I've made a few posts on the topic before, so I'm gonna pull from those and try to compile what I've got in one place on the RPC.
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Gelmorra
Gelmorra was founded circa the Year 740 of the Sixth Astral Era by Elezen and Hyur seeking refuge from the wrath of the Elementals of Tinolqa and the Ixal, who at the time along with the Sylphs, held dominion over the Shroud. For hundreds of years they entreated the elementals to allow them access to the Wood, but were repeatedly denied, for the elementals still held the atrocities of the War of the Magi fresh in their memories. Eventually, the moogles, who were originally distrustful of man, taught the Gelmorrans conjury, so that they could communicate effectively with the elementals. From this came the Pact of Gelmorra, which allowed mankind to emerge from the subterranean city-state and found Gridania. There were a group of Elezen who did not wish to leave and live under the whim of the elementals, and these were the Duskwight. Now, only ruins of Gelmorra remain scattered about the Twelveswood.
You can find several ruins in the current version, including Issom-Har in South Shroud, the ruins in North Shroud, Amberscale Rock in Central, as well as Mun-Toy, Tam-Tara, and Toto-Rak. According to a Quarrymill levequest from a conjurer named Charline, all above-ground ruins of Gelmorra are to be destroyed at the elemental’s behest, but this seems suspect at best considering how heavily Gelmorran ruins feature in the Wood.
Elemental Housekeeping Wrote:Of overgrown traces of Gelmorra, few remain to disturb the order of the forest, yet occasional ruins are still found that must needs be removed. What is under the forest may stay, but our laws decree that no stone of Gelmorra mar the home of the elementals.
In 1.0, there used to be Gelmorran structures made of amber, many of which have seemingly been demolished since. These tonberry-like statues are not actually tonberries, according to Fernehalwes, but they do establish that Amberscale Rock, now a sacred Gridanian relic, is in fact Gelmorran in origin.
![[Image: ghostlybanner.png]](https://katella.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/ghostlybanner.png)
Gamerescape Lore Train Interview Wrote:Q: Version 1.0, way back, the old Gelmorran ruins had these little statues made out of the same stuff as Amberscale Rock. What were those? They looked kinda like Tonberries…
MCKF: They were not tonberries. That’s all we can say.
What was with Gelmorra’s obsession with amber architecture? I can only hazard a guess - that amber dispels enchantments, potentially even elemental ones.
Maerwynn Wrote:Oh, and do remember to rub the soulstone against a sufficiently large concentration of amber, say, Amberscale Rock in the Central Shroud. Short of petitioning a mage versed in golem magicks, that is the only way I know to dispel the enchantments woven into a true heart.
Here’s more Gelmorra lore quotes I found, even a particularly interesting one from Millith Ironheart, who was investigating Issom-Har before Irielle and Rolandaix de Nevelle.
Millith Ironheart Wrote:Do you know of the subterranean city called Gelmorra? It existed long before Gridania was founded, back when man feared the wrath of the elementals and lived in the shadow of the Ixal. Even now, remnants of that forgotten civilization lie deep beneath the Black Shroud, waiting to be discovered. And that is precisely what I mean to do.
Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:In the latter 7th century of the Sixth Astral Era, the second migration of Hyur came upon Eorzea, forcing Elezen from their lands and into the Black Shroud. The elementals looked upon these settlers as intruders and sought to purge their presence from amongst the trees. Surviving accounts of this period describe chaos: the Elezen lacked the knowledge of the elementals' existence, and knew not what attacked them. In time, they realized what had befallen their people, and sought respite from the merciless onslaught in the caverns deep beneath the forest. They escaped annihilation - but at the cost of many Elezen lives.
Fifty years later, population growth pushed the Hyur to enter the forest as well. Upon finding people already ensconced underground, they challenged the Elezen for ownership of the habitable caves. Quarrel soon led to conflict, and the two races came to cross blades time and again.
Though this conflict raged for decades, overtures towards peace had begun by around the year 740. Realizing they had a common goal in avoiding the elementals' hostile gaze, the Hyur and Elezen put aside their differences. The two war-weary races sealed a pact, that both might prosper beneath the Twelveswood. The fruit of their alliance was Gelmorra, a great subterranean city. For nearly three centuries, the Elezen and Hyur labored to expand their home, burrowing between natural caves and shoring up the passages with walls of stone. In time, Gelmorra's intricate network of tunnels would come to put any antlings' nest to shame.
Around 1020, however, a great change came over the Twelveswood. Since times of eld, the elementals had allowed the Ixal to live within their forest. Yet suddenly, they cast the beastmen from the Shroud. What caused such a radical change in the elementals? The commonly accepted reason is that the Ixal population had grown too great for their area of the forest to support. In enlarging their territory, they cleared new land without the elementals' consent. For this defiance, exile was their reward. When the Gelmorrans learned of this, they realized that a chance was upon them to negotiate for land above ground. Those versed in the magic gathered, seeking a way to commune with the elementals through their art.
For a long while, the mages' attempts went unanswered. However, with perseverance came success. After fifty years of effort, they finally succeeded in relaying their wishes to the elementals. On the understanding that the Gelmorrans would defend the forest, the elementals gave them permission to return to the light of day. As a blessing and proof of the accord, they bestowed a glowing light upon Jorin Lightheart, the Hyuran leader of the mages. Thus, the Gelmorrans abandoned the caves, and began building a home amidst the Jadeite Thick. They christened this new city Gridania.
PAX West Lore Panel 2017 Wrote:Q: How did the Gelmorran civilization actually come to an end?
A: This is a really good question and something that we haven't touched upon. In the lore book we pretty much say that here's what happened, here's when it ended, kind of, when people left, but we never talked about that process. Why did it end? If half of the Elezen are still down there, the ones who became the Duskwights, why didn't they just stay down there? So how did that civilization end?
First off, Gelmorra worked. When the elementals first told the Elezen and the Hyur who resided in the Twelveswood "you need to get out now", they all went underground and created the Gelmorran civilization. That was created not just by the Elezen and not just by the Hyur, it was a combination of both of their knowledge. Because they worked together they were able to create this civilization and because they worked together it worked. Many many years later when the elementals had second thoughts, "okay you guys have shown us that you can live peacefully amongst nature you can come out now." The Hyur were the first to leave. Then the Elezen who were happy to go back out into nature where they used to live. But, by that time for a large population that had become their home, and the Elezen having a lot of pride said "no, this is our home. The elementals already kicked us out once, we made this, this is our home. We want to stay here."
They felt betrayed by their Elezen brethren and the Hyur that had helped them create the city. Being very prideful of their city and their civilization, they stuck around and tried to keep things running. But you had a giant city underground that needed pretty much everyone in it to keep it running. But when 75% of the population leaves, things start to decay. They tried their hardest, but things started to break down. Things couldn't be fixed. They couldn't make new things. Not enough people were there to tend to the Mun-tuy farms so they started running low on food. Even though they wanted to stay, they were forced out. They still blame that on the Wildwood Elezen and the Hyur because if they hadn't left they still would've had their civilization. The loss of their civilization wasn't instant, it happened over many generations, and it was something that really drove the Duskwights to hate the Wildwoods. The Wildwoods couldn't understand why they were hated, and that's where all of the "subtle" conflict between those two clans within the same race comes from.
The Waning of the Sixth Sun: Rise of the City-states Wrote:Four hundred summers removed from the great deluge, Eorzea’s population finally begins to experience a resurgence. Immigrants from islands beyond the Bloodbrine Sea, as well as the eastern continents of Othard and Ilsabard arrive in Aldenard in droves. Three great migratory waves of Hyur also inflict irreversible change on Eorzea’s population distribution.
Racial tension hits its peak at this time, with individual races seen gravitating to certain city-states to escape persecution - the Elezen to Ishgard in the highlands of Coerthas; the Lalafell to Belah'dia in the deserts of Thanalan; and the Roegadyn to Limsa Lominsa on the island of Vylbrand. However, even this was not without its problems. It is only a matter of years before clan-based infighting between the Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk Lalafell result in the fall of Belah'dia and its bifurcation into two new city-states, Ul'dah and Sil'dih.
That is not to say, however, that the period was devoid of racial harmony. Their banishment from the Twelveswood by the spirits of the forest works to strengthen the bonds between the Hyur and Elezen living in the Black Shroud, ultimately leading to their joint establishment of the underground city of Gelmorra.
The Waning of the Sixth Sun: Tides of War Wrote:For the next several hundred years, the city-states exhibit steady progress as they grow and gain power. When they seek to expand their claim on surrounding lands, however, new complications arise. Territorial feuds between neighbors lead to heightened tensions in the outlands. Indigenous beast tribes such as the kobolds and the Ixal, infuriated with those whom they perceive as invaders, begin to rise in defiance, despoiling the land in protest. Unable to put aside racial differences, Ul'dah and Sil'dih wage their petty war until neither side can remember why they fought at all.
After many long years of developing the art, the people of Gelmorra finally succeed in using conjury to achieve communion with the spirits of the Twelveswood, and convince the elementals to grant them residence in the forest. It is also at this time that the spirits, angered by the violent actions of the Ixal, send the tribe into exile beyond the Black Shroud’s protective barrier - the Hedge. Free to emerge from their underground refuge, and rid of the troublesome Ixal, the people of Gelmorra establish a new city-state, Gridania.
Kan-E-Senna Wrote:Our forebearers were once strangers in the Twelveswood. Fearful of the Greenwrath they hid themselves in the dark recesses of the earth. Yet they dreamed of basking in the dappled sunlight of the forest. Through great effort, they proved their worth to the elementals, and were granted a place beneath the boughs. So it was that Gridania was born, some five centuries ago. Working hand in hand, the Hyur and the Elezen settlers sowed the seeds of our civilization. And soon they were joined by folk of all races.
The Raven: 'Neath Garuda's Shadow Wrote:Some 550 years in the past, the Ixal chose the forest of Tinolqa as their homeland. The stories say they built their nests in its trees, and, spreading their wings to the wind, were able to soar among the branches. Even in this ancient time, the Ixal, feeling kinship with the creatures of the sky, revered Garuda as the Empress of Birds. During this age of prosperity the feathered beastmen flourished and multiplied, overflowing the borders of their territory. Their unchecked growth, however, angered the elementals, and the Ixal were cast out of the forest. The exiled birdmen, in search of a new place to roost, migrated en masse to the great canyon known as Xelphatol.
But the trials of the Ixal did not end with the loss of their home. Inexplicably, the young that hatched in the land of Xelphatol were born without certain feathers they needed to catch the wind. As generations came and went, the Ixal lost their ability to fly completely. All that remained to them was an insatiable hunger for the sky. The birdmen's invention of the dirigible 150 years ago is most like the culmination of this tragic history and their undiminished yearning to fly.
Raya-O-Senna Wrote:Emboldened by magic, man went on to reach the zenith of glory. But his hunger knew no bounds. Over time, even they who donned the white began perverting their powers for the sake of self-gain, and in this single-minded pursuit scrupled not to sully the sanctity of the Twelveswood. In his pride and avarice, man brought down the wrath of the elementals upon himself. A great deluge was sent to cleanse the land of his wicked presence, in the wake of which the forest rose to swallow up all that was not washed away. Thus did the Six Umbral Era begin...or so it is told.
Raya-O-Senna Wrote:The survivors - what few there were - banded together. Vowing never again to repeat their mistake, white and black magic were declared forbidden arts, never to be practiced again. The Elementals of the forest, knowing that men could not be trusted to keep such vows, took action as well. The Twelveswood grew, swallowing the ruins of Amdapor, and the power of white magic was sealed away deep in the forest, far from the reach of mortals.
Ages passed, until five centuries ago, the Elementals at long last welcomed people back into the forest. So the nation of Gridania was founded, and my people - the Padjal - came into being, to serve as mediators between Elementals and those who would reside in their forest home. It is from the Elementals themselves that we inherited white magic.
Maroile Wrote:It is the moogles who first taught the language of the elementals to man.
It was thanks to their efforts that some learned to hear the elementals, and understand them, as we do now. Even so, it requires arduous training to nurture the gift.
The Raven: Moogle Myth Made Manifest Wrote:That the moogles are our friends and allies is a fact all Gridanian younglings are raised to know. The relationship, however, has not always been one of amity. It was in the age of Gelmorra, back when the elementals did not suffer our presence in the Twelveswood, that the first contact between man and moogle took place. In the beginning, the moogles saw our ancestors as naught but an odious plague, whose existence served only to wake the elementals’ wrath.
But through great effort, our forbears eventually succeeded in communing with the elementals, and were permitted to abide in the Twelveswood. And with the elementals’ acceptance came the moogles’ grudging respect—a respect which grew into understanding and, over time, friendship. The moogles have since stood staunchly by our side, helping us to further our intimacy with the forest and its mysteries. Without their wisdom and guidance, I daresay Gridania would not have flourished into the great nation it is today.
The Raven: Light of the Future Wrote:Our ancestors once lived in fear of the elementals, concealing themselves within caverns that they might elude the wrath of the forest. This was in the age of Gelmorra, the subterranean city that was home to the first folk who dared set foot in the Twelveswood. Over time and through unceasing effort, the art of conjury was refined, and our cave-dwelling forebears finally succeeded in communing with the elementals. So it was that man was permitted to abide beneath the canopy of the forest, rather than within the dark of the earth.
Since that time, it was commonly believed that man called the Twelveswood home only at the elementals’ sufferance. However, the Elder Seedseer revealed in her speech that we are as much part of the forest as the grass and the trees. This revelation fell like a thunderbolt for most forestborn. But then the implications of the message sank in, and shock gave way to inner peace and a heightened sense of empowerment. To see the expressions of those present, one would think they had just been freed of their shackles.
Location, Location, Location Wrote:For half a thousand years, the ruins of Gelmorra have served as a necropolis, but the Calamity has Gridanians eyeing the underground city and murmuring about a new kind of curb appeal - curbing the chances of being flattened by a meteor, to be exact. Large slabs are sought for a little renovation.
Irielle de Nevelle Wrote:The enormous hole you see before you, my friend, is the result of a great rock which fell from the sky five summers past. The impact exposed the ruins hidden underneath the surface. We have taken it upon ourselvees to study these ancient ruins. I do not exaggerate when I say that every day brings us fascinating, exciting discoveries.
Irielle, Occupational Hazards Wrote:Oh, the ruins you see down there are part of the ancient subterranean city known as Gelmorra. For Duskwight Elezen such as ourselves, it represents a valuable and unexpected opportunity to learn more about the settlement where our ancestors once dwelled.
Rolandaix de Nevelle Wrote:I am all but convinced that we stand in what was once Gelmorra’s residential district. I must insist that you exercise caution whilst walking around this site. Many relics were expelled from the hole in the impacts years past. With but one careless step, you could crush underfoot Duskwight artifacts of untold significance.
Just the Artifacts, Madam Wrote:In the countless generations since the fall of Gelmorra, the Twelveswood has reclaimed much of the ancient city, so to uncover the civilization's lost secrets, a little digging is ofttimes necessary. The land around Issom-Har is known to yield a variety of Gelmorran artifacts such as coins and potsherds which have become tangled in the roots of giant trees. While of no value to most, these relics of a past age are the subject of my ongoing studies into Gridania's history, and I will pay a fair price for any items you may find.
Rolandaix, Potsherds for Posterity Wrote:My work here is far from done, but this discovery brings me one tantalizing step closer to realizing my dream; the restoration of these ruins, and their reestablishment as a settlement for the Duskwight Elezen. Gridanians have long perceived my people as outcasts and brigands, yet if we Duskwight can return a measure of prosperity to this fallen city, we would no longer need to resort to common theft or banditry in order to make ends meet. Imagine it!
Chigoe Larva Wrote:Chirurgeons of the fallen city of Gelmorra once used chigoes to leech the dark humours of the infirm until it was realized the patients were contracting additional maladies as a result of the treatment.
Tam-Tara Deepcroft Wrote:Since its establishment during Gelmorran times, this subterranean crypt has been used for generations as a final resting place for the remains of rulers and nobles.
According to Fernehalwes’
Padjal Naming Conventions, Padjal existed during the latter years of Gelmorra prior to Gridania’s founding, likely during the transition period between forsaking Gelmorra and building Gridania (using rock from subterranean Gelmorra).
Sightseeing Vista #047 Wrote:Quarrymill
Once a deal had been struck between the Gelmorrans and the Elementals allowing their return to the forest surface, the Elezen began unearthing large quantities of boulders to build the foundations of their new city, Gridania. The waterwheels of Quarrymill were raised to power the hammers which rendered the massive stones into workable blocks.
I’m referencing the Padjal families Inik and Mena, and the Ak-Inik and Ak-Mena enemies from the Tam-Tara dungeon. Fernehalwes writes that “Ak†is the honorific prefix attached to a deceased member of a house. Going back to the earlier quote that Gelmorrans had nobility, its possible that the Gelmorrans, like the Gridanians, held the Padjal and Conjurers/Hearers in general in very high esteem.
Interestingly, of the nine Padjali families we know of (Senna, Yan, Pesi, Por, Inik, Mena, Cant, Kotor, and Nene) only Cant has a shade of skin that appears Duskwight, though all known Padjal are Hyuran, just with pointy ears and horns.
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For spell type of conjurer evolved from Gridania (and previous Gelmora?) Either city had Nophica as their guardian and took very good care of them. For that reason these abilities uses word that points to Nophica (goddess)
Rusty old translation, but it appears Gelmorra also worshiped Nophica as their matron deity. Really old 1.0 lore that seems to be corroborated by the upcoming Palace of the Dead:
![[Image: weapon.jpg]](http://www.novacrystallis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/weapon.jpg)
Nuala Wrote:The Twelveswood is a vast forest set aside just for the elementals by the Matron, Nophica. It was here long before we came, and will remain long after we are gone. You are their guest, and may tread only where allowed. Adventurers are not permitted beyond the hunting grounds. See to it your feet do not stray.
There's also a few references to Gelmorra and the subterranean lifestyle that began the Duskwight in the Duskwight lore I've gathered below:
1.0 Character Creation Wrote:Ultimately, the Elezen diverged into two clans which exist today. The Wildwood Elezen took to the forests in their ongoing fight to protect their homeland against the encroaching Hyur, while the Duskwight Elezen withdrew to caves and subterrane opting instead to avoid all contact with any but their own.
Lodestone Wrote: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.
1.0 Character Creation Wrote:Centuries ago, a number of Elezen sought out a life of peace and seclusion in the depths of Eorzea’s caves and caverns. Today, they are called the Duskwight, though to their Wildwood cousins they are known simply as the “Greys,†after their preference of darkness and stone. As part of their physical adaptation, the Duskwight have developed an acute sense of hearing, capable of detecting the faintest of sounds. This natural gift grants them uncanny awareness, which many have put to exemplary use in the field of hand-to-hand combat.
The cave-dwelling ways of the Duskwight persist today, with some among them turning to robbery and pillaging to survive, earning them the scorn of their woodland relatives. There are few differences between the genders, but Duskwight males are often regarded as being more stern and authoritative of the two, while females are often regarded as the more passionate and unyielding of the two.
Prosperlain Wrote:The Duskwight are cousins to us Wildwood, and the same blood of the first Elezen courses through both our veins. We are not entirely unlike in appearance, but generations spent in the darkness of caves have created rift enough between our ways of life.
Mind you, I bear their kind no ill will. I simply keep the records. And the records state that the Duskwight are generally believed to be...shall we say, unruly, and stubborn. Many turn to thievery and banditry to survive, and are seen as a disgrace to the nobility espoused by the Wildwood. Should you encounter any beyond a city's boundaries, you had best be wary.
Gelmorra's projected territory was quite expansive and possibly even larger than what the few remaining Gelmorran ruins suggest. I snagged a region map off google and did a little editing, circling in known Gelmorran ruins in green and drawing green lines across what we believe might logically have been called their territory.
![[Image: dkINNw2.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/dkINNw2.jpg)
The upcoming
Palace of the Dead also has this little tidbit of lore:
Lodestone Wrote:In the subterranean city of Gelmorra, deep within a forgotten corner of Issom-Har, stout-hearted explorers have uncovered the entrance to a labyrinthine dungeon. Those who set foot inside its maddening halls find their vigor drained by an irresistible fog of innervation, and repeated excursions have failed to map its seemingly inconstant architecture. After hearing chilling accounts of spectral denizens, locals took to whispering of a "Palace of the Dead," and the Wood Wailers now seek the assistance of adventurers in laying bare its haunted secrets...
One last little fun thing to note, is that the Gridanian flag - twin serpents wrapped about a lotus, is actually a Gelmorran symbol.
Alphinaud Wrote:Do you see the Gridanian standard? The entwined serpents represent the unity between Hyur and Elezen. An elegant symbol, do you not agree?
![[Image: 200px-The_Order_of_the_Twin_Adder_Flag.png]](http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/w/images/thumb/8/8b/The_Order_of_the_Twin_Adder_Flag.png/200px-The_Order_of_the_Twin_Adder_Flag.png)
Now look really closely behind the Cultist Rosary in Tam-Tara:
![[Image: FFXIV-ARR-Tam-Tara-Deepcroft-cultist-ros...=638%2C344]](http://i1.wp.com/www.ffxivguild.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/FFXIV-ARR-Tam-Tara-Deepcroft-cultist-rosary.jpg?resize=638%2C344)
Or at the ground in Tam-Tara HM...
![[Image: ffxiv-2009.jpg]](http://www.ffxivinfo.com/images/screenshots/ffxiv-2009.jpg)
Hope this helps!
Gelmorra Timeline:
c.660 - Driven from their home by the Hyuran settlers, whose numbers continue to swell, the Elezen begin to colonize the Black Shroud
c.710 - The Hyur begin to colonize the Black Shroud, leading to territorial contentions with the Elezen
740 - The Elezen and Hyuran settlers of the Black Shroud reconcile their differences, and together build the subterranean city of Gelmorra to protect themselves from the threat of the elementals
c.1020 - The Ixal incur the wrath of the elementals and are cast out of the Black Shroud. The tribes migrate to Xelphatol, east of Abalathia's Spine
1076 - After much trial and error, the conjurer Jorin successfully communes with the elementals. Talks are held in Peacegarden, and the citizens of Gelmorra are permitted to live in the Black Shroud
1077 - The inhabitants of Gelmorra begin construction of the forest city of Gridania. The hamlet of Quarrymill is founded on the site where stone is cut and harvested for building materials
