Forgotten City

The Forgotten Capital (忘らるる都), also known as the Forgotten City and the City of the Ancients, is a ruined city in Final Fantasy VII. It is located on the arctic Northern Continent, beyond the Sleeping Forest and far to the east of Icicle Inn.

The city was the primary capital of the ancient Cetra civilization, but after the Calamity from the Skies struck the Planet nearly wiping out the Cetra, the few survivors gradually became assimilated into human culture. The city itself has been an abandoned ruin for a long time.

Design
A few of the houses still stand, many still contain furniture and artifacts indicating the area appears just as it did when it was abandoned long ago. Some points of interest in the Forgotten City include the Holy Machine, which allows one to communicate with the Planet, and an underground section of town consisting of several crystal buildings surrounding an altar.

As far as architecture goes, the city's inhabitants incorporated nature into their buildings, many having roofs made up from conch shells and other organic sources. The area's general layout seems to invoke an aquatic motif; many of the buildings have a shell-like appearance. The ground seems similar to the sea floor.

Within the 'upper city' there are several crystals that when touched give off a large flash and cause the current main character to explain they heard something they didn't understand.

Below the ground level is a hidden "castle" with medieval-style towers connected to the surface with a staircase made of light. This area holds a spring and an altar.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud Strife and his party enter the Forgotten Capital in search of Aeris, the last of the Cetra line. She has left the party to summon Holy, through which she believes she can defeat the cataclysm of Meteor. The party finds the place eerily silent. They spend the night, but are awoken in the middle of the night by a strange sound.

As they investigate, they find a path down into the city's underground section where they find Aeris praying to summon Holy. Cloud comes forward and being controlled by Sephiroth, almost kills her. He breaks the control and steps away; but Sephiroth himself (or rather, a piece of Jenova made into Sephiroth's image under the latter's control) swoops down from the ceiling and kills Aeris.

Cloud, in a tearful rage, demands to know why Aeris had to be murdered. "Sephiroth" only laughs off his "clone's" emotion, and flies off, dropping a body piece that becomes Jenova∙LIFE for the party to fight. They defeat the creature and the party pay their last respects to Aeris and lay her body to rest and continue on their journey, badly shaken.

Bugenhagen comes with the party much later, after Meteor has been summoned. They come to find out just what Aeris was trying to do before Sephiroth cut her down. They need the Key to the Ancients to work the dormant machines inside the city.

The key is found at the Bottom of the Sea using the submarine. When the key is used, the scene of Aeris's death is replayed. At this point Bugenhagen realizes Holy has already been summoned and that Sephiroth is blocking it. He must be killed in order to save the Planet.

The party's planning is cut short when the Diamond Weapon begins its advance toward Midgar, the party racing to stop it.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Two years after Sephiroth's defeat, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo use the Forgotten Capital as their base, bringing Tseng and Elena there to torture them, and later the Geostigma-infected children. Cloud goes to rescue the children, but is defeated because of the effects of Geostigma.

Vincent arrives in time to save Cloud and Marlene from the three remnants. Kadaj's true motives of luring the children to the location is revealed when he infuses the city's lake with negative Lifestream which turns the children into his mindless pawns.

Location
The Forgotten Capital is located to the East on Gaia's Northern continent.

Items Found

 * Magic Source
 * Aurora Armlet
 * Guard Source
 * Elixir
 * Enemy Skill Materia
 * Comet Materia
 * Viper Halberd
 * Bolt Armlet
 * HypnoCrown
 * Water Ring
 * Megalixir
 * Magic Plus
 * Power Source

Entrance

 * Boundfat, Malldancer x3
 * Malldancer x2, Boundfat x3
 * Malldancer x4

Approaching Forgotten City

 * Hungry

Giant Conch Shell

 * Boundfat x3
 * Boundfat x3 (Back attack)
 * Trickplay, Boundfat x2
 * Trickplay x2



Water Altar

 * Jenova∙LIFE

Corel Valley Cave

 * Acrophies
 * Boundfat, Boundfat x2, Boundfat
 * Boundfat x2, Hungry (Back attack)
 * Boundfat x3, Hungry
 * Grimguard x3
 * Hungry x2
 * Hungry x2 (Ambush)

Music
The theme that plays in Forgotten Capital in Final Fantasy VII is "Listen to the Cries of the Planet" (星の声が聞こえる). During the Jenova∙LIFE battle and during the events preceding it and the events after the battle, "Aerith's Theme" plays.

Trivia

 * The Forgotten Capital makes a cameo appearance in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, where it appears as part of the background in Final Fantasy VII's FMS events.