War of the Magi: Aether usage

Good afternoon everyone,

Hope all of you are getting by with the game & other rl sorts,

I’ve been fascinated with the “War of the Magi” lore & basically on short, it was a near calamity in the balance of aether almost went out of control in which both sides (White Mage’s & Black Mage’s factions) nearly destroyed our world.

Just wanting to clarify something though to this present day in Eorzea. Do both WHM & BLM still tap on external Aether from the environments to unleash their spells? Do Redmages conduct the same or is it their inner Aether usage? What would that say about Blue Mages & Summoners/Scholar’s?

Cheers,

From what we know, the nearly-destruction of the world is not exactly caused by the mages themselves. The 6th Umbral Calamty is a consequence of the War of the Magi. Precisely, during their war, the mages have extensively used almost all aspected aethers, except for water aspected aether. Therefore the balance tipped towards water, resulting as the Great Flood.

However, through BLM/WHM and RDM storyline quests, we do know BLM still tap on external aether but do not return it to the land after using it, this is why this magic is still forbidden nowadays because if abused, it will deplete the land of its aether here and there and might cause another Calimity in a different form than that of the 6th Calamity.

We do also know WHM return the aether to the land after casting their spells, though I can't remember if it's explained why they give it back and especially why BLM do not return or can't return the aether to the land after unleashing the spell.

Concerning the RDM, it's established in the quests as well that RDM tap into their own aether to cast spells, however tapping into one's own aether is like using one's life force and must not be abused because it might lead you shortening your life (that's only my guess in a lore/rp-wise point). RDM can also make a pact with voidsent to obtain more skills and destructive power however it's not explored further in the lore.

I wouldn't know about BLU, as for SMN/SCH, it's said they make a contract with egis (diminished version of actual primals) and spririts/fairies, they might come from the same realm as the primals. Though I think it's unlikely you need crystals to materialize them and need to tap into the surrounding aether to maintain it in the physical world, from my point of view, you have to tap into your own aether to maintain them as long as possible in the physical world... but that's only my guess as to what I'd take as an explanation for a lore/rp-wise point of view :)

Black and white magic still use environmental aether. It's why the elementals regulate conjury and white magic so carefully and why black magic is forbidden in most of Eorzea. Red, blue, and arcane magic all use the caster's personal aether. IIRC, summoners use environmental aether to create the egis initially, but once bound to a soul crystal they can be recalled using personal aether.

Wow!!

That makes much sense!

Thank you honestly for taking in the time to give a deep detailed basis regarding my inquiry.

Cheers:)

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Originally Posted by Brightamethyst

Black and white magic still use environmental aether. It's why the elementals regulate conjury and white magic so carefully and why black magic is forbidden in most of Eorzea. Red, blue, and arcane magic all use the caster's personal aether. IIRC, summoners use environmental aether to create the egis initially, but once bound to a soul crystal they can be recalled using personal aether.

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Amazing!

Thank you once again for answering this thread and my previous one regarding Paladin’s,

Much appreciated:)

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Originally Posted by Brightamethyst

Black and white magic still use environmental aether. It's why the elementals regulate conjury and white magic so carefully and why black magic is forbidden in most of Eorzea. Red, blue, and arcane magic all use the caster's personal aether. IIRC, summoners use environmental aether to create the egis initially, but once bound to a soul crystal they can be recalled using personal aether.

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Yes, when I said "make a contract", I forgot to mention the contract is established after they attune to the remnant aether or an aspected aether in a specific region, almost juxtaposed to an aether node of the land (For that matter, SMN make a contract with Ifrit in a fire aspected aether region like Thanalan - and not because Thanalan is the home of Amaljaa and their deity though it must help Ifrit has already been summoned in the region, Garuda in Gridania (wind/thunder aspected aether region) and so on, exception made for Bahamut trance, since for this one a SMN has to attune to Bahamut's specific aether and the stronger remnant of this aether is in Carteneau's field). But whether the SMN has his soul crystal or not (since it's basically a shortcut to learn skills faster or to impregnate your own fighting memories into the crystal), the SMN must be able to recall the egi with his/her own aether indeed.

Concerning the BLM/WHM, it's true the elementals regulate conjury and white magic (only authorized to padjals and the WoL or some other exception given your own rp story) but I still don't have any clue to why they're able to return aether to the land after casting spell... I can imagine why you deplete the land of its aether in the case of the BLM, since logically speaking, you take surrounding aether to form a spell or enhance your own aether and cast/launch a spell, but it would basically be just moving aether like creating underdense regions of aether (source of the casting) and overdense regions of aether (target of the spell)... if anyone has a thought to share about this I'm all ears :D

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Originally Posted by Astralia

Yes, when I said "make a contract", I forgot to mention the contract is established after they attune to the remnant aether or an aspected aether in a specific region, almost juxtaposed to an aether node of the land (For that matter, SMN make a contract with Ifrit in a fire aspected aether region like Thanalan - and not because Thanalan is the home of Amaljaa and their deity though it must help Ifrit has already been summoned in the region, Garuda in Gridania (wind/thunder aspected aether region) and so on, exception made for Bahamut trance, since for this one a SMN has to attune to Bahamut's specific aether and the stronger remnant of this aether is in Carteneau's field). But whether the SMN has his soul crystal or not (since it's basically a shortcut to learn skills faster or to impregnate your own fighting memories into the crystal), the SMN must be able to recall the egi with his/her own aether indeed.

Concerning the BLM/WHM, it's true the elementals regulate conjury and white magic (only authorized to padjals and the WoL or some other exception given your own rp story) but I still don't have any clue to why they're able to return aether to the land after casting spell... I can imagine why you deplete the land of its aether in the case of the BLM, since logically speaking, you take surrounding aether to form a spell or enhance your own aether and cast/launch a spell, but it would basically be just moving aether like creating underdense regions of aether (source of the casting) and overdense regions of aether (target of the spell)... if anyone has a thought to share about this I'm all ears :D

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Thank you kindly for your input & that brightened my curiosity even further,

What I am exceptionally disturbed its that these magi/mages are basically “vampire like” leeching aether from the material world (possibly living organisms as well) and just cause a huge drought to almost non-living around.

Hence why i love Paladin, and rather tap into my own aether at some degree to not over exhaust or deplete my own aether but control it ((on an RP stance within ffxiv’s lore)).

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Originally Posted by Vencio

Thank you kindly for your input & that brightened my curiosity even further,

What I am exceptionally disturbed its that these magi/mages are basically “vampire like” leeching aether from the material world (possibly living organisms as well) and just cause a huge drought to almost non-living around.

Hence why i love Paladin, and rather tap into my own aether at some degree to not over exhaust or deplete my own aether but control it ((on an RP stance within ffxiv’s lore)).

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Yes ! They are kind-of, but in any fantasy world, magic has to emerge from an initial component, basically mana/aether in every fantasy world, no matter where it originates from (center of the planet, stard etc, aether/mana is kind of always a magic current circulating throughout the world, in the ground, in the water, in the air, almost every living organism possesses aether as well), so it's quite normal that at some point some disciplines of magic are seen as vampire-like since when you want more sheer force with magic (even when using your own aether you're limited by your inner aether reservoir), you need a bigger reservoir, and what is better than the environment itself as a reservoir?

However, do remember, concerning the War of the Magi, we're basically talking of a WAR (and not warrior haha), with hundreds and thousands of mages confronting themselfs on both sides (mhach vs amdapor), using aether to cast spells second after seconds, day after day, and a war that may have lasted for weeks, months... so the depletion of aether was massive and paradoxally in a short amount of time. Except during the 7th Calamity, the world has never seen such huge Magic War since the 6th Calamity, so I doubt even one or two epic fights with magic in your rp-story would cause much damage unless you resort to use some large scale spell (like Louisoix during the 7th Calamity using a spell to seal Bahamut that depleted the entire Carteneau region but needed to use prayers to the Twelve to cast it nonetheless - huge spell - long time incantation).
Besides, unless you use some sort of strategy, a mage using surrounding aether to cast spell will always be far more powerful than someone using his own aether to cast magic, you'll always end up shortening your life at some point for a scenaristic climax or plot armor thing x)

Just forgot to mention that besides mages, ninja also uses surrounding aether in the form of mudra cast to perform their ninjutsu, they connect aether of different height so to say to perform magic-like skills. Precisely, the Ninja uses hand gestures to channel aether from the air and the ground through his/her own body and shape it into any physical form he wants or form defined by already established jutsus - so it would not be farfetched to invent new jutsus from a rp viewpoint. On the other side, it does not necessarily means the ninja uses his/her own aether to cast jutsus nor does he only deplete the surroundings of its aether. The way I understand it the aether may return to the environment after casting... but again if anyone has a thought to share about the special case of the Ninja I'm all ears as well ^^

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Originally Posted by Astralia

Just forgot to mention that besides mages, ninja also uses surrounding aether in the form of mudra cast to perform their ninjutsu, they connect aether of different height so to say to perform magic-like skills. Precisely, the Ninja uses hand gestures to channel aether from the air and the ground through his/her own body and shape it into any physical form he wants or form defined by already established jutsus - so it would not be farfetched to invent new jutsus from a rp viewpoint. On the other side, it does not necessarily means the ninja uses his/her own aether to cast jutsus nor does he only deplete the surroundings of its aether. The way I understand it the aether may return to the environment after casting... but again if anyone has a thought to share about the special case of the Ninja I'm all ears as well ^^

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Regarding Thancred’s aether,

I am aware he was stripped off aether,

Was it ever explained if he was completely stripped from using it external only or does he still use some internal aether from within or just completely stripped off altogether?

Doesn’t convince me how he’s still able to complete such unnatural agility & physics defying feats such as flips, enduring Khajinn’s fight etc,.

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Originally Posted by Vencio

Regarding Thancred’s aether,

I am aware he was stripped off aether,

Was it ever explained if he was completely stripped from using it external only or does he still use some internal aether from within or just completely stripped off altogether?

Doesn’t convince me how he’s still able to complete such unnatural agility & physics defying feats such as flips, enduring Khajinn’s fight etc,.

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For Thancred's case, he was unable to use aether since the end of ARR when he was possessed by Lahabrea, and that didn't change from that point. During HW/SB when he still was a Rogue you could stay he was still super agile as he has always been a Rogue. But against Ran'jit, indeed he had a super resistance... against Hades, you can say it's because he broke the barrier of the illusion and he kinda was in freefall allowing him to do flips and stuff but well maybe I'm just looking for excuses x)
Otherwise, concerning him as a Gunbreaker it's Ryne who filled his cartridges with aether, not the man himself. Concerning unnatural agility and physics defying feats they kinda all do it (look at Alisaie when she jumps straight to Emet for about 20 meters it's kinda anime-like physics) but well, to me it's a minor point though I'm generally triggered by this kind of thing as well ^^

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Originally Posted by Brightamethyst

Black and white magic still use environmental aether. It's why the elementals regulate conjury and white magic so carefully and why black magic is forbidden in most of Eorzea. Red, blue, and arcane magic all use the caster's personal aether. IIRC, summoners use environmental aether to create the egis initially, but once bound to a soul crystal they can be recalled using personal aether.

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Just a small correction, Blue Magic draws surrounding aether as well;

Martyn: “The name’s Martyn, and today I present to you a wonder of the New World. I call it ‘blue magic’! Beyond the Indigo Deep live the Whalaqee, who have their own unique brand of spellcastin’. Like black and white magic, it draws on aether from our surroundin’s, but that’s where the similarities end, my friends.

Though I'm not sure if it's ever touched upon something or the other regarding eating the aether in a hazardrous way.

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Originally Posted by Astralia

For Thancred's case, he was unable to use aether since the end of ARR when he was possessed by Lahabrea, and that didn't change from that point. During HW/SB when he still was a Rogue you could stay he was still super agile as he has always been a Rogue. But against Ran'jit, indeed he had a super resistance... against Hades, you can say it's because he broke the barrier of the illusion and he kinda was in freefall allowing him to do flips and stuff but well maybe I'm just looking for excuses x)
Otherwise, concerning him as a Gunbreaker it's Ryne who filled his cartridges with aether, not the man himself. Concerning unnatural agility and physics defying feats they kinda all do it (look at Alisaie when she jumps straight to Emet for about 20 meters it's kinda anime-like physics) but well, to me it's a minor point though I'm generally triggered by this kind of thing as well ^^

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Thancred being incapable of using magic/manipulating aether had nothing to do with his possession by Lahabrea - it was Y'shtola's use of the forbidden Sharlayan spell Flow to escape the Crystal Braves and the Brass Blades in the Sil'dih Aqueducts which is what made him unable to cast magic from then on (basically Flow is an early crude form of teleportation without using an aetheryte to guide you through the Lifestream to your destination).

Flow is so dangerous it was considered utterly tabboo in Sharlayan (Matoya chewed Y'shtola out for her recklessness over it), and Thancred found that out the hard way when it aetherically altered both of them, altering his aetheric signature to the point his internal aether levels are so dangerously low he is now totally incapable of any form of aether manipulation in his body, even teleportation, which the game insinuates is a rather common spell used by a majority of the population (making him rather like a pure-blooded Garlean aetherically), as to attempt to do so would kill him.

You are correct though that it followed him to the First, and as a GNB he is completely reliant on Ryne making him his cartridges (one wonders then where he's getting them after his return to the Source), so maybe he should consider a career change back to ROG again or maybe GLA, as they wouldn't be so reliant on internal or external source of aether to power, but are purely martial.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

one wonders then where he's getting them after his return to the Source

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Urianger. It's how Urianger invites himself to the recon mission to Garlemald.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Thancred being incapable of using magic/manipulating aether had nothing to do with his possession by Lahabrea - it was Y'shtola's use of the forbidden Sharlayan spell Flow to escape the Crystal Braves and the Brass Blades in the Sil'dih Aqueducts which is what made him unable to cast magic from then on (basically Flow is an early crude form of teleportation without using an aetheryte to guide you through the Lifestream to your destination).

Flow is so dangerous it was considered utterly tabboo in Sharlayan (Matoya chewed Y'shtola out for her recklessness over it), and Thancred found that out the hard way when it aetherically altered both of them, altering his aetheric signature to the point his internal aether levels are so dangerously low he is now totally incapable of any form of aether manipulation in his body, even teleportation, which the game insinuates is a rather common spell used by a majority of the population (making him rather like a pure-blooded Garlean aetherically), as to attempt to do so would kill him.

You are correct though that it followed him to the First, and as a GNB he is completely reliant on Ryne making him his cartridges (one wonders then where he's getting them after his return to the Source), so maybe he should consider a career change back to ROG again or maybe GLA, as they wouldn't be so reliant on internal or external source of aether to power, but are purely martial.

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Aaah yes you're right, I overlooked and forgot that fact !! Sorry :'(
But when returning to the Source I thought it was Y'shtola but indeed perhaps it's Urianger who fills his cartridges, though that doesn't change the fact he's still reliant on other Scions to fill his cartridges ^^