i90 AF and the 'Primal' weapons.

[Kirol]

Ok. Ok. So.
I might've missed something where the i90 AF was explained lore-wise, but... perhaps I didn't.
So we get these Allagan tomestones of Mythology, hand them in at Rowena's shop and take our gear. Darklight has been explained (though not quite how she managed to get so much of the stuff!) and normal AF armour is explained... but not the i90 AF.
So just where did these pieces come from? For instance, Paladin AF is given to the protectors of the Sultanate, so where does the Valour gear come from? [Repeat question for every other job.]
And with the upcoming AF2 in patch 2.2, will there be an explanation as to where that's coming from?
Now, with patch 2.1 we've gotten what can colloquially be named simply 'primal weapons', with no explanation as to why they're so powerful or where they might have come from - or why Rowena has them.
I'll quit while I'm ahead, but if someone has the ability to clarify, that'd be great. ;3

[TychoCelchu]

As for DL (as well as Jobs, etc), I've always assumed that, story wise, there are only 8 (or 9) Warriors of Light: 1 for each available Job as they are generally "The Only One" of whatever the job is. The DL gear either belonged to the DarkLight Raiders (more or less one for each class) and so Rowena doesn't actually have more than one set of each set of armor except possible one of the magic or tank ones. Granted, that might not actually be the case, but that's how I interpret it.
As for the existence of Primal Weapons, I would assume the Primals created them for their followers. How did Rowena get them? I don't have any theories on that for the moment

[Kirol]

Darklight isn't the issue, that's been covered - it was the Darklight Raiders, as you said, who perished in Cutter's Cry despite being a notorious band of mercenaries. As quoted from a certain mod...

Despite their quality, however, there are doubts regarding their authenticity, considering the sheer quantity she seems to possess.

The 'primal weapons' don't seem to be linked to any of the primals, however: Not like the actual primal weapons which directly drop from the bosses themselves in hard mode.
They don't show any elemental aspects, nor do they appear to be anything like the other primal weapons. They're so far detached from the primal deities that I'm surprised they retain the name. "Rowena weapons" seems more suited.
Still, that does beg the question I presented earlier; just what are they, and where did they come from?

[EDIT] I'm going to call out someone saying the words "shrouded in mystery" before it happens.[/EDIT]

[Skies]

Rowena is such a shady dealer of incredibly powerful artifacts that are rivalled only by allagan creations.
She kind of deserves her own mini-expansion down the line, I say

[Kirol]

I've always imagined her and her crones as being some kind of side boss thing, where they use the weapons and armour they horde against you. Kinda like Moogles, one for each job. Maybe even force her to own up to her fraudulent wares! Not that we'd stop buying them or anything...
She's always reminded me a little of Naja Salaheem, if you played XI's TOAU expansion.
Still, it'd be hella fun to go against her. She's the shadiest dealer.

[TychoCelchu]

If I remember right, someone mentions her possibly working for an Ishgardian nobleman, so we may very well see more of her background in the expansion that covers that.

[Anonymoose]

Rowena strikes me as just a regular ol' self-made capitalist. She even staffs her shop with helpers just like herself - girls out of a job who have a knack for driving a hard bargain. It's that Allagan artifact-hungry Ishgardian benefactor of hers that raises my suspicion. In Version 1.0, the Templar, Harlequin, and Buccaneer sets were from this benefactor's personal collection, which he offered for trade as soon as the he heard that adventurers had been stumbling upon Allagan Runestones in the field. It looks to me as if many of those who took him up on this offer answered Ishgards call for aid in clearing the Darkhold and didn't fare too well...

I'm always excited when SE releases some background info on an armor set, as it makes them feel like so much more than grind bait, but if there's no backstory on Rowena pieces, I just assume they're more pieces of this benefactor's personal collection. Too bad I won't be able to keep more if it. Square Enix's policy of making more and more armor is starting to conflict with my free inventory. There should really be some storage mechanism for Blue/Purple items, even if it requires I collect the full set before storing it.

[Orson_Dara]

It's very logical that AF 90 is just improved versions of the existing gear. Relics were replicated and enhanced using Thavnairian Mist so it's fairly obvious that AF armor can be improved. Not only that Rowena has in her possession a wealth of information that refer back to the creation and story behind the Relics themselves. Where did she get it? She may have found a way to piece together information from the Allagan Tomes. She creates items for us so we will be willing to trade the most valuable commodity in Eorzea, Allagan information. She also has a very big interest in the Amdapor as well for information. Odds are her company probably got started with Darklight replicas and have been in business ever since. The funny part is she's more likely an information broker than a Weapon/Armor supplier.

[Gwaeron]

On kind of the same topic, where does the Holy Shield come from? I did not do a Relic Reborn in 1.23, so I don't know if it was ever explained there. Now, however, the shield is never even mentioned in the quest, nor (as far as I can remember) in the tome the Song of Tristam that we get from Rowena in exchange for an Amdapor glyph. Not one word about a shield. Then suddenly he gives one to us without any explanation what it is, where it comes from or why he's giving it to us.

On a side note, it would seem Rowena has a lot of rich customers, many Ishgardians wants some primal foci on their fireplace. But I do wonder who THE Ishgardian noble is, that was able to collect large amounts of actual primal weapons in v1! Maybe we'll finally get to see him when Ishgard opens.

[Kirol]

Relics were replicated and enhanced using Thavnairian Mist so it's fairly obvious that AF armor can be improved.

However, we don't trade our AF in like we do with our relics - they exist as separate entities, if we traded in our AF and some mist that'd be job done, no lore needed, their existence is explained. I was going to put something about that in the original topic, but the character limit made me chop the post down to half its size. Feh.

But I do wonder who THE Ishgardian noble is, that was able to collect large amounts of actual primal weapons in v1!

I'd like to think of him as a retired adventurer, perhaps a past warrior of light, who after countless battles with his companions watches as they all fall not to their enemies, but to the hands of time, and finds himself in possession of the artifacts they wielded in battle. It would be nice to meet him, though.