#Ffxiv the twelve

[capriccio-ffxiv]

Screenshots of Deryk's descriptions of the Ancients that the Twelve were based on. I have included alt text on all images for ease of use.

At present, we have definitive evidence of two of the Twelve's names as Ancients: Althyk (Alkaios) and Nymeia (Maira). They appear in the quest chain that starts with "An Expected Guest." If you finish this quest chain, Althyk and Nymeia will comment on recognizing your Warrior of Light.

[balladingbard]

How Deryk Solved the Problem of the Ancients

When we talk about the Myths of the Realm finale, I think many of us went in expecting how the story would end.

We knew the Twelve were former Ancients from Venat’s faction. We knew they were getting ready to pass the torch to mankind. Heck, we even knew Deryk was Oschon.

But despite the predictability of the story, I think Myths highlighted a nagging problem Ancient society was plagued with and never could get over: the inability to enjoy life simply for what it was.

When we think about it, the Ancients based their lives on their work and purpose. Once that purpose was done, death awaited. We saw it in Ancient society with the Elpis arc. We saw it with the Ascians, like Emet-Selch and Elidibus and their speeches on duty. We also saw it with the Twelve, who after all these millennia of guiding mankind to stand on their own feet again, decided to call it quits and return to the Star.

Work becomes life, according to the Ancients, and once that work is done, what life is there left to live?

But then Oschon came along.

Like the rest of the Twelve, Oschon (or Deryk, as he called himself) was like the other Ancients. His work was wrapping up, and after a final test for mankind, he was going to return to the Star with his friends like the other Ancients before him. But unlike the rest of the Twelve, rather than observing and keeping communication to a minimum with mankind, he reached out and became one of them - joining their travels, breaking bread at the table, listening to their hopes and dreams.

Though still at work, he got to do something the other Twelve had little chance to do - see the newly created world not from the eyes of a protective deity, but of a man. And when he allowed himself to glimpse a life outside of his work, it awakened a desire to remain. While the other Eleven returned to the Star, Oschon decided to stay, embracing Deryk’s identity and finally taking the time to simply enjoy the world and people he’d spent lifetimes protecting.

In short, Oschon learned a lesson the Ancients ignored - how to see the beauty of life outside of work.

Though the Ancients weren’t wrong in celebrating their purposes and finding joy in what they did, we saw in the Elpis arc and Hermes how damaging it was to make life solely about work. Would Hermes have been as distraught in taking Fandaniel’s seat knowing it didn’t mean the end of his mentor? Could the Eleven have gotten to know their people had they stayed, and thus find new purpose in the world they helped shape? Menphina says in her final battle, “Let’s delight in the simple things,” but does she really allow herself to?

No. Instead, it’s Oschon, the wanderer…the loner. The one who really wasn’t supposed to be around people much, but chose them over his purpose as an Ancient anyways. And despite still having love for the Eleven, he allowed himself to do something no other Ancient (except perhaps Elidibus) could do: remember the Ancient world, but still embrace the new.

[evaporatingvoid]

woo I can finally share this <:3

✨Happy first opening✨

https://ko-fi.com/hungryghost/shop

- the stock is very limited - the shop will be open until i'm out of stock (then hopefully reopen with more stuff around christmas shopping time) - for any questions please DM me or join my discord server for more frequent updates (the link will be in replies)

[rbillustration]

New FFXIV stickers are now available in my store! Go check them out here if you're interested!

[starfalldancer]

mommy? sorry, mommy?

[bluetomatoart]

Thought I’d do a digital piece of Azeyma since I already had the lineart from my watercolor version.

[starstrider]

menphina for a p/\tron :)

[sumifinalfourteen]

Praying Nophica

[mintffxiv]

[neneru-nowhere]

I was in an Unsundered kick last night. On a lark I created the Ancient incarnation of my girl Neneru. I wanted to name that would go along with both the sound of her current incarnation's name and the general Greek mythological theming of Amaurot.

I ended up choosing Nemesis. Neneru's long arc these past few years has been centered on the struggle for justice for the poor and oppressed of Ul'dah and the struggle within herself as she discovered the human cost of her methods. Doing a deeper dive on the goddess Nemesis, suddenly I realized how perfect she is.

OH AND I DISCOVERED THAT WHILE I WAS DOING ALL THIS, IT WAS AZEM APRIL.

[memoriavivens]

Moon-keeper Myths part 1: Major Figures

Hi! Ever since I began playing FFXIV, I’ve been rather dissatisfied with how little lore exists for the Keepers of the Moon. (Like many of you, I’m sure.) Because of this, I decided a while back to try writing some myself! Focusing for now on the mythological side of things, I have a few major myths mostly solidified in my mind and a few others still taking shape, but I’m new to writing and it’s harder than I had thought. So, for now, I’m going to post a list of major figures in these myths along with a brief description of the significance of each. Here we go!

Ancient Beings

. The First Promises: Not actually beings, these are concepts so fundamentally true that they exist without anything to establish them. The most relevant of them is the one which establishes that all things will inevitably end, which has uniquely been given a name: Rhalgr.

. Nymeia: Known as Great-grandmother, Nymeia is the original being as well as the great expanse of space itself. She grew lonely of being the only thing in existence and so created countless divine children.

. Althyk: The firstborn child of Nymeia, blessed with a knowledge of all that is, was, and will be, yet unwilling to share this information.

. Azeyma: The “Sky Tyrant”, formerly the star itself. Azeyma, joined by her sister Menphina and daughters Nophica and Byregot (As well as Oschon, unbeknownst to them) created a paradise meant to last for eternity. However, said paradise ultimately succumbed to the inevitable end, and Azeyma died alongside it. The sun is her soul, expelled from her body upon her death, and the stone from which all mortal souls are carved.

The Six Gods

. Menphina: The moon, sister of Azeyma, and guardian of all life on the star. Possessed of a boundless compassion, she gives the people the strength to endure in a world defined by mortality.

. Nald’thal: Azeyma’s corpse miraculously possessed of new life, they are the star itself. Created the Nalm, defined as all creatures that must consume other life to sustain themselves, in imitation of the previous inhabitant of their body. Crafted the souls of mortal beings from the light of the sun, and oversees the cycle through which the souls of the dead are recycled.

. Nophica: The younger daughter of Azeyma and another star in the solar system. Gifted the Nalm knowledge of how to harvest food to sustain themselves. Patron of cooks and hunters.

. Byregot: The elder daughter of Azeyma and another star in the solar system. Gifted the Nalm knowledge of how to reshape the world for their safety. Patron of craftsmen and all others who devote themselves to construction.

. Dalamud: The loving hound and the lesser moon, created by Menphina to quell a raging shadow. Holds boundless love for even the most vile of beings, and is said to always shine light on the path to redemption.

. Oschon: The unseen god, said to be an invisible star within the solar system. He is the lover of Menphina, yet she must make herself invisible for the two of them to be together.

The Two Great Shadows

. Halone: The grasping shadow, an all-consuming monster and the oldest enemy of the world. Brought into being when Azeyma attempted to fight the Promise of mortality, Halone told Azeyma that with her help she could preserve her paradise through violence. Azeyma was deceived by this, and events were set in motion that culminated in Halone betraying her and slaughtering half of her people before injecting her with a fell venom that would in time turn her into the most horrible of fiends, forcing Menphina to divest her of her light and end her. Menphina then confronted Halone and imprisoned her. However, even from her prison on the moon Halone sometimes reaches out and stirs the creatures of the world into a gluttony for war.

. Vegnagun: The engine of perdition, created by the ancient Meracydians to punish the Allagans for their invasion. Made with the directive to punish sin, it was possessed of the ability to absorb the souls of the dead into itself, where it would eternally keep them and subject them to all forms of suffering imaginable. Such an evil weapon would not long remain under control, however, and its idea of who was sinful gradually broadened until it sought to work damnation upon all in existence. Ultimately, Menphina intervened and trapped it within a sphere of rock, which she imbued with divine light to create Dalamud to counteract it. Even still, Vegnagun is said to occasionally grasp a soul from the livestream and bring it into its hell.

Other Beings

. Llymlaen: A spirit of unknown origin, initially a carefree wanderer tasked by Nald’thal with stealing light from the sun. In modern times she is said to carry the souls of the dead to Nald’thal’s realm, where the selves they carry are expunged and they are returned to the lifestream.

. Thaliak: A minor god taking the form of a comet, Thaliak has the ability to perceive the memories of those he encounters. He sometimes visits Althyk, perceives his visions of the future, and grants them to mortals for amusement.

. Lahbirot: Said to be the firstborn of the Zeym, Azeyma’s immortal creations. Lahbirot desires the return of his people to prominence, and occasionally meddles in the affairs of the Nalm that he might eventually erase them.

. The Allagans: A great empire that was once stirred by Halone to invade Meracydia the homeland, taking many with them to their continent as slaves. Ultimately collapsed when Menphina shook the earth to imprison Vegnagun.

. The Nunh: Following the collapse of the Allagans, the Nunh emerged as leaders among the taken slaves. They set about organizing a new society and seeing to the protection of their people, but in time grew power-hungry and declared that all the people must be completely subservient to their might.

. Lady Romaa: Prophet and founder of the Keepers of the Moon. In the time after the fall of Allag, she opposed the Nunh on many matters both worldly and spiritual. Eventually she led her followers in exodus to escape the tyranny of the Nunh, settling in a great forest in South-central Ilsabard and becoming the first Keepers of the Moon.

[ffxivaltaholic]

~ Inspired by the Twelve ~

Ame | Patron Deity of Doma | Deliverance of Spring and Flowers

I got really inspired by the new big raid and decided to do a themed series of my characters as members of the Twelve. This is an AU and non-canon representation.

[shayminlucario07]

Euphrosyne thoughts

Myths of the Realm part 2 thoughts, in no particular order

Nophica may well be the most well-designed god we’ve seen yet. Her design is the good kind of simple, where the simplicity looks good.

Nymeia’s design is excellent, and she fascinates me; I want to learn more about her, possibly more than any of the other gods in Euphrosyne, and the idea of the Goddess of Fate is so fascinating. (Botanists and Weavers popping off is my favorite thing to see on fan twitter, they’ve won so hard)

Althyk forgettable. Outshined by his sister. Also, why did they fight together? And is Nymeia going to come back for Thalia? I’m very confused.

Halone is easily the most enjoyable fight, and I have no notes. I wish we’d gotten to see more of her, because she’s fantastic.

Menphina being depicted as the youngest and most childlike makes me uncomfortable because she’s supposed to be the lover of Oschon. She is genuinely making me wonder if they’re going to retcon some of the things we know about the Twelve. I also just don’t really like her design that much, especially compared to Azeyma. At least her fight reads more like a moon-themed fight than Azeyma’s did a sun-themed fight.

The story was honestly underwhelming. We didn’t get to see that much of Byregot, Rhalgr, Azeyma, and Nald’Thal in the story for Aglaia, but even though we got to see more of them AND the new gods in the Euphrosyne story, we still got disappointingly little. I feel like they should’ve gone all-out for this storyline, because these are supposed to be the some of the most important figures in the entirety of Eorzea, having been worshipped since before the first calamity.

Ultimately, while it’s a fun raid, Euprhosyne/Myths of the Realm part 2 was disappointing from a story perspective. I hope Thalia/Part 3 is better, and I’m excited to see the new god designs (Thaliak especially) and I’m really curious how they’re going to handle the fact that we’ve already seen Nymeia.

(In case you don’t know why I’m calling Myths of the Realm part 3 Thalia, the sections of the raid are named after the Greek Charites, also called the Graces, which are Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, so the third wing, containing the heavens of water and wind, will be named after the Charite Thalia.)

[evaporatingvoid]

6.5 raid spoilers

the planets finally aligned for me to draw fanart

WIP (very rough) portraits of my favs for a little DIY hobby project that I'm waiting some materials for

might share the result in a few weeks >:з

[starfalldancer]

slowly making progress between work🥴 (also missing Thaliak here, gonna line him after Oschon)

original sketch post

[bluetomatoart]