Clan Vesh
By song and story, the Vesh tell of fleeing tumultuous lands for the haven of the Black Shroud.
Lore
Upon eons past, a clan of Miqo'te lived in a lush and plentiful land, protected, as all good creatures were, by two great birds, The Dawn Keeper and the Dusk Keeper. But this idyllic life was not to last forever, for outside their beloved home, the star was beset by Enemy Sorcerers.These Sorcerers had tried many times to breach the protection of the Dawn and Dusk Keepers, but to no avail, that is until they drew upon powers most vile, from a world with no Light. Empowered with this putrescent strength, these Sorcerers slew the Dawn Keeper and imprisoned his beloved, the Dusk Keeper in a battle that scorched the land.Grief stricken and starving, the clan, and many others fled their home, following the word of their augurs. Their journey lead them to what is now Eorzea, and then to the Black Shroud. Sadly, this new home would be fraught with its own troubles. These Enemy Sorcerers had already conquered it and now turned their eye to persecuting the newly settled Miqo'te. The clan and many other brave Miqo'te gave generations worth of staunch effort to live under these imposed hardships until they were finally forced to flee to the north, to the area now known as Ilsabard.Clan legend tells of a Ilsabardian bird of prey that a small clan of Miqo'te came to depend on. For eons they hunted the cold wilds of that land with the aid of this Cloudkin's keen eye and swift wing, until the Age of Endless Frost killed and drove the game across the frozen seas. With no choice but to follow, the clan made the dangerous trek across the ice to the south. Sustenance was scarce and the clan relied on the sharp senses of their companion birds to pinpoint fish beneath the ice.Sustained, the clan reached their ancestral home of Eorzea to find new game an a thriving forest. Sadly, their birds could not survive in this new clime and died, leaving the clan alone. However, the clan never forgot their feathered companions and took their name as their own, Vesh. As a gesture of remembrance, clan Vesh never harms, nor consumes Cloudkin or their eggs to this day.
minutiae
The Vesh are a fairly large matriarchal clan with an emphasis on hunting, physical strength, and the worship of Menphina. After the Calamity, this clan was forced to amend their poaching ways and focus more on the protection of the Shroud.
.Location.
They follow in the wake of plentiful game, but tend to stay in the region of the East Shroud, erecting collapsible tree dwellings and disassembling them as needed.
.Physiology.
The Vesh tend to be short and sturdily built with brown to dark gray skin. Their eyes are usually brown to green, and their hair is normally brown or black in wavy, unruly locks. They feature the typical long ears, tails, and canine teeth of Keepers.The most unique thing that can be said about their physiology is their apparent predisposition for children born with tapetum lucidum, or the thin layer of reflective tissue found in the back of some beastkin eyes. Like any other creature with the same feature, these individuals seem to be able to see better in low light conditions than their peers. Considered a boon and a good omen by the Vesh, it nevertheless comes with the typical drawbacks of the adaptation such as a sensitivity to bright light, and a slight blurring of detail with low light.
.Social Arrangement.
Strictly matriarchal, like all traditional clans, the Vesh have few permanent male members. If a male wishes to stay with the clan, he must prove his ability to contribute in some meaningful way while also living in social harmony. Whether this is hunting, or something more domestic is up to the individual’s personal strengths.The clan is led by a single matriline and a small group of elders. Clan traditions are passed down and kept by this group. Heavy emphasis is placed on worship of Menphina in nearly all aspects of their lives.Distinctions on families within the clan are not emphasized, as everyone is considered responsible for the raising and teaching of the clan’s children.
.Traditions.
.☽. Worship of Menphina is highly emphasized, and there are many holy days and rituals that take up their calendar. Even when not observing ceremonies it is also considered important to show Menphina’s love through action. This can be performed through providing for the clan, raising the young, and meting out justice on their behalf..☽. Their matron animal is a bird of prey supposedly from Meracydia, the Vesh. Such is their veneration that they never harm or consume Cloudkin. Eating birds or their eggs is considered disrespectful..☽. Young girls are expected to organize and lead a special hunting party in order to reach adulthood in this clan. A formidable prey is selected and a hunting party chosen by the one undergoing the Hunt. This is traditionally performed at around their sixteenth or seventeenth years, but it is not unheard of to be attempted earlier. The prospective adult is expected to strike a killing blow to the prey..☽. The clothes worn among the clan are commonly brown, blue, and red dyed hides adorned with feathers found on the forest floor. Painted wooden masks in the shape of bird's beaks are often worn as well..☽. The Vesh often make and carry wooden cudgels, usually cured in smoke for several weeks and painted to resemble birds. Curiously these cudgels are always partially hollowed out and carved with holes so that they might be played as a woodwind instrument. The cudgels are considered finely crafted if they whistle while being used in battle..☽. Most Keeper clans paint their faces, signaling to the Gods for their blessing and to let them know they are ready to serve them as warriors in the afterlife, should they fall.The Vesh take this further and have paints in various colors for different occasions.
Black is for battle and war.
Red is for celebrations. Bondings, births, birthdays, and ceremonial hunts.
Blue is for Menphinic ceremonies but also for winter and fall celebrations.
Green is for general hunting.
Gold is for spring and summer celebrations and ceremonies.
White is mourning and death.
OOC
Hi, thanks for reading my little space for my Keeper of the Moon clan headcanon! It's not to be taken as official lore or how I expect other clans to operate. I just wanted a place to organize it all after some requests from friends!Nothing in the Vesh mythos is supposed to be taken at face value. Like any myth, what might have begun as truth, has been embellished over time. Hopefully, not too embellished though, as I did want to link loosely to specific events in the XIV timeline, and I would welcome speculation on what these 'Dawn & Dusk Birds,' and other titles might actually be.It's always a WIP as new lore reveals itself or creativity strikes me!Some things you won't find on this carrd are:
Mentions of "heats" or estrus cycles. There's nothing in lore to suggest any of the Spoken races have such a process, and I am frankly tired of people bringing it up publicly IC. If you want to ERP that privately on your own, that's perfectly fine, but seeing it mentioned in public RP is kind of gross. Please don't make me roll my eyes out of my skull, I'm tired of having to wash the cat hair off them.
Speaking a Miqo'te language. It's stated that the Miqo'te did once have a language, however the only remnants left of it in Eorzea are their traditional names and their use of Huntspeak. The Encyclopedia Eorzea states: **"Despite their inherently solitary nature, the Miqo'te adopted the common tongue early on, born of a need to barter with other races to procure materials with which to craft their hunting tools and weapons. Remnants of the old tongue can be observed in the distinctive Miqo'te ‘huntspeak’ - a system of tongue-clicks and whistles used to communicate with companions while in pursuit of quarry.” **So, sadly little remains of their language, and how they use Huntspeak now in Eorzea is not quite a language any longer. I posit that Huntspeak is now simply a shorthand for quick, efficient exchange of information while hunting. For example: "Prey--East," is likely the extent of its breadth, but I'll concede it may still be spoken in Meracydia. We'll see, I hope!
🙛 You can find a directory for my characters here!