Archives (Episode Ardyn)

Archives is a menu section in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn that chronicles the journal entries the player finds from Verstael Besithia's lab, the people of note Ardyn Izunia meets, and the things he interacts with, such as the experiments at the lab and the parts of the Crown City the player can destroy. The final entries for Somnus and Aera are unlocked by completing the episode.
==Entries==
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 716-IV-9th===
In a shelf of folders in the room where Ardyn awakens at the imperial lab.
:Chief Besithia's Journal | Daemons
:M.E. 716-IV-9th
:I was but a boy when I saw my first daemon: a wild, canine run afoul of the plasmodia. The fear that should have consumed me was itself engulfed by an intense excitement—much like the dark miasma that spreads across the land blots out any trace of light or light.
:Some might deem me a madman, vilifying me for researching a wicked plague that brings naught but death. However, be it the magiteknology of old or the daemons of our day, understanding that which we fear is a vital step toward enlightenment.
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 717-III-21st===
On the corner of a desk in the room where Ardyn awakes in the imperial lab.
:Chief Besithia's Journal | The Starscourge
:M.E. 717-III-21st
:The plague that ravaged our star centuries ago died out for a time, and with it went all knowledge of the monsters it spawned. Yet since the discovery of a mutant strain of plasmodia here on our very soil, that ominous word has has reentered our lexicon: "daemon."
:What caused this scourge to resurge? I hypothesize that it began with the rise of our population that began in the latter half of the millennium. While the adoption of magiteknology has vastly improved life for citizens across the empire, the territorial expansion it enabled may also have reactivated plasmodia that remained dormant for many years. If so, then the true spread of the Starscourge may have only just begun.
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 721-I-17th===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | Adagium
:M.E. 721-I-17th
:Although I long dismissed it some foolish fairy tale, the recent discovery of an ancient text tucked away in one of the kingdom's royal tombs has convinced me: Adagium is real.
:According to the tome, this inhuman entity born of the darkness has "lived" in the shadows of Angelgard for some two millennia. Perhaps the Lucians feared its supposed superhuman strength and potential for destruction.
:Yet to let such potential go untapped would be incredibly wasteful. The military may have scoffed at us researchers for the lack of tangible progress on our magitek infantry and daemonic studies, but if we harvest this immortal monster and harness the secrets it holds, we may indeed laugh last.
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 720-XI-12th===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | The Rock of Ravatogh
:M.E. 720-XI-12th
:Acting on a tip we received from a "friend" in the private sector, we have sent an excavatory expedition to the top of the Rock of Ravatogh. Unlike the immovable Archaean at the Disc of Cauthess, the body of the Infernian should be unobstructed and ready for transport—assuming our team can reach the peak, that is.
:Legends say the Infernian bestowed the gift of fire upon mankind in antiquity, and this "burning wisdom" helped forge the foundation of what became the civilization of Solheim. And now, with the fabled flame within my grasp, I take my first step toward divinity. 'Tis a wondrous day, indeed!
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 715-VIII-21st===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | The Draconian
:M.E. 715-VIII-21st
:Of all the gods above, least is known about the Draconian. Neither a tutelary deity nor a regular fixture in written records, the Bladekeeper has left behind nary a trace save for his name. Some legends suggest he selected a king to lead Lucis and bestowed upon the "Chosen One" the fabled ring and the Crystal. In my opinion, it all sounds like the kind of tall tale the royal family might concoct to justify their hold on power, but perhaps we can explore the matter in more depth by paying a visit to the Lucians' confidants in Tenebrae.
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 721-XI-27th===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | Next to Godliness
:M.E. 721-XI-27th
:I've made a discovery both startling and astounding: the "monster" known as Adagium is none other than Ardyn Lucis Caelum, older brother to the Founder King of Lucis. Words cannot describe the sense of elation that enveloped me knowing that I was able to converse with a creature who has lived for hundreds of years.
:His powers do not cease to amaze. Not only can he absorb the daemonic miasma into his body, but he can pass the plague onto others as well. He also claims to have gained a glimpse into their psyche when doing so—"reliving their memories" so to speak. If this is true, then it would seem this man has been blessed with both eternal life and unlimited wisdom. He's practically a god in his own right!
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 720-XII-9th===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | Combating Lucian Magic
:M.E. 720-XII-9th
:The Lucian soldiers' reliance on their monarchs' magic is nothing new, nor do I expect the armed forces to switch up their strategy in the near future. It thus stands to reason that we ought to devise a plan to inhibit their abilities by whatever means necessary.
:I've given much thought to the idea of suppressing the Lucians' magic, and while it will be some time until we have a working prototype, I believe we should have a fully functioning jamming device added to our magitek arsenal before long. Further combat data would certainly help speed along the development process—especially data related to the divine. What a thrill it would be to take down a god using the form of one of their helpers!
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 719-X-6th===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | The Dragon of Taelpar
:M.E. 719-X-6th
:The team we dispatched to Taelpar Crag has returned with a fascinating report: their landing craft came under assault by a flying dragon as soon as they entered the valley. Hearing their story, I could not help but recall a passage I once read about the legendary Blademaster which stated he guarded the Founder King with his glaive in hand and his dragon at his side. This would mean the creature they encountered has been guarding that gorge for nearly two millennia. And if one of these Lucian legends has proven true, then perhaps the kingdom's "fairy tales" are more than mere rumors after all—even the whispers about "the Undying."
===Chief Besithia's Journal: M.E. 716-V-2nd===
:Chief Besithia's Journal | The Messengers
:M.E. 716-V-2nd
:While few written records referencing the Divine Host of Messengers remain, our excavatory expedition to Taelpar Crag has uncovered some interesting information via word-of-mouth while investigating the surrounding area. Based on what we've learned, the demigods fought alongside the deities they served in the War of the Astrals, with the followers of the traitorous Infernian being all from erased from the annals of history after suffering defeat at the hands of the other gods. Little else is known about the Messengers, but I'm determined to discover more about these fascinating creatures.
===Rakshasa Blade===
Default entry.
:A sword that has stayed at Ardyn's side for roughly two thousand years, flying forth at his command. One half of a pair, the Rakshasa Blade was forged alongside the Blade of the Mystic, beloved blade of Ardyn's younger brother Somnus Lucis Caelum. Both blades possess different properties, forming a devastatingly destructive arsenal when wielded together. While one can assume both swords were imbued with the hope that the Brothers Caelum would rule in tandem, envy and ambition ultimately tore the two apart.
===The Prophecy===
Inspect the painting of the prophecy in Verstael's showroom.
:A painting of unknown authorship that depicts the legends foretold in the Cosmogony and then passed down through the Lucian royal family. The composition features a man known as "the Chosen King" who—by the grace of a beautiful goddess—purges the world of its scourge and restores the light of peace.
===Daemon Model===
Inspect the daemon model in Verstael's showroom.
:A model that Chief Besithia made by pouring plaster into a daemon-shaped cavity—one likely formed when a daemon got trapped in a mudslide and ultimately sublimated after the earth had hardened around its body. The creature has been replicated with frightening accuracy. Its resemblance is so uncanny that one might easily mistake this recreation for the real thing.
===Sunlight Irradiator===
Enter the sunlight irradiator in Verstael's showroom.
:A laboratory designed to replicate natural sunlight and study its effects on daemonkind. Chief Besithia discovered that, although Adagium incurs slight injuries when exposed to the sun, his regenerative abilities quickly negate any damage done.
===Angelgard===
Look at the painting of Angelgard in Verstael's showroom.
:An island situated off the southeastern coast of the Lucian mainland and said to bear some connection to the storm god, Ramuh. Commoners were forbidden to set foot on the isle, a rule that the royal family enforced with all their might—which nevertheless proved no match for Chief Besithia. In M.E. 721, he freed Ardyn from his stone cell and escorted him back to his laboratory on the outskirts of Gralea. The following year, the former prisoner was renamed "Ardyn Izunia" and branded an imperial citizen.
===Eos World Map Diorama===
Look at the diorama in Verstael's showroom.
:A diorama of the world create by Chief Besithia. This model offers a bird's-eye view of both imperial territories as well as lands the empire has yet to acquire.
===Somnus Lucis Caelum===
Added after completing Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn.
:Ardyn's younger brother and the Founder King of Lucis. Somnus is the ancestor of the present-day monarch, Regis. Fueled by envy of his brother's blessed abilities, he fanned the flames of revolt by branding Ardyn a monster, ultimately taking the throne for himself.
:Yet historical records tell a vastly different tale, one in which Somnus "joined hands with the Oracle to travel the world and dispel the darkness that plagued our star." Instead of being exposed for the usurper he was, Somnus was posthumously dubbed "the Mystic" for his mesmerizing feats on the field of battle and immortalized in the form of an enormous statue watching over the Crown City.
===Aera Mirus Fleuret===
Added after completing Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn.
:Fiancée to Ardyn and ancestor to House Fleuret, Aera was chosen by Bahamut to serve as the first Oracle. Blessed with the power to commune with the divine, she traveled the world with her trident in hand, sharing the grace of the gods with mankind wherever she went.
===Ifrit, the Infernian===
Added after Verstael reveals Ifrit in slumber in his lab.
:One of the six gods thar form the Hexatheon, Ifrit serves as the patron deity of fire. Although he once bestowed his "burning wisdom" upon mankind, the people's hubris inspired them to bite the flaming hand that fed them, launching a revolt that proved the catalyst of the War of the Astrals. In the end, the Pyreburner proved powerless before the Bladekeeper's glaive and was laid asunder atop the Rock of Ravatogh where he has slumbered ever since.
===The Crownsguard===
Added after fighting a Crownsguard soldier in Insomnia (men with golden shields).
:Members of a defense force that traces its roots back to the Lucian army of old. Unlike the Crown City Police that protect Insomnia or the border patrol that keep the peace in the purlieus, the combat-ready Crownsguard act as a special forces unit tasked with fending off outsiders who have found their way inside the Wall. Clarus Amicitia was serving as captain at the time of Ardyn's initial assault on Insomnia.
===Armored Vehicles===
Added after destroying an armored vehicle.
:These reinforced cars boast bulletproof plating and a heat-resistant coating, allowing them to serve as barricades for Crown City Police duking it out with evildoers. The various customizations are quite costly, so the top brass are loath to lose any of these AFVs. In recent years, the Kingsglaive have repurposed similar vehicles to transport supplies and personnel to and from the field of battle.
===Royal Guards: Katanas===
Added after fighting a Royal Guard with a katana. 
:Predecessors of the Kingsglaive, these special agents report directly to the royal family and serve as their security detail. They operate in groups of four or five named after the captain who leads them, with the Nimbus and Qun'mi Squads standing as two particularly exemplary units. The soldier pictured here wields a longblade imbued with the king's magical powers.
===Royal Guards: Polearms===
Added after fighting a Royal Guard with a polearm.
:Predecessors of the Kingsglaive, these special agents report directly to the royal family and serve as their security detail. They operate in groups of four or five named after the captain that leads them, with the Nimbus and Qun'mi Squads standing as two particularly exemplary units. The soldier pictured here wields a lance imbued with the king's magical powers.
===Royal Guards: Daggers===
Added after fighting a Royal Guard with a pair of daggers.
:Predecessors of the Kingsglaive, these special agents report directly to the royal family and serve as their security detail. They operate in groups of four or five named after the captain that leads them, with the Nimbus and Qun'mi Squads standing as two particularly exemplary units. The soldier pictured here wields a pair of short blades imbued with the king's magical powers.
===Royal Guards: Crossbows===
Added after fighting a Royal Guard with a crossbow.
:Predecessors of the Kingsglaive, these special agents report directly to the royal family and serve as their security detail. They operate in groups of four or five named after the captain that leads them, with the Nimbus and Qun'mi Squads standing as two particularly exemplary units. The soldier pictured here wields a bow imbued with the king's magical powers.
===The Fierce Guardians===
Added after defeating a Fierce-type Guardian.
:These mass-produced stone statues were created to protect the Wall amplifiers positioned around the Crown City. This particular model is fashioned after the Fierce, a famed Lucian monarch and a fixture in the Old Wall. Rumors suggest the spirits of other rulers of yore reside within these figures, determined to destroy any who would wish harm upon the kingdom or her people.
===The Rogue Guardians===
Added after defeating a Rogue-type Guardian.
:These mass-produced stone statues were created to protect the Wall amplifiers positioned around the Crown City. This particular model is fashioned after the Rogue, a famed Lucian monarch and a fixture in the Old Wall. Rumors suggest the spirits of other rulers of yore reside within these figures, determined to destroy any who would wish harm upon the kingdom or her people.
===The Old Wall: The Mystic===
Added after completing Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn.
:This enormous stone statue houses the soul of Somnus Lucis Caelum, Founder King of Lucis. Though usually dormant, this effigy will awaken from its slumber should the kingdom fall into peril. No such emergency has arisen in the two millennia that Somnus has watched over the kingdom—until now.
=== Founder's Day Festival: Jumbotron ===
Destroy a large building-mounted TV down the central street.
:These enormous monitors were installed on buildings facing the main thoroughfare leading toward the Citadel. Although they normally show news and advertisements, the Founder's Day Committee intended to use them to broadcast various aspects of the festival. An expensive piece of equipment utilizing cutting-edge kingdom technology, these screens would cost a small fortune to repair if broken.
===Founder's Day Festival: Statue===
Destroy a statue of the Mystic.
:These statues of the first king of Lucis enjoy prominent positions in the Citadel Plaza. Long venerated as embodiments of the nation's rich history, these particular effigies are only put on display for festivals and other ceremonial events. One can only imagine what an enormous financial and cultural loss the kingdom would suffer if one of these statues were destroyed.
===Founder's Day Festival: Flagpole===
Destroy a flagpole.
:These signposts were erected to help celebrate the Founder's Day Festival. The elegant blue-and-gold banners proudly bear the crest of the kingdom and add a splash of color to the Crown City streets. While easily replaced, these poles could damage other buildings if toppled, which might in turn necessitate costly repairs.
===Founder's Day Festival: Balloon===
Destroy a balloon.
:These small balloons were produced for the Founder's Day Festival and strung up throughout the city to add an air of fun and whimsy to the festivities. The committee ordered quite a large quantity of them, so popping one or two wouldn't amount to much financial loss.
===Founder's Day Festival: Big Balloon===
Destroy a big balloon.
:These large balloons were produced for the Founder's Day Festival and strung atop tall buildings as beautiful orbs of royal blue floating in the sky. They take a bit more effort to inflate than their smaller counterparts, so popping one would mean more of a financial loss for the city.
===Founder's Day Festival: Pillar===
Destroy a pillar.
:These decorative displays were prepared exclusively for the Founder's Day Festival and lined up along Crown City streets to welcome visitors from far and wide. Seeing as they require considerable effort to erect, destroying them could prove quite costly to the kingdom.
===Founder's Day Festival: Signboard===
Destroy a signboard.
:These elegant boards were prepared for the Founder's Day Festival and set up along streets where the king and other persons of importance are scheduled to pass during the parade. Removal of a fallen signboard could prove quite costly—especially if it were to block the procession.
===Founder's Day Festival: Billboard===
Destroy a billboard.
:These enormous structures were prepared for the Founder's Day Festival and erected along streets where the king and other persons of importance are scheduled to pass during the parade. The committee spent a considerable amount of money putting these installations together, and the kingdom would incur quite a financial loss if one were destroyed.
===Founder's Day Festival: Loudspeakers===
Destroy a loudspeaker.
:A small array of audio amplifiers installed to broadcast news to the people of the Crown City. The committee produces a slew of additional speakers to play lively music during the festival, so losing a few of them would not amount to much of a financial loss for the kingdom.
ru:Архив (Эпизод Ардин)
Category:Archives in Final Fantasy XV
Category:Downloadable content in Final Fantasy XV