Gripes with Starting City and storyline

[Samcaesar]

I'm fairly sure Eorzea as a whole isn't a country of immigrants, as Ishgard and Gridania both have an issue with accepting outsiders and just being xenophobic in general. Ul'dah has had refugee problems for quite a while, and Ul'dah doesn't want any more immigrants, see the Doman issue, or at least the Syndicate doesn't. Limsa Lominsa is the only exception in that it'll generally allow anyone willing to live there, but for how long will they allow immigrants to come in and how many people actually want to live in a city like Limsa?

Plus, even with the notation of the races existing outside of Eorzea, we're not dealing with those different variations, when you make a Hyur, you make a midlander or highlander, not a Doman or Garlean, it would seem with that sort of notion that they're suppose to be from Eorzea.

I really wish SE didn't state where the PC was from, allowing for individuals to make up their character's backstories with as much freedom as they can.

[Allyrion]

I'm fairly sure Eorzea as a whole isn't a country of immigrants, as Ishgard and Gridania both have an issue with accepting outsiders and just being xenophobic in general. Ul'dah has had refugee problems for quite a while, and Ul'dah doesn't want any more immigrants, see the Doman issue, or at least the Syndicate doesn't. Limsa Lominsa is the only exception in that it'll generally allow anyone willing to live there, but for how long will they allow immigrants to come in and how many people actually want to live in a city like Limsa?

Just because it's a country of immigrants doesn't mean they have to all be cosmopolitan societies.
We know for a fact that none of the races are originally from Eorzea, so being a land of immigrants cannot be disputed. All the player races migrated here at a certain point.

The Elezen don't want outsiders because they have a careful balance trying to appease the Elementals with just their own people.
Also,

The Elezen once claimed sole dominion over Eorzea, their presence predating that of the other races, and, as such, developed a heightened sense of honor and pride. In years past, the Hyur migration into Elezen lands sparked bitter conflict. At present, however, the mutual understanding reached between the two races allows them to work towards mutual peace and prosperity.

The Elezen were the first to come to claim Eorzea so they felt they have a right to the land for some time.

In Ul'dah, it's continually stated that any prejudice against refugees is because of their economic standing. They would welcome rich foreigners with open arms, so it has nothing to do with the 'immigrant' status.

Regardless, the city states have been established for some time so it's reasonable they're got their own identity now.
Our player doesn't get to be part of that though, and it's telling that all the races migrated to the Eorzea (except the Beastmen).

Maybe the PC lived in Eorzea, but it's clear they lived outside allegiance to the city states.

IPlus, even with the notation of the races existing outside of Eorzea, we're not dealing with those different variations, when you make a Hyur, you make a midlander or highlander, not a Doman or Garlean, it would seem with that sort of notion that they're suppose to be from Eorzea.

It's never actually said how the terms like Midlander or Highlander should be used as far as I'm aware.
I think the obvious assumption would be that it's a subrace, which has little to do political affiliation and more to do with biology.
Certainly being an Elezen doesn't make you Wildwood Elezen doesn't make you a Gridanian, you could be from Ishguard too.
It's very likely then Domans are Midlanders and can be called such. We call them Domans as a political and we only called them otherwise because we're referring to where's they're from, not their race.


End note:
I'm not saying I'm not sympathetic to the issue.
I understand it sucks that your character has a backstory that can't be establish in places and factions we have good information about.
I think it follows their silent protagonist theme, where the WoL is just a force of good and doesn't have more worldly ties.
That's not going to make everyone feel better, but that's one of the reasons they did it. The other being that it allows them freedom with story progression such as the transition to Heavensward.

I'm just saying, our character not being from Eorzea is completely viable.
If they are from Eorzea, I guess they lived on the outskirts somewhere.

[Samcaesar]

Yeah it seems the beastman races are natives here, while the various races of man have came to Eorzea over time (A little ironic honestly!)

The fear from the elementals still comes up from Xenophobia though, even those who live within the Elementals' terms still face prejudice, see Keeper and Duskwight issues, I wouldn't doubt if that influenced a Gridanian's PoV in concerns to all incoming migrants.

The point about Ul'dah still stands though, how oft are immigrants coming in wealthy? Like when the PC get off the caravan/ship in the beginning, they're broke and don't seem to be in possession of anything really, so what's the difference there outside of plot?

I'm a bit curious on how someone would live in Eorzea without being at least some how having allegiance to any the city states. Towns outside of the main cities seem to be rather small and more like trade hubs over actual towns in most cases, and they all still seem rather firm in their association to their various city states.

[Allyrion]

The point about Ul'dah still stands though, how oft are immigrants coming in wealthy? Like when the PC get off the caravan/ship in the beginning, they're broke and don't seem to be in possession of anything really, so what's the difference there outside of plot?

I'm a bit curious on how someone would live in Eorzea without being at least some how having allegiance to any the city states. Towns outside of the main cities seem to be rather small and more like trade hubs over actual towns in most cases, and they all still seem rather firm in their association to their various city states.

I think the main difference is that we're adventurers, not refugee settlers. You go straight to the adventurer's guild and you're not really looking for room and board at that point.
You may not have much, but the PC can earn their work doing things normal people can't.
I'm gonna guess Ul'dans are aware of the status of adventurers. They're not there to settle and they're not looking for hand-outs.
The Ul'dans are concerned refugees are a drain on their economy.

I think we have to resort to plot reasoning for the lesser jobs that you'd think the refugees would be fighting us for.
The merchants certainly don't seem to mine shelling out coin for you to give a message to someone 5 yalms away. But, yea that's just for gameplay purposes.

On the second point, I agree we don't see many (if any) places that don't associate with the city states. The U tribe at the Forgotten Springs is one that I can think of.
This is why it seems more likely to me that the PC might not be from Eorzea, or at least the parts we visit.

[Samcaesar]

Snip

I doubt those folks at the various adventurer guilds can tell the difference between Ala Mhigans and run-of-the-mill Highlander adventurers. I mean, if it works for adventurers, then why don't more Ala Mhigans do it? We know not all Ala Mhigans are just trying to find a way to settle, and we know some adventurers can belazy as well.

I suppose? Maybe that's why we don't have quests available in the gold saucer :P

Huh, yeah, Forgotten Springs is the only group that isn't directly associated to a main city. You might be able to count Costa del Sol or Wineport, but I'm not too sure how independant those places are from Limsa. It just strikes me as incredibly strange that the PC would come from outside of Eorzea, yet be easily welcomed and be virtually no different than the rest of the populace. It seems less that the PC came from outside Eorzea and was more spawned into the world with Hydaelyn's will or something, which seems a little weird.

[Frederick22]

I doubt those folks at the various adventurer guilds can tell the difference between Ala Mhigans and run-of-the-mill Highlander adventurers. I mean, if it works for adventurers, then why don't more Ala Mhigans do it? We know not all Ala Mhigans are just trying to find a way to settle, and we know some adventurers can belazy as well.

To be honest, lots of ala mhigans become adventurers in order to get jobs, gil, place to sleep( that they could pay ). etc . Ilberd is an example, before he joined the crystal braves ( if that was how it happened ) he was an adventurer, he become one in order to avoid the issues that ala mhigans refugies had.

[Anonymoose]

INTERJECTION!

Yes; living in Eorzea nets you a pretty low life expectancy and the realm is in need of people willing to take action.
Yes; strangers from strange lands are coming from all over the world to be Eorzean adventurers.
Yes; lots of NPCs assume that you're one of them.

Nowhere is it said that they have to be correct in that assumption.

There is nothing contradicting the world-lore if your headcanon is that your character is from Eorzea and has an Eorzean backstory and lots of people just incorrectly assume they're a foreigner. The game is indeed open-ended enough for that to be how you perceive your character (even the dev. team has said so in the past). There are lots of reasons your character might allow people to think that. Maybe you're on the run, maybe you're starting fresh, maybe you never had anything to begin with. Why you let people believe that is your business. You're not fettered to being an outsider, it's just a default assumption. It's, like, one of the only things in the game where headcanon plays well with the world lore.

Eorzeans are wrong all the time. Some things are set in stone, that's just scrawled in the sand.

[Dualblade]

As an example of what Moose said, lets look at a previous FF game. XII to be precise.

There is a point where you have to sneak into Arcadia. Now of course your party consists of thieves, a traitor, and a rebel princess, so how can you just waltz in? Well aside from the back entrance, there is also the fact that noone there knows your face, just the reputation. Something similar could be said here, in that up until you started adventuring you weren't well enough known by most people for them to recognize you. Hell, even AFTER becoming the WoL there are people who don't recognize you!

And again, there are some things you have to work around with your headcanon. You weren't, say, an Eorzean idol. I know that wasn't what you were saying you are OP, but using it as an example.

[Dererk]

On the topic of the monetarist and Ul Dah only way to fight against them and not have Garmald take advantage of the situation is to fight them from the shadows this involves gathering evidence not going gun ho and killing every last one. Rhaban doing that was fine because he was the closest to Nanamo and wasn't thinking rationally.

When the guy who went all rage calms down enough tells you to run away so you can find the real culprit to a conspiracy you best listen to them and do it.

[Belhi]

What we need is for Ul'dah to be behind us when we overthrow the Monetarists. For that we need to have something to turn popular opinion against them. I think they will do that a little themselves by the sound of some of the actions they are taking to consolidate power and they may do something eventually that shocks a lot of Ul'dah. If the truth behind the Assassination and their other machinations, particularly if it includes the part about Nanamo's plan to establish a republic public opinion will sway against them ripe for the Warrior of Light and the unjustly imprisoned General of the Immortal Flames to step forward and liberate the people from their criminal oppressors.

Or something like that.