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GentleGiraffe · **01-15-2017, 10:43 PM**

I'm a little stuck.Â
(Spoilers to the entirety of the AST questline abound)

This is a little embarassing because I do roleplay a Sharlayan Astrologian but I need to admit I'm a little confused about the nature of the Forum's opinion with regards to teaching Sharlayan Astrology. We know the Vault did not want it to be taught, seeing it as a silly distraction from the much more useful prediction of dragon attacks, but what about the Sharlayan Forum?

Leveva is currently in hinding, but is it because she taught Astromancy to non-Sharlayans, because of the business with her father's death, or a mix of both? Would an Astrologian who is not connected to her father be called back to the Old World for teaching Sharlayan Astromancy as well?

I understand the answer may be "we don't know". But this is becoming more and more important for my RP and I'd like some info if anyone has it, as well as suggestions/theories that can tide me over until we get more info - if we do get more info, that is.

Thanks a bunch!Â Tonberry

Virella · **01-15-2017, 11:32 PM**

If you do the quests of the Astrologian Questline, you will find out the Forum has a huge disdain for teaching outsiders. That is why Leveva is hiding. I believe she goes directly against the orders of the Forum. She only manages to get out because she has evidence Sevestre (?) killed her father (in)directly (?), and let her go. I don't remember exactly any more.

But yes, teaching outsiders without permission as a Sharlayan native will get assassins and the likes after you by the looks of it.

And yeah, Ishgard hated anything non-Ishgardian. Believe Sevestre set her father up against an angry mob. But they managed to convince the Ishgardians otherwise in recent times. So they aren't just Astrologers any more, but also become Astrologians next to that. I know, it's confusion as hell.

I'd strongly suggest to just go reread the AST quests on XIVDB or something Smile

GentleGiraffe · **01-16-2017, 12:08 AM**

(01-15-2017, 11:32 PM)Virella Wrote: If you do the quests of the Astrologian Questline, you will find out the Forum has a huge disdain for teaching outsiders. That is why Leveva is hiding. I believe she goes directly against the orders of the Forum. She only manages to get out because she has evidence Sevestre (?) killed her father (in)directly (?), and let her go. I don't remember exactly any more.

But yes, teaching outsiders without permission as a Sharlayan native will get assassins and the likes after you by the looks of it.

And yeah, Ishgard hated anything non-Ishgardian. Believe Sevestre set her father up against an angry mob. But they managed to convince the Ishgardians otherwise in recent times. So they aren't just Astrologers any more, but also become Astrologians next to that. I know, it's confusion as hell.

I'd strongly suggest to just go reread the AST quests on XIVDB or something

The question came up because Leveva is not really just a regular Astrologian - she is the daughter of the man Sevestre killed and is following her father's footsteps, so there is an extra incentive for him to eliminate her, since she could potentially expose him and destroy his position in the Forum.Â

Would that also be the case with other, regular Astrologians is what I would like to know.

Sounsyy · **01-16-2017, 12:23 AM**

(01-15-2017, 10:43 PM)GentleGiraffe Wrote: I need to admit I'm a little confused about the nature of the Forum's opinion with regards to teaching Sharlayan Astrology.

One of the prominent political parties in Sharlayan's ruling body, the Forum, are staunchly opposed to the dissemination of their collected knowledge to outsiders. This party is known as the Bibliothecs. While Sharlayan has been an institution for learning and academia across the known world for centuries, their leaders and scholars share the belief that certain knowledge could be dangerous if readily available to the masses. So the Studium has elected to not allow the teaching of certain arts and practices to outsiders, as they fear these practices would be misused for war, something else that the Sharlayans by and large staunchly oppose. The Necrologos, a Sharlayan tome containing myriad voidsent entities, is one good example of why they don't want certain knowledge leaked to the world. The magic of the Sharlayan Astrologian is one such practice.

In times past, violation of this law likely would not have warranted an assassination on foreign soil, however, the current leader of the Bibliothecs party, Sevestre, is a bit extreme and Sharlayan's Forum are still a bit miffed at Louisoix's disregard for their rules. (And yes, Levava is the one person who could destroy Sevestre's position in the Forum and possibly cripple the Bibliothec's reputation, hence the mighty need for assassination.)

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Starting with the prestigious Studium, Sharlayan has numerous famed academies that accept students from all nations. In times past, Eorzean pupils eagerly flocked to Sharlayanâ€™s settlement in the Dravanian hinterlands from all corners of the realm. There, they studied a multitude of subjects from different fields - though it seems that instructors reserved certain wisdom for those of Sharlayan citizenship alone.

-Sharlayan Lore Compilation
-Bibliothecs Lore

Hope this helps! ^^

GentleGiraffe · **01-16-2017, 12:34 AM**

(01-16-2017, 12:23 AM)Sounsyy Wrote:
(01-15-2017, 10:43 PM)GentleGiraffe Wrote: I need to admit I'm a little confused about the nature of the Forum's opinion with regards to teaching Sharlayan Astrology.

-snip-

It does help; thank you! I'll take this in mind while roleplaying my character.

Valence · **01-16-2017, 04:30 PM**

It's worth pointing out that the Bibliothecs follow a certain ideal of non interference. It means that they consider Sharlayan to be a strict studium after knowledge of all kinds, but that they should refrain first and foremost to partake in foreign affairs. They consider that their knowledge cannot be used to get any influence over the world. They are there to study and watch, no matter what, if the world shines, or burns, they will still be there, learning, taking notes, and watching. They are after knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

This is incidentally why they loathe every kind of attempt to spread Sharlayan knowledge out of their borders, or to foreigners.

That being said, I always got the understanding from the quests that it's not so much the whole Sharlayan forum and nation that want Leveva dead, and goes that far as sending assassins after her family, but more the faction of the bibliothecs. The political party. They swayed the forum opinion on how to deal with foreigners sure, and made the whole nation close itself from the outside. But I never believed that the forum actually went so far as to condone assassination and such things.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding though, but it seems a bit too simple and weird to see the whole Sharlayan going that far.

Sounsyy · **01-16-2017, 08:25 PM**

(01-16-2017, 04:30 PM)Valence Wrote: That being said, I always got the understanding from the quests that it's not so much the whole Sharlayan forum and nation that want Leveva dead, and goes that far as sending assassins after her family, but more the faction of the bibliothecs. The political party. They swayed the forum opinion on how to deal with foreigners sure, and made the whole nation close itself from the outside. But I never believed that the forum actually went so far as to condone assassination and such things.

After nearly twenty years since the Bibliothecs rose to political prominence in Sharlayan, it really is hard to say where the political party ends and where their influence does. The lines are very blurred. But we have a few sentiments from Sharlayans that suggest even prior to Rufin's death, that much of the Forum (and Studium) were covetous of certain advanced knowledge and practices. It was likely from this older sentiment that the Bibliothec's party rose with Sevestre at its head, guiding them to radicalism. Rufin's death was merely the necessary catalyst.

Broom Wrote:Prior to the exodus, such knowledge as was conceived here was presented to the Forum, the body of scholars which, for all intents and purposes, rules in the northern motherland. Mistress Matoya was none too fond of them, to put it mildly, for they hindered her research in the name of their so-called laws. Though envy and spite were as often the motive for their actions.

On the other hand, like I mentioned above, Sevestre's extremism and his drive to maintain his political clout (as well as hide his crimes) seems to be the driving force of the assassination attempts. The parts of the Forum not under the influence of the Bibliothecs are more likely to extradite, trial, and imprison the violator over a death sentence.

Celie Wrote:I have grown weary of this masquerade, and I am done with entrusting my fate to this realm's blundering mercenaries. My name is Celie, and I am here to take the Lady Leveva into custody so that she can be transported back to Sharlayan and tried for her crimes.

Levava Wrote:My grandfather knew the Forum would never allow us to come to Ishgard, and that their â€œcontemplationâ€ over the matter was merely a tactic to stall and discourage us. The stars had spoken to my grandfather, and he was not about to turn a deaf ear to them. I kept silent because I did not wish to let the petty politicking of men thousands of malms to the north stand in the way of our dreamâ”€our dream to spread the word of Sharlayan astrology.

Levava Wrote:Which means it will not be long before the Forum has heard as well. We Sharlayans may have officially abandoned this realm, but our ears remain. If the Forum deems it so, I could be arrested and imprisoned for â€œthe theft of national resources.â€

Though, it's Sevestre's last threat that bugs me. He specifically says they, the Forum, will send others. He doesn't say we will send others, you know, as the leader of the radical Bibliothecs. He doesn't say other Bibliothecs will succeed where he, the leader of the Bibliothes, failed. He implies that when the Forum finds out, it'll be them to act, with or without his involvement.

This makes me believe that, though yes it was originally the Bibliothecs who first poisoned the well with their xenophobia, the poison has successfully spread to a majority of the Forum.

Sevestre Wrote:But know that the Forum is ever listening, ever watching. Should you continue your escapades here in Ishgard, they will find out. And they will send others until they have succeeded where I have...failed.

Valence · **01-17-2017, 04:25 AM**

Yes I can definitely see the forum as being totally compromised.

Sharlayan Astrology in Eorzea

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