Falcon's Nest - Mysterious & Rare Disciple Icon (Request from Fernehalwes @ Fanfest)

[Leonesaurus]

I'd like to start off by explaining the genesis of this post and why I chose to post a thread on this topic, and then I'll explain for newcomers the history behind this image.

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I was one of the lucky players to attend Fanfest in Las Vegas this past weekend and had a really awesome time! One of my most cherished memories was being able to shake hands with and briefly have a conversation with Michael Christopher Koji Fox (aka Fernehalwes), who has been a longtime favorite of mine on the dev team going all the way back to 1.0.

Being able to meet him in person for the first time cannot be described in words, because it would just be reduced to squeals, shrieks, and other embarrassing forms of words that are best left to being heard, not read. However! If you are reading this Koji Fox, then I would like to thank you once again for taking a brief moment to have some fun lore talk on the show floor and that you were kind enough to have a look at the image cap that I linked above!

Now, unfortunately I wish I could sit here all day and explain how amazing Koji Fox (Fernehalwes) is and how powerful his contributions have been, but for our reader's sake, I'll move on to the history of this image from a "player's" standpoint.

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Back in late 2010, when Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 first launched, me and a friend went exploring Coerthas. Back when there was more than just the now snowy Central Highlands, there were the Central Lowlands, the Eastern Highlands and Lowlands, if memory serves right, and the Western Highlands.

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There were also 2 hamlets. Owl's Nest, which most are familiar with who played 1.0 throughout, and then there was Falcon's Nest, whom almost the majority did not really know about. Both 1.0 and 2.0 players alike.

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Among the many, many, many other secretly hidden dungeons in the zone, and other sparse landmarks that could be found, there was something special about Falcon's Nest. In the back of the hamlet, which was nestled within a mountainous alcove, had this one house. Each house located sported a sign if front of their door to signify that they were a leatherworker's shop, or a weaver's shop, and so on. However, this one house had a sign that NO ONE had EVER seen or heard of before.

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Puzzled by our recent discovery, we checked online to find answers and not a single soul mentioned any word about it at the time, nor had any screenshots been promotional or presented to any outlet. We began wondering what it could be and what was it's purpose here of all places?

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Being an Eorzean explorian, I can assure my readers that this icon was found absolutely NOWHERE else in the entire history of FF XIV. That includes both 1.0 AND 2.0.

It was never released in any of the art books, nor online by any of the developers. So, in 2010, with the way the game shaped out to be, this supposed discipline never came to fruition and was lost in the Calamity when Falcon's Nest became blocked off due to Snowcloak forming where the entrance to the Gargoyle Bridge once was found.

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(Here are a few back-shots of the same house with the mysterious sign on it)

The pen in the back made us think of Shepherd, which was a leaked class that was considered for 1.0 back then as a DoL of sorts dealing with animals. OR, my personal fan favorite, Beastmaster, due to the antler/horn-like appearance of the discipline's icon. Who knows?

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Jump to the year 2014, 4 or so years later. Give or take a Calamity or two?

So, I printed out a copy of the image and brought it with me to Fanfest to finally get my answer after 4 long years. Unfortunately, my time was extremely limited and a rampant line of fans seeking autographs from the amazing Fernehalwes was starting to build up to primal-like proportions and I had to wrap things up swiftly!

I could not get an answer to this question there, and I may have reached a topic that could get him in trouble due to the secrecy of the subject, but I think I may have awoken a memory that laid dormant for several years or so. So, with much interest, and for the sake of a tight schedule, he instructed me to post this on the official lore forums to get back with some words of wisdom! He seemed very much reminded of something when he saw the image above, as if it was something he had not seen for a long, long time, and that moment I was ecstatic to say the least that he remembered working on it! Thank you, Ferne!

I now reserve this space for Fernehalwes to swoop in from the void and give some further insight for curious lorians (is that even a word?) to hopefully quench their "loregasms" (now THAT is a word I would vote for!). Most likely when he gets some free-time after the London Fanfest. We'll see!

Anyway, thank you very much Michael Christopher Koji Fox for taking a moment of your insanely busy schedule to say hello to me and share some really awesome words or lore wisdom! The panels were a real treat to watch there in person! I definitely look forward to the next Fanfest in the US!

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As an added bonus, here's an old drawing from a while back that I briefly threw together for them as a means to say thank you! (That drawing is so outdated that Camate was still the snurble at the time!) Enjoy!

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If you have any questions, or would like to have some fun and talk about Coerthas and the lore, (or even the images above?!) don't be afraid to ask!

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[Empressia]

Falcon's Nest and a VERY BOW LIKE symbol, u sure u didn't enter the building or meet any NPCs that would best described as TOP SECRET REAL RANGED DPS CLASS in the future?

[Leonesaurus]

Falcon's Nest and a VERY BOW LIKE symbol, u sure u didn't enter the building or meet any NPCs that would best described as TOP SECRET REAL RANGED DPS CLASS in the future?

Unfortunately, I could not enter the buildings back then. The idea of it being some sort of bow is interesting, even though I'm inclined to lean otherwise to something else. It's a worthy observation!

[Satty]

Yes, want to hear more about this plz.

[Grayve]

My curiosity is awakened... let's hope for an answer! To me, they look kind of like stag horns or antlers. Maybe some hunter guild to gather leather? ( I didn't play 1.0.)

[Evane]

The guild was supposed to be the shepards' guild. Something from the Tanaka era. Here is a list of classes that were supposed to be in the game before it tanked.

[Chewy2nd]

They could possibly repurpose it as something else for 3.0, I hope that area of Coerthas makes a return too! Awesome seeing pics of what it used to look like.

[Morningstar1337]

The guild was supposed to be the shepards' guild. Something from the Tanaka era. Here is a list of classes that were supposed to be in the game before it tanked.

There are also Mystic, Flayer, Samurai, Fencer and Enfocer classes. Maybe the expansion will see the return of some of them (ARR did bring back Arcanist)

[Leonesaurus]

The guild was supposed to be the shepards' guild. Something from the Tanaka era. Here is a list of classes that were supposed to be in the game before it tanked.

Yep! This is the same chart that we referred to back then when we were considering what class it might have been. We always thought it was Shepherd or a possible Beastmaster considering the empty animal pen out back with feed in the trough.

[Galuizu]

Start the Fernehalwes summoning ritual! Where is my sacrificial Lalafell?