Zenithia
Zenithia, also called Zenith Castle or simply Zenith, is the name of a fictional sky castle from the videogame series Dragon Quest. The first appearance is in Dragon Warrior IV, and the castle is one of several elements from Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI which suggest the three games are linked as a trilogy; this group was often called the Tenku (Japanese for Heaven, or Sky), or the Tenkuu no Shiro (Castle in the Sky) trilogy until Square Enix branded them as the Zenithia Trilogy in 2008.
Zenithia is home to a powerful dragon, lord of the skies, and the winged, angel-like Zenithian people. Zenithians are an insular people who avoid contact with those on the ground if at all possible, but there have been instances where they have fallen off the clouds or otherwise descended to earth.
Zenithia is one of the few locations in Square Enix's DS remake Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen to keep the name used in the original localization.
A castle in the Dragon Warrior III remakes for Super Famicom/GameBoy Color is also called Zenith, though the layout differs from the castle from the Tenku series. It is unclear whether Zenith and Zenithia are one in the same or not.
The counterpart to Zenithia is Nadiria, the underworld.
Appearances/Location
Dragon Quest IV
In Dragon Quest IV, Zenithia makes its first appearance. The castle can be accessed by climbing the Stairway to Zenithia near the Azimuth, which goes as far up to the sky. It is directly above the entrance to Nadiria. While at Zenithia, the hero is given additional power by the Zenith Dragon.
Dragon Quest V
In Dragon Quest V, Zenithia has fallen into a lake south of Lofty Peak. This happened when the Golden Orb, half of a set of magical orbs that supported the castle in the sky, fell from its place. Once recovered and returned to the Zenith Dragon, it will make Zenithia rise again. This time, the castle can move freely around the sky, and is one of the methods of travel used by the hero to fly around the world map -- it's the only means of reached the secluded Talon Tower.
Dragon Quest VI
Zenith Castle is sealed away by Demon Lord Durran in Dragon Quest VI, and a giant hole is left behind in its place in the dream world. It can be restored to its proper place by defeating Durran. After Mortamor is defeated, the dream world begins to disintegrate; Zenith Castle is left as the only part of it that can still be seen, and floating above the real world it becomes the Zenithia known in Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V.
Legendary Equipment
Main article: Zenithian Equipment
There exists a set of legendary weapons and armor hailing from Zenithia.
Most commonly known as the Zenithian sword, armor, shield and helmet; only a hero of Zenithian descent can wear them. The entire set is required to be allowed entry into Zenithia in Dragon Warrior IV.
These are also known as the Celestial or Zenithian sword, armor, shield, and helmet in Dragon Quest V.
In Dragon Quest VI, the sword is called the Sword of Ramias, the armor is the Armor of Orgo, the shield is the Shield of Sufieda, and the helmet is the Helm of Cevas.
Square Enix has released the Celestial Sword (the Zenithian Sword) and Sword of Ramias as part of their Dragon Quest Legend Items series - miniature collectible toy replicas of artifacts from the Dragon Quest universe.
Inhabitants
An inhabitant of Zentihia is called a zenithian; notable zenithians appearing in Dragon Quest IV, V, or VI are:
- Zenith Dragon (originally Master Dragon) - The ruler of Zenithia in Dragon Quest IV & Dragon Quest V. In IV, he asks the party to defeat Psaro the Manslayer. In V, he offers to carry the party on his back through the skies.
- Orifiela (originally Lucia) - She appears in the game Dragon Warrior IV, as a Zenithian who has fallen to the world below and was unable to return to Zenithia. The party meets her at the top of the Yggdrasil.
- Dr Agon (originally Pusan) - An enigmatic person who comes from the Castle of Zenithia. He appears in Dragon Quest V, and he may be more than he seems at first.
- King Zenith. The ruler of Zenith Castle in Dragon Quest VI. He is humanoid, unlike the Zenith Dragon.
- Sparkie (originally Doran) - A young dragon who is sent by Zenith Dragon to help the party in their fight against Psaro the Manslayer. He appears in Dragon Quest IV.
- According to the games, at least once a woman from Zenithia has become involved in a relationship with a human, leaving offspring that is half-human, half-Zenithian.
Background music
- The theme for Zenithia was called "Unknown Castle" in the Japanese soundtrack for Dragon Warrior IV.
- Dragon Quest V's theme was called "Heaven".
- Dragon Quest VI does not have a special theme for Zenithia; instead it uses the regular castle theme, "At the Palace".
Notes
- Zenithia might have some relation to Zenith from Dragon Quest III, being both ruled by a powerful dragon and both being in the sky. In fact, Zenithia comes from the word zenith, meaning highest point or state, aptly appropriate seeing as it is the highest point in the game.
- Conversely, its counterpart, Nadiria, is derived from the word nadir, meaning lowest point.
- The Zenithians could be compared to Celestrians in Dragon Quest IX.
See Also
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