Overview
The Source is the primary and most aetherially dense of the fourteen reflections that constitute the sundered world of Etheirys. It is the central stage upon which the vast majority of the Final Fantasy XIV narrative unfolds. As the original fragment from which all other shards were created during the apocalyptic event known as the Sundering, the Source holds a unique and pivotal position in the cosmology of the star. It is a world of immense diversity, conflict, and resilience, home to the familiar city-states of Eorzea, the former might of the Garlean Empire, and the ancient, hidden truths of the world's creation.
History & Lore
The Sundering and Creation
In the ancient, unsundered world, a race of immensely powerful beings known as the Ancients (or Ascians) summoned the primal Zodiark to avert a calamity of sound known as the Final Days. A faction opposed to this sacrifice-laden summoning later called forth Hydaelyn to check Zodiark's influence. The resulting clash between these two primal deities did not result in a conventional victory, but in a cataclysmic schism. Hydaelyn's light shattered the unified world of Etheirys into fourteen distinct reflections—thirteen shards and the Source.
The Source is considered the largest and most "complete" of these fragments, retaining the core geographical and historical lineage of the original world, though fractured and diminished. Each of the thirteen other shards exists as a parallel reflection, developing its own cultures, histories, and even physical laws over millennia, but all are intrinsically linked to the Source.
The Rejoinings and Umbral Calamities
The Source's history is marked by a series of catastrophic events known as Umbral Eras or Calamities. From a cosmological perspective, these are not random disasters but the direct result of Rejoinings. The Ascians, followers of Zodiark who remembered the unsundered world, orchestrated plans to collapse a shard back into the Source. When a shard is overwhelmed by a singular, unbalanced aspect of aether (such as extreme Light or Darkness), it is consumed, and its aether floods back into the Source. This influx triggers a corresponding Umbral Calamity on the Source, aligning with the same aetherial aspect.
By the time of the game's beginning, seven Rejoinings had already occurred, making the Source significantly more aether-rich and "whole" than any surviving shard. The Ascians' ultimate goal was to engineer the remaining six Rejoinings, which would destroy all life on the reflections but reconstitute the original, unsundered Etheirys and, they believed, resurrect Zodiark.
Geography and Politics
The landmasses of the Source are vast and varied:
- Eorzea: The central setting for much of the game, comprising the forested Black Shroud (Gridania), the rocky deserts of Thanalan (Ul'dah), the coastal islands of Vylbrand (Limsa Lominsa), and the mountainous Coerthas region (Ishgard). It is governed by the Eorzean Alliance.
- Ilsabard: The central continent and former heartland of the Garlean Empire, a technologically advanced, magiphobic nation that conquered much of the world through superior machinery and military discipline before its collapse.
- Othard: The eastern continent, featuring the regions of Doma, Hingashi, and the Azim Steppe, each with distinct cultures often oppressed by Garlean rule.
- Meracydia: A southern continent largely unexplored in the main narrative, historically known as the battleground where the Allagan Empire fought and sealed away powerful primals like Bahamut.
- The New World (Tural): A distant western continent explored in the Dawntrail expansion, characterized by vibrant, diverse ecosystems and cultures.
The Source is also the origin point for the Lifestream, the planet's flow of spiritual energy and aether, which is particularly potent and visible here compared to the shards.
The Final Days and Resolution
The Source became the final battleground in the millennia-spanning conflict between the forces of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn, based on the Source, played a key role in thwarting the Ascians' plans for the remaining Rejoinings, most notably by saving the First Shard from a Flood of Light. The true nature of the Final Days was revealed to be an extraterrestrial threat, Meteion and the Endsinger, whose song of despair could unmake reality. The conflict culminated on the Source and in the depths of space, where the threat was finally ended, securing a future for the Source and all its sister shards.
Significance in the Narrative
The Source is more than just a setting; it is a central character in the saga. Its strengthened aether from past Rejoinings makes it a beacon and a target. It is the home of the Warrior of Light, the point of origin for the Scions, and the world most directly shaped by the legacy of the Ancients. The journey of the narrative is, in many ways, the story of the Source's inhabitants uncovering the truth of their sundered existence and choosing to defend their fragmented, imperfect world against forces that would see it destroyed for the sake of a lost past. Its survival and the forging of a new relationship with the remaining shards symbolize the game's overarching themes of hope, coexistence, and moving forward.
Trivia
- The moon of the Source, where the ancient city of Mare Lamentorum rests, is the original moon of unsundered Etheirys and served as the prison for Zodiark's core.
- Due to the Rejoinings, souls on the Source are typically denser in aether and contain more "shards" of an original Ancient soul compared to those on other reflections.
- The term "Source" is used primarily by the Ascians and those with knowledge of the true cosmology; most ordinary inhabitants simply refer to it as "the world" or by the name of their continent.