Hydaelyn Role-Players
Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Printable Version

+- Hydaelyn Role-Players (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18)
+-- Forum: Community (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Forum: RP Discussion (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: Lore behind the Relic Weapons (/showthread.php?tid=6016)

Pages: 1 2


Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Rickter - 01-02-2014

Hi RPC,

***UPDATE 1.3.2013: BLM and WHM Relic Lore has been detailed.

***I appreciate the brief descriptions and i am not discounting those contributions i just would like the lore detailed and described in a way that someone who has never played the game can read and gather all the information behind the Lore - even spoilers.

The main lore behind these weapons is obtained through the Relic Reborn questline.  Its in the form of text conversation of Gerolt studying the legend of the weapons and relaying that information back to the player character.  This is what i would like detailed in this thread so that i can add that information to my OP and possibly have this information inducted into the RPC's Wiki.

Basically, I dont plan on leveling every Job in the game and hunting down every single Relic Weapon however, i am interested in each Relic's story.  The Lore isnt thrown together and actually has a purpose for every Job in the game.  For those of you that remember the Lore surrounding your Relic weapon - please share!!!

Also: does the RP community use the lore behind the Relic weapons at all, or is it largely ignored because its lore breaking that so many player characters have the same weapon?

I understand there are also real world versions of some of the Relics and i have included the Wikipedia page on the ones that do:

Black Mage - Stardust Rod - no real world counterpart

(01-02-2014, 05:46 AM)Gospel Gestalt Wrote: Eh, it's been awhile since I posted but I figured I'd chime in about the BLM relic since you were doing this little project. Granted that this is a copy-pasta of a post I did in the past; this pretty much explains that there are multiple Star Dust rods in the world of Eorzea.

The Stardust Rod actually has multiple copies. In the Sixth Umbral Era, After Shatotto brought down a star(Meteor), she actually made multiple Stardust Rods using the remnants of that very star. During the Relic Reborn quest, Gerolt goes on to say that Shatatto was prone to huge fits of boredom and making staves was one of her favorite hobbies. The Stardust Rods were her most finest pieces of work and were given only to her most loyal of followers. It's just over the years, many were lost to the ages for various reasons. In the Relic Reborn quest, you learn that one had been discovered and was being sold in an auction in Limsa Lominsa.

The weapon was in very bad condition but it was a Stardust Rod none the less. However, the night that said rod was going to go up for auction, a band of Kobold under the command of Third Order Patriarch Zu Ga had raided the mans house, killed him and taken the rod back to U'Ghamaro mines for some unknown reason. This is the part in the quest where the player character must confront the Patriarch and recover the timeworn Stardust Rod for Gerolt.

Now the one the player has may be one of a kind but it's still implied that there are multiple Stardust Rods scattered about Eorzea. They also never really explain if Third Order Patriarch Zu Ga had one or more Stadust Rods either. He was also in possession of the Timeworn Thyrus and Bravura as well. So it could also be implied that this Kobold was a collector of antiques.

EDIT: to quote for reference, this is also taken from the lodestone description of the Stardust Rod.

"All in the Order of Nald’thal know well the legend of Shatotto, a mighty thaumaturge from the fifth of Astral Eras. Her creation of destructive and catastrophic spells evoked as much fear as it did respect, prompting ignorant souls to call her unsavory names—Death’s Handmaiden, the Black Witch, and the She-Devil among them. She was also possessed of an otherworldly talent for crafting thaumaturgical staves. Among her creations, the Stardust Rods are by far the most powerful and coveted, believed as they are to be fashioned from the celestial remnants of a star Shatotto herself brought down to Hydaelyn and clove asunder."

http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/...f0ca80484c


Bard - Artemis Bow - Artemis (scroll down for bow) "According to the Homeric Hymn to Artemis, she had golden bow and arrows, as her epithet was Khryselakatos, "of the Golden Shaft", and Iokheira (Showered by Arrows). The arrows of Artemis could also to bring sudden death and disease to girls and women. Artemis got her bow and arrow for the first time from The Kyklopes, as the one she asked from her father. The bow of Artemis also became the witness of Callisto's oath of her virginity. In later cult, the bow became the symbol of waxing moon"

Dragoon - Gae Bolg - Gae Bolg "The Gáe Bulg (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death spear", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cuchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of  Irish Mythology."

Monk - Sphairai - Sphairai (scroll down) "In around 400 BC sphairai were introduced. The sphairai were very similar to himantes. The only notable difference was that they contained a padded interior when wrapped around the hands and the exterior of the thong was notably more rigid and hard."

Paladin - Curtana - Curtana "according to legend, the sword of Ogier the Dane; it bore the inscription "My name is Curtana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal." It is supposed to have originally been Tristan's sword, and gained the name "Curtana" when it was "cut down" to fit Ogier"

Scholar - Omnilex -  no real world counterpart "Omni - All; of all things - Lex - Law"

Summoner - The Veil of Wiyu - no real world counterpart

Warrior - Bravura - Bravura "great skill and energy in doing something (such as performing on a stage)"

White Mage - Thyrus - Thyrus (scroll down to "Itlay" Section) "One of the most famous dragons of Italian folklore is Thyrus, a wyvern that besieged Terni in the Middle Ages"

(01-03-2014, 10:27 AM)Asgarn Wrote: Having had a brief scroll, I cannot see all that much on Thyrus other than the Italian wyvern legend (nice find, by the way!). I'm not certain if this is what you are looking for, but here's some lore of Thyrus that White Mages find out during their story quests/relic quest:

Thyrus was the legendary staff wielded by an eccentric Padjal, gifted in the ways of white magic, A-Towa-Cant. Unlike most of his kind, A-Towa-Cant did not seek the solitude of his homeland, but instead to explore the realm. Cataloguing information of all races he encountered, his journal contained many accounts of conversations with influential figures at his time of life. A-Towa-Cant ultimately met his demise in the U'Ghamoro Mines, the capital of the Kobold race. Both he and his apprentice (un-named, if memory serves right) braved the mines for the sake of knowledge, but only his apprentice survived.

It is rumoured that, although he fell, A-Towa-Cant held his ground long enough for his apprentice to flee and potentially days afterwards. It is in the depths of O'Ghamoro that the player finds Thyrus, rusted and depleted. And so begins the restoration process.

I hope that was helpful in some way! Sadly, I am not aware of any unique lore on how Thyrus came to be, if it perhaps possessed any unique features (a conscious, etc) or anything of the like. The story mostly revolves around A-Towa-Cant.

Good luck!

And there you have it.  Now i'm leaving this to the community to fill in the FFXIV Lore of the Relic weapons. 


Thank you all!!!


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - John Spiegel - 01-02-2014

As these weapons are one-of-a-kind in-game, it's generally accepted that if you wish to RP relic, that you make it some other weapon. There was a thread awhile back (I am too lazy to find it) but that was the general consensus. There's more than one epic weapon of a type that's existed in the vast history of Hydaelyn!


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Kieron Lohengrin - 01-02-2014

http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=1b3b1d90f6ba7a65d1660dc64461cf1bf68fa674

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/103574-The-Backstory-of-the-Relics


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Rickter - 01-02-2014

Thank you for the links!  been searching online for those but there are a few gaps still:

the forum thread you linked doesnt mention Thyrus at all but its a good overview of a majority of the weapons.

and the FFXIV 1.0 Lodestone link gives /brief/ descriptions and doesnt go into detail about the weapons such as Gae Bolg's wings on the lance are supposedly used to help a Dragoon hone in the accuracy of their jumps - also because its a 1.0 Lodestone link, SCH and SMN Relics are left out.

i was hoping in depth (even spoiler rich) lore could be discussed in this thread.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Gospel Gestalt - 01-02-2014

Eh, it's been awhile since I posted but I figured I'd chime in about the BLM relic since you were doing this little project. Granted that this is a copy-pasta of a post I did in the past; this pretty much explains that there are multiple Star Dust rods in the world of Eorzea.

The Stardust Rod actually has multiple copies. In the Sixth Umbral Era, After Shatotto brought down a star(Meteor), she actually made multiple Stardust Rods using the remnants of that very star. During the Relic Reborn quest, Gerolt goes on to say that Shatatto was prone to huge fits of boredom and making staves was one of her favorite hobbies. The Stardust Rods were her most finest pieces of work and were given only to her most loyal of followers. It's just over the years, many were lost to the ages for various reasons. In the Relic Reborn quest, you learn that one had been discovered and was being sold in an auction in Limsa Lominsa.

The weapon was in very bad condition but it was a Stardust Rod none the less. However, the night that said rod was going to go up for auction, a band of Kobold under the command of Third Order Patriarch Zu Ga had raided the mans house, killed him and taken the rod back to U'Ghamaro mines for some unknown reason. This is the part in the quest where the player character must confront the Patriarch and recover the timeworn Stardust Rod for Gerolt.

Now the one the player has may be one of a kind but it's still implied that there are multiple Stardust Rods scattered about Eorzea. They also never really explain if Third Order Patriarch Zu Ga had one or more Stadust Rods either. He was also in possession of the Timeworn Thyrus and Bravura as well. So it could also be implied that this Kobold was a collector of antiques.

EDIT: to quote for reference, this is also taken from the lodestone description of the Stardust Rod.

"All in the Order of Nald’thal know well the legend of Shatotto, a mighty thaumaturge from the fifth of Astral Eras. Her creation of destructive and catastrophic spells evoked as much fear as it did respect, prompting ignorant souls to call her unsavory names—Death’s Handmaiden, the Black Witch, and the She-Devil among them. She was also possessed of an otherworldly talent for crafting thaumaturgical staves. Among her creations, the Stardust Rods are by far the most powerful and coveted, believed as they are to be fashioned from the celestial remnants of a star Shatotto herself brought down to Hydaelyn and clove asunder."

http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/...f0ca80484c


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Rickter - 01-02-2014

awesome, now this is what im looking for!

than kyou for taking the time and getting this information to me! it very interesting!


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Darkfae - 01-02-2014

To note, in the Relic quest lines, it's specifically stated that the guy is making copies of the item, at least that was what I caught when I did it last time through. You get the original, however it's so badly damaged, it cannot be restored so he makes you replica of it. At least that was how it read from my perspective.


Even if I misinterpreted it, that's still an angle any RPer can use if they want their relic weapon to be related to that weapon directly - it's not the Curtana, but a replica that has been imbued with similar powers via an ungodly amount of work and smithing.


As mentioned, the other angle I've seen is that the relic weapon is not even a Curtana, but another powerful sword that was acquired by the wielder through some sort of story, usually one on par or more difficult than the A Relic Reborn quest.


Cool real world relations though! For the ones that have some, anyway. I think the Veil of Wiyu might have something in Chinese or Japanese Mythology, but I'm not 100% sure.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Edgar - 01-03-2014

Have we all forgotten that many of the NPCs in the Job questlines have Relic weapons?


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Rickter - 01-03-2014

(01-02-2014, 10:30 PM)Darkfae Wrote: To note, in the Relic quest lines, it's specifically stated that the guy is making copies of the item, at least that was what I caught when I did it last time through. You get the original, however it's so badly damaged, it cannot be restored so he makes you replica of it. At least that was how it read from my perspective.


Even if I misinterpreted it, that's still an angle any RPer can use if they want their relic weapon to be related to that weapon directly - it's not the Curtana, but a replica that has been imbued with similar powers via an ungodly amount of work and smithing.


As mentioned, the other angle I've seen is that the relic weapon is not even a Curtana, but another powerful sword that was acquired by the wielder through some sort of story, usually one on par or more difficult than the A Relic Reborn quest.


Cool real world relations though! For the ones that have some, anyway. I think the Veil of Wiyu might have something in Chinese or Japanese Mythology, but I'm not 100% sure.
I dont believe the Relic Weapons in game are replicas, more like, restorations.

You obtain the original relic but as you stated, its so badly damaged that Gerolt must "fuse" it with another weapon (the weapon you obtain and must put two of the same materia in it).  so essentially he is taking parts of the Relic and putting together with the new weapon. 

I believe that can be considered a restoration.

so in other words, the RP community has generally adopted the policy to not claim the Relic as their weapon but to have your character obtain some other weapon entirely separate from the story line Relic?

so instead of my sword being called Curtana, i should use something i thought up?


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Kieron Lohengrin - 01-03-2014

Call it whatever you want. The RP community isn't one amorphous mass that makes the rules; it's whoever you RP with on a regular basis, whom you've deemed worth your time.

No one will be offended if you call it a Curtana, instead of the Curtana. No one sensible, anyway.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Erik Mynhier - 01-03-2014

Here is what I did. Erik so loved the legends of the Sultansworn order, that he paid a craftsman to make replicas of Curtana and the Holy Shield. They are not the originals, nor do they have any RP breaking special-snowflake skills. Just a trusty sword and shield he paid to have made pretty. Honestly its just "sword" and "shield" IC.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Asgarn - 01-03-2014

Having had a brief scroll, I cannot see all that much on Thyrus other than the Italian wyvern legend (nice find, by the way!). I'm not certain if this is what you are looking for, but here's some lore of Thyrus that White Mages find out during their story quests/relic quest:

Thyrus was the legendary staff wielded by an eccentric Padjal, gifted in the ways of white magic, A-Towa-Cant. Unlike most of his kind, A-Towa-Cant did not seek the solitude of his homeland, but instead to explore the realm. Cataloguing information of all races he encountered, his journal contained many accounts of conversations with influential figures at his time of life. A-Towa-Cant ultimately met his demise in the U'Ghamoro Mines, the capital of the Kobold race. Both he and his apprentice (un-named, if memory serves right) braved the mines for the sake of knowledge, but only his apprentice survived.

It is rumoured that, although he fell, A-Towa-Cant held his ground long enough for his apprentice to flee and potentially days afterwards. It is in the depths of O'Ghamoro that the player finds Thyrus, rusted and depleted. And so begins the restoration process.

I hope that was helpful in some way! Sadly, I am not aware of any unique lore on how Thyrus came to be, if it perhaps possessed any unique features (a conscious, etc) or anything of the like. The story mostly revolves around A-Towa-Cant.

Good luck!


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Sounsyy - 01-03-2014

As far as in-game lore about the Relic Weapons, there exist some weapons that are one of a kind and some that there exist multiples. As far as RPing, I believe it is passable to say both "I have the restored relic." and "I have a replica of the original." IMO both should fly. The only issue I would foresee is if two roleplayers both said "I have the restored one of a kind relic."

Curtana - One of a kind. It is a part of a set of three swords forged for the three founding Sultansworn. Curtana belonged to the Founder of the Sultansworn, Tristram. Interestingly, Curtana has a parallel in the stories of King Arthur. One of the Knights of the Round Table named Tristan possessed the Curtana. It, too, was part of a set of three swords. Durendal and Joyeuse being Curtana's sisters.

Gae Bolg - Multiple exist in lore. This is the functional and ceremonial weapon of the Dragoon throughout history. As such, one exists per Dragoon, along with the Drachen armor. In the Dragoon and Relic storyline your character has to pillage the Gae Bolg and the armor from previous dead real Dragoons.

Stardust Rod - Multiple exist in lore. Shantotto was a powerful Black Mage who lived during the 5th Astral Era. She brought down a star and made its remains into a series of powerful staves known as the Stardust Rods. So, very easy to canonically have one of these.

Thyrus - Possibly one of a kind. Not very much is known about the staff other than it belonged to an oddball Padjal named A-Towa-Cant.

Bravura - Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is a one of a kind as well? I know it belonged to a Warrior in the Company of Heroes. I believe it was said that the axe was so heavy only this warrior could lift it. Or were there multiples and the Warrior from the Company of Heroes simply made it famous?

Artemis Bow - Artemis Bow is also one of a kind. It belonged to an archer named Gilbert the Godsbow who lived about 400-500 years ago. It is said he slew seven Ixali Chieftains with a single arrow. His bow was kept in the God's Quiver until it was stolen by Ixali.


So, I haven't personally done the other three Relic Quests, so I can't say for certain if they are one of a kind or not.


(01-03-2014, 01:03 AM)Edgar Wrote: Have we all forgotten that many of the NPCs in the Job questlines have Relic weapons?

Kinda. All are pretty easy to explain.

Solkzagyl from the PLD quests has a replica of the Oathkeeper, a possible sister sword of the Curtana. He does not actually possess the Curtana as it is one of a kind.

Curious George from the WAR quests confesses that the Artifact armor he possesses is only a replica of the real thing. Not a far stretch to believe that the Bravura he possess is only a replica as well. 

Ser Alberic from the DRG quests would have a Gae Bolg but he gave up his lance and armor after the destruction of Ferndale. Estinien possesses a Gae Bolg because he is a real dragoon chosen by Nidhogg's Eye.

Jehantel from the BRD quests is one of Gilbert's successors of the Godsbow Title. It is possible all those bestowed with the title obtain a replica of Gilbert's original bowharp? Seems fitting.

A-Towa-Cant from the WHM quests possesses a Thyrus because the Thyrus is his staff.

Ququruka from the BLM quests probably has one of the many original Stardust Rods.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Darkfae - 01-03-2014

That's what threw me off - the last quest I did was for the Stardust Rod, and I have been way past it for a few weeks now, so I remembered there was mention of multiple copies, but not the entire context of it. Thanks for clarifying it.


RE: Lore behind the Relic Weapons - Merri - 01-03-2014

(01-03-2014, 01:43 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: So, I haven't personally done the other three Relic Quests, so I can't say for certain if they are one of a kind or not.

As far as it goes, Bravura is not one of a kind. It was made famous by Ironeater, however the design and techniques used to forge the axe itself was a well kept secret amongst the Hellsguard clans that lived on Abalathia's Spine. A Bravura is simply an axe of unbelievable craftsmanship, forged out of metal take from meteorites and tempered in lava from the heart of the mountains. It's a badass space axe, essentially. That being said, it's absolutely plausible for multiple people to have a Bravura, as there could be a plethora of ways for one to obtain one ICly.

Sphairai was a unique weapon at one point, however the fame that Ivon Coeurlfist found saw fit to make the weapon a sort of universal symbol of mastery over the Coeurlfist. The Sphairai we obtain in-game is technically a different pair than those wielded by Ivon Coeurlfist. In this day and age, a Sphairai is more or less a weapon crafted by a Monk who has achieved mastery over the Coeurlfist-- a distinct fighting style developed by Ivon, and revered by Monks everywhere as one of the most fearsome and difficult to master forms of hand-to-hand combat. Mainly because in order to learn it, one needs to spend years battling and immersing themselves amongst Coeurls. I could ramble on for awhile with this, but I won't! Suffice it to say, Sphairai is a weapon that can be obtained by multiple players, as it's merely a name for a type of weapon, not a unique weapon in it's own right.

Omnilex and The Veil of Wiyu are both one of a kind relic weapons in a sense, though they are books, and they are in fact called "A copy of X" while in your inventory, so it's not a completely foreign idea for some one to have a copy of the tomes. Having the real one, however, would be a different story.