Fun Lore Facts

[Beytran70]

Hey all! Inspired by something I ran across randomly the other day in Limsa Lominsa to make a thread here that may be on the more fun side and less debate-ey. I want to hear all the little lore tidbits you've run across in game that don't have major narrative significance or even really impact anything that much, but add interesting flavor or information that you think most people are unaware of. For the purposes of this thread, NPC flavor dialogue is as canon as words from the devs themselves.

That said, my example is that Limsa Lominsa apparently has background checks required for people to purchase or own certain firearms. This tidbit is brought to you by dialogue in the Marauders/Musketeer's Guild in Limsa Lominsa where a bright-eyed young lad is complaining to a soldier about it, and the soldier tells him its the Admiral's orders. See image below.

[Cleretic]

My favorite 'in-universe' lore fact is probably the existence of Syndicate member Eolande Quiveron. She appeared in 1.0 and not in 2.0, with it generally being implied that she died after the Calamity, presumed assassinated, with her Syndicate seat being taken up by Godbert Manderville. The only place she appears in the live game is as a randomly spawning enemy in Palace of the Dead, where she doesn't even get named.

She's also a Duskwight, making her one of the very few main-story Duskwight characters. In fact, she's one of only two or three depending on if you count Ysayle (ancillary fun fact: while Ysayle has a Duskwight model, the Duskwight/Wildwood split happened after Ishgard closed its gates, so she and all Duskwight-looking Ishgardians aren't actually Duskwight). And the other one is Mother Miounne.


My favorite 'out of universe' lore fact, though, I mentioned when I made a recent video on FFXIV's political environment: 'satrap' is an actual title used for a provincial ruler in a number of empires that stems from the first Persian empire. Which, given who FFXIV's satrap is, is really clever.

They didn't give the satrap a title of a lesser ruler just because it sounded cool; they gave the Satrap a title of a lesser ruler because he is one and is hiding that.

[Beytran70]

My favorite 'in-universe' lore fact is probably the existence of Syndicate member Eolande Quiveron. She appeared in 1.0 and not in 2.0, with it generally being implied that she died after the Calamity, presumed assassinated, with her Syndicate seat being taken up by Godbert Manderville. The only place she appears in the live game is as a randomly spawning enemy in Palace of the Dead, where she doesn't even get named.

I didn't know some of this backstory, but doesn't part of this lore also get brought up during a couple quests and a FATE in Thanalan where someone is pretending to be Quiveron or the like? Either way, great additions, and definitely in the spirit of this thread.

[Brightamethyst]

The wings and fins on DRG gear are actually flight stabilizers for more accurate and powerful jumps.

[MikkoAkure]

She's also a Duskwight, making her one of the very few main-story Duskwight characters. In fact, she's one of only two or three depending on if you count Ysayle (ancillary fun fact: while Ysayle has a Duskwight model, the Duskwight/Wildwood split happened after Ishgard closed its gates, so she and all Duskwight-looking Ishgardians aren't actually Duskwight). And the other one is Mother Miounne.

Miounne is considered to be a Wildwood according to the lore book, despite the model she's actually using. I'm not sure if that was a mistake in the lorebook or like F'lhaminn, she uses a model different than what matches what she identifies as. That leaves us with no main story Duskwights and the rest are scattered NPCs. The most notable Duskwights in the game are Atelloune who is the world's leading biologist, Foulques from the lancer quests, Liavinne from the Edda stuff joined the Scions later but then was killed in the attack, the elezen guy who hangs around Gaius in the Weapon quests, and the old Serpent Commander from 1.0 whose name escapes me.

Also A LOT of Ishgardians use the Duskwight model, not just Ysayle. But they're considered to be "Ishgardian Elezen" and not Wildwood or Duskwight since those types are isolated to the Shroud. The closed Ishgard gates are a very recent thing going back only about 15 years, but the Elezen of the Twelveswood split from the Ishgardian Elezen 1300 years ago.


Not sure I have a favorite in-universe lore fact. There's a lot of little things I want to know more about but get glossed over. I know from item descriptions that miqo'te occultists and alchemists exist and that's really neat but we haven't seen any.

[AnimaAnimus]

Miounne is considered to be a Wildwood according to the lore book, despite the model she's actually using.

The lore book was stated by SE to not be 100% accurate because it's the lore as the ppl of Eorzea know it, not as we experience it. So, if they ever wanna change the lore they can without lore book complications.

Meaning that it could be Momma Mi is in fact a duskwight, but due to the stigma around them, she chooses to tell people she is wildwood instead, so she is recorded as being a wildwood in things like the lore book. Which in and of itself gives us a good idea on just how the duskwights are perceived. If you have some of them denying their heritage and "passing" for wildwood, that means things are worse than we think, which mirrors the real world if you look up the history of "passing" before, during and after the civil rights movement in the US.

[Enkidoh]

Re the MSK Guild, I took the 'background check' thing to be also a meta thing, a handwave meant to explain why the MSK class has never been available to adventurers even back in 1.0 (as in, players) - they'd have to wait too long to get their gun license!

[ArcaviusGreyashe]

If you have some of them denying their heritage and "passing" for wildwood, that means things are worse than we think, which mirrors the real world if you look up the history of "passing" before, during and after the civil rights movement in the US.

And that's projecting. I do think this is the case, due to other hints at it, but you just extrapolated that from a statement SE made to aknowledge the fact that they will eventually rewrite part of the lore (for example, how aether works), and that what's in the lore book is only true as long as we don't have other official statements. We should not use this as a foundation for how we perceive the world.

Regarding the amount of duskwights in Ishgard, it's because, as Cleretic said, duskwights don't really exist before Ishgard was founded. Duskwights are just elezens that went to gelmorra after the sixth umbral era, and eventually came back to the surface, but it's not realistic to expect an entire race staying in gelmorra for thousand of years, there are probably duskwights from different generations. Some of them must have left one or two centuries after the sixth UE, meaning they could migrate to Ishgard, some, probably like Miounne's family did, came out 5 or 6 centuries ago, and have little to nothing in common with what we call duskwights, aka those that left gelmorra one or two century ago (and therefore, refer to themselves as wildwood because they might not even know they are of duskwight descent)... Duskwights are a gradient, not an absolute.

[Iscah]

Also A LOT of Ishgardians use the Duskwight model, not just Ysayle. But they're considered to be "Ishgardian Elezen" and not Wildwood or Duskwight since those types are isolated to the Shroud.

From when I was a bit obsessed with poking through all the character data, I was looking up a lot of the Heavensward characters and I don't recall many being Duskwight models – from memory the only three are Ysayle, Grinnaux and surprisingly Edmont (but not his sons). Most of the dark-skinned ones are still Wildwood, and I don't recall any being distinctly grey Duskwight rather than brown.

As a giveaway that doesn't need you to look up character data, if an Elezen is wearing the large flat 'ear clasp' earrings, that's a specific Wildwood customisation option that Duskwights don't have. (I think female Duskwights might get a daintier version from their extra options though, but I'd need to check.)

[MikkoAkure]

From when I was a bit obsessed with poking through all the character data, I was looking up a lot of the Heavensward characters and I don't recall many being Duskwight models – from memory the only three are Ysayle, Grinnaux and surprisingly Edmont (but not his sons). Most of the dark-skinned ones are still Wildwood, and I don't recall any being distinctly grey Duskwight rather than brown.

As a giveaway that doesn't need you to look up character data, if an Elezen is wearing the large flat 'ear clasp' earrings, that's a specific Wildwood customisation option that Duskwights don't have. (I think female Duskwights might get a daintier version from their extra options though, but I'd need to check.)

I was certain that a lot of the super pale ones around Ishgard were duskwights. Jandelaine (the aesthetician) definitely uses a duskwight model.

The lore book was stated by SE to not be 100% accurate because it's the lore as the ppl of Eorzea know it, not as we experience it. So, if they ever wanna change the lore they can without lore book complications.

Meaning that it could be Momma Mi is in fact a duskwight, but due to the stigma around them, she chooses to tell people she is wildwood instead, so she is recorded as being a wildwood in things like the lore book. Which in and of itself gives us a good idea on just how the duskwights are perceived. If you have some of them denying their heritage and "passing" for wildwood, that means things are worse than we think, which mirrors the real world if you look up the history of "passing" before, during and after the civil rights movement in the US.

I don't think it's that deep. Miounne being a Wildwood would more likely be a lore book error, of which there are many. There are some things that make more sense to be "purposefully wrong lore" than someone's subrace. Considering the world's premier biologist and the prior Serpent Commander are Duskwights, I don't think there's a reason for Mionne to hide who she is. There are other duskwight NPCs scattered around Gridania per the game's character data as well.