Actual lore regarding the current civilizations on Meracydia (potential spoilers)

[Lauront]

Their architecture isn't what I had in mind for Grecian though. Amaurot is basically New York City. I don't know what I'd call Elpis, but it certainly doesn't look like Athens, Mykonos, or even something like Meteora.

Sharlayan is much closer architecturally, and through the combination of the two I'd say it's more or less been covered off now.

[Rulakir]

We have centaurs at home.

Oh, that looks like the dragonkin from WoW, meh. I meant like actual centaurs. I'm a huge Greek myth nerd (if it wasn't obvious :P).

Sharlayan is much closer architecturally, and through the combination of the two I'd say it's more or less been covered off now.

I suppose. I'm just not keen on the tribal aesthetic having been surrounded by it at length in WoW. Frankly, I'd rather have more beauty like Silvermoon or Suramar. Something like the Black Empire would be cool, though that'd probably be filed under Egyptian-themed.

[Lauront]

Oh, that looks like the dragonkin from WoW, meh. I meant like actual centaurs. I'm a huge Greek myth nerd (if it wasn't obvious :P).

They may exist. The build up quest to Zurvan is a bit confusing because it doesn't name the species of his thralls (although Veloran is entirely correct that he is said to be worshipped by centaurs.) If it's mentioned elsewhere someone can correct me as I don't recall the ins and outs of that stuff.

I believe the thralls are these things based on the image Veloran linked:



On centaurs there is some limited lore (these along with other weird and wonderful sentries are encountered in the Antitower):



So there is hope yet for you.

I suppose. I'm just not keen on the tribal aesthetic having been surrounded by it at length in WoW. Frankly, I'd rather have more beauty like Silvermoon or Suramar. Something like the Black Empire would be cool, though that'd probably be filed under Egyptian-themed.

Me neither, so I'm in firm agreement on that. Those WoW zones (virtually all Highborne/those of Highborne-descended races) were truly hauntingly beautiful zones, especially Suramar given its sheer scale.

[MikkoAkure]

Meracydia is an unusual case because we simultaneously know a whole lot about how it was 5000 years ago and absolutely nothing about it in the current period. It's sort of like trying to discern the affairs of modern Eorzea from the existence of the states during the War of the Magi - And while you actually wouldn't get it totally wrong, you'd be pretty off the mark.

I strongly doubt the area is made up of only tribal peoples. The Miqo'te maybe since that's deeply ingrained into their culture, but even if the Allagan invasion truly reduced everybody to cave-dwellers, that was five thousand years ago.

This is what we know of modern Meracydia from 1.0, but may be out of date:
Leve dialogue:

An informant from Ul'dah had provided representatives from Black Rabbit Traders with a rumor that the Jolly Raptor is planning a shipment of gnat antennae to the witch doctors of Meracydia, and that the company has been promised an exorbitant sum of gil upon its delivery.

Quality materials crafted by the skilled alchemists of Eorzea are highly sought-after in the faraway land of Meracydia. The Seventry-seven Caravans is currently preparing a shipment bound for the southern continent via Limsa Lominsa, but is still far from meeting its quota.

Kple Kple on lodestone entry:

This staff is said to have been created by a powerful conjurer who took the taproot of an ancient rosewood tree burned to the ground by a levinbolt, and fixed to it a ceremonial sun mask used by the primitive tribes on the distant southern continent of Meracydia.

This is what I could find for mentions of modern Meracydia from ARR onwards:
Oda:

As well as places such as Meracydia, which are yet uncharted because of the hostility of the inhabitants. Currently when anyone tries to get near Meracydia, the inhabitants there will fend them off with any means they have. So it’s been very hard to document what’s going on there.

EE:

While some areas remain uninhabitable even today, those which have been repopulated remain recluse and very rarely welcome contact with the civilizations of the northern hemisphere, ofttimes attacking any who approach, whether it be by sea or by air.

Kple Kple in EE2:

Dissatisfied with Gridania's ruling class, a conjurer of somewhat ill repute fastened a Meracydian mask from the body of a worshipper of Sephirot to the living root of a heavenspillar

Urianger:

Twas a Meracydian dialect, if mine ears do not deceive - though one which beareth scant resemblence to any spoken in recent times. Aye. From their tongue, their words, and their attire, ‘tis like that our antagonists were Meracydian - thralls to the Goddess Sophia and victims of the Allagans’ incursions.

These seem to suggest tribal people, but at least according to 1.0 lore Limsa Lominsa was trading with some of them. There's at least enough cross-cultural exchange that Urianger is versed in modern Meracydian language and that Sharlayan scholars had been able to penetrate enough into their society to learn it.

Oda's mentions of the inhabitants brings to my memory the people of North Sentinel Island. The wording of thwarting off trespassers with "any means they have" does not strike me as a society that is technologically comparable to others we are more familiar with, but that's just my take on it.

The Kple Kple staff's lore also changed between 1.0 and ARR, which I thought was interesting. That may mean that Sephirot may still have worshipers in Meracydia. Unless that was just the writers trying to weld new lore to old and the conjurer found a 5000 year old mask somehow.

Though as we've seen from Dalmasca going from a footnote in lore to a place we actually go to and its entire geographical location and history changing, the writers can and will change lore completely should it suit them. Another example is the elephant beastmen not being able to speak the languages of man in Stormblood, to being a part of Hannish society and fluent in Eorzean in Endwalker.

[KageTokage]

They may exist. The build up quest to Zurvan is a bit confusing because it doesn't name the species of his thralls (although Veloran is entirely correct that he is said to be worshipped by centaurs.) If it's mentioned elsewhere someone can correct me as I don't recall the ins and outs of that stuff.

I believe the thralls are these things based on the image Veloran linked:

Reptoids are distinct entities from the native Meracydians that served as Zurvan's thralls as we see the latter in that cutscene with Tiamat where she recalls her role in bringing peace between them and the foreigners who arrived on the continent at a later time.

Another example is the elephant beastmen not being able to speak the languages of man in Stormblood, to being a part of Hannish society and fluent in Eorzean in Endwalker.

The lore blurb for the A rank in Yanxia stated that they had difficulty with the common tongue (Which made the Garleans dismiss them as simple beasts), and some of the Matanga that show up to attack the Dataqi tribe in the FATE chain on the steppe do shout threats; albeit rather simplistic ones.

Perhaps the Arksodara only became fluent in common after the Au Ra arrived and helped them chase off the hostile Gajasura.

[Yuella]

They can do a Raya and the Last Dragon type story where different cultures in close proximity have to unite to face a common, stronger enemy. Have an archipelago in between Thavnair and Meracydia as the setting. Have 4 or 5 zones that are at war with each other and we have to make them stop fighting and unite. The final boss can either be in Meracydia or underwater or even underground.

[KageTokage]

They can do a Raya and the Last Dragon type story where different cultures in close proximity have to unite to face a common, stronger enemy. Have an archipelago in between Thavnair and Meracydia as the setting. Have 4 or 5 zones that are at war with each other and we have to make them stop fighting and unite. The final boss can either be in Meracydia or underwater or even underground.

That would actually be a unique take on things because thus far, we've always had people willfully siding against a common threat, whether it be Ishgardians vs. Dravanians, basically everyone vs. the Garleans, or the Crystarium vs. Eulmore/sin eaters.

There's never been a multi-layered conflict where multiple factions are at odds with one another...though I could see the business with the remaining Garlean legions escalating into such if they get into disagreements about Garlemald's future.