Questions for Fernehalwes- E3 2014 edition

[Anonymoose]

Nothing about the Harriers.. Now I'll have to see if the Mor Dhona sightseeing log entries mention anything. T.T

Every region has their own version of "bad" members of the five races - bandits, poachers, pirates - and they seem to have lowlife occupations related to the region's economy. To harry means "to cause trouble to" or "to lay waste to," so they're effectively just the lowlives of Mor Dhona. However, there are some hints. Mor Dhona doesn't have a nation state, so we can write that off. It's also a melting pot containing workers and scholars of all races, whereas all of the Harriers are Elezen. Likewise, the Elezen are all lancers, gladiators, and thaumaturges wearing old and tattered gear. It looks to me like the Harriers are Ishgardian deserters (maybe even heretics) reduced to banditry to survive.

[Catapult]

So, Shiva having a new beast tribe is a big assumption, eh?

That just made the ideas of Shiva being summoned by either the Dragons, or by the Archbishop of Ishgard (as Halone), as a lot less of a house of cards.

/think

[Anonymoose]

So, Shiva having a new beast tribe is a big assumption, eh?

You never know. Sometimes they stir the pot because speculation is fun, sometimes they stir the pot because they're giving us a hint, and sometimes they stir the pot because if they say anything that sounds anything remotely like "X CONFIRMED," marketing gets really mad. The comments Yoshida made at PAX 2013 and the conveniently timed appearance of the "chubby owl" beast tribe on XIVMODELS seems not-coincidental, but hey, until then I would have bet money on the Gigas. Door's wide open for Ishgard and Dragons.

[Catapult]

Oh, and the bit about Nael's face? That was clearly the sound of "'nice try' with wings flapping off into the distance".

What I do want to do though, is to see if Gaius refers to Nael as a specific gender at any point in the v1.x text. Or perhaps even Cid. There may be some more hints in that.


Early edit:

Were it not for the involvement of van Darnus, I'd laugh at the bastards and be done with it. But the men of his line have long been the keepers of Allagan knowledge. Could that godless fiend have made some new discovery?
I pray not. The man is a monster. He kills enemy and ally alike - any who might oppose him. To look upon the son, you'd not imagine his father the hero he was.
After his death, all his loyal advisors found themselves less a head upon van Darnus's command. Hells, if the whisperings at court are to be believed, he even had a hand in his father's demise.

Cid certainly thought of Nael as a "him", though Cid may not have been the most privvy of persons.

2nd edit:
In Shadow of the Raven, the elementals offered this cryptic prophecy:

When white wings hie from distant east, a maid of steel to bear, Shall darkling sky shed tears of fire, and veiled ones know despair.
We are quite certain that the white wings bearing a maid of steel refer to the one men call the White Raven - Nael van Darnus, Legatus of the VIIth Imperial Legion.

You'd think the elementals would know...

[Anonymoose]

Oh, and the bit about Nael's face? That was clearly the sound of "'nice try' with wings flapping off into the distance".

Agreed.

What I do want to do though, is to see if Gaius refers to Nael as a specific gender at any point

Though he was never given a voice actor, everyone Nael spoke to still referred to him in the masculine; likewise, he was categorized as a male elezen and shared their emote pool. This does extend to Gaius, which usually I'd say is pretty conclusive. Darnus and Gaius spoke all the time, and you'd think Gaius would know a little about his fellow Legati.

I see proof of this in van Darnus. His manner is...altered. He is anxious. Uneasy. He deceives His Radiance.

I was really into the theory that Darnus killed Bradamante because he, sure of Almighty Dalamud's will, cut her down for trying to stop him - and that as he died and Bahamut absorbed his aether, his last thought was of her, leading to the Turn 9 manifestation of her in his armor. However, all the interview seems to conclude is:

"That is not Bradamante. She has her own place in the story and this is not it. Keep guessing, keep trying, but leave Bradamante out of it."

That quote from Shadow of the Raven, though... Hm.

I always assumed that referred to Bradamante, the weapon... White Wings (the white raven) bearing the maid (Bradamante) of steel (a gunhalberd).

Still... open doors and whatnot...

In French and German, the elementals use the masculine for the bird and the feminine for the companion.

Un néfaste oiseau d'argent venu du levant, une comparse cuirassée accompagnera.
Mais tandis que du ciel mille flèches embrasées s'abattront, les larmes de la belle ses gardes engloutiront.

Weißer Vogel aus dem Osten, stählern blau der Jungfrau Blick.
Flammenregen bricht hernieder, Tränen gottverlass'ner Geister lassen Klagende zurück.

When Kan-E then connects this to Darnus, she still uses the masculine.

I hesitate to even guess the implications anymore, lol.

[Catapult]

We mustn't preclude the possibility that Nael was pulling a Jeanne D'Arc. If Nael was indeed female all along, there are some similarities in Nael's story and this Catholic Saint's legend.

[Catapult]

On a different matter, I feel mischievously obliged to pull out this thread on those staves from April 2013:

Yeah, but those staves have multiple versions - why pick one with Oschon or Llymlaen's symbol?

No idea! I was just trying to prevent the thread from being derailed by misinterpreting beastmen flags and weapon DATs. I have absolutely no idea why the Ixal would have what are seemingly Sharlayan staffs marked with what are undoubtably symbols of the Twelve. Even if the Ixal didn't know, you'd think Garuda would be pissed.

At the time, we were inconclusive about how the Ixal got their hands on these things, though they seemed moderately common due to their use in the Hyrstmill hamlet raids.



Now, here is something else on the subject:
Allagan Runestone - Menphina

It is a symbol of the Twelve, named as being of Allagan origin and the Allagans were proficient summoners and primal-controllers. Something tells me that these marks have more to do with summoning rites than they do with full blown deities.

If the Little Ala Mhigan Youth had succeeded in summoning Rhalgr, would Ramuh have popped out?
If the Archbishop of Ishgard tried to summon Halone, would Shiva materialise? (yeah, I'm still going there...)

[Anonymoose]

At the time, we were inconclusive about how the Ixal got their hands on these things, though they seemed moderately common due to their use in the Hyrstmill hamlet raids.

This one is more or less just me stirring the pot. The Ixal still carry those things. You can go down to Natalan right now and see Fogcallers carrying them. It's just not Oschon's symbol on those ones. It's Llylmaen's. The chaos never ends, man! Why the Ixal have these is still a mystery. Moreover, what made Lousioix's special enough to be a Key is also a mystery. These staffs can't all be keys, could they? Otherwise why would Travanchet have gone so far out of his way to get the horn? And why sink the horn to the bottom of the sea if things just like it are all over the place? If the staff design was common in Eorzea to channel elements associated with those deities, it makes sense both for Louisoix to have one and for the Ixal to have stolen them to use against us (though why Garuda allows that sacrilege near her is still a mystery to me). Louisoix could have just used his own knowledge to make his into a Key.

There's always going to be a connection to find as long as we're digging for connections; most of them are coincidental. There's a constellation of red stars in the Eorzean sky that's pretty similar to the pattern of glyphs on the ground when Ifrit was summoned in Version 1.0. Mindblowing connection or not even good enough to break out the darksteelfoil hats? This is why I focus on the past more than the present and future these days, lol.

If the Archbishop of Ishgard tried to summon Halone, would Shiva materialise? (yeah, I'm still going there...)

I've given up speculating about Shiva at least until 2.3 gives us our first hints. I do still find it intriguing that the Allag knew of the "symbols of the Twelve" though. Who knows if they even meant the same things to them that they do to us. The one you use for example, Menphina, clearly shows the lesser moon on the runestone. Obviously the Allag knew what that was, eh? I assume they didn't add it in there to be the loyal hound of the moon goddess.

[Catapult]

The one you use for example, Menphina, clearly shows the lesser moon on the runestone. Obviously the Allag knew what that was, eh? I assume they didn't add it in there to be the loyal hound of the moon goddess.

Is it really the twin moons, or is that just our 6AE interpretation? Could it in fact represent our planet and its moon (knowledge of the world being round not being common amongst Eorzeans)?

As for Louisoix's staff, it may indeed be that what makes his staff special is explicitly this happening:
http://youtu.be/W9Rpetik57w?t=18s
Which would make the Mark of Thaliak a red herring.

[Catapult]

Another thought.

They say that the great sea serpent from which the oceans came was bound to Swallowtail Roam by Llymlaen, yes?
But, wasn't it the Allagans who were good at binding dragons, primals and that sort of ilk?

It's another piece of anecdotal evidence to put on the pile of "The Twelve are more than what they seem".