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Sounsyy · **02-19-2015, 02:03 PM**

I'm late! Looks like your questions have been answered so I'm just gonna drop some lore on the subject of aether and those who use it.

So, as has already been said, aether is the life force of the planet and every living thing on it. It makes up all things and is the source of all magic. Eorzea has the greatest concentration of this aether because it is home to Lake Silvertear, the fount of all aether (and water) on the planet. There's a pretty real Garden of Eden comparison to be made to Eorzea. But really this is why Eorzea has developed many diverse schools and magical talents throughout history. Not to say magic is not possible outside of Eorzea, but it is certainly much less common.

On the subject of Magi and how they use their aether, I'll quote myself from this post:

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Spoiler

(01-01-2015, 02:09 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: Something to note, conjury is not the same thing as white magic. Thaumaturgy is not the same as black magic. The methodology of Arcanima is closely related to Scholar and Summoner, but also note that these are also three different magicks from three different time periods.

Summoning was a magic practiced and perfected by the ancient Allagans 5000 years ago. It was likely the forefather of modern day Arcanima. Summoners would draw upon the absorbed spirit of defeated Primals of eld and conjure an essence or Egi of that Primal which had been bent to the caster's will.

Scholar, unlike its Summoning and Arcanima relatives is actually less a summoning art. Scholars created strong bonds with an Elemental-like creature called a Fairy or Fae. Also unlike Summoners and Arcanists, the Scholars of Nym focused on restorative magics and drew upon their own skills and the magicks of their Fae to cure their allies. However, after the plague befell Nym, the Scholars lost their ability to communicate with their Fae and evoke their magicks and Scholar was lost for the next 1600 years.

Arcanima is likely descendant from bits of Summoning and Scholarly magic. Like their predecessors, Arcanists draw and channel their magic through geometric shapes and patterns aided by specialized inks which amplify their energies. Using their own aether, Arcanists can call forth a Familiar called Carbuncle to aid them, likely left over from Summoning days.

Thaumaturgy is believed to be the original form of magic of the 5th Astral Era, close to 3000 years ago. Thaumaturgy draws from the caster's own aether and focuses the spell through a gemstone medium to cast. Over the centuries, Thaumaturgy took a dark turn and became a magic focused upon death. Skilled wielders of the magic were able to do incredible things, such as return people from Thal's realm. When Ul'dah and Sil'dih rose from the ashes of Belah'dia, Thaumaturgy took on the duality of the Traders, Nald'thal, and became the study of life and death. The religious Order of Nald'thal was formed with the belief that by using Thaumaturgy to more deeply understand Death, they might better be able to understand and appreciate Life.

Black Magic, by contrast, is actually a technique, not a true form of Magic. In the early years of the 5th Astral Era, a young Magi named Shatotto wished to further the limitations of Thaumaturgy, but was ultimately unable to perform the magicks she wished to due to her own limited aether supply. So she devised a method to curb the Lifestream and draw upon the aether of the planet instead of her own. This technique was coined "Black Magic" as it killed the land around the caster, but it afforded Shatotto unlimited power and paved the way for the War of the Magi centuries later. By the time the War of the Magi broke out at the end of the 5th Astral Era, Black Magic was capable of many incredible feats - bringing down stars, animating inanimate objects, and tearing holes in our Physical Plane, opening a portal to the Void and drawing forth unimaginable demons upon the world. However, by the end of the War, Black Mages had drained the world entirely of its aether and had nearly killed the planet. Because of this unlimited destructive force, Black Magic was forbidden and strictly outlawed.

White Magic or Succor is the magic of the Elementals. Around the middle of the 5th Astral Era, it was gifted to the Amdaporians to balance the destructive power wrought by Shatotto's Black Magic. These Amdaporians were tasked with restoring what Black Magic destroyed. For many years, this balance persisted, but as Black Mages sought greater and more powerful spells, White Mages stretched the limits of their power and the War of the Magi broke loose, bringing irreparable harm to the planet and the Twelveswood. Furious, the Elementals summoned a great flood which washed the taint of the Magi from the planet and grew the Twelveswood up and around the lost city of Amdapor so that its magic would never be recovered. For 1000 years White Magic was lost to the world, until the Elementals birthed the Padjal race from the Gelmorrans and filled them with the blessing of Succor. These Padjal protected and restored the Wood with their power and lead the new Gridanians into an age of peace with the Wood.

Conjury is the youngest form of magic, born only 500 years ago during the time of Gelmorra. After the 5th Umbral Era had ended and the survivors made their way back to the Twelveswood, they found their way blocked by thick trees and angered Elementals. So the Elezen dug beneath the forest and lived in caves for a 1000 years, trying to make peace with the Elementals above and live within the Wood once more as they did in the time of Amdapor. Now, during this time, Hyur began flocking to Eorzea in great migratory waves, causing wars between the Hyur and Elezen races all across Eorzea. However, when the Hyur attempted to enter the Twelveswood, the Elementals forbade them egress as well. Looking past their racial differences, the Elezen of Gelmorra welcomed the Hyur with open arms. It is believed this act of goodwill and fellowship is what compelled the Elementals to reconsider their stance. The Elementals sent Moogles to communicate with the leaders of Gelmorra and teach them a way to communicate with the Elementals. The magic the Moogles taught the Gelmorrans became known as Conjury, the ability to manipulate the aether in nature using concentration and meditation. This magic birthed the first Hearers, men who could hear the will of the Elementals.

Each person has their own varying but limited amount of personal aetherial stores inside their body, and per the 2.0 THM questline, seems to be a birth trait, not something one could improve upon during their lifetime. For Thaumaturges and Arcanists, who use their own aether to fuel their spells, this can be dangerous for them if they overexert themselves with more powerful or ambitious spells or attempt to cast magic for extended periods of time, such as in a battle setting.

Furthering on the subject of personal aether constraints, I saw teleporting got brought up, so I'll link a useful lore post on Teleport Lore. The gist is that anyone and everyone can learn to use an aetheryte (with practice) however, a majority of people do not have overwhelming aetherial stores or the fortitude to withstand multiple teleportations in short succession, so most people use them sparingly.

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On the subject of my own character - Sounsyy has very limited aether reserves. She has absolutely no magical talent and aetheryte travel makes her incredibly ill, so she avoids it at all costs. After barely surviving the Battle of Carteneau, Sounsyy suffered some severe aether sickness from being wounded in such close proximity to the Elder Primal and all the death He wrought. So that incapacitated her for a while and she's still in the long process of recovering. All that said, she doesn't really like aether being used on her for healing, though she tolerates it. She has an irrational fear that she's going to get sick again from it.

Hope this helped! ^^ Feel free to ask if you have more questions! I'm going to leave a couple related lore clippings in the Spoiler below to peruse at your leisure.

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MOAR LORE

Erik Wrote:I shall tell you yet again of the study of aether. As I laboriously explained, aether is not only the source of all magicks, but also the fount of all life. Yet despite its ubiquity, it remains imperceptible to the senses of man. When a living thing dies, the aether comprising its life is released. It has been learned that when this discharge takes place, a portion of that aether remains, lingering in the physical world. No doubt you have come across aetherial crystallizations in the course of your travels. All scholars now agree that these are the physical manifestations of great concentrations of aether.

I have a theory, however, that they are not the only such manifestations. Allow me to give you an example even you can understand - that of ghosts, spirits, disembodied souls. Apparitions of the deceased come back to haunt and generally unnerve us? False! These are nothing more than the luminescent glow of aether in the atmosphere. It is possible, though highly unlikely, that you are asking yourself why a portion of the aether remains.

Right, well, the amount of aether that can shift between the physical and aetherial realms in any given instant is limited. I call this the aetherial threshold. Any aether present in excess of that threshold is left behind. The more violent or dramatic the loss of life, the greater the amount of inner aether released to take the form of crystals or remain imperceptibly in the atmosphere. And you surely recollect the scene I identified as the most apt to produce such violent deaths? On the field of battle! It stands to reason, therefore, that through the aetherial measurement of such sites, I will be able to reconstruct details of the wars waged upon them. And that, Sounsyy, is why this military historian has a deeply vested interest in the subject of aether.

Erik Wrote:My dear, poor Sounsyy. What you do not know about Silvertear Falls could fill a book. And has - multiple times over, I'm sure.

TRY ME, ERIK!!

Erik cont. Wrote:Since ancient times, the Falls and the region of Mor Dhona in which they are located have been believed to be the seat of a great spiritual energy, as less advanced peoples are wont to call it. So old are these beliefs that the tomb of Xande himself, the first emperor of Allag, was built deep beneath the surface of Mor Dhona, in the hope that the mystical power which resided under the lake would raise him from the dead. Oh, there are any number of legends and myths surrounding the place. I think the oldest and most widely known would have to be that of the dragon of the Falls. I do not claim to be a folklorist, but I can certainly provide the general tale.

There was the birth of Althyk, god of time among the Twelve, and in turn, His younger sister Nymeia, goddess of fate. And then there was water, and through it Silvertear FAlls came to be at the center of all that was. Here was the source not only of water, but the fount of all magic as well. Now, when water came into being, so too did the great dragon Midgardsormr. Brother Time and Sister Fate, fearing the Falls might fall into the hands of evil, ordered Midgardsormr their protector and warden. Much later, with the arrival of man, would Midgardsormr be worshiped as the guardian deity of Silvertear Falls.

Have you been to Silvertear Falls, Sounsyy? Or are you as untraveled as you are unread? Have you gazed upon the enormous dragon corpse, frozen as a statue with wings outspread? If you have, you have gazed upon Midgardsormr. That tragedy is but ten years old. After invading my home of Ala Mhigo, the Garleans launched a fleet of airships led by the monstrosity Agrius. They flew for Silvertear Falls, knowing them to harbor the greatest concentration of aether. And then, as those horrific instruments of evil loomed overhead, casting the dark shadow of death, the surface of the lake suddenly parted and burst skyward as Midgardsormr emerged to defend his waters.

The battle between Midgardsormr and the Agrius has since come to be known as the Battle of Silvertear Skies. The dragon fought with divine strength and purpose, and after a fierce and grueling struggle, succeeded in bringing down the airship. As it fell into the lake, the impact caused the ceruleum onboard to detonate, and Midgardsormr was killed, his corpse charred black in the conflagration. The structure formed by the wreckage of the Agrius and the entangled remains of Midgardsormr is now called the Keeper of the Lake. For many religious and mythological enthusiasts, it stands as proof of the existence of the gods. For most people, however, it servers as a grim reminder of the horrific, dare I say deicidal, power of Garlemald.

Aether â€” How's it work and how do your characters use it?

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes