How to describe the sheer amazement we felt when we emerged on the other side of the portal? I fear words do not do it justice. Before us was a vibrant world where the memories of the departed abided and reveled in bygone days. Living Memory, or so the Endless called it. How they laughed and smiled as they reminisced upon unfulfilled dreams. Alive in all perceivable ways...yet knowing no loss. So resplendent was every ilm of this paradise, the words rose unbidden to my lips: All this time, it was here—the city of gold.
Living Memory is a location in Final Fantasy XIV introduced in the expansion Dawntrail. Accessible through a portal at the top level of Everkeep, or alternately, through the gate in the depths of The Skydeep Cenote, Living Memory is the fabled city of gold spoken of in Yok Huy visions, and is located in another reflection of the Source.
History[]
Before Dawntrail[]
Living Memory is the top level of Everkeep, kept as a secret from general populace. Its construction was started after the end of Storm Surge, which resulted in the death of Alexandrian Queen Sphene. A group called the Preservation eventually brought her back as an Endless, created from her memories separated from her soul. The Endless Sphene was reprogrammed to maintain the happiness of Alexandrian people no matter the cost. When the procedure of creating an Endless was proven successful through Sphene, deceased Alexandrians were also recreated as Endless who "lived" in a bliss within Living Memory. The souls of the deceased were returned to be used among the living through soul cells, which allowed the living Alexandrians to be revived whenever they died in an accident, yet not from old age. The living were also erased of their memories of the deceased, made possible by Living Memorys systems.
This kind of living cut off Alexandria from the aetherial sea and lifestream, and Alexandria was draining itself from resources since maintaining the Endless required a constant supply of living aether from souls. As directed by her programming, Queen Sphene sought new sources of aether, and a plan was created to open a gateway to the Source to steal its aether. The other side ended up in Tural. For the purpose of stealing the Source's aether, Preservation began researching interdimensional fusion, centered around an artifact the Milalla had brought with them when they escaped the Fifth Umbral Calamity in the Source. However, two Milalla Scientists, Robor and Alayla, defected from Preservation, opposing the ultimate goal of stealing Source's aether. They took the artifact and their infant daughter, Maya, through the gate to the Source to keep them safe from the hands of Sphene and the Preservation. After this, they formed a resistance organization, Oblivion, with the goal of preventing interdimensional fusion.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail[]
Twenty years later in the Source's flow of time, the gateway between Living Memory and the Source was opened again by Zoraal Ja, son of the Dawnservant Gulool Ja Ja. He heard Sphene, who promised him power in exchange of opening the gate. With the gate now open, the interdimensional fusion could now be realized. Zoraal Ja was crowned as the King of Resolve to Sphene's Queen of Reason, and they used interdimensional fusion to transfer Everkeep and its surrounding region to Yyasulani in Xak Tural. Living Memory was left behind, with a massive gate at the top of Everkeep connecting to it. After Zoraal Ja was defeated by the Warrior of Light, Vow of Resolve Wuk Lamat and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, Sphene acquired the dimensional key and retreated back to Living Memory to finalize her goal fusing her world with Source completely and harvesting the aether needed to sustain the Endless. The Scions followed her through the original gate to stop her, with the Warrior, Wuk Lamat, Krile Maya Baldesion, G'raha Tia and Erenville journeying through the gate to Living Memory.
Locations[]
Places of interest[]
Activities[]
Musical themes[]
- "Bygone Serenity": Living Memory's field theme during the patch 7.0 main scenario.
- "Echoes of Memory": Living Memory's field theme after the patch 7.0 main scenario.
- "Faerie Battle": Battle theme during the FATEs "Mascot March", "Mascot Mayhem", and "Mascot Murder".