Hi folks
Hoping that some of you can fill in any blanks - such as where the Gelmorrans came from - and confirm or suppress any points where I've indulged in speculation. I'm sure this is very incomplete so I'd be grateful for any in-game (or forum) references I've missed thus far. It's a work-in-progress!
THE BLACK SHROUD
The Black Shroud is a region on the continent of Aldenard. It is part of the area known as Eorzea and is a forest land surrounding the city-state of Gridania. Also known as the Twelveswood or Tinolqa. According to the Raven newspaper, which is published in Gridania and mostly deals with Gridanian matters, Tinolqa is an Ixali word that means ‘blessed forest’.
The forest is under the protection of the elementals that live there, and woe betide anyone they see as a threat to this land’s peace. Even the forest itself has a kind of sentience, manifested by the Guardian Tree in the Central Shroud. It is notorious for its loathing of those non-Gridanians who have lived without care for the natural world, something known as ‘woodsin’. Woodsin is liable to incur Greenwrath – that is to say, the anger of the forest and its natural denizens – and folk guilty of woodsin are a danger to others around them. They must be cleansed by a ritual before they are allowed to remain in the Twelveswood.
The Black Shroud is connected to Thanalan to the south, Mor Dhona to the south west, and Coerthas to the north west. Xelphatol and Gyr Abania border it on the north east.
History of the Black Shroud
At some unknown point in time the Sylph beast-tribe settled in the Black Shroud.
During the Fifth Astral Era (c. 3000YA-1572YA) the city of Amdapor was established in the forest. The people of Amdapor developed ‘white magic’ as a counter to the ‘black magic’ of the Mhaci in Thanalan. However relations between the three rival civilisations of the Amdapori, the Mhaci and the Nymians in La Noscea deteriorated to such a degree that they began to attempt to destroy each other. Eventually, outraged by the misuse of magic, the elementals summoned a great flood which destroyed much of Eorzea (c. 1572YA). This was the calamity which ended the Fifth Astral Era and began the Sixth Umbral Era.
In the Sixth Umbral Era, magic was forbidden by the elementals. Those people who survived the flood - known as the Gelmorrans - resettled in the Black Shroud. They were mostly Hyur and Elezen who lived in underground cities for fear of the elementals and the Greenwrath. The Mun-Tuy Cellars, the Tamtara Deepcroft, and Totorak were all built by the Gelmorrans. There were also Gelmorran structures at Issom Har and just outside Fallgourd Float, the latter being the only known ones to exist above ground.
Around the year 1020 the beast-tribe known as the Ixali settled in the Black Shroud. They lived peaceably and contentedly in the area for many years, building their nests in the trees and flying above the forest.
Around the year 1077, as described by Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna during the memorial service for those who perished at Cartenau, the city-state of Gridania was founded in the Black Shroud by Gelmorran Hyur and Elezen emerging from their underground cities. They had finally discovered how to communicate with the elementals, via those individuals known as Hearers, and this allowed them to live in harmony with the Twelveswood. The art of conjury was born, as were the first Padjal. The influence of the elementals, whose ethos is very much about living in harmony with nature, can clearly be seen in the development of conjury
The Gridanians and the Ixali appeared to live alongside each other quite peacefully during this period. However the Ixali had prospered so well that their numbers had grown enormously. They were also given to chopping down trees in the Twelveswood for their rituals of worship and their rites of passage; very likely the elementals grew angered by this. Whatever the reason, at some point the Ixali were banished from the Twelveswood by the elementals. This is possibly the basis for their loathing and hatred of the Gridanians. Certainly, ever since that time, the two have been constantly at odds, although they appeared to live in peace together previously.
In 1468, the city-state of Ala Mhigo invaded the Twelveswood. This period of conflict is known as the Autumn War. The Gridanians lost the First Battle of Tinolqa but, with the aid of the Eorzean Alliance (Ishgard, Limsa, Ul’dah), they were victorious in the Second Battle of Tinolqa in 1469.
In 1542 the Elder Seedseer issued a decree sealing off Toto-Rak. Before this, the structure had been used by the Gridanians as a prison where their most notorious criminals were incarcerated. It had a fearsome reputation, and the Seedseer felt that sending people there, whatever crimes they had committed, was unworthy of the folk of the Twelveswood.
In 1572 the Twelveswood suffered devastation during the calamity – the fall of Dalamud and Bahamut’s release – which marked the start of the Seventh Umbral Era.
Sometime after this, a schism in the Sylphlands over the summoning of the Primal Ramuh resulted in many Sylphs fleeing to the village of Little Solace.
A Brief History of the Black Shroud
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10-07-2015, 02:23 AMElladieA Brief History of the Black Shroud
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10-07-2015, 02:29 AMFrederick22
Gelmorrans where decendants of the Amdapoar people who survive the flood.
Tecnicly the Mhaci's capital city was on Mor dhona, after the flood the survivors went to the desert to scape from a "witch hunt", they made the nation of Belah'dia, probably using the remains of their ancestors's fallen nation.
On who is Ramuh, some people have a theory that he was originaly one of the first elezen who discover how to comunicate with the elementans and re gain his connection with the forest. -
10-07-2015, 03:55 AMKacho_Nacho
This is fascinating! Out of curiosity, when were the Keepers of Moon (Miqo'te) and the people of the Gridania able to put aside their differences? Also, the Duskwights are descendants of Elezen who split with the Wildwood clan during the founding Gridania, can you shed any light upon why they split, the individuals involved in the split, and what the relations are between the two people today?
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10-07-2015, 06:24 AMElladieI don't know anything about difficult relations between Gridania and the Keepers of the Moon; thanks for bringing it up, and I'll look into it. As for the Elezen, I believe - but I'm not certain - that the division between the two clans may have arisen when Gridania was founded. The Wildwood folk were happy to be above ground again whereas the Duskwights preferred their underground existence and may well have resisted leaving Gelmorra. The NPC who's investigating the ruins at Issom Har is a Duskwights, I think, and he's looking to re establish an underground refuge for them or some such thing. The Duskwights have a reputation amongst the Wildwoods for being uncouth and a bit brutish - cavemen if you like - whereas the Wildwood have a reputation amongst the Duskwights for being arrogant and aloof. The Ishgardians are Wildwood Elezen, I believe, so the reputation for arrogance seems well- founded!Quote:
Originally Posted by Kacho_Nacho
This is all off the top of my head so I may well be completely mistaken; sadly I'm no Anonymoose! -
10-07-2015, 07:30 AMFrederick22
I believe that the keepers that arrive to the forest and deside to live there.
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10-07-2015, 09:32 AMEnkidohThe Keepers of the Moon haven't entirely submitted to Gridanian society as a whole though - most actually live illegally outside the city in the forest becoming poachers and bandits. It's only those who agree to abide by Gridania's laws and respect the forest and the elementals' will that are allowed inside the city. As for the duskwight, this is what the main FFXIV site says on the subject as to when they split from the wildwood:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kacho_Nacho
So based on that, it seems the duskwight originated at Gridania's founding, presumably those who were content to remain underground in Gelmorra for whatever reason, and over the centuries, their troglodytic nature physically changed them enough to become a seperate clan to the 'main' wildwood elezen (of course, the Ishgardian elezen could be now considered a third seperate clan, but that's another barrel of moogles ;)).Quote:
Originally Posted by FFXIV Lodestone
And speaking of moogles, there is no explanation as to when moogles first arrived and settled within the Black Shroud, but the more I think of the Good King Moggle Mog the XIIth myth, and what Heavensward showed, I'm wondering if there is actually a shred a truth in that myth, aka, the King using a 'golden thread' to allow his moogle followers to settle on the land below. Golden thread stretching from the 'heavens' to the land below... hmmm.. where have I seen something like that before... Oh! The transporter from Halo in the Dravanian Forelands up to Sohm Al and the Churning Mists!
Where there just happens to be Moghome, the original homeland of mooglekind, which is ruled by a literal king (okay a chieftain, but he's one step away from being a king!). It's clear the moogles of the Black Shroud's story of Good King Moggle Mog is actually a cultural memory of when the moogles arrived on the surface from Moghome by using the transporter in Halo, gradually changing with each retelling into something else over the centuries living in the Black Shroud. Either way, it's an interesting theory to look more into. ;)
It should be noted that for some unfortunate souls, at least prior to the Calamity, there were plenty of instances that those who had awakened the greenwrath and had gained so much woodsin, no amount of rituals would be enough to save them, and they would then be cast out into the forest, becoming an exile known as a 'wildling'. Of course the truth was a little more murky than that, but there was also instances of certain individuals actually becoming 'claimed' by the elementals, being literally incapable of living in the city. I'm not sure of the details, but there was a story that Moose knows the details about in references to a 'Brother Morty' whom awoke the woodsin and became virtually the forest's prisoner - apparently every time he tried to return to Gridania the forest literally dragged him back, kicking and screaming. He thus became an emissary between the elementals and Gridania's government, although I am uncertain if he was actually a padjal or not. As I said I know little about the specifics of this particular case, but Moose does so Moose please feel free to clarify or criticize me on this! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
In fact, even though the elementals gave permission for Gridania to be settled, the forest's wrath could still be a serious danger to everyone residing in the city, and thus the CNJs of Gridania formed the Hedge, a kind of loose network of blessed trees that form an aetheric barrier over the city and the surrounding forest to prevent latent woodsin festering on anyone who enters it (such as a traveller from another city). Naturally this tended to weaken at times (i.e. the time Yda and Papalymo first arrived in the city on orders from Louisoix in 1562 6AE to investigate reports that Gridania was preparing for war with the Empire, or the time the player first arrived there in version 1.0 some ten years later, although due to the Echo this made them think it was the same event), resulting in the woodsin zeroing in on whomever happens to be walking past at the time, necessitating a Cleansing Rite (this was just a ritual dance where the person so affected dances to please the elementals and hopefully transfer the woodsin into a ritual object, specifically a mask).
Of course the Calamity caused such widespread destruction in the Black Shroud, it virtually rendered the Hedge 'offline' so to speak, and thus it's Hedgetrees exist now 'five years later' as more pockets of elemental potency (and thus, the elementals' protection) than actually being an effective barrier against woodsin.
Apparently this happened before the founding of Gridania - an early ARR quest in Hyrstmill has a Wood Wailer state this in no uncertain terms, the tense he used strongly suggests that Ixal had already been driven out of the forest before the Gelmorrans managed to negotiate with the elementals to live on the surface, and it was pure and out jealousy on the Ixals' part that led to their resentment of Gridania. But the actual truth is unknown at this stage, at least from what I am aware.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
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10-07-2015, 12:28 PMAnonymoose
Uh oh, I've been mentioned. <slams tomes down, reads thread ... shoves tomes back under desk>
A lot of the generalities here seem to cover the important things (if there are specifics I can clarify, that's easier to track down).
It's spread between a few quests, but they do all but confirm the Moghome / Twelveswood connection, in the end. The two clinchers are the fact that Good King Moggle Mog XII (once known as Chieftain Moggle) retains via the legends his Moghome naming conventions as opposed to the ones that eventually rose in the Twelveswood, as well as that the same kupo nut trees are seen in both locations, suggesting that the migrant group brought a little piece of home along with them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Enkidoh
The timing depends on something I'm still working pretty hard on...
Brother Morys was the one, a Hyur taken in by the Conjurers' Guild despite being an outsider of Gridania. As the storyline goes on, it's heavily implied, as far as I can tell, that Morys became enthralled to (what I presume was) a dragon and entered the Twelveswood with it as a child. In the wood, the dragon was responsible for the deaths of several forest creatures, including some of the Spirits of the Wood. Enraged, it seems that the Elementals bound it in "amber," creating Amberscale Rock (you can still visit the rock sans any context in ARR), and then spirited the boy away, wiped his memory, and claimed him as a wildling. This aethero-abduction also granted him a sensitivity to the voices of the Elementals, something the Guild keeps secret lest people purposely defile the wood in hopes of being claimed. It's also hinted that Morys' compulsions to return to Ishgard come from the bound dragon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Enkidoh
At first, I thought that Morys was the boy from the Boy and the Dragon Gay, a famous story banned in Ishgard about a boy rescued from bandits by a dragon.
However, it was also hinted that Damielliot (a young Elezen from Ul'dah who kept passing out everywhere and falling asleep for prolonged periods) was the same boy from the story. I considered a wildly convoluted scenario is which Damielliot, when under the care of conjurers for his condition, saw in Morys via the Echo the events from the story, and then re-lived them in his fever-dreams where we got an Echo vision from him. I gave up on all of this because Ferne confirmed that - whatever the case - Amberscale Rock is not the Boy and the Dragon Gay dragon and because Occam could not disapprove any harder.
Anyway, I digress, you all seem to have a lot of these bases covered, but I'd be happy to dig up the answers to any specific questions! -
10-07-2015, 04:44 PMEnkidoh
Ah, thanks for clarifying that Professor Moose! :D I knew his name started with an 'M' and had 'or' and a 'y' in it, I was just too much of a lazy cat to look back through the forum archive for past threads you had posted on the subject. :p
Thanks again! :D -
10-07-2015, 08:14 PMElladie
I have more questions before you all disappear again! Does anyone recall where the Sylphs lived in 1.x? I remember doing a quest that involved my adventuring fellow and the Sylphs where we were running about the forest under one of the latters' invisibility spells, trying to avoid Garleans. Which makes me think it was still somewhere in the Eastern Shroud. I ask because Professor Erik's information puts the Autumn War firmly in the East Shroud (mentions Nine Ivies etc) but there is no mention of the Sylphs in his account. I wouldn't think they - or the elementals - would be happy about all those pikemen and Ishgardian knights trundling around.
I also think that the Velodyna river, which Erik mentions, is probably the river on the far right of the current in-game map of the Eastern Shroud; anyone agree or disagree?
Thanks for adding the information about the Hedge, Enkidoh, that was really helpful. I'm still a bit bothered by the whole concept of woodsin and Greenwrath though; it's starting to feel as though it's one of those 'useful' devices that SE ignore when it suits them. For instance, why are the Ixali outside Fallgourd (I think it's Proud Creek, anyway at the logging camp past the Gelmorra Ruins) left in comparative peace by the elementals to wreak havoc? Why didn't the elementals intervene in the Autumn War in any way? How do they feel about the Sylphs in the Sylphlands summoning Ramuh?
Also - and I know I'm the zillionth person to say this - but this word count thing is SO ANNOYING! -
10-07-2015, 08:43 PMTinyRedLeafI remember the quest, albeit only hazily. Yes, the sylphs lived in the East Shroud, north and east of Nine Ivies, then as now. As for the missing account, it's not unusual for historians to omit details, especially if they don't fit the narrative they are trying to construct. That aside, Erik may not be as familiar with the geography of the Twelveswood as he claims, let alone know about the impact of the Autumn War on its indigenous communities.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
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10-07-2015, 08:43 PMEnkidohThe sylphs homeland is Moonspore Grove in the East Shroud, which by the time of ARR is overrun with the 'touched' sylphs corrupted by Ramuh (read: tempered), but in 1.0 Ramuh had not been summoned at that time (in fact, the sylphs stated then that they would not summon him - naturally this resulted in a schism in sylvaan society later on between those who wanted to adhere to the 'no summoning' policy and those that wanted to get revenge on the 'metal ones' (the Garleans, who stormed Moonspore Grove in a misguided attempt to eliminate them) - it should be no surprise that after the Calamity the later group summoned Ramuh and were then tempered by him, turning their kin purple and driving those who still refused to follow Ramuh out of their homeland, taking sanctuary in Nine Ivies, a location they name 'Little Solace'. It should be also noted that in 1.0 when the player was tasked along with their Path Companion by Minfilia to protect the sylphs from the Garleans, they had trouble just finding Moonspore Grove's location, so well hidden was it (the Path Companion pulled strings with a friend to find it's location out). Either way, for many centuries it seems the sylphs mostly kept themselves generally hidden and out of sight of most Eorzeans, like the moogles - although Gridanians even in 1.0 made pains to mention that they were perhaps the most benign of the beastmen, at least before they summoned Ramuh of course. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
The Velodyna River is actually not yet accessible, but it can be seen by carefully examining the Eorzean map (it's the large river to the east of Gridania that forks into two, as seen here):Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/...20110712111848
Well, it seems woodsin is one of those things that seems to build up over time - 1.0 showed Khrimm committing random acts of vandalism in the forest, cutting trees and setting them on fire and the like, and apart from a moogle stating that "this tree's elemental is furious!" it was only when he pushed his luck a little too far by setting a Hedgetree on fire did an elemental finally step in and punish him, turning him into a literal statue (unfortunately for Gridania the elemental went berserk and attacked everyone in the vicinity, requiring the combined might of E-Sumi Yan, O-App Pesi, Bowlord Lewin, Swyentha, Yda and Papalymo (along with the player, who was relegated to taking a back seat) to take the elemental down. O-App states that the other elementals forgave Gridania for what happened afterwards, but it outright terrified the Gridanians as to the level of violence that elemental showed. So basically woodsin doesn't cause an immediate reaction from the forest, but tends to build and fester, until a critical mass is reached by which point there is little anyone can do to save the person so affected - thus they're usually exiled as a wildling where the forest will deal with them in it's own way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
By the time of ARR though, it's actually stated during the Gridanian storyline that the Gridanians are actually noticing the increased incursions by poachers and the Ixal alike into the forest with the elementals apparently turning a blind eye, and it's downright scaring them - as you said such rampant desecration of the forest usually would not have been tolerated by the elementals and would have resulted in some kind of reaction. But nothing. It's generally believed that due to the aetheric changes caused by the Calamity, as well as the physical destruction wrought to the forest, the elementals have basically been weakened considerably - although they're like a wounded animal, unpredictable and still downright dangerous. The fact a low rank Ascian could enter the place and wreck havoc showed just how weak the elementals have become, resulting in pockets of elemental power like the Hedgetrees and the Guardian Tree Everschade being even more important than they once were. We still don't know exactly what makes the elementals tick - it's stated that as beings of pure aether they're virtually incomprehensible to mortal races thus their decisions or choices may not make sense to the mortals of Gridania, but the later are still bound to follow them anyway. It's the price they pay for Gridania's existence in the forest. -
10-07-2015, 08:49 PMElladie
Again, really helpful reply, Enkidoh! Many thanks :)
I've been looking at the fish that can be caught in the fishing spots that run through the Sylphlands. Several of them are native to the Velodyna and/or Hathoeva rivers which suggests to me that these waters are somehow connected to those. I did notice, though, that the Yu'gram salmon somehow manages to get up to Verdant Drop! And to the Hathoeva river. So those waterways must all be connected somehow?
Am I going looking at this too closely? XD -
10-07-2015, 09:01 PMAnonymoose
Enkidoh nailed a big chunk of this while I was researching, so I'll trim it back a bit, lol.
Indeed, same place, lore-wise, as the tempered ones live now. The Calamity did a number on the east Forest, though (and Thornmarch was in a completely different place, but the West Shroud is closed (for now?).Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
I'm not 100% on its location, but the Black Shroud region map shows the Velodyna cutting through an area between the central and east Shroud.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
More like abandoned - woodsin hasn't been mentioned a single time since 1.0, and the greenwrath (aside from a status effect in a quest) is only mentioned in the past tense. We very, very rarely see the old-school elementals anymore, only the more-or-less mindless sprites; they may be too weak to have the effect they used to (maybe that's one of the reasons Amberscale Rock has remained untouched - they needed the Elementals and the dragons fleshed out before it could happen, perhaps). This may be directly tied to the lack of woodsin's existence - as it seemed (no promises that this is true) to be at least in part an aetherial phenomenon to begin with. I can't seem to recall many of the specifics of my original theory (I'll try to dig them up), but I think it was that the woodsin was aether tainted by the Elemental's sentiments, and that greenwrath was the creatures of the wood stirred to attack those which had the taint on them. If the Elementals are too weak to be as active or apparent as they used to be (and some people didn't even believe in them back then), there may not be enough influence to generate woodsin under post-Calamity circumstances.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
I wouldn't say so; the east Shroud is close to Rothlyt Sound, where a lot of these waters converge. Some fish may have migrated naturally or may even have been moved by local fishes to try to mess with the local populations. Or, like some fish logs hint, they could have by now become common in both places but only named or famous for being in one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
Holy 3,000th Post, Batman. -
10-07-2015, 11:34 PMElladie
Another question on the Black Shroud XD
In the quest dialogue concerning Spirithold in south Greentear, it's referred to by both Galfrid and Papalymo as a dungeon. Do they mean a literal dungeon (as in a prison) or are they using the word in the same way we do, namely a place where there are monsters & nasties?
Edit: actually, ignore me, I seem to remember seeing the remains of prison cells in that place. I'll go check it out when I'm in game later. I do wonder, though, about the place's history and why a prison would be named Spirithold ... -
10-08-2015, 12:03 AMAnonymooseYep. It replaced Toto-Rak after it was closed roughly thirty years back - then it got destroyed in the Calamity and the city gave it back to the wood. One of the early quests involves the CNJ guild getting interrupted while trying to do perform the rite of returning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
Ignore the inquisitive? Me!? It's not in my blood.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elladie
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10-08-2015, 12:08 AMFrederick22
Whats the origin of the elementals? what were they doing during the time of the allags? ( know the allagans are , they could have destryed the hole forest and use it as fuel lol )
Also whats their relation with the 12? if such relation exist of course. -
10-08-2015, 10:09 AMEnkidohWas Spirithold indeed Toto-Rak's replacement as Gridania's prison though? The DF description for Toto-Rak stated that it was abandoned because of the "completion of a new gaol closer to the city", yet Spirithold seems to be very much Gelmorran in design and origins, just like Toto-Rak, hardly a 'new facility', although I guess that could be handwaved away as simply an "old structure being given a new purpose" (Spirithold does indeed seem to be a gaol like Toto-Rak). Although Gridania does indeed reuse old Gelmorran structures (like the Mun-Tuy Cellars and Tam Tara Deepcroft), the way the DF description is written it makes it seem Toto-Rak's replacement was a brand new building and not simply another old ruin from Gelmorra done up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymoose
But I guess I'm being just being pedantic here. :p
To be really honest? No one knows! All that has been stated about the elementals is that they're beings of pure aether who seemed to have always been there - in 1.0 it was stated elementals actually exist everywhere in the world, even outside the Black Shroud in all manner of things, even rocks and water, so it's entirely possible that they may have existed there since the very dawn of time/Hydaelyn's creation. For some reason though they were more numerous and potent in the Black Shroud than anywhere else in Hydaelyn, giving the forest a kind of 'genius loci' effect where in a very real sense the forest is very much sentient itself after a fashion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederick22
Additionally, nothing is known as to the state of the Black Shroud (and the elementals too for that matter) when the Allag Empire was at it's world-conquering height - given the suspicious lack of Allagan structures in the Shroud and the sheer power of the elementals, I would not be surprised if the Shroud was the one place the Allagans were not able to conquer - they may have tried, but the elementals probably ran rings around them, and, given the lack of any other spoken races living there, the Allag probably regarded the place as simply being of little political value - better to turn their attentions on conquering functioning societies than an empty forest populated only by powerful aetheric fairies that can make the very trees aggressive and dangerous. ;)
As for where they fit in with the Twelve, Gridania worships the goddess Nophica the Matron, which, during a story quest in 1.0, a moogle stated that the most powerful elemental of all, the elemental who inhabits Everschade the Guardian Tree, decreed that "those beckoned by the wood" (ala, Yda, Papalymo and the player), are "Messengers of Nophica" - this revelation surprised even E-Sumi Yan, who was slightly and visibly shaken by this. Although 1.0 has retconned much, it would be very interesting to see exactly what was meant by this (that plotline ultimately never was resolved or went anywhere so it's sadly possible that it's been abandoned - a shame as I was very intrigued about what the 'pudgy moogle' meant by that.).
Either way, it seems there is at least some connection between the Twelve (at least, Nophica anyway) and the elementals, but exactly how deep that connection is, is unknown at this stage. -
10-08-2015, 12:45 PMRocl
My memory is hazy here, but I believe in one of the 7UE quests there's some indication the Elementals knew exactly what Dalamud was and why it was so dangerous. This would, of course, give the general impression that Elementals retain a cultural memory much longer than spoken races (which shouldn't be surprising as Amdapor was more or less erased after the 6UE thanks to them)
(I'm also not sure cultural memory is the phrase I'm looking for, but we don't have a lot of information about Elementals so I'm at a loss!) -
10-11-2015, 11:48 AMSapphicOr they just don't die ^_^.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocl
About Woodsin, I don't think it exists anymore due to dalamud practically destroying the (hedge? veil? I forget the proper term) that protected the shroud.
Always thought it was funny that after being told in 1.0 you have woodsin and that the shroud is a lot more dangerous for you and to re-enter you need to be cleansed, then they turn around and send you into the shroud :S -
10-11-2015, 11:59 AMEnkidohThe Hedge still physically exists in ARR, in fact, you can easily see the Hedgetrees that make up it in the Black Shroud (there is one Hedgetree each in the North, East and Central Shroud zones, although curiously, there is no Hedgetree in the South Shroud) - they're clearly marked on the zone maps, and besides are easy to spot- they're a unique looking bluish-white flame tree with rosaries and ritual carvings adorning it's trunk - and despite the actual aetheric barrier the Hedge formed being somewhat inactive post Calamity, the Hedge is still regarded as extremely important to Gridania's survival - a number of early Gridanian quests in ARR dealt with threats to the Hedgetrees and the player being tasked to defend them (namely from the Ixal). So the Hedge still has a very important part to play in Gridania's existence, even if it no longer provides it's original aspect of preventing 'woodsin' as was stated in 1.0.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphic
Haha, yeah, that put the fear of god into me too in 1.0! When Miounne told me to "stay out of the forest until your woodsin is cleansed!" I took that to mean a literal warning, that it was a hidden status effect that would turn the entire zone against me and kill me instantly! (Which, given that the deeper parts of 1.0's zones had random enemies at ridiculously high levels like 90, perhaps that was more true than I thought. :p).Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphic
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10-11-2015, 02:49 PMKaiser-Ace
I think it'll become more apparent in the future that Oasok may be the only Elemental with any real power left. With the Shroud taking so much direct dammage (more than anywhere other than Cartenou's ground zero Zone) then it's possible many elementals may be close to death and conserving what Aether they can.