"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." - African Proverb
Server: MATEUS
RP Status: ACTIVE
Recruitment: CLOSED
Standing Nunh: E'VAHN NUNH
Near the easternmost cut of the Burning Wall reside a variant of the Eft tribe. Parts of their history have been lost or altered in the wake of the last Calamity, but they are a faction presumed to have occupied the often inhospitable, yet culturally rich land dating back at least six generations. Historically, they were unremitting in their hostility towards outsiders, known to kill first, ask questions later, although it has been proposed by some this aggression is but an exaggeration.
Likewise suspected to be part of this proud tribe's aggrandizement is their claim their Nunhs — both their breeding males and their overseers — without exception have been long-lived and universally successful. Pre-Calamity era, they averaged two standing Nunhs per generation, never more than three, but their loss in numbers have forced a rare cultural shift towards a preference of a single leader.
The Eft of Burning Wall are a robust and proud people, haughty in manner and spirit, cited in many instances of being willfully contrary both to outsiders and each other. At a glance they are inferred to be an individualistic society, rumors aplenty as to the fate of their elderly and ailing. All told, the Eft's emphasis on strength of body and character is not overstated, but it is in fact compounded with the principle that a group is only as capable as its least capable member.
Thus, their elderly are revered and cared for. While it's by no means uncommon for the sickly to encounter flagrant disdain for their lesser status, overall, this is done in the name of "Eft fire," a multifaceted phrase used throughout the tribe that in such instances translates to "tough love." The goal and expectation is not that their weakest will falter, but on the contrary they will rise, stronger in the face of their trials and tribulations, and ultimately be grateful for the privilege.
Verbal infighting is not uncommon among both men and women of the tribe. To those not of their blood, there is an unwritten, unspoken expectation to not speak disparagingly of one's people, and it would not be uncommon for an Eft to insult a fellow tribesmen in front of a passing merchant, then turn on said merchant if they dared agree with him or her. In short, for as often as they border on internecine warfare, even the worst of their ilk is held in higher esteem than anyone else.
Following the Calamity, they have become slightly more open to the concept of trade and outside influences, although the degree of this has fluctuated depending on the standing Nunh. Public stereotype speaks of the huntresses being hostile as ever, while the Tia are affable, but this is like as not a confirmation bias, as it is understandably the more easygoing of the Tia who are sent out to forge alliances and talk trade.
The Eft are typically no taller or shorter than an average Miqo'te would be. They are sturdily-built and kept in good bodily condition by their demanding lifestyles, many choosing to remain physically active well into their twilight years, the most stubborn of them working until the day they die.
Almost without exception, they have tanned and darker skin tones. Their hair runs the gamut from light brown to the blackest black, with the rare sightings of red being looked upon favorably and others such as blonde or white considered either exotic or unbecoming, depending on the individual you ask. For the most part, they are light-eyed, with heterochromia seen as desirable. Many have a preference for the sloe-eyed, both for their rarity within the tribe and the slowly-spread acceptance that the light-eyed are more prone to vision loss in their later years. Some of the youngest females of coupling age have spoken of a preference for dark-eyed Nunhs for this reason.
Tattoos and piercings are rare and have no religious or culture significance, used mostly as a means of individual expression, to relieve boredom, to signify an important event, and the like. There is a slight stigma against ear piercings, born from concerns they may somehow interfere with hunting and an old wives' tale they will droop your ears and turn them ugly.
Recently, a research team tasked with capturing a Mirrorknight for further study found a battered, scarcely legible journal. It detailed the journeys of a Gridanian midlander by the name of Cyndal Heard, who despite his name, has not been heard from in quite some time. Among his many tales, the very last of them, is the recollections of his time in Eft, following an injury and subsequent discovery by Eft huntresses:
I feared they may cut my throat and leave me for the beasts, Cyndal wrote. One joked of tossing me and my pair of hounds in 'the drake pits.' Some were fearful of the dogs, but the one who appeared to be in charge, E'tashara, she refused to let them be slaughtered. For this, I am grateful.
Later, Cyndal writes: The Nunh is a man by the name of E'malha. He has allowed me to stay for the fortnight it should take for my leg to recover. Rumor has spoken true: I am of the impression the woman here are not to be spoken with, or even looked at too long. Avoiding them is its own effort, as there are a great many more of them than the males.
Half their structures are dilapidated and abandoned. It would seem to me there is near an equal number of young and old as there are Eft in their prime, and this lack of the fully-grown and able-bodied is taking its toll on each of their age brackets in different ways. The elderly are more independent than perhaps they should be, and children are often left with the them or roam freely and unsupervised while their mothers hunt. At my best guess...
I hear some grumble in passing of the Calamity, but I fear what the reaction would be if I were to ask for their numbers prior to this tragedy. I may be so bold as to inquire when I visit the Nunh this evening. He has asked to learn more of my hounds.
Of the Twelve, all of whom the Eft acknowledge as existing, Azeyma Keeper of the Sun and Goddess of Inquiry is most revered. She is depicted not as a noble lady with a golden fan, but as an Eft woman with dark skin, red hair, and dark eyes that hold a bright flame within them. The imagery and name of Azeyma is most often utilized for things involving law or trial, as the Eft share the widespread belief that Azeyma consoles all who confess their wrongdoings. Through her they learn not only unrelenting truth, but the means to be merciful.
More commonly and publicly worshiped is their guardian totem of Mother Eft, a creature that permeates the vast majority of their mythology, slang, and religious imagery.
The story of the Mother Eft has several adaptions, and through the years parts of the tale fall out of favor or are replaced by new enemies and trials. But the most common version is this: an eft carries her many children on her back, facing numerous obstacles along the way, including a gigantoad who nearly swallows them whole; a jackal who manages to lure several of her children away and devours them; a dodo who mistakenly tells her the wrong way to go, with perilous results; and lastly, most importantly, a drake who encircles the eft in fire, from which she can only safely leap to freedom if she abandons her children.
Instead, the eft walks through the fire, sacrificing herself to spare each of her remaining children. Outraged, the smaller eft join together to battle, and defeat, the drake.
There is a misconception among outsiders — and sometimes within the tribe itself — that "Eft fire" refers to a fire from the Mother Eft herself, a symbol for her fury and ferocity. But as the priest and priestesses will tell you, Eft fire is, as with the gigantoad, the willingness to persevere against the odds; as with the jackal, it is the reasonable suspicion of those not your own; as with the dodo, it is the soundness of mind to know when to make our decisions; above all, as with the drake, it is moving forward, no matter what, and keeping the needs of the many in mind.
While they keep their beliefs close at heart, the Eft as a whole do not tend to come off as zealots. The majority are believers, and to not be would be considered strange, to say the least, but they are lax in their worship tendencies. However, those who could be viewed as votaries of Azeyma and especially of the Mother Eft are typically given more leeway and innate trust than an average tribesmate should they find themselves facing publicly scrutiny.
Historically, the Eft operated on a barter/trade system and kept strictly to themselves. Generations ago, a nunh by the name of E'zakra felt their lack of currency was unsustainable long-term, and through him and his predecessor, E'yarel, the Eft integrated common gil into the foundation of their economy. Although they still partake in trade, the buy-sell method is now their default, with haggling all but expected, especially among the older members.
E'zakra urged the tribe to consider business dealings with non-Eft, but it wasn't until after the latest Calamity, in the time of E'malha Nunh, the group as a whole warmed to the idea of commerce outside their borders. Because of the tribe's temperament and inconvenient location, travelers are a rarity, but if a merchant does happen their way, they are permitted entry, albeit with some wariness, more so if they are male. Far more common is that Eft's most personable Tia are sent out to forge business alliances and purchase provisions and goods not obtainable within the tribelands.
(An open secret is that Tia with wandering eyes where the women are concerned will often be "coincidentally" selected for this task, with E'malha, steadfast traditionalist but as much realist, reported to have grumbled at several of them to "Get it out of their system" while they were on foreign soil.)
Aside from gil, the Eft have to offer their awe-inspiring scrimshaw work, which has become a common conversation piece among Ul'dah's well-to-do.
The Eft are searching for trade for the following items and provisions on a frequent basis:
- Spices, a bit of relief from their bland diet
- Interesting textile work, a status symbol for huntresses and occasionally the men of the tribe
- Individual animals to be brought back for slaughter and fresh meat, such as chickens
- Salt even though you'd think they'd have enough to go around
- Sweets and candy, a luxury item frequently requested by the children of the tribe
- Weapons and weapon-forging material
In its known history, the Eft tribe has had the space, manpower, environment, and inclination to keep little in the way of livestock. They maintain two separate but small herds of aldgoats, housed on opposite ends of their territory and by different groups of people to avoid any unexpected sickness wiping out the entirety of their flock. These animals are used for their pelts, meat, and milk, but there are not so many these luxuries can be treated carelessly, and the herders tasked with choosing which animals to cull, and when, have a well-respected but high-stress profession, to put it lightly.
Pets are by and large a strange concept to the tribe, but since the time of E'malha Nunh, the majority has accepted the idea of hunting dogs. Outsiders are clueless as to where they obtained these animals, but these lanky, long-legged, short-coated hounds are now a status symbol among the tribe. Due to their prevalence of use in drake hunts, they are referred to as "drake dogs."
Notably, it is said a Nunh once had a pet tuco-tuco with her own personal caretakers, wounding several of them.
The Eft use a drip irrigation system to tend to their harvest. In the warmer moons, they grow things like eggplant, tomato, sweet potatoes, and especially beans. Colder moons see the addition of things like carrots, broccoli, onions, and especially potatoes. The Eft's wealth disparity pales in comparison to a society such as, say, Ul'dah, but lacking the abundance of arable land and manpower they had pre-Calamity, second helpings are a luxury to some, and there are certainly days mothers go hungry so their children might fill their bellies.
Aside from what's sourced from their aldgoat flocks, their selection of meat tends to be gamey and sometimes unconventional, such as tuco-tuco and drake. Many are surprised to learn eft meat is considered a delicacy, and in fact there is a yearly festival with consuming it as the focal point. Meat is rarely eaten fresh, more likely to be salted, stored, and consumed strictly as needed.
Eft's potable water is sourced primarily from around the Burning Wall. They have primitive plumbing and utilize a type of slow sand filter system. Rapid sand filter systems have been proposed in the past and are the subject of frequent debate, but as they require much more land, gil, and manpower to operate and maintain, they have yet to be implemented. There have been cases of cholera deaths and other contamination woes both throughout history and present day.
The oldest parts of Eft lack the uniformity of their most modern structures. In first establishing their territory, they used whatever materials were available, and on an individual basis, leading to the structural integrity, style, and materials of their architecture to vary wildly. After the Calamity, the building and maintaining of homes and businesses became a profession onto its own. E'malha Nunh established a system of square, stone buildings that spared much in the way of beauty but wanted for little in practicality, and elected the first team of builders to see to their creation and care. This system remains in use to date.
The Eft speak the common tongue of Eorzea. They have no ancestral language on record, but do have various tribe-specific slang and gestures that have evolved throughout the years.
"Eft Fire"
"Eft fire" is without a doubt the most common slang used throughout the tribe. Outsiders frequently mistake its meaning, interpreting it to be a boastful reference to the tribe's notoriously froward temperament; in recent years, the tribe's youth have started to use it in a similar way, accusing weaker or more cowardly children of having no "Eft fire."
The actual use of the phrase, coined as a result of the mythology of the Mother Eft, is two-fold: It references tough love, and it speaks of perseverance through every obstacle, no matter how daunting or hopeless it may seem, while keeping your tribesmen close to heart.
"May the shade find you."
A saying that, to the untrained ear, sounds as if it must have good intentions. It is hot out in Thanalan, after all, who wouldn't appreciate the shade? In truth this is the tribal equivalent of "Bless your/their/his/her heart(s)." It's sometimes spoken genuinely, but far more often is sarcasm disguised as something more affable.
Touching the thumbs to together:
Basically, flipping someone the bird. The palms typically face the person being, err, gestured at.
Spitting near the feet:
The worst insult an Eft can give another Eft, or anyone else, short of burning their house down. Someone spits near someone's feet and there's liable to be a brawl.
"Gigantoad"
Derived from the tale of Mother Eft and simply the nature of these ravenous beasts, to call someone a gigantoad is to either mock them for their weight ("E'tempe's getting as big as a gigantoad.") or to reference a particularly insatiable appetite ("E'tempe ate like a gigantoad last night!"). It is used both as an insult and playfully.
"Dodo"
Derived from the tale of Mother Eft, to dub someone a dodo is to either say they are outright stupid ("E'tempe's dumb as a dodo."), that they have no sense of direction ("E'tempe's leading? We may as well follow a dodo!"), or that they happened to get lost ("E'tempe was a real dodo last time we went hunting!"). It has varying degrees of insult to it, but is typically not used in any playful way except among friends inclined to insult each other for sport.
"Jackal"
Derived from the tale of Mother Eft, saying someone is a jackal means that they are a liar, a trickster, and potentially dangerous. On average it is the less extreme and often more petty means of calling someone a drake. ("Did you hear what E'kalani said about me? She's such a jackal!") Very rarely is it used as anything but a blatant insult and is considered by most to be something of a curse word.
"Drake"
Derived from the tale of the Mother Eft, the drake being the greatest and final of her trials, to call someone a drake is the equivalent of saying they are pure evil, or at the very least the worst person you've ever met. Within the tribe it is essentially a curse word, with mothers often chiding their rowdy children for using the term for their siblings.
