Miqo'te

The Miqo'te are a cat-like race from Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV. They are similar in appearance to the Mithra of Final Fantasy XI, but unlike the Mithra, both male and female are available. Like the Hyur, the Miqo'te are an immigrant race; they are not originally native to the region.

History
During the Age of Endless Frost, as the seas turned to ice and passage over them became possible, Eorzea saw an influx of foreign fauna to her shores. This in turn brought the hunting tribes which subsisted upon them, the modern descendants of whom are today known as the Miqo'te.

Since their arrival, the Miqo'te have diverged into two physically distinguishable groups — the diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon.

Culture
As a species, the Miqo'te have diverged into two separate race cultures; the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon.

The Seekers of the Sun worship the goddess of the sun, Azeyma the Warden, and their culture revolves around the inclusion of the sun in their daily lives; becoming known as the diurnal clan of the Miqo'te race; active during the day.

The Keepers of the Moon are nocturnal. Shying from the garish light of day, they revel in the shroud of night, and offer their piety to Menphina the Lover, goddess of the moon.

The Keepers of the Moon also have a custom of applying war paint to their faces, as it is believed the vivid colors grant lunar powers.

Physiology
Due to the differences of their cultures, there are some physical differences between the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon.

Due to their exposure to light, the pupils of a "Seeker of the Sun" are vertically aligned slits with irises faintly colored. It is also not uncommon for their eyes to be disparately colored from birth, a trait considered auspicious amongst their kind.

In contrast, due to their exposure to darkness, the pupils of a "Keeper of the Moon" are large and round, with very little iris exposure. They are distinguishable from their diurnal cousins by their darker fur, larger ears, rounder eyes, more pronounced canines, and longer, skinnier tails.

Both groups share a superb sense of smell and powerful leg muscles, results of a long evolution geared towards hunting and predation.

With the Realm Reborn version a few differences are noted, for instance the Seekers of the Sun ears are wider with thick hair, while the Keepers of the Moon have stylized ears with short hair and are slightly longer and thinner.

Male Miqo'te from the Seekers of the Sun have tanned skin and have wider faces and their tails seems to have a lion/feline like design, while the Keepers of the Moon have canine/wolf like tails with pale coloration. A small, but noticeable detail is the Seeker of the Sun do not have pronounced canine teeth; Keepers of the Moon have long canines that are clearly visible when laughing, cheering, or most other emoting.

Demeanor
Comparatively few in number, they maintain an insular group mentality within their clans, tending to avoid contact with the other races. Many individuals lead isolated lifestyles, even when living in the more populous cities.

The Seekers are widely regarded as quick-witted and prone to action, and many exhibit a tendency to bore easily while the Keepers are known for their reticent and brooding personalities, but are also respected and sometimes feared for their tenacity.

Avid Fishers, their high Dexterity and quick wit makes them outstanding Archers and Pugilists.

Home Areas
The Seekers are relatively diasporized across Eorzea; a few can be found in nearly every single region of the land, bar Coerthas. Limsa Lominsa, however, boasts a substantial Seeker population, as the Seekers are generally drawn to La Noscea's warm-temperate climate and abundant sunlight. Many of the Seekers who have settled in Limsa have also adopted most of its social mores, and do not follow the "traditional" clan hierarchy very closely, if at all.

The other famous population of Seekers is to be found in Thanalan - notably, not Ul'dah, but Thanalan itself, specifically the Sagolii Desert. While a number of Seekers are to be found in Ul'dah (including the infamous Ul'dahn "dancing girls"), a number of Seeker tribes inhabit the southern parts of Thanalan, extending into the Sagolii. These tribes, in contrast to their urbanized cousins, tend to be stridently traditional in culture, maintaining the Nunh-headed social structure that the Seekers have lived under for millenia and with an economy focused on hunting. The most famous of the tribes of this sort among adventurers are undoubtedly the "U", or Drake, tribe; the location of their home, "Forgotten Springs", makes it a good stop-over point for anyone venturing out into the desert, and the village sees a good deal of traffic (to mixed feelings from the U).

Keepers, meanwhile, are generally found in the Black Shroud. They are divided between those who have made peace with the Gridanians and integrated into their culture (and can be found making up a not-insubstantial portion of groups like the Wood Wailers), and the other clans who still resist Gridanian "domination" and have carved out their own small domains in the forest, like the Coeurlclaws. The latter tend to engage in banditry to aid their survival, forcing them into further conflict with Gridanians, who are worried their behavior will incite the wrath of the Twelveswood's elementals.

The one city-state in Eorzea where Mi'qote of any kind are not found in number is Ishgard; especially thanks to Coerthas' recent climate shift, it is now much too cold for a Seeker to be comfortable, and often too cloudy for the Keepers, making their reverence of, and connection to, Menphina more difficult. The general hostility of the Ishgardians toward "outsiders" only further serves as a deterrent to Mi'qote moving into the region in number; any Mi'qote encountered in Coerthas is likely either an adventurer or traveler, neither likely to stay for long.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
The default Miqo'te costume is one of Lightning's garbs in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. It is obtained from the fat Chocobo girl found behind an alley in Yusnaan. One of the Miqo'te's unique poses serves as Lightning's victory pose while she is wearing this garb.