Hi! I don't know if you have covered it before, but I can't seem to figure out what the Ishgardian heretics are all about. Their motives seem to be everywhere, as well as their final goal and who actually lead them. Could you clarify it for me?
FORSAKING THE FURY, HERESY OF ISHGARD
Well, you’re not wrong! The reason their motives vary, their goals differ, and they seem to be more or less without unified leadership is because “heretics” is a broad umbrella term under which most of Ishgard’s undesirables sooner or later get placed. Most commonly termed Unbelievers, those who further decry the name of Halone the Fury or act in opposition to Her laws writ in the Enchiridion or spoken by the archbishop of the Holy See earn the title of Heretic.
The ways to go about becoming a heretic in the eyes of the Holy See are many and are listed below, but the list briefly includes making contact with a living dragon, denouncing Halone in favor of another god, summoning Familiars, practicing magicks not approved by Halonic doctrine, making mention of any fellowship between man and dragon, etc.
Hubairtien: “A man must gaze not upon the eyes of a dragon. A man must hearken not the words of a dragon. A man must lay his hands not upon the flesh nor blood of a dragon. The archbishop, his Holiness, declares thus, and thus is it law.”
Janlenoux: “The unbeliever is not to be given succor. The unbeliever is not to be given absolution. Woe betide he who cowers before the lesser moon. Woe betide he who lives in thrall to fleshly desires. The archbishop, his Holiness, declares thus, and thus is it law.”
Alphinaud: “To even acknowledge that you heard the voice of a Dravanian is a grave but necessary risk. Lest we forget, men have been executed as heretics for declaring as much.”
Loloma: “The Fury shuns those who refuse her call to arms, deeming them as traitorous as the First Dragons. If you, too, are an unbeliever, you will find no succor within our hamlet’s gates.”
Tutubuki: “The Ishgardians’ way of life is based on a false myth, in whose name they fight and die. For them, those who serve nobly in life are rewarded with eternal glory in death. Preaching the Order of Nald’thal’s words there is tantamount to heresy, and punishable by death.”
Georjeaux: “Those taken prisoner are heretics, plain and simple. They decry the faith of Ishgard, and are eternally condemned for it. That is why they fled and sought refuge in the Twelveswood.”
A Reward Fitting of the Faithful: “Able-bodied men border heresy when they refuse to join the knights in the battle against the Horde. They could learn much from Jasper, a deaf-mute with a twisted leg who wakes before sunrise to spend the day hammering wooden planks and roofing destroyed buildings. Though born of such circumstances, he is deserving of the Temple Knights’ appreciation, and a just reward to boot. A blessed cedar necklace should guide him in his prayers.”
Summoning the Courage to be Different: “While Ishgard’s scholars are quite adept at manifesting Halone’s blessings from their ancient grimoires, summoning an entity from a tome is something that had fallen entirely outside the realm of permissible magics, as heretics oft use them in their occultist plots. However, with more liberal interpretations for the sake of our advancements in the war, the scholasticate under the auspices of the Holy See has been granted special permission to experiment so as long as they are wrapped in the skin of a fallen dragon to remain faithful to the teachings of the Enchiridion. They request three volumes at once.”
Fernehalwes: “The same can be said regarding religion. Each city-state has a patron (matron) deity, and most people in that city-state will follow the teachings of that god or goddess. There are, for the most part, however, no strict religious codes that must be followed. Some Eorzeans will choose to worship a deity connected to their profession (for example, weavers often follow Nymeia the Spinner). Some follow the deity associated with their nameday. There are even some Eorzeans who choose not to follow the teachings of the Twelve, but they are few and far between…and often will not admit it.
The exception to this rule can be seen in Ishgard, where they take the teachings of Halone very seriously… to the point that the church and state have become inseparable. They go as far as calling those who do not follow the Fury ‘unbelievers,’ and those who are found to have communicated with the dragons of Dravania (the mortal enemies of Ishgard), are branded as heretics and in some cases executed.”
Roujin: “Sharlayan astrology, eh? You a heretic? Because you’re talkin’ like one. There’s only one kind of astrology in Ishgard, and it ain’t the heathen kind.”
Gerolt: “Fancy yerself a dragonslayer, eh? Well, I happen to know jus’ the weapon for ye…but wouldn’t it be quicker if ye had one of the Holy See’s blacksmiths pound one out? Hm, yer expression tells me there’s a reason why ye came to me instead. Well, I ain’t one to pry into the affairs of Ishgard. Don’t fancy being branded a heretic, see. Also, I don’t reckon I’d enjoy the view from the Gates of Judgement half so much if me head was on a pike. Anyroad, it’s a spear named Gae Bolg that ye’ll be wantin’. I’ve heard tell it’s made of dragon bone, but how it’s forged is a jealously guarded secret.”
Portelaine: “It is the duty of every Ishgardian to root out and destroy heretics─all else must wait until this matter is resolved.”
Remaclon: “They say those ruins up north were built by heretics. Even just goin’ near them might have people doubtin’ your allegiances.”
Ayleth Absconds: “Margyt is glad that Ayleth is safe. She explains that the girl’s drive to bring about change in Ishgard stems from the murder of her lover by an Ishgardian nobleman. Many lowborn seem to share her sentiments, but are afraid to speak out for fear of being branded heretics.”
Penelope: “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.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.”
The Disciples of Saint Shiva
The most common faction of “heretic” we see in the game currently. These heretics, who were led by Lady Ysayle “Iceheart” Dangoulain, learned the truth behind Ishgard’s founding treachery and vowed to end the war betwixt man and dragon by silencing the source of the lies that fed the war - Ishgard’s archbishop.
The Dreamer and the Dream: “Through his memories she had glimpsed the truth behind a thousand-year lie. An eternal requiem sung for his murdered sister. What could I do but speak out? And so, after years of hushed half-heresies, of coded missives and midnight gatherings, she had gained a flock. ‘Redemption is not beyond us, my friends! Come and hear the truth! Come and hear the Lady Iceheart speak! Spread the truth and cast down those who concealed it. I was so certain that would be enough… Men have ever been fond of lies.’ ”
Lucia: “…Have you not read a single line of the Enchiridion, Master Alphinaud?Shiva was a traitor to kith and kin─an apostate who lay down with dragons.”
Haurchefant: “Now, now, we cannot expect all foreigners to know Ishgardian scripture so well─particularly when it concerns the patron saints of heretics.”
Pierriquet: “Still, as long as they keep paying me wages, I ain’t fussy as to what they have me do.Not everyone’s as patient as me, though. Plenty of lowborn lads who get pressed into service start grumbling before they’ve seen their second battle.And once they’ve got to thinking how unfair it all is, it don’t take much for the heretics to turn their heads. From what I hear, the simple promise of freedom tends to do it.Sad to say, some mates of mine gobbled down the heretics’ tripe and asked for seconds─told me they were off to the western highlands to light a signal fire. That’s how you let the heretics know you’re serious about joining their ranks, apparently. Send up some purple smoke, and the bastards come to you.”
Alberic: “They call themselves the Bloodbearers, and their leader is a man named Matheonien. He and his minions are all capable of assuming the form of dragons. Such a transformation is possible by partaking of dragon blood─I daresay you have borne witness to it─and it grants the individual unholy strength. Though the sanguine substance is precious, the Bloodbearers have access to an abundant supply owing to their pact with Graoully. That is why they have been able to offer our forces such fierce resistance.
They say that strange merchants have been acquiring goods in prodigious quantities. It seems to me the Bloodbearers are replenishing their stores. Let us split up and scour the area for these so-called merchants. Should someone strike you as suspicious, confront him and gauge his reaction.”
The Mourning After: “The half-man, half-dragon abomination Bloodbearer Robairlain has laid claim to the sacred cavern known as Mourn, slaying several of its peaceful guardians in the process.”
Beli: “A band of assassins is said to prowl the mountain passes. The Faces of Mercy, they call themselves. Some think them outlaws exiled form Ishgard, but some go so far as to claim they are part of the Conclave. Whatever the case, they’ve a reputation for being fierce killers to a man.”
O’dhinek: “The conjurers claim an outsider was driven from the wood. Some sort of assassin from what I heard, and a wanted man in Ishgard. Have you ever heard of the Faces of Mercy? If not, I envy you your innocence. Some evils in this world are best not known.”
Nonolato: “He had another item of interest, this messenger. A mandate for capture, dead or alive. They wished to forewarn us that a band of assassins known as the Faces of Mercy has given Ishgard great cause for concern of late. Little and less is known of their ways, yet it is rumored that initiation into their ranks requires that they destroy all that they once were. They must kill their own friends and relatives - any that might know their weaknesses. Did you ever hear of anything so depraved? As every swain knows, there is none more cursed in the eyes of the gods than the kinslayer. The world beyond the Twelveswood is truly rotten, I fear.”
Hasthwab: “You came for information on the Faces of Mercy, yes? The infamous company of thieves, brigands, mercenaries, and outlaws who will do almost anything provided the fee is paid up front? Well, it is said that they have connections within all the houses of Ishgard, and that those connections can grant them passage into the region’s many restricted areas, including the Darkhold. The Faces of Mercy do not maintain a permanent headquarters, and they only communicate through a complex network of contacts. Each member will only know the names of three others, and no two members will know the same three. That way, if one is caught and tortured, he cannot divulge more than the bare minimum to his captors.”
Janlenoux: “Woe betide he who cowers before the lesser moon.Woe betide he who lives in thrall to fleshly desires. The archbishop, his Holiness, declares thus, and thus is it law.”
Foxe: “Have you heard of the Lambs of Dalamud? They are a terrible moon cult known for carrying out all sorts of hideous rituals─demon summoning, spirit channeling…even blood sacrifice.Their followers claim it is the scent of freshly spilled blood that shall lure Menphina’s hound back to the Land to usher in a new era.To fulfill this fell prophecy, they’ve been kidnapping women and children from all the nearby hamlets and farmsteads. The cultists are said to use the lifeblood of their victims to weave powerful thaumaturgies, so be certain to exercise the utmost caution when nearing the area. I’ve marked the location of the stone circle on your map.It is an ancient place known only as Gwyr-Aen. No one remembers when or why the monoliths were raised, but they are said to burn with arcane magicks. The cultists are rumored to use the location for their bloodletting, but you may have to wait for nightfall, for that is when they conduct their rituals─so Dalamud can watch.”
Gods’ Quiver Bowman: “In case you’re unfamiliar with them, the cult emerged shortly before the Calamity put an end to the Sixth Astral Era. The cultists took the lesser moon, Dalamud, for their god, believing that it would deliver them from the devastation. And so they were rather disappointed when Dalamud exploded into a thousand flaming pieces before it could complete its descent.Now, having seen their god turn to ash, one would think that the cultists might feel moved to question their faith. On the contrary, it served only to stoke the flames of their fanaticism.The Lambs of Dalamud are convinced that “heretics”─that is to say, everyone but them─interfered with the coming of their lord and savior, and that it’s now their sacred duty to avenge him.”
Heretic Sects of Centuries Past
The threat of dragonfire and heretics is not always a constant in Ishgardian history. In fact, the Dragonsong War has abated for many decades in between the eight awakenings of Nidhogg. Given dialogue in the MSQ regarding the recent rise in heretical action against Ishgard, we can infer that sects of these organized factions of heretics come and go roughly concurrent with heightened Horde activity. That said, the number of “heretics” found guilty by the Halonic Inquisition likely remain about even throughout history.
Alberic: “Tell me, Sounsyy - do you believe that these events truly transpired? Or are you inclined to think them faerie tales? I ask you this because few folk have seen dragons in the flesh besides we Ishgardians, and most would as soon dismiss them as products of the imagination. Alas, dragons are no less real than you and I, with Nidhogg perhaps the most real of all. In the course of its history, Ishgard has suffered under the creature on eight separate occasions. Each time the great wyrm rouses, the blood of countless Ishgardians is spilled.”
Maenne: “You pulled this from the beast’s corpse? Hmmm…this armor dates back to before any of us were born, but there can be no mistake─it was forged in Ishgard! This must mean that dragon was once a heretic, and drank of the dragon blood until he… The gilding on the armor indicates it’s hundreds of years old… What would drive a man to choose to become…that? To a heretic, does such a transformation indicate transcendence?”
Gandarewa: “It isn’t only the dragons who have brought heretics into our midst, you know. Five hundred years ago, another heretical sect gained traction among the smallfolk of Ishgard. The heathens adopted the customs of the Near East, bathing themselves in perfumes brewed from strange flowers and forging idols from rare metals that they used in their bizarre and unholy rites. Naturally, the Temple Knights were quick to clamp down on the sect’s activities. Its leader, a peasant who styled himself the great guru Gandarewa, fled to the next holiest place he knew─the sacred mountain of Dravania. There he supped on the blood of a dragon, and was forever changed…”
The Fate of the Heretics Caught
Death, usually. Though after a thousand years of war, the Halonic Inquisition has become graphically creative in their methods of imprisonment, torture, and sentencing of their captured heretics. Heavensward levequests issued by Holy Inquisitor, Gaidelie the Just paint a pretty gruesome picture. It’s little wonder that many heretics and exiles attempt to flee to Gridania, however, they will find no refuge to be had there.
Cassandra: “Of course, how could I have been so blind? Nonolato called upon the might of Ishgard to flush out the heretics hiding in the wood.”
Nonolato: “It is comforting to know the heretics have been apprehended. Gods knows what madness could have driven them to take refuge in the Twelveswood. This is the belief of the outsider - that the forest exists to provide for him. That to take and not to give is the way of things. In their desperation, they broke branch and bush for shelter, and foraged carelessly to fill their foul bellies. Summoning the Temple Knights was an act of compassion. I spared them a far worse fate.”
Keelty: “There are those who oppose the Conclave - condemned by Ishgard for their crimes. Such sinners cannot escape the eyes of the conjurers. If Siward were to return to the forest, he too would face a similar fate.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Witchdrop: “Those accused of heresy under Ishgardian law are sometimes made to answer to a higher power, and are thus cast into this gorge. If they are deemed innocent in the eyes of Halone, their death will be quick, and their soul gently guided to Her halls. However, if the accused is indeed guilty of consorting with dragons, then they will surely spread their fiendish wings to save themselves from the sharp crags below. Their absconsion will surely be fleeting, though, as the presiding inquisitor is often accompanied by a skilled bowman to shoot any who try to escape.”
Holy Inquisitor Cyr Blyme: “Receive your orders, detain your heretic, meet your quota… Fury take me, it used to be so simple.”
Oncenedl: “O adventurer! I claim your time in the name of the Holy See. Search the body downstairs for personal effects and deliver the lot to the Gates of Judgement. He was a heretic in life; you need not be gentle. Usually we leave the carcass for the crows, but…as you well know, there has been some trouble of late and now we’re told to rifle through these lousy pockets.”
Chaunollet: “Ah, the leavings of unbelievers, most excellent. You have served with honor. Let us hope there is to be found here a clue… Long have I hated unbelievers, but no more, for they too serve the Fury─if not in life, then in death. What ruth has Halone to grant them such a chance!”
Alive and Unwell: “The special inquisitors’ office of the Holy See of Ishgard writes that they are in need of single-spell wands “to preserve life in the heretics until such a time as their ultimate fate can be determined by the laws of gods and men.” I am bound to honor our contract. All the documents are in order.”
Necrologos: Of Sallow Vizards: “I had a criminal executed for his public display of heresy, but I fear he may have sown seeds of discipleship. When I granted reprieve for a moment of quiet repentance ere the cold steel’s cut, the miscreant drew a copy of the sacrilegious tome, the Necrologos, concealed within the folds of his robes. His obsession led him to rip out the pages, scattering them to reach of strong winds and cackling about his “followers” until I ordered his lunacy be brought to an end. Retrieve the torn pages and exhaust the monstrosities within so no others might succumb to the void’s taint.”
It’s All About Execution: “I am in need of a tool of execution for a heretic found to be in perjury after dragon spawn was found in her cellar. An axe, you say? Perish the thought! None of the forsaken should be afforded the luxury of a quick clean death for offending the Fury. A longsword wrapped in barbed twine makes for so much the better, as the barbs interfere with the blade, unraveling and entangling with muscle, allowing for three whacks. That should give the convicted enough time to contemplate their birth, adolescence, and death before reaching the gates of the first hell. Mayhap you disagree with my methods? ‘Twould be best to satisfy with taking coin than through the looking glass at judgment upon yourself.”
Ferdillaix: “Boyle wants another sacrifice, eh? That crazy unbelieving son of a trull, he won’t shut up when he gets in this state. Makes these dungeons a living hell, believe you me.Here, just give him this dead rat. That’ll keep him quiet for a bit. He does these…rituals, you know. Fair turns the stomach, but anything for a little peace.Finally, some peace! I tell you, some of these unbelievers seem normal enough at first, but they show their true face after the inquisitors get to work on them. Best not consort with them that’s in the dungeons, eh?”
Heustienne: “Aye… I have already turned… Were I to set foot in Ishgard, I would be charged with heresy of the worst order. If I alone must suffer, then so be it. But you know as well as I how the inquisition works. Should I be declared a heretic, suspicion is like to fall upon my parents as well. I will not allow that to happen.”
Roujin: “No. I wouldn’t let anyone see me at that gathering. I’d be branded a heretic and sent to Witchdrop. Or worse, they’d just slit my throat and toss me out to the beasts. Like as they did that other astrologian from the Old World.”
Hope this helps, @moko-ffxiv! ^^
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