Ask English Localization Lead Kate Cwynar Lore & Localization Questions

[Lyth]

The various Island Sanctuary updates have brought out some new information around the Mandragoras and the West Mandra Empire. Is there anything else that you can tell us about their culture and where their kingdom is located? Do you think that there's any chance that we could learn snippets of their communication system, perhaps through something similar to FFX's Al Behd primer system?

[Lyth]

There is an astounding amount of lore snippets hidden in collectibles throughout the game, be it Triple Triad cards, minions, mounts, sightseeing log entries, Bozjan field records, and furniture items. With the addition of the Unending Codex, do you think that there is the possibility of 'collectible' Codex entries expanded on from doing optional content? What ways do you see the Unending Codex system being expanded on for lore lovers as a sort of in-game 'Encyclopedia Eorzea'?

[Lyth]

The Bozjan Field Records (Entry #42: Gilbrisbert quo Buteo) make reference to the 'Church of Locus' and the 'Sect of Germonique', religious factions linked to Dalmasca that were based around Saint Ajora and Ultima, the High Seraph. With Gilbrisbert's involvement in both the Sect and the Garlean IVth Legion, as well as the more recent revelations around Ultima and the Heart of Sabik in Pandaemonium, is there anything that you can presently tell us about these factions, their involvement with auracite, and the Weapons program? Is 'Locus' in this case a potential reference to 'Locus Amoenus' or something else?

[S__th_rn_fl_am_]

Is the fortification of the Ixal on Abalathia's Spine any concern to the home of the Hellsguard Roegadyn?

[HakuroDK]

A pretty big revelation we learned during the Pandaemonium: Anabaseios story was that the Heart of Sabik was Black Auracite that was discovered by and experimented upon by Athena.

And it has been very heavily implied by the story that the origin of auracite overall is Ultima, the High Seraph. The only exception to this, at least as far as I know, is how Moenbryda was able to somehow reverse engineer auracite into what we know as White Auracite, which we have used to contain, and subsequently destroy, multiple Ascians.

The lore implications are that Ultima, the High Seraph arrived on Eitherys long before we, the player, set foot onto Elpis and that, while she is not directly responsible for The Final Days, she and her auracite have created myriad problems not just on The Source, but on The Thirteenth as well, which implies that Ultima, the High Seraph, was also sundered, which is likely how we were able to defeat her in the Orbonne Monastery alliance raid.

What is Ultima, the High Seraph and where did she come from? Is she a "Calamity from the Skies" not unlike Lavos or Jenova and, perhaps, her origin point is completely untraceable? If so, are there other Ultimas, the High Seraph out there? Could we see other similar Ivalician Espers come of this, such as Zalera the Death Seraph or others that may have only been conjured in the Ivalice raids as memories of Ultima?

I have too, too many questions, so please refer to the title of this post for a more concise question. Thank you so much!

[Y2B]

Which of the scions aside from Alphinaud have job crystals?

[Rahela]

Outside of pre-established relationships like the Chais, or minor side characters like Alka Zolka and Setoto, will there be any explicitly confirmed romances between NPCs?

[thedivinetreasury]

Hi! Thank you for doing this! I wanted to ask, Elidibus’ aether was scattered on the First, so I was wondering how did his memories make it back to the Source’s lifestream enough that the memory of Themis was able to grasp onto the memories of us before we went to Pandaemonium?

[Rahela]

In the Lodestone short story "In Louisoix's Wake," Fourchenault is mentioned to be 'Louisoix’s eldest son,' which implies that the existence of at least one younger brother. But come Endwalker, there's nothing to indicate that Fourchenault has any biological siblings. Would any 'adopted waifs and rescued orphans' that Louisoix brought to Sharlayan like Thancred be counted as one of his children?

[Rahela]

Will we ever learn more about the incident which gave Gaius' gunblade its name, in which he slew nine aspirants to the crown of Garlemald?

For example, how long ago did it happen? Who were the nine people killed in the incident? Were they all actively treacherous towards Emperor Solus, or were they simply Solus' extended family who had a claim to the throne? Did Emet-Selch (as Solus) order Gaius to kill them, or was it something that Gaius did on his own?