Garlean Empire

The Garlean Empire controls the majority of the northern and eastern regions of the enormous landmass of the three continents—of which Eorzea is a part. Until some fifty years ago, Garlemald was a small, remote nation which held little more than a fraction of the northlands. But with the revolutionary advancements in technology and dramatic restructuring of the military ushered in by an ambitious commanding Legatus who later ascended to the seat of Emperor, Garlemald soon established itself as one of the most formidable forces in all of Hydaelyn.

The gigantic imperial warships which scorch the skies carry onboard fleets of the Empire's juggernauts—magitek-clad winged machina armed with devastating weaponry that are dispatched throughout the realm to rain terror and destruction from above. These forces, together with an immense standing army equipped with equally imposing arms and armor, grant Garlemald unrivaled military might. As the Empire's dominion expands into Eorzea, however, even its countless legions have begun to lack for numbers, and a policy of drafting and conscription has been implemented in all conquered lands.

Official description

Thousands of years ago, the people of the island city of Goug were forced to abandon their home because of a massive cataract that opened in the ocean nearby. They traveled to the continent of Ilsabard and eventually became one of the ancestors of the Garlean people.

Before uniting as a nation, the disparate and weak Garlean tribes in Ilsabard's temperate and fertile region of Locus Amoenus were rejected and mistreated by the other races due to their inability to use magick. They were slowly but surely driven out of their home and forced northward into the cold and inhospitable regions of Ilsabard, where they gathered to form the Republic of Garlemald.

Until around sixty years ago, the Garlemald Republic was a remote and sparsely populated nation occupying little more than a fraction of the northlands. The Ascian Emet-Selch, assuming the identity of a brilliant Legatus named Solus zos Galvus, brought about a technological revolution with the discovery of ceruleum. Solus established Garlemald as a world power within a single generation with himself as its emperor. He began a campaign of conquering other nations with his magitek forces under the pretense of exterminating the practice of primal-summoning while presenting the other races as barbarians. The first nation Garlemald conquered was Nhalmasque in Ilsabard's central mountains, in the year 1517.

Fifteen years prior to version 1.0 (twenty years prior to A Realm Reborn), in the year 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Garleans launched an attack on Eorzea's city-states, using powerful machinery far more advanced than those of their enemies. The Garleans' massive airships wreaked havoc on the northern part of Aldenard and the most powerful of these city-states, Ala Mhigo, fell under the command of Legatus Gaius van Baelsar. Though the remaining states were forced to put aside their differences to battle the new foe, the Empire never attacked the southern nations due to the emergence of primals in Eorzea following the destruction of the Agrius at Lake Silvertear in a skirmish with Midgardsormr and the Dravanian Horde. The Eorzean city-states, not wanting the purposeless warriors and armies they had established to resort to criminal activities, founded guilds and services for the profession of "adventurer", beginning what became known as the "Age of Adventure".

Before the Calamity[]

Peace slowly returned to Eorzea until the events of Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 when the Garleans resumed their invasion. In Gridania, two adventurers—Yda Hext and Papalymo Totolymo—were found lost in the woods and welcomed into town. Part of their objective was to spy on the town and discover if they were preparing to start a war against the Empire, though it is unknown if they were sent there by the Garleans or not.

Giant machines were spotted in the forests surrounding Gridania while wiping out the Sylph camps. The Sylphs came to the Path of the Twelve seeking help as the "metal ones" were destroying their seedlings; the Warrior of Light and company learned that the Empire was preparing a strong position to launch an attack against Gridania and the beast tribes residing in the Black Shroud. Sending linkpearls in all the major city-states of Aldenard and Vylbrand to promise protection from the beastmen and their "eikons" to those willing to surrender, Garlemald began to dispatch legions throughout Eorzea. Units engaged in combat within Thanalan, as well as the Black Shroud. The Legatus of the VIIth Legion, the notorious Nael van Darnus, secured the Ishgardian stronghold known as the Dzemael Darkhold for its vast crystal deposits in the caves for ceruleum harvesting. An unnamed legion infiltrated and planted strange technology within the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, again for reasons unknown.

Darnus conceived a plan to eliminate the Eorzean primals and beast tribes with Project Meteor by calling down the lesser moon Dalamud, what his family knew to be an Allagan relic. This drew opposition from not only Eorzean populace but even Gaius, who felt that Meteor was too extreme a solution. Wanting to conquer an intact Eorzea rather than its ashes, he provided intel to adventurers about the Lunar Transmitter housed at Castrum Novum. Despite their efforts at sabotaging the transmitter and killing Darnus, Dalamud's descent continued undeterred.

Seventh Umbral Era[]

During the Battle of Carteneau where the Eorzean forces clashed with the VIIth Legion, the Seventh Umbral Calamity came to pass when Dalamud shattered upon entering the planet Hydaelyn's atmosphere with the released elder primal Bahamut, devastating Eorzea. Gaius and the remaining imperial forces retreated while the rest were consumed in flame. Though Solus halted Eorzea's conquest to prepare for his final days as emperor, Gaius would renew the campaign five years after the Calamity.

The Garleans took residence in a few imperial outposts that had endured the Calamity. Gaius received aid from the Ascian Lahabrea to obtain the Allagan anti-primal war machine, Ultima Weapon. Once Nero tol Scaeva refurbished the weapon with magitek, Gaius used it to absorb the primals Ifrit, Titan, and Garuda to deter and intimidate both the beast tribes and the city-states. In the face of Gaius's ultimatum, the city-states rallied together to repel the Garlean invasion with a counterstrike called Operation Archon, the end goal being Ultima Weapon's destruction. This culminated in Gaius's final defeat and presumed death as his stronghold, Praetorium, was destroyed.

Seventh Astral Era[]

Since Gaius's downfall the threat of Garlean invasion has largely been eliminated with Nero tol Scaeva among the remaining Garleans in Eorzea. Ala Mhigo was under Zenos Galvus's control, the Garlean crown prince and former viceroy of Doma who named Yotsuyu goe Brutus as his replacement. Yotsuyu's conduct drove many Domans out of the country and the refugees arrived in Eorzea and brought word of a civil war in Garlemald stemming from a succession crisis following Solus's death. The late emperor's grandson, Varis zos Galvus, was crowned the new emperor. Varis resumed the conquest of Eorzea while learning the truth of the Empire's founding. He had planted a spy in Eorzea known as "the Ivy" back when the Grand Companies were re-instated to combat Project Meteor.

During the events of Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Varis and Regula van Hydrus travelled to the Sea of Clouds in pursuit of Archbishop Thordan VII, believing he had the key to reach Azys Lla. The Vundu tribe of Vanu Vanu had summoned their primal, Bismarck, which began devouring the aether-rich floating islands (including the one with the key). Unable or unwilling to distinguish the Vundu from less hostile tribes, the VIth Legion invaded Ok'Zundu and prepared to exterminate them as an extreme measure to deter primal summoning. At the village, Varis personally met the Warrior of Light and Alphinaud Leveilleur. The Garleans backed off due to Lucia goe Junius's intervention, especially now that Thordan had stolen the key with the Ascians' aid.

The new super-dreadnaught, Gration, ambushed them after Cid nan Garlond broke through the barrier surrounding Azys Lla. Ysayle Dangoulain's last-ditch assault in the form of the primal Shiva froze the great dreadnaght's ceruleum engines, forcing it to remain moored at the Garlean outpost in the Gamma Quadrant. Regula van Hydrus sought to reach the Aetherochemical Research Facility, hoping to learn how the Allagans had bound the ancient Warring Triad on behalf of the emperor.

Scions of the Seventh Dawn thwarted these efforts, and Regula clashed with the Warrior of Light on three occasions, each time forced to withdraw. A soldier in his legion had unwittingly run afoul of a trap that Sophia the Goddess had planted for the Allagans, which set in motion both her awakening and eventually the awakening of Zurvan the Demon. Regula concluded that the Allagan containment technology was ultimately faulty and thus not of use to the emperor. He sacrificed himself to keep Zurvan sealed, believing the Echo was a more valuable weapon to combat primals.

Rhalgr's Beacon[]

War between the Garlean Empire and the Eorzean Alliance commenced through the actions of the Ala Mhigan zealot Ilberd Feare who manipulated his faction of the Ala Mhigan Resistance to land a surprise raid on Baelsar's Wall. It doubled as a mass sacrifice to summon the primal that Doman witnesses named "Shinryu", which disappeared in a fight against Omega. With an imperial response inevitable, the Eorzean Alliance prepared an offensive to retake Ala Mhigo led by General Raubahn Aldynn.

Ala Mhigo and Doma were under the viceroy Zenos yae Galvus, Legatus of the XIIth Imperial Legion and the crown prince of Garlemald. Unlike Gaius, Zenos had little interest in governing, preferring the thrill of battle and viewing his subjects as prey. Under Fordola rem Lupis's suggestion, he launched a surprise raid on the Resistance base at Rhalgr's Reach. Zenos toyed with the Warrior of Light in combat before losing interest as the Eorzean Alliance brought reinforcements. As a result of this major setback, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn travelled to the Far East to aid the Doman Liberation Front to force the XIIth Legion to fight on two fronts while the Ala Mhigan Resistance recovered.

Once Doma was liberated, the Scions rejoined the Eorzean Alliance who planned to renew their offensive to take Castellum Velodyna and push further into Gyr Abania. Zenos offered limited resistance to Raubahn's advancement, instead inviting them to the "royal hunt" and awaiting to see how strong the Warrior of Light had become. Using Aulus mal Asina's research, Zenos became a "Resonant"—infused with an artificial version of the Echo. They recovered Shinryu's bound form in Gyr Abania and Zenos demonstrated his acquired Resonant powers by fusing into the primal's body before it Warrior of Light destroyed it. Zenos acknowledged the Warrior as his worthy rival before taking his own life as the XIIth Legion surrendered Ala Mhigo to the Eorzean Alliance.

Chaos Engulfs[]

In the wake of Doma and Ala Mhigo's liberation, many other conquered provinces of the Empire were inspired to follow suit. Many were not as successful, with the Dalmascans being made an example with their capital, Rabanastre, being razed to the ground. Emperor Varis further restored order as the Ascian Elidibus possessed Zenos's body to remove the rumors of the prince's demise. Varis's political rival, Titus, attempted to undermine the emperor when the Eorzeans spread rumors of Zenos being possessed by a demon. The Ascians silenced Titus's supporters while making it seem to be Varis's doing. As Varis rallied the army to fight the Alliance, the First reflection was consumed in the Flood of Light. This maximized poison's lethality, the Ascians intended these events to invoke an Eighth Umbral Calamity by using the Black Rose poison gas during the war, with Eorzea reduced to a lifeless wasteland.

The Calamity was averted when the Warrior of Light saved the First. Zenos, whose Resonance had him transcend his humanity, reclaimed his body from Elidibus, and murdered Varis to halt Black Rose's production. With Estinien Wyrmblood and Gaius Baelsar falsely accused of murdering Varis, the late emperor's cousin Nerva took advantage of Zenos's disappearance to claim the throne. The Ist Legion jumped to the conclusion that Nerva and his father, Titus, had masterminded Varis's death. Their conflict with the IIIrd Legion resulted in a new civil war that devastated the capital. Both factions were secretly funded by the rogue Ascian Fandaniel using the resources of House Brutus after possessing the body of the deceased Asahi sas Brutus.

Civil War[]

With no emperor to keep the legions in check, they began to act on their own accord. The remnants of the VIIth Legion in Werlyt made a play to break the stalemate with the Eorzean Alliance by unleashing the Ruby Weapon, a prototype machina based on the Ultima Weapon, unto the Alliance forces in Ghimlyt Dark. Having been warned by Gaius Baelsar, the Alliance recruited the Warrior of Light in time to battle the Weapon. Despite its power and use of its Oversoul, which was based on Nael van Darnus, the Warrior of Light and Gaius destroyed it. The Ruby Weapon's creators, the children Gaius had once taken in and raised, arrived at the site, hoping to scavenge the machine. After their bittersweet reunion, the children departed, intent on continuing the war in Eorzea, aiming to unleash the Sapphire Weapon next.

The Warrior of Light, Cid, and Gaius tracked the children—Alfonse, Ricon, and their siblings—to Werlyt and arrived before the Sapphire Weapon could be finished. Wanting to give his siblings time to escape with the other Weapons, Ricon piloted the Sapphire Weapon and battled the Warrior in the G-Warrior armor. Knowing the Weapon's incomplete state and unwilling to leave anything to chance, Ricon activated the Oversoul, which projected Regula van Hydrus but killed Ricon in the end. Despite the incomplete Sapphire Weapon's power, the Warrior of Light defeated it. Imperial forces retreated from Werlyt coastal town of Terncliff, allowing Eorzean forces to liberate it. Upon investigating the Sapphire Weapon wreckage, Cid and Gaius hoped that with what they learned they could develop a countermeasure to the Oversoul.

Meanwhile, back in imperial territory, Alfonse informed the true leader of the VIIth Legion, Valens van Varro, of the recent events. Though furious with the loss of both the Ruby and Sapphire Weapons, and further frustrated with the Warrior and Gaius's intervention, Valens ordered Alfonse to prepare for their next encounter while instructing something special for Alfonse's sister Allie.

As the Warrior of Light returned their comrades back home, Gaius summoned them and Cid to help find the other Weapons made by Alfonse and his siblings. As the Warrior and Gaius entered the main facility where the Weapons were stored, they fought Rex who was piloting the Emerald Weapon. Determined to buy time for his remaining siblings, Rex engaged the Warrior and Gaius, but was forced to activate the Emerald Weapon's Oversoul, which was based on Gaius van Baelsar himself, to the former Legatus's shock and dismay. The Warrior triumphed at the cost of Rex's life. Clearing the facility of imperial forces, they learned the last weapon, Valens's "masterpiece", the Diamond Weapon, had been removed before the Alliance forces arrived, frustrating Gaius.

To his surprise and relief, Gaius and the Warrior found Allie, one of the remaining children Gaius had adopted and trained, as her brothers had intentionally left her behind to ensure her survival and freedom from Valens. She mourned that another one of her siblings had perished to the Oversoul. Returning to their base to tend to Allie's wounds, she explained they had created the Weapons for use against Valens and the Empire to create a home for themselves and others like them, free from the prejudice and abuse the Garleans inflicted upon them ever since Gaius's departure. Wanting to save her remaining brother from Valens, Allie begged Gaius and the Warrior to save Alfonse and stop Valens from using the Diamond Weapon.

Back in imperial territory, Valens van Varro punished Alfonse for not only losing the Emerald Weapon, but also Allie, as he had intended her to pilot the Diamond Weapon. Not knowing his true intentions, Valens appointed Alfonse the pilot for the Diamond Weapon, threatening his kind with genocide should he fail or disobey. Valens decided to perfect his Diamond Weapon by using a living mind instead of a digital copy, using Alfonse as the core. With the Diamond Weapon, Valens's true goal was to travel to the Garlean capital, claim the throne, and name himself the new emperor of the Garlean Empire.

As the Werlyt Revolutionaries gathered and, in an act of irony, named their former conqueror, Gaius Baelsar, as their leader, they decided to permanently rid the VIIth Legion from their home. Setting their sights on the VIIth's main base Castrum Collinum, Gaius soon learned that Allie had escaped their custody to save her brother by stealing the Diamond Weapon and fulfilled their plan of usurping Valens and freeing their home. The Diamond Weapon's Oversoul went berserk, causing it to attack wildly, devasting the Castrum and the VIIth Legion, giving the revolutionaries the opportunity to liberate the capital. Gaius and the Warrior of Light handled the Diamond Weapon using Cid's upgraded G-Warrior, now called the G-Savior, subduing the Weapon and saving Allie whom they transported to safety.

Gaius confronted the corrupt Valens van Varro. Though Valens had the upper hand due to having data on Gaius's moves and techniques, he was overwhelmed when Gaius used a move Valens had never seen before. The reactivated Diamond Weapon under the control of Alfonse's remaining will seized the defeated and humiliated Valens and crushed the cruel Legatus, ending the VIIth Legion. Gaius fulfilled Alfonse's last wish of ending his life as the Oversoul to the Weapon and giving the memory core to Allie. With the threat of the Weapons Program and the VIIth Legion ended, Werlyt was free from imperial occupation, another province the Empire had lost.

Other factions and figures began to plan for power over the Empire. Noah van Gabranth of the IVth Imperial Legion maintained a strong grip over the conquered provinces of Bozja, Nagxia, and Dalmasca despite the heightening rebellion in Bozja. When Varis was killed, imperial command had ordered Noah to return to the capital to help restore order. The Legatus had refused, making his intentions public and going rogue, with the entire IVth Legion joining him, intending to turn the territories he had conquered into a new kingdom free from Garlean influence. Though Gabranth brought forth an airship fleet and made use of a primal, the IVth Legion was defeated when the combined forces of the Eastern Alliance at Zadnor stormed the Dalriada, culminating in the Diablo Armament's defeat, the airship's destruction, and Menenius's death. Bozja had won its freedom.

After losing Bozja, Noah and the IVth struggled defending against the Eastern Alliance. Depleted and ran ragged with no reinforcements on the way as they had seceded from Garlemald, morale fell and the IVth was in danger of losing a vital outpost. Six months after the fight in Bozja, Lyon—taking umbrage at being held responsible for the IVth's defeat—plotted a mutiny against the leader whom he had once sworn undying loyalty toward. He escaped his imprisonment with the help of co-conspirators and snuck into Noah's chambers and killed him, set Castrum Valnaini ablaze, and fled to places unknown. Bereft of their charismatic leader, the IVth Legion crumbled, some two-thirds surrendering to the resistance and the remaining being defeated; the IVth Legion's territories of Dalmasca, Nagxia, and Bozja were free and the Garlean Empire had lost the majority of the territory it had conquered since the beginning of the Empire's founding.

Zenos slaughtered all contenders and rivals to reclaim the Garlean throne with Fandaniel's aid. Upon sensing Elidibus's demise in the First, Fandaniel saw his chance to reenact the Final Days of the original world and used the Garleans' faith in Varis to turn his corpse into the primal Anima who enthralled most Garleans into serving Fandaniel and Zenos as part of the Telophoroi, having them remodel the palace into the Tower of Babil. Anima created extensions of itself in the form of spires placed around the world to collect aether. Those unaffected were forced to flee into the wilderness, with some choosing death rather than aid when the Grand Company sent a party to liberate Garlemald, unable to accept that their nation's enemies would help them at face value.

End of the Empire[]

By the time the Grand Company of Eorzea arrived in Garlemald, the city was already in ruins, and only tempered imperials were openly around. The tempered IIIrd Legion, led by Vergilia Corculum, was subdued and cured of their tempering. The remnants of the Ist Legion still held on, however, intending to retake the capital under the belief Varis was still alive and that the Xth Legion would reinforce them. However, the Telophoroi had all but eradicated the Xth Legion after they had failed to gather the other remaining legions as many of the conscripts deserted. With no other recourse, they sought help from the Grand Company of Eorzea. When this message reached the Ist Legion, they gave up forcing them to finally accept that only with the aid of the Ilsabard Contingent was their only chance to survive, with their legatus, Quintus van Cinna, honoring the Xth's command to stand down but committing suicide right after, bringing the Garlean Empire to its end.

Despite reaching an understanding with the Garlean civilians and the Ist Legion, the Garlean legions in Garlemald remained tempered by Anima, forcing them to continue serving Zenos and Fandaniel. They end up on a suicidal killing spree after Anima's destruction, but most were subdued and cured of their tempering. Following Fandaniel's death and the beginning of the Final Days, the Garleans would face further troubles as the Final Days spread throughout Eorzea, with the IInd Imperial Legion wiped out by monsters within Corvus. However, after learning the full scope of the crown prince's actions and how he did not care for his people, the Xth made a proclamation by condemning Zenos with the name of viator, reserved solely for outcasts and pariahs.

After Zenos' defeat and the end of the Final Days, Maxima quo Priscus promised to gather like-minded Garleans to hopefully rebuild their ruined homeland into a land of peace.

Though the Final Days were averted and Zenos was killed, the Garleans' lot remained a struggle. Lord Nerva, a former rival to Emperor Varis, attempted to gain control of the Tower of Babil and restore the empire using Varis's heart. Unfortunately, he was corrupted into a blasphemy, forcing an Alliance strike team—involving the Warrior of Light, Nero, and Fourchenault—to storm the tower and destroy the monster Nerva had become. The corruption and loss of Nerva left many Garleans disheartened, wondering if they will ever call their land home again. Fourchenault offered many Garleans a new home in Sharlayan, but this was met with skepticism as they balked at the thought of living in a "foreign land". A compromise was made when habitation on the moon was offered, to which some of the Garleans agreed.

Despite the Ilsabard Contingent providing much relief and supplies to the Garlean people, the former imperials began to grow frustrated at their loss of independence and self-sufficiency. Their nationalistic pride had been crushed now that they had to rely on those they once called "savages". Though some of the Garlean Magistrates attempted to form a new government, their efforts were made difficult for no longer being an empire and being treated as refugees by the other nations. To alleviate this frustration and grant the Garleans a measure of autonomy, as well as be granted access to the Tower of Babil, Vrtra worked out an equal trade agreement between Garlemald and Thavnair, finally beginning the process of healing and rebuilding.

Motives[]

No man can stop Ifrit. Nor Leviathan and Titan, nor the eikons yet to come. Only Eorzea's end will bring about their death!

Charledore

Solus zos Galvus instilled Garlemald with the ideal of global conquest and rallied eliminating those who practice primal summoning as a noble goal.^[1] Garleans came to believe themselves superior to the other races despite lacking aetherial manipulation, reflected in those like Aulus mal Asina and Valens van Varro. Despite sharing a common goal, the Garlean Legati agendas differed and were only kept in check by the Emperor. Gaius lacked his people's prejudiced outlook on the other races and genuinely believed Garlemald must "save" Eorzea from itself. This put him in conflict with Nael van Darnus, who fell under Bahamut's maddening influence and acted against the Empire to cause the Seventh Umbral Calamity via Project Meteor. While Gaius considered Echo users as a potential threat to the Empire, Regula van Hydrus considered it an ideal countermeasure against the primals.

Zenos yae Galvus lacks any interest in the Empire's affairs outside his bloodlust and considers all peoples equal, reflected in his XIIth Imperial Legion recruiting Far Eastern beastmen, such as Lupin conscripts and Kojin mercenaries. Noah van Gabranth and his IVth Imperial Legion, on their part, secretly aimed to create a new nation free from Garlean control, a true land of equals and was more than willing to use methods the Empire disapproved of. While Emperor Varis shared the Scions of the Seventh Dawn's intent to end the primal threat for good, he acknowledges their methods differ; he had been unaware of Garlemald's true purpose to sow discord as part of the Ascians' agenda, and only went along to turn on them the moment the Rejoining of the Source (Hydaelyn) and its shards were complete. Zenos killing Varis creates a power vacuum and numerous Garleans start to act on their own agendas, sparking several legions to start a civil war. Later, Zenos opts to claim the throne and uses a primal summoned through Varis's corpse to temper the Garleans, forcing them to enact his agenda.

There was a small, outspoken faction of Garleans known as the Populares, whose members included Asahi Brutus and Maxima Priscus, that tried to preach for more peaceful relations with other nations. However, they were often ostracized from mainstream Garlean politics and held little sway over the Garlean agenda. Asahi, in reality, was a spy for Zenos, who joined the Populares to monitor them and undermine their authority. Maxima eventually defected from the Empire after Asahi's treachery was revealed and the Empire's Royal Guard was sent to kill the witnesses. The rogue Ascian Fandaniel oversaw the annihilation of the remaining Populares.