They're good and they're bad! (Like pretty much every single faction in this game, including the Garlean Empire.)
So way back when (about 1000 years ago) Ishgardians were a bunch of mountain folk Elezen scattered about Xelphatol. According to Ishgardian legend, Halone the Fury appears before the most honorably and courageous of these Elezen, named Thordan. She bid him lead her chosen people to the highest peak in Xelphatol, the very same peak on which Ishgard sits today. However, the lone peak was beyond reach in the Sea of Clouds, so the early Ishgardians set about making a giant bridge with which to span the gap.
It is said that while they were building this great bridge, they were set upon by a shadow so great it blocked out the sun. The shadow belonged to Nidhogg, the Dragon King. Thordan, the courageous Elezen warrior that he was, took up lance against Nidhogg, but the mere presence of Nidhogg warped the minds of Thordan's men, and they cast him into the chasm to his death. Overcome by the horror of what he had helped do, Haldrath, son of Thordan, was able to break the spell of Nidhogg. Overcome by grief, it is said that in that moment Halone visited Haldrath and gave him the courage to face the Dragon King. So Haldrath took up his sire's lance, and guided by Halone Herself, did battle with the dragon. With a mighty thrust, he prized one of Nidhogg's eyes from his skull. With a great roar that would signal 1000 bloody years of war to come, the Dragon King took wing and disappeared into the Sea of Clouds.
So all of that info is told to us by Ser Alberic in the 1.0 and 2.0 DRG storyline. Apparently Ishgard and the dragons of Dravania have been at war ever since. Haldrath, the first Azure Dragoon, then led a Holy War against the dragons for revenge for his sire's death.
Today, 1000 years later, there's a bunch of Ishgardian propaganda going around which suggests that you can be "bewitched" by a dragon by any of three ways.
1 - You touch a dragon's scales with your bare skin.
2 - You look directly into the eyes of a dragon.
3 - You allow a dragon to speak to you.
We do not know how true any of that bewitching stuff is, as our only source is a bit biased. However, I will add, that if these dragons have Benedict Cumberbatch's voice, then that third thing seems very likely. Bring out your pink, fluffy earmuffs!
Okay, now here's where I say that the Dravanians aren't all bad. In 1562 6AE, when the Garlean Empire pushed their invasion force deep into the heart of Eorzea, it was the Dravanians who single-handedly crushed the Empire. Silvertear, the then multi-tiered lake in the middle of the forest region of Mor Dhona, was thought to be the fount of all Life and Magic and Aether in all Hydaelyn. But the legend continues that it was guarded by an elder wyrm, Midgardsormr. So when the Garlean airships drew near to the lake, Midgardsormr roused from slumber and rose to defend the sacred fount. Hearing his ancient call, the dragons of Dravania raced to his aid, and together laid waste to the Empire and her flagship, the Agrius.
When the Agrius crashed into Silvertear, the ceruleum fuel reacted with the aetherfount and created a massive explosion of aether which killed Midgardsormr and crystallized all life for miles around. This massive spike in aether allowed the six Eorzean Primals to be brought forth into this world and summoned by their beastmen worshippers. With their legions defeated, and the assurance that Primals would be summoned should they continue their march, the Garleans were forced to retreat to Ala Mhigo and recover.
Primal Awakening
As for heretics specifically, it's suggested that most, but not all, are in league with the Dravanians. Basically if you do anything in opposition to the Archbishop (as his word is law by Halone) you're branded a heretic. You touch a dragon, you're a heretic. You join the Dravanians for whatever reason, you're a heretic. You think the Archbishop is an old coot off his rocker who's being manipulated by Ascians, you're a heretic. In 1.0, the Lambs of Dalamud also had a huge Ishgardian heretic following.
And if you are a heretic, don't run to Gridania! Gridanians are allies with Ishgard and they package fugitive heretics lost in the Wood and deliver them back to Ishgard. The Ishgardian Holy Knights are actually allowed to patrol within the Wood (at least on the Ishgardian border of the Wood) to catch heretics.
The Forboding Forest
Hope this helps! ^^
So way back when (about 1000 years ago) Ishgardians were a bunch of mountain folk Elezen scattered about Xelphatol. According to Ishgardian legend, Halone the Fury appears before the most honorably and courageous of these Elezen, named Thordan. She bid him lead her chosen people to the highest peak in Xelphatol, the very same peak on which Ishgard sits today. However, the lone peak was beyond reach in the Sea of Clouds, so the early Ishgardians set about making a giant bridge with which to span the gap.
It is said that while they were building this great bridge, they were set upon by a shadow so great it blocked out the sun. The shadow belonged to Nidhogg, the Dragon King. Thordan, the courageous Elezen warrior that he was, took up lance against Nidhogg, but the mere presence of Nidhogg warped the minds of Thordan's men, and they cast him into the chasm to his death. Overcome by the horror of what he had helped do, Haldrath, son of Thordan, was able to break the spell of Nidhogg. Overcome by grief, it is said that in that moment Halone visited Haldrath and gave him the courage to face the Dragon King. So Haldrath took up his sire's lance, and guided by Halone Herself, did battle with the dragon. With a mighty thrust, he prized one of Nidhogg's eyes from his skull. With a great roar that would signal 1000 bloody years of war to come, the Dragon King took wing and disappeared into the Sea of Clouds.
So all of that info is told to us by Ser Alberic in the 1.0 and 2.0 DRG storyline. Apparently Ishgard and the dragons of Dravania have been at war ever since. Haldrath, the first Azure Dragoon, then led a Holy War against the dragons for revenge for his sire's death.
Today, 1000 years later, there's a bunch of Ishgardian propaganda going around which suggests that you can be "bewitched" by a dragon by any of three ways.
1 - You touch a dragon's scales with your bare skin.
2 - You look directly into the eyes of a dragon.
3 - You allow a dragon to speak to you.
We do not know how true any of that bewitching stuff is, as our only source is a bit biased. However, I will add, that if these dragons have Benedict Cumberbatch's voice, then that third thing seems very likely. Bring out your pink, fluffy earmuffs!
Okay, now here's where I say that the Dravanians aren't all bad. In 1562 6AE, when the Garlean Empire pushed their invasion force deep into the heart of Eorzea, it was the Dravanians who single-handedly crushed the Empire. Silvertear, the then multi-tiered lake in the middle of the forest region of Mor Dhona, was thought to be the fount of all Life and Magic and Aether in all Hydaelyn. But the legend continues that it was guarded by an elder wyrm, Midgardsormr. So when the Garlean airships drew near to the lake, Midgardsormr roused from slumber and rose to defend the sacred fount. Hearing his ancient call, the dragons of Dravania raced to his aid, and together laid waste to the Empire and her flagship, the Agrius.
When the Agrius crashed into Silvertear, the ceruleum fuel reacted with the aetherfount and created a massive explosion of aether which killed Midgardsormr and crystallized all life for miles around. This massive spike in aether allowed the six Eorzean Primals to be brought forth into this world and summoned by their beastmen worshippers. With their legions defeated, and the assurance that Primals would be summoned should they continue their march, the Garleans were forced to retreat to Ala Mhigo and recover.
Primal Awakening
As for heretics specifically, it's suggested that most, but not all, are in league with the Dravanians. Basically if you do anything in opposition to the Archbishop (as his word is law by Halone) you're branded a heretic. You touch a dragon, you're a heretic. You join the Dravanians for whatever reason, you're a heretic. You think the Archbishop is an old coot off his rocker who's being manipulated by Ascians, you're a heretic. In 1.0, the Lambs of Dalamud also had a huge Ishgardian heretic following.
And if you are a heretic, don't run to Gridania! Gridanians are allies with Ishgard and they package fugitive heretics lost in the Wood and deliver them back to Ishgard. The Ishgardian Holy Knights are actually allowed to patrol within the Wood (at least on the Ishgardian border of the Wood) to catch heretics.
The Forboding Forest
Hope this helps! ^^
