CG Midlander

[Catapult]

I figured I should cross-post a little Q&A style analysis I did tucked away in one of the other threads, so more people get to see it here:

Some personal analysis in a Q&A format...

Why seal Bahamut? Why not just kill him?

Because a defeated primal can be re-summoned from the aether. We've experienced this problem first-hand. By sealing Bahamut, you lock up his sentience and prevent that being drawn back out into a new corpearal form by the dragons.

Why would ancient Allag banish this "great sin" to the sky?

Because primals absorb aether from the land as food. Move Bahamut's prison far enough away from the land and you are essentially starving him of the energy needed to break free.

((Extra context: Gaius tells us that it was the Allagan Empire that originally banished Dalamud. This suggests it happened during the 4th or 5th Umbral era, since Allag was founded in the 3rd Astral and the 6th Umbral was associated with flooding.))

So how did Darnus bring Dalamud down?

By feeding him. The lunar transmitter looks like a powerful aether cannon, sending aether gathered from the land right up to a hungry dragon. OmNomNom!
A hungry beast will move closer to its food source. And the best source with which to generate this food is Silvertear Falls, both the heart of the aether stream and the heart of Nael's enemy's territory. How convenient!

What are the consequences of Dalamud getting closer?

Bahamut's power and influence begins to recover. This allows a little investment in Darnus to replace a broken lunar transmitter and the ability to pick up the latent aether of other dispelled primals. (So on the point of knocking out primals that feed on the land's aether, it becomes a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation.) By the time you've properly dealt with Darnus, Dalamud is close enough for it to not matter any more. Sure that extra energy feed would have been nice, but Bahamut can take care of himself by now.


Next topic.

Do the Twelve exist?

Yes. During the third Gridanian quest, "Beckon of the Elementals", a moogle brings you a message.
"The great arbor spirit Everschade has spoken and we have listened, kupo. Those beckoned by the forest are messengers of Nophica herself."
There is plenty of other anecdotal evidence that others have shared.

So how are they summoned?

Louisoix appears to do so through the use of divine symbols. Likewise, we see the Amaljaa's summoning of Ifrit in a cutscene involve placing a symbol on the ground before Ifrit comes forth. This theory is reinforced by information that the arcanist class will form the basis of the summoner job in ARR.

So is Louisoix an arcanist?

We can probably assume so and likewise for Urianger, who wields a type of staff seen used by the arcanists of Maelvan's Gate. This also helps explain the presence of a divine symbol upon Louisoix's staff and his admission that it was by his hand the thirteen "altars" had appeared (this admission is made at the start of "Living on a Prayer").

So why the pilgrimage? Why not just cast the spell?

An aetherial being can hardly be summoned unless its sentience is roused. It needs to WANT to come out (and Ifrit and Garuda are all too happy). The Twelve were in a deep slumber, possibly acutely aware of what impact their corpearal presence would have on a realm that has had a good chunk of it's aether consumed in a giant seal. We needed to get through to them that we needed them again. Badly.

And who better to lead those prayers than the hero who defeated Darnus whose exploits have been spread and praised throughout the grand companies? You have become a leader and a role model and will be followed and imitated for maximum effectiveness. You are a beacon to the people more than the twelve directly.

Why would the Empire allow this?

They wouldn't. Obsessed with Nhilism, Van Darnus has been witholding the true nature of Dalamud and deceiving His Radiance.

Moving on...

Ahhhh, that is true. The phrase is definitely ambiguous enough for the "unanticipated" primal to be those that came into the world on Midgardsormr's death, isn't it...

Good call, there.

As for draconic beastmen, it's going to be interesting to see how they bring this in. The game seems to imply that the beast tribes we have now were once normal animals that were transformed, possibly by their gods. Might the Amal'jaa just be salamanders? The Ixal vultures? The Kobolds rodents? If each of these is true, it certainly holds possible that the dragons were gifted in some way, as well.

That part is also a little ambiguous though - the beast tribes might have just been made more... mean... by the primals, lol.

I agree with the "ambiguous" bit. It's just not clear. I also found this on the Lodestone, or more specifically the Mythril Eye discussing the Carriers of the Cauldron:

Of Beasts and Branding
“Beast tribe” is a designation of Garlean origin, given to those races the Empire deems detestable. Equivalent to an earmarking for extermination, the label is attached on account of association with primals—beatific beings who, amid certain circles, command godlike reverence. In stark contrast, the primals are held in highest hatred by the Garleans, who, besides calling them by the derogatory denomination eikon, have sought to suppress with startling single-mindedness any species suspected to summon them.

It was approximately ten years ago that the last of the beastmen was driven out from Ul’dah. Faced with an impending imperial invasion, the Syndicate passed a policy to purge the sultanate of all beastmen, who found themselves unceremoniously banished by the bevy. Overnight, the sight of sylvan crystal merchants and goblin junk dealers alike up and vanished from the Sapphire Avenue Exchange. Despite the decree’s dubiousness, it was warmly welcomed by the majority of merchants, who regarded reduced rivalry with relish.

Of late, however, the disputed decision of a decade past is threatening to float to the fore, engendered by the emergence of a grizzled goblin geomancer named Mutamix Bubblypots...

Of Mutamix and Materia
According to adventurer accounts, Mutamix first appeared in the wilds of Thanalan less than a moon past with his apprentices in tow, a rag-tag band calling themselves Carriers of the Cauldron. Wasting no time in setting up shop, he proceeded to promote a peculiar matter called materia, which is claimed to be capable of galvanizing gear. Before long, word of Mutamix and his miracle method for augmenting arms and armor had spread like wildfire across the adventurer population.

Inevitably, Ul’dahn merchants, too, came to know of this new player in the field. Unsurprisingly, there were those who felt fearful of Mutamix, convinced that the goblin would incite instability in a market governed by protectionist policies. Such is the acuteness of their aversion, they went so far as to petition the Immortal Flames for the expeditious eradication of all goblins roaming the region.

In contrast to this knee-jerk reaction of self-preservation, there are those who expressly endorse materia, considering it a catalyst for expediting economic expansion. Even now, the market is astir with tolerant traders who are making to maximize their monies by means of the matter, and who have taken a stand against actions that are like to damage Ul’dah-goblin relations.

Sultanate decree distinctly dictates that no goblins are to set foot on Ul’dahn soil. Naught, however, is stipulated of their presence outside her walls. And now two factions stand opposed: those who desire the decimation of goblins versus those who believe it would best behoove the nation to leave them in peace. I, for one, envy not in the least the Immortal Flames’ prickly position.

Our city-state stands at the crossroads of a commercial crisis, and The Mythril Eye will continue to closely monitor the movement of all individuals involved in the unfolding drama.

Havak Alvak

The assertion that the Beastmen were once no more than beasts may very well be racist exaggeration. However, two things still bug me:
- When did Eorzeans start using the Garlean term of "beastmen" that allowed it to become a perfectly acceptable term attracting absolutely no backlash by the time we start playing the game? And if this term could be so well engrained, why aren't we calling the primals "eikons" with equal willingness? It seems a bit of a contradiction.
- The paragon taught the tribes how to summon their primals, but this newspaper article confirms that they held a reverence to their said primal well before. How long has it been since these primals walked the land?



Oh, and I'm still no where near sold on the "Siren is our primal" concept. That can't not be Shiva in the poster either.