I couldn't miss the chance to practice my drawing!
Beasts of the Final Days, also known as terminus and fell beasts, are a type of monster first appearing in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers and later Endwalker. They are the harbingers of chaos that plagued the Final Days. The first and most powerful beasts to appear in each region affected by the Final Days are given the title of blasphemy (偽神獣, Gishinjū?, lit. False Divine Beast).
History[]
Before Final Fantasy XIV[]
The beasts originated in the Final Days before the Sundering. Created by the Meteia's song of oblivion, this "keening sound" brought forth by a surge of dynamis into Etheirys, inducing bouts of panic and despair within the Ancients, causing their creation magicks to go awry and manifest nightmarish creatures that destroyed everything and everyone within sight. The mere sight of these monsters frightened other Ancients, culminating in a snowball effect of the monsters quickly appearing all across the star.
These creatures born of dynamis congregated in areas where aether currents were at their weakest and caused the sky to turn red, covered in ominous meteor showers raining from the atmosphere itself. Eventually, the calamity found its way to Amaurot and the city fell to ruin even as its populace were devising a means to avert it. The Convocation of Fourteen came together to find a way to halt this unknown threat and created Zodiark to stop the Final Days by projecting a massive aether shroud to stop the waves of dynamis. However, due to the schism amongst the Ancients due to the nature of Zodiark's creation, the Ancients never learned the origin of the Final Days or its complete nature.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers[]
Emet-Selch, an unsundered survivor of the Final Days and the Sundering, was one of the few who vividly remembered the tragedy and recreated it as part of his Amaurot simulacrum to show the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn what befell of his home. He spared no effort to recreate the scale of event from the city to the entire planet itself, assailed by meteors, all brought forth by the terrible beasts that besieged his people. Though the Warrior cleared his gauntlet of recreated fell monsters, Emet-Selch remained unconvinced of their worth until the adventurer eventually defeated him.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker[]
The rogue Ascian Fandaniel sought to recreate the Final Days after Elidibus's fall. Creating towers to siphon the planet of its aether to power his "gateway to the gods", he destroyed the seal on the moon to free Zodiark from his imprisonment there. He took Zodiark over and fought the adventurer, but even his defeat was part of Fandaniel's plan. By having the Warrior of Light weaken the dark god, Fandaniel took the opportunity to destroy Zodiark himself by crushing his core, undoing the shroud of aether covering the star, allowing the Meteia's dynamis to influence it once more. The fell beasts returned, not as wayward arcane creations, but the people themselves mutating into them, when their fear and despair overwhelmed them.
All across the world, several people who had succumbed to despair became consumed in black shadows, morphing into monsters that induced panic and fear, repeating the same snowball effect that had destroyed the original Etheirys. The northern regions were hit the hardest as both Thavnair and Garlemald experienced the meteor showers from the ancient days.
Within Radz-at-Han, a failing maritime merchant came under hard times. Feeling he had been ruined, he transformed and caused a mass panic, calling forth a legion of monsters that caused the skies to turn. The satrap, Ahewann, christened this being as a "blasphemy", bearing superficial resemblance to deities of their culture, and assembled a rescue team with the adventurer and the Scions to deal with the unknown threat in Vanaspati. Though Vrtra attempted to help, he could not bare fang and claw against them knowing they were his own citizens, and only shielded those who had not turned yet. Eventually, the threat was quelled for a time after the blasphemy made from the merchant was destroyed. When it dissipated, Y'shtola was horrified at what she "saw": the blasphemy had no trace of aether, and when it was destroyed, it vanished with no trace, as if it were never there.
The Scions regrouped with Ahewann to discuss how to proceed while Estinien Varlineau and Vrtra took to the skies to help ward off the airborne threat. They discovered that the people transformed when consumed by extreme negative emotions and needed to either calm down or overcome these feelings to avoid transforming. The Scions and the satrap assembled a meeting at the plaza to discuss how to deal with the threat. Alphinaud speculated if the difference of aetheric density between the present day people and the ancients was playing a part, since the souls of the present people are sundered souls of the Ancients. But when a worried elder began to panic over the safety of her grandchild, she immediately fell victim to her own horror and transformed, causing many others to turn. In the chaos, Ahewann died protecting a distraught father seeing his son transform. G'raha gathered his resolve to get the people to stay calm and work together, even averting further transformations.
The Scions traveled across Thavnair to save as many as they could from the beasts with Vrtra finding his resolve to fight back, just in time to save Matsya and a frightened baby from turning. Having done away with the worst of the monsters, the Scions regrouped back to Radz-at-Han for their next course of action. G'raha came up with a plan: for the Warrior of Light to return to the First and ask Elidibus, another unsundered Ancient, for any more info. Just before the journey several delegates from across Aldenard and the Far East arrived at the Radiant of the Host to ask the Warrior's help with new beasts appearing in several regions all over Eorzea and Doma.
When the adventurer returned to the Ocular and summoned Elidibus's remnant within the Syrcus Tower, his mind and memories had been restored and was more than willing to share what information he had. Much of what was shared was consistent, and upon hearing the word "Elpis", Elidibus was reminded of a place of the same name and the leading man behind it: Hermes, the original incarnation of Fandaniel. For his final act to save the world, Elidibus used what remained of his aether to send the Warrior of Light through time and space to before the Sundering to find and avert the Final Days' root cause.
In Elpis, the adventurer met with a young Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus and learned that Hermes led the study of dynamis. They revealed its true significance as an emotional energy source that could warp reality itself, accompanying him his personal project, Meteion, who was created using dynamis. They met up with Venat and the Warrior was forced to reveal the future to transpire when she incidentally blew their cover. The group came together with Hermes to discuss the implications of dynamis, with Venat deducing that the Final Days were not the result of a stagnancy of aether, but someone directly invoking the events. At that point, Meteion received her sisters' concluded report from their trek across the universe, horrified by the news for fear of Hermes's reaction. Despite her efforts to hide herself, she was surrounded and could do naught but wish for the adventurer to protect everyone, just as her will and identity were subsumed by her sisters and she was forced to reveal their report: the Meteia had found nothing but dead worlds, planets with civilizations wiped out and people who cursed their existence. The group tried to take Meteion in, but Hermes rebelled and spirited her away, retreating into his facility, Ktisis Hyperboreia.
The adventurer, Emet-Selch, Venat, and Hythlodaeus made their way through the facility and its released creations until they confronted Hermes and defeated him to stop him and apprehend Meteion, who concluded her report. The Meteia had come to the final conclusion: That life itself was meaningless suffering. To end the pain, all life must ease to exist and Etheirys, too, must die. Meteion transformed and declared to sing her song of oblivion and bring about the Final Days. Before anyone could stop her, Hermes bound the adventurer and the other Ancients and declared judgment on mankind's fitness to exist. He initiated Kairos to wipe everyone's memories, including his own, "to ensure fairness". Meteion escaped with Venat placing a magical tracker on her so that they would be able to find her one day. Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus used their power to ensure that at least Venat and the Warrior escape the mindwipe, but now bereft of powerful allies, the Final Days were poised to happen. The adventurer returned to their time with newfound knowledge of the true threat.
Upon returning to the their present, the Warrior received word that beasts had besieged Garlemald. They charged in to quell the threat just as Sharlayan attempted to mobilize their exodus to the moon. Following their victory in Garlemald, the adventurer and the Scions regrouped in Old Sharlayan to share their findings. With a clear objective in mind and an enemy to face, they struck a deal with the Forum that they would confront Meteion and avert the Final Days and an exodus would not be needed.
After enough preparations and assistance from everyone across the world and newfound information from the Loporrits on the exact location of Meteion, they traveled to the edge of the universe to Ultima Thule, where the Meteia nested their dynamis. Through emotional trials and tribulations with the support of their friends and the Ancients, the adventurer confronted Meteion and restored the will of the one they had befriended, begging them to end the song of oblivion. Confronting the Meteia in their innermost lair, they transformed into the true form of the harbinger of the Final Days: the Endsinger. In spite of her overwhelming power, she was defeated and dissipated. With their despair overcome, the original Meteion was restored. Though remorseful for her actions, she was hopeful for the future and sang a new song of hope, ending the Final Days once and for all, and preventing any more further beasts from emerging.
Characteristics[]
Though most resemble the voidsent of the Thirteenth, the beasts of the Final Days share much in common with that of both the demons of the dark and the sin eaters of the First, essentially being aether-drained monsters and largely bereft of reason. These monsters use dynamis to sustain themselves to compensate for their aether deficiency and seemingly exude an aura of dynamis that can induce negative feelings in others, capable of chain reactions that effectively allow them to multiply with frightening speed.
The original beasts from before the Sundering were made from the Ancients' creation magicks, as although their aether-dense composition could not be compromised by dynamis, their abilities were. Due to the sundered's ability to indirectly harness dynamis and lower aether composition, they are capable of morphing into the beasts should they succumb to despair. When a sundered person begins to transform, their body becomes engulfed in a smoky black-gray aura. If the subject is able to overcome their emotional duress and calm down, the process is halted and reversed. If fully consumed, their aether rots from the inside out and their body transforms from a black burst of dynamis, leaving scant remnants of the original person who is driven only by a base desire to kill. It's even believed that since practically no aether remains, the souls of the victims turned into beasts do not make it to the Aetherial Sea. Thus, even when the beast is laid low, there is no saving the soul of the victim.
Though many beasts cause wanton violence and destruction out of pure instinct, the stronger blasphemies scattered across Eorzea and the Far East are driven by a fervent desire from their original form, much like the Cardinal Virtues. In exceptional cases, such as Charlet and Profane Fafnir, they appeared to be relatively docile and fled the scene after their transformations, never harming anyone until sufficiently provoked. In the special case of Nerva, he not only retained his desire to claim the throne, but was even capable of formulating tactics, hoarding and commanding several beasts to set up defenses and overwhelm his enemies in battle.
Notable beasts[]
Blasphemies[]
When Svarbhanu first emerged in Thavnair, it was called a "blasphemy" for its twisted resemblance to Thavnairian deities. The term blasphemy has since been adopted in reference to the first and most powerful beasts to emerge in each region affected by the Final Days. The despair wrought by the appearance of a blasphemy would give rise to more beasts, making each blasphemy the epicenter for a potential outbreak.
- Svarbhanu: the blasphemy of Thavnair, transformed from the merchant Khalzahl.
- Gleipnir: the blasphemy of the Black Shroud, transformed from the former Padjal Ea-Sura-Supin.
- Charlet: the blasphemy of Gyr Abania, transformed from the former Crania Lupi member of the same name.
- The Indigo Beast: the blasphemy of La Noscea, transformed from the Sahagin broodmother, the Indigo Queen.
- Izanami: the blasphemy of Yanxia, transformed from an Isari villager named Minato.
- Profane Fafnir: the blasphemy of Coerthas, transformed from an Elezen clone who took the name Vaindreau.
- Nerva yae Galvus: the blasphemy of Garlemald, transformed from the cousin of Varis zos Galvus and legatus of the IIIrd Legion.
Other notable beasts[]
- Archaeotania: an early beast manifestation kept for study in Akadaemia Anyder. Emet-Selch's recreation of it now haunts the Tempest.
- The First Beast: the first documented beast of the Final Days, a recreation of it is encountered in Emet-Selch's Amaurot.
- Therion: another beast seen in the recreated Amaurot, with several of them laying waste to the city.
Lesser beasts[]
- Terminus Beholder
- Terminus Bellwether
- Terminus Crier
- Terminus Detonator
- Terminus Drainer
- Terminus Flesher
- Terminus Horror
- Terminus Howler
- Terminus Idolizer
- Terminus Lacerator
- Terminus Pursuer
- Terminus Reaper
- Terminus Robber
- Terminus Roiler
- Terminus Shadower
- Terminus Shriver
- Terminus Slitherer
- Terminus Snatcher
- Terminus Sprinter
- Terminus Stalker
- Terminus Trampler
- Terminus Twitcher
- Terminus Vanquisher
- Terminus Weeper
- Terminus Wrecker
Etymology[]
Blasphemy is the act of showing contempt for or demeaning a god, or other object held in reverence.
Gallery[]
