House of the Crooked Coin Theory [Azim Sidequest Spoilers]

Okay so the Dotharl reincarnate. Whether or not this is true is up for debate but it's not entirely improbable that what they dub reincarnation is just they have a unique aetheric signature that their elders can identify, and when a Dotharl returns to the Lifestream and is basically recycled into new life the aether is naturally drawn to Dotharl infants.

So, this brings into question what the House of the Crooked Coin is. The Dotharl believe if you die there, you won't reincarnate. Looking at how it glows, and bares similarity to magitek, could it be the reason Dotharl believe they don't reincarnate when they die here is because their aether is absorbed by this strange structure instead of returning to the Lifestream?

If so what purpose could this device serve? Why does it harvest aether, and what might the potentially unique aether of the Dotharl serve to mean for it? Anyone else think any of this is plausible?

Considering that the Allagan empire spanned all three great continents, it's plausible that it's a remnant of their old tech.

As for what it does and why it's there, we have no idea.

I'm hoping it ends up being a dungeon in the future, similar to how the overly conspicuous underwater tunnel in the Lochs became the entrance to Skalla.

Something about the place just feels really off to me, and getting to explore its depths would be nice.

I have a feeling that both the House of the Crooked Coin and Heaven-on-High are tied to the Allagan Empire in some way. The architecture is very similar to what we've come to expect from it.

The former will potentially be a dungeon and the latter will almost certainly be 4.0's take on POTD.

I believe there's also a Xaela tribe that is said to have encountered an island full of steel monstrosities - that could be tied to the Allagan Empire in some way as well.

Its style is different from what we've seen of Allagan structures so far. It looks like it was created by the the ancient civilization, remnants of which are seen in Bardam's Mettle (similar runes/motifs) and the few stone structures in the Steppes.
Also, in Azim Khaat, the lake under the Dawn Throne, there is a stone head that resembles a Hyur. It looks rather peculiar as the other stone heads found throughout the Steppes exhibit Aura features.
I've been thinking about why Reunion is called RE-union. The name implies the Xaela were united once. Maybe they did have an advanced civilization before they split into tribes and got too busy fighting each other?

I believe "Reunion" is a reference to the Xaela creation myth of the Dawn Father and the Dusk Mother, and their eternal longing to be reunited with one another.

As for the OP, let me be the wet blanket and say that I'd prefer that there's no Allagan, aka "scientific", reason for why the House breaks the cycle of reincarnation.

Just as how George Lucas nearly ruined the mysticism behind the Force by attempting some pseudo-scientific explanation for why some people are more gifted in the Force than others, I feel it'll only be to the detriment of the mystery of Dotharl reincarnation, if it had as mundane an explanation as more Allagan shenanigans.

The particular strength of the Dotharl tradition is its wonderful insight into how belief shapes the way people see and think about reality.

If we extrapolate further, this insight also has far-reaching implications about the larger themes of FFXIV, given what we now know about the link between the nature of a primal and the perceptions of its summoner.

Some things are better left unexplained. Paradoxically, they'd be more meaningful that way.

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Originally Posted by Vayanne

I've been thinking about why Reunion is called RE-union. The name implies the Xaela were united once. Maybe they did have an advanced civilization before they split into tribes and got too busy fighting each other?

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The sightseeing blurb for Reunion explains that that's indeed why it bears that name, The Qestir long for a day where the Xaela can be united as they once were in times forgotten and established their trading outpost to promote that idea.

I'd assume the Dawn/Dusk Throne were constructed during that era.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

I believe there's also a Xaela tribe that is said to have encountered an island full of steel monstrosities - that could be tied to the Allagan Empire in some way as well.

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That would be the Haragin. The legend states that they built a great ship and sailed "out across the endless eastern ocean".