RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Sounsyy · **04-27-2015, 08:52 PM**

(04-27-2015, 02:09 PM)Nataru Wrote: Plus i'd like to gain more knowledge in the monk/pugilist lore.

Lore!

Pugilism is defined as the profession or hobby of boxing.

However, in FFXIV, the Pugilist Guild is more than just prized fistfighters. The Guild and it's members serve as Ul'dah's debt collectors for the Platinum Mirage - an exclusive club for the most elite of Ul'dahn blood. The gambling halls of the Platinum Mirage handle extremely large amounts of gil, so Pugilists are hired to monitor the halls, keep track of exchanges, and make sure all debts to the Hall are paid in full. Failure to pay your due, and the Pugilists will pay you a very unfriendly visit. This has given rise to the Guild's motto: "A closed fist drops no gil" which is written above the metal shield statue opposite the door.

In 1.0, the Guild occasionally loaned its pugilists out as mercenaries for profit. Seeing as how many of the pugilist members were actually former Coliseum gladiators scouted by the Mirage, it makes sense that many of these fighters would continue to do mercenary work.

Lore Text about the Platinum Mirage

Gagaruna Wrote:Welcome, friend, to the Platinum Mirage, where the sands turn to gil! But do not be deceived - we are no mere gambling arena. We are the very driving force behind Ul'dahs economy. We amass gil, to be sure, but we also lend it. It is our duty to see that the city maintains a healthy flow of gil. Of course, such dealings as ours carry inherent risks, and we are always looking for able-bodied adventurers to serve in our guard.

Now for your first lesson, though it may be one you have learned already. The world of Eorzeans has but three essential constituents - love, power, and money. If you are well loved, power and money will come. If you wield power, you can take both love and money. And if you have money, you can buy either love or power. Yet lack for any, and you shall never rise high.

The city's guilds were founded upon these tenets. Eshtaime's Lapidaries and Frondale's Phrontistery devote themselves to the mysteries of love. The Coliseum and Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern, meanwhile, are dedicated to the honing of power and might. And as for the mastery of coin and wealth, none are more accomplished than the Order at Arrzaneth Ossuary, or we of the Platinum Mirage.

Shamani Lohmani Wrote:Every soul in Ul'dah knows that nothing escapes the Mirage's notice - no task or dealing, great or small. They fear us. They fear our strength lest it be brought to bear upon them. And that fear is what preserves the order of things.

Gelther Wrote:You know Didilata? Short, broke, never pays what he owes? Yeah, that bleedin' whoreson! Tell him to pay up, or I swear by the Twelve I'll beat him so hard it'll feel like the second comin' of Dalamud."

Jajakuta Wrote:Did you ever wonder why the Gladiator's Guild is found next to the Platinum Mirage? The casino hires the swordsmen to watch over their elite clientele. But not to keep them. No, they are there to see to it the wealthy patrons do not cheat the house.

Essylt Wrote:The gambling halls of the Platinum Mirage are as an oasis of fortune - a glimmering, silvery dream to which one cannot help but be drawn. Beyond these doors are found fantastical amusements and thrilling games of chance to delight and entertain... assuming you are part of our exclusive membership. I regret to announce that this most privileged club is not currently open for applications. But do not lose heart! Hoard your gil and pile your precious stones in preparation for that day when a position opens, and you, madam, might purchase the right to stride across the threshold into paradise itself.

Agnys Wrote:I had no idea that the Platinum Mirage was such an exclusive establishment. That they can afford to turn away wealthy individuals like myself speaks volumes. It's probably for the best, though. An old acquaintance of mine lost everything in the gambling halls. Last I heard, she had run afoul of some dangerous people - or was it that she had fallen in with them? I can't seem to recall...

Titinin Wrote:The work itself don't get much simpler. And there's a pretty gil in it for you. Here's your list of debtors. What do you mean, what are you supposed to do? Nobody's explained it to you? You'll be collecting on outstanding loans, of course. The names on that list are some of our valued patrons. Their love for the Mirage is trumped only by their love for money. And so it's our pleasure to fund their recreation. Sad to say, though, the grace period for the latest round of installments is nearly up. So you are to pay them each a visit in turn and collect payment. You needn't worry. They're all the type to pay without needing any excessive... persuasion.

Gunnulf Wrote:There's a game over at the Platinum Mirage what only caters to the richest o' the rich. Seems the gamblin' tables don't hold no thrill for their like no more. No, it's bloodshed they want, and they'll stop at naught to have it. Hells, some time ago they took to pittin' their debtors against each other. Raubahn the Bull put an end to those games when he took his seat on the Syndicate. Some two years past, that was. But he set out on his journey a short time after, and without him 'round to enforce his word, the fights were on again afore long.

When he came home to Ul'dah to see the Flames remade, we thought the games would end again on their own. But the bastards runnin' 'em grew bold while he was away, and the games've only gotten more savage... Mayhap you know of Little Ala Mhigo? Scores of our Ala Mhigan brothers and sisters took refuge there after the fall. These rich devils mean to let a beast loose on the place under the guise of an accident, and wager on the outcome. And if what we hear is true, they mean to do it soon. The beast's a ferocious thingâ”€one captured for use on the bloodsands. The Ala Mhigans... So many innocents...

The House Always Wins

Here There Be Pirates

Two Sides to Every Chip

Okay, onto Monks!

Monks are/were members of the religious and political Order of the Fist of Rhalgr in Ala Mhigo prior to 1552 6AE, five years before the fall of Ala Mhigo to the Garleans. I'll let Erik's lore text explain everything as it's a very detailed history. Enjoy!

Erik Wrote:The monks and the Fist of Rhalgr are interesting in the same way as any other organized relgion - a sad, pathetic, and humorous way. The brothers and sisters of the monkhood are those souls training in the service of Rhalgr, god of destruction among the Twelve. The Fist of Rhalgr is their order.

This barbaric cult traces its origins back several centuries to Ala Mhigo. The Fist teaches those foolish enough to listen that through rigorous training of the mind and body, and with constant invigoration and refinement, one can approach the sublimity of Rhalgr Himself. Such is their power of concentration that they are able to master the aether within their bodies and channel it in a manner that grants them immense destructive power. The monkhood insists on calling this internal essence "spiritual energy" or "life force" - but trust me when I say it is nothing other than aether.

Endowed with this brutish, unthinking gift for hitting things very hard, the entire cult has evolved into a sort of clergy with martial proclivities. This was no doubt a result of their main temple being located in Gyr Abania - a region plagued by warfare where knowing how to protect oneself is essential.

As the years passed, however, what began as a simple group of religious fanatics fighting to protect themselves grew into an ambitious organization of religious fanatics taking part in the region's power struggles. Those in power in Ala Mhigo grew wary of these war priests who proclaimed all their fights to be fought in the name of a god, and who employed deadly force without the slightest hesitation. And so, rather than make enemies of the monks, they decided instead to use them to their benefit.

Through affiliation with the Ala Mhigan royal family, the Fist of Rhalgr was incorporated into the nation's standing army. This not only granted the monks a great deal of power, but furnished them with all of the rights accorded protectors of the citizenry. And their political influence was still growing...

This text makes brief mention of Monks using aether and forming "chakras." The Monk Job storyline explains this in a bit better detail, but put simply: Monks prefer training in areas dense with aether. They saturate their bodies in the aether to unlock greater power and bring themselves closer to Rhalgr. These dense aetherial areas are most often ancient battlefields. Erik explains that when a person dies, their aether is violently torn from their corporeal form and left to lie in the ground and slowly return to the Lifestream. However, only so much aether can pass from the physical plane to the aetherial plane at a time - known as the Aetherial Threshold. Any aether in excess is left behind to form crystals or in rare cases feed ghosts or revenants of deceased souls still clinging to this plane.

Lodestone Wrote:The celebrated monk Ivon Coeurlfist passed his days in ascetic seclusion atop the mountains of Gyr Abania. It was there, legend tells, that he sought out coeurls with which to vie, in a bid to advance his training. In time, he came to incorporate the natural movements of the beasts into his fighting style, and in so doing established a legacy in the martial arts which has known no rival since. Ever at his side was his beloved Sphairai, a pair of deadly striking weapons shaped in the likeness of coeurl heads.

Gerolt Wrote:Fancy yerself handy with yer fists, eh? Then mayhap ye've heard of the legendary monk Ivon Coeurlfist. The man was mad about coeurlsâ”€proper bleedin' besotted, from what I hear. All sounded a bit...unnatural, if you ask me. Anyroad, he honed his martial prowess by wanderin' the mountains, fightin' all the coeurls he could find. An' by takin' the creatures' movements for his own, he devised a style of fightin' like no other. But that ain't all. Ivon's, er...love of the felines was such that he had a pair o' Sphairai craftedâ”€fists what looked like coeurls. Legends claim they allowed him to bring the sum of his skills to bear...or maybe cat, on his foesâ”€on account of which, the design grew popular. But now that tradition's in danger of dyin' out, what with Ala Mhigo's fall to the Empire an' all, leavin' nary a weaponsmith as knows how Sphairai are forged.

Anyroad, let's talk about that text ye brought. It outlines Ivon Coeurlfist's martial philosophy as set down by the man's foremost disciple. Accordin' to the writer, the Sphairai ain't no ordinary weapon. Apparently, they're tools for tappin' a monk's â€œchakraâ€â”€whatever the hells that isâ”€throwin' open the floodgates...or summat. Buggered if I know how it works. But I do know the fists need some crystals embedded in them. Eh? Chakra's the aether what courses through yer body, ye say? Huh... That explains the bloody crystals, then.

I'll spoiler the rest of the story below as it becomes less about monk lore and more about the fall of the Monkhood to King Theodoric and the eventual fall of Ala Mhigo as a result:

Show Content

The Fall of Ala Mhigo

Erik Wrote:I confess I find great joy in studying the demise of a religion - and even greater joy in recounting it!

The power of the Fist of Rhalgr grew unchecked in Ala Mhigo, and it was eventually named the state religion. After this, its influence over political, economic, and cultural spheres of life became even more considerable. Needless to say, this did not sit well with one and all. Among them was the last and most ugsome of Ala Mhigan royalty, the King of Ruin - Theodoric. The rise of the Fist meant a potential rival for power, and he would not suffer the monkhood to encroach on his prerogatives.

To counter their claims of religious righteousness, he simply conjured his own out of thin aether, proclaiming that the throne was his by divine right, given him by the word of Nymeia Herself - wife to Rhalgr. He then banned worship and likenesses of Rhalgr and all other gods, and demanded that the prayers and praises of Ala Mhigo be given to Nymeia and Her alone. In doing so, he sought to establish his own absolute, uncontested rule.

Naturally, the Fist and other worshipers of Rhalgr throughout the nation rose in protest, precisely as Theodoric had known they would. He used the uprisings as a pretext to imprison several high-ranking monks, whom he then tortured until they confessed their order's plans to topple his rule. In 1552 of the Sixth Astral Era, Theodoric led a vast army to the site of the monkhood's main temple and surrounded it. Monks, novices, and devotees, including the elders; refugees seeking shelter after the fires of war had turned their homes to ash; servants and peasants hired to do no more than till the fields - none were left alive. The monks fought heroically, but were hopelessly outnumbered. With the massacre of that day, nearly all of the monkhood perished.

The elders, the keepers of the tradition and its knowledge, resided within the temple grounds. It was thought that all versed in the ways of the chakra were lost... But then what of this Widargelt? Just who is he? Perhaps the end of the Fist was not the end of the monks, after all.

Erik Wrote:As I likely explained if you have ever bothered to ask me about monks and the Fist of Rhalgr, the King of Ruin, Theodoric, was a ruthless despot and tyrant. It should come as no surprise, then, that he was the last king of Ala Mhigo. But the tale of his rise and fall is the stuff we historians live for!

Theodoric's lust for power was such that nothing less than absolute rule would appease him. To counter the political influence of the Fist of Rhalgr, he proclaimed his kingship to be the product of divine will - ordained by Nymeia Herself. What followed was a crusade which sought to exterminate the monks entirely. Yet it was the truly depraved acts of barbarism to come that would shake Ala Mhigan society to its very core. This ensuing era of terror was what earned Theodoric the title "King of Ruin."

After the massacre at the Fist's main temple, religious opposition to Theodoric nearly disappeared altogether. He then began purges of the Ala Mhigan royalty, seeing any and all potential pretenders to his throne dead and buried - regardless of house, loyalties, or standing. Beheadings were commonplae, carried out daily. Before long, it looked as though Theodoric would have no heads left to take. But he then turned his wrath upon any soul with a claim to the throne, no matter how remote. After that, it was to be the empowered nobles and wealthy merchants.

Fearing for their lives, they professed their innocence to the queen, pleading for her to stay her maniacal husband's hand. She attempted words to assuage his lust for power turned lust for blood, but he was deaf to her appeals. Finding no recourse, she conspired with a group of nobles to murder Theodoric. Yet before the regicide could take place, one among them betrayed their plot and for their treason, the king saw them all less a head.

This only served to compound Theodoric's paranoia and insanity. Distrustful of all, his purges now became little more than random executions, claiming lives of noble and beggar and all in between. It is not difficult to imagine what transpired next. The palace became a despicable gathering of sycophants and backstabbers, and the commonfolk scarce left their homes. Seeking heads on which to lay blame for worsening conditions, Theodoric turned the axe upon his most loyal followers. When the oppression became too much to ear, the people revolted and stormed the palace. The royal guard (Corpse Brigade) cast aside their vows and allowed the Ala Mhigans to pass.

A noble revolt? For the best, no? False! It was the absence of leadership and solidarity in the wake of this chaos that prompted Garlemald to attack! In the end, Theodoric was lucid enough to judge suicide preferable to death at the hands of an angry mob. He ended his own life, and with it, his reign of ruin and his own bloodline. Or so it was thought at the time! But Theodred, a nephew to the king, was hidden by his mother in a remote temple of the Fist of Rhalgr which had survived the purges, and thus he escaped his uncle's fury.

Hope this helps! ^^

Training needed!

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes