Fifth Astral Era

During the Fifth Astral Era, the people of Eorzea fully embraced the arcane, and delved deep into the arts of Magic. Much like the way the Allagan Empire used technology to drive their society forward, the people used magic to elevate their lives, slowly forming various schools of magic that helped structure several different societies and cultures, like the Mhach and Amdapor.

Notable Nouns

• Shantotto
• Nyunkrepf Nyunkrepfsyn
• The Twelve
• Black Magic
• White Magic
• Green Death
• The City-state of Mhach
• The City-state of Amdapor
• The City-state of Nym
• War of the Magi

Summary of Events

See also: Fifth Astral Era/Timeline

End of the Fifth Umbral Era

In the wake of the Fifth Umbral Calamity, the people of Eorzea turned once again to The Twelve for succor. A massive, beautiful cathedral was erected at the edge of the Black Shroud, and was used to offer prayer to the gods, harnessing the power of prayer through the use of magic. Rituals to worship the gods became commonplace, and magic once again was used across the realm as a method of coping with the bitter cold and the unlikely survival of its people.

Eventually, as with every Calamity in the past, the storms and bitter cold subsided, and the people set out once again across the land, scouring for resources and beginning small communities where they could find some. Over the centuries, these small settlements began to grow larger and larger, until large cities eventually began cropping up all across the realm, each with a diverse culture.

Through this cultural evolution, the universal worship of 'The Twelve' changed, with each city identifying with the values of a particular patron deity. With the growth of cultural, spiritual and now arcane divides, contests of superiority slowly began to become the norm.

Rise of City-States

Over the course of five hundred years, dozens of cities would spring up and disappear. Eventually, there would be twelve different city-states, each worshiping a different god of the Eorzean Pantheon. Because of this, and because of their fledgling status, each city lacked the stability enjoyed in modern day civilization. War and strife constantly caused territorial lines to be drawn and redrawn time and again. After another five hundred years, the city-states were reduced to a mere six, with the most prominent being Mhach, Amdapor, and Nym. The other cities changed shape and size, joining and separating repeatedly over time. Each city, like with their diverse cultures, also practiced varied schools of magic.

The other nations, seeing the power the Mhachi and Amdapori wielded, drew inspiration and increased their study of the arcane. Like the Allagan Empire before them, the people used magic to vastly increase their quality of life through the development of weapons, medical and societal advancements. The Fifth Astral Era was considered as a time of wonder. With this wonder came a period of peace and prosperity.

Rise of Black Magic in Mhach

The people of Mhach were master practitioners of Black Magic, first discovered and mastered by Shantotto, This form of destructive magic draws upon the ambient Aether in the environment surrounding the caster to bolster its effects.

The Mhachi also mastered a rather esoteric arcane craft known as '"Void Magic",' allowing them to open portals to the Void and summon Voidsent, whom they are then able to enter into a covenant with, but are able to add extra magical protections in the form of the Nullstone to keep themselves entirely safe so as to avoid being possessed or overwhelmed by the Voidsent, thereby bringing them entirely under the mage's control. The Mhachi were able to use these two schools of magic together in order to garner more power over many of the other city-states.

Eventually, they would begin using this power to attack their neighboring city-states.

Rise of White Magic in Amdapor

As a response to the threat the Mhachi's posed with their Black Magic, the people of Amdapor developed White Magic, to counter the spells of the Mhachi, channeling aether to heal and ward instead of destroy. With the mastery of White Magic, the Amdapori were able to halt the Mhachi, who had taken to crushing the other nations that stood before them.

War of the Magi

As each nation grew more powerful, tensions begin to mount, particularly when the Mhachi people mastered Black Magic and Void magic, and used it to attack their neighboring city-states. When the people of Amdapor developed their White Magic as a counter to the Mhachi, a truce was formed between each of the nations. This would not last, however, as military tensions continued to mount. Eventually all-out war broke out, the exact reasons for which have been lost to history.

The Battle of Amdapor

In the final years of the War of the Magi, the mages of Mhach marched on the gates of Amdapor with the intent to take the city. The Mhachi quickly overwhelmed the millenias-old Amdapor Keep with a massive swarm of Voidsent. With the gate thrown wide, the mages made their way into the city proper, and summoned Diabolos, the prince of the Void. With a deadly cadre of Voidsent under his command, Diabolos's assault on the city was intense, but rather short-lived.
Using the culmination of their White Magic prowess, the Amdapori called upon Kuribu, a living statue of martial and magical prowess. Using its power, the people of Amdapor would successfully seal away the Prince of Voidsent.

Effects of the War

Though the Amdapori won the battle, the end of life as they knew it would quickly draw near for both cities. After over three hundred years of magical warfare, the land began to warp and twist, the aether slowly draining from it. Eventually, all sides began to notice the effect the war was having on the land, and a temporary ceasefire was called.

The Green Death and the fall of Nym

Sometime in the midst of 'The War of the Magi', the city-state of Nym was stricken with a mysterious and extremely viral plague, which came to be known as the Green Death. The virus almost wiped out the entire Nymian population, to the point where those infected had to be sealed away in the Wanderer's Palace to save the remaining few from its grasp. As it turned out, the Mhachi voidmages had called upon Bitoso, a Voidsent who had been the root of the disease and had cloaked itself and hidden in the city.

See also: The Green Death

Causes of the Sixth Umbral Calamity

After over three hundred years of magic-based warfare, the lands aether had become dangerously drained, and its elemental balance was thrown off, heavily favoring water. The land had become decayed and twisted, and spells had lost the strength they once had. Unbeknownst to the people of Eorzea at the time, they had just entered into the Sixth Umbral Era, and the Calamity of Water was upon them.