All right, here goes my own opinion as a Keeper male and female RPer. Keep in mind, the lore we have is stuff that goes a long while back, and times are a bit more modern than then even for Keepers, so it's perfectly natural to find Keeper RPers with a different perspective than my own.
Also I'd like to reiterate that the term clan is a community bias. The "clans" of the Miqo'te are Keeper of the Moon and Seeker of the Sun, so Keepers cannot be split in clans themselves. They are more correctly referred to as families.
NOTE: That male Keepers are wanderers and do not stick to the family was a lore bomb that SE added via Moogle mail quests much later after 2.0 launch, and for some, including me (Ironically, SE copied my idea of what Keeper families worked like and put them as lore for the Dazkar Xaela <.<) it was a total disaster, because it went against everything I had RPd up to that point.
Anyways, in the end I decided to stick to my own idea of what the Vann family would be like, because it was a colossal factor in how I RPd Jet'a and Blue, and I had been RPing them for over a year. So, do what you will with that...
All in all, keep in mind that the lore is not there to tell you how to act, but only to tell you what the average race/clan have acted in the past. It's much like the stereotypes of races we have IRL. Just because a site says that Italians eat spaghetti, doesn't mean you won't find Italians out there that don't like them.
Also I'd like to reiterate that the term clan is a community bias. The "clans" of the Miqo'te are Keeper of the Moon and Seeker of the Sun, so Keepers cannot be split in clans themselves. They are more correctly referred to as families.
Quote:â–¬ Are there any specific outfits they wear, colors etc.? [Example, White Mages wear mostly white/off white] Could I pull off the current outfit in an RP setting?While there are no specific outfits of Keepers, they are nocturnal, so colors that are more fit with the night may be a more obvious choice of clothing. Whether they'd wear forest clothes or not depends on you, as Keepers have been living far and wide in recent times, and have surely adapted to city clothing as well. They are very proud of their face paint however, said to give lunar powers, so night/lunar colors may be preferred by them, but it's not a must.
Quote:â–¬ Keepers are known to live in the Shroud and are at conflict with Gridanians, but some also live in peace with them by adapting. Does anyone care to explain this a little more in depth?Simply put, they have adapted and come out to live in Gridania. They used to be in conflict, but now it's mostly a matter of some racist bias from Gridanians (who are generally xenophobic as you may experience in the very early quests there), and who tend to think that Keeper/Duskwight = bandit.
Quote:â–¬ If they live out in the wild, do Keeper clans join together or do they remain separate, keeping their numbers small?Keepers are a more brooding and solitary type, so living alone is also perfectly legit. If they live in groups, it is usually small families (mother, daughters, sisters, aunts and their offspring at most), with males ending up leaving the family as soon as they can be indipendent, and wander on their own.
NOTE: That male Keepers are wanderers and do not stick to the family was a lore bomb that SE added via Moogle mail quests much later after 2.0 launch, and for some, including me (Ironically, SE copied my idea of what Keeper families worked like and put them as lore for the Dazkar Xaela <.<) it was a total disaster, because it went against everything I had RPd up to that point.
Anyways, in the end I decided to stick to my own idea of what the Vann family would be like, because it was a colossal factor in how I RPd Jet'a and Blue, and I had been RPing them for over a year. So, do what you will with that...
Quote:â–¬ Where in the Shroud they would make a home? Is there any specific area they tend to go toward?Being very territorial, Shroud Keeper families would likely have their own territory within the forest. This would include uncharted parts of the Shroud, more likely, because they've got to share with the many Duskwight bands as well, and the Ixali and Sylphs. West Shroud comes to mind as an uncharted area, but feel free to make up your own part of the shroud, if you're going with a forest Keeper.
Quote:â–¬ They live a rather matriarchal lifestyle; does it mean they are also feminists or consider themselves better and superior to males?Again, the 2014 moogle quest basically states that Keeper families do not have males within them (probably keep them up to when they are children). Personally I RPd my Vann women to be like amazons (again, Drazkar Xaela) and consider themselves superior to males, but matriarchal does not equal feminist all the time (not all female-only groups are like The Wicker Man <.<), but more likely simply ignorance of what males are save rumors and stuff one is told by their female relatives.
Quote:â–¬ What exactly are their views on outsiders/other races? Are they very racist/avoiding contact with them or are they rather open toward other races? Are they open to making acquaintances/friends with others or heavily limit it to their family?This is again up to you, and up for debate. If your character has grown in a traditional family isolated in the Shroud, chances are they'll be more conservative and xenophobic towards outsiders and people different than them, whereas a Keeper raised in the city may be more prone to acceptance and open-minded. SE said that Keepers are more brooding and solitary, but it really all comes down to how your character was raised and what she/he is used to.
Quote:â–¬ Also, are there any quests/NPC conversations within the game that talk more about Keepers?Archer storyline, and moogle delivery quest are the only ones that come to my mind.
All in all, keep in mind that the lore is not there to tell you how to act, but only to tell you what the average race/clan have acted in the past. It's much like the stereotypes of races we have IRL. Just because a site says that Italians eat spaghetti, doesn't mean you won't find Italians out there that don't like them.
To be an interesting, intriguing, well-written character, there needs to be something to allow the audience to relate to them. That is what the problem is with who wants their character to be "perfect". Perfect characters will never be strong, and strong characters will never be perfect, because WE (those who read, who watch, who RP) are not perfect.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
