How/Why are the islands floating in Heavensward + The Aery?

[Vydos]

I had assumed that it was due to wind aspected aether. Just as the pools in Voor Sian Siran are generated by water aspected crystals. If you look at the bottom of a lot of the "islands", there are green crystals.

Mostly this. Sea of Clouds is wind aspected and Churning Mists is lightning aspected. Thats also why they have unique umbral weather, overaspected aether.

Hmm, still those explanations give little actual information and feels like it's just the "It's magic/fantasy world". While I have the firm impression that those lands either belonged on the ground once. Or were one giant floating continent. But that still leaves the question as to why and how such a continent ends up flying in the sky. And why the allagans felt like artificially recreating them in Azys Lla. Which seems to hint that the Allagans lifted (random?) pieces of land.

I know that we can all agree that those aether/crystals are what are keeping the islands afloat. But those islands must have come from the ground at some time. One does not simply create land out of thin air, stick some crystals below them and have the aether suspend them in air.

[treuhavik]

I know that we can all agree that those aether/crystals are what are keeping the islands afloat. But those islands must have come from the ground at some time. One does not simply create land out of thin air, stick some crystals below them and have the aether suspend them in air.

Well, that's all we really have at present. It's still unknown as to when it happened, but at some point the crystals beneath those pieces of land went "wild", raising the masses to where they float now. The Allagans replicated this themselves with their somethingsomethingpropulsionsystems in order to create a safe environment in which to conduct their research, I imagine.

[treuhavik]

Since no one buys this stuff without a quote...

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox: Most of it is not Allagan technology; it’s all just wind crystals gone wild. Over-aspected crystals wreak havoc on the land, even on that mountain in Dravania. We’ll talk about it a bit in the story, but that’s not to say some places haven’t been raised with Allag technology… you might see that, too…

[ShoeVsYou]

While I have the firm impression that those lands either belonged on the ground once. Or were one giant floating continent.

Of course they were part of the ground once. That's how geology works. Before we understood how mountains were formed on Earth, I'm sure we looked at them as magic or hand-made by God. We aren't told exactly how they started floating, but I am certain it has to do with the elemental crystals literally lifting the land out of the ground. In regards to them being one landmass, I remember a side quest or one of the sightseeing entries in the Churning Mists said that the land was devastated during the beginning of the Dragonsong War. This may imply that the islands were connected, and split during the conflict.

Also, I don't think anyone could argue that Azys Lla is natural. I assume the Allagans learned how to emulate the aether currents from places like the Sea of Clouds, and likely powered them by the flagship and the warring triad.

[Kaiser-Ace]

The Third Umbral Era (Which directly preceded the Allagan's Third Astral Era) was the Calamity of Fire. So when the Moogles speak of "Fire Falling from the sky and tearing the land asunder" it's likely they are speaking of the Calamity of Fire in the Third Umbral Era.

Now for the over aspected Lightning Crystals in The Churning Mists.
The Moogles would have naturally been living in the Churning Mists since the Second Astral Era which followed the Calamity of Lightning in the 2nd Umbral Era which could have raised the Churning Mists above even the other raised lands in the Sea of Clouds.

And finally, The Fall of the Divine Era was The First Umbral Era, the Calamity of Wind, which then started the age of man. For the Calamity of Wind to be so great even the Gods them selves flead the Planet Hydaelyn because of it, I guarantee this unholy Wind Cataclysm would have been more than enough to rip and entire wind crystal rich continent from the surface of the Planet and into the Clouds.

How ever, this is all just wild speculation as even records of Allag in the 3rd Astral Era are greatly scarce and questionable in authenticity at best. So there's really no actual information of even the Third Umbral Era other than the tale passed down by the moogles possibly referencing it.

[-Krypyonite-]

the allag made a earthquake where some parts of land sank. (side note: oh, funny, SUNKEN temple of qarn eh?)

Anyway, Allag made an earthquake wich would make sense to be the earth calamity, in the , i think 4th umbral.

The ice age, where miqote came from meracydia, would it be the Ice one , 5th umbral the age of endless frost.

The 6th umbral era brought floodings and such, was called the water era.

The third one makes sense to be what was said above about the moogles since, the 3rd umbral era was the fire one. Allagan empire started in 3rd astral.

one thing very interesting is that allagans were wiped out in 4th umbral, Azys Lla was created 5000 years ago by the allagans, and ceased its actions 2500 years ago, roughly, being the 7th umbrall era (bahamuth) 1500 years apart from the last one, (the fllooding, cant be sure but think its related to the war of magi)

so, either Azys Lla was still working , for quite a while, after their calamity. or 4th-5th and 6th were only 1000 years across.

Also, once again i can't remember exact numbers but i think that the elezen/dravania society lasted 300 years before thordan, so making them (as the dragonsong war is 1000) making that the elezen arrived in those lands around 200 years after the floodings.