Gridania and "outsiders"

[Anna_Lannis]

When I started playing back in 2.0 I knew I wanted to be a White Mage, and I ended up in Gridania.... however nice looking the forest environment are, the wildlife, and especially the people can be very hostile. I don't see the point of having a lush beautiful forest if everyone is just going to be miserable. As much as I love Gridania, I can't stand the people and their judgmental attitudes... there is something just... wrong about how a human being can respect an non-sentient life form or inanimate matter than a flesh and blood person. The other two nations have their issues but sometimes I cannot stand how the natives deal with "outsiders", at least Isgardians have their Dragon War so at least they have an excuse.

One would think having a meteor dropped on them forcing them to collaborate with other nations would change their outlook, but sometimes I feel like the Shroud (not all of it, at least not the part with the Ixali and the Slyphs) should be set on fire. At least enough to make Gridanians question why they should treat their neighbors.

[WyrahFhurrst]

They do have to respect the will of the Elementals, and outsiders traditionally have kind of done nothing to help with the whole "Gridania only being allowed to be a thing by the will of the Elementals" deal. The Gridanians aren't welcoming, but then again outsiders have only ever made themselves unwelcomed guests who ruin the whole thing for everyone.

[Velox]

there is something just... wrong about how a human being can respect an non-sentient life form or inanimate matter than a flesh and blood person.

So you question their belief that all life is sacred, in every form? Let me ask you this...who decides life is sacred then? Do we, as sentient beings? If sentient creatures have the power to dictate what forms of life are sacred and which aren't, of COURSE they are going to find their own lives sacred, because they have a self-interest in staying alive.

Also, someone did set the Twelveswood on fire once prior to the Calamity (during 1.0). Let's just say once the Elementals got involved it did NOT end well for the boy.

[myahele]

There is also the fact that Elementals DO exist and when angered (usually by an outsider cutting down trees, especially one's where they reside) everyone dies.

Its a respect for the forest because its a "you help us we help you." Such a thing is alien to outsiders and sadly they lump them up together

[Anna_Lannis]

Well, here's an idea... if it's so important, why not just have Wood Wailers, etc. explain the situation to visitors instead of being judgmental? Outsiders are not mind-readers. Outside of deliberate theft, assault, etc. Gridanians, do very little to impart their culture to other people, and I have yet to see an "outsider" do anything bad to the forest out of disrespect, thoughtlessness, greed, etc. other than the Red Belly and Courelfangs. Out of all the DoL and DoH jobs only Fufucha understands how her craft interacts with other crafts. The other ones are too self-absorbed think past their front porch and only one of them goes through enough character development to realize it.

[FJerome]

I think the source of the issue is Gridania is a "Powered by a Forsaken Child" kind of deal and for the sake of the greater good occasionally the Hearers will let someone innocent die because it's the Will of the Elementals (TM).

Obviously whether or not you think that's a justifiable trade-off is always going to be something of a base-breaker. It's even a canonical base-breaker in-game, since it seems to be the source of the Duskwright vs Wildwood split.

[Nialle]

Gridania rubs me the wrong way too, because they are fairly racist against Duskwights who are just as native to the Shroud as any of the rest of them. They seem pretty xenophobic and afraid of the forest, which is *explained* well in sources in 1.0 and such, but you never really get the sense ingame currently that it's justified and they come across as just being paranoid bigots in 2.0.

[Anna_Lannis]

Okay, what happens if I go around on Scholar or Alchemist healing people using Leeches or HQ Spine Drops and HQ Hi-Potions... are the elemental going to stop me? Am I going to invoke the Greenwrath if I use too much White Magic in Thanalan or La Noscea? And why doesn't anything bad happen to the Red Belly and Courelfangs?

If you need to see an example of why using religion/beliefs is an excuse to be nasty is a bad idea, go to Lost City of Ampador. Every war has had some kind of religious justification for pain and suffering... which is why I cannot stand it.

[PArcher]

Diabolos wasn't summoned by the whms, he was summoned by their enemies, and the whm sealed him in that tower.

In gridania, the elementals word is law. These laws are explained to outsiders briefly, but most like to ignore them, so natives, fearing the all too real greenwrath, dislike outsiders.

[Belhi]

The Gridanian attitude towards outsiders is one that several Gridanians themselves comment on as an issue. You can see how it is rooted though. Remember it took hundreds of years of having to live underground before the elementals finally accepted the Gridanians and allowed them to live on the surface. This makes the Gridanians rather paranoid about maintaining their relations with the elementals.

As for why so many groups evade retribution, I'd say its probably linked to the fact the elementals were weakened by the Calamity. I also suspect the elementals allow the Gridanians to take responsibility for much of it. If you have played through the White Mage story you would know the forest was getting pretty angry and needed placating.