General Lore Questions

[Valence]

The only difference with already existing flintlock weaponry is that MCH guns seem much more refined and advanced to me, especially that they don't use flintlock but the aetherial appendage the MCH carries with him to channel his/her own aether into the weapon and turrets.

[Whisper Bexley]

Do miqo'te age like humans?

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Do miqo'te age like humans?

 

Yes. All of "the races of man" do, which is all the playable races. (We aren't sure about Au Ra since this was stated before they were released, but it's probably the same for them as well).

 

All the races have about the sake maximum theoretical age and mature at the same rate. The only race that has been stated to be different are Elezens. They have a slight longer max life and have a slightly longer period of puberty. (So if all the races could live to 100, Elezen might get to 110 or 120, but their "teen" period might last until say 25 or something. These aren't hard numbers, but more a guestimate.)

 

Source: Lore panel at the 2014 Vegas Fanfest.

[voidVirago]

Ah yeah, the Dreadwyrm/T13 Handgonne even had that "spin" animation when drawn.

 

Also if we're talking about MCH specifically, there's their little aether ammo pack thing (what's strapped to every MCH's hip) and how it places them apart from just a guy with a gun. I'm not 100% familiar with the lore behind it, but I think it uses the soul gem to empower shots loaded from it?

I was under the assumption it's just what they use to toss their turrets and grenades out of. I think they are just guys with a gun but better.

 

They're like um.... batman with a gun.

I think I recall their little opening unlock blurb (somewhere early on) that their aether pack allows them to empower their stuff, yeah. I'd look it up but I'm at work, so it'll have to wait.

[Sounsyy]

Some of the questions have been answered, but I'm just doing a quick run through of everything to make sure lore is posted. Shoshopu, I'm still working on them rocks. =x Forgive me.

 

 

Heh, new question... I know I may have an obsession with elementals, but do elementals only live in the Shroud, or can some of their lesser ones, or in a way lesser quantity or organized fashion, live everywhere else? Do we have info on that in lore? I am not sure how to approach their existence (or non existence) outside of the Shroud?

 

If you are planning to stay a while' date=' you might want to learn a bit about the elementals. They reside within all creation, and are the organizing principle at work throughout the world. The ancient elementals of the Twelveswood are much more powerful and wise than those from other parts of the world.[/quote']

The Twelveswood around Gridania is full of elementals. They reside in all things' date=' like little clumps of life. They keep watch over all of us—both we forestborn and the beasts of the wood. We cannot simply hunt things down in the wood because they hunt us. In all things, the permission of the elementals is needed.[/quote']

That's what I've been trying to tell you. There are elementals in all sorts of things. Rocks' date=' rivers, flowers. They are the unifying force of this entire forest.[/quote']

Now' date=' these misbehaving elementals would have long been pacified, but for the fact that most incidents transpire outside the Twelveswood. I am duty-bound to the forest, you see, and cannot attend to the matter, while Stillglade Fane has not the manpower to spare at present for an undertaking beyond our borders. But you, Sounsyy─you may do what we Gridanians cannot. So I bid you journey forth to quell the keening of the elementals throughout Eorzea.[/quote']

 

 

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2. Elementals.

They -are- nature, as already said in the thread. However me and Sil while discussing this had somewhat different opinions. One way of seeing it was that the Elementals resided in the shroud (talking about the big scary ones), but due to their strength they influence all of nature even far beyond the twelveswood, sort of like the roots of a tree. The other point of view being that the elementals are more decentralised, every tree or rock being a "mini-elemental". Any support on which of those is correct, or if both are wrong?

 

The latter is correct. Every rock, tree, stream, etc houses an elemental. Not all elementals are able or willing to reveal themselves, but they are there.

 

That's what I've been trying to tell you. There are elementals in all sorts of things. Rocks' date=' rivers, flowers. They are the unifying force of this entire forest.[/quote']

We ain't in this trade to be nice. The masters'll tell you true. Treant vines may be rare enough' date=' but if they ain't quality, they're of no use to us. Take your gil and be happy. If the conjurers find some rare elemental within, mayhaps they'll send some more coin your way.[/quote']

Perhaps it was the elementals within the knight's metals whose voices he heard. If so' date=' there can be no doubt that he is in some way connected to Ishgard.[/quote']

We've had dealings with those from beyond the wood before' date=' but never have I witnessed such insolence. The elementals within the stones tell me there is no need for concern.[/quote']

 

 

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Are Allagans really hyurs then? Or something else? Or is there a twist somewhere that makes Allag a hyur civilization that rose up in their original place of origin, spreaded all across the planet including Aldenard, and then crumbled, leaving their hyur offspring only in a certain remote place (not Aldernard)?

 

MCKF: Most of the races don’t really like each other and its gone on through multiple Eras. There are times when Eorzea has been more populated by one race over another and there will be conflict there. With the Hyur and Elezen, that’s very recent. In the sixth astral era, Elezen migrated in and in that era they were like “we’re the first ones here!” even though they weren’t, but they were the first at the beginning of the sixth astral era and they settled and of course the pesky Hyur who are everywhere come in and the Elezen are like “oh my god we left you that whole continent up there why are you here!” and the Lalafell come in and you have these cycles of clashing and moving part and that gets ingrained in their society and their racial cultures.

 

Q: This kinda indirectly answers another question that came up about if the Hyur are such recent arrivals, how come they’re all the Allag we’ve seen. So that explains that if it’s a constant flux we may have just forgotten they were here.

 

MCKF: And you haven’t seen all the Allagans yet.

 

Q: And if we’re going to look at the game mechanics as cannon they had outfits that fit all the races.

 

MCKF: You look at the Garleans and again, the Garleans are a different race, the pure-blood ones with the third eye. But when you look at the army they have people of all races because they go and subjugate a nation and tell people they can gain citizenship if you join our army and prove your worth. So that’s why you have so many soldiers that are Elezen, because all the real Garleans are back home ruling while their conscripts conquer the land, sometimes using the magic that they can’t.

 

 

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Also we know from the new Lost City HM that the amdapori managed to use succor not just to heal, but to harm (see Kuribu with her reversed Cure IV and Regen). Given the 1.0 Lore from Thaumaturges, would that mean that Black mages could use their technique to fuel stronger healing spells?

 

Yes, the Amdapori tainted Succor to harm instead of heal, and this was considered an abomination. The elementals abandoned hope for mankind and summoned the flood soon after.

 

Hast thou forgotten the pact of Gelmorra? The powers granted to the Padjal must not be used in conflict.

The conjurers teach us that elementals of the Twelveswood are not instruments of war' date=' and no attempt shall be made to use them as such against the Empire.[/quote']

Emboldened by magic' date=' man went on to reach the zenith of glory. But his hunger knew no bounds. Over time, even they who donned the white began perverting their powers for the sake of self-gain, and in this single-minded pursuit scrupled not to sully the sanctity of the Twelveswood. In his pride and avarice, man brought down the wrath of the elementals upon himself.[/quote']

However' date=' as is oft the case with peoples who fancy themselves gods, the self-assuring hubris of the Amdapori eventually became their downfall, and as quickly as they rose to power, did they disappear from the world. For generations, this relic of their once-mighty civilization has remained hidden in plain sight - cloaked by the elementals who sought only to prevent newer generations from stumbling across the ancient Amdapori magicks.[/quote']

 

As far as Thaumaturges/Black Mages healing, I don't see why not. Black Magic is very simply a technique which alters the aether source of a thaumaturges' spells from themselves to the planet. And as Thaumaturges in 1.0 were capable of healing spells via Blood Magic/Sacrifice, I don't see why they couldn't make use of those spells still.

 

 

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Is it possible to have "agents", people who do things under the rug and on public records not listed as an Immortal Flame (or any GC) affiliate? People who would deal with all the dirty work, basically.

 

Currently' date=' the bulk of Ul'dah's military strength comes from their standing army of mercenaries and the small contingent of the palace guard known as the sultansworn. To bring order to their ranks and oversee additional wartime training, the Sultana has considered resurrecting the Immortal Flames - an elite force of battle-hardened veterans that once instilled fear in the city-state's neighboring nations during ages past. This unit would act as a core aspect of the army, essentially bolstering its power, and in effect grant more authority to the Sultana and her advisers - something of which those in control of the city-state's economy - namely the syndicate - are wary.[/quote']

 

 

As for agents, I say most likely that all three companies have some of a fashion. The Bloodsworn may be considered agents, truthfully, however, I do believe there was some mention of Flames Agents during the 2.4 MSQ involving the discovery of 2nd Flame Commander Eline Roaille.

 

 

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Machinist time!

 

• General lore dump of machinists, because I sure do love me those.
  
• Specifics on firearms, how are they crafted, etc etc.
  
• Can't think of anything else. Whoops.
  

 

The war with Dravania rages on, brutal and unrelenting. With no end in sight, the Holy See grows desperate. As her dragoons lay down their lives in defense of their home, Ishgard turns to technology to protect her sons and daughters. Great cannons and ballistae now line the city walls, plucking dragons from the sky.

 

Following the example of Cid Garlond, who has demonstrated the potency of magitek, the Skysteel Manufactory works tirelessly on the development of advanced armaments. As new and devastating weapons are brought to the fray, a new class of champion arises to wield them―the machinist.

The manufactory here is run by House Haillenarte. From cannons to ballistas' date=' we develop an' manufacture a range of weapons what are made for slayin' dragon invaders. We also dabble in machinistry - that's a technology what combines Master Garlond's magitek with traditional aetherology. All our machinist firearms are built on its principles.[/quote']

Basically' date=' a machinist is someone what wields a firearm. But it's the aetherotransformer worn at her waist what makes her different from other marksmen. This machine converts the aether found within a person's body into lightnin'-aspected energy, which then powers the machinist's arsenal of specialized devices an' techniques.[/quote']

Do you recall Rostnsthal's explanation of the aetherotransformer? That contraption at your waist will convert your body's aether into the lightning-aspected energy required to power the turret. You need simply place the weapon in position' date=' and it will fire upon whichever foe you yourself attack.[/quote']

By redirecting the energy generated by your aetherotransformer' date=' you will be able to charge a bullet with lightning, and thereby stun the target of your shot.[/quote']

I don't understand' date=' me lordship. Most Ishgardians ain't hardly aware that machinists exist.[/quote']

 

 

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Do miqo'te age like humans?

 

Q: What are the age scales of every race? How long do they live and how long does it take them to become an adult?

 

MCKF: Okay, yeah I asked about this and I was told that age-scale wise the five races biologically they can live about- they have the same lifespan as we do here on earth. They can live one hundred, one hundred and twenty biologically. The thing is, here we have modern medicine, we have jobs that don't take us on to the battlefield, we have food in refrigerators not sitting in a barrel. And so we can live that long, whereas, in Eorzea its a much harsher realm. I mean you've got raptors roaming the jungle. "I need to go out and pick an ogre pumpkin!" "Oh sorry, daddy got eaten by a raptor as he was picking our dinner pumpkin so it looks like we're having nothing for dinner tonight." And so daddy dies of raptor and children die of starvation because they couldn't get the pumpkin.

 

On top of that you have wars and people are fighting Ishgard, I wouldn't expect most people would live longer than like thirty years. That's the thing, so you get an average lifespan that is a lot shorter, y'know in the forties, fifties. I mean there was the one quest about, back in 1.0... there was the Lalafell that was put in the Oubliette in Ul'dah, and he was in there praying and because he was this zen thing and he focused and he slowed his breathing and he lived for hundreds of years or whatever. Other than that people aren't going to live that long.

 

That said, Elezen actually do have a longer lifespan than the other four races. And this also appears in the- when they go from child to puberty to adulthood. So which is why you'll see in the- in 1.0 there was a bunch of Elezen children that appeared in some of the quests and they appear again in 2.0, and they're still children. And you think well it's been five years why are they still children? It's because again that childhood for Elezen can last much longer. And they end up living longer as well. Um, but for the most part it's pretty much just the same as us, but with more... fatality.

 

More lore on the races, racial breeding, ages, origins, and customs can be found in the Race Lore Masterpost! ^^

 

 

Hope this helped clarify some of the already answered questions! Sorry I've been late answering these. Lemme know if there's more questions! #rocklorepost is coming!

[Aka]

Hey just a few questions about magic and aether. 

Does everyone have a unique aetherial make up kinda like DNA? 

If so could certain people been more attuned to certain types of magic based on different levels of certain aether? 

Is it possible to draw upon aether from the void?

is it possible for someone to become ageless after being exposed to the aether from the calamity?

If a Dark Knight's magic is wild does that mean it'd be near impossible to refine their use of magic?... like not being able to hold back or say use their magic with surgical precision?

ugh I have more questions but I'll leave them for another post.

[Valence]

Does everyone have a unique aetherial make up kinda like DNA?

 

All I know is that different events or aetherial manifestations all hold their proper signature that can be measured with a certain precision through contraptions of various kinds. Following that reasoning, and considering how the Scions tracked Y'shtola for example following her own aether signature, I would assume that, yes, they do.

 

Is it possible to draw upon aether from the void?

 

The Void is by definition empty of Aether, so, no.

 

is it possible for someone to become ageless after being exposed to the aether from the calamity?

 

That sounds rather specific... I am not sure to see anything that would point in that direction since the aether from the calamity mostly stems from Bahamut's aetherial influence... But who knows... I guess?

[Aka]

The Void is by definition empty of Aether, so, no.

 

First up thanks for the response but is the Void really devoid of aether? It doesn't seem likely just from looking at the Ascians and the vast amount of voidsent that use magic, plus from the chrysalis trial it looks to be brimming with a dark form of aether. So unless the Ascians, the Voidsent and perhaps even the Void itself drains aether from elsewhere to fuel their abilities it just doesn't seem very likely. I'm not basing that on anything other than my own logic so feel free to prove me wrong.

 

Again thanks for the replies :love:

[Gegenji]

So unless the Ascians, the Voidsent and perhaps even the Void itself drains aether from elsewhere to fuel their abilities it just doesn't seem very likely.

 

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they do. They take aether from the denizens of Hydaelyn - which is why they're so dangerous. They see everyone outside the Void as a sort of food source. The Ascians themselves, if I recall, are one of the few that can flit across the divide freely - so they don't have the issue of aether starvation that wracks the Voidsent.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

The Void is by definition empty of Aether, so, no.

 

First up thanks for the response but is the Void really devoid of aether? It doesn't seem likely just from looking at the Ascians and the vast amount of voidsent that use magic, plus from the chrysalis trial it looks to be brimming with a dark form of aether. So unless the Ascians, the Voidsent and perhaps even the Void itself drains aether from elsewhere to fuel their abilities it just doesn't seem very likely. I'm not basing that on anything other than my own logic so feel free to prove me wrong.

 

Again thanks for the replies :love:

 

The Void is literally devoid of aether. I can't find the quote atm, but I want to say that is stated in the game directly.

 

That is exactly why the aether-starved voidsent try to get to the physical plane, especially Eorzea, which is basically flooded with aether. Of course, aether has to travel between Hydaelyn and the Aetherstream, as shown in a cutscene when the Scions are discussing the echo and summoning.

 

(The Ascians are actually not voidsent though. They are something else entirely. This is touched upon in content with Moenbryda).

[Aka]

 

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they do. They take aether from the denizens of Hydaelyn - which is why they're so dangerous. They see everyone outside the Void as a sort of food source.

hmm makes sense I guess and if multiple people say that's the case I can't really deny it, this has actually really got me curious as to how the denizens of the Void function, like how are more made? and do they evolve from lesser voidsent to some of the more powerful ones we've seen the more aether they leech? do you think on some level the void (along with it's denizens) was given shape through the power of belief much like primals?

 

again thanks for the responses :love:

[Unnamed Mercenary]

 

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they do. They take aether from the denizens of Hydaelyn - which is why they're so dangerous. They see everyone outside the Void as a sort of food source.

hmm makes sense I guess and if multiple people say that's the case I can't really deny it, this has actually really got me curious as to how the denizens of the Void function, like how are more made? and do they evolve from lesser voidsent to some of the more powerful ones we've seen the more aether they leech? do you think on some level the void (along with it's denizens) was given shape through the power of belief much like primals?

 

again thanks for the responses :love:

 

There are different classes/categories of voidsent! ...usually noted on rare item drops/cards/minions.

 

I feel like we had a lore compilation by Sounsyy on this, so I'm gonna see if I can find it.

 

Edit: Here's some of the VoidVoidsent Lore threads

 

The Void (Lore Request)

Need lore info on the Void/Dark Realm and Sharlayan

More Void Stuff

Question regarding Elementals, WHM, and Voidtouching

Necromancy, death, and the undead.

A question about Death and Resurrection

Earlier post in this thread

[Shoshopu]

Some of the questions have been answered, but I'm just doing a quick run through of everything to make sure lore is posted. Shoshopu, I'm still working on them rocks. =x Forgive me.

 

Hey, it's no problem! The friend I was asking about it for said there's no huge rush.

 

 

I know my rock lore question is still pending but here's another question for a friend (one who has an account here but he doesn't often post /STARES), what's with the BLM stuff always covering one eye? I found an earlier thread that was even Sounsyy'd (and the reddit thread that thread linked to) about the idea that THMs would literally replace their eyes with materia or otherwise 'give up' their eyes to magic, but what do we actually know about that? I seem to remember in the THM quests that you would sometimes see something glowing from behind that eye covering...?

[Melkire]

The Void is by definition empty of Aether, so, no.

 

First up thanks for the response but is the Void really devoid of aether? It doesn't seem likely just from looking at the Ascians and the vast amount of voidsent that use magic, plus from the chrysalis trial it looks to be brimming with a dark form of aether. So unless the Ascians, the Voidsent and perhaps even the Void itself drains aether from elsewhere to fuel their abilities it just doesn't seem very likely. I'm not basing that on anything other than my own logic so feel free to prove me wrong.

 

Again thanks for the replies :love:

 

The Void is literally devoid of aether. I can't find the quote atm, but I want to say that is stated in the game directly.

 

That is exactly why the aether-starved voidsent try to get to the physical plane, especially Eorzea, which is basically flooded with aether. Of course, aether has to travel between Hydaelyn and the Aetherstream, as shown in a cutscene when the Scions are discussing the echo and summoning.

 

(The Ascians are actually not voidsent though. They are something else entirely. This is touched upon in content with Moenbryda).

 

Slight correction: between Hydaeylyn and the aetherial sea.

 

Hydaelyn <-> Void <-> Aetherial Sea

 

When you start talking about the Lifestream, things get... trickier.

[Shoshopu]

Do we know if Raubahn has ever had an encounter with Ifrit?

[Virella]

Do we know if Raubahn has ever had an encounter with Ifrit?

As far as I know, I don't think I ever heard of such.

[CalebAgron]

So I was planning on an RP event, one that would involve Eorzean Faith and I need to make sure my knowledge of the twelve is immaculate. But the lore regarding FF seems so sparse, especially about the twelve. Anyone know a place I can go to read up on them, or any good sources? I would appreciate it!

[Valence]

Okay, we know that the 6 first calamities were all related to one specific element of the wheel (Earth, Fire, etc). We know that the Allagan got wiped by Fire, and the Magi by Water, etc.

 

What was Bahamut since all elements were spent? Was it pure Umbral instead of elemental? Just unaspected?

 

( I must say that i'm a big fan of Ethys Asher interpretation of the elemental wheel related to Umbral/Astral poles also so that you see where i'm coming from )

 

[Seriphyn]

Do we know if Raubahn has ever had an encounter with Ifrit?

 

It is said in the early 2.0 memorial speeches by Alphinaud that Ul'dah regularly assembles armies to cut down Ifrit every time he rises. Presumably this was before the Scions.

 

So. Maybe?

[Sounsyy]

So I was planning on an RP event, one that would involve Eorzean Faith and I need to make sure my knowledge of the twelve is immaculate. But the lore regarding FF seems so sparse, especially about the twelve. Anyone know a place I can go to read up on them, or any good sources? I would appreciate it!

 

There isn't a ton of lore on the Twelve, but what we have I've tried compiling in the Eorzean Religion Masterpost. Hopefully that page can help you out!

 

Oh, something that's not in there that I need to go back and add. I recently found what could be a creation myth surrounding Byregot?

 

They say a rolling stone gathers no moss' date=' and these stones here look as if they have not moved an ilm since the great Byregot cast them down from the heavens...if you believe that sort of nonsense.[/quote']

 

 

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Okay, we know that the 6 first calamities were all related to one specific element of the wheel (Earth, Fire, etc). We know that the Allagan got wiped by Fire, and the Magi by Water, etc.

 

What was Bahamut since all elements were spent? Was it pure Umbral instead of elemental? Just unaspected?

 

Allag was actually earth, the order of Calamities goes like this:

 

1st Umbral Era (Wind) - War is waged between man and the Twelve go into slumber.

 

2nd Umbral Era (Lightning) - unknown

 

3rd Umbral Era (Fire) - unknown

 

4th Umbral Era (Earth) - Too much energy is siphoned into Syrcus Tower causing a massive earthquake which wipes out the Allagan Empire.

 

5th Umbral Era (Ice) - Age of Endless Frost

 

6th Umbral Era (Water) - The Great Flood caused by the War of the Magi

 

7th Umbral Era (Astral) - Bahamut's return.

 

8th Umbral Era (Umbral) - The return of Zodiark?

 

 

SPOILERS AHEAD

According to this latest patch, when speaking with Hydaelyn, she says the Ascians are trying to free Zodiark by destroying the 8 fetters that hold him in place. They've succeeded 7 times throughout history. 7 successes = 7 umbral calamities. Meaning there's an 8th coming that we need to prevent which will mark the return of Zodiark and the death of Hydaelyn, possibly. This suggests an 8th Calamity, which would fall in line with Hydaelyn's 8 elements: Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Earth, Astral, Umbral.

 

There's a bit of extremely convoluted lore involving elements and time over in the Units of Time and Measurement thread.

 

 

 

Hope this helps! ^^

[Valence]

Mh yes Earth my bad... Not sure what made me write fire... duh.

 

So we know that the 7th umbral calamity was actually Astral? Makes sense since Astral follows directly after on the calendar and elemental order, of course, but is there any mention of that somewhere? 1.0 maybe?

[L'ohba Tia]

Do we know if Raubahn has ever had an encounter with Ifrit?

 

It is said in the early 2.0 memorial speeches by Alphinaud that Ul'dah regularly assembles armies to cut down Ifrit every time he rises. Presumably this was before the Scions.

 

So. Maybe?

 

Raubahn himself is way too valuable to send against Ifrit and risk tempering, so that's very, very unlikely. The Flames did used to send groups along with Echo-users from Minfilia's Path of the Twelve to fight him.

[Sounsyy]

So we know that the 7th umbral calamity was actually Astral? Makes sense since Astral follows directly after on the calendar and elemental order, of course, but is there any mention of that somewhere? 1.0 maybe?

 

We do not know 100% for sure, but it makes the most sense if we are going off the elements. Zodiark extinguishing the Light and returning the world to darkness sounds much more Umbral aspected than Astral, but who knows.

 

Also, in 1.0, it was actually believed by NPCs that the 6th Astral Era would last until the end of time. When the Archons came along quoting the 7th Verse of Mezaya Thousand Eyes' Divine Chronicles it was considered panic-inciting and some city-states attempted to arrest Urianger, and Limsa did arrest the Wandering Minstrel who was also quoting the Divine Chronicles and scaring the commonfolk. So yeah, no reference to which element the oncoming calamity would be. For all we know, it could just be unaspected. And seeing as how we're supposed to prevent said Umbral aspected calamity (#8) from happening, we'd only ever have seven, dispelling the 8 elemental theory.

 

In short, who knows.

[Aaron]

Found this out earlier,

 

For those wondering why retainers bring back some pretty gnarly stuff and how they do it lol, they use larger version of those gold rush carts (Yes, like the minion).

 

It's explained on the little info after using the item, and funny enough also explains why said carts are never full of gold.

 

Looks like y'all retainer might actually be richer than you.

[Valence]

What do we know about mammets? Are they magitek? Are they living creatures? A mix between both? The MSQ showing the mammet heart seems to hint at more than just machines... Or are they just like allagan nodes in a less advanced fashion?

 

I find the question interesting because when thinking about it it's not that easy to find the exact boundary between machines and magicks in that universe. Some ancient civilizations like Mach and Nym and Amdapor elevated magical arts to unequaled highs, while others like Allag did the same but with technology based on magicks (Magitek, etc). The only thing that never change is that everyone and everything uses Aether as a base ingredient..