How Seekers deal with children born outside the Nunh

[S0LS1S]

This is going to either be an oddly specific question with no genuine answer or...just an odd question in general. 

 

So in Seeker tribes I know how the Nunh works, I know how the tribe works and I know how all those gears fit together to form a perfectly working machine. But here's my question. What happens when a random wrench is thrown into that machine? I'm talking about illegitimate children and the like. Is there anything set in stone on that or is it mostly theory crafting? I know how most hierarchies run animals deal with it, but I didn't know if the Seekers being obviously sensible in most terms would deal with it; if we have a solid fact, or if it is mostly headcanon and theory crafting.

 

I'm looking into (possibly) making a character who is a half breed (big surprise) from either some badly timed meeting, or very unfortunate happenstance. But I was curious just how that goes among the tribe. I can assume that based on their hierarchy and just how strict it is it would be less a 'burn the witch' situation and more a 'you don't come from strong blood' kind of situation. Considering that the Nunh is supposedly the most 'fit' male for breeding at the time, anyone born outside of that I'd assume would be seen as a lesser tribe member but more than likely still a member. Not to be cruelly stated so as to bully the child, but to be more blatantly stated by some of the tribe if asked as it would just be a general consensus. As I'm assuming that's simply how the female seekers would see it, someone born from a lesser male would just be innately weak? That's my theory, but I am unsure if there is a more solid thought process on this or a better theory.

 

Would that theory change depend on if it was a female or male who fathered the child? Aka a female warrior versus a Tia? Aka do you assume a Nunh would be enraged to hear about a Tia fathering a child in his place, more so than a female. Would they even care? I'm curious to hear your thoughts on these, in regards to just seeker children and hybrids honestly? Do you think it would be worse if it was a hybrid? Less? Theories? 

 

TL;DR: What do you think Seeker tribes do with illegitimate children? Children born outside the Nunh by either a Tia or one of the female warriors (or both), do you think it changes depending on circumstance? Or do you think it would be more like real lion prides in the way they get rid of children not born from the leader? Thoughts? I'm actually very curious how most people feel/if theres lore on this. 

[Nebbs]

I can offer what I did for my character, who's seeker farther found out his keeper Ex-lover had a child when the child was presented presented to him with a note explaining his lover had died shortly after the birth. To avoid the scandal, he put her away with some distant shroud backwater bunch of low life seekers, where she was treated as a drudge/slave. 

 

So while taking after her keeper heritage she was not raised with keepers and has been working at getting over her hate of seekers at the same time trying to find out what being a keeper is and who her parents were. 

 

Bottom line.. I would go for giving your character problems, they should be stigmatised and carry that damage/baggage (physical and emotional) with them. The specifics I would feel you could do what suited your concept, even being left out in the wilderness or something. 

 

You can get a lot out of background like the Xaela tribe (Tumet) that ties children to trees as a test.. my Xeala failed that test as it was sabotaged in some tribal power grab, and she ended up adopted by the Kha. I wish there was such detail on Miqo'te tribes. 

Edited September 9, 2018 by Nebbs

[Tregarde]

I think the problem here, like much in the game, is the lack of information on the subject. From a purely hard-lore perspective... we just don't know.  BUT... I think we can make some reasonable guesses.  Of course these are just theories.

 

Given the societal structure of tribal Miqo, there must be some sort of stigma against mating outside of the Nunh... otherwise, why even have a Nunh? The question becomes how severe is that stigma, and how severe is any punishment against the offender? Also, would there be any stigma handed down to the child?

 

It's not unreasonable to guess that how severe the stigma is partly depends on the individual tribe, and partly on the active Nunh(s) at the time. Some places may be more forgiving, some may make the offender's life hell - the offender may be shunned in public, spat on, forced to do menial labor no one else wants to do, etc. Likely, in most tribes it's somewhere in between.

 

The same goes for any 'bastard' children. Some tribes may be more forgiving, after all it wasn't the child's fault. Some may make the child's life hell. And, of course, it's possible that a tribe or two may outright kill any bastard. Add in a half-breed, and that's a whole layer of prejudice right there - the game doesn't pound you over the head with it, but if you pay attention it IS made clear there are places where half-breeds are not looked upon favorably. It's quite possible a tribe that would normally be on the more forgiving side might show disdain towards a half-breed bastard.

 

So, if you want to say your character had a rough childhood, go for it. Eorzea is not bleak like Game of Thrones, but it's not a utopia either. There is a lot of grime around if you look.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Tregarde

[Wornstone]

I feel like Miqo'te are pragmatic enough to not care too much, at least as far as the actual child is concerned. It would more be a problem for the offending mother/parent. The harem and Nunh breeding strategies are meant to create -lots- of a children, but also create the strongest children. But the Nunh position is always up for grabs, it would create a lot of strife in a tribe for the children of a replaced Nunh to be seen as lesser than children of a new Nunh. So I could see more consequences falling onto the mother.

 

Also as Tregarde said:

 

On 9/22/2018 at 12:57 PM, Tregarde said:

It's not unreasonable to guess that how severe the stigma is partly depends on the individual tribe, and partly on the active Nunh(s) at the time.

 

There can be a lot of variation in how this story is told and still technically be lore-compliant.