Mtoto Wamoto

That's not a real Rune Fencer. This is a real Rune Fencer. Actually, fun fact - the artist who did the above image is the same artist for XIV. The Rune Fencer I linked above is from Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. I also believe that most of the team who worked on that game is currently working on XIV so we might see some carry overs from there. It's not a Final Fantasy title, but TO:LUCT served as the precursor to Final Fantasy Tactics which is very much its spiritual successor and ended up serving as much of the foundation which some of the jobs in XI were derived from. This is their Dark Knight, in-game known as Terror Knight. This is Diego Galet Azalstan. His class is Buccaneer. Looks a little similar to Red Mage, no? Red Mage with a gun. Also this fan made concept art for red mage Maybe we'll see ninja... Or perhaps the three images to the right (the one on the left is Limsa's GC gear) might be Blue Mage, Dark Knight, and Beast Master. Or they could just be Ul'dah's GC gear, who knows.

The class would be Musketeer because that's what the guild is named (The Coral Tower houses both the musketeer and marauder guilds) As for what job it could be, well, the speculation is Corsair. In regards to fast swords such as rapiers...there was a fencer class in the old dat files back in 1.0. However, there is nothing in ARR to represent that type of sword currently.

Edit: I just want Red Mage, Blue Mage and Dark Knight.

Note the date that dev blog was posted. Note that the dev blog was a joke.

This. Oh god, thank you for this. Edit: Aside from visual appearance and lore background...socially, Miqo'te aren't too different from Hyurs within civilized society. I'd argue that they've become so common place, that of all the current races, Miqo'te likely receive the least amount of backlash and social stigma. Miqo'te for the most part are stereotyped for their sexual promiscuity, which in my personal opinion, becomes old hat real quick.

In regards to aether and the things that weren't touched upon in Merri's link... Aether is the lifeblood of the entire planet of Hydaelyn. All things, living or not, are created from aether. In a sense, it can be compared to the basic building blocks of all matter in real life. When a creature dies and its body decomposes, the body is returned in the form of aether to the lifestream of the planet. A portion of that aether lingers, and over time, that aether that is left over condenses with the other free floating aether to form aetheryte crystals. In the case of teleporting and how it works, basically we are using the lifestream of the aether to traverse from one aetheryte crystal to the next. We do this by attuning to the crystals in question and using the spells teleport or return. Two things happen when we use these spells. The body breaks down into aether and returns to the lifestream (much like it would if you were to die) Your conscious soul is seperated from your body but is sent to the destination you are teleporting to. The lifestream then essentially rebuilds your body with aether. Fun fact - anima is defined as the inner personality turned towards the subconcious of an individual. It is also the feminine part of a man's personality. The mother crystal, the source of all aether, uses the female's voice to represent itself and speaks to our characters subconsciously. While anima was present in 1.x, anima isn't used in ARR or touched on much. Going back to all things being created of aether, this is how the arcane magics are created. Conjury makes use of the aether found in nature, most notably in the elements of earth, wind, and water - the most abundant and easily ready. Thaumaturgy uses the caster's own innate aether from within them. Every individual has their own aether pool they draw their magic from, but it is also the lifeblood of the individual. Using it without restraint can lead to severe penalties such as death. Some people are inept at casting magic, likely because their own aether pool is limited or stunted. Arcanist use tomes filled with geometric gyphs to cast their spell. The type of ink used to scribe the glyph has an effect on the spell and acts as a conductor for the aether. The glyphs themselves are there for the arcanist to see the image, place it in his mind's eye, and cast the spell. It can be said that arcanist use both external and internal aether when casting. I'll add on if I missed anything, but that's all I can think of right now. Once ARR comes back up, I can provide more information.

To answer the first question - here is the revamped timeline I'm currently working on based on several other timelines and other lore bits available to us. There are some things missing (i.e 1567 - year 5 of the 7th Umbral Era) and this is still a work in progress. In reference to bard lore, I'll gather what I can and post it on this thread for you. History Timeline First Umbral Era Peace among the Twelve is broken and life is created to wage their wars. The Age of Gods ends as the Twelve ascend from Eorzea. First Astral Era The Age of Man begins. Ancestors of the Keeper of the Moon Miqo’te are said to exist. Second Umbral Era - Third Umbral Era Little is known regarding these eras. The Age of Bronze is likely to have begun sometime during one of the three eras. Third Astral Era - 5,000 - 4,000 Years Ago The Great Allagan Empire is founded, stretching across the continents of Aldernard and Ilsabard and possibly the isles of Vylbrand. The Royal Sunway and the Royal Starway are constructed in present day Thanalan. The tradition of mothers and fathers giving Onion Knight helmets to their children before beginning a life journey is started. Allagan runestones are created, depicting the symbols of the Twelve, and are distributed throughout the realm. The first emperor of the Allagan Empire, Xandes I, is born. A crystal crypt is made for Xandes I upon his ‘death’, located in present day Mor Dhona. Fourth Umbral Era Possibly the first sighting of the Elder Primal - Bahamut. Bahamut is sealed away by the Allag by use of Allagan magic and technology inside a satellite now known as Dalamud. The celestial object is banished to the skies. The Allagan Empire falls into decline, eventually marking the end of the Empire. Fourth Astral Era Little is known of this era. Fifth Umbral Era Hydaelyn suffers a global ice age, marking the start of the Age of Endless Frost. Miqo’te begin migrating to Eorzea across the frozen seas. Man discovers magic, helping keep the cold at bay and giving birth the Fifth Astral Era. Fifth Astral Era - 3,000 Years Ago Old Six arms is said to be born during this era. Man begins to seek greater power in the form of magic. Black magic, the art of destruction is born through this desire. To counter the force of black magic, white magic, the art of succor, is created. The black mage, Shatotto, casts meteor to bring down a star, using the fragments to create the Stardust Rod and the Gem of Shatotto. A terrible darkness fills the sky and descends upon the realm, blocking out all light and darkening the hearts of men. Man becomes corrupted by the darkness, giving birth to a struggle of wealth and power among the nations. The arts of black and white magic are perverted and used for personal gain, further engulfing the land in chaos. The Grand Companies are formed towards the end of the era. Sixth Umbral Era - Over 1,500 Years Ago. The Twelve drown the world in a cleansing deluge to purge the realm of the sins of avarice in man. The Black Shroud grows to swallow all that the flood doesn’t. Much of the realm is destroyed. Archons, incarnates of the Twelve themselves, descend upon Eorzea. A cabal of dark mages appear and begin creating further chaos in the realm. With the help of the Archons, the Grand Companies manage to bring peace to the world as the waters recede. Sixth Astral Era 1 - The Sixth Astral Era begins. 233 - Lewphon of Sharlayan pens “The Five Ages - An Eorzean Chronology” c. 572 - First migratory wave of Hyurs arrive in Eorzea from the surrounding islands and continents. c. 572 Thordan leads his people to the Promised Land to found what is now Ishgard. Nidhogg descends upon the new people of Ishgard, seducing the weak of heart to turn on their leader. Thordan is pushed to his death. Haldrath takes up his fallen sires lance and prizes out Nidhogg’s eye, giving birth to the first Azure Dragoon. Nidhogg flees and enters his slumber. The Goblins conduct a pilgrimage to the cities of man. [*]c. 872 - The city state of Limsa Lominsa is founded from the wreckage of the Galadion and the rest of its armada which had fled from the waters of a kingdom far to the south. The Goblins conduct a pilgrimage to the cities of man. [*]c. 972 - Sasagan Ul Sisigan, first of the line of Ul, founds the nation of Ul’dah. The Sultansworn are created to guard the royal family. Three brethren blades are formed, Curtana among them, and are given to the band the brotherhood of the founding Sultansworn. [*]c. 972 - 1072 The aqueducts of Sil’dih are constructed. King Lalawefu Sil Tatawefu, the King of Springs and ruler of Sil’dih dies. Drought strikes the region of Thanalan, creating a desire for water in both Ul’dah and Sil’dih. Sasagan Ul Sisigan wages war on SIl’dih in order to claim water resources discovered as a result of King Lalawefu’s flood control acts. The Sil’dihn elite devised a plan to zombify their deceased to battle the army of Ul’dah. This plan ultimately turned on the people of Sil’dih and the zombifacation spread to the populace. Ul’dahns then proclaimed the war to be a crusade to send the abominations to the realm of Thal, sealing the gates shut and entrapping both the living and dead within leading to the fall of the nation. [*]c. 1022 - The Ixal settle in the Twelveswood, known to them then as Tinolqa - meaning “Blessed Forest” in Ixali. They begin worshipping Garuda, the Empress of Birds [*]c. 1022 - 1422 - The Ixali are exiled from the Twelveswood by the Elementals. They migrate to the canyons of Xelphatol where their young are born featherless. [*]c. 1052 Gelmorra, a subterranean city beneath the Twelveswood, is founded. The arcane art of Conjury is created from the knowledge of primitive magic. Man makes first contact with the Moogles. [*]c. 1102 The Pact of Gelmorra is established, with the elementals bestowing chosen conjurers with the powers of white magic and transforming them into the Padjal. The Elementals allow the Gelmorrans to live above ground within the Twelveswood, thus founding the city-state of Gridania. [*]c. 1200 - 1300 - Baldric Thorne becomes sultan of Ul’dah - he is feared across the region for his quick temper and even swifter justice. The tradition of Little Ladies Day is founded. [*]c. 1272 - Gigas are enslaved during the Thorne dynasty to work the mines of Copperbell. [*]c. 1422 - Dirigibles are invented, allowing the Ixali to return to the skies. [*]1468 - Ala Mhigo invades the East Shroud, prompting the start of the Autumn War. [*]1469 The Eorzean Alliance is born. Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Ishgard come to the aid of Gridania to repel the Ala Mhigan invasion. Ala Mhigo withdraws, ending the Autumn War. Beltrant Durendaire, an Ishgardian scout along with his Choboo Ouranos, uncover a secret Ala Mhigan march while on patrol. Despite being heavily wounded Beltrant and Ouranos return to camp and make known of the Ala Mhigan position. Ouranos dies of his wounds. As a result Chocobo Barding was developed. [*]1472 The Black Mage Ququruka allows himself to be imprisoned in the Marasaja Pit. The Goblins conduct a pilgrimage to the cities of man. [*]1506 - Roddard Ironheart, grandfather of Nedrick Ironheart and Millith Ironheart, drafts the first complete map of Eorzea. [*]1521 - The Garlean Republic sees a technological golden age. The then legatus - now reigning emperor - transformed the nation into a formidable military power after attaining the position of Dictator. [*]1521 - 1557 - The Garlean Republic expands across Ilsabard and Othard as Soluz zos Galvus conferrs upon himself the title of Emperor, this turning the Garlean Republic into the Garlean Empire. [*]1542 - The Thousand Maws of Totorak is closed and sealed by the Elder Seedseer as another gaol is created closer to Gridania. [*]1552 - 1556 Theodorac proclaims himself the divine ruler of Ala Mhigo, stating that his right to the throne was the divine rule of Nymeia herself. It was at this time that he also banned the worship or likeness of any other god and executed any who defied his uncontested rule. The monks of The Fist of Rhalgr begin to rebel against Theodorac, but Theodorac used the uprising of the monks as a reason to imprison them, torture them, and finally kill them. Around this time, or shortly after, Theodorac led a vast army to the main temple site of the Fist of Rhalgr. The army surrounded the temple and massacred all those within. It was on this day that the monkhood was nearly completely lost, save for a few survivors who might have escaped. Theodorac earns the title: The King of Ruin and labels any followers of The Fist of Rhalgr as heretics, starting a crusade to hunt them down. Theodorac succeeds in eliminating most followers of The Fist of Rhalgr and continues to rule unchallenged. The people of Ala Mhigo eventually got fed up with the daily public beheadings and the tyrannical rule of the king and revolted, storming the palace grounds. [*]1557 After inciting unrest within the masses of Ala Mhigo, the Garleans are able to capture the city and proceed to occupy it. Theodorac commits suicide rather than being dethroned by the Garleans. Many of the citizens of Ala Mhigo saw the Garlean force as liberators at first. Couple this with the fact that the city was thrown into chaos, leaderless, and desperate for a new rule, the annexation and occupation of the city was relatively easy and happened near over night. Nidhogg awakens and destroys the town of Ferndale. The Dragoon Ser Alberic meets Nidhogg in combat, Ser Alberic suffers injuries and willingly abandons his Dragoon powers. Nidhogg begins his slumber once more. [*]1567 The Admiral of Limsa Lominsa is killed due to the coup caused by Commodore Sthalmann. Sthalmann is removed from the Knights of the Barracuda. [*]1572 - M’toto sailed the ocean blue.

My top three favorite songs in no particular order. FFXIII - Blinded by Light (Piano Collections) FFVII - Cosmo Canyon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5QVFUL-_Wg FFXIV - Twilight Over Thanalan (Distant Worlds) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Druc2wG3RDU

A server transfer system will be available to us three to four weeks after launch. It isn't said, but transfer between Legacy and Non-Legacy will likely be possible, since one of the biggest reasons for the split is to allow the new servers to establish their own economies and such. As far as Balmung and Gilgamesh go - Until server transfers are available, Balmung is going to be the most populated server, but Gligamesh will have many new players - thus more people to do low level content with. Hope that helped!

I think you're misinterpreting the quest dialogue slightly. The girl in question, Sylphie, is indeed healing without proper training, however, it isn't the lack of training that's detrimental to her health, but the method of casting. Conjury relies on the elements found in nature and the aether therein. When using conjury to cure, the aether surrounding the caster is used to heal the person in question. This is why conjurers study earth, wind, and water - the elements most ready and abundant in nature. Sylphie on the other hand, is using her own aether. This isn't conjury by definition of the magic. It's thaumaturgy. While it isn't blatantly said, it's heavily implied and we can infer that the spell she's using is akin to sacrifice, which was a thaumaturge spell which used the casters own innate-aether to heal their target. Keep in mind that aether is the lifeblood of all living things. So when a caster uses a spell that drains their aether and continues to do it without restraint, they can kill themselves, which was the case for Sylphie's mother. When Sylphie claims she can cast raise and brother E-Sumi-Yan admonishes her, it because she's not casting raise, she's likely casting a thaumaturge spell akin to resurrect, which in practice of thaumaturgy, is in line with necromancy. This is likely what he means when he says Anyways, just wanted to drop that by. A person can likely learn conjury on their own without major ramifications such as the ones Sylphie experiences so long as the method of casting falls in line with being derived from nature, and not within oneself. Freelance pretty much hit everything else on the head tho

I'll throw my hat in with that. They may have also closed it around the time that the Garleans began pushing into Eorzea over Silvertear, which happened around 1562 when Midardsormr and other dragons did battle with the Agrius. Maybe they closed their gates out of fear of invasion or perhaps they didn't want to get involved. Ishgard even refused to come to the aid of the Eorzean Alliance when the call was made, so it only defends the idea that they want no part in the happenings in the rest of the realm. Regardless, I'd put it somewhere in between 1557-1562. We'll likely find out come ARR though.

I'll have to nitpick and challenge this. Sorry. Like I mentioned earlier, the case of Gae Bolg is interesting because it simple says 'any lancer who ascends to the station of dragoon'. This is one of the few times (aside from the FFXIV armory page and other flavor text when referencing the dragoon in short) that doesn't make any mention to the Azure. For all we know it could mean two things. a.) Lancers who ascend to the station of dragoon are given a Gae Bolg as proof of their rank. Perhaps dragoon in this case isn't reference to the job class (although it is heavily implied) and it's more in reference to the holy knights who are dragon slayers. b.) SE may have simply left the title of Azure out, though they might have meant it to mean the Azure Dragoon. I'm personally more in favor of this theory simply due to the nature of how it's explained in game and what we know to be true of the Azure. For the Holy See to bestow upon someone a weapon of great importance and tradition suggests that it isn't something handed out every single time a lancer becomes a dragon slayer. Rather, I think the tradition is likely tied to when the Eye of Nidhogg chooses a new Azure. This is the ascension - rising from a mere man to one granted with the powers of the dragons in order to slay the beasts. Keep in mind that the Holy See is likely reference to the church of Ishgard, and in turn, the Archbishop. Again, using real world examples - the Holy See is the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop is what we call the Pope. Gae Bolg isn't just a fancy weapon handed out to every single dragoon of Ishgard, but only those chosen. This is likely a sacred and time honored tradition, happening only when the next Azure is chosen. We also find out through the Relic Reborn quest that we are crafted a Gae Bolg by Gerolt by retrieving a lance that was once used by Saint Reinette. It goes against how dragoons recieves Gae Bolg in the other text from SE. The Holy See doesn't grant us one, we basically take one that belonged to someone else and reforge it. As a point of reference, here is all the dialogue that Gerolt gives you when going through the Relic Reborn quest line. Now as far as Drachen Mail goes.... The armor itself is forged in the blood of dragons to amplify and resonate with the blood and power of the dragon within the Azure. When an Azure steps down from his role, dies, or otherwise loses his powers, the ancient custom is to have the Azure or someone else seal away the armor. The final piece, the body, can only be worn by Dragoons who have achieved perfect awakening of the dragon within them. This suggests that in order to even wear the armor and make use of it, one has to have the power of the dragon within them, and in order for that to happen, the Eye of Nidhogg must choose them, thus making them an Azure. Again we take a dragoon piece that belonged to someone else and skip any tradition that would be associated with it if we got it by normal means. i.e. actually making the suit. Estinien likely received his the proper way as he is recognized by Ishgard as an Azure.

As for white mages, that's a different case altogether. There isn't just one white mage, and in fact, it is possible to learn the art if someone knows it. However, in the case of 1.0 setting, the only keepers of knowledge surrounding the art of succor are the Padjal. The reason to this is due to history and the fear of the realm repeating it. In the fifth umbral era, it's said that man discovered how to use the arcane arts. This is what led us out of the umbral era and into the fifth astral era. It wasn't until the fifth astral era that man sought greater magicks. To this end, the art of destruction - black magic, was created. In order to keep the destructive force of black magic in check and maintain balance, white magic was invented. We're told by several sources that the fifth astral era saw a darkness descend from the skies and spill across the land, filling the hearts of men and corrupting them. They began to seek greater power, fueled by avarice, and began perverting their magics for personal gain. It was because of this that we entered the sixth umbral era and the reason why both arts were soon abolished. While it isn't as case specific as dragoon, white and black magic would be still be rare forms of magic, even if it isn't exclusive to one person. Again, we don't know the lore surrounding them in ARR and how much of it will be changed, but given what we know, we can only go off of that and not speculation.

Actually, I can provide sources that say otherwise. On the matter of "normal" dragoons, well, you need look no further than Owl's Nest to find them. The knights stationed there are the dragoons of House Fortemps. In a real world application, dragoons were simply members of a military unit armed and trained to fight in mounted or infantry settings. In fact, dragoon is more or less an old english word meaning mounted infantry. In the context of Final Fantasy XIV, dragoons are simply dragons slayers - knights who fight against the dragons of Dravania. Becoming a dragoon of Ishgard wouldn't be hard, I'd imagine. It's likely a simple matter of pledging your sword or lance to a one of the High Houses and having them declare you a knight of Ishgard. Who knows. The fact of the matter remains: there are dragoons, and then there is the Azure Dragoon who stands in his own league above all others who would face the dragons because he possesses the power of the dragons himself. When you think about it, the Azure Dragoon is more or less XIV's version of Skyrim's Dovahkin...just with less Fus Ro Dah. As we don't know the lore surrounding any of the jobs in ARR (aside from a vague paragraph that gives the general tidbits of the job) and how much of the lore in 1.0 will be retconned, we can only formulate what's actual lore based on what has been provided. On the matter of RPers being dragoons - that boils back down to the RP community giving the contradiction between lore and mechanics a pass, favoring mechanics over lore in this case. Edit: Just to quickly add on a few more details surrounding the Azure Dragoon...the armor they wear is exclusive to the Azure Dragoon - meaning that the Dragoon AF is in fact the Azure Dragoon set -the drachen mail. However in the case of Gae Bolg, we get the first hint that SE may be tripping over their own lore. The confusion between the distinction between a dragoon and being the dragoon likely stems from them not making their lore come full circle because there is the whole issue of lore vs mechanics in place. They have to sacrifice one or the other in the case of an MMO because it isn't a single player experience at the end of the day, even if the story quests are.

I posted this over on the lodestone lore subforums, but I figure I'd post it here as well since the OP hasn't updated the original post. Here are some updates to the timeline that are missing and or corrected. I'll add more as we continue to review everything. Fifth Umbral Era The global ice age pushes man to the brink of survival. Man discovers magic, bringing about the Fifth Astral Era. Fifth Astral Era Started some three thousand years ago. Man begins to seek mightier magics thus the arcane art of destruction is born through Black Magic. White Magic, the arcane art of succor, is created to balance the force of chaos brought with the creation of Black Magic. Darkness descends upon man, causing men to pervert their new-found powers, bringing about the Sixth Umbral Era. Sixth Umbral Era Started some fifteeen hundred and odd years ago. In order to purge the sins of avarice in man, the Twelve flood Eorzea. A group of dark mages begin to wreck havoc upon the realm. The Archons rise to battle the dark mages, yet one of the Archons, Ahldbhar, turns sides. The Grand Companies are formed to ensure the realm survives, helping in bringing the Sixth Astral Era about. Both Black and White Magic are abolished. Sixth Astral Era 0 - Start of the Sixth Astral Era (1572 years ago from 1.0 start, 1577 years ago from ARR start.) 1572 - Bahamut is released from his prison, ushering in the Seventh Umbral Era. Warriors of Light vanish. Seventh Umbral Era 5 - New adventurers begin to arrive in Eorzea.

At risk of making myself sound like a lore nazi, I want to explain why the examples I gave are rare occurrences and/or are instances that should not happen as frequently as they do within the context of the lore. Recall, however, that I'm a strong supporter of people doing whatever they want so long as they're happy and it doesn't break what's established. Keep in mind that the word rare simply means not occurring frequently and it shouldn't be mistaken for meaning nearly non-existent. Male Miqo'te: This should be a no brainer. Due to the nature of how the Seeker of the Sun and Keeper of the Moon clans are set up, there are naturally far less males than there are females. That alone doesn't make male Miqo'te rare. However, what does make them rare is the fact that male Miqo'te are known to shy away from society and even in the instances we've seen male Miqo'te NPCs, they are few and far between. I'll agree on a point that you made Asyria - there are more characters in the world than what we see in-game. We're likely just not seeing all the male Miqo'te simply because they're hiding themselves from society, much like how it was in 1.0. Garlean Turncloaks: I'm not talking about spies here, or Imperials for that matter. I'm talking about citizens of Garlemald who have since fled their homeland in order to seek sanctuary in Eorzea. Among them and most notable are the workers of the Garlond Ironworks. We see on several occasions in the context of 1.0 that Imperial soldiers are seeking out people who have fled Garlemald in order to silence them or take them for other purposes. Many people fleeing are risking life and limb in order to do so. That isn't to say that a person of Garlean citizenship is extremely rare or impossible, it only means that the frequency that someone would flee Garlemald would be low and we wouldn't see many do so. Further, and I'll touch on this point a bit later, Garleans are more or less brain washed, especially the subjugated ones. If they aren't, then they are likely to remain out of fear, patriotism, or even a mix of both. Ala Mhigan Refugees: I stand by my statement that Ala Mhigan refugees would be rare and add on the detail that there's a strong social stigma against them, especially in the regions of Thanalan. When Ala Mhigo was captured by Garlean forces, the city-state itself was in turmoil. Yes, many would have likely fled, but where would they have gone? Ala Mhigo was never part of the Eorzean Alliance and has had a bloody history of conflict with its neighbors for over a hundred years. Those who fled eventually had to settle in Little Ala Mhigo because the city-states refused to take them. There is also the other side to the coin, the Ala Mhigans willfully embraced the Garleans upon them taking the city. When King Theodorac's rule came to an end due to the social upheaval and the collapse of order within Ala Mhigo, the Garleans simply walked in and took it. Many welcomed them, thinking that their new captors would treat them far better than their tyrannical king. Either through brain washing or simply because they wanted to, many Ala Mhigans sided with the Garleans. Many who managed to flee Ala Mhigo became mercenaries, taking refuge where they could. They couldn't settle in Gridania (at the time of 1.0) because the Elementals would likely not warrant it, which in turn would cause the Gridanians to turn them way. The couldn't settle in Ul'dah because the citizens shunned them and looked down upon them. The Holy See of Ishgard lets no one in through the Gates of Judgement, which leaves Limsa, a trek across the sea, forcing many to become pirates and brigands. The reason I say they're rare is we can take a look at Little Ala Mhigo, and examples of other Ala Mhigans we see in game, and see that their numbers are few and far between. Their camp is small and the NPCs make mention of them struggling to survive due to their limited resources. We read between the lines, but even in the five years between 1572 and year 5 of the 7th umbral era, their population has not grown and the camp has seen little growth. White Mages: White Magic was founded sometime in the 5th Astral Era and quickly abolished sometime between then and the 6th Umbral Era due to the misuse and perversion of the magic which led to the umbral era in question. Since then, the Padjal have been the keepers of the knowledge of White Magic for centuries, only giving the knowledge to those they feel worthy of it. As we don't know the lore surrounding White Mage in A Realm Reborn, we can only speculate that this tradition holds true. White Magic isn't something readily available to the public and there are reasons for it - they don't want history to repeat itself. Dragoons: Let me clarify that I speak about the Azure Dragoons, aka, the dragoons that wear the artifact armor. Ishgard does have normal dragoons - knights who battle dragons. However, the Dragoon job isn't something that is widespread, even the skills are exclusive to the Azure Dragoon. In all of recent history, there has only ever been one Dragoon at a time, chosen by the Eye of Nidhogg which was taken by Haldrath - the first Azure Dragoon. In the context of the plot in 1.0, the eye picks two Azure Dragoons, so it's evident that it's possible to have more than one at one time. However, the reasoning as to why there was two chosen or the conditions that are needed for another to be selected are never revealed. The power of the Dragoon is bestowed upon them by the Eye of Nidhogg, so everyone RPing as a real Dragoon is essentially saying they've been selected by the Eye. Keep in mind this is the lore that's been established in the game, and as a RP community, we choose to ignore it for the sake of letting everyone be able to be Dragoons. Black Mages: Again, Black Magic was also abolished sometime between the 5th Astral Era and the 6th Umbral due to the darkness that spilled across the land due to the misuse of the powerful magics. In the context of the 1.0 lore, we are chosen by the crystal given to us to be given the powers of Black Magic. The Lalafell who we learn from has only one other apprentice. From both those we can speculate that Black Magic is still an art lost to the general public and possessed be only a few people throughout the realm. Once ARR goes live with the Black Mage quest details, we'll know more about the lore revolving them and how accessible the magic. Again, we have lore that's established yet we, the RP community, decide to generally ignore it due to mechanics. People With Knowledge of Magitek Tech: Most of the knowledge of magitek, outside of Garlemald at least, is held by the Garlond Ironworks and most primarily by Cid nan Garlond. Magitek knowledge isn't limited to them per se, but if it was more accessible, the city-states wouldn't be asking the Ironworks to retrofit their air-ships with improved magitek tech when they could just do it themselves. Limsa wouldn't have such a strong desire to confiscate every piece of Garlean weaponry they come across to reverse engineer them to use the technology on their warships and own weaponry. Even more so, the Imperials wouldn't have a need of hunting down men and women who have knowledge in magitek if they had the knowledge themselves. Of course, this could simply mean that the Ironworks has advanced magitek knowledge, but also keep in mind that magitek wasn't invented until most recently - roughly thirty years recently. Further, the spread of the knowledge and overall use of it was limited to Garlean engineers and officials, a handful of which died during the incident at Bozja Citedel. I simply offer the above as information as to why these things are considered rare. I could very well be wrong, and I'm ready to be. The overall point was that - yes, there are things within the context of the lore that are rare that we as a role-playing community tend to dismiss as being rare for the sake of allowing everyone to RP as they want. The whole halfbreed issue, if it can be called that, is similar in nature to someone having a physical deformity, a missing limb, abnormal facial features, or even a magitek arm. The social stigma associated with these afflictions and differences isn't generated simply just by having them, but how the character displays them and how the player is able to convey them. I mean, using common sense, it wouldn't make sense for there to be a Roegadyn and a Lalafell halfbreed. Until the details are further confirmed, its basically up to the community to decide what is really acceptable when it comes to half breeds. Since we don't know the full nature of half-breeds, we don't know how that will affect appearance. It could just be a matter of a Elezen having Hyur proportions, we don't know. I say let the player do as they please so long as it doesn't deviate strongly from the world our characters live in. Once confirmation is provided, retconning is a simple matter of changing some minor details. I agree that it would be very difficult, however, I don't think that someone doing so makes them or their character 'special' or that they should feel apprehensive about doing so. /endwalloftext

Well... not exactly. The linked dev post indicates that she's a Seeker, but that she might have a genetic anomaly resulting in Keeper features, or that she has some Keeper blood. EDIT: It's true that she could be a full-blooded Keeper taken in by the Seekers, but that's just one possibility from the dev post. Societally, "(w)e know for certain that F'lhaminn was raised as a Seeker of the Sun..." Likely she is a Keeper of the Moon raised by Seekers. She has absolutely no Seeker traits other than her name. Ferne forgets the third possible option. Three: It could be that SE done goofed and tripped over their own lore. Instead of trying to correct it, they simply brushed it under the rug and created a reason for the anomaly since F'lhaminn is a side character and not a major character we'll likely see ever again. He simply gives us scenarios as to why such an anomaly can exist, but never clearly states as to why. Trying to spell yes out of maybe is redundant. You're still one letter short. On the matter of half breeds.... 1.) Who cares if the game can't depict your character 100%. Many aspects of a character can't be visually represented in-game. We shouldn't limit our character to the confines of the game's technical limitations due to visuals. That isn't to say, "hey, my character has wings!" or "my character is actually an Amal'jaa!" What it means is adhering to the lore, what is accepted in the lore, and what is accepted in the roleplay community. Mixed-race characters are confirmed to exist, and while they may be rare, there are a handful of instances that other players RP their character as that may not be equally as rare, but are rare occurrences none the less. To dismiss the plausibility of one trope is to place a mark on all the other tropes that can't be represented in-game to the fullest extent. 2.) On the matter that other RPers won't recognize the fact that the character is a half breed, thus dismissing the social stigma that is associated with it, I call to example character height. Character height can only be depicted in-game up to a certain extent, basically what the game limits us to. Say a full Wildwood stands at a staggering 7 fulms and 6ilms. He's considerably taller than normal Elezen standards, but this isn't depicted in-game, only in RP. Being different, in any way, can be a social stigma. With the case of height, others might make light of him, shun him, or even fear him. Don't think so? Look at the handful of books and movies that have this social stigma as a backdrop to the character. Back to the case of half-breeds. If one player wants the other player to react accordingly, both parties should be well informed about the visual nature of the characters. If my character is a half breed and I tell the person I'm rping with and they don't knowledge that fact, that's the choice of the other character/player. Maybe it's a non issue to them. Keep in mind that while there is racism, sexism, and other social stigmas in the world of XIV, there is also a level of tolerance. 3.) Here is a list of things that are considered rare occurrences or things that happen in the RP community that shouldn't have as much abundance as they do, yet they are accepted none the less. Male Miqo'te Garlean Turncloaks Ala Mhigan Refugees White Mages Dragoons Black Mages People with knowledge of Magitek technology I could really go on, but I'm in no mood to dig up every single occurrence. Fact of the matter is, if you guys are touting this as such a rare occurrence, what about every other supposed rare occurrence that happens in XIV that we dismiss as the norm in the RP community?

I think the thing we have to keep in mind is that Lightning coming to the world of Hydaelyn was not meant for us, the roleplayers, but rather the general casual Final Fantasy player. Omitting her from the RP lore should be fine. Yoshi-P has stated that there will be an actual reason for her being here and that she'll be part of this world...honestly I chalk that up as "She came through the void somehow and now she's here." The reality is as what Clover said, this is shameless promotion for Lightning Returns. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it right now since all we can do is speculate. If anything, its just a funny throw back to FFXIII since it doesn't seem they're carrying much lore elements from that game into this (all the current lore elements seem to be derived from Final Fantasy I - VII).

The speculation here being that the Circle of Knowing are all well capable with magic (watch the End of an Era video...), and their patron deity hints at the further pursuit of said knowledge. It seems like there may be more information there in regards to magic academia, but we don't have much more information than that. It's stated in ARR that the citizens of Sharlayan fled Eorzea and returned to their homeland several years before the events of 1.0 happened, likely around or before the time of the Garlean invasion and the Primals being summoned. However, Sharlayan does seem to be the biggest candidate when it comes to having an academy of some sort. their patron deity is Thaliak, the Scholar.

1) Before the Garleans attacked the first time, and even the second time, there seemed to be a semblance of open trade between the nations. Of course, Ala Mhigo was constantly trying to push west-ward towards Gridania to expand their lands even before the Garleans struck which caused the other city states to fight back against Ala Mhigo...so they may have been exempt from trade, but I doubt it. In regards to the Garleans in specific, Ul'dah is known to have traded ceruleum with the empire and Limsa has harbored ships hailing from Garlean territory, confiscating weapons and such to reverse engineer them for their own purposes. The long and short of it is, yes there was at least some minor trading going on between all the nations prior the Garleans attacking. 2) There hasn't been an established academy revealed yet, but it seems the guilds have much higher levels of learning and teaching. The Thaumaturges guild actually has hundreds if not thousands of scriptures that were once required for new thaumaturges to read during their training. This practice was eventually abolished and now thaumaturges have a specific tome they study from. The arcanist guild, Mealvaan's Gate, serves as Limsa's customs house but it also seems to be place of learning and education, if not a building filled with archived information, magic likely being part of that. Anyways, hope that helped. Someone may have more details than I can provide however.

This excites me a great deal! Edit: Seems like it. "Almxio: Paragons? The Paragons are not of the feathered ones, nor are they of the scaled ones, or even these ones. It was the Paragons who taught all tribal ones the means of summoning the primals from the aether." "Zoxio: Legends say the Paragons arrive in times of strife to lead those ones in darkness to the light of the primal ones. These ones have heard rumors that the Paragons have already called upon the groves of the feathered ones and scaled ones." "Almxio: The tribal ones will listen to the Paragons." "Zoxio: If these ones can speak with the Paragons, perhaps a pact can be forged. Perhaps the Paragons will help convince the tribal ones of their folly." http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Forever_Taken/Plot_Details We see the Ascians in two different forms in 1.0 and they are directly given two different titles - The Shadoweaters and the Ascian. Ascian means someone or something that is without a shadow. Paragon means someone or something that is a model of excellence, a perfect example of a particular quality. Taking that further and to a literary stance, a shadow can only appear where there is light. To be shadowless means that there is an absence of light and that you stand in the dark. A dark place...hmm hmm. Light, dark...good, evil. Pretty classic Final Fantasy tropes if you ask me. Perhaps the Ascians present themselves to the beastmen tribes as Paragons because they believe they are the example that they should follow. The spoken races, of which we fall under, can be said to walk in the light. Hell, we are the Warriors of Light after all. Seems to me the Paragons/Ascians have simply been fueling the fires between the various groups of man and beast to set the stage for what they are planning. This brings up the interesting point on Primals and exactly what they are. We know that Primals aren't destroyed when they are defeated. They simply return from whence they came. There are two sources that NPCs say they come from, and in some instances, they use these two places together - the Aether and the Void, or the aetherial void in some cases. Again, we stumble across a situation where words are used interchangeably like the Ascian/Paragon situation. We also know Primals require aether to sustain their form in our plain of existence and that the land itself is slowly being drained of aether. Louisoix: Alas, they paid no heed to the consequences of its use. You see, in order to remain in our plane of existence, a primal must needs devour prodigious amounts of aether─the energy bound in crystals and at large throughout all creation. Louisoix: Consequently, the land is slowly but surely being drained of its aether, and the day fast approaches when the fount will run dry. Should that happen, what then? Why, all life in Eorzea will end. Even as we speak, the land bleeds, with every passing moment another ilm closer to death. And die it surely will─unless we purge it of its blight. Aye, I speak of the primals. Louisoix: It is to bring about their downfall that I have journeyed to Eorzea. Ifrit, fell primal of the Amalj'aa, shall be the first. I should welcome your help in this. http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/It_Kills_with_Fire_(Gridania)/Plot_Details In ARR we discover a couple things in the opening story line. We find out that the planet's "spirit" itself is manifested in the form of the Mother Crystal and is the source of all aether on Hydaelyn and that we are Warriors of Light if not the second coming of the Warriors of Light. We discover, within the first five minutes of the game's opening, that the Ascians have quarrel with the Mother Crystal and seek to destroy it. We also discover that the Ascian duo is present during the battle of Carteneu and are quite pleased with the happenings, going so far to say that things are going according to plan. Their plan. Finally, we learn that the story line makes it seem that we are the chosen ones to stand against the Ascians as they send creatures to attack us because they feel we are meddling in their plans. Bloody hells, they treat us like the only threat to their plans. /blahblahblah

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````I'M SO HAPPY THEY RELEASED INFO ON THESE NEW GUYS AND THE ASCIANS. END CAPS LOCK. Seriously tho, I think I might have figured out the history of the Ascians. /inbeforesomeoneelsespoilstheloreforeveryone Here are a few things about the Ascians we know... The beastmen fear the Ascians. They fear them so much, they are willing to halt their quarrel with one another when one of them appears in the 1.0 Main Quest line and the Sylphs are asked to shroud the group in protective magic to hide them from the creature. The Paragons are the ones who taught the beastmen how to summon the Primals. The current Primals didn't appear until recently, post Tragedy of Silver Tear Falls when the Agrius and Midgardsormr crashed into the lake in Mor Dhona, creating a huge imbalance of aether throughout the realm and freeing the lesser primals. In fact, the lesser Primals didn't assume corporal form until about 1564 when Ifrit and other Primals began to appear. Garuda and Moggle Mog didn't appear until 1572. Titan and Leviathan appeared sometime between that. The Ascian we see in ARR remarks something to the extent of "To think that I would live to see Bahamut once again". We know Bahamut was sealed away sometime in the 4th Umbral Era, during the fall of the Great Allagan Empire. Dalamud is a construct of Allagan technology and magic. For the Ascian to have last seen Bahamut, he would need to be several thousand years old. The 6th Umbral Era was brought about by the rise of immortal mages who made a pact with the demon lords of the seven hells for immortality in exchange for full dominion over the realm and sacrificing (I believe it was, I'll have to find the line of text) 2 million souls. The Archons, men and women who are believed to be reincarnates of the Twelve themselves, rose to fight against them. It can be speculated that these mages are the Ascians. My theory is that the Ascians were once Allagan mages who made a blood pact with the ruling creatures of the void in order to become immortal and gain power. In exchange for their power and immortality, the Ascians were bound to completing their blood pact by destroying the mother crystal, in effect creating a huge imbalance in the aether of Eorzea, possibly expanding the rift between the Void and our own realm and killing off several thousand, if not millions, of people in the process by returning the world to nothing (A common Final Fantasy bad guy theme). The Ascians were likely the ones to have summoned the Elder Primals in the first place which brought about the 4th Umbral Era and ended the 3rd Astral Era. In a last ditch effort to save the realm from destruction, heroes (possibly the Archons) sealed away Bahamut inside Dalamud and casted him into the heavens. They may have also imprisoned other Elder Primals as well (such as Odin). Having failed that time, the Ascians may have tried another catastrophe in the 4th Astral Era to bring in the 5th Umbral Era. Not much is known here aside from the tidbit that darkness descended onto the hears of man, but I speculate the Ascians managed to bring about war between the various nations that rose up after the fall of the Allagan Empire (Nym, Gelmorra, etc.) The Twelve may have intervened and stopped them somehow (again, possibly Archons) The 6th Umbral Era was known for the Great Deluge brought about by the Twelve to purge the lands because of the dark magic that was consuming the realm by a group of "dark mages". The Grand Companies rose and the Archons came back. They succeeded in driving back the Ascians and the 6th Astral Era came out, this was about 1572 years ago prior to the start of 1.0... It was in the 6th Astral Era that the Ascians, now calling themselves the Paragons, went around and taught the beastmen tribes how to summon the Primals and use crystals to feed them energy. This created a huge schism in the balance of aether in the realm, which was likely the Ascians goal in the first place. The 7th Umbral Era was brought about by the rise of the lesser primals (this is a term I use, not a term used ingame) and the fall of Dalamud along with the return of Bahamut. I suspect that Nael van Darnus (who was of Allagan descent) was corrupted by the Ascians to get the events which would bring back Bahamut. Because of the aetherial imbalance, the world was thrown into chaos. The archons (the Circle of Knowing) attempted to do what they could to save the realm while the powers of Twelve once again intervened before Bahamut could actually destroy the realm for good. To be honest, I think that the Twelve is simply a thing that the five races created to explain the divine powers of the Mother Crystal, so when Louisoix 'called upon the Twelve' he was simply using the power of the Mother Crystal...which if I recall, calling upon the Twelve uses a great amount of aether...and aether is the lifeblood of the mother crystal... . Anyways, now that the Mother Crystal is weaker and vulnerable, the Ascians might be approaching what is their endgame and plan to destroy the mother crystal once and for all to fufill their several millenniums old blood pact. This is all speculation of course, but I think its pretty solid based off what we know... Either way... IF I'M RIGHT, SOMEONE BETTER BUY ME A MANSION IN GAME. Edit: Gospel reminded me of an article talking about Garuda, and the Garuda questline says she's been an enemy to Gridania for night on ten years. However, this still asserts the fact that the lesser primals didn't appear, or rather, re-appear until recently.

Off topic from the OP...but seeing as it was brought up... The primals that each beastman tribe worships doesn't seem closely tied to the type of beast they are or the location they're found in, but it seems to be based more on what the beastmen themselves actually worship and the element they're associated with. For example, we know that the Amal'jaa pride themselves as fighters and their society seems based around warlike tendencies and that they are associated with the element of fire. Of the known summons, Ifrit seems the one most fit for the Amal'jaa. The Ixali are associated with the element of wind and they long for the power of flight, something that has since been lost to them and thus they rely on hot air balloons to take to the skies. They in turn worship the skies. Between Garuda and Siren, Garuda hands down fills the role of the Ixal primal. Fun fact...Coerthas is known as being the birthplace of the wind. The Kobolds worship the earth it seems, or at least greatly prize the minerals that come from the earth. It makes sense Titan is their primal. Sylphs are renowned for their abilities with magic and their society seems to be based around it. Ramuh is on of the most prolific summon when it comes to that regard, so again, it makes sense that he is their primal. My knowledge on Sahagin is a bit limited, but using what we know, we can assume that their society is closely related to the ocean. If you can name a more well known and traditional water based summon other than Leviathan, good luck. This is just speculation, though I believe I might have read it somewhere...but I believe that the Gigas are likely to worship Shiva and are likely from the region north of Coerthas known as the Farreach. I'm rambling at this point, but here's some more fun speculation. The Mamool Ja come from the lands to the west and are mercenaries for hire. Its been said (I'll have to find the source) that the beastmen are looking into summoning their own primal, so chances are, they may end up doing so later down the line. My bet is on Quezacotyl, mainly because the big traditional ones have already been named so any new primals added would likely end up being some of the lesser known summons from previous games. Siren and Fenrir aren't associated with anything right now, and to be honest, until they reveal more beastmen, I'm waiting on speculating much on them as we can't say for sure she will be a primal. The Goblins and the Qiqirn don't have an announced primal yet and it isn't even known if they can summon one. However, the lore of 1.0 tells us that the Paragons taught the beastmen how to summon the primals and that some of the beastmen (namely the sylphs) chose not to use this knowledge out of fear. Following the same vein as King Moggle Mog, they might just get comical primals for the lulz. Odin and Bahamut have been confirmed as Elder Primals, and methinks that Alexander will fall in line with that as well, all three of which could somehow be associated with the Allagan empire in some way. blah blah blah, Mtoto is ramblingagainohgodwhypleasemakehimstop

Why hasn't this received more views/comments?! Seriously tho, I've been a silent stalker listener for awhile now (in particular the Fields Coerthas and Twilight Over Thanalan) and I can't begin to count the number of times I've listened to some of these covers while I draw to get me in a good state of mind. Anyways, great job. I really enjoyed all of them. I've been learning piano myself (self taught mostly) and these videos have been a huge inspiration and help!