Quote:As you make your way through Eorzea, you will come across large, floating deposits of a crystalline substance known as aetheryte. It is said that aetheryte is the solid manifestation of the planet's lifeblood, aether, and that by touching it, the aether which makes up our bodies resonates with that contained in the crystal. This is called “attunement.”

Attunement to an aetheryte crystal allows us to do some quite amazing things.

Firstly, we can, at any time, return to the most recent location of attunement─known by many as their “home point”─from almost any location in Eorzea. In addition, should we sustain a grievous injury, and be knocked out far from help, we may choose to be revived at our home point.

Attuning also allows us to teleport to locations which maintain signatures of past attunements, or, to put it simply, aetheryte deposits we have previously visited. What is even more amazing is that when teleporting, we can “carry” those with whom we have created a bond─such as an adventuring party.

However, travel comes with a price. It requires a great deal of spiritual energy known as “anima” to break the body down into the aetheric form needed for teleportation. If one's body lacks sufficient anima, teleporting or returning to a location may be impossible.

Quote:Aetherial gates are rifts in the planet causing a stable discharge of gaseous aether. These can be accessed via nearby aetheryte deposits and vice versa, making transport to outlying areas quicker and more convenient. As with other forms of teleportation, however, accessing the aetherial gates will require sufficient anima.

Quote:In a city as large as this one, there will always be those who are looking for someone willing to assist them with their troubles. Instead of doing the searching on their own, they often come to us. We, in turn, document their petitions and then offer them to our clientele―fine men and women such as yourself.

These tasks are what we like to call “levequests,” and if someone happens to be interested in accepting one, we present them with a guildleve that is used in conjunction with the quest.

Guildleves are, in effect, passes which grant their bearers “leave” to perform various actions which might otherwise be prohibited.

These actions include, but are not limited to, the collection of forbidden items, the eradication of beasts, the admittance to restricted areas, and more.

Unlike the local variety, which mostly occur within the city walls, regional levequests will often require a journey out into the wilds. Luckily, aetheryte can lessen the burden of traveling to the more remote locations.

Quote:Eorzea plays host to numerous civilian organizations, both great and small, which represent the many and varied interests of her people. Three of the largest and most influential of these take a keen interest in adventurer activity.

They are the Brotherhood of the Broken Blade―a group of vigilantes who are convinced the beast tribes will one day destroy the realm, unless we destroy them first; Azeyma's Shields―self-proclaimed protectors of the weak and enemies of evil; and the Horn and Hand―a band of scholars and scientists, merchants and moneylenders who seek to gain fame (and fortune) by aiding in the outfitting of adventurers.

To extend their influence throughout Eorzea, each of these “factions” sponsors levequests which coincide with their particular area of interest.

Completing a levequest sponsored by a certain faction not only earns you “credits,” but also increases the influence that faction has in the area where the levequest was completed.

The more influence a faction has over an area, the better the rewards offered for completing levequests sponsored by that faction. In turn, factions with less influence in an area often offer extra credits in order to lure adventurers to choose their sponsored tasks.

A faction's influence in any given area can be confirmed at the area's governing aetheryte camp or aetherial gate.
Faction credits earned after completing levequests can be used to gain access to special missions offered only to loyal followers. The factions often reward those who complete these tasks with rare items or generous amounts of gil.