Rava
The Rava clan (ラヴァ, "Ravu-a Zoku" meaning "Rava Group") are native to the Golmore Jungle and live as a hunter-gatherer society. While male Rava stand guard over the forests they inhabit, the females also guard their homes and children.[1]
History
The Rava have lived in the Golmore Jungle for centuries, choosing to be isolated even from their sister tribe, the Veena. Though the neighboring kingdom of Dalmasca has tried time and again to subjugate them, the Rava have always resisted or even retaliated with violence and have maintained a self-governing dominion.[1]
Due to their strict adherence to the Green Word, Most Viera have had little to no interaction with the outside world, with very few willing to suffer exile. However, in more recent times, the Viera can be seen living in outside cities and are often held in high regard and seen as "mysterious". However, under Garlean rule, like many other peoples, Viera are treated like all others who aren’t pureblood Garlean; as lower-class citizens. This is made all the more difficult for the Viera considering they forsake their homes in search of freedom[2]
Physical Attributes
Most Viera for both the Rava and Veena clan are born female, roughly 80%. From birth, male and female Viera children are physically identical and are referred to as Kits. Once kits reach the age of maturity, around their thirteenth nameday, their gender becomes more apparent. From this point on, the Viera will move into adulthood, where they will keep their physical youth for centuries. Where a Hyur might live to see eighty summers, Viera are said to live to see 12 score or more. [3]
The Rava, like the Veena, are tall and slender. They have large leporine ears and dark skin, which they use to their advantage to blend into the forests while hunting. The tallest Rava females can reach up to 75 ilms, while the males stand slightly shorter at 73 ilms.[4]
Both male and female Rava exhibit extreme martial prowess, with the males becoming the solitary "Wood-Warders" - guardians of the forests they call home, and the females being the sole gatherers, hunters and protectors for their villages and their young.
Culture
The Rava tribe, much like the Keepers of the Moon Miqo'te, is a matriarchal society. They observe a code known as The Green Word, forbidding contact with the outside world under threat of exile. This code also keeps of-age male Rava from living in the villages, instead taking up the mantle of "Wood-Warder" and protecting the settlements from any and all intruders, while the females also hunt and gather for the village, and are charged with protecting their homes and young.[3]
Though the Rava have lived by the Green Word for centuries and very few used to venture beyond the land they were born to, in recent years more and more Rava have been abandoning the Green Word and their ancestral birthplace in favor of setting out for cities, making up around 5% of the population of Dalmasca.[3]
Male Rava
Under the Green Word, male Rava are not permitted to live in the villages, nor hold positions of rule or power. Once a Rava is determined to be male, he will be taught the ways of the Wood-Warder. Males return to the villages infrequently, roughly every three to five summers, only to mate and take any males who have come of age to train them to protect and care for the woods, as well as how to live in the wilds. This training takes many years and is incredibly brutal, more often than not resulting in the death of the young jack. Once the jack obtains the title of master, he may then live on his own.[3]
Male Rava Viera live in extreme solitude with no community. Everything, from food to weapons to clothing must be obtained by themselves without others helping. They often live and die alone, protecting the forests in which they dwell.[3]
Nomenclature
The Rava and Veena both share naming conventions, meaning that a Viera's name will not be indicative of what clan they are from. Generally, forenames are split into two ideologies, a "forest" name and a "city" name. A forest name is given to a Viera at birth and is used by any Viera who live in their ancestral homeland These names generally resemble and follow the grammatical structure of real-world Icelandic names. However, once a Viera leaves their homeland and sets out to explore the world, they will drop their "forest" name as a mark of breaking from the traditional Viera way of life. The Viera will then choose a name for themselves, or a "city" name. These names can be anything and have no notable markers.
For surnames, they are generally taken from what village the Viera is from, however since male Viera leave their village for the wider forest, they will often take their surname from the older Wood Warder they first train under. Like forenames, surnames are generally dropped upon leaving the forest.
Notable Rava
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers
- ↑ Company Tragedian
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Wandering Dramaturge
- ↑ Character Creation: Rava