Hello Ls members ^-^

This is for those of you who are interested in the lore of FFXIV 1.0, leading into the ARR story.




Each town had its own unique start, and I was only able to experience one of them in my time with 1.0. I have put together as much information as I could for those of you who thirst for knowledge of your own Eorzean roots that can no longer be experienced in the game. ^-^
One thing I really enjoyed about FFXIV 1.0 was the song for the game. It made the planet seem to have a life and soul of its own. It will make more sense when the story is known.

On a ship to Limsa Lominsa, the player wakes up hearing a soft singing voice, yet cannot see anyone resembling a songstress around. An ethereal voice then calls for them to "Hear… Feel… Think…" Upon exploring the ship, the vessel is suddenly attacked by a horde of sea beasts. With the help of Sthalmann and Y'shtola, the beasts are defeated; however a giant sea serpent attacks and nearly destroys the ship, but it manages to dock with cheering passengers.

After exploring the town, the player reaches the fisherman's guild Fisherman's Bottom, and is asked by Wawalago to escort Sisipu to the Oschon's Torch lighthouse. There, they notice something is wrong and investigate the area, finding a few dead bodies and two suspicious characters talking. These two are Emerick and Travanchet, speaking about an agreement Emerick wants to make with the Sahagin. When spotted by the player, however, both pretend to be mere pullers and leave. Back into town, the player discovers that the Sahagin have been frequently attacking lately, with the latest targets being the lighthouse and a fleet of the Knights of the Barracuda.

On a later mission, Baderon speaks about a mysterious island called Seal Rock, whose legend is famous amongst the people of Limsa Lominsa. Speaking with some of the Drowning Wench's patrons, the player meets Y'shtola again, who reveals that she is searching for a shadowless man accused of assisting the Sahagin.

Out of leads, Baderon tells the player that the young Lalafell Sisipu wants to talk with him. She reveals the location of a secret fishing hole, and asks to meet there. Upon arriving, the player finds 1st Squadron Commodore Sthalmann and after a long conversation, learns that he believes the young pirate Emerick to be the one responsible for betraying his squadron to the Sahagin, although he's not sure about the details.
Back in town, Mealvaan's Gate is attacked by the Sanguine Sirens, an all-female pirate gang led by Rhoswen, who are searching for Emerick. Y'shtola soon appears and stalls the pirates until the Barracuda Knights arrive. Before leaving, she briefs the player on the secrets of Seal Rock island.

After these events, the player learns that Emerick is being held prisoner on one of the Knights of Barracuda galleons, and must infiltrate the ship. A Sahagin ship is spotted closing in fast, however, so the player has to locate Emerick as quick as possible. Arriving at the galleon's lower deck, the player finds Emerick and Merodaulyn of the Sanguine Sirens ready to battle. The player can choose which one to help, but discovers this fight was merely a diversion prepared by the two. Before being able to acquire any information, the ship is swallowed by a massive wave created by the same Sea Serpent that was spotted earlier.

Y'shtola casts a magic barrier to protect the player, who later awakens on one of Limsa Lominsa's docks with the Miqote's words ringing in his head: "Find the key".
Learning about another Sahagin attack, the player goes to the Gods's Grip to investigate, only to find Commodore Sthalmann and Y'shtola engaged in battle. Suddenly, the player is blinded by a bright light, only to find themselves alone after their sight returns.
Searching around, the player witnesses Sthalmann, Merodaulyn, and Emerick holding a rushed conversation, and learns that the trio is planning to claim the treasure of Seal Rock for their own gain. Y'shtola again appears before the player, who claims that they have the ability to view the happenings of the past. A meteor shower erupts from skies right after, raining light down upon the player and the others.

As soon as it ends, a strange man appears and fights against Y'shtola, stealing the key before returning to the shadows. The player loses consciousness soon after.
Awakening in Limsa Lominsa once again, the player only recalls a voice talking about "The Echo". Speaking with Baderon, they learn that a man called Blackburn carried you there and left a message, telling the player to visit the Path of the Twelve, located in the Merchant's Ward of Ul'dah.

Upon approaching Gridania, the player starts hearing a singing voice. Before being able to find its origin, the skies turn black and a meteor shower begins, lasting just a few seconds and everything turns back to normal as if nothing happened. Seconds after, a heavily damaged airship appears, and a small yellow light is "shot" from it, falling in the forest.

Walking in that direction, the player finds Yda and Papalymo lying on the ground, and awakens them, only to notice they are surrounded by wolves. The battle against them ends quickly, but a treant emerges from the ground and attacks everyone, forcing the player to run until a group of Moogles, sent by E-Sumi-Yan, calms the treant with moogle magic and saves them.

Welcomed into town, the player learns about the Greenwrath - hatred of the forest upon those who may cause harm to it - and that he (being an outsider) is full of woodsin, which needs to be cleared if he/she intends to stay safe on the Black Shroud. Miounne suggests that the player visits some of the town's guilds, each one who will provide their own help to the cleansing ritual.
In the Botanists' Guild at Greatloam Growery, a few of the town's young children starts teaching steps of the ritual dances that must be performed during a great Gridanian festival to free oneself of the woodsin. After the "class", some of them stay and asks help to reach a place deep within the woods.

Upon arriving at Lifemend Stump with Powle and Sansa, they promptly run off to see to whatever it is they came to do. Then, a mysterious conjurer appears, who scolds the player for coming there and bringing the kids, disappearing soon after. Finally, the player meets a moogle, who gets surprised that he is being understood and asks the player to give a message to a young girl named Fye concerning a purification mask that is not broken, and therefore cannot be fixed.

Back in the adventurer's guild, Miounne comments about the recent influx of adventurers in Gridania. Soon after, the self-proclaimed "saviors of the wood", Yda and Papalymo, arrives and they ask if any of those adventurers may be preparing to attack the Garlean Empire, to Miounne's surprise, who later denies it. Papalymo then mentions that if that's true, the information they have - that Gridania is preparing to wage war on the Empire - is false.
The conversation is stopped when a boy Khrimm comes in and starts badmouthing the adventurers, claiming that they have not been chosen by the elementals at all, leaving soon after. The duo goes after him.

The player then visits the Carpenter's Guild, to see the crafting of the masks that must be used during the purification rites. Remembering about the message to Fye, the player searches for the girl, and finds her speaking to Khrimm. The player overhears talk of Fye's oldest brother Dunstan and his tragic fate of being turned into a wildling. Fye claims that she is making a new mask for her brother, refusing to give up hope of cleansing him of his woodsin.

After this, the player tells Fye the mask is not broken, and she is shocked by it, having thought it to be the sole reason her brother and Khrimm's parents were turned into wildlings. Then, she asks the player to try meeting with the moogles again and ask if there is any way to save a wildling. Upon finding a moogle, he agrees to ask the elementals themselves if a wildling soul can be saved.

The player visits the archer's guild, however, the Quiver's Hold is thrown into chaos as news arrives of some happening in the forest. Archers surge forth from the Hold, and Brother O-App-Pesi of the conjurers himself heads in the direction of the disturbance as well.
There, they find Khrimm, standing before a tree in flames. Because of this, a furious elemental comes forth and there is no way to quell its greenwrath other than battling and defeating it.

Miounne informs via linkpearl that it seems that out of fear that Khrimm will become a wildling, he has been taken into the Stillglade Fane. While Brother O-App-Pesi is talking about the boy's condition, Yda and Papalymo return from the wood together with the wildling Dunstan. Because of that, Brother E-Sumi-Yan orders a grand rite of purification, but he fears that saving Khrimm may require Dunstan to give his life.
Finally, the grand rite begins, and a group of moogles arrive. They come bearing a message to the player from the elementals, telling that his/her role in being beckoned to the wood is to be a messenger of the goddess Nophica herself, the Matron. The ritual continues as normal, and in the end Dunstan collapses. This causes the Echo to reverberate, and the sky once again turn completely black - this time, everyone sees it. During that event, Papalymo comments with Yda that they "should've stopped it, and now it's too late".
The player collapses as well, awakening only with the words of the wood hermit telling him to visit the Path of the Twelve, located in the Merchants Ward of Ul'dah.

The player wakes up hearing a soft singing voice, and notices that their carriage had just arrived on the town of Ul'dah. Entering the city's gates, the player is met with an ethereal voice that calls for them to "Hear… Feel… Think…" Suddenly, the skies turn black and a star shower rains down before being replaced with the fireworks of a grand procession.
The festivities begin and everything seems to be going well, but a Goobbue breaks free of its bindings and wreaks havoc on the city until it is deterred by the combined efforts of Thancred, Niellefresne and the player.

The player makes their way to The Quicksand, the Adventurer's Guild of Ul'dah, and speaks to its proprietor Momodi. She begins to speak about some ways to earn coin around the town, when the bard Thancred comes in and interrupts the conversation. He mentions talks of war against the Empire, which Momodi confirms along with some rumors that the earlier Goobbue incident may have been caused by imperial interference.
After exploring the town, the player enters the Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern in Ul'dah, home to the Miner's Guild, and witnesses a commotion involving a thaumaturge named Corguevais, accused of entering the mining shafts illegally. The player tries to calm everyone down with little success, until the twin Lalafell brothers Popokkuli and Seserukka enter the guild and kick the troublemakers out.

Linette, a representative of the mining guild, mentions that their primary concern lately is with illegal miners provoking accidents. She asks the player to go to Camp Black Brush and inform them of the guild's intent to strengthen their punitive measures.
The player, accompanied by the Miqo'te F'lhaminn, reaches Camp Black Brush where they find a wounded girl named Ascilia. Thancred appears and says he was the one who led Ascilia to the camp, as she was seeking out an enemy of her father. Corguevais approaches and tries to aid her, but she retaliates and accuses him of allowing the Goobbue to escape in town, gravely injuring her father.

Back into town, the player visits the Alchemist's guild where Ascilia's father, Warburton, was being treated before passing away. Corguevais speaks with the girl once again, and she says that her father came to Ul'dah to warn everyone of a terrible danger.
Back in the Adventurer's Guild, the player speaks with Momodi before Thancred arrives and overhears the conversation. Momodi then recalls that Thancred was summoned to discuss the notion that Garlean spies may have infiltrated the city.

The funeral rites for Ascilia's father Warburton begin soon after, and F'lhaminn tries once again to convince Mumuepo of the Thaumaturge's Guild to do something, since Warburton had important information on the dangers threatening Ul'dah.
Momodi informs the player that a group of the city guard has hastily left the city by chocobo. At the Chocobo Stables, the player finds F'lhaminn hurriedly looking for a chocobo, as it seems that Corguevais has been exiled from town and left with Ascilia, probably planning to take her back to Ala Mhigo.

Via linkpearl, Momodi informs the player that the city guard is searching for an exile wandering near Camp Black Brush. There, the player finds Thancred and Greinfarr conversing, but the bard claims to know nothing about the so-called danger threatening Ul'dah. Greinfarr then speaks about their last resort: Niellefresne will try to convince the thaumaturges to resurrect Ascilia's dead father.
In the Arrzaneth Ossuary, the player and Thancred see a strange light coming from the crypts, and rush there to find a mortally wounded Niellefresne laying on the ground, and Ascilia crouched by his side, shaking in terror. Suddenly, the Echo begins to reverberate, and the player is alone.

Making their way down the crypts once again, the player finds Mumuepo and Niellefresne talking about the thaumaturgy of resurrecting the dead, but upon opening Warburton's corpse, Niellefresne is stabbed through from behind. Back to the present, Thancred realizes what just happened and rushes outside, right in time to see as the skies turn black and meteors rain above Ul'dah. In this moment, he realizes that the danger spoken of by all threatens not only Ul'dah, but all of Eorzea, while the player blacks out.
The player awakens back at the Adventurer's Guild, and Momodi reveals that they were found unconscious and brought there by a woman named Minfilia, who asks to be visited at The Waking Sands, in the Merchant's Ward of Ul'dah.