Yssen

Two words. Nobuo Uematsu. ^ ^

Kari does have a point here. While we can reasonably expect to have control over our own family and such, we do have that what we create could be yanked out by the roots as more lore comes down the pipe from SE. We know precious little at this point, but what we do know is. 1. Most Duskwights are bandits, mercenaries, and thieves. This is seen in both how NPCs talk about Duskwights, and how Duskwights are portrayed when they are encountered in the game. 2. We have only ever encountered Duskwights that now live on the surface in the game. 3. We know that most of the Duskwight ruins we see in the game have been long abandoned, and even had enough time to be re-purposed over the years. There are even Duskwight NPCs that discuss the concept that the Duskwight lost their homelands and larger settlements long ago. 4. We know that Duskwights are reclusive and elusive by nature. All the stuff that is coming out is great, don't get me wrong. I do think that a distinction needs to be made, though. All of this is lore and culture is player created, and not handed down to us from SE. Players should in no way feel obligated to have to conform to what is agreed on. In the end it could all be uprooted, and become lore broke later down the road. I think I am going to ask a few Duskwight questions on the lore thread of the official forums. Hopefully get some things clarified from the devs in a fairly rapid fashion.

I think the answer here lies in something different. I think the two tribes grew apart simply because they lived in very different environments, but still held on to a similar culture. The "split," in terms of why the two tribes have animosity for one another, is stated to have something to do with the founding of Gridanian (and to a seemingly lesser extent, Ishgard) by the Wildwoods. We know that the founders of Gridania made a pact with the Elementals in the Black Shroud in order to secure the city-state. This deal (or the events surrounding it) are probably what lead to Gelmorra being fully abandoned. The animosity between the two tribes being caused by disagreement over this pact with the Elementals. Wildwoods went for it, Duskwights refused. Duskwights got kicked out and retreated further into seclusion. Gelmorra very well could have been one of the first elezen settlements when they came down from the north. This would explain why there are both above ground and below ground Gelmorran ruins. Long and short, my theory is that there was not a large amount of animosity between the two tribes when they gravitated to different living environments. The animosity came later, probably over what the Duskwights call the "loss of their homeland."

1. In terms of actual conquered territory, all we know of at this point is the Empire controls Ala Mihgo and the the surrounding area, as well as having a fairly large presence and base in Mor Dhona. That would be as of 1.0. Post calamity there is a Castrum (Imperial base) in the area surrounding each of the three main city-states. How much of the physical territory (past the area immediately surrounding the Castrums) they control in those areas is up for debate. It is probably best to assume that they physical zones they have placed that contain the Castrums are disputed and heavily skirmished in territory. Mileage may vary as more develops. For instance we do not know if Coerthas contains a Castrum or two yet. The base in Mor Dhona does seem to have expanded significantly, as well. It is safe to say at this point that the Empire is knocking on everyone's doors. At least, the XIVth Legion is. 2. As far as we know Thanalan is the only place in Eorzea that Ceruleum has been found in large quantities and is being pumped and refined. There are possible much smaller pockets in other areas, but we have seen nothing on the scale of the instillation in Thanalan. It is stated that there are Ceruleum deposits on the northern continent in the Empire proper. We also know that Ul'dah used to pump and refine the Ceruleum and trade it with the Empire. The Empire has it's own Ceruleum, but that does not mean it does not want more. They have a pretty massive war of conquest going on, after all.

From a role play standpoint, what are some of the reasons one might put a Duskwight linkpearl into use? "I against my brother; my brother and I against our cousin; my cousin and I against the stranger." In a word, unity. While the consensus seems to be that the Duskwight are broken up into smaller groups such as families or clans, they still have an overarching culture that is uniquely Duskwight and puts them outside of mainstream culture. Even if they are all an assortment of clans that disagree with one another on different issues, there is still very much an "us against the world" vibe in the air. To expand in the above quote a bit. You don't always agree with your sibling, but if your cousin threatens your immediate family you shore up against that threat with your brother. When something from outside threatens your cousin, you shore and unify against that threat with your cousin. You do not shore up against the stranger against your cousin or your brother. You don't know the stranger, and they don't know you. Most Duskwights are placed outside of society as a whole, either by choice or by prejudice. An LS would exist to present unity (subtle or overt), against the threat of outsiders. Outsiders being defined as "anyone who is not a Duskwight," in this case. Individual motives may vary from character to character. Re-connecting with a culture one has never really known, trusting Duskwights on a whole more than non-Duskwights, being involved in the culture politics of the tribe, or even attempting to study and make sense of all the varied different practices of the smaller groups of the culture. All of these are very good reasons to be a part of a Duskwight only LS. Perhaps the simplest reason is just that we know Duskwights are not exactly forthcoming or open about their ways to outsiders. They have to talk about that stuff with someone, and that someone is other Duskwights. From an OOC standpoint, how might a player utilize a Duskwight linkpearl to enhance their role play experience? Most of the reasons above lead to great RP, and would probably lead to enhancing the overall Duskwight RP experience. It promotes shared experience across a racial tie, and promoting shared experience is never a bad idea. Connecting players and characters across as many different lines and such as possible is generally awesome. It will help to really get a sense of a living breathing world, even if it is only just a small part of it. I think it is a great step forward, and I will be supporting it however I can. ^ ^ One thing pops into my brain to add to the discussion over the next couple weeks. Has anyone given thought the the idea that there is a reaver or raider aspect to Duskwight culture?

Yeah... I know. This is probably one post after another, but I felt it best to split the answer to the "what is your background" question from my general thoughts on what it is to be a Duskwight. So. Here we go. Apologies if I bring up some already made points. 1. Duskwights are an outsider culture. It seems pretty darn clear that the Duskwights have a separate culture that does not fold into the norm with the rest of "society as a whole." They are reclusive and elusive to outsiders, and there are plenty of examples that a large contingent of them refuse to live within the bounds of regular society. They have a tendency to make their livings as bandit, thieves, and mercenaries. This point is backed up by both NPC dialogue and how Duskwight NPCs are presented to us in the game. Duskwight Mercenary, Bandit, etc are all labels placed on a lot of Duskwights one encounters in the world. NPC dialogue often points to the fact that most Duskwights are known for engaging in such work on the surface. One is free to draw one's own conclusions, but this stands as a pretty big example that most Duskwights are exactly what most people thing they are. I tend to think that this points to the tribe having a quite different set of ethics and morals than the rest of society, from a cultural stand point. There are a lot of parallels to real life outsider cultures that can be drawn from the various dialogue bits to be found in the game on them. Romani, Travelers, Native Americans, and many other cultures that hold onto their identity while co-existing with the mainstream culture come to mind. In short, Duskwights have their own culture, and it would seem that most of them refuse to assimilate to mainstream society. 2. Duskwights face a LOT of prejudice. The stigma placed on Duskwights is not just limited to the Wildwoods. They are referred to as dirty, thieving, untrustworthy, and worse by many NPCs elezen and non-elezen alike. This sentiment seems to be highest in Gridania, but is by no means limited to that region. They are referred to as murderous bandits in Ul'dah and filthy pirates in Limsa. There are fewer NPCs that bring this up in quests and other such in the other non-Gridania areas, but it is still a sentiment that has spread all over Eorzea proper. 3. The Duskwights have left various underground ruins/cities laying around. There is a major one being studied in Gridania that was uncovered by the Calamity. There were hints in 1.0 that places like Toto Rak, and the Tam Tara Deepcroft, and the Mun-tuy Cellars were at one time Duskwight structures that were abandoned and re-purposed. These specific places in Gridania were possibly abandoned during the conflict that arose surrounding the founding of Gridania, one of the sources of bad blood between the two elezen tribes. Hits of other settlements and underground places in Coerthas can also be inferred from 1.0 dialogue. Particularly the Dragoon quest. There is really no other mention of possible Duskwight ruins or settlements in any of the other regions. Hopefully more will unfold about these various locations and possible others. 4. Large amounts of Duskwights being on the surface seems to be a recent development. Now, by recent developement, I mean in like the past fifty or sixty years or so. This is also not to say that there were never any Duskwight on the surface before then. Lore seems to point to a bit of a large influx during the above time period. I think this leads a bit into why they face so much prejudice. They are a reclusive and insular people that are just now being more and more exposed to mainstream society. People fear what they don't understand and all that jazz. These are the things I can think of at the moment, but it all leads to some pretty interesting places I think. A couple closing notes. I LOVE the idea of a Duskwight only LS. I think it would add some very very interesting RP. I also think that there is interesting RP to be had between those Duskwight that cling to their cultural identity, and those that seek to be more assimilated. Lets keep the ideas and the discussion going. I like what I am seeing so far.

Hokay. Seems I am a bit late to the party. I blame being busy and sick. Apologies. Going to touch on a few points on Duskwight stuff from my perspective a bit later. I will probably repeating what some people have already said, but I am playing a bit of catch up. Please bear with me just a little. First thing is first, background. While I would love to spell out all of the details of Yssen's background for you all, it contains secrets. So. I will be redacting some bits and pieces and leaving only the Duskwight specific bits for you all to chew on. Yssen and his sister Ysa are twins. Both grew up in the underground with other Duskwights, and both were orphaned at around the age of four. They lived among Duskwights, looking out for each other as pretty much homeless orphans until... *REDACTED* Yssen came up to the surface around the age of nineteen, and became active as a thief and bandit in Ul'dah. He even ran around with some of the Duskwight bandit and mercenary groups on the surface for quite some time. This lasts until about a year before the Calamity when Yssen starts being involved with Shimmersong for... reasons. Yssen is proud of his Duskwight heritage, and wears the popular stigma of the tribe like a badge of honor. He is not fond Wildwoods, particularly when they point out his being a Duskwight. Yssen plays by his own rules, and abides only by his own sense of morality. He makes his living on his own terms, and in general he refuses to conform to "surface society." One could consider him to be a living embodiment of the "Duskwights are all thieves and con-men" stereotype, and that is perfectly OK with him. Who the hell cares what outsiders think of him anyways. ;p That is all for the back ground bits. Duskwight thoughts to come later.

I shall do it! Assuming you have not found anyone else already. >.> None the less! PM me your questions and I shall be happy to answer them.

Sold! I will gladly help ya out with whatever ya need. Feel free to PM with your thoughts and questions. ^ ^

Personally, I am not seeing the issue with having the discussions and listings for the linkshells in the community being in the same place. In point of fact, I think that them being in the same place is a good thing. It fosters discussion and inclusion regarding linkshells in a quick and easy manner. This is overall a good thing. I do not believe that an entire different forum section is needed for these. We had it on the old RPC and it was a little bit confusing to be honest. Besides, creating this section will not really solve this bumping issue.

In all honesty, I have absolutely no problem with the LS leader meeting notes being completely open and transparent. I think they should be. The LS leaders are not a secret council trying to outline governance for the entire RPC. The meetings are so that we can compare notes, resolve possible issues between LSes, and figure out how best to mesh our ideas together to foster a shared experience for our membership. We are there to promote fun, and having everyone see what we are doing will only show them what we are really working toward. It will show that that we are trying to provide opportunity for fun RP for the enjoyment of the entire community. That is my point of view at least. - Yssen Van

Welcome back into the fold! Please drink this kool-aid. <.

I would like to be added <.< Smirking prease.

Thank you for the compliment. It is much appreciated. ^ ^ We look forward to you joining the Secret Society Shenanigans!

Seems only appropriate that I make the offer to help ya out a bit Myal, but I'll let you decide whether that is useful or not. Hoping ya say it is. Yar. ^ ^ Feel free to PM me your questions and I shall answer them as best I can. I like to be helpful. ^ ^

Updated IC and OOC information, please take a sec and check it out when you have a chance.

Hiya. Welcome the back stuffs.

Little bit late, buuuut. I remember you.~ Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing you in game again.

Hiya! Welcome welcome welcome. Love the art works. Feel free to ask if you have any questions and things. Looking forward to seeing you in zee game.

Hiya! Welcome to the community, feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are friendly and full of answers.

Neither do I! In fact, I said this: "...at least having the courtesy to talk to the ones who have somewhat close relationships with your character about the change before just DOING it is much appreciated." Just clarifying. I didn't say you needed approval, nor did I say you needed to talk to EVERYONE or anything. Just basically for the reasons you mentioned. Reworking of past interactions and such. Did not think you (or anyone else for that matter) had, just stating that I do not think it is necessary. Just a bit of clarification on my end. <3

I think we should always cleave to the wishes of the individual player, particularly in the case of people changing race to one of the three options that were not available during 1.0, namely male miqo, fem roe, and female highlander. These options were flat out not available for play, and it is only natural that people would re-examine race choice in the light of new choices, appearance options and information. At all times we should be supportive of people doing what makes the game and RP enjoyable for them. While race change can be a drastic thing, I do not think one should have to seek the approval of everyone that has interacted with their character. A simple heads up and being open to the possible reworking of past interactions and relations is all I think is reasonably required. We should remain flexible and accepting of people's decisions and possible explanations regarding a change in race. In the long run, it really won't matter too terribly much. FFXIV-ARR is a re-launch. While we should give all due reverence to past interactions and story that came out of 1.0, but really we should be looking forward to the new interactions and stories that we will be telling together when the game launches. Singling out people who may be changing race because of the new options available, and calling it an unacceptable behavior is counter productive to this. I think we can all give just a little bit leeway in the name of having more fun together in the future. Just my two cents, Yssen

I gladly sign up as a mentor. I am all about making the people feel welcome. Relevant RP data in this link. http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=1633 Relevant character data on the wiki! http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Yssen_Van Also, feel free to ask me questions and things. Yar!

Hiyas and welcome. I look forward to seeing you in game.

Hello, and welcome to the community. Please feel free to ask us many questions, for we have many answers.