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{{ARR Infobox Subregion
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| Name = Limsa Lominsa
[[fr:Limsa Lominsa]]
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| Region = La Noscea
[[Category:Areas]][[Category:City-States]]
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| Description = ''"Till Sea Swallows All."''
<center><i>"No man may tread upon me, for I am the sea."<br>
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- 77th Admiral of Limsa Lominsa, [[N'bolata Tyata]]</i></center><br>
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On the southern coast of the island of [[Vylbrand]], under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the [[Rhotano Sea]], lies the maritime city-state of [[Limsa Lominsa]]. Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, [[Llymlaen]], the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, pillars of rock and reef that jut out from the bay, each connected by long, sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the "Navigator's Veil" from traveling bards who have witnessed the city's beauty from afar.
[[File:Limsa lominsa final.png|600px|thumb|Limsa Lominsa Concept Art]]
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Limsa Lominsa is a traditional thalassocracy, with power lying in the hands of the ruling party and its leader, the [[Merlwyb|Admiral]]. Its economy is driven by shipbuilding, [[Fisher|fishing]], and [[Blacksmith|blacksmithing]], but the majority of wealth comes from the lucrative shipping industry.
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To maintain the safety of its maritime routes, the city employed a formidable navy known as the [[Knights of the Barracuda]] until the [[The Calamity|Calamity]] saw the organization absorbed into the yoke of the [[The Maelstrom|Maelstrom]], the city-state's [[:Category:Grand Companies|Grand Company]]. Now peace it upheld by the [[Yellowjackets]]. However, even in the waters nearby the city, pirate bands run rampant, reaving and pillaging.
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| Image = Limsa Lominsa Artwork Banner.jpg
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| Expansion = Original
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| Lore = <div style="text-align: center">''On a windswept isle on the southwestern corner of the realm,<br>amidst the roiling waves of the Rhotano Sea, lies the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa.<br>To this haven for bandits and brigands, cutthroats and curs, seekers of both freedom and fortune, comes a lone adventurer.<br>Lone, yet not alone, for the hero's arrival has drawn the gaze of the nation's patron deity Llymlaen.<br>What realm-shaking fate has She descried in the churning waters of this mortal's future?<br>Through peril and hardship, discovery and triumph, may the Navigator guide this brave soul on his life's voyage...<br>Till sea swallows all.''</div><br>
 
__TOC__
 
__TOC__
==Overview==
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=Overview=
On the southern coast of the island of [[Vylbrand]], under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the [[Rhotano Sea]], lies the maritime [[:Category:City-States|city-state]] of Limsa Lominsa ({{Eorzean|Limsa Lominsa}}). Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, [[Llymlaen]], the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, each connected by sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the "Navigator's Veil" from traveling bards who have witnessed the city's beauty from afar.
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===Flag===
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[[File:LimsaLominsaFlag.png|100px|right]]
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The obsidian longboat upon Limsa Lominsa's standard is a pirate ship, and beckons back to the founders of the city: brutal [[Sea Wolves|Sea Wolf]] buccaneers, once the terror of the north seas. It should come as no surprise, then, that the crimson field represents the spilled blood of lost companions, and reflects the city-state's savage and gruesome history.
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===Motto===
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Till Sea Swallows All
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===Government===
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Lominsans choose their leader in the [[The Trident|Trident]], a competition held once every seven years. The strongest of pirate crews run this multi-pronged race, and whosoever crosses the finish line first becomes admiral, the head of the maritime city-state. Afforded sweeping powers over Limsa Lominsa, new admirals will often drastically alter existing policies{{emdash}}and with it, change the course of the city-state.
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===Leader===
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[[Merlwyb|Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn]]
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===Ruling Body===
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A number of councilors, nominated personally by the admiral, oversee the everyday proceedings of the thalassocracy.
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===Racial Distribution===
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[[Sea Wolves|Sea Wolf Roegadyn]]: 40%<br>[[Plainsfolk|Plainsfolk Lalafell]]: 20%<br>[[Seekers of the Sun|Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te]]: 20%<br>[[Midlanders|Midlander Hyur]]: 10%<br>Other: 10%
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===Religion===
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As one might expect for a maritime city-state, Lominsans revere [[Llymlaen]], watcher of the seas and goddess of navigation. True believers make pilgrimages to the mark of the Navigator before they set sail, and upon their safe return to port. The worship of Llymlaen has roots in a loose collection of local beliefs, however, and thus cannot be thought of as a formal religion. Indeed, the Navigator has no grand temples nor clergy to Her name in Limsa, save the odd bethel overlooking the endless seas. Instead, each man keeps his own faith within his home through prayer and humble ritual.
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===Guilds===
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Limsa Lominsa is home to guilds representing [[Marauder|marauders]], [[Arcanist|arcanists]], [[Rogue|rogues]], [[Blacksmith|blacksmiths]], [[Armorer|armorers]], [[Culinarian|culinarians]], and [[Fisher|fishermen]].
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===Industries===
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''Piracy:''
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In the present day, piracy as such is forbidden. Privateering, on the other hand, is permitted, provided that the targets and plunder be of [[Garlean Empire|Garlean]] origin.
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''Fishing:''
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Lominsan [[Fisher|anglers]] come together in numerous loose associations of "pullers" and eke out their living by casting lines off the coastal cliffs and trawling the open seas.
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''Shipbuilding:''
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Whether they be crafting great warships or fishing skiffs, the shipwrights of Limsa Lominsa have no equals within the realm{{emdash}}as they themselves will proudly proclaim.
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''Metalwork:''
  
Limsa Lominsa is a traditional thalassocracy, with power lying in the hands of the ruling party and its leader -- the Admiral. Its economy is driven by shipbuilding, [[Fisherman|fishing]], and [[blacksmith]]ing, but the majority of wealth comes from the lucrative shipping industry.
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The art of steel-making evolved alongside the shipbuilding industry, and has profited much from Lominsan exchanges with the kobolds who are masters of metallurgy in their own right.
  
To maintain the safety of its maritime routes, the city employs a formidable navy known as the [[Knights of the Barracuda]]. However, even in the waters nearby the city, [[pirate]] bands run rampant, reaving and pillaging.
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''Shipping:''
  
==Lore==
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With their considerable knowledge of shipbuilding and seafaring, it was natural that a shipping industry should flourish in the city-state. Many and more are the trading vessels that can be seen sailing in and out of port each day.
Legend holds that Limsa Lominsa was founded shortly after the remnants of a giant armada fled from its homeland following a crushing defeat. Llymlaen is said to have taken pity on the plight of these brave sailors, and guided them to the shallows of a rocky bay where their ships were grounded upon the sharp rocks. With no home to return to, the sailors chose to settle in this newly-found land, and use the remnants of their vessels to begin construction of a city.
 
  
However, the sailors never forget their nautical backgrounds, and once a new fleet was in order, they would take to the waters again. It was only a matter of time before their influence spread and they ruled the five seas of [[Eorzea]]. Thus, the Limsan thalassocracy was born.
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''Farming:''
  
Remnants of this legend live on even today in the nation's ruling party, whose members still address their leader as Admiral.
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A settlement initiative has made great strides in providing an honest livelihood for those retired from freebooting, who grow mainly oranges, grapes, and wheat.
  
==Landmarks==
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===Beliefs===
===The Mizzenmast===
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Founded by men fleeing the rule of kings, Lominsans continue to see laws more as guidelines than actual rules. Whether pirate or fisherman, citizens generally feel less loyal to their city-state than to their immediate crew. This spirit of freedom ever drives Limsa forward, yet the selfsame wild abandon may appear brutish in the eyes of the other Eorzean nations.
[[File:Mizzenmast.png|thumb|The Mizzenmast]]
 
Built around the remnants of the [[Galadion]] -- a legendary battleship whose grounding off the shores of [[Vylbrand]] marked the humble beginnings of Limsa Lominsa -- the towering Mizzenmast stands at the center of all that goes on in the city-state.
 
  
The bottom level is a veritable citadel, fortified with [[yalm]]-thick stone walls dotted with [[Arrows|arrow]] loops and murder holes to fend off invaders in the event of an attack. On the middle levels can be found both a bustling pub and a cozy inn, while the uppermost levels comprise the offices of the high-ranking thalassocratic officials, including the city-state's leader -- the Admiral.
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===Diet===
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Naturally, Lominsan cuisine makes use of the abundant fresh fish and shellfish. The city-state is a favorite of gourmands, as the seafaring culture brings foreign spices and recipes aplenty to the table. Likewise, Lominsan liquors, which were developed to keep on long sea voyages, are famed{{emdash}}particularly the ales and wines, brewed from local wheat and grapes in great quantity.
  
Limsa Lominsa's [[airship]] landing is also located near the top of the tower, allowing for the safe disembarkation and boarding of passengers without the need for pilots to contend with the treacherous air currents swirling in the bay below.
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=History=
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==The Founding of a City==
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In 874 of the [[Sixth Astral Era]], the ''Galadion'' set sail from the isles deep in the [[Northern Empty|northern seas]]{{emdash}}the last of a mighty armada which turned on its nation in the name of the people, only to meet defeat at the hands of those they meant to free. The [[Sea Wolves|Sea Wolf]] crew of this noble vessel, who could no longer abide the rule of tyrants, steered her crippled hull south through unknown waters in search of a new home. After a yearlong voyage cursed by many troubles, the ship drifted to the southern coast of [[Vylbrand]], and there ran aground.
  
===The Octant===
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The ''Galadion'' carried two [[Elezen]] helmsmen: [[Jean De Nevelle]], a navigator, and the adventurer [[Guy La Thagran]]. Tasked with exploring the interior of the island, both confirmed that the region was fertile. In this land, the crew realized that they had found the home they had sought. Under [[Admiral Elilwaen]], leader of the expedition, the crew built a small village inland of what was soon dubbed [[La Noscea]] after a second lodesman who perished of scurvy just two days before landfall.
[[File:Octant.png|thumb|The Octant]]
 
This grand outdoor plaza situated below the Mizzenmast earned its name for the resemblance it bears to the revolutionary nautical instrument invented by maritime scientist and "father of modern navigation," [[Jovanni Gnonno]].
 
  
During daylight hours, the round resounds with the cries of mountebanks, the songs of bards, and the laughter of children marveling at the many talents of the mummers' troupes. Yet come nightfall, the plaza assumes quite another aspect. Bedraped by the soft light of the moon, its steps become a private theater for lovers seeking to gaze upon the timeless drama of the heavens.
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However, it quickly became clear that the men and women of the ''Galadion'' were not alone, and had trespassed upon the domain of the kobolds, a tribe of badger-like beastmen.
  
===Pharos Polaris===
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In 879, a kobold tribe massacred townsfolk in a settlement in [[Western La Noscea|western La Noscea]]. After a few skirmishes, the crew abandoned their village for the relative safety of the ''Galadion'', which they had left stranded upon the La Noscean coast. From their ship, they built bridges to the small islands and exposed reefs scattered about the bay, and thus the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa was born.
[[File:Pharos_Polaris.png|thumb|The Pharos Polaris]]
 
Erected over decades out of bright white chalk mined from nearby cliffs, this colossal lighthouse is a beacon for sailors braving the night seas, her light providing safe passage through the perilous shallows of [[Galadion Bay]].
 
  
Few, save the candlekeeps who maintain a constant vigil over the flames, know anything about the pale blue light which emanates from atop the spire. Some say it comes from the maw of an arcane [[:Category:Bomb|bomb]], locked in a cage and tormented until its anger burns bright.
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A battle ensued in the following year, as a militia was dispatched from Limsa Lominsa to defend the settlements of western La Noscea. The Lominsans were victorious in their skirmishes with the kobold tribes along the narrow corridor leading to [[Upper La Noscea]], and the region came to be known as [[Skull Valley]] after the Lominsans lined the path with the death's-heads of their foes as a warning to would-be trespassers.
  
Others say the keeps themselves are powerful [[Disciples of Magic|mages]] who use their [[Thaumaturge|thaumaturgies]] to capture the rays of the sun each day, only to release them again at night.
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Admiral Elilwaen passed away at the age of seventy and six, succumbing to an unknown disease (possibly the Lung Rot), in the year 902. His last will named his confidant, [[Admiral Tragghyr|Tragghyr the Cold]] as his successor, beginning a tradition of Lominsan admirals being selected by appointment.
  
===Hawkers' Alley ([[East Hawkers' Alley|East]] & [[West Hawkers' Alley|West]])===
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Tragghyr recruited like-minded men to form the [[Knights of the Barracuda]], the Lominsan navy. Commanding its land forces, popularly known as [[Yellowjackets]], he led a raid on kobold territories in the name of the city-state. They established [[Camp Skull Valley]] in [[Western La Noscea|western La Noscea]], seizing a portion of kobold lands and opening the region for a colonization.
[[File:West Hawkers' Alley.png|thumb|West Hawkers' Alley]]
 
Amidst the pungent aromas of smoke and spice, merchants from the four corners of [[Eorzea]] and beyond gather in this corner of the city-state, peddling their tramontane wares to all who would buy, while providing a lifeline for those [[Disciples of the Hand|crafters]] hailing from the faraway nations of [[Gridania]] and [[Ul'dah]].
 
  
However, the Markets of Limsa Lominsa are not limited to the cluttered confines of this narrow boulevard. On several of their lesser islands speckled about the bay can be found neighborhoods such as the [[Frippers Ward]] and the [[Leechers Ward]] -- homes to [[guilds]] and workshops of innumerable trades.
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==A Maritime Age==
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Limsa Lominsa in its early days was a place for coinless refugees. Unable to make full use of La Noscea's rich resources due to the continued hostility of the kobolds, the Lominsans lived in poverty, much as they had in the north seas. They kept their skills as sailors, however, and thus chose the path of survival open to them{{emdash}}piracy.
  
It is within these wards that many adventurers have chosen to set up retainer-run stalls, selling everything from the assorted spells of their exploits to the fruits of their [[Disciples_of_the_Hand|craft]]-du-jour.
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After occupying the [[Cedarwood|few scant forests]] of [[Lower La Noscea|lower La Noscea]] and gaining a source of lumber, the Lominsans set about building warships. With the salt-heavy winds at their back, the early townsfolk came into their element, and began to attack the merchant ships sailing the [[Rhotano Sea]]{{emdash}}ferocious as wolves preying upon sheep. Soon, the city-state was rich with plunder, and a black market had opened to peddle the stolen goods.
  
==Guilds==
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Thus, it was through piracy that Limsa Lominsa's population grew larger and more diverse. [[Plainsfolk]] came from the south sea isles, drawn by rumors of cheap wares, and Lominsan pirates oft gave members of captured crews the choice to join their ranks. Before long, [[Sea Wolves]] worked the docks of the maritime city-state alongside [[Seekers of the Sun]] and [[Hyur]].
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 [[:Category:Organizations|organizations]] that constitute the backbone of the coastal city's government and economy.
 
  
===[[Naldiq & Vymelli's]]===
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==The Trident==
Founded by legendary cannonwright [[Theor Naldiq]] and renowned shipwright [[Bryce Vymelli]], this well-respected establishment's forges have provided the steel plating and [[:Category:Weapons|weaponry]] of nearly every ship to have braved the Navigator's briny demesne.
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As the pirates grew in number, they began to organize into proper crews. As the number of crews multiplied, however, quarrels among them became more common. Questions of territory and shares of plunder erupted into violence in the 940th year of the Sixth Astral Era, and for nearly two decades thereafter, the streets ran with the blood of feuding pirates. The madness continued until 963{{emdash}}the year that [[Admiral Agatzahr|Agatzahr Roehmerlsyn]] assumed the admiralship.
  
However, the recent upturn in adventurer activity has led the company to expand their repertoire to include basic [[:Category:Swords|blades]] and [[:Category:Armor|armor]], and latterly to open their doors to aspiring crafters through the creation of both a [[Blacksmith]]'s and [[Armorer]]s' Guild.
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From a buccaneer background himself, Admiral Agatzahr invited the strongest of the warring crews to the negotiation table. Through bartering and threats, he secured their solemn oath to put an end to the fighting. More miraculously, however, he put forth a code of conduct which every corsair would have to honor: No crew would cheat another of its plunder, nor rob a fellow Lominsan, nor sell fellow men into slavery.
  
===[[Coral Tower]]===
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Though the code itself was revolutionary, its enforcement was perhaps more so. The best of all crews came together and founded the [[Upright Thieves]], a shadowy organization that punished those who broke the code. Admiral Agatzahr's rules became as law to the pirates not because they were imposed from above, but rather because they were enforced in every back alley and bad tavern. Thanks to this, peace returned to Limsa.
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 [[Musketeer]]s' Guild to entice willing youths.
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Agatzahr went on to tax the revived trade in plunder, and used the proceeds to bolster the [[Knights of the Barracuda]], the Lominsan navy. With this force, he devoted himself to fighting the kobolds. Through Agatzahr's reforms, Limsa Lominsa became mighty: the pirates grew wealthy from raiding foreign vessels, while the Barracudas secured the interior territories and defended the harbor. In his late years, the Admiral also established the Trident so as to avoid a war of succession. Truly, the maritime city-state would not be the power it is today without his many contributions.
  
===[[The Bismarck]]===
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==Revolution==
The Bismarck -- forever titillating the tongues of travelers, and assuaging the appetites of adventurers -- where gourmands from around the globe gather to dine on delectable dishes, to sup on sumptuous soups, to indulge their innermost cravings.
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For several hundred years the [[The Trident|Trident]] reliably produced leaders who served seven years{{emdash}}though history is littered with admirals who stayed in office for longer. Many pirate lords rose to the position, and their strength allowed them to rein in the rough seafaring citizens. In this way, Limsa Lominsa maintained unity as a city-state.
  
Pass through the gates of Eorzea's premiere [[Culinarian|culinary]] establishment and be greeted with a bountiful array of exotic delights from beyond the boundless seas. Watch and be amazed as grand battles unfold in the kitchens over fire and flame, pitting experienced masters against budding young chefs, eager to divest their mentors of their most secret recipes. Give in to the forbidden desires of your polished palate and join our goodly guild to begin the climb up gilded steps to gustatory greatness!
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One such notable figure was [[Admiral Mealvaan]], who lived roughly five hundred years ago. With the aid of his advisor, the [[Arcanist|arcanist]] [[Ikuku Iku]], he established [[Mealvaan's Gate]], the customs office of [[Limsa Lominsa]]. Another, [[Admiral Guolskyf]], who lived half a century ago, sought to catalog the realm's recipes and founded the [[The Bismarck|Culinarians' Guild]].
  
===[[The Astalicia]]===
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However, the Trident was to produce a leader in 1563 who would change the maritime city-state in greater ways than ever before: [[Merlwyb|Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn]]. Though she herself was a pirate leader of the infamous League of Lost Bastards, Merlwyb declared piracy illegal upon assuming the admiralship{{emdash}}an act that shocked Lominsans and dealt a blow to the mainstay of its economy. Why would she do such a thing? Evidently, the Admiral realized that Limsa could not face the encroaching threat of the [[Garlean Empire]] without powerful allies, and could ill afford to antagonize the other nations of [[Eorzea]].
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 it is, in actuality, a battle-scarred warship captained by the undisputed lord of the region's underworld, [[One-eyed Hyllfyr]], is one of the city-state's worst-kept secrets.
 
  
Serving as a gathering place for brigands, cut-throats, assassins, petty thieves, and the purveyors of sundry other breeds of villainy, the ship's captain has branded her the "[[Marauder]]'s Guild," and it is here that the city-state's many pirate crews find new recruits to join their ranks ... as well as a few wide-eyed adventurers from whom to suck the marrow.
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==The Galadion Accord==
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Naturally, the Admiral's order outlawing piracy was unpopular amongst the heretofore state-sanctioned corsairs, and more than a few daring attempts were made on [[Merlwyb|Merlwyb's]] life. However, her will was of steel, and she refused to budge by even one ilm. She won what crews she could through negotiation, persuading them of Limsa's need to cooperate with the other city-states. And the crews who remained unyielding, she silenced.
  
===[[Fisherman's Bottom]]===
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Merlwyb showed her strength as a leader in other ways as well, particularly in deftly dispelling the primal threat that came to hang over the city-state. In 1565, she allocated state funds towards the hiring of the Company of Heroes, a famed mercenary band. This proved coin well spent as when the kobolds summoned Titan a year later, the sellswords were there to vanquish the aetherial deity. In the same year, they worked alongside the [[Knights of the Barracuda]] to fell Leviathan when the Sahagin called their own primal unto the realm.
For centuries, casting nets has been the favorite method of catching fish in the seas off [[Vylbrand]]. Because of this, those who work the nets to make a living have come to be called "pullers," and over the years, several independent crews of pullers have united to form small businesses of their own. These businesses can all be found in a district of Limsa Lominsa known as Fisherman's Bottom.
 
  
One of the largest organizations based there, [[Wawalago's Pullers]] -- whose activities include everything from the buying and selling of [[:Category:Fish|fish]], [[:Category:Bait|bait]], and [[:Category:Fishing Poles|tackle]], to the maintenance of the local fisheries ([[the Barrel]]), and the upkeep of the area's several lighthouses -- has taken the name of "[[Fisherman|Fishermen]]'s Guild," with the laudable aim of offering instruction to aspiring fishermen and women.
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Seeing both the Lord of Crags and the Lord of the Whorl defeated through the Admiral's foresight, many Lominsans warmed to Merlwyb, and soon those voices that decried her were singing her praises. By 1572, she was able to establish the [[The Maelstrom|Maelstrom]], Limsa's Grand Company. Her final victory was the [[Galadion Accord]], which bound the pirate crews to the Maelstrom, and unified all of Limsa Lominsa under her command.
  
===[[The Drowning Wench]]===
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=Organizations=
Once a run-down alehouse frequented by sailors, thieves and worse, the Drowning Wench underwent a defining change when pub proprietor and former sellsword [[Baderon Tenfingers]] declared the bar and the inn above it the Adventurers' Guild.
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* [[The Maelstrom]]
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* [[Yellowjackets]]
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* [[Bloody Executioners]]
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* [[Kraken's Arms]]
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* [[Sanguine Sirens]]
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* [[Knights of the Barracuda]] (defunct)
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* [[Upright Thieves]] (defunct)
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* [[The League of Lost Bastards]] (defunct)
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=See Also=
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* [[Galadion Accord]]
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* [[Merlwyb]]
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* [[Pirate]]
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* [[Rhotano Sea]]
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* [[Rycharde Mistbeard]]
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__NOTOC__
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| Etymology =
  
While still a popular venue for a pirate to drink away his ill-gotten gains, the majority of the pub's custom now consists of eager adventurers fresh off the ferries, seeking the quickest path to fame and fortune.
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| Notes = * The guardian deity of Limsa Lominsa is [[Llymlaen]], the Navigator.
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}}
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{{Navbox-LimsaLominsa}}{{Navbox-LaNoscea}}{{City-States}}

Latest revision as of 05:32, 11 January 2018

Limsa Lominsa Artwork Banner.jpg
LimsaLominsaFlag.pngLimsa Lominsa
Subregion

"Till Sea Swallows All."

On the southern coast of the island of Vylbrand, under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the Rhotano Sea, lies the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa. Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, Llymlaen, the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, pillars of rock and reef that jut out from the bay, each connected by long, sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the "Navigator's Veil" from traveling bards who have witnessed the city's beauty from afar.

Limsa Lominsa is a traditional thalassocracy, with power lying in the hands of the ruling party and its leader, the Admiral. Its economy is driven by shipbuilding, fishing, and blacksmithing, but the majority of wealth comes from the lucrative shipping industry.

To maintain the safety of its maritime routes, the city employed a formidable navy known as the Knights of the Barracuda until the Calamity saw the organization absorbed into the yoke of the Maelstrom, the city-state's Grand Company. Now peace it upheld by the Yellowjackets. However, even in the waters nearby the city, pirate bands run rampant, reaving and pillaging.

Zones

Name
Command Room
Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks
Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks
Maelstrom Barracks
Rhotano Sea


Region: La Noscea
Landmass: Vylbrand
World: Hydaelyn
Weather: varies
Expansion: Original
Lore
Divider3.png
On a windswept isle on the southwestern corner of the realm,
amidst the roiling waves of the Rhotano Sea, lies the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa.
To this haven for bandits and brigands, cutthroats and curs, seekers of both freedom and fortune, comes a lone adventurer.
Lone, yet not alone, for the hero's arrival has drawn the gaze of the nation's patron deity Llymlaen.
What realm-shaking fate has She descried in the churning waters of this mortal's future?
Through peril and hardship, discovery and triumph, may the Navigator guide this brave soul on his life's voyage...
Till sea swallows all.

Overview

Flag

LimsaLominsaFlag.png

The obsidian longboat upon Limsa Lominsa's standard is a pirate ship, and beckons back to the founders of the city: brutal Sea Wolf buccaneers, once the terror of the north seas. It should come as no surprise, then, that the crimson field represents the spilled blood of lost companions, and reflects the city-state's savage and gruesome history.

Motto

Till Sea Swallows All

Government

Lominsans choose their leader in the Trident, a competition held once every seven years. The strongest of pirate crews run this multi-pronged race, and whosoever crosses the finish line first becomes admiral, the head of the maritime city-state. Afforded sweeping powers over Limsa Lominsa, new admirals will often drastically alter existing policies—and with it, change the course of the city-state.

Leader

Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn

Ruling Body

A number of councilors, nominated personally by the admiral, oversee the everyday proceedings of the thalassocracy.

Racial Distribution

Sea Wolf Roegadyn: 40%
Plainsfolk Lalafell: 20%
Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te: 20%
Midlander Hyur: 10%
Other: 10%

Religion

As one might expect for a maritime city-state, Lominsans revere Llymlaen, watcher of the seas and goddess of navigation. True believers make pilgrimages to the mark of the Navigator before they set sail, and upon their safe return to port. The worship of Llymlaen has roots in a loose collection of local beliefs, however, and thus cannot be thought of as a formal religion. Indeed, the Navigator has no grand temples nor clergy to Her name in Limsa, save the odd bethel overlooking the endless seas. Instead, each man keeps his own faith within his home through prayer and humble ritual.

Guilds

Limsa Lominsa is home to guilds representing marauders, arcanists, rogues, blacksmiths, armorers, culinarians, and fishermen.

Industries

Piracy:

In the present day, piracy as such is forbidden. Privateering, on the other hand, is permitted, provided that the targets and plunder be of Garlean origin.

Fishing:

Lominsan anglers come together in numerous loose associations of "pullers" and eke out their living by casting lines off the coastal cliffs and trawling the open seas.

Shipbuilding:

Whether they be crafting great warships or fishing skiffs, the shipwrights of Limsa Lominsa have no equals within the realm—as they themselves will proudly proclaim.

Metalwork:

The art of steel-making evolved alongside the shipbuilding industry, and has profited much from Lominsan exchanges with the kobolds who are masters of metallurgy in their own right.

Shipping:

With their considerable knowledge of shipbuilding and seafaring, it was natural that a shipping industry should flourish in the city-state. Many and more are the trading vessels that can be seen sailing in and out of port each day.

Farming:

A settlement initiative has made great strides in providing an honest livelihood for those retired from freebooting, who grow mainly oranges, grapes, and wheat.

Beliefs

Founded by men fleeing the rule of kings, Lominsans continue to see laws more as guidelines than actual rules. Whether pirate or fisherman, citizens generally feel less loyal to their city-state than to their immediate crew. This spirit of freedom ever drives Limsa forward, yet the selfsame wild abandon may appear brutish in the eyes of the other Eorzean nations.

Diet

Naturally, Lominsan cuisine makes use of the abundant fresh fish and shellfish. The city-state is a favorite of gourmands, as the seafaring culture brings foreign spices and recipes aplenty to the table. Likewise, Lominsan liquors, which were developed to keep on long sea voyages, are famed—particularly the ales and wines, brewed from local wheat and grapes in great quantity.

History

The Founding of a City

In 874 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Galadion set sail from the isles deep in the northern seas—the last of a mighty armada which turned on its nation in the name of the people, only to meet defeat at the hands of those they meant to free. The Sea Wolf crew of this noble vessel, who could no longer abide the rule of tyrants, steered her crippled hull south through unknown waters in search of a new home. After a yearlong voyage cursed by many troubles, the ship drifted to the southern coast of Vylbrand, and there ran aground.

The Galadion carried two Elezen helmsmen: Jean De Nevelle, a navigator, and the adventurer Guy La Thagran. Tasked with exploring the interior of the island, both confirmed that the region was fertile. In this land, the crew realized that they had found the home they had sought. Under Admiral Elilwaen, leader of the expedition, the crew built a small village inland of what was soon dubbed La Noscea after a second lodesman who perished of scurvy just two days before landfall.

However, it quickly became clear that the men and women of the Galadion were not alone, and had trespassed upon the domain of the kobolds, a tribe of badger-like beastmen.

In 879, a kobold tribe massacred townsfolk in a settlement in western La Noscea. After a few skirmishes, the crew abandoned their village for the relative safety of the Galadion, which they had left stranded upon the La Noscean coast. From their ship, they built bridges to the small islands and exposed reefs scattered about the bay, and thus the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa was born.

A battle ensued in the following year, as a militia was dispatched from Limsa Lominsa to defend the settlements of western La Noscea. The Lominsans were victorious in their skirmishes with the kobold tribes along the narrow corridor leading to Upper La Noscea, and the region came to be known as Skull Valley after the Lominsans lined the path with the death's-heads of their foes as a warning to would-be trespassers.

Admiral Elilwaen passed away at the age of seventy and six, succumbing to an unknown disease (possibly the Lung Rot), in the year 902. His last will named his confidant, Tragghyr the Cold as his successor, beginning a tradition of Lominsan admirals being selected by appointment.

Tragghyr recruited like-minded men to form the Knights of the Barracuda, the Lominsan navy. Commanding its land forces, popularly known as Yellowjackets, he led a raid on kobold territories in the name of the city-state. They established Camp Skull Valley in western La Noscea, seizing a portion of kobold lands and opening the region for a colonization.

A Maritime Age

Limsa Lominsa in its early days was a place for coinless refugees. Unable to make full use of La Noscea's rich resources due to the continued hostility of the kobolds, the Lominsans lived in poverty, much as they had in the north seas. They kept their skills as sailors, however, and thus chose the path of survival open to them—piracy.

After occupying the few scant forests of lower La Noscea and gaining a source of lumber, the Lominsans set about building warships. With the salt-heavy winds at their back, the early townsfolk came into their element, and began to attack the merchant ships sailing the Rhotano Sea—ferocious as wolves preying upon sheep. Soon, the city-state was rich with plunder, and a black market had opened to peddle the stolen goods.

Thus, it was through piracy that Limsa Lominsa's population grew larger and more diverse. Plainsfolk came from the south sea isles, drawn by rumors of cheap wares, and Lominsan pirates oft gave members of captured crews the choice to join their ranks. Before long, Sea Wolves worked the docks of the maritime city-state alongside Seekers of the Sun and Hyur.

The Trident

As the pirates grew in number, they began to organize into proper crews. As the number of crews multiplied, however, quarrels among them became more common. Questions of territory and shares of plunder erupted into violence in the 940th year of the Sixth Astral Era, and for nearly two decades thereafter, the streets ran with the blood of feuding pirates. The madness continued until 963—the year that Agatzahr Roehmerlsyn assumed the admiralship.

From a buccaneer background himself, Admiral Agatzahr invited the strongest of the warring crews to the negotiation table. Through bartering and threats, he secured their solemn oath to put an end to the fighting. More miraculously, however, he put forth a code of conduct which every corsair would have to honor: No crew would cheat another of its plunder, nor rob a fellow Lominsan, nor sell fellow men into slavery.

Though the code itself was revolutionary, its enforcement was perhaps more so. The best of all crews came together and founded the Upright Thieves, a shadowy organization that punished those who broke the code. Admiral Agatzahr's rules became as law to the pirates not because they were imposed from above, but rather because they were enforced in every back alley and bad tavern. Thanks to this, peace returned to Limsa.

Agatzahr went on to tax the revived trade in plunder, and used the proceeds to bolster the Knights of the Barracuda, the Lominsan navy. With this force, he devoted himself to fighting the kobolds. Through Agatzahr's reforms, Limsa Lominsa became mighty: the pirates grew wealthy from raiding foreign vessels, while the Barracudas secured the interior territories and defended the harbor. In his late years, the Admiral also established the Trident so as to avoid a war of succession. Truly, the maritime city-state would not be the power it is today without his many contributions.

Revolution

For several hundred years the Trident reliably produced leaders who served seven years—though history is littered with admirals who stayed in office for longer. Many pirate lords rose to the position, and their strength allowed them to rein in the rough seafaring citizens. In this way, Limsa Lominsa maintained unity as a city-state.

One such notable figure was Admiral Mealvaan, who lived roughly five hundred years ago. With the aid of his advisor, the arcanist Ikuku Iku, he established Mealvaan's Gate, the customs office of Limsa Lominsa. Another, Admiral Guolskyf, who lived half a century ago, sought to catalog the realm's recipes and founded the Culinarians' Guild.

However, the Trident was to produce a leader in 1563 who would change the maritime city-state in greater ways than ever before: Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Though she herself was a pirate leader of the infamous League of Lost Bastards, Merlwyb declared piracy illegal upon assuming the admiralship—an act that shocked Lominsans and dealt a blow to the mainstay of its economy. Why would she do such a thing? Evidently, the Admiral realized that Limsa could not face the encroaching threat of the Garlean Empire without powerful allies, and could ill afford to antagonize the other nations of Eorzea.

The Galadion Accord

Naturally, the Admiral's order outlawing piracy was unpopular amongst the heretofore state-sanctioned corsairs, and more than a few daring attempts were made on Merlwyb's life. However, her will was of steel, and she refused to budge by even one ilm. She won what crews she could through negotiation, persuading them of Limsa's need to cooperate with the other city-states. And the crews who remained unyielding, she silenced.

Merlwyb showed her strength as a leader in other ways as well, particularly in deftly dispelling the primal threat that came to hang over the city-state. In 1565, she allocated state funds towards the hiring of the Company of Heroes, a famed mercenary band. This proved coin well spent as when the kobolds summoned Titan a year later, the sellswords were there to vanquish the aetherial deity. In the same year, they worked alongside the Knights of the Barracuda to fell Leviathan when the Sahagin called their own primal unto the realm.

Seeing both the Lord of Crags and the Lord of the Whorl defeated through the Admiral's foresight, many Lominsans warmed to Merlwyb, and soon those voices that decried her were singing her praises. By 1572, she was able to establish the Maelstrom, Limsa's Grand Company. Her final victory was the Galadion Accord, which bound the pirate crews to the Maelstrom, and unified all of Limsa Lominsa under her command.

Organizations

See Also

Notes
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  • The guardian deity of Limsa Lominsa is Llymlaen, the Navigator.