Rook

That's a very well-thought stance and very much in line with how I play my character and his tribe. Especially since the Malqir roamed the western Steppes, which borders Ilsabard. Do you think maintaining that stance in roleplay seriously impacts the roleplay of those in one of the other camps, particularly one that assumes no contact from the Empire until two years ago? Should we be more mindful of that in our interactions? Not that I force it down anyone's throat to begin with.

I was recently involved in a debate regarding the recent history of the Othard Steppes under Garlean rule. One party held that since Othard was originally invaded and conquered some fifty years ago, the only way for the Xaela to have any knowledge of their culture was to have fought a lifelong guerilla war against the Garleans, moving their tribes and fighting for survival until the Doman rebellion forced the Garleans' hand and they were finally forced out. The other party held that since there's no lore describing the Xaela's interations with the Empire, the only reasonable explanation is that Garlemald circumvented the whole of the Steppes solely to conquer Doma, and that all of the savage Xaela lived in total ignorance of Garlemald's conquest until the aftermath of the Doman rebellion. It was suggested that the two attempt to reconcile this with the fact that Othard is invariably huge, and the tribes may have each had very different experiences as far apart as they were. Unfortunately, one party couldn't abide this divide and left. What are the thoughts on this? The concern of the party that left is the massive fracture such assumptions would cause within the community. However, this isn't something that can be ignored, since a large part of refugee roleplay is their experience in Othard. Does it make sense that the Xaela fought a lifelong war against their oppressors, or were they blissfully ignorant, brutally fighting one another the entire time? Or should we just say that everyone had different experiences, and accept the fracture as not being harmful?

As mentioned above, the Azure Dragoon is the strongest dragoon, but doesn't necessarily receive any special powers. All the powers you receive during the course of the DRG questline are granted by the soul crystal that Alberic gave to you, implying that the many dragoons that Ishgard is famous for all possess these powers. The limiting factor on whether or not one can play a dragoon IC is how they learned. Alberic only teaches the Adventurer because the Eye reacts to them. Ishgard is a very isolated and xenophobic place. They all intensely distrust outsiders. If you can think of a reason for your non-Ishgardian character to be taught by an elite knight of the Holy See and given a Soul of the Dragoon (without which training would take years), go for it. Just keep that aspect in mind.

Considering the overuse of Adventurers in Eorzea and the degree to which they operate in the affairs of city-states, it can be assumed that anyone with sufficient investment can apprehend a criminal to be turned over to the Brass Blades. Immortal Flames and Sultansworn acting outside of their specific duties wouldn't be empowered to act anymore than any other citizen. However, no one likes their toes being stepped on, especially an organization with as much corruption as the Brass Blades (a fact that doesn't invalidate their authority). If a member of the Flames, the Sultansworn, or an Adventurer apprehended someone without a bounty, they may be subject to punishment for overstepping their bounds. Actually killing a criminal would get the offender arrested by the Blades, regardless of what other position they hold, pending a trial (or bribe) to prove that they acted in the interest of the city (or the Syndicate's agenda). Ul'dah isn't a lawless city where people are murdered in the streets daily. There are heralds that announce murders and the Brass Blades' investigations into the crimes. They don't like other people doing their job, and they have the power to act against the people that try. The Immortal Flames and the Sultansworn have their respective duties, and those don't include murdering suspected criminals in the streets.

It's important to note that this is a false analogy. Contrary to popular belief, the Immortal Flames are not a law enforcement branch. They're Ul'dah's military, and the Brass Blades are law enforcement. In your example, it would be as if an off duty US Army officer showed up and tried to act in the place of the police, rather than calling the police to deal with it. Yes, harming the officer would cause a good bit of trouble in its own right, but you're under no obligation to regard an Army officer as you would a police officer. And he'd have no right to arrest you. The Army fights our enemies, whereas the police protect and serve the people. Just the same, the Immortal Flames don't patrol the city and make arrests. They fight the enemies of Ul'dah without. The Brass Blades take care of Ul'dah itself, policing its streets and Thanalan's roads (of course, they're often corrupt, but so are the police, on occasion). The Sultansworn are way off in Secret Service land, with authority that trumps both, but only when specifically serving the Sultanate. Of course, the root of the problem here doesn't have too much to do with all this, but it's worth clarifying. The problem might not have existed at all if the Flames roleplayer was aware of this. Then again, maybe they were, and their character is just shady and corrupt, trying to take advantage of their position. There are certainly examples of military sorts doing that in real life. Either way, there's plenty more at work here that others are addressing nicely.