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Six · **08-05-2017, 05:51 AM**

yes hello i am new and this is all v confusing help pls

I've got a very rough idea of what I want to do with my character and a few questions that'll clear up precisely what I want to do with her/where she'll go, so imma just blarf them all out here. I've JUST started on Heavensward so some of these might be answered later on in the expansion or in Stormblood, my apologies if that's the case and these are annoying or I've messed up names. Trying to avoid spoilers also makes hunting for lore difficult.

How much of Raen territory have the Garleans taken over? All of it? How many Raen have fled for western shores? Did they all hop in a boat/series of boats/the back of very large turtles at once or were there scattered refugees?
From peeking at Raen naming conventions, nobility's family names are taken from feats of war that had earned them their noble rank, right? Is that a strict rule, or could roles that offered support in war also earn noble status?Â
What locations could Raen refugees have landed at? Or was it all just the group with Yugiri?
Were Raen in Doma at the time it got razed?Â
How are Raen treated by the other races? I've read somewhere that Ishgardians might not like them much due to the dragon like appearance.

The character concept I have and the reason I'm asking these questions is this:

Female Raen Au Ra from a family specialising in herbal medicine. Has a demeanour that, if not coming from nobility suggests a very traditional upbringing. Fled for the west once the Garleans started messing up some fools, through either her ship capsizing or some other event she ends up stranded on some foreign shore alone and far from any of her people. Cue Bear Grylls adventures or something.

As you can see, pretty rough, looking to flesh it out some and cut out bits that don't make sense. Thank you all in advance for your time and patience!

Wemrys · **08-05-2017, 11:02 AM**

There are probably other people who can lore post better than I can, but I'm a bit of a lore junkie myself so I can jump in on this one.

1) "Raen territory" is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike the xaela, the raen didn't strictly have territory of their own. Instead they were intermingled with the Doman and Hingans, and per the lore book many took up arms/worked under one or another lord in the Far East. Essentially unlike their xaela cousins, they integrated themselves with Doman and Hingan society. When Doma was razed those living there were just as affected by it as other Domans. Any raen who lived on the isle of Hingashi were unaffected by this since Hingashi is independent and Garlemald did not invade it.

While there are no solid numbers of refugees or any real information about racial distribution among them (even in the lore book), it can be presumed a good deal of the refugees were raen. That said there are many who yet stayed in the Far East, especially in smaller villages and farms and live under Garlean rule. There are more still who fled BEFORE the fires of war hit and made their homes elsewhere, at least one group in particular creating their own society in a...different and unexpected place altogether in the Far East (I'll avoid saying where for spoilers' sake).

2) The naming convention I'm not terribly solid on myself as they give enough information to go off of for naming an adventurer in the naming conventions but they didn't seem to account for roleplayers looking into doing something other than a combative character. One would assume it's something that could be stretched in the way you suggest though. (if any of the resident lore masters here can correct me on this if I'm wrong it would be appreciated though)

3) We know through the lorebook that the Doman refugees were refused at ports in both Hingashi and Thavnair before arriving in Thanalan. Hingashi was already entreating the Garleans as esteemed guests in the Hingan port of Kugane and they did not wish to bring the ire of the Garleans to bear on them by harboring refugees. Radz-at-Han in Thavnair similarly wanted nothing to do with them for the same reasons. Based on the route this suggests they took, a refugee in a capsized boat as your backstory suggests could have ended up literally anywhere in the southern regions of the world map, although if they were to end up in Eorzea it would be best to have them land somewhere on the southeastern coast of mainland Aldenard (the continent containing Thanalan, The Black Shroud, Coerthas, etc).

4) Yes, this was answered in point 1.

5) In the Far East, the raen are well-respected since a great number of them were very skilled warriors and loyal vassals. There are even some cases where raen established their own well-respected clans in the Doman tradition (this is observed as early as the Ninja 50-60 storyline). As far as Eorzea is concerned, while Yugiri hid her features for fear of startling Eorzean society, it was entirely unnecessary as it's made clear by the backstories of certain characters such as Sid from the Dark Knight storyline that Au Ra showed up in Eorzea probably within the last 10-20 years, but the problem was that they ran into the Ishgardians first. Ishgard, not knowing what to make of the scaled individuals, believed them to be heretics and dragonkin, and murdered them in droves. As of the present day though, the nature of the Auri people is better understood though the tension left over from the Ishgardians' wanton slaughter of the Au Ra has not been forgotten. Elsewise, they encounter the same welcome as any other race in Eorzea: Adventurers are welcoming of them due to the nature of their work, older individuals who have incredible pride in their homeland may yet carry some xenophobia about other races, but otherwise there is only casual racism thrown about here and there.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **08-05-2017, 11:28 AM**

I can do a couple of these!

Also helpful:

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Sounsyy's Lore Compilation
Au Ra

-Au Ra Tribe Lore and Naming Conventions

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*This passage has caused some contention/misunderstandings and is addressed below in the Languages of Hydaelyn post.

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Raen

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*This last sentence doesnâ€™t make a lot of sense, and has been noted in the Lore Book Errata Thread for clarification.

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Disclaimer: To answer some of this, I will need to go into 4.0 MSQ/spoilers. I'm putting that in spoiler boxes for now.

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Raen names are more or less a bit like Hyuran names in that you have your given name and then a surname based on your role, somewhat. The naming conventions only states as much.[/spoiler]

Quote:Just as is the case with most of the other races, the Raen also have surnames (family names). 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.

Given this, any Raen can have a surname. But for Doman Raen specificially, they only officially recognize the surnames of warriors. (Not necessarily nobility).

Location-wise, Raen could have possibly traveled to Eorzea sooner (unlikely, but possibly), but the bulk of the population in Eorzea would likely have come wit Yugiri. Some may have been present when Doma was razed. As far as racial tensions go, Heavensward told us that some Au Ra were thought to be the kin of dragons and were killed for it, although further research shows that Auri horns are nothing like dragon horns, creation myths aside. Otherwise, they are still new-ish to Eorzea and it's likely that people are still getting used to seeing them. They first tried to dock for support in Vesper Bay, Thanalan and then the majority of Doman refugees headed up to Revenant's Toll, Mor Dhona after being told the other cities could not accept any more refugees.

Valence · **08-05-2017, 11:49 AM**

The Raen are mostly scattered around their own settlements, or more generally around Hyur cities in the Far East (Doma and Hingashi). Except for a few exceptional settlements like you will see in the SB MSQ, the Raen don't exactly own nations or territories of that they claim of their own, but they identify themselves as part of various nations (Doma, Hingashi). They often serve as vassals or retainers to various Hyur daimyo (lords).

The Garleans have annexed all of Othard, including Doma, and the only remaining free nation is Hingashi.Â

It's hard to quantify how many refugees Doma produced once it got razed by the Empire. A decent amount probably, but remember that it's not a massive exodus as well. You will see in SB that many locals still remained behind under the garlean yoke and I would argue it's the majority. Look at IRL conflicts like Syria and whatnot, and refugees are hardly the bulk of the population. Add to that the voyage alone to flee Othard for Aldernard. It takes at least 2 months by boat and I bet that most ships used by refugees are not exactly the most reliable ones either. The journey is not a safe, easy one.Â

The locations where refugees might have ended up is hard to tell. I don't know if Yugiri's group is the only one but that sounds a bit weird to me. Maybe someone else will have more info?

Yes, there were Raens in Doma when it got razed not even a year ago in the timeline. And they have been there for a very long time already, way before the Empire invaded, since that's where they ended up when they left the Steppes.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:The Raen left their homeland behind to settle across Othard. They were received with hatred and hostility by other races in the early years, until a prominent warlor of Yanxia, impressed with their valor, forged an alliance with the strange race and took them on as retainers. Before long, the Raen had assumed a prominent role as warriors in the service of countless great warlords.

So, the Raen got mistreated at first in Othard, but that's old history. I would wager that like all other races everywhere, standard run of the mill racism and mistrust still exists, but nothing more.

It's uncertain how many of them ended up in Ishgard since Doma got razed, or if any did, but I would assume they go under the same treatments as Xaelas do here: hostily and mistrust, but not to the point of slaughtering them by mistaking them for dragons as it was the case with the first xaelas showing up here decades ago.

As for surnames, feats in war doesn't necessarily mean pure combat no. Or I assume so. Is an officer tactician or a commander someone necessarily battling with their sword in the middle of a war for example? Or a great healer? Although you want to keep in mind that yes, the Raen are famous for their swordsmen of exceptional skill, and all of that being based on the medieval japanese caste system, then yeah, nobles are samurai, and samurai are supposed to be a warrior caste, even for those living peaceful or bureaucratic lives deep in palaces and whatnot. In short, you could find as many arguments for than against it, so I'm sure you can make it work both ways.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Surnames occupy a special position in Eastern culture - an honor afforded only to aristocrats, warlords, and the warrior class. Many are derived of weapons or military ranks, as symbols of their martial prowess [...] Though not officially recognized,
many members of the subordinate classes sport self-bestowed epithets which are often -
but not always - derived from their profession or place of origin.

So, there is no strict rules per se but general guidelines.

Kilieit · **08-05-2017, 11:51 AM**

(08-05-2017, 11:49 AM)Valence Wrote: The Garleans have annexed all of Othard, including Doma, and the only remaining free nation is Hingashi.

Not quite true - they haven't touched the Azim Steppe, which is why

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Valence · **08-05-2017, 11:58 AM**

Derp. That's right. Slip of the tongue.

So yes, they didn't invade the Steppes because they think there is nothing of value to them here.

Lydia Lightfoot · **08-05-2017, 01:00 PM**

I recall it being noted in the Azim quests that it was perceived that it wasn't so much that there wasn't anything in the steppes of interest/use to the Garleans (who may very well have opted to take it over merely for acquisition's sake), it was more a situation of the Garleans recognizing that an invasion attempt would unite the clans against them and would be a very costly endeavor in manpower and equipment, and they weren't in a position to commit that kind of force.
Which is why it turns out that the Garleans were actually correct in that assessment, because the united strength of the clans ends up indeed sufficient (along with other factors, of course) to rout their butts entirely from Doma and Ala Mhigo.

Sounsyy · **08-05-2017, 02:12 PM**

Hey there Sayuri! Welcome to Hydaelyn and the RPC! ^^ A lot of people have already left you some good answers, so I'll just quickly go over some stuff and drop some lore links you might find helpful~

(08-05-2017, 05:51 AM)Six Wrote: How much of Raen territory have the Garleans taken over? All of it? How many Raen have fled for western shores?

The simple answer is most of it, in a fashion. Like others have said, for the most part the Raen choose to assimilate into other cities and cultures fairly easily and there remain very few known Raen-only settlements in the Far East. The two largest Raen populations are within the city-states of Doma, which controls the eastern Yanxia region of the Othard continent, and Hingashi, an island chain east of Othard across the Ruby Sea consisting of the isles of Koshu and Shishu. There are also many Raen who reside in the Ruby Sea itself in settlements there or as part of the Confederacy (which you'll learn more about in 4.0).

The Garleans first invaded Othard 49 years ago, but it wasn't until 25 years ago (in the Year 1552) that the Garleans successfully defeated Doma, the last resisting nation in Othard. After annexing Doma and securing the continent of Othard from western to eastern shores, the only remaining free Far Eastern city-state, Hingashi, submitted peacefully to Garlean terms. In exchange for their "freedom" Garlemald would profit from their trade and cooperation as the Empire deemed appropriate. Thus Hingashi became a nation ruled not by the Empire directly, but by fear of the Empire. The Garleans left the Ruby Sea alone, however, seeing no use for it.

For those 25 years between 1552 and the 1st Year of the Seventh Astral Era, the Raen for the most part lived under the eye and boots of the Garlean Empire, but were free to travel between Hingashi and Doma as they saw fit. That changed a year ago with the Garlean War of Succession, where Doma staged a doomed revolt. This is what caused the first massive migration of Raen to the shores of Eorzea.

You can find a more descriptive Timeline of Events caused by the Garlean Empire's invasion here!

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(08-05-2017, 05:51 AM)Six Wrote: Did they all hop in a boat/series of boats/the back of very large turtles at once or were there scattered refugees? What locations could Raen refugees have landed at? Or was it all just the group with Yugiri?

(08-05-2017, 11:49 AM)Valence Wrote: The locations where refugees might have ended up is hard to tell. I don't know if Yugiri's group is the only one but that sounds a bit weird to me. Maybe someone else will have more info?

This post covers this in a little more detail but after Zenos yae Galvus put down the Doman Rebellion a year ago, there were a couple groups which managed to escape Doma. One group was lead by Yugiri and they boarded a single ship and sailed to Hingashi (but were denied there out of justifiable fear of obliteration) and Radz-at-Han (for similar justifications) and eventually coming to land at Vesper Bay in Thanalan after over a 2+ month voyage.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Those few who managed to flee shortly before the palace fell were met with a different, yet equally harrowing fate. One group, lead by Yugiri, boarded a great galleon, and in their panic made east across the Ruby Tide for the island nation of Hingashi. Alas, this nation would not risk inviting Garlemaldâ€™s ire, and turned away the Domans. They next sailed for Thavnair, where they found the great gates of Radz-at-Han also closed. Starving, they steeled themselves for a single last voyage west to Eorzea.

There were also other groups, but these either remained in Othard or fled to the Ruby Sea shortly thereafter. If more Domans managed to escape to Eorzea after Yugiri's voyage, they did so in much smaller numbers. Soon after Doma was razed however, the newly instated viceroy Yotsuyu began hunting down any Doman fugitives across Othard. This is why Kugane, the only Hingan city which allowed foreigners, was pressured to break all trade ties with those in the Ruby Sea. And any bounty hunter or spy who captured a Doman in Kugane would be rewarded by the empire.

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(08-05-2017, 05:51 AM)Six Wrote: From peeking at Raen naming conventions, nobility's family names are taken from feats of war that had earned them their noble rank, right? Is that a strict rule, or could roles that offered support in war also earn noble status?

These naming conventions are most strictly related to Doman Raen, and may not be 100% applicable to Raen elsewhere. However, in most cases, yes- the warrior class was nobility. It was the Raen warriors who were largely responsible for the Raen clan becoming accepted across Othard, so that tradition lives on in their naming conventions. However, that's not to say that herbalists couldn't have a surname or epithet of their own. Or the current character is descended from a long line of warrior vassals to whatever Far Eastern lord but the more recent generations have become herbalists instead.

Raen Naming Conventions Wrote:Just as is the case with most of the other races, the Raen also have surnames (family names). 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.

Some examples are:
ãƒ¢ãƒˆã‚«ãƒ¯ï¼ˆåŽŸçš®ï¼‰ â†’ çŒŸå¸«ã‚„é©ç´°å·¥è·äººãªã©
Motokawa (lit. origin skin) Used by hunters and tanners
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Nushiya (lit. paint master store) Used by lacquer painters and sellers of lacquered goods
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Naeuri (lit. seedling seller) Used by farmers and sellers of seedlings
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Kasanui (lit. umbrella weaver) Used by umbrella makers
ãƒˆãƒªã‚ªã‚¤ï¼ˆé³¥è¿½ï¼‰ â†’ è¾²æ°‘ã‚„çŒŸå¸«ãªã©
Torioi (lit. bird chaser) Used by farmers and hunters

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(08-05-2017, 05:51 AM)Six Wrote: How are Raen treated by the other races? I've read somewhere that Ishgardians might not like them much due to the dragon like appearance.

You can learn more about the Raen and Au Ra here!

In general, the Raen are the more accepted of the two Au Ra clans. As stated above, they adapt well to new cultures and cities, and are generally a rather peaceful race - even if they do come from a long line of noble warriors.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:The Raen have fully assimilated to the cultures of Doma and Hingashi, and live faithfully according to the regions' traditions. Perhaps owing to their heritage and the status they gained in the service of their warlords, they place particular importance on hierarchy and the master-servant relationship.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Possessed of a strong self-preservation instinct, the Au Ra believe in protecting tribe and family, though the means by which the two clans choose to do so diverges greatly. The Raen coexist peacefully with other races to ensure the safety of their own land, while the fiercely tribal Xaela shun relations with other races, even viewing strangers of their own kind as potential enemies. As such, the former are viewed favorably by the outside world, while the latter are typically regarded with suspicion and hostility.

In Eorzea, there are no recorded instances of Raen arriving in any meaningful numbers prior to the mass exodus following the fall of Doma. For the most part, Eorzeans aren't really sure what to make of the Au Ra and thus have mixed reactions.

Fernehalwes Wrote:Now, as for how the Au Ra are regarded by others living in Eorzea, while there was racial tension in past ages, recently with the onset of the Age of Adventure and an influx in the amount of people of all races flocking to Eorzea, there truly isnâ€™t any form of heavy discrimination towards the Au Ra (it also helps that because very few Au Ra ever visited Eorzea before, there is little deep-seated hate stemming from historical conflict). However, because they are new to Eorzea and there is much mystery surrounding them, a lot of native Eorzeans are still a bit wary (even if they donâ€™t really know why).

The Ishgardian slaughter of early Xaela settlers of the Orl tribe in Coerthas occurred roughly 15 years ago in the Year 1562. This was about a year before Ishgard closed its gates to all but the Temple Knights and during the 8th Awakening of Nidhogg when hostilities with the Dravanians were at a peak. This Xaela tribe came to Coerthas after wandering for 5 years following the Garlean invasion of their homeland.

Encyclopedia Eorzea - Sidurgu Orl Wrote:As a child, Sidurgu lived with his family in a frontier town of Othard, until their settlement fell under the subjugation of the invading Garlean Empire. Unable to endure the stifling regime of their conquerors, his parents bundled him into a cart along with their meager possessions, and fled into the wilderness soon after his sixth nameday. For five years they wandered, seeking a place to belong, before their journeys eventually brought them to Eorzeaâ€™s shores. Like many of their race, they found themselves drawn to the plains of Coerthas, where they hoped to adopt the nomadic ways of their ancestorsâ€¦ but neither fate nor the Ishgardians were kind to the Au Ra.

Nowadays, Ishgardians are more accepting of the Au Ra. However there's a strong likelihood to still face xenophobia and racism among some of the Holy See's less open-minded citizenry.

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(08-05-2017, 11:02 AM)Wemrys Wrote: There are more still who fled BEFORE the fires of war hit and made their homes elsewhere, at least one group in particular creating their own society in a...different and unexpected place altogether in the Far East (I'll avoid saying where for spoilers' sake).

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(08-05-2017, 01:00 PM)Lydia Lightfoot Wrote: I recall it being noted in the Azim quests that it was perceived that it wasn't so much that there wasn't anything in the steppes of interest/use to the Garleans (who may very well have opted to take it over merely for acquisition's sake), it was more a situation of the Garleans recognizing that an invasion attempt would unite the clans against them and would be a very costly endeavor in manpower and equipment, and they weren't in a position to commit that kind of force.

Bit o' both actually:

Yugiri Wrote:Oh, I assumed you knew. The Azim Steppe has been home to the nomadic tribes of the Xaela since antiquity. More than fifty roam these lands, and though they do not constitute a nation, there is a hierarchy of sorts, determined through ritual combat.

Lyse Wrote:If they're so busy fighting each other, you'd think the Empire would be able to march in and take the Steppe with ease. I wonder why they haven't...

Gosetsu Wrote:Perhaps they see little value in it, especially given the fierce reputation of the Xaela warriors who would fight tooth and nail to oppose them.

Yugiri Wrote:These lands were not made for men. The soil is thin, and the weather unforgiving. The Xaela found ways to survive, it is true. But they are made of sterner stuff than most imperials - conscript or citizen.

Hope this helps! ^^

Wemrys · **08-05-2017, 02:39 PM**

@Sounsyy: Yeah that's something I should have been more clear on, but I was rushing through my post since I'm at work today and it was ultimately one note among many I was trying to make in my post Tongue

Thank you for the correction and elaboration though!

Six · **08-05-2017, 08:01 PM**

These replies are absolutely amazing and super comprehensive, thank you all so much! Also all these resources yeeeesss. <3

I think all my questions for now have been answered pretty well, but I'll probably post again to bother when it comes to further stuff.

Raen Questions!

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