The claimants' ages

[Cleretic]

This isn't a particularly important part of Dawntrail, but it is one that I noticed and internally earmarked as something we aren't clearly told, I think it'd be good to have a place for us to try to get this as straight as we can:

How old is each claimant for the throne of Tulliyolal?

We're probably going to get this information eventually, but it's unlikely to turn up anytime soon; that's Encyclopedia Eorzea territory. Still, I think it's something we can piece some statistics together for, and I'd appreciate if anyone else can figure out anything more tangible than I can.

Wuk Lamat: This one's as concrete as we get; Wuk Lamat is somewhere in her early twenties, I would say twenty-three at the oldest. Hunmu Rruk's story about his daughter places the events that led to her adoption at around twenty years ago, and Wuk Lamat does say she's too young to remember. This would also track with her being childhood friends with Erenville, who's twenty-four.

Koana: His age only exists in vague reference to other events; he actually does remember the day Wuk Lamat was adopted, and by his own testament sounded mature enough to have protective feelings at that age... but Koana's also the type to overstate his maturity and rationality, so it's entirely possible he was just, like, five years old. Alisaie saw him in the Studium when they were both studying, but not close enough for them to cross over; Alisaie was admitted to the Studium at a young age, so her age range isn't useful, but Krile was a contemporary of the twins, and she's 22. My best guess is Koana's a few years older than Wuk Lamat; at the oldest maybe twenty-six. We don't know how long a Studium degree takes, but that'd give the right range for Alisaie to have seen him around, but not enough to actually know the guy.

Zoraal Ja: Nobody really talks about Zoraal Ja's upbringing, so we don't have relative references here, save that him being the 'First Promise' suggests that he was born before Koana was adopted. Weirdly, the main reference point I've got is his temperament; that's not a young man's childish scrappiness, but it's also not a weathered general's experience and determinism. A couple things compare him to Sephiroth, who probably gives us a workable age range: Zoraal Ja's probably in his late twenties. (At least, during the claimant challenge.)

Bakool Ja Ja: Alright, here's the rough one: to my knowledge, we have literally no clues on Bakool Ja Ja's age, or even relative life experiences and landmarks. We know his dad's the Autarch of Mamook, so he's probably kind of old, and I can't imagine he held off on trying to become a parent given the status symbols blessed siblings are, which would probably put Bakool on the older end of the claimants... but given what we know about blessed siblings, they probably didn't get it right the first time. Bakool's lament about other blessed siblings works either way, in different ways; either he's lived long enough to see a lot of other couples try, or he's been made aware that his parents tried a lot before him. I feel like Bakool's either the youngest or oldest claimant, nowhere in between, more by dramatic logic than material.

This is a completely irrelevant 'mystery', it literally does not matter, but it's one that's been sticking in my mind for a bit as a 'huh, now that you mention it' kind of question.

[Fenral]

I can't cite anything concrete off the top of my head, but the impression I got is that Bakool Ja Ja is very likely a teenager. Most of Mamook talks about him like he's a kid, and his personality type in Japanese is high-school delinquent (duo). He's just big.

The older blessed sibling duo that you're looking for to complete the puzzle is probably Molaa Ja Ja, who went off to Eorzea seeking glory only to be slain. (WoL looks to the side awkwardly.) It makes the most sense to me that the death of the latter leaving Bakool Ja Ja as the current last hope of the Mamool Ja is probably what sent him over the edge.

Lots of probablies here, but we won't have much to go on until Encyclopaedia Eorzea IV comes out and tells us he's actually 37 and just immature for his age.

[Iscah]

We actually do have a clue regarding Bakool's age, and it points towards him being young.

When you talk to his parents after the coronation in Ever Greater, Ever Brighter:

MIILALJA
I told Bakool Ja Ja to stay with us so we could all congratulate you in person.
But he marched off, muttering something about not being able to face you just yet.

ZEREELJA
The boy needs purpose. Purpose beyond catering to the demands of others. He was always too obliging for his own good...

Even without that, I got the vibe during events in Mamook that he was much younger than the "nonspecifically adult" age I had assumed by default. I assume it's a mix of his size and the fact that others automatically treat him as a leader, but all of it melts away once he's alone and upset.

[Brightamethyst]

Yeah. I'm guessing Bakool Ja Ja is younger than the rest of them. To me he felt like kid unwillingly thrust into stardom, and given power and responsibility he never really wanted and didn't know how to handle. I get a much strong "teenager" vibe from him.

[Zero-ELEC]

See, I seem to recall a character saying that Wuk Lamat was around the same age as the twins... I have to look back at my screenshots.

EDIT: Didn't find a screenshot, but found the dialogue, it's from the main scenario quest "Embracing Oblivion":

Erenville: Sphene looks to be of an age with Alisaie and Wuk Lamat, but now I wonder if these regulators have anything to do with that.

If Wuk Lamat was 23, she'd be closer to Krile in age than Alisaie for the comparison.

[Turnintino]

See, I seem to recall a character saying that Wuk Lamat was around the same age as the twins... I have to look back at my screenshots.

EDIT: Didn't find a screenshot, but found the dialogue, it's from the main scenario quest "Embracing Oblivion":


If Wuk Lamat was 23, she'd be closer to Krile in age than Alisaie for the comparison.

I hesitate to chime in because I can't recall the specific instance either, but I remember there being a line where Wuk Lamat mentions that an event 20 years earlier took place before she was born. So, 19 at the oldest, but possibly closer to 17, depending on how broadly her age was being compared to Alisaie's.

[WhiteArchmage]

I'd also have to look for the specific image but I distinctly remember Wuk Lamat mentioning that an event 20 years ago (probably Galuf's involvement in the plot) as being "before she was born", which would indeed put her in her late teens, 19 at the oldest.

[Fenral]

I hesitate to chime in because I can't recall the specific instance either, but I remember there being a line where Wuk Lamat mentions that an event 20 years earlier took place before she was born. So, 19 at the oldest, but possibly closer to 17, depending on how broadly her age was being compared to Alisaie's.

I remember that as well. If we take Yoshida's comment about roughly two years having passed in-story since ARR, they can both be assumed to be approximately 19. (The Elezen delayed puberty is the likely handwave for why the twins' models haven't changed at all.)

But time and ages are funky by default, since the amount of time we've spent just traveling on boats should already be around a year. Tech level varies wildly based on whatever looks good, so the crossing to Tural alone could have taken anywhere from two months to a week, never mind the trip from Limsa Lominsa to Kugane in Stormblood (assuming near-Earth distances). (Characters are very inconsistent about Aetheryte usage, too. They were crucial in Endwalker, but in Dawntrail there are several references to returning by boat, which seems silly for all the references to aetheryte technology.)

But the 20 year measurement itself could involve some rounding up or down, since we have both an event from 20 years ago where Wuk Lamat was around, and one where she wasn't.

[Zero-ELEC]

They are definitely rounding, seeing as Krile says multiple times that 20 years passed since her parents left her in the care of Galuf and she's at least 23, at the time of ARR.

[Iscah]

I remember that as well. If we take Yoshida's comment about roughly two years having passed in-story since ARR, they can both be assumed to be approximately 19. (The Elezen delayed puberty is the likely handwave for why the twins' models haven't changed at all.)

"Years ago" and ages are measured from ARR regardless of how much time has actually passed.