Final Fantasy XVI

Typography

Originally posted on Dreamwidth, 2023-12-10.

FF16 has a feature called “the thousand tomes”, which I am kind of obsessed with. It’s like the datalog in FF13 except more successfully integrated into the game. Also, it’s curated by a certain Harpocrates II Hyperboreos, who is an icon.

Back in the day someone would have lovingly copied out all the information in the tomes into a text file and shared it on the internet; in 2023 the most comparable sources are 1. a for-profit OCRed version that misses a number of entries and is covered in advertising, and 2. a two-hour-long YouTube video. Naturally my response to this uninspiring landscape was to turn to old and/or obscure technologies. When I was first playing the game, I had the typically odd and overambitious idea of copying out the text of the tomes myself, along with some other textual features of the game, and encode them according to the guidelines of the Text Encoding Initiative, which is built on XML and is intended for marking up preexisting texts to facilitate analysis and publication (somewhere it seems to have been used a lot is in producing critical editions of early modern English drama).

This, equally typically, led me to teaching myself a bit of XSL, which is used to transform XML files into other formats. As with many of the less zeitgeisty technologies the majority of online documentation is mostly incomprehensible, but W3Schools came to my rescue as always. Eventually I managed to put together a few stylesheets that would transform my TEI version of the tomes into some nice webpages, like so:

What I see in my text editor is the following:

<item xml:id="motr-branded-soldier">
  <title>Branded Soldier</title>
  <note>
    <title>Branded Soldier</title>
    <p><name ref="#motr-bearer">Bearers</name> forced to fight for the nations that enslaved them. Able to cast powerful <seg corresp="#motr-magic">magicks</seg> yet entirely disposable, they are often placed on the front lines in battle, or assigned to highly dangerous scouting or assassination missions.</p>
    <p><date>Basic Information</date></p>
  </note>
  <note>
    <title>Branded Soldier</title>
    <p><name ref="#motr-bearer">Bearers</name> forced to fight for the nations that enslaved them. To stymie the urge to flee, the penalty for desertion is death, and soldiers are encouraged to keep a close watch on each other to prevent others from doing so—the <name ref="#motr-brand">Brand</name> upon a soldier's cheek presenting an additional obstacle. And so most follow their orders, turning steadily to stone with each draw on the <name ref="#motr-aether">aether</name>—to lose one's life to <seg corresp="#motr-crystals-curse">the curse</seg> being lauded as a hero's death.</p>
    <p><date>An Inescapable Fate</date></p>
  </note>
</item>
    

And this can be transformed into the following (with better fonts and spacing in the real version):

I’m still intending to extend this with more in-game texts, but for now, the thousand tomes are complete and are on my website.

As I’ve been working my way through these texts I’ve been starting to get a feel for how the game does capitalisation and other stylistic things.

Capitalisation and other typographical stuff

Because the tomes and the map use title case in headings, it can be hard to tell which terms are capitalised in the game and which aren’t. The fact that Japanese scripts don’t have capital letters complicates this further, I think, because people translating information from the Japanese version are making their own decisions about where to put capital letters. (An aside that goes here as well as it would anywhere else: there seems to be a perception that a lot of the lore necessary for understanding the game is only available in the Ultimania and other Japanese sources, but pretty much all the stuff about the Circle of Malius, Children of Dzemekys etc. is right there in the tomes, as long as you do all the side quests and complete the game.)

I aim to look at this much more systematically, but for now, here are my impressions. In the game, initial capitals are used for “magic people” (thanks to Lis for noticing this grouping): Bearers, Dominants, Eikons; Warden of Light, Eikon of Fire. Also for the Twins, Primogenesis, the Fallen. Holy Emperor but also sometimes holy emperor (I imagine this may relate to whether it’s talking about the position in general or a specific holder, but will need to look into it more). The Holy Order of Knights Dragoon. The Holy Empire of Sanbreque, but the empire, imperial(s), crown prince, “my prince” (all my examples are from Sanbreque, why might that be). By the Founder, by the Flames, by the Light (and these are specific to their respective nations, while Greagor’s name is used in vain the realm over). And the Blight. Branded is capitalised when it refers to a person, usually uncapitalised if it means the actual procedure of receiving the brand, although there may be some inconsistencies.

Capitals are not used for dragoons, the hideaway (this one is easily missed because it’s mostly seen on the map, where title case is used); the deadlands, the crystals’ curse, names of races of beasts (one of the tomes entries says “Orcs”, but this has to be a mistake; see below). “The realm” refers to Valisthea as a whole, except in a couple of places where it denotes a specific nation, although I think this is also a mistake.

Magic refers to the phenomenon in general (i.e. a mass noun), magick to a specific instance of casting a spell (a count noun, and often used in the plural).

Some more general things, mostly relating to the presentation of the script subtitles: the game uses American spellings, em dashes, straight apostrophes and quotation marks instead of curly ones, no spaces around ellipsis unless it’s the start/end of a phrase, “alright”. I would probably not do any of these things myself (although am reproducing them in my XML file). As of patch 1.31 (April 2024), six of these have been corrected.

Typos and grammatical errors in the thousand tomes

I’ve been surprised by how many typographical/grammatical errors I’ve found in the tomes: seventeen [ETA:] eighteen of them altogether. (These are very easily marked in TEI using the <sic> and <corr> elements; my XSL renders <sic> as struckthrough text and <corr> in square brackets.)

Here is the full list:

Jill Warrick > Unconscious

• ❎ Jill was taken prisoner by the Ironblood army that marched on Rosalith and held captive on heir islands.
• ✅ Jill was taken prisoner by the Ironblood army that marched on Rosalith and held captive on their islands.

Anabella Lesage > Upon Olivier’s Ascension

• ❎ She also longed labored to see her son, Prince Olivier, seated on his father's throne—a plan that comes to fruition after she schemes with Hugo Kupka to bring an end to Dhalmekia's long siege of Twinside, and sees this triumph ascribed to the young prince.
• ✅ She also long labored to see her son, Prince Olivier, seated on his father's throne—a plan that comes to fruition after she schemes with Hugo Kupka to bring an end to Dhalmekia's long siege of Twinside, and sees this triumph ascribed to the young prince.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

Byron Rosfield > As Founding Member of the Triunity

• ❎ Together with Field Marshal Eugen Havel and Master Quinten of Lostwing, he founds the Triunity: an accord that sets out how the nobles, armies, and commonfolk of Valisthea shall come together to see the crisises that blight the realm—want of food, water, security, and shelter—ended, and order restored.
• ✅ Together with Field Marshal Eugen Havel and Master Quinten of Lostwing, he founds the Triunity: an accord that sets out how the nobles, armies, and commonfolk of Valisthea shall come together to see the crises that blight the realm—want of food, water, security, and shelter—ended, and order restored.

Phoenix Gate > Basic Information

• ❎ Here, in an ancient chamber accessible only to the Dominant of Fire, is held the Rite of Ancestral Communion—an important ritual in which it is believed that the Phoenix can hear the words of the duchy's forbears.
• ✅ Here, in an ancient chamber accessible only to the Dominant of Fire, is held the Rite of Ancestral Communion—an important ritual in which it is believed that the Phoenix can hear the words of the duchy's forebears.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

The Holy Empire of Sanbreque > Following the Annexation of Rosaria

• ❎ In the year 860, at Emperor Sylvester's behest, the cardinals agreed upon a plan to "liberate" Rosaria from the marauding forces of the Iron Kingdom, after which the duchy had little choice but to bend the knee and become an imperial province.
• ✅ In the year 860, at Emperor Sylvestre's behest, the cardinals agreed upon a plan to "liberate" Rosaria from the marauding forces of the Iron Kingdom, after which the duchy had little choice but to bend the knee and become an imperial province.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

Dragoon

• ❎ Greagorian scripture hold the creatures to be divine—a gift from the Goddess herself—and so too are their namesakes revered by the populace.
• ✅ Greagorian scripture holds the creatures to be divine—a gift from the Goddess herself—and so too are their namesakes revered by the populace.

The Veil

• ❎ Northreach's premiere house of companionship.
• ✅ Northreach's premier house of companionship.

The Battle of Nysa

• ❎ The Battle of Nysa was a short, yet bloody clash between the Iron Republic and the Republic of Dhalmekia in the year 873.
• ✅ The Battle of Nysa was a short, yet bloody clash between the Iron Kingdom and the Republic of Dhalmekia in the year 873.

The Kingdom of Waloed > After the Capital’s Fall

• ❎ The sole surviving nation in Ash. Shortly after the death of Barnabas Tharmr—scion of Dzemekys and catspaw of Ultima—Drake's Head was shattered, leaving the capital of Stonhyrr without Mothercrystal and king.
• ✅ The sole surviving nation in Ash. Shortly after the death of Barnabas Tharmr—scion of Dzemekys and catspaw of Ultima—Drake's Spine was shattered, leaving the capital of Stonhyrr without Mothercrystal and king.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

Stonhyrr > After the Nation’s Fall

• ❎ Its Mothercrystal, Drake's Spine, was eventually destroyed by Cid and his allies, but by this time, the city had already been lost, its leader perished atop a distant spire, its citizens reduced to mindless thralls, and its streets claimed by Orcs and masterless beasts.
• ✅ Its Mothercrystal, Drake's Spine, was eventually destroyed by Cid and his allies, but by this time, the city had already been lost, its leader perished atop a distant spire, its citizens reduced to mindless thralls, and its streets claimed by orcs and masterless beasts.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

Glazheim Wall

• ❎ It is not only capable of repelling assaults both corporeal and magical, but will also consume any whom might endeavor passage across its bounds.
• ✅ It is not only capable of repelling assaults both corporeal and magical, but will also consume any who might endeavor passage across its bounds.

Arete Stone > Basic Information

• ❎ Whatever strange secrets lies within it, it seems to react to Clive's presence and urges him to unlock his hidden potential.
• ✅ Whatever strange secrets lie within it, it seems to react to Clive's presence and urges him to unlock his hidden potential.

Gil

• ❎ Trade flourished around the newly established mint, and over time, the worship of money grew into a full-fledged religion—the Great Bank of Gilbard the Lender.
• ✅ Trade flourished around the newly established mint, and over time, the worship of money grew into a full-fledged religion—the Bank of Gilbard the Great Lender.

Adamantite

• ❎ Though the metal makes for fine arms and armor, the rarity of both its ore and craftsman versed in the particularities of its forging ensure that adamantite weapons remain the preserve of the rich and powerful.
• ✅ Though the metal makes for fine arms and armor, the rarity of both its ore and craftsmen versed in the particularities of its forging ensure that adamantite weapons remain the preserve of the rich and powerful.
• Corrected in patch 1.31

Wyvern Tail > Their Use in Branding

• ❎ The dye is highly poisonous when it enters the bloodstream, and so it not uncommon for Bearers to lose their lives either upon receiving their brand, or during an inexpert attempt to remove it.
• ✅ The dye is highly poisonous when it enters the bloodstream, and so it is not uncommon for Bearers to lose their lives either upon receiving their brand, or during an inexpert attempt to remove it.

Logos

• ❎ Where Ultima uses "Mythos" to describes the vessel he has long awaited—one into which he can pour his soul and cast his supreme spell, "Logos" indicates its blasphemed form—a vessel over which the will of another has complete claim, making of itself a false god.
• ✅ Where Ultima uses "Mythos" to describe the vessel he has long awaited—one into which he can pour his soul and cast his supreme spell, "Logos" indicates its blasphemed form—a vessel over which the will of another has complete claim, making of itself a false god.

Goblins > Intercultural Exchange

• ❎ A common species of beastman. Found mostly on Storm, they have habitually avoided contact with other races, be them beast or man.
• ✅ A common species of beastman. Found mostly on Storm, they have habitually avoided contact with other races, be they beast or man.

Iron Giants

• ❎ Deceptively swift despite their size, they wield both sword and shield skillfully and effectively, while the otherworldly plate which surrounds their vulnerable cores provide them with a nigh-impenetrable defense.
• ✅ Deceptively swift despite their size, they wield both sword and shield skillfully and effectively, while the otherworldly plate which surrounds their vulnerable cores provides them with a nigh-impenetrable defense.

On a broader scale, there are clear inconsistencies with the Ultimania: the tomes heavily imply that Sylvestre was already emperor when Rosaria fell, although in Ultimania he apparently doesn’t take up the position until five years later. It’s possible that this could be a deliberate divergence between English and Japanese canon (on which, another post brewing as I’ve witnessed a lot of Discourse about this over recent days), but I think it’s also very possible that it could be an error. There’s an entry for the deadlands, but the absence of one for the Blight seems like a significant oversight to me. Lastly, from two descriptions of the Battle of Belenus Tor:

“In the year 873, it was the site of a decisive battle in the Kingdom of Waloed's failed bid to regain a foothold in Storm.” (Belenus Tor entry)

“Having lost vital territory to Sanbrequois forces eight years earlier in the Battle of the Twin Realms, the Waloeders launched an assault on the eponymous peak, looking to regain a foothold in the imperial lands on the opposite side of the Strait of Autha. Both sides fielded their Eikons, and in the ensuing showdown between Odin and Bahamut, an entire Sanbrequois legion was lost, and the Waloeders regained their outpost on Storm.” (The Battle of Belenus Tor entry)

In conclusion … honestly, make up your own lore for this game, because I don’t think anyone actually has a clue what’s going on.