#sovereign syndicate

[kyriolex]

You all need to play Sovereign Syndicate

It is a crime that the Sovereign Syndicate has such a small fandom. It's basically Disco Elysium in steampunk London, except:

Harry DuBois is an alcoholic minotaur magician

Klassje is a psychic sex worker

Kim Kitsuragi is a secretly sentient automaton

The Deserter is a monster-hunting dwarf with PTSD

Yes, it's smaller and shorter than other RPGS because the studio only had 20 people. But it's DAMN impressive for an indie game of its size, and well worth the price.

Also there's a side quest where you can supply machine gun blueprints to the Comanche Nation for use against the Texan invaders. Just saying.

[sleepdepravity]

...strange glossary term to give me but okay....thanks game....

[toweringclam]

Anyone else kinda surprised by how little staying power Centaurworld had? Like it was charming and memeable. Emotional yet hilarious. Gave us two solid seasons without overstaying its welcome or being canceled before its time. It told its story and told it well.

Then it was just *gone*. Memory holed. Erased from existence. No one talks about it anymore. I literally hadn't thought of it once until I encountered minotaur/centaur racism in Sovereign Syndicate.

Wonder why it just vanished like that.

[hellhoundmaggie]

Don't play Hogwarts Legacy -- play *these* games instead! | Renegade Cut

[kostenlose-pc-spiele]

Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos download

Sovereign Syndicate ist ein klassisches Rollenspiel, inspiriert von Titeln wie Baldur's Gate, den ersten Teilen der Fallout-Reihe, Divinity: Original Sin und Disco Elysium. Es wurde von dem unabhängigen kanadischen Team Crimson Herring Studios entwickelt und ist ihr erstes Projekt. Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos download.

Handlung des Spiels

Sovereign Syndicate entführt uns in eine alternative Steampunk-Version des viktorianischen Londons. Im Verlauf des Spiels schlüpfen wir in die Rolle eines von drei Charakteren, deren Geschichten durch unsere Entscheidungen miteinander verknüpft werden. Atticus Daley ist ein magisch begabter Minotaurus, der versucht, seine Alkoholsucht zu überwinden und seinen Platz in der Welt zu finden. Clara Reed ist eine Freibeuterin auf der Spur eines Kurtisanenmörders, während Otto, eine vom Ingenieur Theodore Redgrave erschaffene Maschine, mehr vom Leben will, als nur ein nützliches Werkzeug zu sein.

Spielmechanik

In Sovereign Syndicate sehen wir das Geschehen aus einer isometrischen Perspektive. Das Spiel bietet uns eine riesige offene Welt mit zwanzig verschiedenen Schauplätzen. Wir streifen durch die dunklen Gassen und schäbigen Gebäude, die das Steampunk-London ausmachen, erfüllen Quests, um die Geschichte voranzutreiben, und nehmen an einer Vielzahl von Nebenmissionen teil. Jedes Problem kann auf unterschiedliche Weise gelöst werden, von Überredung bis Kampf. Wenn wir mit den Bewohnern der Stadt sprechen, müssen wir daran denken, dass nicht nur die von uns gewählten Dialogpunkte, sondern auch das Geschlecht und das Aussehen unseres Charakters bestimmen, wie wir von ihnen behandelt werden. Während des Gesprächs können wir die einzigartigen Fähigkeiten unseres Charakters nutzen. Interessanterweise wird der Erfolg der Fertigkeitstests hier nicht durch virtuelles Würfeln bestimmt, sondern durch Tarotkarten, die wir ziehen.

Jeder Held hat andere Fähigkeiten

Apropos Fähigkeiten: Jeder Held hat ein individuelles Set an Fähigkeiten. Bestimmte Fähigkeiten entwickeln wir einfach, indem wir sie benutzen, andere stagnieren mit der Zeit. Dieses System macht es einfach, den Charakter an den individuellen Spielstil anzupassen. Außerdem können die Fähigkeiten des Charakters durch bessere Ausrüstung gesteigert werden.

Technische Aspekte

Die grafische Gestaltung von Sovereign Syndicate ist in einem eher düsteren Stil gehalten. Die besuchten Schauplätze werden von Brauntönen dominiert und sind meist zusätzlich in ein atmosphärisches Zwielicht getaucht. Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos. Read the full article

[jeuxgratuits]

Sovereign Syndicate télécharger gratuit

Sovereign Syndicate est un jeu de rôle classique inspiré de titres tels que Baldur's Gate, les premiers volets de la série Fallout, Divinity : Original Sin et Disco Elysium. Le jeu a été développé par l'équipe canadienne indépendante Crimson Herring Studios, dont c'est le premier projet. Sovereign Syndicate télécharger gratuit.

L'intrigue du jeu

Sovereign Syndicate nous emmène dans une version alternative et steampunk du Londres de l'ère victorienne. Au cours du jeu, nous incarnons l'un des trois personnages dont les histoires, façonnées par nos décisions, s'entremêlent. Atticus Daley est un minotaure doué de magie qui tente de faire face à son addiction à l'alcool et de trouver sa place dans le monde, Clara Reed est une flibustière sur la piste d'un tueur de courtisanes, tandis qu'Otto, une machine créée par l'ingénieur Theodore Redgrave, veut plus de la vie que de servir et d'être un outil utile.

Mécanismes de jeu

Dans Sovereign Syndicate, l'action se déroule en vue isométrique. Le titre met à notre disposition un vaste monde ouvert, composé de vingt lieux différents. En déambulant dans les ruelles sombres et les bâtiments sordides qui composent le Londres steampunk, nous accomplissons des quêtes pour faire avancer l'histoire et nous nous engageons dans une variété de missions secondaires. Chaque problème peut être résolu de différentes manières, de la persuasion au combat. Lorsque nous parlons aux habitants, nous devons nous rappeler que ce ne sont pas seulement les points de dialogue que nous choisissons, mais aussi le sexe et l'apparence de notre personnage qui déterminent la façon dont ils nous traiteront. Au cours de la conversation, nous pouvons utiliser les capacités uniques de notre personnage. Il est intéressant de noter que la réussite des tests de compétences n'est pas déterminée ici par des jets de dés virtuels, mais par les cartes de tarot que nous tirons.

Chaque héros a des capacités différentes

En parlant de compétences, chaque héros possède un ensemble de compétences qui lui est propre. Nous développons certaines compétences simplement en les utilisant ; celles qui sont en jachère stagnent au fil du temps. Ce système permet d'adapter facilement le personnage au style de jeu de chacun. De plus, les capacités du personnage peuvent être augmentées en l'équipant d'un meilleur matériel.

Aspects techniques

Le graphisme de Sovereign Syndicate reste dans un style plutôt sombre. Les lieux visités sont dominés par des tons bruns, et la plupart d'entre eux sont en outre plongés dans un crépuscule atmosphérique. Sovereign Syndicate télécharger gratuit. Read the full article

[anjelusx]

Anjel Plays New CRPG - Sovereign Syndicate

[wolfleblack]

Sovereign Syndicate Review

As a CRPG set in a Steampunk version of London and starring a Minotaur illusionist, Sovereign Syndicate certainly makes a striking first impression. Heavily influenced by Disco Elysium, this game from Crimson Herring aims to tell a strong story via multiple points of view, eschewing combat in favour of dialogue. As the team’s first project, it’s pretty impressive and worth taking a look at if you…

[zahrlandsollies]

There's an airship ba dum ba dum ba dum

Kinda interested in the literalness of playing as an automaton ba dum ba dum dum

Releasing in around two weeks ba duuuuuuuuuum

[workersolidarity]

[ 📸 📹 Footage shows scenes of massive destruction everywhere to be seen after the withdrawal of Zionist forces in Hamad Town, a city in the Khan Yunis governate, in the southern Gaza Strip, while photos show the bodies of the dead resulting from IOF airstrikes targeting civilian homes in Deir al-Balah overnight, in the central Gaza Strip.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

HAMAD TOWN IN KHAN YUNIS COMPLETELY FLATTENED BY ZIONIST FORCES, DOZENS KILLED ON DAY 159 OF ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE

On the 159th day of Israel's ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, and on the second day of Ramadan, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 10 massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 88 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, and wounded another 135 others over the previous 24-hours.

In a highly illegal attack on the sovereign state of Lebanon, a Zionist raid targeting a civilian vehicle near the Al-Hosh Junction in the city of Tyre killed the Hamas political leader Hadi Mustafa, from the Rashidiya Camp, and wounded three other Lebanese civilians.

According to Lebanese media, Zionist artillery also fired on the Marjayoun Plain while Israeli military and reconnaissance aircraft operated in Lebanese airspace, with the local government calling on the International community to put a stop to Israeli strikes within its borders.

In the north of the Gaza Strip, Zionist artillery forces fired four shells towards the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital, affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, killing at least five civilians, including children, and wounding several others.

Similarly, Israeli warplanes targeted with airstrikes the civilian neighborhoods of Al-Daraj and Al-Zaytoun in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of 15 Palestinians, including two women and at least seven children, while wounding dozens of others.

According to reports on the bombings, occupation warplanes bombarded a civilian home in the Al-Daraj neighborhood which killed seven civilians, including three children and wounded several others.

Later, a second strike targeting the Azzam family home in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, killed no less than eight civilians, including four children and two women, with a number of others wounded as well.

Israeli occupation aircraft also bombarded the Lulu family home in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, killing two Palestinian civilians and wounding four children as a result.

IOF airstrikes and artillery fire also concentrated on the central Gaza Strip, with occupation forces targeting four civilian homes in the city of Deir al-Balah overnight.

In the first attack, Zionist air forces bombarded the Al-Atrash family home in Deir al-Balah, killing at least 11 civilians, most of whom were women and children, and wounding dozens of others.

Subsequently, IOF fighter jets bombed the Al-Qudra family home, resulting in the tragic deaths of 11 additional Palestinians, while a strike targeting the Abu Sanjar family home killed at least 7 civilians.

In another strike, occupation forces targeted the Al-Yazuri family home, also in Deir al-Balah, leading to 25 civilians killed or missing under the rubble of their home.

In another Zionist atrocity, the Palestinian fisherman's syndicate announced the horrific murder of two of its members, Muhammad and Youssef Adel al-Sayyid Abu Riyala, after being targeted by occupation gunboats while fishing off the coast of Al-Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, known locally as the Nuseirat Sea.

Moving towards the Southern Gaza Strip, IOF artillery shelling concentrated near Hamad Town, in the Khan Yunis governate, where violent clashes with Resistance forces led several Israeli aircraft to land in the area to transport wounded Zionist soldiers for medical care.

Local Paramedic personnel also transported the body of martyr Haitham Muhammad Deeb Suwaidan (35yo) from Khan Yunis to Al-Najjar Hospital in the city of Rafah.

Additionally, IOF soldiers detonated several residential homes east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

As a result of Israel's ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the infinitely rising death toll stemming from Israeli attacks now exceeds 31'272 civilians killed, more than 25'000 of which being women and children according to the United States Pentagon, and wounding another 73'024 others since the current round of Israeli aggression began on October 7th, 2023.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[shellyseashell]

HARRIET HOOK (DEMON HUNTER AU)

aliases: etta, aegea, pirate king

age: 21

height: 5’11

mbti: entj, the commander

affiliation: sovereign dread, lost revenge, deviltry, syndicate

personality: blunt, protective, bold, charismatic, bossy, dismissive

partner(s): anthony tremaine, diego de vil, ginny gothel

children: sorcha hook

background: when her mother, an exiled neverland mermaid, died, she was left caring for her siblings and protecting them from their father. she grew up a sort of ring leader for a lot of wharf kids, one of the only ones bold enough to face the guards. her crew was only formed when she was 15, after acquiring a ship. over the years, she solidified her crew to one of the largest and most powerful gangs on the isle. now, the south wharfs are fully under her control, the only place on the isle frollo has no foothold.

[edwad]

it’s so obnoxious that you think you’re the only person who reads. i have read proudhon and even if you completely ignore his misogyny and anti-semitism (which do actually effect his theories), he is a generally idealist economic thinker who takes for granted the free interaction of individual producers as the basic economic fact that generates macroeconomic relations. he has virtually no consideration of colonialism or primitive accumulation or any other basically unequal exchange relation

obviously he is a complex and frequently self-contradictory thinker, so it’s easy for you to gesture at that and at marx’s general uncharitableness to his interlocutors to deflect any criticism, especially knowing nothing about him. but i’m not defending marx out of some alleigance to marx himself, but because marx is a genuinely superior thinker in his willingness to view capitalism specifically and economics generally in terms of relations of exploitation more complex than the ‘free market’

so while yes, he has progressive positions akin to marx like the abolition of wage labor or worker owned means of production, because his ultimate aim is still exchange (albeit free exchange) he doesn’t ultimately have a coherent theory of abolition of wage labor. what he dreams of is an idyllic proto-capitalism, or if you like, anarcho-syndicalism, where competition and exchange prevail, but simply between worker owned cooperatives and independent producers.

i’m not saying don’t read him. i’m not saying marx is 100% right and he is 100% wrong. but i think the guy who said “I protest that when I criticized the complex of institutions of which property is the foundation stone, I never meant to forbid or suppress, by sovereign decree, ground rent and interest on capital. I think that all these manifestations of human activity should remain free and voluntary for all“ maybe doesn’t have the most well thought out anti-capitalism

actually incredibly ridiculous of you to send me all of this simply because i said i wanted to read proudhon to better understand his relationship with marx

[dailyanarchistposts]

I.5.2 Why are confederations of participatory communities needed?

Since not all issues are local, the community assemblies will also elect mandated and recallable delegates to the larger-scale units of self-government in order to address issues affecting urban districts, the city or town as a whole, the county, the bio-region, and ultimately the entire planet. Thus the assemblies will confederate at several levels in order to develop and co-ordinate common policies to deal with common problems. In the words of the CNT’s resolution on libertarian communism:

“The inhabitants of a commune are to debate among themselves their internal problems … Federations are to deliberate over major problems affecting a country or province and all communes are to be represented at their reunions and assemblies, thereby enabling their delegates to convey the democratic viewpoint of their respective communes. “If, say, roads have to be built to link villages of a county or any matter arises to do with transportation and exchange of produce between agricultural and industrial counties, then naturally every commune which is implicated will have its right to have its say. “On matters of a regional nature, it is the duty of the regional federation to implement agreements which will represent the sovereign will of all the region’s inhabitants. So the starting point is the individual, moving on through the commune, to the federation and right on up finally to the confederation. “Similarly, discussion of all problems of a national nature shall follow a like pattern … “ [quoted by Jose Peirats, The CNT in the Spanish Revolution, p. 107]

In other words, the commune “cannot any longer acknowledge any superior: that, above it, there cannot be anything, save the interests of the Federation, freely embraced by itself in concert with other Communes.” [Kropotkin, No Gods, No Masters, vol. 1, p. 259]

Federalism is applicable at all levels of society. As Kropotkin pointed out, anarchists “understand that if no central government was needed to rule the independent communes, if national government is thrown overboard and national unity is obtained by free federation, then a central municipal government becomes equally useless and noxious. The same federative principle would do within the commune.” [Anarchism, pp. 163–164] Thus the whole of society would be a free federation, from the local community right up to the global level. And this free federation would be based squarely on the autonomy and self-government of local groups. With federalism, co-operation replaces coercion.

This need for co-operation does not imply a centralised body. To exercise your autonomy by joining self-managing organisations and, therefore, agreeing to abide by the decisions you help make is not a denial of that autonomy (unlike joining a hierarchical structure, where you forsake autonomy within the organisation). In a centralised system, we must stress, power rests at the top and the role of those below is simply to obey (it matters not if those with the power are elected or not, the principle is the same). In a federal system, power is not delegated into the hands of a few (obviously a “federal” government or state is a centralised system). Decisions in a federal system are made at the base of the organisation and flow upwards so ensuring that power remains decentralised in the hands of all. Working together to solve common problems and organise common efforts to reach common goals is not centralisation and those who confuse the two make a serious error — they fail to understand the different relations of authority each generates and confuse obedience with co-operation.

As in the economic federation of syndicates, the lower levels will control the higher, thus eliminating the current pre-emptive powers of centralised government hierarchies. Delegates to higher-level co-ordinating councils or conferences will be instructed, at every level of confederation, by the assemblies they come from on how to deal with any issues. These instructions will be binding, committing delegates to a framework of policies within which they must act and providing for their recall and the nullification of their decisions if they fail to carry out their mandates. Delegates may be selected by election and/or sortition (i.e. random selection by lot, as for jury duty currently). As Murray Bookchin argued:

“A confederalist view involves a clear distinction between policy making and the co-ordination and execution of adopted policies. Policy making is exclusively the right of popular community assemblies based on the practices of participatory democracy. Administration and co-ordination are the responsibility of confederal councils, which become the means for interlinking villages, towns, neighbourhoods, and cities into confederal networks. Power flows from the bottom up instead of from the top down, and in confederations, the flow of power from the bottom up diminishes with the scope of the federal council ranging territorially from localities to regions and from regions to ever-broader territorial areas.” [From Urbanisation to Cities, p. 253]

Thus the people will have the final word on policy, which is the essence of self-government, and each citizen will have his or her turn to participate in the co-ordination of public affairs. In other words, self-government will be the people themselves organised in their community assemblies and their confederal co-ordinating councils, with any delegates limited to implementing policy formulated by the people. Such policies will still be subject to approval by the neighbourhood and community assemblies through their right to recall their delegates and revoke their decisions. Needless to say, the higher the confederation the less often it would meet and the less it would have to consider in terms of issues to decide. On such a level, only the most general issues and decisions could be reached (in effect, only guidelines which the member confederations would apply as they saw fit).

In such a system there will, undoubtedly, be the need for certain individuals to be allocated certain tasks to do. We stress the word “tasks” because their work is essentially administrative in nature, without power. For example, an individual or a group of individuals may be elected to look into alternative power supplies for a community and report back on what they discover. They cannot impose their decision onto the community as they do not have the power to do so. They simply present their findings to the body which had mandated them. These findings are not a law which the electors are required to follow, but a series of suggestions and information from which the assembled people chose what they think is best. Or, to use another example, someone may be elected to overlook the installation of a selected power supply but the decision on what power supply to use and which specific project to implement has been decided upon by the whole community. Similarly with any delegate elected to a confederal council.

The scales and levels of confederation can only be worked out in practice. In general, it would be safe to say that confederations would be needed on a wide scale, starting with towns and cities and then moving onto regional and other levels. No village, town or city could be self-sufficient nor would desire to be — communication and links with other places are part and parcel of life and anarchists have no desire to retreat back into an isolated form of localism:

“No community can hope to achieve economic autarchy, nor should it try to do so. Economically, the wide range of resources that are needed to make many of our widely used goods preclude self-enclosed insularity and parochialism. Far from being a liability, this interdependence among communities and regions can well be regarded as an asset — culturally as well as politically … Divested of the cultural cross-fertilisation that is often a product of economic intercourse, the municipality tends to shrink into itself and disappear into its own civic privatism. Shared needs and resources imply the existence of sharing and, with sharing, communication, rejuvenation by new ideas, and a wider social horizon that yields a wider sensibility to new experiences.” [Bookchin, Op. Cit., p. 237]

Combined with this consideration, we must also raise the issue of economies of scale. A given level of confederation may be required to make certain social and economic services efficient (we are thinking of economies of scale for such social needs as universities, hospitals, and cultural institutions). While every commune may have a doctor, nursery, local communal stores and small-scale workplaces, not all can have a university, hospital, factories and so forth. These would be organised on a wider level, so necessitating the appropriate confederation to exist to manage them. Ties between bio-regions or larger territories based on the distribution of such things as geographically concentrated mineral deposits, climate dependent crops, and production facilities that are most efficient when concentrated in one area will unite communities confederally on the basis of common material needs as well as values.

This means that the scale and level of the confederations created by the communes will be varied and extensive. It would be hard to generalise about them, particularly as different confederations will exist for different tasks and interests. Moreover, any system of communes would start off based on the existing villages, towns and cities of capitalism. That is unavoidable and will, of course, help determine the initial scale and level of confederations.

In urban areas, the town or city would have to be broken down into confederations and these confederations would constitute the town or city assembly of delegates. Given a huge city like London, New York or Mexico City it would be impossible to organise in any other way. Smaller towns would probably be able to have simpler confederations. We must stress that few, if any, anarchists consider it desirable to have huge cities in a free society and one of the major tasks of social transformation will be to break the metropolis into smaller units, integrated with the local environment. However, a social revolution will take place in these vast metropolises and so we have to take them into account in our discussion.

In summary, the size and scale of confederations will depend on practical considerations, based on what people found were optimal sizes for their neighbourhood assemblies and the needs of co-operation between them, towns, cities, regions and so on. We cannot, and have no wish, to predict the development of a free society. Therefore the scale and levels of confederation will be decided by those actually creating an anarchist world although it is almost certain that levels of confederation would be dependent on the number of delegates required. After a certain number, the confederation assembly may became difficult to manage, so implying that another level of confederation is required. This would, undoubtedly, be the base for determining the scale and level of confederation, ensuring that any confederal assembly can actually manage its activities and remain under the control of lower levels.

Finally, confederations are required to ensure solidarity can be expressed in the unlikely situation of local oppression. After all, history is full of local communities which have been oppressive to minorities within them (most obviously, the American South) and so confederation is required so that members of any such minority can appeal for help and mutual aid to end its domination. Equally, though, confederation is needed to ensure that local communes can experiment and try out new ideas without having to wait until the majority agree to it as would be required in a centralised system.

Thus confederations of communes are required to co-ordinate joint activity and discuss common issues and interests. It is also required to protect individual, community and social freedom as well as allowing social experimentation and protecting the distinctiveness, dignity, freedom and self-management of communities and so society as a whole. Thus “socialism is federalist” and “true federalism, the political organisation of socialism, will be attained only when these popular grass-roots institutions [namely, “communes, industrial and agricultural associations”] are organised in progressive stages from the bottom up.” [Bakunin, Bakunin on Anarchism, p. 402]

[autumnslance]

paladin talk derived- what would you have liked to see as ul'dah paladins or knights? aesthetics, oaths, lore, other stuff?

I've said before in my old post comparing various jobs (PLD, DRK) with the Oaths of 5e D&D that as they are, the Sultansworn fit the "Oath of the Crown" due to being primarily focused on their role as the Sultana's guards; they are there to be old school historical knightly guardians of the ruling family and their palace.

Oath of the Crown The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order's ranks.

So if we're sticking to fantasy style paladins with a hint of history nerding from the writers, this sort of thing suits them, really.

And honestly, what lore we get in ARR isn't bad; the quest story around it is boring, but the concepts, tenets, oaths, history? It could still work. Throw out the HW "job stones vying for dominance" nonsense, and again, don't forget they exist past the starting zone, and it'd be fine! The Sultansworn should be more a part of the messy politics of Ul'dah and involved in some of the central events, especially those in and around the palace and dealing with the Sultana. Where does the order fall during all these events? How many are actually loyal to Nanamo and Papashan? How many are swayed by the Syndicate and allow events to happen? We don't know, and that's one of my issues in how the story unfolded.

Cuz the Sultansworn that are locked to their positions like at the doors to the Fragrant Chamber, it's just...business as usual. And some of it is the shorthand, truncated allowance for story in a MMO environment, but a lot of it also feels like an oversight when plotting out events like a full on coup that puts the Sultana's life on the line and her personal guard are nowhere to be seen.

So where's the storyline about dealing with the fallout of ARR, of the Sultansworn picking up the pieces and rooting out traitors...OR, since we had an Ul'dah paladin story in ARR (mediocre as it is), then give us the Ishgardian one in HW to compare/contrast. Then, let them come together in the Stormblood chain (maybe still have it be a tournament), as the two different paladin orders from two different nations duke it out and eventually come to an accord on how they're more similar than they first appeared and want the same things in the end: the safety and security of their peoples and Eorzea as a whole.

As for aesthetics, the short answer: Dhalmekia in FF16 does a better job at invoking the culture and military (with an elite guardian order to boot) of a desert nation in their clothing/armor and weapons.

However, in original and rebuilt FF14 that's now over a decade old...

The armor we get for the AFs are lacking in religious iconography, but still feel very "traditional Fantasy Pan-European Holy Knight via video game physics" you'll find in any other RPG, either video or tabletop. This includes the first set, which is what we get from our Sultansworn trainer, even if the Player is a "Free Paladin". Like the Valor chest piece almost works in its underlying construction, but they throw that style of tabard and the ridic shoulder pads on top, and those gloves and boots. And a crown instead.

Several of the ARR AFs are taken from earlier games for their iconic looks, and I am not certain if I am missing other historical references in those gearsets, or if it's all simply rendering iconic game gear from earlier FFs into something that works in 14.

Part of the trouble to is all of the common outfits in ARR are, for the most part, real generic tunics, robes, and pants for everyone regardless of region. There's very little change in appearance for outfits across the realm regardless of whether one is in South Thanalan, La Noscea, or Coerthas. And looking at what 1.x material there is, it was pretty much the same. We have various turbans in game since ARR, but I'd like something a little less "generic fantasy armor" and acknowledging other forms...that we don't really get to see until we get some Eastern-themed outfits in HW, and then especially in Stormblood. For the most part, it's either full plate or chain. We've also had curved swords (scimitars, sabers) for awhile, why not make something like that, with a round shield, more the uniform of the Sultansworn, instead of a straight blade and kite shield?

I have a Watcher paladin in a D&D game where I ended up looking into Turkish folk styles and Earlier Ottoman armors for her gear. I've also recently (and this is going a little more into the Caucasus) gotten into traditional Georgian clothes, with the chokha worn by their soldiers developed from earlier century kaftans, as they sat at a crossroads of the trade routes.

Here is an unrolled thread about Crusade history (had to auto-translate) with some art and photographic examples of different periods and regions. Even when the historical Faris (from the idea of Furusiyya, which was a knightly code and concept in Arabic medieval times and like chivalry and knights in the West, started with who had horses) wore more metal armor, it was different from traditional European styles. But given the strictures on styles in 1.x and through 2.0, that really wasn't feasible.

For a huge part, I'm just real done with Pan-West-European fantasy, especially when a token effort is made to add varied regions, but it ends being just that: tokenism, and the rest doesn't take into account the actual environment they've created (which is why I say if you're going to make just another Euro-flavored knight order, stick them in the Euro-flavored knight zone). CU3's gotten better about that over time, especially as they've gotten more budget, more people, and better technology. Development marches on, but it really makes the gaps in early game noticeable, and I kinda hope (but don't expect) for some subtle swap outs and revisions to the generic early gear everyone in ARR zones are currently stuck with.

[tomorrowusa]

[P]ressuring Ukraine to accept an agreement against its will would have serious global consequences. Russia would conclude that aggressive warfare should remain in its geopolitical toolbox. After a few years have passed and it has regained its military strength, it might double down and assert new territorial claims in Europe and Eurasia as it continues to stir up conflicts in Africa and elsewhere.

Moreover, an unjust peace would fuel hatred, resentment, and revanchist tendencies in Ukrainian society, hampering reconstruction and reconciliation, while Russian society would once again be spared from having to engage in sorely needed self-reflection. At the same time, tensions in Europe and around the world would remain high, undercutting global economic development efforts as well as international cooperation on other crucial issues.

More broadly, Russian disregard for international law would cast serious doubt on the viability of the twenty-first-century rules-based international order. If a nuclear-armed permanent member of the UN Security Council can invade a sovereign country and unilaterally annex its territories, the existing order will have failed its biggest test.

– Pekka Haavisto, foreign minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023, writing at Project Syndicate. (archived)

The only reasonable lasting outcome of this conflict is for Russia's invasion to be a failure. Russia broke already existing treaties and agreements with its invasion. Only a mental defective believes that Russia would abide by any new "negotiated" agreement that leaves Russia in control of vast swatches of Ukraine.

One of the many agreements which Putin broke is the United Nations Charter. In his article Mr. Haavisto referenced Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Russia has used its veto at the Security Council to prevent any direct UN action against its aggression. So the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defence" of Ukraine with support of its allies continues – and should continue.

When a conflict is not settled justly and judiciously then the possibility of a subsequent conflict greatly increases. The mess at the end of World War I eventually led to World War II.

If you want long term peace and respect for international law, then support Ukraine in its just fight against an imperialist and genocidal neighbor.

[illarian-rambling]

24 for the edgy OC ask game?

What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

I think about this one a lot, since a lot of my characters' paths tend to be shaped by some pivotal choices, so forgive me if some of these get a little long :)

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If Twenari had never run away from her mother, she would've eventually broken under the strain of being a human weapon and become an emotionless creature very much like Undeta. She would've taken over the Tunnel Wasp smuggling ring and raised it to new heights through her cunning and sorcerous talent. She probably would rule the blackmarket of all Janaz by the time she turned twenty.

If Saius had never been executed and Sepo had never burned the Silver Sovereign's heir and palace, he would've stayed a Singer-Priest, never learning that surface folk are sentient and what the sirens are doing is evil. With his drive and power, he would've become a true terror of the seas, sinking galleons with little trouble. I imagine if he ended up on this path and Twenari ended up taking over the Tunnel Wasps, the two would have an intense rivalry, as they would be haunting the same waters.

If Izjik had never followed that first urge from End, she never would've ended up in the Trench. Given how rare it is for spirits to come to Illaros, she probably would've lived most of her life unbothered by the star demon, as no god or Chosen would come near enough to activate its presence, which would remain rather dormant without that first kill. She would probably become a storied hunter of Edeme’eneha, content to live and love out her days within her swampy home, though she would always feel a vague lack of something in her life.

If Djek had been more willing to kill in service of the Tunnel Wasps, he would've risen much more quickly in their ranks. With his proclivity for shadow magic and fast-talk, he probably would've been trained as an infiltrator and assassin. Unfortunately, I can't see his unstealthy self lasting too long in this line of work. He'd probably get captured and turn coat, only to get captured again, and so on and so forth until he's made his rounds through most of Illaros's criminal syndicates.

If Astra had given up when she learned the Yewbury College of the Arcane wouldn't let her in, she would've returned to her home within the debtor's village, defeated. She still would've been determined to pay off her mothers' contracts, but without access to magic, I think she would end up turning to crime. All those underworld contacts would give her a good network to start something like the SLP she encounters in book 2. She'd probably end up starting a revolution against the landowners in rural Skolan and Sulu'Oku. Unfortunately, I also doubt she would last long in this line of work, though her dream would live on.

If Mashal never took that fateful guard assignment, he would've never encountered Vermir and would've stayed happily with his scouting regiment, protecting Skolan and Sulu'Oku's roads and helping weary travelers. With his older brother taking care of running the household, Mashal would be free to keep at his military career for as long as he liked. I think he'd stay a mounted knight for a long time, only retiring to run the family horse trading business when he hit middle age. There was another knight he was very close with, and though I hint a bit in flashbacks, I think in this timeline, Mashal and Shenlin would be happily married.

If Ivander never violated his contract by leaving his family, he would've never been cursed. Like Twenari, I think his morals would eventually be worn away under the drudgery of very mundane evil. He would end up a perfect Montane, married to a stranger with good connections, and working every day to tie hopeful people to inescapable contracts that would see them bankrupt. He doesn't have the drive to end up as the head of the family, so I think he'd be a very sad piece of middle management.

.

And that's a wrap! A good blend, I think, of worse, neutral, and better. Thanks for the ask!