I make a disclaimer that some of these descriptions are tinted with a bit of my own experiences and I tried my best to demarcate exactly where fact end and my opinions begin
Ishgardian Lifespan: It is brutishly short, especially for military it seems. A dragon in the MSQ straight up taunts you in about it. Essentially it boils down to "once you hit 30 years old its downhill for you and us dragons just get stronger". Â Life has only gotten harsher with the 5 years of winter stretching resources thin. Starvation and cold claim lives just as often as dragons do. The only ones that see old age are the nobility that don't step foot outside Ishgard or the grizzled veterans that are now too old to fight and are more liability than resource, as shown by 2 retired dragoons(Alberic and Heustienne's father) and an injured Elezen in the barracks.
If you plan to make a Dragoon (drachen armor and leaps), I would argue that it'd be much like a tennis player, a very TINY window of physical prowess at its peak, these guys are both seal team and suicide squad and the plots involving them seem to reflect that, you find dragoon squads dead or wiped out often to show that this particular dragon means business (See "Worf Effect")
Cliffnotes for High Houses:
Durendaire : Most powerful barring Dzemael, their crest is the rook for a reason and that reason is that they are the foremost fort builders and have gotten much favor and riches from it. The cool kids club essentially. In the MSQ they are known for being barriers (trying to get that guys trust in whitebrim) or antagonists (Machinist story line)
Haillernarte: While they have far reaching dominion over skyfire locks and the camps in the sea of clouds and the skyfire manufactory, they are the weakest currently. They seem to be low on man power and wealth and is why Stephanivien turns to the firearm to be the great equalizer in the Dragonsong war. Lot of secondary characters of neutral to good in the MSQ come from here if only for their associations with Fortemps.
Fortemps: The most "progressive" of the 4 if only for its eager acceptance of aid from adventurers and outsiders. Most of our MSQ good guys come from here.
Dzemael: powerful, have control of caves and has led to OOC confusion and IC rumors of them being duskwight. The hairdresser in game is an heir to Dzemael and is a duskwight. Essentially hufflepuff for their non impact in the MSQ so far.
Minor Noble Houses:
Much like medieval society, it appears that a baseborn (peasants, non nobles, 5th or 6th or nth born nobles so far down the line that they are jilted of succession) can find upwards mobility through 2 means: Clergy or Military.Â
St. Reymanaud Cathedral takes in students of all sorts, and even if highborns may turn their noses up at the more common students, they are accepted into the clergy and nothing states that they cannot become inquisitors or the like.
Military is basically "Kill a dragon, get honor". Death by Dragon is already honorable enough (death by anything else isn't) but getting a true dragon kill confers a title and consideration of merit. Manner of kill doesn't seem to matter for there is a quest where a cannoneer was giddy when he shoots one out of the sky and asks you to investigate for him, saying that he could become a temple knight with this.Â
Much like medieval times, good service can confer promotion to knighthood or opportunities.
It is easy to claim to be a minor noble house and most noble houses, if not all, are sworn to one of the 4 high houses. Whether there are Hyur minor noble houses is up to debate and good luck trying to justify any OTHER race as a minor house without proper lore back up and back story. Au Ra nobility in Ishgard is impossible, given their recent migration and the fact that ISHGARD THOUGHT THEY WERE GODS DAMN DRAGON PEOPLE AND KILLED THEM ON SIGHT.Â
Dragoons with a capital D can jump, the Drachen armor and Dragoon Lance (Gaebolg) are standard issue and are both equipment and a symbol of their prestige, If you wish to be a Dragoon in RP, best to get those items as a base. Dragoons are also apolitical typically as mentioned by Estinien. They don't care about the squabbles and power-games of nobility, they just kill dragons. That is not to say you cannot be a more politically minded Dragoon.
Ishgardian Lifespan: It is brutishly short, especially for military it seems. A dragon in the MSQ straight up taunts you in about it. Essentially it boils down to "once you hit 30 years old its downhill for you and us dragons just get stronger". Â Life has only gotten harsher with the 5 years of winter stretching resources thin. Starvation and cold claim lives just as often as dragons do. The only ones that see old age are the nobility that don't step foot outside Ishgard or the grizzled veterans that are now too old to fight and are more liability than resource, as shown by 2 retired dragoons(Alberic and Heustienne's father) and an injured Elezen in the barracks.
If you plan to make a Dragoon (drachen armor and leaps), I would argue that it'd be much like a tennis player, a very TINY window of physical prowess at its peak, these guys are both seal team and suicide squad and the plots involving them seem to reflect that, you find dragoon squads dead or wiped out often to show that this particular dragon means business (See "Worf Effect")
Cliffnotes for High Houses:
Durendaire : Most powerful barring Dzemael, their crest is the rook for a reason and that reason is that they are the foremost fort builders and have gotten much favor and riches from it. The cool kids club essentially. In the MSQ they are known for being barriers (trying to get that guys trust in whitebrim) or antagonists (Machinist story line)
Haillernarte: While they have far reaching dominion over skyfire locks and the camps in the sea of clouds and the skyfire manufactory, they are the weakest currently. They seem to be low on man power and wealth and is why Stephanivien turns to the firearm to be the great equalizer in the Dragonsong war. Lot of secondary characters of neutral to good in the MSQ come from here if only for their associations with Fortemps.
Fortemps: The most "progressive" of the 4 if only for its eager acceptance of aid from adventurers and outsiders. Most of our MSQ good guys come from here.
Dzemael: powerful, have control of caves and has led to OOC confusion and IC rumors of them being duskwight. The hairdresser in game is an heir to Dzemael and is a duskwight. Essentially hufflepuff for their non impact in the MSQ so far.
Minor Noble Houses:
Much like medieval society, it appears that a baseborn (peasants, non nobles, 5th or 6th or nth born nobles so far down the line that they are jilted of succession) can find upwards mobility through 2 means: Clergy or Military.Â
St. Reymanaud Cathedral takes in students of all sorts, and even if highborns may turn their noses up at the more common students, they are accepted into the clergy and nothing states that they cannot become inquisitors or the like.
Military is basically "Kill a dragon, get honor". Death by Dragon is already honorable enough (death by anything else isn't) but getting a true dragon kill confers a title and consideration of merit. Manner of kill doesn't seem to matter for there is a quest where a cannoneer was giddy when he shoots one out of the sky and asks you to investigate for him, saying that he could become a temple knight with this.Â
Much like medieval times, good service can confer promotion to knighthood or opportunities.
It is easy to claim to be a minor noble house and most noble houses, if not all, are sworn to one of the 4 high houses. Whether there are Hyur minor noble houses is up to debate and good luck trying to justify any OTHER race as a minor house without proper lore back up and back story. Au Ra nobility in Ishgard is impossible, given their recent migration and the fact that ISHGARD THOUGHT THEY WERE GODS DAMN DRAGON PEOPLE AND KILLED THEM ON SIGHT.Â
Dragoons with a capital D can jump, the Drachen armor and Dragoon Lance (Gaebolg) are standard issue and are both equipment and a symbol of their prestige, If you wish to be a Dragoon in RP, best to get those items as a base. Dragoons are also apolitical typically as mentioned by Estinien. They don't care about the squabbles and power-games of nobility, they just kill dragons. That is not to say you cannot be a more politically minded Dragoon.
