Back Story -
"I'm tired," a feminine voice whined.
"Yeah, and the rest of us are tired of hearing you whine," came the growled response.
A group of several people, all of whom appeared to be lost, made a trek through thick brush that no wagon, oxen pulled or otherwise, could get through. None of the group appeared to fit with the others, nor did any of them really look like the traveling type. However, they did seem to have some sort of established heirarchy amongst themselves, or at the very least a "leader" of the group. The leader of that group happened to be a woman who looked very much like she was about to start screaming. However, whatever temper might be bubbling under the surface, she seemed to have some sort of hold on. The look on her face said "I really want to just strangle all of you right now," and the fact that she didn't do just that seemed to speak volumes about her character. Instead of snapping she stopped walking, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Enough," her voice was soft, but it carried all hints of authority in it, which made it seem that much louder.
"Andolov, if I hear you harassing Sami one more time, I'm going to whack you over the head with my staff. Sami, dear, I know you're tired. We're all tired. Please, just give us some patience. We all knew this wasn't going to be easy when we started out. For the time being, we will rest, though, for I am not certain how much farther we must trek before we reach our destination," when the woman spoke this time, her voice still carried authority, but her tone was lighter. It was also made obvious just how tired the woman was.
The group stopped their foward trek and began unloading the few items that they carried with them. Most found places to sit, though some took the opportunity to stretch their limbs, stiff from walking, before settling in. Now, one might wonder about the sanity of people settling down in an unknown forest, even in a large group such as their own. The group, however, was lacking in neither intelligence nor sanity. (Well, for the most part, and depending on whom you asked.) In fact, they all possessed something that most people don't; the ability to use magic. (Well, that and you travel on foot for three days through a dense forest and tell me that you really care what might come out of the forest and threaten to eat you alive.)
"My children," a soft voice whispered through the area that the coven had chosen to rest. The sound of the voice made every person, no matter how exhausted, sit up straight and look around. The goddess had spoken to them before, but it was always an eerie thing when it happened. One of those eerie things that puts everyone on edge until it ends.
"Your destination is not far off. One more hour of traveling and you will reach a break in the trees. This will signify the start of the lands that I have sent you to. Remember that your magic will be essential to the town I wish from you, and make sure that your descendants know and remember this as well. Should the time ever come that you do not remember what you are here for, a powerful evil will breach your new home. Rest now, and make all haste to your destination," the voice whispered through the very trees, slowly fading away.
And so it was that the group rested and restarted their journey with a renewed sense of vigor. It was as the goddess had promised, within the hour after their rest, they entered the lands that the goddess had promised awaited them. They spent the next several months building the start of their town, often using their magic to incorporate elements of protection, prosperity, and nature itself into the very foundation of the town. It wasn't until after the basic constructions were finished that they decided to give a name to their town. With the approval of their goddess they named the town Ivalice. With the help of their magic, the town grew as each new generation came to be. The knowledge of the towns beginnings was passed on to each new generation, and as old turns into new with modern times, a new coven is in place, presiding over the town.