Old Sharlayan

Quick Facts

• Category: City-State
• Region: Northern Seas (Isle of Haam)
• Governing Body: The Forum
• Key Institution: The Studium
• First Appearance: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (2021)

Overview

Old Sharlayan is an academic city-state located on the remote Isle of Haam in the northern seas, far removed from the political and military conflicts of Eorzea and the Three Great Continents. It serves as the primary hub city for the Endwalker expansion. Founded as a colony dedicated to the preservation and pursuit of knowledge, Sharlayan is a civilization defined by its staggering intellectual achievements and its controversial, deeply-held philosophy of non-intervention. The city-state presents a complex study in the promise and peril of intellectualism, possessing the wisdom to alter the fate of the world yet choosing, as a core tenet of its identity, to remain an observer rather than an actor.

Architecturally, Old Sharlayan stands in stark contrast to the medieval European stylings of Eorzea. Its design is inspired by Greco-Roman aesthetics, featuring grand marble columns, expansive open-air plazas, tiered amphitheaters, and meticulously organized archives. The city is built into the rocky cliffs of its island home, creating a harmonious blend of natural stone and scholarly ambition. Beyond its serene surface, however, lies its most ambitious project: Labyrinthos, a colossal, self-sustaining underground biome constructed as a contingency ark for the world's end.

History & Lore

Founding and Philosophy

Old Sharlayan was established as a scholarly colony by settlers who believed that true progress could only be achieved through the dispassionate accumulation of knowledge, free from the corrupting influences of political ambition and warfare. This ideal crystallized into the city-state's governing principle: the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and a strict policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other nations. This philosophy is enforced by The Forum, a council of the nation's most senior academics and administrators who govern through debate and consensus.

The Forum's commitment to neutrality has shaped Sharlayan's history. During the fall of Ala Mhigo and Doma to the Garlean Empire, Sharlayan offered no military aid or formal protest. In the aftermath of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, which devastated Eorzea, the Forum went so far as to recall all Sharlayan citizens from the continent, including the Students of Baldesion, effectively abandoning their allies in a time of dire need. This action, while logical from a survivalist perspective, bred lasting resentment among Eorzeans and created a deep ideological rift within Sharlayan's own populace.

The Studium and Expatriates

At the heart of Sharlayan's intellectual life is The Studium, its premier institution of higher learning. It is divided into various disciplines, from Aetherology and Astronomy to Botany and Rhetoric. The Studium produced many of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn's most brilliant minds, including Y'shtola Rhul, Urianger Augurelt, and the Leveilleur twins, Alphinaud and Alisaie.

These individuals represent a significant ideological schism. They left Sharlayan precisely because they could not reconcile its doctrine of inaction with the suffering they witnessed in the wider world. The Forum views these expatriates with a mixture of pride in their accomplishments and profound disapproval of their interventionist methods, considering them reckless and emotionally compromised.

The Secret of Labyrinthos

Sharlayan's detached neutrality is revealed in Endwalker to be more complex than mere philosophical indifference. Through independent research, the Forum had uncovered prophecies and evidence pointing toward the return of the Final Days. In response, they initiated a monumental, secret project: the transformation of Labyrinthos.

Labyrinthos, a vast complex beneath the island, was designed as a self-contained ark—a biosphere capable of sustaining Sharlayan's entire population and, most importantly, the sum total of its accumulated knowledge. The Forum's non-interventionism was, in part, a calculated strategy to conserve resources and avoid attention for this apocalyptic contingency plan. This revelation forces a moral reckoning: their inaction was not born of ignorance, but of a conscious decision to prioritize the survival of their people and their legacy over potentially futile attempts to save a world they believed was doomed.

The Final Days and Reconciliation

When the Scions arrive in Old Sharlayan at the outset of Endwalker, seeking knowledge to avert the Final Days, they are initially met with hostility and expulsion by the Forum, led by Fourchenault Leveilleur, father of Alphinaud and Alisaie. Fourchenault embodies the Sharlayan ideal, viewing the Scions' quest as a dangerous fantasy that threatens his people's carefully laid survival plans.

The narrative arc of the city-state involves its gradual, reluctant turn from observer to participant. As the existential threat of the Final Days becomes undeniable, and through the persistent efforts of the Scions—particularly his own children—Fourchenault and the Forum are compelled to reassess their philosophy. They ultimately open Labyrinthos and commit Sharlayan's vast resources and scholarly might to the global effort to save the star. This decision marks a profound evolution in Sharlayan's identity, as it chooses to use its hoarded knowledge not just for preservation, but for active salvation.

Geography & Layout

Old Sharlayan is built across the elevated plateaus and cliffs of the Isle of Haam. The city is organized into distinct districts:

• The Rostra: The central public plaza, serving as the main gathering and market space, often used for public announcements and debates.
• The Studium: The sprawling academic quarter, housing lecture halls, libraries (including the famed Great Gubal Library), and research facilities for every field of study.
• The Leveilleur Estate: The home of the prominent Leveilleur family, located in a more secluded, affluent district.
• The Maze and The Last Stand: The city's docks and harborside areas, connecting Sharlayan to the sea.
• Labyrinthos: Accessed via a massive elevator, this is the artificial underground world beneath the city. It contains biomes replicating various Eorzean environments, agricultural sectors, and the clandestine construction sites for the Forum's ark.

Culture & Society

Sharlayan society is meritocratic and intensely focused on intellectual achievement. Status is derived from scholarly contribution and mastery of logic and rhetoric. Emotional displays are often viewed as irrational hindrances to clear thought. This creates a culture that can seem cold, arrogant, or uncaring to outsiders, as personal sentiment is routinely subordinated to logical conclusion and the "greater good" as defined by the Forum.

The introduction of the Sage job crystal in Old Sharlayan exemplifies this culture. Sage is a discipline that transforms scholarly focus into a weapon, using aetherically-charged Nouliths. It represents the Sharlayan ideal: the application of deep, studied knowledge to achieve mastery over one's environment, even in combat.

Trivia

• The name "Sharlayan" is a direct reference to the Sharlayan nation in Final Fantasy V, which was also a land of scholars.
• The architectural style deliberately evokes ancient Alexandria, a real-world center of learning and home to the legendary Library of Alexandria.
• Despite its policy of neutrality, Sharlayan maintained the colony of Idyllshire in the Dravanian hinterlands for research purposes until the Calamity forced its abandonment.
• The city's anthem, "Old Sharlayan, Forever Bound," is a choral piece that reflects its people's devotion to knowledge and their homeland.

Related Articles

• The Forum
• Fourchenault Leveilleur
• Labyrinthos
• The Studium
• Sage (Job)