Most of the questions have already been tackled, so I thought you might find a few more details useful for fleshing out your character's background.
Y'mhitra, the summoner trainer, specifically asked for someone with a background in arcanima (and requisite experience in defeating a primal) because of the discipline's affinity with summoning.
Arcanima is essentially the "science" of manipulating the aether of objects through arcane geometry. The "summoning" of carbuncles is the most vivid example of arcanima in practice, but the discipline works in other ways too. Arcane geometry can, for example, be used to trigger aetherochemical reactions within objects, causing debilitating, entropic effects that are likened to "diseases" (bio, miasma, etc).
(Later in the main quest line, especially in the post-Heavensward story, you'll encounter other uses of arcanima, like the creation of powerful magic barriers.)
Arcanima can also create "dams" within an individual's life force, allowing an arcanist to hold a portion of his aether in reserve, and then release it in an explosive burst (ie, aetherdam, aetherflow).
And while it has never been explicitly stated in the game's lore, I've long believed that an arcanist's aetherdam ability was essential to the revival of Allagan summoning. That's because, unlike arcane summoning, Allagan summoning requires the summoner to power the egi with his own aetheric life force (and this in turn explains why the summoning of more powerful egi is impossible; no mortal summoner has enough life force to do so).
It should be further noted that Allagan summoning, in its current form in the Seventh Astral Era, is still very much a work-in-progress. It's not entirely clear that the original Allagan summoners used "disease"-related spells the way the modern arcanist-summoner does, for example. You could think of the current summoner template as one in which your "arcanist researchers" filled the archeological gaps with modern arcanima.
By-the-by, it appears that arcanima, like astromancy, is very much a niche discipline. Most magic-users in Eorzea appear to practise either conjury or thaumaturgy. The branch of arcanima practised in Limsa Lominsa is said to have originated from the inhabitants of the southern islands (and I like to imagine that it may have evolved from the mathematical calculations for sea navigation). The Sharlayans appear to be the only other major practitioners of arcanima, with major NPCs like Alphinaud, Alisaie and Urianger being arcanists in the Sharlayan tradition.
Hope you find the above useful.
Y'mhitra, the summoner trainer, specifically asked for someone with a background in arcanima (and requisite experience in defeating a primal) because of the discipline's affinity with summoning.
Arcanima is essentially the "science" of manipulating the aether of objects through arcane geometry. The "summoning" of carbuncles is the most vivid example of arcanima in practice, but the discipline works in other ways too. Arcane geometry can, for example, be used to trigger aetherochemical reactions within objects, causing debilitating, entropic effects that are likened to "diseases" (bio, miasma, etc).
(Later in the main quest line, especially in the post-Heavensward story, you'll encounter other uses of arcanima, like the creation of powerful magic barriers.)
Arcanima can also create "dams" within an individual's life force, allowing an arcanist to hold a portion of his aether in reserve, and then release it in an explosive burst (ie, aetherdam, aetherflow).
And while it has never been explicitly stated in the game's lore, I've long believed that an arcanist's aetherdam ability was essential to the revival of Allagan summoning. That's because, unlike arcane summoning, Allagan summoning requires the summoner to power the egi with his own aetheric life force (and this in turn explains why the summoning of more powerful egi is impossible; no mortal summoner has enough life force to do so).
It should be further noted that Allagan summoning, in its current form in the Seventh Astral Era, is still very much a work-in-progress. It's not entirely clear that the original Allagan summoners used "disease"-related spells the way the modern arcanist-summoner does, for example. You could think of the current summoner template as one in which your "arcanist researchers" filled the archeological gaps with modern arcanima.
By-the-by, it appears that arcanima, like astromancy, is very much a niche discipline. Most magic-users in Eorzea appear to practise either conjury or thaumaturgy. The branch of arcanima practised in Limsa Lominsa is said to have originated from the inhabitants of the southern islands (and I like to imagine that it may have evolved from the mathematical calculations for sea navigation). The Sharlayans appear to be the only other major practitioners of arcanima, with major NPCs like Alphinaud, Alisaie and Urianger being arcanists in the Sharlayan tradition.
Hope you find the above useful.