Forbidden research?

[TrueGota]

Are there research topics that are "forbidden"? Like, something that is considered illegal or just too dangerous to mess around with. For example, I could imagine the void could be such a topic and become dangerous if you delve into it too deep.

It doesn't have to be just one example, everything helps.

[Gegenji]

The big ones that come to mind are void-related things (like you said) and Black Magic. Considering Black and White Magic nearly killed the planet during the War of the Magi and resulted in the Elementals causing a massive flood... people aren't too happy with the idea of Black Mages being around. White Magic is also supposed to be under the control of the Padjali at the moment, so trying to delve into that without their permission might get them after you?

 

And, on a lesser degree of destructive power, the people of Sharlayan are very insular when it comes to the knowledge they have that could be weaponized. The AST quest line delves heavily into that, with the nation sending people after your Astrologian trainer because she's teaching the more combat-oriented Sharlayan style of Astrology. So anything war-related from Sharlayan is basically forbidden to outsiders from their standpoint.

 

Hope that helps!

[TrueGota]

Ah, nice, I wanted to make her a Black Mage anyway, so that's great.

And that was a big help, thanks a bunch!

[Vexander]

I'm not entirely sure how much Black Magic and White Magic are considered taboo anymore to be honest. The Elementals saw fit to bring back (albeit in a controlled environment), White Magic through the Padjals. The Warrior of Light becomes the first (known) White Mage outside of the Padjals since the days of Amdapor, though I know there's speculation regarding recent developments with Y'shtola.

 

As far as Black Magic goes, I think its generally more frowned upon than White Magic due to the Void Mages of Mhach. Although there is no clear cut between a Black Mage and a Void Mage, the two terms are used separately on numerous occasions. As of Heavensward's 3.0 Job Quests for Black Mages:

 

 

A Conjurer of Stillglade Fane investigating the rampant use and spread of Black Magic comes to terms that it is not as destruction and corrupting as the Conjurers have been led to believe. He even returns to the Fane intending to let the Warrior of Light continue wielding Black Magic, despite his original mission being to put an end to the use of Black Magic altogether.

 

 

Considering the above as well as the upcoming addition of Red Mage, which will be using Red Magic, a combination of White and Black Magic, its difficult to say how taboo those arts are anymore. I might've considered Red Mages would face persecution like White/Black Mages, however, as of the video Revolutions, we see Alisae is openly a Red Mage. I find it difficult to imagine that passing with the Scions if it posed a danger to Hydaelyn.

 

As per the original discussion, Void Magic and Voidsent are pretty taboo, but Necromancy also seems to fall into that category. Summoning (as in, Primals, not Egis) is also taboo.

[Gegenji]

I would point out that this is someone letting the Warrior of Light continue to do what he's doing. You know, the great and powerful snowflake who gets all the special treatment. The fact that he is who he is probably plays a huge role in the decision to let him be. I wouldn't doubt said character would hesitate little to stop anyone else from using Black Magic.

 

Same kind of thing kinda exists with White Magic. Again, it's the WoL being the unique snowflake who gets special consideration. The Padjali aren't exactly opening up the idea of teaching more people the techniques. At least, as of yet.

 

As for Red Magic, the reason it might not be seen as dangerous or taboo is because it's a relatively unknown thing to the general populace. We know that it is borne of White and Black magic because we have a lore dump on it. Your standard denizen of Hydaelyn might not even realize it - they might think it's just some flashy Thaumaturgy mixed with a little swordplay. So, even if Alisaie is "openly" a RDM, there's no indication that the in-world onlooker would make the connection to what she's doing and two taboo schools of magic.

 

And I completely forgot about Necromancy, since that's indeed a bad thing... and to the point that it isn't even something a player character can do... unless they include a Necromancer class at some point in the future like Diablo III is apparently doing. :lol:

[Aegir]

You probably get the side eye if you get a little TOO into researching primals and summoning too.

[Vexander]

As for Red Magic, the reason it might not be seen as dangerous or taboo is because it's a relatively unknown thing to the general populace. We know that it is borne of White and Black magic because we have a lore dump on it. Your standard denizen of Hydaelyn might not even realize it - they might think it's just some flashy Thaumaturgy mixed with a little swordplay. So, even if Alisaie is "openly" a RDM, there's no indication that the in-world onlooker would make the connection to what she's doing and two taboo schools of magic.

 

 

The thing about Red Magic is less others noticing, and more the Elementals noticing and then sending out the Conjurers to start making arrests and putting down this magical art that drains the land of aether. I suppose its possible that Red Magic doesn't actually do that, but I'll be waiting for confirmation before I'd believe it.

 

[Edit]: As far as Necromancy, there's the WHM 50-60 Job Quests, and Ishgard considers it heretical as per the Hildebrand Quests for 3.X, though I don't really know how canon Hildebrand is. Just figured I'd toss that tidbit out there.

[Gegenji]

Well, considering they're survivors of a war that ended with the planet basically trying to drown them all to get rid of them... it wouldn't be that big of a stretch that they'd look into ways of using their magic in ways that won't get them discovered or - more importantly - killed. Which could feasibly include making it so their magic doesn't straight kill the planet.

[Vexander]

Well, considering they're survivors of a war that ended with the planet basically trying to drown them all to get rid of them... it wouldn't be that big of a stretch that they'd look into ways of using their magic in ways that won't get them discovered or - more importantly - killed. Which could feasibly include making it so their magic doesn't straight kill the planet.

 

This seems like the most logical route to go.

 

Then again, it also felt like Red Mage being a Sharlayan Job was the most logical route to go as well. It's founders included former Mhach and Amdapor peoples, the entire Red Mage Aesthetic matches perfectly with what we've seen of the Sharlayan Aesthetic from the Shire Gear and Great Gubal Library drops, Alisae is a Red Mage herself and a Sharlayan, it'd help cement Sharlayan as -the- magical nation of the modern age, completing the FF trinity of Red Mage, White mage, and Black Mage...

 

Heck, Red Mage being a Sharlayan Job would've even explained their complete and total absence from the story thus far given how the Bibliothecs are so ardently against sharing Sharlayan knowledge such as Astromancy. Not only that, but the idea that legitimate survivors of Mhach and Amdapor fled Eorzea during the Witch Hunts and established this Job in a safe place makes sense.

 

Every which way you looked at it, Red Mage being Sharlayan fit. It just feels like SE made it Ala Mhigan to appease the players who are upset that, 'Doma is getting shoved into their Ala Mhigo expansion and taking it over.'

[Sounsyy]

I'm not entirely sure how much Black Magic and White Magic are considered taboo anymore to be honest.

 

A Conjurer of Stillglade Fane investigating the rampant use and spread of Black Magic comes to terms that it is not as destruction and corrupting as the Conjurers have been led to believe. He even returns to the Fane intending to let the Warrior of Light continue wielding Black Magic, despite his original mission being to put an end to the use of Black Magic altogether.

 

That being said' date=' I am a conjurer. Were I to witness black magic used with ill intent, I would not hesitate to take action. Even if it were you, Lalai, I would hunt you down without mercy. You'd do well to not forget that my order [i']still[/i] considers your black magic forbidden.

The Fifth Astral Era saw a blossoming of magic' date=' and grand civilizations arose with command over a thousand and one varieties of the arcane arts. However, after the War of the Magi triggered the Sixth Umbral Calamity, the practice of magic was strictly forbidden. Though much knowledge was lost, some modest magicks, low in risk and easy to wield, have survived to the present day. The Gelmorrans were the heirs to such small spells, and explored the arcane arts as best they could. The mages who first communed with the elementals learned much from the beings, particularly how to harness the forces of nature. From this grew a form of magic in Gridania known as conjury. Practitioners established the Conjurers' Guild, and there instruct Hearers in their spells. From its founding, the guild has worked to prevent the dangerous abuse of magic, and today opens its doors even to adventurers seeking to learn of conjury.[/quote']

 

 

___________________________

Sharlayans did teach outsiders the way of Astromancy, the elezen in Ishgard uses that magic, despite not being Sharlayan. There is a faction of Sharlayans known as the Bibliothecs who are fiercely isolationist and strictly against sharing any Sharlayan knowledge, though in particularly through the AST Job Quests, we see them focusing on Astrology. I imagine they hate the Scions incredibly.

 

That said, they're only a faction, not the dominant force ruling Sharlayan. As per the Lorebook, we know its Louisoix's Son who holds sway in the Forums right now, and his philosophy is that while Sharlayan as a nation will not intervene in the events of history as they unfold, every individual is free to pursue whatever path they wish. This is why the Scions of the Seventh Dawn haven't been dragged back to Old Sharlayan and put on Trial yet, and also why Alisae and Alphinaud were able to come to Eorzea to follow in their grandfather's footsteps.

 

Jannequinard also was taught his limited knowledge of Sharlayan astromancy over twenty years ago, by a man who was warned against doing so. It was that same instructor's death which fueled the Bibliothec's rise to political prominence in the Forum and Sharlayan at large.

 

Sevestre─leader of the Bibliothecs─a powerful group of conservative fundamentalists who seek to control the whole of Sharlayan's knowledge. They believe that our people should not become involved in history' date=' only be witness to it. Then analyze it until all the lives lived and lost are but numbers on a page. [b']You may remember Sevestre, Jannequinard, because he was the selfsame man who pushed for old Sharlayan to batten its doors and abandon Eorzea... and used my father's death as his rallying cry.[/b] And now I am certain that he had my father killed. Near the end of my father's diary, he mentions being contacted by a young Sevestre, who happened to be a classmate of his when they were both at the Studium. Sevestre, looking to make a name for himself as a politician, warned my father against continuing to disseminate knowledge of Sharlayan astrology in Eorzea. A warning my father, of course, did not heed. Soon after, several attempts were made upon my father's life. When he subsequently looked into the matter, he discovered that there was a price on his head...and that Sevestre had put it there. I discovered a contract signed by the wretch folded in my father's journal. He had planned on revealing it to the Forum on his return... But he never had the chance.

 

Rufin's death occurred twenty years ago... I'll quote myself from an earlier post on the topic:

 

After nearly twenty years since the Bibliothecs rose to political prominence in Sharlayan, it really is hard to say where the political party ends and where their influence does. The lines are very blurred. But we have a few sentiments from Sharlayans that suggest even prior to Rufin's death, that much of the Forum (and Studium) were covetous of certain advanced knowledge and practices. It was likely from this older sentiment that the Bibliothec's party rose with Sevestre at its head, guiding them to radicalism. Rufin's death was merely the necessary catalyst.

 

Prior to the exodus' date=' such knowledge as was conceived here was presented to the Forum, the body of scholars which, for all intents and purposes, rules in the northern motherland. Mistress Matoya was none too fond of them, to put it mildly, for they hindered her research in the name of their so-called laws. Though envy and spite were as often the motive for their actions.[/quote']

 

On the other hand, like I mentioned above, Sevestre's extremism and his drive to maintain his political clout (as well as hide his crimes) seems to be the driving force of the assassination attempts. The parts of the Forum not under the influence of the Bibliothecs are more likely to extradite, trial, and imprison the violator over a death sentence.

 

I have grown weary of this masquerade' date=' and I am done with entrusting my fate to this realm's blundering mercenaries. My name is Celie, and I am here to take the Lady Leveva into custody so that she can be transported back to Sharlayan and tried for her crimes.[/quote']

My grandfather knew the Forum would never allow us to come to Ishgard' date=' and that their “contemplation” over the matter was merely a tactic to stall and discourage us. The stars had spoken to my grandfather, and he was not about to turn a deaf ear to them. I kept silent because I did not wish to let the petty politicking of men thousands of malms to the north stand in the way of our dream─our dream to spread the word of Sharlayan astrology.[/quote']

Which means it will not be long before the Forum has heard as well. We Sharlayans may have officially abandoned this realm' date=' but our ears remain. If the Forum deems it so, I could be arrested and imprisoned for “the theft of national resources.”[/quote']

 

Though, it's Sevestre's last threat that bugs me. He specifically says they, the Forum, will send others. He doesn't say we will send others, you know, as the leader of the radical Bibliothecs. He doesn't say other Bibliothecs will succeed where he, the leader of the Bibliothes, failed. He implies that when the Forum finds out, it'll be them to act, with or without his involvement.

 

This makes me believe that, though yes it was originally the Bibliothecs who first poisoned the well with their xenophobia, the poison has successfully spread to a majority of the Forum.

 

But know that the Forum is ever listening' date=' ever watching. Should you continue your escapades here in Ishgard, they will find out. And [b']they will send others until they have succeeded where I have...failed.[/b]

 

 

___________________________

I mean, put it this way. If the Sharlayans as a whole were dead-set against using their knowledge to assist other nations, then the Aetheryte Networks would've never been constructed.

 

I think Virella in the other thread explained that the Sharlayans are simply against the spread of knowledge that could be used for war purposes, but...

 

They also abhor bloodshed' date=' find war barbaric, and would never dream of allowing their wisdom to be used for martial purposes. As such, they guard closely all knowledge they deem dangerous.[/quote']

 

Per the actual example of the aetheryte network, they did gift it to Eorzeans, however, they also quickly suspended that same aetheryte network during the Belah'dian civil war when, in retaliation to an attack by the Sil'dihn founder, Ul'dah's founder Sasagan Ul Sisigan orders his army to destroy an aetheryte while in use, causing nearly 800 of his brother's men to vanish without a trace.

 

Year 902 - Sharlayan signs an agreement with Belah'dia to construct an aetheryte network across Thanalan, leading to the development of the first full-fledged aethernet in Eorzea.

 

Year 964 - Sasawefu's army employs Sharlayan aetherytes in an ambush on Sasagan's encampments. In retaliation, Sasagan's army destroys an aetheryte while in use, causing nearly eight hundred of Sasawefu's men to vanish without a trace.

 

Year 965 - Sharlayan orders the temporary suspension of their aethernet in Thanalan until a resolution can be reached in the Belah'dian civil war.

 

 

___________________________

The above having been said, I was pretty disappointed to learn that Red Mage is coming from Gyr Abania of all places. Considering the Lore Book notes that Sharlayan was founded by survivors of Amdapor and Mhach as well, one would figure it'd be the logical place. Making it Ala Mhigan feels like SE trying to go to the playerbase, "See, Stormblood isn't ALL about Doma! Ala Mhigo is getting a new Job too!"

 

One flaw in this is that - while yes, the Sharlayans were also made up of some Mhachi and Amdaporian survivors - these survivors rescued by Nyunkrepf were soon removed from the desolate and resourceless region of Abalathia's Spine. They were taken to a remote island far to the north and they were not forced to hide their magicks, nor defend them from the nearly four-hundred years of anti-magic sentiments and witchhunts which followed giving them no reason to 1) cast aside their individual magicks, 2) develop a new form of combative magick from their old ways, or 3) employ the use of swords to better defend against waves of non-magical mobs of pitchfork-wielding attackers.

 

From within his ship, Nyunkrepf watched with grief as precious lives were snuffed out by the barbarism. Knowing those he had saved would die if they tarried in the region, he and his followers fled as soon as the rains had abated. He led them unto the Dravanian hinterlands, where they built a new ship. Though the seas remained rough and tossed them about, they nevertheless safely reached the isles in the northern seas. Having returned home, Nyunkrepf and the survivors set about building a small settlement. This humble village was to grow into the mighty city of Sharlayan.

 

The Sixth Umbral Era passed, and the Sixth Astral Era dawned. Nyunkrepf's village had already advanced greatly by the start of this glorious new age, and had expanded enough to rightly be called a city. The citizens of the newly-named Sharlayan had pledged themselves to Nyunkrepf's teachings: to forever renounce war and walk in the light of wisdom and reason.

Year c.10 - The Archon Nyunkrepf leads a group of refugees away from the chaos of the mountains' date=' sailing to an island in the Northern Empty, where they found the village that will later blossom into the city of Sharlayan.[/quote']

 

versus...

 

The survivors gathered from near and far' date=' and amongst them were refugees of the sorcerous cities of Mhach and Amdapor. These sworn enemies buried their history for the sake of the future, and cast aside their vestments of black and white. Upon the remnants of their arts a new discipline was built, and the first red mages stepped forward with rapiers in hand to fight back against the rising tides of destruction.[/quote']

Fearing that its continued use might further their woes' date=' the art of magic was widely forbidden. Libraries housing ancient tomes were put to flame, while those who practiced - or were rumored to practice - the art of spellcraft were hunted down and tried as criminals. Many a learned man met the same demise, as the masses had become so incensed they could no longer distinguish the difference between science and sorcery.[/quote']

The survivors were of different races and nations' date=' and soon, they fractured into factions, fighting bitterly over what little resources there were to be had. The feuds continued for many long years. On occasion, one clan would win a string of victories, and grow larger by absorbing their defeated foes into their ranks - only to be encircled by a coalition of the remaining tribes, and hammered back down. Following its victory, the loose alliance would then dissolve for lack of a common enemy. This pattern repeated time and again, and the fray showed no signs of abetting.[/quote']

Year c.10 - Survivors of the Sixth Umbral Calamity form small communities in Gyr Abania' date=' descending into conflict over the area’s limited resources. [b']Many flee Abalathia entirely as the floodwaters recede.[/b]

 

The last bit even accounts for the eventual nomadic Mhachi who fled Gyr Abania to later form Belah'dia, a nation that ironically held the sword as a noble weapon, forbidding common folk from using it. Also ironically, this viewpoint would later change in Ul'dah to accomodate the flood of sword-wielding mercenaries and sellswords, many of which came from Ala Mhigo.

 

So no, I don't feel at all like Red Mage having a Gyr Abanian origin feels forced or made to appease the audience - despite the obvious fact that, this expansion was originally pitched as an Ala Mhigan expansion so it'd make sense to unlock an Ala Mhigan based job? Sharlayan was also a good candidate for Red Mage's origin, but definitely not the only or even most logical. Afterall, after viewing all of the subtle hints throughout the lore book the leadup was kinda obvious?

 

As for where or why Alisaie learned Red Magic (assuming that she has in fact learned Red Magic and not just fancy swordplay, a talent she's always nurtured according to her lore book profile), I guess we'll have to wait until Stormblood to see. I don't see why after the Gyr Abanians invented the art in the early Sixth Astral Era, the Sharlayans couldn't have picked it up, or at least knowledge of it, in the thousand years that followed.

[Vexander]

An absolutely beautiful response! Thank you!

 

I suppose my main issue thus far, however, would be that the current Red Mage story to me just feels like it would make more sense applied to Sharlayan. Red Mages remain an unknown quantity in the lore as of right now, 3.57, which implies they're a hidden resource. We -know- Sharlayan hides its resources. Likewise, I'm not sure I believe Sharlayan has White Mages and Black Mages... I mean, there doesn't seem to be a reason that knowledge wouldn't be available to them, and it would help measure up to Minfilia's statements that the Garleans fear Sharlayan's magical might.

 

I suppose I just feel Sharlayan made more sense. From aesthetic to everything we currently have. The only bit that doesn't quite fit in, as you mentioned, is that the Sharlayans are very much so against war, viewing it as barbaric. That said, I have a hard time believing a nation of Scholars, Academics, and Mages would not have something up their sleeves to defend themselves if someone launched a war on them. Red Mage seems like it would've been the ideal job Sharlayan devised to protect itself from foreign threats. I mean, the swordsmanship of the Red Mage style has a kind of artistic value as well, so studying how to be a Red Mage could be as much about learning an art, if not moreso, than about learning how to fight.

 

It also would've been the perfect Poster-Job for the expansion that brings us to Old Sharlayan. Granted who knows when that is, but if I recall one of the Live Letters correctly, Yoshi P. stated the 3.0-5.0 expansions are handling the story about the rebuilding of the Eorzean Alliance, meaning 6.0 would be when we're slated to start fighting the Garleans in their home territory, rather than conquered territory. If 3.0 was about Ishgard, and 4.0 is about Ala Mhigo and Doma, 5.0 would've logically been about Sharlayan, as it was the 6th City-State of Eorzea. The idea that Sharlayan's Red Mages would outright secede from the Forum's Control due to distaste for the Bibliothec's current regime would've also played well into laying the groundwork for such an expansion.

 

Just feels like a lot of wasted potential.

[Gegenji]

Sounsyy's lore dump actually has me wondering a few things.

 

The Spine is the mountain range that basically serves as the northern border of Eorzea, right? So, if I'm reading the map right... it extends all the way into Gyr Albania. The lore book doesn't specify exactly where in the Spine they fled from to escape the barbarism.

 

So, what if the hidden locale that RDM spawns from (I'm going to keep calling it Thamasa until proven wrong/right) was a splinter faction of the group that became Sharlayan? A group that stayed behind instead of following Nyunkrepf or whatever his name is (hitherto known as Nyankatte).

 

So while it wouldn't be strictly Sharlayan, it would be the tool of... basically an offshoot of their ancestral group. I doubt that's going to be the case, but it's a fun little thought. And would explain why Alisaie would be able to develop something similar-looking, she's simply retreated ground a splinter group of her own people already walked.

[Vexander]

Well, to be fair... another idea could be that Sharlayan DOES have Red Mages, that they just work differently. I mean, most of the Class guilds state they're the product of numerous different cultures' take on a specific set of knowledge and skill being accumulated under a single roof. I suppose, theoretically, Sharlayan could have Red Mages which focused more on magic and self-defense, and Thamasa had Red Mages focused more on swordplay and offense, since they'd have had to of dealt with the Witch Hunts after the floods, while Sharlayan wouldn't have.

 

And yes, I've decided to call the hidden Red Mage place Thamasa as well, until we're given its real name.

[Sounsyy]

Likewise, I'm not sure I believe Sharlayan has White Mages and Black Mages... I mean, there doesn't seem to be a reason that knowledge wouldn't be available to them, and it would help measure up to Minfilia's statements that the Garleans fear Sharlayan's magical might.

 

I couldn't say one way or the other whether Sharlayan still has practicing Black or White Mages. I doubt it, considering the harm those magicks cause. But they undoubtedly have record of them - because 1) each of the Archons from the Circle of Knowing possessed detailed knowledge of the Sixth Umbral Calamity, and 2) traces of both of those magicks can be seen in modern Sharlayan.

 

Sharlayan has taken the golem magicks perfected by the Amdaporian White Mages and not only employed it in their defenses, but built upon it to develop Quickening magic to imbue other inanimate objects and simple creatures with sentience and magical ability.

 

So we are to eliminate the golems. That should be a simple enough affair. The automata were employed as sentinels' date=' and by design can be unmade with a coded command. At the time of the exodus, it was “Noughts and Crosses,” and I see no reason why it should not still work.[/quote']

 

Remnants of the Mhachi methods of binding voidsent to the corporeal world have also been employed by Sharlayan magi for multiple uses, not all of them purely academic. They use voidsent to guard their knowledge and also to bolster it. Perhaps one of Sharlayan's biggest mishaps, which very likely contributed to their paranoia over dangerous knowledge escaping the archipelago, was the lost copy of the Necrologos, a Sharlayan tome containing volumes of bound voidsent.

 

Following the disappearance of several forbidden tomes on the subject of voidsent summoning... as well as the disappearance of those curators who were tasked with the books' preservation' date=' the Great Gubal Library's mages concluded that the safest, most efficient manner to safeguard works bound to the void is to employ energies of the void itself. Bibliotaphs were created to serve as vessels for voidsent middling rank who, in return for being allowed ingress to the realm of man, would serve the library as guardians of their most dangerous collection.[/quote']

 

 

_______________________________

That said, I have a hard time believing a nation of Scholars, Academics, and Mages would not have something up their sleeves to defend themselves if someone launched a war on them. Red Mage seems like it would've been the ideal job Sharlayan devised to protect itself from foreign threats.

 

This is where Sharlayan's automaton servitors come in. In the Encyclopedia's beastiary it says the clockwork magi we fight in the Antitower were originally created to serve as Sharlayan's standing army should the need ever arise. Lore on the centuar statues shows more evidence of the Sharlayans employing Amdaporian golem magicks to animate stone for their defenses.

 

Outspoken purveyors of harmony' date=' the Sharlayan shunned nearly all endeavors and advancements concerning the propagation of war. The city-state did, however, recognize the need for protection from those who did not share their love of peace, and thus begrudgingly allowed for the development of magicked automatons which would serve as ersatz soldiers designed to fight in the Sharlayans' stead.[/quote']

These suits of hollow armor designed after the mythical half-man' date=' half-horse warriors of legend most often served their Sharlayan creators as sentries in places of government. The enchanted creatures would sit motionless, apppearing as naught more than a lavish decoration, until an intruder was detected in their presence, at which time the centuars would come to life and impale their quarry from behind with their impressive halberds.[/quote']

 

So yes, Sharlayan does have its own means of defense - one that doesn't involve risking its own people's lives on the battlefield. That's not to say Sharlayan doesn't teach its own advanced combat techniques magical and melee. Obviously Alisaie and Alphinaud both picked up sword play. Moenbryda learned to fight with an axe. Yda, her fists. All of the Sharlayan magic we've seen so far. Sharlayan just doesn't want most of these secret techniques disseminated to the barbarians.

 

 

Again, red mage could've come from Sharlayan. The Sharlayans could have knowledge of it or teach some form of it, but ultimately the lore says it came from Gyr Abania and the concept fits pretty solidly? Not sure why it's wasted potential when we literally only know a single vague paragraph about them. Their story hasn't even come out yet. We don't even know for sure if Red Mages still exist in the present day. They could've died out hundreds of years before Ala Mhigo even was founded, destroyed by the regional warfare. All we know is the art's origin. The quest giver could just as easily be a Sharlayan archaeologist who is taking advantaged of alliance presence in the region to investigate rumors of an ancient soul crystal found by some qiqirn peddler. We just won't know till Stormblood.

[Gegenji]

Sharlayan has taken the golem magicks perfected by the Amdaporian White Mages and not only employed it in their defenses, but built upon it develop Quickening magic to imbue other inanimate objects and simple creatures with sentience and magical ability.

 

...

 

This is where Sharlayan's automaton servitors come in. In the Encyclopedia's beastiary it says the clockwork magi we fight in the Antitower were originally created to serve as Sharlayan's standing army should the need ever arise. Lore on the centuar statues shows more evidence of the Sharlayans employing Amdaporian golem magicks to animate stone for their defenses.

 

So the obvious answer is that there will be a Puppetmaster class like in FFXI, and they'll be from Sharlayan.

[Vexander]

I was more speaking speculatively, Sounsyy. I'm fully aware that what we have now is what we have. I guess its just something I disagree with as an opinion as a player. Either way I'm looking forward to what Stormblood brings.