Lore train pulling up to the station~
Monk just so happens to be my forte, as my character is in fact a fully fledged Monk! At least in practice. He doesn't adhere to the religious bits. He's also a master of the Coeurlfist, though I'll get into that later.
 So! Let's start.
The Fists of Rhalgr is actually an organization, not a style of combat. Rather, it was an organization. The Fists of Rhalgr were all but destroyed prior to the collapse of Ala Mhigo and it's inevitable conquering by Garlemald. At the time, Ala Mhigo was ruled by King Theodoric - otherwise known as the King of Ruin, or the mad king. He was notorious for his hunger for power, and went so far as to murder his people to make certain there was no threat to his rule. Over time, he grew more and more mad, distrusting even this own royal court. The Fists of Rhalgr had been growing in influence over recent years, as they were a religious group that followed the ideals of Rhalgr. Their incredible strength inevitably saw their order melded with Ala Mhigo's military, giving them even more power. The amount of political pull and power the Fists of Rhalgr was gaining in Ala Mhigan society was seen as a threat by Theodoric, and so in the year 1552 of the Sixth Astral Era, he led a massive army to the site of the Monk's main temple in Ala Mhigo. He then proceeded to slaughter everyone he could, effectively destroying the order in a single sun. No one was spared. Trainees, devotees, elders, and even homeless that sought refuge within the temple and the surrounding area were all murdered in cold blood.
The temple was burned to the ground, and with it almost all knowledge of the Fists of Rhalgr. Some, however, managed to escape, and began to travel Eorzea. As it stands, there is no canonically official group of Monks in Ul'dah, but it's not impossible for there to be one or two in hiding there.
That being said, the Fists of Rhalgr taught that through great meditation and rigorous training of both body and mind, one could achieve greatness in the eyes of the destroyer. The Monks had such a great amount of concentration that they were able to harness the innate aether in their bodies in order to strengthen themselves. Tapping into this power, however, requires both a great deal of mental fortitude and inner strength. There are seven "Chakra", or reserves of energy, to be unlocked, with the seventh being the most difficult to master. Once a Monk has unlocked it, though, they are able to open it at will to enhance their strength beyond normal limits.
That being said, Monks use this in tandem with hand-to-hand combat to produce devastating results.
Now, there are a few stances that pugilists learn which you listed, and there are also elemental fists that Monks learn to use. Really, a character's style of combat is more or less something that can be decided by the player.
There is, however, one particular style of combat that is mentioned in-game. This is called the Coeurlfirst. It was created by a world renowned monk by the name of Ivon Coeurlfist, who spent years in ascetic seclusion atop the mountains of Gyr Abania fighting Coeurls. He eventually adopted their style of combat into his own, and produced one of the most fearsome and powerful styles of hand-to-hand combat ever seen. It is also, consequently, one of the most difficult styles to learn.
This is also where Sphairai has it's origins, as Ivon had a pair of weapons forged in the likeness of Coeurls. These became a symbol of mastery over the Coeurlfist, and were adopted by Monks who walked that path.
Alrighty! Well, I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop here, and if you have further questions I can elaborate on whatever they are.
Monk just so happens to be my forte, as my character is in fact a fully fledged Monk! At least in practice. He doesn't adhere to the religious bits. He's also a master of the Coeurlfist, though I'll get into that later.
 So! Let's start.
The Fists of Rhalgr is actually an organization, not a style of combat. Rather, it was an organization. The Fists of Rhalgr were all but destroyed prior to the collapse of Ala Mhigo and it's inevitable conquering by Garlemald. At the time, Ala Mhigo was ruled by King Theodoric - otherwise known as the King of Ruin, or the mad king. He was notorious for his hunger for power, and went so far as to murder his people to make certain there was no threat to his rule. Over time, he grew more and more mad, distrusting even this own royal court. The Fists of Rhalgr had been growing in influence over recent years, as they were a religious group that followed the ideals of Rhalgr. Their incredible strength inevitably saw their order melded with Ala Mhigo's military, giving them even more power. The amount of political pull and power the Fists of Rhalgr was gaining in Ala Mhigan society was seen as a threat by Theodoric, and so in the year 1552 of the Sixth Astral Era, he led a massive army to the site of the Monk's main temple in Ala Mhigo. He then proceeded to slaughter everyone he could, effectively destroying the order in a single sun. No one was spared. Trainees, devotees, elders, and even homeless that sought refuge within the temple and the surrounding area were all murdered in cold blood.
The temple was burned to the ground, and with it almost all knowledge of the Fists of Rhalgr. Some, however, managed to escape, and began to travel Eorzea. As it stands, there is no canonically official group of Monks in Ul'dah, but it's not impossible for there to be one or two in hiding there.
That being said, the Fists of Rhalgr taught that through great meditation and rigorous training of both body and mind, one could achieve greatness in the eyes of the destroyer. The Monks had such a great amount of concentration that they were able to harness the innate aether in their bodies in order to strengthen themselves. Tapping into this power, however, requires both a great deal of mental fortitude and inner strength. There are seven "Chakra", or reserves of energy, to be unlocked, with the seventh being the most difficult to master. Once a Monk has unlocked it, though, they are able to open it at will to enhance their strength beyond normal limits.
That being said, Monks use this in tandem with hand-to-hand combat to produce devastating results.
Now, there are a few stances that pugilists learn which you listed, and there are also elemental fists that Monks learn to use. Really, a character's style of combat is more or less something that can be decided by the player.
There is, however, one particular style of combat that is mentioned in-game. This is called the Coeurlfirst. It was created by a world renowned monk by the name of Ivon Coeurlfist, who spent years in ascetic seclusion atop the mountains of Gyr Abania fighting Coeurls. He eventually adopted their style of combat into his own, and produced one of the most fearsome and powerful styles of hand-to-hand combat ever seen. It is also, consequently, one of the most difficult styles to learn.
This is also where Sphairai has it's origins, as Ivon had a pair of weapons forged in the likeness of Coeurls. These became a symbol of mastery over the Coeurlfist, and were adopted by Monks who walked that path.
Alrighty! Well, I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop here, and if you have further questions I can elaborate on whatever they are.
![[Image: 7Ho5y7x.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7Ho5y7x.png)
