The Many Types of Beastmen (Quon and Mindarta)

This entire post has been transferred from FFXI Encyclopedia article found here.

According to legend, the beastmen were created by the god Promathia during the Age of Darkness, their sole purpose is to destroy the five races, created by the Goddess Altana. However, the discoveries of adventurers have revealed the truth, that all life is equal. Here are all of the beastman races that have been encountered by Middle Land adventurers so far.

Orcs

Lust for combat and conquest drives most of the Orcs to join the ranks of their Imperial Army. All Orcs--male and female--are required to participate in years of military training, and even their social structure is based on military ranks.

Orcs have tribal hierarchy based on strength; those who prove most formidable in battle are higher in the pecking-order; stronger Orcs even employ means (such as attaching heavy weights to well-water buckets) to deny those weaker than themselves access to common resources.

From outward appearances, their cultural belief systems seem based in something like shamanism; magic-users, for instance, cover their heads with a hood which prevents the visual senses from being used, presumably in order to heighten their other senses.

While their technology appears rudimentary (most Orcish armor is evidently fashioned from leather, bone, and wood), they do employ metal weapons where available.

Quadav

A race of turtle-like bipeds, the Quadav inhabit certain swampy regions, as well as subterranean caverns, on the continent of Quon.
Apparently closely tied to the earth in which they work and live, the Quadav identify themselves individually and culturally with the materials with which they work.

As their shells thicken with age, the titles given to individual Quadav change. Within their strict caste system, those chosen to serve in the Elite Guard are given titles portraying hard and precious metals, while those chosen to be magicians are given titles taken from precious gems.

The Quadav have long possessed an understanding of metallurgical technology, and have adapted their skills in metalworking to even create fire-fueled incubators with pipes to carry warm air into the ground to warm the damp caves where their eggs are kept.

The incursion of miners from the Bastok nation have repressed the Quadav and driven them out of territories which they have long occupied, to which they respond with aggressive acts against most foreigners they encounter.

Yagudo

The Yagudo are a race of vulture-like bipeds inhabiting the continent of Mindartia.

Violently devout and ritualistic, the Yagudo are a race of religious zealots, their society appearing to be based on a strict religious hierarchy. Yagudo evince little technological development, living instead in austere constructions of wattle-and-daub, as well as cliffside caves.

Their most formidable architectural construct is Castle Oztroja, which may be more appropriately considered a temple than a castle, for it exists as a gateway to the location of the current manifestation of their Godhead, Tzee Xicu. There's also the "the avatar," who is second to Tzee Xicu. Dialogue refers to the Yagudo Avatar as a king while Tzee Xicu is female and the manifest seems to traditionally be a female (much like their Star Sibyl counterpart).

They use few tools or weapons, except for occasional clubs and swords, and wear no armor, excepting the fact that magic-using classes cover their faces with ceremonial masks.

While apparently unconcerned with efforts of conquest, as the Orcish race is, the Yagudo's primary conflict with outsiders comes as a response to disputes over the right to occupy the land which they consider to be hereditarily and traditionally their own.

The Yagudo hold a tentative treaty of non-aggression with the Tarutaru nation of Windurst, representing the only case of such between a Beastman race and a developed nation.

Goblins

Unlike other beastmen, Goblins can be found in almost all regions across Vana'diel. Their flexible lifestyle and adaptability to the surrounding environment have given them the ability to coexist with other beastmen as well as people. Goblins not only trade with the developed races, but represent a crucial link in the exchange of materials and ideas between the disparate local beastmen races.

Compared to other beastmen, Goblins have developed superior techniques in crafts such as smithing and healing.

Goblin culture appears to indicate a considerable sense of individual opportunism, with members of the race finding a niche for themselves in practically every region and environment in the world.
Goblins do not appear to generally maintain a social hierarchy; Stronger ones do not demonstrate any sense of superiority or command over weaker ones.

Most goblins appear to prefer a semi-solitary lifestyle, rarely congregating for any length of time, except as happenstance permits.
This marks the greatest contrast between them and a subspecies of Goblins known as Moblins, who live and work in a communal effort in underground caverns on the Quon continent. They are forever mining resources out of the ground, and constantly building, moving, and rebuilding Movalpolos, their ongoing encampment.

While Goblins have a refined understanding of explosives technology, they do not employ guns of any sort, preferring simple bombs and intricate fireworks crafted for amusement.

Their Moblin cousins show an even more well-developed technology, refining and smelting ores, utilizing steam power, and having developed underground lighting technology which the 'developed' races have yet to understand.

While Goblins encountered in the wilds should be viewed as potential adversaries, the nature of Goblin ingenuity and opportunism has allowed them to become the only tolerated Beastman race to inhabit major cities for the purposes of trade. A testament to their adaptability and diplomatic potential is the presence of an entirely Goblin-run merchant shop in the heart of the Grand Duchy of Jeuno.

Gigas

"Gigas" is the general term for enormous members of the Gigas, Giant, and Jotunn tribes. Groups of these giants can be found roaming the island of Qufim. As their appearances imply, the Gigas do not possess much in the way of intelligence. While they do possess a language, it consists of the stringing together of simple words or phrases. Their language is often unintelligible--even by members of their own kind. However, what they lack in intelligence is made up for in brute strength. Also, while not as advanced as that of the allied forces, their ship and castle building abilities are comparable to those of the Orcs or Yagudo.

The Gigas were originally from an island far to the north of Quon. Every few decades, the Gigas send a large ship to Qufim to attack the Hume settlements. Their goal is to retrieve supplies and slaves to take back to their homeland. Before the Great War, the Shadow Lord recognized the potential that lay in the giants, and hired a large number of them to fight as mercenaries. After helping to construct Castle Zvahl, the Gigas led the beastman frontline in laying siege to many of the allied forces' fortresses. However, when the beastmen lost the war, the remaining Gigas were left trapped, unable to return to their homeland in the north. With nowhere to go, they set off for Qufim and Delkfutt's Tower, where they remain today--out of reach of the allied armies.

Demons

These winged beastmen are found mainly in the Valdeaunia Region. It is said that their damage-absorbing outer shell was once armor that was enhanced by an evil enchantment. In addition to their highly advanced fighting skills, they are also known to possess high levels of intelligence, which they have used to acquire various types of potent magic. Due to their pitch-black color and ominous appearance, the inhabitants of Vana'diel came to call these beastmen "Demons." However, Demons refer to themselves as "the Kindred." This, along with many other questions about their origins, still remain unanswered.

During the Great War, the Demons served as the Shadow Lord's elite guard, ruling over the other beastmen with fear. To ensure the other beastmen were following orders, many of the Demons would act as messengers, traveling to and from Castle Zvahl. When the Great War was over, the Demons vanished. However, with recent rumors of the Shadow Lord's return, there have been Demon sightings in Valdeaunia. While there are many theories about their origin, the most popular one is that the Shadow Lord made a pact with them after traveling deep into hell.