Tempering

[Anonymoose]

It should be noted that the term "tempering" is specifically for the process that Ifrit carries out on his followers

This doesn't seem to be true, as far as I can tell. A lot of the Sylph are referred to as Tempered. This includes all journal entries and FATEs.

Komuxio tells you that the wayward spriggan headed north into Larkscall, despite his warnings of hostile creatures and tempered sylphs.

Sylphs tempered in the levin-light of the primal Ramuh have descended into Little Solace to abduct their untempered brethren..

The sylphs, however, refer to these beings as simply touched. So, either Ifrit was the first being Eorzeans figured out was doing this willbreaking and they standardized his name for it, Lightning "burns" will away the same as Fire, or the development team just felt like calling Leviathan's tempered Drowned.

Do we actually have evidence that ALL Serpent Reavers are tempered...?

Some...but probably not enough... The Sahagin and Leviathan have been a thorn in my side for a long time.
Let's start with some quotes and see how consistent those are with the rest of the story.

North and South Tidegate serve to protect the central and eastern parts of La Noscea from the Sahagin and their mindless servants, the Serpent Reavers, so it is imperative that the outposts are well supplied.

"Remember, no killin' the smallfolk, or it'll be your blood what stains Lord Leviathan's altars!"

These pirates you encountered with the tattooed faces... They call themselves the “Serpent Reavers.” Their ranks are formed of cutthroats and madmen who have pledged themselves body and soul to the primal Leviathan.

Serpent Reavers are pirates who take the Sahagin gods. What sorry sort of pirate offers prayers to Leviathan? Like all zealots, their fervor grows with their numbers. Subtracting five fanatics from their fold ought to dampen their fire a while.

Though some hold a theory that some primals don't temper, they can't begin to claim Leviathan might one of them. There's "Drowned" pirates aplenty, and we know the Sahagin didn't become murderous until Seal Rock appeared (the same year Leviathan was first summoned, 1562). Aside from that, it's hazy as hells. Version 1.0 first hinted at tempering when Ifrit made others his thralls, which was foreshadowed by this line about the Reavers:

There have been fell rumors of the beast tribes abducting normal citizens and brainwashing them into joining their ranks, only to use them as fodder in their petty wars. Let us hope they are but rumors...Though many say that the Serpent Reavers of Vylbrand are made up of traitors and brigands who betrayed their own kind, could it be that they, too, are simply victims of this brainwashing?

So, we've got a hefty bag of evidence that the first Reavers were pirates who gave ear to the Sahagin thinking it would get them coin or power and ended up tempered just to be sure. Then they went hamlet to hamlet, burning, killing, and kidnapping more to be tempered. The thing is, in the Lominsan LV1-15 quests of ARR, you meet a kid who joined a pirate crew right before said crew's captain bent the knee to the Sahagin. Though this terrified him and he escaped at the first opportunity, he still identifies himself as having once been a Reaver. It's likely that there are "true" Reavers (who are Drowned) and that there are those who willingly take orders from (or are coerced into obeying) the tempered. Likewise, some are likely just doing business with the tempered and don't care where their gold comes from.

But it gets weirder for me. I can't even guarantee that most of the Sahagin are tempered. The beastmen daily quests for the Sahagin start out like the Brothers of Ash did; Novv's clutch has a different color than the others and refers to them as fanatical. However,

Novv himself was once the leader of the Coral Tridents - so it can't be so simple. Despite beginning his rampage when Leviathan was first summoned, Novv conquered for the matriarch's favor, not because Leviathan wanted him to.

Even the diplomatic Novv of today isn't entirely opposed to Leviathan. Were only some of the original Sahagin warriors tempered? Did the Coral Tridents only become tempered recently? Are we sure they're tempered now? The only way the story maintains consistency (as far as I can tell so far) is if we fill in some gaps with assumptions large enough to border on fanon.

I was so sure that Through the Maelstrom would tie up some loose ends, or at least not just make bigger gaps in the puzzle.

If Madison was tempered, why would Denn kill him?

A bit of Devil's Advocate, but just because you can successfully brainwash someone into being a zealot doesn't mean you've brainwashed them into being smart and capable. Think of some real-world cults. Madison may very well have believed that Leviathan was the one true god and still not only have failed to hold off invaders of the pirate base but fled and let them give chase into sacred spawning grounds. Madison was weak, and a coward, and he brought adventurers under city-state banners directly to Reaver loading docks within Sahagin territory and asked Mr. Splashy to make up for his incompetence. He was more of a liability than an asset, so Denn neutralized him.

[Kyan]

The sylphs, however, refer to these beings as simply touched. So, either Ifrit was the first being Eorzeans figured out was doing this willbreaking and they standardized his name for it, Lightning "burns" will away the same as Fire, or the development team just felt like calling Leviathan's tempered Drowned.

Well, I stand corrected I guess, though I do feel that Ramuh "touching" (gee, those mental images - beard tentacles) sylph seems to be the more frequently used phrase by the sylph and dialogue.

I also agree that, I feel the kobold and sahagain beast tribe dailies are very different to the Amalj'aa and sylph tribes we worked with. Both do not disagree with the majority of what their kin are doing, they're just looking for the best way for them to survive longterm, sustainably. I don't get the feeling from the npcs we meet in these stories that many kobolds or sahagain are indeed claimed in the same way amalj'aa or sylph are.

[Rennah]

snip

Thanks, Moose! I knew someone around here would have a good collection of references on the subject. I'm inclined to join your thoughts here - that some of the pirates aren't tempered and are just in it for themselves, monetary gain or whatnot, not realizing what exactly they're getting into, but others definitely are. Also, I suppose it's highly doubtful that the Reavers to be found in Sapsa would be there if not tempered, given that it's their spawning grounds, and the Sahagin questline (of which I've only done the intro) makes it abundantly clear that it's the only one they've got and they need it safe.

Excellent point about Madison, as well. My only thinking was "but if he's tempered, losing him would weaken Leviathan!" But...the worship of a single hyur wouldn't mean much, if it meant putting the sahagin in danger.

It seems the actual effects of tempering vary widely, as well, if we assume the likes of Madison and (I keep blanking on his name, even though I just did this quest chain...) the Reaver who assumes the identity of the man on the docks to steal the crystal cargo were tempered. They seemed pretty well coherent, even if fanatically devoted; perhaps those tempered by Ifrit reacted so strongly because their tempering had just happened, or it IS just a difference in the nature of each primal?

On the subject of the kobolds, I've never looked at them as tempered, actually, just very close with their "god". The website even states that Titan is more like a father to them than anything, so I don't see him resorting to tempering kobolds, when he's got them following him of their own free will. People, on the other hand...

[A_Magical_Unicorn_Rider]

On the subject of the kobolds, I've never looked at them as tempered, actually, just very close with their "god". The website even states that Titan is more like a father to them than anything, so I don't see him resorting to tempering kobolds, when he's got them following him of their own free will. People, on the other hand...

I find it funny that a golem turns out to be the god of a bunch of rats. Doing the kobold beast tribe initiate quest, you can clearly see they are rats.

[Kyan]

I always thought of kobolds as mole-like beastmen, but I supposed rodentesque would fit the bill

[DoctaruRavenbe]

Rodentesque maybe... but for some reason I am thinking lemurs with Kobolds (not the ingame one but realworld lemurs). they're mannerisms and agressive noises has that lemur vibe to me.