Ala Mhigo : fall timeline and details.

[Sapphidia]

A question to those in the know, especially with 1.0 info.

I'm curious about the actual timeline surrounding the fall of Ala Mhigo, along with the general details. From what I understand, the city was the primary residence of the highlanders, and is now effectively a Garlean Bastion, having been completely captured and most of its inhabitants routed. It's also far east of the Black Shroud.

What kind of timeline relative to the calamity and the current age would the city have fallen, and was it a brief, quick decisive attack or were we talking years of besieging?

I'm trying to weave the ala mhigan fall into my character's backstory somewhat and it's tricky knowing at which point in her youth the various events would have befallen her (or merely affected her family) before she finally made the journey to Uldah at level 1 on character creation.

Any additional info on -exactly- what happened at Ala Mhigo and when would be appreciated - the resources I've read seem a little sketchy on things.

[Anonymoose]

I'm curious about the actual timeline surrounding the fall of Ala Mhigo <...> Any additional info on -exactly- what happened at Ala Mhigo and when would be appreciated

Specifically the Garlean conquest of Ala Mhigo? That conflict spanned 1557 to ... well, 1557. (SPOILER: It wasn't much of a fight.)

Exactly what happened, though? <cracks knuckles, cracks tomes>

The fall as a whole is the result of a whole lot of mismanagement of state affairs for quite a long time. I'll leave out the Autumn War (when Ala Mhigo tried to annex the Black Shroud a hundred years ago, sparking a war with Gridania that led Ishgard to unite with Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa to come to Gridania's aid). Instead, let's focus specifically on the Ala Mhigan royal family and the monkhood. The interactions of these two groups are what eventually caused the downfall of the city.

The tribes throughout Gyr Abania were once small, warlike, and constantly at each others' throats, but the Highlanders were able to bring them together as one and raise the city of Ala Mhigo (some time between 1,000 and 1,300 Sixth Astral Era). The idea of martial arts as sacred persisted even though the age of constant battle was over, and thus rose the Fists of Rhalgr, the monk order, which teaches that one can become close to the god of destruction through strict discipline that empowers them by channeling their "life force" (aether) through "chakras".

This order eventually became religion, with the war priests claiming that their chosen battles were divine will. Rather than fight the movement, the Ala Mhigan royal family incorporated them into their army, giving them considerable power, protected status, and political sway. By the twilight of the Sixth Astral Era, as both a political force and the official state religion, the Fists of Rhalgr had control over a great deal of daily life, which deeply unsettled the power-hungry (and soon to be final) king of Ala Mhigo.

King Theodoric wasn't very into political finesse; he refused to allow the monkhood to contradict his designs in any fashion, even if it meant destabilizing the city. For instance, the monks claimed divine righteousness, so Theodoric claimed the divine right of kings, instilled in him by Rhalgr's wife (Nymeia). By this right, he banned the worship of Rhalgr in favor of Nymeia and tried to establish himself as the uncontested dictator of Ala Mhigan affairs. This sudden, drastic move away from Rhalgr was designed to incite rebellion by the monkhood, giving him pretext to imprison its leadership and extract coerced confessions of their plans to topple the royal family.

This concluded with Theodoric marching on the Fists of Rhalgr's main temple in 1552 and burning it (and everyone associated with it, from monks to their families to refugees seeking asylum) to the ground. Most knowledge of the monkhood vanished at this point, and afterwards Theodoric was known as the King of Ruin, a ruthless despot.

True to his name and aforementioned lack of political finesse, he slaughtered any royals towards whom he harbored doubts, as well as anyone who might have some tacit claim to the throne. After that, he moved on to influential nobles and merchants. So hopeless was it that Theodoric would stop this progression that even his own wife turned against him, conspiring to have him murdered. One of the conspirators, however, panicked and confessed to Theodoric, thus getting them all executed. The king withdrew, paranoid, and the public killings grew more frequent.

With people afraid to even leave their homes, the idea of revolution spread like wildfire - rising from whispers to a full on revolt that stormed the royal palace; the guards did not attempt to bar their passage, and Theodoric took his own life as his enemies closed in. This was no revolution of the people, however. The intelligence services of the Garlean Empire's XIVth legion, under the direct command of Gaius van Baelsar, were responsible. (While unconfirmed, wouldn't it be wild if the Garlean agents were also responsible for exacerbating Theodoric's behavior? Talk about a potentially well-played long-con from Gaius in his prime, before he lost his pride, honor, and marbles.)

In the aftermath of the king's fall, the Garleans stormed the city before any defense could be mounted, taking it in what might be called a bloodless and subversive coup if not for the fact that the bloodshed came after. The city was sacked - biblical-era levels of sacked. Magitek crushed what rebellion did not surrender or flee deeper into Eorzea, and the city was converted into a walled fortress to act as the Garlean foothold in the realm. The atrocities committed here (especially by his own creations) were a big part of what inspired Cid Garlond to defect to Eorzea to help it defend itself.

For the sake of completeness, from here, it took Baelsar five years to properly fortify Ala Mhigo and prepare for the conquest of Eorzea, but the 1562 assault on Mor Dhona, an attempt to take control of the aetherial streams before primals could be summoned against them as they had in Othard, went (as I'm sure you know) very, very badly.

I hope that helps!

[Frederick22]

How he was able to change the mind of almost all Ala Mhidgans that still live on the city? Something like this cannot b forgotten. Maybe im wrong but couldnt it be that Gaius was the one who free Ala Mhigo from the mad king? And everyone saw hiim as a liberator?

Its hard to belive that by force and opression, you can change the minds of people. Sure they will have no choise to obey but they will never forget.

[Celvantis]

Sure they will have no choise to obey

Pretty much this, They are crushed into submission and can't do jack about it so I wouldn't look to deep into it. I'm sure they don't have any positive views of the empire or the sheer amount of refugee's wouldn't be a issue. As to those whom stay, Home is home and many people can't give it up when it gets hard.

[Dererk]

How he was able to change the mind of almost all Ala Mhidgans that still live on the city? Something like this cannot b forgotten. Maybe im wrong but couldnt it be that Gaius was the one who free Ala Mhigo from the mad king? And everyone saw hiim as a liberator?

Its hard to belive that by force and opression, you can change the minds of people. Sure they will have no choise to obey but they will never forget.

The VII legion. If no one in Ala Mhigo hated the empire (which is complete crap.) then the force conscription into The VII legion did. The mass of this legion was built from Ala Mhigain citizens. Which wer then brain washed by forcing them to kill their friends and families.

[Enkidoh]

Exactly, and 1.0 actually showed this happening, Ala Mhigan children were forcibly taken from their families by Garlean soldiers, brainwashed into obedient, anti-beastmen/Primal zealousness, and then sent north to Garlemald proper for military training, never to be seen by their parents again. This is why the majority of Garlean troops stationed in Eorzea (especially from the now extinct VIIth and almost extinct XIVth Legions are not native born Garleans at all (many of whom cast magic) - they're actually draftees from Ala Mhigo.

[Frederick22]

Then this legions has to formed by young men. This also mkesme question if now a days Ala Mhigo is still have people lol