Auldrant

Auldrant is the world in which Tales of the Abyss takes place. The planet is composed of particles known as fonons, a basis for civilization.

The Outer Lands and Qliphoth
The world of Auldrant is divided into two separate layers: an outside shell called the Outer Lands and an underground ocean of miasma known as the Qliphoth. Originally, the Outer Lands resided within the area now occupied by the Qliphoth, but a natural disaster caused it to fill with miasma, and the people were forced to raise the land and live in the sky through the efforts of a plan known as the Float Project.

The Outer Lands consist of five continents: Rugnica, Aberria, Radessia, Padamiya, and Sylvana; it is divided into three nation-states: the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, the Malkuth Empire, and the country of Daath, a theocracy ruled by the Order of Lorelei. Though technically not considered a continent, the Ispanian Peninsula is a land mass attached to Aberria and connected to Rugnica by Rotelro Bridge. The world is held together by basic particles of each element known as fonons. These travel in and out of the planet's crust via a neverending stream called the fon belt. The Outer Lands are kept suspended in midair by fonons from the fon belt, amassed into a series of gigantic pillars known as Sephiroth Trees.

Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear
The Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, often shortened to Kimlasca, is Auldrant's more technically advanced nation. Kimlasca is former territory of the Kingdom of Ispania, claiming its independence in N.D. 0447 during its war with the Kingdom of Frank, betraying Ispania and aiding its opposition in destroying it completely. Some time before the events of Tales of the Abyss, the independent country of Lanvaldear formed a treaty of unification with Kimlasca, and its royal family married into that of Kimlasca to strengthen that bond through blood. The symbol of Kimlasca resembles a sword with wings.

Kimlasca is home to Baticul, the largest city in the world, as well as several fon-tech studying cities. The following is a list of notable locations in Kimlasca, along with their respective population numbers:
 * Baticul, the Capital of Light - Located in northern Aberria, Baticul is the largest city in the world, which stretches high into the sky and houses both the Kimlascan Royal Family and their defending army. Fights also take place in the coliseum here. Population: 500,000.
 * Belkend, the City of Fon Machines - Located in southwestern Aberria, along with the port which shares its name, Belkend is a city which specializes in researching fon machines. Population: 250,000.
 * Sheridan, the City of Craftsmen - Located in eastern Radessia, along with the port which shares its name, Sheridan is a city famed for its research in fon-tech and fon machines. Of its many achievements, one of the most noteworthy is the Albiore, the world's first flying machine. Population: 80,000.
 * Kaitzur, the Border Fortress - Located in southern Rugnica and technically both Kimlascan and Malkuth territory, Katizur is a checkpoint station that separates the two kingdoms, which everything north of the border belonging to Malkuth, and everything south belonging to Kimlasca. The Kaitzur Naval Port is directly south of the bordering station, and is strictly Kimlascan territory, serving as a docking area and means of transportation to other locations in the kingdom. Population: 60,000.

Malkuth Empire
The Malkuth Empire is a large, varied nation with a strong infrastructure through farming and trade, supplemented with a focus on the use of fonic artes to achieve a higher standard of living. Malkuth's emblem consist on a harp. Malkuth began as a republic, declaring its independence from the Kingdom of Kimlasca in N.D. 0468, and provided the original territory from which the Order of Lorelei came to hold under its dominion prior to the founding of the country of Daath. This enabled Malkuth to use the sympathetic Order as a shield of protection against enemy retaliation. Malkuth quickly grew to conquer much of the northern hemisphere of Auldrant, leading to frequent conflict with Kimlasca and the decline of all other remaining nations, as both countries came to dominate most of the populated world.

The following is a list of notable locations in Malkuth, along with their respective population numbers:
 * Grand Chokmah, the Floating Capital - Located in northern Rugnica, Grand Chokmah is the capital of Malkuth. Population: 600,000.
 * St. Binah, the Citadel - A political city also located in northern Rugnica. Population: 250,000.
 * Keterburg, the Silver World - A snowy, tourist city located in eastern Sylvana. Population: 100,000.
 * Engeve, the Grocer's Hamlet - A small, farming village located north of St. Binah in northern Rugnica. Population: 20,000.
 * Akzeriuth, the Mining Town - A town located in southern Rugnica that was destroyed due to hyperresonance. Population: 10,000.

Daath

 * Daath, Headquarters of the Order of Lorelei - A theocracy-based city located in southeastern Padamiya.

Other Areas

 * Chesedonia, the Trading Center - An autonomous, desert city located in eastern Aberria that focuses on trade.
 * Yulia City, the Watchers' Home - An ancient city located east of the continent of Padamiya.
 * Nam Cobanda Isle - A circus-like city hidden in northwestern Radessia.

History
The people of Auldrant first discovered Memory Particles in B.D. 2550, and by B.D. 2618, the first recorded war, the Sephiroth War, began. The war was a battle among three major countries seeking to possess the land around the ten Sephiroth Trees, the planet's fon slots. At the time, Auldrant was divided into six major countries, themselves made of several smaller states, with the main countries being the Kingdoms of Ispania and Frank, Keter, and Hod. In B.D. 2624, the Sephiroth War ended, and ten countries gained control of each of the Sephiroth Trees. Professor Southern-Cross developed the Planetary Storm in B.D. 2677, and five years later, it was put into motion with every country's approval. In B.D. 2693, Yulia Jue was born in the city-state of Hod. A controversial prophet, she eventually formed a pact with the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon, Lorelei in B.D. 2707, twelve years after its discovery by Professor Southern-Cross in B.D. 2695. The Fonic War, a battle fought over the area where the Seventh Fonon was found, began in B.D. 2699, and resulted in the deaths of roughly half the entire population. Hod and Keter were devastated due to the war, and because of the powerful fonic weapons used during the war, a disastrous strain was placed on the Planetary storm, eventually causing the core to vibrate and emit a lethal, poisonous gas known as miasma. Around the time Yulia formed the pact with Lorelei, she designed the Key of Lorelei, harboring Lorelei's power within, and eventually uses this power and her Fonic Hymns to revive Hod.

In B.D. 2709, Yulia read the Planetary Score and predicted two-thousand years of history. She warned the warring countries of the dangers of fonic weaponry, and how the miasma would soon grow worse because of it. Subsequently, the Fonic War ended that year. A year later, with the land still greatly affected by the amount of miasma leaked during the war, Yulia, alongside her ten disciples, proposed the Float Project, a plan to raise the land utilizing the power of the Sephiroth Trees. However, by B.D. 2712, the Kingdoms of Ispania and Frank began fearing Yulia's influence, now revered a goddess by the masses. They bribed her seventh disciple, Francis Daath, arrested Yulia on the basis of attempting to turn the world into the Qliphoth, and imprisoned her. Francis ran away with Yulia's First through Sixth Fonstones and formed the Order of Lorelei with the support of Ispania and Frank. However, Francis was struck by fear to discover his fate in their contents, and soon regretted his actions. Meanwhile, the Float War began, a war waged by Ispania and Frank against those who endorse Yulia's Float Project.

The Float War ended in B.D. 2713 with Ispania and Frank victorious, and Yulia was tried before the International Court of Judgment, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The beginning of a new era began with Ispania and Frank putting the Float Project into motion in N.D. 0001, or B.D. 2714. They raised the land, forming the Outer Lands, and left their enemies countries in the Qliphoth. Francis, filled with regret, rescued Yulia from prison and helped her escape. Although Yulia forgave his actions, he committed suicide out of guilt, and she later named the headquarters of the Order of Lorelei "Daath" in his memory. Yulia then gathered the people remaining in the Qliphoth and constructed Yulia City with them. In N.D. 0006, Yulia's first disciple, Freyr Albert, became the first Fon Master of the Order, under her guidance. In N.D. 0213, unsettlement among Ispania and Frank began to grow, and both countries completely opposed each other by N.D. 0294. Ispania eventually fell in N.D. 0447 after being betrayed by one of its states, Kimlasca, which soon rooted its own kingdom. Its first leader was King Julius, and Frank began to decline at this point. Over time, Frank became nothing but a state known as Malkuth, which Kimlasca soon colonized. In N.D. 0468, Malkuth declared its independence from Kimlasca, giving birth to the Malkuth Empire. The Order of Lorelei gained territory in the Malkuth in N.D. 0510, and supported the Empire from that point forward. By N.D. 0516, Malkuth controlled half of the Outer Lands' surface.

A new war began in N.D. 0657, the War of Radiance, between Kimlasca and Malkuth, which resulted in Kimlasca losing some territory to Malkuth. The war ended the following year in N.D. 0658 with Kimlasca victorious due to the influence of the Order of Lorelei. From this point forward, Kimlasca took the Order more seriously. In N.D. 0674, Kimlasca invaded the Rugnican continent, which was Malkuth's territory, initiating the North-South War, which lasted until N.D. 0777. Six years later, Kimlasca gave the continent of Padamiya to the Order of Lorelei, resulting in the land mass becoming land of nonaggression. The Rotelro War began in N.D. 0831 and ended in N.D. 0864. It was not until N.D. 0966 that Kimlasca and Malkuth both signed a peace treaty through the intervention of the Order of Lorelei. Over 500 years later, in N.D. 1401, the First War of the Borders initiated due to Yulia's fonstones falling from the fon belt and the Order claiming the country that gathered them would be recognized by Yulia as the sole authoritarian state. The war ended in N.D. 1463, and it was at this point that all countries other than Kimlasca and Malkuth were relinquished. However, the Second War of the Borders, which concerned the validity of the Score, began in N.D. 1498 and ended in N.D. 1503.

Calendar
Auldrant is the only world in the Tales series with a calendar that is explained in detail. One day on Auldrant lasts 24 hours. One week on Auldrant lasts seven days. Their names, in order, are as follows:


 * Remday
 * Lunaday
 * Ifritday
 * Undineday
 * Sylphday
 * Loreleiday
 * Gnomeday

After Gnomeday, a new week begins with Remday again. Each month has 58 days except for the month of Lorelei Redecan, which has 60 days. The yearly calendar consists of thirteen months. Their names, in order, are as follows:


 * Rem Decan
 * Sylph Decan
 * Undine Decan
 * Gnome Decan
 * Ifrit Decan
 * Shadow Decan
 * Shadow Redecan
 * Ifrit Redecan
 * Gnome Redecan
 * Undine Redecan
 * Sylph Redecan
 * Luna Redecan
 * Lorelei Decan

After a full cycle of thirteen months, one Auldrant year ends and another begins. The total amount of days in a year on Auldrant is 765.

Trivia

 * There are a few conversations in the game that reveal the names of specific geographical locations. These include the Central Ocean, located in the center of the map; the Albert Sea, located between Rugnica and Aberria; Nirni River, the waterway the group travels in order to reach the Sephiroth Tree located on Radessia; the Tuft Archipelago, the group of islands containing the Absorption Gate, which are considered to be part of Sylvana; and the Qiubi Peninsula, the lowest portion of land on the Rugnican continent. There is also Luke Bridge, which connects Aberria and Radessia.
 * The days of the week in Auldrant are related to the names used for days in most European languages, notably the Romance and Germanic languages. The relevant aggregate sentiences match in elemental or thematic association with the Roman deities used to name the days in the Romance languages, and likewise with the Norse deities present in the naming of days for English and similar tongues. One particular day of note is Loreleiday, equated to the English Friday, which derives from the Norse goddess Frigga. Frigga is associated with prophecy as an aspect of her portfolio, which matches the prophecy of the Score recorded by Yulia Jue after forming her pact with Lorelei.
 * The number of days which compose a full year on Auldrant, 765, is a pun in the Japanese language which frequently appears in Namco games. When each number is converted into its kanji form and read as a compound, the numbers are read as na-mu-ko. This concept is known in Japan as goroawase. The number 765 and its relation to Namco itself is also present in the original Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon, in which the Pac-Man costume available to Dio requires 765 CP to achieve full mastery of the costume.
 * Due to the length of a single year on Auldrant, which is more than double the number of days that compose a full year in reality, the presented ages of the characters in this world may need to be doubled to match the scale that is used in reality. However, this assumes that the length of a single day on Auldrant is the same as on Earth, which takes 24 Earth-hours to rotate fully upon its axis. If the speed of Auldrant's rotation is twice as fast as it is on Earth, ignoring the consequences of a higher force of gravity, the character's ages would be more or less equal to the scale of years used on Earth.