Theories! About Anything Aetherlight related!

[Eerie_Coppernight]

We can't buy anything from said vendors so we aren't sure what types of currency they receive.

True, unfortunately. That's part of what makes speculation so much fun.

I would advise you to apologize.

@Jones_Elderview, that wasn't very nice.

I'd wager the farms behind Evercity are less affected than the fog corroded meadows.

If those farms, or greenhouses, were Imperially controlled, it would put Lucky in charge of Aethasia's food supply as well. He could give or withhold food from whichever town he chose.

That cannon on his arm doesn't fire butterflies.

You got all that from a prosthetic with a cannon? Congratulations, you're a genuine theorizer.

Except the Scarlet Man isn't a literal God.

Then what was Jesus, may I ask?

That would be quite a lot of trips with many small boats.

Or one big trip by dirigible.

But no practical product sources.

I already mentioned the Grease Pits which produce oil. Oil is wanted wherever machines are so it's a pretty good thing to trade with.

I want my grapes. Where are they going my grapes??

Farms? Greenhouses? Who knows.

[Mr_F3]

That's part of what makes speculation so much fun.

Indeed.

He could give or withhold food from whichever town he chose.

Socialism.

You got all that from a prosthetic with a cannon?

Not really. Arms trafficking is highly illegal and highly dangerous. You have to be quite good at smuggling and trust is almost not existent.

When we first meet Alexander he is on his way to No Man's Landing. From this we can gather that he was commissioned by the Scarlet man not too long ago.

This means that his arm cannon was probably from his gun-running days and I'm sure he used it on more than automations.
Also this:

A scoundrel is simply defined as a disreputable person or rascal. Disreputable can be defined in many ways but the one that best fits Alexander is disreputable in action. As has already been established, Alexander was a gunrunner which is illegal in both Aethasia and today's world. Those illegal actions make him disreputable to a degree.

Then what was Jesus, may I ask?

God in the flesh.

The Scarlet man is a picture of Jesus. Not Jesus himself.

Disregarding the allegorical aspect, a man in a black mask and scarlet cape told a random arms dealer to go start a print shop in No Man's Landing and the arms dealer said yes. That's hilarious.

Or one big trip by dirigible.

Then the Empire might as well move the rock themselves. Cut out the middleman.

Oil is wanted wherever machines are so it's a pretty good thing to trade with.

But. no. grapes.

Farms? Greenhouses? Who knows.

The developers hopefully. Until they fill us in all we can do is speculate.

[Eerie_Coppernight]

Socialism.

Full out communism.

This means that his arm cannon was probably from his gun-running days and I'm sure he used it on more than automations.

Nice.

The Scarlet man is a picture of Jesus. Not Jesus himself.

Good to remember.

Disregarding the allegorical aspect, a man in a black mask and scarlet cape told a random arms dealer to go start a print shop in No Man's Landing and the arms dealer said yes. That's hilarious.

He was specifically told to set up a Resistance movement. Still, it is rather funny.

Then the Empire might as well move the rock themselves. Cut out the middleman.

Perhaps they do.

But. no. grapes.

The fox really wants his grapes, I see. We do need more fruit in this game.

[Mr_F3]

Full out communism.

The fox really wants his grapes, I see.

Well, I was doing a bit but yes.

We do need more fruit in this game.

We need shops. Places where we can buy certain ingredients, clothing items, and foods.

[Eerie_Coppernight]

We need shops. Places where we can buy certain ingredients, clothing items, and foods.

For that, we'd need a proper monetary system and a proper way of earning money.

Well, I was doing a bit but yes.

It reminded me of the Aesop fable.

[Mr_F3]

Aesop fable

Honestly, I suspect my subconscious made the connection.

[Eerie_Coppernight]

[Jones_Elderview]

You just googled that, didn't you?

No, I know my gunny bears man, I've been eating them for as long as I can remember. They contain high amounts of sugar, which is quite obvious, citric acid less so, but it's in many gummies, so it wasn't too out of nowhere.

That's highly unlikely.

Unlikely isn't impossible though. But yes, my parents let me play Skyrim.

Might wanna look up that definition again, pal.

a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue. (Oxford Languages)

In my time on this forum I have in no way proved myself to be dishonest.

Neither have you proved any of your information is accurate.

I am many things but I am not a liar.

I never stated you as one.

I would advise you to apologize.

I'm not apologizing because you suggested it. I'm sorry.

Also, no we still don't see any examples of trade. We can't buy anything from said vendors so we aren't sure what types of currency they receive.

You buy crates of bananas, and bobble heads from the vendors at the flying L, you have to do this to complete episode 2 I think, and I remember that a crate of bananas is 20 Cog.

I have recurring nightmares about that image.

???

That's true but doesn't really prove anything.

Well with the population at it's highest (153) I'd think they'd have more livestock than just 3 alpaca, 2 cows and 8 (Was it 8?) beehives. These most likely died out from fog, causing the farmers to leave. So...it makes sense, and it isn't like we can get facts for this, so why not go with what makes sense?

That cannon on his arm doesn't fire butterflies.

Or does it? It might be one of those oil weapons, it'd make sense knowing he runs a print shop, he has ink and things everywhere.

Except the Scarlet Man isn't a literal God.

He is supposed to play the character of Jesus. We don't know the whole story, but he could be very persuasive. You don't know.

Yes, I should clear up that I meant from the Docks to the Fogworks. Fog is moved from the Isle by boat.

Well, if you look at the tracks, none of them go in the direction of the fogworks, in fact, they go the other way...To Edmunds Shipping Co.

Of course, but there is really no other evidence to support his involvement in the fog rock shipment.

I'll get some pictures in-game.

But no practical product sources.

Here the thing: Life under the empire IS NOT PRACTICAL. Quite the opposite actually. It's only practical for the Emperor and anyone who finds themselves working for him at a high rank.

Power, my good man, better than steam.

I doubt it's better than steam.

[Jones_Elderview]

SFTDP

So as you can see, the sign says "Edmunds Shipping" And as you can also see to the right in that sunbeam, there is a fog cart going into the building. Even if he used it for fuel, why would the emperor fund him with rails all around the city? What would the empire get out of it it that wasn't the thing they were shipping, not the fuel.

[Mr_F3]

I'm sorry.

Apology accepted.

[Jones_Elderview]

Dude, you literally suggested me to, I'm pretty much positive you accepted it before you said anything. Like, if I told you to apologize to me, and then you did, obviously I would accept it, otherwise is just crazy...I'm very crazy, but not THAT crazy.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

I don't see why Lucky couldn't make a Fog Rock cart track system that would stop off at Edmund's to drop off the fog rock he needs to power his balloon, then have the carts go on to the Fog Works after stopping there. (Why are we assuming that the balloons are involved in the shipping of Fog Rock at all? Maybe Edmund's Shipping merely redirects the Fog Rock carts where they are supposed to go.)

I followed one of the carts that went AWAY from the shipping place, and found it heading toward Urchins' Grotto. Since there are no tracks in the Grotto except for ones with clean coal rock carts on them for washing clothes, it's safe to theorize that track turns to the west and heads to the Fog Works. Others could go to Evercity or the Giant Seed Forest.

[Ariella_Newheart]

I'm confused... why exactly are you guys debating about currency and where the rails in NML go and grapes? To determine a definitive answer? Or just for the fun of it?

I think 90% of these questions cannot be answered definitively and perhaps shouldn't be. The ambiguity lends a certain charm to Aethasia. Role-play writers and Aetherlight fans have long speculated about and adopted their own views of Aethasia, and there is wide variety in them. All are equally creative and plausible so I believe no single interpretation is more right than another.

We can only hope that when (I'm saying "when" instead of "if" because I choose to be optimistic about the possibility) new content releases, we'll get more answers and be able to adapt our current model of how Aethasia works.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

In my case, it's for fun. I also liked discovering a few new cool things about the Aetherlight, but I can only speak for myself.

[Jones_Elderview]

I second this. I also want to see how much Mr F3 know about the Aetherlight. This might not be the most effective way, but I like it.

[Levi_Orangeburst]

and grapes?

Wait, what? Idk why that was as funny as it was.

[Amelia_Lightgear]

Ok, time to roll up my sleeves and tackle this.

How does the Empire get sovereigns?

The empire sells fog boilers, which, (by order of the empire), are the only legal source of power. They also sell fog tech, and, quite possibly, fog rock.

How do the people get sovereigns?

The government buys supplies and services from people like Edmond and Baron Farrow. They then distribute sovereigns though out the populace by buying other things. You see, sovereigns still do have some value among the people simply because they're the only thing you can use to repair or replace your fog boiler when it breaks down. For this reason, sovereigns aren't completely worthless.

What about cogs?

Well, when people aren't buying things from the empire, this is what they generally use. Cogs have worth just because they're useful. But people can't trade in all their sovereigns for cogs because cogs aren't a legal form of money.

So where do cogs come from?

This seems to be the big bad question. However, it's actually quite simple. The cogs are made at the "cog factory", and they_are_ bought with sovereigns, but not as a form of money. They're bought... as...
(drum roll please)

CLOCKWORK!

It actually says in the timekeeper's apprentice that clockwork was created by the Great Engineer, and it's the only thing left from his time that Lucky can't break or get rid of. Clockwork is what runs basically all of Aethasia, so what happens is; rich people buy machines, (containing clockwork), with sovereigns. Then, when the machines get old, the rich people either throw them away, (in which case the machines will get scavenged), or, if they're living a double financial life, they take out the cogs and use them as money. Either way, the cogs get distributed to the common people.

[Amelia_Lightgear]

One more thing; I would like to remind everyone that this is a children's game.
You've got to expect a certain level of sudo-science (and sudo-economics).

[Jones_Elderview]

Yea, but it's fun to look at details that don't really matter...right?

But yes, I agree with your posts, and that's most likely what it is.

[Amelia_Lightgear]

Oh yeah, I love trying to come up with realistic sounding theories too.