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+--- Thread: A Question of Race (/showthread.php?tid=6212)
A Question of Race - Asgarn - 01-24-2014
Hello, everyone!
I found myself with some free time today and a peculiar question popped in to my head, one which I honestly have no idea how to answer. In an attempt to phrase the question in as a coherent way as possible:
"Are there any other sub-races to the races of Eorzea?"
One would presume that there is a possibility of other sub-races, though Square Enix found it only suitable to tell us about those in Eorzea (as they are the ones we would be playing). Or did they? See, with the whole concept of Garlemald and the Garlean Empire being of a "conquer and convert" militaristic mindset, Square Enix have told us as much as Garlemald has conquered many far off realms, or that is how I read their story. And, as is shown in the Garlean ranks, they are comprised of many different races.
My main query is that, with so many far-off realms, surely -other- sub-races would exist of the races we've grown to know and love. In Eorzea alone, there are a diverse number of landscapes and beliefs. Would it be so hard to believe that another sub-race developed through differences in said beliefs and adaptations to their environment? (ie. A new Miqo'te Tribe, a different Lalafell "-folk" or not even "-folk" in name altogether.)
So, this got my creative juices flowing and here I am! Just wondering if anybody knows anything about this possibility, or alternatively if Square Enix have said dismissively this is not the case. Also, if anyone would like to throw in their two cents about what they think, feel welcome to! All opinions are welcome.
RE: A Question of Race - FreelanceWizard - 01-24-2014
With regards to miqo'te, the 26 Seeker tribes we see in Eorzea are those that came here during the Fifth Umbral Era in search of prey. Likewise, the Keeper families seen in game are just the most important and well-known families in Eorzea; the devs have stated directly that other families exist, including some that didn't come to Eorzea until more recently. However, Seeker tribes and Keeper families are below the level of clans (the SE term for subraces), so that's not exactly what you're asking about.
Could there be other clans? Given how far back the racial histories go, I personally think it's fairly unlikely, but the door hasn't been explicitly closed on it to my knowledge. Given that we know clans can interbreed, it's plausible (to me) that an isolated mixed group could breed and produce their own clan, but it'd be made up of a blend of features from the other two clans of the race with, perhaps, a few novel features. Of course, if you start asserting novel features that you can't actually have in game (such as a lalafell who's seven feet tall or an elezen with slit pupils), you could run into some problems with acceptance OOC.
RE: A Question of Race - Ildur - 01-24-2014
While I'm known for claiming that Squeenix is as dumb as a toad in boiling water, I think it's fairly safe to assume that there are other sub-races in off-screen locations (and probably not in Eorzea) for the simple reason that Squee might want to add new clans to the game eventually. Stating that there are no other clans anywhere in the world would be a very silly thing to do, specially since leaving that door open doesn't affect the game world in any form.
With that said, I wouldn't personally try to play a clan that isn't despicted in the game. There's no way to enforce it, neither in-character (because there's no lore supporting it) or mechanically (you can only pick one of the two clans each race gets). The most you can get away with is a half-breed that has the looks of one clan but not the other.
A thing I remember is that the Garleans learnt about the Primal threat after waging war over the beast-tribes of a neighbouring continent. I don't think I ever saw any lore about it besides that fact, so it's hard to say if the Empire ever annexed any non-Eorzean race (since anything called "beastman" was most likely exterminated).
RE: A Question of Race - LiadansWhisper - 01-24-2014
(01-24-2014, 10:18 AM)Ildur Wrote: A thing I remember is that the Garleans learnt about the Primal threat after waging war over the beast-tribes of a neighbouring continent. I don't think I ever saw any lore about it besides that fact, so it's hard to say if the Empire ever annexed any non-Eorzean race (since anything called "beastman" was most likely exterminated).
Well, it's hard to say more because we don't know if any other subraces exist. Â I mean, if they do, there's a high probability that they were annexed by Garlemald at some point. Â Whether or not they survived, though... Â >.>
That kind of makes me wonder - yet again - exactly how "Hyur" the Garleans are. Â Supposedly they only look mostly Hyur, but they have that third eye thing going on, and tend to be incapable with magic (hence their focus on magitek). Â So I wonder how they're related?
RE: A Question of Race - Naunet - 01-24-2014
(01-24-2014, 02:38 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: That kind of makes me wonder - yet again - exactly how "Hyur" the Garleans are. Â Supposedly they only look mostly Hyur, but they have that third eye thing going on, and tend to be incapable with magic (hence their focus on magitek). Â So I wonder how they're related?
Probably in the same way Highlander and Midlander are hyur. The differences between the sub-races are far more than just clan, after all; there's clear genetic distinction.
Though I think it's also clear that all the races descend from the same common ancestor. Titan himself refers to Eorzeans as "sons of Man", after all. I would be willing to bet that this lineage extends beyond just Eorzea as well, though that's purely speculation on my part.