Mor Dhona

Mor Dhona is a region in Final Fantasy XIV in the world of Hydaelyn, on the realm of Eorzea, and on the sub-continent of Aldenard, to the southeast of Coerthas and north of Thanalan.

The whole area had been rendered barren and corrupt of aether during a massive battle between an army of dragons led by Midgardsormr and a fleet of Garlean airships that happened twenty years ago, shown during the game's original opening CG.

The battle turned the place into a dangerous, lifeless place full of terrible beasts, and became later known as the Battle of Silvertear Skies.

Profile
Mor Dhona long laid between the various city-states of Eorzea, and generally unclaimed by any. It was said that since immemorial times, a great force slumbered there. This force was said to drain the element from anything that remained in contact with the ground for a long time; if a wind crystal was buried there, for example, it soon became a pure crystal devoid of wind properties. In spite of this, Mor Dhona was famous for its wild and rugged beauty, particularly its lush green forests and striking waterfalls, which fed into and out of one of Aldenard's largest inland bodies of water: Silvertear Lake.

It was the unclaimed nature of the area, as well as its central position on Aldenard and its verdancy, that likely attracted the attention of the Garlean Empire. After taking Ala Mhigo, the Imperial Air Fleet made a move en-masse into Mor Dhona, led by the mighty super-dreadnought, the Agrius. However, as the imperial fleet advanced into the skies above Silvertear Lake, it was met with a wholly unexpected sight.

Midgardsormr, the dragon deity of Silvertear, had arisen, summoned by a hand unknown. And as if to answer the mighty wyrm's call, a host of dragons flew in from the northwestern reaches of Dravania and fell upon the Empire's forces. The air was filled with the deafening roars of cannons and dragonkin alike. Locked in a deadly embrace, the thunderous impact of Midgardsormr and the Agrius tolled their mutual demise. Thus ended the Battle of Silvertear Skies - and one of the greatest defeats Garlemald had yet experienced in their campaigns of conquest.

Many years later, the Battle of Carteneau ended with half of the region devastated by the effects of Bahamut emerging from Dalamud. Today, Mor Dhona stands as perhaps the single most scarred, battle-blasted region in all of Eorzea; having been the stage for two of the most destructive battles in recent Eorzean history, and the first focus of Bahamut's awakened rage, much of the region is now desperately barren, crystal-scarred and uninhabitable, a far cry from its old verdancy. Even now, the carcass of Midgardsormr lies entwined with the wreckage of the Agrius in the center of Silvertear Lake, a towering monument to the ferocity of the conflicts that have ravaged this land.

Towns

 * Revenant's Toll

Castrum Centri
Castrum Centri was once Castrum Novum, remodeled and renamed after the XIVth Legion took over from the tattered remnants of the VIIth. It serves as one of the cores of the Garlean Empire's presence in Eorzea, along with the Praetorium.

Revenant's Toll
The original Camp Revenant's Toll was annihilated in the Calamity, and the crystal grew out of the ground to engulf the otherwise pristine and uniform Aetheryte crystal. Players can navigate the ruined camp in various quests, but all NPCs have either died or moved to the new, full-blown town of Revenant's Toll, situated nearby. It has been growing larger as time passes in the game.

Saint Coinach's Find
The Sons of Saint Coinach, an organization of scholars and researchers from Sharlayan, have made camp in these Allagan Ruins. In addition to the ruins, the suddenly formed Crystal Tower is a valued subject for study.

Crystal Tower
Little is known of the Crystal Tower, only that it sprang up some time shortly after the Calamity. The Sons of Saint Coinach would likely unlock its odd, slanted door were it not for the hostile Gigas roaming the area that appear to worship the tower.

The Tangle
One of the most intriguing spots for its reason for development, the Tangle is a labyrinthine forest full of Malboros just outside Castrum Centri. It was made to resemble the spot the CG Midlander fought the Malboro during an Echo in the original game's Opening Movie.

Original (1.0)
The original Mor Dhona served as nothing more than a dangerous location for a meager few main scenario quests. Until the addition of Notorious Monsters like Dodore, the region saw very few visitors outside the occasional toad farmer. Full of empty caves and dummied content, explorers found it a great place to speculate what might have been in the original game's endgame.

Late in the Seventh Umbral Era story, the Garlean Empire established a makeshift stronghold called Castrum Novum, their second foothold in Eorzea after Ala Mhigo.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
The most notable change is the absence of the entire southern half, likely obliterated or rendered uninhabitable after Bahamut's rampage at the Battle of Carteneau. The aether crystals have grown even further at places, particularly in the area of Singing Shards, where the entire canyon is crystallized to the point where electricity can be seen sparking from wall to wall. Gigas and hippogryphs have moved in from the mountains of Coerthas, and piestes have migrated to the adjacent Northern Thanalan. While much of the area is just as barren as it had been since the Battle of Silvertear Skies twenty years ago, plant life has returned in full force in spots like The Tangle.

Quite unlike Version 1.0, Mor Dhona and particularly Revenant's Toll are now the go-to hub for end-game coordination, due in large part to the presence of the "tome vendors" - merchants who will trade various endgame items and crafting materials for Allagan Tomestones. The Crystal Tower is also located in Mor Dhona, meaning the entrance to at least one end-game dungeon is right there as of patch 2.1. Additionally, Revenant's Toll's popularity is so prominent that it is acknowledged in the story itself - the camp-cum-city is growing with the players, and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn even move their headquarters there to be closer and more convenient for the adventurers. This growth is also reflected with patches, as the town is getting incrementally built, with the town square complete as of Patch 2.28.