Ala Mhigan Roleplay FAQ
![[Image: TxXy4JT.png]](http://i.imgur.com/TxXy4JT.png)
Do I have to be a Highlander Hyur to roleplay an Ala Mhigan?
No. With the exception of Au Ra, all the other races have been confirmed to reside in Ala Mhigo. While the nobility and royalty seem only to have been Highlander Hyur, non-Highlanders could hold positions of high standing within Ala Mhigan society. At the moment, we have no evidence that non-Highlanders were discriminated against.
For all their flaws, Ala Mhigans seemed to have little issue with certain races compared to some of the other city-states.
Does my character have to live in Little Ala Mhigo?
No. There are also Ala Mhigan settlements in the Shroud. That said, make no mistake - Ala Mhigans live all over Eorzea (and most likely beyond). If your Ala Mhigan fled or was born in Limsa, for example? That’s completely fine, too.
Little Ala Mhigo is simply where a lot of the stubborn and bitter Ala Mhigans gathered up after being mistreated and ignored by the Eorzean Alliance on the whole. A lot of them just didn’t have the means or opportunity to make their way further than Thanalan.
![[Image: M64cLen.png]](http://i.imgur.com/M64cLen.png)
So Little Ala Mhigo is full of ignorant, resentful peasants. Does that mean that all Ala Mhigans are like that?
No. At the time of the Garlean invasion, Ala Mhigo was widely regarded as the most technologically advanced city-state in all Aldenard. This served as an added incentive for the Empire to annex their territory and conscript their populace. Besides their conventional military forces - griffin cavalry, pikemen, and before the purge of their order, the Fists of Rhalgr - Ala Mhigo also boasted scholars and skilled engineers. We strongly recommend looking up Erik, the Ala Mhigan Midlander scholar NPC from the Monk quests; while he pontificates on many subjects, his dialogue during that quest chain is a great resource for Ala Mhigan lore.
And yes, we can read. Really.
Does my character have to be a part of the Resistance if I roleplay an Ala Mhigan?
No. There are plenty of Ala Mhigans who are not involved with the Resistance. They might disagree with the Resistance’s methods, see no point in reclaiming their homeland, have too many ties in Eorzea, or any number of other possible reasons.
You don’t have to support the Resistance at all as an Ala Mhigan. You can move on and go your own way if that’s what your character would do. At worst, your character might get accused of cowardice or disloyalty by Resistance members, but your character is not obligated to agree with or support them.
![[Image: xdgNcwQ.png]](http://i.imgur.com/xdgNcwQ.png)
Why don’t the city-states like Ala Mhigans?
No one in Eorzea seems to like refugees to begin with. The Domans were denied residence pretty much everywhere and ended up settling in Mor Dhona for lack of anywhere else.
For Ala Mhigans specifically, a significant amount of the animosity they attract can be attributed to the Autumn War. According to the prevailing Ala Mhigan perspective, their military incursion into the Shroud wasn’t blatant conquest for its own sake, but an attempt to acquire more fertile land in order to feed their growing population. Eorzean (and particularly Gridanian) opinions may differ, however. As far as many in the Alliance are concerned, Ala Mhigans are warmongering thugs who got their just comeuppance, but have the gall to come begging to the people they tried to conquer when they have no right to present themselves as victims.
Is my character required to worship Rhalgr?
Not at all. Rhalgr is the patron deity of Ala Mhigo, to the point where the Fists of Rhalgr wielded significant political power as a religious institution besides what clout they had as warriors. Other deities of the Twelve were also worshiped in Ala Mhigo, however, and at the moment we have no evidence to indicate that the Fists ever outlawed worship of gods other than Rhalgr (Theodoric was another story entirely).
Given the King of Ruin’s fixation on Nymeia, the Spinner is the one deity your character may want to be careful about openly praising in front of Ala Mhigans.
![[Image: VKDhj6E.png]](http://i.imgur.com/VKDhj6E.png)
If my character worships Rhalgr, do they have to be a Fist of Rhalgr? What if my character is a martial artist from Ala Mhigo? Am I still obligated to roleplay them as a Fist?
No. The Fists are a religious order. All Ala Mhigans know how to fight; it is an integral part of their culture. Nothing states that a martial artist hailing from Ala Mhigo needs to be a Fist of Rhalgr. There are likely plenty of ordinary Pugilists in Gyr Abania - punching jerks is universal.
Your character does not have to be a Fist of Rhalgr to praise Rhalgr. The Fists were his warrior-priests, not his sole devotees.
So what’s the deal with these Fists, then? I only see people talk about their chakras and constantly wanting to fight. What’s up with that?
The Fists devote themselves to worshiping Rhalgr. They do not adhere to a specific fighting style so much as follow a way of life. As previously stated, they are a religious order. Warmongers go to Rhalgr’s Hell, so it is likely that pointless violence (which, admittedly, is a very flexible concept, especially for Fists) is strictly forbidden in their religion.
Combat and continual honing of their martial skills was a method of worship for the Fists, but members of their order also often served in additional positions, such as advisors in the royal court. Unfortunately, we lack more concrete lore regarding their exact involvement with Ala Mhigan society beyond generally having religious and political influence, so at the moment we can only speculate.
That being said, it is safe to assume that the Fists of Rhalgr have more complexity as an order than simply being hotheaded brawlers.
![[Image: KMSjAsa.png]](http://i.imgur.com/KMSjAsa.png)
Okay, so what are chakras, then? Can I have them as a non-Fist?
Chakras are only relevant to the Fists of Rhalgr and those in possession of a Monk’s soulstone. While Fists claim that every living being possesses these Light- and Shadow-aspected gateways for aether, beyond the Warrior of Wildly Unlikely Exceptions Light, thus far there have not been any non-Monk NPCs who are able to access their chakras.
Unlocking a chakra takes years of training, and the methods required to do so are not public knowledge. After all, the Fists are believed to be extinct - your average hyur on the street wouldn’t have that level of insight.
I see people roleplay non-Fist Monks with open chakras, though…
That’s fanon! The only time the word monk comes up to describe a non-Fist is a lonely Ishgardian priest in the MSQ, and he almost certainly doesn’t have open chakras unless there’s something even wackier than usual going on with the Halonic Orthodox Church (while they do have personnel who wield fist weapons/patas, they are not explicitly stated to be Fist-style Monks proper).
As it stands, monk in a non-Ala Mhigan context simply pertains to garden-variety friars.
![[Image: D6hIN0q.png]](http://i.imgur.com/D6hIN0q.png)
Are there any other classes or jobs for an Ala Mhigan-themed character if I don’t want to roleplay a Fist of Rhalgr?
Absolutely! Go have a gander around Little Ala Mhigo, the Corpse Brigade, and Ala Mhigan NPCs in general.
Ala Mhigo was known for having excellent Pikemen, who were just as feared as the Fists of Rhalgr for their prowess in battle, and Griffin Riders were knights who served as aerial heavy cavalry.
We have Ala Mhigan Shamans, who appear to be conjurers. We have Flamedancers, who seem to be thaumaturges. We have Knuckledancers, who are pugilists. We have Ala Mhigan Bladedancers, who appear to be marauders (Apparently the -dancer suffix is popular in Ala Mhigo. Who knew?).
We have scholarly (but not capital-S Nymian Scholar) types. We have civilians. We even have engineers who are adept at using and designing all sorts of technology.
(No, seriously. You have a lot of options, and that’s just scratching the surface.)
Don’t ever feel pressured to be a Fist of Rhalgr. In fact, being a Fist is probably quite rare, due to the fact that in 1552, the Fists’ main temple was the subject of a bloody purge, the Monks within slaughtered en masse by order of the King of Ruin.
I heard that the Resistance on the whole is a closely guarded secret. Is this true?
No. The existence of the Resistance is common knowledge. The only real secret is the identity of the Griffin and his doubles, and even the impact of that MSQ-induced revelation is uncertain while we’re still waiting in pre-3.55 limbo. Thanks, Square Enix.
Last but not least, a big thank you to Arcian for helping me write out this post!
