Skulls and Ala Mighen Citizens

So I just finished liberating Doma in the storyline and headed back to Eorzea but a question has been nagging at me.

Early on in the MSQ there is talk about "skulls" which is described (at least to me) as a group of Ala Mhigen children that were selected at birth to be imperial citizens with all the rights and responsibilities.

So what I am to make of this is after the empire took over Ala Mhigo they started picking out children (and families?) to have a sort of "special status" and receive nicer treatment by making them full fledged citizens. And a sect of these children were formed into the skulls group which sort of acts like a police force in the ala mhigen outskirts?

Why would the empire do this if true? Why seemingly arbitrarily selected groups/families for special status? What do they gain from it? Is it just to foment resentment?

If this gets expanded on later in the story just say so, but I would prefer not spoilers if you dont mind.

Resentment is Zenos' goal, so you're not too far off the mark.

Zenos just inherited them; they're Gaius's pet project. Hence Fordorla rem Lupis.

The Skulls, true name Crania Lupi (Skulls of the Wolf). are the children of powerful families of Ala Mhigo who grew up after the occupation and know only Garlean rule. They were given a formal education, military training, and citizenship in order to indoctrinate a generation of Ala Mhigans into accepting the status quo and wanting to be part of the Empire.

Recall Gaius's speeches in the Praetorium about the corruption of the city-states, their misplaced faiths, and how the strong have the right and responsibility to take power and lead. These children believed that Ala Mhigo was crushed because it was weak and corrupt and that if they could accept their lot and become strong, Ala Mhigo could stand proud again as a province of the Empire. That future is their idea of freedom.

Under Baelsar, maybe it would have been a realistic expectation. Look at Rhitahtyn. Gaius was an authoritarian, but he was one that practiced what he preached in terms of merit - you got what you earned, be it squalor or glory. Under Zenos...? Not so much. He just wants to breed resentment and hatred so that people want to wield violence against those who hurt them. He toys with Fordola's dreams and makes her eventually feel that no matter what she does she will never have a place on equal footing with the Garleans. He makes her feel that she validates the stereotypes she's trying to undermine to fill her with hate, as he did many of his subjects.

In the end, though, the Ala Mhigans just see the Crania Lupi as traitors drinking of muddy waters. Their children, which makes it tragic, but traitors nonetheless.

I thought the crania lupi were the unit of lupin warriors from Doma?

They're the Ferae Domitae.

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Originally Posted by Astrid_Stormborn

They're the Ferae Domitae.

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Ah right, cheers for the clear-up

This is basically the FFXIV version of the devshirme system employed by the Ottoman Empire: take children from your conquered territories, educate them, then send them back.

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

Huh, I initially thought they were like the Red Blades from Steven Erikson's Malazan series. Thanks.

I wonder if any of them ever thought "are we the baddies?"

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Originally Posted by Eyvhokan

I wonder if any of them ever thought "are we the baddies?"

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I'm betting many of them now still don't think they are the baddies. Remember what it took to even get this conflict started. I hope though, that it is going to be a difficult transition, these situations usually are.