Alma (アルマ Aruma) was a winged Eldeen, with a white emelas body, who lived in the Atlas continent at the twilight of the Eldeen civilization. She was worshipped as a goddess by the Rehda and the Darklings. When the latter group attempted to take over the Eldeen Ark of Napishtim and inadvertently caused Ark to flood most of the Atlas Continent, Alma sublimated her body to seal the Ark at Zemeth Island.
Background[]
Mural depicting Alma sealing the Ark of Napishtim with the three keys
Alma was one of the so-called Winged Ones, a member of the ancient Eldeen civilization from the Atlas continent. It is unknown whether Alma was born through natural means or if she was born through the Spiritual Mother technology, but like most Eldeen at the time of the Ark cataclysm, she did possess a winged white emelas body, which granted her immortality and an assortment of advanced powers. Alma was therefore worshipped as a goddess by both the Rehda and the humans who lived alongside her.
The humans who worshipped Alma studied the power of emelas. Although they could use basic emelas, they could not replicate white emelas. A group of humans called Darklings used ash emelas, the most advanced kind they had at their disposal, to create Galba creatures and attempt to invade the Ark of Napishtim, the Eldeen weather control system that held many of the Eldeen secrets. The humans stole the black emelas key of the Ark, the Almarion, in an attempt to control it and force it to refine white emelas for them, but the Ark was programmad to only obey commands from beings who already had white emelas in their bodies. When it sensed the human invasion, it went berserk and started to flood the Atlas continent.
During this conflict, Alma led the fight against the Galbas, used three additional keys to replace the Almarion, and successfully sealed the Ark before it completely flooded the land. The three additional keys, Livart, Brillante and Ericcil, activated a perpetual storm barrier, the Great Vortex, to prevent anyone from further reaching the Ark and the remnants of the Atlas continent. Finally, Alma sublimated herself and used her white emelas body to seal the Ark underwater. Her body was placed on Zemeth Island, directly above the sunken Ark. The Rehda lamented the loss of their goddess, but even in a sublimated state she guided them through the Mirror of Zeme, a white emelas artifact which contained her spirit. She also "blessed" the priestesses of the Rehda, and considered the Rehda her children.
In Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim[]
Adol commutes with Alma's sublimated body at Zemeth Sanctum.
The Rehda in Quatera continued to live peacefully in the Canaan Islands and worshipped Alma as a goddess. The priestesses of their tribe, noted for being born with a pale white skin, also continued to commute with her spirit through the Mirror of Zeme. The Darkling descendant Ernst, who had inherited the black key Almarion, sends three homunculi creatures to break the Mirror and act as replacements for the three keys of the Great Vortex, hoping to gain access to the islands.
Adol Christin, an adventurer who is sucked into the Great Vortex, travels through the Canaan Islands hoping to uncover its mysteries. Wielding two of the three keys, he first finds the Wing of Alma at the Grana-Vallis Mountain, and later on the sublimated body of Alma herself at Zemeth Sanctum. He commutes with Alma, who recognizes him as the savior of her kind in far-off lands, tasks him with the third and final key, and warns him that the Ark must not be opened.
After Ernst's homonculi manage to disable to Great Vortex, the Romun Empire fleet invades the islands. Ernst then reaches Zemeth Sanctum and uses Almarion to shatter Alma's sublimated body, unsealing the Ark of Napishtim, which rises from the seas once more. Further, Ernst kidnaps Isha, a descendant of the Rehda priestesses, to use her body to control the Ark. Adol fouls Ernst's plans and rescues Isha, but not before the Ark's systems are activated and go haywire once more. Adol then manages to destroy the entire Ark before it wipes out Eresia with a huge tidal wave, fulfilling Alma's request and bringing peace to the Canaan Islands once more.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Alma is a female given name meaning "kind" or "nourishing". In many Romance languages, "Alma" is also the word for "soul".
- The blessing of Alma is never specified, but it is possibly related to white emelas, given how the blessed priestesses are born with pale white skin, and how Ernst planned to use their bodies to control the Ark. This would also explain Isha's powers.