Fallen

Fallen ruin in a desert in Dhalmekian Republic.

The Fallen (空の文明, Sora no Bunmei?, lit. Civilization of the Sky) were an ancient, advanced civilization of Valisthea in Final Fantasy XVI. They thrived for around 1500 years, and their civilization came to an end around 1500 years before the game's events; magick-use became widespread during their reign even if Bearers and Dominants were not around yet, and the Circle of Malius faith was formed during this time. Thanks to their technology, they were able to leave the surface and create cities in the sky. For reasons unclear to the modern populace, the Fallen lost access to magic and their cities fell. 1500 years later, the ruins of the Fallen can be found all around Valisthea, as well as remarkably few usable weapons. Both ruins and remnant weapons are found to be lightweight and nigh indestructible, impossible to duplicate in modern-day forges. Civilization fell to dark ages, the technology of the Fallen lost, and civilizations began to form around the Mothercrystals instead.

For the people who remained on the surface, the story of the Fallen became one of hubris: people who had tried to advance too far, to become too close to God, were fated to fall. While most saw the Fallen as a cautionary example, there were always those who saw the Fallen's legacy as a potential source of power.

See also: Ancient civilization or Obelisk (Final Fantasy XVI)

The end of the Fallen civilization

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The Blight appeared on Valisthea around 1500 years before the events of the game, and mankind warred over aether resources in an event known as the War of the Magi. The Sins of Dzemekys ended the Fallen civilization for good when the Dzemekys, the people tasked to protect the Mothercrystal Dzemekys, fought the Fallen who were attempting to claim the crystal and the power of gods as their own (specially, its aether-rich heart), and Ultima destroyed the Mothercrystal as well as the Fallen. According to legend, some remnants of the Fallen civilization fled the Twins to the outer continent, though what became of them is unknown even to the modern day local continentals.

In modern day Valisthea, the Grand Duchy of Rosaria has a legend of a Fallen survivor, now known only as the Founder, who started the first civilization after the Fall and eventually became Rosaria.

Spoilers end here.

Behind the scenes

The story of the Fallen has been likened to that of Icarus, a figure from Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun, and fell to his death.

Advanced ancient civilizations who had floating cities have appeared in the Final Fantasy series before: the Lufenians in Final Fantasy and their Flying Fortress, the floating Ronka Ruins of the Ronkan civilization in Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy XIV's Allagan Empire and its floating artificial continent, Azys Lla. The Fallen's attempt to claim the power of the gods for themselves is similar to the ancient civilization of Solheim in Final Fantasy XV.

The Thousand Tomes

Hidden Truths Entry

An ancient civilization that thrived some thousands of years before the present day. Though no direct records of the Fallen remain, early legends in the modern corpus speak of them as the "Menne of Magitek," the pinnacle of whose "magical technology" was the airship—enormous cities that soared through the skies. Comparisons of the ruins of these airships and other ancient structures connected to Ultima reveal slight but marked differences, suggesting the former is but a close copy of the latter. Alas, it seems their pursuit of Ultima's most closely guarded secrets led to their downfall, when they sent their fleet against Dzemekys, and ushered in the tragedy that saw their civilization fall.