Raubhan Aldynn is the true leader of Ul'Dah?

[Caffekon]

It is known that Ul'Dah was in the past a city of Lalafels and therefore it's royal family, politics and I believe most nobles are in reason most made of Lalafels as well, Nanamo Ul Namo stands as the supposely head of the state with Raubhan Aldynn is the general of the Immortal Flames.

So who is the real leader here? The Syndicate, Nanamo or Raubahn?

Nanamo powers are limited by the syndicate and she oftens seeks the help of Raubahn, which is very loyal to her, to use his influence and power to help her, I believe her position as a sultana is also basically kept by Raubahns doings, the Syndicate is just a bunch of nobles, in gameplay as well Raubhan also appears more than Nanamo in every cutscene, join in reunions, has more presence, even in the very end of a Real Reborn it was Raubahn who crossed weapons with the other leaders of the great companies!

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/F..._of_An_Era.png

[Caffekon]

So we conclude Raubahn is in fact the true leader of Ul'Dah and he can kick out Nanamo at anytime, as he has no reason for that, I have high reasons to believe he is in love as well

[Theodric]

So we conclude Raubahn is in fact the true leader of Ul'Dah and he can kick out Nanamo at anytime, as he has no reason for that, I have high reasons to believe he is in love as well

I hope they're not in love. It's a pretty creepy size and age difference...and interracial relationships are supposedly frowned upon by many in this setting but we seem to see more people completely fine with it than we do who are against it.

[Caffekon]

I hope they're not in love. It's a pretty creepy size and age difference...and interracial relationships are supposedly frowned upon by many in this setting but we seem to see more people completely fine with it than we do who are against it.

I suppose Nanamo is already an adult despite her appearance, to me Raubhan looks more like an old but healthy man, full of scars, old and wilt face, but healthy, we don't need to go to further details, don't you think? I doubt that such thing will happen in the game as well.
Regarding general relationships between different races, I don't see any problem, we don't need to get to details, it just needs to be cute!

[nukemind]

I suppose Nanamo is already an adult despite her appearance, to me Raubhan looks more like an old but healthy man, full of scars, old and wilt face, but healthy, we don't need to go to further details, don't you think? I doubt that such thing will happen in the game as well.
Regarding general relationships between different races, I don't see any problem, we don't need to get to details, it just needs to be cute!

There are still a few problems. This mainly has to do with a physical relationship as opposed to emotional, for one reason- as the Sultana, unless she converts to a democracy, she MUST have an heir or risk Uldah falling to the Syndicate or anarchy. In monarchies Heirs are necessary.
A.- It's possible Lalafell-Hyur relationships would be unable to reproduce.
B.- It's possible the child of such a union would be sterile.
C.- Assuming neither A nor B are true, the difference in size between the Hyur and Lalafell race could pose both pregnancy and birth problems.
D.- Assuming NONE of these are true, such a child may not be respected, having a weak claim to the throne and diluting a "pure" blood line.

Monarchies are all about the monarchs. I know all that is more technical stuff, but it's important. As you can imagine, I am SO much fun at parties.

[Frederick22]

snip

Lets not try to to talk such details xD

Remeber that we are on a word of magick/ sci-fi. So the biological and cultural "rules" that are on our world may not be the same than on ffxiv world.
This is not like making a progrency born of a donkey and horse. Fings very differently here.
Also the privacy life of a mornarch is not own consern. Is not something known to the public. But it wouldnt be the first time we heart iof ot, so is very possible given their "mutual" friendship. If it happens to be, I wouldnt be surprised.

[Caffekon]

snip

I see your point, it makes a lot of sense.
I suppose out of the players sphere (no restrictions) such relationship between the races are rather unusual or even inexistencial in the lore, every real couple I've seen in the game are of the same race, but I've also seen hookers in many points of Eorzea engaging in interracial flerting, but that's all, maybe Square just inserted such flertings for the sake of ambience building.
In the game itself there arent any clues of hybrids anywhere, I suppose for a question of design and to avoid trouble they simply choose to ignore the matter, as I said we don't really need to think deep in a fantasy game.

[Annana]

Assuming NONE of these are true, such a child may not be respected, having a weak claim to the throne and diluting a "pure" blood line.

We don't know a lot about relationships and marriages in Eorzea. I can't remember too many references to interracial relationships.

There are the two treasure hunters from Wanderer's Palace/WPHM, who mention that they are a couple and that it's not that they're both men, but that they're different races that caused them to receive abuse. There's also Hilda, who is half Hyur and Half Elezen.

Eorzea doesn't seem to have any problem with same sex relationships given that there are male Elezen soldiers propositioning each other, bathing Miqo'te inviting female adventurers to join them, Haurchefant being Adventurer-sexual, and of course the Eternal Bonding not restricting genders (though Eternal Bonding's 'canon' status is up for debate considering that it ignores race, which again doesn't seem to be well accepted).

[Anonymoose]

The balance of power between Nanamo and Raubahn is in itself a conspiracy of their own making, believe it or not. After Sasabal and Nanasha (Nanamo's parents) died (though I'm not sure how they died), Nanamo was a rather young inheritor of the crown. In such a situation, a wanna-be-oligarchy such as the Syndicate can either turn the child into a puppet or attempt to brush their power aside.

Nanamo is not a willing puppet, but she is predictable and thus easily out-maneuverable.

Raubahn was a refugee from Ala Mhigo that rose to fame on the Bloodsands of the Coliseum. It was during this time that he and Nanamo came to a secret arrangement - the details of which are still kind of murky. With her support and friendship, he won so many matches that he overtook the owner of the Coliseum in wealth, securing his place on the Syndicate.

When he won that match in 1570 Sixth Astral Era, before he'd even left the field, Nanamo raced out to confirm him (leaving her retainers in the dust and jumping into his arms, because teenage lalafell), and the first thing he did was whisper that he'd fulfilled his promise to her, publicly kneel and pledge his sword, and lift her up for all to see. From his place on the Syndicate, Raubahn was able to start pushing back against the erosion of her power by the Monetarist faction (Teledji, Lolorito, perhaps Fyrgeiss).

Precisely what Nanamo's end of the bargain is, though, I don't fully understand. You'd expect he would have asked for specific aid to the refugees or committal of military resources to the re-taking of Ala Mhigo, but, instead, Raubahn has become the very public face of Ul'dah's might and the Sultana's wishes.

You're right - he probably could ensure her downfall. But probably at the cost of his own. He's the linchpin of the turning tide.

Perhaps we'll learn more about it if we move to re-take Gyr Abania from the Garlean Empire...

[Caffekon]

Perhaps we'll learn more about it if we move to re-take Gyr Abania from the Garlean Empire...

How retaking Gyr Abania might unfold more about the politics in Ul'Dah? imo I believe the answers are within the Ul'Dah~Ala'Mhigo axis, now that you exposed that Nanamo's parents, the previous rulers died in an unknown way might be related with the Syndicate, I suppose...
Another big mistery are the whereabouts of the Royalists, what happened with them? I think Raubhan is the only royalist within the syndicate now, what happened before him? What could had happened before him? Maybe one of the reasons Nanamo rushed for Raubhan was to save her own skin too! There is a silent revolution happening in Ul'Dah...