CLASSIFICATION: Spoken
SUB-CLASS: Races of Man
LOCATIONS: Eorzea, Ilsabard, Meracydia
POPULATION:
Gridania: S- <10% | K- 10%
Ishgard: S- <10% | K- <10%
Ala Mhigo: S- 10% | K- <10%
Sharlayan: Census Results Unavailable
Encyclopedia Eorzea - The Miqo’te: “A race distinguished by their large, feline ears and supple tail. For reasons that are not entirely clear, female Miqo'te vastly outnumber males, a phenomenon unique among Eorzea’s races.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Miqo’te History: “The Miqo'te are descendants of a hunting people that crossed over the frozen seas to Eorzea in search of prey during the Age of Endless Frost, when famine gripped the land. Cleaving to their old way of life, they have largely accepted their status as one of Eorzea’s less populous races. Fiercely territorial and proud of their traditions, it could be said that Miqo'te are unsuited to life in the city-states. Nevertheless, as natural-born hunters given to a nomadic lifestyle, many Miqo'te have achieved great success as adventurers.”
Lodestone: “Though their presence in Eorzea is lesser than that of the other races, the Miqo'te are easily distinguished by their large, projecting ears and restless, feline tails. The ancestors of this line first made their way to the realm during the Age of Endless Frost in the Fifth Umbral Era, traversing frozen seas in pursuit of the wildlife upon which they subsisted. Instinctual territoriality causes many among them to lead solitary lifestyles. Males in particular are said to shy from contact with others.”
1.0 Lodestone: “The ancestors of the Miqo'te made their way to Eorzea during the Age of Endless Frost, traversing the frozen seas in pursuit of the wildlife upon which they subsisted. Adaptation to a hunting lifestyle has fashioned them with a keen sense of smell, powerful legs, and a tail which provides them with exceptional balance. Miqo'te are known to be very territorial, and many individuals tend to lead solitary lifestyles, particularly males. The few Miqo'te who have made the transition to life in Eorzean society are predominantly female.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Miqo’te Tongue: “Despite their inherently solitary nature, the Miqo'te adopted the common tongue early on, born of a need to barter with other races to procure materials with which to craft their hunting tools and weapons. Remnants of the old tongue can be observed in the distinctive Miqo'te ‘huntspeak’ - a system of tongue-clicks and whistles used to communicate with companions while in pursuit of quarry.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Miqo’te Identity: “A common trait among all Miqo'te is their fierce pride for their heritage as hunters. Seeing themselves as part of the natural world itself, they prize above all the freedom of the hunt, and do not shun death when old age and infirmity sap them of the physical talents needed to pursue their quarry to their satisfaction. To the free-willed Miqo'te, other races’ way of life - their wont to flock together with their own kind, to overrun nature to build cities, to seek safety and stability in laws and alliances - must seem quite curious indeed.”
Loupard: “As I’m sure you’ve gathered from the tail an’ ears, Q'yantaa’s a Miqo'te, and huntin’s in their blood. Could be this plan might actually work…”
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Miqo’te Dress: “The agile Miqo'te value freedom of movement above all else, shunning unwieldy armor that might restrict their range of motion. Miqo'te legwear is invariably perforated with a hole through which the tail dangles free, allowing them to maintain their unerring sense of balance.”
Archer Lodestone: “Together with the longbow sentries of the Elezen military, the shortbow hunters among the Miqo'te are widely regarded as most skilled with the bow.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea II - Shortbow: “Though lacking in range, the shortbow is well suited for hunting within a forest’s tangle of roots and boughs. It has long been prized by Miqo’te tribes for its speed and versatility, allowing for precision whether it be while in pursuit of fleeing quarry, or perched atop unstable limbs waiting for a target.”
Alchemist Lodestone: “The craft’s establishment as a tradition in Eorzea dates only to recent history. It was born primarily of ancient techniques and knowledge brought from the Near East, but has come to contain elements of Lalafellin herbalism and Miqo'te occultism as well.”
Alvak’s Spyglass - Much Ado About Aether: “According to ancient Miqo’te mystics, aetheric energy permeates all creation even as it exists in its own distinct dimension, parted from the physical plane. If Eorzea might be compared to a colossal creature, aether would be the lifeblood that courses through its veins, supplying it with sustenance.”
Fat Cat Minion: “Despite convincing research by top academics from around the realm and beyond, most Miqo'te scholars refuse to believe that there may be some ancestral connection between their race and cats (fat or not).”
Wind-up Mithra: “A stack of dusty tomes and a healthy imagination served as inspiration for this automaton designed to depict the Mithra─supposed ancestor of the Miqo'te. She wears a traditional scorpion harness rendered in painstaking—and pointless—detail by her Sharlayan creator.”
2018 Fan Fest GE Interview w/ Koji Fox:
GE: “Where is Miqo’te lore at these days? There were lots of hints that Meracydia might have been involved, and those references were pruned away and now it’s all about Ilsabard. What’s the truth?”
Koji: “First off, you have so many eras. You talk about them coming over the land bridge, but then that’s very recent. In general, people are migrating everywhere. Think about it in terms of Earth. Where were people, and how did they move, over a thousand years? Now multiply that by six eras! Shit happens here, in Eorzea, a Calamity, it gets too hot, it gets too cold; people move away to a place that’s better. They break off there, and come back.
So the Fifth Umbral comes and ice starts appearing and disappearing all over, and you can get to and from different places that you couldn’t before, sometimes; even the southern islands where the Lalafell are from. The Miqo’te are coming back from Ilsabard and they’re coming back from Meracydia, but they got there in different time periods. They converge on places that are rich in the aether, because that’s what it’s all about. Places that have more aether are going to be more lush, be better for growing crops and surviving, and there’s going to be animals.
And we explain that; everybody ends up converging in Eorzea because that’s where the best aether is and that’s where you’re going to have the best hunting. The Miqo’te especially being hunters are going to follow where the best animals are and that’s where it’s all rich. You go beyond that and things start losing that. There’s still aether everywhere in the world, but it’s the rich places where people converge. It’s like the Mesopotamian thing where you have the two rivers there, the rest is desert, people are going to come back here, even if they get shut out by a flood, they’ll come back at some time.”
Aloe: “A thick spiny-leaved cactus indigenous to the southern continent of Meracydia. The Miqo'te are known to treat severe burns with the cool gel-like substance found inside the leaves.”
Sesame Seeds: “A tiny seed rich in aromatic oil, sesame is native to Meracydia, and thought to have first been brought to Eorzea by migrating Miqo'te.”
Tuna Miq'abob: “A traditional Seeker of the Sun dish consisting of light, flaky tuna and ripe peppers on a stick, roasted to perfection.”
Forest Miq'abob: “A traditional Seeker of the Sun dish consisting of freshly picked mushrooms on a stick, roasted to perfection.”
Meat Miq'abob: “A traditional Keeper of the Moon dish consisting of tender dodo meat and ripe ruby tomatoes on a stick, roasted to perfection.”
Salmon Meuniere: “A traditional Keeper of the Moon dish consisting of a thick fillet of salmon breaded with flour and friend in rich butter and savory spices.”
Thunderbolt Sculpin: “A rare freshwater fish decorated with a thunderbolt-like pattern down its back. The Keepers of the Moon who inhabit the Black Shroud will eat one of these before a big hunt, claiming that it grants them speed and strength.”
The first in my new series of racial lore posts. More will be coming soon, so please look forward to it! You can find more lore on the Keepers of the Moon, the Seekers of the Sun, Tribal Lore, Poacher Gangs, Miqo’te Saints, Miqo’te Purring, and even some strong words about a certain fanon misconception I’m tired of seeing in the Read More below! Hope this helps!
You can find lore on Mixed-Clan Miqo’te here!
You can find more of my lore posts in the Lore Index!
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