#plot theory

Early release spoilers ahead.

Alright folks, this is the big one. I’d been holding off on going all-out on this theory for some time, if only because I felt I needed some more concrete evidence to support my point. But with the release of the Patch 6.4 Website, I now feel confident enough to speak up about what I think will be an upcoming twist in Patch 6.4; that being the reveal of Golbez’s true identity in Final Fantasy XIV. Spoiler warning for the FFXIV MSQ obviously; and spoilers for Final Fantasy IV as well while we’re at it, since it’s kinda hard to talk about Golbez’s identity without talking about the big twist in the original game.

Anyhow, let’s start by recollecting what little bits of information we know about Golbez; based on the cutscenes that he appears in (or is the subject of).

Golbez’s Cutscenes

Golbez has appeared directly in 10 cutscenes so far. They are as follows;

1. 6.1 A Brother's' Grief (Post-quest cutscene) 2. 6.2 Where Everything Begins (Echo flashback after instance) 3. 6.2 Nowhere to Run (Cutscene after walking segment) 4. 6.2 Buried Memory (Post-quest cutscene) 5. 6.2 Shadowed Pasts (Scarmiglione 2) 6. 6.2 Shadowed Pasts (Barbariccia 2) 7. 6.3 Desires Untold (Echo flashback after trial) 8. 6.3 Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (Post-quest cutscene) 9. 6.3 Shadowed Pasts Once More (Cagnazzo 2) 10. 6.3 Shadowed Pasts Once More (Rubicante 2)

Beyond these cutscenes, however, it’s also worth nothing that the scene of our conversation with Rubicante after #7 is massively important; as this scene directly states Golbez is hiding a secret desire beyond that of his planned crusade. I’ve labelled this one under the heading of “X. 6.3″.

Many of these cutscenes are hiding small hints that imply Golbez may be much more than he seems; and that his true identity may not be what some may initially assume. Let’s review.

1. 6.1 A Brother's' Grief (Post-quest cutscene) Our introduction to Golbez. He warps into the room with a wave of shadow engulfing him, and clutches his right fist, before doing a dramatic cape twirl leading with his left-hand.

Whilst it’s a small detail, I should note that in Dissidia, Golbez had a similar cape-flick in his fight intros; except he led with his right-hand there instead. This ties into another detail that I noticed in a later cutscene...

2. 6.2 Where Everything Begins (Echo flashback after instance) Golbez is named here, and whilst he hints about having other plans for Azdaja, this scene doesn't seem to be hiding much beyond what it tells us directly.

3. 6.2 Nowhere to Run (Cutscene after walking segment) Interestingly, despite his fears of a memoriate interfering in his plans, the patch 6.4 artwork seems to depict a memoria crystal by Golbez's side. Could Golbez be a memoriate himself? Unless he's half-voidsent (or even completely human) like Zero, he shouldn't have been able to retain that ability following the flood of darkness.

Golbez being (or having once been) a memoriate would also have interesting implications for his past. Given the ongoing theory that the power to wield memoria was a “blessing” granted by the Ascians, and with us later learning that Golbez has spoken to Ascians in his past, could it be that Golbez recieved some of his power from the Ascians directly? After all, the original Golbez’s famous twist was that he had been possesed by a greater evil; a greater evil associated with the moon (much like how the Ascian’s are associated with Zodiark and the moon by extension).

4. 6.2 Buried Memory (Post-quest cutscene)

"The prison of passivity is an obstacle to my cause. And so you must fall. What irony that the blessed damned should set us free!"

The line and scene that started many an MSQ theory. We all know it; that still image of Golbez striking down a robed figure that resembles the Watcher, foreshadowing the reveal of Golbez's headquarters, and furthermore the means by which he could achieve his goals. And yet, what if I told you there were two small details in this image that I haven't seen others note up to this point?

For one, Golbez's sword. Golbez is clearly wielding a Moonward Longsword here. The Moonward Longsword owes its design to the sword Cecil is depicted wielding in several pieces of official artwork for Final Fantasy IV; including several Amano artworks. See the above comparison; top left being (FFXIV) Golbez’s sword, top right being the Moonward Longsword, and the bottom being Cecil’s sword from the Amano art.

Secondly, Golbez is wielding the sword in his right-hand. Whilst this may be a superfluous detail, it should be noted that in his past appearances across the Final Fantasy series, Golbez has historically been a left-hander. Combined with Golbez using his left-hand for his cape flick instead of his right, I suspect that, for one reason or another, Golbez’s dominant hands have been deliberately mirrored for his FFXIV incarnation.

I should also note that Golbez is seen holding a different sword (alongside his Shadow Dragon) in the Patch Art for Patch 6.4. However even then, his sword seems to owe a few design queues from Cecil’s sword; with a grooved handle, a golden orb near the crossguard, and a blade that widens just after the crossguard before tapering off further down the edge. Interestingly, the crossguard on Golbez’s new sword is inverted, pointing towards the pommel rather than the tip of the blade. Finally, I should also note that Golbez is, once again, holding this sword in his right hand.

5. 6.2 Shadowed Pasts (Scarmiglione 2, Cutscene 2 in Unending Journey) Golbez's aether is described as "overwhelming" by Scarmiglione. It is unclear if Golbez has already feasted upon some of Azdaja's aether at this point (though it is possible). And if Golbez’s “overwhelming” aether didn’t come from Azdaja, then where did it come from? I have multiple theories. One possible source could be, as raised earlier, power recieved from Ascians. But there’s another possibility that may tie into Golbez’s supposed secret identity...

6. 6.2 Shadowed Pasts (Barbariccia 2, Cutscene 4 in Unending Journey) No notable details here.

7. 6.3 Desires Untold (Echo flashback after trial) Golbez reveals that he has, at some point, spoken to Ascians. In the French translation, Golbez uses the gendered-term "Ascianne" here, implying the Ascian he spoke with identified as a woman. Ergo, it is highly likely that the Ascian he spoke with was one we know was highly involved in their efforts on the Thirteenth; Igeyorhm.

We also finally confirm Golbez's goal; to invade and conquer the Source. And yet...

X. 6.3 Desires Untold (Cutscene after echo flasback, cutscene 6 in Unending Journey) Notably, after the echo flashback, Rubicante states that Golbez has a goal seperate to that of his plan to open a gateway to the Source. Quote;

"And perhaps your own will resonate with his...and draw forth that singular jewel which abides deep within his heart. A desire which lies beyond his quest to free us from our purgatory. A desire...all his own..."

We aren’t directly informed of what that desire is- However, I believe that it’s already been hinted at across the patches.

8. 6.3 Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (Post-quest cutscene) "The end to life on that star. And the end to my suffering..."

An interesting phrase, that. One that could have multiple meanings; as he’s gazing up at the 13th reflection of Etheirys as he says this line, one could probably assume that “that star” is the 13th reflection.

When Golbez says this, does he mean “life” as in living, and his plan to invade the source, ergo no longer having to “live” on the 13th? Is he speaking of his desire to escape the endless life of the 13th? Or is he perhaps being more cold; expressing a desire to end all life on the 13th reflection entirely? Could this darker interpretation be a hint as to Golbez’s true desires?

9. 6.3 Shadowed Pasts Once More (Cagnazzo 2) (Cutscene 2 in the Unending Journey)

Golbez defends himself from Cagnazzo's attack using a magical barrier that closely resembles Collective Unconcious. Leveva in the Astrologian quests describes the skill as;

"Aether is the building block of all that surrounds us, meaning that everything is connected. Someone closely attuned with that aether can, in a sense, link themselves with others, feeling their joy, feeling their pain. Scholars of the soul call this empathy. Crystal-gazers and card-readers call it the wheel of fortune. We astrologians call it collective unconsciousness."

Prior to its formal introduction as an Astrologian skill, Y'shtola employed a magical barrier that resembled Collective Unconcious at several points in the MSQ. It's interesting that Golbez is able to use a form of magic typically associated with healers; as several later releases of Final Fantasy IV made Golbez's lack of proficiency in healing magic a critical part of his backstory.

10. 6.3 Shadowed Pasts Once More (Rubicante 2) (Cutscene 4 in Unending Journey) Golbez describes his goals in an odd manner.

"It matters not who I am, but what I seek to do. Join me, and together we shall banish the Darkness and see that the sun rises again."

At this point, however, we would know this isn’t completely accurate- Golbez doesn’t want to banish the darkess at all; merely free the inhabitants of the void from it by leading them unto the source. Is he just being poetic here? Or does how he’s phrased his plans offer insight into his 'desire' that is seperate to his stated goals? After all, Rubicante was seemingly the only archfiend to know of these desires.

Tying into #8, we know that darkness / the astral can have an association with life and growth; as we see in E9′s bramble phases and the like. Could it be that Golbez views the two interchangably? That banishing the darkness means a quest to expunge (the endless) life from the 13th? And could he mean to not only invade the Source, but find some means by which to draw its light (the umbral) back into the 13th to end the endless life that has taken root there?

In Summary

Based on all of the above cutscenes, we can conclude the following;

Golbez has a secret desire beyond his war with The Source.

His dominant hand appears to not be his left hand, but his right.

He wields a sword that is almost identical to Cecil’s sword from Amano’s artwork.

His aether is described as “overwhelming”, seemingly prior to the Archfiends being allowed to feast upon Azdaja’s aether.

Golbez can use a spell that resembles Collective Unconcious, which is typically associated with Healers.

He’s interacted with Ascians before; furthermore, if he was once a memoriate, then he may have recieved his power directly from them.

He seems to not only start a war with the Source, but also seeks a means by which to banish the darkness from the 13th. 

But what does this all mean? I believe that all of these are the key to the puzzle around Golbez’s identity, and from looking at all of them, there is one conclusion I come to in particular;

Golbez is Cecil

“Golbez” in Final Fantasy XIV is not Theodore, first son of Kluya and brother to someone named Cecil (as was the case in Final Fantasy IV). Rather, I believe that Golbez in Final Fantasy XIV is Cecil, and for one reason or another, he has adopted a seperate moniker.

“Golbez” here lacks quite a few traits of his namesake, whilst seemingly adopting a few subtle traits from whom I believe to be his secret identity. For one, Golbez is seen wielding Cecil’s sword (in the form of the Moonward Longsword). Furthermore, unlike his namesake, Golbez is right-handed, much like Cecil has been across his many appearances series-wide.

Furthermore, Golbez is seen casting a spell resembling Collective Unconcious; which is associated with healing magic. His namesake was not able to cast healing magic at all; and that in particular played a notable part in his backstory. Cecil, meanwhile, obtained the ability to cast White Magic in Final Fantasy IV after becoming a Paladin.

Speaking of which, Golbez at multiple points states his desire to “banish the darkness” or see the “sun rise again”. Whilst they do pertain to his goals, Golbez seemingly holds a strong disdain for the darkness in particular, hinting that he hides a holy nature, and that he perhaps is more associated with the Umbral / Light. “Golbez’s” secret desire is to return to his past as a heroic Warrior of Light; which is why Rubicante believe’s we may hold the key to drawing that desire out of him.

I believe that, come patch 6.4, we’ll either get a dramatic reveal of Golbez’s true name being Cecil, or perhaps a dramatic unmask that reveals a face resembling Final Fantasy IV’s main character beneath his helm.

Cecil, prior to the flood, may have been a heroic memoriate, much like Zero was. Or perhaps he fell to darkness; and it was his fall that tipped the 13th over the edge and triggered the flood of darkness. Furthermore, Cecil may have recieved the power of the memoriate directly from the Ascians themselves, much like how Cecil recieved the power of a Paladin from someone tied to the moon in the original Final Fantasy IV.

Either way, it’s hard to say for certain just what Cecil’s potential role may be; only that I think it’s possible he has a very large part to play.

However, whilst this theory does tie back to most of the collected evidence I’ve presented, there’s one point that I haven’t been able to tie to Golbez’s secret; that being the source of his seemingly “overwhelming” strength. But I think there may be another possible theory around Golbez’s identity that could answer that.

Or, Golbez is both Theodore and Cecil

I’m taking a mildly Doylist perspective here; a small but noticeable part of Patch 6.2′s plot emphasises the nature of the impacts of voidsent devouring the essence of other voidsent; with Ciriatto demonstrating how voidsent can take on the personality and memories of their pray after he devours Farfarello.

I believe this could be foreshadowing for an upcoming reveal. Goblez, rather than just being either Theodore or Cecil, could instead have been born from one devouring the soul of the other, resulting in a fusion of their abilities, memories, and personalities. Whilst “Golbez” seemingly has a lot of Cecil’s abilties (using healer magic, a 1-handed sword, and being right-handed), he also demonstrates many of the original Golbez’s mannerisms as well as borrows his appearance.

Be that as it may, Rubicante’s comments may not neccesarily be just about a secret desire of “Golbez”, but rather a hint that we could draw out Cecil’s more heroic personality from that of the harsher Theodore; with one side more hopeful of restoring light to the 13th, and the other resigned to invading the Source in search of salvation. In fact, end to Golbez’s “suffering” that he may seek is a final death to split the souls of Theodore and Cecil apart; perhaps one has been dealing with the guilt of devouring the soul of the other.

Thus, explaining why Scarmiglione found Golbez’s aether so “overwhelming”; Golbez is not just a single void-corrupted soul, but the fusion of a mighty Paladin and (armored-and-sword-wielding) Dark Mage.

Conclusion

I’ll lead my conclusion with a disclaimer; whilst I believe I’ve collected plenty of solid evidence, these theories are by no means guaranteed to be true; and I would not be surprised if Patch 6.4′s MSQ or even the upcoming Patch trailer presents a very different outcome to what I have put together.

However, with the evidence that I’ve gathered up to this point, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “Golbez” in Final Fantasy XIV seemingly draws a notable amount of inspiration from Cecil instead of his namesake; and I believe that ties into the hinting given to us by Rubicante following the latter’s defeat.

Long before we get caught up in all the lies of Nibelheim, Sephiroth's born there, although he doesn't know the village is his hometown.

Nibelheim is where Cloud and Tifa share their promise.

Nibelheim is the heart of the story where everything begins for the hero, heroine and villain.

We visit Nibelheim 4 times during the course of the game. The first time is during the Kalm flashback, where we're sold Cloud's illusion of what happened.

The second time we visit Nibelheim is the first physical visit to the location, where we find everything rebuilt and a lot of liars installed to push Shinra propaganda about what happened. Cloud and Tifa know the truth, or partially anyway, but here we have a very elaborate lie making them doubt themselves.

The third visit is Sephiroth's lie because he knows Cloud was there, but he tells the group Cloud wasn't there. This breaks Cloud's mind when Tifa doubts their shared memories because Cloud never told her he was in Nibelheim back then because he was hiding from her.

The final visit is during the lifestream scene where we get the truth.

So, since Nibelheim is the emotional core of the story, wouldn't it make sense for the final battle between Cloud and Sephiroth to happen there? Sephiroth crafts one last illusion to try and defeat Cloud by bringing him back to Nibelheim, the place where he's most vulnerable, where he feels like a failure.

However, Sephiroth has no idea what Cloud and Tifa shared in the lifestream, so this isn't a place where Cloud feels like a failure, it's the place where he finally learned the girl he loves felt the same way the whole time. It's the place he defeated a villain and saved the girl he loves. It gives him strength to overpower Sephiroth and defeat him again within that fateful seven seconds.

To the Moon 3 - Trailer

One question that I’ve been asking for the longest time is- how in the heck did trolls come to being? Where did they come from? Why are aliens the component species in Tales of Arcadia? And I think I finally have an answer ;;:D

DISCLAIMER: This is a theory and is not the only possible theory. Please do not attack me if you don’t agree with this (its totally fine to think I’m Charlie pulling a Pepe Silvia)

Also there’s mentions of info presented in what 3Below info we have so far, as well as direct reference to lore from unreleased (Once again, purely speculation)

TALES OF ARCADIA THEORY: Trolls descend from Aliens

Originates in the concept of aliens existing prior to any forms of life on Earth, and that aliens are responsible for planting life on Earth- a form of colonization of a terrestial planet from their own (see: In the trailer, Aja, Krel and Vex come from a planet past Saturn- aliens would not be on a terrestrial planet if far enough from a star)

Hence, they are the ones that bring trolls into existence from their own genetic makeup/various strains of DNA.

These ancestral aliens (ancestors of Aja and Krel) come to Earth in the early part of the development of the Earth, create the troll species using elements of their genetic makeup, embedding them into the very first Heartstones that are planted underground into the Earth, from which the first trolls are born.

These “Proto-trolls” have resemblance to the aliens from which they originated, but also have features that are more consistent to surviving and living on a terrestial planet in our solar system.  Some prominent features of these proto-trolls include

- Bioluminescence: Some species of trolls (ie; GummGumms, Krubera) who remain primarily underground retain this trait, as it is still beneficial to their survival (as it would be for aliens living in space)

-Geode/Crystal Hearts: Since these proto-trolls come from “Heartstones” it would only make sense that the Heartstone becomes their literal heartstone.* When this generation of proto-trolls are born, a fragment of the heartstone they came from manifests in their chest, becoming their actual heart. As they evolved into the modern trolls, these “crystal hearts” became internal organs rather than an external feature

*Going off on a tangent for a sec to say this is how it makes it possible for Gunmar’s heartstone to have been corrupted- I have a sinking suspicion it has to do with Merlin but that’s a theory for a different place, a different time

For a while, these “Proto-trolls” remain physically similar to aliens, but eventually change due to adaptation to the environment of Earth (as underground elements differ dramatically from that of the alien’s homeland. Depending on where their original Heartstone was placed, it determined how their species differentiated. This becomes the primary reason for why some trolls have a closer resemblance physically to Aja/Krel/Vex while others don’t.

ie; GummGumms and Pannoxi

Darklands environment closer to that of the alien planet, remain more similar physically-

ALTERNATIVELY: Considering that there isn’t only one type of alien species to begin with, it is possible that the differentiation came solely from the alien DNA strain they began with (ie; Pannoxi had alien DNA from royal strains, which could possibly explain why Pannoxi/Conundrums have four arms, as do Aja and Krel)- Maybe Pannoxi were created to act as a governing proto-troll/troll species, which leads to their downfall as a species?? (see below)

- If we think about it from this perspective, then the variation only increased from a species with existing variation

At some point, the aliens return to Earth. This is prevalent in the unreleased comic in which the Trollhunter is seen fighting an alien (please take this part with a grain of salt I currently lack the necessary context but I just need this to fit together what I’m about to speculate next)

By now, trolls have established their own societies- possible influence/development from the works of Merlin/Morgana (Trollhunters already play a major role) and have more or less evolved into the trolls that we more or less know today. (let’s just assume its been a bit of time since trolls were put on Earth- let’s also assume they were the first forms of life, just for this, and evolved independtly of all other lifeforms on Earth)

Essentially, because trolls were just planted on Earth, it would make sense for them to view the aliens as a threat (hence, why they might be fighting in that panel). Perhaps Pannoxi/Conundrums tried to put an end to the fighting, and in return became a rare species? 

As a result of this, the aliens leave Earth and do not return in a massive presence again. Some perhaps stayed behind to keep an eye on their creations, proving a possible explanation as to why “aliens might already be on Earth”

TLDR; As part of the alien expansion, aliens, from their own DNA structures compose a variant of their species and embed them into Heartstones that are planted onto Earth’s surface, birthing Proto-trolls. Through evolution and adaptation to environment, these proto-trolls become the trolls we know and love today.