It's kind of funny when people say elezen are not proper elf-like/adjacent race when their lore blurbs take so many cues from stereotypical elven lore. Actually the wildwood description at least implies some wildwood communities in the forest, just many of them came to live in Gridania.
And even the descriptions of the genders sounds quite... stereotypical elven. Tolkien, even...
Although I think the closest to the game showing nomadic elezen are the Eschva, Clariccie's people.
We've seen plenty of city elezen, I want to see more traditional forest dwelling elezen. And cavern/subterranean duskwight settlements.
I am curious if this description is from 1.0 or has never been changed since 2.0, but it feels hilarious considering what we have been exposed to in regards to the elezen of Eorzea so far in the game (and lorebooks, but I don't have them yet). It is almost crazy to read this text, knowing 1) how different the elezen's story is in the actual game and 2) how little XIV cares about lore in the first place.
In former times, the Elezen were the sole inhabitants of Eorzea, claiming dominion over her.
This interests me, because whenever we have flashbacks from Eorzea in the past, I feel like they always have to include a Hyur there because they struggle to imagine a storyline that does not involve the defacto humans. However, what is "former times"? We know that there were Hyur in Eorzea in the Third Astral Era due to the Allagan Empire, but could it be that there were no Hyur after that, until the Sixth Astral Era with the three great migratory waves? The War of Magi happened in the Fifth Astral Era, and the zombie mobs in The Lost City of Amdapor (Hard) use Hyur models, but that might also be standard lazy oversight. Even if not Hyur, we do know that there were Lalafells, because the Lalafells were the main citizens of Nym, and were a sizable portion of Mhach, considering (if I remember correctly) that the Dunesfolk are descendants of Mhachi refugees from the Sixth Umbral Era.
Now, the Sixth Umbral and Astral Eras lasted over 1'600 years together, and we know from various lands with colonial backgrounds that there are always some attempted delusions of history from that (like how there still is a certain belief in Japan that they have "always" been one language and one people, while the Ainu and descendants of other forcibly assimilated cultures watch from the side), so perhaps this is just Elezen propaganda? If so, why, and which believe it? I can imagine the Duskwights and Ishgardians believe this, but what about the Gridanians, whose existence is thanks to a Hyur, and are currently being lead by a trio of people who hail from Hyuran families?
It is a bold choice to make the summary of the race be subjective belief that is actually wrong, since it is the first information that new players would learn about the various races, at any rate.
Traditionally a nomadic people, the tall, slender Elezen believed the realm to be theirs by divine right.
I agree with you, where are these nomadic people? I do like the idea that the Elezen originate from Eorzea, especially since we do not really meet many other Elezen in other continents (that is, when the head writer is not given free reign). During the Sixth Astral Era, either before or because of the Hyur remigration, there were Elezens that moved over to Ilsabard. There, they continued their nomadic traditions, not caring about borders, and they became the Eschva people mentioned in the Bozja content. I would wager that the other Elezens mentioned to be from specific Ilsabardian locations are either descendants or members of the Eschva that chose to stay in one place; whether they should be considered their own clan away from Eschva is up to interpretation.
Ultimately, the Elezen diverged into the two clans that exist today. The Wildwood Elezen took to the forests to protect their homeland, while the Duskwight Elezen withdrew to caves and subterrane, opting instead to avoid all contact with any but their own."
I love how this almost makes it out to be that the Elezen split paths when they chose their new "territory", with Wildwoods going to the forests and Duskwights to the caves, when it was very different; both clans went to the woods, then to the caves within the woods' areas, where they lived for hundreds of years, THEN half the elezens left the caves with some hyurs and became the Wildwoods. It wasn't even their homeland, technically, if they were forced to the Shroud by the hyur and then had to hide underneath the earth due to the elementals.
Also, what about the Ishgardian Elezen? Even if they use a mix of Duskwight and Wildwood models and nomenclature, they are stated to be their own clan, who split off from the "proto-elezens" way earlier. If anything, THEY should have gotten their own clan.
I think, if they were to do my long-prayed neverwillbe, the text would change to something akin to "Ultimately, the Elezen diverged into several clans that exist today; the Wildwood that protect the forests of the Shroud, the Duskwight that cling to the subterrane, the Ishgardians that stay in the northern snowscapes, and the Eschva that continue their nomadic traditions in the continent of Ilsabard".
"For hundreds of years, the Wildwood Elezen have lived in the relative safety of Eorzea's lush forests. With the formation of Eorzea's governments, however, many Wildwood ventured forth from the forests, drawn to the exhiliarating cosmopolitanism of nearby Gridania."
The Wildwoods became the Wildwoods BECAUSE of the formation of Gridania. I mean, sure, after Gridania was formed, there were camps and other settlements made under their rule, I guess they could refer to them? Wildwoods are specifically elezens who entered the pact with the elementals, so they WOULD have to be under Gridanian law and within their settlements, we have not heard of any Wildwood groups that are outside of this or traveling, outside of like a family here or an individual there who are elsewhere. Was the Gelmorra-information 2.0, and not something they had planned in 1.0? Or do they mean that Gridania exposed the Wildwood Elezens to the wider world, making them leave the forests? I guess it might be that, but at least for me, the wording is quite confusing.
There is minimal dimorphism between the two genders, though males are generally considered to be milder and more chivalrous in demeanor. Among their Duskwight brethren, Wildwood Elezen are referred to as Greens, for their love of the forest."
Again, in my neverwillbe, I would have cut away the gender difference talk and instead described something else, perhaps more typical physical traits since they will do away with hair, eye and skin colour restrictions in 8.0. Like, yeah, sure, you CAN have a Wildwood look green, but a short sentence could explain how that is not lorefriendly if the player cares about that (not that XIV cares about keeping lore, either way).
"Centuries ago, a number of Elezen sought out a life of peace and seclusion in the depths of Eorzea's caves and caverns.
Again, what? The "number of Elezens" were all of them left in Eorzea, ignoring Ishgard. They tried to go to the forests because the Hyuran migrations displaced them, then had no choice but to hide in the caves because of the elementals. Even then, they fought against the hyur that followed them for thirty years before they made peace to build Gelmorra. I mean, I guess "peace and seclusion" are correct, if those words are meant to be "the elezens were being outnumbered by the hyur and did not like that", but again, what a weird choice of words to introduce first-time players to the clans.
Today, they are called the Duskwight, though to their Wildwood cousins they are known simply as the Greys, after their preference for darkness and stone.
So, funny thing: The lore always act like the Duskwights came to be after the Wildwood, but honestly, I would say it was the opposite; the Gelmorrans lived underground for four-five hundred years before Gridania was made, so if anything, the Wildwoods are the ones that "evolved" from Duskwights. But, that's not important.
The cave dwelling ways of the Duskwight persist, with some among them turning to robbery and pillaging to survive, earning them the scorn of their woodland relatives.
I would have taken away the "robbery and pillaging to survive", because the "survive" thing feels weird to add. Keep the scorn-thing, because that is true, but the robbery and pillage never comes up properly in any way that matters, so they might as well take that part away.
I am still curious about what they meant with the Wildwood comment of multiple forest people, though, because again, the Wildwood that reside in the Shroud are specifically under Gridanian law, I doubt there are many of them that live outside of Gridanian law. I mean, some do, probably, but those are more individuals, I think.
I am also curious if other forests are included, or just the Black Shroud. The Viera clans are usually separated by what forest their descend from, after all.
But I absolutely agree, I want more story in the Shroud, or just in Eorzea in general, there is still so much we can do there, I feel, but I also think part of the reason they stay away is because they do not feel like a story there is good enough for six zones and an expansion story. I think North Shroud could have one or two zones, and Gelmorra, too, but that leaves more zones to use, so they are stuck. I mean, personally I would have given them the Cosmic Exploration treatment; go to North Shroud, use Gathering/Crafting to learn more about the area after the calamity, and slowly rebuild it, and give it two zones to really explore the area. Gelmorra, if nothing else, could get a Variant Dungeon. However, this will never happen because XIV is allergic to old content. :')
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M'nemesyne does not have the concept of weekends like we do; every day was a working day growing up, with certain days in the month or year where they prioritized festivals.
So now in the present, when M'nemesyne has money and resources from being the Warrior of Light, that still applies. Days she wants to relax, she does so, and when she wants to explore, she will do so. Scion work will be done regardless of the weekday, but other than that, if she feels antsy or the need to work, she will travel and ask around if she can be of assistance.
How did ancient Chinese tombs set up mechanisms to deter tomb robbers? (This is just a basic demonstration - in reality, it was far more complex. The mausoleums of Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BCE) and Empress Wu Zetian (624-705 CE) remain unexcavated to this day because current technology cannot safely handle them.) Cnetizen say "No excavation needed - mercury level testing suffices. The Records of the Grand Historian documents that the First Emperor's underground palace used mercury to simulate rivers and seas. Being highly volatile, the mercury would have largely dissipated over time - not just since Xiang Yu's era 2,200 years ago, but even if Huang Chao's rebels had breached it 1,000 years later. Yet modern instruments detect severely elevated mercury levels at the site!" This confirms the mausoleum has never been substantially breached. While we cannot rule out that a few tomb raiders ('touching gold captains') may have entered, none could have survived - the instant mercury vapor exposure would have been fatal." Qin Shi Huang is revered as the 'Ancestral Dragon' in China, so people never joke about him - it’s believed to bring bad luck (a superstition tied to disrespecting the 'Dragon Emperor'). This might also explain why no one has dared to open his mausoleum to this day.
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...Ooh, this is a bit hard. It depends on what 'father figure' entails.
Among Seeker culture, nunhs are considered father figures, especially if they are not the bialogical father of children. They are considered the epitome of tribal values, which vary between tribes (I, for example, think the Y-tribe value intelligence over raw strength). What other qualities would involve fatherhood depends on tribes, but for M'neme, it is to take care of children and support the tribal chief; the M-tribe is in a unique and rare situation where the father figure is also the chief this one time, but normally it would be expected of them to take a backseat except for when dealing with patriarchial outsiders, in which they would represent the chief.
Despite the neglect M'nemesyne grew up in within the tribe for being a tia-child, she and her mother were actually treated better under M'rahz Nunh's rule than they might have in the past or in other tribes, because during the periods of famine, he made sure every member got enough food, including M'nemesyne who was lowest in the hierarchy. Not much food, mind you, but in a society where she otherwise would have starved, she respects him for that fairness/generousity.
However, while M'nemesyne thinks of him as a father figure in the strictest sence, as the Father of the Tribe, she does not see him as a father-figure the way we think, he is just what she considers an ideal male authority (if he just wasn't the chief, he would be perfect). The actual father figure she has is actually Edmont de Fortemps. Sure, he is not an ideal, in either our standards nor hers, but she feels like she can talk to him about her troubles, ask for advice and actually takes them sometimes. She trusts him and feels safe in his domain, especially after everything they have been through, I am willing to say that he is the closest she views a father the way we consider.
To think I logged into LaDS one year ago, completely missed Caleb's birthday even though I knew I would like him, because I was simply overwhelmed by what was going on and did not understand banners (LaDS is my first real gacha). Here I am, one year later, exactly. How time flies. I hope the next year, I will be able to better control my urges for the game now that my obsession has waned considerably. I still want to finish my Caleb-centered card analysis, but I think that will happen closer to the next main story update, hopefully I will get the drive again then.
Just in time when I was thinking I was getting tired of playing LaDS, haha XD I had actually forgotten that there would be a trailer until I saw people talking about it on Tumblr, haha!
My first thoughts were the accents some of the boys are doing, but I already struggle with accents in my own language, and trying to identify what their normal voices' accents are (I keep thinking Rafayel's voice accent is fake just because I cannot recognise its tone and flow), so I have no idea if the voices are accurate or "non-British people trying to sound posh British", but hilarious detail XD Makes me wonder if the other languages have changed accents or dialects, in this or previously, hahah.
I am curious if it is an AU, or if they will try to do a "Wander in Wonder" where MC and her LI get into a situation where they must play along. Especially for Caleb, I am not sure how they will do an entire card where MC is a ghost, unless they do a repeat of "Caleb is so awesome and talented and the best of the best and naturally he can just see ghosts no biggie" (sorry, but those cards where Caleb just is the best are my least favourite), thus he just senses MC's presense. Then again, if it is a "Wander in Wonder" repeat, I'm not sure if I would be that interested, mainly because I do not feel like we are getting that much ahead anymore with MC and Caleb's development until the next main story... BUT again, that might be me getting tired of LaDS speaking, thus I get a bit pessimistic.
It also made me curious about the movie inspirations in China. I feel like I recognise a few of the likely western inspirations, like Titanic for Rafayel and Pride and Prejudice for Zayne, maybe Romeo & Juliet for Xavier. It makes me wonder what presence these movies and stories have had in China, and potentially if there were eastern or Chinese movie inspirations as well.
However, I very much wanted Caleb's third myth to follow more in the vein of Rafayel and Zayne's third myths where MC dies - not because I dislike MC, but I wanted to see MC's thought process as she did that ultimate decision, and how Caleb would react to it, because we simply haven't seen a Caleb who has lost his sister, or even worse, witnessed her sacrifice her life for him. Even if the third myth is fantastic on its own, I think my expectations were too different and I got disappointed. Thus, this card will perhaps touch a bit on that idea. As an AU we will see an MC and Caleb who are separated by MC's death, and as an "WiW"-escue story we might at least have MC and Caleb discuss it. This would especially be relevant since we do that MC would go on with life when she thought Caleb died, but she would carry the necklace with her as a memento and struggle with her social life and mental and physical health for at least half a year. I doubt Caleb would be honest with MC how he would react, but I hope we could get a glimpse.
At any rate, I used a lot of my resources to get Caleb's birthday cards, but I will attempt to get his R0 card, at least.
you see a house that looks cool online and it’s JUST in your price range and you have to perform a fiscal colonoscopy to get a lady to write a letter that says you have enough money that the bank will probably let you borrow more money at 6.9% interest, which you have to show to another lady so you’re allowed to look at any houses at all, and then you go to the house with lady 2 and there’s a literal stream of groundwater rushing through the basement IN THE TRENCH THE PRIOR OWNERS DUG TO DEAL WITH THEIR PESKY BASEMENT WATER PROBLEMS and all the floors are on 15 degree incline slopes and the stairs are all moments from collapse then lady 2 seriously stares at you expectantly like “is this great or what”
and then you look at like 15 more houses online and you’re like hey lady 2, can we look at these houses and she’s like “oh sorry, those have been on the market for 23 entire minutes, those are sold now actually”
and then you find another house that you actually want and you know other people want it bad enough that you offer 10k over what the seller’s asking for and somehow that is not enough
and then you find another house that hasn’t sold and you like it a lot but it needs work and the asking price is too high so you’re like hey how about like 5k less than asking so i can like use that money to cool this house during the summer somehow and they say no so then you’re like okay cool how about the exact amount you are literally asking for and they’re like HMMMMMMMM LET ME MULL THIS OVER LET ME FIGURE OUT IF THE PRICE THAT I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR TO BUY THIS HOUSE IS A FAIR PRICE
This is a pervert’s game. I’m not cut out for this.
For the first time in the 4 years I have played FFXIV I am in current endgame content. I'm so confused! I have to grind for stuff? My poetics are useless? What do you mean there are weekly limits? Materia... oh I finally have to use that stuff. What do you mean I have to wait for the next part to come out?
What there are people in the same area as me???? How could this be!?
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replaying origins properly for the first time since dav is funny because people really did point to alistair's whedonisms and comic relief moments as proof that the dialogue has always been silly / bad / anachronistic. and i always thought hm yeah i guess there IS the licking the lamppost in winter dialogue so whatever. but like. 90% of the time alistair does actually speak like someone from thedas and not like a zillenial doing a storytime on tiktok.
today i’m thinking about how the despair demons tend to single rook out and how the first time this is recognized is after the treviso/minrathous decision
like, listen. i know it’s probably just a game mechanic thing. but it’s interesting to me that every despair demon in the game does this—single rook out. and how you encounter a lot more despair demons the worse the situation gets. and every single time, without fail, rook is their primary target.
like. the potential juiciness of it all. rook who carries regrets and despair hidden behind a smile that no one can see behind until the regret prison. rook who has to keep up a brave face as the leader so that the team doesn’t collapse because someone has to make a decision.
the narrative juiciness of regret…despair…someone sedate me
M'nemesyne has few opinions about her father M'rhan Tia; he died before she was born and the tribe does not speak much of him beyond how he dishonoured and shamed himself by conceiving before becoming a nunh. That duels with her mother's tales of him, when she feels comfortable speaking of them; her father was traditional, brash and hard to know, but those that got close to him, he would treat like treasures, and he always protected those that he considered tribe and family. For M'nemesyne, she finds him first and foremost a fool who went beyond his station, which ruined her childhood and early prospects.
Regarding her mother M'laruh Gehn, M'nemesyne finds her complicating. She is controlling and strict, and in our real world, parentally abusive. M'nemesyne also blames her own tia-child circumstances on her mother, for having laid with her father (as M'rhan is dead, she cannot as easily vent her frustrations on him) and kept the baby when he was unable to become nunh. However, M'laruh was still her mother, so she is one of the few people M'nemesyne will listen to on principle, and she trusts M'laruh's knowledge of the land and the people, even if it lead to M'nemesyne being easily skeptic of non-miqo'te for a while. As M'nemesyne went on her adventures, she began seeing her mother as more a person, someone who did the best she could with what she felt was the right decision, with the traumas and experiences she received while under occupation by Garlemald. When they are in Tural together, M'nemesyne finds M'laruh embarassing, as M'laruh in their own language comments on everything not being like home, how different things are, and tries to help M'nemesyne socially while M'nemesyne is helping Wuk Lamat. Now, at present, M'nemesyne finds herself viewing her mother as someone she must protect, who is almost fragile and a fish out of water, rather than someone who can handle herself well enough (among people; M'laruh can hunt but not fight).
I hope the next time we get a sub-culture of miqo'te, they use the Keepers. Like using Seekers for the hhetsarro does make sense to me considering they've established that each tribe has a hhetso and you can see the link there between Seekers naming their tribes after specific animals.
But at the same time, I do think it's a little sad that the Seekers seem to be the ones the devs favor. We have a lot more prominent Seeker npcs than Keepers.
Absolutely, I agree with this! When they first introduced the dense forests of Yak Tural in Dawntrail's Fanfests and they hinted at people living there, I assumed they would mean either Keepers or Viera, and I was disappointed that it wasn't. I get why they favour Seekers, but why not change it up a little, and draw upon more nocturnal elements? We know that they are able to make beautiful zones that are mainly in the dark (Yak T'el... which also illustrates they can make beautiful zones that give the wibe of being closed in, so they could also make Gelmorra, hahah), so to have us visit places which are dark or covered, it would be beautiful, and then also meet nocturnal Keepers!
I think one thing I noticed that is a flaw with the clan system, is that they seem to have added them almost like an afterthought, because many of them are like "this is our race... and then the race has these nische outcasts, I guess".
Like, Keepers are nocturnal that live in the Shroud. Seekers are everyone else.
Duskwights are the elezen that live in caves in the Shroud. Wildwoods are everyone else.
Dunesfolk are lalafell that live in the desert Plainsfolk are everyone else.
Highlanders are hyurs that live on mountains, Midlanders are everyone else. Even then they will use Midlander models for Highlander women repeatedly.
Xaela are au ra that stay in the steppes and the desert in northern Othard. Raen are everyone else.
Like, sure, sometimes they spice things up or vary, like how the dwarves of the First, who always hide their faces anyway, vary between Plains and Dunes models, but otherwise it is very rare.
The only difference seem to be stats and some aesthetic options, but the stats are basically obsolete and in 8.0 they will take away at least skin/eye colouring limits, so that makes the clans even more obsolete.
I do not even love the clan system that much; it is a tedious and unneccessary feature that limits more than it expands and it brought nothing that the game is willing to use. If they wanted there to be ethnicities or cultural groups, they could add in "place of origin" in the CC, like how we choose a patron god. But even that is basically obsolete because the patron god, as far as I am aware, is brought up exactly once, in the entire eleven years of gameplay. Likewise, we are lucky if the WoL's race is mentioned, nevermind clans (I still am convinced that if Yoshi-P got to make an MMO from the ground up, he would do away with races entirely and have everyone be human, but with like 16 different body types for men and 2 for women, to compensate).
And I think that is a general problem XIV has; they do not really like to look back and expand or use old features, not even to remove them. So many things are left behind, and they will instead make a new similar thing, like how the squadrons were replaced by Trusts. We never got the qiqirns' lore and story in a beast tribe/allied society quest, because we were currently on the First and thus we must create an entirely new ratpeople there for a story and lore reveals that we never even knew were a thing, because, again, they were created just for being allied society, when we already had a society we have yet to ally.
The clans and Keepers are the same; they are from 1.0, from the setting of that time, and now the devs want to move away from that, by ignoring it and hoping everyone else ignore it, too, just like they hope nobody notices how they have reversed the "men are rare among miqo'te (and viera) and are never leaders" lore so that they can use more males.
I personally thing the game needs a CC overhaul, like, from the ground up... although I will freely admit I know NOTHING of code or game-making, so I am probably full of poo and don't know how impossible that is for the game. I just think the limitations and problems with the CC are so small yet so many that each drop of water comes together to make it pour over, and if they want the game to be relevant and favourable for ten more years, they might have to take a look at that.
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"these researchers published a paper on something that literally any of us could have told you 🙄" ok well my supervisors wont let me write something in my thesis unless I can back it up with a citation so maybe it's a good thing that they're amplifying your voice to the scientific community in a way that prevents people from writing off your experiences as annecdotal evidence
So, when 1.0 was released, they introduced the playable races, as is normal for fantasy MMOs. However, they also introduced something else, and that was that after choosing a race, you also chose one of two "clans", which basically means different cultural groups of that race. Over the years we have been introduced to more clans, technically, but the CC is still limited to only the initial two. Furthermore, it is not like the clans really matter, because either they are completely ignored like the Duskwights, or they are just randomly chosen whenever we visit a new area and they go "actually, in THIS place we call the races THIS".
I still wanted to make a list of all the races and clans we know of, how they are separated, and if they do have names, and so on.
If you have something to share about what you know, or your headcanons, or your OCs/WoL, please tell me!!
Every racial lore from Bozja content should be taken with a ladle of salt, since apparently the main writer was allowed free reign due to his status within Square Enix, so I get the vague impression they rarely cared about keeping things consistent, which is not their strongest or even stronger suits anyway.
Hyur
The basic human race, most hyur clans do not have special cultural elements to them, as they are more often than not the default of locations and thus their culture is based on the location.
Midlanders: They live in Eorzea's low-lying regions, and that is basically what identifies them. They are more often than not the default hyur. Because Midlanders refer to where they live by the regions, they do not have a unique culture. Height for male models were from 168 cm to 182 cm, while height for female models is from 157,4 cm to 170,5 cm.
Highlanders: These hyur call the mountains home, either on the mountaintops, by them or between them. Most highlanders live in the mountainous Gyr Abania. Though many think they are tall, they can be as short at Midlanders. Most highlanders will identify as Ala Mhigan or Gyr Abanian, but not all. Also, due to sexism and because 1.0 did not have female Highlanders (because they strived for "realism", lol), there are several female characters that should by all account be Highlanders but use Midlander models. Height for male models is from 184,8 cm to 200,2 cm, while height for female models is 173,1 cm to 187,6 cm.
One could technically say that no matter where one is on Hydaelyn, if a hyur lives in mountainous areas they are highlanders while if not then midlanders, but that is a bit boring, so let us continue.
Tonawawta: Hyurs that reside in Tural, in particular the northern Xak Tural. They have various communities that differ culturally, and those hyur that live in Tuliyollal seem to focus their culture and identity around that instead. Tonawawta seem to normally be the height of Midlanders, and often have darker skintones.
Ilsabardian Hyur: While we know of the hyurs living in the Near East, we do not know what they are called. We mainly know of the hyurs of Thavnair, who seem to live fairly balanced with the other races there. Mainly the Ilsabardian hyurs were separated from Eorzea by the founding of Ala Mhigo, and they now live in Werlyt, Thavnair and Corvus (while we don't know for sure, the fairy tale book in 7.5 shows only hyurs). One could argue that the hyurs of these places would be further distinguished into other clans, since Eorzean hyurs have two, but for simplicity's sake we go with this. Even though Bozja is in Othard, the lorebooks call the hyurs there Ilsabardian.
Dalmascan Hyur: The majority of the Kingdom of Dalmasca in Othard.
Far Eastern Hyur: Hyurs which nomenclature and culture is mainly based on Japan, they live in Yanxia/Doma and Hingashi. (Personally I would call them "Eastlanders", but perhaps that is too Eorzea-centric).
Sharlayan Hyur: It is unknown how many of the hyurs in Sharlayan are culturally born and raised there, compared to those that move there to study, as Sharlayan do not make these records public to encourage equality. Their nomenclature seem to be based on wherever their family originated from, though.
Hume: The hyurs of the First, though not sure if they would be considered their own clan or not, so I won't write much about them.
Hyune: The hyurs of the Ninth, same as with the Hume.
Thirteenth's Hyurs: We know from voidsents' flashbacks that there existed hyurs on the Thirteenth.
We do not know for certain that there are hyurs on the Fourth, but... come on, search your heart, you know they would sooner cancel the game than not have hyurs be important in the MSQ.
My headcanons: It is mentioned that only the Duskwights stayed behind in Gelmorra, which implies that all the hyurs of Gelmorra left with who would become the Wildwood elezens. If there were still hyurs left that tried to live underground, they would be called "Lowlanders".
Elezen
The elves of the setting. They were thought to have been the original inhabitants of Eorzea since the First Astral Era, and were the main inhabitants after the Sixth Umbral Calamity, yet were displaced by the Hyuran migratory waves, eventually being forced to the northern parts of the land.
Duskwights: Elezen were forced into the Black Shroud by the secon hyur migration wave in Year 660 of the Sixth Astral Era, then went underground and established Gelmorra with the following hyurs in Year 740. When half the elezens and all hyurs of Gelmorra left in 1077 to found Gridania with the elementals, a group of elezens stayed; their skin-tone is apparently a result of the damp and dark enviroment. They prefer to live in what remains of Gelmorra, or make new tunnels, though some enter Gridanian society, risking discrimination for it. Though forenames are the same as the Wildwoods', no Duskwight and Wildwood would have the same surname. Male height is from 194,1 cm to 209,8 cm, while female height is from 183,5 cm to 198,4 cm.
Wildwood: Elezens that left Gelmorra to found Gridania in 1077, most elezen found in Eorzea is probably of Wildwood blood. Heights are the same as for Duskwights.
Ishgardian Elezen: Elezen that first moved northward in Year 350 of the Sixth Astral Era because of the first major hyur migration wave. Although their elezen population uses a mix of Duskwight and Wildwood models and nomenclature, it is stated that the Ishgardian Elezens are their own clan. If I were to make a clan-name for them, it might be "Wyrmwraths", "Wyrmfoes" or "Wingspears"
I have read some players' WoL to be elezens of other areas in Eorzea, and I am curious if they would be considered their own clan, or if they are Wildwood/Duskwight or the like depending on their ancestry.
Eschva: Nomadic elezens of Landis, Ilsabard, of which Clarisse originates from. They made a deal with the Garleans in order to continue their unique lifestyle. Their nomenclature seems similar to Eorzean elezens. OBS: They might not be only elezens, I say it here because the one Eschvan we know is one.
Landisian Elezen: Other elezen of Landis are also present in Bozja content, but they are not mentioned to belong to Eschva and their unique lifestyle, nor do they seem to be included in their deal with the Garleans. Their nomenclature is similar to Eorzean elezens.
Dalmascan Elezen: Mainly seen through Bozja content, their nomenclature is the same as in Eorzea. They belong to the 10% Other. It is unknown if Dalmascan Elezen can be considered their own clan, or if they are more related to Wildwoods and Duskwights; they use both models for Dalmascan elezens.
Sharlayan Elezen: Although Elezens of Sharlayan keep the Eorzean elezeni nomenclature, I would personally assume most elezens on Sharlayan find themselves not identifying with other clans, finding themselves to be Sharlayan first and foremost.
Elves: Elezen of the First. It seems they mostly lived in Lakeland before the Flood of Light. They, like Ishgard, use a mix of models, but have their unique nomenclature. In particular it seems like Duskwight models are used more in Rak'tika.
Eldite: Elezen of the Ninth.
Thirteenth's Elezen: We know there were Elezen on the Thirteenth.
We do not know if there are elezen on the Fourth yet.
Lalafell
Plainsfolk: Lalafells that abide in the green regions of Eorzea, like the Black Shroud and La Noscea. They initially arrived from their native southern isles around Year 500 of the Fifth Astral Era, left during the Sixth Umbral Era, and returned around year 980 of the Sixth Astral Era. Their nomenclature does not practice family names as surnames, but surnames are given when they are of age that in some way rhymes with their forenames. Men's names are AB CB (Paiyo Reiyo), while women's are ABB AB (Utata Uta).
Dunesfolk: Lalafells that live in Thanalan's desert regions, their eyes are covered by a membrane to protect from sand. The Dunesfolk descend from the lalafells that helped found Mhach around Year 500 in the Fifth Astral Era, and during the Sixth Umbral Era were forced into a nomadic lifestyle in the outlands, which is how they slowly changed their appearance, eventually founding the state Belah'dia in Year 737 of the Sixth Astral Era. Nomenclature is fairly similar, but men's names are AAB CCB (Lolorito Nanarito) while women's are AAB AB (Tataru Taru), and the royal family add a middle name that acts as a family name (Nanamo Ul Namo of Ul'dah).
"Islesfolk": What I call the lalafells from the southern isles where Plainsfolk, Dunesfolk and Milalla originate from. One of those isles was Aloalo Island, which has been abandoned for about a century now. Lore states that people migrated to Aloalo at the end of the Fourth Astral Era, but since it specifies the island itself, I believe the people came from the other southern isles.
Dalmascan Lalafells: We do not really know if there are lalafells native to Dalmasca, as we only have one example of such, Pagaga, from the Bozja storyline, and I already said why we might have to take any content originally from Bozja content with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, Dalmasca does have a coastline, so it would make sense that some lalafells traveled there, since they are a merchant-conscious people. If there are Dalmascan lalafells, they are amongst the 10% Other minority.
Dwarves: The lalafell of the First, they mainly reside by the mountaintop. They all dress with clothes including an aesthetic beard, and to take off the helmet in front of outsiders more than oftens means exile for the offender. Though lalafells are amongs the spoken main races other places, on the First they used to be viewed as beast tribes. Perhaps because their bodies are covered with the exception of a handful of dwarves, they use both the Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk models seeminly at random.
Milalla: The lalafell of the Ninth, and everyone use the Plainsfolk model. Technically these Milalla originate from Aloalo, but we do not know if there were Milalla on the Ninth to begin with or not. Currently the Milalla nomenclature seems to enjoy palindrome-sounding names.
We do not know if there are lalafells on the Fourth or Thirteenth yet.
My headcanons: I love other people's headcanons of other Lalafell clans around Eorzea, like the Snowfolk and Seasfolk. Personally I would love for there to be a lalafell clan, or subclan of the "Islesfolk", that live almost permanently on boats and ships, hahah.
Miqo'te
Although there were miqo'te on Eorzea, during the Third Astral Era the vast majority ran to Dalmasca due to being targeted by the Empire of Allag.
Seekers of the Sun: Twenty-six tribes of diurnal miqo'te who returned to Eorzea in the Fifth Umbral Era. When they noted that the Eorzean alphabet had twenty-six letters, they took it as a sign, and each tribe took one letter to represent them alongside their representative animal. Seekers are descendants of these tribes that keep to this practice. The tribes are spread across Eorzea and beyond, but they all use the letters, separated by an apostrophe, as a preffix to their names, and practice a patronymic and patrilocal culture (also patriarchal but the game and lorebook HEAVILY disagrees on what these words mean, lol).
Keepers of the Moon: These nocturnal miqo'te have lived in the Black Shroud for centuries. They have struggling relationships with Gridania, being often seen as poachers. They are unique with their matronym and matrilocal culture, in which men do not get their own name, but take their mother's name with a suffix, separated by an aprostophe, that denotes him as her Xth son. Although the first lorebook states that all miqo'te ran to Ilsabard during the Third Astral Era and only returned in the Fifth Umbral Era, I like to imagine that the Keepers never left and mainly hid in the Shroud, which is one of the reasons this is practically the only place where nocturnal miqo'te live. This is mainly because the story of the miqo'te's refuge and return are more integral to the Seekers' lore, and we never learned how the Keepers came to be in the Shroud nor how they survived there until modern day, so I like to believe they have their own ways with the elementals. As far as we know, there are no other places on Hydaelyn with nocturnal miqo'te.
Dalmascan Miqo'te: Seems to be diurnal descendants of miqo'te that arriwed in the Third Astral Era and stayed behind rather than follow the Seekers of the Sun to Eorzea in the Fifth Umbral Era, their nomenclature is similar to theirs but without the letter based on the two miqo'te we meet in Bozja. They would belong to the 10% Other minority of Dalmasca.
Hhetsarro: Diurnal nomadic miqo'te of Tural, in particular Xak Tural. It seems they mainly live nomadic lives following the animals they herd. "Strangely" enough (psst, it's XIV's lazy lore consistency and sexism) the "males are rare among the miqo'te" is not applied to Hhetsarro, who seem to be more males than females.
Mystral: Miqo'te of the First, with the light going on there it is natural that most of them use the diurnal Seeker model, though there is one male who uses the Keeper one. They are mainly living in the lower parts of Kholusia, and seem to be the majority of Eulmore, though the leadership has consisted of Hume and Gosko. Their nomenclature consists of two words hyphenated. Like with the Hhetsarro, there seems to be more of a balance between the genders compared to previously established lore for the miqo'te (because god forbid we keep to established lore when said lore can limit men from authority positions).
Fourth's Miqo'te: From the Evercold trailer, there is a possibility that there are miqo'te native to the Fourth.
Thirteenth's miqo'te: We know from voidsents' flashbacks that there were miqo'te on the Thirteenth.
We have not met any miqo'te of the Ninth yet; the miqo'te in Solution Nine are descendants of the Hhetsarros native to Xak Tural when the dome fell upon them.
Mithra: Though also the name of miqo'te of Vana'diel, mithra is also said to be the common ancestor of the miqo'te from long, long ago, possibly hailing from Meracydia. This is mostly thought to be a meta joke hiding in a minion description referencing the mithra of FF11.
Roegadyn
We know almost nothing about roegadyns, except that the ancestors of the two Eorzean clans hail from Aerslaent, an island in the Northern Empty. It is possible that this is where all roegadyns on Hydaelyn came from.
Hellsguards: Roegadyns that left Aersleant long ago to reside by Abalathia's Spine, their skin colours are often more tuned to red and dark compared. Their original culture long forgotten, their names are descriptions in the Common tongue, inspired by their old nomenclature. As such, Hellsguards do not really have surnames the same way hyurs and elezens have; the second name can be shared amongst family members, but it is not a steadfast rule.
Sea Wolves: Roegadyns that left Aersleant much later than Hellsguard, escaping from a tyrant. Their nomenclature a descriptive name of two words in their roegadyn language, followed by a patronym.
Far Eastern Roegadyns: Roegadyns of Yanxia and Hingashi, they are entirely integrated into their Japanese-inspired cultures and nomenclature. Bozja content implies there are also roegadyns born in Nagxia. They seem to mainly use Hellsguard models, which might mean they were amongst the roegadyns that left Aersleant at the time, but we do not know.
Nagxian Roegadyns: Bozja content states that there are a few roegadyns native to Nagxia, and that their names and culture seem unique enough that their names are difficult for those "outside of [their] clan to pronounce", which is why I separate it from the other Far Eastern Roegadyns, which are more obviously based on Japanese cultures.
Ilsabardian Roegadyns: There are some Roegadyns that seem to have lived amongst the mountains of Ilsabard, which has since mainly been completely integrated in Garlean rule. We also know that there are some roegadyns native to Bozja according to Bozja content.
Galdjent: The roegadyns of the First, they were a sizable population in the Kingdom of Voeburt but after the Flood of Light are found everywhere.
Thirteenth's Roegadyn: From voidsents' flashbacks, we know there were roegadyns on the Thirteenth, seemingly using Sea Wolf models.
We have seen no signs of roegadyns on the Fourth nor Ninth.
Au Ra
Raen: Au Ra that left the northern Othard and nomadic lifestyle behind, they are nowadays part of the Doman and Hingan cultures, with a Japanese nomenclature. Though many have integrated into Doma and Hingashi, there are also Raen that live by themselves in small states or principalities. Raen are unique with their bright scales. It seems like there are Raen that migrated to Nagxia, from Bozja content and the 2026 Make it Rain Campaign, but we know very little about it except that they still seem to keep to Japanese nomenclature (this can also be XIV's standard lazy lore consistency at play).
Xaela: Au Ra that never left the southern Othard and still practice nomadic tribal cultures, their scales are almost black. Their nomenclature is more based on Mongolian names. The tribes' main identifier is that they live in the same region, but every tribe has a unique culture and lifestyle that can greatly differentiate from others.
Thavnairian Au Ra: Descendants of Au Ra that left upper Othard to settle in Thavnair, their scales seem to be somewhat darker to the Raen's, but I could be wrong.
Drahn: Au Ra of the First, they mainly use Raen models, with some few using Xaela. They mainly resided in the Kingdom of Voeburt, where they were the royal family, but after the Flood of Light they are living various places.
Fourth's Au Ra: We know from Evercold's trailers that there will be Au Ra on the Fourth, though we do not know if they will have a unique name yet.
Thirteenth's Au Ra: We know from voidsents' flashbacks that there were Au Ra on the Thirteenth using Raen models.
There is one character who is an Au Ra, but whose scales are green; we do not know where she originates from.
We do not know if there are Au Ra on the Ninth yet.
Viera
Viera clans are a bit easier to track, as their ancestry are based on the forests or the region they dedicate themselves to. Similarly to Seekers of the Sun and Xaela, the Viera clan only denotes which forest the viera comes from, and within each forest are multiple villages.
Rava: They live in the Golmore Jungle and seem to have had more direct contant with the Garlean invasions and such.
Veena: The viera of the Skatay Range, it seems they are not limited to the forests at the mountainous tops, but the mountains themselves.
All Dalmascan viera we meet are descendants of Rava and Veena that leave their regions behind.
Shetona: Viera of Tural, in which they seem to live mainly in the northern Xak Tural. They do not seem to have any particular lifestyle tied to a Green Word like Rava and Veena, though they do seem to put large importance on hunting. All Shetona use the Rava models, and are usually of darker skin colours.
Hingan Viera: We know from the New Years event that there are viera in Hingashi, as the NPCs for the event are specifically from there and not other places of Othard, and that they are very isolationist nation. Other than the one nameless male viera we meet, we do not know much about them, but I have my headcanons that their clan is called "Chise" and which culture is unique from the Yamato Japanese one.
Viis: Viera of the First, their lifestyle and practice seem to be more similar to the Rava, with them following the Green Word and exiling those that leave the woods.
There are no signs that there are viera on the Fourth, Ninth or Thirteenth; the viera living in Solution Nine are descendants or survivors of the Shetona native to Yyasulani.
My headcanons: Because Rak'tika is supposed to be the Black Shroud of the First, and the Viera have lived there for who knows how long, I like to imagine that there USED to be a viera clan living in the Black Shroud, taking the elementals' words to be the Green Word, but they died out by the Sixth Umbral Era.
Hrothgar
Hrothgar, in particular Ilsabardian ones, are somewhat interesting in that the two CC clans actually belong to one clan, the Ilsabardian one, but they belong to different groups based on whether they have a queen they have given their loyalty to or not. These "clans" are flexible and one can switch between them multiple times throughout their lives.
Helions: Ilsabardian hrothgars who have a queen they are loyal to. Their surname is their queen's name prefixed by an "A-".
The Lost: Ilsabardian hrothgars who do not have a queen they are loyal to, for whatever reason. Their surname is the name of the last queen they served, suffixed by "-sch".
Xbr'aal: Hrothgars of Tural, specifically the southern Yak Tural. Unlike the Ilsabardian hrothgars, their lifestyle is gender-neutral, so they do not follow a woman, but whoever is worthy of leading (it just so HAPPENS that the leader is male, the one time we finally meet a hrothgar community when female hrothgar models are available, because again, lord forbid lore consistency would limit a man's authority if there is no reason for the leader to be a man).
Ronso: Hrothgar of the First, we do not know where they resided before the Flood of Light, but now are mainly in Rak'tika and Lakeland.
We do not know if there are hrothgars in the Fourth, Ninth or Thirteenth.
