Goddess Sophia Lore posted.

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Originally Posted by ZhaneX

Anyone else getting a serious "Tempering" vibe off of this? Like the only reason that this hugely racially varied society flourished at all is because Sophia MADE them get along?

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That's the implication...

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Originally Posted by Frederick22

Your explanation has one big flaw, those adds are on the trial of Sophia are elezens and roegardyns. Races of we know perfecly were not part of the allagan empire, that was mostly habited by hyurs.

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That seems like a moot point to me... The Allagan Empire spanned the entire globe, even the people of Meracydia would have fallen under their banner by the end... Allagan royalty was certainly Hyurian, but the other races certainly would have existed within the empire... I would imagine the adds in Containment Bay P1T6 are indeed from Meracydia, perhaps even the armor design originated there, all I'm saying is they experimented on them to develop the techniques that they later used on Phlegethon, perhaps even themselves...

Like I said, the idea that studying Sephirot is what resulted in Xandes/etc. having such large size has been floating around for a while... I'm incline to think these adds looking decidedly like Phleg-y supports that to a degree, given we know he was the subject of augmentation (which he certainly never asked for). The alternative implication is that he was a hero of Meracydia, but I find that doubtful...

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Originally Posted by ZhaneX

Anyone else getting a serious "Tempering" vibe off of this? Like the only reason that this hugely racially varied society flourished at all is because Sophia MADE them get along?

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It's definitely on the table as far as possibilities go. Notice the phrasing; she "graced the souls of her worshipers" with harmony. Though, unless I'm mistaken / overlooking something, I think there's a small hurdle: how did they all get tempered? Rather, if it's a multicultural religion, how did they get along long enough without her to summon her in the first place? Did she originate with one culture and eventually they tempered the others into it?

But - yes - the phrasing lends itself to a few theories. I'm optimistic that the quest text will narrow the field, but... it doesn't always, does it, lol.

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Originally Posted by Nalien

That seems like a moot point to me... The Allagan Empire spanned the entire globe, even the people of Meracydia would have fallen under their banner by the end... Allagan royalty was certainly Hyurian, but the other races certainly would have existed within the empire... I would imagine the adds in Containment Bay P1T6 are indeed from Meracydia, perhaps even the armor design originated there, all I'm saying is they experimented on them to develop the techniques that they later used on Phlegethon, perhaps even themselves...´

Like I said, the idea that studying Sephirot is what resulted in Xandes/etc. having such large size has been floating around for a while... I'm incline to think these adds looking decidedly like Phleg-y supports that to a degree, given we know he was the subject of augmentation (which he certainly never asked for). The alternative implication is that he was a hero of Meracydia, but I find that doubtful...

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Yea like Myhaele said, probably the allagans copy/pasted the gears of worshippers of Sophia.

It seems that they liked to steal and copy everything from the nations they conquered.

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Originally Posted by ZhaneX

Anyone else getting a serious "Tempering" vibe off of this? Like the only reason that this hugely racially varied society flourished at all is because Sophia MADE them get along?

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Well this would imply that Sophia had been summoned BEFORE their civilisation had got off the ground and NOT in response to Garlean invasion. Which means either the Ascians taught them how to summon a primal and then left them to build cities, or this civilisation had already mastered summoning and brought forth an eikon to lead them.

Oh wait, could this be the distinction between eikon and primal? Are eikons the summoned form of god-like beings that actually existed and primals just the exaggerated concepts of gods? I mean, Garuda must have only existed as long as the Ixal have and we know they are born of Allag so she not some ancient deity, whereas Bahamut -was- a living breathing dragon that died and was summoned back and he is considered an eikon.

The plot thickens!

Bahamut's never been called an eikon (except by the Garleans, who use that term for all primals). From people who care to distinguish, Bahamut is an Elder Primal.

That's what I meant, elder primal. My bad

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Originally Posted by Reptiletc

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...9150749153.jpg

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Yunalesca is much more a Cloud of Darkness-inpired character than a Godess-inspired one.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

It's definitely on the table as far as possibilities go. Notice the phrasing; she "graced the souls of her worshipers" with harmony. Though, unless I'm mistaken / overlooking something, I think there's a small hurdle: how did they all get tempered? Rather, if it's a multicultural religion, how did they get along long enough without her to summon her in the first place? Did she originate with one culture and eventually they tempered the others into it?

But - yes - the phrasing lends itself to a few theories. I'm optimistic that the quest text will narrow the field, but... it doesn't always, does it, lol.

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Well each city-state of Eorzea has their own patron deity and their people are from different races and likely different cultures as well. While each city has their own problems which is inevitable from running a nation, multicultural or no, the people mostly, on surface, get along just fine, without any need to summon avatar of gods to make sure the people play nice.

I believe Sophia's nation was just like any Eorzea city-state, with one patron deity to unify their people under the same banner. Their nation too would've had their problems; they didn't live in a perfect paradise. It was only after Allagan threatened them that they casted their differences away and out of desperation, summoned their deity to combat the Empire.

This makes me wonder, are the Warring Triad the equivalent of Eorzean's the Twelve? Could it be that each nation of Meracydia of old believe in the three gods, but chose to pick one as their own patron? Could it be that without the intervention of Louisoix and his Circle of Knowing and Minfillia's Path of Twelve, the city states of Eorzea would summon their deity, their eikon as well?

Edit: If the Triad really is a pantheon, this is what I imagine their structure would be :
> Sephirot (elements Wind and Earth) governs and distribute Life to all beings. He represents Nature.
>Zufran (elements Fire and Ice) governs Death. He represents Dark.
>Sophia (elements Lightning and Water) is the intermediate between Sephirot and Zufran, balancing Life and Death in the world, making sure the two gods do not fight over dominion. She represents Light.

Eikons...Just gonna make a short post but I feel that the 'concept' or 'theme' of an Eikon is more fundamental or even 'basic', the building blocks of a person's state rather than their own beliefs, although the two could be very correlated. Regardless, here's my list of what I see each eikon, and my speculation for Zurvan:

Sephirot - Life and Biology
Odin - Death and Possession
Sophia - Order and Faith
Zurvan - Chaos and Liberation?

It's also something to note that the current released eikons all have an object that encapsulates their being, and in fact, is inferred that their true body is that object. Sephirot is a tree, Odin is a blade. Scales are already a prominent item seen with Sophia, which could be her object of identification.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

Rather, if it's a multicultural religion, how did they get along long enough without her to summon her in the first place? Did she originate with one culture and eventually they tempered the others into it?

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What if someone with the Echo summoned her? Like Ysayle did with Shiva. Person with the Echo wanted peace and harmony amongst the races in their city and with however amount of crystals they had on hand, summoned Sophia. Now the question is, did she temper the people? or did she coerce them with fear? Anger a Goddess by breaking her newly applied laws and you'd quickly find yourself judged.

Okay, I was running off Sophia being a life/death/rebirth(zombie) type, not a balance type. This changes things....

Firstly, I am culturally disinclined to trust anything described as "gilded chains". I feel it also points to a second thing the Allagans might have pulled from Sophia. Considering the Fractal Continuum and the beings inside -

Sephirot - Aspect: Growth - used for forced gigantism, and rapid growth.
Sophia - Aspect: Balance/Equilibrium/Harmony - used for getting gene-spliced organisms to work, and might have been useful for neurolinks.

So Sephirot's power lets them grow their experiments in a short time frame, while Sophia's power lets them merge different organisms together and possibly control them (Owlbears anyone?). So what does the Demon Zurvan contribute? Consumption? Absorption? Violation of Rules?

As a final note, assuming the game lore is still relevant, I have to wonder if Fiend's lyrics might be about Sophia and then Zurvan.

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Originally Posted by Jojozan

As a final note, assuming the game lore is still relevant, I have to wonder if Fiend's lyrics might be about Sophia and then Zurvan.

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I dunno, Fiend's lyrics are probably just about Sephirot, if they follow the established pattern of Primal songs up until now (and there's no real reason to assume they don't).

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Originally Posted by Hinoto-no-Ryuji

I dunno, Fiend's lyrics are probably just about Sephirot, if they follow the established pattern of Primal songs up until now (and there's no real reason to assume they don't).

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Unless he's trying to pull her worshippers away to follow him instead.

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Originally Posted by Wolfandre

Not much to input so far, but I'd just like to posit that, despite being potentially(?) older than Bahamut Prime, the Warring Triad does not need followers kept in torpor to sustain them. At least as far as we know, anyway. Did we get any info on this? It could be a clue as to what distinguishes an Eikon from a Primal. Perhaps an Eikon is self-sustaining? Would make some sense, as someone mentioned that at least one Eikon is bound to a physical object (Odin) and another is hinted at being a living thing (Sephirot).

Also, I think the Garleans are using an antiquated term improperly. The primals the Allag dealt with were definitely Eikons. But since the Battle of Silvertear Skies, primals as we know them have emerged. Primals are Primals and Eikons are Eikons, but to the Garleans, they're one in the same.

Edit: terrible terrible typos

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That's what i meant with "Eikons are maybe "real" gods, while Primals are only imagined ones".
The power of an icon might be dependend on the belief of the followers, but it doesn't seem that necessary as for primals.
Bahamut got restored/sustained by Allagan tech, but not without at least thousands of dragons/worshippers.
Where are Sephirot or Sophias believer? As far as I see it, there had been no need to capture a thousand tree-people to sustain the chained Sephiroth and I don't think we will find a thousand (or even a dozen) of stasis-kept elezen/Roes/etc. who do that for Sophia and on top of that a thousand of [...] worshipping Zurvan.

After all, this seems to be the one real difference represented in the game.
Odin: No worshippers right now, Sephirot: No worshippers right now, Sophia: No worshippers right now. Zurvan: I guess.. no worshippers right now?

This would have some implications on the garleans, too. Since they're focussed to conquer all beast tribes to get rid of primals, how would they react if there is still a way of primal-like beings able to manifest/sustain by themselves.


Edit: Ok, after considering this

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Originally Posted by Rocl

We actually have Unukalhai telling us there were some Sephirot's worshipers kept in torpor nearby after our confrontation with the eikon. So I'm not so sure this is it.

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maybe not. ^^
But it seems odd that they are in a state which prevents them from summoning (not like the dragons in Dalamud, who did exactly this until we turned the machines off) but still Sephiroth was sustained for thousands of years. It might just be slackness of devs, but Coils focussed so hard on "turn those machines off to dry out Bahamut's aether supplies", it's a bit odd.

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Originally Posted by Neophyte

But it seems odd that they are in a state which prevents them from summoning (not like the dragons in Dalamud, who did exactly this until we turned the machines off) [/i]", it's a bit odd.

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Actually both Bahamut's and Sephirot's followers are kept in torpor, kept in a condition between life and death, suffering for eternity. Their prayers to their gods to free them from their suffering is what sustain both the summons. Only after we turned the machines that the captive Meracydian dragons finally got their slumber. The fate of the captive tree-beings isn't specified if I recall, but I suspect Unukalhai and Krile also did the same thing and freed them from their suffering.

If the same thing also happened to the followers of Sophia, I think that's what angers her; her children are doomed for eternity and she could do nothing to help them.

I guess Allag technology was so advanced that they could give some form of immortality to otherwise mortal beings, even if it was twisted and doomed immortality.

In the latest preview we can see a closer look at the adds:

https://i.imgur.com/GRV2Biu.png

So the Roegadyn is wearing Glasya Lebolas gear, the CNJ (hyur?) is wearing Scyllas gear

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Originally Posted by myahele

So the Roegadyn is wearing Glasya Lebolas gear, the CNJ (hyur?) is wearing Scyllas gear

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I think this might be further evidence that the Warring Triad was used to augment the Crystal Tower enemies... I don't think that Scyllas' gear can have originated from Meracydia given the chimera inspired aspects of it... To me this implies that these thralls were somehow related to the enemies in Crystal Tower... Sephirot being used to grant all the bosses their bigness seems obvious, perhaps Sophia was used to control somehow? Interestingly the Triple Warring Triad control in ARF is a giant Neurolink... We've got nothing on Zurvan yet, but if he has any relation to time... Well, aside from perhaps being too similar to Alexander, that could well explain how Amon managed to put Crystal Tower into a five thousand year stasis...

It's a shame they're still not doing anything with the Crystal Tower story... There is quite obviously some relation between the tower and the Triad now, hope they'll do what they're doing with the MSQ and actually acknowledge that Crystal Tower happened in the Triad story, if you've cleared it... I mean... We killed Xandes... Shouldn't the Triad be happy with us for that?

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Originally Posted by Alberel

It's Yu-Gi-Oh all over again. xD

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Whoops lol, I think I'll blame that one on reading about the Triple Triad Battlehall...

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Originally Posted by Nalien

Interestingly the Triple Triad control in ARF is a giant Neurolink...

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It's Yu-Gi-Oh all over again. xD

On a more serious note though, that picture also shows a mechanic we didn't see in the trailer. There are two meteors in the back which appear to be descending on some device supported by three chains. I wonder if this might be how we predict which direction the platform will tip.

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Originally Posted by Nalien

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Considering the Hyur isn't wearing the head piece, I think it's safe to assume it could be Meracydian gear. This can imply that Glasya and Scylla were either natives to the city Sophia ruled and betrayed her in one way or another, or the two fooled Sophia into believing they were harbingers of peace.

Is there any lore behind Scylla and Glasya? Also just noticed the Elezen in the trailer is wearing Phlegethon gear. From his Triple Triad card: "Phlegethon was a hero of the rebellion that sought to oppose the rule of Allag in the twilight of the Third Astral Era. After his capture by the technologist Amon, the valiant general was subjected to hideous experiments, his body altered and mind broken, fated to become an eternal guardian of the Crystal Tower." Hmmm... maybe I'm partially wrong and Phlegethon, Scylla and Glasya are originally from Meracydia and chose to rebel against the Allag, rather than assimilate.

Based on Glasya's battle dialogue, he seems to be loyal to the Empire and Amon; he seems to be proud of his power given to him by Amon.

Scylla on the other hand seems more like her transformation was forced on her and was relieved to finally die. I just want to know just what nation Scylla was Queen of? I figured that she may have been the reigning monarch of the Empire prior to Xande's resurrection by Amon and was transformed as punishment for allowing the Empire to be so weak.But if that was the case shouldn't she be called "Empress" instead?

Her being a captured Queen of Sophia's nation is a possibility. That is what they did with Tiamat, more or less.

Is not out of the posibilitie that Glasya could have being brainshowed too.

I agree, it's weird it was choosed to be called queen.

It seems it all goes to that either they were meracydian or they just copied their gears.

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Originally Posted by Nestama

Considering the Hyur isn't wearing the head piece, I think it's safe to assume it could be Meracydian gear. This can imply that Glasya and Scylla were either natives to the city Sophia ruled and betrayed her in one way or another, or the two fooled Sophia into believing they were harbingers of peace.

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It still has additional heads on the shoulder, and paws running down the side... Still clearly inspired by the abomination Scylla was turned into IMO, which I think rules out an origin in Meracydia... Unless Scylla was just always like that, but I got more of an impression that Amon took a her and her loyal hounds and just fused them for lawls...

Shame there isn't really any lore on the Syrcus Tower bosses, I enjoyed the little tidbit we got from Rammbroes on Phlegethon, always wanted that to continue with more of the bosses, but no such luck with the minor bosses... Always a chance the lore book could delve deeper into their stories I guess... Beyond that I guess Triple Triad cards can offer something, though some of the more interesting cards just end up getting a character quote instead of anything interesting...

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Originally Posted by myahele

I just want to know just what nation Scylla was Queen of?

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Was she even a queen? The regular one we fight in Syrcus Tower, the one with actual character and seemingly some back story, was just Scylla... Queen Scylla was a mini-boss in World of Darkness... Not sure why the World of Darkness clone (?) gets to be queen exactly...

Here's a crazy thought. It says in the preview

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Originally Posted by Lodestone

Defeat the wakened thralls and slay the stirring Goddess, lest her divine "balance" bring all the world to equal ruin!

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So these adds must be actual Meracydians, probably tempered judging by their glowing appearance. So maybe yes, Phlegethon et al from Syrcus Tower are rebel Meracydian heroes augmented and doomed to defend the Crystal Tower for eternity.

A bit weird though they would let them keep their own armour. Maybe it's Allagan slave apparel?

I really like the idea that Scylla is a Meracydian queen or priestess turned chimera. What a horrible fate.

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Originally Posted by Griffey

So these adds must be actual Meracydians

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I disagree. A thrall is just a tempered individual, that gives no reference of their point of origin... It's likely they're from Meracydia, but it's also entirely possible they're just Allagan clones who've been tempered for the sake of research, or something like that... Could just as easily be cloned versions of Phlegethon/Glasya/Scylla that were used to battle in Meracydia and wound up getting tempered in the battle...

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Originally Posted by Nalien

I disagree. A thrall is just a tempered individual, that gives no reference of their point of origin... It's likely they're from Meracydia, but it's also entirely possible they're just Allagan clones who've been tempered for the sake of research, or something like that...

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The thought had crossed my mind, it just seems that as far as we know, Allag was pretty much all Hyur and yet we see a tempered Hyur, elezen and rogey in the screenshots which goes with Sophia's multi-racial civilisation. Of course it would make more sense if they were just Allag clones and given Allagan uniforms, but a lala can dream...

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Originally Posted by myahele

Scylla on the other hand seems more like her transformation was forced on her and was relieved to finally die. I just want to know just what nation Scylla was Queen of? I figured that she may have been the reigning monarch of the Empire prior to Xande's resurrection by Amon and was transformed as punishment for allowing the Empire to be so weak.But if that was the case shouldn't she be called "Empress" instead?

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It's obviously been a while since I did the CT quest chain, but as far as I recall they mentioned that Scylla was indeed the last regent of Allag before Xande's resurrection. (And who knows, maybe Allag had changed from an empire into a monarchy in the meantime? ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌ )

My head-canon on the whole Eikon/Primal thing is that an Eikon is an ancient being of monstrous aetheric power, that has been powered to even greater strength through years of worship; seen as a God/Goddess in the eyes of their believers. They are an almost perfect representation of their original self, being of worship or concept... if not, then they are indeed the actual original thing. They may have been kind, non-malevolent as well, much like Ramuh is to his Sylphs, thus not regarded in fear by the people or tree people, etc etc of Meracydia. Don't need (from what we can tell) to be sustained due to its immense power and being an original being with its own original aetheric source.

Whereas a primal is a weaker being, a bastardization of the original thing, a version very different that is viewed in that way because of their followers. The thing might have been a thing in its previous, original self, or it is or was something different entirely (theory on Garuda being an Allagan scientist) but now they are projections of a belief and thus, don't represent the original in power nor appearance. Needs to be sustained, due to being nothing short of an aetheric conjuring of something.

What did she say... We were unlocking a Heavenly Gate, was it? Interesting. Killing these guys and bathing in their aether does not sound like a smart idea.

Sephirot is Bole (Earth) and Sophia is Balance (Fire). The next fella will be Spire (Lightning).

If the above stands, expect to get a different Triad in the future.

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Originally Posted by Toranja

What did she say... We were unlocking a Heavenly Gate, was it? Interesting. Killing these guys and bathing in their aether does not sound like a smart idea.

Sephirot is Bole (Earth) and Sophia is Balance (Fire). The next fella will be Spire (Lightning).

If the above stands, expect to get a different Triad in the future.

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Sophia is Lightning.

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Originally Posted by Fevelle

Sophia is Lightning.

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She shows off three elements in the trailer, IMO. Obviously there is a lightning based attack, but when she drops something onto the scales to shift the battlefield, a green flame appears, then a red one. Wind and fire, naturally... Not exactly conclusive evidence, but meh...

I'm having a hard time remembering Sephirot... Did he have any ice based attacks? I want him to be primarily Earth and Water, and... Well... Look at the elemental wheel;
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cq1ekILVYAAMvoZ.jpg
Earth to water, below that you have ice... Wind to fire, above that you have lightning... Probably nothing, and regardless that leaves a huge question mark on where Zurvan fits into that...

If we're tying them to Astrologian cards though... I wouldn't place Zurvan on the Spire, given he wields one, I'd go with the Spear instead... That's leave us with the Ewer, Arrow, and Spire... Err... Asura, Pandemona, Ixion? I strongly doubt we'd get another Triad though... The Triad itself is a very specific Final Fantasy VI reference...

Sephi used Earth and Wind, there was a theory that he also used Water (since the growing orbs are blue and the arena ends up surrounded in water), which fanned a theory that Sephi and Zurvan would use each 3 elements while Sophia used Light and Darkness (unaspected, thanks to game mechanics but whatever) now that Sohpia will be out in no time that theory seems to be shot. We'll know when we know, I guess...

I also don't believe we'll get another triad since it's very much a FFVI reference. Maybe each member of the triad will use 2 elements, maybe they'll surprise us.

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Originally Posted by AstralKaos

My head-canon on the whole Eikon/Primal thing is that an Eikon is an ancient being of monstrous aetheric power, that has been powered to even greater strength through years of worship; seen as a God/Goddess in the eyes of their believers..

Whereas a primal is a weaker being, a bastardization of the original thing, a version very different that is viewed in that way because of their followers.

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Sooo Eikons are the originals who weren't summoned with aether but actually existed? That's an interesting idea. And nothing actually contradicts this. They might need prayer to stay alive, but offical only claims that Sephiroth was created from a tree with prayer. No mention of aether or crystals. Also, no summoning. It sounds like they prayed to the tree that was still there, to come alive. And we have absolutely no idea where Zantetsuken came from. The Odin pet says it belonged to an Au Ra, but even that is just a theory.

I'm pretty sure I overlooked something that Anonymoose would point out if he weren't busy with the other Sophia Thread. I love consuming lore in whatever fictional universe I come across but in terms of Eorzean lore I'm like a piece of dirt compared to him. Granted he's been doing this since Legacy if I know correctly, but still. He's like a sentient lorebook.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

I'm pretty sure I overlooked something that Anonymoose would point out if he weren't busy with the other Sophia Thread.

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I have a philosophy that it's tempting fate to get too confident in shooting down theories about a vague and open issue that is currently mid-way through revelation. Knowing too well "how it is" makes you look bad when "how it really is" arrives, lol. (I've been burned before.)

As for the eikons...

Right now, my headcanon is simply playing it safe - assuming the differences are small and mostly focused on distancing The Primals (bold, caps), the monstrous elemental demigods of the beast tribes, the fury of the Land given form, the mysterious antagonists of Version 1.0 and "the greatest threat to our world" from other entities that might not be elemental, might not be related to primordial creation myths, etc. The Warring Gods (toshin) might be different from the Barbarian Gods (banshin) in a purely philosophical way, with that manifesting in reality because mind-state and perception affect the outcome of a summoning ritual.

But it could be anything. Speculate, speculate, speculate. Debate polishes off the rough edges and hones in on Truth.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

I love consuming lore in whatever fictional universe I come across but in terms of Eorzean lore I'm like a piece of dirt compared to him. Granted he's been doing this since Legacy if I know correctly, but still. He's like a sentient lorebook.

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The reply I have to this is one line ... but it requires a novella of backstory to make any sense, lol. Apologies in advance.

When the forums first launched in Mar. '11, Version 1 had been very broken for over half a year, and without too much communication until the team-shift in Dec. '10. We all rushed in here as disappointed individual gamers to yell at each other about why it was actually bad and what it really needed. That died down, a lot of people quit, the rest of us started treating each other better and more like a community. (Re-launch put a bit of a crimp in that; General Discussion might not ever fully recover, lol.)

When I first started talking lore (because it was one of the things that had obvious potential and could be enjoyed even in the bad state of the game), I was content to think of it as setting up a campfire and BSing with whomever showed up. When Fernehalwes joined in, we all rushed into his campsite (Localization Bug Reports) and squatted there until they developed this promised land.

If anybody's better or worse than anyone else in the campfire loremongers, it's based on attitude and motivation alone; especially nobody's a spec of dirt because they haven't collected / memorized every tome in Eorzea. I'm out to build up a community, not myself.

Some people just haven't been sitting at the campfire as long.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

snip for item limit

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I have a hard time putting this idea into words, but that's pretty much the idea, yes.

Though as I said, maybe not all Eikons are as such, though somewhat of the same concept - I will add that, if a primal is a cycle of summoning over and over, then the Eikon is something that is original and never left the realm (killed, etc) or has been summoned/created once and has retained that form since then. Whether it is a thing of flesh, a tree coming to life, a cultivated thing or an eldritch being, the concept remains the same.

And yeah, Anonymoose is awesome, the lore section wouldn't be the same without his well-thought out theories and great work.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

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Ahhh speak of the devil. Well I joined the game during the first Anniversary event between 2.3 and 2.4 (and really regret having nothing but youtube for the 1.0 story. The original Limsa opening and the 1.0 Hildibrand storyline really beats what we have now), so a lot of wood burned at the campfire. But I love stories. I don't care if I hear it, read it, tell it, play it, write it or watch it. And since the official lorebook won't come out till a month from now, I consider you the best source of lore I missed or didn't understand. I know you don't want to build yourself up, but the part of the community that's interested in lore look up to you. And with good reason.

The elements are not in reference to their attacks.

Each card is connected to a heavenly gate. Seeing an element attached to a gate isn't a leap - they are on the cards.

You have:
Balance (fire)
Bole (earth)
Arrow (wind)
Spear (ice)
Ewer (water)
Spire (lightning)

And from the Gubal Library, we know that:
Chapter II─The Three Conquests, Boundless and Unwavering. Earth grounds Lightning. Water erodes Earth. Lightning boils Water.
Chapter III─The Three Submissions, Timeless and Unending. Fire is extinguished by Wind. Ice is melted by Fire. Wind is obstructed by Ice.

And... Nevermind, I fooked up. :)

https://66.media.tumblr.com/1fcefb7c...796uo1_540.png

So, is it just me or does it look like she has a 'Third Eye'? It could be decorative, of course, but aside from the dark hue of her skin there's the stark white hair (another Garlean trait) as well as the name, 'Sophia' which matches the Garlean naming conventions.

It could be - and likely is - nothing of note but it's a curiosity I couldn't help but observe.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

So, is it just me or does it look like she has a 'Third Eye'? It could be decorative, of course, but aside from the dark hue of her skin there's the stark white hair (another Garlean trait) as well as the name, 'Sophia' which matches the Garlean naming conventions.

It could be - and likely is - nothing of note but it's a curiosity I couldn't help but observe.

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It looks like part of her tiara to me. But you are right about the name, it says on he lodestone that her worshippers just knew her as the Goddess, but now she is called Sophia, implying the Allagans gave her that name.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Theodric

https://66.media.tumblr.com/1fcefb7c...796uo1_540.png

So, is it just me or does it look like she has a 'Third Eye'? It could be decorative, of course, but aside from the dark hue of her skin there's the stark white hair (another Garlean trait) as well as the name, 'Sophia' which matches the Garlean naming conventions.

It could be - and likely is - nothing of note but it's a curiosity I couldn't help but observe.

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Yeah, you're right, it certainly does.
Now wouldn't that be something. If the ancient ancestors of the Garleans were complicit in the worship and summoning of an Eikon.
I want it to be true, just because I think Regula's reaction upon learning such a fact would be hilarious.