Au Ra, what are they?

[Atoli]

I wouldn't say that. Being a Warrior of Light is about being chosen by the planet itself, which means she can probably make up the rules as she chooses. A Garlean WoL could happen just as soon as she chooses to make it happen.

I think we don't even know why Garleans are unable to use magic (something to do with that third eye), so declaring that Hydaelyn can just make up the rules as she pleases is probably going a bit far.
We've seen enough things that were way beyond her control already, and that's not even counting the calamities happening. She couldn't even protect her chosen WoL from Midgardsomr's interference.
All you'd need is an equally strong being behind the Garleans inability to weave aether and Hydaelyn couldn't do anything at all.

@thread topic:
It's all been said already (that they are meant to be demonic looking), but I still like to imagine that they are a dragon x human lovechild (don't worry about the logistics of that, they reproduce asexually...which probably still holds true for Au Ra to this day, since that size difference is nothing to laugh at either^^°)

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

It's all been said already (that they are meant to be demonic looking), but I still like to imagine that they are a dragon x human lovechild (don't worry about the logistics of that, they reproduce asexually...which probably still holds true for Au Ra to this day, since that size difference is nothing to laugh at either^^°)

Aside from the dragon connection having been refuted, we actually have evidence of regular sexual reproduction - breeding practices are directly mentioned in the little summaries of the Xaela Goro and Borlaaq tribes, so size difference or not, they breed as any other race of man does.

[Atoli]

Aside from the dragon connection having been refuted

I know that, which is why I said I still like to imagine it was that way. Also because it makes a lot more sense than crushing poor little Auri ladies to death xD

[Ashkendor]

I know that, which is why I said I still like to imagine it was that way. Also because it makes a lot more sense than crushing poor little Auri ladies to death xD

I'll have you know that my hulking dragonman is more than capable of being gentle with his little waifu.

She is Xaela and she is scary and she would probably slap the ever-living crap out of him if he wasn't. xD

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

And size disparity like that isn't unheard of in nature (think of all the various breeds of dogs, and the incredible size difference between some). Au Ra breed with one another, thus "crushing their ladies" is clearly not an issue. Something about their biology obviously accommodates the size difference.

[GunsBlazing]

Neither are (most of) the Xaela, for that matter. Most of the description we get in that naming convention post focuses on the hunter/gatherer aspect of their culture, with only a small handful explicitly mentioning combat. In fact, by my count, there are a whopping SEVEN that are especially warlike (Adarkim, Borlaaq, Budugu, Jhungid, Kharlu, Qerel, Dotharl). Seven, of fifty-one.

That is not entiry accurate. You are missing a lot of context by only reading the snippets of different tribes. That is what makes each one unique from another, it is not the full context of their nature. Imagine somebody asked you to describe something to them that had many subsets. You would likely begin by describing the generalization of the subsets as a whole, then break off to explain what makes each subset different from the last. We are told Xaelas are always warring with one another, then go into a list of the tribes. The only ones that wouldnt fight, thusly, are the ones that explicitly state that they do not. That would be the trait that makes them unique. The entire description of Xaelas states:

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.

Just because they ommited the warring part from the very brief individual tribal descriptions does not mean that they do not go to war. All of them do, aside from the very few that say they don't. Basically, if it doesn't say they are peaceful or avoid conflict, they fight each other. Some require more description of their aggressiveness because that is what makes them special (like the dotharls) while the peaceful ones also require that distinction. The rest? They fight, too. They just have another unique custom that sets them apart, thus requires the tribe's spotlight tidbit. If this were not the case, there would not be some that only talk about avoiding fights.

[Theodric]

And size disparity like that isn't unheard of in nature (think of all the various breeds of dogs, and the incredible size difference between some). Au Ra breed with one another, thus "crushing their ladies" is clearly not an issue. Something about their biology obviously accommodates the size difference.

Didn't the developers outright state that they deliberately adjusted the race's design to appeal to different target audiences for each gender? I could have sworn I read that somewhere.

[Belhi]

Didn't the developers outright state that they deliberately adjusted the race's design to appeal to different target audiences for each gender? I could have sworn I read that somewhere.

That's true but that was a design decision and in FF14 they make a habit of creating lore to fit those design decisions. As Koji said at just the panel yesterday, if they decide to add carbonara to the game the lore people need to figure out what culture has carbonara as part of its cooking. Designers figured out what the Au Ra aesthetic was going to be. The lore guys then figured out how to explain why it is that way.

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

That is what makes each one unique from another, it is not the full context of their nature.

Mm, I kinda feel like you have it backwards, there. Some of them war. Some of them are more focused around a hunter-gatherer existence. Some are nomadic, some are stationary. Thus, the little introduction to them is accurate inasmuch as it seeks to cover the Xaela as a whole. The part with all the context is the tribal blurbs, and they seem to be less about noting exceptions than they are about giving specifics.

And by your own logic, the fact that the seven I mentioned above go out of their way to mention the warmongering activities really rather supports my point; if it was a given, it wouldn't be worth noting. NONE of the characteristics mentioned in the general description are a given. It all changes tribe to tribe.

Didn't the developers outright state that they deliberately adjusted the race's design to appeal to different target audiences for each gender? I could have sworn I read that somewhere.

Yeah, probably (I think I remember reading that too), but I don't see why they can't designed to appeal to specific demosgraphics AND have a biological precedent. Whatever the case, we have direct references to male-female reproduction; therefore, the size disparity clearly isn't an issue in that area.