[Speculation Discussion] Our Primal

[Anonymoose]

DISCLAIMER - BASELESS (BUT SENSIBLE) SPECULATION AHOY
If you've only had fun once, and it was TURRBLE, maybe take a pass on this one.

So! It's the conclusion of FFXIV 1.X and there are still questions to be answered! Throughout the storyline, we've had several hints that perhaps, in spite of The Twelve, a primal has been getting involved with us, and it's possibly that this primal is responsible for our Power of the Echo. These clues include but are not limited to the Path leader's doubts and Ifrit's guarantee.

However, since that time, we've seen visual evidence that The Twelve exist, and Yoshi-P's statement seems to imply a harsh binary rather than a fluid one. Does this mean a primal isn't influencing us in spite of our worship? Does it mean that the NPC who says that The Twelve and the Primals have a considerable amount in common may be exaggerating?

What do you think? Is there a primal on our tails? If so - WHO?

POSSIBILITY ONE:
There's no primal on our tails; Just The Twelve

Supporting Evidence

• Yoshida-san's recent post places a harsh binary between The Twelve and The Primals
• The final cutscene of Final Fantasy XIV 1.X showed The Twelve proof-positive exist.

Conflicting Evidence

• Just because we worship The Twelve doesn't mean a Primal's not interfering
• The Twelve, like Primals, require aether to be summoned and may be very similar
• Minfilia expresses doubt that The Echo is from The Twelve at all.
• Ifrit states that he smells a primal's touch upon us; demands to know whom it is

POSSIBILITY TWO:
A Primal is interfering with our kind - SIREN

Supporting Evidence:

• Siren's defining attributes are her harp (which inflicts Silence and, sometimes, sleep) and her head-wings
• A harp plays at the beginning of "Answers," the song to which you awaken
• In the Limsa Lominsa storyline, after awakening to the Echo, an NPC asks if you really heard a songtress, or if it was "just a siren"
• An NPC on The Astalicia, a ship that is home to pirate gangs including The Sanguine Sirens) plays the first few notes of "Answers" on a harp
• When you obtain your powers, you are called Woken; if Siren's attack inflicts sleep, and you are her ally, you would be awake.
• Siren's main attack with the harp was originally called Hope Song, could this be an allusion to "Answers"?
• Hope Song inflicts Silence, which must be cured with Echo herbs/drops
• There is a primal who looks like Garuda with vertical head-wings in the ARR concept art
• This primal does not appear on the ARR beastmen poster
• Siren in XIII has vertical head wings

Conflicting Evidence

• Siren is confirmed boss content - why fight our own primal?

POSSIBILITY THREE
A primal is interfering with our kind - ALEXANDER

Supporting Evidence:

• Previous Final Fantasy evidence links "our side" to Alexander
• Alexander has strong associations with machina and divinity, two of our priorities

Conflicting Evidence:

• If it has anything to do with machines - what about the other races who use machines?

POSSIBILITY 4:
A primal is interfering with our kind - ODIN

Supporting Evidence:

• On the poster, he is opposite Bahamut, our new sworn enemy

POSSIBILITY FIVE:
Primals are interfering with our kind; One for Each Race


POSSIBILITY SIX:
The Twelve are primals

Supporting Evidence

• Similar requirements for summoning and maintenance
• Archon lore and Paragon lore is nearly identical

Conflicting Evidence

• Some lore credits The Twelve with creating the primals

POSSIBILITY SEVEN:
Regardless of all other factors, The Echo and Awakening are from a mother crystal

Supporting Evidence

• Many Final Fantasy heroes in the past (and early) series were called by "The Crystal"
• Yoshida-san has a clear agenda to bring Final Fantasy back to its core roots while using later games as accentuation inspiration
• The voice-over in the "Heed the Crystals Call" advertisement sounds like the girl who speaks with The Songstress
• No one can identify the "taint" on you, though they attribute it to a primal, it might not be!