The Player Character: Where are they from?

[Kyan]

Hi guys,

I have really love the world of FFXIV, and enjoying the musings and knowledge shared in this lore forum. In fact, I really enjoy creating lore for my own character too; it makes me feel part of the world.

Something which interests me, which we probably may never know, is the origin of our own characters. It seems we are not natives of Eorzea, at least according to the introduction dialogue when we start the game. I'm interested to know whereabouts our characters most likely have migrated from to take on this adventuring helm - we will probably never know, but it is a question that I have and I would love to hear what you think?

[Sholah]

That's left ambiguous so you can fill in your own character's origins.

[Trizzip]

I keep my RP separate from the main story line. I just go through the motions of the story line OOC'ly cause its fun. RP wise, my character is from one of the small villages in the Black Shroud and is much less 'awesome' then the main story line would lead me to believe, but I like it that way. I prefer to RP my toons as those who are much more down to earth than your common mary sues.

[Catapult]

The entire point is that it is of no importance. You have come out of nowhere. You are something unexpected.

So if you wish to make your own back-story, there is plenty of room to do so.

[NoloeTazier]

Clearly we're from Garlemald and are sleeper agents.

[Taelia]

Well, I think this question deserves a bit more attention than just brushing it off as open ended.

The story kind of -really- stresses the fact that the Warriors of Light came out of nowhere, in massive numbers, all at the same time. Surely their exact origins may not be necessary, but all these adventurers had to come from -somewhere-, right?

As far as I understand the story, they sure as hell weren't living in Ul'dah/Gridania/Limsa Lominsa already.

[Mickk]

My character has taken the long voyage from Vana'diel in the hopes of experiencing a different life. Although he's bulked up quite a bit and his hair is a little shaggier than usual (damn you SE for not including very many 'short' styles for Highland Hyurs ). He is a victim of many scars on his face from countless battles with Beastmen and the life of a Dark Knight. He hung up his Great Sword and ebony armour, trading warcraft in the hopes of rebuilding the war-torn Eorzea. It isn't long until he realises Eorzea needs a strong fighter and picks up the battle axe. Although he prefers a greatsword, he is no stranger to the axe but finds the lack of a large blade quite discerning. Adventuring initially as a Marauder, he occasionally feels the lingering darkness in his heart and eventually takes up the veil of a Thaumaturge. Being skilled in brute strength and a possessing a fine knowledge of Black Magic, my character is beginning to wonder if Eorzea will see him return as a Dark Knight.

[Catapult]

Well, I think this question deserves a bit more attention than just brushing it off as open ended.

The story kind of -really- stresses the fact that the Warriors of Light came out of nowhere, in massive numbers, all at the same time. Surely their exact origins may not be necessary, but all these adventurers had to come from -somewhere-, right?

As far as I understand the story, they sure as hell weren't living in Ul'dah/Gridania/Limsa Lominsa already.

Well, then allow me to go into a little more detail, since some of it has just reoccurred to me.

Back when Garlemald invaded Ala Mhigo, much of the continent was bracing for war. Garlemald had developed a reputation and the city states were bracing for the worst. Mercenaries and sellswords started gathering from across the world, strong-willed youths took up arms in anticipation of the threat...

...but the war never came. Garlemald just sat in Ala Mhigo, doing nothing other than consolidate their position. A brief foray into Silvertear Fall that ended rather tragically being the one exception, there otherwise no skirmishes.

And thus a lot of armed individuals across the land. Bored, armed and dangerous - that could be a civil problem, but a few wise souls got together and formed the adventurer's guild to put these souls to a more productive line of work.
(With people like Baderon, Miounne and Momodi, what could possibly go wrong?)

As for the Warriors of Light? There were only ever a few of them - somewhere between five and seven all told if my guess is right. If you were a Legacy Player, you were one of them.
Of course, because this is an MMO, a little bending of space-time is required to make the game playable, resulting in... quite a few more of us at a first glance [size=5]BUT THAT'S HARDLY THE POINT!!!![/size]

[Myranda]

I believe the primary complaint is not about how adventurers as a whole came about as remnant sellswords, or even that our origins are left open-ended for players to fill in the gaps with our own personal backstories. Rather, it is that it's not left open-ended enough.

The game goes quite out of its way to emphasize that we are not of Eorzea as a whole. They reference our clothing as "unusual" in the opening carriage scenes, they heavily imply that we fought at Carteneau for seemingly no gain of our own, as if it's out of the question that any of us were born in raised in Ul'dah/Gridania/Limsa Lominsa.

It's something that has bothered me quite a bit from the beginning, that we are actively denied a more intimate attachment to our starting city according to the lore. It seems silly to me that someone born in Ul'dah could not become one of the fabled Warriors of Light. That said I've learned to just accept it and ignore some of the in-game text while letting my personal backstory override it.

[Skies]

Myranda, I am fairly certain that, in a storytelling perspective, they do so in order to diminish the importance of your origin to as little as humanly possible.
Where you are from is not important. Who you used to be is not important. You story is blank, your past irrelevant, your future is all that matters. A future which is what we play through. Hence why I believe the alleigance you choose to the grand companies is of more important than your origin nation and all that.