(08-31-2015, 10:42 PM)Aronaux Farendaire Wrote: Heh, glad I read the entire thread or I would have seriously misinterpreted the topic judging from the last few posts. >.>I believe the Roe chef in Costa is a native of Ishgard if I'm not mistaken, have to recheck though. /randomroefactsIthinkIknow
Dragoons and the status of hyur/other races in Ishgard seem to have been talked about extensively, but I haven't seen much mention of High House lore in my skimming.
It's easiest to begin talking about the High Houses by speaking of their Coerthan holdings. (And if the Houses have already been discussed you can just skip all of this)
House Fortemps only seems to hold Camp Dragonhead, in Central Coerthas, seeming to indicate that it is the weakest of the Four High Houses. (Explains why Haurchefant invited so many adventurers, mania or not.)
House Dzemael once held Dzemael Darkhold, but lost it to Garlean incursion before it was completely taken over by voidsent. Said voidsent were cleared by the Warrior of Light, so I'm not sure what the situation is now... Other than Darkhold, House Dzemael shares the rebuilt Falcon's Nest with House Durendaire.
House Haillenarte used to have a great deal of holdings, to my understanding, but lost many by Dravanian attack. Its knights currently hold the Skyfire Locks, which the countryside peasantry are meant to flee to upon Dravanian attack. (Lack of said peasantry seen in-game notwithstanding...) House Haillenarte once held both Steel Vigil and Stone Vigil, if I remember correctly, but has lost them since the Calamity. House Haillenarte's final holding is Camp Cloudtop, and the Rosehouse by extension, but no one seems to take the outpost quite seriously.
House Durendaire holds Whitebrim Front and the Observatorium of Aetherical and Astrological Phenomena, along with its condominium with Dzemael in Falcon's Nest and I believe (?) Stone Vigil, reclaimed from the dragons and handed over to Durendaire control.
From what I've seen personally, House Fortemps and House Haillenarte are rather amiable with each other, and there is much traffic between Haillenarte-held Skyfire Locks and Fortemps-held Camp Dragonhead. House Fortemps and House Haillenarte - especially Haillenarte for losing the Vigils - don't seem to be taken too seriously by the rest of Ishgard, especially Dzemael and Durendaire.
I've yet to do the questline myself, but I do believe the machinist storyline involves Haillenarte-Dzemael shenanigans involving a traditional Dzemael and relatively progressive, power-to-the-people young Haillenarte lord.Â
Finally, House Dzemael is said to be the strongest of the High Houses, but I do not believe the why or how has been stated.
EDIT: Oh! Â House Durendaire looks down especially heavily on House Haillenarte, as the loss of Stone Vigil placed greater pressure on Whitebrim Front, which they are in control of, and Durendaire was tasked with reclaiming the fortress.
Off-topic for the moment, because the conversation is personally interesting:
Quote:V'aleera:
IIRC, there's also a Roe heretic held in captivity in Whitebrim.
Not to diminish your argument, (there's an au ra in broad tavern-light in Foundation, after all), but I believe that the roegadyn is a foreign adventurer, not a native Ishgardian.
 Sylastair Wolfhart Wiki