The Praetorium... is full of Esp...er, Ascians

[Fylion]

SPOILERS!!!
Has anyone else noticed that references to the FFXII Espers are EVERYWHERE in the Praetorium? It's not really a secret that the Ascians and Espers are very related. (Names, iconography, etc.)

I've been compiling/tweaking images and glyphs of the Espers to "fit" the Praetorium. Here's an example of the first boss room.


Despite ^ I think this whole room is more-or-less a tribute/reconstruction of Mateus. Look at the shape of the floor design, now check out Mateus' design.

It STRONGLY resembles the part that binds her hands, no?
Additionally, the "lift" ornamentation resembles fins, at least to me.

That control panel, I think is supposed to bring Shemhazai to mind?
Thoughts, other examples?

[Enkidoh]

I don't know, I'm thinking those 'hints' are rather vague, if not non-existant - if anything the Praetorium more resembles Gestahlian Empire facilities in Vector from FFVI (ala the Magitek Research Facility you have tromp through on magitek armour, right down to fighting robot arms!).

[Fylion]

True, especially with the armor. However, I'm not talking about the layout of the place, more the ornamentation. I'll post a side-by-side of the floor and the "headpiece" as soon as I can, to better illustrate the point.

[WellFooled]

Afraid I've got to agree with Enkidoh. There are most defiantly nods to previous Final Fantasy elements in FFXIV, but I don't think these are among them. You could take those designs and find hundreds of items in hundreds of games that are similarly shaped, but that doesn't mean there's a connection.

[Celaine]

It's no accident. If you go poking at the bestiary business of XII, you'll see that Mateus is the Scion of Darkness. For every Scion of Darkness, there is a Scion of Light. Mateus's other form/other half/other whateverwewannacall it?

Lahabrea, the Abyssal Celebrant.

Yeah pretty sure I've heard that name going round a few places.

This is the text from the bestiary entry for Mateus: "Scion of darkness ruling and protecting those who live in the underworld, in opposition to Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant and scion of light. In the course of his rule, he submitted to avarice, and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then in his cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods. Defeated before their might, he fell screaming into the depths of hell, there to be imprisoned for eternity.”

[Gurpsmeister]

Gotta say those hints feel a lot more like grasping at straws than actual hints..