RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Merri - 07-26-2013
Magitek, let's see.. ..I'll start small-ish.
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Spoiler Magitek is, in the realm of XIV, simply a type of machinery. While not confirmed, it's highly hinted at that Magitek was reverse-engineed from technology salvaged from the Allagan Empire, which existed some 4000 years ago. It was the same civilization that imprisoned Bahamut inside Dalamud - which was a giant machine. Let that be an example of the technological capabilities of the Allagan Empire. They imprisoned a god and shot it into space. It has been mentioned that the Allagan empire was far, far more advanced than the Garlean Empire in terms of technology.
That being said, tt's quite advanced, to a point where there are "digital" displays, though it still maintains that sort of sleek/grungy industrialized core. If that makes any sense. Magitek is basically an advanced form of technology that happens to make good use of Ceruleum, which is a condensed and purified form of aether. It's also incredibly volatile. It has been mentioned that a single explosion set off in the right place within the Ceruleum Fields could set off a chain reaction that would literally detonate the entire mountainside. Ceruleum can be mined from the earth, as well as extracted from crystals. The latter process is much less efficient, and will leave said crystal an aspect-less husk when all is said and done. The only Ceruleum deposit known in Eorzea at the moment is in nothern thanalan, and has been capitalized on by the Sultunate. It's likely the Garlond Ironworks has a hand in the operation, and takes some of said Ceruleum for their own cause.
Ceruleum is what makes Magitek so potent, to put it into perspective. You can't really have proper Magitek without Ceruleum from what we know thus far. Now, Magitek is primarily tailored to suit the military's need, but it is a staple of every day life in Garlemald. To what extent, we are unsure, but it's likely they have devices to suit a variety of needs. I'll stick to what we do know, however, which is their military might. Probably the most famous use of Magitek in the empire is their Airships. Completely unmatched. Garlean airships are top of the line, and incredibly powerful. Their capital ships could pretty much raze an entire city to the ground with the amount of firepower they possess. Allow me to put things into perspective on this. This is the amount of firepower a single canon has on a relatively average Imperial Warship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0yxf00ORkSkip to about 2:00. Mind you, this is a fairly small airship compared to what they do have. If you watch the entirety of the video, you will also see another Magitek gadet in the form of Baelsar's wrist-mounted Magitek canon, which is also capable of firing flares (which he uses to signal the airship hiding by the Agrius (which was once the empire's flagship before it was destroyed)).
About 4:45 into this video below you can see the Agrius in action. Take a look at just how many canons are on that airship. Each of those canons possesses the same firepower (if not more firepower) than that in the previous video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvQngnzRSdQ
Suffice it to say, they've got some serious firepower. That's Magitek for you. Now, Magitek also has the capability to run machines autonomously. Vanguards are actually completely autonomous, and have a basic form of AI that is able to adapt to battle situations and act accordingly. They are also, however, able to be overridden and given commands as required.
Really, the realm of possibility with Magitek is fairly open. Given what we've seen it's already capable of, some things are definitely within the realm of possibility. For example, I took the liberty of designing the concept of a Magitek-based prosthesis for Endemerrin a few years back. It's evolved over the years as we obtained more lore on Magitek, but it's basically remained the same and relies on the core concepts of Magitek.
![[Image: MerriProsthetic.png]](https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/wiki/images/7/7d/MerriProsthetic.png)
Suffice it to say, while this has never been canonically confirmed, it's one of those things where it's likely that it's plausible. So there's always room to have fun with things, so long as you stick to the staples of what Magitek is at it's core.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Xha'li Moui - 07-26-2013
I think I've been playing to much Kerbal Space Program, my first thought after reading about how Dalmund was launched into orbit was to wonder where they got the massive amount of Delta-V they'd need to do it. Other than that it is a great write up on magitek, hope you can expand on it more as more lore becomes available.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Kyatai - 07-27-2013
Lol, awesome to see magic mixed with lasers & bullets.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ares D'Argent - 07-28-2013
(07-26-2013, 01:58 PM)Merri Wrote: Magitek, let's see.. ..I'll start small-ish.
Show Content
Spoiler Magitek is, in the realm of XIV, simply a type of machinery. While not confirmed, it's highly hinted at that Magitek was reverse-engineed from technology salvaged from the Allagan Empire, which existed some 4000 years ago. It was the same civilization that imprisoned Bahamut inside Dalamud - which was a giant machine. Let that be an example of the technological capabilities of the Allagan Empire. They imprisoned a god and shot it into space. It has been mentioned that the Allagan empire was far, far more advanced than the Garlean Empire in terms of technology.
That being said, tt's quite advanced, to a point where there are "digital" displays, though it still maintains that sort of sleek/grungy industrialized core. If that makes any sense. Magitek is basically an advanced form of technology that happens to make good use of Ceruleum, which is a condensed and purified form of aether. It's also incredibly volatile. It has been mentioned that a single explosion set off in the right place within the Ceruleum Fields could set off a chain reaction that would literally detonate the entire mountainside. Ceruleum can be mined from the earth, as well as extracted from crystals. The latter process is much less efficient, and will leave said crystal an aspect-less husk when all is said and done. The only Ceruleum deposit known in Eorzea at the moment is in nothern thanalan, and has been capitalized on by the Sultunate. It's likely the Garlond Ironworks has a hand in the operation, and takes some of said Ceruleum for their own cause.
Ceruleum is what makes Magitek so potent, to put it into perspective. You can't really have proper Magitek without Ceruleum from what we know thus far. Now, Magitek is primarily tailored to suit the military's need, but it is a staple of every day life in Garlemald. To what extent, we are unsure, but it's likely they have devices to suit a variety of needs. I'll stick to what we do know, however, which is their military might. Probably the most famous use of Magitek in the empire is their Airships. Completely unmatched. Garlean airships are top of the line, and incredibly powerful. Their capital ships could pretty much raze an entire city to the ground with the amount of firepower they possess. Allow me to put things into perspective on this. This is the amount of firepower a single canon has on a relatively average Imperial Warship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0yxf00ORkSkip to about 2:00. Mind you, this is a fairly small airship compared to what they do have. If you watch the entirety of the video, you will also see another Magitek gadet in the form of Baelsar's wrist-mounted Magitek canon, which is also capable of firing flares (which he uses to signal the airship hiding by the Agrius (which was once the empire's flagship before it was destroyed)).
About 4:45 into this video below you can see the Agrius in action. Take a look at just how many canons are on that airship. Each of those canons possesses the same firepower (if not more firepower) than that in the previous video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvQngnzRSdQ
Suffice it to say, they've got some serious firepower. That's Magitek for you. Now, Magitek also has the capability to run machines autonomously. Vanguards are actually completely autonomous, and have a basic form of AI that is able to adapt to battle situations and act accordingly. They are also, however, able to be overridden and given commands as required.
Really, the realm of possibility with Magitek is fairly open. Given what we've seen it's already capable of, some things are definitely within the realm of possibility. For example, I took the liberty of designing the concept of a Magitek-based prosthesis for Endemerrin a few years back. It's evolved over the years as we obtained more lore on Magitek, but it's basically remained the same and relies on the core concepts of Magitek.
Suffice it to say, while this has never been canonically confirmed, it's one of those things where it's likely that it's plausible. So there's always room to have fun with things, so long as you stick to the staples of what Magitek is at it's core.
So basically it's the Empire's Manhattan Project 
Going a bit off topic and based on the video below. Â Is it safe to assume that both the VIIth and XIVth Legions were present during the release of Bahamut?
[youtube]kP6JDF-9nbY[/youtube]
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ildur - 07-28-2013
I think it's more likekly that only one of the legions was present (the one that got erased from the map). The cinematic does show the leader of the other one, so he was present but watching from very, very far away. I guess he was curious and expecting everything to go kablooie.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ares D'Argent - 07-28-2013
Hmmm.....in that case I guess I'll have to make Artorias part of the VIIth Legion in his past. Ummm....so here is the question, did any of them survive for this to work?
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Clover - 07-28-2013
Very interesting info, thank you for sharing!
For a while I've been wondering if it was possible to play a character from the Garlean Empire, and somehow I'd assumed it was not. This opens up a bunch of new possibilities.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Merri - 07-28-2013
(07-28-2013, 12:51 AM)Artorias Wrote: (07-26-2013, 01:58 PM)Merri Wrote: Magitek, let's see.. ..I'll start small-ish.
Show Content
Spoiler Magitek is, in the realm of XIV, simply a type of machinery. While not confirmed, it's highly hinted at that Magitek was reverse-engineed from technology salvaged from the Allagan Empire, which existed some 4000 years ago. It was the same civilization that imprisoned Bahamut inside Dalamud - which was a giant machine. Let that be an example of the technological capabilities of the Allagan Empire. They imprisoned a god and shot it into space. It has been mentioned that the Allagan empire was far, far more advanced than the Garlean Empire in terms of technology.
That being said, tt's quite advanced, to a point where there are "digital" displays, though it still maintains that sort of sleek/grungy industrialized core. If that makes any sense. Magitek is basically an advanced form of technology that happens to make good use of Ceruleum, which is a condensed and purified form of aether. It's also incredibly volatile. It has been mentioned that a single explosion set off in the right place within the Ceruleum Fields could set off a chain reaction that would literally detonate the entire mountainside. Ceruleum can be mined from the earth, as well as extracted from crystals. The latter process is much less efficient, and will leave said crystal an aspect-less husk when all is said and done. The only Ceruleum deposit known in Eorzea at the moment is in nothern thanalan, and has been capitalized on by the Sultunate. It's likely the Garlond Ironworks has a hand in the operation, and takes some of said Ceruleum for their own cause.
Ceruleum is what makes Magitek so potent, to put it into perspective. You can't really have proper Magitek without Ceruleum from what we know thus far. Now, Magitek is primarily tailored to suit the military's need, but it is a staple of every day life in Garlemald. To what extent, we are unsure, but it's likely they have devices to suit a variety of needs. I'll stick to what we do know, however, which is their military might. Probably the most famous use of Magitek in the empire is their Airships. Completely unmatched. Garlean airships are top of the line, and incredibly powerful. Their capital ships could pretty much raze an entire city to the ground with the amount of firepower they possess. Allow me to put things into perspective on this. This is the amount of firepower a single canon has on a relatively average Imperial Warship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0yxf00ORkSkip to about 2:00. Mind you, this is a fairly small airship compared to what they do have. If you watch the entirety of the video, you will also see another Magitek gadet in the form of Baelsar's wrist-mounted Magitek canon, which is also capable of firing flares (which he uses to signal the airship hiding by the Agrius (which was once the empire's flagship before it was destroyed)).
About 4:45 into this video below you can see the Agrius in action. Take a look at just how many canons are on that airship. Each of those canons possesses the same firepower (if not more firepower) than that in the previous video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvQngnzRSdQ
Suffice it to say, they've got some serious firepower. That's Magitek for you. Now, Magitek also has the capability to run machines autonomously. Vanguards are actually completely autonomous, and have a basic form of AI that is able to adapt to battle situations and act accordingly. They are also, however, able to be overridden and given commands as required.
Really, the realm of possibility with Magitek is fairly open. Given what we've seen it's already capable of, some things are definitely within the realm of possibility. For example, I took the liberty of designing the concept of a Magitek-based prosthesis for Endemerrin a few years back. It's evolved over the years as we obtained more lore on Magitek, but it's basically remained the same and relies on the core concepts of Magitek.
Suffice it to say, while this has never been canonically confirmed, it's one of those things where it's likely that it's plausible. So there's always room to have fun with things, so long as you stick to the staples of what Magitek is at it's core.
So basically it's the Empire's Manhattan Project
Going a bit off topic and based on the video below. Â Is it safe to assume that both the VIIth and XIVth Legions were present during the release of Bahamut?
[youtube]kP6JDF-9nbY[/youtube]
Nope! Canonically, only the VIIth Imperial Legion of Garlemald was present at the battle of Carteneau, and it's been mentioned off-hand that the legion was all but completely obliterated. Gaius may have been present in the air to observe the events from afar, but the XIVth Legion was not a part of the battle. There's actually some interesting lore behind their fall. Darnus abandoned the legion well before the battle of Carteneau, but his soldiers were so loyal and fervent of his command that they absolutely refused to believe he had been killed, and some went so far as to imposter him if I remember correctly. The Seventh Legion basically commanded itself on the battlefield.
But yes, lore-wise, no other legion was present on the battlefield, and it's likely a solid 90~99% of the legion was killed that day. There's nothing left of them, as they didn't really have anywhere to run. Some of the Grand Companies managed to survive as they had a route to retreat on, and managed to do so well before Bahamut completely tore up the area.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ares D'Argent - 07-28-2013
Well damn, that puts me in a pickle a bit. Â 99% casualty rate is pretty high and I have no idea what the Grand companies are even or if it would be even plausible that my character would have been part of them. Â The only other option which I could fit in with what I have planned for this character would be that he survived because of divine intervention as I am planing to tie his major storyline on going on to become a Dragoon and having his destiny await him in Ishgard. Â I am taking Halone as his patron deity as well since she is their patron goddess. Again though I am still researching so I don't know yet. Â I have to find some way for him to survive that whole ordeal, it is a major turning point for him because witnessing the chaos created by Bahamut is what is supposed to turn him against the Empire and become a deserter.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ildur - 07-28-2013
The Grand Companies are the factions of each Eorzean city state. There's one for Ul'dah, one for Limsa Lominsa and one for Gridania. They are the good guys and therefore not the Empire.
I suggest you scrap "divine intervention" as an actual fact (though your character can certainly think that is the case). It implies your character is kind of important to the god. The exception would be if he was a Warrior of Light, as it's officially canonical that they got transported forward in time before Bahamut could burn them to ashes. However, this means your character isn't part of the Empire.
Remember that Bahamut didn't just wreck the area of the battle: he broke a whole lot of places, as despicted in the End of an Era cinematic; and it's also a big plot point. In fact, the whole 'Bahamut wrecked stuff' is what the Calamity really was.
With this in mind, it'd be very reasonable to make your character desert after witnessing the moon break and the ensuing destruction while being stationed in another location. Maybe an outpost, or in one of the imperial airships.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ares D'Argent - 07-28-2013
(07-28-2013, 07:22 AM)Ildur Wrote: The Grand Companies are the factions of each Eorzean city state. There's one for Ul'dah, one for Limsa Lominsa and one for Gridania. They are the good guys and therefore not the Empire.
I suggest you scrap "divine intervention" as an actual fact (though your character can certainly think that is the case). It implies your character is kind of important to the god. The exception would be if he was a Warrior of Light, as it's officially canonical that they got transported forward in time before Bahamut could burn them to ashes. However, this means your character isn't part of the Empire.
Remember that Bahamut didn't just wreck the area of the battle: he broke a whole lot of places, as despicted in the End of an Era cinematic; and it's also a big plot point. In fact, the whole 'Bahamut wrecked stuff' is what the Calamity really was.
With this in mind, it'd be very reasonable to make your character desert after witnessing the moon break and the ensuing destruction while being stationed in another location. Maybe an outpost, or in one of the imperial airships.
Yeah I was being iffy about the whole divine intervention thing itself as well. Â I'm honestly not too keen on the whole religion thing. Â I find the idea of being on an airship more appealing as well considering the plan was to have Artorias with the XIVth Legion. Â So yeah, I think I'll roll with that. Â To all of you who replied, thank you very much for clearing things up for me, I truly do appreciate it. Â  Â For now I think I have what I was looking for in terms of Empire lore so I'm done pestering you all about it. Â I may, however, come pester you all in the future with questions regarding Ishgard (one of his goals is to become a dragoon after all) if I don't find the answers I was looking for myself. Â Once more, thank you, Kudos to you all!
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - ArmachiA - 07-28-2013
Ah! Thanks for the Magitek lesson, Merri! Loki has a fake leg and my eventuall plan is to switch her to a Magitek leg when she learns more about the stuff. Basically, I'm trying to do what your doing, but she skipped through time and has quite the gap to catch up to. So far she's only taking it apart, examining, and having her scientist friend, Siben, explain to her what the hell Ceruleum is.
It's a slow process
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Merri - 07-28-2013
(07-28-2013, 07:45 AM)Artorias Wrote: For now I think I have what I was looking for in terms of Empire lore so I'm done pestering you all about it. Â I may, however, come pester you all in the future with questions regarding Ishgard (one of his goals is to become a dragoon after all) if I don't find the answers I was looking for myself. Â Once more, thank you, Kudos to you all!
I will mention one last thing, since I've noticed it in your little profile window~
The "van" prefix in Garlean naming is actually reserved for Imperial Legati. Gaius van Baelsar, Nael van Darnus, etc. Unless your character is a Legatus of one of Garlemald's 14 Legions, having van as the prefix might be a bit off. Canonically speaking, of course! Not saying you have to do anything. Prefixes in Garlean culture basically denote title from what we've seen. Ferne is supposed to write up a post detailing it some time soon, but for now we can basically infer this:
Van = Legatus
Nan = Minister
Sas = Tribunus
Tol = Frumentarii
Zos = Emperor
Spoilered  the following because it's slightly story related.
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SpoilerBasically, the only people we've seen with the "van" prefix are Legati. We've also seen Gaius van Baelsar's two Tribuni, and both have "sas" as their prefix. Seems to imply it is a title of their position as Tribuni, given they have no other relation as far as we know (they're two entirely different races.) Nero has the prefix of "tol", and he isn't a Tribunus, not directly anyways. He is, instead, a member of the Frumentarium. We've seen two ministers named in lore (Both were Grand Ministers of Industry at one point, actually. One seceded the other, so it's possible the title of nan is for Grand Ministers.), that being Midas nan Garlond and his son, Cid nan Garlond.
All of them are definitely difficult to touch while following canon of the game, given the incredible positions of power each of those entail.
(07-28-2013, 03:22 PM)ArmachiA Wrote: Ah! Thanks for the Magitek lesson, Merri! Loki has a fake leg and my eventuall plan is to switch her to a Magitek leg when she learns more about the stuff. Basically, I'm trying to do what your doing, but she skipped through time and has quite the gap to catch up to. So far she's only taking it apart, examining, and having her scientist friend, Siben, explain to her what the hell Ceruleum is.
It's a slow process Well, Endemerrin and his little friend basically pioneered his specific field of bio-magitek, as I've so affectionately named it. While they might be a little hard-pressed to get said information out of, I personally would love to have some sort of interaction in those regards. Could be a lot of fun, since they've only ever worked on Endemerrin's arm. He's usually up for a challenge. Unless, of course, you already had something planned, in which case nevermind~
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Ares D'Argent - 07-28-2013
Well, heck I just learned something new. Â Thank you for clarifying that for me, I thought it was just a name style they all had so I tried to follow suit. Â I had no idea the prefixes had a meaning. Â While it tickles my fancy to have my own Legion (I'd claim the Xth), my character is not a Legatus considering that SE already has 14 spots so I'm assuming they will fill that role with their own. The highest rank that I would give him without breaking lore or making this guy look god moded would probably be Centurion (an equivalent of a Captain in the modern day). Â So yes, I am going to change the name back to my original one. Â Besides I'm a bit of a lore Nazi and I hate having flaws in the profile that contradict what has already been established, it just irks me. Â Thanks for pointing that flaw out.
RE: detailed Garlean Empire lore? - Sounsyy - 07-28-2013
(07-25-2013, 10:03 PM)Artorias Wrote: Like the title says, is there any detail about the Garlean Empire aside from what's on the site? Â I'm basically looking to see what raced belong to them, are they even Hyur(human), what is the life like for an ordinary citizen, when do they get enlisted in the military and etc... Â I know they're very technologically advanced, they've invaded twice and released Bahamut.Â
The reason I'm asking is because I'm creating my Dragoon as an ex-Empire character who defected after seeing the carnage the release of Bahamut has wrought. Â I don't want to write something that would clash with the lore for the Empire either so I'm trying to get as much info as I can. Â Please and thank you.
Hey Artorias, Merri did a great job explaining Garlean Lore, but I just wanted to add in a couple things that I didn't see get answered in the thread. The first being the races of Garlemald and also Ala Mhigo was touched on in here as well. The second being some Dragoon/Ishgard lore. Hope this helps!
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Race DistributionIlsabard, the northern continent, is the original homeland of the Elezen race. Note though that these Elezen are neither Wildwood nor Duskwight (as this division in the race came about only 500 years ago during the founding of Gridania), but are most akin to Wildwood in physical appearance. So a good majority of native Garleans are Elezen. However, after conquering most of the known world they have mixed Hyur and Roegadyn into their ranks. Roegadyn are said to inhabit the northern areas of Eorzea like Dravania and the Farreach. They traveled to Eorzea across the Bloodbrine Sea so it's safe to assume there is a Roegadyn population in Ilsabard as well. Hyur seem to be populous everywhere.Â
Based on cutscenes from 1.0 and ARR, there does not appear to be any Lalafell or Miqo'te amongst the ranks of the Empire.Â
Finally Gyr Abania, the region around Ala Mhigo, has been the homeland of the Highlander Hyur race since the first Great Migration of Hyur circa the year 500 of the Sixth Astral Era. While it is likely Elezen originally made their home in Gyr Abania before then, only Highlanders are mentioned to populate Ala Mhigo. This is probably due to the tribal wars that raged between the Elezen and Hyur races over territories.Â
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Ishgard LoreBuilt atop the peaks of the Xelphatol Mountains, the city ofIshgard stands as a symbol of Elezen pride and honor. It is said that a millennia ago the Goddess Halone appeared before the most courageous Elezen, Thordan, and bade him lead Her chosen people to the peak where Ishgard stands still today. But there stood a great chasm between Thordan and Halone's chosen peak. So they set to making a great bridge to cross. It was then that a great shadow descended upon them and the land darkened under the shadow of the great wyrm Nidhogg. Courageous Thordan took up lance against the colossal Nidhogg, but the power of the dragon bewitched Thordan's men and they betrayed him to the dragon, casting him into the chasm. Overcome with anguish over what he had done, Haldrath son of Thordan, broke Nidhogg's spell and took up his sire's lance and hurled himself at the great wyrm. With a mighty thrust, Haldrath's hand, guided by Halone, plunged his sire's lance into Nidhogg's eye, prizing it from the dragon. With a terrible roar Nidhogg took wing and fled to the skies. And so it was, the first Dragoon was born.
Â
Today, Nidhogg's eye remains a prized relic of the city. Asymbol of triumph and a testament to the power of their guardian diety, Halone. But the eye still exerts overwhelming power over the hearts of those who gaze upon it. So it is kept locked away by the Archbishop. Completely devout to their God, Halone, the Archbishop of Ishgard has complete control over political affairs within the city-state. The Archbishop decreed after the reawakening of the Dragonkin that Ishgard's gates be closed off to all.
Â
Ishgard is a militaristic society. Young men are taken fromthe surrounding villages and trained to become knights to combat the increasing number of dragon attacks upon their realm. All out war has been declared against the dragons of Dravania and Sharlayan. But before this time, Ishgard was a prosperous city-state with close relations to their Elezen brethren in the Twelveswood. In the time of the Autumn War, Ishgard rose to assist the Gridanians against the Ala Mhigan assault. This opened trade between the two nations. Ishgard offered their prized Chocobos and Gridania offered their assistance with the Ixali threat, fresh foods, and to extradite any fugitives and heretics back to the Ishgardian Holy Knights. Ishgard used to trade prisoners, heretics, and beasts from the mountains to the Ul'dah Bloodsands, but not since Ishgard closed its gates.
Â
Ishgard is under the near constant threat of dragon attacks.They burn whole villages, bewitch men, and eat livestock. But Ishgard also faces the Ixali threat from the east. Banished from the Twelveswood, the Ixali have taken up home in Natalan and pick over nearby villages that dragons have destroyed like vultures. Ishgard also is on the front lines of the Garlean assault. With their limited resources tied up with heretics and dragons and the Ixal, they have little strength to repel the Garlean advance into their lands. Even their strongest fortress, Dzemael, fell without a struggle.
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