Hermes (Final Fantasy XIV)

Hermes is a non-player character in Final Fantasy XIV. He served as chief overseer of Elpis, the testing ground of creation, and was an authority on flying life-forms as well as the celestial sphere. Hermes succeeded the seat of Fandaniel of the Convocation of Fourteen.
== History ==
Hermes became the chief overseer of Elpis after his former master left to take the seat of Fandaniel of the Convocation of Fourteen. In the course of his work, Hermes came to question mankind's single-minded pursuit of perfection. He decided to use his research on dynamis to create a species capable of travelling the universe and asking other civilizations for their answer to the purpose in life.
When Hermes finally managed to create a stable life form, Euanthe asked Hermes what the characteristics of the new species would be. Hermes said that both the characteristics of a bird, his specialty, and those of the humankind would be useful for the purpose. Hermes decided that the color would be blue, similar to the color of the sky of Elpis.
In the days that followed, Euanthe and other colleagues provided Hermes with design documents, and even held private lectures for his benefit, all of which helped him to form a clearer image of his creation. As was his wont, it took him more time to settle on its appearance than its more practical aspects, but at long last he succeeded in finalizing the concept.
Hermes created Meteion's sisters, the Meteia─though their shared consciousness made them more akin to a single entity─and sent them on brief forays beyond the bounds of the Star. The Meteia began their exploration of the universe in search of intelligent civilizations and Meteion remained at Hermes' side as a way for him to communicate with her sisters. Hermes received several mixed reports as well as news of some Meteia being lost in dynamis currents. Despite everything, Hermes continued to believe that eventually he would receive a positive report.
Eventually Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus visited Elpis and approached Hermes to invite him to the Convocation of Fourteen. After discovering that his former master had gone and left the seat of Fandaniel to him, Hermes was reluctant to accept and asked for time to think. While Hermes thought about the proposal, he showed the party what his work in Elpis was like. Eventually the connected minds of the Meteia connected with the Meteion to give the results of their search. Hermes learned that his creations have concluded that salvation lay only in death. 
Needing time to debate the truth alone, Hermes transformed his appearance and fled with Meteion to the highest layer of Ktisis Hyperboreia. Hermes released the specimens from the facility in an attempt to delay Emet-Selch's party from reaching him. After being defeated, Hermes listened to the results of Meteion's report and his creation's declaration of themselves bringing an end to every life. 
In a moment of madness, Hermes helped Meteion escape, allowing them to continue their designs. Hermes inflicting himself and those present, save Venat, with Kairos, a memory alteration device to remove all traces of what they had learned in order for humanity to be put to the test and prove itself capable of change and thus worthy of survival. Ironically, in forcibly erasing his memories, Hermes engraved them deeper upon his soul.
Officially the incident was caused by Meteion's shared consciousness becoming unstable. They would not have been able to sustain their existence and all dissipated with an explosion. The resulting shockwave accidentally triggered Kairos, which would have erased several days of memories of those in the vicinity, including visiting observers.
Ignorant of his deeds, Hermes later learned that several enclosures were opened in Ktisis Hyperboreia, and many creations perished fighting each other. His subordinate suggested that, during the confusion, perhaps Hermes had tried to free them. Hermes cursed himself for creating and sending the Meteion and for having doubts. If he had simply thought like everyone else he would not have inflicted so much pain on himself and others.
Feeling guilty, Hermes went on to live like the others and accepted the seat of Fandaniel. When he was officially appointed to the Convocation of the Fourteen, he seized the occasion and worked for the good of the Star. When the Final Days began due to the Meteia singing the song of oblivion, Hermes went on to oppose the Final Days with all his being, as he himself had intended. His knowledge proved instrumental in forestalling the Final Days, and the formulation of the plan to sacrifice half their number to manifest the mighty Zodiark. This first primal served to shield the star from Meteion's song of oblivion, but would later be sundered into fourteen parts alongside all creation by His counterpart, Hydaelyn.
In the millennia that followed, the shard of Hermes' soul in the Source eventually reincarnated as Amon, a skilled technologist of the Allagan civilization. Amon was approached by Emet-Selch, who awakened him as an Ascian. Influenced by Xande's ideals and the memories of Hermes, Amon made arrangements for Zodiark to be destroyed and allow the Final Days to happen.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Hermes wears a typical Amaurotine black robe and white half mask. He is a tall, brown-skinned man with short dark green hair and aqua-colored eyes.
=== Personality ===
Hermes is a curious, gentle-hearted scholar who oversaw the living creatures woven by creation magick like his master, the previous "Fandaniel". Contrary to other Ancients who sought perfection in creations, Hermes accepted their flaws and often asked his peers to appreciate those flaws. He knows this is contrary to the typical attitude of the ancients, and so wondered if he was worthy of a place in the Convocation. Hermes's love for life also made him question the Convocation's customs, wondering why stepping down from the seat traditionally meant the occupying member felt it was time for their life to end.
His compassion for all life made it emotionally stressful for him to perform the duty of executioner when an experiment was deemed a failure. He treated the Meteia more like a person compared to how the other ancients treated familiars. Because of that, when Meteion is corrupted by the despair and death in the universe and tries to bring destruction to Etheirys, the despondent Hermes lets her go so that the ancients could be tested. His love for Meteion also caused his anger over the ancients' callous disregard and destruction of imperfect beings to boil over, and found it hypocritical that the ancients did not hold themselves to these standards.
==Gameplay==
Hermes is fought as the final boss of .
===Triple Triad===
==Behind the scenes==
Hermes is voiced by Jeremy Ang Jones in English and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka in Japanese.
==Etymology==
 Besides Fandaniel's connection to the Greek god Hermes, using a caduceus as his weapon of choice, he also named after Hermes Trismegistus who was an expert in magic, alchemy, and astrology.
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Ancients in Final Fantasy XIV