about the game

Final Fantasy XIV was first released in 2010 and was an immediate disaster. It cannot be overstated what a complete failure the original game was: it was just plain bad. If you have any interest in game development, the documentary on it is fascinating. The short version is that it was a mess inside and out: a very pretty picture with no substance whatsoever.

The game was subsequently revamped and relaunched as A Realm Reborn, which released in 2013. Since then, the game has had an incredible rise, with a particular peak at its spectacular Heavensward expansion. Shadowbringers, the third expansion, released in July 2019, and has been extremely well-reviewed.

If you're a FF fan who wants to experience a new journey, you can't do better than this.

g'raha tia

The following profile is from the first Encylopedia Eorzea lorebook.

G'raha Tia's bloodline can be traced back to the Third Astral Era, and a figure whose true name has been lost to the ages. Known only as "Desch," Seekers of the Sun such as he were but a minor clan from the outskirts of Ilsabard. During the height of the Allagan empire, Desch was conscripted intro the imperial army alongside his few brethren. The Miqo'te somehow gained the trust of the princess Salina, and, as the era drew to a close, was entrusted with her blood and the secrets necessary to control the Crystal Tower. He survived the Fourth Umbral Calamity, and members of the family have since carried the royal line of Allag. With the passing of the ages, the ties to Desch and the emperor grew thin, with only one child in every generation born with the telltale Royal Eye. G'raha was shunned because of it, and began to study in Sharlayan to learn the origin of the trait, armed with naught saved the many stories he inherited from his forebears. It was this study that saw him admitted to the Students of Baldesion.

Now twenty-four years of age, G'raha enjoys being outdoors where he will oft curl up under the boughs of a shady arbor and read until sunfall. He also has a beautiful singing boice, though he performs mainly those melodies that have been passed down through his family.

FFIII fans will recognize the name Desch; the overall Crystal Tower raid calls back to a lot of FFIII lore, features a number of other characters inspired by the game, and culminates with a fight against the Cloud of Darkness.

It may seem strange for an entire profile to be about one's ancestors, but in G'raha's case it's very fitting. G'raha is a character who's very strongly guided by history, and while his personality is best described as eccentric, his desire to know more about his own history and the eye he bears largely shapes who he is.

Hopefully I can update this in the future with a more spoilery profile, but that's the basics!