So, anyone that's beaten Dawntrail at this point has seen the Azem symbol on the key, and speculation is abound about what it could mean. So throwing my hat into the ring, as it were.
First, the composition of the key is primarily of two materials, one of which was the original object, and one of which was added at a later point and not a major part of the speculation. These are auracite and electrope. What I am looking at today concerns the auracite portion, and the material being brought back into a more forward focus
We've seen auracite on and off in the MSQ, particularly in ARR (including retroactively when we found out that the Heart of Sabik was also a form of auracite), as well as having weaponized the material against the Ascians. There have also been potentially related things, such as the Memoria crystals. The material has also come up in several places in side stories. The ones I'll be focusing on here are Ivalice and Pandemonium. Both of the instances of it's appearance are related to Ultima, not just the magic, but the High Seraph. In Ivalice, we encounter a primal of Ultima, the High Seraph, and . In Pandemonium, we have to deal with Athena, who's mind is literally infected with what the SCP foundation would probably call an infohazard, a piece of information insidious enough to permanently alter someone's state of mind. As well, she is connected to auracite and supposedly received it from Ultima, the High Seraph (and likely not the primal version). This means that the original Ultima, whatever their origins, existed before the sundering, and likely was on Etheirys near or during the time of the sundering.
Additionally, we have Azem themselves, who has had uncanny knowledge about things that they likely should not know. The source of their information is still up for some debate, but when we look at what we know of Azem, and some of the information they have, and how they acted, it starts to paint a picture. Azem somehow became aware of the WoL being in the past, something of the nature of the WoL, as well as the problems around Pandemonium. Azem also decided to not side with Venat in the creation of Hydaelyn, opting to stay separate and become sundered. Part of this is likely ensuring that the timeline does not get tinkered with, however, this may also include the time in which the key was made or marked by Azem.
While we cannot say that Azem made the original key given the potential origin being tied to the High Seraph, we do know that Azem had the auracite long enough to mark it, and probably tinker with it. We also know that the key can help bridge the gap between the shards but... why would Azem need this? There were no shards when Azem was working with this, and Azem would be just as sundered as the worlds once it was needed. That, I feel, is the big clue. The key likely is meant to bridge between shards, but that may not be it's primary purpose. It may simply be the means for the key to get into the hands of the WoL, a piece of Azem that is doing similar work so many years later, one that they are aware of. However, Azem may not know which shard that the WoL is in, nor where the key would wind up in the sundering, thus a need for the key to be able to travel between shards. A way for the WoL to eventually have access to it. If true, the primary purpose is still unknown, but it's possible that the purpose is also encoded into the key somehow.
However, I suspect part of the reason will be because of a looming threat. With Hydaelyn now dead, the shards may start rejoining on their own. The key started working more readily in the recent past, compared to it's uses during the calamity of ice, as well as the original search for the Golden City. This in of itself could be a disaster needing mitigation, and may mean other shards will be as much a focus as unseen corners of Etheirys (and those places may become one and the same). The primary threat however, one that might not show until 8.0 or 9.0, could very well be Ultima, the High Seraph. Not the primal, but the original, an alien being that is at least as old as the Ancients, and possibly made whole once more if they were affected by the sundering. Like the death of Zodiark allowed the return of the Endsinger's forces, Hydaelyn's death may well have consequences that need to be dealt with. Consequences that may have been seen by Azem.
As a final note, as far as why Aloalo island was where the key wound up, I would mention the story where Azem saved a volcanic island from an eruption because of the grapes. In the position of Azem, knowing they will be sundered and they must allow it, they may well have spent their last days on that island, an island that possibly could well have become Aloalo on the Source after Etheirys was rearranged into different worlds.
submitted by /u/Gregoriownd
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Continue reading...
First, the composition of the key is primarily of two materials, one of which was the original object, and one of which was added at a later point and not a major part of the speculation. These are auracite and electrope. What I am looking at today concerns the auracite portion, and the material being brought back into a more forward focus
We've seen auracite on and off in the MSQ, particularly in ARR (including retroactively when we found out that the Heart of Sabik was also a form of auracite), as well as having weaponized the material against the Ascians. There have also been potentially related things, such as the Memoria crystals. The material has also come up in several places in side stories. The ones I'll be focusing on here are Ivalice and Pandemonium. Both of the instances of it's appearance are related to Ultima, not just the magic, but the High Seraph. In Ivalice, we encounter a primal of Ultima, the High Seraph, and . In Pandemonium, we have to deal with Athena, who's mind is literally infected with what the SCP foundation would probably call an infohazard, a piece of information insidious enough to permanently alter someone's state of mind. As well, she is connected to auracite and supposedly received it from Ultima, the High Seraph (and likely not the primal version). This means that the original Ultima, whatever their origins, existed before the sundering, and likely was on Etheirys near or during the time of the sundering.
Additionally, we have Azem themselves, who has had uncanny knowledge about things that they likely should not know. The source of their information is still up for some debate, but when we look at what we know of Azem, and some of the information they have, and how they acted, it starts to paint a picture. Azem somehow became aware of the WoL being in the past, something of the nature of the WoL, as well as the problems around Pandemonium. Azem also decided to not side with Venat in the creation of Hydaelyn, opting to stay separate and become sundered. Part of this is likely ensuring that the timeline does not get tinkered with, however, this may also include the time in which the key was made or marked by Azem.
While we cannot say that Azem made the original key given the potential origin being tied to the High Seraph, we do know that Azem had the auracite long enough to mark it, and probably tinker with it. We also know that the key can help bridge the gap between the shards but... why would Azem need this? There were no shards when Azem was working with this, and Azem would be just as sundered as the worlds once it was needed. That, I feel, is the big clue. The key likely is meant to bridge between shards, but that may not be it's primary purpose. It may simply be the means for the key to get into the hands of the WoL, a piece of Azem that is doing similar work so many years later, one that they are aware of. However, Azem may not know which shard that the WoL is in, nor where the key would wind up in the sundering, thus a need for the key to be able to travel between shards. A way for the WoL to eventually have access to it. If true, the primary purpose is still unknown, but it's possible that the purpose is also encoded into the key somehow.
However, I suspect part of the reason will be because of a looming threat. With Hydaelyn now dead, the shards may start rejoining on their own. The key started working more readily in the recent past, compared to it's uses during the calamity of ice, as well as the original search for the Golden City. This in of itself could be a disaster needing mitigation, and may mean other shards will be as much a focus as unseen corners of Etheirys (and those places may become one and the same). The primary threat however, one that might not show until 8.0 or 9.0, could very well be Ultima, the High Seraph. Not the primal, but the original, an alien being that is at least as old as the Ancients, and possibly made whole once more if they were affected by the sundering. Like the death of Zodiark allowed the return of the Endsinger's forces, Hydaelyn's death may well have consequences that need to be dealt with. Consequences that may have been seen by Azem.
As a final note, as far as why Aloalo island was where the key wound up, I would mention the story where Azem saved a volcanic island from an eruption because of the grapes. In the position of Azem, knowing they will be sundered and they must allow it, they may well have spent their last days on that island, an island that possibly could well have become Aloalo on the Source after Etheirys was rearranged into different worlds.
submitted by /u/Gregoriownd
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...