Removing as I have been educated! I believe much of my theory is too far evolved from where the timeline is now. Given a few decades things could turn towards this. This is why I enjoy RP communities!
Also.. sorry about the spoiler messups... stupid phones.
Also.. sorry about the spoiler messups... stupid phones.
Show Content
SpoilerOkay, let me preface by saying... I am not a lore expert. I don't claim to be. I am not setting out to get this turned into Fannon and to write my name on the credits of FFXIV history.
Show Content
Spoiler
I am simply new to this game and this world and in trying to find and flesh out my female Keeper I found the lack of substantial 'history' on the race frustrating. As such I started pulling everything I could find together, from wiki pages and quest data to interviews and fan pages in order to solidify the world I was stepping into.
I've seen others, even on these forums, with my frustration so I thought. "What if someone put together a "compendium" of lore and player insight to help us get a greater picture of our race?"Â
This is what I've come up with. It's just a start.. and very green and I'm sure flat our wrong in some places. I'm unsure on time lines and  don't even know how long Miqo'tes or any others have been around Eorzea. Hell, I'm not sure when the calamity happened (five years? ten?)
I'm getting distracted... Anyway!
I wanted to know what your thoughts were on this. This community is full of great players and wonderfully inventive story tellers, what do you think?
I did set out with the intent to NOT go against anything that has been written as lore by Square and instead just wished to flesh out the 'what else is there' bits in regards to their sociology.Â
I wanted to make them different enough from the Seekers to give them more of an identity than just 'matriarchal'.Â
This is not the 'end all be all'. This is just a glimpse as to ONE way the race lives. I'm sure not all Keepers will follow this guideline. Evolution and ambition go a long way to change things. Just as many Seekers break from tribes, so may Keepers break from 'tradition'...
My hope is that we can build on this together. I have one in the works for Seekers, but as I don't play them I'm not as motivated -currently-.
I am simply new to this game and this world and in trying to find and flesh out my female Keeper I found the lack of substantial 'history' on the race frustrating. As such I started pulling everything I could find together, from wiki pages and quest data to interviews and fan pages in order to solidify the world I was stepping into.
I've seen others, even on these forums, with my frustration so I thought. "What if someone put together a "compendium" of lore and player insight to help us get a greater picture of our race?"Â
This is what I've come up with. It's just a start.. and very green and I'm sure flat our wrong in some places. I'm unsure on time lines and  don't even know how long Miqo'tes or any others have been around Eorzea. Hell, I'm not sure when the calamity happened (five years? ten?)
I'm getting distracted... Anyway!
I wanted to know what your thoughts were on this. This community is full of great players and wonderfully inventive story tellers, what do you think?
I did set out with the intent to NOT go against anything that has been written as lore by Square and instead just wished to flesh out the 'what else is there' bits in regards to their sociology.Â
I wanted to make them different enough from the Seekers to give them more of an identity than just 'matriarchal'.Â
This is not the 'end all be all'. This is just a glimpse as to ONE way the race lives. I'm sure not all Keepers will follow this guideline. Evolution and ambition go a long way to change things. Just as many Seekers break from tribes, so may Keepers break from 'tradition'...
My hope is that we can build on this together. I have one in the works for Seekers, but as I don't play them I'm not as motivated -currently-.
Show Content
Spoiler
Race: Miqo’te
Â
Ancestral History: During the Age of Endless Frost, as the seas turned toice and passage over them became possible, Eorzea saw an influx of foreign fauna to her shores. This in turn brought the hunting tribes which subsisted upon them, the modern descendants of whom are today known as the Miqo'te.
As time  Miqo'te have diverged sharply into two physically and socially distinguishable groups — the diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon.
Â
Race Culture:Keepersof the Moon
Traditionally, the Keepers of the Moon are nocturnal. Shying from the garish light of day, they revel in the shroud of night, and offer their piety to Menphina the Lover, goddess of the moon. Keepers of the Moon also have a custom of applying war paint to their faces, as it is believed the vivid colors grant lunar powers. While still traditionally practiced, this ritual is often saved for hunting parties and festival gatherings.
Physiology:
Sociology
Race: Miqo’te
Â
Ancestral History: During the Age of Endless Frost, as the seas turned toice and passage over them became possible, Eorzea saw an influx of foreign fauna to her shores. This in turn brought the hunting tribes which subsisted upon them, the modern descendants of whom are today known as the Miqo'te.
As time  Miqo'te have diverged sharply into two physically and socially distinguishable groups — the diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon.
Â
Race Culture:Keepersof the Moon
Traditionally, the Keepers of the Moon are nocturnal. Shying from the garish light of day, they revel in the shroud of night, and offer their piety to Menphina the Lover, goddess of the moon. Keepers of the Moon also have a custom of applying war paint to their faces, as it is believed the vivid colors grant lunar powers. While still traditionally practiced, this ritual is often saved for hunting parties and festival gatherings.
Physiology:
Show Content
SpoilerDue in large part to their exposure to darkness, the pupils of a “Keeper†are large and round, with very little iris exposure.
Â
They are distinguishable from their diurnal counterparts by their darker hued or “flushed out†fur, ears that are slightly longer and thinner with short hair, rounder eyes, more pronounced canines, longer, skinnier tails, and have long canines that are clearly visible.
Â
They, like their diurnal counterparts, retain a superb sense of smell and powerful leg muscles are the results of a long evolution geared towards hunting and predation.
Â
With the integration into the land of Eorzea,physiological differences within the two subsets of the Miqo’te race can be quite subtle and varying. It can be quite difficult for most non-miqo’te (and even many miqo’te!) to differentiate upon first meeting one another.
Â
They are distinguishable from their diurnal counterparts by their darker hued or “flushed out†fur, ears that are slightly longer and thinner with short hair, rounder eyes, more pronounced canines, longer, skinnier tails, and have long canines that are clearly visible.
Â
They, like their diurnal counterparts, retain a superb sense of smell and powerful leg muscles are the results of a long evolution geared towards hunting and predation.
Â
With the integration into the land of Eorzea,physiological differences within the two subsets of the Miqo’te race can be quite subtle and varying. It can be quite difficult for most non-miqo’te (and even many miqo’te!) to differentiate upon first meeting one another.
Sociology
Show Content
SpoilerComparatively few in number when compared to the other races inhabiting Eorzea, many Miqo’te maintain an insular intolerance toward other races, some even holding strong prejudices against the other subset culture (Keepers/Seekers) within their clans. While the Seekers of the Sun have retained much of their tribal and traditionally patriarchal heritage, many of the Keepers have evolved into a matriarchal society favoring status and integration into their new home land.
Â
Traditionally, Keepers have set up in small bands of families often referred to as communes. These communes seldom hold more than a few families, though some communities have been known to grow into small village or city like structures. The matriarchal influence is apparent in the naming conventions and political structures observed within the communes. While Seekers tend to seclude themselves away from the outside world and largely even many other tribes, Keepers are fundamentally active in diversifying and inter-mingling their communes to ensure strong bloodlines and allied territories through arranged mating and coupling between ranking social families. This is theorized to be in large part because of the number of Keeper daughters born. However, since the integration into Eorzea, Keepers that have left their communes tend to lead isolated lifestyles, even when living in the more populous cities.
Politics and Social Hierarchy:
Unlike the Seekers of the Sun, the Keepers of the Moon is a highly matriarchal society, with family names passed down from the mother, not the father. It is said that some of these surnames have survived since the First Astral Era.
Smaller communes are often lead by a ranking family’s matriarch. It’s unknown what system of electoral process is used to decide this selection, but it’s inferred that power is bought through means and goods. Larger communes often have a council of matriarchs with some mates in positions of advisers and community figure-heads.
                      Â
           Social status is highly regarded in these communities, often times limiting mating opportunities for the lowliest of male and female keepers alike. Status seems to be achieved through breeding, ancestry and wealth. Each member within the community is expected to hold a skill-set vital to the success of the commune. While difficult, the climb can and has been made from the bottom of the social ranking toward the top and into a house of influence. Despite the discrepancy in hierarchy and permissions found with rank, no member of the community is ever left wanting. Care is taken to ensure that the needs of all members are met regardless of clout.
Â
Mating and Sexuality:
Keepers of the Moon tend to pair monogamously; coupling with the intent for offspring. While Seekers mate primarily to bear strong young, affection and compatibility seem to hold some semblance of value for the Keepers.
Sexuality among the Keepers is often used as a token of power, with control lying in the hands of the females of the culture. Status holding females are empowered and taught from a young age their role and the power that they hold with it. Females from high ranking social families are often debuted as they reach an age of maturity. They are offered a choice of many, mostly, first born males from families of similar affluence and are expected to couple and mate. Pacts are often brokered to tie communes together in much the same fashion. While all the matriarchs of the families have much influence in the decision making process, the debutante female and her line of matriarchs has the final word in the matter, conclusively.
Males of both Seekers and Keepers are ultimately used as breeders. However the stigma and connotation between the two are highly polarized. Male Keepers work diligently to increase their popularity and vie for the affections of, sometimes many, female Keepers in order to procure a strong and influential line of offspring. While they hold little choice in the matter in the end, the effort they put into the debutante “courting stage†does give them some semblance of sway.
Males and females of lower class families will often find more freedom in their choices of mates. They’re status not being at stake allows them to place more of an emphasis on choice and even affection. It is unlikely, however, that a high-class female would ever be paired with a low-class male and even more unlikely if that were reversed. It is looked at as disgraceful for a high-class female to lower herself in such a way.
Â
While largely heterosexual, it is interesting to note that homosexuality is not uncommon. In fact, female homosexuality is more commonly seen given the options. This is theorized to be, largely, due to the number of female to male offspring born.
Â
Military:
Traditionally females and males both find their place in positions of defense. After proving themselves able-bodied fighters, many females’ statuses are raised, gaining them a place outside of battle and into positions of strategic political power. Males do often serve on a council of advisers, though their primary place in the military is found on the fields of battle as warriors and hunters to earn favor with the women they serve so as to gain footing on the political ladder for favored breeding.
Â
Traditionally, Keepers have set up in small bands of families often referred to as communes. These communes seldom hold more than a few families, though some communities have been known to grow into small village or city like structures. The matriarchal influence is apparent in the naming conventions and political structures observed within the communes. While Seekers tend to seclude themselves away from the outside world and largely even many other tribes, Keepers are fundamentally active in diversifying and inter-mingling their communes to ensure strong bloodlines and allied territories through arranged mating and coupling between ranking social families. This is theorized to be in large part because of the number of Keeper daughters born. However, since the integration into Eorzea, Keepers that have left their communes tend to lead isolated lifestyles, even when living in the more populous cities.
Politics and Social Hierarchy:
Unlike the Seekers of the Sun, the Keepers of the Moon is a highly matriarchal society, with family names passed down from the mother, not the father. It is said that some of these surnames have survived since the First Astral Era.
Smaller communes are often lead by a ranking family’s matriarch. It’s unknown what system of electoral process is used to decide this selection, but it’s inferred that power is bought through means and goods. Larger communes often have a council of matriarchs with some mates in positions of advisers and community figure-heads.
                      Â
           Social status is highly regarded in these communities, often times limiting mating opportunities for the lowliest of male and female keepers alike. Status seems to be achieved through breeding, ancestry and wealth. Each member within the community is expected to hold a skill-set vital to the success of the commune. While difficult, the climb can and has been made from the bottom of the social ranking toward the top and into a house of influence. Despite the discrepancy in hierarchy and permissions found with rank, no member of the community is ever left wanting. Care is taken to ensure that the needs of all members are met regardless of clout.
Â
Mating and Sexuality:
Keepers of the Moon tend to pair monogamously; coupling with the intent for offspring. While Seekers mate primarily to bear strong young, affection and compatibility seem to hold some semblance of value for the Keepers.
Sexuality among the Keepers is often used as a token of power, with control lying in the hands of the females of the culture. Status holding females are empowered and taught from a young age their role and the power that they hold with it. Females from high ranking social families are often debuted as they reach an age of maturity. They are offered a choice of many, mostly, first born males from families of similar affluence and are expected to couple and mate. Pacts are often brokered to tie communes together in much the same fashion. While all the matriarchs of the families have much influence in the decision making process, the debutante female and her line of matriarchs has the final word in the matter, conclusively.
Males of both Seekers and Keepers are ultimately used as breeders. However the stigma and connotation between the two are highly polarized. Male Keepers work diligently to increase their popularity and vie for the affections of, sometimes many, female Keepers in order to procure a strong and influential line of offspring. While they hold little choice in the matter in the end, the effort they put into the debutante “courting stage†does give them some semblance of sway.
Males and females of lower class families will often find more freedom in their choices of mates. They’re status not being at stake allows them to place more of an emphasis on choice and even affection. It is unlikely, however, that a high-class female would ever be paired with a low-class male and even more unlikely if that were reversed. It is looked at as disgraceful for a high-class female to lower herself in such a way.
Â
While largely heterosexual, it is interesting to note that homosexuality is not uncommon. In fact, female homosexuality is more commonly seen given the options. This is theorized to be, largely, due to the number of female to male offspring born.
Â
Military:
Traditionally females and males both find their place in positions of defense. After proving themselves able-bodied fighters, many females’ statuses are raised, gaining them a place outside of battle and into positions of strategic political power. Males do often serve on a council of advisers, though their primary place in the military is found on the fields of battle as warriors and hunters to earn favor with the women they serve so as to gain footing on the political ladder for favored breeding.
Show Content
Spoiler
Show Content
Spoiler
I thought it would be fun to include other things such as art and culture more social/gender roles.. but by the time I got here my head wanted to explode.
I thought it would be fun to include other things such as art and culture more social/gender roles.. but by the time I got here my head wanted to explode.
Show Content
SpoilerComments?
Show Content
Spoiler*ducks from tomatoes*
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)
![[Image: 7da.gif]](http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/401/066/7da.gif)
![[Image: aCBXBRR.png]](http://i.imgur.com/aCBXBRR.png)
