Ask English Localization Lead Kate Cwynar Lore & Localization Questions

[Jonnycbad]

Magical Foci and Casting

Conjurer and White Magic requires "A wand or cane made from unworked wood", Thaumaturgy and Black Mage requires a "scepter or staff, within which is housed a medium—a natural stone imbued with magical properties". How is it then that Ystola and Graha'Tia can cast magic from both schools using only one type of staff? How do some characters cast magic without any apparent weapon -- can high level mages simply forgo their foci and cast with their hands?

[Jonnycbad]

Unaspected Magic

From an in-lore standpoint, how exactly do spells like "Holy", "Foul", "Communio", and "Ultima" differ? For example Holy appears light aspect but it's considered Unaspected, while Foul and Communio appear "Dark" but they are also unaspected. How do these unaspected spells differ from Ultima? Is it simply just a different of the source of their aether or just different magnitudes of magical non-elemental explosions?

[Jonnycbad]

Years ago, Koji Fox explained in a prior Lore Q&A that Ramuh has knowledge of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and the true state of the world that is beyond the ken of the Sylphs, and that we would soon learn why. This was never followed-up on and Ramuh knowing these things is never addressed.

[Jonnycbad]

A mysterious primal halted the Empire's advance after Ala Mhigo?

Encyclopedia Eorzea states that after Garleans took Ala Mhigo, they began to advance deeper into Eorzea but were halted by the unanticipated appearance of a primal. Koji Fox told us in 2018 that he cannot reveal the name of this primal but it's one we have not yet encountered. Will we ever learn what Primal this is and who summoned it?

[Jonnycbad]

Gaius's two Ascian masks

Yoshi P in an interview revealed that Gaius is wearing the masks of Deudalaphon and Altima but the Warrior of Light never asks Gaius anything about this. We are dying to know how this encounter happened (aren't Ascians generally invisible to mortals as Elidibus told us in 2.1??). Will we ever follow-up on these 2 Ascians?

[Jonnycbad]

Garleans and Gougians
So we have not seen any Garleans on The First and it's alluded to that Garleans may have descended from Gougians, who were a tech-savy nation in Ivalice. How did Gougians become Garleans and aquire their "third eye"? Are Garleans technically an Ilsebardian tribe of Hyur or are they genetically distinct?

[Jonnycbad]

Ascian Titles in Japanese
The Japanese version of FFXIV gives titles to Ascians based on FFXII titles. For example "Lahabrea, The Abyssal Celebrant" and "Nabriales, the Majestic". These are alluded to in the Hades EX fight with some of his mechanics "Again, The Majestic", "Again, The Abyssal Celebrant". How did these titles come about in-universe though?

[Jonnycbad]

Echo and Blessing of Light
For years we thought it was the Echo that allows us to resist Tempering, but Venat in Elpis remarks it is her Traveler's Ward (Blessing of Light) that prevents aetheric corruption. Given that other echo users can resist Primal Tempering as well as us, please explain this discrepancy?

[Jonnycbad]

The Ancients and their Echo

Since Echo was a power that was ubiquitous amongst all the Ancients, do they all possess the ability to voluntarily peer inside eachother's pasts like how the WoL can (involuntarily)?

[Jonnycbad]

Ancient Language

When we first encounter Lahabrea in Toto-Rak, he speaks to us in a distinctly strange language before he deigns to speak in a tongue we can understand. Ancients in Amaurot, The Watcher and Hythlodaeus on the Moon also speak in a distinct tongue, characterized by a black dialogue box+red text font. However, everyone in Elpis speaks to us normally with white text boxes. What gives?