New to the lore - Help me with my Au Ra!

[Qoko Ejinn]

[align=center]Hello![/align]

 

[align=center]First I would just like to introduce the idea and concept behind my character. Please, I am looking for any and all advice about my character, don't be shy! You won't hurt my feel strings. [/align]

 

[align=center]I will warn you now this will be somewhat detailed and may be a long read.[/align]

 

[align=center]First matter of business would be the naming conventions. I've read over the provided wiki information a few times and have decided upon her forename and surname.[/align]

 

[align=center]Kiyoko Kawanami - Female Raen Au Ra. [/align]

 

[align=center]I do believe the name is fitting for the minimal amount of background I have developed so far and does fit the 16th-18th-century naming conventions the wiki provided, however, I may be wrong. [/align]

 

[align=center]The idea behind the name is that Kiyoko means: 'Pure child.' [/align]

[align=center]http://www.behindthename.com/name/kiyoko[/align]

 

[align=center]As with the surname: Kawanami, meaning: Wave of the river, and or stream.[/align]

[align=center][/align]

 

[align=center]Now upon my investigations of the Au Ra via the provided Wiki, I read along the Xaela's clan listings that there is a clan that does accept Raen into their ranks. Screenshot below:[/align]

[align=center][/align]

 

[align=center]My idea for this female Au Ra is to be a part of this Xaela Clan, and abide by their respective traditions and mimic the life of a true Xaela in her youthful years. Which I do believe she would had taken on the name: Kiyoko Malaguld.[/align]

 

[align=center]This information in the story is where things become hazy for me; I cannot find much lore about this land of Doman, or the respective area of Orthard- so developing a backstory for your character's youth can be quite a difficult task. Especially to a novice to the lore, no less. [/align]

 

[align=center]After Kiyoko's time had spent with her Clan, I find the real outcome for her to arrive in Eorzea would be to join the refugees that ventured across the ocean and arrived in Eorzea. I'm not very knowledgeable about this endeavor, or even how many months/years ago it happened, so some help here would be fantastic.[/align]

 

[align=center]After Kiyoko had fled her Clan, for what reason remain unknown, she would adopt the surname, 'Kawanami,' for its meaning of moving waters that freed her from Orthard and brought her about Eorzea. [/align]

 

[align=center]I've been attempting to find other Au Ra on the forums, and browse through their wikis at my leisure for inspiration and ideas on how to handle the coming of age in her youth in Orthard, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.[/align]

 

[align=center]Age?[/align]

[align=center]Once more I came up short on finding any solid answers on when an Au Ra reaches maturity, and one one would age. So I cannot at this moment decide her age without some information on the subject.[/align]

 

[align=center]Scaly appearance, dragon lineage? Or Demon?[/align]

[align=center]It is no secret that Au Ra is entirely different with their lizard-like tails and scales. Why do they have scales? Are they descents of dragons, or demons? Can anyone provide any information here that would help further my character development?[/align]

 

[align=center]The Darkness lingers, or is taught?[/align]

[align=center]I wish for Kiyoko to be somewhat familiar with the variety of swords we have available to us in the game. Such as short swords, long swords, etc. And also two handed swords. I would enjoy playing a character who fits the lesser stipulations of a Dark Knight, but is that possible? Are Dark Knights voidsent? Or close to it? How does a Dark Knight actually learn to wield the darkness to preserve the light? I'd love for Kiyoko to harness this type of roleplay for the greater good, but as a novice, I cannot in good faith continue on the idea without proper guidance.[/align]

 

 

[align=center]So here I am! Yearning to join in and take part in the Roleplay, but I wish to execute it with the respect and dignity the story has provided us, and bestow upon others an authentic experience we can all enjoy. Please, help me with my Au Ra. <3[/align]

[Unnamed Mercenary]

[align=center]This information in the story is where things become hazy for me; I cannot find much lore about this land of Doman, or the respective area of Orthard- so developing a backstory for your character's youth can be quite a difficult task. Especially to a novice to the lore, no less. [/align]

 

[align=center]After Kiyoko's time had spent with her Clan, I find the real outcome for her to arrive in Eorzea would be to join the refugees that ventured across the ocean and arrived in Eorzea. I'm not very knowledgeable about this endeavor, or even how many months/years ago it happened, so some help here would be fantastic.[/align]

 

[align=center]After Kiyoko had fled her Clan, for what reason remain unknown, she would adopt the surname, 'Kawanami,' for its meaning of moving waters that freed her from Orthard and brought her about Eorzea. [/align]

 

[align=center]I've been attempting to find other Au Ra on the forums, and browse through their wikis at my leisure for inspiration and ideas on how to handle the coming of age in her youth in Orthard, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.[/align]

 

 

Doma is a country on the continent Othard. We don't actually know much about it because you cannot travel to it in the game. Doma appears to be Japanese-themed, but it's not a Japan-equivalent. 

 

[align=center]Age?[/align]

[align=center]Once more I came up short on finding any solid answers on when an Au Ra reaches maturity, and one one would age. So I cannot at this moment decide her age without some information on the subject.[/align]

 

 

We can assume Au Ra, like all of the other races in the game, would live to about 100 years under perfect circumstances. They'd likely go through some form of puberty around the same age as the other races. The only known exception to this are Elezen, who would live to about 120 and have a slightly longer puberty/"teen" phase.

 

 

[align=center]Scaly appearance, dragon lineage? Or Demon?[/align]

[align=center]It is no secret that Au Ra is entirely different with their lizard-like tails and scales. Why do they have scales? Are they descents of dragons, or demons? Can anyone provide any information here that would help further my character development?[/align]

 

 

There's nothing to verify in any form. It's mostly left up to perception and racism of characters in the game. We don't have a known lineage for Au Ra, although we know the other playable races all apparently had some common ancestor. (inb4 it was the Allags). They're not related  to dragons or lizards. They have a "demon-like theme," but t here's nothing saying that they actually are demons. Or related to voidsent, which is more a genre than a specific race.

 

[align=center]The Darkness lingers, or is taught?[/align]

[align=center]I wish for Kiyoko to be somewhat familiar with the variety of swords we have available to us in the game. Such as short swords, long swords, etc. And also two handed swords. I would enjoy playing a character who fits the lesser stipulations of a Dark Knight, but is that possible? Are Dark Knights voidsent? Or close to it? How does a Dark Knight actually learn to wield the darkness to preserve the light? I'd love for Kiyoko to harness this type of roleplay for the greater good, but as a novice, I cannot in good faith continue on the idea without proper guidance.[/align]

 

 

Dark Knights are their own thing. They're not voidsent. They don't draw on void energies. (In fact, practicing void magic of any kind is something that would likely get your character arrested at the least, killed more likely). If you're going through the game, I'd recommend trying to get to Ishgard ASAP to unlock the Dark Knight quests. ...or if spoilers are fine, looking up the quests and/or cutscenes. There is undoubtedly, someone who has uploaded them.

[Etoile]

 

[align=center]Scaly appearance, dragon lineage? Or Demon?[/align]

[align=center]It is no secret that Au Ra is entirely different with their lizard-like tails and scales. Why do they have scales? Are they descents of dragons, or demons? Can anyone provide any information here that would help further my character development?[/align]

 

 

There's nothing to verify in any form. It's mostly left up to perception and racism of characters in the game. We don't have a known lineage for Au Ra, although we know the other playable races all apparently had some common ancestor. (inb4 it was the Allags). They're not related  to dragons or lizards. They have a "demon-like theme," but t here's nothing saying that they actually are demons. Or related to voidsent, which is more a genre than a specific race.

 

 

I've dug around for days trying to find lore on Doma and Raen. It's pretty lean. From what I've read nothing in the game maker materials speaks of demonic or draconic heritige. However, it is implied that -some- Au Ra may -think- they have a noble dragonic bloodline (*cough cough, mine*), as the lore suggests while mentioning the gods of the Au Ra. I'm wagering that it's merely a societal belief and not necessarily a biological one, since the page goes on to say scholars refute the connection due to un-dragon like physical traits the Au Ra possess.

[Kilieit]

Gamer Escape has full transcripts of the DRK quests, both journal entry and NPC dialogue. Links below. Obviously major spoilers.

 

 

 

The 30-50 chain covers your development as a dark knight alongside your mysterious mentor, Fray.

30 - Our End

30 - Ishgardian Justice

35 - The Voice in the Abyss

40 - Heroic Reprise

45 - Declaration of Blood

50 - Our Answer

 

The 50-60 chain follows your encounters with a xaela dark knight, Sidurgu.

50 - The Wages of Mercy

52 - The Knight and the Maiden Fair

54 - Kindred Spirits

56 - Original Sins

58 - The Flame in the Abyss

60 - Absolution

 

 

 

I think Unnamed Mercenary covered everything else I would have said!

[Sounsyy]

This information in the story is where things become hazy for me; I cannot find much lore about this land of Doman, or the respective area of Orthard- so developing a backstory for your character's youth can be quite a difficult task. Especially to a novice to the lore, no less.

 

Doma was first a country and later an Imperial Province on the Far Eastern continent of Othard. It is located on the northeastern coastline of the continent and is nestled near the foot of the continent's northern mountainous regions. It is traditionally the home of the Raen Au Ra after giving up nomadic life, but it is also home to Hyur and Lalafell as well. Doma has been under the occupation of the Garlean Empire for the last 25-odd years, but in an attempted resistance roughly one year ago during Garlemald's War of Succession, the Doman province was razed, sending many refugees scattering across the seas to Eorzea.

 

-Doma Lore

-Garlemald Lore, and the Empire's Invasion of Othard

 

 

_________________________

After Kiyoko's time had spent with her Clan, I find the real outcome for her to arrive in Eorzea would be to join the refugees that ventured across the ocean and arrived in Eorzea. I'm not very knowledgeable about this endeavor, or even how many months/years ago it happened, so some help here would be fantastic.

 

The Raen Au Ra first began migrating to Eorzea about one year ago in the months following the fall of Doma, during Garlemald's War of Succession. It takes many weeks to sail from Eorzea to the Near East, it's likely that the journey from Othard's eastern coast could take well over a month or more by sea. Travel by land and air would be impossible, as the only landbridge into Eorzea has been walled off by the Empire.

 

Xaela Au Ra, on the other hand, have a history of nomadic migrations ranging far and wide. We've known of three instances of Xaela travelling to Eorzea in the past 100 years in small groups- all of which resulted in the swift extermination of said group barring one survivor. This is why the Au Ra remain a relative unknown to most Eorzeans to this day. That's not to say other Xaela haven't made the journey before, just that we don't know about them yet- or they likely also did not survive long enough to make history.

 

 

_________________________

Once more I came up short on finding any solid answers on when an Au Ra reaches maturity, and one one would age. So I cannot at this moment decide her age without some information on the subject.

 

It's actually an unknown, hopefully to be corrected in the upcoming lore book. However, we do have lore that the other Spoken races age similar to us in the real world, with the exception of Elezen who mature a little slower but live a little longer. More lore on the playable races can be found in the link below! There's a tab for Au Ra, as well as lore on aging and interracial breeding, etc.

 

-Race Lore Masterpost

 

 

_________________________

Scaly appearance, dragon lineage? Or Demon?

It is no secret that Au Ra is entirely different with their lizard-like tails and scales. Why do they have scales? Are they descents of dragons, or demons? Can anyone provide any information here that would help further my character development?

 

Franz said it best, but we don't really know why they're scaley. We know that they are not descendants of dragons, however, and we're pretty sure they're not demons. The former comes up in lore, the latter does not, but was referenced in dev commentary. They're just another Spoken race that happens to have scales instead of fur or hair. Now, there's a lot of fanon and player-based "dragon/demon" talk that can sometimes confuse this- but during the original concepts of the Au Ra, dragons and demonic themes were used when creating the race we have today, as well as several more beastial concepts, however, the end product was none of the above. I talk a bit more about that in this post.

 

 

_________________________

I wish for Kiyoko to be somewhat familiar with the variety of swords we have available to us in the game. Such as short swords, long swords, etc. And also two handed swords. I would enjoy playing a character who fits the lesser stipulations of a Dark Knight, but is that possible? Are Dark Knights voidsent? Or close to it? How does a Dark Knight actually learn to wield the darkness to preserve the light?

 

Dark Knights specifically are an Ishgardian concept, though that doesn't necessarily limit a Dark Knight to being from or only operating within Ishgard, truthfully. Their magic is not of the void, but uses a mix of internal aether and strong emotions to channel their abilities. Compiled lore pertaining to Dark Knights can be found in the link below:

 

-Dark Knight Lore

 

 

Hope this helps! ^^ Lemme know if you have more questions!

[Qoko Ejinn]

Wow!

 

All of you have gone above and beyond to help with my inquiries and I cannot express my gratitude enough to you all for be so willing to help out. I appreciate all the detailed information and responses, and will be reading over the provided materials you gave me. 

 

So far I have finalized her name and appearance; I think the next step would be to make contact in the game with some willing Roleplayers who would be prepared to help set the scene for my Au Ra and perhaps take her under their wing.

 

I most certainly have more questions, however, for now, I will leave you with a screenshot my Au Ra and think a bit about organizing my thoughts and reply when I have them all sorted.

 

 

I found a linkshell on the website for Doman Refugees that looked perfect for my in game inquiries and questions about my character and the history of the Doman society. However, they seem to be inactive at the moment. 

 

Does anyone know of an FC or Linkshell of any Au Ra organizations that I could get into contact with to help further along my character once I go IC?

[Chidori]

I think you could be a large sword wielder without being DrK. At least in my book, they could just be proficient with various swords. Now if you wanted to tap into some of that power that is exclusively dark knight, then yeah.

 

For Chidori, I lightly fleshed out somethings for her. But it is a touch hard with the lack of knowledge that we have. I so look forward to the lore book.

 

On a funny side note: With how many white/white-blonde/blonde Raens we have floating around, I half jokingly think of making a LS for Chi's old village. Be like children of the corn type thing.

 

But..here is her very needs work wiki. I need to stop being lazy about it.

https://wiki.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/pages/Chidori_Farcloud

[Etoile]

Wow!

 

All of you have gone above and beyond to help with my inquiries and I cannot express my gratitude enough to you all for be so willing to help out. I appreciate all the detailed information and responses, and will be reading over the provided materials you gave me. 

 

That's how this community is. Awesome, ain't it?