Various lore trivia questions

[DentiusChestus]

Finally getting around to asking some lore questions I can't find the answers to. Maybe encyclopedia 2 has some of them but I can't get my hands on one.

For starters, do we know the name of Limsa's previous admiral? The one who was assassinated by Sthalmann and friends? How about their appearance?

Second, do we have any idea what garleans use for currency? I really thought I was missing something obvious with this one, but I can't find a thing. If I had to come up with something, I imagine they would use coins minted with the images of their emperors and legati, and more recently perhaps paper bills similar to company seals.

Third, is Bozja explicitly considered a nation or province, or was it just a city? Both? I can't find any specifics. The field notes for many of the save the queen characters mention all sorts of Ilsabardian cities and areas we have no clue about, even from maps. Were these part of "Bozja?" Dalmasca? Who knows. The citadel being called Bozja Citadel seems to imply it stood in the capital city Bozja, but I can't find anything definitively proving anything.

I'd love to get some answers on these if any real ones exist yet. I'm trying to put together some D&D material and these would help with the flavor.

[MikkoAkure]

I can’t find answers for the first two questions. The admiral before Merlwyb was male and there’s names of some other admirals in the past long ago and that’s about it.

I can’t find anything on the name of Garlean currency, but I would doubt they would put legati on the face of them. You wouldn’t want to increase the political power of someone with existing military power by putting their face on a coin. That’s just asking for a coup. As you can see from two Garlean civil wars and multiple legions that have gone rogue, the soldiers already seem to have more loyalty to their legatus than whoever is sitting on the throne.

For the third, Bozja was a country, and is now a province. Bozja Citadel was the capital, but there’s at least one other city, Martrvje, which is a port city of 200,000 people. The field records also mention a location called “Zentina’s Grace” that’s in Bozja. Keep in mind that 200,000 is utterly gigantic and is equal to London in 1600.

If you look at the field records, if someone is confirmed to be from a city or town, it will say [city/town name], [country name]. That’s how we can tell which cities being mentioned are in Landis, Dalmasca, Nagxia, or Bozja.

[Enkidoh]

We did see some of of the Empire's currency physically back in ShB when Fannyboy throws coins around in the Imperial throne room (it was his introduction as I recall), but I don't think he ever said what the name of the Imperial currency was.

I think SE deliberately kept it vague so as to avoid having to answer questions later in EW why Garlean vendors (namely, the ones in Tertium Station) are accepting gil.

[Cleretic]

It wouldn't be especially weird if Garleans actually did accept other currencies. When the Nazis conquered part of France, they didn't enforce use of the Reichsmark because that's just not especially worthwhile, it's just adding insult to injury.

My guess is that gil is just the universally accepted currency across the Three Great Continents, and there was just no point to the Garleans declaring their own.

[DentiusChestus]

I can’t find answers for the first two questions. The admiral before Merlwyb was male and there’s names of some other admirals in the past long ago and that’s about it.

I can’t find anything on the name of Garlean currency, but I would doubt they would put legati on the face of them. You wouldn’t want to increase the political power of someone with existing military power by putting their face on a coin. That’s just asking for a coup. As you can see from two Garlean civil wars and multiple legions that have gone rogue, the soldiers already seem to have more loyalty to their legatus than whoever is sitting on the throne.

For the third, Bozja was a country, and is now a province. Bozja Citadel was the capital, but there’s at least one other city, Martrvje, which is a port city of 200,000 people. The field records also mention a location called “Zentina’s Grace” that’s in Bozja. Keep in mind that 200,000 is utterly gigantic and is equal to London in 1600.

If you look at the field records, if someone is confirmed to be from a city or town, it will say [city/town name], [country name]. That’s how we can tell which cities being mentioned are in Landis, Dalmasca, Nagxia, or Bozja.

Good point on the Garlean currency. Considering how many legions turn coat or secede at the drop of a hat, it would be a good call to not give them their own shiny coins.

Thanks for the tip on the field note locations! Seeing a few of them say [city], Bozja rather than just "Bozja" gives me a better picture. Lovro's field note even says "Bozja Citadel." I hope we get to see more of Ilsabard, Landis, and the remaining cities in Dalmasca & Bozja someday.

[Brightamethyst]

My guess is that gil is just the universally accepted currency across the Three Great Continents, and there was just no point to the Garleans declaring their own.

Personally I'm guessing the business about gil being accepted everywhere is purely a gameplay concession. If gil was truly universal who would regulate it, mint it? Why would 4000 year old Allagan nodes in Azys La accept it and pay it out? It seems more likely to me that each nation (or collective in the case of Eorzea and the like) has its own currency and the game just converts everything to gil for us.

Stores in major trade cities like Radz and Kugane probably accept anything and everything, but that Yanxian peasant who asked me to weed his fields? He's probably paying me local coin and the game is being nice by not making me go to a currency exchange every time I change zones.

[MikkoAkure]

Personally I'm guessing the business about gil being accepted everywhere is purely a gameplay concession. If gil was truly universal who would regulate it, mint it? Why would 4000 year old Allagan nodes in Azys La accept it and pay it out? It seems more likely to me that each nation (or collective in the case of Eorzea and the like) has its own currency and the game just converts everything to gil for us.

Stores in major trade cities like Radz and Kugane probably accept anything and everything, but that Yanxian peasant who asked me to weed his fields? He's probably paying me local coin and the game is being nice by not making me go to a currency exchange every time I change zones.

I would imagine that each piece of gil is worth its own weight in the precious metals used to mint it (unless a mint is being cheap on the sly), so people would generally accept it anywhere, which can explain its use as far out as the Azim Steppe.

I know Hingashi and perhaps Doma use “koban”. It’s the olden days Japanese oval gold coin (Meowth’s head coin) and we see it when fighting Yojimbo.

[DentiusChestus]

I think the gil thing is a gameplay concession. I don't mind at all. While Kugane and Radz would definitely have exchanges and accept it, the "commemorative" one gil coins from a long time ago are stated to be minted in the Eorzean city states. They also bear images of Nymeia as well as the leaders of the three city states. While Endwalker Garlemald is in no condition to refuse foreign currency (unless you're a fan of telophoroi bank tellers,) it would seem a bit odd to me that earlier they would accept and deal with such diverse coins bearing the images of enemy generals.

Hingashi definitely still uses koban, and you can find "dated Radz-at-Han coins" in the hinterlands for some reason... Those may or may not have been replaced by gil. And of course, there are the plethora of Bozjan coins and various alliance raid coins. What in the world did they need coins for in Aglaia?

As for Allagan nodes in places like Azys Lla... I'll just headcanon that they take all your coins and press them back out as those little flattened pennies you get from museums.

[Brightamethyst]

As for Allagan nodes in places like Azys Lla... I'll just headcanon that they take all your coins and press them back out as those little flattened pennies you get from museums.

So THAT'S where Allagan Bronze Pieces come from!


*Gives a node 4000 gil*

"Thank you! Here's your change."

*An Allagan Bronze Piece and two Tin Pieces come out the coin slot.*