Dark Duskwight Elezen (Lore and Speculation Thread)

[Baldur]

Before I begin, I would like to stress that this thread is intended only for speculation and polite discussion. (As stupid as it may seem, I'm serious.) I do not wish to start any arguments nor discrimination by making this thread.

I have played as a dark skinned (spelling?) Duskwight Elezen for nearly as long as I have played Final Fantasy XIV, and throughout my time in Eorzea I have noticed many other dark skinned Duskwight PCs, but I can not recall ever seeing an NPC of such. I have talked about this with my friends and we eventually brought up how similar the Duskwight are to the Drow of various Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings. With that, we began to wonder if there could be a place under Eorzea similar to the Forgotten Realms' Underdark where the dark skinned Duskwight could reside.

Now, before you shout at me saying "this is not Dungeons & Dragons, this is Final Fantasy XIV", please understand I am NOT saying the Duskwight Elezen are the Drow, and I am not saying there is a place called the Underdark somewhere deep beneath Eorzea's surface. I bolded the word "similar" above for a reason. I am simply stating the possibility that the Duskwight could be somewhere deep beneath the surface of Eorzea.

What leads me to state that are evidence or clues found both inside and outside of Final Fantasy XIV. Inside the game, as I mentioned above, I can not recall ever seeing a dark skinned Duskwight Elezen NPC. Of course, there are many PCs of such, but NPCs, particularly in MMORPGs, are more relevant to the lore than PCs are, because what one PC does in the game's story does not effect the story for another PC, and NPCs are created officially by the development team itself. Another clue or a piece of evidence found both inside and outside the game is the description of the Duskwight. They are said to receive scorn from their Wildwood cousins, and are said to dwell in caves. One reason why the Drow from the Forgotten Realms live underground is because of discrimination from the races of the surface, and the Underdark is described as a network of tunnels and caves. So if the Duswight are based on the Drow from the Forgotten Realms (which there are no resources which point to that), then it is safe to assume the Duskwight indeed have their own domain somewhere deep beneath Eorzea's surface.

Why does this matter? For non-role players, this place deep beneath the surface of Eorzea may be a possible dungeon or a large scape for a future expansion. For role players, particularly those who like or love the Duskwight Elezen, this gives you something to think about when developing your character, and if such a place mentioned above does exist, it may very well lead us to answers we Duskwight lovers have been craving for.

Now, what are your theories? Why do you think there are no, or very little, dark skinned Duskwight Elezen NPCs?

TL;DR version: There are no dark skinned Duskwight Elezen NPCs in the current version of Final Fantasy XIV. Why do you think this is?

[Jynx]

From the basic descriptions we got with each class it generally seems (Asides from humans) that the fair skined clans spend more time in caves or dark places meaning the need darker skin tons never really developed where as the races that spend time in the sun or deserts develope darker tones.

[Sephrick]

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.

From finalfantasyxiv.com's description.

Just seems they don't like structured society.

[Azurymber]

character creation says that they hid in caves from the Hyur, and while most still hide in the caves a few come out to rob and pillage people. So that is probably why you don't see them anywhere.

[MrKupo]

aaaaaaannnnd now i have an urge to find at least one npc like this. Maybe some of the wanted faction leves had them? I don't recall any in particular but it would help shed some light on their current status. Or maybe hanging around at some of the outposts. I'll have a looksie later.

[Baldur]

From the basic descriptions we got with each class it generally seems (Asides from humans) that the fair skined clans spend more time in caves or dark places meaning the need darker skin tons never really developed where as the races that spend time in the sun or deserts develope darker tones.

That kind of realism does not usually apply to all races in most fantasy settings. The Drow in the Forgotten Realms lived underground for hundreds if not thousands of years, and they still retain their description of having black to dark purple skin. If that kind of realism applied to the Duskwight Elezen, wouldn't it be the pale skinned ones who are in hiding and not the dark skinned ones?

character creation says that they hid in caves from the Hyur, and while most still hide in the caves a few come out to rob and pillage people. So that is probably why you don't see them anywhere.

But there are many caves throughout Eorzea as it currently is. If what you say is true, wouldn't we run into Duskwight Elezen in some of those caves? If not as friendly NPCs, as aggressive foes ready to ambush any PC passing through?

[MrKupo]

So I found one NPC that is seems to be a Duskwight turned wildwood. He lives in Gridania and explains to players the different races of Gridania.




He explains their origins the same way we know already.

[Baldur]

That's a very good find, MrKupo! Did this NPC explain how he turned from Wildwood to Duswight?