I've been pondering at the thought of a person being part Eorzean, and part-Garlean, with having one Eorzean parent and another Garlean parent. The reason why for me is because I'm planning on making Nik half-Garlean through an RP arc involving a torn family picture. Nik and my other character Sarah would be half-siblings, although Sarah is pureblood because although Nik and Sarah came from the same father, they came from different mothers, with Sarah's being pureblood like her father, therefore making Nik a bastard son since he was born out of wedlock.
The reasoning behind this is that although the Garlean blood inside him makes him unable to use Aether or makes him have a third eye, all that should be countered by his Eorzean blood, since his mother was a master conjurer. There is no lore at all about part-Garlean heritage, so I assume it's safe to roleplay a part-Garlean and be able to use Aether as well.
What do you guys think of this?
It's true we don't know anything about the genetics involved short of the developer statements on the matter. Is it several genes? Just one? Is it sex-linked? Can pureblood Garleans even interbreed with other races, or is there a significant genetic barrier? Personally, I would avoid a part-Garlean, as almost anything you come up with will be very speculative with regards to lore and, IMO, it's difficult to see what this adds narratively other than a pretty big secret for the character to keep.
That aside, I'd advocate going with an approach that still makes the Garlean weakness a disadvantage, if nothing else to ensure that this isn't viewed as an attempt to benefit from both backgrounds. Maybe he can use Aether, but is markedly less adept than a native-born Eorzean. Perhaps he can only use certain types of magic.
(11-08-2014, 09:06 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: [ -> ]It's true we don't know anything about the genetics involved short of the developer statements on the matter. Is it several genes? Just one? Is it sex-linked? Can pureblood Garleans even interbreed with other races, or is there a significant genetic barrier? Personally, I would avoid a part-Garlean, as almost anything you come up with will be very speculative with regards to lore and, IMO, it's difficult to see what this adds narratively other than a pretty big secret for the character to keep.
That aside, I'd advocate going with an approach that still makes the Garlean weakness a disadvantage, if nothing else to ensure that this isn't viewed as an attempt to benefit from both backgrounds. Maybe he can use Aether, but is markedly less adept than a native-born Eorzean. Perhaps he can only use certain types of magic.
I'm taking small steps. What do you suggest when it comes to Aether? Like what types of magic are you referring to? I don't want to ruin it all already.
If a lala and a roe can have a child I would think a Garlean and an Eorzean can.
I am strongly considering Titor being either 1/2 or 1/4 Garlean by blood, that his family would have been exiled due to their religious beliefs/fanaticism. However, Titor would not ICly know if he is or not (at least not right now). The way I would play it, if I do have this happen, already kind of fits into Titor's character. He has a STRONG knack for math and science, and he does use Aether. While he comes off as skilled at using the aether, the truth is he has a really really small aether supply but optimizes the crap out of it. He basically stretches every last bit he has thin, using every bit in the most optimal manner.Â
He actually prefers technology over magic and aether, but who would opt to manually heal over magically heal, if given the choice? So he uses what he can with his small amount of aether.
I've used the Half - Garlean heritage as a sort of 'indeficiency to overcome', putting obstacles in his progression as a Thaumaturge. I've taken to it this way because, Initially I think people perceived Garleans incapable of using magic as a result of their Aether farming for Ceruleum, thus rendering them incapable to 'sense' Aether over the decades and so on, making it a hereditary, genetic thing. Once it became apparent however that that was less the case and they where just genetically inept to use Aether by default, I've had to make atleast one of his parents Garlean Migrants. Thus making his Origin of Birth Garlean, but his bloodline far from it.
By pure lore technicality (So far atleast), the only thing you cannot have is a pure-blooded, third-eye garlean mage. Aslong one of his parents is a migrant/Eorzean/Doman etc, It's likely that he too can be able to use magic, and eventually become proficient in it.
The indeficiency bit probably just aims to help you avoid getting into the 'special snowflake' (which is a term I abhor at this point, seriously) territory, as in adding background information not to be original, but to be unique. You may net a frown here and there if people find out your character has garlean heritage and is a mage, but it 'is' possible.
My second character was a half garlean. His father had fled Ishgard and settled somewhere in Garlean territory. Honestly, it was so badly written and terribly roleplayed out, that while I loved the character himself, I hated his backstory and retconned all of it.
I think there totally can be half-Garleans. That said, in addition to not being very proficient with aether, Garleans have a certain extra something on their forehead that the other races of Eorzea do not have. It may come up, so you may want to prepare to explain why it isn't present.
(11-08-2014, 09:39 PM)Vysce the Lad Wrote: [ -> ]My second character was a half garlean. His father had fled Ishgard and settled somewhere in Garlean territory. Honestly, it was so badly written and terribly roleplayed out, that while I loved the character himself, I hated his backstory and retconned all of it.
I think there totally can be half-Garleans. That said, in addition to not being very proficient with aether, Garleans have a certain extra something on their forehead that the other races of Eorzea do not have. It may come up, so you may want to prepare to explain why it isn't present.
Well for the third eye, I could put in that it was glamoured before Nik and his mother were left in Ala Mhigo, to hide his heritage. How's that?
Well what I do know is there are pure bloods with the token signs of such, adopted and even those born Garlean but without the token signs as pure bloods. Heck saying there 'are' pure bloods is an immediate assumption there are types of Garleans that aren't pureblood and it would be unnecessary imo to say if it were just pure vs adopted. So whether it's a trait or heritage I couldn't say, but I don't see why breeding between different societies isn't possible or hasn't already happened. It would be sort of silly to assume nobody has at any point. War and conflict does tend to create some very heated scenarios after all *waggles brows*
As far as being a magic using garlean in any sense of the word. I do believe that even if Garlean is a small, half or less trace in your line... that gene that hinders their use of magic still carries with them as a dominate gene. Maybe with enough outside influence the gene would be worked out of the primary dominate gene pool, but it would never truly go away and might even pop up in a later decendent... man, would suck for them hahaha
Mixed races have been mentioned in 1.0, were stated to be explored further in future patches, and for the most obvious answer I would bet it will be fine. If Erik can be a quarter-wildwood, then you can be part imperial. If your worry about lore biting your ass latter, leave a escape plan rp in place, maybe your garlean parent just told you that you were their's to make you feel better when you were actually adopted. It'll be fine. Balmung is a pretty forgiving place for RP.
Faye is half Garlean, born to a pure-blooded Garlean father and an Eorzean mother. I believe the game specifies that only "pure-blooded" Garleans possess the third-eye, insinuating that not only are there mixed blooded Garleans, but that they do not possess the third-eye. As for using aether, I use Faye's heritage as a reason for why she struggles to control her aether and has some difficulty with conjury. I consider her able to cast thanks to her Eorzean heritage, but also a bit lacking thanks to her Garlean heritage.
Clive Stark is son of an Highlander Ala Mighan woman and a Midlander Garlean man. His parents met before the Garlean invasion of Ala Migho, and when the Imperials came (Clive's age was 6 at the time), he was one of the few to not suffer the invasion as an horrible experience. Thanks to his father, he and his family were taken in under custody of the Garlean army, and they lived in a rather safe, although strict, environment.
Clive, much like the other children of Ala Migho, was brainwashed into despising the Twelve, the beastmen and the Primals. Even today, he travels the world hunting beastmen and primals, and believes Garlemald to be in the right with its actions and methods. He'll get pretty sour when hearing Eorzean talk crap about the EmpireÂ
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As for his powers, he does not have the third eye. I've also made him unable to use magic, though that isn't necessarily a must as he's not pure-blooded. He does have the Echo though, and the Garlean army put him under several experiments because of this gift, eventually training him as a specialist in Primal hunting.