Archived: Final Fantasy XIV: ARR-1

Description

It is the Seventh Umbral Era. Five years have passed since the Calamity, the falling of Dalamud, the unleashing of the elder Primal Bahamut, and the victory of the Alliance over the Garlean Empire. But the events of that day are clouded, and no one quite remembers just who it was that saved Eorzea. In the time that has passed, the three nations of the Alliance have reopened their borders, trade has resumed, and the world is trying to put itself back to normal.

But the dark places where evil springs forth are ever there. The beastmen plot and hoard and scheme to bring forth their Primals. Rumbles of discontentment are percolating among the nation states. The class warfare of old is returning, and the old status quo will bring Eorzea back into the open conflict it once held before the Garleans ever arrived in the first place. And while the Garleans pose a threat, much more sinister men are tugging those strings, waiting to reveal themselves.

But where there is dark, there is always light. Hope springs anew as adventurers once again ply their trade, working to better the people, bring hope back to the land and maybe help piece everything back together. Heroes banished to the future during the final moments of the Calamity find themselves in this new Eorzea, while new Warriors of Light rise to meet the challenges before them, armed with the gift of Hydaelyn, the mysterious Echo.

Welcome to Eorzea, land of adventure, magic, intrigue and crystals. May Hydaelyn shine on you always.

Theme Info

Coming soon. When it's relevant.

The Twelveswood & Gridania

Before the Calamity, it could have been said that those living in Gridania and the Black Shroud were much more protective of nature and the balance between man and elemental; indeed, at the time, man only lived in the Twelveswood through the blessing of the elementals, which were overall distrusting of outsiders and those who disrespect nature. Through the Seedseers (leaders) of Gridania, they spoke to those wishing to live within the forest and imposed upon them rules and rituals to follow; but their strength, however threatening, was not even remotely sufficient to uphold the threats they voiced. Indeed, for all they spoke of great punishment and sin should outsiders break the rules of the Twelveswood and harmed nature, where were the elementals when poachers, Garleans and dragons threatened the ecosystem?

The answer is that their strength and focus waned, and their wrath was not what it was made out to be.

The Calamity greatly affected and weakened the elementals as well, rupturing their harmony. Many are now rampaging, mindless aspects of nature, and others have lost the ability to do anything about it. It falls on Gridanians and adventurers alike to constantly put down or heal those rampaging elementals. Their authority wanes, upheld only partially by the Seedseers who see in the future necessary change from the old ways, but nonetheless try their best to maintain the balance. As a result, elements that restrict RP or needlessly create drama, such as the Greenwrath and Woodsin, are no longer present in A Realm Reborn (both in the game and on the MUSH).

It's worth noting as explicit proof of this fact that countless quests and FATEs would have adventurers deal with Garlean incursions within the Black Shroud, and not a single one of them was stopped by the elementals despite their so-called anger or power. That isn't to say the elementals have become harmless, but they have definitely lost any ability they may or may not have had to handle these things themselves.

Additionally, technology (minor Magitek included) has gradually founds its way to Gridania over time; such has never been an issue. Only technology that directly and immediatly harms nature is a concern, and even then, one car would not upset much of anyone; a hundred, however, is more likely to cause reactions. Likewise, Gridanians have more and more opened their doors to outsiders and travellers, with the blessing of the elementals.

Thus, it cannot be said that Gridanians are xenophobic in the slightest anymore, and characters will not be penalized in any way or form for bringing technology to scenes happening in or near the Black Shroud/Twelveswood. Such a thing would ultimately cause more harm than good.

Magitek

Magitek is common in Eorzea, though its forms vary by culture. The Garleans specialize in war machines, weaponry and technological advancements that emulate and replace the need for magic, whereas Eorzeans by and large only use Magitek to power their airships.

Magitek is fueled by Ceruleum (see Lexicon). Equivalent materials (Final Fantasy VII's Lifestream/Mako, for example) could work as a replacement for the Ceruleum, provided they're magical enough. The key qualifier for whether a fuel can power Magitek or not is that it needs to roughly be the liquefied magical essence of a world. Generic liquefied magical essence may work, but it would be far less effective.

No attempts have currently been made to tinker with or modify Magitek. Players are free to try these things if they get ahold of any.

It is worth noting that Magitek weapons are not superior to conventional weapons. A bow in an adventurer's hands is ten times more effective than a gunblade in a Garlean mook's hands, and vice versa. Magitek weapons exist because Garleans are powerless without them; they equalize the playing field, but that's it. This is not a theme where firearms beat swords by default.

Typical Magitek weapons are gunblades but may be more specialized. Their usual use (beyond being a gun and a sword in one) is to fire blue energy blasts, or to become coated in the energy for hitting someone with it.

The Echo/The Gift & Sample +Advantages

The Echo is what allows someone to view memories, to speak with Hydaelyn, and in very rare instances, to travel through time itself in predestined timeloops. It also grants immunity to most (but possibly not all?) forms of mind control, or at the very least, the Primals' Tempering. Many characters in the setting have the Echo; it isn't THAT unusual on its own. Some characters even figure out how to do unique things with it, like the isolated case of Shiva's summoner.

The Gift, however, is something unique to the Warriors of Light (and some few NPCs). The Gift, also called Hydaelyn's Blessing, is a more direct intervention from Hydaelyn herself in the hero's life and personal power. At times of great need, the Gift may bolster their strength significantly, or allow them to survive an otherwise deadly situation. It's a plot device.

Both of these things are appable exactly as they exist in A Realm Reborn.

Click below to see the offered sample +advantages you can copypaste into your application if you are either a bearer of the Echo, the Gift, or both. (Warriors of Light will typically have both.)

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• The Echo: A special brand upon _____'s soul, marking him as one of Hydaelyn's chosen champions. He is prone to visions, flashbacks and lore dumps being crammed directly into his skull as concerns his own world. The Echo also immunizes him to all forms of mind control or similar effects. Finally, _____ may dive into the memories of someone he touches, though this ability is not under his control and only manifests when dramatically appropriate. (Consent may be required. TP-Only Adv: during Final Fantasy XIV: ARR-1 TPs exclusively, the Echo can sustain very minor time loops, allowing _____ to view or participate in events from his world's past, in accordance to how it was recorded to have happened in the first place.)
• Hydaelyn's Blessing: In times of dire need, a powerful blessing shields _____ from certain death and can bolster his strength and ability to tackle impossible odds. (With consent, the blessing can perfectly shield _____ from an attack. As a TP-Only Adv: the blessing, at the cost of being used up entirely for the fight, can accomplish such miracles as disabling a powerful dark force, like an impenetrable barrier preventing a boss from being fought.)

Changes

As the FFXIV:ARR-1 theme evolves on MCM, things are bound to change and progress differently than they have in the game. Here are what could be considered non-canon changes to the themelisting which contradict the canon of the game.

• Due to Setsuko Kaminagi's actions in the South Shroud, Sylvans have begun gathering Aetheryte Crystals early.
• Heavensward character classes and jobs are available already, as are Rogue and Ninja.
• The Tam-Tara Deepcroft has been sealed temporarily. An excursion into its depths is being prepared.
• The Coeurl King has been captured rather than killed. This will have an impact at a later time. Currently a prisoner of Gridania.
• Aulus Rem Vulso has been captured rather than killed. Currently a prisoner of Gridania.
• Lahabrea uses an iOS smartphone with Siri. Yes this is totally serious.
• As per the Japanese version, Nael Van Darnus was actually female all along. This is however a fact only known to those who helped to slay her at the time Dalamud fell, and to the Scions and rare associates.

Lexicon

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Term	Definition
FATE	Full Active Time Events, just called FATEs by the Adventurers' Guild, are emergencies that come and go in the various regions of Eorzea. These are usually things that need to be handled right away and which only surfaced in the last few minutes.
Leve/Guildleve	A Leve, on the other hand, is a bounty, a quest, a job, something predetermined and that might have been there for a while, without being urgent. A Guildleve, as a distinction, is a repeatable quest, essentially "we'll pay you for each 10 skeletons you kill" rather than "kill 10 skeletons". These are fairly common in monster-infested areas, and an adventurer can earn quite the trust from a Grand Company grinding Guildleves.
Duty/Guildhest	A Duty is a difficult task, asking for groups of adventurers specifically to delve into dungeons, ruins, or even to help contain a larger threat, such as a Primal. A Guildhest, like a Guildleve, is something more repeatable and always open, allowing groups of adventurer to do good for the Grand Companies.
Levemete	Someone from the Adventurers' Guild responsible for collecting and distributing the various tasks adventurers can do.
Guild	A guild is an organization that oversees a particular discipline or aspect of life in Eorzea. The Adventurers' Guild handles adventurers, the Lancers' Guild handles training Lancers, the Archers' Guild trains Archers, etc. Most things have a guild, whether it's a combat path, a crafting or gathering profession, or even the various people who handle transportation across Eorzean, from airships to Chocobo.
Aether	The life force of the world. The magical energy that connects most beings in Hydaelyn. See also: The Force, Lifestream, etc.
Ceruleum	A liquid, refined form of the Aether. Highly explosive and fairly rare in Eorzean. See also: Mako.
Magitek	Catchall term for technology (usually Garlean or Allagan) which strives to emulate magic, or which is powered by magic.
Primal	A powerful being formed from faith, worship and the raw energies of the Aether itself. Typically malevolent or at least aggressive and willing to enslave and mind control followers. When killed, they return to the Aether until they are summoned again.
Temper	To Temper someone is to brainwash them into blind worship and servitude to a Primal. This is a powerful form of mind control; though no cure exists in-setting, immunity is possible through the Echo, the Gift, or just being strong-willed (i.e. an Elite). A cure could be developed by interested parties.

Linkshells, Linkpearls and Free Companies

Linkshells are seashell shaped objects, magical in nature and linked to the Aether of Hydaelyn. A Linkshell is essentially two things: the physical object used to distribute Linkpearls, and a private communication frequency. By handing people Linkpearls, small jewels produced from a Linkshell, the owner of that Linkshell can allow people to speak on the frequency telepathically, as long as they're carrying the Linkpearl. This form of communication is extremely difficult to crack, but not foolproof. Linkshells are trivial to purchase and establish. Since a Linkpearl is needed to speak on a Linkshell, only the owner can grant access to theirs.

Linkpearls also double as Multiversal radios because magic.

A Free Company, meanwhile, is essentially a group or guild of adventurers and assorted people, given resource backing by one of the city-states or Grand Companies as they grow. Though they start as little more than groups of sellswords with a recognized name and brand across Eorzea, an active Free Company can eventually acquire assorted weaponry, armor or other physical backing from their supporting, chosen Grand Company, and past a point, they can hold real political weight in the world. It is not impossible for a Free Company to grow so large and famous that they could threaten one of the Grand Companies. Upon founding, a Free Company is given a Linkshell if they don't have one.

Established Linkshells

• IC: 'The Nameless Linkshell', frequency 20132.0. This radio frequency has an encryption key. Only people who attend FFXIV: ARR-1 scenes or interact with Alwyn Highwind will receive a Linkpearl for this Linkshell (and thus the encryption key). It is a Linkshell dedicated to those who seek to help Eorzea (or at least pretend to) and assorted heroic adventurers, and is maintained by Alwyn himself.
• OOC: General FFXIV: ARR chatter, frequency 4772.0. This frequency is to move conversations regarding the FFXIV: ARR-1 themelist off public channels if they become too spammy, or if people want to discuss character concepts.

Established Free Companies

None yet.

AQ

This is an FAQ, but without the F, because we haven't actually been asked these things frequently yet!

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Q. Can I app?
A. Yes! Yes you can.

Q. Anything?
A. Anything that's in A Realm Reborn or that can be put into it from other Final Fantasy games or Heavensward without disrupting stuff. This includes Warriors of Light, people with the Echo/Gift, people with jobs instead of classes, etc.

Q. What about Heavensward content?
A. Non-plot Heavensward content can be apped once it's out, like the Dark Knight, Machinist and Astrologian jobs. Spoiler or plot content should wait at least one month, but inclusion of Heavensward's plot while still in the early stages of A Realm Reborn might need discussion first.

Q. Can I have a Chocobo even if I'm not in the cast?
A. Why not? It's just a big riding bird. They're not especially rare, and there's even books and guides on caring and feeding for one easily available. Please note if you want it to be combat capable in any way, you'll need to upgrade app. FFXIV:ARR-1 Chocobo, like their Final Fantasy Tactics counterparts, have access to healing and damage spells of varying potency, but only if trained and adventured with for a long time. Otherwise, they're really just mounts. Also: Chocobo change their plumage color by eating fruits. They can be any color whatsoever, as long as you feed them the right fruits. Color does not impact their performance or stats.

Q. How do the Soul Crystals work?
A. They let you bypass the training which would normally be needed to have a job instead of a class. Example: to become a Dragoon you'd normally have to train in Ishgard. Or you could just be a really good Lancer and get a Soul Crystal. Both are valid ways of attaining the job, but one requires a specific backstory while the other doesn't.

Q. What changes were made to this theme?
A. You can consult the changes section up top to see what notable changes have occured in this setting so far. Otherwise, assume everything remains true to A Realm Reborn canon.

Q. Do I need to know 1.0 stuff?
A. Only if it appears in A Realm Reborn directly or you're apping a character who REALLY REALLY needs the extra lore.

Q. Can I GM stuff once I app?
A. Absolutely. FATEs, dungeons, leves and quests are there to be run. Beastmen, Garleans, pirates, whatever, that stuff is there for you to use, you really don't need to check with anyone first. A list of what's been run so far is at the bottom of this page.

Q. Does X work like it does in the game?
A. Probably, yeah. So leves, Materia crafting and spiritbonding, FATEs, the Grand Companies, Linkshells and Linkpearls, the Aethernet and Aetheryte Crystals, Soul Crystals (for jobs), magical RPG inventory space, all that stuff is intact.

Q. How powerful are the Primals?
A. No more than a single Warrior of Light for the most part. What makes the Primals dangerous is not ridiculous firepower, it's the fact even when defeated they'll keep coming back. And the mind control! Can't forget the mind control. The Elder Primals are a bit more dangerous, but their threat really isn't enough one powerful hero can't save the day if it becomes necessary. Primals have a lot of HP if they need to boss up, but that's about it.

Q. So the Garleans/Bahamut aren't the big bads?
A. It isn't currently clear who the big bad of FFXIV will be, and we likely won't know until the game shuts down. By the time this happens it's unlikely this theme will still exist, so you'll never see us impose our belief of who we think the theme 36 should be. Using standard MMORPG PL rules as discussed by Reliant once, it's likely that an end of expansion boss would be 35, a lot of significant characters would be 33-34, and there flat out wouldn't be a 36.

Q. Can I RP in your cast room?
A. Go for it. The only thing we ask is that if you're going to do something significant like try to occupy an area, try to cause significant damage, or generally do something that would have lasting effects (like giving technology to a city-state, trying to crossover a theme with ours) then please consult with the cast first. The cast doesn't need to be around if you want to have social or fight another player in our cast room, we just want to know if you're planning something more substantial.

Q. Can I loot Garlean Magitek or other special stuff like that?
A. Yes, but you may be required to field an upgrade application if you want to loot an object of great power instead of a random gunblade. For more info consult the theme info section near the top.

Q. How much effect can we have on your theme?
A. As much as you're willing to put effort into it, within common sense, and as long as it creates RP instead of destroying it. An extreme example of something that could be pushed is giving the city-states better technology, better equipment and just more resources than the Garleans. On the other hand, permanently destroying or sealing a Primal, while not impossible, is unlikely to be considered too early on since it shuts down future RP.

Questions, concerns, comments, drop the cast an @mail and we'll discuss it together!

Things That Have Been Run

Although FFXIV: A Realm Reborn has a very high number of quests, they're not infinite in supply! This means that it's important to keep an eye on what's already been run, both from the perspective of what lore people have learned about and to prevent repetition.

Gridania

• Leve: We Come In Peace

East Shroud

• FATE: Below his Station
• Leve: Levin an Impression

Central Shroud

• Leve: Skeletons in my Deepcroft

North Shroud

• FATE: Dschubba Snacks

South Shroud

• FATE: The Coeurl King

Western La Noscea

• Leve: It's Probably Pirates

Dungeons

• The Lost City of Amdapor
• Sastasha Seagrot