Ishgard is roughly a thousand years old yes.Â
Gelmorra was founded in year 740 of the 6h Astral Era in the Black Shroud, the forest that invaded the old plains of Amdapor, and that served as a thick reclusive fortress for the Elementals after the Great Flood of the 6th Calamity.
Gridania was founded in 1020, so a bit less than 3 centuries after Gelmorra.Â
The Autumn War takes place in the 1470s, we're now past 1500 (and into the 7th Era now anyway), so that makes Gelmorra roughly 800 year old, and Gridania half a millienium.Â
All in all that would put the founding of Ishgard by the king of the Elezens around 500 if I'm not mistaken with all the dates here. That king, Thordan I, decided to leave the confines of the Shroud with a caravan of their people, all under attack around the old lands of Amdapor by the huge Hyur migratory wave settling in.Â
While the majority of the elezens that stayed behind in the Shroud were still skirmishing against their Hyur invaders on one side and the Elementals on the other, Thordan did what the HW storyline tells us, then founds Ishgard slightly north in the Alabatian Spine. A bit more then 2 centuries later, Gelmorra is founded when the Hyur and Elezens in the Shroud make peace to escape the Elementals and their Ixali servants.Â
The fact that they only stayed for less than 300 years underground is certainly enough to alter their vision, hearing, and complexion yes. But you have to take into account that more than 500 years happened when the Wildwood got out while the Duskwights stayed inside. It's possible that the Duskwights we know today are even more changed and adapted to their Gelmorran undergrounds than the old Gelmorrans before the split. Those 500 years were also widely enough for the Elezens and Hyurs having left Gelmorra to get back to a more normal physiology, skin complexion, eyes, etc.Â
Now then for Ishgardians, honestly, I think for one there is the game and development limitations that just made the devs use wildwood and duskwight models for their ishgardians. And then if you take a look between duskwights and wildwoods, what's the difference? A few facial traits to differentiate them but nothing more than what could set apart two different individuals of the same race. So the difference is mostly, skin complexion, night vision and hearing. Things that can adapt in the human body very fast in individuals, and on a more macro scale, on mere generations.
That's my take on it anyway.
Gelmorra was founded in year 740 of the 6h Astral Era in the Black Shroud, the forest that invaded the old plains of Amdapor, and that served as a thick reclusive fortress for the Elementals after the Great Flood of the 6th Calamity.
Gridania was founded in 1020, so a bit less than 3 centuries after Gelmorra.Â
The Autumn War takes place in the 1470s, we're now past 1500 (and into the 7th Era now anyway), so that makes Gelmorra roughly 800 year old, and Gridania half a millienium.Â
All in all that would put the founding of Ishgard by the king of the Elezens around 500 if I'm not mistaken with all the dates here. That king, Thordan I, decided to leave the confines of the Shroud with a caravan of their people, all under attack around the old lands of Amdapor by the huge Hyur migratory wave settling in.Â
While the majority of the elezens that stayed behind in the Shroud were still skirmishing against their Hyur invaders on one side and the Elementals on the other, Thordan did what the HW storyline tells us, then founds Ishgard slightly north in the Alabatian Spine. A bit more then 2 centuries later, Gelmorra is founded when the Hyur and Elezens in the Shroud make peace to escape the Elementals and their Ixali servants.Â
The fact that they only stayed for less than 300 years underground is certainly enough to alter their vision, hearing, and complexion yes. But you have to take into account that more than 500 years happened when the Wildwood got out while the Duskwights stayed inside. It's possible that the Duskwights we know today are even more changed and adapted to their Gelmorran undergrounds than the old Gelmorrans before the split. Those 500 years were also widely enough for the Elezens and Hyurs having left Gelmorra to get back to a more normal physiology, skin complexion, eyes, etc.Â
Now then for Ishgardians, honestly, I think for one there is the game and development limitations that just made the devs use wildwood and duskwight models for their ishgardians. And then if you take a look between duskwights and wildwoods, what's the difference? A few facial traits to differentiate them but nothing more than what could set apart two different individuals of the same race. So the difference is mostly, skin complexion, night vision and hearing. Things that can adapt in the human body very fast in individuals, and on a more macro scale, on mere generations.
That's my take on it anyway.
Balmung:Â Suen Shyu