City of the Ancients

The City of the Ancients, also known as the Forgotten Capital or Forgotten City, is a location in Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-creative-director-discusses-the-scene-everyone-cant-wait-to-see It is a ruined city located in the Corel Valley on the northern continent of the planet.
The City of the Ancients was the primary capital of the Cetra civilization. After the Calamity from the Skies struck the planet nearly wiping out the Cetra, the few survivors gradually assimilated into human culture and the city has been an abandoned ruin for a long time.
== History ==
=== Before Final Fantasy VII ===
At some point a scientist visited the City of the Ancients and tried to decode the ancient writings on the floor of the orb. The scientist was barely able to make out the words "key" and "music box".
=== Conflict with Sephiroth ===
In Final Fantasy VII during "Parting with Aeris", Aerith Gainsborough visited the city to invoke Holy in hopes of averting the cataclysm Sephiroth plans to cause with Meteor. Cloud Strife and his party followed her, as did Sephiroth. Finding the place eerily silent, the party spent the night before a strange sound wakes them. Their investigation led them to an underground part of the city where they found Aerith praying to summon Holy. Cloud came forward and was nearly compelled by Sephiroth’s will to kill her, managing to resist and step away after his party yelled at him. Sephiroth, acting through the body of Jenova, swooped down from the ceiling and kills Aerith.
A livid Cloud demanded to know why Aerith had to be murdered. Sephiroth brushed off Cloud's outrage by calling him a “puppet" while dropping a piece of Jenova that became Jenova∙LIFE for the party to fight. Following the fight, the shaken group paid their last respects to Aerith as Cloud laid her body to rest in the nearby pool.
During "What Aeris Left Behind", Geisel Bugenhagen, an elder from Cosmo Canyon, visited the city with the party after Meteor had been summoned. They discovered what Aerith was trying to do before Sephiroth cut her down, and using the Key to the Ancients found at the bottom of the sea using a submarine, Bugenhagen deduced that Aerith had succeeded in summoning Holy, but that Sephiroth was blocking it and must be killed to save the planet. The party's planning was cut short when the Diamond Weapon begins its advance toward Midgar.
=== After Meteorfall ===
During On the Way to a Smile, the remaining members of the party return to the city to pay their respects to Aerith before going their separate ways to each find their place in the world.
Two years later, in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the three remnants of Sephiroth based themselves in the city where they interrogated the Turks, Tseng and Elena, for the surviving Jenova fragment the Turks stole. Yazoo later brought the Geostigma-infected children to the city so Kadaj could turn them into trackers by having them drink infected lake water, placing them under the disease's control. Loz also kidnapped Marlene Wallace to further force Cloud to follow after them, with Cloud overwhelmed by the remnants before he and Marlene were saved by Vincent Valentine.
== Geography ==
The City of the Ancients is located to the east on Gaia's northern continent. It is inside of Corel Valley, and backs onto the Corel Valley Cave.
Many of the remaining houses still contain furniture and artifacts indicating the area appears just as it did when it was abandoned. The city contains a machine, which allows one to communicate with the planet, and an underground section with several crystal buildings surrounding an altar. The city's inhabitants incorporated nature into their buildings, many having roofs made up from conch shells and other organic materials.
The area's general layout invokes an aquatic motif; many of the buildings have a shell-like appearance and the ground resembles the sea floor. Within the "upper city" there are several crystals that when touched give off a flash (causing the current main character to explain they heard something they did not understand).
The large conch shell building near the spring has a staircase down to below ground level. This building is a library, where instead of books, it contains Cetra thoughtforms that transmit their contents telepathically to the reader.
Below the ground level is a hidden "castle". This has medieval-style towers connected to the surface via a staircase made of light in one of the houses. This area holds a spring and an altar.
Forgotten Captial.JPG|Scene at the lake in Final Fantasy VII.
Ancient City FFVII-2.jpg|Village grounds in Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten capital altar.png|The Water Altar in Final Fantasy VII.
Cetra Castle.jpg|Cetra castle in Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten capital waterfall room.png|Waterfall room in Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten Capital.jpg|Forgotten City in Advent Children.
== Gameplay ==
The Forgotten Capital is visited at the end of "Parting with Aeris". After the player acquires the Lunar Harp from Bone Village, they can proceed to the Forgotten City to complete the quest. The city mainly contains story sequences, after which the player must rest with the party at the city to continue the story, where a boss battle with Jenova∙LIFE occurs.
In "What Aeris Left Behind", the party returns to the Forgotten Capital, this time for for more story sequences with Geisel Bugenhagen. The quest can oly be complete when the player obtains the Key to Ancients from the Bottom of the Sea, which requires use of the submarine from Junon.
== Musical themes ==
The theme that plays in City of the Ancients is "Listen to the Cries of the Planet" . During the Jenova∙LIFE battle and during the events preceding it and the events after the battle, "Aerith's Theme" plays.
== Other appearances ==
=== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ===
The Forgotten City appears in the Field Music Sequence for "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII".
==== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call ====
The Forgotten City returns in the FMS for "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII", and now appears as the Battle Music Sequence for "Aerith's Theme".
=== Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade ===
FFAB Forgotten Capital FFVII.png|Forgotten City (VII) (Normal).
FFAB Forgotten Capital VIIAC.png|Forgotten City (VIIAC) (Normal).
FFAB Forgotten Capital (Water Altar) FFVII.png|Forgotten City (Water Altar) (Normal).
FFAB Forgotten Capital FFVII Special.png|Forgotten City (VII) (Special).
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
FFBE Forgotten Capital.png|
FFBE Forgotten Capital 2.png|
FFBE Forgotten Capital 3.png|
FFBE Forgotten Capital 4.png|
FFBE Forgotten Capital 5.png|
FFBE Forgotten Capital VIIAC.png|VIIAC version.
== Behind the scenes ==
=== Concept art ===
The Forgotten City's concept art was the first scenery designed in Advent Children, drawn by art director Yusuke Naora. The artwork depicted Sephiroth standing over the pool where Aerith had been laid to rest, and was selected as a set for Aerith's appearance in the film.
Forgotten Capital FF7 Art 1.jpg|Concept art of spiral room for Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten Capital FF7 Art 2.jpg|Concept art of the house with the fish for Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten Capital FF7 Art 3.jpg|Concept art of a house for Final Fantasy VII.
Forgotten Capital FF7 Art 4.jpg|Concept art of a house for Final Fantasy VII.
FFVIIAC-ForgottenCapital.jpg|Concept art of the Forgotten City for Advent Children.
=== Development ===
When the player first arrives at the city in Final Fantasy VII, they cannot continue onwards toward Icicle Inn because a party member will stop Cloud and urge him to find Aerith. A similar event was programmed to happen when attempting to leave the way they came in, with a party member telling Cloud they were tired and needed to find rest. This scene never triggers in the final game due to a programming oversight, allowing the player to leave the village; they must discover that they are supposed to sleep in one of the houses by themselves. Similarly, at night, Cloud cannot leave the village and will stop himself, but the similar event upon leaving from the south entrance never triggers.
The idea to have Final Fantasy VII Rebirth end at the Forgotten City was something the development team had considered since the beginning, though due to the breadth of the game content it was even considered to have the game end before reaching the Forgotten City. Kazushige Nojima was against the idea of the game ending at the Forgotten City, wanting the game to end with Tifa falling into the mako reactor in Gongaga, to subvert using Aerith's fate as a hook instead using Tifa in such a way instead. In the end, the developers went with the original plan, as they would not be able to fit everything into three games otherwise.
== Notes ==
=== Annotations ===
=== Citations ===
de:Vergessene Stadt
ru:Забытая Столица
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Category:Hoshi o Meguru Otome
Category:Ruins