Dragoon Lore Question

[Vanitas]

Maybe they're capable of altering the flow of aether in their bodies during and after the dragoon jump to uhh...lessen the pull of gravity on themselves?

[LynMars]

Lorewise, Dragoons are only in Ishgard because of that until-Heavensward-secret about all native Ishgardians having a bit of dragon blood in them (the WoL is special thanks to the Crystal). So likely that "blood of the dragon" that they harness and utilize magically is partially responsible, but it's still difficult--the lorebook, which goes up to the end of the Dragonsong War, lists 10 active knights dragoon (and that's including Estinien and Heustienne, despite their plotlines).

The headcanons about air-aspected aether manipulation also seems to fit; I mean, how do dragons of various sizes get around, given some body-to-wing ratios going on there? And wind is one of the major elemental aspects in and around Ishgard anyway, so makes sense.

[ManuelBravo]

Just a little nitpick but the original FF DRG was not Kain at all - the Job had it's origins earlier than that. The very first DRG in the FF series was Ricard Highwind in FFII (the Famicom FFII, not the US renumbered FFIV). Kain did popularize the Job though and became the 'archetypal' DRG in the series (even though he did owe a lot to his predecessor - they shared the same surname for one).

As for the FFXIV version, it should be noted that there is two variations on the DRG Job as it stands, the Order of the Knights Dragoon who are basically Ishgard's version of LNCs, with specialized training for fighting dragons (hence the Jump attacks), and the the Azure Dragoon who is one specific Knight Dragoon that ends up chosen by the Eye of Nidhogg and which the Eye confers special powers upon, thus the Azure DRG serves as Ishgard's 'champion' (much like the Warrior of Light serves as Hydaelyn's champion).

As for how they can jump so high, it can easily be covered lore-wise by wind-aetherial enhanced training that allows them to scale great heights) but really, it can also just as easily be handwaved away as 'magic'.

You are correct I completely forgot about Richard Highwind. Darn I must have too much Kain in the brain since Dissidia NT coming soon. Thx for that reminder on Richard.

[ObsidianFire]

Using Wind-aspected aether makes a lot of sense. The lore book goes into why all the different dragon types look like they do and one of the biggest indicators is if the individual dragon in question developed with an even amount of Wind and Earth aether or if their aether is heavily aspected to either Wind or Earth. Generally speaking, dragons that have four legs and two wings are balanced (Vidofnir), dragons with two legs and two wings are Wind-asptected (Twintania), and dragaons with four legs and underdeveloped or no wings are Earth-aspected (Lesser Dragaon, Brobinyak). That the dragoons would be taking advantage of that seems plausible.

To add to that, nearly everything the dragoons use originates with dragons in some way. Gae Bolg, the spear, is made out of dragon bone and the lore book says there's rumors that it's kept in vats of dragoon blood until it's needed. Drachen mail is forged with dragon blood and both Estinien and Alberic both say it's power is derived from the bond the dragon blood makes with the users inner dragon. And Nidhogg's Eye's influence is pretty much what started the job in the first place. So I'd say that most of the stuff that makes dragoons, dragoons and not just lancers has to do with a dragoons' inner dragon (whether they got it by Ratatosker's blood or Nidhogg giving them it) becoming powerful enough that dragoons have magic/abilities/strength that usually only dragons have.