The Shadowbringers expansion has revived many forgotten storylines from Final Fantasy XIV. One of the oldest of these is the Incident of Bozja.
Starting from Patch 5.25, the next quest line in FFXIV focusing on upgradable weapons from Shadowbringers begins, just like the previous relics, Anima and Eureka. This time, the nation of Bozja and the legendary “Queen’s Guard” are at its center.
I believe that Bozja will be important to us not only because of the new shiny weapons. This lore element played too significant a role in FFXIV.
So let’s take a look at what Bozja actually is and what its backstory is.
Warning: Spoilers for the main story of Final Fantasy XIV follow.
Which queen is it and why should she be guarded?
The Citadel of Bozja is one of the oldest lore elements in Final Fantasy XIV. It is first mentioned in a cutscene from 1.0 during a conversation between the two imperial legates Gaius van Baelsar and Nael van Darnus.
The region of Bozja is located in the south of the continent of Ilsabard and was home to the Helion-Hrothgar before its conquest by the Garlean Empire. The capital of the same name was the seat of their queens.
Exactly when Bozja became one of the imperial provinces is not precisely known. Garlemald began the conquest of the continent of Ilsabard according to the lore book around the year 1515 and completed it in 1520, meaning about 57 in-game years ago. The fall of Bozja would therefore be around that timeframe.
From the quest line of the job Gunbreaker, we learn that the Gunblade weapon was used by the personal guard of the queens.
It all began many years ago with the Hrothgar queen Gunnhildr. The Gunblades have been passed down from one generation of Gunbreakers to the next since then. They allow their users to fire projectiles that are imbued with aether and possess magical effects.
This drastically differentiates them from the Gunblades used by the Garlean soldiers and makes them very valuable.
Of course, the upgradable weapons from Shadowbringers cannot all be Gunblades for obvious reasons. Therefore, my assumption is that our favorite blacksmith Gerolt will create the new weapons based on the technology originally found in the Gunblades.
But Bozja will become really interesting for us for another reason. The Citadel of Bozja is directly connected to the fall of the artificial moon Dalamud, which is one of the most important events in the history of FFXIV.
Blast from the Past
It all started with a rather small item. The “Lunar Transmitter,” a long-lost Allagan artifact, originally belonged to the Garlean noble house van Darnus. It was a valuable heirloom of the family.
After detailed examination of the item, the Garleans realized that it was capable of influencing the moon Dalamud. In hopes of developing new types of weapons through the artifact, the “Meteor” project was initiated.
The orders for this came directly from Emperor Solus zos Galvus and were also supported by the general population. The project was then entrusted to the brilliant scientist Midas nan Garlond, father of Cid.
Midas assembled a team of top Garlean scientists and brought the transmitter to Bozja. We do not know how long the experiments and tests regarding the artifact were conducted. However, it must have been several years, as Midas’s obsession with Project Meteor led to him raising his son Cid without a father.
During his research, Midas discovered that Dalamud was not a natural moon but an artificial satellite. The test attempts lasted until the year 1562, when a catastrophe occurred.
Although the scientists managed to awaken Dalamud from its slumber, the costs were devastating.
A beam of light shot from the core of Dalamud and consumed the citadel. All life there was eradicated in a single instant. People going about their business… Children playing in the streets… It makes me sick to think of how many innocents had to give their lives.
Cid nan Garlond
Dalamud only fired a brief salvo, but it was enough to completely annihilate the fortress of Bozja and the surrounding city. In the explosion, not only did Cid’s father die, but also the family of Radovan, the main NPC of the Gunbreaker storyline.
The destruction was so massive and total that it even deterred Emperor Solus from using Dalamud as a weapon, and Project Meteor was canceled.
After all that we now know about Solus aka Emet-Selch, he must have assumed that all possibilities for controlling Dalamud were lost with the downfall of Allag. I think further research on the moon was not worth the risk to him, that the next beam could hit the imperial capital.
However, Legatus Nael van Darnus saw the destruction of Bozja as a successful test of Dalamud’s power. He would recreate the Lunar Transmitter and drop the moon on Eorzea 10 years later.
The Consequences of the Bozja Incident
The catastrophe of Bozja was an important turning point in the history of Garlemald. The empire lost not only one but two of its brightest scientists with the death of Midas nan Garlond.
After Cid learned what had happened in Bozja, he and some of his followers decided to turn their backs on Garlemald and flee.
However, with Midas’s death, almost all of the accumulated knowledge of the Garlean people about Allagan technology also died. The library of Bozja contained the largest collection of writings and artifacts from the time of the Allag, which were obliterated in the explosion.
It was a hard setback for the advancement of weapon development in Garlemald.
For the ruling elite of the empire, the incident was a blot on their record. There were various attempts to cover it up, also to hide what losses the empire had incurred, but the news of the complete annihilation of one of the largest trading cities of Ilsabard spread quickly.
Especially Legatus Gaius van Baelsar vehemently spoke out against the use of Dalamud and against the resumption of Project Meteor in the year 1572, when Nael van Darnus attempted to use the moon as a weapon again.
It is better to conquer a land than to have nothing. What do we gain from ruling over the empty? I do not want to experience the Citadel of Bozja again. If you manage to bring down Dalamud, Eorzea will cease to exist.
Gaius van Baelsar, Legatus of the XIV Imperial Legion
Always a pragmatist, Gaius saw no value in governing an area devoid of all life. Perhaps it was also his memory of Bozja that prompted him to rethink, after witnessing the incredible destructive power of the Ultima Weapon in the Praetorium.
In any case, the catastrophe of Bozja was an important event in the history of Final Fantasy XIV, whose consequences are still felt today. But with Patch 5.25, the citadel will likely return and play an important role for us again.
What could happen in Patch 5.25?
In the recent live letter, Yoshida made it clear that the quest line through which we will receive new upgradable weapons connects to the story of the Ivalice raid. This makes sense:
- Now that a civil war has practically broken out in Garlemald, now is the perfect time to support other provinces in their fight for independence.
- Bozja is currently being governed by the Legatus of the IV Legion, Noah van Gabranth. He was the one who conquered Dalmasca for the Empire 30 years ago, and his full attention is currently focused on Ridoranna.
So we will do what we do best: Join the resistance and officially get on the empire’s nerves.
As seen in the trailer for Patch 5.2, we will be supported by Cid and Mikoto. Cid’s father died in the explosion of Bozja, so it only makes sense that he wants to join us on the trip there.
The question is: What will we find there? In the trailer, the scenes with Cid take place in two “locations”:
- Inside a Garlean facility that could be a Castrum (from 2:16 min)
- Outside in a freaky environment where everything is destroyed and parts of buildings are floating (from 2:00 min)
The second location is particularly exciting. It seems to me like a snapshot of the Bozjan Citadel just before the beam from Dalamud strikes.
Gravity is failing, buildings and streets are breaking apart, and most notably, you can see Dalamud hanging in the sky, but the city is not as utterly destroyed as it is later described.
This becomes even clearer when looking at the surroundings in the trailer sections where Cid appears: The tall building in the background of the combat scene starting from 2:05 min and the tower over which Dalamud hangs at the end look identical.
This reinforced my assumption that we are experiencing the moments right before the destruction of Bozja. So far, we could only look at the past, with the small exception of Estinien in the latest patch.
However, in the trailer, we see ourselves actively fighting Garlean soldiers and mechs in the area. And we are not only traveling with Cid and Mikoto; the video also shows several Hrothgar fighters who likely belong to the resistance.
So if we are indeed experiencing the moments right before the major catastrophe in the trailer, how did we get there? I can only speculate about the answer to this question. I have a feeling it will have something to do with the white crystal seen in the trailer starting from 2:13 min, but that is pure speculation.
However, I believe that we will not only learn more about what happened in Bozja 15 years ago but also get new information about Dalamud. It is another open story thread that is being concluded.
Alongside Bozja, Ruby Weapon will also make its entrance into Final Fantasy XIV:
