FFXIV’s Latest Raid Has DEEP Implications... 

I would like to point out that there is a settlement in Elpis called "The Twelve Wonders" responsible for climate control (Effectively manipulating elements on a large scale) Makes me think the Twelve could potentially predate even the Ascians. Primals are manmade creatures spawned through aether and faith. Perhaps the distinction between Primals and Divinities is not a difference in terms of being empowered via aether/faith, but instead the nature of Primals being manmade creatures. My theory is that the Twelve may be more fundamental in nature. Perhaps elemental spirits that gained form and intelligence over time. Edit: Wow, didn't think that many people would like this idea.

Gaius actually wasn't wrong at all. What Louisoix tried to summon was the twelve in primal form, since he had no idea that they were real but as primals he could summon them. Ramuh is a great example for that, it's clearly resembling Rhalgr but a primal summoned by the sylphs, not Rhalgr the divine. So Gaius was right, we believe in gods, this faith can be used to summon primals.

I'm sticking to my theory that the 12 are the 12 ancients we see in the cutscene/recording an Anamnesis Anyder talking to Venat shortly before she became Hydaelyn. I think they are ancients essentially locked into their transformed state who melded with Hydaelyn in that form to power her. Much like Elidibus was able to separate from Zodiark, I think they split from Hydaelyn several times through the ages to try to help her maintain the source, like Rhalgr leading the people to safety with a comet during one of the rejoinings. They popped out just long enough to make a difference and spawn a religion around them, then rejoined. Now that she no longer exists, they have separated from her being and returned. Note that they use the exact terminology as other ancients. They want to become "The will of the star". now that she is gone. There really is no other explanation for why they were essentially absent through all of the world's worst times except for cameo appearances and why they did nothing during the end times. They were struggling just to keep Hydaelyn alive. Appearing in front of humanity to "Ascend to become the will of the star" immediately after Hydaelyn dies was probably a contingency plan but since the end times were averted, they're testing us to see if we are able to stand on our own, hence the new weekly loot farm.

So the reason I'm not entirely sold on the Twelve being Ancients is due to how, on multiple occasions, Hydaelyn is referenced as the last of them after we kill Zodiark. Both Elidibus and Hydaelyn herself address her as the last remaining Ancient. Since we know that the Ascians are aware of the Twelve's existence, and subsequently their purpose, I don't think it's likely that they are Ancients.

7'th Heaven is just going to be a dive bar.

This is why I'm so glad Bellular and other good content creators enjoy 14. All these speculation and theory crafting are so fun to watch, we're living in the best time to try and enjoy different MMOs.

It should be noted they're not the first entities referred to as "divinities". The religion of Thavnair talks about their own set of divinities themselves, which a couple are described to us, and Vritra is briefly mistaken for one. Also I believe had also been used when talking about the Sacred Beasts you mentioned here, as well.

The Auspices are a great callout here, especially because they were hanging out in Gridania (in bunny costumes) during the most recent Hatching-tide event! They had some veeeerry interesting dialogue, too.

Considering Hydaelyn mentioned herself as being "the last of her kind", and the fact that clear references to the twelve are found in elpis (twelve wonders, ast ktiseos weapon), I highly doubt that they are ancients. Most likely they are something akin to the auspices or just something completely new, which would make sense since it would expand the world and give more fuel for the story guys to write about.

I also hope they add lines for the player character with their patron deity it would be sun. Also maybe they will add something about Azem and Azemya.

My mind is blown again. WTF how is FFXIV story keep doing this? I have never encountered a story this deep before in a video game. And it's refreshing as hell to not be lost in a plot holes.

I’d just like to point out that the sort up “hub area” for the other heavens was told to us to be the seventh haven, so we’ve kinda already reached it. The real question is what significance do the aetheryte-like object in the middle and the sort of empty pavilion hold.

one thing to note is, that on the astrologian weapon from ktsis hyperboreia are all the 12 symbols of the "divinitys", so they we're in some capacity a thing back in the days. not necessarily as divinitys or gods.

My speculation is with how the 12 are element inspected .. they are the reason why the Source survived the calamities ... when the Ascians made a calamity their power was used to make sure its did not do to much damage ... it would also explain the Ascians knowing and why they were so confident in the calamity method. But yes the possibility that they are connected to the followers of Venat in some way is quite possible.

I agree with the divinities being the 12 that summoned Hydaelyn and here is my theory. Venat said she 'burnt' the 12 that summoned Hydaelyn. What does this mean? While the convocation sacrificed lives, the 12 instead used aether of the land to summon hydaelyn (like a primal) but instead channeled the energy. This is why each divinity has an element, its the element they channeled and focused. A way to take aether but not hurt the land. SO the 12 were burnt meaning they can never return to the star. Ancients didnt think of death as bad but as good, so the 12 can no longer being able to return would be seen as bad or 'burnt'. So I think the 12 are ancients that channeled elemental energy and shifted to those elemental being part of the land and immortal. They can;t die unless the star does, and they can never return to the star.

You gotta love the way everything gets connected together in this story, whether it was originally intended for future use or not.

My guess is after being summoned as Hydaelyn, she may have separated those Ancient allies of hers from their bodies and carried their souls with her. This would be why they have a transformation, but unlike Ascians who possessed a human body using a Dark crystal, it seems that their body or core must be stored somewhere else (Silvertear Lake's heaven place), likely to a Crystal of Light attuned to their aether/element.

Loving these videos! Thank you for taking the time to make them.

they weren't Hydaelyn's summoners, she says her summoners used up all their aether to summon her before her fight but they could be some kind of creation magic concepts

Great video! Loved the speculation and hints that you covered! Mayhap that table in the background needs more ffxiv memorabilia!

Yeah, The Twelve being connected to Venat’s group that summoned Hydaelyn in some way seems to be the most likely theory at the moment. Though, unless they decide to make another raid series an MSQ progression requirement like the Crystal Tower Alliance raid became by 5.3, I don’t think the The Twelve’s Alliance Raid will shape the future of FFXIV quite as much as Crystal Tower eventually ended up doing.

These are always so informative and entertaining, well done ^^

One detail I noticed in the main hub are the spirals above each elemental portal, they sure seem to suggest an amarountine origin to me.

Whenever I need a little hint as to where we're headed, I always take a side trip up to Grandmother Temulun up on the Azim Steppe. You know the one... "Stars flicker and flock to you, for you are the traveller, are you not?" "Oh, the Gods know you boy." And, upon finishing Endwalker she will say " The path laid by the Gods is at an end, but there is another yet to be walked. By light radiant, born of a traveler's bonds. Seek and you will find. Go in hope and in grace." That is vague, of course. But, I think it adds credence to the theory presented in your video if you dissect it. Obviously, we followed the path laid by Hydaelyn and her 12 supporters. That path is at an end. Traveller's bonds can be considered a reference to Venat and you both being Azem and by definition a traveller...Thats a pretty strong bond which Venat even eludes to when you are on Elpis. And, the fact that there is an entire tribe dedicated to the old Gods right smack in the middle of a region named Azim (Azem)...is...well....fun to think about.

Great video and ideas, Auspices will be important for sure and the plan with the 12 being in place by vena would make sense. I loved the teacher section at the end hahaha

Great video, but I think you missed out that each of the gods also has an Astral/Umbral (active/passive) alignment to their respective ether as well.

My current theory is that they are the twelve conspirators who helped summoned Hydaelyn but only their souls. Their bodies are creations by Hydaelyn - separated from herself to be guides for mankind. They played a larger role when man was young.

I am still leaning to the theory that the Twelve are really anceint Auspices. It does really raise the question though what an Auspice actually is and why certain creatures become an Auspice. It also raises the question why there aren't any known 'human' Auspices. We know a member of a beast tribe has the potential to become one.

3:38 That's Tifa's bar in the slums. Nice spot. There's a guy with a gun arm and another dude with a huge sword that hang around there though. I think they're bouncers or something.

Recall back to the events of Akadaemia Anyder under Emet Selch's recreation of the events there. After the 2nd boss, you enter the Words of Lahabrea, and as you reach the roof of Akadaemia Anyder, you come across an Akadaemia Researcher that gave their life and aether to bring forth Quetzacoatl to restore order to the halls of the facility. I'm thinking that a lot of Lahabrea's research (during his time in the Convocation) was centered around creating deities/divine beings (such as the fire spirits Ifrita and Phoenix, which were then called powerful fire-aspected spirits), which at first was done in a careful manner and with care. However, once the final days began, and Lahabrea got the opportunity to examine Archaeotania (a being created from creation magicks run amok), he hastened his efforts to create a divinity that could stop the threat of the Final Days. Now that some background is established, I'm thinking it could be possible that the Twelve were created in a similar manner to Quetzacoatl, though perhaps in a more careful and controlled manner. Or they could have been created in a similar manner to how Hesperos became a Hemitheos by being merged with a mythic beast (i.e., an Ancient being merged with Ifrita, Phoenix, or another powerful elementally aspected spirit/being/entity). The proposed Ancients would use themselves as part of the foundation to create a divinity, to watch over and maintain the elemental balance of a recently sundered world. If I were to make a guess about the identities of the Twelve, I would guess that they are researchers that worked at the Twelve Wonders in Elpis at some point in time. Knowing that 6 of the 7 Heavens correspond with the basic elements, we could continue to explore two of the Heavens in 2nd and 3rd Alliance raid in this raid series, and have a 7th unaccounted for. Now my guess for what the final and 7th Heaven could possibly be... the remnants of Elpis, which would probably include the ruins of Ktisis Hyperboreia.

The chalkboard sequence was a nice touch!

Such a well put video. 👏👏 Yup. I think the Twelve are just the Ancients who were the member of Venat's group. Their transformed state. Since we know all of them can transform, just like Emet & Hermes did.

the 1.0 cinematic has been reposted before EW because of the primal summoning before ultima thule

Totally on board with the Twelve being the ones who summoned Hydaelyn, we've never seen or heard much about them, so that would be a great loose end to tie up. Maybe she gave them one final task before she went into the crystal: upon her death, appear before the WoL and test them to see if the world of man is truly fit to live on its own, without any sort of 'divine' intervention. Basically, the Twelve are challenging us to see if we really... need them around anymore?

In the Elpis cutscene where you meet Venat, there is a spriggan that leads a land shark to you.. looks familiar ;)

Such a good video. I thought this wouldn’t really teach me much but honestly I feel like I understand things a lot more than I did before!

I wonder if the Twelve may of been part of Azims plan. Didn't help Venat or Zodiark, yet still probably knew about the coming Sundering and may have prepared. Multiple deities being named based on Azim hints maybe they wanted to give some kind of path for people to follow to rebuild after the final days. Just throwing out ideas.

I have my own idea on this all, The world was split into 13 reflections, Venat and her twelve equal thirteen, Venat became hydaelyn, what if her twelve became like her, with each of the divinities being her equal but each one is tied to a specific reflection of the source?

Where is the setting to get that dialogue box?

Pretty much after I finished Aglaia I went straight to see the Auspices just in case they said something different. Didn’t really seem to be anything different but I can def see this divinity concept tying in

Does anyone know what gshade preset is used in the used footage or if there is also something else?

the first umbral Era is also the time of the ancients right? Or does their time count as separate?

When you said "their soul balls smell like a clue" that spoke to me so deeply.

Your theory mirrors my own. I was thinking the Twelve were transformed Unsundered Ascians who were part of Hyd's inner circle in opposition to the Convocation. The reason being 12 and not 13 because Venat left a spot open for Azem, but he never joined either side.

Odin drops Dark Divinity gear. But Odin has been confirmed as a Primal? There is a call back to Odin's fight music in the Raid fight music (track is called 'Radiance'). I am wondering if there is a connection between the two. Gridania is close by too so maybe there is a connection with the Elements. Also Midgardsomr was tasked by Hydaelyn to protect something in the Silvertear Falls (Mor Dhona), maybe guarding the entrance.

The seventh heaven is the zone you enter from silvertear, the one with the cutscenes with the Aglaia bosses. The one with all the doorways and shrines and whatnot

the Ktisis Hyperboreia has an astro Astrosphere with the twelve on it

my theory is that the 12 are the embodiment of the 6 elemental alinements of aether where there are 2 for each element- one Astral and one Umbral.

Another possible clue are the real sizes of each of the ancients- Hades, Hermes, and Elidibus and Hydaelyn at the end all had large god-like forms similar to those of the Twelve we've already encountered. The Twelve could be ancients that are trapped in that form forever.

If you all come to think of it, all patches from 1 through 6 were to explain the metaphysics of all this universe (primals, aether, devotion, crystals, dynamis, etc ... ). Now that iit is ""all explained"", we might see really interesting stuff.

Video went more in depth than I expected! I try to avoid spoiler videos and rather experience it first hand but this was great content

I’m not saying that they’re aliens like the dragons, but….they were aliens that ran from Metion’s death song ….like the dragons

It could go a few ways, they could predate the Ascians meaning things like Azem and the Twelve Wonders in Elpis could come from them, they could be creations like Meteion or true summons like Zodiark or Hydaelyn, not incomplete aether sucking ones like the primals we know, or they could be something else, they could be aliens like Midgardsormr for all we know. It is interesting that they all seem to have some tie to not only some of the convocation seats, but they also drew attention to the fact these first 4 all resemble primals we've seen in some way, Rhalgr/Ramuh, Azeyma/Phoenix, Nald'Thal/Anima and Byregot could kinda be tied to Titan, Ravana or Odin(being basically Thor) as kind of this weird chicken vs egg, which came first type situation, I would not be surprised if all the others kind of mirror the other primals in a similar way, and seeing some of the ties to the convocation(Azeyma/Azem, Nald'Thal/Emet), other than Elidibus, it would be interesting to see who is the odd one out if they continue to kind of fit together as that could also be a hint to their origin, it could even tie into what's happening in Asphodelos, maybe the odd one out is whatever is being held within Asphodelos.

that new raid i dont get tired of it to its so fun it shows that something doesnt need to be super hard to be awesome,you enjoy the ride do nice mechs and in the end you dance to the last fight,cant await the next one and to see more of the lore

Holy crap is that how you pronounced Byregot? Been calling him Bye-rea-got since 1.0 Beta

I still have a feeling the twelve were around before the ancients or at least the meaning of the symbols. But I do think you are on to something that the ancients had a pretty big role to play as how the twelve currently exist today.

They are not primals, but certainly they are their creators. If you pay attention to the name of their abilities for example "hell of fire" from Nald'thal, it resembles to the name of ifrit's ability "hellfire". I totally agree with that theory of the twelve being the ascians who summoned Hydaelyn.

interestingly enough, if you look at the chart of the 12, each color not only represents the element the god inherits, but their astral/umbral or light/dark alignment The engravings of the symbols are either a light or dark coloring which can refer to astral and umbral, which we can see in the deities approach to handling themselves. Astral for Byregot, the builder, and Umbral for Rhalgr the destroyer. One leans towards astral, and one toward umbral. Same thing can be seen between Azeyma and Nald'thal as Azeyma has a much bright and warmer feeling than Nald'thal which has a harsher tone. Though my understanding of the pols between astral and umbral vs. light and dark are a little funky so it could also apply to the latter.

I'm waiting for the shoebill and the axolotl to come talk to us.

Yes! I really want to know more about the goddess of the moon Menphina!

I'm so glad that I started playing this game when I did (late 2020). It really feels like those are "the days". While part of me thinks that I spend too much time in FFXIV... In the end, I want to. And I've been playing this kind of game ever since I got an internet connection, so I know how rare it is to feel this much joy and excitement for a shared, living world. I don't know how long it'll last, I hope it's a long time, but either way... it sure feels good right now.

Heard they just recently finished story for the 6.x patches and started on the 7.0 story

my theory is that the 12 are like the 4 lords in stormblood animals that got so powerful they have the strength of primals, their animal forms they take are just their original or base forms like the ones the 4 lords take outside of combat

I feel as if there's going to be some straightforward and sentimental element to who the Twelve are. Like we'll find out Venat created them from the memories of the anti-Convocation, but she somehow tuned them to take on elements from people the observer has formed strong bonds with and who motivate them towards those aforementioned virtues. I have a feeling that's why they all sound like friends we've made along the way (Estinien, Raubahn, Venat, Hythlodaeus, and Hades so far)

100% Auspices is where I am going with, as soon as I seen them like that I knew something is up. A trip back to Genbu might reveal more later on?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the seventh heaven was the central hub where the shrine and stuff all were.

My thoughts go to them being the product of Venat's creation magic.

We know the Ascians can change their form. Fandaniel's form looked god-like as well when he transformed to take away Meteion; he kind of looked like Nald'Thal. I wonder if that further supports the theory.

I wouldn't say Gaius was wrong in the Praetorium. The twelve that were summoned at the end of 1.0 were primals as we found out after you do this raid. So for him it made sense at the time.

I still think they are the equivalent of the sennin of Chinese mythology, mortals from the first age after the Sundering who have raised themselves to not-quite-Primal status in the same way as the animal auspices. They raise themselves up through their own power rather than relying on external sources, they are quite specific regarding the "ascension" thing. However, I can still see it being along the lines of your explanation re Hydaelyn, they do seem subservient(?) to her.

I don't think the twelves would be those who created Hydaelyn, as Hydaelyn said "I the last of our kind" and Emet Selch later "the last of us" referring to Hydaelyn, despite knowing the truth of the twelves

It's amazing how the entire FFXIV dev team can build up an epic story arc for over 10 years. Finish it with a big bang. Then creates other equally amazing storylines to expand the world of Eorzea/Etheirys even more. The Twelve, Meracydia, the other shards than the First. Maybe with more connections to older FF games. Man, what a time to be alive!🔥❤

i feel like with hydalaen out of the picture the twelve are gonna take over as teachers/guides a little bit XD. that whole first raid i felt like they want me to learn something and are probably testing me.

My character is heavily void themed, so all this revisiting of the void is super thrilling to me.

The symbols of the 12 predate Hydaelyn. If you look at the model for the astrologian weapon from Ktisis Hyperborea, it has the symbols for the 12 all over it

Anyone who knows what g shade pack Bellular uses, looks amazing.

BEE-EHR-GO? That sounds SO WEIRD. I'm so used to saying "bye-reh-gott". Would love for this raid to be voiced just so I can learn how to say the names how they're intended.

Just came across this and love it. I had heard the theory of the origin of the Twelve before, and the Greek mythology has seemed spot on. My (potentially spoilery conjecture) theory: Considering the names of the ancients/Amaurotines are derived from Greek mythology, it certainly would not come as a shock for Rhalgr's real/former name to have been Zeus before his ascension, and you can make your own connections with the others. But ONE of these realllllly stands out as a potentially huge reveal, and I could not be more hyped for it. Considering what we just got from Abyssos in 6.2... Halone, the Fury, the goddess of war, associated with ice (generally considered fire's opposite)...Athena? Or potentially one being a shard/construct of the other? And might there be a similar connection with Igeyorhm? How someone could be a devotee of Hydalyn, Zodiark, and...essentially "mankind"... Potentially three different representations of the same being. And Halone with 3 spears. It seems a little too on-the-nose for some of these pieces not to fit, but as the devs have consistently shown, even if we guess right about what's coming...there's always a twist, and it's always VERY well done. Super hyped for the rest of 6.x to see where this goes.

Well only Oschon will tell us. But I'm giddy how the quest line continue after meeting the first 5 from the 12.

deryk or opo opo might be oschon the wanderers? that is an interesting theory!

I love these deep dives!!!!

Theory, the divinities are another type of aliens, or from a different realm entirely. Possibly who might've come here before the sundering, perhaps even from the very start? (Similar to the dragons and Omega). Iirc, the "creation myth" talks about how the first of them step out of a whorl.

I feel like we will find a lot of answers about the Twelve… in Pandaemonium. Wasn’t Hesperos also talking about ascending? Isn’t he a Hemitheos already? Perhaps that’s how Elidibus, and thus Venat, discover the means to create actual divinities. If whatever Lahabrea is planning succeeds. And maybe that’s how the three Paragons escaped the Sundering. Unless Hydaelin deliberately made an exception for them based on her future knowledge.

So something I find mildly interesting about all of this so far: Omphalos is NOT actually above Silvertear (though its portal obviously is), as much as everyone claims that's where it is, if you walk up to the edges of it and look around, there is nothing but mountains beneath it, and the positions of the Crystal Tower and the big orange crystal dome suggests it's more northwest-ish of the Lake. Does this matter at all? Probably not, it's still in the general vicinity, but being out that way does remove the questions of how no one ran into it during the battle over Silvertear too. As for the elemental aspect of it, the area does have a very similar sky to the 1st while the Light Wardens were around. Nowhere near as all consuming, but to me at least, that implies that area is very heavily light aspected. But how much that will matter is anyone's guess too. My personal guess on what the 12 are for the time being, though, is potentially Concepts. No clue if they'd have been made before or after the Sundering, or by who, though with how few made it through that untouched, after is more likely. They could have been some of the first things Hydaelyn created after, just to help guide everything to come, and being an Ancient at her core, it's not like she necessarily needed faith of the people to do it. But it's always possible they were something Venat squirreled away somewhere to survive the sundering too. The other possibility that comes to mind could be, like the dragons, they're visitors from elsewhere that took refuge on Etheirys.

Good summary, I think they are in fact the twelve ancients working with Hydaelyn unsundered. Each one is Umbral or Astral.

My entirely-crackpot longshot theory is that the Twelve are the Fifth's Warriors of Light who managed to ascend and escape the First Umbral Calamity - the Moogles make mention of dealings with 'the gods' around that time, and we know that Second Astral Era was an age of fervent god-worship and dedication to said gods, and mentions of gods before this point are scarce, if any. My wild theory is that Hydaelyn, largely in the prime of her strength, ascended these Warriors of Light through her blessing to the status of divinities and placed them in charge of shepherding the Source in the event of her absence. Hydaelyn's dedication to undoing the damage Zodiark inflicted upon the world makes sense to have involved contingency plans, and I could see a scenario where Hydaelyn saw the Warriors of Light of the Fifth, the first Shard to be Rejoined, fighting with everything they had to save their world, and seeing in them shepherds she could imbue some of her power with to guide the Source. Perhaps they too felt a duty to protect and watch over the Source after the loss of their own world, seeing in the Source a part of their own lost homes, and wanting to protect it. It could be that they were intended for a more direct role, but by the end of the Second Astral Era and the beginning of the Second Umbral Calamity, Hydaelyn and the Twelve realized that being hands-on would only become a vector for more strife, war, and ultimately a wedge for the Ascians to exploit. It's SUPER crackpot, but given the way the narrative wants to explore other Shards, this would be a fantastic way to give narrative weight to one of the myriad lost Shards we already cannot explore (without some serious timey-wimey stuff going on). It could be an interesting tie-in to how the Ascians abused the Warriors of Light from the First and manipulated them into, and how might things have gone differently had Hydaelyn had the strength and ability to truly watch over her children, as well as tying the Twelve to the Hydaelyn-Zodiark saga in a way that doesn't necessarily continue the narrative, but better-fleshes out the characters post-mortem and perhaps opens the Twelve to having a greater role in the wider universe, now that Hydaelyn is gone and they are meant to test and shepherd the people of the Source. (and possibly the Shards; until we know what the Twelve are, it's entirely-possible they are restricted to the Source, or perhaps they transcend across every Shard - who knows!)

gonna call it, 12 are ancients transformed, like the way Hermes transformed, they are the ones Venat went on to select for help after the events of Elpis. so they are immortal as but they have ascended following how the animal ascension is introduced,

@8:00 The Twelve are VERY analogous to the Twelve Olympians, rather than a more arbitrary collection of general virtues. But that is only with their designs and themes, not necessarily their story role as you speculate. And I think your speculation is as good as anyone's right now. :)

Will you touch on the whole void stuff? I'm kinda irked we can't even mention uruk and taynor in the first...

@2:10 To be fair to Gaius though, the Twelve at Cartaneau would have been primals if summoned as such. Heck, Rhalgr's been part of 2 schemes to be summoned as a primal on top of that incident AND Ramuh is a primal summoned in the likeness of Rhalgr, twice even. So while these are the genuine deal, there are ALSO primals which can be summoned in their likeness.

Where does it say - "We are done dealing with Primals"? There are other beast-tribes, we did NOT allign ourselves with. Like the lizard-man Tribe, or beast-tribes outside EORZEA... I mean, we only visited some places - Not all of em. And I am PRETTY damn sure, there are STILL beast-tribes around the garlean-empire, some factions, we did not talk to so far... So... No - I think we'll still meet some of the primals...

The 12's code of ethics makes me think of them as a vastly more advanced species, with laws of non interference with those less evolved. The worship of the 12 being derived from accidental peeks people got into their realm, and their decision to accept the role of indirect spiritual teachers.

Still is a wonder though Azema and Azim both share a link with the Sun as the Goddess of the Sun and the Dawn Father and on Azem’s crystal is the constellation of the Sun.

I do like the idea they are 12 that helped make Hydaelyn, and with that number if kinda works out with being like 12 apostles and Jesus. The bit with the eras might lead more credit go that. That said my mind initially went to them being aliens much like the dragons. Since they are only present to mortals when aether fluctuates it felt like maybe they are being of dynamis. Perhaps in making plans Metion, Hydaelyn looked into If there were other beings in the universe that had connections to dynamis to learn more. Perhaps a 'Divinity' is name for the people of their planet. As for what their purpose is, that could be any number of things.

HOLY HELL THERE WAS A MORSE CODE FORESHADOW???

Wonder if the Twelve are closer to Auspices like the Four Lords, just not in animal form.

It feels really good to chew on some solid lore that has consistency and doesn't get retconned every major patch or expansion for the rule-of-cool.

I am almost completely certain Deryk is Oscheron and I am very sure the divine is unsundered ascians that summoned Hydalyn.

Good stuff 👍

I like your li'l chalkboard summaries