Lore Lowdown - Aetherytes! (NA Duty Commenced 09)

[Kage]

Yesterday, Oct 28, the NA community time had its Duty Commenced episode, with another segment on LORE~ THANKFULLY CAMATE joking BAYOHNE aka Mattalos (tumblr and twitter) had no typos this time! *cough*Lolorito's name last time*cough*

 

This post is from Gamerescape's Lore Train, which was transcribed from the Duty Commenced episode slides.

 

What is aether?

 

Aether is an invisible, intangible substance that exists all around us and flows through every living being, and is what sustains us. It is also used to weave magicks. Once the spirit departs the body due to death, our remains are reduced to aether and returned to the aetherial river known as the Lifestream, which flows throughout the land.

 

Return and Teleport

 

These are spells that allow the caster to reduce his physical form to aether without severing the connection between body and soul, so that he may traverse the Lifestream safely and travel to his desired destination

 

Return

 

Compared to Teleport, Return is less taxing on our spiritual energies, as we are naturally drawn towards our “home point”- the aetheryte with which we have the strongest resonance. This spell can be cast quite quickly, making it ideal for emergencies

 

Teleport

 

Teleport offers greater versatility, in that you can travel to any aetheryte with which you have previously attuned. However, it requires a great deal of spirit energy known as “anima” to safely guide one’s body and soul to the weaker aetherial beacon. It also requires extended concentration to cast and therefore cannot be used during battle.

 

What is an aetheryte?

 

These crystalline agglomerations of aether, which are a common sight throughout Eorzea, are vital to aetherial travel. They are said to be solid manifestations of the planet’s lifeblood, aether, which form at the intersections of aetherial currents. By touching an aetheryte, the aether which makes up our bodies resonates with that contained in the crystal. This is called “attunement.”

 

Normally, when one’s body is reduced to aether, it will naturally gravitate to the location with which it resonates the greatest: one’s home point. This is why upon losing consciousness in battle, many wake to find themselves back at an aetheryte. In other words, they act as lodestones, assuring that the body, in its aetherial form, is not lost to the pull of the greater flow.

 

Why are aetherytes generally found in populated areas?

 

Aetherytes cannot be constructed just anywhere; rather, they can only be constructed in locations rich with aether, such as the intersections of aetherial currents. Like an oasis in a desert, these locations are often teeming with life. Settlements are commonly established near them, and so it can be reasonably assumed that most villages and cities are ideal locations for aetherytes.

 

Why does it cost gil to use aetherytes?

 

During the Calamity, many of the existing aetheryte camps were destroyed. The city-states subsequently coordinated their efforts to reloacte and restore the aetherytes which had been damaged or lost. Much of the capital used to fund this venture was lent by certain men of business from Ul’dah. The gil you pay when either leaving from or arriving at an aetheryte goes to paying off that debt.

 

While it may appear as though this is automatically deducted from your savings, you are in fact paying this fee to nearby attendants. This scene is simply omitted for gameplay reasons.

 

Who constructed  the aetherytes?

 

The aetherytes currently found in each of the city-states were reconstructed following the Calamity by Sharlayan engineers. These engineers were the only ones who possessed the skill and knowledge necessary to do so, and so they were richly compensated for their services.

 

Modern Aetherytes

These are not an original Sharlayan design, but the product of research into existing aetherytes constructed in ancient times by civilizations unknown.

 

Early Aetherytes

These were constructed 1000-1500 years ago during the Sixth Astral Era.

 

Ancient Aetherytes

These were constructed before the Sixth Astral Era, more than 1500 years ago. Many of these aetherytes were damaged or destroyed during the Calamity.

 

Beast tribes also have their own unique ways of using aetheryte, but these methods, too, were not invented by them. In most cases, they are reutilizing relics from ancient civilizations or making use of the crystals that formed naturally.

 

Allagan Aetherytes

The Allagans possessed aetheryte technologies as well. However, it is unknown whether they developed their methods independently or if they expanded upon those of older civilizations.

 

Tumblr user tinolqa has taken screenshots of the lore lowdown slides from the Duty Commenced episode here.

 

A lot of this content is a bit of a "better look" at what was made available since this post on the forums by Camate

What is an aetheryte?

Aetherytes are colossal structures comprised of crystallized aether. So that they may serve as waypoints for aetherial travel, these crystals have been amplified through the use of advanced Sharlayan technology.

 

Why doesn't everyone use aetherytes?

To traverse the Lifestream safely with Teleport and Return requires a great deal of spiritual energy, known as anima. While many individuals, such as adventurers, possess the fortitude to endure such travel, some individuals do not. What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

 

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

 

Why does it cost gil to use aetherytes?

Many aetheryte camps were destroyed during the Calamity, which necessitated their reconstruction. However, this came at great expense, and so teleportation fees must be collected to repay the as yet unpaid debt.

 

However, the gil doesn’t just magically disappear from your purse! Though it's not shown in the game, it's collected by the guards keeping watch of the aetherytes.

 

On a side note, guards posted by each city-state's aetheryte can tell you about aetherytes and teleportation magic. If you're interested, see what they have to say!

[Warren Castille]

So I guess an alternate explanation of why we homepoint when we "die" is that we're reflexively making use of the Return spell? Interesting food for thought; I suppose that means that anyone playing a sufficiently-aethered-up adventurer (namely anyone embodying a Job full-on) should be extremely difficult to kill if they aren't one-shotted, since the body will naturally try to ride away on the Lifestream to a homepoint.

[Kage]

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this idea because traveling using aether still requires some type of consciousness and concentration does it not? When we use return, we are still casting (hence concentrating). If we were able to do such a thing without consciousness, wouldn't the concentration factor be heavily reduced?

[Warren Castille]

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this idea because traveling using aether still requires some type of consciousness and concentration does it not? When we use return, we are still casting (hence concentrating). If we were able to do such a thing without consciousness, wouldn't the concentration factor be heavily reduced?

 

Iunno, I'm just spitballing. I mean they make it sound like anyone of sufficient aetherness can just Return at will, which blows open some holes in the MSQ. Why did the Scions run from Blades when they could just skirt out of town and regroup later? Why is Raubahn mega sad and sitting in a cell waiting to be rescued? How is anyone ever held prisoner in any place without constant, 24/8 beatings?

 

Blargh teleporting.

[Coda]

Eh, sounds like the devs trying to explain away an ingame mechanic just for completion's sake. The whole concept sounds completely absurd if you consider the effects of such an ability on every day life.

 

-Going to war? lolreturn.

-Need to explore the desert? Welp, we can always just go running through the desert until we drop, then teleport, then try again.

-Captured? Nope.

 

I mean, really. This actually pokes some holes into some of the MSQ.

 

EDIT: Ninja'd >:

[Kage]

It has been explained since 2.0 that the amount of of people who can actually use aether to the extent needed for teleport is not common. While not extremely rare, it is not the case where everyone can use it willy nilly.

[Berrod Armstrong]

Notice that the requirements of Return are stated 'compared to Teleport'. It's relative. I'm pretty sure Return still requires a certain threshold of anima not available to the layman. Sure it's less taxing. That however, does not mean that it is not taxing at all.

 

There is nothing up there that suggests anyone can teleport willy-nilly.

[Coda]

It has been explained since 2.0 that the amount of of people who can actually use aether to the extent needed for teleport is not common. While not extremely rare, it is not the case where everyone can use it willy nilly.

 

I get what you're saying, but even if 10% of people are able to do it, that's still a huge number of individuals with a gross advantage and it certainly would have had world repercussions, yet somehow hasn't been touched on until now?

 

I dunno, I guess it rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I would've preferred they ignored teleportation? Its one of the more game-y aspects of the world and really doesn't need concrete lore. But I'm just complaining at this point ;D

[Kage]

I'm not one to poke holes into a game's story unless it's completely ridiculous that my suspension of disbelief cannot handle it.

 

Otherwise I'd wonder about the Early Aetheryte in Falcon's Nest, supposedly built 1000-1500 years ago.

 

Don't make me think about that too long. I'm already still internally speculating about the 3.1 theories since no one really cares to do the specula on that :<

[Berrod Armstrong]

It has been explained since 2.0 that the amount of of people who can actually use aether to the extent needed for teleport is not common. While not extremely rare, it is not the case where everyone can use it willy nilly.

 

I get what you're saying, but even if 10% of people are able to do it, that's still a huge number of individuals with a gross advantage and it certainly would have had world repercussions, yet somehow hasn't been touched on until now?

 

I dunno, I guess it rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I would've preferred they ignored teleportation? Its one of the more game-y aspects of the world and really doesn't need concrete lore. But I'm just complaining at this point ;D

It hasn't been touched until now because WE haven't touched it. They placed that lore-to-gameplay connection for us, the players, who are meant to represent adventurers in the world. We're the ones who chose to ignore it for the sake of roleplaying along the lines of a certain convention.

[Oli!]

The only thing they said here that we didn't already know is the dating for some of the aetherytes.

 

I was kind of expecting more.

[Warren Castille]

Still, you'd think that over the years there would have been someone who made themselves famous or infamous if they discovered they had untapped power to just BE elsewhere. This goes back to my "Are we overthinking the powers of aether" type thing: We have no real supervillains in a world with dozens and dozens of superheroes.

 

You'd think there'd be stories of world-famous explorers who were able to go places no one had ever been because they could spirit themselves away safely. Tales of horrible crime where the culprit could never be caught because they would vanish in the middle of a crowd, literally.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's entirely possible that these stories do exist in the fiction but haven't been told yet, but I've just always felt legit, seemingly-unlimited teleporting powers cheapens a setting, not enhances it. I know there's a rarity and a cost and some caveats but they're not really too substantial when you consider that there should have been at least ONE attempt to make a Weapon X project out of people found with the ability to leave a crime scene without incident. Politically they'd be the most sought-after folks for wetworks and it just...

 

I don't know. I appreciate SE giving us lore reasons for game mechanics, but it just feels bleh to me. Of course I'm biased against it in the first place, so take all of my grumbling with a pillar of salt.

[Kage]

The only thing they said here that we didn't already know is the dating for some of the aetherytes.

 

I was kind of expecting more.

These lore lowdown have never been substantial. See Lolorito Nanarito's Lore Lowdown.

[Berrod Armstrong]

Still, you'd think that over the years there would have been someone who made themselves famous or infamous if they discovered they had untapped power to just BE elsewhere. This goes back to my "Are we overthinking the powers of aether" type thing: We have no real supervillains in a world with dozens and dozens of superheroes.

 

You'd think there'd be stories of world-famous explorers who were able to go places no one had ever been because they could spirit themselves away safely. Tales of horrible crime where the culprit could never be caught because they would vanish in the middle of a crowd, literally.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's entirely possible that these stories do exist in the fiction but haven't been told yet, but I've just always felt legit, seemingly-unlimited teleporting powers cheapens a setting, not enhances it. I know there's a rarity and a cost and some caveats but they're not really too substantial when you consider that there should have been at least ONE attempt to make a Weapon X project out of people found with the ability to leave a crime scene without incident. Politically they'd be the most sought-after folks for wetworks and it just...

 

I don't know. I appreciate SE giving us lore reasons for game mechanics, but it just feels bleh to me. Of course I'm biased against it in the first place, so take all of my grumbling with a pillar of salt.

They left it up to us to tell those stories. We're the weapon X projects, we're the ones capable of playing the supervillains. The teleporting lore is for US. Most of us are just too biased against it to use it -- which is fine, but the setting itself isn't really cheapened by it other than it not being what some of us want it to be -- and that's -our- problem and limitation, not the lore's. It's just a thing -- and it has ALWAYS been a thing, very little of this is new! A lot of us have managed to make it work well with our stories already, and the people who WOULD take undue, disruptive advantage of it have already been doing so. Business goes on as usual!

[Coda]

It has been explained since 2.0 that the amount of of people who can actually use aether to the extent needed for teleport is not common. While not extremely rare, it is not the case where everyone can use it willy nilly.

 

I get what you're saying, but even if 10% of people are able to do it, that's still a huge number of individuals with a gross advantage and it certainly would have had world repercussions, yet somehow hasn't been touched on until now?

 

I dunno, I guess it rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I would've preferred they ignored teleportation? Its one of the more game-y aspects of the world and really doesn't need concrete lore. But I'm just complaining at this point ;D

It hasn't been touched until now because WE haven't touched it. They placed that lore-to-gameplay connection for us, the players, who are meant to represent adventurers in the world. We're the ones who chose to ignore it for the sake of roleplaying along the lines of a certain convention.

I think it hasn't been scrutinized because we didn't get this convenient lore bomb until yesterday. I'm not too well versed on this game's lore, but common knowledge on teleporting and aetherytes was that it was taxing and not everyone could do it. It was vague. We didn't know how long it took to do or anything like that. Now we know return can be casted quickly enough for emergencies. Giving it some serious thought, the whole concept sounds silly. 

 

In any other setting, a tiny amount of people who are able to have such an advantage over others spells trouble and persecution every time. Marvel's mutants, mages, whatever. And here in Eorzea, where just about everyone is hilariously racist or bigoted, I find it odd that they're simply taxed upon arrival then sent on their merry way. I find it downright funny that the teleporter advantage hasn't been touched on in the MSQ, either. Also, why pay Sharlayan engineers huge amounts of gil to tax a tiny percentage of the population? Why isn't return taxed like teleport is? Who is taking my money when I teleport to Azys Lla? That's why it rubs me the wrong way. I don't care much about RP conventions, because I've been RPing here a week; I don't even have conventions yet. And even if I did, a snippet of lore doesn't change that. We all omit, reshape, and see differently lore here and there to fit our personal styles. My issue is that they're trying to explain something via lore simply because its in the game, when it doesn't need an explanation. If anything, this lore bomb hurts the overall lore quality. In my opinion, of course. It feels cheap.

[Kage]

As mentioned before, this isn't so very new news. The following post was made October 2013 and we've quoted this information a few times when people mention teleporting in Eorzea. A lot of this content is a bit of a "better look" at what was made available since this post on the forums by Camate

What is an aetheryte?

Aetherytes are colossal structures comprised of crystallized aether. So that they may serve as waypoints for aetherial travel, these crystals have been amplified through the use of advanced Sharlayan technology.

 

Why doesn't everyone use aetherytes?

To traverse the Lifestream safely with Teleport and Return requires a great deal of spiritual energy, known as anima. While many individuals, such as adventurers, possess the fortitude to endure such travel, some individuals do not. What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

 

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

 

Why does it cost gil to use aetherytes?

Many aetheryte camps were destroyed during the Calamity, which necessitated their reconstruction. However, this came at great expense, and so teleportation fees must be collected to repay the as yet unpaid debt.

 

However, the gil doesn’t just magically disappear from your purse! Though it's not shown in the game, it's collected by the guards keeping watch of the aetherytes.

 

On a side note, guards posted by each city-state's aetheryte can tell you about aetherytes and teleportation magic. If you're interested, see what they have to say!

 

These lore lowdowns are things where we get new perspectives, sometimes even clarifications.

[Warren Castille]

This stuff was brought up initially way back during the 2.0 launch, actually, but I think everyone either took it or just headcanoned off what they prefer and left it at that.

 

It makes my head hurt just thinking about how teleportation-as-normal would affect trade and commerce, though. No such thing as rarity for import now, because the enterprising folks who could take advantage of that, would. Fresh fruit from delivered mere hours after it got picked off the vine in To to mention the hell this would play on Ishgard during their doors being closed: Anyone who'd ever attuned to Ishgard would have access to reappear inside of the walls whenever they wanted. It's not like an army of heretics defected from them or anything, though, so-

 

Oh. Right.

 

Sex has the right point, too. If these things cost a ton of gil to put into place, and the taxes are so small comparatively (maybe, we can't really determine the "true" value of coin) it would only make sense that teleporting is more common than not.

 

It also makes me wonder what the limits of teleporting are. SE defined it as in-canon possible to do. Can I teleport with my chocobo, then? I can in game. If I can teleport with my mounts, does that mean I could load an auroch up with supplies and materials and move them instantly? Trade caravans just got obliterated, if so.

 

AND ANOTHER THING. WHY DOESN'T CERULEUM ROAD FATE GUY JUST TELEPORT TO THE PROCESSING PLANT, HE'S BEEN THERE BEFORE ACCORDING TO HIS DIALOGUE.

[Kage]

Because it isn't average day normal?

What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

 

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

 

Mere minutes (what we think) are days or weeks? Edit: Even months or longer.

 

What if these taxes -are- huge? What if adventurers are just fucking rich? 500 tax is actually a very hefty sum?

[Unnamed Mercenary]

None of the information given by the Lore team here is particularly new information/ In fact, most of what they provided was nearly identical to what the NPCs who guard the aetherytes will explain. The same ones they usually make the player talk to with a lv1 character.

 

But travel by aether is a very strange thing! Especially if people take into account 1.0's lore, which is still very much here! Anima -had- been a currency-like thing back then, before the older Aetheryte camps were destroyed. When 2.0 launched and they needed to explain why the Anima system was removed, they came up with the explanations we have now.

 

But there's something important to note. Teleport and Return are basically still the same spell. And as we play the game, we aren't those ordinary people who might have a harder time teleporting. We play as the Twelve-damned Warrior of Light! The same ass who can go and become a super-everything because there's a game mechanics / lore split.

[Warren Castille]

It still comes down to the sense not making sense.

 

"Welp, the aetherytes broke during the Calamity."

 

"Okay, get the Sharlayans on the horn so they can be fixed."

 

"I did, but they want a hojillion gil to cover all of them in our region."

 

"Alright, we can impose a tax on the people using them."

 

"You mean the adventurers? As SE dictacted we all know, the common populace usually relies on airships, boats or chocobos to travel."

 

"Yes, adventurers. The same ones we pay to do work through Levemetes and the Adventurer's Guild."

 

"So... how much should these taxes be?"

 

"Let's say the cost of a high potion. No, TWO high potions!"

[V'aleera]

I think the main problem with using teleportation as a means to facilitate crime is that the only places you can teleport to are aetherite plazas surrounded by guards. This is the same issue with teleporting into Ishgard.

[Oli!]

I think the main problem with using teleportation as a means to facilitate crime is that the only places you can teleport to are aetherite plazas surrounded by guards. This is the same issue with teleporting into Ishgard.

 

I think the idea was teleporting before anyone could see what you looked like.

 

Which still gives it a rather good use for criminals. Throw on a cloak, do the crime, throw it off and teleport away before anyone notices.

[Caspar]

We also have instantaneous communication, so it really wouldn't be hard to inform all aetheryte guards to be on the lookout via linkshell.

 

The tax could also be an abstraction. It's actually quite high, but that would suck for us as players, so it's represented in game as high potion level costs.

 

Kinda like how a lvl 1 commoner of average means in D&D could barely survive off their common professions with the core's food and wage tables.

[Warren Castille]

We also have instantaneous communication, so it really wouldn't be hard to inform all aetheryte guards to be on the lookout via linkshell.

 

The tax could also be an abstraction. It's actually quite high, but that would suck for us as players, so it's represented in game as high potion level costs.

 

Kinda like how a lvl 1 commoner of average means in D&D could barely survive off their common professions with the core's food and wage tables.

 

In this case though it's the devs coming out and specifically saying "This is just like how it is in the game, except for the ways it isn't because that would be too troublesome to represent accurately."

 

Why not just leave it alone?

[Halstein Mercer]

I see teleportation as something that can only be done by the more aetheyrically inclined and only done in close poximity of an aetheryte (that or the person is experienced in the manipulation of aether). Perhaps raubahn couldn't use return due to his restraints? As for the return spell, I think when people die they die unless healed or resurrected by a capable conjurer(if that's possible?) Within an acceptable time range. Using return definitely requires concentration and if we're unconscious we shouldn't be able to cast anything. I think we only return to our home points for purely game play reasons, as a sort of death penalty I suppose.