Were it possible, I would ask that you remain here in Bozja to assist in our efforts to rebuild, though I understand full well the infeasibility of such a request.

The path before us now is a long one, but it is one that shall be paved with peace and prosperity for all.

A gentle rolling plain, once upon a time. Until the Fourth Umbral Calamity, that is. The great quake would mold the landscape into the various flat-topped mountains we know now as Zadnor.

The land was also enriched with a vast store of earth-aspected crystals. When first discovered, miners and prospectors wasted no time in establishing a bustling mining industry.

Unfortunately those reserves of earth crystals would not last. The mines ran dry some hundred years ago. All that remains now is barren wasteland.

It was worth noting, however, the floating rock formations are not a result of the Calamity, but the Bozja incident. The energies that wiped the citadel off the map were absorbed into the ground, causing portions of it to rise up into the sky.

It was so named for the flowers that once bloomed in abundance there. Sadly, they would never grow again after the Bozja incident.

The energies that permeated the land in the wake of Bahamut's assault on the citadel irrevocably altered the land's aether currents, resulting in a nigh-uninhabitable environment.

We chose the location to make use of the aether current that flows below it, but it was—as Lilja might put it—sporadic at best. It served our purposes well enough at the time, but it proved difficult securing additional outposts closer to the enemy.

Without sufficient stores of ambient aether in the ground, we would have been unable to erect an aetheryte, nor would we have been able to protect the surrounding area with one of Cid's barriers.

Which is why I wish to first create a council of their leaders that we might discuss and establish laws to govern all of our people.

I have already begun drafting documents that may one day serve as our constitution, though it remains to be seen if they will meet with the others' approval.

You see, I have chosen to base a number of my writings on the principles of the IVth Legion.

Many would argue it is a misguided plan, but I have no intention of doing this in secret. The peoples' trust requires honesty, and I have no intention of repeating the mistakes of our forebears.

A great many of use did not hesitate to join the Resistance, some even giving their lives for our cause, but we mustn't forget there were those who chose to remain in the imperial provinces. And though it was a singular instance, Misija was persuaded to join the IVth Legion despite pledging herself to our cause. I cannot help but consider Gabranth's point of view. The philosophy behind his leadership.

To discard everything that came as a result of the occupation would cause more harm than good. There are many things introduced by the imperials from which we stand to benefit, and it would be foolish to dismiss them simply because they came from the enemy.

Make no mistake—the Bozja I intend to build will be free of discrimination and poverty. A nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. As such, it will require the understanding and cooperation of all.

A great deal of blood has been shed that we might come this far, and I pray we never forget, that we may never again have to endure such tragedy.

Once a constitution has been ratified and the foundations of our governing body are in place, we will hold an election, that the people may choose officials they believe best represent their ideals.

Before joining the Resistance, he was something of a lone wolf, bent on avenging those he lost at the hands of the Empire.

I'd like to think he's changed since fighting alongside us, if only just. When last I saw him, he seemed keen to fight for more than just his own self-satisfaction.

Bozja has need of men like him. People who truly understand the pain of loss, possessed of empathy and compassion. People who will labor to ensure others will not have to endure such suffering.

Our earliest records─or at least those we have been able to recover─suggest Bozja was founded at some point during the Third Astral Era. The Allagan Empire had reached the height of its power, and several tribes of the Hrothgar came here seeking refuge from their supremacy.

It was Queen Gunnhildr who would keep the Allagans at bay. Her radiance would light our path to prosperity, and by her grace was the nation of Bozja founded.

Alas, the Fourth Umbral Calamity would see the end of her kingdom. But those who survived slowly rebuilt, and Bozja was reborn as a city-state that would coexist with neighboring nations for centuries to come.

The Garlean Empire's rise to power changed everything. None could oppose the sheer strength and versatility of their military.

Their campaign began some fifty years ago, and now an entire generation of our people has been raised knowing only oppression. But now they would know freedom.

When word reached us that Ala Mhigo and Doma had risen up to defy the Empire, we seized the opportunity to flee and form pockets of resistance.

With Lord Hien's assistance, the several groups that had formed were merged into a single, cohesive force, and I was chosen as its leader.

In the unlikely event that their scouts should approach the perimeter, our mages have cast a cloaking spell around the area to keep us from sight.

Havens such as this are plentiful along the southern coast of Ilsabard. Our facilities are rather modest, I confess, but I would like to think we have made great strides in providing for our soldiers here.

The Meteor project. Through the use of magitek, they intended to recreate ancient sorcery capable of calling down meteors.

At the helm of the project was their chief engineer, Midas nan Garlond. In time, every last one of their research facilities was involved in its development.

The project would take a perilous turn when it was discovered that the lesser moon Dalamud was, in fact, a satellite of Allagan design. They were determined to make it part of their plans.

And so they erected a colossal transmission tower, designed to control Dalamud. Its first test would also prove to be its last...

For lack of eyewitnesses, what happened next is difficult to describe. It is often described as an explosion, but the ruins showed no signs of gunpowder or magic. We only know that a terrible light shone from the heavens that night.

In an instant, the citadel was gone. Its citizens and soldiers...my family...

No one is certain why Dalamud responded with such destructive force, but all work on the Meteor project was halted immediately.

Five years later, however, Nael van Darnus set the wheels of the project back into motion. His devotion was rewarded with the coming of the Seventh Umbral Calamity.

Following in my late father's footsteps, I studied to become a doctor. Much to my surprise, and dismay, my academic accomplishments did not go unnoticed. I was taken to the capital, where I received a formal education in medicinal sciences. Deployment as a medic in their military soon followed.

My service was ultimately rewarded with citizenship, after which I met my wife, and we started a family together. If their goal was for me to grow content and complacent, it failed, for not a day went by that I did not think about the liberation of my homeland.

But I would need to bide my time a while longer, for I was assigned to the IVth Imperial Legion. There was an uprising in Nagxia, and it fell to us to quell their insurrection. It was not until after our mission was complete that I learned of what happened to Bozja. To my family...

We returned as fast as we were able, but there was nothing left of the citadel.

I was ordered to return to the capital, but I had to find my wife and children. I covered every ilm of that barren wasteland...and nothing.

Chains and a prison cell greeted me back in Garlemald, but in spite of my confinement, whispers of what happened in Bozja eventually reached me. Of their failed experiments to control Dalamud.

Stripped of my citizenship, I expected to remain under lock and key until the end of my days. Fortunately for me, they had need of more medics for their next campaign.

But I would never reach the battlefield, for I escaped with a number of other soldiers to join the Resistance.

When the battle begins in earnest, I should hope we can count on your continued assistance.