Lore Question: Soulstones and how to acquire them.

[Lumizumi]

So in the game, you get your soul stone from your guild heads, right? More or less? How would a mundane go about getting a soul stone if they want to give it to someone? 

 

Basically:

Character A is training Character B as a monk.

Character A wants to give Character B a soulstone.

How does Character A acquire said soul stone?

 

Any input is appreciated, there might just be an obvious answer I'm missing here.

[S'imba]

I think the biggest thing is that the soul stone has to choose the wielder. Or at least that seems to be the case in most of the cases of the quests I've done.

[V'aleera]

The ARR Summoner quests seem to contradict that. A person may have an affinity for a particular crystal, but it seems like the power and knowledge can be siphoned out regardless.

[Sounsyy]

So in the game, you get your soul stone from your guild heads, right? More or less? How would a mundane go about getting a soul stone if they want to give it to someone? 

 

Basically:

Character A is training Character B as a monk.

Character A wants to give Character B a soulstone.

How does Character A acquire said soul stone?

 

Any input is appreciated, there might just be an obvious answer I'm missing here.

 

Seemingly depends entirely upon the specific guild/class/profession. Soulstones, in and of themselves, are simply crystals which, over the course of many years are imbued with the soul of their wielder, recording memories and emotions. It's similar to spiritbonding from a lore standpoint. When the original owner of the soulstone dies, a portion of the spirit lives on within the stone and may later resonate with another user who the stone feels kinship to.

 

Spiritbonding

No, this sword is mine, and if you want it, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands! Which, in truth, is how aetherial gear comes to be. You've heard of spiritbonds, I assume? That spiritually charged aetherial connection you form with any gear you have equipped? Well, in rare cases, when someone wielding an item with an especially strong spiritbond is slain in battle, the energy created by that bond remains trapped inside, rather than returning to the Lifestream.

 

The fact that for an item to become aetherial, the owner of that item must perish while having it equipped, usually means that they can only be found in dangerous locations where terrible, bloody battles have occurred.

 

Monk

This is a soul crystal. It is the mark of my order. Only those in the monkhood may carry it. It is given to novices upon completion of their training. But I have witnessed your transformation. You are ready. Take it. Many bore that crystal before you. It remembers them. Their breath and their movement. They will one day be yours. But your chakra must open further. Only then can the crystal's memories enter you.

 

Scholar

According to the tablet' date=' the crystal from which the faerie sprang forth is called the Soul of the Scholar, and it contains the wisdom of those long-dead Nymian mages. With it, you can call upon the faerie as you did before and bind her to your will.[/quote']

 

White Mage

And, as you act in my name, I hereby permit you the use of white magic. Take here this linkpearl and Soul of the White Mage. The latter is an ancient crystal imbued with the light of succor - by its power, the forbidden art will be yours to wield, albeit within the bounds of your skill as a conjurer.

 

To walk the path of the white mage is to devote oneself to the salving of hurts and the lifting of misery - ours is the hand that proffers comfort. Should it every come to light that you have used your powers for less virtuous ends, be forewarned you will promptly be dispossessed of the crystal and summarily punished.

 

I lived a long and fruitful life. But when I drew my last breath in O'Ghomoro that day' date=' I did so with one profound regret- that I would pass from this realm without finding a worthy inheritor to bequeath my knowledge in full. My spirit left my lifeless body to abide in this soul crystal, with the hope that one day it would find its way into the hands of my successor. From the moment you took my crystal in hand, I knew. Padjal or no, I had at long last found one to whom I could truly pass on my knowledge.[/quote']

 

Ninja

Ah... You have my gratitude. When one of our kind falls' date=' tradition dictates that we return their soul to the village, that it may rest with our ancestors. My fallen brother saw you as a worthy inheritor to his soul. To honor his memory, I entrust it to you. But soul alone will not make you a shinobi. No, this will require training of the body and mind.[/quote']

 

Warrior

In your hands lies the Soul of the Warrior─a crystal within which the deeds of a thousand thousand warriors from history are recorded. For countless generations' date=' the Soul has been passed on to those in my tribe who choose the path of the warrior, to guide them and aid them on their journey. When your inner beast awakens, the runes will resonate, further empowering your will, and granting you such strength as you never thought possible.[/quote']

 

Paladin

You have taken your first steps on a new path, and you have earned the right to bear this, the Soul of the Paladin. Upon its surface are carved the deeds of paladins of eras past. She who bears it commands the respect of all knights of honor.

 

Give me that soul. It is polluted and I must dispose of it. When you come to wield your sword as a Paladin, the only soul you may wear is that which is bestowed by a captain of the Sultansworn. That traitor is no Sultansworn, still less a captain. By giving you a soul, he insulted not only the brotherhood, but you, too.

 

The souls we paladins wield are embodiments of our will. In keeping to our oaths' date=' they grow stronger, more dominant. In the presence of a particularly pure soul, others may be compelled to yield... But when two souls cannot reconcile─when one cannot establish dominance─it can spell disaster. As the discordance between two souls grows, the aether builds, and the souls grow unstable. You fight. Your souls demand it. You two cannot coexist as you are. One must rise above.[/quote']

 

Machinist

Unlike other soul crystals' date=' the surface of this multi-aspected stone has yet to be carved with the record of past deeds.[/quote']

 

Black Mage*

I-It is exactly as described in the tales! Could it truly be the Gem of Shatotto? Twelve be good' date=' I can feel the magic within it! The stories tell that only souls blessed by the grace of Nald'thal are granted the keeping of the Gem of Shatotto.[/quote']

*I don't have the exact quote, but supposedly repeated attempts at using Black Magic without the Gem of Shatotto (the Soul of the Black Mage), will result in the caster bursting into flames and dying.

 

Gem is proof that Sounsyy is true black mage. Gem brims with magical power. Without the Gem of Shatotto' date=' impossible to control, the most powerful black magic is! Squaaawk! Lost control, these mages did. Aether within their own bodies ignited! Burned alive from the inside. Painful way to die, it is.[/quote']

 

 

There are, of course, other stones, but I believe that these examples sum up the variation on uses of the stones. As you can see, it varies pretty heavily from stone to stone. But essentially, the essence of each Soulstone is the same - they are crystals imbued with the memories of myriad deeds performed by the previous wielders.

[mongi291]

Considering that from what we know a soulstone is the only way to harness the Darkside, I had Isaulde give one each to her apprentices, with the excuse that they belonged "to Dark Knights who perished in battle".

[Lumizumi]

Thanks everyone! I've got the gist of it now. You're all amazing~

[Oli!]

 

 

*I don't have the exact quote, but supposedly repeated attempts at using Black Magic without the Gem of Shatotto (the Soul of the Black Mage), will result in the caster bursting into flames and dying.

 

I've got you covered.

 

 

Dozolmeloc

Gem is proof that Forename is true black mage. Gem brims with magical power. Without the Gem of Shatotto, impossible to control, the most powerful black magic is! Squaaawk! Lost control, these mages did. Aether within their own bodies ignited! Burned alive from the inside. Painful way to die, it is.

[Valde]

So in this vein: How are Soulstones generated? They're rare obviously, else everyone and their grandmother would have one. But what makes a Soulstone? Does it naturally channel power for the people who wield it, or does it need to have imbued memories (thus making older stones more powerful?)?

 

Soulstones seem to just appear out of thin air and we are unaware how limited or not their number are.

[Sounsyy]

So in this vein: How are Soulstones generated? They're rare obviously, else everyone and their grandmother would have one. But what makes a Soulstone? Does it naturally channel power for the people who wield it, or does it need to have imbued memories (thus making older stones more powerful?)?

 

Soulstones seem to just appear out of thin air and we are unaware how limited or not their number are.

 

Again, this seems relatively dependant on the job in question. Modern jobs have fairly easy soulstones to acquire. Every Doman shinobi has the Ninja soulstone for instance. While the Skysteel guild in Ishgard seems to be producing new soulstones for each new recruit.

 

So its not that they are difficult to make, being just a crystal that retains aether and memories... but the soulstone on its own does not make anyone more powerful. The soulstone has to have been used over a lifetime, perhaps multiple lifespans to hold the vast number of experiences our characters are now drawing upon. (See: monk, warrior, black mage, white mage soulstones)

 

Where these soulstones start to become rare is when we start talking about the ancient professions that have been buried by time. Black mage, white mage, and scholar are all 1,600 years old. Summoners are 5,000. Three of the four civilizations attached to those professions are but recently uncovered. And Alka Zolka says even in Nym's prime there were few scholars still. Which would make those soulstones incredibly rare today.

[Coatleque]

But what makes a Soulstone? Does it naturally channel power for the people who wield it, or does it need to have imbued memories (thus making older stones more powerful?)?

 

The PLD 60 quest touches on this a little more. You can find a video on youtube if you want to see all the dialogue, but basically it shows that soulstones have their own form of sentience and can even interact with each other. The relative power of the stone is proportional to the soul of the one currently wielding it.

[Valde]

But what makes a Soulstone? Does it naturally channel power for the people who wield it, or does it need to have imbued memories (thus making older stones more powerful?)?

 

The PLD 60 quest touches on this a little more.  You can find a video on youtube if you want to see all the dialogue, but basically it shows that soulstones have their own form of sentience and can even interact with each other.  The relative power of the stone is proportional to the soul of the one currently wielding it.

 

I won't watch the video as I don't really want spoilers, but this is interesting to know. That while there may be memories to draw from and learn, and our own to put into them, that a Soulstone reflects the power of an individual means that they aren't just blatant tools to push someones ability into an extreme. At least, that's my interpretation.

[Val]

I've personally considered the concept of soulstones and spiritbonds one of SE's horrid attempts at explaining game mechanics through half-assed story. There are some people that just overlook it entirely.

[Mia Moui]

I'm very interested in the context of the Paladin's soulstone story.  A tainted crystal sounds like a lot of fun.

[Coatleque]

I'm very interested in the context of the Paladin's soulstone story.  A tainted crystal sounds like a lot of fun.

 

I'm not so sure it was actually tainted so much as Jenlyns merely used that as an excuse to dispose of an 'illegally' acquired stone. But I could be reading into it.

 

In my own RP happenings, Crofte switched her soulstone for one carried by a dead friend. Since their souls knew each other in life, I'm using it as a way to add some impulsiveness to the character. Their wills were fairly nearly opposed to each other, so it brings about interesting results.

[SessionZero]

I'm one of those people that glosses over soulstones because it seems like another instance of a mechanic that was forced into lore. Reilan is a dragoon because he trained hard and learned how to Jump and how to fight dragons and all that jazz. He never mentions a soul stone, nor do any of my characters. TBH I sometimes forget they exist.

[Harknezz]

I actually go the opposite way, I enjoy using the soulstones IC. I do agree that they were likely added in as a good mechanic way to handle the classes, but they can also add alot in for RP too.

 

As far as how to get one, I'd assume it'd be as easy as going to the group for that class if you are training a new person, assuming there is one and you're part of it. Alec received his from the Paladin that took him into training, but Idk how the other player handled that part. 

 

From there, I use the fact that they're like aetherial weapons and have part of the souls of people who have used it in the past still within them. It adds in extra guidance from the stone, and you could even have your character discover things about those they follow in the path and learn from their stories and such.

[Valde]

I actually go the opposite way, I enjoy using the soulstones IC. I do agree that they were likely added in as a good mechanic way to handle the classes, but they can also add alot in for RP too.

 

As far as how to get one, I'd assume it'd be as easy as going to the group for that class if you are training a new person, assuming there is one and you're part of it. Alec received his from the Paladin that took him into training, but Idk how the other player handled that part. 

 

From there, I use the fact that they're like aetherial weapons and have part of the souls of people who have used it in the past still within them. It adds in extra guidance from the stone, and you could even have your character discover things about those they follow in the path and learn from their stories and such.

 

This isn't as accurate as I would like, unfortunately, if we go by game lore. The BLM Soulstone is given to you specifically because it's rare and you show potential. The Dragoon Soulstones are guarded by Ishgard, so anyone outside of them will have trouble acquiring them. Monks are held by Ala Mhigo, and for Dark Knights there isn't even anything discussing them, you just happen on one (which can make for interesting RP if you go this route as well. Just random DRK Soulstones laying everywhere apparently).

 

There has been discussion before on the feasibility of acquiring a Soulstone ICly or whether it'd simply be easier to just not restrict yourself by game mechanics and RP your character acquiring power in different ways. After all, who says Soulstones are the end-all be-all for progression other than game mechanics?

[Coatleque]

After all, who says Soulstones are the end-all be-all for progression other than game mechanics?

 

They're not, that's just it. Think of them like the cliff notes of learning a trade. It can help accelerate learning, but it's not the only way to acquire knowledge.

 

{edit}

In fact, Coatleque doesn't even -need- a soulstone anymore. She carries it now only for remembrance.

[LiadansWhisper]

After all, who says Soulstones are the end-all be-all for progression other than game mechanics?

 

They're not, that's just it.  Think of them like the cliff notes of learning a trade.  It can help accelerate learning, but it's not the only way to acquire knowledge.

 

^^

 

The only instance in which they appear to be absolutely required is with Black Mages.  Even then, you might be able to find a way around that with a good enough reason.

[SessionZero]

After all, who says Soulstones are the end-all be-all for progression other than game mechanics?

 

They're not, that's just it.  Think of them like the cliff notes of learning a trade.  It can help accelerate learning, but it's not the only way to acquire knowledge.

 

^^

 

The only instance in which they appear to be absolutely required is with Black Mages.  Even then, you might be able to find a way around that with a good enough reason.

 

Perhaps a pact with a Voidsent or something like that. Black magic and Void magic seem tied together, loosely at the very least.

[LiadansWhisper]

 

 

Perhaps a pact with a Voidsent or something like that. Black magic and Void magic seem tied together, loosely at the very least.

 

I mean, that's a possibility.  You might be able to pull off something like a special technique that keeps you from going up in flames, too!

[Berrod Armstrong]

Berrod was in possession of two types of Soul Crystals. One was his master's, passed down to him when he finally passed his trials as a novice all those years ago. The second was his own -- a blank crystal that he carried around with him around his neck or in his pocket. 

 

As he learned and grew and experienced things, his own spirit began to imprint upon the crystal. He'd intended to keep it with him for several years, then pass that on to someone else. 

 

His master's crystal didn't give him any powers, memories, or whisper to him. It simply eased his affinity with his master's and his element (Lightning) and allowed his chakras to resonate more powerfully -- though not by much. 

 

At the moment, however, he is no longer in possession of either of those crystals.

[mongi291]

After all, who says Soulstones are the end-all be-all for progression other than game mechanics?

 

They're not, that's just it.  Think of them like the cliff notes of learning a trade.  It can help accelerate learning, but it's not the only way to acquire knowledge.

 

^^

 

The only instance in which they appear to be absolutely required is with Black Mages.  Even then, you might be able to find a way around that with a good enough reason.

It seems to be required for Dark Knights too. I mean, the main character starts hearing the "voice in the abyss" and "Fray" is reanimated only after he touched the soulstone.

I mean, if you didn't need a soulstone, everyone would be a Dark Knight.

[Wemrys]

I tend to treat soulstones kinda like how the Zodiac Stones are in Final Fantasy Tactics (minus the whole transforming into eldritch abominations thing...). The opening attract screen of FFT vaguely describes that the zodiac stones in that game are stones that have the memories and power of past heroes (and villains) "etched" into them. As a result, anyone who forms a pact with a stone basically could draw on its power for good or for evil. The wrong person using a stone would draw out its raw power triggering a transformation in those people externally into the form of the Lucavi (see: Wiegraf turning into Velius/Belias). On the other hand a person with strong enough good intentions could draw out the good side of the stones, such as when Rafa's brother Malak was nearly killed and the stone saved him at Rafa's plea to save her brother.

 

This may seem like a far cry from soulstones in FFXIV but it works on the same principles in some of the stories though it's more of a case of the soulstones/powers of the soulstones overwhelming NPCs rather than NPCs being inherently evil in some cases. The whole idea of White Magic being abused in the 5th Astral Era and the resulting Umbral era is a good example of the power being used for wrong and the Warrior questline and trying to control the Inner Beast is a good example of the power overwhelming a user. The instruction/memories on using the power is there, but the effects on a person can depend on how they decide to use it.

[LiadansWhisper]

 

 

It seems to be required for Dark Knights too. I mean, the main character starts hearing the "voice in the abyss" and "Fray" is reanimated only after he touched the soulstone.

I mean, if you didn't need a soulstone, everyone would be a Dark Knight.

 

No, they wouldn't, because they still would need to be trained.

 

The only reason why the soulstone is "required" for Black Mages is that they literally burn from the inside out if they channel black magic without one.

 

That's it.  You could easily make a case for not using a soulstone in pretty much every other situation.  What makes a Paladin a Paladin isn't the soulstone - it's the training.  What makes a White Mage a White Mage isn't the soulstone - it's the training and access to Succor.

 

Etc.