(08-02-2016, 09:05 AM)Valence Wrote: The lore though? It seems damn nebulous. Why didn't Y'Shtola use a standard teleport to any aetheryte somewhere else? I don't even remember the explanation they gave...

Urianger Wrote:The very first that man did conceive to traverse great distances, and the ancient precursor to all methods of travel that utilize the Lifestream: Flow.

The spell entaileth the reduction of the corporeal form into its constituent aether, that the caster might enter the Lifestream and ride its currents thereby. Unlike the teleportation magicks of modern times, it requireth not a lengthy incantation.

Know that the scholars of Sharlayan forbade the use of this spell - and with good reason. The caster hath but limited control over his course. For every mage who came safe unto his destination, another would be set adrift in the Lifestream, never to emerge.

(08-18-2015, 02:06 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: It takes 2.5 minutes Eorzean time to cast Teleport. That's two whole minutes that the caster must remain still, in meditation, chanting, and uninterrupted or hurt for the spell to go off successfully. While under duress, the incantation may even take longer to accomplish or be too dangerous to pull off in the first place.

EDIT: 2.5 minutes doesn't seem like much, but listen to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" from start to finish and that's how long it should take you to ICly cast teleport. That's a lot of awkward standing around murmuring to yourself.

Ring of Fire

Camate Wrote:Why doesn't everyone use aetherytes?
To traverse the Lifestream safely with Teleport and Return requires a great deal of spiritual energy, known as anima. While many individuals, such as adventurers, possess the fortitude to endure such travel, some individuals do not. What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

1.0 Archives Wrote:Aetheryte is the name given to massive shards of crystallized aetheric mist, precisely cut and fused to arcane machinery. While it is not known when or by whom these devices were originally constructed, their teleportational qualities have become the backbone of everyday transportation throughout the realm, with most managed and operated by individual city-states. Their existence in Eorzea seems to be what drew scores of people to settle in the hostile land in the first place.

Though the exact mechanism behind teleportation via aetheryte is still largely a mystery, one theory states that when a sentient being approaches one of the portals, the aether that makes up its body resonates with the aether of the crystals, which in turn results in a complete breakdown of the being's mass, allowing it to temporarily return to the invisible aetheric streams that course throughout the planet.

The being's soul, which cannot be broken down, then guides the particles to a predetermined destination, and upon arrival, the corresponding aetheryte receptacle reconfigures the mist back into its original form. This whole process takes only a matter of moments, allowing for nearly instant transportation to faraway destinations.

However, being broken down to the aetheric level can take its toll on one's body, and rest is often required after several consecutive jumps, especially as the distance becomes greater. As a precaution, most city-states strongly discourage over-teleporting, as it can lead to irreversible damage...

(08-04-2016, 02:49 AM)Eddard Wrote: I have a question on the creation of magic/enchanted items: 

A new character of mine is going to have a book that he keeps very private yet has on him at all times. As a security measure to make sure nobody reads it I was thinking it could have two defensive spells that activate if it senses an aether signature other than his when held. One would simply keep the book closed while the other would burn the hands of the one holding it. I'm not exactly sure if there's a means of making a magical item in such a way that's been elaborated on at any point. I know of soul binding weapons and materia but they aren't the means I can see that occurring. Is there any specific school of magic/craft known to be proficient in applying spells of this manner?

(08-24-2016, 12:24 PM)Martiallais Wrote: I did some quick hunting for this but couldn't find anything in one place soooo...

Any chance for a compilation on the War of the Sisters, Belah'dah and Sil'dah? I'm thinking of using them (potentially) for a story arc in the near future and wanted to make sure I had the right sorts of information to run with.

(08-24-2016, 12:26 PM)Melkire Wrote:

(08-24-2016, 12:24 PM)Martiallais Wrote: I did some quick hunting for this but couldn't find anything in one place soooo...

Any chance for a compilation on the War of the Sisters, Belah'dah and Sil'dah? I'm thinking of using them (potentially) for a story arc in the near future and wanted to make sure I had the right sorts of information to run with.

Quick correction before someone gets around to answering you: the War of the Sisters was between Sil'dih and the original Ul'dah, long after they resulted from Belah'dia being split in twain as a result of a succession crisis.

(08-24-2016, 12:24 PM)Martiallais Wrote: I did some quick hunting for this but couldn't find anything in one place soooo...

Any chance for a compilation on the War of the Sisters, Belah'dah and Sil'dah? I'm thinking of using them (potentially) for a story arc in the near future and wanted to make sure I had the right sorts of information to run with.

(08-24-2016, 12:29 PM)Kilieit Wrote: I think the MNK quest-giver gives a fairly good summary when asked:

Show Content

SpoilerErik: I need hardly mention that Sil'dihn civilization is now centuries dead.
Erik: Sil'dih was plunged into chaos in the wake of King Lalawefu's demise─or the King of Springs, as he was known. Despite the success of his economic reforms, the tax increases he imposed did not sit well with his subjects.
Erik: This, coupled with a prolonged sequence of untimely droughts, fomented unrest among the people and in time sparked violent unrest throughout the kingdom.
Erik: Sil'dih was not alone in its want for water. Ul'dah, too, felt the effects of the droughts.
Erik: The sultan at the time, Sasagan Ul Sisigan─ Ah! But perhaps you recognize the Ul name? The current sultana, Nanamo Ul Namo, represents the second Ul Dynasty. She is Sasagan's distant descendant.
Erik: Now...where was I? Ah, yes! Right, so, Sasagan ordered an attack on Sil'dih to claim the water resources discovered as a result of Lalawefu's flood control acts.
Erik: But the royalty and nobility of Sil'dih would not remain idle. They mobilized their nation in the face of this crisis, and the people fought with great tenacity against the Ul'dahn threat.
Erik: The full strength of both nations met in battle, and the end result was an arduous protracted conflict.
Erik: Though arguably more desirable than surrender, the ruling Sil'dihn elite took little pleasure in having succeeded in uniting the theretofore querulous citizenry to fight. For despite all they accomplished, every day spent waging war dragged the nation's financial affairs─which you will recall had only just been brought under control─back into the mire.
Erik: To bring an end to the long military deadlock, Sil'dih devised and set about implementing a perverse yet ambitious strategy.
Erik: It sought to zombify the deceased among its army, that they might fight again.
Erik: At first, it appeared to have worked. Yet at the height of hostilities, the Sil'dihns lost control over their necrotic creations. The undead turned on their masters, and before long the zombification had spread to a majority of the population.
Erik: Ever knowing an opportunity when they saw one, the Ul'dahns used this to justify their war─now proclaiming it a crusade to send these zombies to Thal. After seeing to the extermination of all zombies outside the city, they then sealed the gates of Sil'dih, entrapping both the living and dead within.
Erik: And that, in brief, is a history of the fall of Sil'dih. I only pray that your feeble mind is able to retain it.

(08-24-2016, 12:24 PM)Martiallais Wrote: I did some quick hunting for this but couldn't find anything in one place soooo...

Any chance for a compilation on the War of the Sisters, Belah'dah and Sil'dah? I'm thinking of using them (potentially) for a story arc in the near future and wanted to make sure I had the right sorts of information to run with.

Butler Wrote:Forgive me. Of late, I have been studying the works of a Belah'dian poet king, who wrote, “To ye who ask of things to come: give thought to what is past and gone.”

Erasmus Wrote:You don't say? It's not every day someone comes to our halls to research Sil'dih. As a fellow student of history, though, I more than welcome the conversation. Belah'dian civilization flourished in relative peace until twin sons were born to the royal family. The two were fierce rivals, and when they came of age and their father passed, each one claimed that he was the rightful heir to the throne. With neither son willing to relinquish his claim, they agreed to split their kingdom in two, forming the twin nations of Ul'dah and Sil'dih. But not unlike the two proud princes, the sibling nations developed a penchant for rivalry...

Nenekko Wrote:Researching the ancient feud between Ul'dah and Sil'dih, are you? Most impressive! Young people these days show so little interest in learning from the past. Anyhow, I'm pleased to say I have more than a passing familiarity with ancient history. To understand the history of the sibling nations, one must go back further still, to the birth of their mother nation, Belah'dia.

The Fifth Astral Era was an age of untold wonders, when the arcane arts burgeoned and the great civilizations that commanded such powers flourished. This age of enlightenment would not last, however. Power bred avarice, and avarice bred resentment. It culminated in the War of the Magi, which brought the great floods of the Sixth Umbral Calamity, which in turn swallowed once-proud nations and left a battered wasteland in its wake.

Mages were reviled and persecuted for having caused this catastrophe, with many forced to leave their homelands or face death. It was a small band of those survivors that found their way to Thanalan, where they would found the nation of Belah'dia some eight centuries agone. Ah, imagine: a government of mages, by mages, and for mages! What wonders might have been wrought had Belah'dian civilization survived to this very day! Alas, this was not to be...

Yayake Wrote:The nation of Ul'dah inherited its traditions from ancient Belah'dia, a city founded by the descendants of the first mages. The secrets of these illustrious sorcerers were ultimately entrusted to the priests of the Order of Nald'thal, who have passed them down from generation to generation ever since. Focused and refined over centuries of use in the Order's funereal rites, the arcane magicks of our ancestors eventually emerged as the art we now know as thaumaturgy.

Albin the Ashen Wrote:When the Hyuran tribe came to Thanalan some 800 years ago, Albin the Ashen was at the head of one of the columns. Then-native Belah'dians rose against the invaders and prevailed, as history records. Albin was but one of many slain in the abortive conquest, yet his mortal coil still roams the land in search of vengeance.

Valiant Hart Wrote:Tell me, have you heard of Winebaud? He was an explorer of some renown ten years ago, though he regrettably retired and passed on not long ago. It is said that he discovered a treasure worth one hundred million gil. That's right─one hundred million gil! Winebaud called it the most precious secret of Lalafuto III, who was sultan of Belah'dia some seven hundred years ago.

Sightseeing Vista #061 Wrote:The Sunken Temple of Qarn
Most scholars of ancient Belah'dian civilization claim this twisting labyrinth of complex chambers to be a place of worship dedicated to the sun goddess, Azeyma. Recent diggings, however, have uncovered older chambers buried beneath the new containing relics not of the Sixth Astral Era, suggesting that the temple may have been built by a different people.

The Sunken Temple of Qarn Wrote:Under the unforgiving Thanalan sun lie the ruins of an ancient temple half-devoured by the shifting sands of a timeless desert. Though used by ancient Belah'dians as a place to worship the sun goddess, Azeyma, the massive underground structure appears to be far older than this Sixth Astral Era civilization. That, however, did not deter Belah'dian sultans from each adding their own chambers to the original construct in a bid to achieve immortality through creation. In the subsequent years since the fall of Belah'dia, many an adventurer has sought to explore the temple's mysteries and perhaps return with the treasure of a lost era... only to fall victim to one of the complex traps set to prevent that very thing from happening.

Sightseeing Vista #019 Wrote:The Invisible City
Buried under nearly a malm of solid rock, if it not for a gaping rent torn open by the Calamity, these ancient ruins may have gone undiscovered for another thousand summers. Scholars sent to Highbridge to study the site are currently of a mind that the structures are not a city, but in fact the tomb of one Lalafuto IV, famed sultan of Belah'dia.

Kyokyozo Wrote:What's this!? The ruins date back to the latter Belah'dian Era, and house the final resting place of Lalafuto IV himself? The historical implications of this research are beyond anything the Order had imagined. I must arrange for additional researchers and supplies to be sent to Highbridge immediately!

The Doom that Came to Belah'dia Wrote:It draws breath still, the Invisible City, though the time of Belah'dia is long past. Do you not hear the stones that shroud the ruins, hear them turning? Click-click-click like a restless dog pacing its master's chamber floor. Bring them away, I beg you, thin the herd. The power, it grows.

Annabell Wrote:Have you perchance visited the ruins south of here? It is said that they date back to the era of the Belah'dians. As a student of history, I was delighted when my superiors sent me there on patrol. My delight soon turned to dread, however, when I discovered the terrible truth─these ruins are haunted! Yes, you heard me right. Specters of Belah'dia haunt the place to this day, and my limited training has hardly prepared me to face such horrors. Would you be so obliging as to take this holy water and shepherd the lost souls to Thal's realm?

Halvak Alvak Wrote:Typically forged of stone and clay, the magical monstrosities known as golems once served myriad masters at the height of the Fifth Astral Era. Though the craft of their creation is thought to be forgotten, it is not uncommon to glimpse these terrifying titans near ruins of the ancient city of Belah'dia.

Nunyunuwi Wrote:The large population of golems in southern Thanalan is ascribed by mainstream historians to the mages of Belah'dia, who made the sturdy guardians for the protection of the Temple of Qarn. Among these sad remnants of a civilization lost to time, Nunyunuwi stands out for his exceptional size and stealth. At rest, he vanishes into the landscape of tors and boulders. Only a sizable battle will rouse the stone soldier to his ancient duty: to fight to the death.

Company Chocobo Wrote:Born and bred in the city-state of Ishgard, the majority of company chocobos are geldings of the rouncey variety; however, massive destriers and miniature Belah'dian jennets are also raised to accommodate the builds of Roegadyn and Lalafell riders respectively.

Valiant Hart Wrote:These are naught more than the words of some lovesick buffoon to his beloved! Over and over he repeats the same hackneyed phrases, and his desire to “renounce,” to “forsake,” to “abdicate─” “Abdicate the throne...” Wait. Could it be that this was written by Lalafuto III!?

Many believed that the sultan's wife had him assassinated so that she could claim the throne for herself. Though that would seem the most likely explanation, his sudden disappearance remains a mystery to this day. Yet if these poems are to be believed, Lalafuto III was madly in love with his paramour, and wished to be free of his royal responsibilities. He was plotting to flee the capital in secret─and may very well have succeeded.

An ambitious courtier could have used these poems to gain favor with the sultana or her enemies. On one hand, they are arguably evidence that Lalafuto III still lived. On the other hand, one could assert that Memeto the Meek had him murdered for this ultimate betrayal...

Erik Wrote:I need hardly mention that Sil'dihn civilization is now centuries dead. Sil'dih was plunged into chaos in the wake of King Lalawefu’s demise─or the King of Springs, as he was known. Despite the success of his economic reforms, the tax increases he imposed did not sit well with his subjects. This, coupled with a prolonged sequence of untimely droughts, fomented unrest among the people and in time sparked violent unrest throughout the kingdom. Sil'dih was not alone in its want for water. Ul'dah, too, felt the effects of the droughts.

The sultan at the time, Sasagan Ul Sisigan─ Ah! But perhaps you recognize the Ul name? The current sultana, Nanamo Ul Namo, represents the second Ul dynasty. She is Sasagan’s distant descendant. Now…where was I? Ah, yes! Right, so, Sasagan ordered an attack on Sil'dih to claim the water resources discovered as a result of Lalawefu’s flood control acts.

But the royalty and nobility of Sil'dih would not remain idle. They mobilized their nation in the face of this crisis, and the people fought with great tenacity against the Ul'dahn threat. The full strength of both nations met in battle, and the end result was an arduous protracted conflict. Though arguably more desirable than surrender, the ruling Sil'dihn elite took little pleasure in having succeeded in uniting the theretofore querulous citizenry to fight. For despite all they accomplished, every day spent waging war dragged the nation’s financial affairs─which you will recall had only just been brought under control─back into the mire.

To bring an end to the long military deadlock, Sil'dih devised and set about implementing a perverse yet ambitious strategy. It sought to zombify the deceased among its army, that they might fight again. At first, it appeared to have worked. Yet at the height of hostilities, the Sil'dihns lost control over their necrotic creations. The undead turned on their masters, and before long the zombification had spread to a majority of the population.

Ever knowing an opportunity when they saw one, the Ul'dahns grasped this turn of events to justify their war─now proclaiming it a crusade to send these zombies to Thal. After seeing to the extermination of all zombies outside the city, they then sealed the gates of Sil'dih, entrapping both the living and dead within.

Yayaroku Wrote:Greetings, traveler. You would learn of the war between Ul'dah and the fallen sultanate of Sil'dih? It would be my pleasure to enlighten you. The two city-states coexisted for several generations until the bad blood between them boiled over, culminating in outright war. As you might deduce from the present state of affairs, Ul'dah emerged victorious, leaving its once-proud sibling nation in smoldering ruins.

As the histories tell it, the battles fought between the sister nations were the stuff of nightmares. In a desperate attempt to overcome Ul'dah’s superior numbers, Sil'dihn alchemists devised a most horrific strategem. Employing a frightful formula known as the Trader’s Spurn, they brought their fallen allies back from Thal’s realm. Some theories have it that they even employed the potion on those of the living who were too weak or wounded to fight.

Cocobuki Wrote:Two scales, one of gold and one of silver. The gold of Ul'dah, weighing prosperity and power. The silver of Sil'dih, weighing knowledge and power. But the power sought by the two nations differed greatly─yes, greatly indeed. The power wrought by Ul'dahn prosperity was that of justice and good, while the power wrought by Sil'dihn knowledge was horrific beyond belief─the power to rip the living soul out of a man and render him a mindless killing machine. On this matter, the histories are clear.

But riddle me this, my friend: who writes the histories, and what does this say of the words writ within? Yes, truth can be elusive and fickle as the shifting sands… As one example, did you know that in the war against Sil'dih, Ul'dahn and Amalj'aa warriors fought side by side? Likely, you did not. And neither did I, until I encountered a faded passage in an ancient text buried deep in our archives.

And yet, in the histories read by the populace, you will see no mention of this most fascinating fact. Might it be that someone, at some time, deemed this particular truth less than convenient? Hm hm hm…? But I have said enough already…

Sightseeing Vista #017 Wrote:The Ruins of Sil'dih
The city-states of Ul'dah and Sil'dih coexisted for generations until 400 years ago when bad blood festering betwixt the two sultanates culminated in the War of the Sisters - leaving Sil'dih a smoldering pile of rubble to be claimed by the shifting desert sands. The subsequent relocation of Ul'dah placed the city-state nearly directly above her fallen sibling.

Cecy Wrote:It was Ul'dah that ordered the creation of that dreadful powder, and wielded it as a weapon against our proud ancestors. The history of your glorious sultanate is built on a lie! The powder in my possession was stolen from the Ul'dahn army four centuries ago by one of my ancestors. They say it was his final act of courage in the moments before his leg fell off and his rotting head dropped from his shoulders. In the last days before our proud nation was razed to the ground, a band of the final survivors stole a vast quantity of the powder from the Ul'dahn vaults, hiding it away in a secret vault sealed with powerful magicks. This is the truth that the histories don't tell. The truth that this doe-eyed Sultansworn would kill to keep buried deep in the sands of Thanalan!

Godbert Wrote:While the crimes perpetrated by you and your sister are unpardonable, you are far from the only ones guilty. On behalf of the Syndicate, I offer my apologies for the false aspersions cast upon your ancestors. You said that the nation of Ul'dah was built on lies. Seeing what I have seen today, I cannot deny your words. It will not be an easy task to rewrite─nay, restore─history, but know this: I will do everything in my power to bring the truth to the fore.

Nenekko Wrote:Excuse me… That shard you had. Might I ask how you came by it? I see. Sil'dih must have been a truly vast city at its peak, just as the histories say. Oh dear, forgive me for not explaining. I assumed you know. Sil'dih was an ancient city, located very near to Ul'dah. At one time, it prospered much as Ul'dah does now, but they lost a great war and the civilization crumbled. To this day, none know precisely what kind of city it was. But to gaze upon the sheer scale of the ruins, one can only imagine that it must have been as great and lively a city as our own.

Nenekko Wrote:Do you remember before, when we talked about Sil'dih? There's barely a mention of the city in the histories, and none still live who remember it. But it was a beautiful city once, and prosperous. And now it is gone. Forgotten.

It must have been just like Ul'dah - No. it must have been less magnificent than Ul'dah. Less spectacular and less remarkable. Just an ordinary city where ordinary people lived ordinary lives, content and peaceful. Which only served to make it easier for people to forget about it. I come here to look upon the ruins because nobody else does. Nobody else seems to care. When I am gone, I doubt even the name of Sil'dih will be remembered.

Popokkuli Wrote:Aye, and the research team was led by none other than Nenekko, our little sister! She's the one who wrote the book on the ruins of Sil'dih, the research to end all other research on the place!

Nobody except her was gonna figure out that Sil'dih and Ul'dah are both descended from the Belah'dian civilization! The Sunken Temple of Qarn is the native rock─no way in seven hells was she going to not lead that expedition!

Sightseeing Vista #017 Wrote:The Ruins of Sil'dih
The city-states of Ul'dah and Sil'dih coexisted for generations until 400 years ago when bad blood festering betwixt the two sultanates culminated in the War of the Sisters - leaving Sil'dih a smoldering pile of rubble to be claimed by the shifting desert sands. The subsequent relocation of Ul'dah placed the city-state nearly directly above her fallen sibling.

Sinette Wrote:They are called the twins, Nald and Thal. Or at times, the Traders. All of reality is governed by their two aspects, and they hold a ceaseless vigil to ensure order is maintained. Long ago, our city itself was split into two great sections, to mirror this truth. As a great teacher of mine once said, microcosm recapitulates macrocosm. We have since merged, and prospered for it. Perhaps the gods will someday mirror us.

Mythril Eye: Princess Doll Contest Wrote:Three centuries past, the city-state of Ul'dah was ruled by an iron-fisted sultan by the name of Baldric Thorne—a man feared across the region for his quick temper and his even swifter justice. Perhaps as punishment for his compassionless ways, the Twelve saw fit to bless the sultan with but a single daughter, Edvya, whom the sultan loved more than the sun and the moons.

Wind-up Edvya Wrote:Forty years after the founding of the Thorne Dynasty, sultan Baldric Thorne was blessed by the gods with a single daughter, Edvya, whom he loved fiercely. The history surrounding the two, now known as the "Legend of the Lost Lady" gave rise to the festival of Little Ladies' Day.

Copperbell Mines Wrote:Abandoned once purged of ore, Copperbell Mines lay untouched for nigh on three centuries until Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern reclaimed the shafts - the guild's sights set on expanding the mines downward in an attempt to tap yet undiscovered veins of valuable metal. Unfortunately, it was not riches the powder kegs uncovered, but sheer terror, for when the smoke cleared, out poured an army of raging giants from the darkest recesses of the mines. The hecatoncheires - thralls of the lost Thorne Dynasty - were, at last, free from their lightless prison, three hundred years of hate fueling their madness.

Solemn Trinity Wrote:The gigants are made up of three distinctive classes: the ruling class of gigas, the slave class of gigas, and the hecatoncheires - a second class of slaves who have spent the past several centuries trapped in a sealed mine. The enmity between the classes runs deep, and when any two converge, sparks will fly. But, when all three converge... the results can be devastating.

Well-schooled Steward Wrote:On the second row of the stage stands life-size figurines of two archers─referenced in Thorne Dynasty records as the Twin Bows. It is said that they served as bodyguards for Princess Edvya on the strict orders of her father, the sultan. It is perhaps worth noting that despite their moniker, the two are of different races entirely. One is Hyuran, a midlander, not unlike the Royal House of Thorne which he did serve. The other is of Miqo'te blood, a Seeker of the Sun. The histories tell of how─after years of bitter struggle─the Thorne Dynasty at last succeeded in reaching across the desert and establishing trade with the U tribe, a fact which the existence of these dolls would seem to corroborate.

Well-schooled Steward Wrote:Happy years those were, but they would be short-lived. The second Ul Dynasty would soon rise, and the Thorne traditions would be abandoned...

Well-schooled Steward Wrote:The first row displays life-size recreations of the three legendary Sultansworn known collectively as the first paladins. Of particular interest are the blades that they brandish. Three blades forged from the same steel, one each bestowed to the three great warriors who would attend the Royal House by the hand of Sasagan Ul Sisigan, first of his name and founder of our nation. Curtana, Joyeuse, Durandal… Eras have passed, monarchs have risen and fallen, but the legends of these blades─and the men who did wield them─live on to this very day.

Erik Wrote:Right, so, Sasagan ordered an attack on Sil'dih to claim the water resources discovered as a result of Lalawefu’s flood control acts.