Xaela tribes

The Au Ra Xaela (アウラ・ゼラ, Aura Zera?) in Final Fantasy XIV are composed of dozens of clans that inhabit the Azim Steppe. Each clan has its own traditions encompassing a wide range of practices from spirituality to marriage and everyday life. In addition to tribe naming acting as surnames, to which tribe an Au Ra Xaela belongs can be determined from the colors of their clothing.

Notable tribes

The following tribes feature significantly in the main story of Final Fantasy XIV.

Oronir

The Oronir.

The members of the Oronir tribe believe themselves to be direct descendants of Azim, the tribe's god of the sun. They wear yellow robes. Along with the Buduga tribe, the Oronir inhabit the Dawn Throne.

Oroniri tradition adds onto this, believing that Azim and Nhaama became lovers, but could not be together as they are the sun and moon.

Notable members

• Magnai the Older (Khan)
• Baatu
• Esugen
• Tamachag

Dotharl

The Dotharl.

A violent tribe whose members are taught from a young age not to fear death. While they are quick to attack other tribes, mortality rates are high, so that their numbers never grow very high.

Notable members

• Sadu Heavenflame (Khatun)
• Koko
• Mauci

Mol

The Mol.

A small tribe of devout worshippers of the elder gods, the Mol consult with their deities (via a shaman conduit) before making any tribe-related decisions, from the direction of their next migration, to the beasts they will hunt each day for food.

Notable members

• Temulun (Khatun)
• Cirina of the Laughing Reeds
• Gosetsu Daito (honorary)
• Hien Rijin (honorary)
• Lyse Hext (honorary)
• Warrior of Light (honorary)

Other tribes

Adarkim

Bulugan of the Adarkim.

The largest of the Xaela tribes. While not the most skilled at battle, they overwhelm with numbers, taking losses in stride, knowing that a future victory over a weaker tribe will replenish their ranks.

Recent events have led the Adarkim, to choose a successor to the khan. Ambition for the position has given rise to bitter and bloody rivalries. After numerous assassination attempts, Adkiragh the chosen successor, defected from the tribe and passed the responsibility to his brother, Bulugan, who became the new successor to the khan and the target of assassination attempts.

Notable members

• Adkiragh
• Bulugan
• Alghu
• Teleboge

Angura

A small tribe which keeps mainly to the frozen mountainous region of northeastern Othard. The glare reflected by the everlasting glaciers upon which they travel has rendered this tribe's skin color a deep rusty tone.

Arulaq

A tribe thought lost 200 years ago, only recently discovered once again living in a secluded valley in the mountainous north.

Avagnar

Though defeated and absorbed by the Adarkim, several of the proud Avagnar tribe's members still secretly use its ancestral name, knowing that it could mean death if they are discovered.

Bairon

A middle-sized tribe of the southern deserts and masters of survival in the driest of climes, the Bairon are all trained from a very young age to collect and drink their own bodily fluids, allowing them the ability to venture deep into places no other tribe will.

Bayaqud

A tribe of the steppe’s western edges. Women from the Bayaqud tribe will traditionally take several husbands, as did the tribe's founding matron 2000 years ago.

Bolir

A Boliri girl.

A small tribe that earns its living by collecting the dung of the beastkin herds which roam the steppes. The dung is dried, turned into charcoal in temporary kilns, and sold to other tribes.

Borlaaq

A tribe of all women. While breeding with men from other tribes is allowed, if a male is born into the tribe, he is given up within a year of birth.

Buduga

The Buduga.

The Buduga live alongside the Oronir upon the Dawn Throne. They are a male-only tribe who kidnap males from other tribes to maintain their numbers. As their numbers declined, the Buduga became unable to replenish their numbers and were forced to ally themselves with the Oronir tribe.

Notable members

• Daidukul (Khan)
• Yabuqa

Chaghan

The Chaghan.

The Chaghan are a clan recently formed by Takens exiled from the Qerel. Originally the Takens were Qereli warriors who were consumed by the Will of Karash and go into a state of rage with an unquenchable thirst for violence. Unlike the Qerel, the Chaghan see Will of Karash as a blessing from the Dusk Mother. They commit all manner of heinous acts when Karash takes hold, and some would even slay their own kin and claim it in the name of Mother Nhaama.

Notable members

• Nayaga

Dalamiq

One of only a few Xaela tribes which has abandoned the nomadic lifestyle and built a small village on an islet in the middle of a two-malm-wide span of the great inner river. It is said they once worshipped the now-fallen lesser moon.

Dataq

Dataq camp.

Like the Goro tribe, the Dataq rarely take part in the Naadam and so have little influence. The Dataq tribe are the tribe most committed to a nomadic lifestyle in Steppe, refusing to remain in one place longer. They cover quite possibly the most area in their migrations, for they rarely stop in one area for longer than a few bells. To this end, they will even sleep in the saddle, and only utilize their tents for shelter when caught in torrential rains. The khan himself, however, would be the first to admit that this is less a hard rule and more an ideal for which they strive, even if they do indeed travel further and longer than any other tribe.

Notable members

• Khalja (Khan)
• Altani
• Anarba
• Sokhatai

Dazkar

Chambui's Husband.

Household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and childrearing are handled by the males of the Dazkar who, other than when on the move, rarely ever leave their family's yurts. Female Dazkar are tasked with hunting, and are known across the steppe as being some of the most accurate archers in the realm.

Notable members

• Chambui
• Chambui's Husband

Dhoro

An elusive tribe that avoids contact with most other tribes. Lookouts are posted all about their camps with orders to flee given the moment an outsider is spotted.

Ejinn

A river tribe that chooses to swim from place to place rather than walk or take boats. It is said that members of the Ejinn can hold their breaths for up to a quarter bell, and will often migrate while almost completely submerged in order to avoid contact with hostile tribes.

Geneq

In addition to the standard language used by most of the Xaela in cross-tribe communication, the Geneq employ a complex system of whistles and clicks which resemble the cloudkin and wavekin of the steppe.

Gesi

The Gesi.

The Gesi are skilled hunters who value quality weaponry. They are masters of the slingspear, a mid-sized javelin carved from mammoth bone which, instead of being thrown by hand, is flung with a leather sling to improve range, speed, and killing power.

A radical Gesi named Jebei, bearing a grudge against the larger and more established tribes, attempts to trick the struggling trader Gascot into selling him bombs and foreign weapons to destroy Reunion and strengthen the power of his tribe.

The Gesi wear dark gray robes.

Notable members

• Jebei

Gharl

The Gharl.

Before each migration, the Gharl will fill a sacred urn with the soil of the place they just camped. This soil is then dumped upon arriving at the next location. This tradition has been carried out for thousands of years, leading people to believe that most the steppe is now all of one soil.

When the Tsagaan Sar ends, the Steppe holds a Naadam to decide who will be the new Khagan. The location of the dispute is revealed only at sunrise when the Gharl has scattered the soil.

Goro

The Goro mounted on their horses.

Like the Dataq tribe, the Goro rarely take part in the Naadam and so have little influence. The Goro are regarded with confusion by some outsiders owing to their belief that the horse is the perfect being, as well as the fact that when a Goro comes of age they are "wed" to a horse of the opposite sex (though for reproductive purposes other partners are chosen by lots). It should be noted that because a horse's lifespan is far shorter than that of a Xaela's, one is likely to be wed to several horses over the course of his or her life.

Notable members

• Gurbesu
• Bayan

Haragin

The legends of this coastal tribe tell of a group of their ancestors who crafted a giant ship and sailed out across the endless eastern ocean. The explorers are said to have returned with tales of a terrible island covered in massive grey monoliths and inhabited by fire-breathing steel demons.

Himaa

A Himaa boy.

For reasons unknown, one out of every three pregnancies amongst the Himaa result in twins. As a result, over half the tribe's members have a doppelganger. This can prove an advantage during attacks, as it confuses the enemy into believing the dead have risen.

A hero of the Himaa tribe it is known. Orghana is said to have a twin sister, and one of the most famous stories concerns Orghana's revenge against the killers of his siblings.

Horo

To those who live the meager lifestyles of the steppedwellers, being overweight is a symbol of affluence and power. To appear heavier than one in their station, the members of Horo drink copious amounts of water to bloat their bellies.

Hotgo

The Hotgo performing a ritual in the Dravanian Hinterlands.

Distinguished by their blue hair, the Hotgo was a tribe recently massacred by the Dotharl. The only members surviving are those who left the tribe to travel on their own and were not present during the killing. The Hotgo were known for their vibrant face paints which members would constantly change depending on their current mood.

The Hotgo creation myth tells of two children, a boy and a girl to whom they trace their ancestry. It is said that this couple emerged from the belly of a steel giant in days of yore holding a curious black stone that glowed at the touch of a hand. Two children grow to man and woman, becoming father and mother of great people of Hotgo.

Notable members

• Dayan
• Mide

Iriq

A tribe that follows the Borlaaq, taking on any male children given up by the female warriors and raising them as their own.

Jhungid

The second largest Xaela tribe. Mortal enemies with the Kharlu, the Jungid will spend the greater part of the year subjugating smaller tribes to swell their own ranks in preparation for an annual battle with the Kharlu, the winner gaining control over a large part of the eastern coastlands.

Kagon

The Kagon are a nocturnal desert tribe who worship Nhaama, goddess of the moon and mortal enemy of Azim, god of the sun. Instructed by their goddess that to step into the sun is to succumb to the evil of Azim, they spend the daylight hours in their tents, only emerging to hunt and migrate at night. The result is an uncharacteristically pale skin for a group of people living in an almost eternally fair-weather locale.

Kahkol

Baidur of the Kahkol.

A tribe made up of orphans and refugees from tribes defeated or destroyed. Many choose to combine the name of their old tribe with Kahkol.

The Kahkol tribe had a settlement known as Kahkol Iloh, however it was destroyed by the Buduga and then abandoned. Soon after, the weakened tribe suffered further hardship when its remaining population was nearly wiped out by disease. Ironically, some of the scattered survivors would be living among the Buduga.

Notable members

• Baidur
• Yabuqa

Kha

Jaliqai of the Kha.

Unlike most of the Xaela, the Kha live on the fringes of the Xaela lands, actively seeking contact with non Auri peoples, introducing many aspects of those cultures into their own.

Notable members

• Jaliqai

Kharlu

The third largest Xaela tribe. Mortal enemies with the Jungid, the Kharlu will spend the greater part of the year subjugating smaller tribes to swell their own ranks in preparation for an annual battle with the Jungid, the winner gaining control over a large part of the eastern coastlands.

Khatayin

A Khatayin warrior and Qatun Coldwind.

A tribe which largely remains unseen, hunting goats in the mountains for nine moons of the year. The remaining three are spent at the foot of the great north range, where they survive off the dried meat they stocked.

Notable members

• Ogul
• Qatun Coldwind

Malaguld

One of the only tribes that accepts people of the Raen—those that have been exiled or those who have fled persecution—into their circle.

Malqir

A western steppe tribe characterized by its unique leader-choosing ritual which, instead of the usual test of brawn, is a game of Kharaqiq, a chess-like game played on a circular board divided into three rings.

Mankhad

A coastal tribe which fights with blow-darts made from bones dipped in the poison of the pufferfish. So practiced with the pipes are the tribe, that they can disable a target from 200 paces.

Mierqid

A desert tribe which, over the course of a year, travels between over a hundred secret buried caches of supplies restocked with each annual visit.

Moks

A tribe invisible for the fact that its members are spread out across many different tribes (unbeknownst to those tribes). Communication between its members is done on the rare occasion when two tribes meet, through an ancient set of hand signals only recognizable by those who know what they are looking for.

Noykin

Master trainers of the wild horses which populate the majority of steppe. It is said that the horsewives of the Noykin can break any beast if given but a week.

Olkund

Olkund Dzotamer.

Selective breeding has seen the average height of the central steppe-dwelling Olkund tribe males reach over two and a half yalms. The females, for whatever reason, remain of an average height.

Orben

A tribe that rides up and down the great inner river on boats woven from reeds and reinforced with scales from their own skin.

Oroq

The Oroq create sleds made of reeds dipped in horse fat to help move their possessions and young children about the inner grasslands.

Qalli

Also known as the songbirds of the steppe, the Qalli communicate through song, attaching a melody to their words to further add emotion to the meaning.

Qerel

Dorgono and Luvsan of the Qerel.

The warriors of this tribe all wear complete suits of armor crafted from the bones of steppe tigers which they kill with their own hands upon their coming of age.

Among their warriors are those who are consumed by the will of Karash and enter a berserk state with an unquenchable thirst for violence. These warriors are known as Taken, and are exiled from the tribe.

Qerel Iloh was once the home of the Qerel tribe but it was destroyed by the Chaghan.

Notable members

• Dorgono
• Luvsan

Qestir

The Qestir.

The Qestir believe that all words are lies, instead mainly communicating through gesture, facial expressions, and body language. They value actions as being the true bearers of intent. The Qestir wear light pinkish brown robes and face masks that cover the nose and mouth, probably relating to the Qestiri belief that all words are lies.

The Qestir are responsible for creating and maintaining Reunion, an important settlement for gathering and trading in the Azim Steppe. Reunion is a place where the various tribes, each with radically different traditions, can gather, communicate, and trade despite inter-tribal conflicts. Violence is forbidden.

Due to their silence, the reason they founded Reunion is unknown. One theory says that they were motivated by a Qestiri child who died of a disease that would have been treatable with the right medicine. But unfortunately, the Qestir had no means of acquiring the cure at the time.

Notable members

• Iturgen (Khan)
• Cotota
• Khaishan
• Uchikin

Sagahl

A tribe which sees all beastkin as equals with man, therefore refuses to eat or use them as beasts of burden. As a result, the diet of the Sagahl mainly consists of steppe shrubs and vilekin.

Torgud

This desert tribe does not wear any clothes, choosing instead to cover their bodies almost entirely in a white paint created from mud, lime, and bone meal. The paint helps to reflect the relentless desert sun.

Tumet

The children of the Tumet, upon seeing their tenth summer, are tied to a sacred tree while the remainder of the tribe packs up and moves to their next location. Those children who manage to break free from their bonds and catch up with the tribe at that next location, are given a name and allowed into the tribe.

Ugund

Ugundi Warriors.

When members of this tribe die, their heads are removed from their bodies and placed in a jar of fermented goat milk. Once the liquid has been drunk by the head (in other words, evaporated), the head is then buried under an anthill so that the tiny workers can carry the spirit to the afterlife. The journey is thought to be a terrible one, the road filled with ghosts of the damned, so ensuring the spirit is drunk helps ease the journey.

Ura

The Ura.

The Ura tribe make their home in the frozen northern mountains. This mountain-dwelling tribe is one of the few which instead of hunting, mine the precious ores of the peaks and trade them with the steppe tribes for food.

The Ura are seen wearing two different costumes, those found in the Reunion are seen wearing Twinsilk Robe of Aiming, while the Ura Brute found in FATE Rock for Food are wearing Woad Skywicce's Fur.

Notable members

• Narengawa

Urumet

This desert tribe has the queer custom of travelling with their elders carried upon their shoulders. It is believed that in the flat desert, this gives the tribe the advantage of being able to see farther.

Uyagir

The Uyagir.

One of a handful of Xaela tribes which have given up the nomadic lifestyle. The Uyagir reside in a system of limestone caves on the northern edge of the southern deserts which are believed to have been dug by a race of giant oliphant-like beetles which were placed on the land by the gods to punish the elder tribes that had grown too greedy. They live to protect the Udgan, a tribesmember able to receive divine revelations and see potential futures.

To quote Baavgai, "We live here to make amends for our sins. In the past, having grown drunk off its own greed, our tribe embarked on a mission to subjugate all that it possibly could. In response to our insatiable greed, the gods punished the Uyagir by unleashing giant, oliphant-like beetles upon our land. The beetles left absolute devastation in their wake. ... It took some time, but after a while, we regained the trust of the gods. Those who began receiving divine revelations were proof of that."

Notable members

• Ibakha (Udgan)
• Bujir
• Caalun