In need of Garlean Lore

I enjoy Garlean lore but I have not been able to get a hold of the Lorebook for myself just yet. I have been reading the forums and it seems most of the Garlean lore gets pulled offtopic to something else so I wanted to discuss it here in a separate thread to try and keep it all together for myself and anyone else who may have a question.

Able to confirm the headcannon out there that has all Pure Blooded Garleans have Blonde hair and Blue eyes? So far people state nothing is in the book but all the pictures of Garleans are showing Blonde hair and Blue eyes.

Another thread has down that Garleans (Very few) are actually able to use their aether(?) - Speculation as to perhaps the Emperor and his bloodline being able to do this or do you feel it is being able to push aether through their magitek as a back up to Cereulum? Or even so much that only well versed Garleans high up in the military can use it but do so in secret?

Having blonde to silver hair might be common and blue eyes might be a common physical trait.

http://i.imgur.com/7O3jB9O.png

Varis seems to have light yellowish eyes, atleast

Yeah, I could see the Plat Blonde to Dirty Blonde coloring out of all the characters I have seen as Garleans in game. But the Emperor one always looked yellow to me so I couldn't fully believe it to be a Garlean Traitor to only have blue yes.

As far as the 'very few pure-born Garleans are able to use magic' could either possibly be an error (given that there are acknowledged minor typos and errors in the Lorebook), or it could be merely a narrative embellishment, 'very few' being shorthand for 'none at all'. After all, it has been repeatedly stated even on this forum by Ferne that Garleans are simply incapable of manipulating aether (read: using magic) in their bodies and that it would in fact prove fatal for them to do so if they tried.

Of course it's also just as possible that it's exactly as it states and that one in a million native born Garleans might find they've been blessed (or cursed, as more likely the case for a Garlean), with the ability to manipulate aether and thus use magic, just as there is the possibility of Garleans becoming awoken to the Echo, but the statistical likelihood of that would probably be extremely low.

Either way, their lack of magical aptitude is the Freudian excuse for instead developing magitek technology and half the reason for their zealous crusade against the Primals and the beastmen - it's simply Garlean insecurities and a need to "compensate for lacking something else." :p

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Either way, their lack of magical aptitude is the Freudian excuse for instead developing magitek technology and half the reason for their zealous crusade against the Primals and the beastmen - it's simply Garlean insecurities and a need to "compensate for lacking something else." :p

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I always took the Garlean's need to conquer as a means to purge the world and rebuild it in their image. A means to ensure that the future of the world is safe; even if there is no one to live upon it but as long as it always had a chance to spark new life.

Surprised Theodric isn't here yet. He seems to be the one most suited to this topic. (plus I want to hear what he has to say in response to Enkidoh's comments :p)

I took the "very few" thing to mean it's not possible so far but they don't want to completely shut that door, either for player's own stories or keeping their possible future story options open.

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Originally Posted by myahele

Having blonde to silver hair might be common and blue eyes might be a common physical trait.

http://i.imgur.com/7O3jB9O.png

Varis seems to have light yellowish eyes, atleast

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Lucia's eyes are green, not blue. There is also the strong possibility that Livia also had green eyes as it is mentioned that Livia and Lucia look extremely similar.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

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I've wondered about this too. It could mean by those born without the third eye (ie people like Jesse who are "Garlean" but not specifically of that "race" if that makes any sense. It's entirely dependent if they mean "Garlean" as in a citizen, or the race specifically)...but who knows?
The magitek development was because they were forced into unfavorable conditions and the ceruleum was the most abundant resource. By way of a lucky discovery, it went from keeping them warm to helping them take over continents.

In a bit of a rush so I won't quote people directly to save time. Apologies in advance if this post ends up being difficult to follow!So far pretty much every Pureblood that we've seen has boasted either white, blond or silver hair. Eye colour is more varied - with variants of blue being more common with the occasional example of green and yellow.

It's possible that we'll see even more examples of variations moving forward so I'd be very cautious about settling on any head canon just yet. With that said, though, the lore book did end up confirming a lot of my own head canon in regards to their culture and background.

As far as the criticism and claims regarding their supposed need to 'compensate' I strongly disagree. They were pushed around and forced to migrate into a hostile, barely hospitable environment and over time they made it their own. Despite being few in number they - with the help of magitek - struck back and proved that they were a force to be reckoned with.

When one considers all the strife that has arose from Eikons/Primals their stance on religion makes quite a bit of sense. In addition, it also makes sense when you consider that Ishgard exploited religion to justify their war against Nidhogg and his kind.

Garleans being revealed to have some capacity for magic - albeit as a rare affair - doesn't strike me as something that would be an oversight. To me it seems like it's something intentional that will play into the story moving forward. This might explain why Lucia casts 'Cure' on the Steps of Faith and also why Regula was able to teleport out of harm's way on two occasions.

Personally I'm hoping that at some point it'll serve as the means to introduce Pureblood Garleans as a potential playable race at some point in the future. If they ever go through with the plan to expand the character creation system and add more distinct 'Clans' for each race then 'Garleans' would be well suited to an additional type of Hyur.

Granted I may be repeating stuff that has already been put forward but the above is my rambling for today.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

It's possible that we'll see even more examples of variations moving forward so I'd be very cautious about settling on any head canon just yet. With that said, though, the lore book did end up confirming a lot of my own head canon in regards to their culture and background.

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May I have your head cannons please? Especially if they have been confirmed. A lot of the Garlean Roleplayers I run in to or know about keep to themselves. :<

It's also possible that the "few few garlean that can use magic" might be a "pure blood" that doesn't know that somewhere in his blood line, there was a non-pure blood children (adultery somewhere ?)
But in this case, if the child doesn't have the third eye, it would be impossible to hide so it's just an hypothesis.

Arenvald's biological father was Garlean, but whether or not it was a pure-blooded Garlean or just merely is conscript is unknown.

But he was discriminated against by the rest of the Ala Mhigans due to this. Doesn't help that his hairstyle and face paint blocks his forehead too.

Hopefully he'll play a role, no matter how small, in Stormblood rather than standing in Waking Sands saying how he wants to help. Especially now that the Griffin decoy turns out to be an npc we helped once

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Originally Posted by Aura_Shurifon

It's also possible that the "few few garlean that can use magic" might be a "pure blood" that doesn't know that somewhere in his blood line, there was a non-pure blood children (adultery somewhere ?)
But in this case, if the child doesn't have the third eye, it would be impossible to hide so it's just an hypothesis.

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Yeah but how pure is pure? We know Eula Darnus had some Allagan blood, but she had the third eye. Although her magic came from Bahamut.

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Originally Posted by Foofy

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Sure! I actually put forward the theory a few times that the Garleans may have begun their campaign to conquer out of necessity/desperation rather than because they're 'evil'. I also suspected that they hold efficiency in high regard - which is also confirmed within the lore book. Then there's minor things such as as Garlean flag having a special meaning. I didn't have much clue as to what that meaning was but the lore book states that it is meant to honour those who have fallen for the sake of the Garlemald's cause.

I also suspected that there would be a lot of political intrigue going on behind the scenes. Which, other than adding another layer of complexity to things, opens up the possibility for different factions within Garlemald desiring different things and maybe working with the Warrior of Light directly without being defectors. There's a stray bit of dialogue in Sophia's quest chain regarding someone in Garlemald scheming against Regula due to his success and genuine merit being rewarded by the Emperor himself.

Or it can be like FFVI where the empire would implement magitek experiments on their soldier.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

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See, I understand a lot of that.

What I have been going with is that the Garleans are trying to save the world. They don't believe the Gods care and we're just pests to them. They want to do what they can to ensure the world can at the very least spark/support life rather then having the primals suck it dry (which is why they are not afraid to 'purge'). They push to conquer so they can get more generations to follow their beliefs as well as push their influence and strength as a means not to be pushed around themselves.

In terms of their culture, I have a headcannon that they are very big on pride and honor of the Garlemald. They aren't big on throwing parties and having fun if it doesn't benefit the cause.

IE: *insert no fun allowed sign*

(continued in next post due to silly limit)

My other headcannons:

1) Garleans look at greed as a meaningless and disgusting thing. Ul'dah is full of this and my character finds anyone who gambles or overall just greedy for gil to be disgusting and a waste. They see more power in everyone benefitting from something rather then one person. All for all or none for one type thing.

2) I also have her set that when a female joins the Garlemald's ranks that they are to be sterilized as to keep unwanted pregnancies out of the field and keep the soldiers concerns focused on their country rather then an unwanted child that can take a soldier from battle.

3) Pureblooded Garleans are often wed off by their families to others not for power or status but to keep bloodlines strong. Thus arrange marriages are a thing.

4) People who have served in the Garlemald often suffer from PTSD, prone to outbursts of rage, mentally instability, and more.

5) The Emperor is actually someone who will throw his own people at a spiked wall just so he could walk over it unhindered. He believes himself to be righteous in every means and isn't afraid to sacrifice his own people to ensure his win in the endgame.

The silly limit doesn't apply to edits made to the post. You can make them as long as you want.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

The silly limit doesn't apply to edits made to the post. You can make them as long as you want.

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And now I shall abuse this forever more, thank you!

To add to the female sterility idea, it begs the question if certain families would bar their daughters from military careers so as to keep the pureblood going. Also, would men receive similar treatment to prevent unneeded/unwanted half-breeds from popping up?

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

To add to the female sterility idea, it begs the question if certain families would bar their daughters from military careers so as to keep the pureblood going. Also, would men receive similar treatment to prevent unneeded/unwanted half-breeds from popping up?

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That is why I also figured they would be big on wedding their children together to ensure bloodlines. Wed them before they go off, get the process started. As per the males, I don't see them sterilizing them as they wouldn't be the ones to be 'carrying' the child.

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Originally Posted by Foofy

M
2) I also have her set that when a female joins the Garlemald's ranks that they are to be sterilized as to keep unwanted pregnancies out of the field and keep the soldiers concerns focused on their country rather then an unwanted child that can take a soldier from battle.

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There's a couple things in the Lore Book that actually work counter toward this particular head-canon, I'm afraid.

One, the Pureblood Garlean population is not exactly a large one, mostly due to their area of origin - cold, harsh, unforgiving. Sterilizing females in a peoples who already have a smaller population than most isn't a sound strategic idea.

Two, the majority of the Garlemald army is actually comprised of conscripts which are actually deployed to areas away from their home soil, both as a means of keeping them from getting any funny ideas and should they decide to try and rebel then they are far from home and family. Ultimately, though, the Empire does have to keep the overall populace at the very least placated, if not actually content with how things are...and forced sterilization wouldn't be a strategy that would go over well. Better to send the pregnant individual home and conscript a new soldier, ultimately.

Related to the overall discussion, but a tangent from the initial part of my post...

Interesting to also note that while some of Theodric's theories/ideas on certain actions taken by the Empire are unconfirmed as "necessary" or "acts of desperation" (things like the response to the Doman rebellion, for example), he's actually right - the Empire itself was born out of desperation and the need to survive.

To elaborate on his earlier post - after being pushed into the cold climes of the northern area of the continent (and how that impacted their population) they survived the regular raids and conflicts from the other tribes through a mix of subterfuge (inciting conflicts between the other nations...possibly the pre-cursor to the Frumentarium?), employing Roegadyn Magi to bolster their own lack of magic, uniting the smaller tribes/villages around a central one, and basically using any tactic they needed to survive the more established and more powerful other tribes...and did this for centuries.

It was really only by chance that an engineer decided to try using Ceruleum as a fuel for a new type of engine in his workshop instead of a steam engine, and that the then Legatus Solus Galvus learned of it and saw how it could be applied to military technology. That decided edge, mixed with the strategy of offering subjugated nations a better life through the very type of technology that had bested them if they just followed the rules and served a new master, and a desire to avenge the centuries of conflict visited upon them by their once more powerful neighbors...and you have why they went from a small fish to controlling all of Ilsabard in about 9 years...

And that's also where it changed from survival and avenging to ambition (characteristics held by certain key individuals and military leaders, along with varying degrees of ruthlessness and often pride, and as those are the traits we've seen most when it comes to Garlemald it's what most think of when it comes to the Empire as a whole).

Really, they're more the Machiavellian antagonists with a complex history and set of motivations leading a diverse but ultimately controlled peoples, rather than an "Evil Empire."

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Originally Posted by Berethos

There's a couple things in the Lore Book that actually work counter toward this particular head-canon, I'm afraid.

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And this is why I came here, to stab all your minds with the book :D *scratches that one off the list*

That also makes me feel as if the arranged marriage thing to keep the bloodline pure definitely has backing as well.