Yssen

Lore wise this is a bit on an artifact from 1.0. Affinity was mentioned as being tied to which of the 12 you had as patron. I think some NPCs even mentioned that or at alluded to it. It was reflected mechanically in the elemental stat bits before allocation. We can see some of the last bits of this when we choose a patron now. Also, back then CNJ had access to all the elemental magic, and there were some people that said if you had say, wind affinity from Oschon, your Aero spells were better. True or not? Dunno. Those times have long sense passed. Totally a thing though, and a fun bit to RP. Opened up lots of questions and hooks like "Why do you have an affinity for Fire if your patron is Oschon. *engage head scratch and pondering.*" Neat little character defining tidbits should always be encourage. Yar.

Ooooo. These are fun threads. Thanks for making it! Yssen Van - Halfway intersting, maybe. Yssen's name is a shortened and slightly shifted take on the name Ysengrim one of the folkloric names for The Wolf. Most well known in the stories of Gunnerkrigg Court and Reynard the Fox. It also came to be used as a fill in for other wolves in folk lore and stories, including but not limited to Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf, and Aesop's Fables. Other permutations include Ysengrin, Isengrin, and the latinized Ysengrimus. The origins of the name seem to come from Germanic and Slavic roots, but it also has some roots in the Occitan language, as well. Which is sorta similar to the naming conventions used for the Elezen. Wheee! The fun did not just stop with the name, either. Yssen's eye, skin, and hair color were all picked to bring the origin of the name to mind. Bright golden eyes, Blue skin, Indigo hair. All inspired by the same concept. Among other things. Oh, and Van? Used as a bit of a joke. Van usually means from, and would be followed by a place. This is intentionally left blank as a nod to Yssen's usual extreme secretiveness and as a nod to his patron, Oschon. Heh.

Given that you an do an Eternal Bond with someone of the same gender and no one bats an eye about it in the game, this isn't surprising at all. There are still a lot of racial prejudice that we see quite often in the game however, especially involving the Miqo'te, so it's really not that big of a shocker they would gloss over the same sex couple but not the interracial couple part. Do not kill the messenger on this one, but this is because Eternal Bonding isn't a marriage. It looks like a marriage, it quacks like a marriage, but it is not a marriage. No necessarily at least. It CAN be a marriage, but it can just as easily not be one. This and it is preformed by an ecclesiastical body that while certainly recognized by the other city states, is not the end all be all authority for them in terms of religion. That distinction goes to the city-states own existing religious institutions (the Fain, the Thaumaturges, etc.). One can assume that each city-state has their own marriage customs, ceremonies, etc. Lastly, while interracial marriage is certainly a thing, getting every race and tribe to sign off on it as a whole would probably be a little trickier. Duskwights and Wildwoods seeking to get bonded or married would likely have people in their respective tribes screaming bloody murder of the idea. The same can probably be said for others. Just some food for thought.

Again. Remains to be seen. Blessing of Light and Echo are clearly both two different things, though. IMO, Mins or one of the Archons would know you lacked Echo, since they could sense it in you in the first place. One of them would have said something about it being gone somewhere in there, I am pretty sure. Your mileage is free to vary though.

Remains to be seen if Blessing of Light is the same as the Echo. I am guessing it is not. If it was, the Ascians would still not be able to enter, because Minfillia.

What I took away from the dead end was... "Awwww crap... Nidhogg... Wessa people gonna die!"

One small note worth mentioning here. It was not that the Duskwights did not wish to live in the Black Shroud. They just had no wish to give up their freedom and independence to be allowed to do so, after the Elezen were driven underground by the Elemental's invasion into the Shroud. The Elementals STILL ordered the destruction of Gelmorra after what became the Wildwoods accepted the pact, and what became the Duskwights refused it. Whacky point to be sure, but important when discussing citizen rights and how they might be viewed. ^ ^

I'm not necessarily targeting this response at either of you, this is more of a general statement about MMO communities as a whole (not just FFXIV), but I never understood this mentality. Why is it that most view the nail that sticks out deserves the hammer? I've seen this sort of mindset again and again and again over the years playing in games like WoW or TERA or even my brief stay in ArcheAge. The community (or individuals in said community) tend to make these little "edicts" about what is acceptable, and whether it's intentional or not it always creates this sort of air of judgement around those communities as if to say "if you do this/don't do this then you're not worth my RP." For example, in 1.0 the lore was that having the Echo was relatively common amongst Adventurers to some degree, at least common enough that an entire organization was formed around it (The Path of the Twelve), however in 2.0 the Path is gone and now we have the Scions, and other than Minfilia you are the only other person that seems to have the Echo anymore. Because of this anyone who RPs having the Echo is usually met with that askance look Aya mentioned, because of some edict that was created on the RPC that said having the Echo was somewhat mary sue. Likewise, having in your history that you have bested a Primal despite the fact that the quests and lore imply they are summoned with enough frequency to require sending out Adventurer's weekly to dispatch them is also viewed with that same level of snubbing by many. In short what I'm getting at I guess is who cares what someone is running around on in the world (ICly or OOCly) so long as they don't completely break lore by doing it (such as claiming they are riding THE Sleipnir) and come up with a reasonable explanation for it (such as having a normal horse with Sleipnir-like barding)? Just a side note. The Scions are the evolution of the Path of the Twelve. The Echo is still relatively widespread. In fact, I believe you cannot have time skipped from Carteneau without having it. Also, there are still several NPC around that also have it beside Minfilia. Further note. Absolute agreement on the point of air of judgement. I dislike seeing this, and thank ya for pointing it out so well. ^ ^ You may return to normal discussion of what is or is not a lore-breaking mount. Yar.

Mmmmmmm. Either "Many Secrets" or "Dead Inside." Right now it would seem to lean toward "Dead Inside."

In this situation, Yssen fights for the Lost, the Voiceless, and for Absolute Freedom. This is of course not as simple as it seems on the surface. Most of Eorzea can go straight to the Seven Hells in a hand basket as far as he is concerned, particularly Ul'dah and Gridania. It is one of the things he struggles with. How is Gridania's zealous demand of Elemental worship not a form of oppression equal to the Empire's? How is the rich of Ul'dah's exploitation of the poor and acceptance of slavery more morally justified than what the Empire would do? He even disagrees with Limsa's current "order over freedom" policies. Decisions decisions. When you get right down to it though, if the Empire wins it will be the Lost, the Voiceless, and the Outcast that would suffer most. He just can't abide that. "Twelve help the outcast children of the Twelve."

I think it is best left up to the individual character. That said, most of the lore points to summoning voidsent and/or dealing with them being a big no no. Like HUGE. Like this is a good way to sow the seeds of your own inevitable destruction. Still, that does not stop the Thaumatuges Guild from dabbling it, and other giant no no areas of spell craft. They just aren't public about it, and there in lies the key. I like to call it "shouting out that you are an assassin in a pub full of strangers" syndrome. Real assassins (or other people that dabble in the unsavory) wouldn't do that. A Black Mage knows they have a stigma against them for what they dabble in. Why invite undue scorn by advertising it? Now, every character is going to answer that question differently, and that is perfectly fine. Just like every character is going to have a different reaction to someone who is dabbling with the voidsent. I will say, the one thing that annoys me about voidsent use and characters is the ooc (I must stress this, OOC) attitude that such things can be messed with and there will be zero negative effects for doing so. Voidsent are not your friends. They are not your buddies. If they are your only friends and buddies you probably need new friends. This would be the "bad Twilight Caste, no biscuit" take on demon summoning. I tend to think the lore supports this. Yar. ;p

Race - Duskwight. They are just neat. They have a very Dalish elf vibe, if you are at all familiar with Dragon Age (even more so now that we have that glorious Gelmorra lore bomb). They are outcasts with no home to call their own, and they have a nice streak of rebel in them. Very freedom over order. Love that stuff. Plus they are an entire race of "not but bandits and thieves and killers." (Thanks so much for that Greens!) What is not to love? Class/Job - I did not really have one when I made Yssen, at the time nothing fit. He is what he is and what he is is (Redacted). Being super used to job swaps from FFXI I adopted a policy of defining the character and then making use of several jobs that fit best. Never more than 4, always with 1 that would be considered primary. I also usually cut off jobs as well, with the character being unable to master or use the abilities attributed to that job. In Yssen's case, he is unable to use healing magic, and party support magic. While he is somewhat of a prodigy as far as aether manipulation goes, his mastery is limited to that which is rooted in/for the self and used for aggressive/destructive purposes. That said his 4 root jobs are NIN, BLM, (Redacted), and (Redacted). With his 4 jobs he can never touch being BRD, WHM, SCH, and SMN. All things being equal, if I had to pick just one that fit the most... NIN. Hands down. It hits too many stupid levels of sense. Seriously. Jaques and Chiane never let me go a day with out saying some the to the effect of "NIN makes all the sense!" Lul. Love threads like this btw. TY for posting bits! ^ ^ BONUS QUESTION! - Maybe. Maybe for Leion (alt of MYSTERY!), but even then given that he is (Redacted. Lots of Redacted.) it may not make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Still, I am thinking about it, and DRK would be the job.

This is true, though the two tribes are actually split. Wildwoods have uber eyesight, and Duskwights have the uber hearing. Silly greens just like to THINK they hear better. ;p

No. I am arguing that there should be no stigma applied to anyone for any reason. That everyone should treat others as they themselves would wish to be treated. You would not like there to be a stigma applied to you, do not apply it to others. There is a difference. You are putting words in my mouth based on assumption and the same stigma you are seeking to justify. You are seeking to justify the stigma by saying I embody it. That is not appreciated. Again. I do not mean to sound harsh at all, and I apologize if the above statement stings. I simply call what I see as calmly as possible. To summarize. Stigmas are bad and sting. Do not use them or apply them. Yar.

Aevis are not much bigger than men, and make up the bulk of the Dravian Horde. Dragon Flies and Puk looking things also make up a bit larger part of it, both are smaller than men. It works on smaller targets just fine. And yeah, it is instant or really fast. Also, I would not be so quick to ignore the mechanics of the game, and accept real world physics. The balance you want is all there. Jump is a powerful attack that requires effort, thus it is on a 40 second cool down. It cannot be used over and over. The same with other abilities, spells, and such. Both real world physics and game mechanics work hand in hand to define and help us understand the "rules" of the game world. This is all neither here nor there. You are still arguing that DRGs deserve a stigma when others do not. This is unfair, and that is my point. You would not want a stigma applied to you, why then apply it to others. We could go round and round arguing example and evidence all day long, but in the end you are still seeking to justify punishing someone for their choice of RP job. Difference of opinion is absolutely fine, but I have to take issue with someone applying that difference of opinion to tip the scales in a what amounts to a creative process. To argue that someone should be limited beneath what is acceptable for other choices they could make. In specific, I am seeing people try and justify everyone being able to completely ignore what makes a Dragoon a Dragoon. I am sorry if this sounds super harsh (I do not mean it to), but that is wrong and unfair. It is stifling. There is no "there is or is not a stigma" or "this stigma is justified" to it. Simply do not apply the stigma at all. Keep and accepting and open mind about it all and do not deal in absolutes. Yar.

Firstly, correcting where you are incorrect about the current lore surrounding Dragoons is not nitpicking. You are of course, completely entitled to ignore what has been put out there if you like. The "smoking gun" of there being multiple DRG in AF that serve Ishgard is just that. Dragoons are an entire section of Ishgard's military. Right up there with Knights and Templars. They have their own unique marker to indicate a division a single division of them. Several of these markers are on the battle maps in Coerthas, and you can find the description of what those markers mean under their housing item description. Dragoons are not simply individuals who prove they have killed a dragon, they are a specially trained section of the Ishgardian military lead by the Azure Dragoon. Secondly, my point is not explain it. It does not require an explanation. My point is suspend your disbelief. The points you raise make it just as fair to say that MNKs cannot Shoulder Tackle, BLMs cannot Aetherial Manipulate, NINs can't Shukuchi or Assassinate, or any similar sort of move. Nothing explains out right explains the metaphysics of those abilities. We only have the assumption of Chakra in the case of MNK, which is a pretty good assumption, but an assumption none the less. If you cannot do the same thing you do to suspend for other Jobs "reality breaking" techniques for any reason, then Aya's earlier point is correct. You have placed a stigma on DRGs that you do not apply to other classes and jobs. Which is fine, so long as you realize that doing so is not what one would call fair, and that the same standard can be applied to you by someone else about something else. It is fine if you are cool with that, but are think about how you would respond to that standard being applied to your character in RP. So we don't know how. Big deal. The point is they can, and we have to deal with that. Thirdly. Do not try to apply real world physics and combat technique in a fantasy setting unless you are willing for us all to start taking points of Paradox whenever we do things considered "unnatural" by consensual reality. ;p Lastly. The midlander is Derplander. Former warrior guy in 2.0 and archer dude from 1.0. At least he found that Bravura he left at Cartenau.

Not tryng to be mean here, but Heavensward trailer. Three Dragoons in the AF armor with Gaelbolgs. Yes, other people fight Dragoons different ways in Ishgard, they are not Dragoons. Dragoons are best part of the fighting elite of Ishgard. They are called in when the Astronomers read where a Dravian attack is going to be. They are the crazy bastards that say "Yeeeah. We do not need cannons and junk. We just need this spear, our armor, and our training." If you want a separate fictional parallel, think of them like the soldiers in "Attack on Titan." As for the arguments against jump being a realistic combat tactic. Can you jump 15 ft in the air really fast? Or back flip several yards away from something in an instant? No? Cool, then how can you make the argument against what could realistically be applied as a technique given that the ability to do so is possible? The same argument can be applied to a MNKs Shoulder Tackle. Taking that as an example, the MNK closes a pretty big distance in an instant. Are you going to stand their while you see the MNK dashing? No. Why can't a Dragoon's jump be just as fast? The point has been made already. Suspend disbelief. Accept that by the time your character knows a Dragoon turned themselves into a human bullet by jumping, they are likely about to skewer you with a spear. They are fast. They have to be, they fight big dragons that move at not a snails pace (as much as we wish that were so). If you are not going to suspend disbelief about Jump, why should anyone suspend disbelief about any other Job or class abilities. No fireballs from BLMs, No PLDs or WARs shrugging off the massive rock slides and fire eruptions of Primals (or any of the other things do similar), No MNKs being able to punch creatures made of stone/metal effectively at all, and certainly no being instantly healed by WHMs and SCHs. It is a slippery slope to pick ANYTHING that exists as a part core concept of the world and say "Nope. Unrealistic. I do not accept." Lets try not to go cherry picking down that road. Two gil registered. ^ ^

It is a combination of things. All of which Yoshi-P himself addresses. He even lays out exactly what they are doing to DRG. Magic Def buff, Potency buff, recast timer buff (which I assume is another lowering of the recast for jumps), Possible speed buff, and getting your extra stuff from your stuff regardless of proper position (loooooong time coming. MNK does not have to flank for Twin Snakes, why should DRG?) DRG is a fun job. I love the hell out of it, but it does need work. One of the things that really pepped me up watching the letter was when they got the DRG question and people laughed, then Yoshi-P said "I am not laughing" and people just stopped. I am looking forward to what they implement, Yoshi-P seems very serious about bringing the job up to par.

Random curiosity. What prevents Miqo from being Dragoons exactly?

Just to add to what others have said here, yeah. You are fine. Unless you are trying to be the Azure Dragoon of the plot, you are all good. Anyone telling you that there is only one Dragoon from a lore stand point is wrong. Tell them to go watch that Heavensward trailer again. There are three of them standing there, in AF armor. There are also at least two divisions of them deployed in Coerthas with the rest in reserve in Ishgard itself. The presence of more Dragoons beyond the Azure Dragoon of the Job Plot was a well debated issue before the Heavensward trailer came out. With what that trailer showed us, yeah there are many Dragoons. You are not being a special snowflake if you just want your character to be a Dragoon. As to "why" people have that attitude about DRG? OOCly, blame FFXI there was "lolDRG" going on there for a looooong while, and it has just sorta floated its way over to XIV. Mostly without any real justification that extends beyond "well we did that in XIV." That said, there are bad DRGs out there, but there are also bad MNKs, bad BLMs, and bad everything else. The hold over of "lolDRG" from XI has just brought that to the for front in people's brains, for whatever reason. It also has the perception of being the "Job Everyone wants to play to be cool." Sort of like DRK in XI. Lots of people play one, very few people are good at it. This is again, another holdover perception from XI. Do not let ANYONE dictate to you how you play this game. If you like playing the job, play the job. Be the best DRG you can be. If people are going to be jerks about it, let them be jerks about it. It is YOUR game, and YOUR decision. People giving you stupid amounts of grief because of a holdover opinion from XI are just acting like jerks, and showing you what type of person they really are. Jerks with nothing better to do than give someone a hard time because of what they enjoy in the game. Play how you want to play, and encourage people to give you a chance to show them that it/you are not as bad as their perceptions would have them think. Keep and open mind, and ask for the same from others. All will be well. ^ ^

It largely depends on what type of Allagan weapon you are talking about. Yes, Allagans had weather machines and all sorts of WMDs of a crazy magic nature, but these were specific machines. These were not, say, the Allagan sword that drops from Coil. That sword is just a sword that looks neat. It tends not to change the weather when swung, just an ancient magitek sword. Yar.

Was this the last push? I'm fairly certain I had read somewhere that the Empire did try a full-out offensive before they began sowing discord. There were skirmishes and battles before they took Ala Mhigo, but not an all out offensive. The only all out Imperial offensive was the Battle of Silver Tear, where the Agrius was destroyed by the awakening of Midgardsomr and a huge amount of dragons. This loss, combined with the Empire encountering a Primal on one of their other fronts is what halted their advance until 1.0. It should be noted that how Ala Mhigo fell was Gaius' exact modus operandi. He did not wish to lay waste to anything in Eorzea unless absolutely necessary, and strongly believed in leaving infrastructure and even some local government and institutions intact. He was dedicated to the concept that there must be something left behind to rule. As for relative military might. It is worth noting that the as of right now, the Eorzean Alliance is unable to push the Empire out of their remaining bases. It should also be noted that those bases are being held by what is, effectively, the remnants of a single legion. The empire has AT LEAST thirteen other Legions, and may have more.

Mmmmm. This! Yar!

It should also be noted that the Echo cannot be used at will by characters. The language effect is passive, and the visions and memory dive stuff is not consciously triggered by the user. I would also chime in agreement with the "do not think of it as a power, think of it as a flaw" sentiment Nebbs mentioned. I know my character is certainly not please to have it. ;p

Last day. ; ; My highlights so far. My party for Odin (which included a Xene and Blucian and some more Balmung peoples) was the first win broadcast on twitch, so we got interviewed right after. Win included oddly synchronized "HANDS UPPPPP!" moment. Hearing Yoshi-P tease confirm Dark Knight for the expansion. Super excited for this. My FFXI nostalgia requires me to once a gain say "All my sorrow turns to hate!" Whee. Time to be out in the world and finish the remaining things. I MUST HAVE ALL THE PATCHES!