The Burn

[Anonymoose]

That said if civilizations are more or less "reset" with each Umbral Calamity, then the new ones that arise following those events wouldn't have much knowledge about primals. For that knowledge to come about, logically people would have to have encountered them before Silvertear.

Logically speaking though, for the civilizations of the Sixth Astral Era to know of and fear primals as they do they'd have to get knowledge of them from somewhere.

The Garleans have been stumbling across Allagan knowledge for a long time - long enough to know to bring the "lunar transmitter" to House Darnus long before the Bozja Citadel incident, and in that incident they decried the loss of a great amount of knowledge left by Allag (consolidated there to help Midas with his restorations). If the Garleans learned the word eikon from Allag, they must have learned what eikon meant, yes?

Perhaps the Garleans knew only abstractly of these entities and the effects they have on the land until Solus saw the Burn.

[Cilia]

The Garleans have been stumbling across Allagan knowledge for a long time - long enough to know to bring the "lunar transmitter" to House Darnus long before the Bozja Citadel incident, and in that incident they decried the loss of a great amount of knowledge left by Allag (consolidated there to help Midas with his restorations). If the Garleans learned the word eikon from Allag, they must have learned what eikon meant, yes?

Perhaps the Garleans knew only abstractly of these entities and the effects they have on the land until Solus saw the Burn.

Flows logically. I also forgot that the summoning rituals were taught to the beast tribes by the Ascians only after Silvertear, though as it's possible to summon without their ritual it could simply be assurance that primals summoned from then on would have behavioral patterns that align more closely with their goals. Easier summoning conditions would provide a golden opportunity they'd never pass up as well (assuming it wasn't of their own making).

That... still leaves Mysterious Primal X, summoned during the conquest of Ala Mhigo, unaccounted for though... I think. Ala Mhigo was conquered before Silvertear, that much is certain, and a primal was reportedly summoned in the region as a consequence.

[Mieck]

That... still leaves Mysterious Primal X, summoned during the conquest of Ala Mhigo, unaccounted for though... I think. Ala Mhigo was conquered before Silvertear, that much is certain, and a primal was reportedly summoned in the region as a consequence.

That's correct, and although I don't have the book to hand to confirm, I think it was at least a couple of years before Gyr Abania was secure and Gaius set sights on Silvertear Lake.


Edit: I've cross-checked. Conquest of Ala Mhigo is 1557, and the Battle of Silvertear Skies is 1562. A whole 5 years of consolidation.

[Anonymoose]

If we rule out Othardian primals as a mistaken assumption, we're left with... perhaps the "mysterious primal" that interrupted the post-Ala Mhigo advance, if that wasn't itself referring to Leviathan, Titan, and Garuda in '62.

That... still leaves Mysterious Primal X, summoned during the conquest of Ala Mhigo, unaccounted for though... I think. Ala Mhigo was conquered before Silvertear, that much is certain, and a primal was reportedly summoned in the region as a consequence.

That's correct, and although I don't have the book to hand to confirm, I think it was at least a couple of years before Gyr Abania was secure and Gaius set sights on Silvertear Lake.

As far as I know, the lore book glosses right over this. The sole remaining citation that I recall is the Realm Reborn fansite, which says that the advance was halted by a primal "shortly after" Ala Mhigo was taken. Most modern recaps have the XIVth legion take Ala Mhigo, spend a while securing Ala Mhigo, then off they go to the fated Battle of Silvertear Skies and make a swift retreat from Midgardsormr and suddenly there are primals.

I would have written it off as poor phrasing years ago if Oda-san and Koji hadn't hinted that there was always something planned to be hiding in that gray area that we just hadn't been told about, and as of 2014 might still show up. However, in 2018 it's possible this was just abandoned and the Truth is what the lore book says.

[LineageRazor]

As far as I know, the lore book glosses right over this. The sole remaining citation that I recall is the Realm Reborn fansite, which says that the advance was halted by a primal "shortly after" Ala Mhigo was taken. Most modern recaps have the XIVth legion take Ala Mhigo, spend a while securing Ala Mhigo, then off they go to the fated Battle of Silvertear Skies and make a swift retreat from Midgardsormr and suddenly there are primals.

I would have written it off as poor phrasing years ago if Oda-san and Koji hadn't hinted that there was always something planned to be hiding in that gray area that we just hadn't been told about, and as of 2014 might still show up. However, in 2018 it's possible this was just abandoned and the Truth is what the lore book says.

Isn't it likely that this "mysterious Primal that halted the Garlean advance" was Ramuh? It's been a long time, but I thought the whole reason the Sylphlands are overrun by Tempered Sylphs is because they summoned Ramuh a few years back in reaction to Garlean incursions. That would correspond pretty closely with the Ala Mhigan conquest, I think. It also seems appropriate, given that Ramuh is sometimes conflated with Rhalgr - the center of Rhalgr worship is overrun, and Ramuh steps up to bat to put an end to the nonsense!

[Anonymoose]

Isn't it likely that this "mysterious Primal that halted the Garlean advance" was Ramuh?

It would have been likely...if not for 1.0 Sylphic background lore. The Sylphs were part of the crystal trade throughout Eorzea, and were shocked to see what had happened to the tribes that had succeeded in summoning their primals. The Sylphs' entire position in 1.0 was to try to restore the crystal trade and to never summon their primal (though everyone wondered if they would, if push came to shove, and in the aftermath of the Calamity some did).

Metal ones are the lesser evil. It is the primals who darken hearts. Primals who poison minds! See the feathered ones. See the scaled ones. All are changed!

The scaled ones have always been proud, but have always been fair. Respect there was for these ones. Respect there was from these ones. Now, scaled ones respect none but crystals... The feathered ones have always been loud. Squaaawk! Squawawawk! Squeeeaaawk! Always loud. Always made this one laugh. Now, feathered ones only scream “crystaaal.” This one misses squawks...

These ones are fortunate the scaled ones did not perform a summoning. From the primal comes only flame. Comes only anger. These ones are fortunate the feathered ones did not perform a summoning. From the primal comes only storms. Comes only fury.

These ones will not summon the primal. The primal reaps more pain than good. That One is best left undisturbed.