You guys really like making me dig for lore...
Okay! So I had to dig a lot of old bones up from 1.0 to answer this question, so bare with me. To discuss the Yellowjackets, we really have to take a broader view of Limsa's Navy, the Knights of the Barracuda.
Prior to the Maelstrom reforming in the year 1572 6AE, Limsa's military was comprised of a large navy called The Lominsan Armada. This Armada was made up of 9 Squadrons of vessels, each tasked with patrolling a specific body of water under Limsa's control.
1st Squadron - Galadion Bay (Waters around Limsa Lominsa city.)
2nd Squadron - Bloodbrine Sea (Northernmost of the Five Seas, above Farreach.)
3rd Squadron - Straight of Merlthor (Waters separating Vylbrand from the Aldenard mainland.)
4th Squadron - Indigo Deep (Westernmost of the Five Seas - Sahagin Territory.)
5th Squadron - Sea of Ash (Southeastern of the Five Seas - the waters off the coast of Thanalan.)
6th Squadron - Rhotano Sea/Cieldalaes (Southwestern of the Five Seas - keep going and you'll reach Meracydia.)
7th Squadron - Bianaq (Unknown body of water.*)
8th Squadron - Clearwater (Unknown body of water.**)
9th Squadron - Sea of Jade (Easternmost of the Five Seas - the waters off the coast of Gyr Abania.)
*Based on lore text from Fishing, we know that Bianaq is an island in Eorzea surrounded by warm water. We do not know where exactly this island is, but I've read speculation that it is the small, unnamed island just east of Cape Deadwind and south of the Bay of Dha'yuz on the edge of the Sea of Ash.
**In 1.0, there was a lake in Coerthas named Clearwater, however, it is highly unlikely Limsa had a squadron stationed there. I have found no other mention of a body of water named Clearwater.
Each of these Squadrons is made up of several vessels, each vessel is run by a crew called a Levy. According to lore, each Squadron is made up of a specific number of Levies, however, I could not find any mention of what this specific number was.
Now, how does all this fluff tie in to the Knights of the Barracuda or the Yellowjackets? Simple, Lominsan Armada personnel are called Knights of the Barracuda. If you belong to one of these 9 Squadrons, you are a Knight of the Barracuda.
Yellowjackets are a division of the Knights of the Barracuda. More specifically, "Yellowjackets" is the affectionate nickname for Knights out of the 1st Squadron - those who guard Limsa Lominsa and the Galadion Bay, and by extension the isle of Vylbrand.
Moving on. Someone's already posted this tidbit on here, but there's an NPC named Ginnade(?) in the Coral Tower who states something along the lines of "Yellowjackets used to be a division of the Knights of the Barracuda before we were swallowed into the Maelstrom... yada yada."
So, this is why Limsa military is confusing and I had to go to 1.0 to find Yellowjacket lore. In times of need, command of the first five squadrons is given over to the Maelstrom, presided over by Grand Storm Marshal Eynzahr Slafyrsyn - Admiral Bloefhiswyn's 1st Mate. This leaves the remaining four squadrons to act in reserve.
Because we play in a time of "need," the broad term "Knights of the Barracuda" has kind of gone by the wayside in 2.0 and has simply been replaced by terms like "Storm," "Maelstrom," "Crimson Fleet," etc due to the vast majority of The Lominsan Armada being merged into The Crimson Fleet. Although, technically, anyone assigned to one of the nine squadrons of the Lominsan Armada is a Knight of the Barracuda, in 2.0 the term Barracuda now likely only refers to someone assigned to Squadrons 6-9 of the Lominsan Armada, as they are not technically under the control/influence of the Maelstrom.
So what's different about the Crimson Fleet? Well, the Crimson Fleet includes the first 5 Squadrons of the Lominsan Armada, plus an additional 6 Warships manned by select Knights and Pirates. (This is kinda big because before the Calamity, Knights of the Barracuda were carefully screened for pirate affiliations.) The Crimson Fleet also includes 4 Privateer Levies each led by a Commander.
The Black Sails - assault (includes Pirate factions like Kraken's Arms and Sanguine Sirens)
The War Sails - bombardment
The Trade Sails - provisioning
Foreign Levy - adventurers
Phew, now that that's all out of the way, I can get down to answering specific questions.
There are no racial requirements, for starters. There are in-game Yellowjacket representatives of all races. There are a good number of a Seeker Miqo'te, Sea Wolf Roegadyn, and Midlander Hyur displayed in game, but this is mainly because these are the three most populous races present in Limsa.
As for weapons, many are marauders, however this is also not a requirement to join the Yellowjackets, or the Knights of the Barracuda for that matter. However, ALL KNIGHTS OF THE BARRACUDA/YELLOWJACKETS ARE MUSKETEERS. As evidenced by 1.0 MSQ "Treasures of the Main," the first trials to become a Knight of the Barracuda is musket training. Muskets may not be every Yellowjacket's primary choice of weapon, but it is a weapon they must all be proficient in.
So this is based off of what we get a glimpse of in game.
Admiral - Commander in Chief, commands all vessels bearing the Lominsan standard. Current Admiral: Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn
Grand Storm Marshal - Admiral's 1st Mate, oversees command of all Maelstrom vessels. This includes Squadrons 1-5 of the Lominsan Armada, The Crimson Fleet, and the Privateer Levies. Current Marshal: Eynzahr Slafyrsyn
Commodore - Commands the Knights of the Barracuda of the Lominsan Armada, Squadrons 1-9. Likely, reports to the Grand Storm Marshal in regards to Squadrons 1-5, since they now belong to the Maelstrom. Current Commodore: Reyner Hansred
High Commander - Commands an individual Squadron. So one High Commander for each of the 9 squadrons, one High Commander for the 4 Privateer Levies, and a High Commander for the Crimson Fleet, meaning a grand total of 11 High Commanders in the Thalassocratic Navy.
Commander - Commands a single Levy within a squadron.
Captain - Commands a Unit within a Levy. For instance, each Levy may contain an Infantry Unit and a Provisional Unit for example. A Captain would command these.
Lieutenant - Control some portion of each Captain's Unit. Specifics unknown and likely very easy to make stuff up for.
Continuing on this subject of ranks. When formally stating your rank/position in chat... it's ridiculously friggin long. According to NPC encounters in 1.0, Limsa Navy personnel address themselves as: Rank Firstname Lastname Squadron, Levy, Unit. Since you're wanting to play a Yellowjacket, your Squadron will always be 1st Squadron.
Example: Private B'namanbi Ena, Thalassocratic Navy 1st Squadron, 5th Levy Infantry, Seal Rock Provisional Unit.
Lemme know if you have more questions! Hope this helps! ^^
Below is lore sources for all of the above info, plus some extra tidbits you all may find interesting.
Okay! So I had to dig a lot of old bones up from 1.0 to answer this question, so bare with me. To discuss the Yellowjackets, we really have to take a broader view of Limsa's Navy, the Knights of the Barracuda.
Prior to the Maelstrom reforming in the year 1572 6AE, Limsa's military was comprised of a large navy called The Lominsan Armada. This Armada was made up of 9 Squadrons of vessels, each tasked with patrolling a specific body of water under Limsa's control.
1st Squadron - Galadion Bay (Waters around Limsa Lominsa city.)
2nd Squadron - Bloodbrine Sea (Northernmost of the Five Seas, above Farreach.)
3rd Squadron - Straight of Merlthor (Waters separating Vylbrand from the Aldenard mainland.)
4th Squadron - Indigo Deep (Westernmost of the Five Seas - Sahagin Territory.)
5th Squadron - Sea of Ash (Southeastern of the Five Seas - the waters off the coast of Thanalan.)
6th Squadron - Rhotano Sea/Cieldalaes (Southwestern of the Five Seas - keep going and you'll reach Meracydia.)
7th Squadron - Bianaq (Unknown body of water.*)
8th Squadron - Clearwater (Unknown body of water.**)
9th Squadron - Sea of Jade (Easternmost of the Five Seas - the waters off the coast of Gyr Abania.)
*Based on lore text from Fishing, we know that Bianaq is an island in Eorzea surrounded by warm water. We do not know where exactly this island is, but I've read speculation that it is the small, unnamed island just east of Cape Deadwind and south of the Bay of Dha'yuz on the edge of the Sea of Ash.
**In 1.0, there was a lake in Coerthas named Clearwater, however, it is highly unlikely Limsa had a squadron stationed there. I have found no other mention of a body of water named Clearwater.
Each of these Squadrons is made up of several vessels, each vessel is run by a crew called a Levy. According to lore, each Squadron is made up of a specific number of Levies, however, I could not find any mention of what this specific number was.
Now, how does all this fluff tie in to the Knights of the Barracuda or the Yellowjackets? Simple, Lominsan Armada personnel are called Knights of the Barracuda. If you belong to one of these 9 Squadrons, you are a Knight of the Barracuda.
Yellowjackets are a division of the Knights of the Barracuda. More specifically, "Yellowjackets" is the affectionate nickname for Knights out of the 1st Squadron - those who guard Limsa Lominsa and the Galadion Bay, and by extension the isle of Vylbrand.
Moving on. Someone's already posted this tidbit on here, but there's an NPC named Ginnade(?) in the Coral Tower who states something along the lines of "Yellowjackets used to be a division of the Knights of the Barracuda before we were swallowed into the Maelstrom... yada yada."
So, this is why Limsa military is confusing and I had to go to 1.0 to find Yellowjacket lore. In times of need, command of the first five squadrons is given over to the Maelstrom, presided over by Grand Storm Marshal Eynzahr Slafyrsyn - Admiral Bloefhiswyn's 1st Mate. This leaves the remaining four squadrons to act in reserve.
Because we play in a time of "need," the broad term "Knights of the Barracuda" has kind of gone by the wayside in 2.0 and has simply been replaced by terms like "Storm," "Maelstrom," "Crimson Fleet," etc due to the vast majority of The Lominsan Armada being merged into The Crimson Fleet. Although, technically, anyone assigned to one of the nine squadrons of the Lominsan Armada is a Knight of the Barracuda, in 2.0 the term Barracuda now likely only refers to someone assigned to Squadrons 6-9 of the Lominsan Armada, as they are not technically under the control/influence of the Maelstrom.
So what's different about the Crimson Fleet? Well, the Crimson Fleet includes the first 5 Squadrons of the Lominsan Armada, plus an additional 6 Warships manned by select Knights and Pirates. (This is kinda big because before the Calamity, Knights of the Barracuda were carefully screened for pirate affiliations.) The Crimson Fleet also includes 4 Privateer Levies each led by a Commander.
The Black Sails - assault (includes Pirate factions like Kraken's Arms and Sanguine Sirens)
The War Sails - bombardment
The Trade Sails - provisioning
Foreign Levy - adventurers
Phew, now that that's all out of the way, I can get down to answering specific questions.
(07-18-2014, 08:21 AM)Rurutani Wrote: Are they all Marauders or Warriors? Are they all Roes? I know in the Maelstrom I have seen Lalas (in Aleport), but every image I pull up shows the Yellowjackets as Roes.
There are no racial requirements, for starters. There are in-game Yellowjacket representatives of all races. There are a good number of a Seeker Miqo'te, Sea Wolf Roegadyn, and Midlander Hyur displayed in game, but this is mainly because these are the three most populous races present in Limsa.
As for weapons, many are marauders, however this is also not a requirement to join the Yellowjackets, or the Knights of the Barracuda for that matter. However, ALL KNIGHTS OF THE BARRACUDA/YELLOWJACKETS ARE MUSKETEERS. As evidenced by 1.0 MSQ "Treasures of the Main," the first trials to become a Knight of the Barracuda is musket training. Muskets may not be every Yellowjacket's primary choice of weapon, but it is a weapon they must all be proficient in.
(07-18-2014, 08:21 AM)Rurutani Wrote: And rank structure. As a veteran I have my own idea of ranks, but would that translate here or does it mirror the Sultansworn (i.e. Captain Jenlys counterpart in Limsa)?
So this is based off of what we get a glimpse of in game.
Admiral - Commander in Chief, commands all vessels bearing the Lominsan standard. Current Admiral: Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn
Grand Storm Marshal - Admiral's 1st Mate, oversees command of all Maelstrom vessels. This includes Squadrons 1-5 of the Lominsan Armada, The Crimson Fleet, and the Privateer Levies. Current Marshal: Eynzahr Slafyrsyn
Commodore - Commands the Knights of the Barracuda of the Lominsan Armada, Squadrons 1-9. Likely, reports to the Grand Storm Marshal in regards to Squadrons 1-5, since they now belong to the Maelstrom. Current Commodore: Reyner Hansred
High Commander - Commands an individual Squadron. So one High Commander for each of the 9 squadrons, one High Commander for the 4 Privateer Levies, and a High Commander for the Crimson Fleet, meaning a grand total of 11 High Commanders in the Thalassocratic Navy.
Commander - Commands a single Levy within a squadron.
Captain - Commands a Unit within a Levy. For instance, each Levy may contain an Infantry Unit and a Provisional Unit for example. A Captain would command these.
Lieutenant - Control some portion of each Captain's Unit. Specifics unknown and likely very easy to make stuff up for.
Continuing on this subject of ranks. When formally stating your rank/position in chat... it's ridiculously friggin long. According to NPC encounters in 1.0, Limsa Navy personnel address themselves as: Rank Firstname Lastname Squadron, Levy, Unit. Since you're wanting to play a Yellowjacket, your Squadron will always be 1st Squadron.
Example: Private B'namanbi Ena, Thalassocratic Navy 1st Squadron, 5th Levy Infantry, Seal Rock Provisional Unit.
Lemme know if you have more questions! Hope this helps! ^^
Below is lore sources for all of the above info, plus some extra tidbits you all may find interesting.
