Isolated in the frigid waters of the Northern Empty, the island nation of Sharlayan stands as the undisputed pinnacle of wisdom, magic, and science on Hydaelyn. While the continent of Eorzea struggles to rebuild in the wake of the Seventh Umbral Calamity and the looming threat of the Garlean Empire, the scholars of the motherland remain hidden behind closed borders, bound by a strict doctrine of pacifism and non-intervention.
To the average Eorzean in this nascent Seventh Astral Era, Sharlayan is a land of myth, memory, and occasional resentment—a society that chose to hoard its wisdom and flee when the realm needed them most.
The history of Sharlayan's relationship with Eorzea is defined by a single, abrupt departure. For generations, Sharlayan maintained a magnificent and thriving colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands, built to monitor the aetheric flows of the continent and study its unique history. It was a bustling metropolis of crystal-lit towers, immense libraries, and bustling magical academies.
However, in the year 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Garlean Empire launched its devastating invasion of Ala Mhigo. Recognizing the existential threat the technologically advanced Empire posed to the realm, the Sharlayan government attempted to negotiate a peaceful resolution. When their diplomatic envoys were repeatedly ignored by the Garleans, the rulers of Sharlayan made a drastic decision.
They invoked a massive, meticulously planned evacuation known as the Great Exodus. Over the course of a single night, the entire population of the Dravanian colony dismantled their most sensitive research, packed their belongings, and returned to the northern motherland. Eorzeans awoke to find the shining city utterly abandoned. Today, those ruins remain a ghost town, overrun by the wilderness and aggressive wildlife, standing as a bitter monument to Sharlayan's absolute refusal to participate in war.
Sharlayan is not ruled by a king or an emperor, but by a democratic oligarchy known as The Forum. Comprised of ninety-nine elected members drawn from the nation's brightest minds and most distinguished scholars, the Forum oversees all matters of state, law, and foreign policy.
The bedrock of Sharlayan political philosophy is non-intervention. Their guiding belief is that the pursuit and preservation of knowledge must supersede all worldly conflicts. To the Forum, Sharlayan's duty is to serve as the world’s observer and record-keeper, not its savior. They view the constant warring of Eorzean city-states and the Garlean Empire as barbaric, and they vehemently refuse to share their advanced magicks or strategic wisdom, fearing it will only be weaponized.
This strict adherence to pacifism is enforced with iron resolve. Any citizen who defies the Forum to intervene in foreign wars risks being branded a radical, stripped of their standing, and effectively exiled.
"Knowledge Seeks No Man." — The National Motto of Sharlayan
Sharlayan culture revolves entirely around academia, debate, and the preservation of history. Status in the motherland is not determined by wealth or martial prowess, but by one's contributions to the collective understanding of the star.
The Studium: The beating heart of Sharlayan society is the Studium, the most prestigious academic institution in the known world. It is divided into numerous faculties—such as Aetherology, Astronomy, and Medicine—where students spend decades unraveling the mysteries of existence.
The Archons: Those who make profound, groundbreaking discoveries or contributions to their respective fields are bestowed the title of Archon. This is the highest honor a Sharlayan can achieve. Archons are marked with a distinct, stylized facial tattoo that signifies their mastery and grants them unparalleled access to the nation's restricted vaults of forbidden knowledge.
Gleaners: While most Sharlayans remain safely within their borders, the nation employs specialists known as Gleaners. These rugged individuals travel the globe collecting rare tomes, artifacts, flora, and fauna to bring back to the motherland's archives.
Daily Life: Because the culture is so heavily focused on the life of the mind, practical matters often take a backseat. The Sharlayan culinary scene, for instance, is notoriously bland; many scholars view eating merely as a biological necessity and consume nutrient-dense, tasteless bread to save time for their studies.
Magic and Familiars: Sharlayan mages are peerless. They have mastered the art of creating servitors and familiars—aetherial constructs bound to perform menial labor, defend archives, or carry messages.
Despite the Forum's rigid isolationism, not all Sharlayans believe that observing from afar is a noble path. The most famous dissenter was Archon Louisoix Leveilleur.
Believing that to let Eorzea fall to the Seventh Umbral Calamity would be to doom the entire world—and thus, all knowledge—Louisoix formed a clandestine group called the Circle of Knowing. He and his most trusted disciples abandoned the safety of the motherland to aid the Eorzean Alliance in the days leading up to the Battle of Carteneau.
Louisoix sacrificed his life to save the realm from the primal Bahamut. Today, in the recovering era of A Realm Reborn, his surviving disciples—Y'shtola, Thancred, Urianger, Papalymo, and Yda—have merged the Circle of Knowing with Minfilia's Path of the Twelve to form the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.
These Archons operate out of the Waking Sands in Thanalan, utilizing their vast Sharlayan education in aetherology and primal behavior to protect Eorzea. They are aided by Louisoix's prodigious twin grandchildren, Alphinaud and Alisaie, who recently graduated from the Studium and sailed to Eorzea to carry on their grandfather's legacy.
To the Forum in the motherland, the Scions are rogue elements, radicals meddling in foreign squabbles. But to the people of Eorzea, these rogue Sharlayans represent the brightest hope against the darkness of the primals and the ever-encroaching shadow of Garlemald.