Au Ra physiology and other lore.

[Samcaesar]

Mobility is a greater advantage than strength on the steppes, as is stamina. Large size can be a hinderance to stamina thus why the Mongolian pony wasn't a giant war horse.

Learning a few more things from the various clans I don't really think any of that's the case, like the horses in Othard seem quite capable of keeping up to speed with men Au Ra riding them (Looking at the Goro and Noykin).

Heck the Steppes isn't even a traditional Steppes environment, the central parts seem to be more grasslands, but the Western Steppes feature several tribes who actively live in caves, more mountainous areas, coastlines, rivers, and deserts. It's a really diverse area!

While food might not be too plentiful though nutrition doesn't seem to be too big of a concern, one tribe manages twin births at a 33% chance, trade occurs fairly regularly between some tribes as well, heck there's even a tribe that takes pride in how much they eat and looking overweight. There's also reference of animals like goats, mammoths, tigers, and horses, which seems to indicate that things like animal fat and protein isn't too hard to get.

War tactics seem to be pretty variable as well, looking at the Xaela's in game stat distribution and the lack of mention of magic usage in combat, it seems they rely on a mixture of swarming, raw overpowering, archery, some javelin stuff and even some stuff with poison blowdarts. Even armor isn't completely unheard of look Qerel, who kill tigers with their own hands as a coming of age ceremony. Not every clan fights, but brute strength is definitely a wanted characteristic, looking at the Malqir's description "A western steppe tribe characterized by its unique leader-choosing ritual which, instead of the usual test of brawn, is a game of Kharaqiq--a chess-like game played on a circular board divided into three rings." The notation of a "Usual test of brawn" seems to indicate that strength is valuable, and it doesn't take too much of a leap in logic to assume that the "usual test of brawn" is well liked because "Brawn" is good for battle.

Even then, how would a tribe like the Buduga survive and succeed in battle if it was that much of an issue?

Lots of factors are still unknown, but the Xaela tribes deploy a lot of diverse strategies to survive in the steppes, I wouldn't discount strength as much as you do.

[jomoru]

Learning a few more things from the various clans I don't really think any of that's the case, like the horses in Othard seem quite capable of keeping up to speed with men Au Ra riding them (Looking at the Goro and Noykin).

Not really. There are different breeds of horses IRL. Some are great for someone like the Rock riding on them into battle. Some are great for Riding 5 days straight with little rest. Unless you want to start talking about magically effective horses the horses the males ride will have difficulties based on the size of the males. Now there clearly seems to be some advantage to male size BUT I am saying its also clearly not this insurmountable win that people seem to keep saying.

There is one male tribe that only recruits via kidnapping. There is one female tribe that hands off the males. There is one female tribe that dominates their males. And there's one tribe that's famous for its women having large male harems. Those are the only tribes we hear about placing any particular importance on biological sex. So we can assume GENERALLY whatever advantages strength gives is cancelled out by other factors leaving both sides more or less equal with a potential point of slight female empowerment because there are more clans that favor them than men however both are extreme aberations out of 51 clans.

Heck the Steppes isn't even a traditional Steppes environment, the central parts seem to be more grasslands, but the Western Steppes feature several tribes who actively live in caves, more mountainous areas, coastlines, rivers, and deserts. It's a really diverse area!

Not really? Its clearly based on the Eurasian Steppe which includes all these things especially if you count where it runs into edges of things.

While food might not be too plentiful though nutrition doesn't seem to be too big of a concern, one tribe manages twin births at a 33% chance, trade occurs fairly regularly between some tribes as well, heck there's even a tribe that takes pride in how much they eat and looking overweight. There's also reference of animals like goats, mammoths, tigers, and horses, which seems to indicate that things like animal fat and protein isn't too hard to get.

Its not about food being plentiful its about them being nomadic herders/hunters Now the more sendentary types might pull away from these points but I'm broadly focusing on the need for the clans to be moving fairly often.

War tactics seem to be pretty variable as well, looking at the Xaela's in game stat distribution and the lack of mention of magic usage in combat, it seems they rely on a mixture of swarming, raw overpowering, archery, some javelin stuff and even some stuff with poison blowdarts. Even armor isn't completely unheard of look Qerel, who kill tigers with their own hands as a coming of age ceremony. Not every clan fights, but brute strength is definitely a wanted characteristic, looking at the Malqir's description "A western steppe tribe characterized by its unique leader-choosing ritual which, instead of the usual test of brawn, is a game of Kharaqiq--a chess-like game played on a circular board divided into three rings." The notation of a "Usual test of brawn" seems to indicate that strength is valuable, and it doesn't take too much of a leap in logic to assume that the "usual test of brawn" is well liked because "Brawn" is good for battle.

Even then, how would a tribe like the Buduga survive and succeed in battle if it was that much of an issue?

Lots of factors are still unknown, but the Xaela tribes deploy a lot of diverse strategies to survive in the steppes, I wouldn't discount strength as much as you do.

I am not discounting strength. I just think its being highly overvalued by those who think that the Sexual dymorphism and "barbarian" qualities of the Xaela mean extreme patriachal tendencies. To me its clear that both sides generally are equal whatever advantages size gives to the males are cancelled out and its not based on females being more magical or anything.

[Samcaesar]

Snip .

Yeah, such as Destrier class horses, ones notably bred to hold up a man in full armor when they go into battle. Like, maybe they can't run endlessly forever, but they definitely don't seem to have issues being used in battle. It's not a total win, shoot poison blowdarts kill no matter how big you are, but brute strength does help in battle, as there's a good bit of difference being hit with a weapon and being hit with a weapon backed by some serious power.

Only one specific male only tribe does that, but other tribes were noted for assimilating other tribes into them. I still think it's a little difficult to suspend your disbelief that much as to think the Burlaaq would survive for too long without also having physical advantages to cover weak points in the tribe's structure that just aren't present on their model.

[jomoru]

Yeah, such as Destrier class horses, ones notably bred to hold up a man in full armor when they go into battle. Like, maybe they can't run endlessly forever, but they definitely don't seem to have issues being used in battle. It's not a total win, shoot poison blowdarts kill no matter how big you are, but brute strength does help in battle, as there's a good bit of difference being hit with a weapon and being hit with a weapon backed by some serious power.

Only one specific male only tribe does that, but other tribes were noted for assimilating other tribes into them. I still think it's a little difficult to suspend your disbelief that much as to think the Burlaaq would survive for too long without also having physical advantages to cover weak points in the tribe's structure that just aren't present on their model.

Europeans had bigger horses armored knights and when the mongols came they got slaughtered. Brute force is nice. Playing to your advantages is even better. Clearly the Burlaaq can play to their advantages and those advantages don't have to be "females are more magical" I mean no one questions why the Roe haven't conquered every aspect of Eorzea but the idea that smaller types might succeed with the Xaela.. that's just crazy!

Also notice how I'm not saying the Burlaaq are an unstoppable unbeatable force that has conquered all the other clans who waste their time having males around. I am not discounting strength. I am not discounting the advantages of a more balanced society. Hyperfocused society is more likely to ultimately hit a problem it cannot solve. I am saying it doesn't require magic or a suspension of disbelief(any more than the questionable biology of the game in general) for there to be a focused female group.

[Samcaesar]

Snip

Hit and run tactics work best when the opponents are very much so unprepared, when people know they're coming and have time to set up things like traps and proper defenses, they don't work nearly as well. Like stuff like chainmail was specifically made to counter arrows, while shields and phalanx esque strategies worked fairly well against horses and oncoming arrows from moving targets to stationary ones. The mongols were powerful, but not unbeatable, plenty of debate questions if the Mongols would have survived against people who play defensive warfare much better. It's pretty clear (Imho) why the Roegadyn haven't conquered all of Eorzea, culturally speaking the Hellsguard are very solitary and prefer to keep in Alabatha, while the Sea Wolves are quite content with ruling the seas as they're pretty notable pirates. Heck, things like this are addressed within the story, like how on Hydaelyn are the Ishgardians able to fight against dragons or how did the Company of Heroes fight primals, the Burlaaq I would appreciate a similar answer that isn't so outrageous (Like they use sex appeal to fool men into dropping their guards or something).

No, but you aren't giving a reason on why the Burlaaq, who (going off from the Au Ra model) seem to lack muscular strength (From both looking at a model and considering their mannerisms and the design they were made with), would even stand a chance against groups like the Adarkim or the Dorthal who probably have mixed forces. Either the Burlaaq were more physically closer to the men and SE just didn't feel like making a model just for them (Reasonable imho) or there's some weird unthinkable tactic that the Burlaaq employ to manage to be "Warriors" and continue to survive.

[jomoru]

snip.

They use their superior mobility to not get bogged down in combat where the males can't be made much use of. This isn't complicated complex or crazy but apparently you can't grasp anytghing but " MEN ARE TALLER THEY MUST WIN!" I mean game mechanics wise men are taller.. and aren't an ounce stronger. Think about that.

[Cilia]

Sorry for the delay! I put in for character name service and it wouldn't let me get on the forum because muh character data was in limbo...

Many cultures did apply eugenics historically, see the spartans for example. It gained special appeal in the 19th century as a means of Scientifically improving humanity. It only fell out of favor in the west because of Nazis. Even then traditional marriages in many cultures are built around the idea of "best matches"

This isn't to say Eugenics hasn't proven to be fairly horrible, but then so has war, plunder, conquest and we tend to consider these "civilized" persuits.

I don't think you've quite got that right. A "good match," in the traditional sense, was / is something along the lines of whether or not the two people complimented one another. Usually this was limited to social strata; it wasn't something done on the supposed health of potential offspring alone. That could be a factor, but rarely that's all it meant (if it even was something in mind).

Eugenics don't really work. It's a good theory, but it leads to stagnation, genetic degradation, and then the death of a tribe (if we're to use Xaela as an example).

Hey Cilia, as I'm sure you're reading, mind going in depth with how you think the Au Ra reproduce? Their women are so small, and there's even a tribe that has a 33% chance of giving birth to twins, so it'd be somewhat a wonder on how they manage to hold it all in without having some issues. Like if the babies are small at birth or something it'd make their heights such a weird thing to occur for them.

Oh boy, here we go again...

If what you mean to ask is how do Au Ra wombs hold their children when the males are such a greater size, the possibilities are threefold (maybe more, I'm not a biologist):

1. Au Ra uteri can stretch far enough to accommodate, even male twins.
2. Au Ra babies are born incredibly premature by human standards (at least the males), and have to be intensively cared for during their first few months of life.
3. (And this is the most likely candidate) Au Ra children of both sexes are about the same size until puberty, during which the males hit a colossal growth spurt while the females only reach the height they do. It's rather the same in human children, and it doesn't require biological hiccups.

[Samcaesar]

Snip.

Superior to what? Being on horseback? Because they've got horses for the men too, sure they won't sprint for days on end, but the need fot that level of endurance probably occurs rarely if ever.And I've said several times it doesn't give them an instant win, but it gives them an advantage that the women lack due to SE designing the girls to be Nadeshiko as hell when they should have focused on the whole warrior motif for the group of nomadic cultures that have a lot of warrior groups in them. Plus I don't know what models you're looking at but there's definitely a visible difference in muscular mass as well. Let's be honest when it comes to design, the men were designed to look strong, the women were designed for that Nadeshiko-esque appeal which has little place in a culture full of people who marry horses, drink their bodily fluids, revel in massacre, or strap children to trees and leave them for dead. I'm just reading the design as intended, if SE didn't want that then they should've opted for a different design which is completely within their power.

Anyways Cilia, yeah honestly I'm going with 3, it seems pretty reasonable. The only issue is it seems weird that both of them are able take on some of these coming of age ceremonies considering the massive body differences between the two.

[Cilia]

The only issue is it seems weird that both of them are able take on some of these coming of age ceremonies considering the massive body differences between the two.

The only two tribes that are stated to have tough coming-of-age ceremonies are the Qerel and Tumet, who kill tigers and tie their young to trees. The whole "with their own hands" bit is what makes the Qerel iffy, but it's stated that only warriors do this - anyone who fails either is probably relegated to the sidelines or just dies, and not everyone in the tribe is a warrior (I'd wager). The Tumet tie their young to trees as a coming-of-age ceremony, but that's at approximately 10 years old - a few years before puberty sets in in humans, so the playing field is about even.

... of course, that's not to say other Xaela tribes don't have coming-of-age ceremonies, but those are the only ones we really know about.

[Cilia]

For those of you curious, the female Au Ra camise is a tasteful camisole negligee, and the pantalettes are a pair of (very) short culottes.

Limbal rings can be toggled on or off at the Aesthetician, and their color can be changed as well. They're effectively what the Au Ra have instead of tribal tattoos.

Extra facial scales can also be toggled on or off, as expected.