What was Ishgard doing?

[Saikou]

Most of Ishgard is singularly focused on the war against the dragons, which they see as a holy war to which outsiders have no business interfering in. Indeed, one quest has a high ranking Knight of Ishgard saying, in no uncertain terms, that it would shame Ishgard to hire sellswords or adventurers to help their cause. And yet, for gameplay purposes, the High Houses that become indebted to you will offer guildleves at specific locations of Coerthas just like any other region of the game. This may be for game mechanics more than to follow the lore, as the Knights guarding the gate of Ishgard proper are adamant that they will be taking your head if you try to enter the city without permission.

[Saikou]

Ishgard proper also doesn't believe that provisioning its southern borderlands is an efficient use of resources. One NPC laments that the Ixal, moving into the region, won't be thought a significant enough threat compared to the Dravanians in the north. Perhaps because of Ishgard proper's decision to leave South Coerthas to the High Houses, the Dravanians have destroyed 2 heavily fortified outposts in South Coerthas that are furthest north. The sudden, localized change in weather to the region has made life very difficult for the High Houses living in the south. Again, the main city is unsympathetic and is singularly focused on its war with the dragons since there ARE NO GARLEANS IN COERTHAS. I have to infer that even if there was a Garlean presence in South Coerthas, Ishgard would likely be apathetic about it just as it has chosen to be apathetic about the Ixal incursion.

[Saikou]

We learn, essentially, that the Ishgardians have been too busy and too singularly focused on killing Dragonkin and Dragonkin sympathizers to lend a hand to Gridania, Ul'dah, an Limsa Lominsa. Also, they just don't seem to care about anything else happening outside of their holdings because of their holy crusade against the dragons. Their prideful arrogance is similar to that of San d'Orian NPC's in FFXI. Maybe Ishgard will come to respect adventurers and The Scions of the 7th Dawn if we defeat Bahamut, an Elder Primal in the form of a Dragon? I can only speculate. I'm level 40 now and not entirely finished with questing in Coerthas, but this is what I have been able to glean based on my experiences.

(Ugh, I wish there wasn't a 1000 character limit)

[Orophin]

(Ugh, I wish there wasn't a 1000 character limit)

You can edit your posts to bypass that by the way.

Ishgard definitely has some internal problems. Those listed above and:

You find out through the main story that a Dravanian has stolen the identity of a Confessor newly come to Ishgard and has been condemning innocents to death.