Luxendarc

Luxendarc is the world of Bravely Default, Bravely Default: Praying Brage, and Bravely Second: End Layer.

Story
Long ago, the Crystal Adventists suggested the creation of a centralized religion dedicated to the crystals, items of unknown origin which balance to their world. Despite the transitional period after its creation, the Crystal Orthodoxy erased any trace of the Crystal Adventism as it eventually became corrupted. Early in Luxendarc's history, the Orthodoxy used rumors that the King of Eternia was restoring Crystal Adventists as an excuse to conquer the region and kill all supporters to the king, including the DeRosso. But Lester DeRosso, a former member of the Orthodoxy cast out for refusing a bribe, became immortal and was demonized by the religion. Five centuries, due to the rise of technology, the Orthodoxy establishes a fear-based reformation with High Inquisitor Yulyana facing DeRosso in countless battles throughout the world. The two rivals ultimately forge a truce when spurred by an dying angel to prepare for an upcoming darkness and the Evil One who would used the Crystal Orthodoxy's ideologies to force a Vestal into causing of Harrowing event that would end the world.

DeRosso and Yulyana decided it would be in Luxendarc's interest for the Crystal Orthodoxy to be cleansed its corruption as part of their preparation, the former faking his defeat so Yulyana can be held as a hero and gradually risen to the title of archbishop. After using a combination of rites to become immortal himself, and the information that the Angel provided of world-changing events predating the Harrowing, Yulyana set into motion a plan to separate the vestals and innocent followers from the corrupted leadership of the Orthodoxy. After 1700 years, Eternia's highlands rose and cut off the nation from the rest of the world. Yulyana would reveal the Orthodoxy's corruption by revealing the fraud behind the granting of vocations. Yulyana would then propose the creation of Asterisks to replace the system of granting vocations. Being the only person who knew how to create them, Yulyana fled and took refuge in the Yulyana Woods until everyone who knew him has died, a process hurried along by DeRosso.

Eventually in Eternia, Orthodoxy's true colors are revealed when they refused to save the people of Gravemark Village from dying during the plague while they protect themselves. This causes a cleric named Braev Lee to leave the Orthodoxy out of disgust and ally himself with Sage Yulyana and DeRosso by establishing the Anticrystalists. By then, in a final bid to regain their former glory, the Orthodoxy invoked the Great Ritual by overloading the Earth Crystal. Knowing this act would destroy the world in the process, Braev strayed from Yulyana and DeRosso's plan to take all four crystals from multiple fronts and instead leads his army of Anticrystalists to conquer Eternia. With the earth vestal killed, and the leaking power of the Earth Crystal used in the development of the white magic extraction experiment, the Orthodoxy collapses, with its headquarters converted into Eternian Central Command with Braev establishing the Duchy of Eternia under the rule of himself and the other five members of the Council of Six.

Having been told of the Harrowing, Braev would use the spread of Anticrystalism as a way to gain control of the remaining Crystals and their vestals to avert the end of the world. However, the actions of Anticrystalists involve converting or suppressing the local populace: The Bloodrose Legion driving the water vestal Olivia Oblige and her followers into hiding with the Water Crystal sealed, the Black Blades giving support to the Swordbearers faction in Eisenberg with the fire vestal killed with the way to the temple blocked by lava.

Bravely Default
After the appearance of the Great Chasm that destroyed Norende, the final sign before the Harrowing, the wind vestal Agnès Oblige leaves Ancheim for Caldisla to investigate the event while pursued by the Eternian Sky Knights who were charged with her capture. But by fate, accompanied by the cryst-fairy Airy, Agnès is joined in her quest to awaken the crystals by Tiz Arrior, a survivor of Norende, Ringabel, a youth with no memory of his past, and Edea Lee, the daughter of Braev Lee who sided with the vestal after seeing the atrocities Eternian soldiers were committing. After returning to homeland, learning that the King of Ancheim was an Anticrystalist sympathizer who is a member Khamer & Profiteur Merchantry, actually a division of the Eternian forces, Agnès travels to awakened the crystals while thwarting the Eternian forces. Ending up in Eternia, Agnès and her allies would defeat the Eternian leaders and awaken the Earth Crystal.

It was when the Harrowing begins that Agnès and her party find themselves traveling to other versions of Luxendarc, forcing them to repeat their actions while gradually learning the truth that Airy used them to link the last remaining worlds needed for her master Ouroboros to enter the Celestial Realm. After the group defeats Ouroboros, they managed to use the Great Chasm, revealed to be a product of the previous world's Harrowing, to return to their world.

Bravely Second
After learning the truth of her faith's corruption, Agnès became Grand Patriarch to reform the Crystal Orthodoxy into what it was meant to be while establishing peaceful relations with the Duchy of Eternia. However, during the signing of the treaty, Agnès was abducted by Emperor Oblivion whose agenda was the end of the Geneolgia bloodline whose members played a role in the Orthodoxy's corruption. But this results in Yew Geneolgia to mount a rescue mission to save Agnès alongside Edea, now captain of the Eternian Imperial Guard, Tiz, who ended up in a coma six months after returning to Luxendarc, and Magnolia Arch, a mysterious woman who came from the moon. After helping Yew and his group in saving Luxendarc from the machinations of Providence, Agnès leaves the Crystal Orthodoxy after achieving peace between it and the Anticrystalists as she begins a new life with Tiz in the rebuilt Norende.

Location List

 * Caldis Region
 * Harena Region
 * Flor-Cheim Inner Sea
 * Florem Region
 * Yulyana Region
 * Eisenberg Region
 * Eternia Region
 * Kustra Archipelago

Musical Themes
"Land of Light and Shadow" is the theme that plays on the World Map, and the appearance of day and night in the game changes based on the section being played. It was composed by Revo and is the eighth track on the first disc of the original soundtrack.

Etymology
"Luxendarc" can be read out as "lux and dark", the former term being Latin for light. In Japanese, Luxendarc was subtitled as the "Land of Light and Shadow".

Luxendarc