S'maia Rahz

*snipsnip* Short reply before I dig into the journals/chronicles, unless he's wanting to murder every Imperial man, woman, and child, there's not likely to be outright conflict between them. She's grown enough in the last cycle or two to realize that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't have all the facts and is pretty open-minded. She also values personal loyalty above loyalty to a concept. Otherwise, she'd have ratted out her sister ages ago, before she had the blinders off. As for the rest, let me get to reading and I'll be back! A more thorough reply appeared! Having read your journals, I do not feel as though Valic and Maqali are likely to come into conflict. As I mentioned above, she places a high value on personal loyalty, but in addition while she's not gung-ho anti-Empire, she's seen enough to believe that there are people who are taking the Empire in a bad direction (and she's spent enough time in Ul'dah to know that Ala Mhigo was not a good thing). I definitely see potential for longer-term shared story relating to the Empire, though! More likely than her betraying him would be her trying to "make contact with the good people of the Empire and encourage/rescue/etc. them" and getting in over her head. So, you wouldn't have to worry about your loyal retainer selling you out! That said, she's also rather naive in many ways, so while an intentional betrayal is unlikely, an accidental one is far more so (especially if it serves to promote the plot). On a related note to the above, from an OOC perspective I definitely try not to usurp other peoples' plots by going "WAIT LOOK OVER HERE AT WHAT I'M DOING!" which is essentially what an unplanned betrayal would be. There's nothing saying we couldn't plan one OOCly to further the plot, but I definitely wouldn't mess with your plot by derailing it in such a fashion. That would be very bad form on my part As for other Imperial-sympathetic players? There IS a linkshell of such, and I'm still part of it, but not sure how active it is at the moment. I can certainly shake the tree and see what comes out if/when the time comes. Very good, I don't think I'd count Valic as a murderer or someone to racially slaughter Garleans specifically either. He's more specifically aiding in the war at hand now considering he couldn't in the times before.... His eyes are definitely peeled and he's taken a more strong/stoic stance to this investigation considering the severity of leaking information and the like. Let me mull it over a bit and we'll arrange for something to set it up or practice, I'll give you my discord in pm's. I also only RP while I have the tag up and have a linkshells dedicated for just the 2's interactions via linkpearl if ever needed. Sounds good to me! Like you, I run the RP tag during RP times and don't when not. I'll be around on and off throughout the day today.

*snipsnip* Short reply before I dig into the journals/chronicles, unless he's wanting to murder every Imperial man, woman, and child, there's not likely to be outright conflict between them. She's grown enough in the last cycle or two to realize that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't have all the facts and is pretty open-minded. She also values personal loyalty above loyalty to a concept. Otherwise, she'd have ratted out her sister ages ago, before she had the blinders off. As for the rest, let me get to reading and I'll be back! A more thorough reply appeared! Having read your journals, I do not feel as though Valic and Maqali are likely to come into conflict. As I mentioned above, she places a high value on personal loyalty, but in addition while she's not gung-ho anti-Empire, she's seen enough to believe that there are people who are taking the Empire in a bad direction (and she's spent enough time in Ul'dah to know that Ala Mhigo was not a good thing). I definitely see potential for longer-term shared story relating to the Empire, though! More likely than her betraying him would be her trying to "make contact with the good people of the Empire and encourage/rescue/etc. them" and getting in over her head. So, you wouldn't have to worry about your loyal retainer selling you out! That said, she's also rather naive in many ways, so while an intentional betrayal is unlikely, an accidental one is far more so (especially if it serves to promote the plot). On a related note to the above, from an OOC perspective I definitely try not to usurp other peoples' plots by going "WAIT LOOK OVER HERE AT WHAT I'M DOING!" which is essentially what an unplanned betrayal would be. There's nothing saying we couldn't plan one OOCly to further the plot, but I definitely wouldn't mess with your plot by derailing it in such a fashion. That would be very bad form on my part As for other Imperial-sympathetic players? There IS a linkshell of such, and I'm still part of it, but not sure how active it is at the moment. I can certainly shake the tree and see what comes out if/when the time comes.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this but I'm exhausted atm and feel like I should go over it again tomorrow after I rest some. On just a couple side notes though, I do the dice thing whenever I feel it implies possession or "movement" of another character other than my own that's of extremes. Like handing a person a piece of paper I'm talking to as compared to trying to sneak a flier into their back pocket or something lol. Her stories have me curious how they work/happened, like carbuncles that are hungry? . I can definitely see some interesting interactions between them with him being a studious academic and her being the more untamed go-getter type. Again, I'll need to reread a bit tomorrow but I would like to ask just a couple questions for now. https://wiki.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/pages/Valic_Sunblood http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=20128&pid=300191#pid300191 Under the section titled "Chronicle" is an idea of how Valic's lifespan is going through each patch and a brief summary around his involvement. Considering her age seems to be fairly young (I want to assume maybe 17 being still mid-teens but old enough to have gone through everything she has according to her description), she seems quite fresh to the concept of not being for the empire. Valic's current involvement has me questioning how much this might conflict with her with what he's up to int his current patch. Leading into the post of his journal entry (not known knowledge of course) to a current investigation plot line I've started for a lil bit that requires trust from someone who wouldn't betray him or be a potential threat to Garlemald(though if she did betray him, that'd still be interesting to see how that all gets resolved and even better if there's Garlean RP'ers out there that wanted to do battle with Valic or something along those lines in all this, or even be apart of that whole adventure). I simply ask to review the last section of the chronicle in his wiki and the post of his journal entry to question if you would have any conflicts with any of that or if your character would at all. I am seeking a long term loyal retainer after all, just want to affirm that his plot is a bit thick atm and I wouldn't want to detour too far off it. Like say this investigation gets sidetracked because she's secretly helping Garlemald or goes on a huge side adventure of her own that requires Valic's full attention to stop/protect/rescue her(while I won't mind this in the future though of course considering she sounds like she may find herself in sticky situations at times ). Sorry this is so long, I type too much when I'm tired >.< look forward to you replying! Short reply before I dig into the journals/chronicles, unless he's wanting to murder every Imperial man, woman, and child, there's not likely to be outright conflict between them. She's grown enough in the last cycle or two to realize that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't have all the facts and is pretty open-minded. She also values personal loyalty above loyalty to a concept. Otherwise, she'd have ratted out her sister ages ago, before she had the blinders off. As for the rest, let me get to reading and I'll be back!

RP style(s)(such as M, E, Paragraph, etc): M (but not E). Otherwise, I'm fairly open (and also been gone for ages, so out-of-practice to boot!). I'm okay with either dice or regular RP to handle combat, though in the interests of fairness with dice in most circumstances Maqali would probably have a penalty given her lack of real experience. Race: Xaela Au Ra (roughly mid-teens) Gender: Female Interest(s): Studying magic (in just about all forms, though she's more ignorant than knowledgeable at the moment), technology (particularly Imperial/magi tech), learning about lost cultures. She also sometimes enjoys outdoor activities, at least until something outdoorsy happens (e.g. she enjoys fishing, but hates getting splashed/rained on). She tries not to fuss as much as she used to though. Hobby(ies): Maqali rather enjoys taking things apart (bonus points for putting them back together again, but not required...) She's fascinated by how things work and the more complex the more interesting. She also finds fishing to be enjoyable and relaxing most of the time, as long as the weather's nice, the fish are cooperative, and no hungry carbuncles are nearby (there's a story there ). Maqali loves to read, and she has an unspoken love of poorly-written works of fiction, the older the better. She enjoys cooking (and alchemy, which she just sees as cooking with more interesting outcomes) as well, with mixed success depending on ingredients - as with many other things in life, she loves to experiment with ingredients. Profession(s): Technically, Maqali is unemployed at the moment. She's a competent astrologian (there's a story there too!) and a fair conjurer as well. She's begun learning the rudiments of red magic but her thaumaturgy is... very lacking, so she doesn't know much more than 'stab them, and also magic.' She's fond of the art for all of her lack of talent, though, in part because she thinks it will make her sister happy. She has some basic combat training with a variety of weapons, most of which she's pretty awful with (roughly 'pointy end goes into vilekin' even with non-pointy weapons) with the notable exception of firearms - she is surprisingly competent with a gun, something she rarely displays. All that said, she's not really much of a fighter and she's rarely had to employ her skills (magical or martial) in anything outside of a spar (one notable exception with her astromancy). She's... barely adequate in outdoors survival (if you put her in the forest, she won't die, but don't expect an amazing shelter and full pots of gathered food either). Personality: At her heart, Maqali in many senses could be considered an explorer or even scientist. She enjoys picking things apart to see how they work, and putting things together just to see what happens. She's always curious about what's over the next horizon and is all-too willing to push ahead without considering the risks. While she's a fairly moral person, she also has trouble with the word "no" unless there's a very good justification for it. She's the sort of person who would gleefully delve into just about any forbidden art without a compelling reason not to. That said, things like "well, first sacrifice a small village" would definitely be a compelling reason for "no" for her! Goal(s): In the short term, she wants to reunite with her sister (Jaliqai), who she hasn't seen in more than a cycle. She'd also like to find a way to continue learning and practicing magic in a way that doesn't horribly offend her sister's anti-magic tendencies, which she considers to be a mostly-lost cause. Long-term, she'd love to get out into the world and explore lost civilizations, set eyes on sights no one has ever seen (or no one has seen in a very long time). She wants to continue to learn magic, maybe even begin to master an art (her preference would be continued mastery in her astromancy, but she loves magic as a whole - excepting the arcanist's art - and there's a story there too ). While she'd love to see the Qulaan tribe grow again and prosper, her only real connection to her kin is via her sister; she's pretty ambivalent about the tribe as a whole. Background/Story: (Note that much of this is not common knowledge) Maqali was orphaned from her tribe when she was very young - the Imperials wiped them out, keeping a scant handful alive (including Maqali). She was adopted into an Imperial family and raised as a loyalist, with her peoples' history kept from her. When she reached puberty, her innate aether was a rather volatile - sufficiently so that her adoptive family determined that it would be in her (and the Empire's) best interest if she were to get some kind of formal training. This began with formalized instruction from an outcast astrologian, and eventually led to her making the journey to Eorzea to learn at least the rudiments of their arts as well (know thy enemy, after all!) Despite her idealized view of the Empire, she was well aware that the frontier lands hadn't "formally joined" the Empire and that there were some "dissidents" who actively (and often violently) opposed said joining, so she was to keep her allegiance secret and simply remember to send letters back to her family periodically, noting her progress as well as the interesting things she saw. THAT lasted until she met her actual family (well, the one survivor thereof) and was dragged (mostly kicking and screaming) to the truth of her origins. While she's not completely anti-Garlean at this point, the rose-tinted glasses are rarely worn. More recently, a letter from her original astrologian mentor requesting her aid turned out to be a pretty obvious trap (that she nonetheless walked blindly into, suspecting nothing) as the Sharlayans are... not fond of unauthorized practitioners of their arts. She was eventually able to escape, but not before quite a bit of time had passed. Maqali made the long journey home (surprisingly, "home" was Eorzea, rather than the Castrum she grew up in) and is, for the second time, trying to find a place in it. Personal question: "Well, I need to be doing *something*, right? It's not as though I have people lining up at my door with prospects. Or, um, have a door at all, actually. Besides, it sounds like you like to study magic, and I like to study magic, so it'd be a good fit, right?" (OOC, it seems like it could be an interesting dynamic. The two have similar interests, but Valic sounds much more mellow than Maqali, who can be rather high-strung at times. She's also rather directionless IC at the moment, and so having a bit of stability and, well, direction, work serve her well. And I'd imagine that ensuing shenanigans would serve to liven up Valic's life too. Also, Maqali is my main and only actively-played character. I do have alts on the server, but all were created for specific RP purposes and are not active.)

I am playing Heavensward for the first time now, and I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I honestly thought it was going to be a 'trudge through this so I can join the rest of creation in the new stuff' but... yeah. Going to make sure I savor this because it's only the first run once!

S' tribe is best tribe! Alas, my Seeker is retired I do wish you the very best though!

Oooh this sounds interesting. I might have to poke at you guys once I renew my sub! *wanders off to read FAQ/etc.*

Well... I think I am on your friends list, AND I've been wanting to return to the game now that life's a bit quieter. But I was on an extended sub plan so even though I haven't had time to play since summer I think my sub didn't run out until December. Alas...

Maqali is torn - she grew up loyal to the Empire, but she has a growing affection for the tribe she ought to have been raised among. Her loyalty to the Qulaan was a bit dented some months ago, so I'd say she still has first loyalty to the Empire, though I don't think she'd right now be able to betray one for the other.

It's so kind of you guys to continue with this The panda is the most adorable <3 The birdy would be next-most adorable Ifrit is scary but... huggable? >.<

To turn things around a bit (rather than Claire being under someone else's wing) Maqali is a kid who could use a bit of education on the real world. She's pretty blind to some of the harsher realities of life in Eorzea (e.g. she thinks Garlemald is friendly and only wants to help keep Eorzea safe, though she's smart enough now to realize this is not a popular point of view). She's made a number of friends who are helping her learn to fight and hunt, but no one yet who can help take off those rose-tinted glasses. Just a thought to consider, if you think Claire could be fun to play as a mentor too

Nice to meet you! Welcome to FFXIV and to the RPC

Oooh count me in! That (1) bustle is really neat looking, but then again, the (2) owl is adorable. I don't own a home so I wouldn't be able to make use of the levin thingy. Thanks again for doing this by the way - it's really awesome of you!

Welcome back! I'm newly returned myself but am already amazed at just how much *stuff* there is to do, both for RPs and in gameplay. @_@

Welcome! Feel free to give me a shout if you find your way to Balmung - its always good to have more friends!

Welcome to FFXIV! Feel free to give me a shout once you hit Balmung - I'd be happy to say hello.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you muchly to the contest holder!

Doggie! <3 Wow, these are extremely lovely! And doggie!

Hi Shilugei! Assuming you are on Balmung, I'd love to have Maqali meet you. I'm newly returned to the game myself and am working my way back towards active RP - like Shilugei, Maqali is Xaela, but due to her fostering knows very little about the culture she should have been a part of. It's something she both wants to explore and struggles with - especially as she learns things like 'wait, I have to catch it, kill it, clean it, AND cook it?!' Maqali's not an adult yet so she'd not be a potential romance partner, but there could still be some fun RP to be had with her having someone around to show her Xaela things! Oh, and don't mind the Miqo'te in the picture to the left. That's my original character, S'janna Rahz, who has since retired. I haven't yet gotten a good picture of Maqali to put in there.

How thoughtful! Color me interested as well! I'm newly returned to the game so I have no idea what most of this stuff is But if my some off chance my number comes up... surprise me? Edit: So having poked through the list again, the Fat Cat minion just sounds adorable. Otherwise, one of the wearable items? I don't have a house so the house items would just sit with my retainer hehe. Thanks again for doing this! Edit 2: This is what I get for posting late! I just noticed the images. So... Thavnarian Bustle (I totally mangled the spelling on this didn't I?) Kitteh! <3 Falconer's Shirt Tabard

And I'm home! Now just need to spend some time over break building a wiki and switching out S'janna things for Maqali things.

Well you're always welcome to come back and join us! We'll help you through content no problem =P I may very well take you up on that actually! Though might not go back to S'janna as I'd left her story in a very satisfying spot when last I played her - and I freely admit to a love of dragon-people >_>

Hi Venty! Yeah, I haven't played in a long while. I tried to come back for the expansion, only to realize that I knew no one and had to slog through like 3 releases worth of stuff to start on the new things. Which would have been okay if I... knew people to drag along for those things! I was really looking forward to the new classes too, especially the gunner thingy

Oh wow, I'm so happy to see Ul'dah Garden coming back around. I have so many fond memories of my time here

Arguably the most awesome description of an arcanist ever. As to the original question posed, I'd honestly suggest not to allow in-game NPC commentary sway you to/from a character concept, any more than you'd allow the in-game main storyline quests to dictate your character's story or personality.