The Au Ra are one of the most visually striking and lore-rich races in Final Fantasy XIV. Hailing originally from the eastern continent of Othard, they are defined by their unique draconian (or, as scholars debate, voidsent) features and a deep cultural split driven by their creation myth.
Here is the complete breakdown of their traits, history, cultures, and their counterparts on the First.
The most defining physical characteristic of the Au Ra is the presence of hard, regal scales, sharp claws, and a pair of horns growing from the sides of their heads. Unlike other races whose ears are external, the Au Ra use these hollow horns as their primary organs for hearing and spatial perception. The internal structure of the horns catches sound waves and amplifies them, giving them an exceptionally keen sense of hearing, though it makes their horns highly sensitive to damage or intense pressure.
Sexual dimorphism among the Au Ra is the most extreme of any playable race in Eorzea.
Males are towering, muscular figures, often standing well over seven feet tall, project a fierce and imposing presence, and possess deep, resonant voices.
Females, by contrast, are elegant, slender, and much shorter, rarely exceeding five feet in height.
For a long time, Eorzean scholars assumed the Au Ra were descendants of dragons due to their scaled tails, patches of skin scales, and prominent horns. However, this theory has been thoroughly debunked. Dragons are not native to the Source in the same biological way—they arrived with Midgardsormr from another planet—and their anatomy relies on completely different structural rules. Furthermore, the Ishgardian Drachocide (the centuries-long war against Ishgard's dragons) led to immense prejudice against the Au Ra when they first arrived in Eorzea, as fearful Ishgardians mistook them for heretics or Dravanian kin. Modern scholars lean toward a theory that their features resemble Voidsent (creatures from the Thirteenth reflection) or are simply a unique evolutionary offshoot entirely native to Othard.
Auri culture, history, and psychology are dictated by their religious creation myth, which revolves around two celestial deities: the Dawn Father (Azim) and the Dusk Mother (Nhaama).
According to legend, these two gods ruled the heavens and fought a long, bitter war for dominance. Eventually, realizing that neither could defeat the other, they chose to create mortal champions to wage war in their stead. The Dawn Father created the first male Au Ra, gleaming with brilliant white scales, while the Dusk Mother created the first female Au Ra, cloaked in obsidian black scales.
These mortal creations fought on the earth below for eons. However, over time, the two factions grew tired of bloodshed. They looked past their differences, laid down their weapons, and fell in love. Seeing this, the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother wept, ending their celestial war and retreating to the heavens, leaving the Au Ra to inherit the earth.
This myth directly created the two distinct clans of the Au Ra: the Raen and the Xaela.
The Raen trace their lineage directly to the Dawn Father. They are characterized by their pale, chalk-white scales and bright, luminous eyes.
Following the departure of the gods, the Raen sought peace and stability. They left the violent conflicts of the inner steppes and migrated toward the valleys, mountains, and coastal regions of Othard, eventually integrating heavily into the cultures of Yanxia, Hingashi, and the surrounding islands.
Because of their desire for tranquility, the Raen became masters of diplomacy, arts, and stealth. In Hingashi and Yanxia, they were highly valued as fierce samurai, tactical advisors, and elite shinobi. They embraced the structured, isolationist, and feudal lifestyles of these nations. Instead of fighting for territory, they found harmony with the native Hyur, adopting their customs while maintaining their own quiet pride.
A notable faction of the Raen took isolationism a step further. Centuries ago, to escape the brutal wars ravaging the Othardian mainland, a large group of Raen fled beneath the waves of the Ruby Sea. Aided by the Kojin (a turtle-like beast tribe), they established Shisui of the Violet Tides, a magnificent undersea palace protected by powerful water aspected magic.
These "undersea Raen" live completely separated from the surface world. They are ruled by the Ruby Princess, a matriarchal figure seen as a living deity. Their culture is deeply spiritual, heavily focused on tradition, ancestral worship, and protecting the sanctity of their hidden home from surface world politics.
The Xaela trace their lineage to the Dusk Mother. They possess dark, midnight-black scales, rugged features, and a wild, untamed spirit.
While the Raen sought peace in civilization, the Xaela remained in the ancestral homeland: the Azim Steppe. The Steppe is a vast, harsh grassland where resources are scarce and survival must be earned. As a result, the Xaela never formed a unified nation. Instead, they remained a collection of nomadic tribes, constantly warring with one another for grazing lands, livestock, and glory.
The Xaela lifestyle is entirely pastoral and martial. They are exceptional horsemen, hunters, and warriors, surviving in yurt-like tents called gers. To the Xaela, life is a beautiful but brutal cycle of conflict that honors the Dusk Mother's warrior spirit.
The Xaela are divided into exactly fifty-one recognized tribes, each with incredibly distinct, diverse, and sometimes eccentric cultural traditions. The balance of power on the Steppe is decided by the Nadaam, a massive, free-for-all tribal war held at irregular intervals. The winning tribe is declared the "Khagan" (ruler of the Steppe) and claims the right to dictate the laws and land distribution until the next Nadaam.
A few examples highlight just how drastically the Xaela tribes differ from one another:
The Oronir: They claim to be the direct, literal blood descendants of Azim the Dawn Father himself. Because of this, they believe they are inherently holy and meant to rule the Steppe. They wear distinct golden-dyed clothing to match their supposed solar lineage.
The Mol: A deeply spiritual and peaceful tribe that makes absolutely no decisions without consulting the gods. They listen to the whispers of the wind and the stars via their shamans, dictating everything from where to migrate to what to eat based on divine omens.
The Dotharl: A terrifyingly fierce tribe obsessed with reincarnation. They believe that if a warrior dies bravely in battle, their soul is immediately reborn into the next child born to the tribe. Parents will name their newborn after a recently fallen warrior, and the child is expected to fully take on that person's identity and memory.
The Hotgo: A tragic tribe known for their brilliant craftsmanship and vibrant dyed hair, which was virtually wiped out in a brutal war against the Dotharl.
When the universe was fractured into fourteen parallel worlds during the Sundering, the Au Ra were split across dimensions. On the First—the setting of the Shadowbringers expansion—the Au Ra exist, but they are known by a entirely different name: The Drahn.
Due to the vastly different historical trajectory of the First, which was nearly destroyed by an apocalypse of shifting Light, the Drahn do not share the Othardian creation myths of the Dawn Father or Dusk Mother. They have no concept of the Raen or Xaela divide, nor do they separate themselves by scale color.
Culture and Integration on the First
Instead of being isolated nomads or hidden undersea citizens, the Drahn are fully integrated into the surviving multi-racial societies of Norvrandt.
In the Crystarium, they serve as engineers, guards, and vital city builders working alongside the humes, mystel, and galdjent.
In the coastal city of Eulmore, Drahn can be found both among the wealthy, indulgent elites and the impoverished laborers living in the slums beneath the city walls.
In the mountainous region of Amh Araeng, the Drahn historically formed a significant portion of the workforce and military presence for the lost kingdom of Nabaath Areng.
Physically, they are identical to the Au Ra of the Source, possessing the same dramatic height differences and scaled features, but their identity is tied strictly to their regional homes on the First rather than the ancient tribal lineages of the Azim Steppe.