Au Ra physiology and other lore.

[Cilia]

Well I also pointed out that all the named Domans we've run into so far are ninja, and as covert operatives they might be using pseudonyms. Still, I thought it was worth bringing up.

[Viridiana]

Heavensward site is updated with new lore:

The curved horns and beautifully patterned scales that characterize the Au Ra oft give rise to speculation that this Hyur-like race native to the Far Eastern continent of Othard are, in fact, the progeny of dragons. This, however, has long been disputed, with scholars citing several distinct differences in the two races as evidence of decidedly dissimilar roots--the first and foremost being the enhanced hearing and spatial recognition granted by an Au Ra's cranial projections (traits not attributed to draconian horns), and the second being the gross disproportion in body mass between Auri males and females (again, a trait widely unseen in dragons).

Raen: Auri creation myth tells of a Dawn Father and a Dusk Mother from whom all Au Ra are descended. The Raen believe their veins to run thick with the blood of the former--their brilliant white scales and iron wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.

Unlike their sister clan, the Xaela, who bloody the land with their endless tribal conflict, the Raen have embraced a life of tranquility and solitude, long abandoning the nomadic lifestyle of their ancesters to settle the deep valleys of Othard's mountainous eastern reaches. Only on rare occasions will one emerge from the valley mists to seek adventure in realms afar.

Xaela: Auri creation myth tells of a Dawn Father and a Dusk Mother from whom all Au Ra are descended. The Xaela believe their veins to run thick with the blood of the latter--their lustrous black scales and fiery wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.

Unlike their sister clan, the Raen, who lead solitary lives hidden behind the savage peaks of Othard's eastern reaches, the Xaela are free spirits who roam the vast western steppe in close-knit tribes hunting, gathering, and warring as their ancestors have for countless generations.

[Belhi]

Interesting.

Makes it sound like the Au Ra are quite possibly not connected to dragons and the similarities are purely cosmetic.

Having said that the Triple Triad card seem to suggest that dragons evolve during their lives quite a bit resulting in a very diverse race. Theoretically their ancestral roots may still have some link to a draconic heritage since if dragons can evolve a lot over their lives then I imagine the changes over generations could be more extreme.

Interesting that Au Ra horns are infact sensory organs. Explains how they can hear without any apparent ears.

[lololink]

Now I wonder who are these Dusk mother and Dawn father ?

[Terrini]

Hearing Horns... huh?

[Kedrah]

So about those naming conventions...

[Cilia]

New lore, yeah!

So, those naming conventions are coming sometime soon™, right?

[Kaiser-Ace]

New lore, yeah!

So, those naming conventions are coming sometime soon™, right?

I don't care what the naming conventions are. I'm using Skyrim's Dova Language for my character and RP. lol

[StarDrake]

So about those naming conventions...

I would imagine naming conventions are Imminent™.

Anyway, pretty cool (and god damn, at a truly high resolution those models look so good), although I am a little annoyed at the poke-fun-at-dragon-relation thing, if anything. So that whole, huge storyline about Shiva was... a red herring? Okay, sure, I guess. And I still find it really hard to believe that the Au Ra were made only for players - we have to be seeing some prominently in this expansion as NPCs, beyond just Yugiri.

(I totally laughed at the game just hanging a sign on the fact that the guys are so much more massive than the girls, though.)

The lore we have certainly does a nice job of expanding the world a bit and teasing some things for when we eventually visit Othard, though. And of course, let speculation as to whether the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother are part of the Eorzean pantheon or totally new entities commence.

[Kaiser-Ace]

I would imagine naming conventions are Imminent™.

Anyway, pretty cool (and god damn, at a truly high resolution those models look so good), although I am a little annoyed at the poke-fun-at-dragon-relation thing, if anything. So that whole, huge storyline about Shiva was... a red herring? Okay, sure, I guess. And I still find it really hard to believe that the Au Ra were made only for players - we have to be seeing some prominently in this expansion as NPCs, beyond just Yugiri.

(I totally laughed at the game just hanging a sign on the fact that the guys are so much more massive than the girls, though.)

The lore we have certainly does a nice job of expanding the world a bit and teasing some things for when we eventually visit Othard, though. And of course, let speculation as to whether the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother are part of the Eorzean pantheon or totally new entities commence.

We may not see many Au Ra in Eorzea but it made it very clear that the Raen Tribe was primarily located on Othard and rarely went abroad. So I'd wager for the most part we'll have to wait till we cross the ocean into Othard (most likely to take the fight to Garlemauld). As for the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother, this sounds extremely similar in concept to the Shinto Creation Pair, Izanagi the Father of All, and Izanami the Mother of the Gods. So they may have a similar relation to the Au Ra as the Shinto Gods do to the Japanese.

As for the Shiva "Laid with Dragons" thing, I'm thinking that it was metaphorically and not literally. For example Illbard could be said to be "In bed with the Syndicate". Well that doesn't mean he is literally sleeping with Lolorito it just means he's sided with him. So it may be metaphorical in Shiva's case to emphasize the fact that she was a Dragon Sympathiser and justification for her Excommunication and Banishment. (She was apparently a Saint of Ishguard before exile considering even they refer to her as "Saint Shiva".)