(10-09-2015, 09:25 PM)Valeera Wrote: Do dragons accrue Woodsin? We know that on occasion dragons will flee to and be pursued into the Shroud, but I would like to know if there is any more specific lore surrounding interactions between dragons and the Shroud.
Good question! Unknown! Dragons sometimes, albeit rarely, enter the Twelveswood based on 1.0 lore, however, Ser Yuhelmeric mentions that the elementals do not suffer their presence!
Yuhelmeric Brillelame Wrote:He claims to have spied a dragon in the forest... though I grant such a report may owe more to wounds and weariness than fact. The elementals are not like to suffer such a creature in their midst! You may see him, and make what inquiries you will, should you so desire. Perhaps repeating his tale will remind the poor lad what a mummer's farce it all sounds.
So, I'm going to go with yes, sentient dragons can accrue woodsin, just like any other race or beast race. The Ixal were banished by the Elementals in the Year 1022. And the Sylphs were allowed into the Wood before the Elementals allowed the races of man.
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(10-09-2015, 11:19 PM)Masaki Moui Wrote: There is the Amberscale Rock up there which does have the shape of a dragon or something with wings and a draconic style of face. But so far the only lore I've found about the Amberscale Rock is that can remove almost any enchantment from an object including a golem's soulstone.
I'm going to spoiler my response, because there's a heck of a lore dump below.
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Amberscale Rock Lore and Theories
For those of you who have no idea what he's talking about, or what the hell The Boy and the Dragon Gay is...
Now, you're probably wondering what in the Seven Hells Amberscale Rock has to do with the Boy and the Dragon Gay. Well, it has everything to do with this theory, which was ultimately proved false. However, that is the connection between the two that's referenced above in Fernehalwes's post.
NOW, moving on to a more relevant theory of Amberscale Rock!
In 1.0, there was a very distant, isolated area guarded by level 90 morbols and qiqirns known as the Ruins of Gelmorra. If you were able to survive the trek out there, you encountered this:
![[Image: ffxiv1335588651.jpg]](http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5307/ffxiv1335588651.jpg)
![[Image: ffxiv1335588656.jpg]](http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3240/ffxiv1335588656.jpg)
They look like little tonberries, but they are not.
But, what they are is Gelmorran, and made from the same stone as Amberscale, ergo, Amberscale Rock is Gelmorran in origin.
Which then makes this bit of fact an interesting conundrum...
Newly Outfitted Knight Wrote:I know what the others are saying. Hells take them all! I am not mad with fever! It was a dragon I saw. As clearly as I see you before me now. Wh-What happened? The dragon... There was a dragon─ Was I...mistaken? For an instant, the rock seemed so real, and the shadows in the forest... Perhaps my imagination got the better of me. Conjurer Morys... the one who tended my wounds. I-I wronged him. I accused the conjurers of concealing a dragon in the forest. Please, tell him I am sorry.
Fan Fest Wrote:Q: One that goes very far back and very few people may even know what I’m talking about… but Amberscale Rock is still in the game. And not only does it look kinda like a dragon… there was a story about a boy and a dragon and then we bumped into a boy that may have been that boy trying to return to Ishgard. Is Amberscale Rock the Dragon from The Boy and the Dragon Gay?
MCKF: It is not the dragon from The Boy and the Dragon Gay because you’ll learn more about these kind of dragons in the coming patch, Dreams of Ice. We won’t touch on Amberscale Rock, but we’ll touch on the other parts of the question.
For those of you who have no idea what he's talking about, or what the hell The Boy and the Dragon Gay is...
Penelope Wrote:Aye, I've heard the tale afore─that of the boy and the dragon. As I recall, the lad was snatched from the forest by bandits of the north before he was a man grown. Spirited him away to the mountains, they did. Yet dragons fly the northern skies, and the eyes of one such beast came to rest on our bandits and boy. It swooped down upon them from on high, wings beating and teeth gnashing.
Screams of terror and blinding dusts filled the air, and as the young lad's chocobo reared and took flight with fear, he was flung from its back, and tumbled from the narrow pass and down the mountainside. Yet the gods spared his life, and he awoke sometime later at the base of a great, rocky ledge, wounded and broken and unable to move. Hours passed, and before long the foul beasts what roam the crags caught scent of his blood and began to close in all around.
It was then, as the boy was making his peace with the Twelve, that another dragon, small and feeble, came upon him. Yet instead of tearing him flesh from limb, it charred and maimed and chased off the circling beasts, saving the boy's life. The tale ends with the dragon bearing the wounded boy on his back, and the two flying through the blue skies of the north together.
A beautiful enough story for an Ul'dahn audience. But milord would do well not to regale a soul with it around these parts. For it has been branded a heresy by the archbishop in Ishgard, and his Holiness has ears even in this very wood.
Penelope Wrote:Lower your voice! Aye, I've heard the tale of the Boy and the Dragon Gay, and more times than one. But the archbishop in Ishgard has declared it a heretic's tale. Best not to recount it here, so close to the mountains.
I've come to hear what less controversial tales there are to be heard in Grdiania, and once I have, I'll be off to Ishgard in search of the next. If the gods are good, we shall meet again, adventurer.
E-Sumi-Yan Wrote:Mayhap you are familiar with the tale of the Boy and the Dragon Gay? Hardly surprising. The archbishop declared it a heretic's tale, and with good cause. It is a corruption of an older legend in which a man partakes of dragon blood and, in so doing, becomes one himself.
Ingram Wrote:Ah, so it was the elementals of Amberscale Rock, was it? Then it seems you have learned of Brother Morys's secret. Yes, Brother Morys was indeed a wildling. Very few of the conjurers are privy to this. Those who do know have been forbidden to speak of it.
Once claimed by the wood, one undergoes certain... changes. Wildlings have great potential to become powerful, powerful conjurers. If knowledge of this fact were to become widespread, we fear many would allow themselves to be turned out of lust for power. But once claimed, wildlings can seldom be retrieved from the wood. And that is why you, too, must protect this secret, Sounsyy. Believe me, I would not ordinarily have asked you to bear such a burden. <sigh> If only I knew what the elementals were planning!
Now, you're probably wondering what in the Seven Hells Amberscale Rock has to do with the Boy and the Dragon Gay. Well, it has everything to do with this theory, which was ultimately proved false. However, that is the connection between the two that's referenced above in Fernehalwes's post.
NOW, moving on to a more relevant theory of Amberscale Rock!
In 1.0, there was a very distant, isolated area guarded by level 90 morbols and qiqirns known as the Ruins of Gelmorra. If you were able to survive the trek out there, you encountered this:
They look like little tonberries, but they are not.
Quote: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.
But, what they are is Gelmorran, and made from the same stone as Amberscale, ergo, Amberscale Rock is Gelmorran in origin.
Which then makes this bit of fact an interesting conundrum...
Elemental Housekeeping Wrote:Of overground 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 floor may stay, but our laws decree that no stone of Gelmorra mar the home of the elementals.
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(10-09-2015, 11:19 PM)Masaki Moui Wrote: I have theories, but nothing concrete, as to what the Skyserpent's Egg is/was. If you go to Stillglade Fane, especially at night when it glows, you can see the Egg right over the entrance to the tunnels.
This is about the only lore on the Skyserpent Egg that I have in my notes:
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Skyserpent Egg and the Unholy Heir
That said, this isn't the only time we've seen Eorzeans refer to unknown geological formations as eggs...
So if the Unholy Heir is Bahamut's egg(lol)? And the Skyserpent's Egg was supposedly cast into the Wood by Nophica... who do the Eorzeans think this Skyserpent is? That I don't know, but my best guess would be Midgardsormr, considering he's included in Eorzean creation myth and is kind of a sky serpent?
Millith Ironheart Wrote:To our fortune, whithersoever we wander, Eorzea's beauty is but a stone's throw away. If I may quote from my journal...yes, this is the one. “Afore the Fane, beneath the two that are as one, Her divine cup runneth over with light aetherial. Such were the conjurer's words, and I would see as she saw.†I saw for myself before coming here, and I can assure you the conjurer spoke true. Indulge me─go there and look out upon the beauty before you. I would hear your thoughts.
Welcome back, Sounsyy. I trust you were as moved by the sight as I was? The great stone that adorns the entrance to Stillglade Fane is none other than the Skyserpent's Egg, cast down from the heavens by Nophica the Matron so long ago. And those mammoth tree trunks─remnants, no doubt, of a primeval forest. Whence did they come? Why do the two great arbors grow as one? This, I do not know─but what I do know is that the realm is replete with such beauty, if only we know where to look.
Khuja Zhwan Wrote:Beyond here lies the Stillglade Fane. It is sacred ground, marked by the Skyserpent's Egg, The stone cast to Eorzea from the heavens by Nophica the Matron.
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.
That said, this isn't the only time we've seen Eorzeans refer to unknown geological formations as eggs...
Fernehalwes Wrote:In Thanalan, you have that massive rock in the middle of a depression called the Unholy Heir. The story behind that is that the rock appeared right after the Calamity, and the smallfolk see this big rock appear one day and the day before Bahamut flew over and destroyed everything. So the rumor started that this huge rock was actually an egg laid by Bahamut and now that Bahamut is gone, one day when the egg gets warm enough it will crack and Bahamut's son will come out and destroy the world again.
So if the Unholy Heir is Bahamut's egg(lol)? And the Skyserpent's Egg was supposedly cast into the Wood by Nophica... who do the Eorzeans think this Skyserpent is? That I don't know, but my best guess would be Midgardsormr, considering he's included in Eorzean creation myth and is kind of a sky serpent?
Erik Wrote:Oh, there are any number of legends and myths surrounding the place. I think the oldest and most widely known would have to be that of the dragon of the Falls. I do not claim to be a folklorist, but I can certainly provide the general tale.
There was the birth of Althyk, god of time among the Twelve, and in turn, His younger sister Nymeia, goddess of fate. And then there was water, and through it Silvertear Falls came to be at the center of all that was. Here was the source not only of water, but the fount of all magic as well. Now, when water came into being, so too did the great dragon Midgardsormr. Brother Time and Sister Fate, fearing the Falls might fall into the hands of evil, ordered Midgardsormr their protector and warden. Much later, with the arrival of man, would Midgardsormr be worshiped as the guardian deity of Silvertear Falls.
Have you been to Silvertear Falls, Sounsyy? Or are you as untraveled as you are unread? Have you gazed upon the enormous dragon corpse, frozen as a statue with wings outspread? If you have, you have gazed upon Midgardsormr. That tragedy is but ten years old. After invading my home of Ala Mhigo, the Garleans launched a fleet of airships led by the monstrosity Agrius. They flew for Silvertear Falls, knowing them to harbor the greatest concentration of aether. And then, as those horrific instruments of evil loomed overhead, casting the dark shadow of death, the surface of the lake suddenly parted and burst skyward as Midgardsormr emerged to defend his waters.
The battle between Midgardsormr and the Agrius has since come to be known as the Battle of Silvertear Skies. The dragon fought with divine strength and purpose, and after a fierce and grueling struggle, succeeded in bringing down the airship. As it fell into the lake, the impact caused the ceruleum onboard to detonate, and Midgardsormr was killed, his corpse charred black in the conflagration. The structure formed by the wreckage of the Agrius and the entangled remains of Midgardsormr is now called the Keeper of the Lake. For many religious and mythological enthusiasts, it stands as proof of the existence of the gods. For most people, however, it servers as a grim reminder of the horrific, dare I say deicidal, power of Garlemald. Why did that dragon appear that day? Was it truly the Midgardsormr, the legendary guardian of Silvertear Falls? Such questions and more remain unanswered.
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(10-09-2015, 11:19 PM)Masaki Moui Wrote: Other than this, I've heard that Woodsin is what visitors or inhabitants accumulate when they live in a way that defies the will of the elementals. It was what made it difficult to enter or return to the Shroud if you'd lived differently than the elementals wanted and they had rituals to cleanse it.
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Woodsin Lore
Amiable Adventurer Wrote:You would do well to fear the Twelveswood—and live in awe of it. It is as integral to us Gridanians as the sun and the moons. She demands your due respect. Never attempt to oppose her, for she is alive and she never forgets.
Morose Merchant Wrote:Impurity's as bad as a curse, I tell ye. Gotta get all them dirty deeds off yer back, else the elementals'll get ye. I didn't believe it, neither—till some of me own mates were taken right before me eyes. Poor bastards.
Miounne Wrote:If you were attacked by a treant, you must have more than a little woodsin. You'll need to be purified, else the greenwrath will stay fixed on you.
You're tainted with woodsin, remember─which means you're apt to waken the greenwrath. Neglect to dance in the rites, and you're not like to survive another trip into the wood.
O-App-Pesi Wrote:Hahaha, well, be that as it may, a cleansing is needed. Woodsin is not to be taken lightly─something you would do well to remember. I gather it is nigh time we hold the rites. Until then, take care not to enter the forest depths. Gods know how much woodsin you've steeped yourselves in. It could well prove your undoing.
We dance to honor the elementals, and they forgive us our woodsin in turn. Thus absolved, their greenwrath will not be stirred. Remember this.
Zezekuta Wrote:Your mask for the purification rite is nearly finished. Come, try it on to test the fit. Is there some problem? I assumed Fufucha had explained everything...
The purification rite is a kind of, well... transference is what the conjurers call it. You see, dancing in the name of the elementals expunges woodsin by transferring it to the dancer's mask and binding it there, magically.
Hermit Krimm Wrote:If the woodsin upon a soul is too great, the power of the purification mask may collapse under the burden. But I do not think you are in any such danger.
Zezekuta Wrote:No, we are creating new masks for you. Brother E-Sumi has assured us that the mask in question was old, worn with age and use, its powers faded. And besides, one does not become a wildling without doing something to wake the greenwrath. Khrimm's parents, Sigurdh and Oona, and Fye's brother, Dunstan—they were among Gridania's finest warriors. They all fought nobly against the Garleans occupying Ala Mhigo. A necessary evil, I suppose. Yet all that violence doubtless served to compound their woodsin.
Miounne Wrote:Sounsyy, there is word of a commotion over at Stillglade Fane. Haven't been to see for myself, but I've heard talk of wildlings. From childhood, we forestborn are taught that bringing woodsin into the city brings the greenwrath upon everyone in it. There is no greater danger in all the wood. Times like this, there's naught for the commonfolk to do but trust that the conjurers and moogles will calm the wood.
Soileine Wrote:Among the elementals of the Twelveswood, there are some whose strength far surpasses that of others. They reside within the ancient trees. Thus disaster follows whenever these trees are felled or burned. The fury of the elementals within reaches heights we cannot calm. It is for that reason we have created the Hedge. Yet the elementals live in all things. As Gridanians, we embrace this truth, while many outsiders remain oblivious to it. When these irreverent souls breach the Hedge and enter the wood, they defile it with every breath they draw. And so invite the elementals' anger─the greenwrath. In this manner, they endanger not only themselves, but us as well. Thus do we make it our mission to scout the Twelveswood in search of them.
Nicia Wrote:You are an adventurer, are you not? Know that none but the conjurers can help those tainted by the woodsin. You have been warned. Do not plead ignorance should the greenwrath find you.
O-App-Pesi Wrote:No need to introduce yourself, I know full well who you are. The “hapless adventurer,†many and more are calling you. I reckon not a single one of the Twelve was watching over you, to have sent you here just when the Hedge was sundered. Ah, forgive me, I suppose an explanation is in order. We conjurers of Gridania use our magic to weave a sort of barrier around the Twelveswood. It is a pact we share with the most ancient of the elementals. They protect our city-state, and in turn we protect them. That is why the Hedge exists. Think of it as a symbol of our friendship. It’s also what you and any other non-native to Gridania have to thank for not being attacked upon entering the forest. At least, you would have it to thank had you not passed along just as a portion of the Hedge was broken. The greenwrath was upon you the instant you drew near—and it clings to you still. Sorry to say, but you’ve got the stink of woodsin all about you. After all that, you still need to ask if forest elementals truly exist?
Bardo Wrote:Lookin' for a cut-up tree, are ye? Aye, I reckon I might've seen the one ye're after. Cut up by Garlean blades, if I was to wager a guess. Right near where the fight happened, it was. Never seen such a fearsome spectacle. Some sort of creature appeared, bright as the sun to look at, and went for them Garlean bastards like a bloody fury. One of 'em ran it through with his sword, though, and whatever light was in the beast took to fadin', till finally it was gone. And just then, I felt the whole forest go cold. Chilled me to the bone, it did.
As to what in the seven bloody hells the beast was, I couldn't rightly say. Maybe the elementals called it up to fight for 'em. Maybe not. But whatever it was, the forestfolk need to be told of it.
Mestonnaux Wrote:In light of this, the conjurers of Stillglade Fane have resolved to hold a rite of cleansing. Ah, you must forgive me. We forestfolk are wont to assume all know of the rite, so integral is it to our own lives. Let me enlighten you as to our ways. The majority of the rite of cleansing takes place here at Greatloam Growery. The magic enacted during the ceremony quells the greenwrath of the elementals, and thus ensures harmony within the wood.
R'djongo Wrote:We Gridanians have a penchant for festivities you'll not find elsewhere. We hold ceremonies to praise the elementals, and other rite to give them our thanks. We even dance to appease them when they are angered.
If the annals are to be believed, there was actually a ceremony intended to arouse their anger at one time. What in the hells was the point of that, I wonder!? And who in their right minds would think to take part!?
Yda Wrote:What strange and ridiculous dancing! We have nothing like it back in Sharlayan—thank the gods for that!
Hope this helps! ^^ Gods this turned out to be an absolutely massive post. Bedtime.
