FloppyDingo

I have finished Kiyokage's Wiki Page! It can be found here: Click Me

I don't at all agree with this statement. If you can't ignore the background of BLM or WHM, why can you ignore the backgrounds of the other jobs, or classes for that matter? Each job and class-guild has its own history, cultural importance, and often-times (in the case of the guilds) are integral to the day-to-day life of the respective city-state. They're far from just a skillset. Though they can also just be RP'd that way, as just a skillset, if - like many people - you're not interested in associating with the cultural importance some of these jobs represent. But given how Kiyokage seems to be going for the Soul Crystal and Darkness part of DRK and not the swordsmanship part...? ____________________________ I've got a few lore links that might help you out with getting a better idea of timeline and Kiyokage's time in Ishgard might've gone. -Timeline of the Garlean Invasion and Its Effects -Dark Knight Lore The main thing I see in the story is that Kiyokage seems to live all his life on Othard, then comes to Ishgard specifically just to pick up a dark knight soul crystal, and then goes to Kugane soon after? I'm not sure how old you're wanting your character to be but Doma has been conquered by the Empire for the last 25 years, so in all likelihood when he came to Doma as a young teen it would've already been under imperial control. Doma hasn't yet been razed, so many of the day-to-day functions would've been ongoing. He could've continued swordsmanship, though he would've most likely been drafted by the Empire to work as a soldier or doing slave labor at one of their concentration camps. A lot of Doma and the Yanxian region is agricultural - so farming, fishing, harvesting, repairing homes and tools. His age determines how long he likely would've done this, unless he ended up leaving Othard altogether to head to Hingashi? You mentioned going to Kugane was returning "home," though it was my understanding he'd never been there before in your draft? While somewhat culturally similar in many respects, Hingashi isn't a part of the Othard continent or Doma, similar to how Vylbrand isn't technically part of Aldenard. In any case, a year ago the people of Doma rebel against the Empire, which leads to the mass exodus of displaced Domans to Eorzea. Around this time Yotsuyu takes over as Viceroy of Doma while the previous viceroy, Zenos, is reassigned to Ala Mhigo, to replace the recently deceased Gaius van Baelsar. Yotsuyu despises Domans and begins pressuring other Far Easterners to ignore and report any fleeing Domans. This is why Hingashi turns away Yugiri's refugees initially and still a year later have imperial spies ready to collect a bounty to the Empire on any Domans who show up in Kugane. While in Ishgard, most everything seems fairly plausible. Initially, Kiyokage would've only been able to reach Coerthas and not Ishgard proper until the start of the events of Heavensward where Nidhogg's Horde breaking through the formerly-sealed gates of Ishgard allows outsiders into the city-state for the first time in nearly 15 years. By the current time period, Au Ra aren't normally slaughtered on sight by the Temple Knights, but there's likely still discrimination and xenophobia at play to some capacity, so staying outside the city in Coerthas might have been preferable. A Dark Knight or his soul could be found just as easily outside the city as in. Some things to think on maybe- What is his reasoning for coming to Ishgard? Why does he leave right after? Is he a DRK or a SAM? Both? Why does want to go to Kugane to learn the art of Samurai when he just found a Dark Knight sword where he's at in Ishgard? Hope this helps! ^^ I've taken into account both of your statements, read through the timeline and dark knight info, and reworked my ideas into the following: 1547: A male xaela is born to a woman of the Borlaaq tribe. Disappointed with his gender, she gives him the name Nergui (meaning: "No Name") and sends him off to the Iriq to be raised. 1552 - 1553: Doma, and Othard, is quickly annexed and seized by the growing Garlean Empire. Nergui is six at this time. 1559: At 12 years old, disenfranchised both with his name, and the recent discovery that his birth mother did not want him, Nergui leaves his home in the night to find a new path in life. With little else to go on, the young man makes his way towards Doma, expecting to find something there. Six months pass, and he struggles to find his way in Doma, having little knowledge of how to survive out in the world. Finally, desperate, Nergui lies about his age (due to his height and build, it's relatively believable, and the Garleans care little) and becomes a conscript in the Garlean military where he learns to fight with a sword. The work is grueling, the people cruel, but he has no choice: it's this, or starve to death in the streets attempting to find work. He is sent first to Ala Mhigo (as they do not keep recruits in their homelands for risk of rebellion). 1562: The Garleans push into Eorzea, and Nergui is there. The fight in Mor Dhona is brutal - he witnesses the death of Midgardsormr. After this - he is stationed in Castrum Centri. The Garleans in the meantime begin the first Meteor Project, and news of their 'success' eventually filters through to Nergui. Bozja is destroyed - eliminated in a massive blast by Dalamund. The news of such a tragic loss of life makes him begin to question where he is in the world - and just how expendable he might be in the end. Year 5, 7th Umbral Era (to sometime in Year 1, 7th Astral Era): Opreation Archon kills Gaius Van Baelsar and frees Eorzea. This begins the 7th Astral Era. Operation Archon leaves the Garlean troops in dismay - giving Nergui the perfect opportunity to go AWOL and escape. He flees Castrum Centri, taking shelter in Revenant's Toll temporarily while gathering himself and debating what to do. He's terrified of being found out as a garlean, stealing the clothes of a bathing worker to wear - inconspicuous and common place garments that don't have him stick out. Eventually news of the Dragonsong War escalating reaches his ears. Desperate to start his own life, he heads to Ishgard to participate in the Dragonsong War - figuring this would be his way of reinventing himself. Taking on the Doman name Kiyokage, he leaves behind his past, attempting to strive forward as a wandering swordsman. Things do not go as well there as he hoped. Once again the victim of discrimination and xenophobia (especially at such a time of high strife with the dravanians; though to a lesser degree than if he had shown up some years prior), he falls by the wayside. Seeing a similarity between the opressive lies of the Holy See, and the oppression of the Garleans, he takes up with a group of vigilantes to strike back. It is here he learns of the Dark Knights, and seeks out their tales, their stories, and soon - finds one of them in person. The Dark Knight sees the strife and turmoil within Kiyokage's eyes and takes him in, if only temporarily. By the end of the war, his mentor is dead, slain by dravanians - and he has learned little of the Dark Knight ways. He is broken - the man who would lead him on a new path has died before showing him the way. With little else to do he buries him in the snow and takes his sword and soulstone. Once more his life is unclear. It takes time, but eventually he hears of the uprising in Ala Mhigo and Othard once more - that rebellions have been successful, and that people might finally, after the long years of imperial rule, begin to rebuild their lands. Inspired that he might be of some use there, he takes a boat to Kugane, so that he might make his way across the Ruby Sea, and finally find the path he was destined to walk. When he gets to Doma, he finds the land in ruins - not quite prepared for what he expected to see. He knew it had been razed, but so little remained. There was a lot of work to be done - the people would need protectors. They would need people to do things right... and he had a lot of right things to do, to make up for what he saw as his past sins (working with the empire). Determined to make something of everything he had seen thus far, he returned to Kugane - the port where so many now wandered, seeking to find a tutor to finally help him unlock that soulstone himself... and begin walking the path of a dark knight. At the end, the last entry, is where time gets a bit wonky and hard to realize. Nergui/Kiyokage is now 30 years old. How is this? Better? Instead of going with a Samurai, I'm going to have him as a wandering swordsman, and just use samurai to represent his particular swordsmanship (as someone mentioned classes are also skillsets), until he learns to be a DRK.

I'd like to run this by you guys since I'm still pretty new to the lore to see if this all works out and makes sense to you. This is basically my final rough draft of my character's background. I'm not amazing with dates and times and whatnot of what's happened, so if I missed anything important that would've happened or my character might've witnessed, feel free to inform me. More importantly: If any of this seems like a bad idea, bad design, or just flat out wrong - let me know. My character is a male Au'ra (Xaela) born on the steppes, as they are. Born to the Borlaaq and given up at a young age to the Iriq, he never really felt wanted, or like he fit in. After some time he left (young age, I'm thinking 12...13) for Doma, a poorly planned out venture that left him poor, wanting, and struggling to survive. He picked up basic swordsman skills as he grew, and worked hard to make his way despite clearly not belonging there - part of his struggle to survive involved giving up his old name, and adopting a Doman one - Kiyokage. After some time I wanted him to fall in with the Doman Refugees, and end up in Eorzea, most specifically - Ishgard, as a sellsword and eventually a vigilante fighter. The Ishgardians of course, do not react well to Au'ra, so once again he's forced with a struggle and a hardship that he couldn't have ever planned for. His particular group of refugees ends up headed by a Dark Knight, who, before Kiyokage leaves for home, ends up dying. To remember this man who lead their group, and honor him, he buries him - but keeps his sword and his soulstone, seeing them as too important to just allow to fall into strange hands. If I'm understanding how the DRK soulstone works, this would, in essence, start making him more violent, moody, and well... dark in temperament right? Just by proximity to it? I leave off with where he is currently - Doma once more, having returned "home" to Kugane to attempt to learn the art of the Samurai... though given the Dark Knight's soulstone, he'll have a hard time maintaining any form of honor and level head to become one. At that point I want him to be struggling, between this path of honor and level headedness, and the path of a dark knight - an anti-hero essentially. Thoughts? Ideas? Things I might add? Things that don't fit well?

I. Basic Info Primary character: Kiyokage Mizuhiki: Wandering Xaela swordsman trying to find his way in the world. A man disenchanted by the world, somewhat sour and bitter by feelings that the world simply does not want him about. Having abandoned his tribe at a young age, the world has jaded him. Now he wanders as a swordsman with a new name, attempting to hide the scars of his past, and progress into a new future. Whether or not he can leave behind his terrible mistakes is yet to be seen... [align=center][/align] [align=center] [/align] Linkshells: None Primary RP linkshell: None, feel free to suggest some or send invites. II. RP Style Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy): I am a heavy roleplayer: I enjoy being within my character's headspace and thinking things out through his own in-world knowledge rather than my own ooc meta. I prefer to keep him to a schedule when I have him IC (I do pve/raid a bit sometimes) and prefer to keep in world things as in world, such as free companies. (I am looking for one, but want to join it ICly - e.g. find one that Kiyokage is interested in, and join it for those reasons - not just for the ooc community and benefits). (Linkshells obviously do not 100% hold to this as some are used to set up rp and I understand that!) I will sometimes ask to continue rp in discord. This is a recent development as I've realized I won't always be reachable IC to finish up lengthy rp scenes due to IRL commitments - discord makes this very easy to accomplish however to keep the rp flowing at a logical pace! My character has strict continuity - I am not a fan of metagaming or retconning (though I understand the need -sometimes-). I keep my character's experiences as his own and prefer them to be a continually flowing tapestry to build him up (or tear him down). I am a M/E/Rper - I am not afraid of themes being mature in our roleplays so long as they make sense ICly. Typically with anything sexual I prefer there to be a longterm buildup to such things - though spontaneity does occur albeit rarely. So long as it all makes sense IC I will go with it - whether it be damning to my character, or beneficial. If the above didn't make sense to you, here's the tl;dr: If you walk up and say "He's hot, wanna erp?" you're gonna have a bad time. My rp posts are quite lengthy when need to be - though I adapt to those around me quite well. Expect long, descriptive posts without fluff or filler however: meaning if there's something very engaging and deserving of lengthy emotes, it will get them, but if we're having shorthand conversation among 5 people at the hostel in Kogane - I'm not going to text bomb just to have my character nod and say he agrees. I am a fan of the proponent "you get out what you put in" - meaning, you get from me what you put in to the rp. If you walk up and emote cutting off Kiyokage's arm/an attempt at cutting off Kiyokage's, and I have no idea who you are or why you would do that - expect me to take a lesser, more temporary wound, if any. If this has been a long buildup to a dramatic event where Kiyokage loses a limb and has been part of an ongoing month long plot - I'm far more willing to roll with it. Views on RP combat and injuries: You get what you put in - rp combat is a fluid thing that varies from person to person. Some people prefer dice, and I am fine with that - others prefer text, and I am fine with that too, so long as they play fair and don't powergame/god game. Autohitting will make me not take you very seriously. As above - you get what you put in, and autohitting is a very low, dirty thing to do in rp. Expect a similar reply. Injuring Kiyokage is perfectly fine - I prefer permanent injuries to be discussed beforehand and to have meaning/impact other than simply adding another stamp to someones badassery card. I tend to rp healing as something that - while it stops the worst of the wounds, still requires a bit of a recovery time depending on the severity - much as the MSQ portrays it. Views on IC romance: Kiyokage might not state openly that he is looking for love, but like all Xaela, he knows his moon is out there somewhere. IC romances are some of my favorite kind of rp - a slow buildup, the tension of unspoken feelings, the uncertainty blossoming into affection. It has a soft spot for me if done right and built up organically. However I do not tolerate these types of rp's drifting into OOC Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc): Kiyokage was born of the Borlaaq and given to the Iriq because he was male. He has since moved on and left his tribal life (and name) behind. It has been a handful of years since he was in his homeland. Feel free to make connections with Kiyokage, friends, mentors, students, rivals, enemies, ect. Family ties are far less likely. If you have an idea, hit me up! Views on lore: I have a moderate approach to lore on FFXIV. I love the lore, I love the world - but if someone slips outside of strict lore interpretation a bit, I am fine with it. (Rule of cool: so long as it makes the story more interesting). This does have it's limits however and I'm not going to turn a blind eye to someone saying they are "the" warrior of light or something similarly egregious. Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc): Say: IC unless ((brackets)) are added. Party: A mix of IC and OOC. Typically used for ooc communication, I sometimes use this for private rp. Free Company Chat: Depends on the free company. I can see this being majority OOC though. Linkshells: Varies. Some are IC, some aren't. Shouts and Yells: Varies. Usually OOC unless it makes sense for the RP. Even then, given that the majority of normal players spam them with non-rp banter it's much easier to use party or something similar with an affix of *yells* or something. Whispers: Typically OOC unless noted otherwise. III. Other Info Country:United States Timezone:Central Standard Time (GMT -6) Contact info: In game (I don't bite, usually), discord (FloppyDingo#1872). You can PM me here but I won't guarantee I'll see it unless I happen to look at it (which can be days). [align=center][glow=blue]~Special announcements can be found in the posts below~[/glow][/align]

Yeah sure! I'll post a picture at the end of this reply. I believe you're correct about the samurai soulstone. He just kind of... hands it over because you show promise, and then it's like "cool you're a samurai now, good luck" and that's that. The entire 50-60 questline is you "bonding" with the soul and learning to be a "full fledged samurai" - so apparently just having the soulstone doesn't make you one - it just gives you the introductory course and sets you on the path. (though I think most soulstones are pretty similar - you have to unlock their potential through hard work) As for his name I came up with, what I feel is a good solution: His chosen name, is Kiyokage. He does not have a last name yet, as he feels he has not "earned it" - a mixture of his own Xaela heritage (where one's last name is their tribe - and clearly he has abandoned them by leaving), and the Kugane thing where one has to "earn" their surname through militaristic prowess. He's currently a 'swordsman' (not samurai, yet, I want to give him room to grow) and is wandering seeking to improve his skill and earn a name for himself. There's some inklings of maybe one day returning home to try and start up his own tribe, but those are inklings - dreams of dreams so far off in the future that they may never even happen. As for his original name? Nergui. It's mongolian for "No Name". His mother was of the Borlaaq tribe, and seeing as he was male he was immediately given up to the Iriq tribe. When he learned of this it fostered some resentment - hence him leaving at a rather young age and spurring a bit of a sour disposition. That's kind of where I am with him right now. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated! And here's your picture - taken by a new friend I met through RP who happened to capture a rather dramatic lightning strike: And another picture I took myself: I'll have to make an entry in the RPC and such here when I get a chance.

I've gotten to level 60 with the Samurai quests and thus far the only times the soul crystal has been noted in game was: Initially when you're chosen to become a samurai, you're given it by the first NPC master. and After you finish the level 60 quest, it glows signifying you're "a full samurai now" and you learn the meditate skill. Otherwise it doesn't really reference the gem in game at all, at least not so far. But we'll see where that goes. For now I'll probably just play him as a swordsman and see where it goes from there. As for the name thing - one thing I've debated is that perhaps, if he does have this name, that it's a chosen name... and that he has a true Xaela name he no longer uses for some reason.

Alright, so I've finally settled down to start learning lore for FFXIV and get a character established so I can begin rping on balmung. First step I figure? Lets learn about the race we chose. Months ago I started playing with a friend on a completely different server and only recently decided to move over to try my hand at RP since I enjoy tabletop rp (dnd, ect.) quite a bit. I had made a Xaela Au'ra character, and found an online name generator for him to get him a good name... or so I thought. The name it gave me? Kiyokage Mizuhiki The naming convention for Xaela? Mongolian. So now here I am, with my Xaela Samurai in game, staring at this glaringly obviously wrong name, debating... do I drink the fantasia and just switch over to a Raen? (Which I'd rather not do, I rather enjoy how he looks) - Do I pay for a name change? (Also would rather not throw away money on this) Or do I find a reason for his name to be what it is? Raised by someone not of his race? Maybe. That would be one way to explain it - but I can't decide if that feels... handwavey or not. Part of me feels like that might be stretching it too much, while another part of me says "don't be silly, that's fine, orphans aren't uncommon". What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions? One final question: Warrior, or Samurai for class RP? I haven't read much into it yet, but I do know apparently it's faux pas to rp a blackmage, so I don't know about the other classes yet. Thanks!

Alright, thanks for the reply! That clears it up!

I'm relatively used to roleplay from other games but ffxiv is new ground to me. Just a simple question here: I see people going around with tags in their party search info, stuff like M|RP and E|RP. Now, not being new I understand what erp is, but what does that mean M|RP is? At first I assumed it meant "mature", but I'd like to be sure. I see people sometimes with M|E|RP as well. Thanks!