A question of origins

[Myranda]

I often wonder myself about the full extent of "Eorzea". We know that it's part of the continent of Aldenard, but in contemporary usage, it seems to refer only to the realm formed by the six "modern" city-states of Ala Mhigo, Gridania, Ishgard, Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa and Sharlayan.

Meaning to say, the northern parts of the continent, like Xelphatol and the Farreach, don't seem to be part of the realm, and islands like the Ciedalaes and Mazlaya also don't seem to be part of Eorzea. I reckon though that these regions are, at the very least, culturally influenced by the city-states, if not under their direct political control. I reckon, for example, that the Ciedalaes, are under the thalassocracy's protection, as implied by the Maelstrom's organisational chart: the Sixth Squadron is named after the Ciedalaes.

To a certain extent, the question of which countries belong in Eorzea mirrors our own real-world queries over who belongs in "Europe". Is Turkey, for example, part of Europe or Asia? Or both?

Generally speaking, it's considered to be all of Aldenard, but inclusive to the surrounding islands so that Vylbrand is also part of it. I'd say that includes Xelphatol and Farreach, there's just not major presence by the 5 races there (as far as we know? Xelphatol is made of canyons and home to the Ixal, not sure we have any information on Farreach). The Cieldalæs are absolutely under the Lominsan banner, as Skirmish was held there in 1.0: Hullbreaker Isle is also on the outskirts of the chain.

[TinyRedLeaf]

The Cieldalæs are absolutely under the Lominsan banner, as Skirmish was held there in 1.0: Hullbreaker Isle is also on the outskirts of the chain.

Yup, I'm aware of Skirmish, and how it was "forcefully" carried out in the Ciedalaes.

But I'm not fully convinced that it shows direct political control, in the way that, say, the United Kingdom is ruled from London (a state of affairs that can be questioned in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum). To be sure, as far as political entitities are concerned, what we have in Eorzea are mostly city-states, which don't necessarily exert direct political control over their hinterland. Rather, a variety of contractual agreements seem to exist, which may or may not grant varying degrees of autonomy.

Many of the post-Calamity settlements in Vylbrand, for example, were founded by pirate crews operating under charters established between them and Admiral Merlwyb. The impression I get is that it's up to the ex-pirates to make or break it on their own, with little direct support from the Limsan state.

More importantly, it's implied that some of these settlements are mostly left to fend for themselves (in-game examples are Summerford Farms and Poor Maid's Mill), while others are more directly occupied or protected by the Maelstrom. Direct military occupation is, to me, is one of the necessary conditions of sovereign control.

Therefore, unless it's confirmed by in-game lore that Maelstrom units actually patrol and hold ground in the Ciedalaes (it's suggested that they're largely uninhabited, visited mostly only by fishermen), I believe I have leeway to imagine the islands to be more of a protectorate rather than an actual part of the Lominsan "country".

The best modern-day, real-world examples are the Pacific islands under United States protection. They may be bossed around by the Americans — simply because they happen to fall under America's sphere of influence — but that doesn't mean they are a part of the US. In fact, some like the Marshall Islands are actually sovereign states in their own right.

That's just the way I like to interpret matters, of course. It just has to work for me. I don't claim that any of it is canon.