Sharlayan origins and the Endwalker Trailer

[Vyrerus]

The dungeon crawl video portion seemingly related to Labyrinthos seemed to have exact Amaurotine architecture and concept crystals in it.

*Wild speculation ahead, WATCH FOR FALLING ROCKS*

It may be that prior to Nyunkrepft's ark saga, the Sharlayans were sundered ancients in stasis pods in the Labyrinthos, getting by on survival means and food. The 6th calamity saw resources dwindle, and so they had to make a mock civilization topside in order to continue surviving.

It may also be that Nyunkrepft Nyunkrepftson was merely a thief who stole Sharlayan's ark, which they were going to use to survive while the Labyrinthos drained the water/recovered. Him being founder for the topside shell civilization is a cover story. His name roughly translates to Nineclaw Nineclaw-Son. To have nine fingers or claws is Ye Olde slang(that predates Ye Olde) meaning thief, as in ancient times in our own world thieves had a finger cut off to mark them.

What's truly surprising to me is that no in game civilization has had an interest in the ark. I suppose it's because it's high up in the mountains with no real way to move it, but then it is also literally chained/anchored into the rock, and has a thin gold aetherial field film coating its surface. You'd think a 1500 year old, perfectly preserved sailing ship would merit some sort of investigation. Certainly more than literal ruins and things from not as long ago in other places.

I could also imagine some vagueness. Perhaps they were originally in stasis on the moon, and used the 6th calamity as cover to come down from it. The story of coming from their original home to somewhere far away... only to go back there really does draw a lot of attention to itself.

[Zohar_Lahar]

I like this better because from what we know of Nyunkrepf's beliefs he did eschew war but the outright isolationism of Sharlayan runs counter to the man that built an actual ark to rescue people from the Flood. At some point it seems like his dislike for conflict got corrupted by the remaining Sharlayans (with perhaps some Ascian influence, maybe Venat, maybe the Convocation) into outright indolence.

In the AST job quests, Leveva suggested the isolationism policy only really started about 200 years prior with the rise of the Bibliotheca faction.

[Vyrerus]

In the AST job quests, Leveva suggested the isolationism policy only really started about 200 years prior with the rise of the Bibliotheca faction.

It's a shame that the AST quests are in a troubled position. They're ripe to be rewritten/reframed completely, considering how much they enjoy stomping on AST itself, lorewise.

[KageTokage]

I'd like to hope that that member of the Forum who was trying to take Leveva into custody will at least recognize you if you've done the AST quests...assuming he shows up at all.

In any case, I agree with the theory of Sharlayan being founded by a group of sundered Ancients who were aware of the world's former state through physical records and aimed to take history into their own hands through manipulation/control of the world's knowledge; moreso with the implication that there's been multiple situations where they sent out field agents like the aforementioned to regulate problematic information.

[JeanneOrnitier]

I mentioned this in the speculation thread too a few weeks ago but it's definitely worth noting that Sharlayan owned a book (in the Great Gubal Library) which Elidibus showed to Urianger to tell him about the Shards. The Gerun Oracle. So at the bare minimum Sharlayan knows about that.

Incidentally Gerun's namesake from FF12 was one of the Occuria, same as Venat. Wouldn't be surprised if 14's Gerun who wrote (or is just the namesake of?) this book was one of Hydaelyn's summoners.

[YianKutku]

I mentioned this in the speculation thread too a few weeks ago but it's definitely worth noting that Sharlayan owned a book (in the Great Gubal Library) which Elidibus showed to Urianger to tell him about the Shards. The Gerun Oracle. So at the bare minimum Sharlayan knows about that.

Incidentally Gerun's namesake from FF12 was one of the Occuria, same as Venat. Wouldn't be surprised if 14's Gerun who wrote (or is just the namesake of?) this book was one of Hydaelyn's summoners.

Interestingly, according to Urianger, the Gerun Oracles were also very confusingly written, full of allegory and obtuse wording. Which is alarming, coming from Urianger.

Also the wording implies that the Gerun Oracles were the only source about the Shards, and Urianger dismissed them as "apocrypha" when Elidibus was trying to tell him about it. So I'm not sure if the Gerun Oracles were taken all that seriously by Sharlayan scholars, especially since it was left behind in the Gubal Library rather than taken along on Sharlayan's exodus from Dravania. Then again, it's also possible that the general Sharlayan public considers the Gerun Oracles to be apocrypha, but the Secret Cabal Of Secret Sharlayan Leaders know that it's true.

I also vaguely recall that the Gerun Oracles were cited as the "mysterious source" of various hints and teasers on the Lodestone for YoshiP's messages to the playerbase, but I don't know how canonical they are.

[Zohar_Lahar]

Interestingly, according to Urianger, the Gerun Oracles were also very confusingly written, full of allegory and obtuse wording. Which is alarming, coming from Urianger.

Also the wording implies that the Gerun Oracles were the only source about the Shards, and Urianger dismissed them as "apocrypha" when Elidibus was trying to tell him about it. So I'm not sure if the Gerun Oracles were taken all that seriously by Sharlayan scholars, especially since it was left behind in the Gubal Library rather than taken along on Sharlayan's exodus from Dravania. Then again, it's also possible that the general Sharlayan public considers the Gerun Oracles to be apocrypha, but the Secret Cabal Of Secret Sharlayan Leaders know that it's true.

Where did Urianger say they were confusingly written and full of allegory?

[Enkidoh]

Where did Urianger say they were confusingly written and full of allegory?

Well, he did grunt and dismiss it outright as "apocrypha", which, taking the strict meaning of the word, does mean it's been already debated and discounted by Sharalyan scholars as not being 'canon' to the established history and events, and which that they believed most likely did not happen, but still worthy of study - more interestingly was that Elidibus used it to try and sway him to his side (or at least manipulate him).

Whether it really is true is another matter though, as we don't even know what the Gerun Chronicles were really about, other than snippets that show indeed allergory and symbolism, but little concrete info, and certainly no actual context.

Makes me wonder if the tome that G'raha is reading from in the EW trailer, that he has a "Eureka!" moment about is actually the Gerun Chronicles itself, although something tells me it isn't (if the Sharalyans had already discounted it as apocrypha, then it had probably already been endlessly studied and debated, so there probably is little about it they don't already know.).

[Cleretic]

I'm torn on the 'Sharlayan is an Ascian plot, look at the buildings' theory and logic.

On one hand, I don't think that logic holds up as well as people think it does. Sharlayan is very clearly Greco-Roman, while Amaurot is Art Deco As Hell (Art Deco having a huge pile of influences, only part of it being Greco-Roman); Amaurot is almost entirely sharp angles that only curves for structural reasons like spiral staircases, while Sharlayan basically makes circles and curves for fun. Amaurot accents only in bronzes and golds; Amaurot doesn't hate the gold, but is more inclined towards blues and greens. So honestly, I don't see anything in their architecture that says they connect well enough to put a pin in it.

But... on the other hand, statistically speaking, most things are Ascian plots. So I'm fully prepared to learn that Sharlayan is yet another one, I just feel like we're looking at the wrong thing and declaring it a smoking gun.

[WhiteArchmage]

But... on the other hand, statistically speaking, most things are Ascian plots. So I'm fully prepared to learn that Sharlayan is yet another one, I just feel like we're looking at the wrong thing and declaring it a smoking gun.

I used to joke "It's Always Ascians(tm), except when it's Always Allag(tm)" until the 4.4 stinger where it just got funnier. That's why I'm not putting my money on Sharlayan being an Ascian plot (YET), but wouldn't be surprised, either. It's all circumstantial evidence so far but it's... adding up.