Yes indeed folks, Square Enix have just updated their official website... and this comes just a day after Steve Manly of FFXIVCore was generous enough to translate the latest images from Famitsu.
Lots of wonderful info was given and what is even more exciting is the fact that the fact-sheet for the city-states of Gridania and Ul'Dah were updated (finally!). No news, info or images of Ishgard just yet; however its VERY interesting (and fortunate) to note that Gridania's militant forces are "pole-arm weilding sentries". Me likes this new info vewy vewy vewy much because me is going to be a psychotic Lancer.
Anywayz, here are some of the images and info (taken directly from the official FFXIV website, so please remember that although they are posted here strictly for fan purposes, they remain the sole property of Sqaure Enix International. As always, thanks for the support and please visit the official site to learn more details) xD
The Mapping of Eorzea
The vast realm of Eorzea, comprising the continent of Aldenard and its outlying islands, has seen the rise of a civilization with peoples as diverse as its environs. Throughout its history, the landscape has played home to a number of city-states—the tenuous relations among them fluctuating between friendly and hostile.
The pantheon of the Twelve is followed devoutly by most, and doctrine holds that the past wars of the realm were the wars of the heavens, with the gods and goddesses laying their favor with nations to champion them. In this way, war spread throughout the realm, discouraging unity and peace.
As a result, years passed without the lay of the land and its borders ever being mapped in their entirety. It was not until some 70 years ago, when an intrepid soul set out to wander the land, at great peril to himself, that the first map of Eorzea was completed.
Since then, the original rendering has been amended and improved by others, and the form it takes today is used by adventurers across the realm as an indispensable guide on their travels.
***(Quick pause here: several readers will undoubtedly remember one of my blog entries in August or September last year
regarding the sixth city-state.
At the time, I had speculated that it might be a floating city (and on a couple sites, some friends and I speculated further that it might be a country of the Gria race living in harmony with the dragons shown at last years E3 trailer.
And now look on the North-West side of the map and notice the flying dragon... yes indeed, let it not be said, we weren't amoung the first to call it xD)***
In One Are Twelve
A map is as precise
As the malms walked in her making,
Yet I fear these feet
Have but far too few between them
May she serve faithfully
Any who would employ her for good,
And shun all who would fill
Her borders with blood
Twelve see the steps taken
By those who heed her humble guidance
Ensure her legacy endures
—Roddard Ironheart, Year 1506 of the 6th Astral Era
(And here are the added info and coat-of-arms on the City-States)
Gridania
Each tree, each shrub, each leaf, each blade of grass—we treat them as our own sons and daughters. And for that we are loved by this wood.
—master conjurer and prophet, O-Guna-Por
In the eastern reaches of the Aldenard landmass, home to vast, dense woodlands and coursing rivers, lies the forest nation of Gridania. The cityscape is a mosaic of labyrinthine waterways and great wooden structures, so gracefully constructed they seem a part of the surrounding environment.
The Gridanian emphasis on natural harmony has led to its preeminence among Eorzea's city-states in trades such as forestry, agriculture, carpentry, and leatherworking. Gridania is also home to the Wood Wailers, a militant band of polearm-wielding sentries charged with the protection of their homeland.
The favored goddess of the citizenry is Nophica, the Matron, but great faith is also placed in the wisdom of the Seedseers—young oracles who guide the nation based on the will of the forest's elementals.
Ul'dah
"Everyone here is after something—fame, notoriety, power, money. Me? I'll have the whole bloody lot."
—self-made Lalafell and former Syndicate Member, Cicidoa Sosodoa
The bustling commercial hub of Ul'dah sits amid the desolate desert landscape of southern Aldenard. The city is organized strategically around the dome-shaped citadel at its center. Its towering fortifications and protective outer walls are visible for malms in all directions, and serve as a stark deterrent to would-be besiegers.
Visitors from every corner of Eorzea come to Ul'dah to partake of the city's famed recreation, most notably the fighting arenas and gambling halls. Ul'dahn culture is known for its affluence, and the wealth of the nation comes in large part from its abundant mineral resources and prestigious clothcrafting industry.
Historically, it is the sultan who claims sovereignty over Ul'dah, but true power is wielded by the Syndicate, an elite group of six of the most influential and richest members of society. Nald'thal is the patron deity of the city, and two great halls, devoted to his two aspects, can be found in the eastern and western sections of the city.
Limsa Lominsa
(And here are also some images that were included with the info on some of Limsa's Guilds)
The choice of a guild can prove the defining moment in an adventurer's budding career, and Limsa Lominsa offers a wide variety of unique options, many of which include businesses and organizations that constitute the backbone of the coastal city's government and economy.
Coral Tower
Official headquarters for Limsa Lominsa's Knights of the Barracuda, the Coral Tower provides everything necessary for an officer to hone his skills while preparing for his next assignment, from a spacious firing range, to a fully-equipped barracks where weapons can be cleaned and repaired.
In an attempt to assist the Thalassocratic Navy's recruitment of skilled marksmen, and prevent those with promise from being beguiled into joining a pirate crew, the city-state has loosened enlistment regulations and opened the facilities' doors to almost anyone, using the name Musketeers' Guild to entice willing youths.
The man who wields a musket is only half the man who wields a blade? Hah! So says the man with a bullet in his belly.
—Knights of the Barracuda, Commodore Reyner Hansred
The Astalicia
Tethered to a solitary pier, far from the watchful eyes of the Knights of the Barracuda, rests a towering galleon registered with Mealvaan's Gate as a trade vessel hailing from foreign waters. The fact that is, in actuality, a battle-scarred warship captained by the undisputed lord of the region's underworld, One-Eyed Hyllfyr, is one the city-state's worst kept secrets.
Serving as the gathering place for brigands, cutthroats, assassins, petty thieves, and the purveyors of sundry other breeds of villainy, the ship's captain has branded her the "Marauders' Guild," and it is here that the city-state's many pirate crews find new recruits to join ranks... as well as a few wide-eyed adventurers from whom to suck the marrow.
***(Much more info and awesome pictures on Limsa's Giuilds are explained on the official website... yes indeed, we're all loving the Musketeers now, ehhhh?)***
Always everyone, please remember that all the official videos and images from SE were used here strictly for fan purposes; and all the product, system names and/or company logos remain the registered trademarks of Square Enix. Copyright (C) 2010 SQUARE ENIX CO. LTD. All Rights Reserved
