The Doman Liberation Front is a rebel movement in Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood based in the conquered nation of Doma following the Garlean Empire's conquest that brought the honorable nation to submission. Led by fierce and stubborn freedom fighters and samurai, the Doman Liberation Front seeks to see its once proud nation and people free once more.
Story[]
For years, the nation of Doma lived in peace under the ruler-ship of the Rijin family in the Far East in Othard. The Garlean Empire, hungry for conquest, threatened the nation. As the empire conquered other nations in the Far East, such as Dalmasca, Doma became the next target, leading to a new war. Doma's warriors and samurai fought hard, but were unable to combat the overwhelming imperial armies resulting in Doma's surrender. Though Lord Kaien Rijin was made viceroy of the newly conquered nation, he was powerless against his imperial handlers, leaving him but a puppet, resulting in oppression towards the people of Doma.
Formation[]
Refusing to give up the fight and resolving to see their nation free, warriors and angry villagers gathered to form the Doman Liberation Front, engaging in a guerrilla war against the empire. Lord Kaien secretly supported the Liberation Front whenever possible and saw a chance to free his homeland when the Garlean Emperor, Solus zos Galvus, passed away without naming a successor, plunging the empire into civil war. Lord Kaien then openly supported the rebels and initiated a rebellion to hopefully force the Garleans out of their lands and achieve independence.
The civil war in Garlemald was cut short when Solus's grandson, Varis, won the throne and restored order. With nothing to distract the empire, Garlemald unleashed the XIIth Legion, led by Varis's son, Zenos, upon Doma to crush the rebellion. The liberation front fought valiantly but was defeated and Lord Kaien was killed in single combat. Kaien's son, Hien Rijin, attempted to continue the fight, but was gravely wounded, forcing him to retreat into hiding. Unable to combat Zenos any longer, the Liberation Front retreated into hiding to fight another day, leaving Doma to remain in Garlean hands.
Zenos was named viceroy of Doma following the rebellion and Lord Kaien's death, but Doma's people only continued to suffer hardship and lost hope that things could be better, the Doman Liberation Front losing the support of the people. Some Domans, unable to live in their oppressed, battered land any longer, began a mass exodus from Doma during the final stages of the rebellion. These refugees, led by Yugiri, fled to Eorzea, a land the empire had failed to conquer on more than one occasion.
Years later, following the fall of the XIVth Legion and Gaius van Baelsar, Zenos was put in charge of Ala Mhigo. He named a spy of his, Yotsuyu goe Brutus, as the acting viceroy of Doma. As Yotsuyu had a difficult childhood, she developed a seething hatred for her homeland and people, which Zenos aimed to use in breaking the people of Doma. Under Yotsuyu, the Doman people suffered even greater hardships and atrocities. The Doman Liberation Front continued to fight for their nation, but due to Yotsuyu's vengeful actions, the people were left cowed, submissive and despairing, all but refusing to stand up and fight. The Doman Liberation Front was thus forced to fight without the support of Doma's people.
The refugees in Eorzea developed a small enclave, Revenant's Toll, as a home thanks to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. A samurai of the Liberation Front, Gosetsu, travels to Eorzea seeking Yugiri to recruit her back to the rebels. After contending to a grave matter on the Ala Mhigian border, Yugiri returns to Doma and the Liberation Front, tasked with finding Lord Hien to lead them and their nation to freedom.
Freedom's call[]
The Scions and Eorzean Alliance initiate a campaign to liberate the nation of Ala Mhigo from the empire, but face defeat at the hands of Zenos, forcing them to retreat and rethink their strategy. Under the Warrior of Light's suggestion, the Scions travel to Doma to rekindle the flames of rebellion, forcing the XIIth Legion and Zenos to fight on two fronts. Though the Scions gain allies in the Blue Kojin and in the Confederacy of the Ruby Sea, and make contact with the Liberation Front, they find Doma's people on the brink of being broken, making it a struggle to rekindle the spark of pride, honor and freedom. Yugiri has found Lord Hien but relays a message from him, stating that if the people yearn to fight and be free, he will lead the charge, but if the people are content under Garlean rule, he will surrender himself.
Though Gosetsu sees the wisdom in Hien's message, Yugiri refuses to lay down her arms if the people lack the will to fight. Her resolve is shaken when a group of forced Doman conscripts she rescued display anger at her attempts, believing that fighting will only make things worse. Yugiri's dream of freedom sees an opportunity to strike at the enemy when Zenos returns to Doma to strengthen control after the Garleans lost the Ruby Sea to the Confederacy. Though Gosetsu cautions Yugiri that Zenos's death may end up bringing catastrophe upon Doma, she and the Warrior of Light proceed with her mission. In the village where Zenos travels through, her ambush fails, but with the surprising aid of the villagers, inspired by her dedication, they retreat. With proof of the people's desire for freedom, Yugiri and the Scions travel to the Azim Steppe to retrieve Lord Hien, leaving the Liberation Front in Gosetsu's hands.
At the Azim Steppe, the Scions and Lord Hien gain the support of the Xaela tribes after winning the annual Naadam. After bringing his forces secretly to Doma, Lord Hien returns to the Liberation Front to plan the stage to liberate his homeland. Initially formulated by Alphinaud Leveilleur, Hien floods the Doma Castle to give his forces a better chance at victory. At dawn, the Doman Liberation Front and its allies initiate the attack to liberate Doma. The Garlean forces are routed and overwhelmed thanks to the combined strength of the Blue Kojin, Xaela tribes, Confederacy, Doma's citizens, the Liberation Front and the Scions. At the top of Doma Castle, Hien and the Scions attempt to capture Yotsuyu, only to fall into a trap laid by her that nearly brought the keep down upon their heads. Thanks to Gosetsu, Hien and the Scions escape, but at seeming cost of Gosetu's life. With Yotsuyu gone and their forces defeated, the Garleans retreat from Doma, freeing her from the empire's grip at last.
Hien, now leader of his homeland, begins the long task of restoring his land and people, both of which have weathered a great deal, but his words stir them to applause, hopeful of a better future. The Doman Liberation Front becomes the official armed forces of Doma to protect their homeland from an imperial reprisal while the shinobi of the rebels spread word of Doma's liberation.
Repaying a debt[]
Following Doma's liberation, the Scions return to Eorzea with news of their success and proceed to free Ala Mhigo from Zenos and the empire. After much hard fighting and sacrifice, the Eorzean Alliance pushes the Garleans back to the capital city of Ala Mhigo. As they work to break through the palace gates, the alliance forces are nearly routed. Aid comes in the form of an airborne Hien and his Liberation Front, allowing the alliance to break through the gates. The Warrior of Light faces off against Zenos and the primal Shinryu, defeating both, which leads to a joyful Zenos to commit suicide. With their Legatus dead, the forces of the XIIth Legion retreat, allowing Ala Mhigo to regain her freedom.
As both newly freed nations struggle to rebuild, Doma aids its allies in the west when it becomes known that the Garlean Empire is launching a campaign to reconquer Ala Mhigo. After creating a magical barrier in the Burn to prevent the Garleans from sending armadas to Doma, Hien gathers his forces to lend Doma's aid against the empire in Ala Mhigo, reaching a stalemate in the battlefields in Ghimlyt Dark.