balmung Ishgardian exile looking for someone to help her get back in.

[thesunalsorises]

Hello! Sorry for the bad title.

 

Ophelie is an exile from Ishgard for quite some time now, but she wants to go back to her homeland and reclaim the comfortable life she once lived. She's extremely desperate to go back to her old life. But there's just one problem, she's technically kind of considered to be a heretic and can't show her face without being sent back to the workcamps. So I'm looking for someone to help her get in, either clear her record or help her repent for her wrongdoings.

 

So there's two scenarios that are IC.

 

First one is that she gets your character to clear her name and strike it all from the records. Either she could manipulate/seduce your character into doing this, or she begs it as a favor and will do anything in return, or out of the goodness of their heart. Your character doesn't have to do it themselves they could have connections or something. I don't mind if dark/mature themes develop, because it's inevitable.

 

Second one is that she repents and begs for forgiveness/pardon. Ophelie doesn't mean any of it, but she's a good actor and if it means she'll be back home she'll do it without second thoughts.

 

If you're interested, just contact me here or in-game.

[Mordred Lyloche]

Once you're branded a heretic, it's pretty impossible for people to accept you. Any Ishgardian that put their neck out on the line would be kind of ostracizing themselves from their own belief, not necessarily out in the open but perhaps in their own religion and kind of betraying Halone.

 

On a secondary note, there isn't some "big list of heresey" that they keep around in the upper echelons of their society. That's why they have Inquisitors always about and making sure that everything is kept in check. Hell, there's even the Dark Knights to worry about, upholding the justice among all social ranks and classes of Ishgard. Once you are branded a heretic, you are fairly certain to never be accepted once again into the fold. Especially if you're of the higher echelon, which is the caste of people that live that very comfortable life. You wouldn't suddenly just appear and get everything you used to have without the entirety of the Clergy looking at you and laughing at you before dragging you off to some sort of penance, or worse.

 

My recommendation wouldn't be to take this route but instead to take the route of Ishgard needing able bodies to add to the war effort. Something that is very real and very much going to be happening. Rather than saying, "Look, I really just want my kush life back," say something to the effect of, "I've pledged my life, body, and soul to The Holy See in terms of penance and am willing to do anything to earn the graces of my people once again." As you're an Elezen and as you talked about your character wanting their kush life back, considering that would make them of the higher caste of people in Ishgard, it's a little more believable taking that route with an Inquisitor or a member of the Clergy acting as a sponsor of some kind. Even then it's kind of pushing the boundaries.

 

One does not simply become a heretic and become forgiven.

 

Which leads into my question. Why would she have become a heretic in the first place if she was of the high caste of Ishgard in the first place? What is the severity of her crime?

[Candor]

Hi there,

 

House Haillenarte FC is a currently developing, soon to be launching Free Company that surrounds the infrastructure of the Haillenarte nobility. We take a unique approach to role-playing and storytelling, and what you have in mind - or what you want - is just the sort of thing that we'll be doing. If you would like to join our small group of Ishgard-centric founders, I'm certain that you could find more than one player interested in the sort of story that you're talking about.

 

Get in touch with me via PM here if my offer interests you, or just reach out in-game at character name L'cero Nunh (No, a Nunh doesn't lead House Haillenarte.) If not, I wish you the best of luck in your search!

[thesunalsorises]

Once you're branded a heretic, it's pretty impossible for people to accept you. Any Ishgardian that put their neck out on the line would be kind of ostracizing themselves from their own belief, not necessarily out in the open but perhaps in their own religion and kind of betraying Halone.

 

On a secondary note, there isn't some "big list of heresey" that they keep around in the upper echelons of their society. That's why they have Inquisitors always about and making sure that everything is kept in check. Hell, there's even the Dark Knights to worry about, upholding the justice among all social ranks and classes of Ishgard. Once you are branded a heretic, you are fairly certain to never be accepted once again into the fold. Especially if you're of the higher echelon, which is the caste of people that live that very comfortable life. You wouldn't suddenly just appear and get everything you used to have without the entirety of the Clergy looking at you and laughing at you before dragging you off to some sort of penance, or worse.

 

My recommendation wouldn't be to take this route but instead to take the route of Ishgard needing able bodies to add to the war effort. Something that is very real and very much going to be happening. Rather than saying, "Look, I really just want my kush life back," say something to the effect of, "I've pledged my life, body, and soul to The Holy See in terms of penance and am willing to do anything to earn the graces of my people once again." As you're an Elezen and as you talked about your character wanting their kush life back, considering that would make them of the higher caste of people in Ishgard, it's a little more believable taking that route with an Inquisitor or a member of the Clergy acting as a sponsor of some kind. Even then it's kind of pushing the boundaries.

 

One does not simply become a heretic and become forgiven.

 

Which leads into my question. Why would she have become a heretic in the first place if she was of the high caste of Ishgard in the first place? What is the severity of her crime?

 

I'm quite aware of the lore behind Ishgard, but the thing is Ophelie doesn't care at all. She's a manipulative, femme fatale, who only cares cares about herself, and she will play whatever part she has to to get what she wants. She would pretend to repent for her sins, or manipulate/seduce someone into being her sponsor, if it means being able to go back to her life. She uses people as tools to get what she wants, and she's willing to to play the part of tragic victim who has been mislead and now she sees the error of her ways and seeks forgiveness. I've already done scenes where she's lead people to believe she's the victim of a tragic misunderstanding.

 

Ophelie's crime is that she was the longtime mistress of noble, who was accused and found guilty of heresy and she interrupted his trial. Thus she was branded as a sympathizer and sent to the workhouses where the family members of heretics are sent. She later escapes which puts her into more trouble than she actually was in originally.

[Mordred Lyloche]

That's the point. Your character may not care about the things involved or the powers that be, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the world throws their hands up and says, "Hallelujah! She's repented!" We honestly don't have much, if anything, to go off of when it comes to heretics repenting. Once you're branded a heretic, it isn't something that you can just so easily wash off your hands by bending over for some other noble.

 

And even if she were allowed back within the borders, there's a very large amount of skepticism that any of her previous kin would want anything to do with her, thus keeping her from attaining her previous life and leaving her in the lower echelons of society.

[thesunalsorises]

We honestly don't have much, if anything, to go off of when it comes to heretics repenting.

 

And that is where the fun of role playing comes from. By not knowing we get to fill in the gaps and be creative and do a just a teeny bit of speculating and world building.

[Mordred Lyloche]

But therein lies the issue. We do have some sort of grasp on how things are handled due to the existence of Inquisitors and their dogged hunt for heresy. We do know that Ishgard doesn't have a computer database that can just be wiped clean.

 

In your case, particularly, it's a little rougher than usual to get around that. Usually, I'd nod my head or shrug my shoulders and say, "Well, they can't keep track of everyone and such. They disappeared for years and came back under a pseudonym." Well, that works perfectly fine.

 

What you've explained, however, is that a case among -nobility- which is described to be outlandish within itself due to the existence and necessity of the Dark Knights - but that's a totally different topic - was handled and your character was branded as a heretic due to the actions she took following that case. Now, given the outlandish nature of heresy among the elite, inferred by the presence of Dark Knights, and the way that the lower caste of Ishgardians are treated it can be stipulated that yours is a face that they might not want to forget and while they aren't going to traipse throughout Eorzea to find and kill you, they might be ready for your return and looking forward to dealing with the ant that slipped through their fingers.

 

Going down a rather darker path, with the existence of the Dark Knights and the Inquisitors both, there might be something of an action taken against your character even if you managed to weasel your way back into the fold. A zealot among Inquisitors seeing your very presence an affront against Halone, or a Dark Knight viewing the way that your return was handled as an affront against justice and the Ishgardian standard. It all leads down a very bad path for writing in general that few have the patience to write out.

 

As I stated earlier, as well, it would be nearly impossible for your character to find an individual willing to put their honor (and potentially their life) on the line for a tried and true heretic.

 

Pretending that she was able to get through all of that hardship just for the sake of argument and her return to Ishgard, from a writer's perspective, I cannot with any frame of mind think that she would be capable of regaining her previous lifestyle "just like that," if ever. Those that she was born around would never be able to trust her or even terrified to do anything -with- her for fear of dealing with a heretic.

 

Your character is a diamond in the rough of Ishgardians, as is, due to the fact that we get a very clear image of how Ishgardian "heretics" accept their fate. In both examples that we are given by the MSQ - two very different individuals - they were both ready to die, albeit not without trying to voice their side of the story or questioning it. They did not fight the Inquisitor, they accepted his judgment in the end.

[Martiallais]

*snip*

Your character is a diamond in the rough of Ishgardians, as is, due to the fact that we get a very clear image of how Ishgardian "heretics" accept their fate. In both examples that we are given by the MSQ - two very different individuals - they were both ready to die, albeit not without trying to voice their side of the story or questioning it. They did not fight the Inquisitor, they accepted his judgment in the end.

 

Don't mean to derail or hijack the thread but there are a number of different characters/views of Ishgard abounding. While I agree that it -would- be hard for her to get back in, I don't think every person or every family with a member branded a heretic literally up and says 'okay I must be guilty'.

 

I have to agree that part of the fun of roleplay is creating these kinds of situations and then letting them play out, however that may be. My own character is a knight who has stayed on his best behavior due to helping a family member that was framed and labeled a heretic...at least according to rumor.

 

That said, back on topic and to the OP, you mentioned her being a femme fatale, and wanting to get her life back. I'm not sure what other sort of character arcs you have in mind or other bits on her personality (have to finish reading the wiki, apologies!) but it sounds like she could be ripe for becoming a dark knight, in function if not ingame class. The pieces (and this is just IMO) seem there. If she can't, in fact, get her life back, why not go after the ones who ruined hers to begin with?

[thesunalsorises]

But therein lies the issue. We do have some sort of grasp on how things are handled due to the existence of Inquisitors and their dogged hunt for heresy. We do know that Ishgard doesn't have a computer database that can just be wiped clean.

 

In your case, particularly, it's a little rougher than usual to get around that. Usually, I'd nod my head or shrug my shoulders and say, "Well, they can't keep track of everyone and such. They disappeared for years and came back under a pseudonym." Well, that works perfectly fine.

 

What you've explained, however, is that a case among -nobility- which is described to be outlandish within itself due to the existence and necessity of the Dark Knights - but that's a totally different topic - was handled and your character was branded as a heretic due to the actions she took following that case. Now, given the outlandish nature of heresy among the elite, inferred by the presence of Dark Knights, and the way that the lower caste of Ishgardians are treated it can be stipulated that yours is a face that they might not want to forget and while they aren't going to traipse throughout Eorzea to find and kill you, they might be ready for your return and looking forward to dealing with the ant that slipped through their fingers.

 

Going down a rather darker path, with the existence of the Dark Knights and the Inquisitors both, there might be something of an action taken against your character even if you managed to weasel your way back into the fold. A zealot among Inquisitors seeing your very presence an affront against Halone, or a Dark Knight viewing the way that your return was handled as an affront against justice and the Ishgardian standard. It all leads down a very bad path for writing in general that few have the patience to write out.

 

As I stated earlier, as well, it would be nearly impossible for your character to find an individual willing to put their honor (and potentially their life) on the line for a tried and true heretic.

 

Pretending that she was able to get through all of that hardship just for the sake of argument and her return to Ishgard, from a writer's perspective, I cannot with any frame of mind think that she would be capable of regaining her previous lifestyle "just like that," if ever. Those that she was born around would never be able to trust her or even terrified to do anything -with- her for fear of dealing with a heretic.

 

Your character is a diamond in the rough of Ishgardians, as is, due to the fact that we get a very clear image of how Ishgardian "heretics" accept their fate. In both examples that we are given by the MSQ - two very different individuals - they were both ready to die, albeit not without trying to voice their side of the story or questioning it. They did not fight the Inquisitor, they accepted his judgment in the end.

 

It seems to me that we have vastly different styles of role play, and this forum is not the place to be policing other people's style of role play or their interpretation of the lore. If you don't like how I, or anyone else for that matter, personally role plays you are not in any way obliged to role play with me/them or look at my/their threads. I respectfully ask you to leave, unless you have something to say that is actually relevant to my original post. Thank you.

 

Edit: I also never mentioned that said plot to enter Ishgard had to be successful or was even going to be easy. I just wanted to do this part of the plot first, then I'll go on role play and deal with the IC consequences later.

[LiadansWhisper]

 

 

 

It seems to me that we have vastly different styles of role play, and this forum is not the place to be policing other people's style of role play or their interpretation of the lore. If you don't like how I, or anyone else for that matter, personally role plays you are not in any way obliged to role play with me/them or look at my/their threads. I respectfully ask you to leave, unless you have something to say that is actually relevant to my original post. Thank you.

 

Edit: I also never mentioned that said plot to enter Ishgard had to be successful or was even going to be easy. I just wanted to do this part of the plot first, then I'll go on role play and deal with the IC consequences later.

 

I don't think anyone is trying to "police" your RP, and it would be silly for anyone to try since...you are the master of your own RP.  To me, it sounds like they just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into.

[Momoka]

mmm....I feel that many people with any sort of "clout" in the Ishgardian society would be very hard pressed to help someone accused of Heresy without legitimate concrete proof showing otherwise. But if someone had said proof, they would not need help in the first place. Very few things in this world are enough to distract someone from the ever present threat of witch drop.

[V'aleera]

I feel that many people with any sort of "clout" in the Ishgardian society would be very hard pressed to help someone accused of Heresy

People with clout helping accused heretics is the premise of the entire first half of the Coerthas MSQ.

[Aduu Avagnar]

If I remember correctly, that is because the person did not believe that they were a heretic, and worked to prove their innocence. The person did not run away.

 

Therein lies the issue with me. If you truly were repentant, or not a heretic, you would not have run. That instantly puts a tick against you on whether or not people would believe your story back in Ishgard.

[thesunalsorises]

If I remember correctly, that is because the person did not believe that they were a heretic, and worked to prove their innocence. The person did not run away.

 

Therein lies the issue with me. If you truly were repentant, or not a heretic, you would not have run. That instantly puts a tick against you on whether or not people would believe your story back in Ishgard.

 

I know OOC, no one would probably believe her unless she pulls some magic while trying to manipulate people and telling her side of the story. IC, she doesn't see it that way at all, and she'll try because she's thoroughly convinced she can pull it off. She sees herself as a victim, and her thinking is very self centered.

[Aduu Avagnar]

If I remember correctly, that is because the person did not believe that they were a heretic, and worked to prove their innocence. The person did not run away.

 

Therein lies the issue with me. If you truly were repentant, or not a heretic, you would not have run. That instantly puts a tick against you on whether or not people would believe your story back in Ishgard.

 

I know OOC, no one would probably believe her unless she pulls some magic while trying to manipulate people and telling her side of the story. IC, she doesn't see it that way at all, and she'll try because she's thoroughly convinced she can pull it off. She sees herself as a victim, and her thinking is very self centered.

That's fine, however, you may very well be setting yourself up for IC failure. Which isn't inherently a bad thing. Just be prepared for it to not go her way.

[Verad]

A couple of questions before I jump in with any concrete suggestions:

 

• You say she's "technically considered" to be a heretic. Having read over your wiki, it appears that she's got a mix of guilt-by-association with somebody convicted of heresy compounding her actual crime of fleeing a work camp. It is not clear if she is an actual no-fooling hail Dravania full-of-scales heretic. Is her current legal state the result of bad luck and the wheels of Ishgardian justice catching her between the cogs, or is she genuinely heretical?
  

• Is it necessary that she maintain the same identity she had in Ishgard prior to her escape, and if not, is there any reason she would not attempt to forge a new identity in order to get in?
  

• Why does she want to go back to Ishgard specifically, instead of establishing herself as well-off in any of the other city-states?
  

[111]

I question if Heresy can be cleared away like an overdue parking ticket.

 

I wrote a background of heresy and exile into my own character, and as the expansion came out, her story caused her to cast her eyes.... Heavensward.

 

The issue was I couldn't really figure out a good justification for the xenophobic and highly religious society of Ishgard forgiving my character's mistakes of the past. At the end of the day, it's your character, but perhaps its more interesting to have the issue unresolved? Perhaps she could sneak in, and work in secret, or under a false identity. Perhaps it could be covered up, only to be uncovered later.

 

I found that the heresy thing was too interesting and core of a concept to handwave, and you might want to consider the pros/cons of using something traumatic as that as a one off RP hook. As Verad says, there is a certain amount of desperation and foolishness in returning to a city that wants you dead on sight, and why she would go back anyway is a very interesting question to help you define your character.

[K'nahli]

As informative and well-written as all of these posts were, I think the OP isn't very interested in hearing reasons for why such a scenario can't/would be incredibly difficult to work.

 

With that said, unless I am misreading your feelings on the matter OP, please refrain from further conversation that does not tie into you showing interest in participating in such a plot. It's a thread for making connections after all ^^

 

In any case, I don't think anyone meant badly by their contribution to your thread and were merely trying to help you both understand the difficulties associated with the concept as well as using it as a medium to expand upon their own opinions on the matter.

 

Please correct me if I am wrong however, and good luck with your plot should you follow through ^^

[Verad]

I question if Heresy can be cleared away like an overdue parking ticket.

 

I wrote a background of heresy and exile into my own character, and as the expansion came out, her story caused her to cast her eyes.... Heavensward.

 

The issue was I couldn't really figure out a good justification for the xenophobic and highly religious society of Ishgard forgiving my character's mistakes of the past. At the end of the day, it's your character, but perhaps its more interesting to have the issue unresolved? Perhaps she could sneak in, and work in secret, or under a false identity. Perhaps it could be covered up, only to be uncovered later.

 

I found that the heresy thing was too interesting and core of a concept to handwave, and you might want to consider the pros/cons of using something traumatic as that as a one off RP hook. As Verad says, there is a certain amount of desperation and foolishness in returning to a city that wants you dead on sight, and why she would go back anyway is a very interesting question to help you define your character.

 

I think you're misreading me slightly, but that's understandable given how the thread started. My goal is more to understand the details of her situation before providing any specific suggestions for going back than to implicitly say "You can have what you want without going back to Ishgard, so don't do it."

 

The fact that people might be mean to her if she goes to Ishgard is fine; I'm told that's some of that conflict thing people are all about, and I doubt the society is going to be portrayed as so uniformly absolutist that there can be no possible leeway for her if she goes back as-is. Placing bets on a questline dealing with somebody harboring unjustly accused heretics even now.

 

Personally I think working with a false identity is her best bet, and to that end OP might be able to find some good criminal groups to help her achieve that and get her into the city on the sly. There's also some good cat-and-mouse to be done there as she maintains the charade in the face of questions and skepticism from the locals.

[Zelmanov]

I think someone as a courtesan/escort in Ishgardian society may actually be able to weasel their ways into upper echelons. Most likely in OP's case, under an assumed name. Maybe you can look for a noble to entrance. One only needs to look at France and Italy to see how ladies of company accrued power.

 

 

If Ophelie wishes the opulence but not the reputation, she could realistically return under an assumed name and work her way back up. The part of fiction and convenience means that of course someone will be sweet on her.

 

Believe me, it'd be much easier than trying to overturn a heretical judgement if she was really deemed as such.

 

just 2 cents