You put the finger on something that has always ruffled me the wrong way with the lore, because it apparently makes zero sense indeed.
So, firstly, being out of the Pact means not being allowed in the Shroud, period. That's why Gerlmorrans lived underground, and why Duskwights continue to do so. The pact was made between Elementals (of the aetherial plane), and mankind (of the physical plane). It was concluded after Moogles teached gelmorrans how to conjury and how to hear and reach out to the elementals, and how to appease them.
I also don't subscribe to the belief that Elementals are against civilization. That's possibly an interpretation of it though, that could make sense after the War of the Magi as a logical conclusion for them to do. But Elementals also tend to exhibit that very alien, different plane of existence feel that the lore and the MSQ showed us a few times already. It was even stated (by Y'mithra right?) that they dont speak our language, don't think like we do, they are beings of pure eather, and communication with them is in itself a feat. It is very possible that the only thing they see, is forest imbalance that has to be corrected.
The Gridanian explanation though is that every man in the Shroud, Keeper or Elezen or Hyur or anyone else, is bound by the Pact to the Elementals, because we have to remember that man was banned from there after the fall of Amdapor and the war of Magi.Â
Keepers poach, and that's a fact. They seem to cause the same amount of damage to the balance of the wood like the Gridanians could do. The problem is not civilization or not, but the balance of the wood to be threatened or disturbed. Gridanian quests often go at a great lenght to show how the conjurers of Stillglade Fane send requests to the Wailers and God's Quiver with the aim to cull X or Y population of animals or vegetals because that's what the Elementals point out.Â
When Keepers start to disturb that balance since they don't exactly conjure and attune to the Elementals, it tends to spill over indiscriminately over every man in the Shroud. This is incidentally why Gridanians are so wary of Keepers, that they consider as poachers.Â
That is, however, the Gridanian centered view of things, and while there is probably some truth to it, there is also possibly some bias like it is often the case with most subjective points of view in the lore.Â
What we don't know also, is how much time Keepers have been living here for. Were they already living there when the Ixal were still the sole sentient inhabitants of the region and Gelmorrans confined to their caves? Or did they come after the Pact and the foundation of Gridania?
This to my eyes, changes almost everything, because in the latter case, they probably are bound to the Pact like their Gridanians peers, since they showed up after. If they were already living there quietly before however, then it raises a lot of interesting and disturbing questions indeed. How did they co-exist with the Ixal if so? And that could also mean that the Elementals did forgive them sooner the deeds of the Amdapori/Mhachi/Nymians that made them cause the 6th Umbral Calamity. That could mean they didn't care about Keepers indeed because they were way closer to nature (but I also find that a point of contention itself because they still remain sentient and are not pure animals, and have a culture and civlization of their own).
In short? Too many unknowns for me to be able to tell properly what's up with Keepers and the Pact. We only have the Gridanian version.
So, firstly, being out of the Pact means not being allowed in the Shroud, period. That's why Gerlmorrans lived underground, and why Duskwights continue to do so. The pact was made between Elementals (of the aetherial plane), and mankind (of the physical plane). It was concluded after Moogles teached gelmorrans how to conjury and how to hear and reach out to the elementals, and how to appease them.
I also don't subscribe to the belief that Elementals are against civilization. That's possibly an interpretation of it though, that could make sense after the War of the Magi as a logical conclusion for them to do. But Elementals also tend to exhibit that very alien, different plane of existence feel that the lore and the MSQ showed us a few times already. It was even stated (by Y'mithra right?) that they dont speak our language, don't think like we do, they are beings of pure eather, and communication with them is in itself a feat. It is very possible that the only thing they see, is forest imbalance that has to be corrected.
The Gridanian explanation though is that every man in the Shroud, Keeper or Elezen or Hyur or anyone else, is bound by the Pact to the Elementals, because we have to remember that man was banned from there after the fall of Amdapor and the war of Magi.Â
Keepers poach, and that's a fact. They seem to cause the same amount of damage to the balance of the wood like the Gridanians could do. The problem is not civilization or not, but the balance of the wood to be threatened or disturbed. Gridanian quests often go at a great lenght to show how the conjurers of Stillglade Fane send requests to the Wailers and God's Quiver with the aim to cull X or Y population of animals or vegetals because that's what the Elementals point out.Â
When Keepers start to disturb that balance since they don't exactly conjure and attune to the Elementals, it tends to spill over indiscriminately over every man in the Shroud. This is incidentally why Gridanians are so wary of Keepers, that they consider as poachers.Â
That is, however, the Gridanian centered view of things, and while there is probably some truth to it, there is also possibly some bias like it is often the case with most subjective points of view in the lore.Â
What we don't know also, is how much time Keepers have been living here for. Were they already living there when the Ixal were still the sole sentient inhabitants of the region and Gelmorrans confined to their caves? Or did they come after the Pact and the foundation of Gridania?
This to my eyes, changes almost everything, because in the latter case, they probably are bound to the Pact like their Gridanians peers, since they showed up after. If they were already living there quietly before however, then it raises a lot of interesting and disturbing questions indeed. How did they co-exist with the Ixal if so? And that could also mean that the Elementals did forgive them sooner the deeds of the Amdapori/Mhachi/Nymians that made them cause the 6th Umbral Calamity. That could mean they didn't care about Keepers indeed because they were way closer to nature (but I also find that a point of contention itself because they still remain sentient and are not pure animals, and have a culture and civlization of their own).
In short? Too many unknowns for me to be able to tell properly what's up with Keepers and the Pact. We only have the Gridanian version.
Balmung:Â Suen Shyu
