Revelations from Second Coil of Bahamut

[Akujin]

Off-topic but what if Odin's summoning is actually fighting him? If he were left alone, he would dissipate or something. Yet by challenging, the adventurers are setting up a new cycle, and so on.

Unless in some twisted way we find out later that the Elementals themselves are summoning Odin.

He wanders the Shroud, all parts of it, killing those that challenge him (or trying), everytime returning stronger than his previous incarnation. So what if what we're seeing is actually the wrath of the elementals given a physical vessel.

[TeaTimeBear]

Unless this image is a troll

I don't understand how that face is considered a highlanders. It looks Elezen to me. ( yes I know a garlean is a garlean)

[Rocl]

it lacks the obvious elezen ears

[RickiFake02]

Unless this image is a troll

I don't understand how that face is considered a highlanders. It looks Elezen to me. ( yes I know a garlean is a garlean)

Because it's not considered a Highlander, it's a Garlean :P

[Urielparadox]

It's a Garlean and too me they have a more square face like a highlander, while having the curves that tend to be associated with Elezen.Cid's face is noticbly "smoother" then Highlands, yet still has the plumpy size to it. I would say these are their genetic traits? Also Garlean's being able to use magic is very rare, yet for humes its not, It's very possible that the magic based Garleans actually evolved towards magic and therefor evolved into higlanders, while the"true" Garleans evolved their mechanics and kept tehir third eye genetics loosing their magical gene. I mean that is kinda the definition of evolution.

[AdamuKun322]

So.. could it be that we'll be fighting Bahamut high above Silvertear lake? I'm aware the Louisevax is still enslaved by Bahamut so... I don't know. Patch 2.4 shall hold answers I believe.

[Applesnap]

This is where the lore of ARR starts to lose cohesion. If Garleans are a race unto themselves, why look like 90% of one race and 10% of another, with a few random elements thrown in? Female Nael has every characteristic of being Elezen apart from her ears and third eye. Her hairstyle is Elezen (Coco has the same one, but auburn) and her face, eyes, posture, movements and mannerisms are all Elezen. Just as everything about v1 Nael was surmised to be Elezen. They are most certainly not Highlanders.

You can say it's artistic license (or developer laziness) but it's actually quite confusing. Elezen but not? One physical characteristic is Hyuran? They have a mystical third eye? Okay, sure...

It's also bandied about that Garleans are "severed" from aether, when by the same token we're told everything on Hydaelyn contains the stuff. Plants, animals, earth, water, rocks, the very air we breathe. They shouldn't be able to do anything associated with aether then, and yet we see Garlean thaumaturges casting Thunder. Bahamut taking Nael's "aetheric essence" and re-forming it. A whole load of Garlean machinery using "magitek" aka. ceruleum (concentrated aetheric energy extracted from crystals). Then there's the Echo. To a race that has zero connection with aether, why the drive to understand something fundamentally connected to it?

I just have a real problem understanding the practicality of the lore regarding these two issues. Quite often, it's directly conflicting or certain parts are poorly explained, we're tossed scraps as to the reality of what Garleans are, how they work, how aether exists outside of Eorzea, why Hydaelyn focused all of her attention onto a single sub-continent etc. Makes for good discussion though.

[gornotck]

[...]

I guess we're just lucky they haven't started throwing in Espers and magicite yet.
Much less the Garleans turning out to BE the Allag and their lack of ability with magic comes more from being aligned with Zodiark rather than Hydalaen.
Other than Nail, Olive, and Guy, though, we're not actually killing Garleans, but their hapless cannon fodder oppressed masses.

[RickiFake02]

I don't think we've ever been told that Garleans are totally severed from aether. Just that they are really, really terrible at using magic, so they use magitek instead. And most of those thaumaturges you see aren't native Garleans, but troops from other conquered nations.

[Rocl]

It's also bandied about that Garleans are "severed" from aether, when by the same token we're told everything on Hydaelyn contains the stuff.

I don't recall them ever being stated as severed from Aether. I think it's more like they're all a bunch of Cocobusis from the THM quest. They simply don't have the aetherial prowess to manipulate magic due to some kind of genetic defect.

They shouldn't be able to do anything associated with aether then, and yet we see Garlean thaumaturges casting Thunder.

The Garleans conscript soldiers from every nation they've conquered. I'm willing to bet 90% of the forces we fight in Eorzean are of the XIVth Legion and are predominately of Ala Mhigan origin. The other obvious choice is Othard/Isalbardians. We just know the native Garleans are awful at using magic. Their military draws from over two continents of people however, and that can easily explain why some Imperial military we find are adept at magic. Notice, however, none of the higher ranking Garleans we encounter use magic-- even Rhitahtyn who is from the Northern Islands and not Islabard doesn't use magic.

Bahamut taking Nael's "aetheric essence" and re-forming it.

You said it yourself earlier (I think I might've deleted it from this reply), everything is made of Aether. Even Garleans. However, just because native Garleans aren't adept/capable of channeling their aether into magic doesn't mean they aren't still made of it.

A whole load of Garlean machinery using "magitek" aka. ceruleum (concentrated aetheric energy extracted from crystals). Then there's the Echo. To a race that has zero connection with aether, why the drive to understand something fundamentally connected to it?

I don't know if ceruleum is necessarily derived directly from crystals but it is some form of concentrated aether, yes. However it seems to be mined/extracted from the Ceruleum Fields in Northern Thanalan (at least this is the Eorzean source of Ceruleum, I have to imagine Garleans have their own Ceruleum Fields somewhere) and is the Garlean's answer to dealing with magic-wielding peoples. As for understanding the Echo, the Garleans are super into killing Primals. The Echo prevents you from being tempered by a Primal. I'd imagine they want to understand the Echo in order to utilize that in their conquest of Eorzea.

I just have a real problem understanding the practicality of the lore regarding these two issues. Quite often, it's directly conflicting or certain parts are poorly explained, we're tossed scraps as to the reality of what Garleans are, how they work, how aether exists outside of Eorzea, why Hydaelyn focused all of her attention onto a single sub-continent etc. Makes for good discussion though.

PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO IT!
The actual nation of Garlemald is, I think I can't recall, actually pretty small. However, Garlemald was able to conquer two continents and add their peoples into its fold. So the term Garlean is bandied about to describe those loyal to the Garlean Empire, despite their actual country of origin. Aether is the lifeblood of the planet, so it makes sense it exists outside of Eorzea, but aside from Eorzea being the 'heart'/'greatest concentration of aether' we don't know WHY it is, that's true. I have to imagine it has to do with the Seal of Silvertear Falls (or perhaps we're going to argue chicken and egg here. Is the Seal BECAUSE it's the world's greatest concentration of Aether or is it the greatest concentration of Aether BECAUSE fo the Seal?). Anyways, why Hydaelyn is so super interested in Eorzea, we have to assume it has to do with that slash Ascians trying to kill her are in Eorzea.