Hydaelyn at large (is there a compilation of info yet?)

[Kyan]

Hopefully, the mysteries of what primals are worshipped by different beastmen tribes will be expanded upon in further daily quests, when added for other tribes. I can't wait to be friends with a sahagin - free swimming lessons!

Do you think we will ever see male/female versions of the beastmen, as in different character models?

[Enkidoh]

That's hard to say - SE hasn't seemed to have made a habit of making separate male and female members of the beastmen physically different - even in FFXI there were plenty of beastmen stated as being female yet they looked the same as all the other (male) beastmen - usually only their personalities/dialogue (if they had any) were written in a different style to show they were (slightly stereotypically) female.

This can be confusing though - the sylphs for instance seem deceptively female in appearance despite many of their race being clearly stated as male, especially the sylph Elder - the long triangular shaped mass of leaves they wear very closely resembles an old-fashioned ballgown, thus emphasizing (even symbolically) femininity.

However, 1.0 suggested that the sylphs were very much anthropomorphic plants in that their young began life as seedpods (one 1.0 main story quest involved the player having to save some sylph pods from destruction at the hands of the Garleans), so maybe it's entirely possible that sylphs reproduce much like plants do (hence, would effectively be hermaphroditic). Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

In any event, I presume SE probably wouldn't bother with the added expense to create specific gender-based models for beastmen unless a story quest warranted it, to make a certain beastman character more 'different' by making them stand out gender-wise.

[Toranja]

Yes. On the patch notes, I noticed that one of the King Mog quests is related to the nature of the Primals.

[Kyan]

Hello all.

I'm loving the little tid-bits of information you get about the beastmen tribes from the daily quests, are you enjoying them? Particularly the Amalj'aa (although, I have loved the sylph since 1.0!). I am starting to jot down notes and quotes and screenshot-ing dialogue (I love I can take screen shots in cutscenes on my PS3 now, yay!) and really loving the amount of effort put in.

I have a question though, arising from the Amalj'aa quest lines. I will be paraphrasing and not using direct quotes, but it is all based on a daily quest and item information provided in game.

Amalj'aa seem to use fire and items in divinations - these predictions are a traditional method of choosing the best strategy for war or battle (and I can assume other things in their culture). They seem to have an honour based code of ethics as warriors, and are also capable smithies, as demonstrated by the wares for sale and some of the npcs forging weapons. Seen in the fishing log item description, and reinforced in their daily quests, they are a nomadic, tribal race, which has a somewhat spiritual connection to the land.

Back to the divinations, the items you are required to collect for the Circle of Ash are giant tortoise shells (I believe the Iron Tortoise, specifically), which are burned with wildfire sprite cores. It is mentioned that this is a traditional, long used custom. As we know from the fish guide and the adamantoise shell description, Adamantoise are actually a foreign species to Eorzea, introduced from the Near East. How long have they been in Eorzea for? I'm not sure. But long enough to be incorporated into Amalj'aa traditions? Or, did the Amalj'aa also originate from the Near East, and migrated over to Eorzea?

Edit: On pondering further, you can actually mine adamantoise shells in Northern Thanalan. So, this makes me think that the giant tortoises have indeed been in Eorzea for a really, really long time - and that there was a mass tortoise grave, or an event that caused a lot to die around Camp Bluefog. I wonder how they were first introduced?

[Anonymoose]

I wonder how they were first introduced?

Now that you mention it, that is kind of weird...

Also from the Fishing Log (Tiny Tortoise):
Not native to Eorzea, the first adamantoise to arrive in the realm is believed to have been mixed in with a shipment of dodo eggs from the Near East.

Interestingly, in 1572, the very first Hatching-tide was celebrated with eggs shipped in from Radz-at-Han (capital of Thavnair, an island of the Near East), and it was frequently commented on that these eggs were supposed to be unfertilized dodo eggs, but they were clearly fertilized not-dodo eggs. Could this have been an early hint of Adamantoise to come? But then how the hell did they get so big? One FATE, Bigger Than Life, says that they can take upwards of 80 years to reach this size. Should we assume that they've just been hiding on us the whole time? A mixture of hidden ones, long-dead ones, and recently re-introduced ones? Hmmm...

[Enkidoh]

Don't forget Moose that in 1.0 Dalamud was stated as mutating all manner of Eorzean wildlife, making them increase in size almost overnight, maybe it was the same for the adamantoises? (I'm just speculating here though).

[Anonymoose]

Don't forget Moose that in 1.0 Dalamud was stated as mutating all manner of Eorzean wildlife, making them increase in size almost overnight, maybe it was the same for the adamantoises? (I'm just speculating here though).

I was thinking the same thing, but hesitated to mention it. SE saying, "Well, yeah, usually it'd take 80 years for them to reach this size. However, the changes in the aether made mobs double in size, so it only took 5 years," is a bit of a cop out and also bad math ... but that may very well be the answer, lol.

[Kyan]

I find what I am deeming "the tortoise grave site" quite a sad idea, though. We need a David Attenborough-esque Naturalist on the case to sort out this mystery!

If I were to think of lore or theory behind it, perhaps it could be explained if adamantoise were like elephants, and journeyed (somehow) from Thavnair to Thanalan for their final pilgrimage to die (explaining the ability to mine their shells. Bluefog could be the "Adamantoise Graveyard".). Amalj'aa met them crossing through Paglth’an, and because of their size, hunted them as a measure of strength. The hunted were discovered to have medicinal or spiritual value, hence being incorporated into the traditions of the Amalj'aa.

Now there is quite a stable population introduced to Eorzea, either by the common theory of a Qiqirn's happy accident, or from some other means. Perhaps there are adult adamantoise here, because of issues in Thavnair - overhunting, or a population boom and urban sprawl, and thus a lack of resources and habitat for the quite large of voracious adamantoise. As they were all sickly and starving, they headed off on their death march and discovered the lush vegetation in areas such as near Camp Tranquil, Thanalan, and even migrating to La Noscea to lay eggs on the lush, green island...

Or they're just there, 'cause they can be.

[Myranda]

On the OP, you have listed under unknown location the Cieldalaes and the Yafaem Saltmoor: these locations are indeed known via the world map of Eorzea.

The Cieldalaes are a group of islands south of Vylbrand, west of Ul'dah, still fairly close in the Rhotano Sea/Strait of Merlthor.

Yafaem is harder to find, but it's there near the mouth of the river White Maiden, west of Silvertear Falls, and NW of Carteneau Flats.

Bianaq I have no idea though, I can't seem to spy it on the map anywhere. Mazlaya and The Pearl are other islands to the SE of Aldenard in Rothlyt Sound, but no sign of Bianaq

[Kyan]

Thank you Myranda!

I'll update my OP when I get a chance