THANK YOU, FERN!

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Originally Posted by Deakka

I demand a statue of Fernehawles be placed in every library within Eorzea! Thanks for this, finally a forum free of drama, other than that of Highlanders using violence against the superior, chosen Midlanders.

A Highlander beating a Midlander in a fair fight? Only on account of villainy, or steroids. I don't know what the Eorzean term for that would be :/

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Hi-Potions of Strength.

On a side note, we seem to be forgetting those hyur that bred with giraffes. What were they called again?

Thank you Ferne and thank you everyone else who put time and effort into the go-to Lore thread CG Midlander.

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Originally Posted by Deakka

Only on account of villainy

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I'll play your game, you rogue!

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4k9u52Zmg1qzkwmm.png

I'd like to note that never before have we been able to discuss the mating rituals of cat people so openly on these forums without it devolving into a lewd mess. Score 1 for Fern and the community!

Another massive thanks to Ferne from another happy lore-lurker :)

I squealed with excitement when I woke to find the lore forum had finally been revealed! I've been especially looking forward to the naming conventions since way back when Ferne started dropping those lore bombs.
So THANK YOU!

All this is truly awesome, but I do have one request that would make things complete.

Padjal naming conventions.

I can tell there is a pattern, but some of the nuances are eluding me.

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Originally Posted by Catapult

All this is truly awesome, but I do have one request that would make things complete.

Padjal naming conventions.

I can tell there is a pattern, but some of the nuances are eluding me.

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Females Kan-E-Senna and Raya-O-Senna follow a definite pattern where they have a forename, middle initial, and surname (if they are to be designated as such). It is also notable that, if you count "N" as its own syllable, as is true in some Eastern languages like Japanese, they each have 6-syllable names and the same number of letters in Katakana (ka-n-e-se-n-na and ra-ya-o-se-n-na).

Males E-Sumi-Yan and O-App-Pesi have a first inital, middle-name, and surname. In this case, if the "N" doesn't count as its own syllable, they each have 4 syllables.

So the "N" thing is kind of shaky, and little more than speculation on my part, but you have to admit the syllable count is very close.

I believe I've heard some of these names spoken aloud. Kan-E sounds more like "KA-ne, while E-sumi is pronounced "eh-SUmi", so the first two parts of the name are either the given name or a shortened nickname. I assume they use the usual 5-vowel model of ah-ii-uu-eh-o (shared by many languages, including Japanese, Italian, and some middle-eastern languages).

I'd also like to know some more about the Padjal biology. Are they only born to humes, or can any race produce one? I can't even remember if anyone gives birth to them at all, or if they just appear.

By the way, did anyone else notice that Oompa Loompa would make a perfect male Plainsfolk name?

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Originally Posted by Yrusama

Females Kan-E-Senna and Raya-O-Senna follow a definite pattern where they have a forename, middle initial, and surname (if they are to be designated as such). It is also notable that, if you count "N" as its own syllable, as is true in some Eastern languages like Japanese, they each have 6-syllable names and the same number of letters in Katakana (ka-n-e-se-n-na and ra-ya-o-se-n-na).

Males E-Sumi-Yan and O-App-Pesi have a first inital, middle-name, and surname. In this case, if the "N" doesn't count as its own syllable, they each have 4 syllables.

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I was actually wondering if maybe the initials aren't so much initials as position designators. Both Kan-E and E-Sumi have "E", and at least we know Kan-E is the oldest in her family, and E-Sumi is the head of the Conjurer's Guild, so it might stand for "Elder" or something?

And then Raya-O and O-App both have "O", and they seem to be a rank down, but still somewhat important, so possibly "Officer" or "Orderly" or, Iunno.

I don't remember his name exactly, but the youngest Senna kid, the one you meet in the Adders-line Toto-Rak quest... Wasn't it A-Rayn or something close to that? Maybe "A" stands for "Apprentice"? He definitely seems a lot lower-ranked (or unranked altogether, rather, except for being a Padjal at all) compared to the others.

A-Ruhn-Senna iirc? I'll try and look it up later.

I would be amused if the letter signified something important, but I doubt it would be rank. The three seedseers all rank above E-Sumi. But if it was the number of the child, that would certainly fit.

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Originally Posted by Yrusama

I'd also like to know some more about the Padjal biology. Are they only born to humes, or can any race produce one? I can't even remember if anyone gives birth to them at all, or if they just appear.

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I thought that it was stated that the Padjal were just people who were 'chosen' by the elementals to be their proxies in Gridanian society? I seem to remember npcs in game mentioning that Padjal are just children who were touched by the elementals, sealing them in eternal childhood physically while causing horns to sprout from their heads (as well as making them extremely potent magic users).

I guess they could originally be hyur or any race for that matter, as there isn't any information about the elementals taking one race in preference over another when choosing a potential child to become a Padjal.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

I thought that it was stated that the Padjal were just people who were 'chosen' by the elementals to be their proxies in Gridanian society? I seem to remember npcs in game mentioning that Padjal are just children who were touched by the elementals, sealing them in eternal childhood physically while causing horns to sprout from their heads (as well as making them extremely potent magic users).

I guess they could originally be hyur or any race for that matter, as there isn't any information about the elementals taking one race in preference over another when choosing a potential child to become a Padjal.

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That may be, but then why is it that the three seedseers are all siblings?
There is also agelessness involved, so we have no idea how old they each are exactly, and then there is the "pact of Gelmorra" when the great elemental and spirit of nihlism, Oha-sok, speaks to Raya-O about voilence being intrinsically wrong and references this pact with respect to the padjal.

So there may be something extra going on there.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

I thought that it was stated that the Padjal were just people who were 'chosen' by the elementals to be their proxies in Gridanian society? I seem to remember npcs in game mentioning that Padjal are just children who were touched by the elementals, sealing them in eternal childhood physically while causing horns to sprout from their heads (as well as making them extremely potent magic users).

I guess they could originally be hyur or any race for that matter, as there isn't any information about the elementals taking one race in preference over another when choosing a potential child to become a Padjal.

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I was under this impression, too. That Padjal aren't born that way, they are chosen by the elementals and then go through a transformation.

As for why some of them are related, I got nothing. Perhaps they all just happened to be in the Twelveswood together when they were chosen? A strange coincidence that would be, for sure.

I thought as much - I went looking through my old 1.0 screenshots and I found the npc I was thinking of - one who indeed mentions that the padjal aren't 'born' as such but transformed by the elementals - a particular male hyur npc called 'Wisperly Whiskered Woodworker' who only appeared during the instance at the Adventurers Guild at the start of the Gridanian main scenario quests (when your character first arrived in Gridania) mentioned this if you took the time to speak to him:

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Originally Posted by Wisperly Whiskered Woodworker

"In Gridania, there live a chosen few who are blessed by the forest. They are known as the Padjal. The touch of the elementals causes horns to sprout from their heads. They are an ageless kind, fluent in the tongue of the forest. It is the stuff of faerie tales, no?"

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(Directly typed from a screenshot taken of the scene in question in 1.0)

So yeah, that basically shows that it's well known in Gridania where the Padjal come from, although as Catapult mentioned, it doesn't really explain where the Senna siblings came from. All I can think of is they were symbolically 'transformed' at the same time in during a rite or something. But that's a real long shot.

Anyway, sorry for derailling what is meant to be a Ferne-thanking thread. :D Thank you Ferne for the forum! I can definitely see it's going to be my favourite part of the site (as the story is the main reason I play ;)).

Thanks fern! I like the lore forum myself since i a sucker for a good story and FFXIV has a damn good story and background which is why I stay with it no matter what!! *crowd chats "fanboy fanboy!" so what if i am....? >.>