Miqo'te Culture Discussion/Speculation!

[Knave]

I'm sure other people have made this assumption but if Seekers of the Sun are lions then Keepers of the Moon are tigers. At least that's my theory.

[E'irawen]

I'm sure other people have been this assumption but if Seekers of the Sun are lions then Keepers of the Moon are tigers. At least that's my theory.

 

Actually, this is a pretty neat theory. I'm intrigued!

[Levoie]

While SE's giving us all this 'tribal' lore for the Miqo'te, I guess what's annoying me is, not only is it basically just a straight rip from XI Mithra, I didn't actually see any tribal behavior from Miqo'te NPCs in game in 1.0! There's MENTION of it, mostly, but it seems like those who live in the cities or are the adventuring type have left behind that tribal lifestyle.

 

I think more of it is indicative of miqo'te traditions than it's indicative of how the miqo'te live now.  Although that brings some of the naming conventions into question.

 

Exactly. Which is why it's going to be disappointing if we get an influx of extremely traditional-tribal Miqo'te if the tribal behavior is more of a thing of the past for them and they simply held on to the naming traditions.

 

The wording of the lore post suggests to me that this culture is not only in the past but alive and well now. My thought is that there are many miqo'te clans that live on their own apart from the large cities and still follow this lifestyle. 

 

Miqo'te who are adventurers and so have a greater experience of the world, as well as Miqo'te would live in the cities (perhaps for generations), could well have cast off many of these traditions to mix in better with the other races. There are examples of Miqo'te marrying and having monogamous relationships in 1.0.

 

I'd expect that adventurers as a whole would run the gamut of culture. With some extremely traditional and others completely adjusted to city culture.

[Arlon]

Miqo'te who are adventurers and so have a greater experience of the world, as well as Miqo'te would live in the cities (perhaps for generations), could well have cast off many of these traditions to mix in better with the other races.

 

This is what I was thinking too.

[allgivenover]

I'm sure other people have made this assumption but if Seekers of the Sun are lions then Keepers of the Moon are tigers. At least that's my theory.

 

Huh. Good catch. This kinda works.

[K'tahrl]

Hey there everyone, so I've been contemplating getting involved in the RP scene when ARR is released, and wanted to make a Male Seeker of the Sun as my character for all the coming developments.  When the naming conventions came out that actually put me off to the idea, since a lot of the traditions of the Mi'qote are very different from a direction I thought I would take with him. Something that's been on my mind lately, are Mi'qote are able to bear offspring from a race other than their own?  Or would that line of Mi'qote know that they won't have any children if they were to stay monogamous with say an Elezen?

[allgivenover]

From what I recall, half-breeds are possible, but very rare. I haven't read any specifics beyond that unfortunately. I do know that there are some characters about in the community that are mixed race (species?). If anyone has details that contradict or expand on this, feel free to correct me~

 

Regardless, your problem may not require avoiding being a full blooded miqo'te to fix. The city-states have been around for some time, and the people of Eorzea have been mingling in these city-states for a long while as well. It's not unreasonable to conceive of a more modern, culturally metropolitan miqo'te that breaks tradition in one or many ways. In fact you could probably avoid using the traditional naming convention altogether.

[Tabrett]

Using Kerr as an example:  He is half Seeker, half Hyur (since I heard at some point that it was possible).  But he has a completely different reason for not following the naming conventions of any tribe.  His mother lived away from any tribe she might have belonged to and never spoke of them.  When she died, he lost all knowledge of that culture (other than outside sources).

 

So, as long as you have a valid reason for them/him? not to follow those traditions, you can definitely run with it.  He doesn't have to be half something else as long as there is a good reason for it.

[K'tahrl]

Okay so the possibility of having a full blooded Mi'qote born in say Limsa/Ul'dah wouldn't be completely unheard of / unprecedented and could allow me to work on a backstory while getting to familiarize with my character as well?  Also it wouldn't be off course to say he spent his 5 years in the time skip helping restore whichever his home city-state of origin is?

[Aysun]

Okay so the possibility of having a full blooded Mi'qote born in say Limsa/Ul'dah wouldn't be completely unheard of / unprecedented and could allow me to work on a backstory while getting to familiarize with my character as well?  Also it wouldn't be off course to say he spent his 5 years in the time skip helping restore whichever his home city-state of origin is?

No, it would not be farfetched to have a full-blooded Miqo'te born in Limsa Lominsa or Ul'dah. It's in the lore that the Seekers of the Sun in particular have some living in Limsa Lominsa and the Sagolii desert (near Ul'dah).

[Izmina]

New here so sorry if this has been mentioned, but am fairly sure I saw Ferne post that we can use apostrophes in our names in the new game. So I've been trying to make one.lol

[K'tahrl]

New here so sorry if this has been mentioned, but am fairly sure I saw Ferne post that we can use apostrophes in our names in the new game. So I've been trying to make one.lol

You are correct sir, apostrophes will be/are a thing for ARR so "lore friendly" naming conventions will now be viable.

[Blue]

Good to find this thread, I have questions myself.

 

I know Miqo'te are canonically of a tribal tradition, but do you think that term is to be taken literally? I haven't seen any 'native'-like tribal miqo'te npcs. Sure, there are rogue bands in the Shroud, but that's not specific of tribes to do (in fact there's Elezen living out there in small camps too). So I've wondered...

 

Would miqo'te tribes live much like FFXI mithran tribes, where the 'native' aspect was rather obvious? Or would they adopt a more modern type of being a tribe? To explain better what I mean with the latter, I'll make the example of Naruto clans. They lived in city, had their own quarters in town and lived together in it, but otherwise had a normal culture and would blend with other citizens in town normally. I'd be more incline to RP that kind of tribal style rather than FFXI Mithran-style. Nothing wrong with RPing a savage, but I found the modern clan style more close to what I'm seeing other Miqo'te NPCs to be.

 

As for the few males issue.. I seriously think that SE should give a tweak to the lore and make them not rare anymore. Mithra male has been one of the most demanded FFXI updates in years, and it's only obvious most of the from-FFXI playerbase will pick what they couldn't have there in XIV: Miqo'te male. If I were in SE, I'd just make a census on the most played races and then use that to determine which race is the dominant one in Eorzea.

[K'tahrl]

For the SE running a census,  I'd still say that despite the ability to make male miqo'te now, the general population will be most Hyur/Elezen over the others, though I think the minority will become the Roegaedyn(sp?) more so than they already were.  I think what they were trying to get is that female offspring are much more common than male, so lets say there's a 1 to 5/10 ratio for births, for everyone one male born to a miqo'te tribe there would be 5 to 10 girls born.  It'd make a bit more sense then that the males would have a situation like they were, because genetically they are of a rarer nature.  This is all huge speculation and overall just playing with what SE's given us.

[Rhynka]

I have a question, a stupid one maybe.

 

Where is all this lore about the nuhn, was it in quests? I found nothing on the official website. Can anyone provide me a link to this extra information, please!?

[Deirdre]

I have a question, a stupid one maybe.

 

Where is all this lore about the nuhn, was it in quests? I found nothing on the official website. Can anyone provide me a link to this extra information, please!?

 

All of the lore is on our wiki and was provided via Lodestone forum Dev topics!

 

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Miqo%27te

[Eva]

If you'd like the link to the lodestone post by the game's community rep, you can check out this stickied thread as well.  There are some other really interesting threads to peruse out there as well.

 

Also, there are no stupid questions here except those that go unasked.  :thumbsup:

[Moonfire]

I apologize if this isn't in the right place. Reading all the tribal stuff got me thinking about how I want my Miqo'te tribe to function and I want to make sure it seems ok for the lore.

 

It's a tribe centered around a fishing lifestyle. The majority of the people live there but young adventurous adults are allowed to live outside of the tribe if they wish. Everyone is expected to return twice a year at a set date to gather and this is when the Nuhn are chosen along with who they choose to breed. If you are chosen you stay, otherwise you are allowed to head back out. 

 

Seem like it works?

[Rhynka]

Rhynka and her husband Razamir are part of a clan that deviates from many norms. Their clan is very small, I picture that when dealing with other clans on a 'diplomatic' level Rhynka would handle the politics. Razamir is more the strong quieter type (Something like Kamari.) Their defiance toward other clan's traditions may be fueled by their drive to remain inseparable.

 

Rhynka is a hunter (Archer) and a very spiritual if not slightly superstitious woman. Her talents with Conjury make her a more spiritual healer and leader where Razamir is the muscle to back her decisions. I will be leveling Arcanist on her for understanding of the primals. When negotiating with beast tribes, it would be helpful relating to them. Being a smaller rogue clan from the others the clan probably find they have to share territory with them and reasoning with the beast tribes would be wise, and maybe easier to handle than the clans they left behind.

 

In terms of mating I will admit OoCly we decided they'd be husband and wife to detour pursuits of ERP (Not a favorable form of RP for either of us). With the lore dictating against this I'm thinking of a way around it. I would love to get feed back to build and tweak this idea right.

 

One could challenge Razamir, when dealing with other clans the notion may have come up in the past. Traditions can't control the free will of an individual. Their romance (Which I may have buried deep into their reasons for going rogue.) is very deep should Rhynka find herself "Won over" they'd have to deal with something worse than Razamir, Rhynka herself, if he wasn't dead after the challenge they'd probably want to hand her back to him hissing and spatting after the first sun had passed! In the event that he were dead the winner would probably find themselves in the same shoes as him from whatever means Rhynka has in store. Reading about that gave birth to the idea that maybe Rhynka has poisoned a previous "Husband" as an IC rumor. As far as Razamir beating his chest like king-kong, he wouldn't dream of it. Rhynka is calm most the time, it's part of her charisma, but when her temper is up and she takes a tone at him, Razamir would tuck his tail, since the women in their clan are the primary hunters he may not get dinner that night. Razamir doesn't have a harem, if ever he had more than Rhynka it would be Rhynka who dictates this, she is the first wife after all. Any that came after her would be something of a fall back plan, in the event that she could no longer bare him offspring. Even families with more than one wife have to get along to survive. If the female in question doesn't live up to Rhynka's standards she is denied.

 

As far as how you never see tribal/feral Miqo'te in the city I am assuming any offspring they have are rarely brought near the city if ever. Even on a day Rhynka and Razamir are in the city they would leave them in the care of the others unless circumstances made it not possible. Rhynka and Razamir have a deep unrivaled devotion and loyalty to the legacy they've started and receive the same from the other clan members.

 

That is what I have brainstormed so far, please let me know what the rest of you think! Try to keep it constructive, and keep in mind this is my first shot at compiling any thing toward their back story! It won't be perfect the first time.

 

Edit: Any questions to help get my creative juices rushing are welcome too!!

[Eva]

I know it's a little off-topic but I felt compelled to respond:

The reason I killed off my character and left WoW. A similar idea was being imposed on me, I felt violated OoC when a reasonable request to fade to black on the kinky bits was met with hostility. The guy in question was considered respectable by the community so instead of going against the grain I killed her off ICly. (Since the man acted like IC and OoC were one in the same.) My husband also wasn't happy with the way the guy acted like he owned me OoC as well with all the lewd comments over vent infront of others and threw a fit when my husband told him to back off. Since then we decided we do not want to engage with anything that enforces an idea remotely like that. I still want Rhynka to be mysterious, exotic and feral but I don't like the whole challenging the Nuhn system there.

While I'm not sorry that you left WoW and eventually found your way here, I am sorry that this happened and it sounds like a pretty lousy way to "enjoy" free time in a game and I certainly don't blame either of you for being upset about it.

 

I don't think there is anything in the lore to suggest that deviating from the nuhn system to an extent that you are comfortable with would be some great sin. The "cultural norms" that S-E has provided are more like guidelines and in many instances can probably be regarded as traditional. I think a lot of characters are more contemporary and Eorzea - being the melting pot it is - is a much more open-minded place and variations on these older ways of thinking are probably "the new normal" in a sense. And I think your character may still be mysterious and exotic as you make her in spite of your/her preferences for handling that particular element of her story. Your choices (and your husband's) are yours and no one should be able to take away from that, or from your enjoyment of the game or the RP experience.

[Aysun]

I don't mind some deviation from what we've been given, my own character deviates a bit in some places, but when it becomes excessive I wonder: what's the point in playing a race if you don't like/want to play within their lore/traditions..?

[Nel Celestine]

This right here is what I am afraid of. The reason I killed off my character and left WoW. A similar idea was being imposed on me, I felt violated OoC when a reasonable request to fade to black on the kinky bits was met with hostility. The guy in question was considered respectable by the community so instead of going against the grain I killed her off ICly. (Since the man acted like IC and OoC were one in the same.) My husband also wasn't happy with the way the guy acted like he owned me OoC as well with all the lewd comments over vent infront of others and threw a fit when my husband told him to back off. Since then we decided we do not want to engage with anything that enforces an idea remotely like that. I still want Rhynka to be mysterious, exotic and feral but I don't like the whole challenging the Nuhn system there.

 

 

The lore there doesn't state it was absolute fact for all Miqo'te everywhere.  You can change it to suit your needs to a degree if you want to run with the whole tribal idea and people won't / shouldn't come down on you with a lore hammer.  It could be really easily explained too.  Family members from your tribe decided they wanted to be together exclusively and so either A) left to form their own tribe B) managed to change the rules of their own tribe of C) any other method you can come up with.

 

As for your experience in WoW.  I'm terribly sorry for that experience you had.  At least know that here we are much more respectable about personal space and comfort zones for all types of Role Play.  Not everyone wants to deal with different things and we (should) respect each others choices and limits.

[Rhynka]

I know it's a little off-topic but I felt compelled to respond:

 

While I'm not sorry that you left WoW and eventually found your way here, I am sorry that this happened and it sounds like a pretty lousy way to "enjoy" free time in a game and I certainly don't blame either of you for being upset about it.

 

I don't think there is anything in the lore to suggest that deviating from the nuhn system to an extent that you are comfortable with would be some great sin.  The "cultural norms" that S-E has provided are more like guidelines and in many instances can probably be regarded as traditional.  I think a lot of characters are more contemporary and Eorzea - being the melting pot it is - is a much more open-minded place and variations on these older ways of thinking are probably "the new normal" in a sense.  And I think your character may still be mysterious and exotic as you make her in spite of your/her preferences for handling that particular element of her story.  Your choices (and your husband's) are yours and no one should be able to take away from that, or from your enjoyment of the game or the RP experience.

Thank you very much! I am relieved that such deviations are welcome! I hope the ones I wrote on and came up with can enhance my role play with others! I don't mind conflict in RP, hope I didn't come off that way!

 

Thanks again! :love:

[Rhostel]

Don't forget, no one is nuhn forever. I'm sure the position changes hands enough to avoid truly excessive inbreeding.

 

Not to mention tribes might trade members for any number of reasons.

This right here is what I am afraid of. The reason I killed off my character and left WoW. A similar idea was being imposed on me, I felt violated OoC when a reasonable request to fade to black on the kinky bits was met with hostility. The guy in question was considered respectable by the community so instead of going against the grain I killed her off ICly. (Since the man acted like IC and OoC were one in the same.) My husband also wasn't happy with the way the guy acted like he owned me OoC as well with all the lewd comments over vent infront of others and threw a fit when my husband told him to back off. Since then we decided we do not want to engage with anything that enforces an idea remotely like that. I still want Rhynka to be mysterious, exotic and feral but I don't like the whole challenging the Nuhn system there.

I'm a bit confused. Not because of your concerns, they're totally valid and something you should act on as you're comfortable doing so. I just don't see any connection between your statement and my post you quoted. My comment was just about cultural norms, not how people should or even could be expected to play it out.

 

The Seeker clan system is not a healthy way of life for humans, and we shouldn't be overtly trying to engage in it. We should try to understand it, though, so we can see the cultural context for Seekers of the Sun, whether as players of them or of other races interacting with them. It's about background, things that may have happened in the past of a character, not about things that should play out except as something they might struggle to overcome. Even then, it shouldn't be about whether they will succeed, but about how they will.

[allgivenover]

Rhynka, I don't think the problem you ran into had anything to do with the lore. It just seems like you ran into an immature asshole who tried to break down the IC/OOC barrier.