The Xaela are a nomadic clan of the Au Ra race in Final Fantasy XIV, hailing from the Azim Steppe and the surrounding regions of Othard. Unlike the sedentary Raen, the Xaela are deeply tied to their ancestral lands and are divided into 51 distinct tribes, each with its own unique customs, beliefs, and survival strategies.
Here is the lore for all 51 Xaela tribes:
Adarkim: The largest of the Xaela tribes. While not the most skilled fighters, they overwhelm their foes with sheer numbers. They absorb heavy losses in battle, knowing that future victories over weaker tribes will easily replenish their ranks.
Angura: A small tribe that keeps mainly to the mountainous regions of northeastern Othard. The harsh glare reflected by the everlasting glaciers has rendered their skin a deep rusty tone.
Arulaq: A secluded tribe thought lost for 200 years, only recently rediscovered living peacefully in a hidden valley in the mountainous north.
Avagnar: A proud tribe that was defeated and absorbed by the Adarkim. Several survivors still secretly use their ancestral name, knowing that discovery by their conquerors means certain death.
Bairon: Desert survivalists trained from a very young age to collect and drink their own bodily fluids. This extreme practice allows them to venture deep into the driest climes where no other tribe can survive.
Bayaqud: A tribe from the steppe's western edges. Following the example of their founding matron from two millennia ago, women of the Bayaqud traditionally take several husbands.
Bolir: A small, industrious tribe that earns its living by collecting the dung of beastkin herds. They dry it, burn it into charcoal in temporary kilns, and sell it to other tribes.
Borlaaq: A fierce, all-female tribe. They breed with men from other tribes, but if a male child is born, he is given up within a year of his birth.
Buduga: An all-male tribe that increases its ranks solely through battle and by kidnapping men from other tribes.
Dalamiq: One of the few tribes to abandon the nomadic lifestyle, having built a small village on an islet in the great inner river. They are said to have worshipped the now-fallen lesser moon, Dalamud.
Dataq: Known for covering the most ground during their migrations. They rarely stop in one place, going so far as to sleep in the saddle to protect themselves against ambushes.
Dazkar: A matriarchal tribe where the women serve as the hunters and warriors. The men are tasked with domestic duties, remaining inside their tents to manage the household and children.
Dhoro: An incredibly elusive tribe that avoids contact with everyone. They post lookouts around their camps at all times and flee the moment an outsider is spotted.
Dotharl: Extremely violent and fearless combatants who revel in battle. They believe their souls are continually reborn into the tribe shortly after death, making them entirely unafraid to die.
Ejinn: A river-dwelling tribe that travels by swimming. They have been known to migrate while almost completely submerged to avoid detection by hostile tribes.
Geneq: A unique tribe that communicates almost entirely through a series of clicks and whistles that perfectly mimic the local beasts of the steppe.
Gesi: Masters of the "slingspear," a mid-sized javelin carved from mammoth bone. They use a leather sling to launch the spear rather than throwing it by hand, vastly improving its speed, range, and lethality.
Gharl: Before migrating, the Gharl fill a sacred urn with the soil of their current camp, dumping it when they arrive at their next destination. Having done this for millennia, they believe they have homogenized the soil of the entire steppe.
Goro: This tribe believes horses are perfect beings. Upon coming of age, each member is ceremonially married to a horse of the opposite sex, while their actual reproductive mates are chosen by lots.
Haragin: A coastal tribe whose legends speak of ancestors who built a giant ship, sailed the endless eastern ocean, and returned with tales of islands covered in massive grey monoliths.
Himaa: Known for frequent multiple births; roughly one in three pregnancies results in twins. Because of this, their population remains relatively robust despite the harsh environment.
Horo: In an environment where resources are scarce, the Horo believe being overweight is a symbol of supreme affluence and power. Members drink copious amounts of water to bloat their bellies and appear heavier.
Hotgo: Known for wearing vibrant, terrifying face paints. They were recently massacred by the Dotharl, leaving very few survivors wandering the steppe.
Iriq: A compassionate tribe that follows the Borlaaq, taking in the discarded male children of the female warriors and raising them as their own.
Jhungid: The second-largest Xaela tribe. They spend most of the year subjugating smaller tribes to swell their ranks in preparation for a massive annual war with the Kharlu for control of the eastern coast.
Kagon: Nocturnal desert dwellers who worship Nhaama, goddess of the moon. Believing the sun god Azim is evil, they sleep in tents during the day and only hunt at night, resulting in uncharacteristically pale skin.
Kahkol: A tribe formed almost entirely from the orphans and survivors of tribes destroyed by war, who banded together for mutual protection and survival.
Kha: Outliers among the Xaela, the Kha actively seek contact with non-Auri peoples, openly embracing foreign cultures and integrating new customs into their own society.
Kharlu: The third-largest tribe and mortal enemies of the Jhungid. They also spend the year conquering smaller tribes to prepare for their annual clash over the eastern coastlands.
Khatayin: An elusive tribe that hunts goats in the mountains for nine moons of the year, surviving the remaining three moons on dried meat at the foot of the northern range.
Malaguld: One of the only Xaela tribes that openly accepts Raen (the light-scaled Au Ra) into their ranks, demonstrating a rare peaceful coexistence between the sub-races.
Malqir: Characterized by their unique method of choosing leadership. Instead of a test of brawn, leaders are decided via *Kharaqiq*, a complex chess-like game played on a circular board.
Mankhad: A coastal tribe that fights with blow-darts made of bone dipped in pufferfish poison. Their skilled warriors can disable a target from two hundred paces away.
Mierqid: A desert tribe that survives by constantly traveling between over a hundred secret buried caches of supplies, restocking them with each annual visit.
Moks: A hidden tribe whose members are dispersed among other tribes. They communicate with each other through a complex system of subtle hand signs unnoticed by outsiders.
Mol: Deeply devout to the elder gods, the Mol will not make any tribe-related decisions—from the direction of migration to the beasts they hunt—without first consulting their deities via a shaman conduit.
Noykin: The undisputed master horse trainers of the steppe. It is said that the horsewives of the Noykin can break any wild beast if given just a week.
Olkund: A central steppe tribe that practices selective breeding. Their males routinely reach heights of over two-and-a-half yalms, while the females remain remarkably average in size.
Orben: A tribe that navigates the great inner river on boats woven from sturdy reeds and reinforced with the tribe's own shed scales.
Oronir: Believing themselves to be the direct descendants of the sun god Azim, the Oronir view themselves as the rightful rulers of the steppe and are known for their golden-hued scales and supreme arrogance.
Oroq: They craft specialized sleds out of reeds and grease them with horse fat to smoothly transport their young children and belongings across the inner grasslands.
Qalli: Known as the "songbirds of the steppe," the Qalli communicate almost entirely through song, naturally attaching melodies to their words to convey emotion and intent.
Qerel: A brutal tribe where coming of age requires a warrior to slay a steppe tiger bare-handed. They proudly wear the pelts of their kills as proof of their strength.
Qestir: A tribe that strictly refuses to speak, believing that words are inherently deceitful and that true intent can only be communicated through one's actions.
Sagahl: A tribe that views all beasts as equals to men. They practice strict vegetarianism and refuse to eat animal flesh or use beasts of burden.
Torgud: To protect themselves from the searing sun and biting insects, the Torgud cover their entire bodies in a distinctive white mud, giving them a ghostly, statuesque appearance.
Tumet: This tribe ties their children to trees at the age of ten. Those who manage to break free and track down the migrating tribe are officially given a name and accepted as adults.
Ugund: Upon death, their heads are removed and placed in jars of fermented goat milk. Once the liquid evaporates, the head is buried under an anthill so tiny worker ants can carry the spirit to the afterlife.
Ura: Mountain-dwellers who carve out a living by mining precious ores, which they trade with lower-elevation tribes for food and basic necessities.
Urumet: An incredibly reverent tribe that physically carries its elders on their backs across the steppe during migrations, honoring their wisdom and ensuring they are not left behind.
Uyagir: One of the few tribes to give up nomadism. They reside in a massive network of limestone caves, which they believe were dug by giant beetles placed by the gods to punish greedy elder tribes.