The End of the Golden Cities of Spira

By Rioshi


The End of the Golden Cities of Spira

"It is said, long ago, that the World of Spira was divided between majestic cities of old. But one day that changed utterly. Zanarkand, city that never sleeps in the Light was the first to succumb to the endless summon of Sin, driven mindless by the wrath of Yu Yevon in his broken shell from Bevelle's attacks. Baaj, island paradise of the Eclipse was the second, sunken beneath the waves into utter ruin as their overextended reaction to Sin's toxins mutated them into a paradysmally lazy race lost of their paradise known simply as the Hypello. Never thought why the Hypello were such good swimmers, did you? Not surprising, since their entire people were forced to abandon their homes for the mainland and many did not survive.

This of course was followed by the Earthen Bastion of the Al Bhed, Bikanel Fortress found itself gripped in the iron sands of their expanding deserts in the wake of their colossal cities' collapse. The fourth, Besaid, had no such element and was torn asunder almost immediately. Djose of the Winds was consumed entirely by the Gigagraviton and vanished from the skies- unlike the mutations suffered by the Ronso peoples of the Water bound Floating City upon Gagazet that nearly caused a genocide of their race as the water flushed out the Ronso down the mountain from the peak. (Some even speculate that their missing Aeon Yojimbo was stolen and hidden at the base of the mountain of the warrior city after the mutations due to their former alliances with Zanarkand! Of course, that would explain why the Hymn of the Fayth used by the summoners was reintroduced originally by the Ronso, but life is funny like that.)

What followed was history, as word of Sin begun to spread through the lands. Macalania Grove's ice was broken and could not be supported by their Matroness, so their fiend summoned creations known as the forest caretakers of the Guado were striken as an endangered species as their creators faded by the millions into the seas below. Kilika followed as the Fire Coasts were doused and their people escaped the toxins by venturing deep into the forests, yet the destruction continued through various small cities with the exception of the smallest trading village by the name of Luca- saved just in time by the first Calm.

The only two to be spared was Bevelle and Remiem, who saved their metropolis through extensive machina use in regards to a treaty with Lady Yunalesca for the Final Aeon. And even then Remiem fell decades later as the City of Flowers was laid low by the massive armor of Sin and turned into the Calm Lands during a fight with one of the High Summoners. A sad fate indeed! But ah, where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'ladies and m'lords. I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets.

Yet for today, I think that was enough. And that, as they say, was that."