Garalona

Fuck it, while I'm at it I'll add this: The Empire DOES NOT CARE about diplomacy. The way they see it, they are shining the light of civilization on heathen nations, just like Rome was. The outsiders may put up a fuss, but they'll see they're better off after they've been living under Imperial rule for a generation or so. The idea of conjurers is just hilariously backwards to them. Politely asking rocks to heal your cuts? That's what science is for, you stick waving yokels. They're not going to send Ambassadors to try and improve relations. They don't care how other nations feel about them. There's just "The Empire" and "Will Eventually Also Be Part of the Empire".They were annoyed when they were successfully repelled the first time, but they're just going to march back in, reoccupy their outposts, and resume their plans to conquer for the glory of a new emperor. All the first victory told them is they have to press their boot down harder to get the results they want. Someone who went in trying to play negotiator offering terms other than "surrender or else" would be considered a lunatic at best, and would probably be quietly dealt with by one of their many already embedded spies before even having the chance to reach out. So, in summary, a Garlean Ambassador would be dead before they even got an audience with anyone of any import. And THAT'S why the idea just won't work, and also the real reason people would laugh in your face IC.

Seriously, why not just snip all the backstory you've got after Sion falls from the airship? Maybe she lost her arm, maybe she didn't. Maybe that happened later and she only recently got a replacement thanks to Ishgardian engineering. That's one of the first rules of writing: kill your darlings. You may really like the ambassador idea, the double identity angle, etc but it's too much. It's a mess. I'm telling you right now it's an over complicated mess. You've got a good foundation of a character there— a half-breed with a chip on her shoulder becomes a killing machine, gets roped into a conspiracy to try and assassinate the Emperor (probably BECAUSE she's a half-breed and considered disposable, unlike a pure breed Garlean), it all goes horribly wrong. That part is solid. So what if she landed in Doma BEFORE the Empire stomped through, found an Au Ra ninja master who taught her new skills and allowed her to find peace with herself? She realizes relentless conquering and subjugation is not the way, yadda yadda yadda, but then whoops here comes he Empire, so much for that peaceful new life. If they found out she's actually not dead she is FUCKED, so she has to flee to Eorzea with all the other Doman refugees, much as she may want to either stand & fight for her new home or even rejoin them and go back to her old one. She can't do either, it sucks, is probably still a sore point. Maybe she wants to find a way stick it to the Empire somehow. Maybe she wants to meet with other defectors, see how they cope. There's a lot of angles to work it. Is she ashamed of her old killing machine self? Does she try to repress it only to have it come out in the heat of battle? Does that embarrass her if so? Or is she totally zen these days, like a new person? Think about what she wants, what she's afraid of, because weaknesses are ultimately even more important than strengths.

This. This right here. I want to kill people with the power of dance.

Seriously, don't fuck with them. But I tend to be leery of male lalafell because the biggest (har har) creeps I've run into all happen to be male lalafell, and when called on it many fell back on that "what? li'l ol' me?" crap that is indeed very reminiscent of Gravity Falls' Li'l Gideon. But that's just my personal experience and bad luck, of course. All the lady lalas I've met have been quite nice, whether they're the cutesy type, the stabby type, or anything in between.

Hello! Hope to see you around!

Life happens, which I suppose is synonymous with shit happens. I've been there myself, and I know how it goes. I didn't know you before, but I hope to meet you this go around! Welcome back!

Welcome back?

On my phone so quoting in portions is rough, but by the time the most wanted bit happened I had given up the villain game. My friend's character had a very distinctive manner of speaking that he didn't change in the least, which was what raised so much suspicion, but then it was a land of haughty people so it was easy to argue it could be anyone, too. I still only had hearsay to go on, but I imagine both sides could have stood to give a little. There was never a resolution. I've honestly never RPed around Ishgard, so I can't speak to the type of people you'll run into there, but Virella just happens to run the Linkshell coordinating RPers based there. I mostly RP anywhere but since my character has a thing about nobles and Ishgardians.

Yeah, I've been saying all this in respect to the "potential villain" line as well. I don't think you'll be a cackling Saturday morning cartoon, but the very nature of MMO kinda ties your hands on what all you can do—thus why I keep stressing simplicity. And that's the thing, it's a very, VERY delicate balance that really requires the "heroes" you're working with to be on the same page as you, otherwise it can turn into a back and forth of "got you" "nuh uh" in and of so many words. If you're doing this as a general concept and not within the confines of a somewhat controlled, self-contained plot, you need to be ready to drop hints and foreshadow things that will give people the CHANCE to be able to be able to best you or bring things to SOME sort of resolution. Otherwise it really is a Saturday morning cartoon scenario of "until next time" forever. If you're gonna have a dark secret, it needs to be a threat to your survival, there needs to be a very real danger of getting found out. And let's face it... My friend in that anecdote was a crap villain for basically shaking his ass in people's faces with his "perfect disguise" and in the end NO ONE was happy, least of all him. So what sort of conflict do you see your character inspiring? What do you think might be their downfall?

Padjal creep me out, but any "child with great power/is actually older than the seem" will do that. On the double life bit, I never tried it myself, but I had a friend who played a villainous sort who ended up the kingdom's most wanted, and though he technically got around it by wearing elaborate disguises that made him impossible to identify IC, some people REALLY want to play the hero, and he got so much shit from people trying to pull "well, uh... I USED DIVINATION TO FIND OUT" all the time, he ended up retiring from RP from a while. The funny thing is people still speak fondly of him to this day, even though they made his life his living hell back when they were trying to beat him by any means necessary up to and including meta gaming. It's true, it's ultimately your concept and your money, and you ultimately get to decide whom you play with, but I'm just offering advice as someone's who's honestly really jaded about RP. I approach concepts from the angle of "okay, how can this be fucked up?" And then go with the least complicated concept to maximize my own enjoyment and minimize any potential headaches. When you play an antagonistic role, even if a lot of what you're doing (or even your very existence) isn't readily known, there's always gonna be a risk of people swooping in and ruining your day just because they want to be Big Damn Heroes, at which point you have to waste time reminding them they can't know that because x, y, z. You can, of course, cloister yourself with people you trust not to pull that shit, but I personally feel that gets old after a while and like to keep meeting new folks. I think maybe you should just leave diplomacy to the NPCs. After all, the MSQ is going to proceed with or without you, and your character can't really affect fuck all in the grand scheme of things, so maybe dial it back just a little and think about what your actions CAN change. So, those are my two big secrets for character creation: How much will I enjoy this? How much will this get fucked up when it comes into contact with other people? That's why I keep it pretty simple these days. Mostly.

Well, I'm your medical practitioner I guess. I'll PM you, though I'll go ahead and warn you Gara has low tolerance for the thick headed sort and zero tolerance for butt touching. :b

There's a lot of player run inns and taverns out there that are generally always open, too. Just off the top of my head there's the Wayfarer's Rest, Club Crescent, and The Drunken Moogle. There are more but those are just the first to come to mind... you'll have to look 'em up for the addresses, those I can never remember. I kinda wish they'd add an address book or something, cause I have an awful memory for who's in what ward.

Welcome! Can't wait to meet you and the family IC!

The screaming was so loud it rattled the walls of the tiny one room cottage. A shadow intermittently darkened one of the windows as the expectant father paced outside. The space was too small to have his nervous energy ruining the atmosphere, thus Garalona had barred him from the entirety of the proceedings. The lavender incense burning on the mantle helped very little as it was. "Just a little more, luv," Garalona said. "Yer doin' great." She wished she could remember the young Elezen woman's name. Odds were even that it ended in -ette or -elle, but she didn't care to gamble on a guess. It hardly mattered now that she could see the baby's head crowning. Luv would suffice. "C'mon now," Garalona urged. "Give me one last big push, luv!" The young mother-to-be shrieked like a banshee, her fists balled around the bedsheets. The tiny baby slid easily into Garalona's waiting hands, and with it came far, far too much blood. Garalona stood up just as the young mother, her face ashen, whimpered and collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut. "Oh no you don't," Garalona hissed. Cradling the newborn infant in one arm, she reached a blood stained hand out to the woman. Focusing on the smell of the incense, she said the words that beseeched the Elementals of the Twelveswood to hear and answer. The cramped cottage faded away. The smell of blood faded away. Everything that did not matter faded away. All that remained was Garalona, her bloodied hand on the woman's forehead, and the forest. Sun shone through the tree branches surrounding them. The leaves rustled in a faint breeze. The same breeze gently stirred Garalona's greying hair. The wind said, "No." There could be no arguing, nor any appeal. The answer was simply no. In another instant, Garalona was back in the cottage, her hand on a dead woman's forehead. She muttered a curse under her breath and turned her attention to the baby. It—no, he—was too quiet. The entreaty and refusal had taken a matter of moments. One was lost, but she still had time to save the other. Grabbing a bulb syringe off the nearby table, she suctioned fluid from the baby's mouth and flipped him over. She gave the child a firm pat, eliciting a tiny cough, followed by a shrill cry of outrage. Sighing with relief, Garalona sat back in her chair. She was drenched in blood. The baby's father, thankfully, had obeyed her instructions to not enter under any circumstances, which gave her time to clean up a bit. She started by covering the mother's body. After the worst of the blood was scrubbed away and the baby was soundly asleep, Garalona—in fresh clothes, naturally—stepped outside. The light of day was fading, making the woods look as though they had been set ablaze. She handed the tightly swaddled infant to his father, who uttered a choked sound caught somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "It's a boy," Garalona said. Her hands free, she was finally able to withdraw the flask from the pocket of her work apron. "And Colette?" Caught in the middle of unscrewing the flask cap, Garalona's brows raised. Colette wouldn't have been her first guess. She took a large pull off the flask and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I did all I could, but the Elementals..." She trailed off, expecting rage, denial, or worse. She didn't expect the widower to sniffle and nod while stroking the thin wisps of hair on the baby's head. "Red hair," he muttered. The baby opened his eyes, looking mildly annoyed at the disturbance. "Fitting, I suppose." He sniffed hard and reached a hand up to wipe his eyes. Garalona said nothing. She offered her flask out to the widower. He accepted, took a modest sip, and handed it back. She gently pushed it away. The widower nodded his thanks, took a much larger drink, and sighed. "You're a Conjurer," he said. "Even if you didn't grow up here, you know how it is in these woods." "Aye." Garalona stepped closer and gently took the baby back, leaving the widower with the flask, his grief, and his story. "Colette had... issues when she was younger. She liked fire. Like starting it, I should say. She never meant to hurt people, she just liked to watch things burn. Parchment, leaves, harmless things, mostly. But... well, one time it got out of control." Garalona focused on the baby's sleeping, blameless face. "Fire tends to do that, given the chance." "It was bad," the widower said. "Quite bad." He rubbed the back of his head. "But that was a long time ago. The forest healed. And the people healed, too. Only three died, you see. Ah, and eight chocobos." Garalona said nothing. She looked at the small clearing the cottage was nestled within. They were a long way from the nearest village, and she was a midwife summoned from outside of the Shroud entirely. The people had not forgotten—nor, of course, had the Elementals. The widower took another drink. He did not hold his liquor well, and Garalona had good whiskey in the flask. Good, expensive whiskey. His face was already red. "Y'know," he said. "I read somewhere that forest fires are actually a good thing every now and then. Indeed! They... They help things along... Encourage new growth..." The baby fussed a little. Garalona murmured and rocked him until he dozed again. "But anyway," the widower turned back to Garalona, looking embarrassed. "After all that happened, Colette learned her lesson. Truly, she did! Gods' sakes, she even made me light the stove, just to be safe! I thought maybe... I thought... I... She... We..." He pressed the flask to his face and began to cry. Garalona stepped forward again. She reached a hand out as if to pat the widower's back, hesitated, and then pried the flask from his hand instead. She pressed the infant into the man's chest, then wrenched his unresisting arms into the correct position for holding the tiny package. The child looked just as confused as his father about the transfer. "I need to send for a wet nurse," Garalona said, brandishing the flask at the widower like a weapon. "And you need to name the boy." "Flambeaux," the widower said without thinking, tears still glistening on his cheeks. "A bit perverse, all things considered," Garalona sighed. "But who am I to judge?" "No," the widower said, his face set. "Colette would like it." Garalona just nodded and turned away to tend to business. What happened before she came into these people's lives was none of her business, nor was what happened after, but she would see to it that they were well taken care of in the meantime. And life would go on.

I actually really like the name Sion Lohel, and the first part of the new backstory is really good: a bold but failed assassination attempt, a grievous wound and presumed death, but you lost me after that. She's a traitor to the Empire but still serves the Empire? Her near death experience is the chance for her story to go absolutely anywhere, it's kind of disappointing it goes right back to a slightly different imperial path. It seems like it would be absolutely nerve wracking to still be in the Empire after what she did. But anyway, that's not the biggest issue. I'm just gonna come out and say it: the Garlean Ambassador to Ishgard angle doesn't work, but not necessarily for the reasons previously stated. The problem is other players. For one thing, other players generally don't respect positions of high authority like this. I know, I tried playing something as simple as a police type authority figure in another game once. All it does it make people want to /spit in your face, because there's absolutely nothing you can do to exercise the authority you pretend to have. Those who ignore or scoff at your role will greatly outnumber those who acknowledge or respect it, and it gets very frustrating very fast. You might tell yourself you can handle it, but when people start tracking you down JUST to give you shit and "knock you down a peg"? It's not fun. It's easier to play something simple like a noble or knight, than something like an Ambassador with Diplomatic Immunity and all that jazz. When your title involves privileges and powers you can invoke over others (or you could if they would play along), people tend to react poorly. However! Ishgardian RP is pretty richly detailed and there's a lot of people who respect and go along with the hierarchy of lords, ladies, Knights, and la de da... It's really not my bag, but it's there. If you want to stick with the posing as a man angle, there's a lot of ways you could twist things to have a character that's still hiding something, still a bit villainous, and still a badass. Elezen are very androgynous, it wouldn't be hard for an Elezen lady to, say, kill a lord and assume his identity. Maybe there was dabbling with heretics in the past? Hunting heretics? BOTH? But I'm just spitballing here. I still think the first part of the background is really cool.

Hello! You're always welcome to post stories in the IC forum, or even start a play by post thread there if that's your thing. Both can be good ways to flesh out a character.

Welcome, and let me just say Keeper-Seeker hybrids are awesome! I hope to see you around in game!

I really hope there's some sort of official moratorium on pigtails for the foreseeable future. We're inundated in pigtails. I kinda wish the winning men's style was available for ladies, too.

I'm down for this. Garalona's a sawbones first and conjurer second, but can do either as needed. To reach her, as with any Roe, gargle some marbles, spit, and one of the dazed birds it hits will find their way to her. Maybe. Or send me a tell. I'm generally on after 7pm EST

Also, a lack of male Miqo'te dancers. Might be time to pick up a new hobby! It is probably taboo! Isn't that what makes it fun? Hah. I imagine my character would look silly. Do what feels good, I say.

Figured I'd quote this just so it's easy to refer back to here on page 2. The questions posed are good for character building, too. One big thing to think about is your character's motivation. Perhaps, given all the talk of masters, he's seeking a new master in Eorzea, but the betrayal in Doma has left him leery of accepting one too easily. Maybe he's trying to find someone truly worthy of his trust and service. How would he test them? What would he look for in a proper master. Or his master could be a never seen NPC off in the wings, and you could just reference doing things for him in between faffing about and doing whatever you damn well please IC. It's your character and the possibilities are endless. The whole master thing could be as all encompassing, or not, as you want.

They look neat, they sound neat, but they're really easy to mix up phonetically and unless you're a big nerd like me and have had the differences hammered into your head by playing every single game, it's easy to confuse which level is what potency. I still like them for old time's sake. 1, 2, 3, etc. is inelegant but it works.

It's also not that few are willing to play a Garlean, it's that few OPENLY play a Garlean. I've ran into more than a few Garlean spies in the past, each with varying degrees of competency at hiding it, and number of Garlean defectors as well. Ala Mhigans tend to react poorly even to defectors, so you can imagine how things might go. Domans might have a bit more restraint, but are likewise not big fans. There's probably better ways to play a villain, particularly when the Holy See is still keen on rounding up heretics of all stripes.

*stares up blankly at her* "Stahp, stahp it noa!" Is there a meme to English translator? And yeah, FFXIV's system is kinda weird. If people aren't online right that moment, they don't exist at all as far as the game is concerned. Adding folks to your friends list can be a challenge that way.

I'm afraid there won't be another one of these events for a while. The host is taking a break.