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Desitjant · **08-24-2015, 08:22 PM**

Heya,

So I'm just starting out withÂ FFXIV post-Heavensward, and trying to decide which of the Au Ra subgroups to run with. (Not concerned enough with starting stats for that to be a determining factor.)

I think the concepts of the Raen are promising enough, but at the moment, it feels like the Xaela have a great deal more to build upon, in an RP-sense. The sheer number of clans and the relationships between them create such an incredible backdrop, no?

Aesthetically, I'm really digging the shiny-golden-Raen that I whipped up, and I am aware of the Xaela clan that accepts Raen outcasts... but that's hardly the most interesting tribe out there!

Any thoughts, opinions, flames are much appreciated!

Tiergan · **08-24-2015, 08:43 PM**

Maybe your Raen has heard of [Insert Tribe You Like Best Here] and wishes they were more like them despite being a part of the tribe that accepts Raen.

It means if you run into another player from that tribe, it might make for an interesting dynamic.

Blue · **08-24-2015, 08:48 PM**

I honestly prefer the Raen from a stricly strategic RP advantage point. The reason being. with the exception of the Hotgo, the Xaela require a tribe, thus other RPers (or RP NPCs), in order to follow their canon best.

The Raen are instead known to be solitary, with no tribes. This would make it easier for you RP, have your character make sense being alone, and not depend on other RPers or NPCs.

OF COURSE there are ways around it, such as RPing being an exiled, or having lost sight of your tribe, or having it have been annihilated (if you pick this, be either a Hotgo, or a tribe you made up. Don't claim other official tribes to have been slaughtered!), etc. etc. But I kind of expect these excuses to be used a lot (I used one of these for my Dotharl, since I have no RP friends playing Dotharls), since it's difficult to ALWAYS be in the company of fellow tribe members and ALWAYS be online when they do etc. etc., so you have to start with the mindset that your main RP experience as an Au Ra will be an individual one.

Desitjant · **08-24-2015, 10:54 PM**

Yes I've also been curious about the "solitary" nature of the Raen. I actually interpreted that statement to mean that the Raen live in small villages or settlements, ones that typically don't cross paths with others. I reached that conclusion because of this excerpt from theÂ Au Ra Naming Conventions post:

"The Xaela, being nomadic, live lives that are one part solitary (when traveling as a clan) and one part community (when they interact with other clans they come across in their migrations)."

This seemed to indicate that "solitary", in the context of Au Ra, might be referring to the behavior of a subgroup, as opposed to an individual person.

Additionally, this passage seems to indicate a fairly robust class/caste system... a social constructÂ which would be rendered mostly meaningless without the existence ofÂ Raen communities:

"Unlike their Auri ancestors who employed clan names as surnames, the now-clanless Raen have adopted a more complex practice. Families of the warrior class (and generally the ruling class) are the only people â€œallowedâ€ surnames in Doma, and they will often take surnames that displayed their battle prowess or position within an army."

"Though the names are not recognized by the ruling class, families of the merchant and peasant classes will still give themselves surnames as to make their everyday lives easierâ”€the names reflecting their professions."

I'm by no means certain of my interpretation, I just wanted to bounce it off others!

D'aito Kuji · **08-25-2015, 01:37 PM**

I find the Raen's naming convention fun enough to justify playing them.

É´á´˜á´„ · **08-25-2015, 01:48 PM**

I went Raen with my alt.

I agree that there is more definition to the Xaela culture, in a way that reminds me a bit of the Minmatar, though long before their space faring days. I opted to go the less familiar route, and chose a 'commoner' Raen. I did give her a family name, for reasons specific to her background, going back generations, but I understand that name will have little to no meaning among other Raen.

Kind of makes me want to actually play the character a bit. Ahriman

Aris · **08-25-2015, 02:30 PM**

(08-24-2015, 10:54 PM)Desitjant Wrote: Yes I've also been curious about the "solitary" nature of the Raen. I actually interpreted that statement to mean that the Raen live in small villages or settlements, ones that typically don't cross paths with others.

I interpretated it that way as well. My Raen lived in a settlement before coming to Eorzea, and they kept to themselves unless people passed through their area, or extreme trade circumstances.

It's interesting that warriors would be the ruling class in Raen hierarchy - maybe they aren't so different to Xaela after all. Tongue

Here's a cool thread about what some of the random generator surnames mean, reflecting different professions.

Thankfully SE were quite kind and didn't make the Au Ra lore very restricted, so if you wanted to make a Raen in a tribe it wouldn't be unheard of.

Both clans have something to build off of, although Raen is more of a blank slate. I plan on an Xaela alt that will be in one of the tribes mentioned but a smaller unit of it broken off from the main tribe, so if our headcanons aren't the same it won't be awkward for others hopefully, nor will it require me to rely on other's characters in the tribe as I don't know many people at the moment. Blush

Desitjant · **08-25-2015, 08:56 PM**

(08-25-2015, 02:30 PM)Aris Wrote:
(08-24-2015, 10:54 PM)Desitjant Wrote: Yes I've also been curious about the "solitary" nature of the Raen. I actually interpreted that statement to mean that the Raen live in small villages or settlements, ones that typically don't cross paths with others.

...It's interesting that warriors would be the ruling class in Raen hierarchy - maybe they aren't so different to Xaela after all. Here's a cool thread about what some of the random generator surnames mean, reflecting different professions.

I think it seems a bit difficult to envision since the Raen are still mostly an unknown and possibly the Eorzean equivalent to leprechauns, but the samurai ran the show throughout multiple eras in Japan, in peacetime and during war. More than one tier, but all within a "warrior caste." You could more or less say the same for the Rajputs and Spartans too.

And since the Mongols actuallyÂ make anÂ attempt to invade Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a similar history between the Raen & Xaela.

*On a side note, if you're interested in getting a glimpse of life with the Mongol Horde, both the film "Mongol" and the "Marco Polo" series (Netflix) are quite good!*

Flickering Ember · **08-25-2015, 11:58 PM**

(08-25-2015, 02:30 PM)Aris Wrote: It's interesting that warriors would be the ruling class in Raen hierarchy - maybe they aren't so different to Xaela after all. Here's a cool thread about what some of the random generator surnames mean, reflecting different professions.

It's easy to get this impression if you're not familiar with Japanese culture/history but I suspect that Raen are pretty much like the Eorzean samurai.

Dis · **08-26-2015, 06:37 PM**

I took the Xaela groupings to mean that there is an umbrella of a singular tribe, but that each tribe could have splintered into differing groups.Â Meaning just because everyone shares a single tribal name (Kha, for example), but that there might be several groups of them spread out across the plains.Â Similarly, I could imagine them having a tribe gathering every x-number of years in order to exchange information, pair off partners, expand their tribe, discuss important affairs, show off, and just generally celebrate, as it were.

I mean, we don't expect that every R tribe Miqo'te will know every other R tribe Miqo'te, so I don't see why Xaela should be any different.

I could see a Raen being taken in by a clan (not just the one accepting of outsiders) for a number of reasons.Â Some people are very hesitant to leave behind a child, for example.Â Another could be something exceptional that he did that made the clan look at him as a valuable asset.Â Someone owing him a life debt.Â And those are just a couple of examples.Â

I don't think you'd have to stretch very far to get justification to have a Raen who is part of a Xaela tribe.

The Auri RP Advantage: Raen or Xaela?

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