RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Zhu · **05-31-2016, 05:30 AM**

Greetings everyone. It's been a while since I opened a thread in these halls but now I am back in the community with a new character that needs a little help.

I am currently writing a backstory for my Au Ra Dark Knight, and all went well for a while (chose the Tumet clan; established what she was before becoming a DK, her personality etc) but I noticed that I have been changing the circumstances of her soulstone a lot, and that is because she is obviously not ishgardian hence it is very difficult to write something that is not forced or "convenient".

So that's where I need help. I have taken a look at the RPCwiki and I have seen some Auri roleplayers that pulled it off successfully and got accepted in the community and that's where I aspire to be. But none of them went into too much detail about their actual origin as a Dark Knight.

Thus I have to ask: What is/would be your approach in making a non-ishgardian Dark Knight? If you don't want to type your characters' spoilers out in the public you can PM it to me, I just need a little inspiration for my own character.

I have written a few versions of her ascension that needs to be lore-checked:

These are by no means set in stone or even among the ones I will use for my backstory. Just what I came up with. I am more than willing to accept more lore-friendly ideas or make modifications where criticism demands it. 'Tis why I made the thread in the first place!

I thank you all in advance and I am eager to hear your feedback.

Show Content

Valence · **05-31-2016, 07:53 AM**

Draft 1 sounds reasonable and with potential to me. Problem solved by saying that the character got among refugees that fled Othard during her early chilhood before the test, and got abandonned after once in Eorzea as part of the traditions the family still clings to. It can even explain why the test was failed since it's a foreign land for everyone. Since some time must have past so that she is not a child anymore, it still fits considering that we have examples of xaelas that left/fled Othard way before the recent annihilation of Dhoma (and the Xaen lands).

Can also be mixed up with some stuff of draft 2/3, like the resentment against the test that the family insisted to do even in such extreme circumstances, for example.

The DRK mentor appearance can be inserted anywhere from there.

Zhu · **05-31-2016, 10:07 AM**

(05-31-2016, 07:53 AM)Valence Wrote: Draft 1 sounds reasonable and with potential to me. Problem solved by saying that the character got among refugees that fled Othard during her early chilhood before the test, and got abandonned after once in Eorzea as part of the traditions the family still clings to. It can even explain why the test was failed since it's a foreign land for everyone. Since some time must have past so that she is not a child anymore, it still fits considering that we have examples of xaelas that left/fled Othard way before the recent annihilation of Dhoma (and the Xaen lands).

Can also be mixed up with some stuff of draft 2/3, like the resentment against the test that the family insisted to do even in such extreme circumstances, for example.

The DRK mentor appearance can be inserted anywhere from there.

I haven't thought about it that way, thank you! It does help me get some inspiration going and I think I got myself a fourth draft out of it.

I am more confident about this one and it will probably be the one I use, but I am still open to more feedback and criticism, as always!

Show Content

Steel Wolf · **05-31-2016, 10:24 AM**

I agree, I like the first draft myself. It definitely would be the sort of unfair classical thinking the Dark Knights fight against.

Steel's induction in to the order was perhaps one of convenience, but hasn't exactly faced resistance; she first met a hedge knight while intervening in an unfair trial at Witchdrop who offered her the purpose she had sought as a warrior. Later, she would find her Darkside while fighting off some Ixal, where her axe was destroyed and she found a sword to defend herself, the threat of the moment engaging her latent aether abilities. Shortly after, she would return to the man who found her to begin her official training and grant her soulstone.

Considering that finding many with the conviction to fight the status quo of Ishgard within her community would likely be difficult, it would make sense (to me at least) that the Dark Knigbts would seek to bolster their ranks from outside. Especially if one shares their sense of justice or has faced the injustice of tired tradition.

Just my two gil, anyway.

K'nahli · **05-31-2016, 11:40 AM**

Ahh, I'm different personally. I really dislike the first draft because it reeks of the convenience you were trying to avoid in my mind, but I have no justification for why anyone following the Dark Knight code could not have been in Othard - I just am under the impression that they would not be, that and that I can't imagine why they'd have much interest in dealing with what are essentially tribal savages.

Two is definitely my favourite. I like how she succeeds in one sense but then fails in another.... that and how over time, her feelings ferment into something more crude and self-absorbed, taking her own shortcomings out on the Tribe she proved too weak and incompetent to be a part of at the time by blaming them, her aspirations to perhaps become better than them, take her aged anger out on others who etc etc.

Edit:
I'm not sure how one goes about deciding a tree is "sacred" or not in the case of Draft 4, especially in some foreign land, otherwise it makes sense but 2 is still my clear favourite ^^

Valence · **05-31-2016, 01:00 PM**

I like draft 4 since it condenses nicely draft1 storyline with draft2 motivations and character development that come out of it.

Zhu · **05-31-2016, 01:44 PM**

Quote:I'm not sure how one goes about deciding a tree is "sacred" or not in the case of Draft 4

I do not have knowledge on the lore of which specific tree they consider sacred, so I avoided putting too much details and assumed the tree is common enough to grow in Eorzea aswell. Or perhaps it's not even about the species but a certain tree that the tribe choses. Either way I found safe not to mention what makes it important to them, just that it is.

Hopefully SE will release some lore that will help me clarify this plot-hole.

I also do notice now that perhaps it's too convenient for a Dark Knight to just be there and help, but I am afraid that the character in the second draft is indeed too self absorbed to resist her Darkside. My fourth draft does have elements of that personality but if trained earlier on in life she will survive it a bit longer.

As for why would a knight take interest in the affairs of savages, well. Perhaps he simply took pity of a young child tied to a tree. I am remaining vague about this knight motivations in case someone wishes to RP him or her or at least the future possibility is there.

Virella · **05-31-2016, 01:44 PM**

Draft 3 is the only one who's lorefriendly. Maybe 2 would do, but I still don't really see why Ishgardians would give a fudge about Au ra in general. Yes there is the questline yadayada. However Ishgardians are racist/classist up to the skies. Draft 1 is just out of question if you want to be lore friendly.

If you really wanna be awesome... Roll a midlander hyur or elezen, and be Ishgardian. No need for wierd loopholes then. Really, we ain't that bad to play.

However, you can't be a 20 year old kawaii au ra lady. You gotta be a bit older, that is if you are really really set onto roleplaying an Au ra Dark Knight.

That said, you could just roll a Au Ra with a big bad ass sword as well.

Pssssst play older chars. They rock.

As for successfully accepted? Depending on what RP circle you are in. Most simply don't care about people telling their chars are wonky. I can safely say most Ishgardian RPers roll their eyes at Au ra Dark Knights. Others simply don't care. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you care about lore all that much. Else go for well, whatever option you find most fun!

Valence · **05-31-2016, 03:27 PM**

(05-31-2016, 01:44 PM)Virella Wrote: Draft 3 is the only one who's lorefriendly. Maybe 2 would do, but I still don't really see why Ishgardians would give a fudge about Au ra in general. Yes there is the questline yadayada. However Ishgardians are racist/classist up to the skies. Draft 1 is just out of question if you want to be lore friendly.

If you really wanna be awesome... Roll a midlander hyur or elezen, and be Ishgardian. No need for wierd loopholes then. Really, we ain't that bad to play.

However, you can't be a 20 year old kawaii au ra lady. You gotta be a bit older, that is if you are really really set onto roleplaying an Au ra Dark Knight.

That said, you could just roll a Au Ra with a big bad ass sword as well.

Pssssst play older chars. They rock.

As for successfully accepted? Depending on what RP circle you are in. Most simply don't care about people telling their chars are wonky. I can safely say most Ishgardian RPers roll their eyes at Au ra Dark Knights. Others simply don't care. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you care about lore all that much. Else go for well, whatever option you find most fun!

I must probably have misunderstood something, but you say that ishgardians don't give a damn about foreigners (which is true), so how exactly would that make draft3 better? Why would that ishgardian DRK care? Because DRK? Then it works for draft 1 and 2 equally (as long as said DRK is in Eorzea and not Othard).

I really, really don't see the difference here?

Virella · **05-31-2016, 03:45 PM**

(05-31-2016, 03:27 PM)Valence Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 01:44 PM)Virella Wrote: Draft 3 is the only one who's lorefriendly. Maybe 2 would do, but I still don't really see why Ishgardians would give a fudge about Au ra in general. Yes there is the questline yadayada. However Ishgardians are racist/classist up to the skies. Draft 1 is just out of question if you want to be lore friendly.

If you really wanna be awesome... Roll a midlander hyur or elezen, and be Ishgardian. No need for wierd loopholes then. Really, we ain't that bad to play.

However, you can't be a 20 year old kawaii au ra lady. You gotta be a bit older, that is if you are really really set onto roleplaying an Au ra Dark Knight.

That said, you could just roll a Au Ra with a big bad ass sword as well.

Pssssst play older chars. They rock.

As for successfully accepted? Depending on what RP circle you are in. Most simply don't care about people telling their chars are wonky. I can safely say most Ishgardian RPers roll their eyes at Au ra Dark Knights. Others simply don't care. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you care about lore all that much. Else go for well, whatever option you find most fun!

I must probably have misunderstood something, but you say that ishgardians don't give a damn about foreigners (which is true), so how exactly would that make draft3 better? Why would that ishgardian DRK care? Because DRK? Then it works for draft 1 and 2 equally (as long as said DRK is in Eorzea and not Othard).

I really, really don't see the difference here?

Because it sorta happened in the questline? You get a hold of a Soulstone? Don't know how the DRK caring part would happen. But I guess it makes most sense? Think randomly finding a Soulstone and becoming a DRK while on Ishgard ground would make most sense, especially as a non Ishgardian. I would leave out the DRK being friendly to them, and instead being of some hidden Au ra tribe in Coerthas I suppose? I don't know either way what would make most sense, just that finding a soulstone would be the most fitting.

Personally I wouldn't RP any of the options and just go an Elezen or midlander Hyur. Or a Au ra swordsman. I don't anything of it is really lore friendly, but stumbling onto a soulstone makes most sense for me.

Caspar · **05-31-2016, 04:20 PM**

I like 4 best as it seems to me to make use of the key elements you seem to be interested in: the Tumet ritual, which cannot be done with other races, tying that ritual to the injustice of Ishgard, and the power source of Dark Knights. I think it could be interesting to make a character who copes with the unfair nature of her upbringing by fiercely struggling against any injustice she sees a parallel with.

Aaron · **05-31-2016, 04:21 PM**

I'd just go the cliche route.

Cliches generally are cliches because they're the easiest way to go a certain route.

That's just my opinion though, my character ain't even a Dark knight, well. . He technically is but not bothering with semantics.

Valence · **06-01-2016, 03:54 AM**

(05-31-2016, 03:45 PM)Virella Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 03:27 PM)Valence Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 01:44 PM)Virella Wrote: Draft 3 is the only one who's lorefriendly. Maybe 2 would do, but I still don't really see why Ishgardians would give a fudge about Au ra in general. Yes there is the questline yadayada. However Ishgardians are racist/classist up to the skies. Draft 1 is just out of question if you want to be lore friendly.

If you really wanna be awesome... Roll a midlander hyur or elezen, and be Ishgardian. No need for wierd loopholes then. Really, we ain't that bad to play.

However, you can't be a 20 year old kawaii au ra lady. You gotta be a bit older, that is if you are really really set onto roleplaying an Au ra Dark Knight.

That said, you could just roll a Au Ra with a big bad ass sword as well.

Pssssst play older chars. They rock.

As for successfully accepted? Depending on what RP circle you are in. Most simply don't care about people telling their chars are wonky. I can safely say most Ishgardian RPers roll their eyes at Au ra Dark Knights. Others simply don't care. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you care about lore all that much. Else go for well, whatever option you find most fun!

I must probably have misunderstood something, but you say that ishgardians don't give a damn about foreigners (which is true), so how exactly would that make draft3 better? Why would that ishgardian DRK care? Because DRK? Then it works for draft 1 and 2 equally (as long as said DRK is in Eorzea and not Othard).

I really, really don't see the difference here?
Because it sorta happened in the questline? You get a hold of a Soulstone? Don't know how the DRK caring part would happen. But I guess it makes most sense? Think randomly finding a Soulstone and becoming a DRK while on Ishgard ground would make most sense, especially as a non Ishgardian. I would leave out the DRK being friendly to them, and instead being of some hidden Au ra tribe in Coerthas I suppose? I don't know either way what would make most sense, just that finding a soulstone would be the most fitting.

Personally I wouldn't RP any of the options and just go an Elezen or midlander Hyur. Or a Au ra swordsman. I don't anything of it is really lore friendly, but stumbling onto a soulstone makes most sense for me.

To be honest, I find the "I stumbled on a soulstone" excuse to be quite weak/easy/trite and cheesy, to speak frankly.

Not contesting the fact that seeing anything else than ishgardian Elezens and Hyurs with an ishgardian background is a bit weird of course.

Either way, I cant really tell because I have yet to do the DRK storyline and see for myself what is presented exactly with that Au'ra NPC. Is it implied that the NPC is an isolated anomaly? Or is it actually implied that DRKs are themselves the anomaly?

Aaron · **06-01-2016, 08:51 AM**

(06-01-2016, 03:54 AM)Valence Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 03:45 PM)Virella Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 03:27 PM)Valence Wrote:
(05-31-2016, 01:44 PM)Virella Wrote: Draft 3 is the only one who's lorefriendly. Maybe 2 would do, but I still don't really see why Ishgardians would give a fudge about Au ra in general. Yes there is the questline yadayada. However Ishgardians are racist/classist up to the skies. Draft 1 is just out of question if you want to be lore friendly.

If you really wanna be awesome... Roll a midlander hyur or elezen, and be Ishgardian. No need for wierd loopholes then. Really, we ain't that bad to play.

However, you can't be a 20 year old kawaii au ra lady. You gotta be a bit older, that is if you are really really set onto roleplaying an Au ra Dark Knight.

That said, you could just roll a Au Ra with a big bad ass sword as well.

Pssssst play older chars. They rock.

As for successfully accepted? Depending on what RP circle you are in. Most simply don't care about people telling their chars are wonky. I can safely say most Ishgardian RPers roll their eyes at Au ra Dark Knights. Others simply don't care. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you care about lore all that much. Else go for well, whatever option you find most fun!

I must probably have misunderstood something, but you say that ishgardians don't give a damn about foreigners (which is true), so how exactly would that make draft3 better? Why would that ishgardian DRK care? Because DRK? Then it works for draft 1 and 2 equally (as long as said DRK is in Eorzea and not Othard).

I really, really don't see the difference here?
Because it sorta happened in the questline? You get a hold of a Soulstone? Don't know how the DRK caring part would happen. But I guess it makes most sense? Think randomly finding a Soulstone and becoming a DRK while on Ishgard ground would make most sense, especially as a non Ishgardian. I would leave out the DRK being friendly to them, and instead being of some hidden Au ra tribe in Coerthas I suppose? I don't know either way what would make most sense, just that finding a soulstone would be the most fitting.

Personally I wouldn't RP any of the options and just go an Elezen or midlander Hyur. Or a Au ra swordsman. I don't anything of it is really lore friendly, but stumbling onto a soulstone makes most sense for me.

To be honest, I find the "I stumbled on a soulstone" excuse to be quite weak/easy/trite and cheesy, to speak frankly.

Not contesting the fact that seeing anything else than ishgardian Elezens and Hyurs with an ishgardian background is a bit weird of course.

Either way, I cant really tell because I have yet to do the DRK storyline and see for myself what is presented exactly with that Au'ra NPC. Is it implied that the NPC is an isolated anomaly? Or is it actually implied that DRKs are themselves the anomaly?

He's the anomaly, he talks about other Au Ra getting slaughtered and such.

Warren Castille · **06-01-2016, 09:06 AM**

He talks about the Au Ra first getting attacked the first time they Ishgardians, but says something along the lines of "They found out we don't die so easily." It implies (to me anyway!) that after the initial bits of skirmish, those hostilities stopped. I mean, Sidurgu hangs out in a bar in plain sight, so...

To answer another question regarding timelines: Ishgard was only covered in snow and ice after the Calamity. Prior to that (so 7~ years ago) it was lush green hills and slopes. And then ten years prior to that Ishgard closed their walls to outsiders. If you're looking to play a 20~ year old Au Ra, being attached to Ishgard is a fairly tricky scenario.

Edit, after reading the OP more closely:

Playing a non-Ishgardian Dark Knight is a bit of an oxymoron: Dark Knights appear to be what they are because of what they do, not how they do it. I admit this is just my interpretation of it, but the questlines focus more on the moral conflict and doing the right thing as defining points than opening up your ebil darknezz powarz. Those get plenty of attention from 30-50, but once you get to the Ishgardian part the tone shifts a lot.

So are you after the role specifically? Combating corruption and protecting the people of Ishgard from those who would manipulate them? That's perfectly noble as a profession, albeit an illegal one, but again that makes getting you into the city kind of difficult.

If you're just after the discipline and power set, you don't need to be a Dark Knight in title and recognition: You could just fight with a greatsword and tap those sorts of powers, too. If you wanted to have a Dark Knight mentor show her the ropes, that's easy enough with just a little elbow grease and creativity.

« Next Oldest \| Next Newest »
Pages (3): 1 2 3 Next »

Brainstorming an Au Ra Dark Knight origin. Need to be lore-checked.

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes