Hydaelyn Role-Players

I've attempted to track down what the climate of Ala Mhigo would have been like for roleplay and background purposes, but I've been unable to find anything hugely specific in lore or within other threads. 

From what I have read here in discussion on the square-enix forums, it is possible that the city-state would have been similar to coerthas given it's matching latitude and altitude. Additionally, being that the city itself was placed within the 'Highlands' and from what we have seen of various concept arts this would lead me to the belief that it was located in the mountains; also cold and prone to snow.

Yet Gridania, from what I am aware, does not get any snow at all; thus bringing us back to the fact that the city was built into the mountains itself, erected as a fortress city like the concept art would suggest. Though parts of the image are indeed clouds, there is obvious snow there to my eye.

If we take into consideration what the alpine climate of the Highlands is like, or the "H" climate under the Köppen classification;

blueplanetbiomes.org Wrote:Highland climates are cool to cold, found in mountains and high plateaus. Climates change rapidly on mountains, becoming colder the higher the altitude gets. The climate of a highland area is closely related to the climate of the surrounding biome. The highlands have the same seasons and wet and dry periods as the biome they are in.

Furthermore, apart from stone being the sturdier and more durable resource for longevity and fortification both, it perhaps also takes into consideration the extreme erosion caused by strong winds at such an altitude.

Encyclopedia Brittanica Wrote:With increasing height, temperature, pressure, atmospheric humidity, and dust content decrease. The reduced amount of air overhead results in high atmospheric transparency and enhanced receipt of solar radiation (especially of ultraviolet wavelength) at elevation. Altitude also tends to increase precipitation, at least for the first 4,000 metres (about 13,100 feet). The orientation of mountain slopes has a major impact on solar radiation receipt and temperature and also governs exposure to wind. Mountains can have other effects on the wind climate; valleys can increase wind speeds by “funneling” regional flows and may generate mesoscale mountain- and valley-wind circulations as well.

Perhaps, as with many places, Gyr Abania itself is not a particularly cold climate or cannot be labelled as such with the little information available, yet it can perhaps be assumed that the city itself and surrounding area was of a cooler temperature and often blanketed in snow.

Thoughts?

IS THIS A PICTURE FOR ANTS?



Seems more like clouds to me.

No snow.

Anyhow, snow? Nah, that's Ishgard now. Every bit of concept art we've been given seems pretty mountainous (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Ala_Mhigo just scroll down). Hells, if anything I'd always imagined the tempature as it is here over in good old Holland. Not snowy, perhaps at times, because we do have summers and winters after all! Other times warm, but never really extremely cold or warm. Of course the mountains may have been very different, but mind you, mountains doesn't always imply snow after all! And seeing from the way Monk garbs for example are made, and those are traditional, pre-Mad King outfits, we hardly going to see fighters in cold areas with the gear they've worn. Surely aether and combat can keep you warm but eh, judging from this?




And I believe the lore behind the AF2 gear is that they are the old school version of what people used to wear back in the days. Hells, Monks were even more skimpier clothed back in the days!


No chance in hell the majority of Ala Mhigo's ground were covered with snow, if we are to judge from the attire of their religious sect

Editing as I go by the way because I'm stuck doing a dungeon ;_; Give me a moment!

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]IS THIS A PICTURE FOR ANTS?

If you click on it in the OP, it will enlarge the image.

(11-18-2015, 08:10 PM)Capheira Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]IS THIS A PICTURE FOR ANTS?

If you click on it in the OP, it will enlarge the image.

To this size yes

(11-18-2015, 08:10 PM)Capheira Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]IS THIS A PICTURE FOR ANTS?

If you click on it in the OP, it will enlarge the image.

It actually doesn't, not with the forum system as it is. The image system scrolls into what Virella provided.

I can think of Gyr Albania as perhaps being a temperate to cooler climate but I don't believe it really got too much snow. Pre-Calamity, Coerthas Central Highlands were greeeeeen. Green green and trees! Of course, that doesn't mean there is no cold but... Shaving eyebrows and wearing the temple garb that exposes them to the elements... Hurm.

Also look at the AF2 gear of Monk and Warriors.

Thank you for your reply, Virella!

To be fair though, I think if you're at an altitude where you are above/in the clouds you can assume you're going to be freezing your ass off even if it doesn't snow. The higher you go, the further the temperature drops.

On the note of 'keeping warm' and cold climates I mean, it may not be historically accurate but there is plenty of viking/norse based artworks of men and women wearing hardly anything in a fantasy genre so I'm not sure if that really holds up. I mean, in a practical sense I hear you but I don't think because gear isn't necessarily 'warm' looking it means there is "no chance in hell" of it snowing. 

I don't think it's a stretch to consider that it would definitely be cold and be prone to snow, even if it's not an everyday thing.

(11-18-2015, 08:19 PM)Capheira Wrote: [ -> ]To be fair though, if you're at an altitude where you are above/in the clouds you can assume you're going to be freezing your ass off. On the note of 'keeping warm' and cold climates I mean, there is plenty of viking/norse based artworks of men and women wearing hardly anything in a fantasy genre so I'm not sure if that really holds up. I mean, in a practical sense I hear you but I don't think because gear isn't necessarily 'warm' looking it means there is "no chance in hell" of it snowing. 

Someone also mentioned it looks a lot like London, which also snows!

"No chance in hell the majority of Ala Mhigo's ground were covered with snow, if we are to judge from the attire of their religious sect."

Surely, mountain peaks, season changes ect, but eh, majority of the time? Nah, I really, really doubt that. Surely fantasy is one thing, but SE tends to ish keep racial gear in mind in that regard. You don't see too many Ishgardian elezen in skimpy outfits, and dressed rather warmly. You don't see Ul'dahn npcs wearing shittons of layers of clothing like the Ishgardians tend to do ect. Dravanian Forelands weather, if anything that's my bet for Ala Mhigan weather.

No snowy people, no hot weather people either (gods if I hear one more person go about how Thanalan heat reminds them of Ala Mhigo, I will slap them with my keyboard >: ( )

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]No chance in hell the majority of Ala Mhigo's ground were covered with snow, if we are to judge from the attire of their religious sect

Counterpoint:

(11-18-2015, 08:27 PM)V Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]No chance in hell the majority of Ala Mhigo's ground were covered with snow, if we are to judge from the attire of their religious sect

Counterpoint:

Yeah that's dragoons though, and I don't know why the hell that belly window makes any sense, BUT LETS NO GO THERE BECAUSE IVE SEEN THIS DISCUSSION BEFORE.

BUT IN GENERAL, THE NPCS TEND TO DRESS ACCORDING TO THE WEATHER THEY COME FROM AYE? That was the whole point, sniping out one exception compared to the many other examples eh. Well. No.

It's worth noting that the reason why Coerthas has snow is because when Dalamud dropped, all the aether in the air dicked-up the climes and made it cold.

In other words, it's Magic Snow.

Outside of Coerthas in places that should be roughly the same longitude, it isn't even snowing (Dravania, for instance).

So if we know that climates are influenced by aether (honestly, what isn't in this setting?) then we can't really use geographical position to get a good hold on what it would be like.

There's some concept art, though.


EDIT: Regarding belly-windows, Ishgard wasn't always the frozen hell it now is, so it might have been a little more sensical to have a belly window once upon a time.

If there's any reason to object to having a belly window, it's because you're fighting dragons and they can stab you.

(11-18-2015, 08:19 PM)Kage Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-18-2015, 08:10 PM)Capheira Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-18-2015, 08:07 PM)Virella Wrote: [ -> ]IS THIS A PICTURE FOR ANTS?

If you click on it in the OP, it will enlarge the image.

It actually doesn't, not with the forum system as it is. The image system scrolls into what Virella provided.

It works just fine for me.

(11-18-2015, 08:29 PM)Oli! Wrote: [ -> ]It's worth noting that the reason why Coerthas has snow is because when Dalamud dropped, all the aether in the air dicked-up the climes and made it cold.

In other words, it's Magic Snow.

Outside of Coerthas in places that should be roughly the same longitude, it isn't even snowing (Dravania, for instance).

So if we know that climate's are influenced by aether (honestly, what isn't in this setting?) then we can't really use geographical position to get a good hold on what it would be like.

There's some concept art, though.


EDIT: Regarding belly-windows, Ishgard wasn't always the frozen hell it now is, so it might have been a little more sensical to have a belly window once upon a time.

If there's any reason to object to having a belly window, it's because you're fighting dragons and they can stab you.

Good point there as well Olli, we don't really know what the current weather is in any case. Things might have gone to hell there as well for all we know. Ishgard appears to be as mountainous if not more so then Ala Mhigo, hells if we look at the map? Ishgard is build onto a mountain, whereas Ala Mhigo doesn't appear to be as high up as Ishgard. And Ishgard only got the snow due to the calamity!

And same about the belly window.

Based on the concept art, I've always envisioned Gyr Albania as fairly temperamental in low-lying regions (regions at altitude near city) but cold at higher elevations (mountain depicted in background) and during colder months.

Ishgard didn't really have snow as it is now. Look at Ishgard weather with the flashback from Heavensward MSQ events.

(11-18-2015, 08:33 PM)Sig Wrote: [ -> ]Based on the concept art, I've always envisioned Gyr Albania as fairly temperamental in low-lying regions (regions at altitude near city) but cold at higher elevations (mountain depicted in background) and during colder months.

Ah, yes. This is pretty much the point I was making though in far better terms, thank you! 

From what we can see of what limited artwork there is, although none of it is snowing given it's altitude and location, I believe we can safely assume that the weather would be quite crisp and at times prone to the cold, and perhaps harsh winters given the strength of wind.

If we take a moment to consider it's location is listed as being the "Highlands" of Gyr Abania, and then compare this to the "Highlands" of our world, their geographic layout and climate....



To shift slightly away from what is 'practical' and 'logical' as far as climates go, and to take a step out on a creative head-cannon, I've personally considered that is may be similar in location to what we saw of Skyhold in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Ala Mhigo:


Skyhold: