So what are Au Ra?

[KokonoeAiyoko]

Dragons? Demons? Cursed? Lizards?

I saw they were originally going to be a demon type race but that ended up being changed to a more reptile or dragon type apperance, and even then it is a tad confusing going by what I've learned in game.

Thanks.

[Anonymoose]

I wrote a long response in a similar thread a while back and it seems to have aged okay, so I hope you'll forgive me for just quoting it to start.

A quick look back to the options given in the early Players' Polls suggests that Au Ra were internally built on the concept Reptilian Demi-beastmen. This is similar to how the Miqo'te are Mammalian (Feline) Demi-beastmen, or how a Viera-like race would have been Mammalian (Leporine) Demi-beastmen.

So, the dev. team goes through a few stages, bringing in demon-like concepts, and dragon-like concepts, and, what the hells, some of the wolf-like concepts from the mammalian considerations. Taking the aspects that are (seen internally as) best from each, the Au Ra takes shape, and it's quite scaly. What's the first thing that pops into your head? Most likely? Scalekin! Drakes and and the like! And the dragons descended from the Celestials! So they started fleshing out these early Reptilian (Draconic) Demi-beastmen.

However, as development on the story came along, they ran into a small problem. Isn't this the Ishgard expansion? Isn't Ishgard embroiled in a dragon war and don't they hate everything even vaguely related to dragons? And - oh, great - now people are running with Ishgard's accusation that Hraesvelgr and Shiva's spiritual bond can be reduced to a carnal and heretical sin, and claiming that these "Au Ra" are their offspring.

"How can we fit this race into the story without alienating them right off the bat?" Time to walk back the emphasis on Draconic and highlight the Demonic undertones a bit more, for starters. But let's keep enough of it to highlight the tension they would have in Ishgard. Let's leave this debate to "the scholars", but overall weight the scales (pun intended) on "not dragon" pretty hard.

Or did Hypothetical Othardian Celestials have something to do with this? Speculate, speculate, speculate! <foot still on the scale, though>

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

They're just a Race of Man with scales and horns - the same species as all the other playable races, just with distinct features unique to their region. No more related to Voidsent/demons or dragons than Mi'quote are to Coeurls. At least, that's the impression I've gotten.

Honestly, I hope they aren't cursed, or the offspring of dragons and demons, or whatever. They're more interesting the less Speshul they are, in my opinion.