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+--- Thread: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) (/showthread.php?tid=6129)
Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - Flickering Ember - 01-15-2014
I haven't yet found a good resource for FFXIV lore, unfortunately. I seem to only be able to find general FF wiki's. I'm really looking to know more about Eorzea's creatures and most specifically even, magical based creatures.
-Spirits
Does Eorzea have them? Mean, benevolent, ambivalent? Are there any legends involving spirits? What is the extent of their powers? What is their relationship towards mortals?
-Elements
I'm pretty sure I've seen some element enemies floating around which are pretty standard in FF games. Are they the same as Elementals, though? Since they seem to be mobs, are they connected to Primals? Are they connected to gods which also are element based? Are there friendly ones?Â
-Aether
From what little I know, this is magical energy that seems to reside in life, land, and just about everything. Is all magic aether though? Can just anyone sense aether or do you need to be practiced or particularly sensitive? What sort of things can you do with aether or is it supposed to be kind of vague?
Basically, to what extent can an RPer use aether as an excuse to RP strange things happening before it gets out of hand?
-Elementals
I've heard references to them, particularly in regards to Padjal being able to speak with them and them being a strong presence in the Shroud....but what are they exactly? And what is their relationship with non-Padjal? Are they magical or nature-based?
-The Twelve
Are they actual gods and goddesses or are they myths? Are they really gods or are they just ascended beings of power?
-The Primals
All pretty much bad guys, right? How often and to what extent do they mess with the lives of mortals beyond tempering? How do they go about this?
Lastly, what is the difference in elemental powers between the Twelve, the Primals, and the Elementals?Â
Really just trying to get a feel with how much I can mess with the elements story-wise in RP and get it to make sense within the world of Eorzea. And also, if there are any good quests to help me figure out the answers to these questions, let me know!Â
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - ansemaru - 01-15-2014
There's a lot of ground to cover here, and while I'm not an expert, I'll try to answer what I can!
In regards to the Twelve and Primals:
The gods are real entities- they were partially summoned during the Calamity by the collective faith and effort of the people of Eorzea as a means to protect the world against Bahamut. Typically, they do not have physical form or tangible influence in the world- much like the Primals. The Primals are entities that operate on the same axis of existence, but are not in the main pantheon and are instead worshiped by the beast tribes. Get enough crystals and dedicated believers in one place calling for a Primal to take physical form, and it will emerge from the aether in a tangible body.Â
Of course, the beast tribes make a concentrated effort to repeatedly summon the Primals, while the people of Eorzea typically don't put in a lot of energy into giving their gods physical form. Primals and gods alike can lose their physical body and therefore their means to impact the world around them, but cannot be permanently killed. They're forces of nature that simply exist. And Primals are a little more complex than just "they're the bad guys". They're entities that are clearly motivated to continue to exist in the physical world, and tempering exists as a means to an end to have a dedicated number of followers to maintain the faith in them necessary to let them stay in the physical world. But each of them has individual traits- Ifrit is more avid to temper mortals, and wishes to cleanse the world in holy fire, while Titan is more concerned with serving as a protector to the Kobolds, particularly at a time when they've been wronged by the people of Limsa Lominsa. Garuda wishes to eliminate her competitors for worship, and is vicious and capricious, to the point that not even all Ixal are 100% behind her existing in physical form. We haven't seen them face-to-face yet, but it seems like Ramuh is a benevolent protector in the vein of Titan, while Leviathan is more Ifrit-like and demanding. All of them are to some degree motivated by a desire for worship and a connection to those with faith in them, and all of them would prefer to exist in tangible, physical form.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - Varus - 01-15-2014
Spirits
According to a researcher in the monk questline, spirits and undead are manifestations of Aether that do not get crystallized into Aetherytes. It is also alluded to that mages and warlocks can summon and control them.
It should be noted that these are a researcher's /theories/ and not necessarily /fact/ in the lore sense. There might be a completely different reason as to why and how Aetherytes and spirits exist.
It is also possible to have a spirit contained within something like a Soul Stone (white mage questline).
-Elements
There is a table of FFXIV's elemental relationships and interactions somewhere on the internet.
-Aether
Aether has several names in FFXIV. Lifeforce, chakra, magic power, etc. Those that can harness this force can perform magic or abilities that resemble magic. Eorzea's atmosphere is noted to be particularly thick with Aether, which can induce unconsciousness in those not used to or conditioned to Eorzea's atmosphere.
The Calamity has proven that enough Aether can alter landscape and bend the laws of physics.Â
There are also the "Laws of Aether" that the Ascians allude to at the end of the 2.0 storyline. As well as an "Aetherial Threshold" that dictates how much Aether can pass through the living realm and the "other side." When this threshold is surpassed, Aether collects in the living realm and forms giant crystals as well as spirits and undead.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - ArmachiA - 01-15-2014
Some things I've learned about Aether since we're doing a very Aether heavy storyline right now and I had to dig into all the research.
~ People can have different levels of Aether, some have a lot - making it easier for them to use magic - and some have very little or none (From the THM storyline). This being said it seems that all magic is Aether and one has to have some in their system in order to use magic at all. I believe it is stated that Garleans can't use magic because of this.
~ Aether is used in the making of weapons, the more used the more powerful the object (Some crafting quests). Aether can be used for pretty much anything if something needs to be magically imbued.
~ Aether sickness is a decease that happens when there is too much Aether around, some being more sensitive to it than others, it can cause a person to go completely insane if not careful (I still don't know how we all hang out in Mor Dhona, anyone know?)
As for being able to sense Aether, I'm not sure thats like a Six Sense or if that something people even have. I got no lore help there one way or another, but hopefully I helped with your other questions XD
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - FreelanceWizard - 01-15-2014
A random bit of lore on spirits comes from a level 32 FATE in the Central Shroud, where you fight revenants. The FATE description indicates that a revenant is a soul that missed its opportunity upon death to reenter the Lifestream.
The White Mage quest line delves a bit into the elementals and the Shroud. The level 35 quest text notes that the elementals and the trees (possibly the forest when you consider translation issues) are one and the same. That makes sense when you consider the main scenario quest where the twins comment on the damage done to the Shroud by the calamity and how it will take decades if not centuries to recover. The "elementals" you fight in game are angered or corrupted sprites aligned with an element, but aren't elementals themselves per se, IIRC.
On the topic of Primals, at least according to the Scions, they're all inherently "bad guys" because maintaining their physical form requires a massive amount of Aether that is, as far as they know, consumed. So, if that's true, the Primals are a significant threat to the world, as draining an area of Aether is quite destructive (per the 1.x storyline). Additionally, the tempering process is stated to warp the minds of those affected, making them more like the Primal in addition to turning them into slavish worshippers; the untempered sylphs, for instance, are terrified of this as we discover in the MSQ. These two factors make them the "bad guys" from the standpoint of the Grand Companies, the Scions, and even the Garleans, even if the Primal's motivations may be relatively positive (i.e., being a protector to their worshippers).
EDIT: Made a couple of clarifications and took out something I wasn't sure I read in quest text.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - LiadansWhisper - 01-15-2014
(01-15-2014, 09:44 AM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: A random bit of lore on spirits comes from a level 32 FATE in the Central Shroud, where you fight revenants. The FATE description indicates that a revenant is a soul that missed its opportunity upon death to reenter the Lifestream.
The White Mage quest line delves a bit into the elementals and the Shroud. The level 35 quest text notes that the elementals and the trees (possibly the forest when you consider translation issues) are one and the same. That makes sense when you consider the main scenario quest where the twins comment on the damage done to the Shroud by the calamity and how it will take decades if not centuries to recover. The "elementals" you fight in game are angered or corrupted sprites aligned with an element, but aren't elementals themselves per se, IIRC.
On the topic of Primals, at least according to the Scions, they're all inherently "bad guys" because maintaining their physical form requires a massive amount of Aether that is, as far as they know, consumed. So, if that's true, the Primals are a significant threat to the world, as draining an area of Aether is quite destructive (per the 1.x storyline). Additionally, the tempering process is stated to warp the minds of those affected, making them more like the Primal in addition to turning them into slavish worshippers; the untempered sylphs, for instance, are terrified of this as we discover in the MSQ. These two factors make them the "bad guys" from the standpoint of the Grand Companies, the Scions, and even the Garleans, even if the Primal's motivations may be relatively positive (i.e., being a protector to their worshippers).
EDIT: Made a couple of clarifications and took out something I wasn't sure I read in quest text.
Yeah, I remember when they were talking about the Sylph situation... Â Ramuh is described as a relatively benign or even benevolent Primal - he doesn't seek to conquer or expand his territory. Â His focus is completely on protecting the Sylphs. Â The problem is, he's tempering most of them and eating up as much aether as he can find just to maintain his form - which will ultimately destroy the forest.
Now, some of this has changed a bit with the Sylph quests. Â The way the tempered Sylphs were described in the MSQ and what they're doing now seems to differ a bit. Â Initially we're told that they are simply very territorial and protective, and that their attacks on Little Solace are their misguided way of trying to mend the breach between the tempered and untempered Sylphs. Â But now, in the course of the daily quests, they seem much more sinister. Â Whether this is a natural progression of their tempered state or whether this was changed to facilitate the daily questline, I'm not sure.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - ansemaru - 01-15-2014
I think it's worth it to keep in mind that regular sylphs aren't 100% good and positive little people- exactly how many of the daily quests for them involve pulling mean-spirited pranks on the tempered sylphs or annoying the people at the Hawthorne Hut? I dunno. The baseline tempered sylphs are coming from isn't as far from their current state as we might want to believe.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - LiadansWhisper - 01-15-2014
(01-15-2014, 05:26 PM)ansemaru Wrote: I think it's worth it to keep in mind that regular sylphs aren't 100% good and positive little people- exactly how many of the daily quests for them involve pulling mean-spirited pranks on the tempered sylphs or annoying the people at the Hawthorne Hut? I dunno. The baseline tempered sylphs are coming from isn't as far from their current state as we might want to believe.
Well, a pretty large difference is that the tempered sylphs are now actively harming the forest, something the untempered Sylphs would never do.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - Flickering Ember - 01-15-2014
Hm, this is all really useful information although I'm still not sure how to apply it toward my character.
Maybe I should have just asked this in the first place: Would anyone be willing to appraise my character's backstory in a PM to make sure it's sensible/lore-friendly?
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - FreelanceWizard - 01-15-2014
I'm sure many if not all the people posting on this thread would be happy to help out on your background.
While I'm no lore expert, I can certainly look it over if you drop me a PM.
RE: Spirits, Elements, Aether, Twelve, Primals, and Elementals (A Lore Thread) - Ildur - 01-15-2014
Or you could make a new thread for it. That way, you will get many appraisals!