Editing Ishgard (section)

== 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.