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.
Cast
Active
Dropped
Theme Info
Coming soon. When it's relevant.
The Calendar of Eorzea
While Eorzeans do measure the passing of years, they group them in arbitrary periods of history called Astral Eras and Umbral Eras. An Umbral Era marks a dark time, heralded by a great cataclysm, apocalypse or calamity, to one or more major forces of the world, while an Astral Era marks a time at which the world can be said to have fully recovered from the previous Umbral Era and built onward. These have no fixed duration, and they can be declared on a whim by the combined rulers of Eorzea and future historians.
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The First Umbral Era: The Twelve leave Eorzea to the hands of the warring beast tribes.
The First Astral Era: The beginning of the Age of Man.
The Second Umbral Era: ???
The Second Astral Era: ???
The Third Umbral Era: ???
The Third Astral Era: The era of the Allagan Empire. Ascians trick <spoilers> into summoning <spoilers>. The greatest technology on Eorzea is invented in this era, and Bahamut is imprisoned within Dalamud by the Allagans to power their Crystal Tower. Roughly 5000 years ago.
The Fourth Umbral Era: Heralded by the fall of the Allagan empire and the loss of almost all of their technology. Roughly 4000 years ago.
The Fourth Astral Era: ???
The Fifth Umbral Era: ???
The Fifth Astral Era: Discovery of magic by Eorzeans, founding of the civilizations of Amdapor and Nym and their powerful White Mages, Scholars and Black Mages. Magic is brought to its absolute heights of power. Roughly 3000 years ago.
The Sixth Umbral Era: The War of the Magi erupts between White Mages and Black Mages, and an arms race of magic leads to disaster. Black Mages summon the Voidsent Diabolos to destroy the capital of Amdapor and its White Mages. The Nymian civilization falls prey to a terrible magical plague. Abuse of magic, especially of White Magic, causes global cataclysms and the waters of Hydaelyn swallow and reform much of Eorzea. White Magic and Black Magic are mostly lost or marked as forbidden, only their lesser spells remaining as Conjury and Thaumaturgy. Roughly 1600 years ago.
The Sixth Astral Era: The rise of most of the currently known powers and city-states of Eorzea, assorted small wars, the rise of the Garlean Empire (only ~100 years old at most), etc. Covers the last 1500 years.
The Seventh Umbral Era: Current era. Heralded by the fall of Dalamud, the awakening of the Elder Primal Bahamut by Nael van Darnus, and the Calamity that reshaped Eorzea. Marked by the war against Garleans. Current year: 5
The Twelveswood & Gridania
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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.
Over time, the elementals warmed up to outsiders and adventurers. Through their blessing, Gridania's borders were opened fully; unpopular at first, this decision greatly helped Gridanians, and allowed the introduction of minor technology (including Magitek) like airships.
When the Calamity struck, the elementals were greatly affected; their harmony was crippled, and they have become unable to act as one, disagreeing and fighting amongst themselves. Their ability to target and stop specific threats vanished, and replacing it is corruption and anger, causing small scale disasters like roaring rivers or rampaging manifested elementals needing to be put down by adventurers, or mended and healed by the specialists of Gridania.
As a result, neither Woodsin nor Greenwrath are active threatening mechanics of A Realm Reborn; there is no penalty whatsoever for outsiders coming to the Black Shroud, nor for the introduction of technology, so long as it doesn't intentionally destroy nature. Nonetheless, the destruction of nature by numerous parties (poachers, Garleans, etc.) has caused a number of elemental rampages, nothing able to crush settlements, but enough to kill unfortunate wanderers who accidently stumble across them.
Likewise, Gridanian xenophobia is a myth, although it is true Gridanians enjoy their old ways and traditions and would prefer not to welcome major changes to their lifestyles if it can be helped.
It is however true that in order for one to acquire citizen status within Gridania, one must first seek the approval of the elementals. This is not usually a problem unless one has a history of disrespecting or destroying nature, and those individuals may be required to perform a cleansing ritual in good faith, with assistance from the Seedseers.
This decision isn't just based on lore from A Realm Reborn, but also on the fact that we have no desire to generate drama over things like "a technological character attended a scene in the Black Shroud". Unless you are intentionally out to destroy nature, there will never be consequences; and even if you do destroy nature in sufficient quantity to trigger their wrath, the elementals lack the ability to target you specifically. There may be vague rampages in surrounding areas, but they are too splintered to do more than that.
Bahamut & Dravanians
Due to <significant spoilers> revealed in Heavensward, it should be noted that Bahamut, and his followers, have no authority or control over the Dravanian dragons and heretics.
If you're interested in hearing the explanation you can page or @mail Alwyn on MUSH.
This section will be updated with the explanation at such a time that it would not be considered significant spoiler material.
Additional note: anyone looking to apply for an Ishgardian or Dravanian, or otherwise related character, is strongly recommended to clear through the Heavensward story first, or at least read all about it. There's a lot of really good candy in there.
Magitek
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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. And Allagan Magitek, despite being several thousand years old, could do such miracles as cloning, create completely autonomous mechanical beings, take landmasses to the skies, and imprison even powerful Primals to use them for power.
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.)
Garlean Naming Conventions
Garleans typically have Latin/Roman names, with a title between the two. This title is written without a capital letter despite being in their name, for example "Gaius van Baelsar" or "Nero tol Scaeva". All Garleans, period, have such a name, because they go as far as having a title for regular citizens and even conscripted non-Garleans, who otherwise lack basic human rights but still get a title. Here is a list of these titles for easy reference as explained in the Heavensward expansion, and what rank they correspond to (Garleans use Latin/Roman ranks!):
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- zos: emperor.
- yae: member of the royal family in line for succession.
- wir: member of the royal family with no claim to the throne.
- deus: self-appointed title, unique to Nael deus Darnus. Likely means 'god'.
- van: Legatus/general.
- tol/sas: Tribunus under a Legatus, tol outranks sas.
- rem: Primus pilus (high officer).
- quo: Centurion (mid officer).
- pyr: Optio, Decurion, Tessarius (low officer).
- oen: soldier.
- nan: chief engineer or specialized engineer.
- mal/lux/kir/jen: Medicus or Magitek technician, from highest to lowest rank.
- iyl: Dictator, senator.
- het: Praetor, Consol, a number of mid-level public official positions.
- goe: Censor.
- fae, eir: Unknown.
- dus: Lictor.
- ban: Citizens of the Empire without a greater title.
- cen: Respected artisans.
- aan: Given to citizens of annexed territories, indicating lack of rights.
Primals & Info
Primals are legends, beliefs, faiths, and sometimes actual figures that existed, incarnated through the power of prayer, and Aether. To summon a Primal is to wound Hydaelyn, as each Primal takes from her a large amount of Aether to manifest itself, and does not give it back upon its defeat. A Primal's power is proportional to the belief and faith put into it and to the amount of Aether it is given, typically through gathering crystals charged with it-- thus, it cannot be said there is such a thing as a Primal above all others, or a Primal more powerful than others-- a Primal's strength fluctuates, and even the lowly Ifrit could overpower Bahamut or Odin given absurd amounts of worship and Aether. This section will be updated with information on each Primal as it is uncovered in-character. Lastly, while the term "Tempered" is used for all Primals, each Primal actually has their own word they use for their mind-broken minions.
[Expand]RAMUH
Ramuh is the Primal of the Sylphs, the guardian of the Twelveswood and the Lord of Levin. He uses lightning primarily, and his signature move is Judgment Bolt. Summoned only once in recent history, the Sylphs who did so were accidently Tempered ('Touched') as a result. Ramuh inflicted a crippling loss to the Garleans attempting to invade the Black Shroud before disappearing again. Wise, ancient, and protective of his land, his followers share that extreme protectiveness of their own territory.
[Expand]LEVIATHAN
Leviathan is the Primal of the Sahagin, aggressive, piracy-prone fishmen. The massive sea serpent's signature move is Tsunami, and he uses water attacks mainly. Many pirates have come to worship him without being Tempered ('Drowned') by the Primal, like the Serpent Reavers.
[Expand]BAHAMUT
Bahamut is a Primal with only little following; summoned several eras ago and imprisoned within the red moon Dalamud by the Allagans to power their Crystal Tower, the Primal bid his time in torture and agony, until through cracks he managed to Temper Nael van Darnus and his legion of Garleans. Breaking free, he caused the Calamity before disappearing mysteriously. It is worth nothing that in FFXIV, Bahamut does not retain his kingship or lordship over dragons-- indeed, he has no authority whatsoever, besides on those he Tempers. Where he is or why he disappeared is still a mystery. Bahamut's signature move varies, as he can use Megaflare, Gigaflare and Teraflare for increasingly worrying levels of damage.
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, or at least contradict the way certain things were meant to happen.
- 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 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.
- Diabolos has been captured by Master Therion in a crossover scene with the Project C TP, using an Allagan Magitek device given to him by the Ascian, Lahabrea. Following Therion's defeat, the orb holding Diabolos is held in Gridania by the Conjurers' Guild.
- The adventurers have captured Captain Madison's pirate ship!
- The Syndicate of Ul'dah now employs Souji Murasame's magitechnology.
Lexicon
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| Term
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Definition
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| FATE
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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.
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| Leve/Guildleve
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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.
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| Leve Plate
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A plate made of glass and steel, which identifies the bearer as being on a Leve, Duty or other.
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| Duty/Guildhest
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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.
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| Levemete
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Someone from the Adventurers' Guild responsible for collecting and distributing the various tasks adventurers can do.
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| Guild
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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.
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| Aether
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The life force of the world. The magical energy that connects most beings in Hydaelyn. See also: The Force, Lifestream, etc.
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| Ceruleum
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A liquid, refined form of the Aether. Highly explosive and fairly rare in Eorzean. See also: Mako.
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| Magitek
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Catchall term for technology (usually Garlean or Allagan) which strives to emulate magic, or which is powered by magic.
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| Primal
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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.
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| Temper
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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.
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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
- The Murasame Zaibatsu has been recognized as an independant Free Company for political purposes.
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.
CURRENTLY ONGOING TP: The Six Crystals of Light.
Gridania
East Shroud
Central Shroud
North Shroud
South Shroud
Western La Noscea
Ul'dah
Dungeons
Primals/Trials
