Final Fantasy 14's latest patch has sent players to the Thirteenth Shard, the home of Voidsent, also known as the World of Darkness. It is looking like the Thirteenth may be a consistent setting for a while in Final Fantasy 14, as players have connected to a Thirteenth local named Zero and has also made a number of Voidsent enemies. Despite visiting the world for the first time, the Thirteenth has had a long history in Final Fantasy 14.
The Thirteenth, like all other shards, is a piece of the original world of the Etheirys that was created when Venat became Hydaelyn and Shattered the world and people into the Source and thirteen fragments. The Thirteenth was visited by the Ascians, who wished to do a Rejoining to help to reawaken Zodiark. They did this with the element of darkness, and while the world fell to the mercy of Voidsent and darkness, the Ascians actually failed in their goal.
FF14: What Happened To The Thirteenth
How Ascians rejoined pieces of Zodiark was to basically destroy shards with aspected aether and then create a Calamity on the Source that also uses that kind of aspected aether. They succeded in this with various shards such as the Second, which created the third Calamity on the Source (which was done with fire-aspected aether and made Thanalan a desert). Another example is the Third shard, which used earth aether and thus a Calamity on the Source that was the earthqake that destroyed the Allagan Empire.
This was the plan for dark-aspected aether on the Thirteenth. However, this attempt happened before Ascians learned that they had to make Calamities happen on the Source for a true Rejoining to occur. So when they flooded the Thirteenth with darkness but did not make a Calamity happen on the Source, the Thirteenth was just lost, neither safe nor rejoined. It became a useless Void to the Ascians.
The failure of the Thirteenth rested on the shoulders of a particular Ascian. Her name was Igeyorhm, a sundered Ascian whose project was the rejoining of the Thirteenth. She tried to repent for losing the shard by helping Lahabrea with his work creating Calamities on the Source, but was defeated by the Warrior of Light in the Aetherochemical Research Facility. The flood of darkness left on the Thirteenth was actually much like the flood of light on the First, but rather than make everyone into sin eaters, it made everyone into Voidsent. Very few survived the flood. Known survivors include Cylva and Unukalhai, who were rescued by Ascians to be manipulated on other fragments. Only recently have players met Zero, who survived the Thirteenth by being part Voidsent.
The Thirteenth Relationship To The Source
The Thirteenth is known to be physically closer to the Source than the other shards, so the Void became to have a unique relationship with the Source. Rifts and tears in the veil could allow Voidsent to visit the Source, and they sought such opening so that they can eat aether. The Source found ways to benefit from this, with mages being able to summon Voidsent by creating rifts and sacrifices of aether. The Allagan Empire and the kingdom of Mhach are fallen civilizations that made such summons.
Certain classes have strong relationships with Voidsent. One such class is Reapers, who have Voidsent avatars that fight by their side. It was only recently shown in Final Fantasy 14's latest patch that some Voidsent can be used and twisted by people of the Source without proper consent. This happened between Zero and Gaius.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
