3 backstory options, 1 character

[Kilieit]

I've been sitting on this dilemma for almost a month now, so I thought I'd raise it here too.

 

I have this character. Liuthas Corwell. He's a Midlander Hyur, and his fighting style resembles what the game terms as "gladiator". He has a twin sister, Lusetta, and both are orphans since a young age. They are raised with some fairly particular religion-based views about what is The Right Way To Live, but through the course of Liuthas' character development, I plan that he will come to question these views and eventually become more open-minded. Even though he starts out misguided, he is a kind-natured sweetheart. He became estranged from Lusetta all the same - because she believed he was being too merciful towards their enemies, while he believed she was a war-mongering oaf.

 

So that's what I already know about him. He's an import from another setting, so those are the aspects of his backstory I've decided to keep.

 

Problem is... I can't decide where in Eorzea he's from.

 

Option #1: He's Ala Mhigan.

Option #2: He's Forestborn.

Option #3: He's Ishgardian.

 

Option #1 offers a clear place as to how they could have been orphaned (they're young enough that their parents could have been killed during the original Garlean take-over of Ala Mhigo). It also offers a clear reason for the twins to have split - Lusetta believing bloody revolution is the only way to take back the city, while Liuthas believes they shouldn't expend more lives than necessary. However, it makes it a bit harder for me to get the "religious righteousness" alongside his temperament, because I feel like vehement worshippers of Rhalgr wouldn't be as sweet as I intend him to be... it's also a little difficult to find clear canon information on Ala Mhigans, and I feel weird taking someone else's fanon.

 

Option #2 provides a clear source of the type of dynamic I want him to have with his religious-type views - the vehement views some Forestborn hold where you Must Do This and Must Not Do That or risk invoking the Greenwrath, which in times before the Calamity would have been based in facts, but these days comes across as close-minded and xenophobic. It would be fun to show him adjusting to outsiders, and travelling further afield himself. But it's a bit harder for me to contrast him with his sister in this situation, since presumably they'd have no huge discrepancies; and I also don't have a clear "all-encompassing war" that could have killed their parents.

 

Option #3 seems to provide everything I want - orphaned by the war with the dragons, raised by priests of Halone, Lusetta thinks they should invade the Dravanian homeland in retaliation where Liuthas thinks they should just seek to end the war and stop the bloodshed - but... I haven't got to Heavensward content on my main, yet. I don't feel I can confidently say "yes, my character is Ishgardian" until after I've played it through to the current patch. That could take me weeks or months from now, and it feels weird leaving his backstory "pending" while I do that when I might not even decide to make him Ishgardian in the end...

 

I also want to consider how easy it would make it to RP him with others. I haven't really made contact with the in-game RP community yet (I'm on Balmung) so I don't know if any of these backstories are either "supposed to be" rare (among adventurers) and are considered overdone, or if any are considered under-done and would be more in demand. I also don't know if any are generally in-character stigmatised against or not (which would change the kind of RP I would be doing on him), or if any have particularly large/active RP communities that I could be interested in joining.

 

Obviously all of the backstories are pretty mutually exclusive, so I can't really fudge it and decide later...

[LiadansWhisper]

I personally love Option #3, but that's just me.

[Sounsyy]

Option #1 offers a clear place as to how they could have been orphaned (they're young enough that their parents could have been killed during the original Garlean take-over of Ala Mhigo). It also offers a clear reason for the twins to have split - Lusetta believing bloody revolution is the only way to take back the city, while Liuthas believes they shouldn't expend more lives than necessary. However, it makes it a bit harder for me to get the "religious righteousness" alongside his temperament, because I feel like vehement worshippers of Rhalgr wouldn't be as sweet as I intend him to be... it's also a little difficult to find clear canon information on Ala Mhigans, and I feel weird taking someone else's fanon.

 

Here's a rather large lore post on Ala Mhigo - all canon, no fanon. Hope that helps! As for religious rightism, without the bloody baptism and warmongering that defined the Ala Mhigans for the last half millennia, you could always have your character be a devout believer in Nymeia instead of Rhalgr. You said your character was young. The last five years before Ala Mhigo's fall, the worship of Rhalgr was forbidden under pain of public beheading and replaced instead by worship of Nymeia, decreed by the King of Ruin. This would've been roughly 20-25 years ago. Your characters could've been raised under his rule or their parents impressed upon their children the political state of things. After the fall, the sister denounced Nymeia and fastened her resolve in her brethren's devotion to Rhalgr, destruction, and war. While your character may still heed Nymeia, master over Rhalgr.

 

 

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Option #2 provides a clear source of the type of dynamic I want him to have with his religious-type views - the vehement views some Forestborn hold where you Must Do This and Must Not Do That or risk invoking the Greenwrath, which in times before the Calamity would have been based in facts, but these days comes across as close-minded and xenophobic. It would be fun to show him adjusting to outsiders, and travelling further afield himself. But it's a bit harder for me to contrast him with his sister in this situation, since presumably they'd have no huge discrepancies; and I also don't have a clear "all-encompassing war" that could have killed their parents.

 

The discrepancies between the siblings could be translated into their views on outsiders, or even their bigotry towards the Duskwight ("Greys") or Keeper populations. And how they spit on the will of the elementals. Granted, I think its a bit weaker than your other two options as far as divisions go, but it's a less used take. As for what could've killed off their parents?

 

1) Aiding the Ala Mhigan Resistance.

Khrimm's parents' date=' Sigurdh and Oona, and Fye's brother, Dunstan—they were among Gridania's finest warriors. They all fought nobly against the Garleans occupying Ala Mhigo.[/quote']

 

2) Became Wildlings.

The greenwrath has been stirred by many and more lately' date=' and not just adventurers. It's said those who anger the elementals are claimed by the wood, damned to live out their days wandering its depths. We call those unfortunate souls "wildlings." And pity them as we may, they are a danger.[/quote']

 

3) Claimed by the Creeping Death.

The Chigoe' date=' you see, is one of the few creatures capable of transmitting the disease known as the Creeping Death. Until relatively recently, any Hyur who contracted this ghastly illness would almost invariably perish. Indeed, a single outbreak once claimed the lives of a third of the Hyuran population here in Gridania. That was a long time ago, of course. With the medicines available to us now, the Creeping Death is not the killer it once was. Even so, it is best to halt any new outbreaks before they occur. Thus we gather chigoe eggs on a regular basis in order to assist the Trapper's League with their ongoing research.[/quote']

 

 

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Option #3 seems to provide everything I want - orphaned by the war with the dragons, raised by priests of Halone, Lusetta thinks they should invade the Dravanian homeland in retaliation where Liuthas thinks they should just seek to end the war and stop the bloodshed - but... I haven't got to Heavensward content on my main, yet. I don't feel I can confidently say "yes, my character is Ishgardian" until after I've played it through to the current patch. That could take me weeks or months from now, and it feels weird leaving his backstory "pending" while I do that when I might not even decide to make him Ishgardian in the end...

 

Option 3 is probably going to be your most solid with the concept you're looking into. Ishgard really has all that you're looking for. In fact, your characters' concepts are one of the largest dichotomies explored in the Heavensward story, which is to say, the concept is commonplace, not necessarily overdone though. I'm not sure if that is a deterrent or not? I would encourage you to get through the Ishgard content all the same. If you're curious, this is an Ishgardian Lore Compilation that has topics ranging from religion, to dragoons, to social hierarchy in the Holy See. There are scattered spoilers throughout, to give fair warning.

 

 

Hope this helps! ^^

[Zelmanov]

I'd also take into account, since time is an issue here, that Ishard's "story" in so far as to what we care about is coming to a close. What with the next patch of 3.3 or possibly 3.4 concluding the Dragonsong War before we handle the next expansion.

 

 

Now if you are willing to buckle down and do the heavensward story, you can benefit from being Ishgardian in so far as having a fast, to the point character arc without you being forced to dick around for 2-3 months stagnant.

 

However this may get you to your character's "end game" much too quickly for your liking (be it making up with his sister, affirmation or rejection of his religion, etc.)

 

Ala Mhigo seems to be the focus for the next expansion, what with some Heavensward clips hinting at it. Or at the very least, we'll be clashing directly with Garlemald again which opens up a LOT of RP avenues for a TON of character meaning that you'll have no shortage of people to help explore your character growth.

 

If you character's growth is tied to his nation, Ishgard doesn't have much more to grow. If you hope for this to just be a chapter in life before say, going to whatever far off lands in future expansions and becoming an adventurer? Do whatever you feel is more attractive. 

 

Though for me, Gridania is a very different origin thematically to me. The "way of life" is a rule in fear of a power far beyond any reckoning or strength any mortal can wield. The elementals are capricious, violent and can't even discern one mortal from another. they are Eldritch horrors by any other name. There are very few ways to "resolve" questioning that way of life beyond abandonment of Gridania, especially for a supposedly merciful character.