Character from the Far East?

[Rennaix]

With the upcoming release of the Ninja class, I was thinking of making a character who is actually from the "Far East," instead of an Eorzean. I did some searching for lore regarding the Far East, but all I've managed to really find are some scattered mentions in levequests and the Heavensturn event, plus the little description on the Ninja class page saying that they come from the "war-torn lands of the Far East." 

 

There is very little information and I don't want to break the lore, but I do have a few cool ideas I'd like to incorporate into my character that involve him being from there. What are your opinions on this? Would it be feasible to play a character from the Far East?

[Antain]

I don't see why not. Just be prepared to tweak the backstory a bit as lore becomes available. As it is, I know of one RPer who is from the Far East and my own character has mentioned "lands beyond the Jade Sea" being some of the most beautiful he's ever seen. With both of us, we keep it downplayed and vague so that when lore comes out for it, it's easy to incorporate it.

 

Hope this helps!

[Sounsyy]

So the term "Far East" refers to the Great Continent of Othard, which is (for the most part) conquered by the Garleans. Most recently, refugees from the Far Eastern city-state of Doma have fled Othard and have sought asylum in Eorzea. Now, Doma is far from the only city-state in Othard so it's entirely possible/plausible/believable that your Far Eastern character lived in Othard and now seeks to flee the Garlean occupied continent for Eorzea.

 

There's a few lore mentions of the Far East I found when I was collecting lore facts and whatnot. If you want I can look back through those and see if I can find something pertinent? Did you have any specific questions you were wanting answered?

 

Hope this has helped though! ^^

[Aldotsk]

There are plenty of Doman characters at the moment and if you would like to discuss more, Mizuho Mitarashi (my character) is a Doman character. Even though she is from the island of Doma area, there is plenty of open plot opportunities.

 

You can always modify it if it's inaccurate anyways. That's why retconning is the best thing in roleplaying.

[Rennaix]

Thanks for the great answers! All of them were incredibly helpful. I'm pretty sure about what I'm going to do now.

 

Sounsyy, I don't have any specific questions, but any information you've found at all would be great. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot!

 

Aldotsk, I'll send you a PM soon if that's alright - I would love to make some connections or plots with another Far East character!

[Xydane Vale]

Like Aldotsk said, you can always modify something if it's inaccurate to lore. It's nobody's fault, it's just that we're given such a small amount of info. on that land that we end up using only what we know without trying to break lore.

 

I believe I have read up on at least three characters on the FFXIV RPC Wiki whom hail from the Far East. In fact, I even made NPC characters that lived in the east for my story "Unrelenting" .

 

Best of luck with creating your character and fleshing out his/her background!

[Cranechild]

I have a character that hails from the Shores of Othard in the FAR EAST land of Doma.

[Aldotsk]

Thanks for the great answers! All of them were incredibly helpful. I'm pretty sure about what I'm going to do now.

 

Sounsyy, I don't have any specific questions, but any information you've found at all would be great. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot!

 

Aldotsk, I'll send you a PM soon if that's alright - I would love to make some connections or plots with another Far East character!

 

You can feel free to PM me through Anelia Sadowyn (mostly my main) or  Mizuho Mitarashi instead.

[Marisa]

To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will. 

Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?

[Faye]

To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will. 

Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?

 

Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!

[Marisa]

To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will. 

Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?

 

Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!

Possibly, but I always try to pretend that's not the case...

 

Never got the fascination, personally. Asian history, particularly feudal Japan, is kind of a one-trick pony. It's like, it's cool and all, but there's not a ton going on there. European history is just so much more diverse and... well, warfare really is the best part of history, and Europeans were so much better at killing each other. Arabs had some pretty sweet shit going on, too.

[Gaspard]

To be honest, I'd say anime 'might' be the reason for 50-60 percent of the people, but Feudal Japan had also alot of cultural things going on that fascinate people, aswell as philosophical.

 

Personally, I enjoy Feudal Japanese history for the cultural aswell as philosophical aspects stemming from that time. While my view on it may be a bit westernized, I did go as far as to read Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Bushido, and read alot into Zen philosophy aswell. Besides that, I used to be a martial arts fan (what boy didn't, really), which also made me look more into things beyond the typical 'Domo arigato durr durr roboto' veneer.

 

I wouldn't go as far as to call Feudal Japan boring either. It's heavily over-saturated in media however, which is why it's very understandable why people have grown..tired of it. There's just so many Samurai / Ninja / Martial art flicks all based on Japanese/Chinese history and culture that it became very..overbearing by now.

 

That being said, I think alot of this draw towards the eastern also comes from this misconception that when it comes to martial arts and the likes, the Asians where the best (Case in point Samurai for Swordsman and Ninja for Assassins), along with the various martial arts from there (like Buddhist Kung Fu). While I don't support that view it is a predominant view for many, even though the likes of the Ḥashshāshīn where apparently far more apt at their craft.

 

 

But yeah, long story short;

 

Japan feudal culture isn't boring, it's simply over-exposed and thus overbearing by now.

[Raelas]

To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will. 

Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?

 

Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!

Possibly, but I always try to pretend that's not the case...

 

Never got the fascination, personally. Asian history, particularly feudal Japan, is kind of a one-trick pony. It's like, it's cool and all, but there's not a ton going on there. European history is just so much more diverse and... well, warfare really is the best part of history, and Europeans were so much better at killing each other. Arabs had some pretty sweet shit going on, too.

 

I don't have much to contribute except... I do play an Arabian themed character! She has a Scimitar and everything! Mainly because I loved Blue Mage in FF11 >.> She also speaks Arabic for her native tongue and has a HEAVY accent tacked on to her common speech. Arabic is hard to translate but super rewarding when you do! I also noticed that Shiva's trial is named in Arabic. This made me happy!

 

Moral of the story? do what you need to, to make it work... but be prepared to tweak and flat out ret-con things if you have to providing that you're devoted enough to the lore of the game in the first place.

 

Keep in mind that there will always be those those who don't agree with an aspect of your character due to one reason or another. They exist but don't let them deter you from playing whatever the hell you want to!

[Sounsyy]

To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will. 

Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?

 

Jalzahn is from the island nation of Thavnair, which is also referred to as the "Near East." The atma process and the whole Weapons of the Twelve Zodiac is actually something out of Thavnairian legend. Jalzahn is also the guy who invented "Thavnairian Mist" the item used to turn your relic into a Zenith.

 

But yes,

Far East = Othard (The eastern Great Continent)

Near East = Thavnair (Island nation in the Jade Sea)

[Hyakki]

I have bits and pieces of information on the far east and Othard. Unfortunately, I am unable to access it right now as I only have my phone and have a LONG drive home ahead of me.

 

Should you be looking for other eastern characters to RP with on Balmung, there are quite a few of us that would welcome you, as Aldotsk said. I would be happy to meet with you when I get home, I have a Doman character by the name of Seiko Mamushi.

 

If you are concerned about contradictory lore, keep your background simple and build upon it as lore to support it comes along. People are going to disagree and you may find other characters' stories disagreeable too, neither side has to accept the other but bickering about whose way is the right way is pointless. Do your own thing, don't be afraid to make changes if you feel you need to, don't change because others who aren't even interested in your character threw a fit.

[Verranicus]

I would honestly think twice before making a detailed character from Othard or the Far East because of how little information we have. If some lore drops that contradicts something you've made up yourself it can lead to complications.

[Aldotsk]

With the upcoming release of the Ninja class, I was thinking of making a character who is actually from the "Far East," instead of an Eorzean. I did some searching for lore regarding the Far East, but all I've managed to really find are some scattered mentions in levequests and the Heavensturn event, plus the little description on the Ninja class page saying that they come from the "war-torn lands of the Far East." 

 

There is very little information and I don't want to break the lore, but I do have a few cool ideas I'd like to incorporate into my character that involve him being from there. What are your opinions on this? Would it be feasible to play a character from the Far East?

 

So the term "Far East" refers to the Great Continent of Othard, which is (for the most part) conquered by the Garleans. Most recently, refugees from the Far Eastern city-state of Doma have fled Othard and have sought asylum in Eorzea. Now, Doma is far from the only city-state in Othard so it's entirely possible/plausible/believable that your Far Eastern character lived in Othard and now seeks to flee the Garlean occupied continent for Eorzea.

 

There's a few lore mentions of the Far East I found when I was collecting lore facts and whatnot. If you want I can look back through those and see if I can find something pertinent? Did you have any specific questions you were wanting answered?

 

Hope this has helped though! ^^

 

I would honestly think twice before making a detailed character from Othard or the Far East because of how little information we have. If some lore drops that contradicts something you've made up yourself it can lead to complications.

 

What's wrong with making a character? 2.4 is coming out and there will be plenty of explanations from  the Ninja job class about far east culture. You are basically saying that this person cannot make a character early ahead  to gather some basic information to start up their character when there are plenty of information that Doma exists and has some cultural events that happened in Eorzea.

 

the character can basically say: "I cannot tell you because it is a secret to reveal my culture" because chances are that ninjas are not allowed to reveal secrets anyways. Are you going to be upset because of that? No. Because it literally IS a player's choice whether he/she wants to reveal their character background to others.

[Gaspard]

If you refuse to disclose your characters background, not because 'your character wouldn't, but because you simply can't since you lack that knowledge OOCly, you allow your characters actions to be motivated purely on OOC basis. In that sense, you might be breaking your own character without even realizing it.

 

A counter-example; If your character establishes trust and becomes involved with another, wherein secrecy becomes an issue, and you're meant to disclose things like that, but simply can't out of OOC reasons, what will you do then? That's where the logic of secrecy based on OOC ignorance comes to a halt rather swiftly.

 

That being said, no, you should be able to create a Doman/Othard character. But at this point, with the information that we 'do' have, it is smarter to make them Doman/Othard Orphans raised in Eorzea or Garlemald. Atleast there, we have enough lore to substantially explain all the possible hiccups, because your character simply doesn't 'know' Doma / Othard himself, thus cannot render information.

 

Establishing Characters with a lack of details is only possible if you're clever enough to work around the edges in a logical way. You can get away with almost anything, PROVIDED you render the right explenation AND keep the vybe / feeling lore-like.

 

However, to simply go 'My character can't say, not because he wouldn't. but because I can't as an OOC player and thus make my character not say it' Isn't the right way to go about it.

[Verranicus]

With the upcoming release of the Ninja class, I was thinking of making a character who is actually from the "Far East," instead of an Eorzean. I did some searching for lore regarding the Far East, but all I've managed to really find are some scattered mentions in levequests and the Heavensturn event, plus the little description on the Ninja class page saying that they come from the "war-torn lands of the Far East." 

 

There is very little information and I don't want to break the lore, but I do have a few cool ideas I'd like to incorporate into my character that involve him being from there. What are your opinions on this? Would it be feasible to play a character from the Far East?

 

So the term "Far East" refers to the Great Continent of Othard, which is (for the most part) conquered by the Garleans. Most recently, refugees from the Far Eastern city-state of Doma have fled Othard and have sought asylum in Eorzea. Now, Doma is far from the only city-state in Othard so it's entirely possible/plausible/believable that your Far Eastern character lived in Othard and now seeks to flee the Garlean occupied continent for Eorzea.

 

There's a few lore mentions of the Far East I found when I was collecting lore facts and whatnot. If you want I can look back through those and see if I can find something pertinent? Did you have any specific questions you were wanting answered?

 

Hope this has helped though! ^^

 

I would honestly think twice before making a detailed character from Othard or the Far East because of how little information we have. If some lore drops that contradicts something you've made up yourself it can lead to complications.

 

What's wrong with making a character? 2.4 is coming out and there will be plenty of explanations from  the Ninja job class about far east culture. You are basically saying that this person cannot make a character early ahead  to gather some basic information to start up their character when there are plenty of information that Doma exists and has some cultural events that happened in Eorzea.

 

the character can basically say: "I cannot tell you because it is a secret to reveal my culture" because chances are that ninjas are not allowed to reveal secrets anyways. Are you going to be upset because of that? No. Because it literally IS a player's choice whether he/she wants to reveal their character background to others.

 

First, that opens a whole different can of worms in regards to actualy roleplaying a ninja when we have no diea what their lore or backstory is like. They could be like PLD or BLM and be something so super rare it wouldn't make sense to RP one.

 

Second, a character is welcome to say they don't want to talk about their homeland. But my character will call them out on it. He's an author on ecology/geography/Eorzean history, and as such is very interested to meet people from other lands, but he'll laugh in the face of anyone claiming to be from a super secret place only they know about.

[Aldotsk]

So you are just griefing other players to humor yourself to make the unable to roleplay at any possible potentials and make the look feel bad about themselves. Gotcha.

 

*rolls eyes*

 

And this is why I started with lancer since ninja lores and samurai lores are still vague. I am pretty sure Far East have archers and lancers anyways if it is assumed that every nations have archers and lancers anyways.

[Warren Castille]

And this is why I started with lancer since ninja lores and samurai lores are still vague.

 

Until we get to see the actual class content, the lore isn't "vague" it is nonexistent. We know that Yugiri practices the Doman methods of fighting, and we know the Domans practice it, but we don't know anything else. It might not belong to them at all. Yugiri might be "Doman" but she's the only one of her race we've "seen" so far. Maybe it's a racial art taught to the people to defend themselves?

 

We know nothing about ninja lore except it exists. We know nothing about Doma or Orthard except they exist and Garlemald has conquered them. Making assumptions - even reasonable ones! - is still asking for the retcon cannons to get pointed at you.

 

On a more general topic: Step lightly if you opt to make someone from these places. We don't know enough about them to establish much.

[Verranicus]

So you are just griefing other players to humor yourself to make the unable to roleplay at any possible potentials and make the look feel bad about themselves. Gotcha.

 

*rolls eyes*

 

And this is why I started with lancer since ninja lores and samurai lores are still vague. I am pretty sure Far East have archers and lancers anyways if it is assumed that every nations have archers and lancers anyways.

I don't see how my character pointing out glaring flaws and discrepancies in anothers backstory is griefing. =/ It's his job to be critical and seek knowledge and all we know of the Far East is what Warren said. It's not enough to form the foundations for a character.

[Hyakki]

Having a Doman/Far-Eastern character does not automatically mean the player is a naruto wannabe tryhard snowflake, which seems to be the assumption and main source of hostility towards anyone choosing to roleplay as one.

 

There are Doman roleplayers with humble origins, such as farmers, craftsmen or service types. I myself am one of those. Extensive lore is not needed to support such backgrounds and they can be easily adjusted as more becomes available.

 

There's no need for the meddling and forceful 'advice' of outside parties. Let the player discover any flaws and holes in their concept on their own. If they are happy with things as they are, who are you to tell them their way is the wrong way? If you disagree with a concept, nobody is twisting your arm to accept and interact with the character. You are free to choose not to acknowledge them if they do not play by your rules.

[Warren Castille]

Devil's Advocate is my favorite game.

 

If a character claims to be from Doma, or anywhere not-Eorzea, really, and someone then goes on to ask them about their homeland... There's no real answer to be had. You can't talk about capital cities, you can't talk about landmarks, you can't discuss the layout or map or anything.

 

Granted, someone could simply fabricate fluff bits to explain it, but the person in question with these criticisms is specifically playing a history buff and would want to know these things! The sites of great importance, the rich history of a new culture. There's nothing wrong with asking these sorts of things of someone claiming to be from the place.

 

The fact none of those questions have answers right now is the disconcerting part. It seems (SEEMS, mind you, I'm not finger pointing at anyone except a strawman) that a lot of people latched onto Doma (and ninja, and SAM, and DRK, and ) not for the lore aspect of it (It can't be for the lore, said lore doesn't EXIST yet) but for the "I'm now a unique snowflake" aspect of it.

 

Tangentially related, I know three people all playing the same class that isn't in the game, and they all have their own headcannon as to what it is / what it does / where it came from.

[Aldotsk]

Well to be fair... There are still those who say they had been living in Ala Mhigo and moved over from there, and it's hard to describe what that place really looked like too. This applies to Garlemald too.

 

So most of these hidden lands are yet to be unveiled and we are indeed ending up playing devil's advocate and just go along with it for now.

 

Chances are that Doma is probably exactly what Japan's Edo era was (Oda reign). But that's just my grain of salt and I've decided to play with it.