Black Rose (Final Fantasy XIV)

The Black Rose is an alchemical weapon in Final Fantasy XIV. Created by the Garlean Empire, the Black Rose is a deadly gas that kills whoever breathes it by halting their aether to a standstill.
==Story==
The Black Rose was developed in Gyr Abania during Gaius van Baelsar's time as Legatus of the XIVth Legion. Gaius halted all production of the gas, condemning it as a weapon for extermination rather than conquest. The Ascian Elidibus, while possessing the body of crown prince Zenos yae Galvus, later restarted its production when the Empire grew tired of the rebellions in its conquered territory in the wake of Doma and Ala Mhigo's liberation.
Following the revelation of the gas's existence, Alphinaud Leveilleur is joined by Gaius in destroying the plant manufacturing it. No longer a Legatus, Gaius tells the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and the Warrior of Light what he knows of the gas, relaying the information to the Eorzean Alliance. Though Alphinaud and Gaius destroy the main production facility, the Garleans construct several more to mass produce the Black Rose for the renewed war in Ala Mhigo.
In an alternate timeline, the war between the Eorzean Alliance and the Empire turned in the Alliance's favor, and they began pushing the Empire further and further back. Faced with defeat, the Empire unleashed the Black Rose in desperation. The weapon proved much deadlier than even the Empire had expected, not only decimating Eorzea but spreading to the imperial provinces as well. With nearly all known nations on the Three Great Continents devastated by the Black Rose, the land descended into chaos—an Eighth Umbral Calamity. Among the casualties of the Calamity were the Warrior of Light and the other Scions. Hundreds of years later, the survivors devised a way to use the Crystal Tower to travel back in time and across dimensions to the First, one of the reflections of the Source world, in order to prevent the Calamity from occurring.
Upon learning of this alternate future, Urianger delves into a three-year study of aetherology on the First. Urianger finds that the Source's understanding of active aether as "astral" and static aether as "umbral" is the reverse of what the people of the First believe. As the color white is produced by the absence of other colors, the First came to call static aether "light," while the color black is produced by the absorption of all colors, so they call the active aether "darkness." With this new information, Urianger deduces that since the Black Rose operates by bringing its victims' aether to a standstill, it must have a strong affinity with static or "light" aether. Having uncovered the true nature of Umbral Calmities, Urianger explains that as the First reaches true stasis, the Flood of Light would begin leaking light aether to the Source. He concludes that in the future, the Empire's use of the Black Rose coincided with the First being completely consumed by the light and Rejoining with the Source. This unleashed a massive amount of light aether on the Source, giving the Black Rose its unexpected potency and causing the Eighth Umbral Calamity.
With the Warrior of Light and most of the Scion leadership occupied stopping the Flood of Light on the First, Tataru and Krile recruit Estinien to continue the investigation on the Black Rose in their stead. While infiltrating a Garlean facility suspected of containing the weapon, he encounters Gaius. As their goals align, they agree to an alliance and travel to Garlemald to continue their investigation. Gaius and Estinien arrive in Garlemald to find that the true Zenos yae Galvus has regained possession of his body and assassinated Emperor Varis. Zenos proclaims that he killed his father not out of any desire for the throne, but to prevent him from using the Black Rose to kill the Warrior of Light and denying him his hunt, ending the threat of the gas.
==Etymology and allusion==
Black roses are symbols featured in fiction with many meanings. The symbolism in many works of art or fiction is usually to contrive feelings of mystery, danger, death, or some sort of darker emotion like sorrow or obsessive love.
Its deadly nature as a gaseous weapon, and one that would eventually cause the end of the world, may be inspired by real world potential of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. Black Rose's apocalyptic aftermath may also be inspired by sarin gas, one of the most lethal chemical nerve agents whose use was implemented by the real world cult Aum Shinrikyo in the various sarin gas attacks within Tokyo in the 1990s, and specifically on Tokyo's subway system in 1995, in hopes of accelerating a World War III event to usher the end of the world. 
Category:Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Technology