#convocation of the 14

[balladingbard]

I think one of the biggest lore tidbits for Endwalker can actually be found in Shadowbringers, where you and the Scions go to Anyder and see the old recording of Venat and her followers.

I admit one of the questions I asked myself after going through the Elpis arc was “Why didn’t Venat try to warn people more? Why didn’t she try to make the Convocation listen despite Fandaniel being there?”

As we see in Shadowbringers, her group did try to warn the Convocation…but no one listened.

Looking at the chronology of events, however, the warning came at an unfortunate time. The Convocation was missing two of the members who probably would’ve listened - Azem, the problem-solver, who had stepped down…and Elidibus, the impartial judge, who was now a primal.

Venat says herself that the Convocation was more focused on a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution.

It certainly paints an interesting picture of what life was like at the end of the Ancient’s civilization. Was Venat in the right for doing what she did? I’m sure you’ll get a different answer depending on who you talk to. But one thing is clear, the Convocation wasn’t the same without Azem and pre-primal Elidibus, both who would’ve been willing to listen despite it going against the norm. In the end, the entire Star suffered for it.

[opteekaal]

"My people. My brothers. …My friends. Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty's end, we will meet again. We will. We will.”

[gelatinpanda]

━━━━━━━━━━━ [M] Chambers of the 14th Like always, if you want to visit, I can add you!

[gorsemonster]

[The 8th Seat has challenged you]

ME ME ME ME I ACCEPT

[asleepinawell]

final choices based on previous poll results

guide for anyone confused by my commentary:

p4: Hesperos the vampire man who was obsessed with Laha

p6: Hegemone who flirts by infecting you with parasites

p11: Themis (self-explanatory) in the golden throne room of the convocation which is not at all a strange thing to have in a society built on 'equality' right emet

[justalittleraven]

"Much as I'd like to let you pass, I unfortunately have my duty to uphold."

[diadoesart]

Things I make for me and the other 5 greek people who play ffxiv: Ancients doing Greek Activities.

[rabbit-illustrations]

Another Azem \o/ Vallerin's Azem is Aether and I wanted him to be super pretty

[tag-of-light]

A fractured star ascends

[michiotakustu]

‼️ LAST CHANCE ‼️

FFXIV Convocation Constellation pins are STILL available! 🛍️

NO PLANS on restocking these enamel pins. Once they're gone, THEY ARE GONE! 😱

Don't miss your chance to get one or MORE of these beautiful enamel pins! ✨

My Online Shop Grand Reopening is set for Friday, May 3rd @ 12AM (HST)!

Follow me and get sneak peeks of what's coming! 👀 https://michiotakustudio.myshopify.com

[displacedarchon]

Maybe I've missed something; but it's so weird to me that Nabriales uses Time magic; which might imply it's possibly how he got his seat and that maybe his seat was time related. But then if that were the case why would Emet-Selch only mention Pashtarot, in regards to ensuring Kairos was safe unless he saw it solely as a memory erasing thing and not something that messes with time, ergo, Nabriales doesn't need to be called? And wouldn't Emet-Selch also have said "WELL hang on let me call Nabriales" after the WoL admits they're from the future? But then again Lahabrea really seems to excel at Fire magic but his seat isn't fire related, per say. So it could just be Nabriales is just very good at time magic that maybe helps him do his job in the convocation but, I, for the life of me, can't figure out what it is. I have a sinking feeling that we'll find out in the encyclopedia coming out this year and there won't be anything in game for people to experience. Which, I mean, I'd be happy with an answer all the same but that's kind of the.... narrative problem by saying "Ancient story content is done with panda! :D" Cause like. There's more? There's so much more that can be done, could be done.

Though I mean it would be kind of funny if Nabriales was in charge of something like. Keeping clocks running and things like that, or making sure people didn't abuse stop/haste sorts of magic to alter research results? I mean they've got a seat dedicated essentially to Weather phenomena, why not a time management seat.

[varlinhoes]

old doodles of my azem, nyx ~

[seleniadanslalune]

I'm still persuaded that Elidibus invented his WoL persona after meeting us in Pandemonium

The symbology of the Convocation of Fourteen is just... one of my favorite details in ffxiv. And yeah, I know they have zodiac signs because Final Fantasy Tactics had zodiac signs and FF12 had zodiac signs, but 14's spin on them is inspired, and I don't think that gets enough appreciation.

Each of the Ascians is characterized to at least superficially match their sign. Emet-Selch seems like a Gemini, seemingly on both sides of every issue. Fandaniel seems like a Leo who wants to be the center of attention. Lahabrea, The Creator, seems like an artsy Pisces... just...y'know, a horrible one.

And it's not as if "terrible, messed-up version of Zodiac symbol" is new here. Tactics definitely had that already. The thing ffxiv adds to the trope is the presence of the Sun.

Azem's symbol being the sun and not a constellation tells us exactly what their role in the Convocation was supposed to be. The sun's path through the constellations is what gives all those signs their meanings. You can't be a Gemini unless the sun is in Gemini. The sun's passage through the zodiac is supposed to illuminate the best way forward. This is why Emet-Selch calls them both "Shepherd to the stars in the dark," and "Counsellor to the star's people." They're meant to inspire people to become their best selves. This is inadvertently what WoL does in numerous places and times across the game, (and one of the ancients in Elpis even comments on it) because apparently repeatedly dying at the hands of their coworkers and friends for eons did not get them out of having to do their job.

When the sun protested their unspeakbly terrible plan, they went all in on their hubris by casting it down forever. They never replaced Azem. They don't even want to remember they ever had a sun. They don't have the light that illuminates their best selves, their better future. So they can't find it anymore. They don't know how to be themselves anymore, in Azem's absence. In Elidibus' case, literally. He is so desperate for the guiding star he can't even remember having, that he constantly, instinctively, seeks out Azem in different forms. Wearing Ardbert's corpse, and wandering up to WoL for awkward chats, and looking back to the heroes of the past who were definitely Azem shards.

The sun, torn from the heavens, leads to the maker's ruin.

[gorsemonster]

Ready for another round?

[demilypyro]

It's actually very notable how often they use the number 14 in Final Fantasy 14. It's like an injoke.

The Garlean Empire's army is divided into 14 legions, and it's the 14th that attacks Eorzea.

The world was split into 14 dimensions.

Before the world was split, the ruling organization of the world was the Convocation of Fourteen, which had 14 members.

[cosmicwhoreo]

The Pearl of House Oyster Nacre

Just wanted to play with how all three's dynamic works. Lord Nacre Cookie broke off from his original house to form his own by age 14, and with his scary intellect and connections grew rapidly. His house is the leading power of armed marine forces and even a merchant trade armada, dwarfing his original house's significantly and therefore has a lot of respect and influence. His family even holding him to be a standard of what their future heir Lord Oyster is supposed to be. Certain that he will do great things like his brother, their "hope" as it were, to help put their house in the limelight and maybe be a candidate for a seat at the Convocation of Elders. And that stress tends to.... Get to him... Especially when faced with his intimidating brother...