Rise of the White Raven

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"Rise of the White Raven"

"Rise of the White Raven" is the final boss theme of Final Fantasy XIV. It was composed by Masayoshi Soken.

Game appearances

Final Fantasy XIV

In the original Final Fantasy XIV, "Rise of the White Raven" is the final boss theme, played once the player character and his or her party enter the second stage of the final battle with the main antagonist Nael van Darnus, who has now transformed into Nael deus Darnus after taking in too much of Dalamud's power.

The piece begins set in C minor, featuring a heavy amount of strings, vocals, and a harp solo in its opening. The ethereal mood evoked by the choral notes and the harp solo could possibly represent Nael's loss of sanity and his rise to full power due to Dalamud boosting his power. The piece then transitions into a brass fanfare of short, crisp notes.

This is followed by a tenor solo with a clear voice, which is, in turn, followed by a tenor solo with a slightly-distorted voice as the piece changes to D minor, then E-flat minor. After another brass fanfare in D minor, a duet between a soprano voice and a tenor voice is featured, and it continues as the piece changes to B-flat minor, then ends in F major before it loops back to the start. All vocals are featured in Latin.

In A Realm Reborn, an instrumental version called "Bite of the Black Wolf" plays during several Legatus battles, such the first stage of the final battle of the main story quest line when facing Gaius van Baelsar in the bottom of The Praetorium. "Rise of the White Raven" is again played in full during the rematch with Nael deus Darnus, who serves as the final boss of The Second Coil of Bahamut. A heavily remixed version can be heard in the Cinder Drift when the party fights the true form of the Ruby Weapon.

Through crafting, players can adquire the "Rise of the White Raven" music theme for the Orchestrion. An orchestral version of the theme is also available in Mog Station.

Lyrics

Latin Corvus fortis Corvus fortis Corvus fortis ascendit Superne videt praeteritum Praesentem et futurum videt Res evertuntur repente Ad unum omnes sunt mortui dei Machinae regnabunt in caelo Ratio regnabit in terra Corvum candidum exhilaramus Ecce extendit trans mundi alas Vocat lucem rubram excidii Fulget luce rubrae victoriae Imperium! Imperium! Imperium ave! Ave imperium! Ave imperium! Videte! Testate adventu fati Videte! Testate adventu Dalamud!

Official translation The dauntless raven The dauntless raven The dauntless raven rises up From on high, he marks the past; Marks the present; marks the future A revolution is upon us All the gods are dead Machines will rule the heavens Reason will rule the land Exalt we the White Raven Behold! His wings enfold the world He calls down the red light of destruction He glows with the red light of victory The Empire! The Empire! Hail to the Empire! Hail to the Empire! Hail to the Empire! Look! Bear witness to the advent of Fate Look! Bear witness to the advent of Dalamud!

The words "hear", "feel", and "think", which are heard in the main theme after character creation, are faintly spoken during the first stanza.

Album appearances

Final Fantasy XIV - Eorzean Frontiers

Soken's piece is featured as the seventh track of the album.

See also

• "Final boss theme"
• "Battle Theme 2"
• "Battle to the Death"
• "The Final Battle" (Final Fantasy IV)
• "The Final Battle" (Final Fantasy V)
• "Dancing Mad"
• "One-Winged Angel"
• "The Extreme"
• "The Final Battle" (Final Fantasy IX)
• "Final Battle" (Final Fantasy X)
• "Awakening"
• "Struggle for Freedom"
• "Nascent Requiem"
• "Magna Insomnia"