Aetherytes, Garleans, and You!

[Yuriane]

Still doesn't really explain how Lahabrea popped all those people out of the Lifestream, at the exact spot they needed to be, when said spot had no aetherial beacon even in the vicinity. I mean, you could just handwave it by saying "He's an all-powerful Ascian", but what he did goes against the basic facts of how teleportation works in this world.

I've actually recently replayed that part of the game on an alt and you'll be pleased to know we're actually provided an answer to this before the raid. After defeating Titan, we get a short cut scene showing Nero, Lahabrea, and the Roegadyn guy who never ended up being relevant. We also see Y'shtola spying on them, and she notes that Ascians have access to unique teleportation magic of their own that they can manifest at will. Seeing as the Ascian itself is a being of pure aether, this isn't surprising that they can manipulate it to such a great extent that they can ignore the normal rules of teleportation. Less a fact they're all powerful and more the fact it's their natural habitat.

As for the question of why Thancred, I think that might have been pure chance? Thancred was in charge of studying the Ascians once their involvement was brought to light, he likely got literally too close and was a convenient host with many perks.

[Jyera]

Thanks for the comprehensive answer! I guess this means that Cid and Lucia have to travel by airship only?

Full disclosure: I'm asking for nefarious reasons. I'm writing a fic involving Cid, and it occurred to me that he can't just use the aetheryte from Rhalgr's Reach to get to Foundation.

-scoots closer- Do tell. ;]

And, I'm not precisely sure. The only teleporter I can remember Cid using off the top of my head is the Allagan terminal in 3.56 MSQ, unless you count going back and forth between Eorzea and Omega's clubhouse. He doesn't seem to be able to enter Alexander Prime's time bubble, and didn't catch up to us in the Crystal Tower until we cleared out a direct footpath. I don't recall him teleporting anywhere in 1.0, either. Hmm...

Is it still canon that 'anima' is how normies and WoLs use aetherytes?

[Rongway]

Is it still canon that 'anima' is how normies and WoLs use aetherytes?

I don't have the exact time and place written down, but I think it was in the House of the Fierce where Alphinaud remarked that most people are "not as replete with anima" as the WoL, or something to that effect, preventing them from teleporting to and fro so freely.

[YianKutku]

I don't have the exact time and place written down, but I think it was in the House of the Fierce where Alphinaud remarked that most people are "not as replete with anima" as the WoL, or something to that effect, preventing them from teleporting to and fro so freely.

Context was Alphinaud and Alisaie completing repairs on the aetheryte in the House of the Fierce, yes.

Image (nothing interesting, just confirmation):

[Enkidoh]

Even long before that reference though, there was already mention in the game about anima still being the factor behind whether someone could teleport or not (and how often) - the gate guard next to the aetheryte in each of the three starting city states will explain about this if you speak to them as early as when you first attuned to it at the start of the game:

"As Return merely involves allowing the body to be drawn back to the strongest aetherial beacon - one's home point - it is fairly easy to execute and requires very little spiritual exertion. Usually a few moments of rest is all that is needed before it is safe to attempt another jump."
"Teleportation on the other hand, comes with a greater price. A great deal of spiritual energy known as 'anima' is required to fight the natural flow of the Lifestream and guide one's body and soul to a comparatively weak aetherial beacon."
"If one's body lacks sufficient anima, teleporting to a location may prove impossible. Luckily for most of us, anima is restored quickly and should not prohibit regular travel."

And connected to that, the in-game Help window on teleporting actually mentions about anima as well, although it does not actually refer to it by name:

"Unlike other spells, Teleport does not require MP to cast, but a type of naturally regenerating spiritual energy."

Additionally, not long after ARR's launch an official lore post by Camate in this forum clarified the situation: anima is the body's aetheric tolerance to teleportation, but not everyone has the same consistent 'anima level', some people have higher anima than others, with some having virtually none, thus this means those with low anima can only teleport a few times before needing 'to rest' compared to others. The player's character, by contrast, was mentioned as having a 'very high' anima level and so could teleport constantly with no ill effect (this was basically the explanation for the gameplay replacement of anima cost for teleporting with a cost in gil, the later written into the story as a tax used to pay off the high cost of rebuilding the aetheryte network after the original one was destroyed in the Calamity), which also works towards explaining also why pure-born Garleans cannot teleport as well by extension, as quoted below:

Why doesn't everyone use aetherytes?
To traverse the Lifestream safely with Teleport and Return requires a great deal of spiritual energy, known as anima. While many individuals, such as adventurers, possess the fortitude to endure such travel, some individuals do not. What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

Presumably this is also the core reason why Thancred in Heavensward and beyond can no longer teleport as well as pure-born Garleans not being able to teleport at all - he probably has virtually no anima at all now due to Flow stripping it from him, and pure-born Garleans have never had any significant anima to start off with.

[Mysterysword]

It makes me wonder, if only a fraction of the population can actually use aetherytes regularly, why so much money is sunk into maintaining all the crystals. Does the cost benefit of being able to teleport really outweigh simply travelling by traditional methods?

Especially when it seems like you can't teleport a large amount of physical items or goods with you.

For that matter, does travelling via aetheryte shard also deplete anima?

[ObsidianFire]

I remember reading somewhere that Return is often cast when people go unconscious, aka why we show up at our homepoint when KOed. For most people, they're more of an emergency measure then anything else. That said, there's so many people who can make regular use of anima/teleport, that taking away fast travel doen't make economic sense. It would essentially cause the adventurer system to grind to a halt for the most part. I got the feeling that a lot of the large-scale side-quests exist because most adventurers can get around the realm faster then the people hiring them can.

[PArcher]

It makes me wonder, if only a fraction of the population can actually use aetherytes regularly, why so much money is sunk into maintaining all the crystals. Does the cost benefit of being able to teleport really outweigh simply travelling by traditional methods?

Especially when it seems like you can't teleport a large amount of physical items or goods with you.

For that matter, does travelling via aetheryte shard also deplete anima?

I wonder if comparing Aetheryte travel (Teleport) to air travel IRL would be good. Anyone can use it is they have the money/Anima and all.

As for Aethernet (city) travel, what about comparing it to subway or bus travel? Much more accessible, but still has a minor cost