Soul Crystals?

[Loe]

So, what's the dealio on these? How much can someone put into one? What are they even? Could someone put their entire soul and essence into one to be pulled out later? Like, how do these even work?

[Coatleque]

The way I've heard it explained is that it's not really a soul trapped in them, but the essence of someone's experience that rubs off onto it as they carry it, and then the combined experience of everyone who's carried the crystal helps the next carrier to learn what they already did at an accelerated rate.

 

It's like swallowing the cliff-notes in pill form before having to go take the test.

[Kinono]

The way I've heard it explained is that it's not really a soul trapped in them, but the essence of someone's experience that rubs off onto it as they carry it, and then the combined experience of everyone who's carried the crystal helps the next carrier to learn what they already did at an accelerated rate.

 

It's like swallowing the cliff-notes in pill form before having to go take the test.

 

In that sense would it be plausible for someone to carry "blank" crystals to be passed on to their lineage? Or, for the sake of my own curiosity, even sold? How hard would it be to obtain a crystal for this purpose?

[Coatleque]

In that sense would it be plausible for someone to carry "blank" crystals to be passed on to their lineage? Or, for the sake of my own curiosity, even sold? How hard would it be to obtain a crystal for this purpose?

 

Personally, I don't see why not. I'd imagine they would need to be specially prepared by someone with the know-how. Based on what I've read, it would take many generations (or hosts) of acquiring knowledge before they actually become useful.

[111]

The way I've heard it explained is that it's not really a soul trapped in them, but the essence of someone's experience that rubs off onto it as they carry it, and then the combined experience of everyone who's carried the crystal helps the next carrier to learn what they already did at an accelerated rate.

 

It's like swallowing the cliff-notes in pill form before having to go take the test.

 

In that sense would it be plausible for someone to carry "blank" crystals to be passed on to their lineage? Or, for the sake of my own curiosity, even sold? How hard would it be to obtain a crystal for this purpose?

 

I think that's very plausible, it's not really clear where original soulstones come from, but they have to start somewhere.

 

Until Square Enix tells us otherwise, I think we can assume that great warriors in the past held blank crystals.

[Kinono]

Personally, I don't see why not.  I'd imagine they would need to be specially prepared by someone with the know-how.  Based on what I've read, it would take many generations (or hosts) of acquiring knowledge before they actually become useful.

 

Ah, that's good to know and very interesting! Obviously there are things that would not make sense/be frowned upon (a "white mage" soul gem just being passed down in the family would make a lot of people scoff, I'm sure) but a character simply possessing some non-denominational combat-oriented soulgem passed down from their great-great-grandpappy seems like it wouldn't be too odd. Conversely, a character holding onto to one for the express purpose of it becoming a family heirloom would be neat too.

[111]

Personally, I don't see why not.  I'd imagine they would need to be specially prepared by someone with the know-how.  Based on what I've read, it would take many generations (or hosts) of acquiring knowledge before they actually become useful.

 

Ah, that's good to know and very interesting! Obviously there are things that would not make sense/be frowned upon (a "white mage" soul gem just being passed down in the family would make a lot of people scoff, I'm sure) but a character simply possessing some non-denominational combat-oriented soulgem passed down from their great-great-grandpappy seems like it wouldn't be too odd. Conversely, a character holding onto to one for the express purpose of it becoming a family heirloom would be neat too.

 

Yeah nothing suggests it /has/ to be a stone from one of the legendary jobs. Could just be your family's ancient fighting style. Or ancient cooking style, not sure it even has to be combat.

[Zyrusticae]

...This is an excellent idea and I have half a mind to implement it into T'rahnu's backstory.

[Kinono]

Or ancient cooking style, not sure it even has to be combat.

 

Prostitute Soulgem, here I come.

[111]

Or ancient cooking style, not sure it even has to be combat.

 

Prostitute Soulgem, here I come.

 

This soul gem was held by your grandmother, she doesn't look like it now, but she was once finest fucker to ever grace eorzea.

 

*drops soulstone, backs away horrified*

[Loe]

Now, for my next question, would it be possible for a stone to have a sentient soul in it?  Like possessing it?

[Kinono]

Now, for my next question, would it be possible for a stone to have a sentient soul in it?  Like possessing it?

 

As far as I can think (I'm no expert on lore, but whatever) this would be possible but not the norm. As far as I can tell, such a thing would most likely be the result of some dark magic (thinking along the lines of Tam-tara hard, but not quite as intense) and would be likely to make the average Eorzean quite uncomfortable to be around.

 

But yeah. I'm not an expert, so don't take my sole word for it.

[Loe]

Now, for my next question, would it be possible for a stone to have a sentient soul in it?  Like possessing it?

 

As far as I can think (I'm no expert on lore, but whatever) this would be possible but not the norm. As far as I can tell, such a thing would most likely be the result of some dark magic (thinking along the lines of Tam-tara hard, but not quite as intense) and would be likely to make the average Eorzean quite uncomfortable to be around.

 

But yeah. I'm not an expert, so don't take my sole word for it.

That's the idea I was going for. Anyone else have anything I should know?

[FloriaRaine]

Now, for my next question, would it be possible for a stone to have a sentient soul in it?  Like possessing it?

 

If i remember correctly, in the white mage job quest, you were able to summon the previous owner of your soul crystal to help out in the final battle, though i'm not sure if his soul remained in the crystal or was summoned from the life stream

[Knight Kat]

The way I've heard it explained is that it's not really a soul trapped in them, but the essence of someone's experience that rubs off onto it as they carry it, and then the combined experience of everyone who's carried the crystal helps the next carrier to learn what they already did at an accelerated rate.

 

It's like swallowing the cliff-notes in pill form before having to go take the test.

 

That's totally awesome, and a little bit hax. :lol:

 

Anyone read anything in the lore about how they are made, or who can give them other than the Job Mentors from the story quests?

[Warren Castille]

There's so little lore outside of the job quests themselves that it makes me wonder how much of that is gameplay/story segregation. The stones obviously exist. Does everyone learning a Job need one? If they don't have one, do they still learn skills? It's difficult to reason what's actually in/on them and it seems to be used mostly as a plot device.

 

Or ancient cooking style, not sure it even has to be combat.

 

Prostitute Soulgem, here I come.

 

This soul gem was held by your grandmother, she doesn't look like it now, but she was once finest fucker to ever grace eorzea.

 

*drops soulstone, backs away horrified*

 

So... a soul diaphragm, then?

[Kellach Woods]

My guess is no, it's not needed except by the WoL because he needs to learn the skills super fast. The soul crystals also double as a plot device for several jobs if not all of them.

 

The only ones I can clearly remember it doesn't is SMN/SCH.

[V'aleera]

Now, for my next question, would it be possible for a stone to have a sentient soul in it?  Like possessing it?

We actually know this is possible, as the questgiver for the CT weekly quest is an archmagus that put her soul into a vessel and then transferred her consciousness into the body of the woman that found her. But I believe that is an entirely separate magical function than the one soul crystals are used for.

[Gegenji]

I find this thread intensely interesting because the little story I'm writing down in the Town Square section involves a character doing research into Soul Crystals.

 

How I'm viewing it is not so much that people gather blank stones and then just wander around embedding knowledge and know-how into it. I see it more like... converting gear into materia, oddly enough. Bear with me on this, I'll go into a bit more detail.

 

With your gear, you bind yourself to it and attune it before breaking it down into a crystal that carries some of the power that was once in it. Since the soul returns to the Aether to be borne anew later, I kind of see one's body as something like that too. As a person accrues skills and experiences, they have a chance to reach... well... "100% Soulbound" by the time of their death.

 

Then, along with their soul returning to the Aether, a bit of them is left behind in the form of a Soul Crystal. Life's materia. That's why all the Soul Crystals we come across allow us to piggyback and take shortcuts through training - just like socketing materia in your gear makes you able to hit harder or absorb more damage.

 

That would also explain why they're so rare and so special (for the most part) - a Soul Crystal is the remnants of someone who mastered their craft, whatever it is. I would even go so far to say that if Chachan's father passed away, he could very likely leave behind a Smith Soul Crystal.

 

... but that's just me, and I put a lot of weird thought into the oddest things.

[Antain]

Or ancient cooking style, not sure it even has to be combat.

 

Prostitute Soulgem, here I come.

 

This soul gem was held by your grandmother, she doesn't look like it now, but she was once finest fucker to ever grace eorzea.

 

*drops soulstone, backs away horrified*

 

Well, now I know what kind of soulgem Vaughn possesses...

[Kuzhuk]

When you die the aetherial energy that encompasses your lifeforce escapes and returns to Hydaelyn while your soul travels on to the afterlife.

 

It seems likely to me that soul crystals are filled with this aetherial energy (not literally souls) because of the precedence of crystals storing aetherial energy and the 'physical memory' of the final product. Who knows if their creation is a slow bleed off or some kind of ritual upon death. Either way, we know a fair amount about how they're utilized.

 

Soul crystals do not share their knowledge freely. They only reveal their secrets to a suitable host. It's safe to assume that you have to have characteristics in common with the stored energy, and in order to gain more power actions similar to the 'stored story' have to be undertaken. It's like jogging their memory to remember more (which is what you see in every job quest).

 

I feel this is vaguely relevant though. The words from the intro to FFT:

 

"A warrior takes sword in hand, clasping a gem to his heart.

Engraving vanishing memories into the sword.

He places finely honed skills into the stone.

Spoken from the sword, handed down from the stone.

Now the story can be told."

[Gegenji]

"A warrior takes sword in hand, clasping a gem to his heart.

Engraving vanishing memories into the sword.

He places finely honed skills into the stone.

Spoken from the sword, handed down from the stone.

Now the story can be told."

 

That opening quote always sets me to thinking: which stone are they referring to?

 

Is it the Zodiac Stones? That doesn't quite make sense, though, because it's not so much skill being put in as power being pulled out of it. Unless by carrying the stones you imbue it with some of your own power, to the point that they've passed hands enough to do the things they do.

 

Or is it referring to the crystallization mechanic that can happen when a character dies on the battlefield? In which case, taking the crystal allows you to get all the skills that the dead character had that you didn't (within reason). In effect, letting you piggyback off that character's hard work to further your own progression without having to have put in all the time and effort.

 

Hm... sounds familiar, doesn't it?

[Warren Castille]

...now I just want to play FFT again.

[Harmonixer]

I'm happy this thread exists, because I was really confused on the subject myself.

 

I like to think that it's similar to how Photon Arts in Phantasy Star (and some Artes in Tales series) are handled. At least, that's how I'm applying it to my brain to process it easier. You wouldn't exactly become a perfect expert at whatever it is you are doing, but you'd have a much better idea how to do it more successfully and effectively.

 

Our characters still get stronger with their own talents and experiences, but this is more of a tool than say- and end all be all solution to training and everything related to it.

 

And yes, FFT was many, many hours of my young life. Despite absolutely hating it when it first came out, I played it in spite of a friend that was obsessed with it. I thought if I had beat it for myself, I could tell him to stfu and it wouldn't even be that amazing, years later I still played it.

[Tiergan]

Wait, wait, wait.

 

... the job stones are soul crystal things? ... I definitely did not pay very close attention to my paladin job quest. :V