Races of Ala Mhigo

A bit of timeline first! We know that in 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, Ala Mhigo fell. We also know that roughly 65 years prior to that, Ala Mhigan forces invaded Gridania in the Autumn War. So there's a period between the Autumn War and Garlean Rule of... Well, I'm not entirely sure.

The question posted, and I'm curious if anyone has seen anything on this I have not, pertains to the races of Ala Mhigo. We have only seen Highlander and Midlander-like models as Ala Mhigan entities. Has there ever been any mention of other races being present in Ala Mhigo, or having ties? Elezen, Miqo'te, Lalafel, or Roegadyn (leaving Auri off for a reason). I'm curious if there are any native to the area, or... Perhaps during that period of 65 years where they weren't trying to invade Gridania, could people have potentially traveled back and forth?

Thanks for any replies!

There are Roegadyn living at Little Ala Mhigo, you can find a Roegadyn husband and wife on one of the upper levels and they're dressed, or at least under-dressed, like Ala Mhigans.

Given Ala Mhigo's location it wouldn't be out-of-place for it to have a small Hellsguard minority.

Also 1.0 showed conclusively that there were members of all races identifying as 'Ala Mhigan' - at least one of those npcs is still canon in ARR, namely J'moldva, the legendary GLA 'The Hellfire Phoenix',who is a Seeker of the Sun miqo'te (she still appears in the BSM quests from what I understand, and also the item description for the Ala Mhigan Fighting Fish mentions her). In fact J'moldva's very existence is my justification for having my own character as Ala Mhigan born in the backstory I've written for her (she is also a Seeker of the Sun).

1.0 also showed at least one lalafell Ala Mhigan too, possibly more (one was a refugee connected to the GLA class quests, and there was also one who was a member of the Ala Mhigan Resistance during the Path of the Twelve storyline), so yeah, as far as 1.0 went Ala Mhigo was not specifically racially Highlander exclusively. With ARR though that seems to have been retconned as part of a more general push to make each citystate more identified with a certain race/clan (like Gridania becoming more associated with elezen, lalafell with Ul'dah, roegadyn with Limsa etc), like FFXI's cities.

Of course Eorzea is still more of a multicultural and multiracial melting pot than Vana'diel's 'Middle Lands' ever were, but there is definitely now more a perception of each city having more of a larger population of one particular race/clan over others.

Gyr Abania is listed as one regions where Seekers of the Sun are usually found http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post3894567

Ala Mhigo
Racial Distribution: Highlander 60% Midlander 10% Hellsguard 10% Seeker 10% Other 10%

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Originally Posted by ExKage

Ala Mhigo
Racial Distribution: Highlander 60% Midlander 10% Hellsguard 10% Seeker 10% Other 10%

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Garleans. Don't forget the Garleans. ;)

I suspect they'll make up a significant portion of Ala Mhigo's population these days which is going to complicate things when it comes to 'liberation'. The Ala Mhigo of the past is no more after all.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

Garleans. Don't forget the Garleans. ;)

I suspect they'll make up a significant portion of Ala Mhigo's population these days which is going to complicate things when it comes to 'liberation'. The Ala Mhigo of the past is no more after all.

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Blame the book.

Or that there are not many pure-blooded Garleans actually in Ala Mhigo or those that are are considered part of the 10%. Just because they're occupying Ala Mhigo doesn't mean the purebloods moved there.

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Originally Posted by ExKage

Blame the book.

Or that there are not many pure-blooded Garleans actually in Ala Mhigo or those that are are considered part of the 10%. Just because they're occupying Ala Mhigo doesn't mean the purebloods moved there.

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Even moreso that there are few (comparatively speaking) pure-blooded Garleans to begin with...

Exactly, plus Ala Mhigo has long been considered by Garlemald as simply a source of cannon fodder soldiers/slave labour and not a place to settle pure-blood Imperial citizens. So the few pure-blood Garleans in Ala Mhigo would be officers like Centurions and Tribunes under the commanding Legatus (originally Gaius and now Zenos), who have been stationed there, given the fact in the past the Empire actually turned the citystate into a massive fortress.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

...given the fact in the past the Empire actually turned the citystate into a massive fortress.

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Now I wonder if Ala Mhigo will be like the Vaults of Fallout? Large walls and ceiling over the city? mostly closed off from outsiders, etc.

Probably not a ceiling, but the early concept art included in the 2.0 artbook did depict it with fairly high walls and a number of Imperial fortifications, yes.

That was rather early visualization, though, and it's possible the concept may have changed since then (especially given the design of Rhalgr's Reach). I wouldn't expect folks living under a rotting pizza until we get to Garlemald itself, though. :V

EDIT:

Also, we actually have a racial makeup of Ala Mhigo in the book: 60% Highlander, 10% Hellsguard, 10% Midlander, 10% Sunseeker, 10% "other". So aside from Highlanders, expect a decent number of Roes and catgirls, along with some Midlanders and Garleans.

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Originally Posted by StarDrake

Probably not a ceiling, but the early concept art included in the 2.0 artbook did depict it with fairly high walls and a number of Imperial fortifications, yes.

That was rather early visualization, though, and it's possible the concept may have changed since then (especially given the design of Rhalgr's Reach). I wouldn't expect folks living under a rotting pizza until we get to Garlemald itself, though. :V

EDIT:

Also, we actually have a racial makeup of Ala Mhigo in the book: 60% Highlander, 10% Hellsguard, 10% Midlander, 10% Sunseeker, 10% "other". So aside from Highlanders, expect a decent number of Roes and catgirls, along with some Midlanders and Garleans.

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What are the chances "other" means: New race we haven't revealed yet?
It would have been a funny little oversight if the population list included Viera or Hummingway or anbything that might be considered a new race.

None. "Other" is used in the book as a catch-all for populations that don't break the 10% mark of a city's population (for example, Gridania is 40% Midlander, 30% Wildwood, 10% Duskwight, 10% Moonkeeper, and 10% Other).

There aren't going to be any new races in Stormblood - they would have announced if there were during Fanfest. Don't get your hopes up for Viera or whatever this time around.

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Originally Posted by StarDrake

None. "Other" is used in the book as a catch-all for populations that don't break the 10% mark of a city's population (for example, Gridania is 40% Midlander, 30% Wildwood, 10% Duskwight, 10% Moonkeeper, and 10% Other).

There aren't going to be any new races in Stormblood - they would have announced if there were during Fanfest. Don't get your hopes up for Viera or whatever this time around.

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you don't know that.

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Originally Posted by Balipu

What are the chances "other" means: New race we haven't revealed yet?
It would have been a funny little oversight if the population list included Viera or Hummingway or anbything that might be considered a new race.

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30-40% it's greatly possible, since they have said that the book cover until 3.4

Every location that has racial distribution has Other 10%. Other does not mean New Race but it CAN mean that it includes some of a new race.

inb4 it turns out we get a new race and it's literally called "Other". :D Now that would be fun.

someone should count all the NPCs in Gridania and see whether that distribution is accurate :D

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Originally Posted by Yuella

someone should count all the NPCs in Gridania and see whether that distribution is accurate :D

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I can't think of a Duskwight npc so..

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Originally Posted by jomoru

I can't think of a Duskwight npc so..

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I know of 4 in the Black Shroud.

That guy from the Lancer Story, That poor fellow being told off by the Woodwailers outside the lancers guild, and the 2 scholars hanging out by the the Gelmorran Ruins (aka The Palace of the Dead). Those are the ones I can recall from memory.

I hope this doesn't come across as me having a go at you ^^

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Originally Posted by Razard

That guy from the Lancer Story, That poor fellow being told off by the Woodwailers outside the lancers guild, and the 2 scholars hanging out by the the Gelmorran Ruins (aka The Palace of the Dead). Those are the ones I can recall from memory.

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There's also the drunk you have to fight off when you're visiting Buscaron's for the first time~!

Poor Duskwight. Literally the only thing more unpopular than normal Wildwood Elezen on my server.

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Originally Posted by Razard

I know of 4 in the Black Shroud.

That guy from the Lancer Story, That poor fellow being told off by the Woodwailers outside the lancers guild, and the 2 scholars hanging out by the the Gelmorran Ruins (aka The Palace of the Dead). Those are the ones I can recall from memory.

I hope this doesn't come across as me having a go at you ^^

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There are a few one time NPCs that pop up here and there, too. I recall being delightfully surprised to see a random Adder we interact with being a charcoal skinned Dusk.

There is also the entirety of the Redbelly Wasps, though they may not be considered "citizens" at all. :/

They are just very rare in the main city and hamlets since Elementals are assholes and most Dusks prefer to stick with their own, even if it means living as an outlawed poacher.

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

There are a few one time NPCs that pop up here and there, too. I recall being delightfully surprised to see a random Adder we interact with being a charcoal skinned Dusk.

There is also the entirety of the Redbelly Wasps, though they may not be considered "citizens" at all. :/

They are just very rare in the main city and hamlets since Elementals are assholes and most Dusks prefer to stick with their own, even if it means living as an outlawed poacher.

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And then you have Lady Amandine of House Dartancours, who the Haukke NM text describes as a Duskwight. The status of Duskwights in Gridania is generally so crap that up until now I've assumed she was an Ishgardian come south for the climate. However, the Lore book seems to classify all Elezen from Isghard as "Elezen of Isghard descent", regardless of if they appear to be Duskwight or Wildwood, so I don't know what's going on anymore.

It's established that other "tribes" of the spoken races exist outside of the two versions we're allowed to choose, such as the Doman Hyur, so that doesn't surprise me.

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

It's established that other "tribes" of the spoken races exist outside of the two versions we're allowed to choose, such as the Doman Hyur, so that doesn't surprise me.

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Accepted academic theory (ie, the Lore Book) is that Duskwight evolution is supposedly an adaptation to living underground in Gelmorra so if there's Duskwights outside of Eorzea that raises some really interesting questions.

That said that wasn't what I'm having conniptions over, I'm fussing because the way Ishgard Elezen are described I no longer expect Amandine to be from Ishgard. Does this mean that there *are* high-ranked Duskwight hidden somewhere in Gridania after all?

Tangental to this; "Duskwight" may be a cultural term as well as a racial one if there's a distinction being drawn between the Elezen described as Duskwight and Elezen who have obvious Duskwight ancestry, like about half of House Dzemael, who are described as "Elezen of Ishgardian descent".

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Originally Posted by FJerome

Accepted academic theory (ie, the Lore Book) is that Duskwight evolution is supposedly an adaptation to living underground in Gelmorra so if there's Duskwights outside of Eorzea that raises some really interesting questions.

That said that wasn't what I'm having conniptions over, I'm fussing because the way Ishgard Elezen are described I no longer expect Amandine to be from Ishgard. Does this mean that there *are* high-ranked Duskwight hidden somewhere in Gridania after all?

Tangental to this; "Duskwight" may be a cultural term as well as a racial one if there's a distinction being drawn between the Elezen described as Duskwight and Elezen who have obvious Duskwight ancestry, like about half of House Dzemael, who are described as "Elezen of Ishgardian descent".

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We don't have access to all of Gridania; the district housing the "distinguished" citizens is completely off-limits to us, for example.

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

There are a few one time NPCs that pop up here and there, too. I recall being delightfully surprised to see a random Adder we interact with being a charcoal skinned Dusk.

There is also the entirety of the Redbelly Wasps, though they may not be considered "citizens" at all. :/

They are just very rare in the main city and hamlets since Elementals are assholes and most Dusks prefer to stick with their own, even if it means living as an outlawed poacher.

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can you think of any just standing around? Ones who aren't part of the story intrinsicallyd

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Originally Posted by jomoru

can you think of any just standing around? Ones who aren't part of the story intrinsicallyd

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Not really. With the exception of Au Ra who have zero NPCs not tied to important questlines, Duskwights are the rarest NPCs.

In fact, I've never seen the greenish skin tones EVER used in game on them, either.

Although, I'm fully covinced SE pulled from some of regular, non-silvery undertoned, skin shades for Dusks for some Ishgard NPCs. There are some pale people in that city.

... All this Duskwright talk is making me miss my avatar's old look @-@...

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

Not really. With the exception of Au Ra who have zero NPCs not tied to important questlines, Duskwights are the rarest NPCs.

In fact, I've never seen the greenish skin tones EVER used in game on them, either.

Although, I'm fully covinced SE pulled from some of regular, non-silvery undertoned, skin shades for Dusks for some Ishgard NPCs. There are some pale people in that city.

... All this Duskwright talk is making me miss my avatar's old look @-@...

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The NPC who upgrades materials in Idylleshire.

I'd even take at this point a duskwight who's tied to a quest but exists outside of cut scenes/instance battles. like the Au'ra for the anima quest.

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

Not really. With the exception of Au Ra who have zero NPCs not tied to important questlines.

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This is a total sidebar, but that's not exactly true - Seika, who upgrades tome gear, is a Raen.

I actually bundled Reika into that lot of important NPCs, as she plays a vital role towards your character's gear progression.

Although, there was that hilariously flashy, uninteractable Raen man that would randomly appear to converse with some goblins near Idyllshire's aetheryte, but he's been replaced by a Roegadame in 3.4.

He was literally the only one, although, you could split hairs and include the Au Ra squadron recruits into that bundle of npcs.

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Originally Posted by Ametrine

I actually bundled Reika into that lot of important NPCs, as she plays a vital role towards your character's gear progression.

Although, there was that hilariously flashy, uninteractable Raen man that would randomly appear to converse with some goblins near Idyllshire's aetheryte, but he's been replaced by a Roegadame in 3.4.

He was literally the only one, although, you could split hairs and include the Au Ra squadron recruits into that bundle of npcs.

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He's actually still around! Like the Roegadude before him he was successfully recruited and is now working in the big gobbie building by the Aetheryte.