The Sigwa Tribe

Hhetsarro Tribe

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Tenets of the Sigwa Tribe

Honor the ancestors

Your actions, your intention and deeds, they see all. They are just as much a part of you as the future ahead of you. We learn from the past... We learn from our ancestors. We seek wisdom in their trials and take comfort in their tales. Honor their legacy, and bring honor to their names.

Contribute to the whole

Contributing to the whole is indeed about family, about friends, the spirits and the waters. But more importantly, it is specifically about what you can give back. You pull your own weight. What weight you pull may not be the same weight as another. But it also means that no one comes empty-handed.The hunters feed us. The watchers protect us. The children inspire us. The elders advise us. But no one is idle. No one is still. No one does nothing. Stillness bring stagnation, stagnation brings decay. Give of yourself what you can, but give. If each pair of hands holds but one fish, we can still feed the tribe.

Keep safe your own

Protect your family, whether they be by blood or by circumstance. Guard the homestead of the Sigwa and keep safe the secrets of our territory. Safety is measured not only with the blood that can be spilled in defense of your people, but also in the wisdom to speak only what is necessary so as not to endanger your kin.If one stands among us that cannot be trusted to guard the back of the Sigwa, we will turn our backs on them. If you cannot fight beside us, you will perish alone.

Beware your actions

You are but a pebble poised above the water. It is you. It is everyone you know. Everywhere you've gone. Everything you will ever do.Beware your actions for everything you do will have a ripple. Every action, every word. No matter how slight, no matter how insignificant, the small of pebbles can cause lasting effects with every ripple it casts upon the water.You may go through life tip-toeing, careful and silent, unsure and anxious. You will hardly leave a single notable ripple on the surface of the water. This can be good and bad. Though you do not disturb...you also do not inspire. You do not affect. You are unnoticed. This can be good as you can slip past danger. You can make sure not to anger or upset. You choose your steps thoughtfully and wisely.This can be bad as you are forgettable. You are a face in the crowd, a whisper of a name, a faded memory. Or...You can rise to your challenges, to your peers and obstacles, to your everyday life...and throw yourself at them.Good and bad. You can be a sharp memory. People will know your face and your name, in reverence or in revulsion. In affection or hatred. But you will be someone they know by name. You can inspire. You can gain friends, lovers, family. You can hit hard, hit fast. You are bold and fearless.But you are also reckless. You do not think of the ripples that follow your actions. The water is displaced; your steps are heavy ones, and you have no thought to how they echo in your stead.Your choices, your actions, should be reflected upon...before you cast your pebble. Do not mourn the water, nor the ripples, or past pebbles. That is what we do. To live too far in the future or too deep in the past is death to us.

Respect the waters

Be confident in your strike, for a hesitant predator is cocky prey. Strike swiftly and accurately, as the water does not forgive. You will not be granted a second chance. Strike not when you feel ready, but when your prey is unable to flee. Kill swiftly. The water calls to others when there is struggle.One strike. One kill. Either they die, or you will. The waters have no love for the foolish. You exist only on its terms. If your arrogance outweighs common sense, you will fall prey to the teeth that reside in its embrace.Respecting the waters does not mean protecting it from others. It is protecting yourself from its wrath. If you disrespect it, it will consume you whole...and feel no remorse for your death, nor mourn your passing.Respecting the waters is not only for the hunters that prowl its depths. Everyone must respect its current. Take caution around dark waters, lest you are dragged under. Know the signs that a predator is near. Don't underestimate the fact that everything can and will hunt you should you present yourself as prey. Heed the tide or it will consume you.No one is above the food chain. You are a small fish in the waves. Never forget.

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About

The Myth

One legend tells that many, many long years ago, the ancestors of the Sigwa traveled from one home to the next, splintered and hungry and tired, until the spiritual leader was granted a vision. With the coming dawn, the Sigwa traveled by the light of day, following the wings of a lone condor, across the deserts of the Sagolii to a land of water and green, a secret place where they might live and flourish.Another story claims that the people of the Sigwa rose from the very depths of the sea itself during the summer rains on the back of a giant beast where they made the swamps of the southern Black Shrould their home.They'll share both myths and claim them as truth or deny them both outright as fiction. The Sigwa are well known for their tall tales.

Sigwa Names

The Sigwa is comprised of Miqo'te, but does not claim itself a tribe of either Seekers or Keepers, but rather a marriage of the two. Knowing that this might garner unwanted or unwarranted attention, the tribe picks up Condor monikers borrowed from the Seekers, or offers a Bajhiri name plucked from the Keepers. Both are false.Every Sigwa has three names, and rarely offers more than two. One name they give to those that ask, those not of the tribe, those not of their number. One name is reserved for their family, be it blood or be it bond. The final name can only be given, never taken, as it is a name of affection.

Physical Characteristics

All natural-born Sigwa have bronzed skin or darker, regardless of whether they exhibit traits of either moon or sun. Their hair colors range from every hue of green, and rarely blue, black, or white. Occasionally the odd flower will bloom amongst the moss, though these are a rare sight.Their eyes brim with the brightness of the sun, warm gold and amber, earthy browns and verdant greens. Uncommon blues might make an appearance, but rarely another shade.Every smile of every Sigwa is filed sharp. Aside from the pupils, one cannot distinguish a Seeker or Keeper from their bite, adding an unnerving quality to their laughter.

Mannerisms

Sigwa laugh well, and often, but their jovial natures often distract from a sharp smile. Though they might prattle nonsense or make grand fools of themselves in good fun, they are ever aware of the situation, sizing up every perceived opponent, scanning every exit.Though they may be labeled as pranksters and liars, there is truth in their riddles, if one is perceptive enough.

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Hierarchy

Babaylan

The spiritual leader of the Sigwa. Through them, the will of the Weave is made known as they honor the pact with the Black Shroud elementals, keeping safe the territory bequeathed to them. There is a special connection between the Babaylan and the oldest and largest tree in their territory, known as the 'Wise One'. It is said that their benefactors reside within the spirit of the tree, though only those gifted with Hearing are fortunate enough to know a difference.The Babaylan is responsible for guiding their people through peace and hardship. They dictate who will join the council to help govern the people of the Sigwa, as well as who will be cast out of their family. They perform last rites for the departed, facilitate trade between neighboring tribes and towns, and generally help the Sigwa survive in the shadows of the Shroud.

Council

The council is made of a few, highly trusted individuals within the Sigwa tribe. Currently, there are four, one of which is Khaj Shadowrun who also stands as the martial leader of the tribe.These people are the main governing body of the Sigwa, with the Babaylan at the head. Every large decision will be set before the council and as a group, they will vote. The council will also settle any disputes brought to them by the people, as both judge and jury.

Watcher

Watchers are responsible for keeping the Sigwa territory safe, first and foremost. These are the warriors and the scouts that patrol the length and breadth of the swamp where the Sigwa call home, often gone for days at a time, but never too far. They are fiercely loyal to their family, willing and able to put their lives on the line to keep any threat at bay for others to escape, or to dispatch quick justice to any that dare trespass on their land.When a stranger explores too close to their territory, they will hear a range of calls in the distance, as if the wood itself is greeting them. This is, in all actuality, the long-distant huntspeak of Watchers warning of an intruder. Though they typically patrol alone or in pairs, they will alert other Watchers close by before engaging a potential threat. Anything believed to be a danger, or otherwise unwelcome, will be driven out or swiftly silenced.There is no one weapon of a Watcher. Be it a spear, a bow, their bare fists or the might of their magic, they will deliver unto Sigwa enemies a merciless end.

Hunter

Hunters, gatherers, they are in constant pursuit of their prey and their quarry. Some hunt game and herbs in the wilds of their land, while others will fish in the swollen rivers or the ocean at their doorstep. They are a hardy bunch that travel alone or in hunting parties, but there is no other more capable of surviving off the land as a Hunter does, needing very little to survive while out gathering. Unlike the Watchers, they return at the end of their hunt in order to share in their spoils with the Tenders back at home.

Tender

Tenders are the beating heart of the village, tending gardens, cookpots, and young children. They treat common ailments of the body with medicinal skills passed down from generation to generation. They are warm individuals who will lend a hand to help their fellow tribe members, usually a jack of all trades or a master of a handful. Not all Tenders encompass every aspect of their position, but it is not unheard of for the elder Tenders to be skilled in cooking, child-rearing, crafting, gardening, medicine, and music. These are the ones most often found around a fire, eager to tell a tale to anyone that sits with them.

Children

Children in the Sigwa are raised in a crèche while their parents are out performing their duties, only returning to their homes when their guardians return for rest. Once they're old enough to move about with ease, typically at around six or seven summers, they're given free reign of the village and the surrounding territory. They are left undisciplined, allowed to sleep, eat, and bathe as they like, though this does not mean they are devoid of guidance.To an outsider's standpoint, this might seem chaotic and neglectful, but to a Sigwa it breeds independence, allowing their natural curiosity to spur them toward people that inspire them as they discover what role they will take up when they come of age.Lessons to a child are often words of wisdom given before they do something foolish, but ultimately the adults will allow them the freedom to experience the consequences of their actions rather than leap to pluck them from harm.At around fourteen or so summers, give or take a few years, children can begin to take their rites of passage, performing three difficult trials in order to gain responsibilities within the tribe. This is not the rite of passage to becoming an adult, only that can be got with age. Instead, completion of their trials is, at its core, a demonstration that they are prepared to take the next step to taking their place amongst their people.

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OOC Information

Carrd is WIP.Our tribe lore and story is specific to our own group, and we are aware that our tale diverges from the canon lore of how traditional Seekers and Keepers exist in the Final Fantasy XIV setting. We also acknowledge that even in our real life setting, there are countless ways that a people can exist and flourish and that no one way is the right way.If you are interested in more of our story, please don't hesitate to ask one of us! If they can't answer, they can point you to someone who can.Although our backgrounds are obviously of the Rak'tika Greatwood, we are not a tribe from the First. We use this zone purely as a backdrop for where our group exists canonically.

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