Nophica

Nophica, the Matron, is one of the Twelve in Final Fantasy XIV. She is tender of soils and harvests and goddess of abundance, commands the element of earth and is tied to the Sixth Astral Moon (eleventh month). She is depicted as a jubilant farmer holding a steel scythe, and her symbol is the spring leaf. Daughter of Azeyma and Thaliak, Nophica is the younger sister of Llymlaen, and the bitter rival of Halone. Nophica is also the patron of Gridania.
==History==
===Creation myth===
When Thaliak used the Nymeia's tears to form a river to carry that water to the far corners of the realm, Azeyma, drawn to Thaliak's sagacity, professed Her love to Thaliak and begot Him two daughters; Llymlaen and Nophica. Nophica was lonely and wanted company, so she created Her own playmates, and thus brought life into the world.
Oschon invited Halone on one of His journeys. During the travels Halone's ambition slowly transformed into a lust for battle. While on the road, Halone challenged every creature She met, honing Her skills and methodically devising new techniques for killing. When Nophica, mother of life, learned of Halone's wanton destruction of Her creations, she was angered beyond words and swore revenge. Oschon, feeling responsible for this rift, devised a plan to calm Nophica. From within the mountains of His creation, Oschon summoned a fount of magma that spewed forth onto the land. Upon cooling, the magma took form of the Twelfth and final god—the dual aspected Nald'thal. With Nald'thal, Oschon had provided a god to oversee the souls of those who met their deaths and provide them with peace in the afterlife. Satisfied that Her creations would no longer wander the void aimlessly, Nophica agreed to a truce with Halone.
When the Twelve considered their work in Eorzea complete, they proceeded to create a realm in which they could reside and watch over their creation, thus leaving the rule of Eorzea to mankind. This realm is known as the seven heavens that were associated with each of the six elements. To create the Heaven of Earth, Nophica planted a single sapling which Althyk instantly coaxed to maturity by bending time itself. The World Tree is the source from which all life is said to have sprung. Under this mighty sentinel's boughs sit farmers and naturalists, historians and archaeologists. Leaves fallen from the tree and left to rot in the pit are what create the Hell of Earth. Here lie buried thieves and defilers of nature, liars and revisionists. This Heaven is represented in Sharlayan astrology by the constellation of the Bole.
===Eorzean worship===
Nophica, tender of soils and goddess of good harvests, is the patron deity of Gridania. In the Twelveswood does one find the curious belief that the elementals are sprung from Her essence. These beings are at once the force of the forest's vitality and its defenders, ever ready to purge invaders from amongst the trees. Their presence is felt most keenly in the everyday life of Gridanians, and many are the festivals and rituals performed in honor of the elementals. Although the people of Gridania have taken The Matron as their goddess, no definitive organization has ever been founded upon Her worship. This is due in large part to the unique relationship the nation has with the elementals, and the near-religious faith Gridanian society places in the meditations of the Elder Seedseer and her Hearers.
Nophica has two saints canonized by the Council of Loetstym. The first is Saint Allene, a farmer who feigned a maddened attack on her neighbors so that they would take refuge from a tornado before it hit. The second is Saint Tothor, a farmer who removed the fences of his farm so that it would attract and later trap all the rats from his neighbors' fields.
In preparation for the Seventh Umbral Calamity, the archon Louisoix Leveilleur carved the symbols of the Twelve across Eorzea and encouraged adventurers to pilgrimage and pray to the Twelve. When the Calamity arrived, Louisoix used the accumulated aether from the prayers to summon a primal manifestation of the Twelve in an attempt to defend the realm from the elder primal Bahamut.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Of the Twelve, Nophica appears the most identical to her folklore depictions as a fair-skinned woman with long auburn hair, dressed in a green flowing robe, a winged wreath and brown sandals. Though she is seen holding a bow and a spear on the Twin Adders poster, representing the Archer and Lancer guilds, she actually wields a scythe for a weapon, as mentioned in her lore depiction.
Her disguise form is a flying seed nymph.
===Personality===
==Gameplay==
After creating a character and choosing a birth date, players must align to one of the twelve deities. Originally, this slightly raised the character's elemental resistances based on the element of the chosen deity. As of Patch 4.2, elemental resistance stats were removed, leaving this decision with no in game effect.
===Battle===
Nophica is faced as the first boss in the raid.
===Miscellaneous===
The "Living on a Prayer" quest in version 1.0 required the player to visit all the Twelve symbols throughout Eorzea. Once completed this rewarded with the ring of one of the Twelve, this included the . Although the original quest was removed with the relaunch of the game, in patch 2.45 the quest was added, which repeats the same pilgrimage through the marks of the Twelve. The mark of Nophica is located above the entrance to Stillglade Fane at Old Gridania. Prior to the Calamity, the mark could be found at Nophica's Altar, but the Stillglade Fane was located north of Gridania in a location that became inaccessible in the relaunch.
The removed Botanist actions and increased the drop rate of earth shards, earth crystals, or earth clusters while gathering, and increased the chance of obtaining an HQ item on the next gathering attempt. The action increases item yield from Gatherer's Boon by 1. The Conjurer actions and are called "Goddess' Protection" and "Goddess' Compassion" in the Japanese version. The development team has confirmed that this references Nophica.Official Forum - Translations (JP to English) The Astrologian card represents the Heaven of Earth, the card artwork describes the World Tree that was planted by Nophica and cultivated by Althyk, the symbol of both can also be seen in the background.
The Matrons' Favor introduced in patch 3.05 could be bought for Gatherers' Scrips. Using a Favor conferred a status that revealed botanists concealed nodes for rare items from a particular region. In patch 5.2 the Favor items have lost their effect and can no longer be obtained.
The Trials of the Matron was an in released in patch 3.55b and removed in patch 5.1. It was designed for disciples of the land, although players could freely switch to other roles at any time.
==Behind the scenes==
The stone with the mark of Nophica is called the Skyserpent's Egg. It is said that the stone was cast from the heavens into Eorzea by Nophica herself. The stone marks the entrance to Stillglade Fane which is considered a sacred ground. In front of the stone is Nophica's Altar. Here is a large wooden plate where offerings are placed to celebrate the bountiful harvests and to hold festivals to honor the elementals.
In Twelveswood, there stand trees so tall that they are thought to be the pillars which support the heavens, so ancient that they were giants when the first Elezen arrived in Eorzea thousands of summers past. It is written that the snead of the scythe wielded by the goddess Nophica Herself was carved from one of these trees.
There is a brotherhood devoted to Nophica named the Matron's Friars. It is said that their devotees have their heads shaved.
Nophica's Wells in Western Thanalan is a natural basin created by the recent cave-in of a massive network of underground caverns. As a rare source of water in the deserts of Thanalan, the area is lush and verdant, and for this reason the people thought that this oasis was blessed by Nophica. The Matron's Lethe in Central Shroud is also alluded to Nophica.
Matron's Mistletoe is a parasitic plant named for Nophica that appears to embrace the trees upon which it grows. It's an ingredient in Hi-Potion and Hi-Ether. Nophica's Comb is a carnivorous mollusk that got its name from its pointy bone-like appearance.
One hymn is known to honor Nophica. This hymn is a favorite among farmers and harvesters in Gridania. The lyrics are:
:Sun's sweet smile and wind's cool breath,
:Both of these I send thee,
:To ripe thy fruit and spread thy seed,
:And nourish those that tend thee.
Heavensturn is a celebratory custom to choose a figurehead for the coming year. In Eorzea, the overseeing deity is decided amongst the Twelve. Nophica was chosen at Heavensturn in 2014. While in the Far East, noble beasts take the place of the Twelve, with a horse being chosen this year.Lodestone - Heavensturn 2014
==Gallery==
The twin adder poster notext.jpg|Goddess Nophica in the Twin Adders poster.
FFXIV The Bole Constellation.gif|The Bole constellation.
FFXIV AST The Bole Card.png|The Bole card.
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Deities
Category:The Twelve