Ivalice

Ivalice is the second largest world in the Final Fantasy series, after Vana'diel. Created by Yasumi Matsuno, Ivalice has been the setting of several games, one not even Final Fantasy. Unlike other Final Fantasy worlds, every game set in Ivalice has always been set in the same world, usually at different periods in time.

Final Fantasy XII
Ivalice is a region consisting of three continents; Ordalia in the west, Valendia in the northeast and Kerwon in the south. However, only the lands bordering the Naldoan Sea are explored. Other Ivalician lands (the former Republic of Landis, etc.) are sometimes mentioned but not explored in the game. In ancient times, King Raithwall united the three continents to create the united Federation of Galtea. As time passed, conflicts had split the continents again.

The continents are dominated by an assortment of industrialized city-states; the Archadian Empire and the kingdom of Nabradia both in Valendia, the Rozarrian Empire in Ordalia, and sandwiched between the two continents is the kingdom of Dalmasca. Strategically located between the rival neighboring states of Imperial Archadia and Rozarria, Dalmasca's position as a neutral buffer region between the two countries is eliminated when it is invaded by Imperial Archadia. Now reduced to an occupied territory under Archadian rule, Dalmasca is set to play a central role in the still-heated dispute between its neighbors which is escalating once more.

The adventures of fledgling Sky Pirates Vaan and Penelo has expanded the worldview of Ivalice. New locations have been added, and some old ones have returned.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Ivalice is referred to as a kingdom in which the story of Final Fantasy Tactics takes place. Ivalice is similar to a European country in the Middle Ages. It is a feudal society, with there being only one major religion, the Church of Glabados, of which all Ivalicians are members, mirroring pre-reformation Christian Europe. Ivalice has recently suffered a series of wars that also involved the invasion of neighboring kingdoms of Ordalia and Romanda. The Fifty Years' War in which Ivalice opposes the armies of Ordalia takes place before the game which has led to the current destabilized political situation, and the War of the Lions, which serves as the main plot of the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Ivalice is a dream world created by Mewt Randell after he bought the Gran Grimoire from a bookstore. Mewt, his friends and the entire town was brought to this dream world after Mewt uttered some magic words in the Grimoire. This Ivalice is arguably based on Final Fantasy XII, although it had been toned down for being created by a child. Laws play an important role in this world, being supervised by the Judges of the palace.

Ivalice may also refer to St. Ivalice, Mewt's hometown.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Ivalice is again a geographical region in this game, and not a kingdom. However, it is not a dream world like in Tactics Advance, but rather a separate world. Luso, the game's protagonist, made it to Ivalice by writing his name in the Gran Grimoire. Here, Ivalice combines the elements in Tactics Advance with Final Fantasy XII.

Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story takes place in the country of Valendia, which shares the same name as a continent in Final Fantasy XII. There are several references to Ivalice within the game. It is also notable that Final Fantasy XII uses the Old Valendian Calendar. The Kiltea religion also features in both. While Vagrant Story is not labeled with a Final Fantasy title, the game was designed by Yasumi Matsuno, the director and story creator for Final Fantasy Tactics and the original director for Final Fantasy XII, so any similarities between these games are not coincidental.

History of Ivalice
A brief over-look of the history of Ivalice. These are based from the definite records in the respective Ultimania of each game and in-game information.

The Age of Myths
The gods worked upon the world of Ivalice. In their efforts they created the twenty four scions based on zodiacs, with the scions split in half as scions of Light and Dark, tasked with very important purposes. Some believed there is a thirteenth scion based on discoveries of ancient texts. The scions of Dark, as the tale goes, rose against the gods and were bound to the world, hence why only half the Scions appear as espers. The creation myth of Ivalice has many, but one of the known ones is as follows:

Before Ivalice was created, there exists two warring tribes of gods, the Fabar and the Danan. The war lasted for thousands of years, until the Prophet Matoya predicts the death of the Danan god-king Xabaam in the hands of his trusted blade. Xabaam fears his trusted General Ahnas to be the death of him, and imprisons him and his loyal followers into the darkest labyrinths. Ahnas implores the death-god Heth to free him in exchange for his own life. Freed along with his followers, Ahnas sought revenge.

Now Ahnas the Holy, he and his followers appeared millenia later upon the Fabar and battled against the Danan triumphantly. The Fabar god We'aka was intrigued with the strength of his vengeance and swore an oath to fight alongside his men. Battles raged on for countless millenia until Ahnas finally confronts Xabaam and defeats him.

While We'aka sought the head of Xabaam, Ahnas wished the Danan god-king pay for his misdeeds and immortalized Xabaam's body, transforming it into a great land and named it Ivalice. Now Ahnas the Shining, he and his followers then withdraw into the heavens, watching as Man lived and thrived upon Xabaam's eternal body.

The Age of Gods
Thousands of years before the Galtean Alliance was ever established, the Occuria ruled over all of Ivalice. While Man was just starting to thrive, the Occuria has built imposing structures such as the Pharos at the Ridorana Cataract. However, for reasons unknown, the Occuria withdraw from their command into hiding in their own city Giruvegan, causing mass confusion throughout the world until a new age finally dawned.

Some believed that this happened because of the Thousand Years War incited by the twelve Espers, lead by the corrupt Holy Seraph Ultima. Eventually the Espers were defeated, and the Occuria, wanting to ensure that the Espers will not rebel once again, tied their very existence into glyphs and banished them to the dark reaches within Ivalice.

At the same time, the Aegyl Feolthanos, defied the Occuria and sealed himself and his people on the Purvama of Lemurés to envade their wrath. But in secret, Feolthanos married a Viera, creating a subspecies known as the Feol Viera.

Time of the Glaciers
Ivalice is covered in ice, much like the ice ages of earth. During this period many creatures adapted well to a land based way of life. Some creatures, such as the Croakadile, had a hard time surviving through the colder temperatures and their population dwindled. Eventually over all of Ivalice, glaciers begins to melt as the climate's temperature rose, flooding the planet. The sudden change in sea level killed many of landed species, and a number of surviving creatures, such as the Coeurl, were forced to adapt.

Magick enters Ivalice
Vague records claim that magick was brought over Ivalice from an unknown continent, and into the hands of the Man. It is unknown if the Occuria had a hand in this or not.

The Galtean Alliance
The light of Kiltia is founded. This religion proves relief for some people of Ivalice.

Later, Ivalice is at war. The Occuria, fearing Ivalice will be scarred even more, give the Garif a large piece of Nethicite, a weapon to set everything straight. The Garif are unable to use it however. Angered at the Garif's incompetence, the Occuria came to learn of Raithwall's victory over Belias. Amazed, they gave the Nethicite, and a Sword, to him. Taking only three shards off the larger Nethicite, King Raithwall unites all of Ivalice. He would now be known as Ivalice's first Dynast King, and the founder of the Galtean Alliance. During this time, the Empires of Archadia and Rozarria rise. Both are great nations, who expand very quickly.

King Raithwall later dies. He is buried with the Dawn Shard, and his tomb is guarded by an Esper he had defeated in life, Belias. The Dusk Shard goes to the Kingdom of Dalmasca, while the Midlight Shard goes to Nabradia.

The Age of Technology
Centuries pass, and the Empires of Rozarria and Archadia are at war. Eventually, a truce is signed. The son of Emperor Gramis Solidor, Vayne Solidor, kills his father and takes over the Archadian Empire. He hopes to start a war with Rozarria and Archadia, and become Ivalice's new Dynast King. It is revealed he is being led by the rogue Occuria, Venat, who suceeded in shattering the control its kind had over Ivalice.

Vayne is eventually stopped, and killed, by Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, along with the Sky Pirates Balthier and Fran, street urchin Vaan and his friend Penelo, and Basch fon Ronsenburg.

A year later, the Purvama of Lemurés is revealed to Ivalice, along with the mysterious Aegyl race. This sparks a great treasure hunting spree among Sky Pirates that a maddened Feolthanos attempted to take advantage of. The party that stopped Vayne Solidor, along with some new friends, manage to defeat Feolthanos and restore peace to Ivalice.

The Age of Ajora
At some point, a great catastrophe hits Ivalice, wiping out many landmarks and even taking out the race of the moogles. The other races disappear in this time. Man starts refering to the previous era as the Golden Era. He starts building again from the ground up.

In an age where airships and robots are commonplace, Pharism became the dominant religion of the Holy Ydoran Empire. At this time, a man called Ajora is born, and at the age of twenty starts to preach about the coming of Paradise. His influence caused unrest among the Pharist priests, and eventually, Ajora is caught and hanged by the Empire. After the execution, an earthquake happens, wiping out Ydora from the map. Some people take this as a sign from the gods, and start praising Ajora as a child of the gods. Over the next few decades, Ajora's tale would be twisted to make him seem even greater. The Church of Glabados was founded by Ajora's disciples, with Saint Ajora as its main focus. Pharism eventually fades away, with the Church of Glabados now the main religion.

Ivalice is now at war again, between two men after the throne. This war would become known as the War of the Lions. In reality, the War is simply a means for a greater evil. The Espers, now calling themselves Lucavi, have returned, and want to rule all of Ivalice. To this end, they possess people, and use them to do their bidding. Even the great Ajora was being possessed by one, their leader, Ultima. It is unclear why the Espers have changed their name to Lucavi, or what their final ultimate agenda was. Using the War of the Lions, the current leader of the Lucavi, Hashmal, hopes to revive Ultima. In order to do so, they need a lot of bloodshed to revive Ajora, Ultima's last host. They manage to revive Ultima, but a young heretic called Ramza stops them. Ramza is considered a heretic, and his old friend, Delita Heiral, is remembered by history as the man who ended the War. The only man who knows the truth, Orran Durai, is found and executed by the church as a heretic. Several decades on, Orran's descendant, Arazlam Durai finds Orran's writing, and decides to write his story.

The Post-Kiltia Age
Previously, a Kildean priestess named Müllenkamp founded the city of Leá Monde. Her followers began to create a cult after her. As time passed, a man called Saint Iocus was born, and began prohibiting the use of magicks. The influence of the Iocus priesthood increases, and followers of Müllenkamp were hunted down in the Inquisition. Later, the prosperous city of Leá Monde is struck by a great earthquake, turning the city into a concentration of dark energy and lost souls. Riskbreaker Ashley Riot of Valendia goes to Leá Monde to stop Sydney Losstarot, a Müllenkamp cultist leader with an unknown objective to achieve in Leá Monde. Eventually, Ashley finds that the real dark threat is Romeo Guildenstern, who wants the power of the Gran Grimoire. Stripping Sydney of his power, he reveals that the entire city is the Grimoire. Ashley stops Romeo, and in turn is granted the dark powers of Leá Monde. Ashley continues on to become the vagrant, eternally saving lost souls who have become the undead.

The Modern Age
Several centuries later, magic has completely vanished from the world, replaced by technology. There exists a small town by the name of St. Ivalice in the cold regions. A young boy called Mewt Randell bought an ancient book, in reality a Gran Grimoire. Looking at it with his friends Marche and Ritz, the book recreates a dream Ivalice following Mewt's designs, who in turn is inspired by a Final Fantasy game. Marche eventually reverts the world back to normal, knowing it isn't healthy to live in a dream world.

Twenty years later, a young boy called Luso finds a Gran Grimoire himself. Unlike Mewt's Grimoire, this Grimoire actually sends Luso back in time, to the real Golden Era.

Physical Connections
With so much internal suggestion—as well as official acknowledgment—that the games are connected, fans have tried to piece together the settings of Ivalice in terms of geography.

Some major points of overlap include the manufacturing city of Goug, the regions of Bervenia and Glabados, the continent of Valendia, and the continent of Ordalia.

In piecing together various maps, a common mistake is to join them as seen below, taking Ordalia of Final Fantasy Tactics and Ordalia of Final Fantasy XII to be direct equivalents. However, as seen in Final Fantasy XII’s prologue, the largest known map of Ivalice does not permit this. This may be complicated further, however, by Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, in which the regions of Bervenia and Glabados are placed next to Dalmasca, putting a large portion of the future kingdom of Ivalice within its borders (this also contradicting the fan-made map). It may be, however, that these regions are related only in name to those of Final Fantasy Tactics, or they may reflect a developmental shortcut taken when creating the maps for Revenant Wings.

This is especially true in light of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, which places Goug in western Ordalia, further west even than Rozarria. To place Goug and Bervenia in close proximity, as they were in Final Fantasy Tactics, would require the destruction and shift of vast swathes of Ordalia; it may be that the Cataclysm provides this. The connection depends largely on which, if any, of these three locations (Goug, Bervenia, and Glabados) are intended to closely relate to their counterparts in other games.

Valendia, meanwhile, appears first as the name of a continent in Final Fantasy XII and later in the timeline as a nation in Vagrant Story, with similar nomenclature occurring in Ordalia/Ordallia and Ivalice itself.