memory currently resides in is indeed still the 12th. Thus I think our understanding of rejoinings is incomplete or flawed. I also think the source is their first successful fusion attempt since that was after they got the key back, and Sphene was rather desperate for souls. This also seems like it was their first time going on the offensive, so I don't think they've attacked other worlds. Now I've seen people say that perhaps the world Alexandria is from is instead just another shard that was prepped for a rejoining but never was, and this could be true, but if that's the case, then that would mean that at least 2 other worlds met the same fate based on what she showed us. Meaning that almost all of the other shards out there are already destroyed. And I'm not entirely sold that the writers would do that, given the immense potential the shard travel gives us and with how loved shadowbringers and the First was/is. Plus, it would shit on a bunch of other evidence and hints they've been throwing out on certain things. Again, I'm not saying it's not possible, it just seems unlikely. But FF writers love to surprise you. To tie this information with Azem, it gives more ammunition to the prospect that Azem time travelled. Their disappearance after they left the convocation was already suspicious enough, and their magic being able to shard jump when the shards did not exist is also pretty strange, but their exact knowledge of the future in the Panda raids is what really sends it home that they've got more to do in the story. And this key showing the possibility that it time traveled and is directly related to Azem is just, my oh my. I think the nature of the rift is going to be very important in the future. I think the nature of Azems magic is that it allows the navigation and traversal of the rift. This could explain how it is not only able to travel between shards, but it could also explain the potential time travel as well. The scenes we are shown when we travel between shards and travel through time are one and the same. And even during our first time shard hopping to the first in ShB, we see flashes of history. History that was mostly things we lived, but also history that we were not there for. This too happened on our return from Elpis, where we saw scenes of the final days and of Venat's actions. So I've begun to suspect that the rift could be a sort of "river of time," and if one is able to navigate it and move through it at will, they could be possessed of the ability to cross shards, cross time, and even jump timelines/universes like the Exarch did with the Crystal Tower. This could also even further tie in to why time flows differently on shards until contact, or more specifically, a connection is made between the source and a shard. So many things to talk about, so many implications. I feel like I could write essay after essay on lore stuff after this expac, it's so crazy. And so again I say, I don't think I've ever been so excited for the future of this game, which is amazing since this is only the first expac coming off of the incredible conclusion that Endwalker left us with. I only wish more people could see it, as opposed to hyperbolically ragging on a single character.
Loving all the thoughts--the whole team loves to see comments like this. :) There are some super interesting aspects to the story that people seem to have glazed over in Dawntrail, for sure! We've been discussing a lot of this on Discord with our community--maybe you'd like to join in the discussion? :) discord.gg/hKCmswD5Mn
Elidibus had the ability to open a portal that led to Elpis at a very high cost, if he knew how to do this can't others have done it before? We've already proven that accessing time isn't impossible and doorways can be made between, and they can be made stable, and it doesn't require an expert to make them, it's just very taxing and difficult to do physically, which is why Ascians used crystals to travel between worlds.
@@kielyarger5283 According to Elidibus, he was able to send us through time due to glimpsing the Exarchs memories and mastering the workings of the tower. On top of that, due to the tower having absorbed Eldibus, it had "an abundance of energy." This is seemingly how and why he was able to do that. It could be pointed out though, that what the Exarch did with the tower, seemingly, was "timeline jump." And yet, the magic the Exarch and Elidibus also used was, seemingly, summoning hero's from other shards. Either in their full form, like in the Emet trial, or just "pieces" of them like with what Elidibus did. So this seemingly selfsame magic was not only used to timeline jump, but also TP people across shards AND time travel? All things I suspect are related to traversing the rift. Hmmmmm While rewatching that cutscene to recheck my memory, I find it funny that he explicitly said "I shall cast you unto the river of time" seeing as that is the choice of words I used to describe the rift. I don't think it's exactly that, but I can't think of any better terminology at this moment in time.
There are theories out that suggest since Azem also liked to create familiars, that Azem never got sundered but created a familiar with a souls that got sundered in their stead. Since Azem was so eager to master travel magic, it would surprise anyone that Azem discovered time travel and with the way how they key operates, it's not just time travel but also the mastering of space, space-time. If Azem never got sundered the question would be why and there are a lot of events that could lead into Azems decision of leaving everyone. Maybe Azem traveled to the end of time and just wanted to find a way to make the universe eternal or something else. About the person who gave the Lalas on their shard the key, it wouldn't surprise me if the person was Elidibus. Elidibus role was balance and he always tried support both side without favoring one. If the Ascians rejoined the shards and he knew about the key which he could've known from, Hythlodeus, if the key is the artifact from the story. Elidibus would've given the key to others as a tool to escape the rejoining or perhaps counter- rejoin the shards without killing everyone. It's also suffice to say that Elidibus could know about the key from Hythlodeus memorie because both were part of Zodiark. We know from the Twelve storyline that Hythlodeus is his past was pretty carefree and often his right hand man had to do his job of approving new concepts. Which is also maybe due to Hythlodeus being bored about the suggested concepts like 100 versions of sharks that he mentioned back in Elpis. Maybe Azems concepts were interesting to him and he was more and more occupied with Azems travel concepts. Which would lead into him knowing the key and Elidibus knowing it too.
The final Endwalker short story explains things. Azem did not answer Venat's call, it is possible Azem used their concept to go forward in time and give the crystal to the Milala and taught their leader how to use the crystal, then return back in time for the sundering. I mean it is not like Azem would make only one concept crystal. Azem was one of those people Venat trusted with information of the WoL's visit to Elpis. Azem had fore knowledge of what was going to happen. It makes sense to take the concept crystal into the future so it would avoid being sundered. Azem's seat is known as The traveler, Shepard to the stars prior to the sundering. (emphesis on stars) .
I think Azem created his Key before the Sundering! The Milalla used it to flee the Source during the Calamity of Ice going to the Twelfth Shard during the Calamity of Lightning! This means they travelled through time & space from the Fifth Umbral Calamity to the Second Umbral Calamity! Sphene used Azems Key & brought Alexandria to the Source before the Second Sundering completely destroyed their world! How did Krile's people get Azem's Key & how did it get to the Source? I so loved your vid on this! I so want more to this storyline about Azem's Key!
As to how the Milala had the Dawn Key, perhaps they've always had it, as Azem was once reincarnated as a Lalafell (perhaps as whoever The Speaker was) and crafted it along with that nature-orb thingy for emergency purposes should something happen to Aloalo and/or the South Sea Isles... Being the precious little Vacation-Hobbits that they are, the Aloalo Lalas especially, wouldn't even need concern for such a swift & sudden issue like the oceans freezing in a eternally summer/tropical environment... Unless perhaps that the creator of the Dawn Key has that reverse Echo that shows the future like Mikoto's... Semi-alternatively, a post-Sundering yet still primary Azem was going around being an Azem, helping out people & places that would definitely get overlooked by the Ascians and their machinations... Whoever made it, I'm thankful they did, wouldn't have best bae Krile!
There's also the chance that Azem dropped it or left it while battling Ifrita, since it sounds like that aspect of one of the short stories could have happened around the South Sea Isles! Granted, that also raises the concerning question of--if the key is sundered, then just how powerful would it have originally been? As for the Echo like Mikoto's--there's some odd indications in the Pandaemonium questline that makes it sound like Azem had the ability to see the future, which raises the question as to why the WoL doesn't seem to currently possess this ability. - Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV Oh!? Senpai noticed me! On the contrary, I think WoL does indeed have the foresight ability! Only, instead of proper visions of the future like Mikoto's, it's more like Shulk from Xenoblade's Monado visions, showing deadly-danger before it happens; we know them as "combat mechanics", but especially as it's most common form, ORANGE CIRCLES! Seriously though, there's absolutely NO WAY anyone would be able to avoid half the stuff WoL can dodge, most of which being completely untelegraphed attacks they've never seen before, from surprise tail-swipes, to otherwise-instant explosions or laser beams, but especially any of the "don't look!" mechanics... Instincts can only get you so far, ain't NOBODY dodging Larboard/Starboard without foresight!
I'd love you to go back through the earlier episodes and give it this treatment Just found your channel love some of the recent stuff but the old ones are hard to watch
So the crystal in the middle is like an aetheryte crystal. Whereas an Aetheryte allows the traversal from one location to another on a star, the core in this key allows the soul to traverse between stars. The extrope housing is like the programing for the key. LIke the notches you would find on your house key. You have also look a the nature of this "teleportation" In shadowbringers, the ability to bring a soul to a star, also came with a certain amount of time travel. In Dawntrail, we see with Kriles parents, that they are able to come back to the source with NO TIME LOST. Also, ultimately this artifact is created using AZEMs magic, and the last person besides the player to have Azems Crystal was Emet Selch. I believe Emet Selch created this artifact. To allow Emet to travel between stars, but also left to the peoples on the star before the 5th or 6th umbral calamity. (whichever one was ice)
i posted this before i watched the video on what i believed was the purpose of the key. I believe the Key is going to be the important artifact going forward. So far in FF14 when we are given such an artifact, we learn a rule. FF14 has explored many things about the nature of souls, and the aetherial sea. And in Dawntrail we learn that a soul can have its memory cleansed, but also we need to learn how souls traverse between worlds. The unsundered could do this seemingly with ease. Maybe it wasnt so easy, or they needed mechanisms to position allies between worlds. Anyways, good video.
I actually did have a question for you as this does tie in with with one of your prior videos about the nature of Sphene and Alexandria. Given what we have seen and given what we know we have not only a hypothetical ability of movement thru time with historia crux but with the upcoming 24 man of a hypothetical what if brothers Eladnarche and Kamlanaut did find their path to the gods. I meant ion this cause of what we see in Urqopacha with the giants and all but similar fate befell their people for searching for the land of the gods. We also find out a lot more in depth with opera omnia (which they have gone and made events in there canon)their disdain for the gods and the lengths they go to manipulate. So hypothetically in the worlds that she would have encountered and eaten we ended up with lingering will endless versions of them or a version of them.
You also mention time and space being relative to the fight with the queen eternal, here is another theory to throw your way each of the keys where potentially done with each of the 12 in mind as things and in this cause this stone could of been meant for Althyk
"Why does the original artifact look and behave like auracite? " What if it is auracite? We know that auracite can hold souls/memories/information. And it "responds to fervent prayers and supplications". We also know that "concepts" were often, if not always, creatures that the ancients made. Its not impossible that with in the artifact are 7 powerful beings that Azem themselves placed in side to help them on their journey. Either to bridge the gaps in space/time or to serve as party members on their adventures.
We mention that possibility a bit in our last video, where we theorize over who the next "main villain" or overarching evil for FFXIV could be! Due to ties to other FF games that already exist in XIV, there's some concerning threads that have been woven into the story, suggesting where we could be going next in various plotpoints! th-cam.com/video/jeaJBQBvsMA/w-d-xo.html -Arden
Also, recall that Elidibus was supposed to investigate Pandæmonium with Azem but they only sent a vague message about a falling star. This could be a hint to how Azem learned about Auracite. They might have learned it from Athena.
@@kielyarger5283 I would say Alexander is a strong possibility. Any time that time travel has been involved be it through the Alexander Raids or Crystal Tower and ShadowBringers, it's always been Alexander... And when traveling through time there has been a habit of moving across space/dimensions as well. CT went back and ended up on the first, and it's speculated that the milala went back in time to before the lightning calamity on another shard while experiencing the ice calamaty that came significantly after it. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that Alexander not only manipulates time but space-time as a whole. Leading to dimensional compression.
I still can't help wonder if we've maybe seen this sort of crystal before, one that can cross dimensions and responds to the reverent wishes of people. Sounds a lot like the Heart of Sabik to me and I have to wonder if maybe there are multiple ones in different shards and if perhaps that points to who and what is going to be the big bad of the game for the next main story now that the Ascians are basically dealt with.
So since Azem was sundered there's a piece of them in each world. What if the one from the Alexandrian world was Sphene and that's why Azem's symbol appeared?
Even if that's the case, the Sphene that we meet is not a living being, she doesn't have a soul, much less Azem's soul. We dont know who the Unlost Azem is, nor if their soul was rejoined or not, but we know that it's not the Sphene that we speak too.
Based on what happened in Endwalker I think Azem knew what was going to happen, even before most likely Venat confided in him/her. When Azem did not join to form Hydaelyn, I think that was on purpose, with Azem having their own plan. And I think that this key, is just one part of the plan. I do not think that Azem's plan is to rejoin the worlds, but rather it will end up with all the shards and source being connected like a network and the artifacts of Azem likely will enable this. I'm even going as far as Azem even having left items intended to help restore the first and the thirtheenth as well as the already rejoined worlds. Likely, each shard has their own item with the rejoined ones all being on Source. While I doubt we will get a direct interaction with Azem, I think by time we have 2 or 3 of the artifacts we will get a message directed at the warrior of light, which will be cryptic at best, but will give a hint as to the nature of the plan. There will be no straight answer for where is the fun in that.
Azem being cryptic, eh?? Yeah, I can see that. Sounds normal for someone to set up a long form plan. If things go this way it'll be interesting to see....
A small thing that was said. I noticed you mentioned that the Malala were six times rejoined, but if they went over to another shard after the 5th Umbral Calamity, wouldn't they be 5 times rejoined?
This is a common point of confusion in the community, so let's try to make it clearer; "Five times Rejoined" means their soul has experienced 5 Rejoinings. This should mean that they're 6/14ths Rejoined. A lot of time, people forget to factor in the Source shard of a soul. Dawntrail makes this even weirder with the Milala and Krile, because Krile seems to be the same amount of times Rejoined as if she was born on the Source, despite being born in Alexandria--otherwise, Y'shtola would have remarked on her aetheric density being lower than everyone else. This suggests that the Milala are still connected to the Source's Aetherial Sea, and not that of the Reflection they traveled to. It's definitely a point of the expansion that gets weird, and we're hoping it's expanded upon, because as of the moment, the Milala are...an oddity, to say the least. - Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV Do you think it is because the 12th was technically rejoined? Perhaps the aetherial sea that their newborn's souls were taken from is the source since the aetherial sea of the 12th was returned to the source as well?
It's canon/official that Azem helped an island! Here's the short story: na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/tales_from_the_shadows/sidestory_07/#sidestory_07 We recommend reading all the FFXIV short stories, if you haven't! Especially SHB-EW, there's a lot of juicy lore. - Arden
Where can I find information on Emet-Selch taking up the mantle of Azem after the sundering? I never thought he did, so I'm curious where this is coming from.
This is during his final speech In Endwalker when he tells us, "As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider it your duty to see at least that much, I certainly did." Meaning while he had Azem's crystal, he also took up Azem's duty to explore the world, which is why he knows so much about things we have yet to discover.
@@LoreLinesXIV I guess I could understand that, but I don't think I agree that he took on the title of Azem while he had possession of Azem's crystal. I always took his speech as meaning: "You, who are of Azem, have a responsibility to see more of the world. I did, and I'm not even Azem, I'm better than you, see if you can keep up." ... almost like a dare instead of a declaration.
Halfway through this video I had a thought. Why, conceived and born of many generations on the Alexandrian reflection, does Krile have a source sized soul. Shouldn't the Milalas born on the reflection, have souls.... FROM the reflection.
That's the question, isn't it? More than that, now that we have dumped unsundered souls in the Source's lifestream, what impact will that have? There's a lot that needs to be explained about soul mechanics. Hopefully we will get answers soon
Even though this expansion's msq was an absolute dumpster fire this right here is what has kept me interested going forward. Like I legit don't want to ever have to speak to Wuk Lamat again.
Hi Cob here. Narrated and made the video. If they don't to you then they don't! Right now that's 100% pure speculation, that was my immediate reaction to them, but lots of people have different takes, and that's part of what makes this expansion so exciting!
Emet maybe gave the relic to the lalas of the source cause he knew that them being in Sphene's world would lead to the development of electrope, and cause another calamity. All part of his plan.
I still want to know what happens to rejoined worlds personally. They sre supposed to be merged with the source are they not? That being said. If we have a world that was rejoined by lightning already confirmed, would that not be Alexendrias home world? Pretty sure the lightning rejoining was one of the earlier rejoinings which was much longer than 30 years ago. We know they cause calamaities on the source when they occured but, we dont know if the shard is actually physically merged.
Take a look again (pause if needed!) Desert/Shrublands looking terrain, and laid brick--much more similar to Bastok than Ru'aun Gardens! Ru'aun Gardens is a lot whiter and smoother, with greener terrain; and no laid brick! - Arden
Based on the MSQ writing capacity of the current writing team, I'm willing to bet at the time of this comment that it's a red herring mcguffin. If they get an actual competent writing team back in that don't have their protagonist running around screaming "I can't lose because I have the power of love and friendship on my side!" and then make utterly lore ruining things like Alexandria, I have no capacity to accept whatever they come up with making any reasonable sense whatsoever.
As far as we know, it's largely the same team--and they are admittedly inconsistent in their writing quality! They have a different lead right now, but Ishikawa-san is still the the Lead Scenario Supervisor. That said, something they do seem to do well, is "backwards writing" as we've been calling it. Something will get overlooked for years, or mentioned once -> a loremaster in the community asks about it -> we end up getting story and answers regarding it. Personally, I think this has to do with how differently the JP and Western audiences approach the story. Apparently, the Western audience has a lot more lore and theorycrafting focus than the JP audience does. So, even if it is a red herring mcguffin right now--I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up as much more than that in an expansion or two, at the latest. Personally, I think it will end up being relevant much earlier than that because of the focus it received in the ending cutscenes for Dawntrail, but only time will tell! - Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I agree with that. The white/black auracite storyline has been ongoing in the background ever since ARR. I don't think they can drag it out much longer without it being a failed Chekhov's Gun. I'm just inherently suspicious about why it was only Azem's relics that somehow survived, and only because Emit Selch potentially held onto them? Surely there were other surviving relics created by other equally powerful people. The idea that only at most 14 of them survived, all from Azem's creations and only the creations of a specific type seems... Far fetched, to put it politely. Personally I'm not entirely sure this is going to be a pure FFXI/Tactics crossover... The idea of a crystal suddenly appearing one day, manipulating emotions, transforming people into monsters, use of vessels... That also describes JENOVA with the Black Materia from the original FFVII to a T. Not sure if they'll exactly rehash that story and just change every reference of "white" to "black" and "auracite" to "materia" or if they'll try to blend the two story ideas into one.
We hope you enjoyed this one! If you would like to discuss more about this video, others, or speculate with the community--join our Discord! discord.gg/hKCmswD5Mn
I think Hydaelyn knew about it, too. There is dialogue after her fight that, at first, one would assume is only talking about the azem crystal we have had since Shadowbringers, as she imbues it with her magicks for bringing Emet and Hyth back in Ultima Thule. But...what she says also fits the key on introspection.
"It is thy hopes and prayers that enable Azem's invocations and give them life, so keep them close. But pray, remember this...
When the way forward is hidden, even from the mind's eye. Look not to the invocation, but within yourself.
These were the words of the crystal's original bearer."
3 lines here. The first confirms what we know from Krile's parents and the Milala about how this key is activated. Azem's magicks require fervent prayer and hopes to activate. The third line is even more interesting. The crystal's original bearer.
The crystal we have had did not have an original bearer. Emet made it in secret after the last Azem left. Which can surely only mean that there is another crystal embued with Azem's magick. Either one that the last Azem made and that quote was one that they said often, or maybe even a crystal that is traditionally passed down from Azem to Azem, that Hydaelyn gave to the last Azem when she resigned. I think it is an interesting side point as well that whenever Azem is mentioned, we cannot say for certain it is the same Azem.
There could have been 14 successors of the title, each of them contributing to this design for easing travel burdens, and it will be our role as the maintainer of the legacy of Azem to finally finish it - perhaps using mastery of electrope. This crystal in the key could be what crystal Hydaelyn was referring to here, regardless, possibly?
I believe Azem’s magic at least have a similar activation method based on the description given by Sphene at Everkeep’s summit, and the text during our trial with Elidibus in the Seat of Sacrifice. When escaping the Rift, we used earnest wishing upon the crystal to summon Emet-Selch. It fits with her description of fervent prayer. Much like how the Speaker and the Milalla wished for salvation and the relic reacted. Different circumstances, but similar enough emotional trigger to invoke the magic.
Ooh… powered by… dynamis?
Probably dynamis
Sounds like dynamis.
I'd go as far as guessing it's creation magic altered to work for non ancients.
@@Eucep Which as far as I'm aware is what things like summoning your basic carbuncle are, basically a kind of creation magic created by the sundered in a much more diluted form. If Azem did meet with the islanders, maybe they got their summoning magic from Azem? Meaning in a really roundabout way, a summoner WoL ended up teaching themselves.
11:50 Ah, I suppose that's why Wicked Thunder has great mastery over electrope. Her parents are from the Source, therefore she too possess denser soul than average Alexandrian. Interesting.
Point of correction the crystal does have a memory it's just not Azem's memory but Emet's. When we first use it a memory is heard of our ancient self becoming Azem. It's just from the perspective of Emet.
"Something even more destructive than a baby." 10/10
That's hard to imagine.
The production value when you split the core and container is insane.
Shortly after the WoL places the key on the table, the screen cuts to black and Sphene’s crown is shown. This is surely important. It has been mentioned that the crown is special.
My guess, the crown is the second artifact of Azem we might get. It might be linked to the observation that the FF11 world is seen in the fight and thus might be how the raid happens.
@@Eucepoh right, the FF 11 Shadowlord!!
@@Eucep The design of the crown is also similar to that of the Convocation's glyphs.
I figured the crown was sending a distress call to whatever Preservation agents are out there.
@@futurepastnow They mentioned that it's a special type of regulator. Why an Endless would have a regulator and how that would even work is a mystery that will likely be revealed in the 7.x patches.
I paused at 9:22, where the orange glow appears in the middle of the rift. It's straight up Azem's symbol, right there. Holy moly.
this "Key" artifact is build like these Keys in the Asciens Home world library, right? What if this key is some sort of Map device/flight computer. ho know how to connect the worlds with interdenominational tunnels, yes this flights we see when we as WoL travel trough the Shards. this key is the coordinates anchor, perhaps it's calculate the Shard worlds boundaries and then allow to open en tunnel? some sort of wormholes, that would explain why we see our self flying trough these worlds and see only shards. perhaps azem crystal is one of these shards. the real Gate key to another world shard?. but as you said, it's speculation. yes, azems Crystal was snatched on such an occasion and brought back to the world shard where we found it. and this key artifact we have here talking about is just an collector of interdenominational power-source artifact.
perhaps azem snatched this crystal away from this interdenominational highways to hide it in front of their noses for unknown reasons. if this would been other MMOs, then perhaps from the void?
I doubt it's a red herring when the JP title for dawntrail is gilded legacy
I don't know if it was touched on previously but, the sun mural in living memory in the volcano island homeland recreation is Azem's summoning spell. That leads me to believe that someone with the crystal of Azem at one point showed up and used their magic in front of some of the population to the point where they revolved their entire civilization and culture around it. To add, are we sure that the Allagans are the ones who made the House of the Crooked Coin? It looks more in line with what we see with the South Sea, or is it something that Y'shtola just assumed because it was connected to the burn? I think this may more likely be one of the 14 conceptions of Azem that Allag just ended up using.
In part, yes. It's also a near exact copy of the sigil of the Church of Glabydos, which has ties to Ultima and the 4th Astral Era. We've been diving into this because there is a lot to unpack there
@LoreLinesXIV I watched the previous video as well and I'm 100% on board with Ultima being the next big bad. This is my current theory I've been cooking:
In 7.x, we learn of the threat of Ultima from a past message from Azem (likely through the key, as it likely responds to us as seen in the raid) that warns us of the threat of Ultima, and that we need to rejoin our soul in order to fight it. The message guides us to another artifact of Azem that acts as a compass that points us towards our soul fragments, we then use it to rejoin with our fragments in the 13th (likely Golbez's memoria) and Everkeep (likely in a soul cell), then in the next expansion we travel to the other three reflections, rejoin with our fragments there, then fight a newly awakened and "weak" Ultima that ends in a sort of pyrrhic victory, where she escapes to the rift and begins attempting to rejoin all of the shards to the Source to regain her full power (if Azem's key is made from Auracite, and it has the ability to fuse dimensions, then it stands to reason that Ultima would also have the ability to do this, as Auracite is her creation).
During the 8.x patches we receive another message from Azem's key telling us that in order to defeat her, we need to travel back to when the world was unsundered in order to learn about her firsthand. It tells us that we need to travel further back to before our journeys in Elpis, and guides us to more artifacts that will be used to augment the Crystal Tower on the First, as it will be harder to send you back as an unsundered being compared to when you were sent to Elpis.
In 8.55, another message teaches you how to use basic creation magic and how to change your appearance. Players are sent to a character creation screen where they're able to create an Ancient version of their character to use. The scions begin to prepare everything in the tower, and will let you know when it's ready.
At the start of the next expansion, everything is prepared, and a final message plays telling you that you will know what must be done shortly after you arrive.
In the first act, you travel back and arrive in Amaurot. You forgot about the taboo about not wearing a mask, and arrive without one. You look around in awe, with people in the background staring and gossiping about you. Venat (currently as Azem), happens to be nearby and notices the commotion. She approaches you with a smile and mentions that you look lost, and offers to help you (note that she doesn't know who you are at this point as this is before Elpis). Shortly afterwards, you become close friends with her, and after a few short time skips she eventually tells you that she plans on stepping down from the seat of Azem, and that she recommends you as her successor. This is when reality hits the WoL in the face like the Dawnblazer hitting Vanguard. *You're Azem*. And now you're sure that you're in a closed time loop and fated to be sundered.
Act 2 starts after a long time skip (likely decades, possibly centuries) during the golden years of Azem's adventures. At this point, you're good friends with Venat, Emet-Selch, and Hythlodaeus, and this act focuses on your adventures with them, along with delving into the mysteries of Ultima and your initial preparations for the future. During this time, you create the device that detects your soul fragments, and after testing it, it detects another you in the world. After investigating, you come to the realization that you're actually not in closed time loop, but rather this other self is the original being who eventually became yourself after being sundered. Azem was always your future self, not your past, unsundered self. (Visual guide for the less timey-wimey inclined: i.imgur.com/f09T0ny.png )
Act 3 begins after another lengthy time skip (although not as long as the previous), and begins at around the same time your past self is in Elpis, just before you start the Pandaemonium raid (there would be a cutscene with the WoL/Azem telling Themis about a certain "falling star" in Elpis). Shortly afterwards, the Final Days begin, and you begin your final preparations. At this point, you've realized that you need to get the artifacts to your past self in the future (it makes sense, I swear), and make preparations to do so. The WoL/Azem steps down from the Convocation and prepares for their departure using the newly-created Key, while also revealing everything to Venat and why you have to leave after she asks you to join her (as she already knows about your past self's other timey-wimey bullshit at this point).
A cutscene starts depicting the final battle between Zodiark and Hydaelyn. You use the key at the moment she sunders the world to enter the rift and quickly travel forward through time. You miss the mark, and emerge early in what is later known as the Azim Steppe (Zone 4), where events there lead you to later be remembered as the "Dawn Father" (regardless of your gender, it was a long time ago after all and details become warped with time). You travel through the rift once more, again, missing your mark and landing in the South Sea isles (Zone 5). During your time there, you help the Lalafell who live there, who in return help you travel to the correct time by using their Arcanima to guide you through the rift - the catch is that you have to leave the key there, which is how it comes into their possession. You arrive in the present day, only moments after your initial departure. You share everything you learn with your allies, and then travel to the Rift (Zone 6) to fight and finally defeat Ultima.
As a side note: to explain traveling between the unsundered world and present day zones (since they realistically can't restrict you from traveling), you instead "reminisce" about your adventures in the past when you're traveling between zones in different timelines.
There also terminals that the Malala also went to the first, aka it’s where lali-ho comes from
A couple of thoughts:
The big one, with the others being wild theory:
1) It's clear that Emet-Selch knew about this crystal's existence. He casually mentioned "the forgotten people of the south sea isles" as well as the new world. Plus, everything that happened to Alexandria was the direct result of Ascian guidance. I know he is terminally sentimental but why would he, the only unsundered who wasn't damaged or flat out crazy as a bag of cats, leave a device capable of merging reflections without a calamity out there untouched. He may have been sentimental, but he was also tempered by his own admission.
2) The ancestral home recreation of the Millala was a volcano and they found the crystal ages prior. I wonder if Azem dropped the crystal while stopping an eruption?
3) Did the crystal display the symbol of Azem in reaction to our crystal, or does it just do that whenever it is activated? Was it reacting to us or someone else? Sphene was able to use the crystal multiple times, it it possible she, herself, was tied to the crystal's legacy? What did we say to her as we were teleported away?
4) I have a theory that young Gulool Ja isn't Zoraal Ja's son. I think he IS Zoraal Ja. The people of Shaloaani were experiencing tremors for days before the dome appeared. This was likely due to the attempts to batter their way through the barrier between worlds. As time gets crazy, it's possible that they appeared initially in the wrong time altogether and Zoraal Ja essentially kidnapped himself in the past, to give himself what he felt like he deserved all along. I would have an easier time believing this than I would a Mamool Ja reproducing while being the only member of his race in a sealed city.
I've wondered about point 3 myself. The only time we've seen the key do its thing was then and there. If it always shows that, I expect we'll find out in a very dramatic way though! :D
As for Gulool Ja, it's not only that we don't know of any other Mamool Ja that makes me wonder. After all, there could be some and we just haven't met them. Though I personally doubt time shenanigans are involved. Rather, I think it'll play some more with themes from FF9 - specifically, cloning. For one, Zoraal Ja gives a bit of Kuja thematically with his whole thing (though it's certainly not a 1:1, and I wouldn't care for it if it were tbh). For another, Alexandria's tech seems plenty advanced for that. And the way Zoraal Ja treats him is so weird. He tells him he's not his son yet tries to leave him something, some legacy, even if it's just his role as King of Resolve.
It makes me think he likely wouldn't have cloned himself, but Sphene may have either done so without his knowledge or convinced him against his better judgment and then he changed his mind on it later. Obviously this is speculative (and I hope you won't judge me too harshly for saying that it's listening to Zoraal Ja's fight music that has given me the impression he's a clone - certain repetitions, doubled beats that replay at double speed, and the Innocence-like piano bit). But it would be fitting narratively, I think. When they returned to Tuliyollal with Gulool Ja, Wuk Lamat makes a point of saying that he's a child and his own person. The revelation that he is a clone (if we receive such a revelation) would shake that sense of certainty and give him something to grapple with and ultimately overcome, in a way that would echo Zidane's journey in FF9.
Yet, Otis, was in a robot suit of Mamool Ja looks. And considering Sphene's Crown being important, she may have used the key thanks to it.
@NeilaNuruodo I'm also of the opinion that Gulool Ja is a clone of Zoraal Ja, though my theory is that he was created as a contingency for if Sphene and Zoraal Ja died
@@NeilaNuruodo This is more of what I was thinking as well. "Kidnapping his younger self" doesn't feel like it fits from a timeline continuity perspective, but I could see the potential logic of cloning himself to buy more time or enact some larger effort. And thematically it works if Zoraal Ja always felt pressure to be not his own person but "Gulool Ja Ja's miracle legacy" and this presented a way to separate the two aspects of his identity, but with the perfect irony that Gulool Ja was named after his grandfather and yet specifically protected by Zoraal Ja's own siblings as "being his own person". (Lamaty'i and Koana both expressed regret they didn't realize how much Zoraal Ja was suffering from his label as the "Resilient Son" when they just saw him a brother.)
Was there a bit about stopping a volcano when you talk to Venat or am I misremembering something?
I completely believe that the traveler's mask is at least reminiscent of Azem's mask. Not only has the design not been touched on, there is the mask in LM, and if you look at the summoning circle design it shares similar elements to the traveler's mask
I think the key being able to bridge the shards is not it's primary purpose.
Azem was known for two things, traveling the star, and dealing with threats to it.
Azem has also shown themselves to have a strange amount of information about the sundered future, and about their sundered self through the actions we hear of in Elpis.
I think Azem did run across Ultima (the original, not the primal in the Stormblood raids), and came away knowing what a threat that was.
The key might be a warning, or a tool, to deal with the threat of this true original Ultima, and that it can bridge the shards is only so the key can find it's way to the correct shard of Azem, for while they might be able to figure out where that Azem comes from, they wouldn't be able to control where the key would wind up. Like a memory crystal thrown into the aetheral sea as a warning about Pandamonium, this key is to make sure that a threat to the star, perhaps one greater than that of the Endsinger, is dealt with.
And even though Ultima might be sundered as well, and less of a threat, Hydaelyn, the force keeping the worlds sundered, is no more. Ultima may become whole once more, given time.
I suspect the interdimensional fusion may not have been caused by the key, but only had the early effects directed by it's misuse. That this fusion, this planar overlay, will be happening regardless, and that the world needs be prepared for the sundering to slowly end.
Some shards however, might well be safe from this, altered too far from the baseline. The first and thirteenth come to mind here.
Calling it now: Azem knows so much about the sundered future because we meet them/ourselves through some future time travel shenanigans and tell them about it.
Hell, maybe it's one of the last things we'll do in the final expansion of the game. Setting the stage for the events we just wrapped up.
@@tacitidesong To do that the devs would have to collapse the wave function that is Azem, which they seem loath to do. My money is on them never actually showing Azem directly, other than sundered reflections like Ardbert or having our WoL live through a 1st person echo flashback.
@@83917Michael I feel like if it's the last expansion they won't mind so much.
Another hit video! i am going to keep my expectations low, because i dont want to hype too much! Thank you for these videos.
I never noticed the ruined buildings' resemblance to Bastok's architecture in the final story fight. Given we already know that the alliance raid series is Echoes of Vana'diel, I suppose that would confirm that Vana'diel, or at least a version of it or something resembling it, might be a reflection. But, perhaps one that had already been rejoined and only exists as a fragment like Alexandria.
I lost my mind when Neila posted the screenshot in Discord, because despite playing FF11 for years, I was too focused on the fight itself to notice the arena (namely, Bastok.) It looks like Attowha Chasm may also be in the fight during the wind section. It's hella wild. Lots of interesting and odd bits of 11 sprinkled into this expansion, and I'm excited to learn why!
- Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I'll say it. When I did that last fight against Queen Sphene for the first time, I died.....A LOT. So I had plenty of time to look around at the scenery. I DID notice the ruined buildings and thought "that looks like the Bastok Auction House!", but then I got rezzed and resumed focus on the fight at hand.
Your video just reminded me of it. My speculation is that the ruins of Vana'diel we saw are from one of the other shards. Whether it's from one of the 4 unmerged shards, or a remnant of one of the 7 that have been rejoined, it isn't clear. HOPEFULLY, with the release of the alliance content we'll get a better picture of what happened with Vana'diel and how Queen Spene's actions affected it.
@@KMartin1311 Obviously it's largely speculation at this point, but the Queen Eternal uses the key to bridge worlds before the fight - specifically to worlds full of life that she can harvest to sustain the Endless. For this reason (and the fact she says something as we transition into those "other-world" phases about showing us the newly connected worlds) I suspect it's not rejoined worlds. I'm very curious to see if this will be a hook for the upcoming alliance raids in some way or if that will be something completely different.
@@NeilaNuruodo Well, I'm about 90% sure the new Limited Job Beastmaster (BST) will be connected to FFXI somehow, as BST was a pretty potent job in that game until the FFXI devs nerf'd it into oblivion thanks to some false claims from trolls who wanted to, and I quote, "put BST back where they belong. In the trash."
This going be interesting on what they have in store for us because dawn trail I considered as modern arr the post patch leading to the next expansion seems like Azem going be the main focus
These videos are amazing, really getting me excited for what's next! I gotta say, I'm not seeing the resemblance of the Emet and Lahabrea masks vs the murals at 16:34. I love the idea of Emet taking on Azem's role during that time though, so hopefully that's true
At the very end of the fight I'm pretty sure that she says that the Interdimensional Fusion had been completed and that many speculate the sunrise we see in Living Memory is that of a different shard. Having to travel across the rift to Strayborough Deadwalk adds to this theory as it was left behind separated from the rest of Living Memory. Of course this is speculation and can only be confirmed with future patches.
We do need to find a way to Vana'diel and you mentioning Bastok makes sense even though it reminded me of Promyvion more. There's also the caves in western Shaaloani with hieroglyphics that remind me of the Yagudo, and the NPC speculating they're from a different world so who knows exactly how we get there.
You're correct; she does say the fusion has been completed and she will soon replenish everyone's aether. I think a lot of people assumed she was junctioning to the Source, but we don't have any solid evidence of that, imo. Instead, it could certainly be another Reflection or another World.
Earthenshire also has Moblin (from Movalpolos!) writing, as well as a mention to Movalpolos in a sidequest there as a lost city. Some very interesting stuff. I've been screaming about Promyvion to the team for years, especially after finally getting around to doing Rhapsodies of Vana'diel earlier this year.
I'm super excited to see what the hell is going on with XI in XIV.
- Arden
Edit from Shadowmeowth: The glyphs in Shaaloani are interesting because they seem to have similarities to an IRL Hopi legend regarding the tribe coming from a previous world and their meeting with the Skeleton God. It's an interesting read, and possible inspiration.
@@LoreLinesXIV It is all a marketing ploy. They are fusing Vana'Diel and Etherys through the power of combined subscriptions! Really though, I hope we're going to learn more about successful interdimensional travel when Shantotto shows back up in XIV. She even talked about it in XI, so I'm REALLY hoping she appears. Honestly, XIV needs another Crystal Tower like storyline required alliance raid, that isn't a 'side quest', and has long term ramifications.
Love your theories, please continue on! I’ve learned so much about my most favorite universe out of your videos and your speculations are really inspiring to continue pondering!🔮✨
Thank you so much! We have a huge document of scripts we're working on, with multiple in production right now--we hope to have them scheduled for release soon!
My first thought when playing through is that the key isn't merely a means of travel, but that Venat as Azem created the key specifically to allow her to sunder the world.
Just wanted to thank you guys for filling the space left by Ethyis(don’t remember how to spell it). It’s really nice having a VaatiVidya for such a divisive expansion to parse through the fluff.
When I finished Endwalker, I was convinced and firmly hoping that our saga would lead us to find out more about Azem. My joy when it did!
There is a lot about this key that remains to be seen, but I think it affects the story in every way: this is going to be the tool we need to travel to other dimensions, and maybe even using its fusing capabilities. We know Emet-Selch in his last speech is pushing us to explore the remaining shards, we just don't entirely know why yet. My best guess is that he is entrusting us with the knowledge he has so that we might undo the damage and restore the shards. This has been hinted a lot, with us using Eden to begin restoring The First and agreeing with Zero that we will eventually restore The Void. So, longterm, it makes total sense that we have obtained this now as it (literally) opens the gates we need for dimensional travel.
Its origin is the true mystery! This is pure speculation, but I still firmly believe in the expansions to come we will continue learning more about Azem, in bits and pieces. When I go back to what we know about Azem, it's been confirmed that they left Amaurot to try and find their own way to save the Star, opposing the creation of Zodiark. Azem also did not show up to Venat's call before the sundering. This has led me to believe that:
A. Azem knew something no one else did.
B. For reasons yet unknown, Azem chose not to reveal their plan to anyone. Not even their closest friends or Venat. Whether they couldn't or didn't want to is a mystery, but I do not think the developers have chosen to keep us in the dark about Azem's final days for no reason.
So, while I understand that Azem needed to be sundered for us to exist... I think it is entirely possible that they actually had a major, bigger plan that is STILL ongoing. We know that Azem has access to information they shouldn't have, like our arrival in Elpis to help Elidibus with Pandemonium. Some chalk this on some supposed ability to see the immediate future, but I doubt it. The introduction to this crystal confirms, to me, that Azem DID know something. Likely even more than we know now. As you said, Azem had no reason to create a key for interdimensional fusion when the World was still Unsundered.
There is also a simpler fact, but Azem leaving just to die and be sundered doesn't make sense to me. The WoL is known for always finding that option that seems impossible and making it work. Like in EW, when all we could choose was stay and die or flee, we just said 'nope, I will stop the Final Days' and we did. So I believe Azem was (is?) the same, and I am at least 100% certain they had a plan in mind and knowing how obstinate we are, I choose to believe they succeeded. Because until now we've largely been under Venat's wing thanks to the Time Loop in EW, but we are now 'alone' to face upcoming enemies.
And the fact that they make it a point to mention there were another fourteen concepts submitted is intriguing. It's very possible that we are about to begin a long journey of playing scavenger hunt to find these relics. OR, that these relics will reveal themselves to us in times of need, which would fit with the idea of Azem's major plan.
About the idea that Emet-Selch could have handled the key to the Milallas, I struggle believing it. I admit I find it odd that Azem would handle these concepts to Hythlodaeus, but they might have just done so under the guise of "concepts to help with travel" and never ellaborating further. I think Azem left them all in the dark for a reason and it will be up to us to discover exactly what they were doing, how, and why.
Ok, hold on, 16:55 it's asserted that we "know" Emet-Selch masqueraded as Azem.... when did we learn that?!
Hello! Cob here. The masquerading is implied, but Emet-Selch did take up the legacy and duty of Azem while he held Azem's crystal between the time he created it and Shadowbringers. We learn this in his final speech in Endwalker, where he gives us the bucket list. The line "As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider your duty to see at least that much. I certainly did." This indicates that as he was the bearer of Azem's crystal and legacy, he also took on Azem's duty of seeing the world and exploring. As should we now that the crystal and legacy are both ours. Beyond this, the video posits it's possible he may have masqueraded as Azem with a mask, but that's purely speculation.
I question why Krile parents went back to the Alexandria reflection instead of just staying with her
Possibly to ensure Preservation would not succeed with the knowledge they had.
Im just throwing this out as a shot in the dark but i dont think the concept crystal hythlodaeus found was the crystal in the key. I bet it was azem that created chocobos.
Yeah, the crew has a lot of thoughts on what the concept crystal Hythlodaeus found could be. Too much to fit in the video, in fact, so it's mostly been a topic of discussion in our Discord. It's so incredibly fascinating that they dropped the bomb of "Azem created a series of 14 travel concepts" in a SHORT STORY. ._.
- Arden
I had the thought that the key was used to essentially traverse large distances, possibly with other people or goods- it's nice to know I might be on the right track at least.
It just dawned on me(lol) that there are fourteen Azem concepts and fourteen Shards.
I know the dev team loves playing on numerology and patterns, but that's a little too on the nose when the Azem concepts are supposed to aide in their travels.
And the thing to remember is that we know ruins from Amourot exist on the shards and possibly the Source (Shadowbringers)
I think we're gonna run into more Azem relics.
then theoretically would Krile be the WoL of Alexandria? just brought over to source and that is also why she had the gift of "the echo" And if the key of Azem is activated from a fervent wish/will would She also be the "Daugther of Hope"? Since if we are the WoL and hope triggers as a catalyst for the key. idk just speculatiosn on my end but if it were true...then we might get more stories for Krile for next expansion since she has a new job class given.
There can be multiple Warriors of light, and the echo is not unique to the Warrior of Light
1:34 it's also probably not a coincidence that this core looks like a twisted version of the normally straight piece of white auracite that the Scions have crafted a few times. I think you're definitely on point for calling it out as auracite.
I don't doubt that Azem created the "key". You'll find a short story talking about Azem's multiple concepts (Hythlodaes's musings). However, I don't think the "key" was for Azem's use. I believe he created it to allow his compatriots to quickly arrive when he needed them. So, technically, the "key" would have been in the possession of someone like Emet-Selch. The interesting thing is that if it was in his possession when the world was sundered, then it is likely that the "key" is still in its whole form. I'd love to know where it was found by the Milala's, because the remnants of a skeleton might be there too (although, now mostly dust). Emet-Selch renunciated his flesh somewhere...so why no the South Sea Isles? If the "key" was created to travel Etherys, it would make sense that it still attunes to the shards which, of course, are pieces of the Star....and naturally connected as they are drawn to the source (hence Venat's application of stathis to slow this process).
Yeah, we felt it was important to bring up the short story in this one. The likelihood that Azem created it is incredibly high, and we've learned over the years that the playerbase often doesn't read (or doesn't know about) the short stories on the Lodestone site.
As a team, we're curious to see how the Dawn Key ends up playing into the story; and, honestly, the playerbase's reaction to it. We've seen a surprising number of comments around on social media where people think that it won't be used in future patches at all!
Yet, we have the short story teasing FOURTEEN concepts! We would not be surprised if this is hinting at one of the directions the story will be taking.
We've also considered that it's possible that Azem lost the key when saving an island for grapes. XD
- Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I can't imagine the story just dropping it in there and not paying it off later. The placement (expac ending) almost guarantees it will be a focus going forward. You guys have a target rich environment with all the strings they left hanging. (key, crown, regulator, memory and soul extraction). I'm , personally, kind of curious if the design on the crown doesn't slightly match our party finder floor design. Not exactly, but in the same style, and what that might mean. Either way, looking forward to your future vid drops.
Look, I dunno what the future holds, and I'm very excited to find out, but I am tripping at the video production. That's some fancy work with the key 😂
Holy cow I didn't see the bastok thing till you pointed it out, it's so true!
The FFXI-enjoyers on our team freaked out when Neila dropped that screenshot in our Discord!
@@LoreLinesXIV I've been searching for the obvious link that will bring us into vanadiel for the alliance raid, and I think that's it for sure. (I make lots of FFXI content so that's my main draw lol)
I'm curious, if within the 30-some-odd years that the Alexandrian fusion in Heritage Found occurred if in that time Zoral Ja was fascinated with the Key and utulized his newfound resources to research more on it, its origins and possibilities since he was hungry for power and control. Although now that he was defeated, either that knowledge never came to be found, disappeared with him or (my guess for the next patch) young Gulool Ja will have access to this research/knowledge now that he has inherited authority as king.
I love these videos, it's so awesome seeing someone else(or a team?) come up with similar and identical conclusions that I've come up with on my own after playing through DT. I've never been more excited for the future of this game. It's also why it stings seeing people shit on DT so much when this has been one of the best lore expacs, but most people seem to have completely missed almost all of it.
Anyhow, this is only one point in the video, but I think the worlds Sphene showed us were other rejoined worlds. The wind(5th) and earth(4th) rejoined elements specifically. Those are also the elements she manifests and attacks us with in our fight on those respective worlds. Further highlighting that a rejoined world may not be completely deleted, as I've seen other people say, and giving more evidence that the key allowed the Milala to travel through time to the 12th and that the space that Living Memory currently resides in is indeed still the 12th. Thus I think our understanding of rejoinings is incomplete or flawed. I also think the source is their first successful fusion attempt since that was after they got the key back, and Sphene was rather desperate for souls. This also seems like it was their first time going on the offensive, so I don't think they've attacked other worlds.
Now I've seen people say that perhaps the world Alexandria is from is instead just another shard that was prepped for a rejoining but never was, and this could be true, but if that's the case, then that would mean that at least 2 other worlds met the same fate based on what she showed us. Meaning that almost all of the other shards out there are already destroyed. And I'm not entirely sold that the writers would do that, given the immense potential the shard travel gives us and with how loved shadowbringers and the First was/is. Plus, it would shit on a bunch of other evidence and hints they've been throwing out on certain things. Again, I'm not saying it's not possible, it just seems unlikely. But FF writers love to surprise you.
To tie this information with Azem, it gives more ammunition to the prospect that Azem time travelled. Their disappearance after they left the convocation was already suspicious enough, and their magic being able to shard jump when the shards did not exist is also pretty strange, but their exact knowledge of the future in the Panda raids is what really sends it home that they've got more to do in the story. And this key showing the possibility that it time traveled and is directly related to Azem is just, my oh my.
I think the nature of the rift is going to be very important in the future. I think the nature of Azems magic is that it allows the navigation and traversal of the rift. This could explain how it is not only able to travel between shards, but it could also explain the potential time travel as well. The scenes we are shown when we travel between shards and travel through time are one and the same. And even during our first time shard hopping to the first in ShB, we see flashes of history. History that was mostly things we lived, but also history that we were not there for. This too happened on our return from Elpis, where we saw scenes of the final days and of Venat's actions. So I've begun to suspect that the rift could be a sort of "river of time," and if one is able to navigate it and move through it at will, they could be possessed of the ability to cross shards, cross time, and even jump timelines/universes like the Exarch did with the Crystal Tower. This could also even further tie in to why time flows differently on shards until contact, or more specifically, a connection is made between the source and a shard.
So many things to talk about, so many implications. I feel like I could write essay after essay on lore stuff after this expac, it's so crazy. And so again I say, I don't think I've ever been so excited for the future of this game, which is amazing since this is only the first expac coming off of the incredible conclusion that Endwalker left us with. I only wish more people could see it, as opposed to hyperbolically ragging on a single character.
Loving all the thoughts--the whole team loves to see comments like this. :)
There are some super interesting aspects to the story that people seem to have glazed over in Dawntrail, for sure! We've been discussing a lot of this on Discord with our community--maybe you'd like to join in the discussion? :)
discord.gg/hKCmswD5Mn
Elidibus had the ability to open a portal that led to Elpis at a very high cost, if he knew how to do this can't others have done it before? We've already proven that accessing time isn't impossible and doorways can be made between, and they can be made stable, and it doesn't require an expert to make them, it's just very taxing and difficult to do physically, which is why Ascians used crystals to travel between worlds.
@@kielyarger5283 According to Elidibus, he was able to send us through time due to glimpsing the Exarchs memories and mastering the workings of the tower. On top of that, due to the tower having absorbed Eldibus, it had "an abundance of energy." This is seemingly how and why he was able to do that. It could be pointed out though, that what the Exarch did with the tower, seemingly, was "timeline jump." And yet, the magic the Exarch and Elidibus also used was, seemingly, summoning hero's from other shards. Either in their full form, like in the Emet trial, or just "pieces" of them like with what Elidibus did. So this seemingly selfsame magic was not only used to timeline jump, but also TP people across shards AND time travel? All things I suspect are related to traversing the rift. Hmmmmm
While rewatching that cutscene to recheck my memory, I find it funny that he explicitly said "I shall cast you unto the river of time" seeing as that is the choice of words I used to describe the rift. I don't think it's exactly that, but I can't think of any better terminology at this moment in time.
There are theories out that suggest since Azem also liked to create familiars, that Azem never got sundered but created a familiar with a souls that got sundered in their stead. Since Azem was so eager to master travel magic, it would surprise anyone that Azem discovered time travel and with the way how they key operates, it's not just time travel but also the mastering of space, space-time. If Azem never got sundered the question would be why and there are a lot of events that could lead into Azems decision of leaving everyone. Maybe Azem traveled to the end of time and just wanted to find a way to make the universe eternal or something else.
About the person who gave the Lalas on their shard the key, it wouldn't surprise me if the person was Elidibus. Elidibus role was balance and he always tried support both side without favoring one. If the Ascians rejoined the shards and he knew about the key which he could've known from, Hythlodeus, if the key is the artifact from the story. Elidibus would've given the key to others as a tool to escape the rejoining or perhaps counter- rejoin the shards without killing everyone. It's also suffice to say that Elidibus could know about the key from Hythlodeus memorie because both were part of Zodiark. We know from the Twelve storyline that Hythlodeus is his past was pretty carefree and often his right hand man had to do his job of approving new concepts. Which is also maybe due to Hythlodeus being bored about the suggested concepts like 100 versions of sharks that he mentioned back in Elpis. Maybe Azems concepts were interesting to him and he was more and more occupied with Azems travel concepts. Which would lead into him knowing the key and Elidibus knowing it too.
Love this. Subscribed. More lore plz
The gemstone reminds me of real world Golden Rutile Quartz. I think it will be used to merge the 1st and the 13th.
The final Endwalker short story explains things. Azem did not answer Venat's call, it is possible Azem used their concept to go forward in time and give the crystal to the Milala and taught their leader how to use the crystal, then return back in time for the sundering. I mean it is not like Azem would make only one concept crystal. Azem was one of those people Venat trusted with information of the WoL's visit to Elpis. Azem had fore knowledge of what was going to happen. It makes sense to take the concept crystal into the future so it would avoid being sundered. Azem's seat is known as The traveler, Shepard to the stars prior to the sundering. (emphesis on stars) .
I think Azem created his Key before the Sundering! The Milalla used it to flee the Source during the Calamity of Ice going to the Twelfth Shard during the Calamity of Lightning! This means they travelled through time & space from the Fifth Umbral Calamity to the Second Umbral Calamity! Sphene used Azems Key & brought Alexandria to the Source before the Second Sundering completely destroyed their world! How did Krile's people get Azem's Key & how did it get to the Source? I so loved your vid on this! I so want more to this storyline about Azem's Key!
As to how the Milala had the Dawn Key, perhaps they've always had it, as Azem was once reincarnated as a Lalafell (perhaps as whoever The Speaker was) and crafted it along with that nature-orb thingy for emergency purposes should something happen to Aloalo and/or the South Sea Isles... Being the precious little Vacation-Hobbits that they are, the Aloalo Lalas especially, wouldn't even need concern for such a swift & sudden issue like the oceans freezing in a eternally summer/tropical environment... Unless perhaps that the creator of the Dawn Key has that reverse Echo that shows the future like Mikoto's...
Semi-alternatively, a post-Sundering yet still primary Azem was going around being an Azem, helping out people & places that would definitely get overlooked by the Ascians and their machinations...
Whoever made it, I'm thankful they did, wouldn't have best bae Krile!
There's also the chance that Azem dropped it or left it while battling Ifrita, since it sounds like that aspect of one of the short stories could have happened around the South Sea Isles! Granted, that also raises the concerning question of--if the key is sundered, then just how powerful would it have originally been?
As for the Echo like Mikoto's--there's some odd indications in the Pandaemonium questline that makes it sound like Azem had the ability to see the future, which raises the question as to why the WoL doesn't seem to currently possess this ability.
- Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV Oh!? Senpai noticed me!
On the contrary, I think WoL does indeed have the foresight ability! Only, instead of proper visions of the future like Mikoto's, it's more like Shulk from Xenoblade's Monado visions, showing deadly-danger before it happens; we know them as "combat mechanics", but especially as it's most common form, ORANGE CIRCLES!
Seriously though, there's absolutely NO WAY anyone would be able to avoid half the stuff WoL can dodge, most of which being completely untelegraphed attacks they've never seen before, from surprise tail-swipes, to otherwise-instant explosions or laser beams, but especially any of the "don't look!" mechanics... Instincts can only get you so far, ain't NOBODY dodging Larboard/Starboard without foresight!
I'd love you to go back through the earlier episodes and give it this treatment
Just found your channel love some of the recent stuff but the old ones are hard to watch
There's definitely a bunch of videos we want to remake with current information!
@@LoreLinesXIV brilliant. I didn't wanna sound rude or anything 🤣🤣🤣
So the crystal in the middle is like an aetheryte crystal. Whereas an Aetheryte allows the traversal from one location to another on a star, the core in this key allows the soul to traverse between stars. The extrope housing is like the programing for the key. LIke the notches you would find on your house key.
You have also look a the nature of this "teleportation" In shadowbringers, the ability to bring a soul to a star, also came with a certain amount of time travel. In Dawntrail, we see with Kriles parents, that they are able to come back to the source with NO TIME LOST.
Also, ultimately this artifact is created using AZEMs magic, and the last person besides the player to have Azems Crystal was Emet Selch. I believe Emet Selch created this artifact. To allow Emet to travel between stars, but also left to the peoples on the star before the 5th or 6th umbral calamity. (whichever one was ice)
i posted this before i watched the video on what i believed was the purpose of the key.
I believe the Key is going to be the important artifact going forward. So far in FF14 when we are given such an artifact, we learn a rule. FF14 has explored many things about the nature of souls, and the aetherial sea. And in Dawntrail we learn that a soul can have its memory cleansed, but also we need to learn how souls traverse between worlds. The unsundered could do this seemingly with ease. Maybe it wasnt so easy, or they needed mechanisms to position allies between worlds.
Anyways, good video.
I've always assumed azem's mask design was the legacy tattoo given to legacy players
DON KEEEEE
It would be pretty lit if azem's power was what the ascians tried to accomplish with zodiark. Rewinding, redoing, reliving
I actually did have a question for you as this does tie in with with one of your prior videos about the nature of Sphene and Alexandria. Given what we have seen and given what we know we have not only a hypothetical ability of movement thru time with historia crux but with the upcoming 24 man of a hypothetical what if brothers Eladnarche and Kamlanaut did find their path to the gods. I meant ion this cause of what we see in Urqopacha with the giants and all but similar fate befell their people for searching for the land of the gods. We also find out a lot more in depth with opera omnia (which they have gone and made events in there canon)their disdain for the gods and the lengths they go to manipulate. So hypothetically in the worlds that she would have encountered and eaten we ended up with lingering will endless versions of them or a version of them.
what music is playing in the background ? I really like it
Very good and interesting video! Also, great music in the background for this topic, it bring the mystery around ;)
Nice work!
You also mention time and space being relative to the fight with the queen eternal, here is another theory to throw your way each of the keys where potentially done with each of the 12 in mind as things and in this cause this stone could of been meant for Althyk
"Why does the original artifact look and behave like auracite? " What if it is auracite? We know that auracite can hold souls/memories/information. And it "responds to fervent prayers and supplications". We also know that "concepts" were often, if not always, creatures that the ancients made. Its not impossible that with in the artifact are 7 powerful beings that Azem themselves placed in side to help them on their journey. Either to bridge the gaps in space/time or to serve as party members on their adventures.
We mention that possibility a bit in our last video, where we theorize over who the next "main villain" or overarching evil for FFXIV could be! Due to ties to other FF games that already exist in XIV, there's some concerning threads that have been woven into the story, suggesting where we could be going next in various plotpoints!
th-cam.com/video/jeaJBQBvsMA/w-d-xo.html
-Arden
Also, recall that Elidibus was supposed to investigate Pandæmonium with Azem but they only sent a vague message about a falling star. This could be a hint to how Azem learned about Auracite. They might have learned it from Athena.
Maybe the original concept of Alexander, who plays a huge role in ff9 and Alexandria?
@@kielyarger5283 I would say Alexander is a strong possibility. Any time that time travel has been involved be it through the Alexander Raids or Crystal Tower and ShadowBringers, it's always been Alexander... And when traveling through time there has been a habit of moving across space/dimensions as well. CT went back and ended up on the first, and it's speculated that the milala went back in time to before the lightning calamity on another shard while experiencing the ice calamaty that came significantly after it.
It wouldn't be hard to imagine that Alexander not only manipulates time but space-time as a whole. Leading to dimensional compression.
@@sudonym2078 And it was only activated originally through prayer.
@LoreLinesXIV considering my WoL is a lalafell, it's only natural that the key fell into the hands of the milala :D
I still can't help wonder if we've maybe seen this sort of crystal before, one that can cross dimensions and responds to the reverent wishes of people. Sounds a lot like the Heart of Sabik to me and I have to wonder if maybe there are multiple ones in different shards and if perhaps that points to who and what is going to be the big bad of the game for the next main story now that the Ascians are basically dealt with.
You should check this, of our recent videos ;)
th-cam.com/video/jeaJBQBvsMA/w-d-xo.html
So since Azem was sundered there's a piece of them in each world. What if the one from the Alexandrian world was Sphene and that's why Azem's symbol appeared?
Even if that's the case, the Sphene that we meet is not a living being, she doesn't have a soul, much less Azem's soul. We dont know who the Unlost Azem is, nor if their soul was rejoined or not, but we know that it's not the Sphene that we speak too.
Based on what happened in Endwalker I think Azem knew what was going to happen, even before most likely Venat confided in him/her. When Azem did not join to form Hydaelyn, I think that was on purpose, with Azem having their own plan. And I think that this key, is just one part of the plan. I do not think that Azem's plan is to rejoin the worlds, but rather it will end up with all the shards and source being connected like a network and the artifacts of Azem likely will enable this. I'm even going as far as Azem even having left items intended to help restore the first and the thirtheenth as well as the already rejoined worlds. Likely, each shard has their own item with the rejoined ones all being on Source. While I doubt we will get a direct interaction with Azem, I think by time we have 2 or 3 of the artifacts we will get a message directed at the warrior of light, which will be cryptic at best, but will give a hint as to the nature of the plan. There will be no straight answer for where is the fun in that.
Azem being cryptic, eh?? Yeah, I can see that. Sounds normal for someone to set up a long form plan.
If things go this way it'll be interesting to see....
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING!!!!!!
A small thing that was said. I noticed you mentioned that the Malala were six times rejoined, but if they went over to another shard after the 5th Umbral Calamity, wouldn't they be 5 times rejoined?
This is a common point of confusion in the community, so let's try to make it clearer;
"Five times Rejoined" means their soul has experienced 5 Rejoinings. This should mean that they're 6/14ths Rejoined. A lot of time, people forget to factor in the Source shard of a soul.
Dawntrail makes this even weirder with the Milala and Krile, because Krile seems to be the same amount of times Rejoined as if she was born on the Source, despite being born in Alexandria--otherwise, Y'shtola would have remarked on her aetheric density being lower than everyone else. This suggests that the Milala are still connected to the Source's Aetherial Sea, and not that of the Reflection they traveled to.
It's definitely a point of the expansion that gets weird, and we're hoping it's expanded upon, because as of the moment, the Milala are...an oddity, to say the least.
- Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV Do you think it is because the 12th was technically rejoined? Perhaps the aetherial sea that their newborn's souls were taken from is the source since the aetherial sea of the 12th was returned to the source as well?
I have no idea if this is offical or not but i remember seeing text that emet and azem helped some people from a volcano?? maybe it was the malala???
It's canon/official that Azem helped an island!
Here's the short story: na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/tales_from_the_shadows/sidestory_07/#sidestory_07
We recommend reading all the FFXIV short stories, if you haven't! Especially SHB-EW, there's a lot of juicy lore.
- Arden
Where can I find information on Emet-Selch taking up the mantle of Azem after the sundering? I never thought he did, so I'm curious where this is coming from.
This is during his final speech In Endwalker when he tells us, "As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider it your duty to see at least that much, I certainly did." Meaning while he had Azem's crystal, he also took up Azem's duty to explore the world, which is why he knows so much about things we have yet to discover.
@@LoreLinesXIV I guess I could understand that, but I don't think I agree that he took on the title of Azem while he had possession of Azem's crystal. I always took his speech as meaning: "You, who are of Azem, have a responsibility to see more of the world. I did, and I'm not even Azem, I'm better than you, see if you can keep up." ... almost like a dare instead of a declaration.
Halfway through this video I had a thought. Why, conceived and born of many generations on the Alexandrian reflection, does Krile have a source sized soul. Shouldn't the Milalas born on the reflection, have souls.... FROM the reflection.
That's the question, isn't it? More than that, now that we have dumped unsundered souls in the Source's lifestream, what impact will that have? There's a lot that needs to be explained about soul mechanics. Hopefully we will get answers soon
Even though this expansion's msq was an absolute dumpster fire this right here is what has kept me interested going forward. Like I legit don't want to ever have to speak to Wuk Lamat again.
Maaaaan none of those volcano masks look anything like Ascian masks to me. Same with the scion mask. Am i tripping are they?
Hi Cob here. Narrated and made the video. If they don't to you then they don't! Right now that's 100% pure speculation, that was my immediate reaction to them, but lots of people have different takes, and that's part of what makes this expansion so exciting!
Emet maybe gave the relic to the lalas of the source cause he knew that them being in Sphene's world would lead to the development of electrope, and cause another calamity. All part of his plan.
After how many times they say Azem in game, you came up with that pronunciation?
I still want to know what happens to rejoined worlds personally. They sre supposed to be merged with the source are they not?
That being said. If we have a world that was rejoined by lightning already confirmed, would that not be Alexendrias home world?
Pretty sure the lightning rejoining was one of the earlier rejoinings which was much longer than 30 years ago.
We know they cause calamaities on the source when they occured but, we dont know if the shard is actually physically merged.
Wuk Lamat
Disagree it being bastok. That looked like Ru' ann gardens
Take a look again (pause if needed!) Desert/Shrublands looking terrain, and laid brick--much more similar to Bastok than Ru'aun Gardens! Ru'aun Gardens is a lot whiter and smoother, with greener terrain; and no laid brick!
- Arden
By us using azem magic I believe we are being played by the present azem binding his time to show I’m not sure but I’m thinking that azem is a ascian.
Based on the MSQ writing capacity of the current writing team, I'm willing to bet at the time of this comment that it's a red herring mcguffin. If they get an actual competent writing team back in that don't have their protagonist running around screaming "I can't lose because I have the power of love and friendship on my side!" and then make utterly lore ruining things like Alexandria, I have no capacity to accept whatever they come up with making any reasonable sense whatsoever.
As far as we know, it's largely the same team--and they are admittedly inconsistent in their writing quality! They have a different lead right now, but Ishikawa-san is still the the Lead Scenario Supervisor.
That said, something they do seem to do well, is "backwards writing" as we've been calling it. Something will get overlooked for years, or mentioned once -> a loremaster in the community asks about it -> we end up getting story and answers regarding it. Personally, I think this has to do with how differently the JP and Western audiences approach the story. Apparently, the Western audience has a lot more lore and theorycrafting focus than the JP audience does.
So, even if it is a red herring mcguffin right now--I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up as much more than that in an expansion or two, at the latest. Personally, I think it will end up being relevant much earlier than that because of the focus it received in the ending cutscenes for Dawntrail, but only time will tell!
- Arden
@@LoreLinesXIV I agree with that. The white/black auracite storyline has been ongoing in the background ever since ARR. I don't think they can drag it out much longer without it being a failed Chekhov's Gun. I'm just inherently suspicious about why it was only Azem's relics that somehow survived, and only because Emit Selch potentially held onto them? Surely there were other surviving relics created by other equally powerful people. The idea that only at most 14 of them survived, all from Azem's creations and only the creations of a specific type seems... Far fetched, to put it politely.
Personally I'm not entirely sure this is going to be a pure FFXI/Tactics crossover... The idea of a crystal suddenly appearing one day, manipulating emotions, transforming people into monsters, use of vessels... That also describes JENOVA with the Black Materia from the original FFVII to a T. Not sure if they'll exactly rehash that story and just change every reference of "white" to "black" and "auracite" to "materia" or if they'll try to blend the two story ideas into one.
Or a part of Azem is inside of that auracite, dun dun dun, nah I dunno