Wolph Het Glacius

[Ozma]

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. 

 

 

Character Name: Wolph het Glacius

 

Given Name: Sion Lohel

Age: 28

Race: Hyur/Au Ra

General Class: Gladiator

 

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Description/Comments: 

 

Early Life 

Unlike some who were born of normal heritage, she was a byproduct of a unison between a Garlean soldier and a spoil of war from Doma. She hasn't the foggiest of memories of her own parents, father could potentially be dead somewhere from an unknown campaign and as for her own mother she always believed she died either through child birth or through a torrent of emotional stress and break down. 

 

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Unlike most who had a peaceful upbringing, everyday was a challenge against the odds as the young orphan grew up in the slums knowing nothing but sharpening the means of surviving as well as an object that could be used to inflict pain. She spent much of her childhood surviving in the lawless slums of Gol where you either lived another day or became staple diet of local flocks of crows. Stealing, stabbing, lying, all of these became second nature to her just as one would find the act of breathing air a second nature to them and as she grew, she couldn't wait to leave behind the slums even if the alternative was to put her life at risk, for generous sums of coin of course.

 

As one among many who sought to make fortune by serving the Imperial Army, Sion served in many campaigns and lived to tell tales unlike her peers who fertilized the battlefields with their corpses now probably long forgotten. As with many young Garleans who truly believed in the philosophy of Justice lies with the Mighty, she served as a vanguard in many campaigns until her name was well known throughout the Imperial Army as the Butcher of the IIth Legion. Known for her cruel and brutally effective leadership accompanied by seasoned combat ability, she was the ideal killing machine that awed the hearts of frontline Centurions while striking dreadful fear against those that were unfortunate to encounter her.

 

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With all the makings of an accomplished warrior, thrice she had objected against promotion in her military career, serving at the frontlines by choice to sate her insatiable hunger for bloodshed and martial prowess. Among many ridiculous rumors circulating her identity it's said that she may have received an official summons from the late Emperor of Garlemald, his Majesty Solus zos Galvus, to serve the legion as an Imperial Legatus only to turn down the offer as it would get in her way of pursuing a martial path. 

 

At the pinnacle of her military career, Sion was a renown prodigy at warfare despite never having to formally study strategy, yet the vanguards she led had never lost a battle because of her unique unorthodox savage tactics. An aggressive commander and tactician who likes to use guerilla warfare and psychological warfare. Her most unique and seemingly lethal trait was her uncanny ability to infiltrate an enemy's headquarters and kill their general as well as any commanding officers. Her boldness and bravado in combination with her unique tactics were a devastating combination, adding to her great aptitude in every regard. 

 

As Garlemald came to be established and no worthy campaigns remained giving her the exhilaration of a hard fought battle, Sion resigned from the military only to be drawn back into battle against the very Empire she once served. During her time of unemployment she was approached by the noble house of Argus who sought to usurp the throne with the aid of other prominent leaders who grew dissatisfied with the Emperor's rule. Promised with a civil war that will surpass any previous campaigns she had partook in, Sion readily agreed to take lead in the civil war only to be crushed at the siege of Galgaster Trade City. While the rebel fleets battled against the XIVth Legion in the skies, Sion herself infiltrated deep into the enemy flagship Agrius in an unorthodox attempt to cut down the commanding officer, Gaius van Baelsar. 

 

Gaius who anticipated Sion's plans instead, met his would be assailant by predicting the most probably point of infiltration and planned an ambush at the airdocks of Agrius. Despite the overwhelming defeat, Sion drew her blade against Gaius and exchanged blows only to learn her enemy was not only an accomplished strategist but a very capable warrior who surpassed her in every expectations. The battle ended as Gaius dealt a mortal blow severing Sion's sword arm while puncturing through her breastplate with his arm cannon which flew her off the docks into the ensuing airship dogfights below the flagship. Since then she was presumed dead as no man could have survived the fall from such height. 

 

 

Present Life

Though the circumstances revolving around her narrow escape from death remains unclear, with the devil's own luck Sion survived that battle and her body was retrieved by those who also survived the onslaught of the XIVth Legion. One of her greatest benefactors was a key member of the Imperial Senate of Garlemald. Tenjin Iyl Stormrage, a former ninjutsu instructor and retired Minister of Military Affairs in Doma and now a member of the Senate who tried his best to change Garlemald from the inside than to openly resist it's armies. He was a calm and collected individual who saw great potential in taking her in as a disciple even if the person in question was openly defiant about it at first. Since then she has went through numerous cybernetic implants that replaced much of her ruptured organs as well as replacing her right arm built with Magitek technology. Sion has since then served Tenjin with new found loyalty by joining the Senate as it's consul and sword.

 

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To her Tenjin was a teacher, her master, and a father she never had. Through much of the time she spent with him, she grew out of her savage personality of a warmongering warrior, quietly dissolving away the bloodthirsty persona of her young military career and with age she became an accomplished Imperial Judge of the Garlean Senate, adopting the name Wolph het Glacius. Fearing she might still be pursued by those that recognized her as a traitor of the Empire, when she adopted the new name she made it a habit to always conceal her identity behind thick sheets of plate armor and posing as a man. Thus became the man shrouded in layers of mystery, an Imperial Judge who went by the name Wolph het Glacius.

 

It was the overall decision of the Senate that disapproved the current Emperor's interests in world domination yet they were powerless against the overwhelming support of the new Emperor and his interest in pushing the war efforts against the respective rulers of Eorzea. Even those that once supported the war efforts during the rule of his grace Emperor Solus Zos Galvus refused to support the war efforts after the 2 previous campaigns that costing them greatly. The Senate surmised that another great war will only result in a senseless bloodshed defeating the very purpose of their late Emperor's will which was to create a world without the Primal threat. Though some still cling onto the old ideas of subjugation as the best answer for all, the majority of the Senate began to see that in order to survive they must learn to co-operate with the other nations.

 

At present she had been dispatched to Ishgard on a discreet diplomatic exchange between the Garlean Imperial Senate and the Sacred Tribunal of Halonic Inquisitory in an attempt to prevent an all out war, a task seemingly impossible if naught but a fool's errand due to the political powers involved in both kingdoms. She can be easily be spotted within the halls of the Vault or the Saint Reymanaud Cathedral donning her intimidating armor befitting of an Imperial Judge of the Garlemald Senate despite the gaze of immense hatred she generates from those that come across her.

[Garalona]

I hope you can handle all the JoJo jokes that name is going to inspire.

[Ozma]

I hope you can handle all the JoJo jokes that name is going to inspire.

 

Haha I never watched JoJo. Actually got the inspiration from another old anime series called Last Exile.

[Branson Thorne]

If you're RPing an active, out and about Garlean you're gonna have a bad time. Considering there's about 100,000 Highlander players who would kill you at first sight just for being Garlean.

 

Also, it was my understanding that the Garleans were pushing for all out war. I don't think they'd send an envoy to try and broker peace.

 

Regardless, the first statement is my personal opinion, and the second I could just be flat out wrong.

 

And also once more, feel free to take this post and throw it right out the window. It's you're money that's paying for the game so to hell with my advice if you should so choose!:thumbsup:

[Oli!]

They're pushing more for Subjugation or GTFO; not quite all-out war, but probably not anything you'd send a Diplomat for either.

 

Not to mention that since Ishgard rejoined the Eorzean Alliance, it seems questionable they would negotiate with Garleans in the first place.

[Garalona]

It's also not that few are willing to play a Garlean, it's that few OPENLY play a Garlean. I've ran into more than a few Garlean spies in the past, each with varying degrees of competency at hiding it, and number of Garlean defectors as well.

 

Ala Mhigans tend to react poorly even to defectors, so you can imagine how things might go. Domans might have a bit more restraint, but are likewise not big fans.

 

There's probably better ways to play a villain, particularly when the Holy See is still keen on rounding up heretics of all stripes.

[Zael Aders]

You can swing Aelia Flameheart a friend request in-game if you're looking for other Garleans to RP with.

 

There's also a whole LS for Garleans and Garlean sympathizers, which you can find on the Linkshell Hall. Might take a bit of digging, but you'll find people to RP with - either as a loyalist, or otherwise.

 

I've been wandering around Balmung proving that you can have a Garlean soldier RP normally. All it takes is not screaming 'die savages' everywhere you go.

[Larson]

The hard part is more or less WHERE to RP. You can't walk around dressed like a Garlean or have your third eye out for everyone to see. The secret garleans in the MSQ hide their third eyes for a reason: that they might be killed on sight.

 

It's also not as likely he would be able to hide if he has a famed reputation for being overpowered. Eorzeans have made it a habit to know who their greatest enemies are.

 

I also want to point out that I haven't yet seen any instances where a single person has mastered six martial classes, much less a Garlean who is incapable of channeling Aether. In the actual game world, it takes years and years to master these classes, even with a knowledge boost from a soul crystal. The ability to harness all of these unique aspects of combat is a bit of a stretch.

 

But as Six said, you can still do you. No one can stop you from playing what you really want to play. If it makes you happy, then go for it.

[Ozma]

Thank you for all the feedback so far. 

 

Yes I'm quite aware that Garleans have a special spot in every Highlanders and I'm most certain the hatred won't simply stop there considering what happened so far in the official storyline. I'm bound to have a very difficult time but that's what makes roleplaying as a Garlean feel like a bit challenging. I'd imagine it would be the equivalent of a Scarlet Crusader walking around in Stormwind while wearing the tabard. 

 

As for the conflicting interest between the Emperor Varis zos Galvus and the Imperial Senate, I was inspired by the conflicting interests shown throughout Greek history between the two powers of the Emperor's Loyalists and the Senate. For a more visual representation, think back to the movie Gladiator and you'll see that the two factions might not necessarily see eye to eye and send out Russell Crowe as their champion. As for the reasoning as to why the Senate might disagree with the conquest at this point in time well that's up to everyone's imagination I think. Economic stability? State of Military Affairs? I'm sure I can find a sound reasoning as to why the Senate might disagree secretively against the Emperor's recent decisions. Or some of them might just be an outright traitor that wants to usurp the throne. With Gaius the Heirsbane dead I'm sure that will give rise to potential surviving would be usurpers to be biding their time, some might hold influential positions within the seat of the Senate who knows. 

 

Ishgard was to my understanding a Neutral party not so long ago. Yes they've joined the alliance but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll turn away a potential ally especially if they're offering an alternative to an all out war. I know that it might be difficult to imagine considering we know so little about Garlemald and it's political power structure which is something I've created while writing this story lol. I'm playing with a lot of what if's here but if the Senate that holds considerable influence to be a thorn on the Emperor's side (though obviously not as openly, you'd think they'd play smart here =P ) were to say join the Alliance, would Aymeric be against the idea? Sure enough there will be hostility and doubt going through everyone's minds and it would be a daunting task to discuss the possibility of co-operation with the other alliance Leaders but I think overall whether the negotiations fail or succeed it would give some very interesting roleplay element not just for myself but for other Garleans and Ex-Garleans who might be willing to join the cause.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

I'll admit to only have kinda sped-read through the backstory.

 

Legion things look fine, but I'd be a little careful about the battle mastery and Allagan tech. But that comes from a person playing a Garlean in hiding because of a failed project to make artificial aether reserves based on research of the Ultima Weapon. (The lore is stretched almost as far as Franz's faked smiles when acts nice to Eorzeans he hasn't come to care for).

 

One thing some of the other pureblooded Garlean characters I've seen have done to tackle the third-eye thing is to use a glamour and/or accessory/hair to hide it. Nothing says "weird and creepy" as much as something noticeably foreign. While it stands to show that Ishgard seems to accept Lucia despite her Garlean heritage, I think that also has to do with Aymeric's open mind towards her. (She is a defected spy, after all). Walking around in a full suit of Garlean battle armor may draw unwanted attention. I'd maybe go for something a little more casual unless the need for a fight arises.

 

But on that note, you might like the Ad Victorium linkshell, which was made to better coordinate Garlean RP. And should my grumpy Garlean find his arse in Ishgard again, or if he seems interesting to you, feel free to poke with a /tell or something. I'm weird and while usually IC, get iffy about walk-up RP outta the blue. Inconsistent play time and all.

[Larson]

I'll admit to only have kinda sped-read through the backstory.

 

Legion things look fine, but I'd be a little careful about the battle mastery and Allagan tech. But that comes from a person playing a Garlean in hiding because of a failed project to make artificial aether reserves based on research of the Ultima Weapon. (The lore is stretched almost as far as Franz's faked smiles when acts nice to Eorzeans he hasn't come to care for).

 

One thing some of the other pureblooded Garlean characters I've seen have done to tackle the third-eye thing is to use a glamour and/or accessory/hair to hide it. Nothing says "weird and creepy" as much as something noticeably foreign. While it stands to show that Ishgard seems  to accept Lucia despite her Garlean heritage, I think that also has to do with Aymeric's open mind towards her. (She is a defected spy, after all). Walking around in a full suit of Garlean battle armor may draw unwanted attention. I'd maybe go for something a little more casual unless the need for a fight arises.

 

But on that note, you might like the Ad Victorium linkshell, which was made to better coordinate Garlean RP. And should my grumpy Garlean find his arse in Ishgard again, or if he seems interesting to you, feel free to poke with a /tell or something. I'm weird and while usually IC, get iffy about walk-up RP outta the blue. Inconsistent play time and all.

I don't think Lucia's status as a Garlean is exactly public knowledge. Aymeric is no doubt aware, but given how everyone was shocked when she revealed it, I doubt anyone else is aware.

[Oli!]

Lucia states that she confided specifically to Aymeric, so no, no one else knows.

 

Since that confession is a big deal to her, it's likely it wouldn't have been taken well.

 

Also, Ishgard is "neutral" in the sense that they'd rather not be bothered, but subjugation by a foreign power would certainly count as "being bothered." Also, their original reason for not joining the Alliance was less because they didn't want to tussle with Garlemald for political reasons, and more because they were too busy Killing All Dragons.

 

I also highly doubt that Garlemald would negotiate for a cease-fire, seeing as part of their goal isn't just subjugation, but also Killing All Primals, because Primals are Killing The Planet. If you put people under your Strict Supervision (subjugation), that becomes easier. The entire reason why the Eorzean Alliance exists is to repel invaders, so it seems counterintuitive to join an alliance dedicated to something, only to Not Do That Thing.

 

I doubt the other city-states would have asked them to come back, if that were their position.

[Ozma]

Thank you so much for all the feedbacks. I've had so much fun reading through them all and I'm pleased to say that everyone has contributed so much constructive criticism to further improve this character. I must say I'm already having a lot of fun discussing about this since there wasn't many people who wanted to discuss about lore or politics featured in the game. Some people I came across didn't even know who Gaius was in Behemoth realm.... 

 

I took some of the ideas and began to change the background history bit by bit. 

 

I added in some more content to explain how she evolved from a battle maniac to a proper diplomat she is today. Though I still feel I should probably expand a little more about her time with a former ninja. 

 

I also changed the name from Dio, courtesy of Garalona who gave me the hint that I will most likely be plagued with Jojojokes! 

 

As for the third eye thing, that completely escaped me! Thank you for reminding me Unnamed, since then I thought about it and decided to change Dio from a male Hyur to a female Au Ra. Her third eye would be hidden behind the scales covering her forehead, on top of that she will be wearing a plate armor to hide her identity behind a male persona of Wolph. I do realize that wearing a armor that characteristically mark her as Garlean might be a bad idea considering the animosity it would bring, that's something I'll have to rp with I think. Yes roleplaying a Garlean openly will get me into many problems in the future and many people have already advised me to play a secretive agent but I felt like trying something completely different to others for the sake of it. 

 

In regards to mastery of different discipline, for now I'll reduce it right down to Gladiator. I do worry though since I play a various melee dps (even though right now my MCH remains highest ilvl lol... ) as well as tank from time to time so wasn't sure how I would go about portraying all this into the roleplay character. For now I'll keep it as Gladiator. 

 

Oli! I completely agree that Garlemald in general as far as canon Lore goes would never propose a ceasefire. Under normal circumstances that would make no sense until someone tries to develop an original idea and build on the skeleton to make a sound reason as to why there might be internal conflict within the political powers and the military powers. There is much to explore in the ladder of Garlean politics, something I thought we knew next to nothing about which therefore gave me the idea to use my creativity to make something out of that realm of unknown. I could be wrong of course but I was under the impression that roleplaying promoted the idea of using creativity to build something that hasn't necessarily been explored yet. If that was the incorrect approach I would like some more constructive feedback and maybe some more ideas as to how I can go about making this work. Ideally I think I would like to make it so that more Garleans can find ways to roleplay openly about their heritage in Ishgard than to sneak around like abandoned rats across the world. This could be the breaking point I don't know but I know it will be one interesting roller coaster ride haha

[Garalona]

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

It's easier to play something simple like a noble or knight, than something like an Ambassador with Diplomatic Immunity and all that jazz. When your title involves privileges and powers you can invoke over others (or you could if they would play along), people tend to react poorly.

 

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.

 

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?

 

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

[Virella]

I wouldn't use an au ra for a pureblood Garlean, seeming it is shown only pureblood Garlean hyur possess the third eye, even halfbloods don't get them passed on. However if you go for a full body glamour if you really, really, really want to look like an au ra, that is an option as well, although it's a bit overdone. I personally would just stick to a highlander hyur to portray them (if you are set onto being a pureblood. An au ra pureblood just doesn't make sense at all).

 

But as people pointed out, being a diplomat is probably not something most people will roll with, and even Ishgardians aren't too friendly with the Garleans. Surely they do not have an outright war pre-3.0, but post 3.0 they vague quote "stand united against the Garlean empire once more being a part of the Eorzean Alliance". Having an OOC shield with titles really does not work, it is show not tell in roleplay.

 

Let the major diplomacy ect to the NPCs. Be a spy of sorts, a defector, perhaps even going as far as having your Garlean spew propaganda secretly.

 

Anyhow, in the end it's your $$$ you're paying, and you're entitled to roleplay as you want, however it goes both ways! People don't have to roleplay with you either. Nothing elitist and snobby about it, just conflicting interests on lore and types of roleplay. (And that comes from someone who roleplays with a pureblood Garlean quite often!)

[SessionZero]

...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]

...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. 

 

All I read from the wikia is the following. 

• 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. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

 

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! 

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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. 

 

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. 

 

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? 

 

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.

[Larson]

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]

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]

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

 

Lore thread on him too: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/230169-Arenvald-Garlean-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]

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]

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!]

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.

[Larson]

Queen Ami

 

NO. Nononononono *star wars scream*

 

Queen Padmé Amidala.

 

As far as Padjal go, I highly advise against it or anything related to it.  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 are a daughter of Nymeia.

[Ozma]

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. 

 

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.