References to the War of the Magi in Final Fantasy VI
compilation and commentary by Fleetingsight
power taken from Espers. After that fruitless battle, the Espers feared that Esper power would be
used once again. They created a magical barrier and moved to live within it. ...that is the Esper
world.
Comment #3: This is certainly the most illuminating dialogue about the WOTM. It's interesting that in all translations, Ramuh says humans and espers once lived together peacefully, and THEN came the WOTM, implying that the creation of the espers (i.e. the war between the three gods) happened before the WOTM, and was not part of it. Something also very important to note is that, in the more accurate translation, they created a barrier and moved to live within it, instead of creating an entirely different dimension or something as many people think is implied by 'fashioning a new realm'.
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(first meeting in Zozo, after more dialogue)
Ramuh: Gestahl's method is incorrect. You can't drain a live Esper of all
it's power. It is only when we are reduced to Magicite that our
abilities can be transferred in total...
"Pardon!?"
Ramuh: When we transform into Magicite, our power can be relocated.
"Magicite...!?"
Ramuh: That's what's left of us when we... pass away.
Ramuh: These are my comrades who fell while escaping the Empire. And I
will give you my power, as well...
"Old man..." Are you really gone...?
Magicite...?
He traded his power, so that others might live...
"Why are you doing this...?"
Ramuh: We few can help save many. The War of the Magi must not be
repeated...
(first meeting in Zozo, after more dialogue- advance version)
Ramuh: If our power is used for destruction, the skies will darken and life
will fade from the earth... You must stop them. There must not be a
second War of the Magi...
Comment #4: This just describes how one can take the powers of an esper, and that the WOTM does indeed have many similarities to the 'current' times.
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(flashback about Terra's birth)
Gestahl: Aha! We've finally found it! Those ancient writings told us of this
world, and described the awesome magical properties of these
beasts!
Comment #5: Ancient writings existed, so it might be an interesting side to the story of the WOTM to say who wrote them.
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(flashback about Terra's birth, after more dialogue)
Elder: We've no choice... We must do what we've been avoiding...
Maduin: You mean... the Magic barrier?
Elder: Here's the plan. We'll cause a tempest that'll sweep all the nasty
creatures out of our realm. Then we'll seal the gate... I am the
last of our kind able to cast this magical seal.
Maduin: But in your state, you might just...
Elder: Pass away... but at least we will finally be safe.
(flashback about Terra's birth, after more dialogue-advance version)
Elder: We've no choice... We must do what we've been avoiding...
Maduin: You mean...the magic barrier?
Elder: I'll create a tempest to sweep all the invaders out of our realm,
then I'll seal the gate. Even among espers, the power to create a
magical seal is limited to a single bloodline. I am the last of that
line...
Comment #6: This shows that espers can indeed age, and that the elder is the last of a single bloodline able to create magical seals, implying that they can also die of old age, discounting the theory that espers are immortal. It also is interesting that it is limited to a single bloodline, as may be many other esper powers.
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(flashback about Terra's birth, around the village)
Wolf 2: The link between worlds has surely weakened over the past 1000 years.
(flashback about Terra's birth, around the village-a more accurate translation)
Wolf 2: The barrier may well have weakened over the past thousand years.
Comment #7: The more accurate translation implies, as was mentioned before, that the esper realm is simply a realm somewhere in the mountains with a barrier around it, and not necessarily an entirely new world.
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(Albrook-Scholar)I'm a scholar of weapons. 1000 years ago, during the War of the Magi, 2 so-called Atma
Weapons existed.
One changed a person's power into a sword, the other was an monster, bred for mass destruction.
Comment #8: This reveals that the atma weapons existed during the WOTM, and likely played a part in the war.
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(first time in Thamasa)Locke: Can everyone here use Magic? What's going on here?
Strago: This is... the village of the Mage Warriors...
Strago: Long ago humans used Magicite to gain magical powers. They came to
be known as Mage warriors.
Locke: But I thought they perished centuries ago...
Strago: After the War of the Magi, the Espers fled to their new world
behind the sealed gate. They wished to live peacefully, without
fear of being used by humans. They left us here to fend for
ourselves... But we were despised by normal people. Everyone felt
we had begun that war...
Strago: They sent people to hunt us down like animals. There weren't even
any trials...
Terra: Even though the only difference was that you could use Magic...?
Strago: A few Mage Warriors escaped and found their way here. They were our
ancestors. Our powers have weakened over time, but some of it
remains.
(first time in Thamasa-advance version)
Strago: This is... ...the village of the magi.
Strago: A long, long time ago, humans use magicite to acquire magical
powers... Those who gained the ability to use magic were the people
known as the magi.
Locke: I didn't think there were any magi left in the world...
Strago: After the War of the Magi, the espers fled to a new world beyond the
Sealed Gate. They wished to live in peace, without fear of their
powers being used by others. That left humans in this world, and the
ordinary ones feared the magi's power. The horror of the war was
still fresh in their minds...
Strago: It soon turned into an inquistion. Magi were hunted down and
executed. Oh, there were trials, of course...but they were merely
for show.
Terra: Even though the only difference was that they could use magic...
Strago: The few who managed to escape took up shelter here. They were our
ancestors. Our powers have weakened as our magi blood has thinned,
but they remain...in some form or another.
(first time in Thamasa-more accurate translation)
Stragos: Long ago, humans drew the power of magic from Magicite. Those who came to be able
to cast magical spells were known as Mage Warriors.
Lock: (blinks) I’d thought they didn’t exist anymore.
Stragos: (nods, paces) After the Magic War, the Espers put up a barrier behind the sealed gate
and lived in hiding. They feared being used for their power. Only humans were left.
The power of the Mage Warriors was the most fearsome thing left behind. It was, after all,
stained by the carnage of the Magic War. So, the hunt for Mage Warriors began. One after
another, they were unjustly tried and put to death.
Tina: Even though aside from using magic, they were normal human beings...
Stragos: The Mage Warriors who escaped and came to this land to live in hiding were our
ancestors. Their blood has grown thin, and the power of their magic has weakened, but to an
extent it remains within us.
Comment #9: Strago says in the SNES version that everyone felt they (the mage warriors) had begun the war. Maybe they really had.
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(first time in Thamasa, after more dialogue)
Strago: Hmmm... If they're here, they must be hiding in the mountains to
the west.
Locke: Why there?
Strago: Those mountains have powerful magical properties. They say the
Espers were created there...
(first time in Thamasa, after more dialogue-advance version)
Strago: Hmm... If they came this way, they may be hiding in the mountains to
the west.
Locke: Why there?
Strago: Those mountains are teeming with magical energy. According to legend,
they're a sacred place to the espers.
Comment #10: The SNES version says that espers were created there, and both say that this is a sacred place to espers. This should definitely be an important (but not necessarily widely-known) location during the WOTM.
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(Esper Gathering Place)
Strago: I can't believe it... The Statues...!
Terra: The "Statues"!?
Locke: Some faint figures are carved on the back of the stone figures...
Locke: Say, old man, what else can you tell us about these Goddesses?
Strago: They quite literally created Magic, as we know it.
Locke: So, they're the Goddesses of Magic, then?
Strago: You could say that.
Terra: I can feel their power...
Strago: The Statues are the source of all magic. It's said that the Espers
made these images, and put them in a very special place. These
represent power beyond all comprehension...
Terra: Our Espers no doubt came to this island to bask in all this magical
power!
Locke: Say, old timer, what happened to the Stone Goddesses?
Strago: Legend has it that they're hidden somewhere beyond the reach of
humans. I'd say they're beyond the sealed gate...
Terra: I wonder if the barrier that protects that place is generate by
those stone Goddesses?
Locke: Phew... what a story.
(Esper Gathering Place-advance version)
Strago: Are these...statues of the Warring Triad!?
Terra: The warring Triad?
Locke: There are letters chiseled into the back of these things...
Locke: So, uh, what's this "Warring Triad"?
Strago: They're the legendary gods who created the power we know as magic.
Locke: So...they're the gods of magic?
Strago: You could say that.
Terra: This place is brimming with magic...
Strago: Those three gods are the creators of magic...meaning they also
created the espers. It's said that the espers once enshrined images
of the gods in a holy place. This must be it...
Terra: The espers must have been drawn here by the magic of these statues.
Locke: So what happened to the gods after they made the espers?
Strago: Supposedly, they tired of their fighting and turned themselves to
stone. Legend has it they can be found beyond the Sealed Gate,
resting in their eternal slumber.
Terra: I wonder if their magic is what connects the gate to the esper world?
Comment #11: Why did the espers create images of the gods in this place? Could it have been during the WOTM, and could it have played a part in it? These would be difficult and interesting questions to resolve in the story of the WOTM.
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(Esper gathering place-the three statues)
“Left statue: The birth of magic... three goddesses were banished here. In time they began quarreling, which led to all-out war. Those unlucky humans who got in the way were transformed to Espers, and used as living war machines.
Right Statue: The goddesses finally realized that they were being laughed at by those who had banished them here. In a rare moment of mutual clarity, they agreed to seal themselves away from the world. With their last ounce of energy they gave the Espers back their own free will, and then transformed themselves... ...into stone. Their only request was that the Espers keep them sealed away from all eternity.
Center Statue: The Espers created these statues as a symbol of their vow to let the goddesses sleep in peace. The Espers have sworn to keep the goddesses' power from being abused.”
(Esper Gathering Place-the three statues-more accurate translation)
From heaven descended three gods.
They feared each other, and made war.
Some were drawn into the fight.
The gods transformed them into Espers
and enslaved them to battle for centuries.
--
The gods realized the folly
in holding power so great it brought only turmoil.
By bringing their powers into balance
they sealed each other away.
With the last of their power, they granted the Espers souls
and turned themselves into stone.
The gods’ last words to the Espers:
“Preserve our seal for all eternity.”
--
We made these statues
with reverence for the eternally slumbering gods
and prayers that the world shall never again see their power.
Be it known that gods descended from heaven.
We revere them upon earth, as a warning to the future.
Comment #12: From what Ramuh implied earlier, we can assume these things happened before the WOTM. Also, it says these copy-statues were created in one translation as a warning to the future, and in another as a symbol of their vow to let the goddesses sleep in peace. They may be simply monuments, then, but they could still be a very interesting way to color a story about the WOTM.
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(Esper Gathering Place, after more dialogue)
Yura: As a rule, we are not allowed to visit your world. We few had gathered near the gate, and were wondering how we could save the
Espers that had been kidnapped. It was just a coincidence that
Terra appeared when she did...
Terra: I felt... your presence... through the gate.
Yura: We bolted the moment Terra opened the gate. But once in your world,
we lost control of our powers.
Yura: We completely levelled a city... and took some innocent lives...
Terra: That's what happened to me! I lost all control of my power...
Strago: There must be something in your world that allows you to focus your
power differently. You must use caution while in our world...
(Esper Gathering Place, after more dialogue-advance version)
Yura: Entering this world is forbidden, but we wanted to do something for
our friends who'd been turned to magicite. We gathered at the gate.
And just then, Terra appeared...
Terra: I could feel the strength of your emotions from the other side of the
gate.
Yura: When Terra opened the gate for us, we were finally able to escape.
But the moment we stepped into your world, we completely lost control
of our powers.
Yura: We destroyed an entire city, and attacked people who had done no
wrong...
Terra: The same thing happened to me... When that power suddenly stirred
inside me, I had no control over it...
Strago: There must be something in your world that dampens your powers. Freed
from their reins, your powers ran wild...
Yura: It seems even we espers can lose our senses and do unforgivable
things. ...I'm truly sorry.
Comment #13: Something in the 'real' world causes Espers to lose control, at least for a time, and it may dampen their powers to stay there. This should probably also be a factor addressed in the WOTM. It is interesting to note, that as mentioned earlier, that the esper 'world' is, in a more accurate translation, simply an area in the 'real' world enclosed by a barrier. Therefore this focusing may not have to do particularly with the fact that one is in that realm or not, but in the fact that one is closer to the three stone goddesses if one is in that realm, and is therefore able to more easily focus one's power.
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(back in Thamasa)
Yura: I am called Yura.
Yura: We have done something inexcusable to your people.
Yura: This probably isnt the time or place to ask for your forgiveness,
but...
Leo: Speak no further. It is we who owe you an apology. We hungered for
your power... How close we came to re-enacting the War of the
Magi!!!
(back in Thamasa-advance version)
Yura: What we have done to your people is inexcusable. We are in no
position to ask for your forgiveness, but...
Leo: Speak no further. We did not seek you to chastise you for past
mistakes. It is we who ought to be ashamed. We thought of you only as
a means by which to wage war. How close we came to bringing about a
second War of the Magi!
(back in Thamasa-a more accurate translation)
Leo: Not at all. We have no interest in laying blame for the mistakes of the past. Rather, I am
ashamed of myself for only thinking of you as weapons- indeed, of all of us who nearly repeated
the mistakes of the Magic War.
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(first appearance of floating continent)
Strago: The beginning of all Magic...
Terra: Those?
Strago: It is said that they somehow neutralized each other's power, then
sealed themselves away...
Strago: If the 3 statues should ever be moved out of alignment, the
resulting imbalance of power would... ...rearrange the face of our
planet...
(first appearance of floating continent-advance version)
Strago: The source of all magic... The Warring Triad...
Terra: Those things?
Strago: They're said to have turned themselves to stone facing one another.
That way, each one's power would be neutralized by those of the other
two. If the three were ever moved out of their perfect alignment...
...the resulting power imbalance would destroy the world as we know
it.
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(atma weapon)
My name is Atma... I am pure energy, and as ancient as the cosmos. Feeble
creatures, DIE!
Vast energy focused on Atma!
(atma weapon-more accurate translation)
I am called Ultima
Forged in antiquity, strongest of this world...
I transcend flesh. I am power incarnate.
Mortal weaklings, begone!!
Comment #14: He says forged in antiquity, so he could very well have been made during the WOTM.
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(floating continent)
Gestahl: N... noooo!! Why isn't my magic working!?
Melton!!!
Gestahl: K... Kefka!!!!! H... how...!?
Gestahl: How are you doing this!?
Kefka: How? Simple! I'm standing within the field of the Statues! Their
strong field absorbs all magic sent their way! Or didn't you
notice!?
Comment #15: So the statues absorb all magic sent their way. Does that mean espers, beings of 'pure magic', would feel differently around them, maybe weaker? This phenomenon would make another good plot mechanism for the WOTM.
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(floating continent, after more dialogue)
Celes: Oh, that's really smart, Kefka! Disturb their delicate balance, and they'll go haywire...!
Comment #16: Could there have been people bent on doing just that during the WOTM? Maybe they achieved it for a while before they were restored to their original positions, which would have left the world a scorched wasteland as was mentioned at the beginning. Just an idea.
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(Tritoch, in narshe, WOR)
Esper: You HUMANS freed me from that prison of ice? You possess Magicite!?
Who are you!? I sense war and destruction... Could that stupid war
possibly have lasted a thousand years? I can tell that you want to
put a stop to the madness... Let's see if you are worthy!
(Tritoch, in narshe, WOR-advance version)
Esper: So, humans broke my seal of ice... Humans who possess magicite...
Just who are you...? I suppose that's of little consequence. But
what of this devastation that fills the air? Could the War of the
Magi have lasted a thousand years? That foolish, unending war...
Hmm...? You would seek to put an end to it...? Then I shall put my
trust in you...
Comment #17: Espers seem to always know if someone posesses magicite. Tritoch knows, and he still trusts them, which implies he may have trusted people during the WOTM who posessed magicite. This shows that the WOTM wasn't simply humans versus espers, it was more likely humans and espers against humans and espers.
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(Phoenix Cave)
Locke: You're all safe! Behold... A legendary relic that can restore
life...
That looks like... Magicite...
Locke: Correct! Legend has it that ages ago the Phoenix was turned into
stone... And many legends are based on facts... This has some major
cracks in it though...I fear it may have lost it's power over
time...
(Phoenix Cave-advance version)
Locke: It is. Legend has it that the Phoenix turned itself to stone ages
ago... It seems the story was true. But now it's filled with cracks.
I don't know if it still has the strength to perform miracles...
Comment #18: The phoenix could have turned itself to stone during the WOTM. It is interesting that in the advance version, generally considered a more accurate translation, says that it turned itself to stone. A very intriguing detail and more good stock for a story of the WOTM.
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(Kohlingen)
Rachel: ...Phoenix! Be reborn again!! And
give your power... to Locke!!
Comment #19: It says 'Be reborn again', implying the phoenix had been reborn before as well.
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(ancient castle, flashback to WOTM)What the...?
It's an Esper attack! Let's show him some of OUR Esper Magic!
A 1000 years ago in the past, a battle was waged here...
"Only Odin is here!"
"Are your wounds healed?"
We're fresh outta options. We'll have to leave this battle in Odin's hands...
A city, ruined during the War of the Magi...
Atom Edge!
Atom Edge!
Odin: Don't do it... You can't turn me into Magicite...
There's an ancient legend... It tells of a battle between Odin and a powerful
sorcerer that took place in a great hall of the castle...
Odin turned into a Magicite shard...
A book, with a gem-encrusted cover... "Queen's Diary"
I realize, now, that I am in love with Odin... This... breaks every rule of
our society. But my heart longs for this noble, elegant man. How could anyone
blame me? After the fighting is over I'm going to bare my soul to him...
Even the Queen was turned into stone...
A tear comes... from the stone...?
The Magicite "Odin" gains a level... and becomes the Magicite "Raiden"!
Comment #20: This story is a 'must include' for anyone attempting to create a WOTM fanfic.
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(Kefka's Tower)
Celes: The Statues give the Espers the magical energy they need to live.
If we destroy the Statues...
Edgar: What'll happen?
Celes: I'm really not sure, but...
Strago: The Espers... and Magic, too, will most definitely disappear from
this world.
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