On Primal Summoning

[MercuryD]

As for the egi, they don't drain the summoner as the summoner uses part of their aether and part of the primal aether to form the pet. It's a set amount so there is no need to drain the summoner or the land. Same reason for the inability to manifest any more egi: aetheric limitations.

[Vulcwen]

To bring in some head-canon speculation on meta-physics :P

Aether is like what sub-atomic particles are in the real world.. Everything is made out of it, and how things behave depends on how those particles are ordered and move (roughly). I'd imagine physical manifestations in Eorzea are just stable structures of different types of aether mixed together. I'd guess something can be considered an aetherial construct when that aether is in a non-stable form, naturally wanting to return to stable situation, which would be to return to the lifestream, later seeping back into the land in the form of water, heat, minerals etc. There are ways to trap things in a non-stable form, by ensuring it can only return to the lifestream after an even less stable situation is reached, this however costs energy, energy that can be extracted from various forms of aether.

Primals being really large aetherial constructs would need a lot of energy to sustain their forms, while smaller constructs like egi's and carbuncles can do with the energy that their owner gets from eating :P A primary difference between primals and other constructs would then simply be the ability of a primal of drawing aether from the land, without that ability, they'd not be able to exist for more than a few seconds.

[Zojha]

In doing this they still drain and permanently consume the aether around them, because they're still primals, and that's just what primals do. :P

And that is what I find so odd. "It's just what primals do" probably sums it up - It's not meant to make sense, it's just a rule full stop.

I mean, let's assume we do not drain the land for now, because that would make the whole MSQ somewhat odd. Fact is: We dissolve our body into aether, travel the lifestream as a bunch of aether, then reconstruct our body elsewhere from that aether when we use teleport/flow. What stops a dead person from reconstructing their body from aether in the same way? It makes sense that they would require "some" aether to build a new body - we also require aether to rebuild our own - but why would they need more afterwards if we don't? And why does a primal require further aether for sustenance? Our bodies, the bodies of ghosts and the bodies of primals are all made of the exact same thing, namely pure aether, yet the rules are different. Why?

Moreover, yes, carbuncles etc are using your own aether. But where did that aether come from and where does it go? As far as I'm aware, from the lifestream - or in other words, the land. And what happens if something is lost on the way, be it because it's consumed by a primal or something else? It's missing in the end.

Your theories are all nice and easily understandable when standing alone, but they don't make much sense when put together. As such, I'm inclined to conclude it is not because, it simply is and trying to interpret more into it would only lead to headaches.

[PArcher]

Primals don't drain Aether like a black hole and destroy it; they corrupt it and make it unable to rejoin the lifestream like anything else's aether. Its still technically aether, and can still be used by some things (like the Manacutters. They specifically use a corrupted crystal engine, and most of the corrupted crystals we have right now are from when Bahamut went on rampage. Others can be found after a Primal summoning...), but the natural order rejects it (its basically poison to the Lifestream now)


EDIT: Hmm...maybe not worded the best. But basically, Primals consume aether and corrupt it. Corrupted aether can't be used by natural things or return to the lifestream, and thus manifests as corrupted crystals after a Primal is banished (or just goes through an area). "Natural" aether is recyclable, moving between living things, the world (ambient aether...the stuff CNJ/WHM use to cast spells) and the lifestream in cycles.

[Sounsyy]

It makes sense that they would require "some" aether to build a new body - we also require aether to rebuild our own - but why would they need more afterwards if we don't? And why does a primal require further aether for sustenance? Our bodies, the bodies of ghosts and the bodies of primals are all made of the exact same thing, namely pure aether, yet the rules are different. Why?

The rules are different because Primals do not exist on the physical plane naturally. They are aether manifested into the will of the summoner. In order to maintain a corporeal form to match the willpower or faith which summoned them, they must continuously consume aether - and in massive quantities. A primal does not eat or drink like we do to sustain ourselves, so they must maintain their corporeal form by taking aether from the land.

Some scholars have expanded upon this hypothesis saying that the consumption of food serves not only to fill the belly, but to provide the body with aether lost through exertion.

In the summoning of carbuncles and egis, the arcanist allocates a portion of their own aether in the summoning ritual which maintains the form statically. And when teleporting, we break down the aether which makes up our bodies around our soul and transports it along the Lifestream to a new location where it is rebuilt using the same aether. In this way our aether is neither lost nor gained.

Unlike arcanima or teleportation, primals are "making something out of nothing," which is what requires the heavy toll on the world's aether.

Primal Summoning:

You see, in order to remain in our plane of existence, a primal must needs devour prodigious amounts of aether - the energy bound in crystals and at large throughout all creation. Consequently, the land is slowly but surely being drained of its aether, and the day fast approaches when the fount will run dry. Should that happen, what then? Why, all life in Eorzea will end. Even as we speak, the land bleeds, with every passing moment another ilm closer to death. And die it surely will - unless we purge it of its blight. Aye, I speak of the primals.

Having manifested in the physical realm, primals must consume aether if they are to maintain their presence here. And the stronger they become, the more aether they require. Now, aether exists throughout creation. It flows through all life, and permeates the very air that we breathe. Alas, this alone will not suffice to sustain the likes of Ifrit. Nay, he and his kind require a more concentrated source of aether─crystals. Which leaves us with the why of the abductions. To understand this, you must first understand how primals are born. When all is well with the world, primals possess no physical form. Their essence is dispersed across the great river of aether.

However, when the world is plunged into chaos, those who worship the primals cry out to their gods for deliverance from suffering. These cries serve as a beacon toward which a primal's essence is irresistibly drawn. It is this coming together─or “aetheric coalescence”─which grants the beings physical form. Once born, a primal gains strength from its followers' worship. The more numerous and fervent they are, the more powerful their god becomes.

Like all primals, Alexander constantly draws aether from its surroundings both to sustain itself and to gain in strength.

Finally, in addition to the chaos wrought by the beings themselves, the very act of summoning can have adverse effects on the land. The aether required in the summoning and maintaining of the creature's corporeal form will, without fail, draw overmuch from the surrounding environment's life energy, turning once-lush areas into wastelands and disrupting the very balance of the world itself.

Aetheryte Teleportation:

Though the exact mechanism behind teleportation via aetheryte is still largely a mystery, one theory states that when a sentient being approaches one of the portals, the aether that makes up its body resonates with the aether of the crystals, which in turn results in a complete breakdown of the being’s mass, allowing it to temporarily return to the invisible aetheric streams that course throughout the planet.

The being’s soul, which cannot be broken down, then guides the particles to a predetermined destination, and upon arrival, the corresponding aetheryte receptacle reconfigures the mist back into its original form. This whole process takes only a matter of moments, allowing for nearly instant transportation to faraway destinations.

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But basically, Primals consume aether and corrupt it. Corrupted aether can't be used by natural things or return to the lifestream, and thus manifests as corrupted crystals after a Primal is banished (or just goes through an area).

Having done a lot of research on corrupted aether and crystals before, I've never run across an instance where a Primal's existence exuded corrupted aether. Most references to corrupted aether and crystals reference the Calamity as the cause (though corruption existed beforehand), citing the wounds caused by the falling shards of Dalamud or the destruction wrought by Bahamut's flares.

Tell me, have you ever seen corrupted crystals such as these? Such crystals manifested across the realm when the course of the great river of aether was irrevocably altered five years ago. Behold one of the objects that caused that alteration: a fragment of the lesser moon, Dalamud. Ancient Allag created Dalamud─or Meteor, to use the Garlean name─to serve as a celestial prison for Bahamut. Its fall inflicted grievous wounds upon the land─wounds that have yet to heal, as is evident from the corrupted crystals.

According to Domitien, the red moon's growing proximity is wreaking havoc on the natural balance of the elements. As evidence to support this claim, he points to the recent and wide-ranging discovery of crystals that either exhibit an extreme concentration of a particular elemental property, or appear to have lost any such properties altogether. And what might the consequences of such a disruption to elemental balance entail? Domitien hypothesizes that the disturbance could give rise to peculiarities among monstrous wildlife, as well as alter the flow of aetheric energy. This last point is especially worrisome, as the “rivers” of aether that run through the land are what make instantaneous travel between aetheryte locations possible. Should the aetheric flow become sufficiently warped, it may well prevent us from using aetherytes altogether.

We speak of the manifestations of over-aspected aether that can be found throughout Eorzea. Since the Calamity disrupted the land's aetheric currents, such crystals have become comparatively commonplace. ...Which has been a cause of great woe, as they are known to warp aetheric energies, including those of living organisms.

Since the Calamity, there has been much imbalance in the elements. Founts of over-aspected aether erupt from the soil and manifest into corrupted crystals. These crystals, in turn, attract the most unsavory of creatures, the most common of all being elemental sprites who, upon absorbing the crystals, become corrupted themselves. The Brass Blades are seeking adventurers to comb the desert and find the crystals, slaying any corrupted sprites encountered.

Bahamut's presence itself doesn't corrupt the aether, as that would make Louisoix's plan to defeat the elder primal as Phoenix and return his stolen aether to rebirth the realm kind of silly. The problem with the plan was that Bahamut was immediately resummoned by his in-stasis followers and drank back the aether slowly while he recovered beneath the coils.

[Naraku_Diabolos]

If you think about it, Primals are "elemental" beings. Say for example in real life, a hurricane consists of water and wind, and also moisture. It draws that from our Earth in order to take a form. Without water, wind, and moisture, it gets weaker and dies. That's why a hurricane is at its strongest when over the ocean, but right after it makes landfall it starts to weaken because it can't draw up vast amounts of water, air, and moisture. Then it dies. Using a hurricane as an example for how a Primal is, it makes sense.

[Balipu]

If you think about it, Primals are "elemental" beings. Say for example in real life, a hurricane consists of water and wind, and also moisture. It draws that from our Earth in order to take a form. Without water, wind, and moisture, it gets weaker and dies. That's why a hurricane is at its strongest when over the ocean, but right after it makes landfall it starts to weaken because it can't draw up vast amounts of water, air, and moisture. Then it dies. Using a hurricane as an example for how a Primal is, it makes sense.

Also Hurricanes destroy everything in their path. Just like Primals.

[Zohar_Lahar]

I wonder though, why do ordinary lifeforms on Hydaelyn not consume aether in the way primals (and by extension voidsent) do? Even the ancient Great Wyrms apparently don't bleed the land dry with their aether battery eyes.

[Dualblade]

As it currently stands no, there is no way to summon a full-on Primal that doesn't suck aether out of the land just by existing.

BUT one crucial thing could change this. Directly or indirectly everyone who has learned how to summon Primals learned from the Ascians...and if the Ascians are giving a flawed and/or corrupted form of summoning out to insure their goals are reached? Then it is possible there is a "pure" summoning method that doesn't constantly drain aether. Though it wouldn't surprise me if it would still take quite a bit of aether for the inital summoning though it might just pass back to the land upon primal despawn.

[Sounsyy]

I wonder though, why do ordinary lifeforms on Hydaelyn not consume aether in the way primals (and by extension voidsent) do? Even the ancient Great Wyrms apparently don't bleed the land dry with their aether battery eyes.

Like I said above, because ordinary lifeforms on Hydaelyn who are born on this physical plane have their own corporeal form that was formed naturally. This is not the case with the Primals (who must drain aether to maintain a form that does not belong or occur naturally in this world) and Voidsent (who are beings starved for aether due to their Reflection of the Source being consumed by darkness and becoming void of aether).

Additionally, we do actually consume aether to restore and sustain us - only we uptake this aether in the form of food and water.

Some scholars have expanded upon this hypothesis saying that the consumption of food serves not only to fill the belly, but to provide the body with aether lost through exertion.