A Brief History of the Black Shroud

[Elladie]

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.

[Frederick22]

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.

[Kacho_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?

[Elladie]

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?

I 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!
This is all off the top of my head so I may well be completely mistaken; sadly I'm no Anonymoose!

[Frederick22]

I believe that the keepers that arrive to the forest and deside to live there.

[Enkidoh]

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?

The 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:

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.

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 ).

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

[Anonymoose]

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).

And speaking of moogles<...>

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.

The timing depends on something I'm still working pretty hard on...

I'm not sure of the details, but there was a story that Moose knows the details<...>

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.

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!

[Enkidoh]

Ah, thanks for clarifying that Professor Moose! 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.

Thanks again!

[Elladie]

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!

[TinyRedLeaf]

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 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.