(07-14-2015, 12:13 PM)13uddy Wrote: Is there any lore about fictional heroes within the setting?
LOTS. Here's a list of a few I could think of off the top of my head.
- The Twelve - Twelve legendary gods believed to have walked Eorzea and brought life to all Hydaelyn in the time before Eras, known as the Time of the Twelve.
- The Warriors of Light - Legendary heroes said to aid the world in its time of need between every Umbral Era.
Quote:Minion of Light
Ancient records show that almost every Astral Era has had its own Warriors of Light - brave souls who appeared before forthcoming disasters to unite the people of that time... only to disappear once again as catastrophe rains down from the heavens.
- Saint Daniffen - An Ishgardian Saint famed for valorously slaying the Basilisk, Daniffen is depicted on the Valor Guildleve Card.
Quote:Daniffen's Mark
The Ishgardian legend of Saint Daniffen tells us that the dragoon would oft practice his lancework on the shores of the mighty Coerthas River. To better his aim that it might always be true, he sought only the nimblest of seema to serve as his marks.
- The Zodiac Braves - Legendary Warriors from Thavnairian myth. Very few are named.
Zodiac Sphere Scrolls Wrote:In an era long since ended
When chaos reigned o'er all the land
Did valiant souls take up the fight
To bring forth Light and cast out Dark
They numbered Twelve, no more nor lessQuote:Ages past, a wise and just king reigned over all Ilsabard. A blade such as this graced his scabbard in times of peace, and brought terror to his foes in times of strife! And his shield? A twin to the one you hold, unwavering, unyielding, unbreaking.
Quote:When cataclysm loomed over the Near East, the hero Mirza arose to defend the people from fell fiends. Once he had torn the monsters apart, he raised a mighty empire- and fashioned a pair of weapons such as these from his foes' claws!
Quote:An ancient hero seized a weapon like this from a voidsent lord. At the time it was taken, legend tells us it was a sword. Yet later, it transformed to match the bent of its wielder and became a might battleaxe.
Quote:It was holy blood that gave divine might to the original polearm of Longinus. However it was only once the hero set forth upon a great pilgrimage to atone for his part in the execution of a saint that the gods lent him their strength.
Quote:Behold, the likeness of the longbow once drawn by Yoichi, the famed archer of the Far East! Ancient legend says that the hero could loose a shaft so true as to pierce the eye of a sea serpent, even amidst a raging tempest!
Quote:After long years spent spurring worldly desires, a Near Eastern hierarch rose to a higher state of being. And as he did, life itself quickened within his trusty staff, the very twin of which you now hold!
Quote:Tales tell of an archmagus who struck down the voidsent queen Lilith when she manifested in our realm. As his prize, he claimed her weapon—the incarnation of which you now grasp in your hand!
- Mistbeard - An infamous Pirate King. Legend says that he is many men, each Mistbeard passing his legacy onto a successor. No one knows if all of the stories are true.
- Jhal Tristram
Gerolt Wrote:Jhal Tristram the True, one of the three first paladins. Story goes that, when the first sultan of Ul'dah formed the Sultansworn, he had three swords forged from the same ore used to make Oathkeeper─one for each of his champions. Curtana was one of the blades, an' it was laid to rest with its master when he kicked the bucket. Rumor has it, though, that Jhal Tristram's tomb was plundered recently, an' Curtana taken.
Gerolt Wrote:It contains tales of Jhal Tristram's exploits. Turns out I already knew most of it. To give ye the gist of it: a young Tristram goes afore the sultan, he pledges him his sword, the Sultansworn are formed, Tristram defeats an Amalj'aa pugilist in a famous duel, then sets off on a quest to retrieve the Sacred Goblet... Things get a bit fanciful from then on, but cuttin' a long story short, Curtana does get a mention. Four crystals embedded in the guard an' the ashes of a saint in the hilt─these're the sword's secrets. In the old days, it was common practice to forge a weapon usin' body parts. A bit morbid, I grant ye, but folk back then believed the spirits of the dead offered the bearer protection.
- Iron Eater
Gerolt Wrote:It follows the life of Iron Eater, the legendary sellsword...or maybe sellaxe, who lived five centuries ago. The man was the ultimate warrior, if the account's to be believed. With the amount of coin Iron Eater demanded for his services, they say ye could hire a whole bleedin' army. ...That, or keep me in mead for a fortnight! Hra hra hra! A-Ahem! Anyroad, I managed to find mention of Bravura in amongst all the maimin' an' killin'. Like any warrior worth his salt, Iron Eater wielded a Bravura...but there was a tellin' difference: his axe head was forged to weigh double the usual. Not a weapon for the faint of heart, I tell ye.
- Mythril Heart - A legendary hero and Warrior.
Broken Mountain Wrote:There are descriptions of the techniques used by the hero Mythril Heart, but the details are difficult to swallow. No warrior - alive or dead - can rip off a behemoth's arm with his bare hands.
- Mistalle - Likely a reference to FFXI's Louverance Mistalle.
Quote:The Lancers' Guild
Founded by the legendary Wood Wailer captain Mistalle, the Lancers' Guild doubles as a headquarters for those who keep the peace within Gridania, and the greater peace without. It is to these "Wailing Barracks" that people come with matters whose resolution requires a polearm's edge, and justice meted out to those who have wronged the forest or forestborn.
- Lady Urth - Possibly one in the same woman as Wiyu??
Quote:Urth's Gift
Ancient writings tell that in exchange for her lifeblood, Lady Urth was able to seal the Dark Divinity Odin in a crystalline prison beneath a bubbling wellspring. To honor her sacrifice, the land upon which she drew her last breath still bears her name.Quote:Wind-up Odin
Many have pondered why a dark divinity with roots in northern mythology would wield a blade with a decidedly Far Eastern name. A popular theory is that Odin acquired the blade upon slaying an Auri warrior who was the first ever to notch his theretofore unsullied plate.
- Ser Gorgagne
Quote:Gorgagne Mills
Ser Gorgagne was a proud knight and bannerman of House Durendaire, until the fateful day when the heir of that house vanished from sight while under his care, never to be seen again. Devastated by the loss of the boy and his own failing, he put aside his blade and built this farm, where he quietly lived out the rest of his days.
- Shiva - A mortal woman who fell in love with the Great Wyrm Hraesvelgr. To avoid further spoilers, I will simply say that her death brought a short-lived period of peace between man and dragons.
- The Lost Landlord - Possibly a statue of King Thordan?
Quote:The Lost Landlord
This colossus stands on an island in Greensward. Its name was bestowed by the moogles, who believe it to be a statue of the "king of the land-dwellers," though no records remain that could shed light on the identity of this individual, and whether or not he ever truly walked the realm.
- Hengr
Quote:Hengr's Crucible
This oddly shaped isle, floating in the eastern reaches of the Sea of Clouds, is named for the witch Hengr, a figure of Coerthan faerie tales whose cauldron its shape is said to resemble. In recent years, it has become a gathering place for the notoriously territorial toco tocos.
- Shatotto - Not to be confused with FFXI's Shantotto.
Quote:All in the Order of Nald’thal know well the legend of Shatotto, a mighty thaumaturge from the fifth of Astral Eras. Her creation of destructive and catastrophic spells evoked as much fear as it did respect, prompting ignorant souls to call her unsavory names—Death’s Handmaiden, the Black Witch, and the She-Devil among them. She was also possessed of an otherworldly talent for crafting thaumaturgical staves. Among her creations, the Stardust Rods are by far the most powerful and coveted, believed as they are to be fashioned from the celestial remnants of a star Shatotto herself brought down to Hydaelyn and clove asunder.
- Edvya Thorne
Quote:Wind-Up Edvya
Forty years after the founding of the Thorne Dynasty, sultan Baldric Thorne was blessed by the gods with a single daughter, Edvya, whom he loved fiercely. The history surrounding the two, now known as the "Legend of the Lost Lady" gave rise to the festival of Little Ladies' Day.
- Bradamante - Nael van Darnus's gunhalberd, said to be named for a warrior maiden he slew.
- Good King Moggle Mog XII - A mythical king from Moogle folklore, said to have held onto a mighty rope that allowed his mogkin to descend into the world below, but he was left behind.
- Kerigg Roh
Quote:Wind-Up Founder
Amalj'aa legend tells of Whiteknuckle Kerigg Roh - undefeated on the battlefield, he is a hero to many, including Warleader Hamujj Gah. The champion is also father of the brawling style of matrial arts utilized by the beast tribe today.
- Kain
Quote:Wind-up Kain
The tale of Kain - the dragoon who abandoned his duty for honor - is well-known amongst Ishgardian children. To maximize height on his jumps, the craftsman of his clockwork automaton lined the main control springs with over-aspected wind crystals.
- Saint Valeroyant
Eustacia Wrote:Do you know the story of Saint Valeroyant? Ten score years ago, he served as an Azure Dragoon, and won glory by driving away the great wyrm Nidhogg. This very square still bears his name, though his image has seen better days. He was an unrivaled warrior who dealt death to dragon after dragon, but there was one that always managed to slip his clutches - Agathos, feared across the land as the black death.
- Saint Reinette
Gerolt Wrote:Now then, did ye ever hear of Saint Reinette, the legendary dragoon? I only ask 'cause she's s'posed to have wielded the very same weapon, see. Story goes that a dragon slew her sweetheart, promptin' the ol' girl to seek out the beast what did it an' put it down. Havin' exacted her revenge, they say she thrust her spear into the ground where the battle was waged, givin' up the life of a dragoon to become a woman of the cloth.
- Gilbert the Godsbow
Gerolt Wrote:The first archer to be called such was one Gilbert, a man who lived durin' Gridania's fledglin' days. Legend goes he slew seven Ixali chieftains with a single arrow. And if that weren't impressive enough, they say the lucky sod was blessed with the voice of a bleedin' angel to boot. On account of which, he had a bow 'specially crafted to be weapon and instrument both. This tool of musical murder was called the Artemis Bow, an' for long years it was locked away in one of the fastnesses of the Gods' Quiver for safekeepin'.
- Wiyu - Possibly the same person as Lady Urth??
Gerolt Wrote:Did I hear ye rightly? Yer sayin' that you revived the long lost Allagan art o' summonin'? Bloody hells, I'd always thought 'twas naught but a myth... If it's as ye say, the tales I heard growin' up might well have some truth to 'em. In particular, the one about the maiden Wiyu springs to mind. 'Twas the most detailed among 'em, ye see. She was a right ravishin' lass, this Wiyu, with bright green eyes an' a fiery spirit to match. Alas, she goes on to meet a premature end. Accordin' to the tale, she an' her comrades square off against Odin, the Dark Divinity. When the battle takes an ill turn, she sacrifices herself to save her party. Right tragic, I know. Now, the encounter s'posedly took place in the Sylphlands, over in the East Shroud.
- Sasuke
Gerolt Wrote:It contains an account o' how a Far Eastern ninja named Sasuke brought ninjutsu to Doma. Seems ninjutsu was invented in a land far to the east of Othard's shores─same isle as where Sasuke grew up. The bloke was the best ninja about, so he gets secret orders or summat to cross the sea, an' makes his way to Doma. Life for the Doman commonfolk was shite back then, what with the starvin' an' the poverty. The worst, though, was the bleedin' tyrant what ruled the place! Well, bein' the charitable sort, what's Sasuke to do but teach the smallfolk ninjutsu so they can win back their freedom? So yer man trains some ninjas, an' together they boot the ruler's royal arse off the throne, an' put a dagger in his back for good measure.
- Golbas Rombas
Gerolt Wrote:Legend tells us a grimoire such as this was passed down through the
mages of Nym. Indeed, Golbas Rombas, the hero who saved his people from the floods of the Sixth Umbral Calamity, was known to rely upon it as his secret weapon.
- King Haraldr
Quote:Haraldr Haddock
A tasty saltwater fish indigenous to the cold waters of the Bloodbrine Sea. Its name comes from a legendary northern king who was said to have survived to the ripe old age of seven and fifty summers eating only the fatty flesh of this grotesque wavekin.
- Unnamed Badass Roegadyn King
Quote:Megalodon
A legendary shark with a mouth so large and an appetite so enormous, it is said it can swallow an adult Roegadyn whole. This can be attested to by a former Roegadyn king who actually was swallowed whole by a megalodon before carving his way out of its belly with a dagger.
- Cornelia
Quote:Cornelia
As pugilists the realm wide exchange tales of the mighty Cornelia - a brawler of legend - so, too, do fishers speak of Cornelia - a boxing pleco who will only leave her place among the rocks when all other pleco have been sent down for the count.
- Unnamed Ishgardian Priest
Quote:Lake Urchin
Coerthan legend tells of a brave priest who would rush into battle headlong with his copy of the Enchiridion in one hand and a morningstar in the other. So frenzied was his slashing and whirling of the weapon, that often the spiked ball would fly from its chain and into nearby rivers and lakes. Lake urchins have nothing to do with this legend.
...to name a few. Hope this helps! ^^
EDIT: Thordan and His Knights Twelve likely also count as legendary heroes. To avoid major spoilers though, I will simply say that Thordan and his knights are accredited with founding the Ishgard that we know today. In a mighty battle with Nidhogg, Thordan and six of his knights were slain. Thordan's son, Haldrath, took up his sire's lance and plucked out Nidhogg's Eye. Four of those six surviving knights went on to found Ishgard's four High Houses.