Astrologian Lore Qs

[Larson]

So I did a brief and partially motivated search for this and saw nothing, but ultimately~

 

I have some Qs that are in need of some A.

 

1. Has the Astrologian always existed and only recently gained in popularity in Eorzea (possibly those dragonface hipsters made it mainstream?) Or is it something that has only just become a thing?

 

2. Who started it?

 

3. Are there only 6 cards? Or could an astro have more cards than the 6 available in game mechanics? If only those six have abilities, I'd think they have others just for divining purposes.

 

4. What kind of things do they do with the giant astrolabe other than use it as a focus?

 

Other questions pending.

[allgivenover]

1. Has the Astrologian always existed and only recently gained in popularity in Eorzea (possibly those dragonface hipsters made it mainstream?) Or is it something that has only just become a thing?

 

2. Who started it?

 

It was founded by Sharlayans "thousands of years ago", but only made its way into Eorzea when the Sharlayans set up a colony in Dravania. Three hundred years ago Adaunel the Younger convinced the Holy See to use a portion of Astromancy to predict the movements of the Dravanian horde via observing the Dragon Star.

 

Despite this, the presence of Astromancy in Eorzea isn't very large. It seems to be a magic alien to Limsa Lominsa, despite that city state (and Eorzea in general) being a hot bed of diversity.

 

3. Are there only 6 cards? Or could an astro have more cards than the 6 available in game mechanics? If only those six have abilities, I'd think they have others just for divining purposes.

 

Some have speculated that there are more than six, but we don't really know, in my opinion if they exist they are outside what's commonly taught in Sharlayan Astromancy.

 

Levava talks about reading the cards during the Astrologian quest line, but she doesn't state which cards exactly or how many there are.

 

4. What kind of things do they do with the giant astrolabe other than use it as a focus?

 

Aside from the obvious use (casting spells), it's not clear what this is for, it doesn't exactly look like a model of the solar system or anything. If someone else recalls a lore tidbit that I missed about this feel free to correct me.

[Gegenji]

I'm still working through AST myself (currently 56) and my grasp on the details may not be airtight, but I'll try to answer where I can as best I can!

 

1. Astrology has been practiced on Hydaelyn for a while - though I couldn't say for how long. One form of it has been used for a while in Eorzea itself - Ishgardian Astrology - specifically to gather information on oncoming assaults of the Dravanian Horde. The type the PC uses - Sharlayan Astrology - is more battlefield oriented and involves channeling the power of the stars to both heal and harm rather than just foretell the future. Not only has it been considered less useful by the Ishgardians in comparison to their own... but Sharlayan itself is surprisingly against divulging knowledge in certain cases such as this.

 

2. If it was mentioned who actually started Astrology, I either haven't seen it or missed it entirely. Considering the depth of power difference, though, I would likely assume it was the Sharlayans.

 

3. The six cards are based on the six constellations, and you draw upon the powers of those star formations through your Astrology to shift the tide of battle. I don't see any reason why there couldn't be more cards, but unless they're paired with another constellation of power (which I don't believe there are any more of) they'd be little more than just cards.

 

4. I would assume the astrolabe is being used to plot the location of the various constellations in the heavens, so you can focus on them to draw upon their power through the cards. While that's its main purpose, I could assume one could use it for similar things you would do with anything that involves the tracking of stars - such as one's location on Hydaelyn.

[Larson]

These are all good answers.

 

5? I think 5. I read that the astrologian not only reads the stars to divine fates, but could actually be capable of handing out a fate much like the green lady in Fables. While potentially very meta, I suppose one RPing a VERY experienced Astro could be utilized as a cure for writers block.

 

Example:

 

Lala:"I haven't been able to think of anything to do with my character in a while."

A:"Come see me ICly. I halp."

 

Lala:"Oh great star wizard, what is in store for my future?"

A:"You will travel to Limsa Lominsa and become very poor very fast. It will take a great adventure to recover what is lost."

Lala:"What!? How?"

A:"You must look within yourself to find the answer. Unless you have cash on you now."

Lala:*dumps coins on the table*

A:"A rogue is gonna snatch your coin bag. I'd tell you to go to a bank but we both know you're too lazy to go."

Lala:"True. One more question...how do I get it back?"

A:

[Nebbs]

That's kind of how I play fortune telling with Nebbs, I try to provide a helpoing ahand along the RP highway.

 

Random RP with the intent at stuff and things.. shenanigans

[Virella]

Made a lore summary of the quest ect a little while back

 

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=12406

 

Might be helpful for you !

[Eliane Dufresne]

Lala:"Oh great star wizard, what is in store for my future?"

A:"You will travel to Limsa Lominsa and become very poor very fast. It will take a great adventure to recover what is lost."

Lala:"What!? How?"

A:"You must look within yourself to find the answer. Unless you have cash on you now."

Lala:*dumps coins on the table*

A:"A rogue is gonna snatch your coin bag. I'd tell you to go to a bank but we both know you're too lazy to go."

Lala:"True. One more question...how do I get it back?"

 

I did a fair deal of research on tarot before I started seriously playing Eliane, and got kind of a quick and dirty course from a guy experienced in doing readings RL as well. It may be worth noting that with RL tarot readings, you can't really divine specific stuff like this. Rather, tarot readings examine a person's current course, and lay out a possible, generalized future before them. It is then up to the person the reading is being done for to decide whether or not they want to follow that path. For example, if you're doing a reading and the Hierophant comes up, he could be a sign that you need to follow the rules -- but he cannot tell you what rules to follow, and where. It's kind of like a more advanced horoscope.

 

...then again, it could be fun to have an AST character who is a total hack, and gives phony readings just to make easy money and mess with people. *laughs*

 

The Eorzean deck is different, of course, but there's a lot of parallels -- such as The Spire probably matching the RL tarot's Tower. The AST quests do suggest that ASTs have very limited control over someone's future, but it's a pretty vague explanation and it's mostly just used to justify the "Shuffle" ability. I don't know that it's strong enough to base RP off of.

 

You need to do what's fun and what feels best to you, of course. Using an AST to stir up RP with fortune-telling is a wonderful idea and is definitely one of the things that drew me to the class. If you want to go with a more specific form of fortune-telling, you probably can -- I mean, hell, why limit yourself to stars and cards? Sharlayans love to experiment and perhaps there's some deviations from the Sharlayan school of Astromancy. After all, at one point late in the AST quests,

it's something of a surprise that the bad guy, a rival AST, has been studying time magic as well.

Maybe your AST discovered a different form of divination -- do some research, see what's out there that might fit what you want to RP.

[Goodfellow]

I'm including here a link to a thread I started on the subject some time back.  Some of it may be of interest to you.  Also, Virella's summary she linked above is handy.

 

Others have supplied good answers to your Sharlayan-related inquiries, but to clarify your third and fourth questions:

 

3) We are introduced to as many cards of the Major Arcana as there are Heavens' Gates (also called constellations, as others have noted).  Not all constellations house Heavens' Gates, I'd imagine, but so far all the Heavens' Gates are constellations (although there is a Seventh, which I can't remember, and which doesn't seem to have a corresponding card).  It is possible, likely even, that there are other Major Arcana beyond the six we have mechanically, and it is certain that there are any number of Minor Arcana that we don't know anything about specifically, but are mentioned in quest text.

 

4) I would guess the Star Globe/Planisphere/Astrolabe could be used for all the same purposes as real-world star globes, planispheres, and astrolabes.  Navigation, chiefly, as well as calendar and date calculations and astronomical observations.  I don't think it's just a magical focus, but an actual instrument for ascertaining optimal aetheric flows from the stars based on their locations as determined by proper application of said instrument.

 

^my two gil

[Larson]

On the subject of Tarot:

 

Tarot as far as the major arcana go do not tell fortunes. They themselves do not answer questions to which you cannot answer yourself. They merely guide you toward the answers you seek by establishing points of introspection and clarity.

 

Example:

Say you are having a problem in a relationship. You consult the deck and draw the Devil. This urges you to reflect on your material values. Is the rift between you caused by something wanted but not needed? Are you forcing yourself or one another to accept material objects as a way of life (ergo, might the ball and chain that is your PS4 be weighing down your ability to progress in the relationship and in life?) The addiction to material objects can be escaped at will, but you can just as easily bind yourself again. It all comes down to the choices you make.

 

The deck didn't tell you the answer. It merely provided the stepping stone that helped you reach your own conclusion.

 

Another interesting concept it Eastern vs. Western fortune telling.

 

In Eastern fortune telling, oracles speak in riddles. They either see a fate clearly or in bits and pieces but they do not dare tell the querant directly. This is because they have a concept that a person's fate changes with every decision they make. When you reveal a fate, it becomes set in stone. Every action they may make will ultimately lead to that inescapable future. Thatis why they always speak in proverb, riddle, and ambiguity.

 

In Western fortune telling, oracles have no issue giving straight answers. But you'll recall Oedipus Rex did everything he could to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother. No matter what he did, ultimately his fate was sealed the moment the oracle revealed it.

 

If an AST gives fortunes, the danger of sealing fate seems like it still exists. When we ICly go through the motions of divination and directly reveal fate to another character, it becomes entirely likely; consciously or not, that the RPer behind that character will be sent down a track toward their character coming to that fate. It becomes the responsibility of a good and noble AST to leave specifics up to the other RPer. Unless they ask you ahead of time for a specific fate.

[LiadansWhisper]

In Western fortune telling, oracles have no issue giving straight answers. But you'll recall Oedipus Rex did everything he could to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother. No matter what he did, ultimately his fate was sealed the moment the oracle revealed it.

 

Technically his fate was sealed the moment his father tried to avoid it.  Oedipus doesn't find out about it until years later (and then, yes, does everything in his power to avoid it, but his fate was already sealed because of his father's actions).

 

But, yeah, the Greeks were big on "don't try to avoid your fate or you'll still end up doing it anyway."