At risk of making myself sound like a lore nazi, I want to explain why the examples I gave are rare occurrences and/or are instances that should not happen as frequently as they do within the context of the lore. Recall, however, that I'm a strong supporter of people doing whatever they want so long as they're happy and it doesn't break what's established. Keep in mind that the word rare simply means not occurring frequently and it shouldn't be mistaken for meaning nearly non-existent.Â
Male Miqo'te: This should be a no brainer. Due to the nature of how the Seeker of the Sun and Keeper of the Moon clans are set up, there are naturally far less males than there are females. That alone doesn't make male Miqo'te rare. However, what does make them rare is the fact that male Miqo'te are known to shy away from society and even in the instances we've seen male Miqo'te NPCs, they are few and far between. I'll agree on a point that you made Asyria - there are more characters in the world than what we see in-game. We're likely just not seeing all the male Miqo'te simply because they're hiding themselves from society, much like how it was in 1.0.
Garlean Turncloaks: I'm not talking about spies here, or Imperials for that matter. I'm talking about citizens of Garlemald who have since fled their homeland in order to seek sanctuary in Eorzea. Among them and most notable are the workers of the Garlond Ironworks. We see on several occasions in the context of 1.0 that Imperial soldiers are seeking out people who have fled Garlemald in order to silence them or take them for other purposes. Many people fleeing are risking life and limb in order to do so. That isn't to say that a person of Garlean citizenship is extremely rare or impossible, it only means that the frequency that someone would flee Garlemald would be low and we wouldn't see many do so. Further, and I'll touch on this point a bit later, Garleans are more or less brain washed, especially the subjugated ones. If they aren't, then they are likely to remain out of fear, patriotism, or even a mix of both.
Ala Mhigan Refugees: I stand by my statement that Ala Mhigan refugees would be rare and add on the detail that there's a strong social stigma against them, especially in the regions of Thanalan. When Ala Mhigo was captured by Garlean forces, the city-state itself was in turmoil. Yes, many would have likely fled, but where would they have gone? Ala Mhigo was never part of the Eorzean Alliance and has had a bloody history of conflict with its neighbors for over a hundred years. Those who fled eventually had to settle in Little Ala Mhigo because the city-states refused to take them. There is also the other side to the coin, the Ala Mhigans willfully embraced the Garleans upon them taking the city. When King Theodorac's rule came to an end due to the social upheaval and the collapse of order within Ala Mhigo, the Garleans simply walked in and took it. Many welcomed them, thinking that their new captors would treat them far better than their tyrannical king. Either through brain washing or simply because they wanted to, many Ala Mhigans sided with the Garleans. Many who managed to flee Ala Mhigo became mercenaries, taking refuge where they could. They couldn't settle in Gridania (at the time of 1.0) because the Elementals would likely not warrant it, which in turn would cause the Gridanians to turn them way. The couldn't settle in Ul'dah because the citizens shunned them and looked down upon them. The Holy See of Ishgard lets no one in through the Gates of Judgement, which leaves Limsa, a trek across the sea, forcing many to become pirates and brigands.Â
The reason I say they're rare is we can take a look at Little Ala Mhigo, and examples of other Ala Mhigans we see in game, and see that their numbers are few and far between. Their camp is small and the NPCs make mention of them struggling to survive due to their limited resources. We read between the lines, but even in the five years between 1572 and year 5 of the 7th umbral era, their population has not grown and the camp has seen little growth.Â
White Mages: White Magic was founded sometime in the 5th Astral Era and quickly abolished sometime between then and the 6th Umbral Era due to the misuse and perversion of the magic which led to the umbral era in question. Since then, the Padjal have been the keepers of the knowledge of White Magic for centuries, only giving the knowledge to those they feel worthy of it. As we don't know the lore surrounding White Mage in A Realm Reborn, we can only speculate that this tradition holds true. White Magic isn't something readily available to the public and there are reasons for it - they don't want history to repeat itself.Â
Dragoons: Let me clarify that I speak about the Azure Dragoons, aka, the dragoons that wear the artifact armor. Ishgard does have normal dragoons - knights who battle dragons. However, the Dragoon job isn't something that is widespread, even the skills are exclusive to the Azure Dragoon. In all of recent history, there has only ever been one Dragoon at a time, chosen by the Eye of Nidhogg which was taken by Haldrath - the first Azure Dragoon. In the context of the plot in 1.0, the eye picks two Azure Dragoons, so it's evident that it's possible to have more than one at one time. However, the reasoning as to why there was two chosen or the conditions that are needed for another to be selected are never revealed. The power of the Dragoon is bestowed upon them by the Eye of Nidhogg, so everyone RPing as a real Dragoon is essentially saying they've been selected by the Eye. Keep in mind this is the lore that's been established in the game, and as a RP community, we choose to ignore it for the sake of letting everyone be able to be Dragoons.Â
Black Mages: Again, Black Magic was also abolished sometime between the 5th Astral Era and the 6th Umbral due to the darkness that spilled across the land due to the misuse of the powerful magics. In the context of the 1.0 lore, we are chosen by the crystal given to us to be given the powers of Black Magic. The Lalafell who we learn from has only one other apprentice. From both those we can speculate that Black Magic is still an art lost to the general public and possessed be only a few people throughout the realm. Once ARR goes live with the Black Mage quest details, we'll know more about the lore revolving them and how accessible the magic. Again, we have lore that's established yet we, the RP community, decide to generally ignore it due to mechanics.
People With Knowledge of Magitek Tech:Â Most of the knowledge of magitek, outside of Garlemald at least, is held by the Garlond Ironworks and most primarily by Cid nan Garlond. Magitek knowledge isn't limited to them per se, but if it was more accessible, the city-states wouldn't be asking the Ironworks to retrofit their air-ships with improved magitek tech when they could just do it themselves. Limsa wouldn't have such a strong desire to confiscate every piece of Garlean weaponry they come across to reverse engineer them to use the technology on their warships and own weaponry. Even more so, the Imperials wouldn't have a need of hunting down men and women who have knowledge in magitek if they had the knowledge themselves. Of course, this could simply mean that the Ironworks has advanced magitek knowledge, but also keep in mind that magitek wasn't invented until most recently - roughly thirty years recently. Further, the spread of the knowledge and overall use of it was limited to Garlean engineers and officials, a handful of which died during the incident at Bozja Citedel.
I simply offer the above as information as to why these things are considered rare. I could very well be wrong, and I'm ready to be. The overall point was that - yes, there are things within the context of the lore that are rare that we as a role-playing community tend to dismiss as being rare for the sake of allowing everyone to RP as they want. The whole halfbreed issue, if it can be called that, is similar in nature to someone having a physical deformity, a missing limb, abnormal facial features, or even a magitek arm. The social stigma associated with these afflictions and differences isn't generated simply just by having them, but how the character displays them and how the player is able to convey them. I mean, using common sense, it wouldn't make sense for there to be a Roegadyn and a Lalafell halfbreed. Until the details are further confirmed, its basically up to the community to decide what is really acceptable when it comes to half breeds. Since we don't know the full nature of half-breeds, we don't know how that will affect appearance. It could just be a matter of a Elezen having Hyur proportions, we don't know. I say let the player do as they please so long as it doesn't deviate strongly from the world our characters live in. Once confirmation is provided, retconning is a simple matter of changing some minor details. I agree that it would be very difficult, however, I don't think that someone doing so makes them or their character 'special' or that they should feel apprehensive about doing so.
/endwalloftext
Male Miqo'te: This should be a no brainer. Due to the nature of how the Seeker of the Sun and Keeper of the Moon clans are set up, there are naturally far less males than there are females. That alone doesn't make male Miqo'te rare. However, what does make them rare is the fact that male Miqo'te are known to shy away from society and even in the instances we've seen male Miqo'te NPCs, they are few and far between. I'll agree on a point that you made Asyria - there are more characters in the world than what we see in-game. We're likely just not seeing all the male Miqo'te simply because they're hiding themselves from society, much like how it was in 1.0.
Garlean Turncloaks: I'm not talking about spies here, or Imperials for that matter. I'm talking about citizens of Garlemald who have since fled their homeland in order to seek sanctuary in Eorzea. Among them and most notable are the workers of the Garlond Ironworks. We see on several occasions in the context of 1.0 that Imperial soldiers are seeking out people who have fled Garlemald in order to silence them or take them for other purposes. Many people fleeing are risking life and limb in order to do so. That isn't to say that a person of Garlean citizenship is extremely rare or impossible, it only means that the frequency that someone would flee Garlemald would be low and we wouldn't see many do so. Further, and I'll touch on this point a bit later, Garleans are more or less brain washed, especially the subjugated ones. If they aren't, then they are likely to remain out of fear, patriotism, or even a mix of both.
Ala Mhigan Refugees: I stand by my statement that Ala Mhigan refugees would be rare and add on the detail that there's a strong social stigma against them, especially in the regions of Thanalan. When Ala Mhigo was captured by Garlean forces, the city-state itself was in turmoil. Yes, many would have likely fled, but where would they have gone? Ala Mhigo was never part of the Eorzean Alliance and has had a bloody history of conflict with its neighbors for over a hundred years. Those who fled eventually had to settle in Little Ala Mhigo because the city-states refused to take them. There is also the other side to the coin, the Ala Mhigans willfully embraced the Garleans upon them taking the city. When King Theodorac's rule came to an end due to the social upheaval and the collapse of order within Ala Mhigo, the Garleans simply walked in and took it. Many welcomed them, thinking that their new captors would treat them far better than their tyrannical king. Either through brain washing or simply because they wanted to, many Ala Mhigans sided with the Garleans. Many who managed to flee Ala Mhigo became mercenaries, taking refuge where they could. They couldn't settle in Gridania (at the time of 1.0) because the Elementals would likely not warrant it, which in turn would cause the Gridanians to turn them way. The couldn't settle in Ul'dah because the citizens shunned them and looked down upon them. The Holy See of Ishgard lets no one in through the Gates of Judgement, which leaves Limsa, a trek across the sea, forcing many to become pirates and brigands.Â
The reason I say they're rare is we can take a look at Little Ala Mhigo, and examples of other Ala Mhigans we see in game, and see that their numbers are few and far between. Their camp is small and the NPCs make mention of them struggling to survive due to their limited resources. We read between the lines, but even in the five years between 1572 and year 5 of the 7th umbral era, their population has not grown and the camp has seen little growth.Â
White Mages: White Magic was founded sometime in the 5th Astral Era and quickly abolished sometime between then and the 6th Umbral Era due to the misuse and perversion of the magic which led to the umbral era in question. Since then, the Padjal have been the keepers of the knowledge of White Magic for centuries, only giving the knowledge to those they feel worthy of it. As we don't know the lore surrounding White Mage in A Realm Reborn, we can only speculate that this tradition holds true. White Magic isn't something readily available to the public and there are reasons for it - they don't want history to repeat itself.Â
Dragoons: Let me clarify that I speak about the Azure Dragoons, aka, the dragoons that wear the artifact armor. Ishgard does have normal dragoons - knights who battle dragons. However, the Dragoon job isn't something that is widespread, even the skills are exclusive to the Azure Dragoon. In all of recent history, there has only ever been one Dragoon at a time, chosen by the Eye of Nidhogg which was taken by Haldrath - the first Azure Dragoon. In the context of the plot in 1.0, the eye picks two Azure Dragoons, so it's evident that it's possible to have more than one at one time. However, the reasoning as to why there was two chosen or the conditions that are needed for another to be selected are never revealed. The power of the Dragoon is bestowed upon them by the Eye of Nidhogg, so everyone RPing as a real Dragoon is essentially saying they've been selected by the Eye. Keep in mind this is the lore that's been established in the game, and as a RP community, we choose to ignore it for the sake of letting everyone be able to be Dragoons.Â
Black Mages: Again, Black Magic was also abolished sometime between the 5th Astral Era and the 6th Umbral due to the darkness that spilled across the land due to the misuse of the powerful magics. In the context of the 1.0 lore, we are chosen by the crystal given to us to be given the powers of Black Magic. The Lalafell who we learn from has only one other apprentice. From both those we can speculate that Black Magic is still an art lost to the general public and possessed be only a few people throughout the realm. Once ARR goes live with the Black Mage quest details, we'll know more about the lore revolving them and how accessible the magic. Again, we have lore that's established yet we, the RP community, decide to generally ignore it due to mechanics.
People With Knowledge of Magitek Tech:Â Most of the knowledge of magitek, outside of Garlemald at least, is held by the Garlond Ironworks and most primarily by Cid nan Garlond. Magitek knowledge isn't limited to them per se, but if it was more accessible, the city-states wouldn't be asking the Ironworks to retrofit their air-ships with improved magitek tech when they could just do it themselves. Limsa wouldn't have such a strong desire to confiscate every piece of Garlean weaponry they come across to reverse engineer them to use the technology on their warships and own weaponry. Even more so, the Imperials wouldn't have a need of hunting down men and women who have knowledge in magitek if they had the knowledge themselves. Of course, this could simply mean that the Ironworks has advanced magitek knowledge, but also keep in mind that magitek wasn't invented until most recently - roughly thirty years recently. Further, the spread of the knowledge and overall use of it was limited to Garlean engineers and officials, a handful of which died during the incident at Bozja Citedel.
I simply offer the above as information as to why these things are considered rare. I could very well be wrong, and I'm ready to be. The overall point was that - yes, there are things within the context of the lore that are rare that we as a role-playing community tend to dismiss as being rare for the sake of allowing everyone to RP as they want. The whole halfbreed issue, if it can be called that, is similar in nature to someone having a physical deformity, a missing limb, abnormal facial features, or even a magitek arm. The social stigma associated with these afflictions and differences isn't generated simply just by having them, but how the character displays them and how the player is able to convey them. I mean, using common sense, it wouldn't make sense for there to be a Roegadyn and a Lalafell halfbreed. Until the details are further confirmed, its basically up to the community to decide what is really acceptable when it comes to half breeds. Since we don't know the full nature of half-breeds, we don't know how that will affect appearance. It could just be a matter of a Elezen having Hyur proportions, we don't know. I say let the player do as they please so long as it doesn't deviate strongly from the world our characters live in. Once confirmation is provided, retconning is a simple matter of changing some minor details. I agree that it would be very difficult, however, I don't think that someone doing so makes them or their character 'special' or that they should feel apprehensive about doing so.
/endwalloftext
Take some bacon and I put it in a pancake.
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