Why isn't the Temple Knights of Ishgard a Grand Company by now?

[Iscah]

Let Ishgard celebrate Starlight

Theoretically, I would love to see Ishgard celebrate Starlight. But only if they made different, more realistic decorations to fit the more solemn mood of the city.

Practically, given that it would almost certainly involve them covering it with the same bright gaudy decorations as seen in the other cities? No thankyou.

[Duskane]

Let Ishgard celebrate Starlight

Problem is locking a Christmas event behind a expansion/msq

[Remedi]

They could do like wow events where you have different level ranges for events

The Temple Knights are for all practical purposes the Grand Company of Ishgard.
They are not very interested in attaching adventurers to themselves though - so we can't join them like we can with the GCs of the starter cities.

Absolutely true, also if I'm not mistaken you need to also be related to a high house of Ishgard to be part of it and they fear the Watch that has been instituted by the republic and constituted by lowborns.
In fact I think that if they were ever to make a GC of Ishgard I think the watch is the most likely to be the one open to adventurers

[SannaR]

Maybe not have Ishgard host Star light or the Valentines but make it have decorations. XI would have decorations up in the main original hub city but it never hosted. Course it also had special music for when it was Star light. It would be neat to have Ishgard and Kugane decorated for holidays we know they celebrate.

The watch would make a good choice if there was ever going to be an Ishgardian GC equal. Concerning that we're still not liked by a few of the high houses. Even after saving their bacon and proving them wrong more than once.

[LineageRazor]

Maybe not have Ishgard host Star light or the Valentines but make it have decorations. XI would have decorations up in the main original hub city but it never hosted. Course it also had special music for when it was Star light. It would be neat to have Ishgard and Kugane decorated for holidays we know they celebrate.

The watch would make a good choice if there was ever going to be an Ishgardian GC equal. Concerning that we're still not liked by a few of the high houses. Even after saving their bacon and proving them wrong more than once.

This. ^^

Unfortunately, if SE was going to invest in dolling up Ishgard, they would have done it in Heavensward, when it was the center of focus. I highly doubt they'll bother with the decorations now that so few people spend time there. It is a bit sad and frustrating, though, that the city from whence these holidays came don't show any sign. Perhaps all of the decorations are indoors.

[Bright-Flower]

The watch I would kind of see more as a Brass Blades/Wood Wallers/Yellow Jacket equivelant rather than a GC.

[AmemeAmeklin]

Absolutely true, also if I'm not mistaken you need to also be related to a high house of Ishgard to be part of it and they fear the Watch that has been instituted by the republic and constituted by lowborns.

No, you don't need to be related to a high house to join. You do need to prove yourself somehow, via tourney or recommendation or the like. You can also get an education at the Scholasticate and earn a place that way (though they tend to pick up more scholarly roles, like inquisitor). Of course most everyone ends up serving as a squire first. It's very much like traditional English knighthood, the way it's structured. I don't think I've seen mention of pages, though.

Ishgard has numerous branches to its military, with the Holy See's branch being the Temple Knights. The other branches are the four high houses, which in turn have numerous other noble houses feeding into their particular branch. The Temple Knights are technically neutral in terms of politics. If you want to enter service to one of the high houses, I think the requirements are a bit different but it may actually be a bit easier if you're affiliated with that house. Of course, it's still fairly merit-based, as we can see from how Haurchefant earned his knighthood (by rescuing his friend Francel from bandits with only a knife). Even Emmanellain knows how to fight, despite being a drunken lout and gossipmonger most of the time.

Due to the military system, Ishgard actually has a great deal of social mobility among the lower classes. From the Scholasticate quests, we see two boys from the Brume given the opportunity to become clergy, knights, or otherwise learned individuals. These also showcase the tension between those two and the third one left behind in the Brume, which tells us this is more of an exception than anything else, but it IS possible (unlike, say, moving between castes in India, which is basically impossible). We also see in the Weaver quests a young man who became a knight in service to a high house, despite being of 'humble origins' (and a complete klutz). Levequests mention dragoons of House Durendaire in spots, and numerous characters not directly related to high houses are referred to as nobles. In addition, we have the Convictors in the western highlands who are seeking glory and social promotion through killing dragons. My last example (there are plenty to choose from) is the little thief girl from the Brume who made off with your extra firewood. Later you find she froze to death because she was saving up to go to Cloudtop and become a knight that way. Beyond becoming a knight (which seems to be the most appealing thing for most), one may also become a house servant (although for some reason that seems to end with getting pregnant from a horny noble for the women a lot of the time).

The Watch, created by Hilda and the 'lowborn' citizens not part of any particular house (rejected for whatever reason), is not connected to the military and agitates against the Holy See. This shows us the limit of the social mobility in Ishgard, and also tells us a majority of Ishgardian citizens actually belong to a house. The Brume itself is filled with those not of any house, orphans, and social outcasts, as well as refugees from the Calamity, those who fled into Ishgard from the various regions of Coerthas as the aether changed to ice and everything froze.

[Remedi]

Thanks for the reminder also it does paves the way for a possible associatiuon with the Temple knight, since we can have a recommendation + the fact that we fought in the Tournament so in a way we kinda proved our merit to Ishgard, not to mention the whole nidhogg business.
All things considered it is idd possible for us to be part of the temple knights

[AmemeAmeklin]

Well, those are the methods for a citizen of Ishgard. I don't believe they have any avenues for outsiders to achieve more than 'ward of House ____' status.

[MetalSnakeXI1]

Thanks for the reminder also it does paves the way for a possible associatiuon with the Temple knight, since we can have a recommendation + the fact that we fought in the Tournament so in a way we kinda proved our merit to Ishgard, not to mention the whole nidhogg business.
All things considered it is idd possible for us to be part of the temple knights

Don't forget that we also fought for the Temple Knights during the Grand Company Melee despite of our GC alligence.

If the four houses need more proof than that,especially after we slayed Nidhogg,then I dunno how they could have such absurdly high standards or too much ego to admit the worth of an adventurer