Nobles?

[Averis]

I'm currently working on a character story involving nobles/highborn. I was wondering if anyone has any lore information about nobles in Eorzea. I know I've heard of some from Ul'dah, but I'd assume there are nobles elsewhere.

 

Basically, what would you recommend for a noble background that fits the lore, but is not necessarily from Ul'dah?

[Aysun]

Oh man, I wish I could help you, but all the nobility I have seen has been around Ul'dah's story. That doesn't mean it's not elsewhere, that's just all I've noticed. I hope someone can help!

[Merri]

Honestly, I think you'd have trouble finding nobles from Limsa-lominsa or Gridania. The cultures just don't really support it, though I'm sure you could work something out. As far as it goes, Limsa-lominsa is literally ran by pirates. The closest thing I feel you'd get to an upper class there would be high-ranking officials within the Maelstrom and the Knights of the Barracuda. Even then, most of those people are and/or were pirates at some point in time.

 

Limsa-lominsa has a much more gritty feel to it. They don't really need nobility to lead them because they're all a bunch of swashbuckling pirates~

 

Gridania, on the other hand, is incredibly down to earth. They're a humble people who live in harmony with the Twelveswood. By nature they have to be kind and nurturing to the wood, or else they run the risk of incurring the greenwrath/woodsin. There isn't really nobility in Gridania as they all live together on the same plane, more or less. Luxury isn't really a thing in the city-state because they live so close to the land. Culturally, you are only permitted to take what you need to survive and nothing more, and they give back to the wood equally. So the idea of amassing wealth doesn't really fly culturally. That isn't to say there aren't wealthy individuals around, but most Gridanians live simple lives. The closest you'd probably get to a noble in Gridania would be the Padjal, but they're the most humble and kind-hearted people of all and would never consider themselves as such. Plus they aren't a playable race and there's only a small handful of them as far as lore is concerned.

 

Suffice it to say, Ul'dah is really the only city-state still standing that has an actual upper class, and it's a seedy one at that. Don't let this discourage you, though, as you can easily make something up on the fly that would fit reasonably well with whichever city-state you end up going with.

[Vashies Rosada]

that's going be hard subject... not like you cant do it but still hard. I tryed google nobles for the game all found where some rps noble family stuff but nothing with true fact.

[Averis]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies.

 

Actually, I should have said that I was thinking of something outside of any of the main cities. Even though 1.0 didn't really have any small villages etc, 2.0 now does, and of varying sizes. I'm thinking I could just make up something? I just wasn't sure if that would be acceptable.

 

Though, it may not really matter in the end since the idea is that the "estate" or whatever was destroyed when those "fireballs" fell during the calamity. Meaning they are technically no longer a noble. I just wanted to make sure that I could have that kind of background without breaking lore.

[Vashies Rosada]

well good luck and post your story! I would love to see how you make noble woman or mans story.

[FreelanceWizard]

Basically, what would you recommend for a noble background that fits the lore, but is not necessarily from Ul'dah?

 

What I've seen so far in 2.x is that you could reasonably play a landowner or business owner in La Noscea or the Black Shroud, and in that way be upper class. I don't see any evidence that Limsa Lominsa or Gridania have a typical feudal nobility system. Gridania does seem to have a certain degree of classism based on how "close" you are to the elementals and nature -- certainly, the Conjurers and Herbalists are that way -- but no noble class per se, and Limsa Lominsa appears to be pretty much a benevolent dictatorship of the Admiral with a strong meritocracy component.

 

So, I'd recommend going with "owned land or a business" and is thus upper class through money. I don't see support in lore for a feudal nobility, or even a parliamentary nobility, outside of Ul'dah.

 

EDIT: I don't know much of the lore outside of the three main city-states, so that's what I'm basing the above on.

[Grott]

From what we know of Ishgard, they appear to have a system of nobles. Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong but their crest is representative of the four largest families. They also, to me, seem very medieval. They fight dragons, they have knights (Dragoons), and they value strict religious practices much like Medieval Europe. I'm sure most people probably know this, but "knights" historically were wealthy noble land-owners who were trained in combat and had the most expensive armor and weapons. By that logic, it seems only natural that knights of Ishgard work the same way.

 

Uther is the youngest in a long line of Ishgard-born Dragoons and, as such, I RP him as someone who comes from wealth and was brought up with a formal education.

 

Just some food for thought.

[Nee Ninean]

If you want to play a noble perhaps a refugee from Coerthas. With their cavalry and such sort of implied there was a nobility. Also for Ul'dah you would probably have to be related somehow to the Sultana, which means going lala Course everyone should go lala.

[Merri]

Actually, there's plenty of non-lalafellin nobility in Ul'dah. To be a member of the royal family you would arguably have to be Lalafellin, or at least married to one. But nobility in Ul'dah is more or less related to your wealth, and there's actually only one Lalafell in the syndicate if I remember correctly. Or two. But there's a Roegadyn, and an Elezen with seats in the syndicate. I'd say Hyur are almost represented more in Ul'dahn nobility than anyone.

 

To run with others have mentioned, being a landowner is one way of being "upper class", so to speak. And there's plenty of room for you to claim that in either the twelveswood (We've seen one manor out in the shroud, that being Haukke's Manor) or La Noscea.

 

However, if you want the most out of your nobility, Ul'dah is the way to go. All the lavish parties and rivalries you could imagine. There's actually a handful of Ul'dahn nobles in the RP community as well, so there's plenty of room to have interesting roleplay there. Feuding families and what not.

 

I'd personally be careful with Ishgard if you're sticking close to canon, as we know literally almost next to nothing about their society. The only things we do know for certain is that their head of state is an Arch-bishop, they're a bunch of religious zealots dedicated to Halone, and their military is structured in the way of a knighthood.

 

Even more so, we don't know much about the state of Ishgard since the calamity other than the fact that it's currently in a perpetual winter that has all but destroyed their chocobo breeding, which was a huge part of Ishgardian culture apparently. I personally would be very, very careful with anything Ishgard related until the city is actually available in-game. (which it will be at one point!)

[Kylin]

Whee! This is right up my alley! As most know, my characters are part of a (complex) noble family. So I've had to become pretty familiar with this topic in a short amount of time. It should also be noted that most of the smaller villages/hamlets in the wilds are technically under jurisdiction of their respective city-state. So their cultures, while they differ slightly, are still usually in line with their region's city-state.

 

Ul'dah is indeed the center of noble-related matters in Eorzea for the most part. The thing one has to remember here though is that the Syndicate (6 individuals) are THE richest of the city-state. Nobody is on par with them, and those who RP a noble need to understand that and find the proper balance. That said, there are numerous other nobles within the city, many of which are vying for a seat on the Syndicate themselves. Others just try to mind their own business. Of course, the nobility is still far outnumbered by the lower class. There are a lot of people who go to Ul'dah for the opportunity to get rich, but don't necessarily get rich. I guess that's really no different than in the real world when someone leaves their country for another one in hopes of better opportunities.

 

Gridania does have the potential to have nobles now, with a slight twist. *minor spoiler alert, though nothing major* Gridania is in massive debt to Ul'dah. MAAAASSSIVE. Ul'dahn nobles took advantage of the Calamity to cash in and loaned a crap ton of gil to Gridania to rebuild (structures and aetheryte network especially). So it wouldn't be unrealistic to see an Ul'dahn noble here or there move into Gridania to further exploit the city-state's current predicament. Or even opposite of that, perhaps there could be a noble or two who moved there out of genuine concern for the city's plight and could be sympathetic to the citizens being practically owned by Ul'dah.

 

Limsa Lominsa...I'm not really aware of any real "nobility" here. As stated earlier in another post, nobles here would just be pirates made rich from plundering or treasure finds. Or there's once again the possibility of nobles from another location moving here to gain some advantage of some sort I suppose. That being said, there's also evidence of nobility beyond Limsa's gates. Costa del Sol is a prime example. If you want to speak to the npcs in the area, you can get a feel for that. The guards there are all employed by a noble.

 

Ishgard is still much a mystery even after all this time. They've closed off their gates to outsiders by order of their archbishop (their supreme leader and church head) due to a holy war with the dragons. However, there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that there are indeed nobles within the city. There's also talk of the "High Houses" such as House Dzemael. What the overall role of nobles in Ishgardian society is remains somewhat hazy at this time. We do know that chocobo breeding/training originated there though.

 

Radz-at-Han is another city-state that has a large focal point on nobles. This city-state is foreign to Eorzea (and inaccessible at this time and probably for at least a couple expansions I would assume). It's on an island nation called Thavnair (on a continent called Meracydia). There is lore, however, that mentions the fact that this city-state is run by "houses," indicating that's it not /too/ dissimilar to Ul'dah in that respect.

 

Long story short, it's possible to have nobles anywhere technically. All that's required is an IC reason for being there that won't contradict the lore. I don't think it's unreasonable to make your own IC manor/estate somewhere in the "country."

[Grott]

I'd personally be careful with Ishgard if you're sticking close to canon, as we know literally almost next to nothing about their society. The only things we do know for certain is that their head of state is an Arch-bishop, they're a bunch of religious zealots dedicated to Halone, and their military is structured in the way of a knighthood.

 

Even more so, we don't know much about the state of Ishgard since the calamity other than the fact that it's currently in a perpetual winter that has all but destroyed their chocobo breeding, which was a huge part of Ishgardian culture apparently. I personally would be very, very careful with anything Ishgard related until the city is actually available in-game. (which it will be at one point!)

 

Ishgard is a little sketchy to make a story out of, but honestly if you don't get way too into the woods with it, it can still work. I've managed to make a fine Ishgard back story for my character without lore-breaking. To avoid any post-calamity complications, I just had my character leave before it happened. If you base it around things you know and avoid things you don't, it will still work out for the most part. I know I'm not alone in this. While I only know of maybe one or two other Ishgard characters, I know there are at least a handful of Ala Mhigo refugees out there.

 

Long story short, Ishgard is a viable RP option, just tread lightly and watch your step so you don't unintentionally lore-break.

 

That was a bit off-topic, but I always feel the need to speak up whenever Ishgard is mentioned.

[Vashies Rosada]

Whee! This is right up my alley! As most know, my characters are part of a (complex) noble family. So I've had to become pretty familiar with this topic in a short amount of time. It should also be noted that most of the smaller villages/hamlets in the wilds are technically under jurisdiction of their respective city-state. So their cultures, while they differ slightly, are still usually in line with their region's city-state.

 

Ul'dah is indeed the center of noble-related matters in Eorzea for the most part. The thing one has to remember here though is that the Syndicate (6 individuals) are THE richest of the city-state. Nobody is on par with them, and those who RP a noble need to understand that and find the proper balance. That said, there are numerous other nobles within the city, many of which are vying for a seat on the Syndicate themselves. Others just try to mind their own business. Of course, the nobility is still far outnumbered by the lower class. There are a lot of people who go to Ul'dah for the opportunity to get rich, but don't necessarily get rich. I guess that's really no different than in the real world when someone leaves their country for another one in hopes of better opportunities.

 

Gridania does have the potential to have nobles now, with a slight twist. *minor spoiler alert, though nothing major* Gridania is in massive debt to Ul'dah. MAAAASSSIVE. Ul'dahn nobles took advantage of the Calamity to cash in and loaned a crap ton of gil to Gridania to rebuild (structures and aetheryte network especially). So it wouldn't be unrealistic to see an Ul'dahn noble here or there move into Gridania to further exploit the city-state's current predicament. Or even opposite of that, perhaps there could be a noble or two who moved there out of genuine concern for the city's plight and could be sympathetic to the citizens being practically owned by Ul'dah.

 

Limsa Lominsa...I'm not really aware of any real "nobility" here. As stated earlier in another post, nobles here would just be pirates made rich from plundering or treasure finds. Or there's once again the possibility of nobles from another location moving here to gain some advantage of some sort I suppose. That being said, there's also evidence of nobility beyond Limsa's gates. Costa del Sol is a prime example. If you want to speak to the npcs in the area, you can get a feel for that. The guards there are all employed by a noble.

 

Ishgard is still much a mystery even after all this time. They've closed off their gates to outsiders by order of their archbishop (their supreme leader and church head) due to a holy war with the dragons. However, there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that there are indeed nobles within the city. There's also talk of the "High Houses" such as House Dzemael. What the overall role of nobles in Ishgardian society is remains somewhat hazy at this time. We do know that chocobo breeding/training originated there though.

 

Radz-at-Han is another city-state that has a large focal point on nobles. This city-state is foreign to Eorzea (and inaccessible at this time and probably for at least a couple expansions I would assume). It's on an island nation called Thavnair (on a continent called Meracydia). There is lore, however, that mentions the fact that this city-state is run by "houses," indicating that's it not /too/ dissimilar to Ul'dah in that respect.

 

Long story short, it's possible to have nobles anywhere technically. All that's required is an IC reason for being there that won't contradict the lore. I don't think it's unreasonable to make your own IC manor/estate somewhere in the "country."

you know your stuff :thumbsup:

[Averis]

Wow, amazing info.

 

Yeah, I'm not too sure about using a city we don't know too much about. Though, there are certainly some decent ideas on how to work around it.

 

I think, for me, the best bet is to have some manor/estate somewhere in the world and just go with that. I may even be as vague as "somewhere in the north". Haha. In the case of my story the reasons for how or why they were/are a noble is not as important as how it affected them and their personality. 

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. Course any more information and ideas would be great.

[Spiritual Machine]

Hi, I'm new here, so I'm hoping I'm not making a bad impression by disagreeing with some of the above posters.

 

Ul'dah doesn't have "nobles" or a "nobility." Nobles are never mentioned in Ul'dah's lore. This site's wiki and the official lore information make it clear that Ul'dah has a royal family, and below that, it is those who obtain the most money and prestige that make up the upper class.

 

Like in American and other real-life Western nations, you can rise to the upper class in Ul'dah by acquiring opulence, and you stay there by maintaining wealth and status. It isn't hereditary--you "make it" in Ul'dah by being lucky or by being industrious. The city is dominated by entrepreneurs.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobility

 

The word "nobility" has very specific connotations related to an established upper class in a tiered social society that is impenetrable, because it is either hereditary or, like a traditional Aristocracy, determined by the ruling class.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_family

 

It's better to compare an "upper class" family in Ul'dah to the famous Rockefeller family. Not a "noble house," but a rich and successful family with vast connections. Many Syndicate members demonstrate the true nature of the upper class, with Chief Foreman Fyrgeiss of Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern and Chairman Lord Lolorito of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Their names are only important because their businesses are important. Amajina's name will only live on as the company's name, because money and business change hands.

 

 

 

Nobility means something different in the lore from simply being upper class. It is characterized by heritage, eminence and distinct privilege over lesser peoples. In Hydaelyn there are lands where there is a strict divide between commoners and the aristocracy, rather than a loose class system determined by success and affluence. The three primary city-states don't have anything like that.

 

[align=center]Their purpose is even more mysterious, eluding perhaps all of Eorzea but for a single man: an anonymous Ishgardian noble who has tasked Rowena with collecting the lost pieces. Whatever their use, the aristocrat is willing to part with items of extraordinary value in exchange for the seemingly useless stones; in particular, three sets of antique armor exceptional in quality.[/align]

 

[align=center]Currently observed throughout Eorzea, Valentione's Day was originally established to pay tribute to Countess Arabelle de Valentione of Ishgard—a remarkable woman who exhibited unparalleled courage in her quest for true love.

[/align]

[align=center]...

[/align]

[align=center]City-states provide free portions of powdered sugar—a rare sweetener imported from far-away lands to the south, and usually only reserved for the noble classes—with which Valentione chocolates are created.[/align]

 

If you wanted to play a true-blue noble in the lore, you'd likely have to be from Ishgard. And if you left Ishgard to come to the other city-states, your nobility isn't important to anyone but you. Your money might be worth something though!

 

 

 

All the people I see in the wiki playing "noble" characters seem to just be playing wealthy characters with businesses and big homes out in the country and stuff, and that's fine. Certainly you can be an "heir" to such fortune and responsibility, and that is sorta like being a nobleman. That's not nobility though--that's upper class.

 

You can be a member of an "upper class" in every city-state though! All you need is money, power, rich friends, all that stuff. Owning a successful business or being a prosperous merchant couldn't hurt, either.

[Seohyun]

I know a few players actually roleplay being nobles. (Kylin, myself, Gerik recently and I'm sure there's more.) Ul'dah would be the easiest place to RP it, but I still think it's very possible to do it in other countries. With Gridania, perhaps your family owns some land and hires people to grow and distribute things for example, or perhaps in Limsa you came from a family of sailors that were previously pirates and hit the jackpot somehow. 

 

As long as there's a reason, I'm sure it'd work anywhere. Good luck to you <3

[Spiritual Machine]

I know a few players actually roleplay being nobles. (Kylin, myself, Gerik recently and I'm sure there's more.) Ul'dah would be the easiest place to RP it, but I still think it's very possible to do it in other countries. With Gridania, perhaps your family owns some land and hires people to grow and distribute things for example, or perhaps in Limsa you came from a family of sailors that were previously pirates and hit the jackpot somehow. 

 

As long as there's a reason, I'm sure it'd work anywhere. Good luck to you <3

Since you're playing a noble, can I ask you why you call it a "noble"? What you're describing is just a person who becomes rich and successful.

 

Like I said in my previous post, simply being rich and successful would make you upper class to some degree. "Being a noble" is different in the lore. It's something that is exclusive to Ishgard, that we know of. Being a noble makes you a part of Ishgard's aristocracy, according to these links:

 

http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Allagan_Runestone

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Valentione's_Day

 

Since Ishgard has a Countess, and noble Houses, they have a nobility. If you call every member of the upper class in Eorzea "noble", that's kinda confusing.

 

Nobles have power due to their titles and heritage, as well as their wealth and connection to the aristocracy.

 

The upper class of Ul'dah (and anywhere else for that matter) only have power because of their money, business connections and a network of friends and allies, like the Syndicate. I'm not sure a concept like a "noble house" has any meaning to citizens of Ul'dah.

[Myal]

The upper class of Ul'dah (and anywhere else for that matter) only have power because of their money, business connections and a network of friends and allies, like the Syndicate. I'm not sure a concept like a "noble house" has any meaning to citizens of Ul'dah.

 

But isn't Ul'dah a sultanate? There should be a concept of nobility there, even if only for show and title. Though I do consider royalty "nobles".

[LandStander]

I know a few players actually roleplay being nobles. (Kylin, myself, Gerik recently and I'm sure there's more.) Ul'dah would be the easiest place to RP it, but I still think it's very possible to do it in other countries. With Gridania, perhaps your family owns some land and hires people to grow and distribute things for example, or perhaps in Limsa you came from a family of sailors that were previously pirates and hit the jackpot somehow. 

 

As long as there's a reason, I'm sure it'd work anywhere. Good luck to you <3

Since you're playing a noble, can I ask you why you call it a "noble"? What you're describing is just a person who becomes rich and successful.

 

Like I said in my previous post, simply being rich and successful would make you upper class to some degree. "Being a noble" is different in the lore. 

 

Noble - Belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status; aristocratic

 

 

Just have to be in a rich family. The richer you are, generally the higher your social status. The rich Lallafell who has owned a collection of mines for generations would probably be considered a noble. The character themselves do not have to be the ones to amass the wealth as their parents or grandparents could have been the one to do so. If your parents become rich its not like they wouldn't continue to share that wealth with you in an effort to keep the entire family line rich and..well..noble. 

[Seohyun]

I think there's rich and successful and there's also having a lineage of riches and an organized house that can expand. But there's -so- many ways people can work into nobility.

 

Including in Ul'dah where the entire society is so gil-focused! Haha. But as far as Gridania and Limsa goes, I still think there's many ways you can work yourself into nobility Ul'dahn or not. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with though! :love:

[Myal]

Just have to be in a rich family. The richer you are, generally the higher your social status. The rich Lallafell who has owned a collection of mines for generations would probably be considered a noble. The character themselves do not have to be the ones to amass the wealth as their parents or grandparents could have been the one to do so. If your parents become rich its not like they wouldn't continue to share that wealth with you in an effort to keep the entire family line rich and..well..noble. 

 

Aaa, but if a rich man goes bankrupt he ceases to be rich. When a count goes poor, he's still a count.

[LandStander]

Just have to be in a rich family. The richer you are, generally the higher your social status. The rich Lallafell who has owned a collection of mines for generations would probably be considered a noble. The character themselves do not have to be the ones to amass the wealth as their parents or grandparents could have been the one to do so. If your parents become rich its not like they wouldn't continue to share that wealth with you in an effort to keep the entire family line rich and..well..noble. 

 

Aaa, but if a rich man goes bankrupt he ceases to be rich. When a count goes poor, he's still a count.

 

Ho ho ho. Good point.

 

Edit: But wouldn't he still lose his title because it requires money to hold a position such as that? I could be wrong as I admit I am not an expert on all this hooty tooty rich people stuff

[Spiritual Machine]

The upper class of Ul'dah (and anywhere else for that matter) only have power because of their money, business connections and a network of friends and allies, like the Syndicate. I'm not sure a concept like a "noble house" has any meaning to citizens of Ul'dah.

 

But isn't Ul'dah a sultanate? There should be a concept of nobility there, even if only for show and title. Though I do consider royalty "nobles".

Oh, I would have considered royalty separate from nobility. Particularly because the lore does, referring to nobles and aristocrats when talking about Ishgard but calling Ul'dah a Sultanate.

 

I guess for real-world equivalents, compare these entries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobility

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate

 

Noble houses have nothing directly to do with members of royal families. Except in Game of Thrones, I guess.

 

Like I said, I wouldn't equate nobility with simply having a family line that has a lot of money. That's not how it works in the real world. I'd mentioned the famous Rockefeller family as an example before, but there's also the fact that it'd sorta be like Donald Trump calling his family "House Trump." :lol:

 

But rather than compare the real world to this game, all I'm saying is that the Ul'dah upper class don't call themselves nobles, but the Ishgard aristocracy do (I linked examples above), probably because they have something resembling a feudal system there. But who knows?

 

I'm not condemning this kind of roleplay at all though, and it's entirely possible to be wealthy or have wealthy parents in any city-state! I just thought it might confuse people to call yourself a "noble," because of what it means in FFXIV's lore.

[Seohyun]

Haha, not at all. Debate is healthy. (Also welcome!)

 

I agree with some parts, but there's kind of a few examples of some nontraditional nobles in game. There's Raubahn Aldynn who's one of the most looked up to people in all of Ul'dah. He started with nothing once his home was destroyed, came to Ul'dah, became a gladiator champion, used the money to buy the arena, and this gave him a place in the Syndicate. Giving him a huge political and powerful standing in Ul'dah. In Ul'dah, gil is everything and because of that some man from no where managed to become one of the most noble figures in that city-state. He's just one example. There's also supposedly several rich people. and then the tradtional nobles you speak of in the Syndicate. 

 

From what I've read on the forums, I think the more traditional nobles would probably reside in Ishgard since from what I read they have banner men, and four big noble houses. 

[Amadeus]

So here's a thought a little outside of the box, what about a Garlean noble?  Their culture seems based on a Roman hierarchy, and the romans had nobility.  There are already several instances of Garlean defections.  Perhaps your character was kicked out of the family?  Just a thought.