Moon Keepers & Othard?

[Felka]

Hi Coalition, I'm back again.. finally, got my net sorted out for real this time and I've also made much success in actually getting my head around tab combat.. and the pace of combat in FF14 at least in the lower levels. (Tera was my first 3D mmo, with Ragnarok being my first mmo neither combat system reallly much in the way of translating easily)

 

Anyroad.

I come today in hopes of help for my character Xura, I've been digging around for supporting lore and the like for past few days now for her, whom, at current rough idea hashing, is a Miqo'te of Moon Keeper birth/raising but is a Halfer (half breed) and at first glance is easily mistaken for a Sun Seeker till her larger ears, incisors an slightly darker skin are taken note of.

 

Now I'm aware "Halfers" as a friend an I affectionately refer to them in any game world, are in FF14 by no means a new concept and culturally between the two clan differences would normally be very rare. (Though I've come across quite a few)

 

I'm wondering how likely it may have been that some of the Miqo'te clans (Sun/Moon) migrated as far as Othard and the city states that would eventually develop there.

 

First, we know both clans migrated very very very very long past in Hydaelyn history from their originating continent in the south Meracydia

 

Second, as per the mentioning in Geography of Hydaelyn there is Land Bridges from Aldenard to Ilsabard & from Ilsabard to Othard.

 

Third, with current lore saying most Moon bands had settled in the Shroud; was that not back when Elementals were at full strength an kicking anyones ass who stepped into the woods? Would that then lead to them having to make home elsewhere in the Shroud and that mayhaps eventually as the population grew or as in following prey or w/e other factors, lead some have decided to migrate further North and East? 

 

I'm not sure why I'm so hung up on the idea of her band being from Othard in the Mts near Doma but it is an idea that is quite shiny to me when it comes to designing her and what all that might entail for her pre-landfall story at Ul'Dah.. which includes trekking back across those land bridges and having found the Elezen way too snooty to make the woods a comfortable place to call home (that and my starting class was PGL not Archer the later I've come to enjoy much more)

 

Now perhaps for simplicity sake it would be better to say her band settled near Ala Mhigo an I'd still likely accomplish quite a bit with what I'd like to do with her story. 

 

Guidance & input would be appreciated.

~Fel

[Yssen]

Keepers of the Moon settled and found footholds in the Black Shroud much much later than when the Elementals were kicking everyone out and holding them at bay with their own power. We must remember that the Elementals claimed the Shroud and defended it on their own from the Ixal and Elezen BEFORE they said "wipe Gelmorra of the map." They relied on the alliance of Wildwoods and Hyurs do do this for them. Whether this was because, or the first crumble of the decline of the Elemental's power is a matter for debate. The fact remains they chose not to, or could not wipe out Gelmorra themselves. Mi'qote tried to find homes in the Shroud a while after this period.

[Valence]

I'm afraid you are venturing into unknown territory there. So far we have only seen Hyurs and Au'ri in the story coming from Othard. That doesn't prove anything though, but I would say, unless I missed something crucial, we just don't know. I would tend to say, if there is, probably a minority, but that's already speculating here.

 

So, if you want to be lore compliant, just keep in mind that maybe someday we will know and it might bite you back in the ass. Or maybe the contrary.

 

Something safer I could suggest is that we know that Limsa especially but not only, trades on a regular basis with Thavnair and Doma now. If there is no Keepers in there, then you can still play a Lominsan Keeper actually living around Doma in a trading post of sorts? I'm sure they have to accomodate for all those merchants. I think that could make an interesting exotic story.

 

Also, on halfbreeds, keep in mind that those are very frowned upon all across Eorzea and absolutely everywhere. Something that I find a little sad is that I see actually a lot of RPers playing halfbreeds, and very few taking into account the immense prejudice they probably have to deal with on an everyday basis.

[Mia Moui]

As if it's not already hard enough being a Keeper in the first place given how they are treated in Gridania (tho not all are seen as suspicious).

 

I think it's probably possible for Miqo'te to be from just about anywhere in the world thanks to global travel.  Whether or not they come from large groups or are otherwise solitary individuals remains to be seen.  A Miqo'te who sets sail across the sea could end up anywhere and breed with the locals (willingly or otherwise) meaning their descendants wind up being "from" that place.  I can't say that there would be an established Miqo'te culture and I'd be reluctant to RP that in case the lore revealed it to be an impossibility.

 

But even if the lore said that "historically there is no known Miqo'te immigration to Othard," or whatever else, isolated groups of Miqo'te could still be there for whatever reason just undocumented.

 

I personally love to RP the hostility or discomfort the Keepers and Seekers probably should have for each other.  And Mia would find a half-Keeper/Seeker to be most off putting if not downright disgusting.  But she finds pair bonding disgusting as well so she's at odds with a great deal of "modern" Eorzean culture.  This is what makes playing her fun (get off my lawn!).

[Misharu]

I agree with the above statements regarding this being unknown territory. At the moment, there is no evidence to support than any other race lives in any significant amount in Othard besides Au Ra and Hyurs. However, the flipside of that is it has not been specifically stated that these are the only races that live there. You can take that as license to fill in lore a little. One could also believe that perhaps some populations of the other races can come there from Garlemald (even though they're not native to Garlemald either, they could say 'hey cool place' and live there, potentially?). I do not believe you will get much ire for that, but just know some people may try to point out he lack of supporting evidence. I would not put much stock in it, however.

 

I personally love to RP the hostility or discomfort the Keepers and Seekers probably should have for each other.

 

On a side note, I'm actually not sure I agree with this much. It's stated that the Keepers and Seekers aren't really hostile toward each other. From the sounds of it, they're pretty neutral with each other.

[Aden Dellebecque]

My advice would be to take your cue from real world migration patterns--you can justify any race from any location (at least at current apparent tech level in the setting) until informed otherwise by lore. Keep in mind however that they would be in the minority, likely subject to prejudice, and if the family lived there for several generations probably divorced from their native culture. Before you choose to go with it I'd examine those aspects, and then also ask yourself what Othard specifically brings to the narrative that nowhere else can.

 

I can't speak to keeper-seeker relations fairly considering I've avoided the obvious cats and dogs joke.

[Momo]

As noted in the lore thread just below this one, so far we know that Midlander, Highlander, Lalafell, and Au Ra, do or have called themselves Doman. Looking at the third race there, the Lalafell, one could probably assume that any major hub city, particularly a port city, has been inhabited by most or all races. How deep seated they are in the culture, I am not sure, and can't be until we either go there, or get more information, I would say that there are citizens of Doma who are Miqo'te, and that they have been there for long enough to call themselves part of the City-State.

 

 

Now, I think you said outside of Doma in the mountains? As if they had traveled over land bridges to get to Othard as a clan? I think that would be a little harder to justify. There would be little to no reason for even a nomadic tribe to travel that far to settle without the use of the sea routes, which have been around for some time now. If it were the case that a nomadic tribe needed to move, that is a far distance, and even Auri tribes who are nomadic by nature don't seem to have moved that far out of their way. (This is not to say, that it has never happened, just that it would be harder to assume!)

 

 

My suggestion? Move a small band by sea or by landbridge, and not a full tribe, or multiple tribes. Or, have them taking sea routes to Doma, only to find it inhospitable for whatever reason, possibly because they felt the encroaching threat of the Garleans even before the empire razed the city, and left to avoid it after having settled in the city. These two seem more likely, but also shorten your group's time in the mountains, and so would make it harder to call them a mountain dwelling tribe by way nomadism and then tradition, but rather a mountain dwelling tribe out of necessity.

 

 

Hope this doesn't crush all your dreams, and helps you find a good backstory instead! Good luck!

[Virella]

We know so far that Ala Mhigo had miqo'te. That some have wandered to Othard? Seems something that is likely to me! Perhaps Othard always had miqo'te for all we know.

 

In any case, nope, we don't know for certain, but I don't think it is far-fetched to say we have miqo'te in Othard as well

[Mia Moui]

I agree with the above statements regarding this being unknown territory. At the moment, there is no evidence to support than any other race lives in any significant amount in Othard besides Au Ra and Hyurs. However, the flipside of that is it has not been specifically stated that these are the only races that live there. You can take that as license to fill in lore a little. One could also believe that perhaps some populations of the other races can come there from Garlemald (even though they're not native to Garlemald either, they could say 'hey cool place' and live there, potentially?). I do not believe you will get much ire for that, but just know some people may try to point out he lack of supporting evidence. I would not put much stock in it, however.

 

I personally love to RP the hostility or discomfort the Keepers and Seekers probably should have for each other.

 

On a side note, I'm actually not sure I agree with this much. It's stated that the Keepers and Seekers aren't really hostile toward each other. From the sounds of it, they're pretty neutral with each other.

 

I dunno.  To have a divergent culture such that one becomes nocturnal so as to avoid the other and to maintain that divergence for so long that other physical differences manifest themselves would almost have to be based on some kind of deep set animosity or inherent mistrust of the other.

 

Of course, humans on earth have become culturally diversified and have some (very minor) physical differences that may or may not have happened based on animosity or mistrust.  Most people seem capable of ignoring those differences and are tolerant of other cultural traditions.  Then again, some are not.  Maybe Mia is one of those who is not so tolerant.

 

But I don't wanna hijack a thread so I'll stop here.

[Felka]

Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions

I'm on the fly atm so I can't reply to everything but please do keep the ideas coming.

 

I'm aware that Hafers would likely be treated quite poorly more so than Moon keepers depending where said Moons made home. This is something I've incorporated into my idea and don't shy away from.

case in point the FC I'm with is a group of pirate foke and while she can be quite kind to rare select, her mental track on the whole could be bit unstable and geared more towards survival regardless of the how. 

 

the Orthard idea included a very small band, bout 3 or 5 Moon families tops, one of them being her own. I'm not hung up on how they got there so much but as I was trying to at least mentally establish the possiblity that such a group had migrated there within 100 to 300 years of the first migration.. making her ancerstors from Orthard rather than still having some ties to the shroud.

 

age wise I'm not to sure but she'd probably be earily 30s as of Elorza landfall. meaning quite some time between joining up with pirates, how she got there or came to that choice and the events that lead up to it from fleeing home land. 

 

at this point I'm starting to think for simplicity sake and less migrains that perhaps Ala Mhgio or areas in that area near where the Garlean Empire would eventually come in, the catilist of change and perhaps a point of other plots to her past.. I don't think the GE took prisoners either you "submited" to their rule. or you died.. but places taken over, the people were not automaticly granted citciesnry, and were with out much in the way of rights. 

 

~Fel

[Felka]

Well guess I'll have to Dub post cuz no one else has left a reply lol.

 

So taking into regard lot'a what was said and looking into some other things I think I've come up with a potentially plausible means of Xura ending up Othardian.. 

 

while a bit.. twisted.. I could have it that her mother Ohki (OO-Key) was abducted from Shroud-ish area an sold on Orthard shores. 

Pre or post Garlean Empire control I'm bit unsure but I do know I want the Razing or effect of the Razing of Doma to play a part in Xura's development.. 

 

But if I take this root of how she is Orthardian, I'm then posed with the question of who would more likely have been Xura's father an thus how Xura might be mixed an further how her founding upbringing an childhood years may have been like because of this. 

 

See I still very much find the idea of her being Mixed attractive in the sense of the inherent struggles she would face due to such and would be a rather likely part in how she ends up with the oddball outcast group she is with now (who happen to be pirates which is a bit kind'a life circle moment)

 

Now I hadn't thought of her being Mix Race an only Mixed Clan but now that I'm having her mother kidnapped it does open doors, I am leaning towards leaving it more simple an just stick with the Sun Male as it certainly makes it more possible in this new backing if he was part of the crew that nabbed her. that said. 

 

I do get bit stuck on that an the crew.. (yes way over thinking things its a bloody curse) I would think most slaver ships likely would have some level of "don't knock up the product less you want to be sold with them" or such "policy" as knocked up "products" would definitely lower sale value/potential and the sail from Shroud to Othard is an unknown time length (to me atm couldn't find anything) but would definitely not be a quick one. Thought he could say knock her up few days before port an she's offed as normal.. 

or he's another abducted an they are sold to the same buyer. 

 

Which leads to the new sticking point of who may have "bought" Ohki on the Orthard side.

We don't know much of life or culture in pretty much any of Othard's regions but it would be odd to me to think a lower "class" of some form were not part of such however they ended up in that situation.

(correct me if I'm wrong)

 

We've hints of Doma and some of how the Xaela tribes worked.. but from what I've found on my own digging its pretty sparse and as mentioned in this thread still overall rather unknown territory

We do know AuRa, Hyur, Lafa & potentially Roegadyn? hail from Othard.

 

Over all the later three are not all that appealing to me.. there is little way to remotely try an depict them in her look, hight wise all Miqo'te max out round 5ft3.. an I've Xura round 5ft1 I think. can't make her skin green.. could make it blue-ish if I swapped her to a actual Moon kat base.. Could make her pretty dam pale or dark as a Moon base as well..

 

At current she's Sun based in the character creator and written with the Moon Keeper's larger ears/fangs an as close to a shared skin tone between the two I could find. 

 

I'm drawn to the the idea of a AuRa being involved if not the Sun Kat and currently with what little I know of either race can only see such occurring as her being taken a Maid or such for a Raen place but even that feels bit stretching to me.. 

 

Course could be argued all of this is stretching an I'm torturing myself trying to make it work.

 

Think trying to work out more of Xura herself.. might be best.. yes I'm more or less dumping active thoughts an hoping for guidance an feed back.. 

 

Some key things I do want to her in her current self some of this would be reflective of her past of course.

 

• Is around 30 at current.
  
• Loves to tinker, take part, put back together an muck with stuff.. 
  
• Would have some understanding and a very high interest, in Magitek, the hardened Aether that runs it (can't spell it off top head) an both items applications. This idea loosely includes minion, armor and direct bodily integration & and abundant curiosity for relics an ruins from Allagan Empire 
  
• Books, anything she can get her mitts on she'll typically read if she thinks it of value/use which to hear more current "survival at all cost" mind set for the past 5 or so years is pretty much anything. 
  
• As said Relics of all forms intrigued her greatly especially an old Allagan stuff which much of GE magitek is reversed from.
  
• Has a thing for plushies that she'll almost never admit to openly but she does poorly in hiding it. 
  
• Does -not- trust easy at all and while "skittish" would not be a word for her, she is very quick to draw weapon but will flee if that is the better option congruent to continuing to live. She'd rather face head on what might do harm to her though.
  
• Has a LOT of scars, most are quite faded but some are more recent and a few are quite fresh.
  
• Her tail while whole is wrapped in leather in places to hide the missing fur and marks it has of it's own. Done in a manor that doesn't look sooo obvious she is trying to hide such but easy to tell if ever closely inspected.
  
• Her right ear is missing 1/3rd from tip along lower ridge and into the soft pink tissue quite a bit. One thought is this does affect her hearing and was part of what inspired her to tinker, rigged a kind of earring cufflet of sorts along the upper ridge with a clasp to what of the lower filling this empty space to help with hearing loss from that ear, its crude not always reliable, removable and because such does get misplaced a lot these days now that she has a place to call home, before she was more careful, it is not special in anyway beyond its function.
  
• Truly dislikes thunder storms an gets panicked by them due to sounding much like the cannon fire of GE ships to her. (Which I'm assuming along with other means was something used in the Razing of Doma.)
  
• Does get ptsd like flashbacks of a number of events pre and post home destruction including such. (again I'm assuming was over done as an example to other GE taken regions an I imagine a scene where its leveled by aerial bombardment)
  
• is quite heavily not fond of spiders, worms and slug like creatures. 
  
• Loves the stars an being under the Moon.
  
• Her speech is bit oddly, accented and has caused misunderstandings before. (not sure how this developed but it is something I'd like her to have.) 
  
• One idea linked to her ptsd I'm toying with is a bit of duality to her personality.
  

Is rough of what I have so far for ideas for Xura specifically..

 

Currently I'm aiming for Bard game play wise yet many of the classes appeal to me in terms of their RP standing for her, I'm to noob to say beyond enjoying Archer an Conjr bit so far in actual play what of the others I'd like i find Archer forces a more slow tactical play and I am usually drawn to support ish rolls but rp wise could see a number playing well to her story. Beyond Ninja though I'm not sure what else might seem like Othardian basis. Was DK something that was "brought over"? She's already got the deck pretty stacked against her.. adding the mistrust of Ninja as well might be much but is forsure a known Doma/Othard skillset..

 

Again thank you to any who read an leave comment.. do appreciate it.

~Fel

[Felka]

Mayhaps someone could kindly move this to the Character workshop, believe it may be more suited to there now? 

~Fel