Dynast King

Dynast King is a phrase used in the game Final Fantasy XII. It is a title given to people by the Occuria, and it is up to the Dynast King to set the course of history straight.

Purpose
When the Occuria decide that Ivalice's history has become too wayward, they decide to pick an individual to do their bidding, and straighten history to the way they see fit. To this end, they choose a person of great power, usually a king, and give them an item of even greater power, the stone of the gods, nethicite. With this nethicite, the Dynast King will unite Ivalice, and do what the Occuria bid, usually without knowing it.

King Raithwall
King Raithwall was the Occuria's first Dynast King. First, they gave the King the Sword of Kings. With this, he went to the Pharos at Ridorana and cut off three pieces of the Sun-Cryst; the Dawn Shard, the Midlight Shard and the Dusk Shard. With these three shards of nethicite, he managed to ally all the great nations of the world. This period was called the Galtean Alliance, and during this period, many great Kingdoms and Empires rose. He then gave two of the nethicite shards away, to the Kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia, and kept the last shard with him, until his death. Ivalice was united, and war was no more, so the Occuria were happy.

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca
7 centuries later, war had broken out, between the Archadian Empire and Rozarria. Many smaller Kingdoms had fallen in this war, and many people were losing their lives. Furthermore, Archadia had developed the means to create their own Nethicite. Enraged of this, the Occuria decided to bring in a new Dynast King to set things straight once again. They chose Princess Ashe, the direct descendant of King Raithwall. However, in order to do so, the Occurian king Gerun tricked the princess by using an image of her late husband, Lord Rasler. Using this image, it led her everywhere they needed her to go, and prevent any unwanted actions, like the destruction of the Dawn Shard.

When Ashe reached the Occuria at Giruvegan, Gerun gave her a new sword, the Treaty Blade, with which she would carve new shards of nethicite off the Sun-Cryst and use it to destory their common enemy to straighten history's weave. Reluctant, Ashe went to the Pharos at Ridorana and reached the Sun-Cryst. However, she eventually realises that mankind never needed the nethicite, that it was always working together that got them by, so she decides to destroy the Sun-Cryst. As a final resort, Gerun appeared as Rasler and begged Ashe to reconsider. However, she sees throught his guise, and strikes the false image down. Finally, the sky pirate Reddas takes the Sword of Kings and destroys the Sun-Cryst for Ashe.

Vayne Solidor
While Ashe and Raithwall were both chosen by the Gods, Vayne's claim to the title of Dynast King was completely by his own power. Judge Bergan, Vayne's loyal follower, proclaims Raithwall to be just a pretender of the title. Since the original Dynast King was simply a puppet of the Occuria, he could be called the true leader of Ivalice. Vayne never calls himself "Dynast King", but its clear that he feels the only effective government is an authoritarian one, with him as the supreme ruler. However, Vayne's rise to power is cut short when he is killed by his rival Ashe and her party at the Battle above Rabanastre.

Ultimately neither Ashe nor Vayne become Dynast King. After Vayne's death and Ashe's destruction of the Sun-Cryst, the rule of Dynast Kings is over and the Occuria leave world affairs to the hands of man.