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SessionZero · **10-28-2015, 09:16 AM**

...Forgive me if I'm mistaken but aren't pureblood Garleans like... their own race? I'm pretty sure mixing with an Au Ra, or any of the other races of Man for that matter, would result in a half-Garlean, with no third eye, since it's explicitly stated that only pureblood Garleans (again, which I'm pretty sure are their own race) possess the third eye.

Ozma · **10-28-2015, 01:32 PM**

(10-28-2015, 09:16 AM)SessionZero Wrote: ...Forgive me if I'm mistaken but aren't pureblood Garleans like... their own race? I'm pretty sure mixing with an Au Ra, or any of the other races of Man for that matter, would result in a half-Garlean, with no third eye, since it's explicitly stated that only pureblood Garleans (again, which I'm pretty sure are their own race) possess the third eye.

I'm not entirely sure about this myself.Â

All I read from the wikia is the following.Â

Quote:
Native Garleans can be distinguished by the presence of a "third eye" on the forehead. While most have it concealed by headgear, the "eye" can be seen clearly on Cid Nan Garlond and Nero Tol Scaeva in certain cutscenes. This is confirmed in the cutscenes with Varis Zos Galvus and Lucia goe Junius.

I was under the impression it was a characteristic that is unique and what sets them apart from ordinary Hyur. We know too little to make that judgment that a half breed won't share the trait since the only half-breed we see in the game is a female half elezen/hyur who seemed to have inherited both characteristic albeit much shorter ears and less height compared to normal elezen.Â

While on the subject and I know it's got nothing to do with this character I'm making but is it possible for a Hyur born of Garlean heritage to possess both the third eye and be born as a Padjal? I always wondered about that since Padjal seems to be a form of a rare case of genetic mutation in Hyur bloodline to produce (freaks ? lol) Padjals with extraordinary powers.Â

If it's an established fact that the third eye is definitely a trait that can only appear on pureblood Garleans I'll go back to the drawing board and alter her story so that she doesn't possess the eye but a born bastard. Eitherway works for me I think lol.

(10-28-2015, 08:52 AM)Garalona Wrote: 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.

Thanks, I think half the time my biggest problem writing character scripts is spending too long on coming up with good names.Â

You're quite right about this too. It would be nerve wracking after what she did. If all had gone according to plans Gaius would have chopped her down along with the other usurpers to the throne just as his backstory tells and even after surviving that ordeal she would be hunted down as a traitor and a heretic if she didn't hide her identity.Â

Quote: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.Â

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.

This is true. But would they be able to tell the difference between the man garbed in heavy plate armor with a voice modulator built into the helmet (Darth Vader? lol) and a ordinary Au Ra woman dressed more casually? I most likely won't be dressed in Armor (that covers head to toe) unless I was invited to a formal roleplay involving politics.Â

An example would be like Queen Ami from Star Wars. While Queen Ami wasn't posing as a King but using this example, Sion would only make public appearance as Wolph when she's required to make a public appearance which I would imagine to be rare since there probably isn't much roleplays focused on politics in Ishgard and I respect that if it's not everyone's cup of tea. In times when she's not required to make a public appearance she would become like Padme except she's not a handmaiden but an ordinary adventurer. This way I think I can both play a Garlean openly and secretively which could be a neat idea. Thanks for addressing all the issues so far Garalona!Â

Most the time I would probably go by the name Sion Lohel, an ordinary Au Ra adventurer who hails from Doma with nothing to do with the Empire so if anyone wants to godmod and try to start trouble by roleplaying a prick I can simple tell them that they should have no way of knowing she is the man they're looking for. I thought this type of roleplay alternating between the role of a Garlean man and a Au Ra woman would be an interesting mix of experience since as Sion she really can go anywhere with her story as an individual not mixed with politics.Â

Quote: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.Â

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?Â

But I'm just spitballing here. I still think the first part of the background is really cool.

I will be exploring more into Sion the individual and ordinary adventurer's life and add that into the storyline later today though. Thanks for reminding me haha.

Vyce · **10-28-2015, 01:54 PM**

Can pureblood Garleans follow the classes of Eorzea? I thought they were incapable of channeling aether. But I'm pretty sure I've seen healers...hmm

Berrod Armstrong · **10-28-2015, 01:56 PM**

(10-28-2015, 01:54 PM)Vyce Wrote: Can pureblood Garleans follow the classes of Eorzea? I thought they were incapable of channeling aether. But I'm pretty sure I've seen healers...hmm

The healers were likely conscripted folks and not the purebloods!

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **10-28-2015, 02:08 PM**

Actually, we do have a Garlean-Highlander mix NPC, Arenvald.

Lore thread on him too: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threa...half-breed

His NPC dialogue changes a few times, but if I'm getting my facts right, his mother was an Ala Mhigan and his bastard father was a Garlean.

From what we can deduce from Garleans so far, we could call them a very unique clan of Hyur. Naturally, the more Garlean features are only available to purebloods/native Garleans. It would seem their genetic differences do not get carried on., such as their inability to manipulate aether and their third eye.

--

In regards to Padjal, they are considered a race of their own, but are made, not born. Padjal are effectively spirited-away children selected by the Elementals in the Black Shroud. While the ones we see in-game are all made from Hyur children, there's a lot of speculation that Padjal could also have come from Elezen children (or any race, really) if the Elementals willed it.

Garalona · **10-28-2015, 02:51 PM**

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.

Ozma · **10-28-2015, 03:04 PM**

(10-28-2015, 02:51 PM)Garalona Wrote: 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.

That's a very sad way to roleplay lol. If they want to godmod and use something as whimsical as Divination I honestly don't have any desire to acknowledge that they even exist at all. I have little to no intention of roleplaying with people who expects respect and acknowledgement but gives none in return. It would be distasteful to involve them into the roleplay anyway so most likely I will be ignoring/blocking individuals who claim to be a Echo Reader who can whisper to the Aether to find out everyone's secret identities. I'm not even sure why anyone in their right mind would even bother acknowledging these individuals have such divine powers since it would be gamebreaking everytime they roleplay with others who don't possess such divinity.

Oli! · **10-28-2015, 03:15 PM**

I would actually take Garlona's post a step further, and say that if you're not expecting to be found out while playing a villainous role, then You're Doing It Wrong.

The job of a good villain isn't to be good at their job. It's to be an entertaining and challenging foil for the heroes of the world. If a character is so skilled at fighting and hiding that any attempt to find them or fight with them is doomed to failure, then nothing interesting is going to happen with your character. I'm assuming, based on your original post, that you're playing a villain because you want them to come into conflict with people. The important thing, therefore, is coming up with openings that can be used for that conflict to happen. If they're diplomatically immune, or indistinguishable when in disguise, or whatever else, then there's no opening. You might as well be playing any other character, or at the very least, describe them as something other than a "villain."

Yes, there are people that are better at conflict than others (building up tension, waiting for discovery, asking how / where they can find information, etcetera), but if that's going to happen in any capacity, expect word to eventually get out, and for people to be after you. That's what happens.

That's part of the reason why a lot of people find Secret Villains ultimately unrewarding; they're one-trick ponies. As soon as someone finds out that you belong to the evil empire that's out to destroy them and everyone they love, then they're going to tell their friends, and that'll be it.

As an aside, it's also worth noting that such divination as you mention is a featured part of the game, in the form of memory-sharing with the Echo. You can always exclude people that use it from your roleplay, but be advised that it might be something people try to do, considering that it is a part of the lore. They might not do it to everyone, but in the case where doing so might lead to interesting conflict, i.e. finding out someone is a Garlean, it's likely that they may do it in that circumstance.

Vyce · **10-28-2015, 03:23 PM**

Quote:Queen Ami

NO. Nononononono *star wars scream*

Queen PadmÃ© Amidala.

As far as Padjal go, I highly advise against it or anything related to it. Â Padjal are extraordinary beings of white magic chosen as children by the elementals of the Twelveswood. They are highly regarded mentors and political figures, and are known by name by the NPCs of the Twelveswood. Playing one is not recommended and will probably get you some backlash. It would be like trying to tell people you areÂ a daughter of Nymeia.

Ozma · **10-28-2015, 03:31 PM**

(10-28-2015, 03:15 PM)Oli! Wrote: I would actually take Garlona's post a step further, and say that if you're not expecting to be found out while playing a villainous role, then You're Doing It Wrong.

The job of a good villain isn't to be good at their job. It's to be an entertaining and challenging foil for the heroes of the world. If a character is so skilled at fighting and hiding that any attempt to find them or fight with them is doomed to failure, then nothing interesting is going to happen with your character. I'm assuming, based on your original post, that you're playing a villain because you want them to come into conflict with people. The important thing, therefore, is coming up with openings that can be used for that conflict to happen. If they're diplomatically immune, or indistinguishable when in disguise, or whatever else, then there's no opening. You might as well be playing any other character, or at the very least, describe them as something other than a "villain."

Yes, there are people that are better at conflict than others (building up tension, waiting for discovery, asking how / where they can find information, etcetera), but if that's going to happen in any capacity, expect word to eventually get out, and for people to be after you. That's what happens.

That's part of the reason why a lot of people find Secret Villains ultimately unrewarding; they're one-trick ponies. As soon as someone finds out that you belong to the evil empire that's out to destroy them and everyone they love, then they're going to tell their friends, and that'll be it.

As an aside, it's also worth noting that such divination as you mention is a featured part of the game, in the form of memory-sharing with the Echo. You can always exclude people that use it from your roleplay, but be advised that it might be something people try to do, considering that it is a part of the lore. They might not do it to everyone, but in the case where doing so might lead to interesting conflict, i.e. finding out someone is a Garlean, it's likely that they may do it in that circumstance.

Thanks for your input but I don't remember calling myself a stereotypical villain hell bent on ruining lives on Eorzea. I'm actually not sure where or how you got the idea that she's a villain, did I earnestly project that image through her backstory? If so I may need to review and re-write the parts where she appeared to be a villain.Â

The only villainlike role she pose is the fact that she's from Garlemald. I've explained through her story where she stands in the political struggle but if it will still be seen as villainy then I'm not entirely certain this concept will work out as intended regardless of the explanations I've added in the story.

Oli! · **10-28-2015, 03:34 PM**

(10-26-2015, 10:29 PM)Ozma Wrote: Well after scrapping my first idea I was playing around with the idea of making a Garlean after seeing a thread complaining that there really aren't as many willing to try roleplaying as a Garlean. I've always fancied the idea of creating a potential villain and recently got all the glamour pieces from Odin-san so I thought about putting it to good use with a story to tell.Â

I'm responding specifically to this.

If that's not what you meant, then that's fine, but it's really unclear what exactly you're trying to go for at this point, at least to me.

Also, whether or not a villain is stereotypical or out to ruin lives doesn't really matter much when it comes to the establishment of conflict; any type of villain is part of a duality. Without encounters with their opposite, the title of "villain," regardless of what it denotes, becomes meaningless.

Just something to think about.

Ozma · **10-28-2015, 03:38 PM**

(10-28-2015, 03:23 PM)Vyce Wrote:
Quote:Queen Ami

NO. Nononononono *star wars scream*

Queen PadmÃ© Amidala.

As far as Padjal go, I highly advise against it or anything related to it. Â Padjal are extraordinary beings of white magic chosen as children by the elementals of the Twelveswood. They are highly regarded mentors and political figures, and are known by name by the NPCs of the Twelveswood. Playing one is not recommended and will probably get you some backlash. It would be like trying to tell people you areÂ a daughter of Nymeia.

Haha no I'm not interested in playing a Padjal. I just thought I'd bring it up because I had some questions about the race and wondered if it was possible for Garlea to give birth to a Padjal since Padjal seemed to be born to Hyur bloodlines. Wasn't sure if it was a Black Shroud specific Hyurs or if it was global.

Garalona · **10-28-2015, 04:31 PM**

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 doâ€”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?

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **10-28-2015, 05:30 PM**

(10-28-2015, 03:38 PM)Ozma Wrote:
(10-28-2015, 03:23 PM)Vyce Wrote:
Quote:Queen Ami

NO. Nononononono *star wars scream*

Queen PadmÃ© Amidala.

As far as Padjal go, I highly advise against it or anything related to it. Â Padjal are extraordinary beings of white magic chosen as children by the elementals of the Twelveswood. They are highly regarded mentors and political figures, and are known by name by the NPCs of the Twelveswood. Playing one is not recommended and will probably get you some backlash. It would be like trying to tell people you areÂ a daughter of Nymeia.

Haha no I'm not interested in playing a Padjal. I just thought I'd bring it up because I had some questions about the race and wondered if it was possible for Garlea to give birth to a Padjal since Padjal seemed to be born to Hyur bloodlines. Wasn't sure if it was a Black Shroud specific Hyurs or if it was global.

Padjals are pretty much limited to being a Black Shroud thing. The only [alive] Padjal who has ever left the forest has been Kan-E Senna, and that's because she was out and about as a political figure. Because Padjal are selected for their Hearer abilities, it's fairly safe to assume that a Garlean would like not be chosen because their ability to be a Hearer/competent Conjurer is nonexistant. :< ...now, the child of a Garlean and a power Hearer -could-, but that's a very big stretch and very unlikely.

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Ozma · **10-28-2015, 05:32 PM**

As a general concept I haven't really fleshed out or set in stone what her Achilles heel would be and how she will meet her ultimate downfall. I'm sure it pays to flesh it out so I have a general idea what will happen but at this point in time I thought I'd rather leave it out for the time being and expand on it as I roleplay to get a better idea of what kind of roleplaying communities are out there already and gauge how or why they would affect her in the way it would affect her which will give me hints as to what kind of threat she will have to face. At the moment as I have no characters or interaction with Balmung Ishgard, everything is a bit of a blur and left for limited improvisation.

I will of course be dropping hints here and there so that roleplayers may pick up on those hints and eventually find out that the two people are actually one. It would be boring to let it go on forever and I'm all for it if she does eventually get killed by a Highlander zealots among many that might hunt her down. Ultimately though I would like to first try roleplaying with others and choose who I'll be giving those hints to. I don't want a random coming up to me and suddenly pick up all the hints and play Sherlock Holmes. When it's time to kill her off I will be happy to give out more obvious clues and that will ultimately bring her downfall. Public execution themed and Ishgardian Court themed Roleplay might also be interesting too in that regard haha. Re-enactment of Trial by Combat? Â

Quote: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.

I'm now curious as to how he was advertising to people that he is who he was with a disguise. At most times I won't be portraying her as remotely related to Garlemald. I'm guessing he had a similar idea but I'm sort of curious as to how he went about it.Â

Biggest problem for me in that regard is probably that I don't know Balmung at all. Been meaning to make an alt there for the past weeks to try the waters but wasn't able to because Balmung never opens up for character creation. I have this community's testimony of how general roleplayers will react and some may turn to godmodding for the sake of it but I would still like to believe I'll encounter decent roleplayers who won't abuse the Diviniation Card.Â

With that said I've yet to flesh out the ideas for how or what the adventurer Sion would be doing once she's in Ishgard. How this experience away from home would influence and build her character would be an interesting thing to see. Will she ultimately become a turncoat like Lucia or walk another path is probably entirely up to how she perceive her experience while roleplaying there and the kind of people she comes across.

Quote:Padjals are pretty much limited to being a Black Shroud thing. The only [alive] Padjal who has ever left the forest has been Kan-E Senna, and that's because she was out and about as a political figure. Because Padjal are selected for their Hearer abilities, it's fairly safe to assume that a Garlean would like not be chosen because their ability to be a Hearer/competent Conjurer is nonexistant. :< ...now, the child of a Garlean and a power Hearer -could-, but that's a very big stretch and very unlikely.Â

Haha thank you for clarifying that. Yes I figured it might have been a Black Shroud only thing as it wouldn't make much sense for the Elementals to allow a Padjal to be born so far away from the Black Shroud.... though that in itself might bring different ideas into the table.Â

What if there was a reason for a Padjal to be born outside the Black Shroud and willed by Elementals for a specific task or purpose?Â

Food for thoughts but rest assured, not an idea I would be interested in personally.

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