DRK as Warrior of Light - What is your reasoning

[jedidotflow]

Hi all. Not sure if this is the correct forum. Anyways, here we go.

So I've been thinking about the DRK being the WoL and it seems a bit contradictory. I main a DRK and it's been one of my fave FF classes since FFIV (FFII when I played it in the 90s). I still struggle a bit with reconciling the fact that we draw power from the abyss while we are the WoL. So I was curious as to how others saw that fact and what their conclusions are.

The way I think of it, it's the "darkness inside everyone". Despite being the chosen of Hydaelyn, we still have emotions and feelings that we hold back and feed the darkness.

I also think that the abyss that Sidurgu refers to is not the same as the Void from where the Ascians come from, so that helps. It's more of a metaphorical thing, almost in the Nietzschean sense.

I don't RP or anything, but I like my characters to be consistent with in-game lore, so I'm looking forward to any insight you might provide.

[PArcher]

The way I think of it, it's the "darkness inside everyone". Despite being the chosen of Hydaelyn, we still have emotions and feelings that we hold back and feed the darkness.

I remember a thread that had this topic touched; think this was the general conclusion. I mean, look at the DRK 30-50 quests; Fray *is* the part of us we repress. Not something else, part of us.

[Fenral]

Cilia? You there?

It's a little harder to pin down when you're running around as a Warrior of Light, but darkness isn't equated to "evil." It's volatile, dangerous, and extremely attractive as a power source to megalomaniacs, but not "evil" in and of itself.

Being a Dark Knight just means tapping into a power source that most people back away from for whatever personal reasons. It's like owning a gun. You can exceed your human limitations by using it, but there's nothing inherently evil about a contained combustion reaction propelling a piece of metal through a tube.

It's also important to note that Hydaelyn and Zodiark are personifications of Light and Dark respectively, but neither they nor their servants can claim individual responsibility for all the Good or Evil in the world. You're using power that many attribute to Zodiark, but not drawing it directly from him.

Not that I don't want to eventually see Slayers-type Black Magic, where spells actually channel the power and consciousness of specific Demon Lords, with caveats like you can't damage Shabranigdu with his own power (unless he's feeling especially nihilistic). We just don't have it yet.

[jedidotflow]

I see what you mean. Do note that I don't think of each in terms of good and evil, but more like opposing forces.

[Morningstar1337]

What Fenral said can also be applied to the other Jobs. Black Mages channel powers of the Void, while Summoners call upon Primal Powers and both them and Scholars is diseased magics. The Azure Dragoon is empowered by the Eye of Nidhogg, or in other terms, the Malice Striker, and a Dragon of pure wrath. All of which can be said to be evil, despite this we are still the Warrior of Light. Defender of the Realm and Spokenkind's best chance for survival against the more metaphysical foes like the Primals and Ascians.

Likewise, Of the Warriors of Darkness, two of which, Blaenherz and the Lalafell, are Classes that are usually seen as "Good", Paladin and White Mage. And the Heaven's Ward likewise seem more like Paladins then the actual Paladins (in the devotion to their religion sense). Despite this they are still evil (so far) and King Thordian and Alexander are light-aspected Primals (I think). Its not the Weapon/Magic/Power, but how you use it.

[jedidotflow]

Fantastic points regarding the other classes!

[Shadotterdan]

Black Mages channel powers of the Void.

Just a correction. Black magic as far as the player character is concerned does not deal with the void, rather it is using the surrounding aether to power your spells and make them more destructive. Though a lot of NPC black mages seem drawn to summoning voidsent, at the moment it seems to be more that it is a handy source of outside power to use and less something that is intrinsically linked.

[PArcher]

Just a correction. Black magic as far as the player character is concerned does not deal with the void, rather it is using the surrounding aether to power your spells and make them more destructive. Though a lot of NPC black mages seem drawn to summoning voidsent, at the moment it seems to be more that it is a handy source of outside power to use and less something that is intrinsically linked.

Its hard to say; is Black Magic a subset of Void Magic, or is Void Magic a subset of Black Magic?

The Mhach were Void Mages, and from them we got the Black Magic we use now (and Void Magic). Do we know which actually came first?

[Cilia]

Sorry, your unfriendly neighborhood Dork Dark Knight went out for a night on the town! Need to distract myself from the factory I work at getting shut down for 2 months somehow...

Long story short: it requires understanding the difference between "your darkness" and "the Dark."

The power you wield as a DRK is simply "your darkness." It's an inherent part of your being, born from your pain and suffering. Most people turn away from their darkness - simply looking at your dark and ugly side is no easy thing to do, let alone accepting it as a part of you. That "darkness" isn't evil or born from malign sources - it's simply you, a part of yourself you normally keep hidden and locked away (even from yourself) because you don't like what it says about you. Using that power simply requires the courage to face yourself and the self-awareness to recognize that "darkness" as a part of you, while simultaneously having the strength of heart not to let it control you. (You later learn that strength comes from love, meaning it's not so much "darkness" as it is wielding your own heart as a weapon more or less literally. Given there is darkness in every heart, however... not acknowledging your darkness while doing so could naturally be a bad thing.)

Conversely, "the Dark" is Zodiark's power, typically used by the Ascians to bring ruin and death. Anathema to all things on Hydaelyn, not just shunned for being something unpleasant to look at.

That's the simplest way I can think of to explain it.

[jedidotflow]

Never really thought of that distinction between inner darkness and the Dark as clearly as you did. Thanks! This is of great help.