Fans are counting the days untilFinal Fantasy 14: Endwalkercomes out with its two new classes, male viera, dungeons, and, of course, new areas. One of the fresh regions is one that has been in the background of the game’s story since the beginning, Sharlayan. While players have met characters from Sharlayan and have traversed dungeons made by Sharlayan scholars,Endwalkerwill be the first time players actually get to go to the place itself.
While plenty is known within the game about Sharlayan, a lot of fans are not privy to the information on the region that is shared in theEncylopedia Eorzea. Besides that,Final Fantasy 14is a large game where details about Sharlayan can easily be forgotten. There is a lot of lore to cover about Sharlayan, including its government, industries, religion, and history.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 14’s Housing Lottery Doesn’t Solve the Problem
Sharlayan Culture
Sharlayan’s motto is “Knowledge seeks no man,” and their culture revolves around the pursuit of knowledge with Thaliak, the ruler of rivers and wisdom, as their guardian deity. In theFinal Fantasy 14Fan Festival, Square Enix shared some pictures that show a huge statue of Thaliak pouring water inthe Sharlayan port. Their flag symbol is a green mollusk shell, as they believed mollusks to live forever. This very symbol is on the old Sharlayan ruins that Idyllshire is built upon.
As for their government and leader, Sharlayan describes itself as a democratic society that does not have one leader. A Forum exists with officials that represent the masses of citizens. While there is a Head of the Forum, their power is limited by Sharlayan law. There are 99 memberscurrently in the Sharlayan Forum that each stand for a big population. In the past, the Forums were called “Ecclesias” and they were open to all, but Sharlayan had a population boom and it became too chaotic. As such, they limited the Forum to democratically voted representatives.
The region is home to three major industries: aetherial technology, publishing, and education. Sharlayan is full of famous academies and evenfood itself is treated as a source of studyrather than pleasure. All hold the belief in nonviolence, and much of their knowledge is kept secret, as they are taught to avoid war at all costs. Lastly, the racial distribution of the region is unknown and kept secret in the interest of equality.
Sharlayan History
Sharlayan was founded by aRoegadyn magenamed Nyunkreph Nyunkrepfsyn who sailed with a crew to find safety during an oncoming flood. After a difficult journey, they settled and created a small village as the beginning of Sharlayan, and the village expanded into a city. Owing much to Nyunkreph, the citizens decided to follow his teachings of renouncing war and seeking knowledge. A great place of study rose called the Studium, and it uncovered the lost secret of traveling by aetheryte.
For a time, there was a Sharlayan colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands and it was part of Eorzea’s city-states. However, they all evacuated whenthe Empire began to threaten themwith colonization. Since they were anti-war and could not come to a peaceful conclusion, they all retreated back to Sharlayan. One of the key figures to decide upon this retreat was Fourchenault Leveilleur himself, Alphinaud and Alisaie’s dad.
Key People From Sharlayan
Despite not having been in Sharlayan before,the Warrior of Lighthas met plenty of people from the region. One is the old and helpful mage, Matoya, who lives near what was once a Sharlayan colony. True to her Sharlayan roots, she knows a ton about aether and has studied the world through its magic. Since Matoya is a woman of action, fans have speculated that she disagrees with Sharlayan’s inactions in helping save Eorzea from the Empire, and that could be why she does not live there anymore.
One character fans are prepared to see much more of us Fourchenault Leveilleur, the eldest son of the famous Louisoix and a major member of the current Sharlayan Forum. However, he disagrees with his father’s heroism against the Empire and wishes to pursue Nyunkrephf’s teachings of peace above all else. With him in the Forum is another man named Sevestre Albright, who also believes Sharlayan should never intervene in matters of other nations. In fact, Sevestre has attempted to stop any Sharlayan immigrants from sharing their knowledge with outsiders.
Then, of course, there are theScions of the Seventh Dawnthemselves. Many of them hail from Sharlayan, including Alphinaud, Alisaie, Urianger, Y’shtola, Moenbryda, Papalymo, G’raha Tia, and Krile. Those that are still living will likely also be traveling to Sharlayan with the Warrior of Light due to their insider knowledge. However, it is unclear how much Sharlayan has changed since they last visited. There are also a lot of hints that Sharlayan may have world-changing knowledge that they are keeping secret, which should prove interesting.
Final Fantasy 14is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, and PS5.
MORE:Explaining Final Fantasy 14’s Colorism Issues, And Yoshida’s Response
