#moks tribe

[niraff14]

The Moks Handshake/Language

So you have the Moks Tribe, and their brief official Blurb here.

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.

Which just rereading that again...I think I have completely missed what they were saying in actuality with it. I had always read that paragraph and assumed by secret hand signals. That they meant that was how Moks signalled to each other to let each other know "Hey its cool I'm a Moks too." You know essentially a secret handshake that only they knew.

But holy crap I'm a moron and didn't realize that's not what they mean at all. Because the sentence is set up explaining HOW communication is done not how they know each other.

Basically the Moks may have a special handshake, but the Moks actually have their own entire Sign Language they use to communicate with each other in secret. Thats why no other Tribes have hard evidence on the Moks beyond "Yeah we think they're around." Since think about it, even if you had a special handshake you did before you spoke to one another. Someone else can come into earshot and hear you speaking about things completely unrelated to the Tribe you are currently living in. This would raise suspicion and cause people to investigate to find out what is really going on. This would quickly result in members of the Moks Tribe being discovered and outed.

But if your ENTIRE communication with your Moks Tribe is through Hand Signals and body language, then there is nothing to be overheard you can speak however you want and your surrogate tribe will never know the difference. Plus even if someone walked in on you while you were speaking to a Moks with this sign language, you could very easily and smoothly brush it off. Not to mention you could have your bodies positioned so anyone that walks in won't see your signing and whoever see them enter can quickly sign to you to 'Act Natural'

It just makes so much more sense on how they'd stay invisible with a sign language that is unique to them. Because to anyone else it'd just look like some silly hand gestures or potentially just odd idle movements. Anything except a deliberate communication attempt unless they were being extremely blatant about it which they're probably raised not to be.

[niraff14]

Taliss 'Hotgo' Moks

A xaela that is far more complicated that she first appears, though she is happy to make people think she is shallow and not in the know. However those who pay attention to details, those who look past the girl who looks perpetually drunk, sleeping with everything on two legs and acting like she can't be bothered to do anything productive, will quickly realize there is more going on behind that piercing gaze of hers.

Though even the most perceptive will never realize her Moks heritage until it's too late. For a Moks is raised within another Xaela Tribe, unseen, taking on that Tribes name as their visible affiliation and never revealing their ties to the Moks. As a Moks, she is well versed in subterfuge and information gathering, reading people. For it is how a Moks survives and finds other Moks without raising suspicion.

The Moks are something of a boogeyman Tribe on the Azim Steppe, there is nearly no concrete information on them that other Tribes know beyond they are raised within all the Tribes upon the Steppe. Which is the source of many conspiracy theories on Moks being ruthless manipulators trying to control the Xaela Tribes from the shadows. Or that they are Shadow Assassins that can be hired to create power vacuums if you can find one to begin with. Not to mention a part of other stories about Moks coming to punish bad boys and girls in the dead of night.

Ofcourse, the truth is potentially far more straightforward, if you could get a verifiable Moks like Taliss to actually spill it. But to the outside world she is Taliss Hotgo, a name that isn't simply cover since she was born into the Hotgo Tribe and raised in their customs as well as Moks. Hence why she is always seen with face paint of varying shades, for despite the Hotgo's destruction at the hands of the Dotharl she still adheres to their beliefs for while she could no doubt fade in with any Tribe. In her heart she is always going to be a Hotgo.

One key to finding a Moks, some say is finding a Xaela that has an unnervingly large amount of knowledge of all the Tribes. As even though Xaela are familiar with other Tribes, given the fluidity of the Xaela Tribes in how they are created, destroyed, merged and just in a general constant flux no Tribe will know everything. Well...unless that Tribe's members were spread out among every single Xaela Tribe.

Ofcourse, Taliss would refute such a silly claim by saying her indepth knowledge was just from her fascination and curiosity with how varied her own peoples cultures could be. After all many people study cultures in depth to learn all they can, and she is no different.

Not that an Eorzean would be concerned with silly superstitions about the Moks. After all, what are the odds that they'd ever run into one? How would they even know? Better to be frightened about more real dangers that they can see and face.

But it does raise the question, is Taliss just in eorzea because of her own life choices? Her guilt at betraying the person she felt was her one true love, and spiraling into a pit of alcoholism and promiscuity to hide the pain? Or was it all arranged for her to come to Eorzea by the Moks? Is she actually here as an Agent of her people because they are curious or worried about the influence Eorzeans are having upon the world?

One may never know. But they will know from those piercing eyes of hers, that she is much much more than she appears and that what she deigns to let people know is only a sliver of the full truth.

[tinytrashbins]

White - Do you consider yourself a good person? What’s the best thing you’ve ever done for somebody? - For Ajisal

“I… don’t know if I am a good person.  I don’t think so, maybe.  I mean I’ve.. done some pretty mean things, and.. I am what I am,” the little Moks fidgets, brows knit with the seriousness of the topic.  “… Hn.  But even if you aren’t good, you can do good, right?”  A slight perk.

“I’ve done plenty of good things for my flocks, helping to protect them, helping with their babies… But if you mean for a person… There was this man once, in Pearl lane.  He was hungry, he didn’t have a place to stay and his clothes weren’t great, and I know Ul’dah’s hot in the day, but it gets cold at night.  I was just starting to settle in, in Eorzea, with Khorijin and Araidai, and I gave him some gil – enough for a few nights at the inn and some food.  It was supposed to go for other things…” She looks a little sheepish, “..but it was okay, he needed it more than me.  I never saw him again, but I hope it helped him out for a little!…. I also gave a prostitute a half bottle of absinthe once.  Does that count?”

[tinytrashbins]

Talk about one of your worst memories involving someone you love. - For Ajisal

“…” For a long moment, Ajisal is silent, the tiny Bayaqud frowning somewhere in the middle distance.  "Nh.  I guess it would have to be my mother.  We — we needed another of our tribe,“ she gives a little hand flourish, a silent indication, ”– in the Bayaqud.  And who better than a child?  Lost and wandering the Steppes, abandoned, or their tribe dead?  I.. I get it.  I know why she did it, and I’m not mad at her.  I’d like to believe I’ve helped!  S-some, anyway.  Maybe.

… But it was so cold, and so lonely, all on my own.  I was young, maybe a couple years past my tenth summer.  I’d never been all alone before, and it was so quiet.“