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+--- Thread: Monks of Othard? (/showthread.php?tid=15174)
Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
Hey folks!
I play a character who was born and raised in Othard, a Xaela, even. And I was wondering if any of had ideas or any lore references that talk about monks from Othard. How they obtain their techniques, how they differ from monks of Eorzea, if they even exist, etc.
As it stands, My character is a Kha, and his tribe/clan has a LOT of interaction with Non-Xaela and non-Auri cultures. It stands to reason that members would have some interaction with people versed in Monk and Pugilist techniques, and brought them back to the tribe to integrate. It is my personal history that Josuke's parents and grandparents did just that, and passed their acquired and evolved skill/knowledge down to him.
So what are your thoughts on Monks that originate in Othard. Do you think they would only come from Eorzean refugees from Ala Mhigo? Or something older, maybe travelers from Ala Mhigo or from other places? Or perhaps the Xaela developed these Martial techniques on their own?
I'd love to hear from you!
RE: Monks of Othard? - OttoVann - 02-07-2016
Monks are an Ala Mhigo thing, exclusively really. Right? Maybe I'm not up to date on the lore as I should be.
Doesn't mean one cant learn the Monk ways once they come to say, Ul'Dah and find someone to show them.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
Wouldn't it be possible for those monks to travel, though?
Or perhaps the fighters that are similar to monk in style are not called 'Monks' in Othard...hmmm...
RE: Monks of Othard? - Smagon - 02-07-2016
I would go as far as to say that they don't even have had to be taught by anyone unless you specifically want it that way. Unless you intend on copying the mechanics of monk down to the skill names, you could simply say that his parents/grandparents developed a similar technique on their own and taught it to him. Believe me, there are plenty of more off the wall explanations for skills and powers in the roleplay community.
That said, I have never leveled monk and have not seen any of the cut scenes from the quests so I do not know if there is anything preventing someone from copying or developing similar techniques on their own. All I know is that it isn't an absolute no go like white mage is.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Virella - 02-07-2016
Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/39515-Want-Lore-History-Here-you-go!-%28Possible-Spoilers%29
^ This has actually some lore for you on Monks. I can link more, but I'm sort of stuck in roleplay currently.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Yssen - 02-07-2016
The Fists of Rhalgr are exclusive to Ala Mhigo, but that does not necessarily mean that being a Monk is exclusive to Ala Mhigo. Monk bro is even teaching people Monk stuff in Revenant's Toll. There is a whole sect of the Fists that had been teaching people outside of Ala Mhigo before that. The Fists are simply the only school we know to have been wide spread and influential.
This all depends on your definition of a Monk. The Fists of Rhalgr are the only school we know of, but they don't necessarily have a lock on the idea of aether wielding martial arts or martial bent spirituality. Not a huge leap of logic to assume the Garleans have their own Monk school now, they snagged their own Ninjee types after all. They have certainly been occupying Ala Mhigo long enough.
Certainly possible to generate a different school of Monk-ness to suit the purposes of the story you are try to tell. I would advise against anything large, grand, or well known though. Smaller, clannish based stuff can serve just as well.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
RE: Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:29 PM)Yssen Wrote: The Fists of Rhalgr are exclusive to Ala Mhigo, but that does not necessarily mean that being a Monk is exclusive to Ala Mhigo. Monk bro is even teaching people Monk stuff in Revenant's Toll. There is a whole sect of the Fists that had been teaching people outside of Ala Mhigo before that. The Fists are simply the only school we know to have been wide spread and influential.Yes this is what I was thinking of. Nothing like this huge school or anything. Just something his family taught him, as they learned from others who were in Othard, be they travelers or not, and would thus find their own techniques.
This all depends on your definition of a Monk. The Fists of Rhalgr are the only school we know of, but they don't necessarily have a lock on the idea of aether wielding martial arts or martial bent spirituality. Not a huge leap of logic to assume the Garleans have their own Monk school now, they snagged their own Ninjee types after all. They have certainly been occupying Ala Mhigo long enough.
Certainly possible to generate a different school of Monk-ness to suit the purposes of the story you are try to tell. I would advise against anything large, grand, or well known though. Smaller, clannish based stuff can serve just as well.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Virella - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote:Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
@Yssen And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ the Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Most of their teachings and scriptures got lost with the purge of the Fists. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:36 PM)Virella Wrote:(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote:Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
Well, Like I was mentioning...Opening chakras, is that a purely a thing only A Fist of Rhalgr was capable of? Could not other fighters find similar paths to opening or even using Chakra, with different fighting techniques?
RE: Monks of Othard? - Yssen - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:36 PM)Virella Wrote:And Ninjutsu was a sacred secret to be used in the defense of one's village or superior by channeling the will of local elemental spirits. Did not stop the Garleans from snagging it, and adapting it whole cloth for their own uses. They won't have Fists of Rhalgr, no. They will have Fists of the Empire. Fists against heresy.Â(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote:Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
As I said, the Fists of Rhalgr do not have a lock down on spiritual based martial arts, or martial bent spirituality. Ask Ishgard, or the Empire. Nor do they have a lock on channeling aether using the body. It all depends on your definition of Monk. Monk the Job is someone trained in the style and way of the Fists. Monk the concept of a warrior who improves body and spirit in tandem, somewhat more universal.
Also, to speak to Josuke's question, Chakra is just another name for Aether. Monk bro and Scientist Bud spell this out specifically in the pre-50 Monk quests.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Virella - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:39 PM)Josuke Wrote:The Monk quests do show off that people can open it without being Fists. However, it only seemed to have happened to the WoL so far. No other NPC has shown off to suddenly unlock their first chakra. The rest are all being trained by Monks, or are Monks already.(02-07-2016, 04:36 PM)Virella Wrote:(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote:Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
Well, Like I was mentioning...Opening chakras, is that a purely a thing only A Fist of Rhalgr was capable of? Could not other fighters find similar paths to opening or even using Chakra, with different fighting techniques?
But I'd highly suggest not going down that route, seeming it is a Fist of Rhalgr thing. They have a whole philosophy surrounding it. Hells, they even have TRADITIONS around it. For example, it used to be a tradition that fully unlocked sect Monks would go duel another fully (and opposite) sect Monk opened to the death in a honourable fight.
I... It would be just as odd as saying an Limsa pirate very randomly one day, on his own how, figured out to do Mudras, while it is a thing originating from Othard.
@Yssen once more.
Temple Purge. Mad King. Monks gone poof. Monks be very rare. Knowledge Lost. Scriptures and scrolls gone.
It is a thing only very few know. Ninjas weren't purged by their OWN people before the Garleans came.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Yssen - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:48 PM)Virella Wrote:Save for the Dark Chakra sect which was never purged because they left before it happened. The stuff you have linked and are citing does not seem to take into account any of the post 60 MNK bits.(02-07-2016, 04:39 PM)Josuke Wrote:The Monk quests do show off that people can open it without being Fists. However, it only seemed to have happened to the WoL so far. No other NPC has shown off to suddenly unlock their first chakra. The rest are all being trained by Monks, or are Monks already.(02-07-2016, 04:36 PM)Virella Wrote:(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote:Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.Quote:Being a Monk or Fist of Rhalgr is not a fighting style, it is a lifestyle. They are warpriests, not just regular fighters with a fancy style of kicking people around.
An ordinary fist fighter? Yeah sure. Everyone can be that. Fists/Monks are a product of the constant war the Highlander clans back in Gyr Abania had going on. They are bunch of religious zealots.
Ala Mhigans are shown off to have a distaste for outsiders if you do the Little Ala Mhigo quests. Stuck in their old ways, wary of a lot of things. I'd simply can't see a Fist, especially back in Ala Mhigo going "Welp lets train this outsider who never heard of the Twelve, Rhalgr, praises other Gods, looks like a voidsent, and isn't one of ours". Racism and prejudices be real in Eorzea. (However a non Highlander Monk, but still an Ala Mhigan? Oh yes, that is very much possible!)
There is however Wildaderp and his Monk training business going on now in Mor Dhona, but that is a recent thing. And even that I take with a grain of salt on how successful that is on a short term. Excluding the WoL, becoming a Monk isn't an overnight deal.
Surely maybe some odd same alike type of thing could have happened in some part in Othard. Surely some lost Monk could have ended up wandering into Othard and teaching some au ra. But would it make for a good story, or would you end up as a special exceptions? As I said, it is a way of living, not of fighting.
It be like an Othardian Dragoon. It wouldn't make sense. Fists, Dragoons (and hells even Astrologians) are a very specific city-state thing. There are loopholes to make it work, but eh. It doesn't make for a convincing character to me.
So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?
And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
Well, Like I was mentioning...Opening chakras, is that a purely a thing only A Fist of Rhalgr was capable of? Could not other fighters find similar paths to opening or even using Chakra, with different fighting techniques?
But I'd highly suggest not going down that route, seeming it is a Fist of Rhalgr thing. They have a whole philosophy surrounding it. Hells, they even have TRADITIONS around it. For example, it used to be a tradition that fully unlocked sect Monks would go duel another fully (and opposite) sect Monk opened to the death in a honourable fight.
I... It would be just as odd as saying an Limsa pirate very randomly one day, on his own how, figured out to do Mudras, while it is a thing originating from Othard.
@Yssen once more.
Temple Purge. Mad King. Monks gone poof. Monks be very rare. Knowledge Lost. Scriptures and scrolls gone.
It is a thing only very few know. Ninjas weren't purged by their OWN people before the Garleans came.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Josuke - 02-07-2016
Mm...I think maybe you're misunderstanding what I'm saying.
Quote:I... It would be just as odd as saying an Limsa pirate very randomly one day, on his own how, figured out to do Mudras, while it is a thing originating from Othard.
You keep saying things like this and I can't help but feel it's a little condescending. That isn't what I'm saying.
I'm not trying to be a monk of ala mhigo, or a Fist or anything like that. I'm actually just asking what people's thoughts are RE: Othard and Monks, or more accurately, Martial Artists.
Maybe I am making the mistake in using the word "Monk" for what i'm describing. I mean a similar martial fighter, not necessarily a Monk. But Monk is all I have in game speak to describe what I'm speaking of.
Also, Chakra is just the energy used by monks and people of that skill right? Opening Chakra gates is one thing, but simply using it is a thing all Monk do, be they Fist or not. It's the Aether of the body being used to create power.
RE: Monks of Othard? - Virella - 02-07-2016
(02-07-2016, 04:53 PM)Yssen Wrote:Shadow*(02-07-2016, 04:48 PM)Virella Wrote:Save for the Dark Chakra sect which was never purged because they left before it happened.(02-07-2016, 04:39 PM)Josuke Wrote:The Monk quests do show off that people can open it without being Fists. However, it only seemed to have happened to the WoL so far. No other NPC has shown off to suddenly unlock their first chakra. The rest are all being trained by Monks, or are Monks already.(02-07-2016, 04:36 PM)Virella Wrote:(02-07-2016, 04:30 PM)Josuke Wrote: So wait..All monks are/were Fists of Rhalgr or taught by them? I recall reading that there are also non-Fist monks even in Ala Mhigo. Are there not others that are similar but not in that group?Monk = Fist. Just another word for them.
And no, Garleans wouldn't have Fists, simply from the fact the Garleans /hate/ Twelve, or any God, worship. Fists are build on the foundation of destroying things in the name of... the Destroyer. And the Mad King purged nearly all Monks on top of that. And ruined their temples. Made their knowledge be a near lost thing. Even in the 50-60 Monk quests the two NPCs have issues finding anything to read up about some Monk lore, seeming there is so little left due to the Mad Kings nonsense.
Well, Like I was mentioning...Opening chakras, is that a purely a thing only A Fist of Rhalgr was capable of? Could not other fighters find similar paths to opening or even using Chakra, with different fighting techniques?
But I'd highly suggest not going down that route, seeming it is a Fist of Rhalgr thing. They have a whole philosophy surrounding it. Hells, they even have TRADITIONS around it. For example, it used to be a tradition that fully unlocked sect Monks would go duel another fully (and opposite) sect Monk opened to the death in a honourable fight.
I... It would be just as odd as saying an Limsa pirate very randomly one day, on his own how, figured out to do Mudras, while it is a thing originating from Othard.
@Yssen once more.
Temple Purge. Mad King. Monks gone poof. Monks be very rare. Knowledge Lost. Scriptures and scrolls gone.
It is a thing only very few know. Ninjas weren't purged by their OWN people before the Garleans came.
And they were hidden into obscurity. They were banished from the Fists of Rhalgr.
http://i.imgur.com/mmDmmS6.png
http://i.imgur.com/VtmDsrP.png
They weren't running around in massive numbers, flaunting their shit off. If anything, they were hidden away somewhere else after the Light Sect fucked them over.
And the pact set with the Monks and royality? It probably happened about 120 years ago after the Autmn War. Unless they are speaking about the King of Ruin. But this is my best guess.
Gylbarde's victory brought him ever greater accolades from his country, and as a result both he and the Fist of Rhalgr came to wield considerable political power.
Through affiliation with the Ala Mhigan royal family, the Fist of Rhalgr was incorporated into the nation's standing army. This not only granted the monks a great deal of power, but furnished them with all of the rights accorded protectors of the citizenry. And their political influence was still growing...
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/39515-Want-Lore-History-Here-you-go!-%28Possible-Spoilers%29
If the Ala Mhigan scholar, and one of the remaining Light sect Monks can't find shit on the Shadow Sect Monks basically, then well. I come to the conclusion the Garleans probably didn't do it either. And Fists, Monks, or however you want to call them just don't work without the religious nonsense. It is what they are based of. Religion is the very central thing in their very being. Garleans don't allow that.
Surely aether infused fighter, fine, that can happen. But it wouldn't be Monks or Fists or whatever you want to call them, as their knowledge is basically near completely lost.
And if opening chakras was such a normal, everyday occurrence, why don't we see Joe the Farmer running around with flame fists and throwing hadoukens around? WoL is a special snowflake. Keep that in mind. Rest seems to be all trained by Monks, or are Monks who are capable of unlocking them.