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+--- Thread: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions (/showthread.php?tid=5131)
Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Belmont - 10-18-2013
So, I would like suggestions on an RP FC. Â Preferably one that's not alignment specific since the alignment of a character can change. Â I'd also prefer not excessive amounts of members because I have a bad case of social anxiety and can't really take large groups of people talking to me, digital or not. Â Getting better, but alas the problem is still there.
I'd also like suggestions on my character story because I've hit a roadblock. Â No matter how hard I bash my head, I can't seem to figure out more to add to his backstory besides "Garlean Deserter," and two specific events during his career that would switch him from a loyal Garlean soldier to an Eorzean wanderer.
Info I have so far on Belmont:
Former Decurio of (I have no idea which legion for him to be part of, the VIIth or the XIVth. Â I guess I could also do the legion that went through Toto-rak as well but...Sigh. Â I hate my indecision,) named Adolphus the Butcher. Â Named after the first event in where his turma consisting of 15 cavalrymen were to suppress a village that had been taking under Garlean rule which refused to pay the residing legion, and was forced to give the order to have every villager slain and the village itself razed to the ground. Â Village as of now is unnamed because I've got to think of a good region to have it towards. Â Would having one of the Castrums maybe being built over it work?
Second event is where he had escaped the Legion while having to fight his turma every step of the way and end up saved by a white mage on the brink of death before being taken to Ul'dah and having his name changed from Adolphus to Belmont Neowyld. Â Of course I'll add alot more fluff to each event to make them seem more dramatic, but right now I'm very much stuck.
Sorry if this seems like a mess, just really haven't roleplayed or even though creatively in a while so not quite in the mindset yet. Â If I can only get this bloody story figured out I can tie it together to create the present him.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Keisuke Tachibana - 10-18-2013
Hey man, you have some good things going on. Very interesting as my character is also a Former Garlean soldier. Maybe we should do something together.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Olofantur - 10-18-2013
Hello Belmont and welcome to the RPC
There are a number of Ex-Garleans (through different meens) if nothing else you could take a look at some of the profiles on the wiki and read what they might have written to give yourself a little context.
Also take a gander at the forums and the linkshell hall if you have the time, you can get to know some of the groups, maybe send a couple private messages asking about further details, we're a fairly open group here.
Ask any questions you might have, raise a few concerns, i'll do my best to address them.
I'm hardly an expert in Garlean lore, but i'm going to tag this thread, sleep on a few ideas and see if I don't have anything but sleep deprived ham handed mary-sue back story concepts, in the morning to offer.
Either way, hope to see you in Eorzea before too long!
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Ildur - 10-18-2013
I suggest answering the 100 questions found here. It will take you sometime (it's a lot of questions!) but it's very useful, specially for stablishing details people tend to ignore but that would, realistically, have a deep impact in an individual's personality.
Now, about some of the more specific things you have said about your character:
-The VIIth Legion is implied to have been destroyed completely during the Battle of Cartenau. If you want your character to have been part of it, you'll have to make his desertion sometime before it. You should also familiarize yourself with what the Legion was doing before that. Here is a nice (if long) article about what was going on 5 years before A Realm Reborn started.
-I have not seen signs of the Garleans using traditional cavalry, be it horses or chocobos. It is also not mentioned in lore if they have access to them.
However, they do have the Reapers (the mechs seen in the intro video), which are basically horses with a canon. Soldiers piloting them aren't called "cavalrymen", though. They are just pilots.
-For the razed village, I suggest you give it a name and place it in an 'off-game-world' zone. Or in a not determinate area. For example, say it was a village near Ala Mhigo. I suggest against writting that a Castrum was built on top because there are a very definite number of Castri in Eorzea and official lore might come later to contradict you.
-About the white mage that saved your character, you will have to stablish him as being a Warrior of Light, as it is stated by lore that the arts of white magic have been kept a secret by the Padjai (the weird horned children from Gridania) until very, very recently.
Alternatively, you could push your character desertion closer to the present. For example, instead of being years since his desertion, make it just a few months. Then the white mage can be one of the 'new' white mages.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Belmont - 10-18-2013
(10-18-2013, 03:06 AM)Ildur Wrote: I suggest answering the 100 questions found here. It will take you sometime (it's a lot of questions!) but it's very useful, specially for stablishing details people tend to ignore but that would, realistically, have a deep impact in an individual's personality.First off, thank you and everyone else posting.  Every lit bit to get this block out  of my head helps a ton.
Now, about some of the more specific things you have said about your character:
-The VIIth Legion is implied to have been destroyed completely during the Battle of Cartenau. If you want your character to have been part of it, you'll have to make his desertion sometime before it. You should also familiarize yourself with what the Legion was doing before that. Here is a nice (if long) article about what was going on 5 years before A Realm Reborn started.
-I have not seen signs of the Garleans using traditional cavalry, be it horses or chocobos. It is also not mentioned in lore if they have access to them.
However, they do have the Reapers (the mechs seen in the intro video), which are basically horses with a canon. Soldiers piloting them aren't called "cavalrymen", though. They are just pilots.
-For the razed village, I suggest you give it a name and place it in an 'off-game-world' zone. Or in a not determinate area. For example, say it was a village near Ala Mhigo. I suggest against writting that a Castrum was built on top because there are a very definite number of Castri in Eorzea and official lore might come later to contradict you.
-About the white mage that saved your character, you will have to stablish him as being a Warrior of Light, as it is stated by lore that the arts of white magic have been kept a secret by the Padjai (the weird horned children from Gridania) until very, very recently.
Alternatively, you could push your character desertion closer to the present. For example, instead of being years since his desertion, make it just a few months. Then the white mage can be one of the 'new' white mages.
For the most part I already figured the Castrum would be a bad idea. Â Mostly need something that could cover the former village as even a burned down village still has traces of it. Â Official lore I realize would contradict a castrum but likewise if they decided to do the area around Ala Mhigo (kind of feel like a retake Ala Mhigo is a very likelihood for something in an expansion/update,) then it might suck to have to rethink locations simply because somebody decided to do the math and find that there's a thriving town ontop of what the village was. Â
Was also having trouble with the cavalrymen thing simply because at first I wanted to go down the roman 8-men tent party but I felt like nine could easily be overtaken by a village if they're all on foot. Â Perhaps if I took the original 15 man cavalry and turn it in...mm, four pilots with eight foot soldiers sound like a good number?
Actually, I think pushing his desertion towards the present could work wonderfully. Â I could change the village location to Ala Mhigo and the reason from not paying taxes to the Legatus into caught with a public prayer to Rhalgr as a sign of rebellion towards the Empire and thus the Empire had ordered the squad to either have them cease and desist or raze the village and make an example of the people as a sign to other Ala Mhigans still residing within the area. Â He'll be a part of the XIVth, but then begs the question of how to get him towards the Ul'dahn area from Ala Mhigo. Â Stowaway on an airship maybe? Â Thoughts so far?
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Olofantur - 10-18-2013
Hmm,
I think you've made an interesting turn with it. Ala Mhigo itself doesn't seem a bad idea. Like Ildur mentioned, avoiding future conflicts can require a bit of hoop jumping, but I think being confident in having a firm foundation to work from is worth it.
Just to expand on his mention of the fall of the white Raven, which was an amazing battle, there's some more information (on that topic, and a few others) over at:
http://xivwiki.com/Lore
As a note the Reapers are quite the weapon, in almost every situation you use it they're much more potent than most other options. Most of the patrol i've seen have consisted of 1 Reaper to 3-4 infantry so I think your estimate of a force set to suppress a village is reasonable.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Lupo - 10-18-2013
I just wanted to raise an interesting question about the Garlean Deserter. I like the idea quite a lot, but will not be playing one myself, however, there is a piece of Mainstory lore about Garlean Soldiers - they are all brainwashed when they enlist. This is also part of the rigorous training. Note that this only really applies to lower level cannon fodder, and commanders and squad captains and such are the exception.
There was quite an interesting discussion about it a few months ago. You can find the thread here and I suggest reading through it. http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=3103
I think its a great idea, but I suggest reconciling this detail. It will also help you along with your backstory, I think! Just my 2 cents.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Olofantur - 10-18-2013
I'll preface with a big fat, my Garlean lore is hardly up to snuff, I focus primarily on beast tribes, 1.0 and the ancient civilizations.
My understanding was the the "brainwashing" applied only to the conquered peoples, not native Garleans.
Part of what people will bring up is the quote that "Garlean soldiers were ordered to kill something once a day, so that it became natural and they did it without a second thought." While I agree with the premise, I am still hesitant to accept the depth some some people takes this to imply.
I had thought of them along the lines of a religious cult, their information and experiences carefully controlled to not expose them to anything that might conflict with the carefully crafted world view of Garlemeld saviors of the world, Magitek using enlightenment. (Reminds me of the Crusades.) I imagine a deep enough shattering of this world view would cause a re examination of the subjects life, if not a revulsion.
If you'd care you could draw parallels with "Hitler Youth" or even some of the more aggressive "bible camps".
I would love something official on all this but by Thaliak is there a lot of other things that need to be fleshed out.
RE: Need a RP FC and Character suggestions - Lupo - 10-18-2013
That's a very interesting take on it! I'll admit too, that I don't fully understand the brainwashing and am taking it all at face value, but the issue certainly showed up when I was trying to decide who I was going to RP. I think then, it would be safe to assume the that you are more correct than I on this issue. I like your take on it better anyway and the parallels to RL you draw make it all the more convincing!
If we're lucky, Gamer Escape will have a loretrain on it later on. They've been very good about getting official sponsored lore from SE on a fairly regular basis. A lot of the lore on their pages comes from the closest and best source!