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Sounsyy · **10-19-2014, 10:03 PM**

(10-19-2014, 08:26 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: The implication I get from that is that professional adventurers typically are literate, while the average Eorzean isn't.

So interesting thing to bring up about this. Eorzeans are noted as being vastly illiterate, right? While adventurers are hinted and winked at being (for the most part) able to read. What do we know about the Player Character adventurers? They aren't from Eorzea...

Let's combine that with the answer Fernehalwes gave at yesterday's lore panel in regards to cross-racial relationships. He starts off by saying "adventurers come from different lands. From places slightly more progressive."

What if the real reason the Player Character Adventurers can read is just because they're from outside Eorzea?

The Goblins went on the Great Pilgrimage 100 years ago to Othard and Ilsabard to attain vast knowledge. We have Thavnair's Great Library. We have the (Island) Sharlayans to the north of Eorzea who are the keepers of knowledge. Garlemald teaches its soldiers to read so they can read/recognize Louisoux's intercepted letters. ( Faded Page )

Is Eorzea just that backwaters of a place? "A blighted realm..." Gaius van Baelsar described it. We're just that savage and have suffered so many calamities and wars and shifting alliances and political backstabs that in the 5000 years since the Allagan Empire we've just never had a chance to recover all that knowledge?

Outside foreign adventurers (I think the distinction should be made, because a native Eorzean adventurer is probably still illiterate) it's kind of interesting to think about who else would be able to read? Members of the Order of Nald'thal, the Arcanists of Melvaan's Gate, Ishgardian astrologians / Holy See, Goblins, Levemetes... probably more I'm not thinking of at the moment, but I think I'm just rambling now.

Marisa · **10-20-2014, 12:03 AM**

If we picked 5 random adventurers out of Eorzea's largest and pointiest bag, I'd guess 4 of them would be illiterate. Hence the heavy use of pictures in quest materials.Â
As for the newspapers, I'd imagine it's like the real world where community leaders would hold town gatherings and read the news to all of their illiterate neighbors.

FreelanceWizard · **10-20-2014, 01:09 AM**

I'd definitely think arcanists would pretty much have to be literate, given the nature of their guild and the style of their magic. Everyone else, well... from the volume of books in the Thaumaturges' guild, I suspect most of them are literate, but I don't think there's anything in their magic style that requires literacy. I can't think of any reason any of the other classes would require literacy either.

It's an interesting point, though, about adventurers being from other lands. A common interpretation is "not the three city-states," but if we're talking places that aren't Eorzea, that throws a lot of character concepts for a loop. That said, I wouldn't necessarily given Gaius too much credit for calling it accurately. I mean, to a Garlean, every realm not part of the Empire is a blighted backwater, I'm sure. Smile

On the plus side, I don't think the whole literacy thing alters RP that much. It just means that characters who are literate need a narrative justification for why, as opposed to just assuming literacy is the norm. When the original dev post dropped, I had to alter L'yhta so that her mother didn't teach her letters, but rather her mentor, because I too incorrectly assumed that literacy was the norm (as it appears to be in several other FF games).

LiadansWhisper · **10-21-2014, 04:08 PM**

(10-19-2014, 10:03 PM)Sounsyy Wrote:
(10-19-2014, 08:26 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: The implication I get from that is that professional adventurers typically are literate, while the average Eorzean isn't.

So interesting thing to bring up about this. Eorzeans are noted as being vastly illiterate, right? While adventurers are hinted and winked at being (for the most part) able to read. What do we know about the Player Character adventurers? They aren't from Eorzea...

Let's combine that with the answer Fernehalwes gave at yesterday's lore panel in regards to cross-racial relationships. He starts off by saying "adventurers come from different lands. From places slightly more progressive."

What if the real reason the Player Character Adventurers can read is just because they're from outside Eorzea?

The Goblins went on the Great Pilgrimage 100 years ago to Othard and Ilsabard to attain vast knowledge. We have Thavnair's Great Library. We have the (Island) Sharlayans to the north of Eorzea who are the keepers of knowledge. Garlemald teaches its soldiers to read so they can read/recognize Louisoux's intercepted letters. ( Faded Page )

Is Eorzea just that backwaters of a place? "A blighted realm..." Gaius van Baelsar described it. We're just that savage and have suffered so many calamities and wars and shifting alliances and political backstabs that in the 5000 years since the Allagan Empire we've just never had a chance to recover all that knowledge?

Outside foreign adventurers (I think the distinction should be made, because a native Eorzean adventurer is probably still illiterate) it's kind of interesting to think about who else would be able to read? Members of the Order of Nald'thal, the Arcanists of Melvaan's Gate, Ishgardian astrologians / Holy See, Goblins, Levemetes... probably more I'm not thinking of at the moment, but I think I'm just rambling now.

What if knowledge is simply held in oral tradition in Eorzea?

FreelanceWizard · **10-21-2014, 05:20 PM**

I bet a fair amount of it is, especially among, say, Conjurers.

I decided to wander around a bit the other night and see where else writing shows up:

There's schedules and signage in the airship landings.
The airship landings also have lots of file drawers behind the desk.
One of the early quests outside the Gladiators' Guild has you putting posters up for a match, though there's no statement about any text on those.
You sign your name to the Adventurers' Guild roster in the starting quests, though you wouldn't need to be literate to do that (you could just "make your mark").
The hunt mark bills have "flavor" text on them, but that's not necessary to understand their purpose.
There's the ubiquitous "No Entry" signs.
The Observatorium and the Thaumaturges' Guild both have substantial libraries.
A certain mad Conjurer does some writing in blood in a particular Expert dungeon.
A market board would really have to use writing, though I think it's safe to say the board is just an abstraction for the act of "wandering the market" (which in 1.0 used to involve actually wandering the market ) and can be safely ignored.

It's interesting that there almost seems to be two classes of people in Eorzea with regards to literacy -- the small (and seemingly well-to-do or politically powerful) literate class and the larger illiterate masses. The places that cater to the first group, such as the airship services, have a lot more texts than those that don't.

QueenFrejyalen · **10-22-2014, 02:17 AM**

Two things:

Great information in everyone's responses; it's clear that the instances in which one would be literate or highly literate in Eorzea would depend on their line of work or upbringing, not just the public education of the people. Â

I think my character Frejyalen is literate (as she was educated in politics and culture as a future Queen), but I hadn't considered whether my character Miounne would be literate.. might have to think on that one.
I went over to the Eagle & Quill, as was suggested to me here. Â It was a lovely place, with lovely people, and I will be frequenting their FC house for RPing until I get my own (and still probably after). Â So thanks to those who helped me out!

Dasair · **10-22-2014, 12:58 PM**

In terms of literacy, there are a few quests which deal with letters and notes being delivered to other people, and in one case, it appears to be between commoners (The one somewhere in the Shroud where a woman who carries herself as 'nothing special' has received a letter from a thief seeking her affections, and is worried about it. Â I don't remember the exact location, but I have screenshots of it buried somewhere in the pile I've taken for lore reasons.) Â However, many more of them are between officials, merchants, or people of a higher standing. Â And interestingly, I've noticed, often times when there is a 'letter exchange', the letter will be read aloud to you upon it being received.

I always thought this was a little weird, at least compared to our culture; people don't usually read letters aloud to others unless the letter is actually addressed to them too. Â Thus, at first, I thought this was merely done as a story mechanism, so the player would know what the letter said, but in knowing that most Eorzians are likely illiterate.. I actually wonder if this is common practice; if the literate and learned are accustomed to reading aloud as a courtesy to others who may not be able to decipher the words. Â Honestly, I think that would be an interesting little culture quirk, if it were the case.

Sounsyy · **10-22-2014, 01:11 PM**

(10-22-2014, 12:58 PM)Dasair Wrote: I actually wonder if this is common practice; if the literate and learned are accustomed to reading aloud as a courtesy to others who may not be able to decipher the words. Â Honestly, I think that would be an interesting little culture quirk, if it were the case.

That's actually... a really interesting way to think about it. =o I like it!

Also, if we're thinking the same quest it's called "The Kindness of Strangers" from Emeria in Hyrstmill. Where she believes she's being stalked by a bandit named Ailbert, and when you kill Ailbert you find a letter on his person describing his undying affections towards Emeria.

Dasair · **10-22-2014, 01:16 PM**

(10-22-2014, 01:11 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: That's actually... a really interesting way to think about it. =o I like it!

Also, if we're thinking the same quest it's called "The Kindness of Strangers" from Emeria in Hyrstmill. Where she believes she's being stalked by a bandit named Ailbert, and when you kill Ailbert you find a letter on his person describing his undying affections towards Emeria.

Yee~ Â I kind of like it too. Â It could be an interesting thing to utilize in RP sometimes, if it were the case. Â :>

And yeah! Â That's the quest~ Â I'm glad my vague description was deciphered, thanks for clarifying that.

Ilwe'ran · **10-22-2014, 02:24 PM**

Don't forget all the mog mail quests as well Smile

http://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/D...gle_Quests

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Are there any libraries in Eorzea?

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