Spira (Final Fantasy X)
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Spira is the world in which the role-playing games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 are based. During Final Fantasy X, one enters a world characterized by death and destruction wrought by the fearsome beast, Sin. The name "Spira" was based on the highly prevalent concepts within Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 concerning cycles and repetition, such as characterized by the spiral of death that the world suffers, the many Spheres found in Spira, the Blitzball Sphere Pools, the Prayer to Yevon, the Sphere Grid, and Spira's cycle of life energy emerging from within the Planet's core, granting life to all its living inhabitants, and then returning to the core when a life form dies.Template:Fact
The beginning of the spiral of death
The story of Spira begins one thousand years before the events of Final Fantasy X. In this period, Spira was a prosperous land, with many large and technologically advanced cities, filled with machina. The foremost of these cities were Zanarkand and Bevelle. Zanarkand was the largest and most advanced city in all of Spira, and eventually this sparked a war from Bevelle. Zanarkand, while highly advanced, relied on summoners instead of machina to protect themselves from aggressors. Bevelle, on the other hand, had poured all of its resources into building highly advanced military machina, and hence, Zanarkand stood no chance. They met for battle on what is now called the Calm Lands, and Zanarkand's army was decimated.
Spurred on by their effortless victory, Bevelle prepared to attack Zanarkand directly. Yevon, the ruler of Zanarkand, could not bear to lose his city, and in an act of desperation, gathered his people on the summit of Mount Gagazet and took the souls from all the remaining summoners and other citizens and transformed them into Fayth for a summoning. Using the power of the Fayth, he summoned into existence a dream reality of Zanarkand; a Zanarkand that never sleeps, to preserve Zanarkand in its prime for all eternity. In order to protect the Fayth and the reality that he had created, Yevon cast powerful gravity spells, drawing in pyreflies from all over Spira and forming them into a massive armor around himself. This armor was Sin. Unfortunately, because Sin itself was the very incarnation of violence and destruction, Zanarkand was destroyed in the process.
The army of Bevelle, unaware of what had transpired at Zanarkand, began their march up the slopes of Mount Gagazet. Near the summit, they began to hear a song resounding across the mountain, the Hymn of the Fayth. "It is a song from an otherworld!", they exclaimed, and fled in terror. Sin rose up over the mountain in pursuit, and assaulted Bevelle's army, leaving no survivors. Some time later, a scouting party from Bevelle braved the mountain and ascended to the summit. From there, they could see the lifeless ruins of the once great Zanarkand. They also found the area in which the Fayth had been gathered. This information was relayed back to Bevelle, and immediately rumours and speculation arose about what had happened. It was thought that Yevon himself was the cause of Zanarkand's destruction. It was also surmised that he was responsible for transforming the people into Fayth, and for creating the monster, Sin.
Lady Yunalesca, the daughter of Yevon, had escaped from Zanarkand on the eve of its destruction. In order to further punish Bevelle and to honour the memory of her father, she created the technique known as the Final Summoning, in which a person with a very close bond to a summoner gives up his or her soul to become a Fayth for the summoning. In the case of Lady Yunalesca, it was her husband, Lord Zaon, who became the Fayth. Using the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon's armor, Sin, can be destroyed. However Yu Yevon, who resided within Sin, lived on, and merged with the new aeon, and after a time, Sin was born anew. Because of this, Sin never truly died, and the people of Spira, and Bevelle specifically, would be punished for all time, and the Dream Zanarkand would remain unhindered by the outside world. Using this technique, Lady Yunalesca was able to destroy Sin. But because of the trauma caused by the sudden severing of the bond with her husband and Final Aeon when Yu Yevon possessed it, she was killed as well. However, she chose to remain in the world of the living as an unsent in order to help perpetuate the cycle of the Final Summoning.
With the knowledge of the existence of Sin, Bevelle began to fear Yu Yevon's wrath. They created the teachings of Yevon, and in order to appease him, they began to spread these teachings all throughout Spira.
Yuna's pilgrimage and the Eternal Calm
In the one thousand years since the creation of Sin and the destruction of Zanarkand, Spira had became a rustic land, almost completely devoid of large cities and higher civilization. Due to the actions of Sin, and the Yevon ban on machina, few territories reach larger than hamlet size, as they are destroyed by Sin and their populations decimated before they can develop. The only cities left that are larger than small villages are Luca, which houses the only Blitzball stadium, and Bevelle, center of the religion of Yevon. The people of Spira live in constant fear of Sin, and yearn for the Calm, the short period after destruction of Sin in which Yu Yevon creates a new Sin from the aeon of the Final Summoning used to defeat the previous Sin. Every time a new Sin emerges, summoners make a pilgrimage to all of the temples of Yevon, praying to the Fayth at each temple and gaining a new aeon. Eventually, they reach the ruins of Zanarkand, where the shade of Lady Yunalesca resides. If they have trained their summoning abilities to a high enough degree, she will bestow upon them the Final Summoning, which they then use to defeat Sin. Unfortunately, the trauma of the Final Summoning kills them as well, and the spiral of death continues.
But the pilgrimage of Summoner Yuna brought this cycle to an end. She and her guardians managed to enter Sin's body and defeat Yu Yevon directly. As a result, the beginning of the Eternal Calm occurred. During the Eternal Calm, many groups began to appear: The Youth League, the New Yevon Party, and the Machine Faction. The coming of the Eternal Calm also brought the discovery of ancient ruins on top of Mt. Gagazet, as well as a civilization of cactuar called the Cactuar Nation.
Locations
Spira consists of many diverse locations, from tropical seaside villages, to sparkling crystal forests. It is also home to many just-as-diverse communities and cultures.
Besaid Island
A small tropical island on the southernmost end of Spira, famous for its fabrics and the clothes it produces. It was originally a city which heavily used machina until it was destroyed completely by sin. It now remains as a monument to sin's power, and still has remains of machina which house ancient weapons.Home to the Blitzball team Besaid Aurochs. It was fairly recently attacked by Sin.
Yuna was brought here by Kimahri Ronso at the request of her father, High Summoner Braska. Initially it was to be Auron who would bring her, but he was mortally wounded by Lady Yunalesca, and just before he died, he relegated the task to Kimahri. Yuna grew up here with Wakka and Lulu. The temple in Besaid was home to the fayth for the aeon Valefor.
Kilika Island
A medium-sized island north of Besaid and just south of Luca. Home to the Blitzball team Kilika Beasts.
During's Yuna's pilgrimage, its village was decimated by Sin and many people were killed. It was here that Yuna performed her first sending of the dead. Two years later, the village was rebuilt, but it was where tensions between the Youth League and New Yevon were at their worst. The temple in the forests of Kilika was home to the fayth for the aeon Ifrit.
Luca
Luca is the second largest city in Spira, home of the Blitzball team Luca Goers. It also houses the only Blitzball stadium in Spira. Because of this, the Crusaders, a group organized to protect the people of Spira from Sin, fought to the death in order to protect it. Blitzball was the only form of entertainment for the people of Spira during the time of Sin, and losing the stadium would have been a serious blow to their morale. Also of interest is the theater, where one can listen to the game's music and view the full motion video sequences.
After Sin's defeat, Luca began to host more entertainment. In Final Fantasy X-2, an Al-Bhed entrepreneur named Rin starts up a game called Sphere Break here.
Mi'ihen Highroad
This road links the city of Luca and Mushroom Rock Road. It is also the road that Lord Mi'ihen, creator of the Crusaders (initially known as the Crimson Blades) walked on to face a trial of Yevon. The clergy thought that his organization was dangerous to the church; however, he convinced them that he was no threat, and they made his group an arm of the Yevon clergy. Beyond the travel agency, the road separates into two different paths. The lower path is called the "Old Road" and may have been the path Lord Mi'ihen traveled. It is a narrow path that is now used mostly when someone falls off the main highroad.
Before the defeat of Sin, the Mi'ihen Highroad was populated by chocobos, which could be hired from the travel agency by travellers in order to traverse the Highroad more quickly. Their presence even attracted a particular type of fiend called the Chocobo Eater, who would prey on them at any opportunity. After the defeat of Sin, machina hovers were used instead and chocobos became a rare sight on the Highroad.
Mushroom Rock Road
Notable chiefly for its mushroom-shaped rock formations and as the site of the ill-fated Operation Mi'ihen, where the Crusaders and the Al Bhed tried, and failed, to defeat Sin by using ancient machina. It later became the base of operations and training ground for the Youth League. The Den of Woe is located in a ravine here. The road is also the link between the Mi'ihen and Djose highroads.
Djose
There is not much of interest in Djose, with the notable exception its temple which housed the fayth for the aeon, Ixion. Once the Eternal Calm began, the temple was abandoned, and the Machine Faction set up their headquarters there. Of note, when Sin was running wild over Spira, the rocks normally covering the temple would separate and hover in mid-air when a summoner prayed to the fayth. Now the rocks hover whenever anybody approaches the temple.
Moonflow
The Moonflow is a large river running through the heart of Spira. It is notable for shoopuf rides and for the pyreflies that congregate around the surface of the water, as well as the semi-entertaining productions by Chief Tobli and his troupe of Hypello performers. An ancient machina city lies at the bottom of the Moonflow. Long ago, in hubris, a city was built on top of the river. It is said, however, that nature prevailed, and the city sank into the waters. The people of Spira viewed the fate of this city as proof of the veracity of Yevon's teachings; even with its plethora of advanced technology, the city still sank into the river.
Guadosalam
Home of the Guado and the location of a gateway to the Farplane. Most summoners only made a short stop here on their way to the Zanarkand Ruins to pay respects to their fallen. After Sin was destroyed, the Guado left their home in fear of the Ronso. Shortly thereafter, Guadosalam became a favorite locale for sphere hunters, and the LeBlanc Syndicate took up residence in the old manor where Guado leaders, such as Seymour, once lived.
Farplane
The Farplane is the final resting place for the people of Spira. Summoners send the souls of the dead to the Farplane using a ritual dance called the Sending. A gateway to the Farplane, through which the living may travel back and forth, is located in Guadosalam, where the people called the Guado look after the Farplane. Those who journey here can summon an image of a dead person by thinking about them. It is belived by the Al Bhed that this phenomenon is a result of pyreflies reacting to peoples' memories, but no image of a living nor Unsent person has ever been seen on the Farplane. This lends to an alternate belief that while images form due to pyreflies reacting to the memories of the living, that only the images of those whose pyreflies (spiritual energy) are actually present in the Farplane can be seen there. Indeed, in Final Fantasy X, neither the images of Lady Ginnem nor of Seymour Guado can be seen on the Farplane until after the two Unsent individuals have made their way to the Farplane.
In Final Fantasy X-2, it is revealed that the Farplane is actually the heart of Spira, and that it contains a potentially limitless amount of spiritual energy. The character Shuyin used an enormous machine called "Vegnagun" to drill extra-planar tunnels from the Farplane to Spira. These tunnels ended at each of the Chambers of the Fayth, and out of the tunnels poured hundreds of Fiends controlled by Shuyin. These Fiends were put down with the help of the Gullwings, and Shuyin was later defeated.
Thunder Plains
The Thunder Plains is the site of a vast, never-ending thunderstorm. Many a traveler met their end here, until an Al Bhed by the name of Bilghen set up lightning rod towers to draw the lightning away from the main path. Ironically, he died after being hit by a stray bolt. Once Sin was defeated, the Al Bhed fortified the towers so the lightning would not harm travelers.
The only recorded time that the endless storm across the Thunder Plains ceased was momentarily as Yuna sang her song "1000 Words" on the deck of the Celsius Airship. Shortly after the song started, the rain stopped, and by the end, the clouds had parted and the sun shone down on the barren plains. By the time she awoke in the cabin of the Celsius airship, the storm had resumed.
Macalania
Perhaps the most striking location in all of Spira, Macalania was a large sparkling blue forest, full of glowing crystal formations and shining skyways. Eventually, the forest led out into an icy lake, which was the location of Macalania temple, home of the fayth for the aeon Shiva (the reason for Macalania's frozen environment). But after the Fayth faded away, the Forest began to die, and the temple sank into the unfrozen lake. Some of Spira's greatest musicians also lived there.
Bikanel Island
A large desert island far to the west of Spira's mainland. It was the location of the Al Bhed's home until it was attacked by the Guado. Rikku's father, Cid, was forced to use the airship Fahrenheit's missiles to destroy it. The Machine Faction later returned to excavate the sands for machine parts, only to learn of another race, the cactuars of the Cactuar Nation. It is believed that there was a war before Sin's appearance, causing the whole island to become a desert. Now many machina lie hidden under the desert sands.
In Final Fantasy X, Bikanel is first visited by the party (sans Yuna) when they are swept there from Macalania by Sin. Rikku tells the party that Yuna is being held on the island at the Al Bhed home. However, when they reach Home, they discover that it is under attack by the Guado and Yuna has been kidnapped. In the midst of the chaos, the party meets Cid, Rikku's father, who decides that there is no way to save Home and destroys it after gathering the survivors in the salvaged airship Fahrenheit.
Bevelle
The largest city in Spira and center of the church of Yevon. It is also the birthplace of Yuna. Interestingly, Bevelle makes liberal use of machina, even though they are forbidden by the scriptures. Even the Grand Maester of Yevon, Lord Mika, is unsent. People who question the church's policies are thrown into the Via Purifico (Latin for "the Way of Purification" or "the Road of Purification"), a large underground sewer full of fiends. After Sin was defeated, the Yevon order was banned, but a new group based on Yevon (the New Yevon Party) took up residence. The areas under Bevelle include the resting place for Vegnagun, and the Via Infinto ("the Infinite Road"). The temple in Bevelle was home to the fayth of the aeon Bahamut.
Calm Lands
The Calm Lands are the location where Bevelle and Zanarkand fought their most brutal and destructive battle. The war left the land practically dead and barren. Eventually, summoners took note of this uninhabited land; it was an ideal place to use the Final Summoning. Eventually, it became known as the Calm Lands, because it is where summoners defeat Sin and bring the Calm. The Calm Lands also house the hidden Remiem Temple—which was lost as Sin tore the earth asunder with the last of its strength combatting High Summoner Gandof—the location where the forgotten Fayth of the three Magus Sisters aeons rest. This is also where the unsent summoner Belgemine resides. After Sin's defeat, the Calm Lands became an amusement park where two promotion companies, Open Air and Argent, compete for customers to play their betting games. The Calm Lands also featured a battle arena known as the Monster Ranch, where the unsuspecting visitor gets to battle Spira's toughest fiends. In Final Fantasy X-2, however, the owner of the arena is gone and with the help of YRP, Clasko turns the place into the Chocobo Ranch.
Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
Cavern of the Stolen Fayth is a large cave located between the Calm Lands and Mount Gagazet. It is on the other side of the Scar, a large gorge made by Sin after Lord Gandof struck Sin down. The cave is where a Fayth is located. Yuna's team believes that the Fayth was stolen from its original temple by the Al Bhed, and was hidden in the cave to prevent summoners completing their pilgrimage. Summoner Ginnem, who was guarded by Lulu, died in the cave while attempting to reach the Fayth. When Yuna and companions entered the cave, they encountered the unsent Ginnem. After fighting her, Yuna sent her. It was home to the fayth of the aeon Yojimbo.
Mount Gagazet
Mount Gagazet is the highest point in Spira and home to the Ronso tribe, as well as the fayth of Zanarkand. Before the Eternal Calm, summoners had to pass over this treacherous mountain in order to reach the Zanarkand ruins. It is littered with the graves of summoners who died trying to pass. After the defeat of Sin, the fayth which resided there disappeared. The place where they used to reside is now called Fayth's Scar. The disappearance of the fayth has also revealed ancient ruins on the peak of Gagazet.
Zanarkand Ruins
The desiccated ruins of the once great machina city, Zanarkand. A war between Bevelle and Zanarkand contributed to the latter's downfall. Once active and full of life, it is now dark and home to only dust and fiends. Yunalesca awaited the arrival of the strongest of the summoners, so that she may give them the Final Summoning to defeat Sin. But during the Eternal Calm, Zanarkand became a tourist attraction, and people from all over Spira sought to visit it, despite its previous status as a holy place.
Baaj Temple
Baaj Temple is the location where Tidus first awakened after being displaced from Dream Zanarkand. Here, he nearly lost his life to the fish fiend Geosgano, and also met Rikku for the first time. Most of the temple lies in ruins and much of it is submerged underwater. It was here that Jyscal sent his wife and their son Seymour Guado to avoid persecution for Seymour being the child of a Human and a Guado, which was regarded as an abomination by Human and Guado alike at the time. It is also here that the party can receive the Aeon Anima after defeating Yunalesca and returning to Baaj in the airship.
Omega Ruins
Long ago, a "traitor" to the Yevon religion named "Omega" was banished to these ruins by the Maesters of Yevon and ordered to be executed. After his death, his hatred turned his unsent soul into a horrifying fiend of great strength -- Omega Weapon (and, because the hatred was overflowing, another fiend called Ultima Weapon manifested). Only the most courageous adventurers dare to set foot in the ruins, as they are home to some of the most dangerous fiends in the world.
Floating Ruins
A mysterious temple atop Mt. Gagazet that can not be seen in Final Fantasy X. After the fayth awoke, the mysts on top of the mountain dissipated enough to display a new set of ruins where Yuna, Rikku and Paine find a one thousand year old sphere from Zanarkand's time.
References
- Final Fantasy X Story Translation
- The Final Fantasy Compendium
- The Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega Guide
See also
This page is primarily about the backstory of Spira and its geography, for additional details see:
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy X-2
- Races of Final Fantasy
- Final Fantasy bestiary
- Wikibook: An Illustrated Guide to Spira
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