Spoilers for Final Fantasy 14 up to Patch 7.5 follow.
Over more than a decade of storylines and five expansions, Final Fantasy 14 has pitted players against myriad mythical monsters. From the mighty dragon Midgardsormr and the interdimensional war machine Omega to the gods Zodiark and Hydaelyn, epic encounters have not been in short supply. That said, among all the foes fans have faced in Final Fantasy 14, the Ascians are perhaps the most iconic.
This cabal of shadowy mages were once masters of Etheirys, and seek to restore their dark god, Zodiark, and use him to revive their fallen brethren by sacrificing everyone else. Though there were several ranks of Ascians, the group was led by 13 Overlords, three of which are Paragons of the Source, and all of whom wore red masks and represented seats on the Convocation that once led Ancient society. Many of these masters of darkness have been slain over the years, and though the Ascians as a whole are now defunct, some of their members are still active in Final Fantasy 14. Here are the 13 Ascian leaders and their fates leading into Evercold.
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The First Seat: Loghrif, the Pastor
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- True Name: Gaia
- Role: Caretaker of terrestrial creatures
- Status: Active as Gaia (non-Ascian)
Loghrif was the notoriously forgetful keeper of land-based animals during the time of the Ancients, and was the lover of fellow Convocation member Mitron. In FF14 itself, she was one of the Ascian Overlords who is not met directly by the player character. After her sundering and reincarnation as an Ascian, she and Mitron were tasked with the attempted Rejoining of the First Reflection. The two Ascians were slain by the hero Ardbert and his party in Final Fantasy 14, triggering the Flood of Light and nearly destroying the shard in the process.
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After her death, Loghrif’s soul reincarnated once more on the First as a young girl who took the same true name as her Ancient self: Gaia. Wracked by amnesia and manipulated by Mitron, who sought to bring back his fallen partner, Gaia was nearly uplifted to become the Ascian Loghrif once again, but through the intervention of Ryne and the Warrior of Light, she kept her independence. Gaia, who also appears in Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, now wields some of the powers of her Ancient Ascian self, but is otherwise an ally, essentially sealing the threat of Loghrif away indefinitely.
The Second Seat: Mitron, the Mariner
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus
- True Name: Artemis
- Role: Caretaker of aquatic creatures
- Status: Destroyed
In the same way that her lover Loghrif was responsible for creating many of the terrestrial creatures in Final Fantasy 14, Mitron was the architect of many beasts of the sea. Reborn into a male form as an Ascian, he tricked the heroes of the First into slaying him, transforming himself into the first Sin Eater, Eden, and triggered the Flood of Light that nearly wiped out the First Reflection in FF14 by amplifying Ardbert’s desire to destroy darkness.
During the Eden raid in FF14: Shadowbringers, players encountered Mitron as Eden, during which he sought to transform Gaia into his beloved once again by merging with her and sharing his memories of Loghrif. Though he nearly succeeded, the Warrior of Light and Ryne were able to completely destroy him, sending his soul back into the Aetherial Sea to reincarnate once more.
The Third Seat: Emet-Selch, the Redeemer
- Zodiac Sign: Gemini
- True Name: Hades
- Role: Keeper of the Underworld
- Status: Destroyed
Emet-Selch was one of the three Paragons of the Source in FF14 – Ascians who evaded Hydaelyn’s sundering, and are thus whole, complete beings as they were during the time of the Ancients. This not only made him extremely powerful, but also a leader among the Ascians; the other Overlords deferred to him on matters and schemes, and obeyed his commands when given. What’s more, only Paragons are capable of uplifting sundered souls into their Ascian selves by imbuing them with their old memories and powers.
In the time of the Ancients, Hades’ gift for seeing a person’s soul made him an ideal candidate for the seat of Emet-Selch, who oversees the aetherial realm, known as the Underworld. After the sundering, he and the other Paragons formed the Ascians and began causing Calamities to Rejoin the 13 Reflections of FF14 with the Source – a phenomenon called an Ardor. Emet-Selch himself was responsible for some of the worst catastrophes on the Source, having influenced the rise of the Allagan Empire during the Third Astral Era, and directly starting the Garlean Empire as Solus zos Galvus in the Sixth Astral Era.
After Emet-Selch allowed Solus to die of old age during A Realm Reborn, he retreated beyond the rift for a time, but was drawn back into the conflict after the death of fellow Paragon Lahabrea. During Shadowbringers, he guided the Warrior of Light in slaying the Lightwardens, hoping that doing so would reawaken the Ancient lurking within. When those plans failed, he kidnapped beloved FF14 Scion G’raha Tia in hopes of using his ability to travel through time to alter history, but was ultimately defeated by the Warrior of Light and sent back to the Lifestream.
The Fourth Seat: Pashtarot, the Arbiter
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Conservator of order and public will
- Status: Unknown, presumed active
Among the Ascians, Pashtarot is the most mysterious. Having appeared briefly alongside his compatriots in the epilogue stinger for A Realm Reborn, fans only have a dark silhouette and two words – “Bahamut stirs” – from Pashtarot. Even explorations into the history of the Ancients barely touched upon him. The Ascian Overlord’s whereabouts and status are unknown as of the end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga in Final Fantasy 14, but he is presumed to still be active.
The Fifth Seat: Fandaniel, the Observer
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- True Name: Hermes
- Role: Overseer of life
- Status: Destroyed
The seat of Fandaniel was only recently filled before the Final Days and the subsequent sundering of Etheirys. Originally known as Hermes, Fandaniel was previously the overseer of Elpis, a testing facility for new creations. While there, he created the Meteia – the psychic beings responsible for causing the Final Days that doomed the Ancients.
After being sundered along with his brethren, the Source shard of Hermes’ spirit reincarnated into Amon, an Allagan techno-mage and advisor to the emperor Xande. After witnessing the fall of the Allagan Empire in FF14, he joined the Ascians and became Fandaniel in the hope of fulfilling Xande’s dreams.
However, after the deaths of the Paragons, Fandaniel instead sought to bring about an end to all existence. During Endwalker, he possessed Zodiark, knowing the Warrior of Light would slay him, lifting the god’s protection from the Final Days in the process. His scheme would ultimately fail, and after his wrathful spirit was confronted in the Lifestream, his soul was dragged into oblivion by Asahi, a Garlean whose body he puppeted for most of the expansion.
Fandaniel is fought in some form four different times, making him tied with Lahabrea and Elidibus for the character with the most boss fights in Final Fantasy 14:
- A clone of Amon in the Labyrinth of the Ancients raid
- Possessing Zodiark in The Dark Inside trial
- The transformed, unsundered form of Hermes in Ktisis Hyperboreia
- Amon the Undying in The Aitiascope
The Sixth Seat: Altima, the Composer
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Advocate of art
- Status: Unknown, possibly destroyed
Altima (not to be confused with the spell Ultima or the Ultima Weapon of Final Fantasy fame) is another Ascian shrouded in a great deal of mystery; the only thing known about his seat on the Convocation is that they are a patron of the arts. He briefly spoke during a cutaway scene in A Realm Reborn, but has otherwise been absent. That said, Altima’s red Overseer mask can be seen hanging from Gaius van Baelsar’s belt after he became the Shadowhunter. It is unclear if Gaius had the means to permanently kill Ascian Overlords, so it is possible Altima has been hiding during his convalescence.
The Seventh Seat: Halmarut, the Sower
- Zodiac Sign: Libra
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Cultivator of fungal and plant life
- Status: Active
Until recently, little was known about Halmarut beyond their hand in creating several iconic plant monsters in Final Fantasy 14, such as Morbols, Ochu, and Cactuar. However, Halmarut appeared briefly in 7.4 in the form of a green-scaled Au Ra with a unique accent and clothing style. She played a much larger role in Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.5, wherein she informed the Warrior of Light about the Solstice – the catastrophic natural Rejoining in the wake of Hydaelyn’s death. This Ascian Overlord and her Winterer allies will play a huge role as major antagonists in the Godless Realms Saga.
The Eighth Seat: Nabriales, the Contender
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Champion of martial techniques
- Status: Destroyed
The seat of Nabriales was an expert of physical combat and techniques. Fittingly, the Ascian Nabriales was a major foe confronted at the end of A Realm Reborn, where he slew the Scion Moenbryda and kidnapped Minfilia while trying to steal Tupsimati, the staff of Louisoix. After beating him in The Chrysalis trial, the Warrior of Light used the White Auracite developed by Moenbryda to capture and destroy Nabriales’ spirit, marking him as the first Ascian Overlord to be defeated at their hands.
The Ninth Seat: Igeyorhm, the Rhetoritician
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Collator of knowledge and debate techniques
- Status: Destroyed
In the time of the Ancients, the seat of Igeyorhm was an expert of debate and repository for knowledge. The unnamed Ancient who filled this seat by the time of the Final Days was also the biological cousin of Hephaistos, the FF14 Convocation member better known as Lahabrea.
Igeyorhm is best known for being responsible for the devastation of the Thirteenth Reflection, now known as the Void, home of the demon-like Voidsent in Final Fantasy 14. While attempting to Rejoin the shard, she manipulated the Dark Knight Golbez into slaying the Watcher on the moon of the Thirteenth, causing a flood of darkness to ruin the world, failing the Ardor in the process. In penance, she teamed up with Lahabrea in Heavensward. Unfortunately, this put her directly against Warrior of Light, who repeated the trick used against Nabriales to send her to the Aetherial Sea.
The Tenth Seat: Deudalaphon, the Innovator
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Patron of invention and architecture
- Status: Unknown, possibly destroyed
Deudalaphon is another relatively unknown Ascian beyond the fact that their Convocation seat is that of an architectural appraiser and inventor. Deudalaphon does not directly appear in Final Fantasy 14 at any point, though Deudalaphon’s mask could be seen hanging from Shadowhunter Gaius’s belt as well, placing this enigmatic Overlord in the Schrodinger-esque box as the Sixth Seat.
The Eleventh Seat: Emmerololth, the Mender
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Curator of medicine and therapeutic practices
- Status: Destroyed, possibly reincarnated and active
During the events of the Eureka field operation in FF14, it is revealed that Emmerololth was the Ascian responsible for attempting to free the Primal Eureka from its prison. A team led by Galuf Baldesion, Krile’s grandfather, trapped the Ascian in the Lifestream and destroyed her decades ago. Despite this, Emmerololth spoke during the Ascian Overlord reunion scene near the end of A Realm Reborn, which takes place chronologically after her supposed death. It remains to be seen if another shard of Emmerololth’s Ancient was uplifted after her destruction, or if her presence in that scene was an oversight, and she remains destroyed.
The Twelfth Seat: Lahabrea, the Creator
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- True Name: Hephaistos
- Role: Master of creation magic
- Status: Destroyed
Lahabrea was the first Ascian Overlord encountered by the Warrior of Light, as well as one of the unsundered Paragons. He was the mastermind behind virtually all the Ascian plots players encounter throughout A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. Lahabrea was confronted in the body of Thancred after the Praetorium at the end of FF14: A Realm Reborn, and again alongside Igeyorhm in The Aetherochemical Research Facility, both separately and fused into Ascian Prime. After his defeat, his soul was devoured by King Thordan, marking Lahabrea as the first Paragon to fall.
However, during the time-traveling Pandaemonium Endwalker raid series, the Ancient Lahabrea appeared, where it was revealed he was once the chief keyward of the eponymous prison facility. Players also learned his true name, Hephaistos, and that he split his soul in two after a lethal disagreement with his villainous wife, Athena. This fragment was fought and defeated in the Abyssos raid in Final Fantasy 14 – and with Lahabrea’s Shade also fought in Hades’s Elegy, this Overlord is tied with Fandaniel and Elidibus as the character with the most boss encounters in the game.
The Thirteenth Seat: Elidibus, the Emissary
- Zodiac Sign: Ophiuchus
- True Name: Themis
- Role: Adjudicator of the Convocation
- Status: Destroyed
Elidibus was a particularly unique Ascian Overlord, even among the Paragons. Unlike his black-clad compatriots, Elidibus wore white robes and acted as a mediator and peacekeeper of the Ascians. His title as the Emissary of Zodiark was not an exaggeration; when the dark god was summoned, Elidibus stepped up as His Heart, granting him powers beyond even his fellow Paragons – though it came at great cost to his personality, making him a particularly tragic Final Fantasy 14 character. That said, it was this strength, along with an intentional flaw in Hydaelyn’s strike, that allowed him to protect Emet-Selch and Lahabrea from being sundered.
Loghrif, the First Seat, was originally going to be the first sacrifice to summon Zodiark, and become His heart in the process. Elidibus, youngest of the Convocation, took her place after Mitron convinced her otherwise.
The enigmatic Ascian appeared in A Realm Reborn, with his manipulations influencing the Scion Urianger, Ardbert and the Warriors of Darkness, and the Warring Triad storyline. After the defeat of Emet-Selch at the hands of the Warrior of Light, Elidibus took matters into his own hands to defeat them and restore balance. Elidibus fought them three times: once in the body of Zenos yae Galvus in the “A Requiem for Heroes” scenario, again in the body of Ardbert during the “Faded Memories” scenario, and one final time as the primal Warrior of Light in The Seat of Sacrifice – one of the best trials in FF14 – after which his soul is scattered back to the Aetherial Sea. His death marked the fall of the last Paragon, meaning no new Ascians can be uplifted.
Elidibus appeared once again in the Pandaemonium raid series in FF14: Endwalker with his true name, Themis. Operating as an ally, Elidibus helped handle the crisis at the prison facility. Circumstances turned his will against the Warrior of Light, leading to a battle against Themis’s transformed self in Anabaseios: The Eleventh Circle, tying him with Lahabrea and Fandaniel with four boss fights in total.
The Fourteenth Seat: Azem, the Traveler
- Zodiac Sign: the Sun
- True Name: Unknown
- Role: Wanderer and counselor of the people
- Status: Active as the Warrior of Light (non-Ascian)
Despite there being 13 Ascian Overlords, there were actually 14 seats on the original Convocation of the Ancients. The Fourteenth Seat belonged to Azem, a wanderer and free spirit who traveled the lands aiding people, and was a close friend to many of the Convocation members, including Emet-Selch. They were a pupil of Venat, the previous Azem who would later become the goddess Hydaelyn in Final Fantasy 14, molding them into a consummate adventurer and altruist.
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Azem opposed the summoning of Zodiark and left to help people in their own way, resigning from the Convocation in the process. This left the spot vacant after the sundering of Etheirys in Final Fantasy 14, but their soul fragments – including Ardbert of the First and the Warrior of Light players embody within the game – would go on to become the heirs to their heroic legacy.
- Released
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August 27, 2013
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Engine
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Originally the Crystal Tools engine, but currently it’s a custom engine using parts of the Luminous Engine.
