Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-14138255-20160807005311/@comment-10390252-20160817125331

SomeoneYouUsedToKnow wrote:

Also, from the ruins we saw in the Emerald Forest Arc, what says it's "as large and sophisticated as Vale"? Structures that have lasted thousands of years (despite a hostile environment) and stand hundreds of feet tall that apparently fills an entire valley as well as its surrounding plains (the relic temple being only one a visible remainder). This is, in terms of a medieval or earlier artefact, indication of a significant level of sophistication in engineering as well as a lengthy lifespan so that its builder civilisation could continue to reinforce and maintain it.

I think that I should offer one clarification, as large and as sophisticated as Vale in the context of its Cycle.

Regarding the cycle, the prologue specifically links the return of darkness to the moon rotating its shattered face towards Remnant. As Monty put it: "phases and shit". Lunar phases are cyclic.