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Anstarra · **12-03-2013, 10:01 PM**

Hello everyone!

Like many players, I made my character (name and all) in a vacuum, without looking at the lore to vet her name vis-a-vis the naming conventions. When, much later, I was introduced to this site (and by extension the basic FFXIV lore site) I was thrilled to discover that so much thought had been put into the topic, especially with regards to the ever-popular (and populous) Miqo'te.

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/wiki/index....:Miqo%27te

Yes, I know a lot of us continue to flout the names, and that's fine; others adhere to them religiously, which is great. Like many, I've elected to include in my backstory the facts of being a runaway, and claiming an adoptive name (from Hyur adoptive parents). Yes, it's been done, but the Cataclysm shook up the world, so! Also, as adventurers we're all special snowflakes with non-standard life stories.

Now, to the real topic of this thread. One thing I have NOT found (though admittedly I haven't searched exhaustively) has been a Tribal roster, with attendant characteristics. Specifically for the Seekers of the Sun. If you've looked at the page I linked, above, you've noted that there are not coincidentally one tribe per letter of the alphabet, leading to 26 possible capital-T Tribes.

Even assuming that each Tribe is, say, like the Apache Nation, and consists of dozens if not hundreds of sub-clans and sects, we can still expect to see certain over-arching characteristics.

Such as? Well, let's look at the one tribe sitting around in-game, the U (Drake) tribe of Forgotten Springs. They all have skins of varying degrees of tan, and, well, they live at Forgotten Springs, in the desert. MOST have dark hair, with a couple exceptions. Eye colors vary widely. So, we can see there is room for variation, physically, but they all share a background, and we know where they live.

As players, and roleplayers, I think it's up to us to fill in the blanks with regards to the 25 OTHER tribes. I'm not saying this in an attempt to create some sort of dictatorial standard whereby we ostracize anyone who doesn't conform to the norm (see the comment about the Apaches, there's always room for variations). Rather, I want to create something which players can use as reference material, as a source, so that they can, if desired, share a common backstory with others.

For example, I want my Seeker to have come from a tribe with unusually strong patriarchal tendencies, more brutal survivalist/isolationist attitudes, and which inhabits the cold/snowy parts of Eorzea. She has white hair with soft bluish highlights; maybe most Seekers from that tribe do? Maybe not? Certainly the camouflage would help, in snowy climes.

Thus, this thread is a shout-out, to people with ideas, who want to start creating this roster. If such a thread already exists, please link it to me! If not, but if, say, you've already heavily developed a tribe or sect, also, please link it! Let's create a common resource for all us Seeker players out there. We can even link in Keeper tribes, too, as we go along.

~~EDIT! (12/6/2013): The primary format/role of this page is to consolidate player-and-otherwise-created canon, for convenience. One clarification is the suggested use of the term 'Sept', to refer to sub-sections of an overall Tribe. This is convenient, in that while players can't really create new TRIBES integrally, they can create entire Septs, which would be more or less the equivalent of provinces within the Tribe's nation. A second term, 'Breeding Group', has been proposed as meaning basically a single cluster of breeding partners including a single Nunh. For instance, the U tribe as seen in-game, among NPCs, could be considered to be the Forgotten Springs Breeding Group. Or perhaps even the Forgotten Springs Sept in its entire, assuming there are no other Breeding Groups.

LIST OF TRIBES:

A: Antelope (pronunciation: short Ah)

B: Boar (short Bee)

C: Coeurl (short Ka) - Coeurl Tribe Wiki!

D: Dodo (short Deh)

E: Eft (short Eh)

F: Bear (short F)

G: Gryphon (short, hard Goo)

H: Gigantoad (short Hah)

I: Bufflalo (short Ee)

J: Jackal (short Jah)

K: Hipparion (short Koo) - Hipparion Tribe Thread! - South Sagolii Sept

L: Viper (short Lee)

M: Marmot (short Meh)

N: Aldgoat (short N)

O: Mole (short Oh)

P: Basilisk (short Peh)

Q: Puk (short Key)

R: Raptor (short Ruh)

S: Zu (short Soo) - The People of the Wheel and Sun...Sept Su'larion (SunChaser) of the Zu

T: Condor (short Tuh)

U: Drake (Ooh) - Inhabits Forgotten Springs. Elderly, strong Nunh, unusually firm leadership position within tribe. Tend to tan skin, yellowish and darker.

V: Vulture (short Vah)

W: Wolf (short Wah)

X: Lynx (short She)

Y: Jaguar (short Yah)

Z: Ziz (short Zoh)

ansemaru · **12-03-2013, 10:32 PM**

Now, I don't precisely have a chocobo in this race because I am both playing an Elezen character and new to Balmung as a server, but I believe there is an FC/thread somewhere for the Hipparion tribe. It's entirely fanon, but consensus has been approached there, so that's probably a good place to look for now.

Kismet · **12-03-2013, 11:13 PM**

I am slightly confused, so I want to make sure I properly understand what it is that you're trying to do. Are you attempting to compile all known Sun Seeker tribe lore that is both official and entirely fanon into one place?

FreelanceWizard · **12-04-2013, 12:40 AM**

I hate to be the pin that pops the balloon, but... from what I've seen, there's so much variance among Seeker characters that share the same tribe (since there's a practically unlimited number of hunting grounds/territories and thus "sub-tribes" in each tribe) that there's not really going to be a good way to come to any form of consensus. If you look at just the Vipers on the wiki, for instance, there's a really wide range of characteristics, backgrounds, and behaviors; you'd be hard-pressed to find any common characteristics other than having an "L" as the first letter of their name. And, of course, there's the usual troubles with trying to build a unified "fanon" (player dissatisfaction, later lore clobbering the fanon, etc.).

What I think would be doable and useful would be a list of sub-tribes for each tribe that have been created by Seeker players to help form RP connections, similar to the player-created Duskwight clan list that exists on the wiki. If that's what you're trying to do, great! Smile

As ansemaru noted, though, if you're looking for a unified tribal RP experience, a fairly large group of players has put together a Seeker sub-tribe of the Hipparions with unified character backgrounds.

Siha · **12-04-2013, 02:15 AM**

(12-04-2013, 12:40 AM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: What I think would be doable and useful would be a list of sub-tribes for each tribe that have been created by Seeker players to help form RP connections, similar to the player-created Duskwight clan list that exists on the wiki. If that's what you're trying to do, great!

^This would be awesome because frankly I've admired what he K' tribe roleplayers have built from the day I saw them on here and have wanted something like that for some of my characters. Lists of subtribes and the ability for others to join them would probably build quite a few connections around here, so even if this isn't something you'd want to do I'd be all for helping do something like that.

Now to the matter at hand I have to say I also agree with FreelanceWizard, you're probably not going to find a lot of similar characteristics among the Miqo'te players besides the letter in front of their name, it would be nigh impossible for anyone to have kept up a theme just because there isn't enough information on each tribe to know what they would typically look or act like. Not to mention it's unfair to let one person or even a small group decide what ALL tribe members from a certain tribe can look or act like, with sub groups it's fine because people don't have to be in that group but for the whole tribe it's just not fair or even possible really.

Anstarra · **12-04-2013, 08:48 AM**

Regarding the concerns that have been raised!

I'm glad for the feedback, and certainly want to look into the Hipparion tribe as it's been developed by players. Does anyone have a link? See, what I had in mind for this thread was not to create some sort of "You Have To Do It This Way" thing, nor even attempt to forge a consensus among a majority or even minority of roleplayers.

What I want to do, is first of all to gather all extant information/fanon in one place, so that it's easily accessible. So, having here a link to the Hipparion tribe information, for instance, would be an excellent start.

Second of all, I want a place for people to start gathering proposals and brainstorming for POTENTIAL Tribal traits. Obviously not everyone whose name starts with an L or Q is gonna have the same backstory as other players who have! But right now, there is no fan-made database for this kind of information. What if a player WANTS to create a backstory that ties in with other players? They can't, right now, except on a very individual basis. Especially if their name doesn't start with K'.

This is a project I approach with a great deal of humility. I'm REALLY not trying to force anyone to do anything they don't want to. I just perceived a lacuna in terms of resources for players, and thought it would be interesting to start gathering ideas. This is how wikis are made, after all, through agglomerated knowledge. Sure, there'll be bumps and bruises, but eventually I hope to see something useful grow from this as a tool for players.

After all, lots of people don't know anything about the tribes, and would be just as happy being told that their tribes is like this or that. Maybe someone would like to come from the same tribe as me, or one of you. This would create a shared background that would make RPing more interesting. It could also be ignored! If, for example, we put down that all X' tribe Seekers are xenophobic, that doesn't have to be true for all and sundry. And if an ACTUAL X' player comes along and says otherwise? Well, we just edit the information.

So yes, in that respect, making this a roster of SUB-tribes is probably the most viable! That way you could, for instance, say that the X' tribals from the South Shroud are the xenophobic ones, and some new player coming and brainstorming could be like, oh, I wanna do that.

Anyway, the first thing is to gather information! So I wanna invite people to link their backstories/personal notions for their own sub-tribe, so we can start doing that.

{Edit!}

Found the Hipparion Tribe info! Lots of stuff, I'll need to read it myself <3 This is the kind of fanon that makes things so interesting ^^

K'nahli · **12-04-2013, 11:43 AM**

We've been treating it as though there can be multiple tribes that can claim themselves as a 'K' clan(or any other for that matter) without having any association to us. After all, there are a number of miqo'te with K in their names that we don't know at all. I also recall a game master or someone saying some that some tribes can even adopt a second letter in the case of sub-clans.

For example; Y'shtola could become Ya'shtola or something.

I'm not sure what you would be looking for in terms of traits, but we have a set law and sanction system that everyone usually abides by. That and its assumed that most of the tribe is proficient with spears, though not everyone of course. My character favours archery for example, while K'ILE IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS AND ISN'T WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH K'THALEN'S BLOODLINE.

*cough*

Anywho, I'm sure Naunet or Twinflame will come along at some point and tell you everything you'd like to know. We also have a member who kept track of dates and records so that there is a solid timeline for pre-RP events and RP events themselves.

Tahzn Lhethi · **12-04-2013, 12:24 PM**

(12-04-2013, 11:43 AM)K Wrote: "We've been treating it as though there can be multiple tribes that can claim themselves as a 'K' clan(or any other for that matter) without having any association to us. After all, there are a number of miqo'te with K in their names that we don't know at all."

Might be slightly off-topic, but as a K' named player, how would I go about .. registering(?) myself as being from/previously part of an already formed clan? I've yet to work up the courage to /actually/ RP (I'm such a wuss! Sad

), but I'd like to have some history to work with once I get the ball rolling.

K'nahli · **12-04-2013, 01:12 PM**

(12-04-2013, 12:24 PM)K Wrote:
(12-04-2013, 11:43 AM)K Wrote: "We've been treating it as though there can be multiple tribes that can claim themselves as a 'K' clan(or any other for that matter) without having any association to us. After all, there are a number of miqo'te with K in their names that we don't know at all."

Might be slightly off-topic, but as a K' named player, how would I go about .. registering(?) myself as being from/previously part of an already formed clan? I've yet to work up the courage to /actually/ RP (I'm such a wuss! ), but I'd like to have some history to work with once I get the ball rolling.

There's no process involved ^^ If you'd like I can ask Naunet for you and we can help you work out a story for you to fit into the tribe, unless you have one in mind yourself.

LeCard · **12-04-2013, 01:45 PM**

(12-04-2013, 11:43 AM)Knahli Wrote: We've been treating it as though there can be multiple tribes that can claim themselves as a 'K' clan(or any other for that matter) without having any association to us. After all, there are a number of miqo'te with K in their names that we don't know at all. I also recall a game master or someone saying some that some tribes can even adopt a second letter in the case of sub-clans.

For example; Y'shtola could become Ya'shtola or something.

I'm not sure what you would be looking for in terms of traits, but we have a set law and sanction system that everyone usually abides by. That and its assumed that most of the tribe is proficient with spears, though not everyone of course. My character favours archery for example, while K'ILE IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS AND ISN'T WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH K'THALEN'S BLOODLINE.

As to the second letter being added to a clan, that is in referance to a Tia who goes off and founds their own Tribe. They would use the original Tribe letter(but because they did not earn their own branch tribe) They would have to add a second letter to their name to signify the NEW tribe. So if say Y'shtola tia wanted to become a nuhn and didn't want to do the hard work of securing a new hunting ground they could split off with any willing females and start their own tribe. This tribe would then have two letters in front of their name starting with Y and the letter of the new Nuhn's choosing.

So, Say Y'shtola really likes the letter U (for whatever odd reason you can think of) they would then pick to have their new tribe be named Yu'xxxxx.

However, if the Tia (Y'shtola) does some exemplary work and gains control of a new hunting ground for the Tribe they would be granted Nuhn status and the rights to that land for their own sub-set of the tribe. This would mean that they get to have their own tribe AND get to keep their name as is without adding a second letter.

Another important point from the Lore forums is that these new tribes are often very short lived. So while they may stick around for a generation or two, they generally dye off before they can become large enough to continue the new double letter line.
(My theory on this is that even if the females do stick around, the low male birth rate may mean that the new Nuhn never has a male heir, and thus the clan dies with them. Or they have one male heir, but that male never has a male child. )

Tahzn Lhethi · **12-04-2013, 01:51 PM**

(12-04-2013, 01:12 PM)K Wrote:
(12-04-2013, 12:24 PM)K Wrote:
(12-04-2013, 11:43 AM)K Wrote: "We've been treating it as though there can be multiple tribes that can claim themselves as a 'K' clan(or any other for that matter) without having any association to us. After all, there are a number of miqo'te with K in their names that we don't know at all."

Might be slightly off-topic, but as a K' named player, how would I go about .. registering(?) myself as being from/previously part of an already formed clan? I've yet to work up the courage to /actually/ RP (I'm such a wuss!Â ), but I'd like to have some history to work with once I get the ball rolling.

There's no process involved ^^ If you'd like I can ask Naunet for you and we can help you work out a story for you to fit into the tribe, unless you have one in mind yourself.

More opinions on it would be more than welcome! I've only a vague idea, though one thing I plan on keeping the same.

Naunet · **12-04-2013, 01:59 PM**

(12-04-2013, 12:24 PM)K Wrote: Might be slightly off-topic, but as a K' named player, how would I go about .. registering(?) myself as being from/previously part of an already formed clan? I've yet to work up the courage to /actually/ RP (I'm such a wuss! ), but I'd like to have some history to work with once I get the ball rolling.

Do you mean join our K tribe as an immigrant member from another sub-clan? If so, I'm sure there are ways to work you in! One of our members is actually "adoptive" in that sense, as her K sub-tribe was decimated by an Amaljaa attack, so when our K tribe found her, we took her in.

A bit more on-topic: This reminds me I need to go through the Hipparion wiki and make sure everything is kosher. Certain bits of our lore have adapted over the months of RPing as we come up with better ideas.

Tahzn Lhethi · **12-04-2013, 02:12 PM**

(12-04-2013, 01:59 PM)Naunet Wrote:
(12-04-2013, 12:24 PM)K Wrote: Might be slightly off-topic, but as a K' named player, how would I go about .. registering(?) myself as being from/previously part of an already formed clan? I've yet to work up the courage to /actually/ RP (I'm such a wuss! ), but I'd like to have some history to work with once I get the ball rolling.

Do you mean join our K tribe as an immigrant member from another sub-clan? If so, I'm sure there are ways to work you in! One of our members is actually "adoptive" in that sense, as her K sub-tribe was decimated by an Amaljaa attack, so when our K tribe found her, we took her in.

A bit more on-topic: This reminds me I need to go through the Hipparion wiki and make sure everything is kosher. Certain bits of our lore have adapted over the months of RPing as we come up with better ideas.

I really meant if I were already a main clan member, but I'm just not listed as such currently as she has no background/story written yet? It's hard to describe. Though as you've said, there could be alternate methods of entry to the clan, such as "adoption".

That being said, I'm just testing the waters for the backstory/current life of her. So any opinions on these matters are good.

On topic question: Are "adoptions" common, and if so, do they also adopt the clan name? Would "Y'shtola" turn into "K'shtola"?

I can see a few reasons a clan might lose members rapidly, so it doesn't seem like such an odd idea overall. That being said, rivalries or things such as lack of food would prevent clans from adopting outsiders I would suspect.

Naunet · **12-04-2013, 02:21 PM**

(12-04-2013, 02:12 PM)K Wrote: I really meant if I were already a main clan member, but I'm just not listed as such currently as she has no background/story written yet? It's hard to describe. Though as you've said, there could be alternate methods of entry to the clan, such as "adoption".

Oh! That's also perfectly doable, though a bit more complex logistically speaking. The way we handle "new" family members is to first find them a place on our family tree (which is in need of a couple updates, but you get the idea) and then... well, it's just a matter of said person diving in to rp!

As far as the commonality of adoptions, I don't really know. It's possible it's relatively more common nowadays what with the Calamity having uprooted a lot of folk. I imagine in the past it was one of those rare things and more often accepted if the adopted individual in question was previously part of another sub-group from the same tribe. But that's just me pulling stuff outta my ass.

C'kayah Polaali · **12-04-2013, 02:35 PM**

C'io Behkt did a nice write up for a fewÂ Coeurl tribe villagesÂ which I've been basing C'kayah's sept on, you might want to add that in. She speculates about a few common cultural attributes, at least among the three villages in her write up.

I'm going to jump on a modest soap box and propose a terminology change, since different people are tossing around the word "tribe" and using it to mean anything from the entire letter tribe down to a single breeding group. My suggestion is that "tribe" refers to the letter tribe only, and that smaller sub-groups have different terms - I'm not fond of "sub-tribe", because it's vague enough to cover anything down to and including a breeding group.

I'd suggest the word "sept" to cover both a tribal village (in the case of settled tribes) and a big nomadic unit within a tribe. The key with it is that the sept is culturally unified, and it's bigger than a single breeding group.

Breeding groups, of course, can then simply be "breeding groups".

So you'd have a hierarchy of terms like this: Tribe -> Sept -> Breeding group.

So, in C'kayah's case, he was born from C'xin Nunh's breeding group. That group was part of a larger Coeurl village, so that village is his sept. That sept, combined with all the other Coeurl septs, makes up the Coeurl tribe as a whole.

You wouldn't have to live with your sept to be part of it, of course. Think of the sept as an extended family. So if your Miqo'te takes part in a breeding group that opens up a new hunting area, and lives isolated from anyone else, they're still part of a sept. If your female Miqo'te joins a breeding group from another sept, they'd effectively be marrying into that new sept. They might talk about their new and old septs the same way that we talk about our families and the families we marry into.

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Seeker of the Sun Tribes

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes