What are "The Elementals" of the Black Shroud?

[SannaR]

It's not just a 'similar' model, they are literally elementals, with a sidequest in Elpis actually finally revealing what they really are and why they're so difficult to communicate with:

the elementals were actually familiars created by the Ancients to regulate aether in the environment, but, for some reason that wasn't adequetly explained there, they were designed not to communicate normally but to communicate via information carried on the aether, which made them obtuse even to their creators (presumedly this was done to allow them to communicate across vast distances).

The quest specifically dealt with one of those elementals being given a task that due to encountering a situation it was not 'programmed' for, it ended up stuck in a feedback loop that the player had to try and resolve (bascially, it was sent to fetch someone but the person it was meant to speak to was asleep, and it wasn't programmed to deal with that - simply poking the person in emote woke them and the elemental was able to continue in it's task). Because of this, it's entirelly probable that the Final Days and the Sundering... "broke" them and made them take their directive of "protect the environment and regulate it's aether" far too zealously.

The Elpis sidequest in question is called "Woken By the Familiar" incidentally for those wanting more information.

Oh yeah. I had done that quest but had forgotten that it delt with an elemental. I just remembered those three that are near Poieten Oikos if I'm remembering correctly.

[MikkoAkure]

It's not just a 'similar' model, they are literally elementals, with a sidequest in Elpis actually finally revealing what they really are and why they're so difficult to communicate with

It's kind of a bummer when mystical, magical things like the Elementals as well as basically every monster and even at least one beastman race can be traced back to "a bored Ancient did it".

[JeanneOrnitier]

In addition to seeing them in Eureka, they fit pretty perfectly with the Viera's Voice of the Wood.

[Veloran]

There's some indication that there's more to the Elementals than just the sprites we see. In the Dark Knight quests for example, it's hinted that there's some kind of familiarity between the Elementals of the Twelveswood and Dragonkind. Probably the most out there theory on this front I've heard is that the Gridanian Elementals which inhabit the wood are actually the spirits of dead dragons, which don't naturally reincarnate through the Lifestream due to their nature as being alien to the star. This could also go a ways towards explaining the nature of the Padjal, and those horns of theirs.

[sidurgu-12]

It's kind of a bummer when mystical, magical things like the Elementals as well as basically every monster and even at least one beastman race can be traced back to "a bored Ancient did it".

as much as i love ew and elpis in general that section basically shrank the world for me. its also why im (not really) obsessively hoping the twelve are who they say they are. (also why im hoping its not a "we don't need gods" story.)

edit:....feels like ive said this before lol.

[Brightamethyst]

It's kind of a bummer when mystical, magical things like the Elementals as well as basically every monster and even at least one beastman race can be traced back to "a bored Ancient did it".

To be fair, we knew some of the beastmen were "artificial" as far back as Heavensward.

In general I agree though. I'm really tired of everything boiling down to "because Ascians/Allagans."

[Cleretic]

To be fair, we knew some of the beastmen were "artificial" as far back as Heavensward.

In general I agree though. I'm really tired of everything boiling down to "because Ascians/Allagans."

The fun part of that is that as of Emet-Selch's first appearance in the 4.x patches, 'because Allagans' also counts as 'because Ascians'. As does 'because Garleans'! This has gone entirely too far, let's foster some home-grown villainy!

This is exactly why we need more of the Syndicate. THOSE guys aren't puppeted by ghost wizards, they're just motivated by money!

[Rangiswimming]

Bringing Dark Knight quests also reminds me of a working theory of mine:

Back in ARR the padjal in Quarrymill tells you that the Elementals refused to give aid to one ailing Ala-Mhigan. In the DRK Stormblood quests you learn that the Ala Mhigan you procured the medicine to, gave it to somebody else that ended up as Ilberd's high ranking paw.

Could this be the reason why they refused to aid them? Because doing this would ultimately bring war to the twelveswood?

[Cleretic]

Bringing Dark Knight quests also reminds me of a working theory of mine:

Back in ARR the padjal in Quarrymill tells you that the Elementals refused to give aid to one ailing Ala-Mhigan. In the DRK Stormblood quests you learn that the Ala Mhigan you procured the medicine to, gave it to somebody else that ended up as Ilberd's high ranking paw.

Could this be the reason why they refused to aid them? Because doing this would ultimately bring war to the twelveswood?

I don't think we can assume Elementals to be capable of declaring someone guilty of precrime. Mostly because then the tank role quest wouldn't make sense; if they can see that about someone beforehand, why would they have selected that kid as a Padjali when he'd only go on to disappoint and hurt them?

More likely, it goes in the opposite direction, fueled by the Elementals' prejudices; they refuse aid to an Ala Mhigan because they still hold a grudge over the Autumn War, thereby radicalizing the Ala Mhigans that need the help they refused to give. Basically Ilberd's story, only the institution is magical instead of just capitalist.

[Cleretic]

I hate performing thread necromancy, and double-posting on top of it, but this thread is literally the very first Google result when I try to look for corroborating evidence (and none of the others are very useful) and I really need some verification on this one.

It's not just a 'similar' model, they are literally elementals, with a sidequest in Elpis actually finally revealing what they really are and why they're so difficult to communicate with:

the elementals were actually familiars created by the Ancients to regulate aether in the environment, but, for some reason that wasn't adequetly explained there, they were designed not to communicate normally but to communicate via information carried on the aether, which made them obtuse even to their creators (presumedly this was done to allow them to communicate across vast distances).

The quest specifically dealt with one of those elementals being given a task that due to encountering a situation it was not 'programmed' for, it ended up stuck in a feedback loop that the player had to try and resolve (bascially, it was sent to fetch someone but the person it was meant to speak to was asleep, and it wasn't programmed to deal with that - simply poking the person in emote woke them and the elemental was able to continue in it's task). Because of this, it's entirelly probable that the Final Days and the Sundering... "broke" them and made them take their directive of "protect the environment and regulate it's aether" far too zealously.

The Elpis sidequest in question is called "Woken By the Familiar" incidentally for those wanting more information.

So... can anyone actually find a quest or NPC that says the Elementals were designed as aetheric regulators by the Ancients? Because Woken by the Familiar doesn't. (And I checked another NPC that's hanging around other Elemental models, he doesn't either.)

I wouldn't be asking this if it didn't sound legit, that seems like exactly something that might've been said somewhere, otherwise I'd just dismiss this out of hand. But if this is actually true I'd REALLY like some evidence, because that factors in pretty heavily to a video I'm working on.