Some questions on Elezen, Duskwights in particular.

Hello!

I have a couple of questions about the Duskwight Elezen that I would love to have clarified by the devs when they get a chance. I realize that you guys are very busy right now preparing for the games launch, and that I will probably not get an answer for quite a while.

1. The Duskwights are said to have a reputation for being mercenaries, bandits, and thieves. I believe it is also said that many of them do choose to walk those paths when they live on the surface. Is there a particular reason that most of them choose a more criminal or mercenary living, as opposed to a more (for lack of a better term) conformist one?

2. An NPC in the Black Shroud makes mention that the Duskwights have lost their homeland, and wishes to study the recently uncovered Duskwight ruins to discover more about some of their lost culture. Are there any large underground settlements of Duskwights even left? Do they still exists in the wake of the Calamity?

3. There are some indications that, while Duskwights being on the surface has always happened, there have recently been a larger number of them appearing on the surface than before. Is this true? Is there a particular reason for this?

4. When the Elezen came down from the north into Eorzea, had the Elezen already split into the Wildwood and Duskwight Tribes? If not at what point did they split? Was the split between the two tribes the root cause of their animosity for one another, or did that happen later?

5. Duskwights are reclusive and elusive by nature it seems. Being that most of them are also mercenaries and bandits, would it be inaccurate to say that the majority of Duskwights give more regard to their own kind? More so than other races? Possibly because they face a pretty large amount of prejudice for their (mostly) less than reputable lifestyles?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my question. I realize I will probably not get an official answer for a while. Keep up the good work as we march toward the launch date! Really appreciate what you guys are doing. ^ ^

I might be able to help you a little bit until the ahriman is able to complete his rounds and get a little shuteye (OH HO! IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S SO LITERAL!). Let's see what I can dig up, eh?

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Originally Posted by Eisengrin

Is there a particular reason that most of them choose a more criminal or mercenary living, as opposed to a more (for lack of a better term) conformist one?

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Duskwight culture has become stubborn and unruly. Conformist is simply not in their nature, anymore. When your kind withdraws to the caves and stubbornly refuses to interact with any but their own, living outside the law is one of the only options you have. You take what you can get, or you sell your sword on your own terms to those who would not ask too many questions or impress upon you too many restraints.

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Originally Posted by Eisengrin

Are there any large underground settlements of Duskwights even left? Do they still exists in the wake of the Calamity?

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I would assume so. When the Elezen were one, united tribe, they believed Eorzea to be their birthright; a gift of the Twelve. The other races were a vast minority until the hyur began to arrive in droves - this is how the Duskwight lost their homes. Whereas the Wildwood fought against the hyuran "invasion," the Duskwights retreated underground. Over the course of a thousand years of this, you can bet they'd build something that'd survive a little while.

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Originally Posted by Eisengrin

There are some indications that, while Duskwights being on the surface has always happened, there have recently been a larger number of them appearing on the surface than before. Is this true? Is there a particular reason for this?

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Though the Wildwood have since, for the most part, put aside their differences with the Hyur, the Duskwights remained very isolationist. However, they can only ignore so much. They might not have come out just because the races were getting along, the when the Astral Era literally goes to hell and the entire realm unites under one banner to fight off not only an invading empire, but otherworldly forces like Ascians and Elder Primals... might as well join in.

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Originally Posted by Eisengrin

When the Elezen came down from the north into Eorzea, had the Elezen already split into the Wildwood and Duskwight Tribes? If not at what point did they split? Was the split between the two tribes the root cause of their animosity for one another, or did that happen later?

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As hinted at above, the split seems to have been driven largely by how they reacted to the perceived Hyuran invasion. The Wildwood stayed above ground and fought for their home, the Duskwight abandoned it for the subterranean, likely assuming that with wave after wave of hyur coming, it would be futile to resist the change.

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Originally Posted by Eisengrin

Duskwights are reclusive and elusive by nature it seems. Being that most of them are also mercenaries and bandits, would it be inaccurate to say that the majority of Duskwights give more regard to their own kind? More so than other races? Possibly because they face a pretty large amount of prejudice for their (mostly) less than reputable lifestyles?

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It wouldn't be inaccurate, in my opinion. Isolationist is the best word, I think. By now I'm sure you can see where it all fits together, assuming I haven't made any mistakes!

Here's some reading material from the olden days. As you'll notice, it explains almost everything you wanted to know, aside from the bits about the ruins, of course.

The Elezen
In former times, the Elezen were the sole inhabitants of Eorzea, claiming dominion over her. Traditionally a nomadic people, the tall, slender Elezen believed the realm to be theirs by divine right―a gift from the Twelve themselves. Unfortunately, this belief made the eventual appearance of the Hyur in their multitudes akin to an invasion, and a long history of conflict ensued.

Ultimately, the Elezen diverged into the two clans that exist today. The Wildwood Elezen took to the forests in their ongoing fight to protect their homeland against the encroaching Hyur, while the Duskwight Elezen withdrew to caves and subterrane, opting instead to avoid all contact with any but their own.

The Wildwood
For hundreds of years the Wildwood Elezen have lived in the relative safety of Eorzea's lush forests. They are blessed with extremely keen eyesight―a contributing factor to their famous talent for archery.

With the formation of Eorzea's governments, many Wildwood ventured forth from the forests, drawn either to the exhilarating cosmopolitanism of the cities or the simple nomadism of the plains. There is minimal dimorphism between the two genders, though males are generally considered to be milder and more chivalrous in demeanor whereas females are generally considered to be wiser and more intellectual. Among their Duskwight brethren, Wildwood Elezen are referred to as Greens, for their love of the forest.

The Duskwight
Centuries ago, a number of Elezen sought out a life of peace and seclusion in the depths of Eorzea's caves and caverns. Today, they are called the Duskwight, though to their Wildwood cousins they are known simply as the Greys, after their preference for darkness and stone.

As part of their physical adaptation, the Duskwight have developed an acute sense of hearing, capable of detecting the faintest of sounds. This natural gift grants them an uncanny awareness, which many have put to exemplary use in the field of hand-to-hand combat. The cave-dwelling ways of the Duskwight persist today, with some among them turning to robbery and pillaging to survive, earning them the scorn of their woodland relatives. There are few differences between the genders, but Duskwight males are often regarded as being the more stern and authoritative of the two whereas females are often regarded as being the more passionate and unyielding.

EDIT:
I just noticed this was your first post in the forums! Welcome!

Very nice information i love hearing about the duskwights :) i playing a wildwood so it nice to learn about the other half.

A few corrections might be in order, based on what I have learned running around Gridania*.

(*some assumptions are made by putting various pieces of information together and joining the dots rather than what we are explicitly told, so happy to discuss)

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Originally Posted by http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/world/races/elezen

For the past several centuries, the Duskwight Elezen have lived in the woodland caverns of Eorzea. These cave-dwelling Elezen are the descendants of a branch that split from the main Wildwood clan during the founding of Gridania. The Duskwight despise the "shackles" of urban life, and it is not uncommon for this reclusive people to avoid the city-states altogether.

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Gridania was founded approximately five hundred years ago and is the youngest city-state in Eorzea. It was founded when the Hyur and Elezen set aside their differences with the Elementals, the primary residents of the Twelveswood, and formed what I believe was contained in the "Pact of Gelmorra". This gave rise to the prominence of the Padjal as new keepers of White Magic, the establishment of Stillglade Fane and the permission to live above ground.

The Twelveswood is only called such by its inhabitants, who live there at the Elementals' leave. Outsiders refer to it as the Black Shroud, reflecting of its hostility to those not considered friends of the Elementals. This hostility was also experienced by Gridania's predecessor, the nation of Gelmorra, which lived below ground and was in conflict with the Elementals who dominated the land above. This brings us to Gelmorran culture itself, of which we know only a little.

The emblem of the Twin Adders represents the unity of Hyur and Elezen and is also seen in Gelmorran ruins, including the Tam-Tara Deepcroft. This suggests that this unity between races stretches back to the Gelmorran culture. Whether peace was made to create Gelmorra or during the time of Gelmorra is something we don't yet know.

The end of Gelmorra is where the clans diverge. In fact, it can be argued that the Wildwood Elezen diverged from the Duskwight - time living above ground with exposure to greater amounts of sunlight having led to an alteration in the pigments their skin will typically take. When Gridania was founded, some Elezen did not wish to abandon their underground ways and stayed behind, although it is clear their underground cities would have fallen into ruin with only a fraction of the original population remaining.

Distinction of clan can be put aside on anything referring to pre-Gridanian history. In the case of Duskwight traditions and behaviours, we are seemingly referring to overarching Elezen behaviours of the Gelmorran period. And these in turn are from a life of constant conflict and survival in the face of the predatory Elementals. Survival instincts of an underground city-state that had little access to agriculture, making hunting and gathering an important part of their culture. Their law is survival, not civility, and with a great deal of pride.

((As for why Gelmorra was underground and in conflict with the Elementals? I'm hazarding a guess that after the whole White Mage-incident that brought on a certain umbral era, the Elementals, essences of Nature upon which the power of white magic is based, told the offending races to GTFO of their Nophica-given home.))

So i have a question that goes along with the conflict between the Hyur an Elezen when the Hyur first arrive.

It would seem some scale of war broke out between them but at what point did the Duskwight Elezen decide to give up on the above ground an recede to the underground subterranean caves to make a new home?

I mean it says that:

The Duskwight
Centuries ago, a number of Elezen sought out a life of peace and seclusion in the depths of Eorzea's caves and caverns. Today, they are called the Duskwight, though to their Wildwood cousins they are known simply as the Greys, after their preference for darkness and stone.

So was there a time when there was a united Elezen front against the Hyur that after a time a group decided that they would never beat back the Hyur an instead left to go underground in peace? Or was the choice from the very start to rather not fight and withdraw from the beginning?

Also since it says that the Wildwood Elezens lived in relative safety for hundreds of years in the forest's of Eorzea. Did that mean the Hyur were very successful in the war that all Elezen were pushed back so fiercely that the only safe havens were underground or in the forests?

When the text refers to "hundreds of years" it is most likely referencing the time since the foundation of Gridania.

Any conflict with the Hyur most likely predates this by several more centuries at least, back time of the great migratory waves.

We don't even know if it was actually a war, or simply conflict of the sort you get when working out what to do about refugees.