#The Lucii

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Tell us weird theories/speculation among Insomnia's population about What Happened When The Conqueror Went To Galahd.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Historia Antiqua. A podcast where we dissect anecdotes, happenings and people from ancient history. The grotesque, the mysterious, the mundane, the well known and the unknown. Everything goes.

My name is Falco and today I have something very special prepared for you.

Maybe some of you listeners - depending on when you are listening to this - have already heard of this. If so, welcome! I hope you will learn something new from this as well.

So what are we talking about today? Well, we are going to talk about a man named Firmus Lucis Caelum. You may better know him as the Conqueror and 10th King of Lucis.

'But hold on', I can hear you say, 'we already know everything about this man' - well, you're wong. What I will talk about today currently has near every scholar of antique history up in a tizzy. I think one of the old scolars got so upset his wig fell off. It was great.

But before we get into the meat of things, let's first talk about what we know about dear old Firmus. A refresher, if you will. And maybe you will learn something new as well. You never know.

Who was Firmus Lucis Caelum? We all know him for his epithet. The Conqueror. So let's start there. What did he conquer? The answer to that is most of the Lucian continent.

Before his reign, Lucis was barely more than all of Cavaugh and a few territories along the Leidean coast. After he died, his son inherited a Kingdom that stretched from Cavaugh all the way to Ravatogh. The land north of the mountain was still its own kingdom by that point, but that's not important right now.

What is important is that a single man's ambition more than tripled the size of a kingdom in about a generation's time. Which is very impressive. According to anecdotal history, the moment Firmus brought Ravatogh under his rule, the Draconian gave him his epithet The Conqueror. Before that he was actually known as The Elementrist.

Side tangent: If you ever come across a certain consirancy theory telling you that The Elementrist is a missing King of Lucis that we erased from history, no, there wasn't. It's just Firmus. I cannot stress enough how that is just Firmus's first epithet. Yes, I'm talking to you, Constantia.

*ahem*

Where were we? Ah, yes. Firmus came very close to giving Lucis its modern borders. Which begs the question: Why? Why conquer nigh on a whole continent? No one just wakes up one morning and chooses violence on that scale.

The answer to that question is 'A Divine Decree'. For all that don't know: the Devine Decree is a document written by the Conqueror himself, detailing that his conquest is in accord with the Devine Will of the Astrals. It's a very... interesting read. Sadly, not all of it survived to this day. Part of it got burned when the Old Palace burnt down during the time of The Rogue.

Some people were very upset back then about women being Kings. Let me tell you.

If you are interested in the finer details of what we do have from the Divine Decree, I'll leave a link on my mog-page along with all other sources I have consulted for this episode.

What else we have on written record of the Conqueror is very sparce. Most of what we do know, comes from a man named An Inarim - a Leidean historian who lived around that time - and he wasn't exactly Firmus's biggest fan. For very good reasons as well. According to what we have of his books, Firmus had a very salt-the-earth mentality when a town didn't surrender before he killed their leaders. Among varuous other things. An Inarim also called Firmus a religious fanatic, which was a very bold claim to make at the time.

By now some of you might be wondering what the point of all of this is. Well, that's simple: Some weeks ago a young man named Ianus Veter walked into the Grand University of Insomnia with an old diary he found in his grandparents' attic. The contents of which are so monumental that they will change how we write history.

Yes, you heard that right. A nearly 2000 year old diary is the reason you have seen that funny little picture of old Scolar Lampas loosing his wig circling around the net.

In all seriouslness though, this diary is a milestone in researching ancient history and how we think about it. Especially wen it comes to one tiny detail. A hint to answering the qustion of what happened to the Black Fleet.

Through the tenth book of the Lucis Caelum Cycle - which is what the bools of An Inarim are called - we know that the Black Fleet was built as a part of the Divine Decree, though that part of the document has been lost to time and flame. It was completed somewhen around 427 AS, though some sources also mention the years 424 and 429. We know for sure however, that it set sail in 431 AS. Inarim is quite insistent on that detail.

What we don't know what happened to the fleet after that. All we know through the Lucis Caelum Cycle and a few surviving written pieces in Insomnia, is that only three ships returned, maybe around the year 433 AS. No one can say for sure.

What happened to the fleet has been a mystery ever since. Firmus himself hasn't been very vocal about it. As far as we know, at least. He must have said something, since the vanishing of a whole fleet, ships and crew and all, cannot have been without consequences. Sadly, no sources survived to this day.

This is where the diary comes into play. According to the University - and the parts of the diary they have published - it was written by an older noble named Avitas Veneres. He mostly wrote about his day-to-day life, which in and of itself cound't be amazing enough. That man really loved his wife and children. Which is an important detail, because on the 13th day of the 1st Leviathanis 431 AS he writes that, and I shall translate roughly: 'Worry eats me down to my bones, for my youngest son has signed onto the Farsighted. It is a fine vessel and it would be a fine choice, if this ship hadn't been part of the fleet set sail to the savage nation of Galahd.'

He goes into a bit of a rant, which shall not be repeated here, but let that sink in. Part of the fleet set sail to Galahd. If there wasn't any other fleet being built at the time - and the possibility of that is vanishingly low - Veneres here is talking about the Black Fleet.

Which, I don't even know where to start with this. If this is true, then this would mark the first contact between Lucians and Galahdians in history. It was previously thought that the honour of first contact belonged to the Wanderer.

Why is this important? Well, it would at least in part inform about the animosity between our two people. I mean, who would want to deal with a nation that tried to conquer theirs? And I know it has been nearly 2000 years since then, but I think we all have heard about the famous feuds of the Galahdians by now.

My sister hears two of them arguing in the streets one day. Apparently it was about a member of one family slighting another family, which happened at least several hundred years ago, and they were arguing about it as if it had happened just last year.

So I do have to wonder: Do they know about whaat happened to the fleet? And if yes, how accurate is it? In research circles Galahd is famous for keeping to its oral traditions to this day. Which is quite the amazing feat, to be honest.

All we do know for sure is that the Conqueror has forbidden the depiction of his likeness after his desastrous return to Insomnia.

And that's it, dear listeners. We shall take a quick break and then return to discuss some of the finer details of what Avitas Verenes has written about Firmus Lucis Caelum and the whereabouts of the Black Fleet.

See you in a few.

[secret-engima]

Here's a thought: everyone refers to the statues as the Old Wall, right? And the statues have magic, so... when Mors pulled the Wall back to Insomnia, the twelve statues that were built when the Wise erected the Wall literally *walked* back to the Crown City. Which would be a sight to see, I imagine, especially if the statue in Galahd (which I hc was the statue of the Clever or the Wanderer) walked into the sea and came out of it again at Lucis' shore.

As hilarious as that is, I really don't think that's the case. In the scene where the Old Wall awakens, we see quite a few of them having to climb their way out from under buildings and stonework that would have taken a long time to build. That, and Nyx didn't seem to know *what* the Old Wall was until they actually showed up, and Titus never gave any sign he thought he should be on the lookout for Giant Death Statues. I believe the Just? Actually climbs her way out from *underground*, having essentially been paved over by the city development. I'm not sure if it was the Just or another but I distinctly remember one of them climbing out of the paved earth. It's much more likely that the Old Wall and the Wall that the Wise erected have always been different things. That's why the Old Wall is referred to as. Well. The *Old* Wall. since none of them appeared to be on the outskirts of current Insomnia, I would hazard the guess that the Old Wall were originally built to guard the Crystal itself in it's resting place in Insomnia, a last line of defense.

Iirc the Wiki talks about how the Wise erected the Wall as we know it, the energy shield basically, and was only able to extend it over all of Lucis with the help of magic conduits made of adamantite, and it was the eventual degradation of those conduits with no way to get more material to repair it that contributed to Mors pulling it back to Insomnia. Of course I don't think he had to pull it all the way back to Insomnia, especially not in an "all at once" move he is implied to have done, but it was a factor. Unless I'm misremembering the wiki or that bit about the conduits got retconned out.

Either way, judging from how the characters in the movie speak of the Old Wall and the architecture that was quite literally built around them that didn't look *new*, I don't think anyone in living or near living memory ever saw those things move.

[writermich18]

FFXV Writing Prompt

Baby!Regis, who can see spirits: Fuck!

Rogue: Alright, which one of you bastards take the baby how to say fuck?

Wanderer and Conqueror, immediately pointing at each other: He did it!

Clever: I did it, let me try -

Baby!Regis, delighted: Fuck!

Rogue: No, who taught him?

Tall: Rogue, the Wise has been awfully quiet.

Wise: Really?!

The Lucii dissolve into arguing, with the Mystic being the only one not engaged, too distracted and awed by Baby!Regis's ability to interact and see them to pay attention.

Later, The Rogue to the Pious who stayed in the Ring this whole time: I taught him. I was bored and Vitera Mors' wife was worried about Regis not speaking so I taught him how to say fuck.

Baby!Regis to his father who is later seen trying to destroy the Lucii statues with lighting: Fuck!

[lciicwr]

man, I wish DiD was just friends in your head. sometimes I just want the endo experience yk?

but hopefully surprising to nobody it's just more than that

i know sysblr focuses a ton on the alters, but that's not the only part I struggle with

DiD for me is constant dissociation. random stressors triggering that sort of response, besides never remembering that triggering me. chunks of the day- gone- just like that. never being fully connected to anything- it can be hell.

DiD for me is the comorbid depression and anxiety.

DiD for me is being scared of not being believed because it's been so TikTokified.

DiD for me is the trauma response that comes with it. The constant guilt. The feeling like I deserved it. The overexplaining, the overapologizing, the people pleasing.

[pink-linoleum]

dark soulsifys ur noctis

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

In you fae au, did one of Lucis Caelum actually marry a swan or was it just a story made up by people?

It's both :D

The King this swan story is about didn't, in fact, marry a swan. The one who did was a few generations before that.

People think it was the Wanderer who married a swan. In the story that's part of the reason he wandered so much all over Lucis. His swan-wife hated the cities. (In my worldbuilding he was the 32nd King of Lucis.)

Now the one who actually married a swan was a king named Sinus Lucis Caelum, the Hunter. He was the fifth King of Lucis.

Not much is known about him. Family history says that while he prefered the wilds of Cavaugh to the growing Crown City, he was a responsible ruler. He wrote down Lucis's first wildlife protection laws and declared the black swans holy animals.

He and his swan bride hade three children. But only one was human enough that Bahamut accepted him for the throne.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10

lol XD

Those are certainly the vibes.

"Well, the Old Wall (then not called such, but oh well) is still standing, so there must be a King somewhere feeding his magic into it."

“You know, for a monarchy, the King doesn’t seem to play much of a role in your affairs.”

“Well, It’s embarrassing to admit, but we’ve rather lost track of them.”

“Lost track of them?”

“Quite so. We know we have a monarch, but we don’t know who they are or where they reside.”

“… okay, you’re going to have to run that by me again.“

“To be blunt, the last King had something of a roving eye. While we’re reasonably certain one of his numerous illegitimate offspring has inherited the divine mantle, we’re not sure which one – if, indeed, it’s even one we know about.”

“Can’t you just, you know, pick one?“

“Heavens, no. Our monarch rules by divine right. The land is bound to them. Its prosperity and weather reflect their health and moods. The sacred bond is clearly responding to something, so we can rest assured that a living monarch exists, but none of the candidates we’ve tested have panned out.”

“So, the rain of opera-singing fish last Tuesday…?“

“Wherever our current King or Queen is, they’re evidently having a fantastic time.”

[secret-engima]

So, we know that Noctis is the 114th king, and that it’s been about 2000 years since Somnus. However, 114 generations, if *everyone* had a kid at 25 (which we know Regis didn’t, he was 30), that would be 2850 years. So either the timeline isn’t accurate (totally possible) or there have been a fair few kings that succeeded their siblings/cousins.

While we don't know much about the previous kings, one of the more notable ones, the Rogue, ascended to the throne in an age where queens were not seen as fit to rule alone because her father *and* her brother (presumably older one) had both been killed (by daemons, according to the wiki). That coupled with how quickly Regis was seen to age and have failing health in canon, and you can assume that Rogue was not the first or last time a sibling had to ascend the throne, and that in times or war or notable trouble, Lucii had a much higher mortality rate than the average royalty.

[laavaros]

For my only ever love, my never-ending Spring.

[weirdlookindog]

William Mortensen (1897-1965) - Lucii Ferraris, 1928

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10

This

Hmm...

I would set this in the Deep City verse, actually. Make it a story that Noctis found in the royal archives as a kid, when he was there searching for information about his magic.

And there he found the story of Aurel Lucis Caelum. He was the son of the Conqueror King. He had two younger siblings, Tempestates and Maris, and one cousin named Justus. All four had the potential to inherit. But then Aurel did not manifest magic.

By the age of 13 his father disinherited him from the direct line and he became Aurel Caelum. Later texts would call him the Forgotten Prince.

The text Noctis found is full of holes, brittle and old and written at least 2 generations after it happened as a copy of a copy, so it's hard for him to know what happened, but the story picks up again after Tempestates had been King for a while.

It goes that Justus died from a poisoning, Maris married out of the family, and all of Tempestates's children were born sickly and died early.

There was no one to inherit the throne. No one but the children of Aurel Caelum, who all showed strong magic.

Tempestates was relatively young still, at 39, but was already suffering badly from the stasis sickness that claims every Lucis Caelum king before they reach 60.

So Tempestates reinstated Aurel into the family proper, so one of his children would inherit. The oldest, Cremes, was already 17 at this point. (Aurel 44)

The old text doesn't really mention what happens next other than telling of Tempestates's untimely death at 41 and Cremes's coronation following that.

Your bloodline is known for carrying superpowers, but you didn’t inherit them. And so your family cut ties with you. But after having children who did inherit those powers, your family tries to reinsert themselves into your life.

[necronominomnom]

I trialed my wedding hair, based on Lunafreya Nox Fluret! I need to curl my bangs and fringe pieces, but it looks like a decent take on it!

[chocobrohs]

Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV; the chosen king, bearer of the ring.

(outfit mod here)

[lucillele]

sweet sweet fantasy baby

Miguel O’Hara x Black!fem!reader

warnings: fluffy, probably bad grammar cz i didn’t check, short

a/n: i was looking at prompts while listening to music and fantasy by mariah carey and grumpy x sunshine just did something in my brain. i probably could’ve done more but it was just a thought. i’m just trying to get back into writing. enjoy

you were always distracted with something on your phone or walking through the hallway with a big pair of headphones on your head drowning out every outside sound. always in your own little world.

you’d skip into miguel’s office with a stack of plates in your hand saying he needed to eat something. taking notice of when he liked something in particular and bringing more of that.

sometimes you would bring him things that you made yourself and little encouraging notes on top.

he never told you to stop so you just kept coming.

when he found himself taking a liking to you, he had tried to figure out ways to let you down easily, believing you were too happy and he would bring you down. but every time he watched you come in with something new, sometimes ranting about the latest thing you were interested in.

“did you know that the two loudest animals in the world are the sperm whale and the blue whale?”

one week it was the ocean, another it was ww2. whatever it was, he was listening, it being the only opportunity he had outside of missions to hear your voice.

it got to the point where he hadn’t been able to hide it anymore. everyone knew how much he cared for you. checking on you after missions, letting out a small smile when he saw you doodling during meetings. or the way his tone unintentionally softened when he talked to you.

one day he asked you why you always did the things you did for him. you said. “Do you not like it?” he hated the fact that he may have made you disappointed for even one second.

No!” he cleared his throat, trying to recover from the embarrassment. “No, that wasn’t what I meant. I meant, why do you go through all this just to..help me?”

“I believe everyone deserves for someone to care for them. I care about you.” he could’ve melted right there. he had tried to hide the way his eyes softened and the tenseness in his shoulders went away completely.

you turned around to leave but he grabbed your arm. “stay.” his eyes seemed like he was pleading. “ok.” you said softly, smiling.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10​

Honestly, my first thought was Crepera, but in my worldbuilding she’s too early in the timeline for this kind of dress.

This might be more along the line of the Just or the Troubleshooter (which is my royal title for Mors’s mum, who was king before him)

[lciicwr]

normalize being asexual/acespec and making sex jokes