Ishgard

The Holy See of Ishgard
Of the Sky, From the Sky, For the Sky
Leader		Aymeric de Borel
Ruling Body		Ishgardian Parliament
Patron Deity		Halone, The Fury

The Holy See of Ishgard is a city-state located in the harsh snowfields of Coerthas, in northern Aldenard. It's built on a high mountain that juts out of the Sea of Clouds. This peak, sacred to Halone, was where the first Elezen immigrants to Coerthas built the shrine that would later be known as Saint Thordan's Basilica, and around the basilica grew the city.

Government

Once the Dragonsong War ended and the church was separated from the state, Ishgard became a republic lead by a two-chamber parliament, the House of Lords consisting of the high-born and the House of Commons consisting of the low-born. Defences There is but one way in and out of Ishgard on foot: going through the Gates of Judgement in the Coerthas Central Highlands and crossing the Steps of Faith, a long bridge. For many years, the Gates have been "closed", metaphorically, to outsiders, though not always literally closed, as some Ishgardians are able to enter and exit. Along with towers equipped with massive harpoon-launchers called dragonkillers, a layered ring of magical defenses is cast around the city, called Daniffen's Collar, from the Steps; the Collar prevents dragons from approaching the city. The Steps are prone to high winds from the Sea of Clouds; it is a superstition among Ishgardians that if Halone judges one unworthy to enter the city, She sweeps them away with Her hand.

Industry & Trade

Contrary to the perception that theirs is a conservative country which does not aggressively pursue scientific advancement, Ishgard has long been interested in advancing its technology -- above all, military technology. Ishgard is particularly renowned for its steelworks and airships; it is also involved in research into magitek, integrating it into its heavy armaments. The leader in Ishgardian manufacturing and development is the Skysteel Manufactory in Foundation, founded in 1483 and presided over by House Haillenarte; in addition to airship, the Manufactory invents and produces military technology such as ballistae and cannons. For much of its history, Ishgard has been the center of chocobo breeding, rearing, and training. Indeed, in the last few decades of the Sixth Astral Era, Ishgard maintained a monopoly on the chocobo trade, for a time sending only male geldings to the Grand Companies of southern Eorzea. This monopoly was broken only by the escape to the Shroud of fertile chocobos in the aftermath of the Calamity.

Districts

Ishgard is roughly divided into two sections: the Foundation, which is level with the Steps of Faith and thus is the first place that a visitor arrives, and the Pillars, the upper levels of the city including the topmost where the Holy Vault, the seat of governance and tallest spire in the city, stands. Foundation is mainly inhabited by lowborn, but because the chief artery of the city runs through it, the wealthy and highborn also move through it; important areas include the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly, the Lightfeather Proving Grounds, the Holy Stables, and House Haillenarte's Skysteel Manufactory. At the bottom of Foundation is the Brume, a neighborhood named for its freezing fog and home to the most destitute lowborn of Ishgard. Although we players cannot venture any lower than the Brume, there appear to be tunnels leading down, perhaps into an "old city" buried under buildings over the centuries, or perhaps into the interior of the mountain. There also appears to be an Ishgardian sewer system. The Pillars refers to the top level of the city. Featuring gardens, fountains, and stone walkways built with incredible engineering, it is the place that the wealthy and highborn parade, to see and be seen. The Holy Vault, where the Archbishop rules, is the highest building here; on its ground floor is Saint Thordan's Basilica, normally open only "to all acolytes, who may gather here for services", but opened to the public during important holidays such as the Starlight Celebration -- while its upper floors, home to "church offices and prayer gardens", are open only to clergy, and the Hall of the Spear at its summit, built in the image of Halone's heavenly palace, is reserved for the most important and sacred rituals, such as the crowning of the archbishop. The Pillars is also the location of Saint Reymanaud's Cathedral, the second-most important religious center of Ishgard; the Supreme Sacred Tribunal of Halonic Inquisitory Doctrine, where the Holy Inquisition is based; the manors of the four High Houses; the Athenaeum Astrologicum, where astrologers are trained; and the Jeweled Crozier, the most prestigious market of the city.

History

Pushed out of central Aldenard by the first great wave of Hyuran migration from Ilsabard, the ancestors of the Ishgardian Elezen arrived in Coerthas, which was already inhabited by dragons. For ten years, the Elezen and dragons warred over territory, until an Elezen woman named Shiva attempted to parley. She befriended the dragon Hraesvelgr, and a bond of intellectual and spiritual love formed between them. So that Hraesvelgr would not have to see her grow old and die, Shiva bade him consume her, and by this act their bodies and souls were joined. The story of their love spread among the dragons and Elezen and eventually persuaded both factions to pursue peace. For the next two centuries, early Coerthan civilization developed with both Elezen and dragon input; great buildings, villages, and shrines were erected throughout Dravania, and the ancestors of Ishgardians rode on wyvernback to-and-fro from stations such as the Rookery in the Churning Mists. However, in the time of the Elezen King Thordan, chatty dragon Ratatoskr revealed that the secret of the dragons' power lay in their eyes, from which a near-limitless wellspring of aether flows. Thordan and his twelve best knights lured Ratatoskr into a trap at Tharl Oom Khash, removing and devouring her eyes to gain immense power. Ratatoskr's brother Nidhogg first learned of her murder and set out to take vengeance, destroying every Elezen settlement in his path. Thordan and his knights eventually met Nidhogg and, with their supernatural strength, downed him as well, though the king and four knights died in the effort; Prince Haldrath and the remaining knights removed Nidhogg's eyes, allowing the dragon to limp away, barely clinging to life. Hraesvelgr learned of these events only when Nidhogg staggered before him. Nidhogg demanded Hraesvelgr give him one of his own eyes to allow Nidhogg to punish Thordan's descendants for eternity; whether out of a shared desire for vengeance or in order to save his brother's life, Hraesvelgr acquiesced, and with the power of only one of Hraesvelgr's eyes would Nidhogg lead his Horde in the Dragonsong War for the next thousand years. Meanwhile, guilty over his part in Ratatoskr's demise, Prince Haldrath declined his father's throne, choosing instead to use Nidhogg's eyes to protect Ishgard from Nidhogg's wrath as a hunter of dragons, the first Azure Dragoon. Three of the surviving knights chose to fade into obscurity, one of them perhaps becoming a tavern keeper whose sword still hangs in the Forgotten Knight. The four knights that remained decided to become stewards of Ishgard's empty throne and founded the four High Houses of Ishgard. The High Houses worked together with the early Church to suppress the truth and promote instead the tale that would become the foundation of the orthodox history, the Ishgardian Orthodox Church eventually becoming the main vehicle of societal control in Ishgard, adding holy justifications to the Ishgardian side in the Dragonsong War.

Points of interest

Ishgard is known for the refinement of its decorative arts and the scale of its sculpture, made possible by funding from the Holy See to produce religious artwork. Some of the sights to see include the stained glass of Saint Reyamanaud's Cathedral and the monumental statue of Haldrath, carved 150 years ago by the stonemason Percelle, in the Coerthas western highlands. No Orthodox cathedral is considered complete without a central statue of the Fury.