An Eorzean Timeline.

[radhaz]

It's a pretty hard story to follow, considering the turmoil at SE at the time. The lore team is chipping away at it tho!

[Anonymoose]

But is it not true that the miqo'te came over the frozen seas during a previous umbral era? If the hyurs were the first immigrants to Eorzea, certainly they must have do so well before 1000 years ago, at least before the miqo'te migration.

... how did that never cross my mind? Hold on a second. <shuffles through a stack of books, holding up two differently aged copies of the same text to compare>

In former times, the Elezen were the sole inhabitants of Eorzea, claiming dominion over her. Traditionally a nomadic people, the tall, slender Elezen believed the realm to be theirs by divine right—a gift from the Twelve themselves. Unfortunately, this belief made the eventual appearance of the Hyur in their multitudes akin to an invasion, and a long history of conflict ensued.

The Elezen once claimed sole dominion over Eorzea, their presence predating that of the other races, and, as such, developed a heightened sense of honor and pride. In years past, the Hyur migration into Elezen lands sparked bitter conflict.

I think you're right, and I think SE caught that ambiguity before I did... going to have to do some more 1.X to ARR text comparisons and see if anything else like that snuck by me.

So, correction, the Hyur weren't the first outsiders - they were the first outsiders to come in great numbers...

Nice catch. I'd never even questioned the 1.X text.

Statistically speaking, I'd still say the Allagan are still likely to be primarily Elezen due to the fact that if they considered a migratory wave to be an invasion, they would have seen an Empire like a vegan sees a pork chop... but this does leave the door open...

[Catapult]

Yeah that's what I'm saying "which would bring about the whole Duskwight and Wildwood Elezen we have today." Kinda funny that the Elezen people would found Gridania, if they were indeed ancestors of the Allagans and the Empire existed in Thanalan, and the Lalafell would found Ul'dah and Sil'dih.

However, based on what we know and suspect so far, Gridania was founded during the sixth astral era. If Allag fell in the Fourth era, there is an entire era that needs to fill the gap seperating the ice age and the flood, including civilizations that nurtured the tradition of a grand company, since the last appearance of these entities was before both Gridania and Ishgard were founded. Gelmorra?

[NoloeTazier]

However, based on what we know and suspect so far, Gridania was founded during the sixth astral era. If Allag fell in the Fourth era, there is an entire era that needs to fill the gap seperating the ice age and the flood, including civilizations that nurtured the tradition of a grand company, since the last appearance of these entities was before both Gridania and Ishgard were founded. Gelmorra?

Think about this...the Allagan Empire is ultimately in ruin. Factions split off and some head to the Twelveswood. The fall of the Allagan Empire ushers in the Fourth Umbral era. Whether this was due to sealing Bahamut, we don't know yet. Back to the Elezen that fled to the Twelveswood. They live and prosper in the woods...the Fifth Umbral age brings Snow and Ice. Where is a safe place in a forest for people seeking to get out of the cold, underneath the ground...Gelmorra. The Elezen slowly become the Duskwight Elezen, because they're underground and rarely in the sun light.

What happens after the Snow and Ice stop, the Duskwight Elezen come out of their holes and live above ground...thus the founding of Gridania.

I think we're onto something my dear Watson!

[Catapult]

I think we're onto something my dear Watson!

I think we're going to need to look at this closer once the beta phase three content that includes quest text on the formation of Gridania, it's arms and the Order of the Twin Adder, is unveiled.

[Myranda]

... how did that never cross my mind? Hold on a second. <shuffles through a stack of books, holding up two differently aged copies of the same text to compare>





I think you're right, and I think SE caught that ambiguity before I did... going to have to do some more 1.X to ARR text comparisons and see if anything else like that snuck by me.

So, correction, the Hyur weren't the first outsiders - they were the first outsiders to come in great numbers...

Nice catch. I'd never even questioned the 1.X text.

Statistically speaking, I'd still say the Allagan are still likely to be primarily Elezen due to the fact that if they considered a migratory wave to be an invasion, they would have seen an Empire like a vegan sees a pork chop... but this does leave the door open...

Ah, specifying "in large numbers" could matter a great bit indeed. The miqo'te/lalafell/rœgadyn presence could have been not large enough for the elezen to bother. It's also possible that their total dominion over Eorzea is overstated: maybe they didn't care for arid Thanalan and so the lalafell taking residence there wasn't a concern since it wasn't much of an active elezen territory (and similar for other regions outside of their apparently dominant Coerthas and the Twelveswood). If so the deal with the hyurs could be that they actually started moving into areas of Eorzea that the elezen cared about.

Do we know anything about when Ul'dah and Sil'dih were actually founded to say that lalafell have been around at least this long? All I see on the timeline is the formation of the Sultansworn and the fall of Sil'dih, both well into 6A.E.

[NoloeTazier]

Ah, specifying "in large numbers" could matter a great bit indeed. The miqo'te/lalafell/rœgadyn presence could have been not large enough for the elezen to bother. It's also possible that their total dominion over Eorzea is overstated: maybe they didn't care for arid Thanalan and so the lalafell taking residence there wasn't a concern since it wasn't much of an active elezen territory (and similar for other regions outside of their apparently dominant Coerthas and the Twelveswood). If so the deal with the hyurs could be that they actually started moving into areas of Eorzea that the elezen cared about.

Do we know anything about when Ul'dah and Sil'dih were actually founded to say that lalafell have been around at least this long? All I see on the timeline is the formation of the Sultansworn and the fall of Sil'dih, both well into 6A.E.

Well we're told the Grand Companies came together at the end of the Fifth Astral era (1500+ years ago) to get ready for the Sixth Umbral era. And there's no history of a Grand Company that isn't the Immortal Flames, Twin Adders, Maelstorm. So Ul'dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa were at least founded and established well before this time. And I just assume that the Thaumaturge Shatotto is a Lalafell Thaumaturge, who else could bring down a 'star' and turn it into a weapon only a Lalafell that's who (joking of course, I just wanted to say that). As for the Sil'dih we don't have that history yet, but I assume that if their city was in the Sagoli desert and they had aqueducts all the way to the Copperbell mines that the Sil'dih were around just as long as Ul'dah and both cooperated at least in the beginning.

[Catapult]

We might be able to put a date on the foundation of Limsa if we dig deep enough.

I seem to recall hearing from an NPC that the Mizzenmast itself is the remnant of a giant ship that once bearthed in the cove and never left, becoming the foundation of the city-state. The original ship is supposedly that which appears on the standard of Limsa Lominsa.

Maybe someone *cough* could try searching for the dialogue?

[Anonymoose]

Maybe someone *cough* could try searching for the dialogue?

You should get that cough checked out. Be a shame if it was the green rot.

Anonymoose cracks open his tomes.

At first, I thought that all this was just contextless legend...

You hear the legend of how this city was born? Well, years ago, there was this mighty kingdom far to the south--so far, they say that it would take a man half his life to sail to her shores--and it had an invincible armada of twenty score times ten unsinkable battleships. They conquered nigh on every city for a thousand leagues, and were the unchallenged master of the sea...until, that is, an armada just as invincible as their own invaded their waters.

Both sides fought with the courage of lions and the ferocity of sharks, but the kingdom's fighters, so used to doing the attacking themselves, were unsure how to defend against onslaughts of a similar nature. And so their fleet was nearly destroyed and their cities were completely razed. Only a small fleet of their fastest dromonds was able to escape the carnage under cover of nightfall. It pained the crews to abandon their lands, of course, but they knew flight was the only way to ensure their people lived on.

And so they sailed and they sailed, until one day a terrible storm─some say sent by Llymlaen herself─picked up the few remaining ships and tossed them down upon the rocks of La Noscea. The ships were too badly damaged to be rebuilt, though by this time the men were weary from their journey, and no longer wished to run. And so they salvaged the remnants of their ships and built a tiny settlement on the rocks. Over time that settlement grew...and transformed into the city you see here today.

Turns out this story was expanded upon in the inn room patches.

What exactly did I tell him? No scrap of lore every last Lominsan doesn't already ken. That the city of Limsa Lominsa was built from the wreckage of the mighty Galadion, which ran aground on the rocks of this very bay some seven hundred years past. This tower we stand in now─the Mizzenmast─is called such because it was built by hollowing out the Galadion's actual mizzenmast. That should give ye a good idea of jus' how massive the original ship was. Ah, sorry there, lad. Ye didn't come here for an 'istory lesson, did ye?

[Catapult]

BULLSEYE!

So Ishgard was founded about a thousand years ago, Limsa was founded seven hundred years ago, Gridania was founded five-something years ago (my bet is on hundreds, since thousands would be far too Allagan by my reckoning), and only Ul'dah remains without a date.

That's at least three out of six cities founded after the last appearance of the Grand Companies of Eorzea.
Yet the foundation day events spoke of the "reformation" of the grand companies, not simply their inception.

Change is afoot in Limsa Lominsa, and blind is the sailor who has failed to notice. While it is true that our city-state’s wharves are inherently dynamic places, ever-vibrant with the coming and going of vessels, folk, and freight, the changes of which I speak fall not into the daily norm.

The dragon galley has launched—the sleek, black craft on a field of red that is the ensign of the Maelstrom, Limsa Lominsa’s recently revived Grand Company. Pennants bearing the oared dragon now snap and ripple across the city-state, raised at the behest of our military’s brass hats. Their purpose: to kindle citizen morale. It would appear that our leaders have forgotten that Limsa Lominsa is a port of freemen. Did it not occur to them that such an overt display of jingoism would sooner wake a spirit of defiance within hot-blooded sailors than instill them with a sense of unity?

What in the seven hells is going on here!?!?