Aether

[Wolfandre]

I guess the real question is: why does Eorzea have more aether than the rest of the world?

Honestly? It's because Eorzea is the setting of the game and it's special because it is. We haven't really been given a better answer other than that, as of yet. :/

Oh goodness, this is actually an aspect of Crystals I have not even thought to question, as well as a door to more questions, I am still curious as to how crystals are formed. I know how they form in our world, but I wonder if the process would be similar?
Also: how would you think, if a persons Aether has become corrupted, to purify that coruption? Assuming any new Aether introduced would also become corrupted and ultimately take it's toll on the body (like what you see in Pharos sirius)

Well, it could be as simple as being akin to amber, which is just hardened/fossilized tree sap. Aether is exposed to the elements and just hardens in reaction to its environment.

We see in the portion of the main scenario just before Garuda that exposing overaspected aether to a source of aether has major effects on the source. It could be, again, something as simple as a treatment of overaspected crystals of the element that you are corrupt by. However, if aether poisoning/sickness is anything like radiation poisoning (as the game parallels us to), that stuff is going to have some pretty wicked effects on the body, and adding more aether to the mix is only going to make things worse (like trying to fight off radiation with radiation). If a person's own well of aether is corrupt, you could probably kiss that person, as you know them, goodbye.

[JeniLinsky]

We also know that aether has a physical substance... there's an aether pump under the lighthouse at Pharos thingie, and no one would build such a thing unless aether could be pumped.

[Kicha]

I can't help but think of the Aether as being akin to the Lifestream from FFVII. Some people in Eorzea also refer to it as such, so maybe it functions in much the same way. In VII, people's souls return to the lifestream and turn into another life form somewhere else down the line. In that sense it was a metaphysical thing. But, we know that the Lifestream also had a physical manifestation, which was evidenced when Cloud fell into the lifestream and also Shinra pumping the lifestream out to use as energy (Mako). If Aether and Lifestream/Mako are analogous, then perhaps it behaves in the same way. It is a spiritual/metaphysical font of energy that courses throughout the planet, but also has a physical manifestation that can be tapped and used as energy. Crystalized Aether then would be like VII's materia, condensed, concentrated Mako energy.

Of course....if it is radioactive and functions like that.....are we equipping ourselves with the equivalent of uranium and plutonium? O.o

[Wolfandre]

Of course....if it is radioactive and functions like that.....are we equipping ourselves with the equivalent of uranium and plutonium? O.o

Soooooort of. Aether is funny in that your own personal wells of aether can affect your surroundings, albeit in very minute ways. We see this with spiritbonding gear, where gear is so transfused with your own aether that it can turn into a crystallized version of itself. The materia goblin in Central Thanalan actually implies that these items hit a critical point of aether overflow that they convert themselves into materia, though I think SE gave us the choice to convert so we don't just automatically lose gear at 100% spiritbond. This crystalline manifestation of personal aether can then be infused with (and removed from) other items through melding. Think of materia as personal crystals/shard/clusters, though they are arguably less pure due to being a by-product of a by-product (crystals as a result of aether run-off from a source that is, itself, a form of aether run-off from the Lifestream).

The other way you can see this is through Aetherial gear. Gear that has been worn, used, and abused, and, more importantly, bonded to its owner through spiritbonding. However, these items are such that they haven't hit the point of conversion when they were suddenly cut off from their source of aether (their owners died). That aether then does sort of the same thing materia does, in that it continued to enrich the item is was infused with of its own accord. That is why we see stat increases on Aetherial gear over what we normally see, similar to materia, which does the same thing.

There may be other game aspects that we can attribute to personal aether, such as light/full party stat bonuses (aether resonating with other, similarly strong sources) or even the Echo (seeing as it is evidenced that two individuals [unnamed for main scenario spoiler purposes] are noted, or implied, as being aether-friendly).

This brings up an interesting point in that those who do not possess strong aether wells are likely incapable of spiritbonding gear. Namely, most ordinary citizens of Eorzea. It seems materia and Aetherial gear is actually kind of rare. Now I'm wondering how strong aether/anima pools come about in a person. Is it hereditary? Random occurrence? Divine intervention? Maybe environmental exposure....hmmm....

[Kyan]

On the topic of aether, these thoughts about magic have been on my mind for a while, though I don't think it is a concept big enough to warrant its own thread: When you cast magic, does the swirly effects around you imply the elemental aspect of the spell you are casting?

I'm fairy sure we do not have any lore on this, but this has always been my assumption.
For example, when casting aero - green lights up around you, green being the "air" element. Fire has red lights around you - red being indicative of the fire element. When casting magick, we are "borrowing" aether - perhaps we are borrowing aether aligned to a specific element, and these casting animations are showing this.

So, are the swirly lights around you "aether"? When it's white/rainbow, such as when casting ruin, is that indicative of a non-elemental spell?

This makes me wonder, is "cure" a wind-based magic because of the green? Is flare really non-elemental? Why do the fairies use lightning-based healing magics (they have purple swirls)?

Also, the types of swirls seem to be indicative of the type of spell being formed - straight up lines - attack spells. Spiralling lines - healing spells. A circle with crystals - summoning spell. Random "pyre fly"-type lines around the caster - enhancing spell (like protect and stoneskin). Of course, this pattern isn't always correct - the fairies always have the "healing spell" type animation but not all their magick heals the player - some enhance.

[Niwashi]

As the red moon Dalamud was descending, Loisoix sent adventurers to pray at shrines to the Twelve, summoning them to aid Eorzea in hopes of preventing what came later to be known as the Calamity. Some subsequent conversations discussed the relationships between aether, gods, and the land itself:

Papalymo:
You have my thanks also. Truth be told, I had feared you would be reluctant to help. Summoning deities requires an ungodly amount of aether, after all. And having manifested, sustaining even a single deity's corporeal form costs the land dearly--as you've seen for yourself. Yet here we are, seeking to summon no fewer than twelve of them!

Channeling even a tiny portion of a deity's strength will tax you greatly. Fortunately, no more than that should be needed to stay the red moon's advance. At the very least, it should be sufficient to nullify Dalamud's power and ensure Eorzea's preservation.

For an added blessing, the process should see some aether returned to the land--aether that Dalamud had absorbed from the primals.

and a bit later:

Thancred:
These eyes will not be fooled--something weighs heavily on your mind. If I were to hazard a guess, the prospect of entreating the succor of the selfsame beings you once slew seems less than attractive? Heh, I'll not deny it's ironic.

As you well know, aether is the source of all life. Bereft of its blessing, Eorzea would be naught but a dried-up husk of a realm. By whatever name they're called, gods drink of the land's aether for their sustenance. The Twelve are no different. Summoning them would be tantamount to bleeding the life out of the land. Yet without their aid, Eorzea is most assuredly doomed. Dalamud will fall, and the land will die. Even should aether still flow, life may never again blossom here. We cannot allow that to come to pass.

Even as we move to stay Dalamud's descent, ever must we be mindful of the toll our actions take upon Eorzea's longevity. We spare the present at a cost to the future. It will be no easy thing, this balancing act. Yet we must see it through to the bitter end, no matter the hardship.