C'io Behkt

Hello! It's never too late, is it? I'm hoping not. I enjoyed reading Velice's wiki profile and felt an instant connection with my own character, C'io Behkt, whom you can find on the wiki here: https://wiki.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/pages/C%27io_Behkt C'io comes from the desert and moved to Ul'dah five years after the Calamity. She lived with the other "immigrants" in the slum towns, and made ends meet through odd jobs and work ethic. She got lucky with some contracts, and so avoided the worst fates Ul'dah meted out to the penniless. Most importantly for Vel, however, is that C'io is an optimistic person -- perhaps a good contrast to Velice's distrusting nature? She's not uncautious, and also not unaware of what she avoided in Ul'dah's stratification, so she is not defined by naivety, just idealism. She's perfect for running into every now and then, as am I, although I'm certain we both hope for a friendship that can transcend that. Someone to discuss the world in quiet spaces, and sometimes interrupted spaces, would be nice for C'io also because she travels too much now to set down real roots, and she's perhaps a little too odd to attract most standard friendships. I hope that she and her circumstances resonate with you as strongly as Vel's resonated with me. Please contact me through any means -- a reply or PM here, a call out when you see me in game. I'll do the same! I just hope my strange timezone does not prevent us from playing together.

As I play a character with the Echo, I like to imagine that the deeds of the WoL from the MSQ are sometimes witnessed by my character in dreams or glimpses, windows that foster a kind of affinity or empathy for the real "Warrior of Light." As a dream, it then becomes legitimate to skim past the speaking parts and complaining about having to lift boxes yet again. It hasn't come up in roleplay yet, but I figure that if anyone disparages of the WoL to C'io, she'd voice objection. True or not, these dreams lead her to believe in the Bringer of Light.

Sin's a good guy who I highly recommend meeting in your time on Balmung, .

No problem, . Actually, I had come back to this thread and stared at that red line wondering if it was something I had done. Until I had come down to your comment, I had just assumed it had been, haha! And it looks like someone posted a Hipparion, and an Aldgoat (goats! *w*) and Ziz and Raptor and and and! I love reading these, even if some of you have totally broken the arbitrary word limit, haha. Don't be shy of repeats! On the unlisted totems, such as Aldgoat and Basilisk, have they been appearing in your roleplaying circles? If so, I'd definitely like to hear more about them and their representatives!

Ah, it is quite nice to see the tribes written out in full like that! Boar Tribe, Lynx Tribe, etc. And in fancy bold as well. I particularly enjoy the part about spears (might they have their own Lancer philosophies, I wonder), the idea of the Jackals as unimpeded by pride in their scavenging, and the little details on Yak--- uh, Lynx diet! Definitely looking to see more. Maybe the posters of the Tiger Tribe and the Shark Tribe would like to step in? What about the K's I see so much of?

I'm just throwing my support behind the idea of the Sr' Tribe!

Here is something to encapsulate my wonder at finding coeurl mobs in very strange places, such as Coil, and how that might affect those who keep the coeurl as a totem: "The Coeurl Tribe revere the lightning and choose their hunting grounds based on the frequency of storms in an area, which accounts for why tribes with this totem can be found in the Sagolii, on La Noscea, and even in the Sea of Clouds and Allaghan ruins. Those who are struck by lightning and survive are celebrated and chosen to undergo spirit quests for the good of the tribe."

FFXIV lore for the the Au Ra Xaela sub-race is a beautiful gift of diversity and flavour that implicitly informs you about the Xaela as a whole by explicitly telling you about the Xaela as a disparate array of tribes complete with different traditions and beliefs. If you haven't seen the short write-ups on the 51 Tribes of the Xaela, I highly recommend it. Anyway, that got me thinking, if such a list existed for the 26+ Tribes of the Seekers, what would it potentially look like? That's what I want to find out now; this will NOT be an effort to create a list, because I know everyone has different interpretations, but it will be an effort to discover out what you think would fit (outside of the usually discussed traditions) on such a list based on your characters, observations, and role-play. So here is the format: Keep it short, like the Xaela Tribes' descriptions are. No essays, just snippets. 70 words maximum. Place the focus on the quirk or tradition. Have fun with it! And if you've forgotten the Miqo'te Seeker tribes, here is the list together with the nice disclaimer SE placed at the end of the Xaela list: The tribe names are originally based on traditional beastkin, scalekin, or cloudkin totems, which are said to protect the tribe. A: Antelope (pronunciation: short Ah) B: Boar (short Bee) C: Coeurl (short Ka) D: Dodo (short Deh) E: Eft (short Eh) F: Bear (short F) G: Gryphon (short, hard Goo) H: Gigantoad (short Hah) I: Buffalo (short Ee) J: Jackal (short Jah) K: Hipparion (short Koo) 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) T: Condor (short Tuh) U: Drake (Ooh) V: Vulture (short Vah) W: Wolf (whort Wah) X: Lynx (short She) Y: Jaguar (short Yah) Z: Ziz (short Zoh) Paraphrased from Xaela disclaimer: The world Eorzea occupies is vast; therefore, every so often, one may come across a Seeker with a totem that is not found on the list of 26. This may mean that they are from a clan that was recently split off or dislocated during the diaspora from Meracydia*. It may mean that they are of a new tribe that was formed by members leaving another. It may mean they are of a tribe that remained hidden from civilisation. *From Sounssy's random facts: It is believed the Miqo'te first came to Eorzea during the Fifth Umbral Era, fleeing their ravaged homeland on the southern continent of Meracydia.

I prefer the Miqo ones. Why? Less specific. More things you can just make up. However, what I love most is that this is a list of tribal concepts which are not so heavily focused on sexual or gender politics. The emphasis on mating that so many miqo'te bring to the game because of the lore is very off-putting to me. Sadly, this would still be the case, the Devs stated that they werent changing lore regarding the gender ratio, in any civilisation if there are less of one gender than anothe genetically, group marriages happen to sustain population. Population and fertility is amassive part of community. Empires fall without succession even in the lower classes. I wish people would stop seeing that as a negative thing, it really isnt. You can be creative with it. And I have been. I've seen other efforts too to bring a sense of diversity like the Xaela have to the Miqo'te tribes, but because the main thrust of the lore is sex-based, most people play it that way (partly because it is safe and partly because of other reasons), whereas with the Xaela, there is so much more to latch on to to deflect that -- and after 51 beautiful examples, an open license to "create anything." I would have loved even just a quarter of those 51 examples to have modeled possibilities back when our lore first emerged. It's an old topic and I know I won't change opinions about it now. I couldn't in the advent of 2.0, and I don't expect to with 3.0. My focus now is on the beauty of the Xaela tribal lore, and the hope that these will serve to model to the remaining miqo'te the world of possibility open to them outside of mating practices.

I prefer the Miqo ones. Why? Less specific. More things you can just make up. IF the mind police allow you to. But I accept your point. However, what I love most is that this is a list of tribal concepts which are not so heavily focused on sexual or gender politics. The emphasis on mating that so many miqo'te bring to the game because of the lore is very off-putting to me. Marrying horses and making charcoal out of poo? I'd prefer it.

Apprehensive, but curious. Raen seem to share a culture with the Domans in name at least, and Domans populate Mor Dhona now, so less suspicious, but Xaela and their diverse tribes? Caution, but also a desire to learn about a people very different yet very similar to her own. In a way, much like exposure to the city-states did to her, C'io's new encounters with this much culture will test and temper her own core beliefs, as it should be.

Where was this gorgeous list of diversity when they were making the Miqo'te? I am crying from joy and jealousy, oh my goodness. DIVERSITYYY

Not to derail, but allow me to explain my own and my character's subversion on this matter. It is my firm belief that the information surrounding Seeker tribal structure is both sparse and contradictory. You quote the Drake Tribe and its depiction in the game, whereas I easily can do the same with the official SE statement of: "Nunh status does not equate to leadership within a tribe, and in fact, very few nunh ever become leaders." This makes it a crossroad of interpretation. In my interpretation, I did away with my personal cultural experiences and imagined the Seekers like lions, which are less patriarchal than typically depicted. For example, it is a popular interpretation that female lions subordinate themselves to the male lion based on eating order. However, if you examine the reasons for the eating order, you discover that the females allow the male to eat first because they require him to be strong enough to safeguard their territory from challenges. There are even documented cases in which females have left a weak male to promote a stronger one and in which males have left weak females (as in the whole family at once) to adopt stronger ones (again, a whole group). My envisioning eschewed a patriarchy-by-default mindset to adopt a more egalitarian one -- which C'io believes in fervently. In her case, her rebellion is against her father who, like what occurred in many First Nations tribes upon meeting the highly patriarchal Europeans, usurped command of their branch of the tribe to exalt himself above the females. Her rebellion is against the "Europeanisation" of the Miqo'te. And in a way, I can see Ni'khaj's in the same light. As I understand it, Ni'khaj left his tribe because he, too, believes in a more cooperative tribe, not one ruled by a patriarch. And given that rule by a nunh is supposed to be uncommon, it is not far-fetched to see him view a nunh-in-power in this light or to potentially classify it as 'barbaric.' Now I understand that the majority of roleplayers choose to interpret the nunh as defacto leader of the tribe, which can be supported by the depiction of the U' Tribe, but it is not the only interpretation. Furthermore, if we are speaking of imposing Western cultural beliefs, I very strongly view this patriarchal interpretation as the epitome of that. I very strongly believe it to not be new, but a reflection of the world we live in. New would accepting that the man is not the leader. New would be equality despite clearly-defined gender assignments and survival needs. New is supported by what little lore we have, and yet remains a road oft untraveled. So yes, even with my interpretation of it wherein I and C'io see nunhs-as-leaders as a barbaric practice, it is also my firm belief that to play a traditional miqo'te you need to be able to set aside your own personal cultural defaults to experience something new.

Have space on the honorary list for a Coeurl triber who left her people's vault for similar reasons to Khaj's? Not truly for the tribe, as she's still spiritually attached to her totem animal and the traditions she believes in, but as someone who shares Khaj's views and sense of subversion. I just really need to forge more links with fellow miqo'te who won't emphasise in roleplay utterly problematic interpretations of breeding traditions. Plus C'io delivers mail. A tribe needs to be part of the post network! She also mends fences.

This almost reads like a post I'd have written: the same strange time problems and a similar character premise. This only means that we must meet, even if we will sometimes probably just end up playing tag most of the time! I'm not much of an IM girl, as I like my in-game visuals, but I'd still love the chance to run into one another when our stars align, .

I have waited since 2.0 for someone to say this. Thank you, .

This is so true! Or at least true also in my experience. When I was playing World of Warcraft, I began the game in the same way I'd play any video game -- through the mechanics. I wasn't all that engaged in the world; however, after several years and when I retired from serious raiding, I moved to an RP server to give it a shot... and suddenly I was reading the quests, becoming personally involved with the world, engaging in it as a participant rather than just a viewer! My experiences as a roleplayer are really the ones I carried forward when I finally left WoW. Right? I understand this problem although I only have a single character. A lot of it becomes "just one more run..." "just one more item..." "just one more game of TT..." that it becomes easy to become lost in it. Still, I envy you for your small RP regardless. I haven't had much luck, and when I do get lucky, I think my timezone shoots me in the foot, . Perhaps my greatest regret in XIV, but at least the PvE is good, haha, .

A friend of mine is doing a simple survey for a statistics class that explores the correlation between RP and PvE pursuits and why we do it -- and which we wish we could do more of (instead, sometimes). I told him I'd help by putting it up here, so here it is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WBPW3GC But since this is a forum too, I thought maybe we could talk about our RP desires and if our PvE ones act as a foil to them. For example, my primary desire in the game is really to RP and to build those stories; however, my timezone and sometimes the dogged need to be in a queue gets in the way. Sometimes even just being in the queue makes me too anxious to initiate! What if it pops? Do I stay in the scene or do I go to the PvP battleground I've waited two (sometimes four) hours for? Even without the queues, finding RP is rare for me, which also means I queue more from lack of it. Cyclical. It's really frustrating to me having to pick, but I do know that most of that is my own fault. Do you have similar experiences? How do you manage it? Let's talk while I gather data for my friend, . And thank you in advance for answering the survey!

How does Sir Orycia feel about a career in delivering letters, persons, and goods of the highest import across vast and deadly landscapes into the hands of grateful patrons and out of the grasp of avaricious, nefarious villains and wildlife?

This is oddly timed as I had just opened your character journal earlier this week, . I'll get mine to you once I start up again; the need for writing it out has been brewing over the last few days, :tonberry:.

I'm glad to see this familiar name out again! Happily stalking, .

I'm going to politely contest your findings on Summoners under the label "Primal Slayers" because, in the Job's story, you are told to and are required to defeat the Primal whose essence you draw upon BEFORE you can even attempt to summon the and bind the egi. Furthermore, through the investigation of that Job questline, the NPC narrows down the list of suspects through use of a "Primal Slayer" list that one of the Grand Companies keeps, stating heavily that only those who have bested a Primal can even be considered candidates for Summoning. This is all very explicitly stated information. They do need to be encountered and survived prior to egi binding. Now, what I think you mean by the "actual Primal" is the difference between the Primal's true essence, which exists outside our plane of existence, and the Primal's manifestations, which is what we see in the game and what the Beastmen conjure through crystal sacrifice. No mortal can defeat a Primal's true form because the true form never appears; instead, a mortal can defeat the manifestation. The egi is also a manifestation, but on a much smaller scale (and speculated to be free of the problems plaguing fully manifested Primals).

This is my biggest problem with the game at this moment. The only point to level a craft is for repairs, and that's it. Not even materia, because dropped and tome gear does NOT use it. There is literally no other reason to bother leveling a craft. That's, pardon the French, fucking BULLSHIT. I have zero incentive to level a craft other than for the sake of leveling it. Nothing I can make with a craft will ever stand muster against that ridiculous tome gear. It pisses me right the fuck off, and I hope they fix that shit, because it ain't right. Yeah, it is boiling down to the same problem Late WoW had in which the only truly valuable craft was... Alchemy. Early WoW, at least, integrated crafted items and boss-drop recipes into the mixture. Maybe if FFXIV makes gateway PVP-gear attainable by crafting, it'll work out. Other than that, the only real avenue for crafting (outside of potions and repairs) will be Housing.

Hehe, I figured you weren't, but for future readers I wanted to be clear on it because misunderstandings built on something even as small as that can snowball poorly. It's all okay, I conceded also that you were right and that I was admittedly being judge-y of others doing the same thing I was doing, so it was a moment of valuable reflection for me also, . Heh, in C'io's, it is a past event from when she had only first showed up at Ul'dah. And her win is more a confluence of several matters of good fortune. A complex scenario of "I got lucky" born from the fact that I inadvertently (before knowing anything about SMN lore) set her origin as the very place game lore states the lost art of Summoning was dug out from! So from a meta-perspective, she was lucky there as well, heh.

This is an excellent point, particularly since we live on a Legacy server. In the 15 years after the lifting of the veil on Silvertear Lake, ample opportunities may have existed before the Beastmen really refined their methods of summoning. This also lends credence to the depth of the list maintained by the Immortal Flames. I think that the statement "ignore all story (and thus lore)" is extreme and dangerously close to misrepresenting my position since I never said to ignore all story and ignore all lore. In fact, I'm doing precisely what you say most RPers do--steal elements. I've taken the Echo, for instance, albeit a different and likely never to be self-realized form of it, and membership with the Grand Company. But fair enough, I see your point all the same and the wisdom in it. Especially because I've picked and chosen, I shouldn't be judgemental of others who've done the same. That said, I expect stellar stories from those of you who will claim to have bested of Titan and Garuda! Hehe. I will be highly discerning on that front. Tangential, but there's a part of the main storyline that I think really refers to the rest of us players and sets up the game universe in which the NPCs mention the contributions made/to be made by elite cadres of adventurers. Still doing great things, but doing different great things. That's where I place everyone and why it is okay to have outliers. An Umbral era, after all, should be as much a time for heroes as it is a time for suffering.