Ascians are known as the main antagonists ofFinal Fantasy 14,dedicated to bringing chaos to Eorzea so they can resurrect their god, Zodiark. Throughout the expansions, more has been revealed about these characters, andby the end ofEndwalkerthey have been humanized thanks to their tragic history.
There is a lot to know about Ascians, from its members to their abilities and history. WhileFinal Fantasy 14’sEndwalkerexpansion has wrapped up the story of Zodikark and Hydaelyn, there is a chance players have not heard the last of Ascians and their influence on the world. After all, it was their influence that caused the Calamities shaping Eorzea’s history.
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Ascian History and Ranks
Ascians are what remain of the ancient race of Etheirys before it and its people were split into 14 pieces. These 14 pieces made worlds with fragmented souls living in them, having no memory of being ancients or Etheirys. Only three ancients survived this event with their souls not split, and they were all a part of the Convocation of the Fourteen - basically the government of Etheirys. These survivors were Emet-Selch, Lahabrea, and Elidibus. After these events, they founded the Ascians withthe goal of rejoining the fragments together to remake Etheirys and its people. To rejoin the fragments together, they needed to destroy the 14 worlds.
Realizing they could not do this on their own, the threeunsundered Asciansrecruited fragments of their old colleagues, such as Fandanial. This created the beginning of Ascian ranks, with the three unsundered at the top and those fragments of ancients that were once members of the Convocation of the Fourteen below them. These Ascians with fragmented souls were called Overlords. Below them are Lesser Ascians, fragmented souls that were not a part of the Convocation on Etheirys. Little is known about these Lesser Ascians, and they have been mostly unnamed.
Ascian Abilities
Ascians are immortal and aetherial, which means their souls do not dissipate into the aetherial sea. However, they can become physical beings by possessing mortal bodies. Overlords can possess living beings while lesser Ascians can only possess the bodies of the dead. To possess bodies, Ascians use dark crystals.
TheAscian Overlordsare particularly difficult to destroy because their soul survives and finds a new host once their body is killed. However, since they are aetherial, materials that absorb aether can trap an Ascian’s soul. Such material includes white auracite.
Ascian Designs
Ascians are known for their black robes with some purple and/or silver details. Red glyphs appear over their faces when they do combat, which appear to be related to the Espers inFinal Fantasy 12given the glyphs used to summon them are very similar to what the Ascians have.
Overlords have red masks, meanwhile lesser Ascians wear black masks. The ones Lahabrea and Elidibus wear have been compared to masks from the Noh theater tradition in Japan. Noh theater masks are famous for depicting different characters, and the angle at which the actor’s face turns can change the expression of the mask.
Ascians have skeletal forms as well, looking a little like grim reapers with hoods and billowing cloak. This may be inspired by the lich from otherFinal Fantasytitles, specifically the one inFinal Fantasy Tactics. No matter their form, Ascians are supposed to cast no shadows. ThroughoutA Realm Reborn, the game has not always shown this fact to be consistent. Translator Koji Fox has said (as a joke) that the shadows are from the Ascian’s clothes, not the Ascians themselves.
Final Fantasy 14is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
