1. Royal Palace
A short walk north from the center of Rabanastre will lead you to the gates of the royal palace.
Before the war with Archadia, this magnifigant structure was home to the Dalmascan royal family, and barracks to the order of knights that served them. It is currently employed as living quarters and apartments by the recently appointed consul from Archadia.
The palace itself was built several centuries ago and has since been home to many Dalmascan monarchs, King Raminas being the most recent.
Numerous additions have been made to the palace over the course of its long history (the Royal City of Rabanastre having several times fallen under the control of foreign powers through invasion), but the overall bearing of its architecture is true to the original Galtean design.
Within the palace are secret chambers containing documents and treasures belonging to the royal family. Few who live beyond the palace walls know how they may be found.
2. The Age of King Raithwall
Many were the countries and kingdoms dotting Ivalice, and many were the wars waged in this time. Legend says that Raithwall, a noble from a small country in Valendia, was granted a sword and magicite from the gods, and with these artifacts, a mission: to unify the land. His strategic genius and deep empathy with his people were evident in his rule of Valendia, and from there he went on to take control of the remaining two continents. Soon all Ivalice belonged to the Galtean Alliance, and a Golden Age had begun. Now king of all he surveyed, Raithwall's was a benevolent and just reign, guiding the Alliance for near half a century. After his death, the Alliance held firm and knew peace and prosperity for four hundred years until its dissolution with the passing of the last of Raithwall's direct descendants.
3. The Tragedy of Nabudis
Two years past, Nabradia, fearing the military might of the Archadian Empire, made treaty with Rozarria to place troops from that land near her borders. Fearing an invasion of the Valendian continent by its sworn enemy, Rozarria, Archadia immediately exerted political pressure on the small kingdom. Yet Nabradia did not accede to their demands, and Emperor Gramis of Archadia was compelled to use force.
Several days after the Archadian invasion, a terrible explosion reduced the once proud city of Nabudis to naught but rubble. Though the city fell in the space of a night, the Mist that now swirls where it once stood has transformed the land into a barren waste for eternity. Even now, the cause of this cataclysm is not fully understood.
4. House Dalmasca
Bloodline begun by the second prince of Dalmasca to take up the mantle of rule after King Raithwall's passing.
The reign of Raithwall's direct descendants, House Galtea, drew to a close after 400 years, marking the end of the Galtean Alliance, and the beginning of rule by House Dalmasca.
Dalmascan reign continued for nearly seven centuries, until the Archadian invasion brought their era to an end.
5. House Solidor
A noble Archadian family having a permanent seat on the Senate, and de factor control over the Ministry of Law.
In the days following Archadia's establishment as an empire, House Solidor found itself in opposition to the then-powerful military. Having won the ensuing struggle, it then initiated far-reaching revisions to the law in an attempt to prevent any further challenge to its supremacy.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Law was created to monitor the military, with the order of Judges at its head.
House Solidor's firm grip on the workings of the Empire can be felt to this day, with Emperor Gramis the fourth in succession of Solidor emperors.
6. Sky Pirates
A name for the freefolk who play the open skies in airships. Though they are collectively called "pirates," their actual occupations vary by individual. Some search for legendary treasures, some merely travel the world, while others are indeed ruthless villains who attack trade ships and plunder goods for profit. In recent years, the Archadian Empire has stepped up patrols, bringing in the worst of the lot, all but consigning the more flamboyant feats of piracy to history. Of late, many are the pirates who have given up the thief's life for that of the headhunter, bringing their former comrades-in-arms to justice..for a bounty. Those few who remain pirates have struggled hard to retain the title, and are duly proud of it.
7. The Light of Kiltia
Religion begun by the prophet Kiltia over two millennia ago. The religion of the Ordalian peoples is a dualistic system -- a polytheistic pantheon with a God of Light, Faram the Father, at its head.
After embarking on a pilgrimage to proselytize and deliver the word of the vision he had seen to the people, Kiltia came to Mt But-Omisace, and from there his teachings spread. The Light of Kiltia, as his teachings were called, continued even after his death, until they covered all of Ivalice. Though the followers and churches of Kiltia are spread far and wide, they do not interfere in affairs of state or governance.
Though at one point the church held considerable influence, they willingly discarded that power, fearing oppression. Ever since, church officials with the rank of celebrant or higher have been forbidden from participating in statecraft. In addition, Mt Bur-Omisace maintains a mutual non-incursion policy with the surrounding territories. Several years after Kiltia's founding, Saint Ajora began a new teaching, claiming that Faram alone was the one true god, the popularity of this new sect further lessening the power of the Light.
8. Bazaar Goods
Loot from monsters and the like are crafted into articles fit for sale.
Some of these are little more than refinements on the base materials.
Others require crystals, concoctions, and alchemy to produce. Few require too much skill or effort, though, making crafted articles a common sight at market, their quality, of not quite their appearance, being hardly distinguishable from that of regularly produced goods. If one is lucky, one might find some articles selling for below the going rate.
9. Mist
Naturally occuring energy, found in almost all regions of the world, affecting all living things, the climate, and even the land itself.
Magick is but one of the diverse methods of harnessing the power of Mist, the most common being via its controlled release from magicite, an ore known to hold high concentrations of condensed Mist within its crystalline structure. For larger effects, a greater amount of Mist is required, making particularly rich magicite a valuable commodity.
There are marked regional differences in the amount of Mist contained in the atmosphere and soil. While typically invisible to the naked eye, high densities of Mist will occasionally manifest in very visible phenomena.
The highest concentrations of Mist can even do damage, leading to over-rapid changes in the environment, and violent behavior among animals and those more sensitive to Mist's effects.
10. Terrestrial Conveyances
We all are told at one time or another, but how many of us recall that Ivalice is covered with mimic-germinites? Easy to forget, as they have little impact on living creatures, but any moogle worth his hammer could tell you the horribly corrosive effect the little devils have on the metals most often used for engines and vehicles.
All the better for airships, which fly above the germinite clouds, yet a sorry state of affairs for those who would make their journeys on land.
The next time you see a party traveling by chocobo and chocobo-led wagon, you will know why they're the preferred means of overland transport, won't you.
11. Electricity and Magick
With the discovery and harnessing of electricity, it was suddenly possible to operate devices of a far larger scale than ever before conceived.
However, the vast quantity of solid fuel required to generate electrical power, and the development of methods to artifically condense Mist, led to the latter supplanting the former as the dominant usable energy source in Ivalice.
Only the most energy-hungry devices still use electricity today.
12. Magicite
Common name for stones containing magickal power, or as it is commonly manifest, Mist. There exist varieties: Spellstone, being used for the peperation and working of magicks, Skystone, giving flight to airships, and Memstone, holding fast sounds heard and visions seen, that they might be experienced again.
Though their color, shape, and size may differ, these have no bearing on the quality of the stone. Some of the smallest stones are the most powerful, and some of the largest contain only a small amount of Mist, and are as good as useless.
It is a property of magicite that it lose its Mist over time, and once spent, a stone's Mist cannot be renewed. Magicite without Mist is mere rock.
The ability to manufact magicite of some power has only recently been attained, and this after many long years of research.
13. Nethicite
A variety of magicite with the unusual property of absorbing Mist, thereby nullifying the effects of magick. Though there is some mention of nethicite in ancient tomes, it had been lost, or perhaps consumed, with no mention or record appearing for several centuries. Sky pirates call it the magicite of legend.
Latterly, methods of manufacting nethicite have been developed in Archades, and at the time of writing, several test samples are in active use.
14. Airships
Airborne craft, developed by moogles centuries ago. They float by the power of the skystone, and are given direction and speed by means of propeller or glossair ring.
Currently, they are one of the most popular forms of transport in Ivalice, and the skyroutes are comfortably the busiest of the highways linking the major cities.
Airships range in size from private yachts to giant military warcraft.
Unable to fly in jagd, where skystone is ineffective.
15. The Alexander
No. 1 Heavy Carrier Class Airship Being the flagship of the 12th Fleet of the Archadian Imperial Army.
The 12th Fleet, commanded by Judge Zargabaath, operates under the Galtea Tactical Force of the Western Armada, led by Lord Vayne.
16. The Ifrit
No. 1 Cruiser Class Airship. Belonging to the 8th fleet of the Archadian Imperial Army.
Led the Imperial response to the Resistance attack on the royal palace in Rabanastre.
17. The Shiva
No. 1 Light Cruiser Class Airship belonging to the 8th Fleet of the Archadian Imperial Army.
Ordered to return to Rabanastre after the nethicite fragment known as the "Dawn Shard" was recovered, but sank in an explosion thought to have been caused by the relic before she could make port.
18. The Leviathan
No. 1 Dreadnought Class Airship Being the flagship of the 8th Fleet of the Archadian Imperial Army.
The 8th Fleet was assigned to the Galtea Tactical Force of the Western Armada, under the command of Judge Ghis. Fitted with a skystone made to resist the affects of the jagd, the Leviathan was a linchpin of the Imperial army's main force.
Sunk in an explosion caused by the uncontainable reaction of the nethicite fragment known as the Dawn Shard.
19. The Bahamut
No. 1 Sky Fortress Class Airship Belonging to the Western divisions of the Archadian Imperial Army, a mobile fortress and tactical base, under the control of the commandant of the Archadian forces, Lord Vayne.
This was the last sky fortress designed by Dr. Cid, powered both by ordinary skystone and manufacted nethicite, the latter absorbing Mist from its surroundings to generate the massive amounts of energy the fortress requires to function.
20. The Garland
No. 1 Heavy Carrier Class Airship. Being the flagship of the anti-Imperial coalition forces led by Marquis Ondore.
Built in secret by the Marquis to prepare for war against the Archadian empire. Believed to have much the same capabilities as the Imerpial heavy carrier Alexander.
21. The Strahl
Airship designed and built by YPA, a shipwright's guild of Archades.
Officially named the YPA-G847 Test Combat Fighter, production was halted after the completion of a single test model due to dissatisfaction on the part of the Imperial customer with the costly dual-movable-wing design. Scheduled for scrapping, Balthier liberated the ship at the last moment.
Balthier has since modified the Strahl to his tastes with a new engine and numerous other augmentations, making it a very different ship from the one envisaged by its YPA inventors.
22. Clans
A group formed for the main prupose of driving beasts and fiends from civilized areas, called to action in particularly bad cases, when individuals and town watches are not deemed equal to the task. Able to react more swiftly than equivalent military units, the clans are used by many smaller municipalities as rapid-response peacekeepers.
As a result, few clans' activities need heed the boundaries between territories, and they move freely across wastes and sacred lands alike.
23. Centurio
An elite clan having its clan hall in the Royal City of Rabanastre, formed by the young moogle, Montblanc.
That the relatively new Centurio is quickly making its mark among the clans is thanks in no small part to Montblanc's encrouragement of cooperation between members, and all Centurios' dedication to getting the job done.
Centurio is renowned for welcoming hunters of all races, its founding members including a nu mou, Ma'kenroh, and a viera.
24. Clans of Ivalice
Clans exist throughout Ivalice, the majority of them being quite small. Still, of thoe clans operating in the largest cities, many have earned a name for themselves through their accomplishments.
Clan Diatroma of Bhujerba and Clan Buckaboo of Balfonheim Port are some of the more famous regional clans. Of late, a young clan in Dalmasca by the name of Clan centurio has become a household name.
Along the Phon Coast, bands of hunters fulfill the role of clans, hunting local monsters and keeping the peace.
25. Marks
Beasts -- scourge of the common peoples of Ivalice. Foul creatures who take the greatest relish from inflicting the most gratuitous harm. Of these, the worst are identified as a public menace and made "marks," for the slaying of which a bounty is offered. Most mark hunting petitions come from commoners or local officials, though kingdoms have been known to issue requests for the slaying of particularly malevolent menaces.
Mark hunters range from professional hunters to casual adventurers. The unwary be warned: though mark hunting is imagined by some to be a short road to fame and fortune, it is oft-times found to be a short road to an early grave.
26. The Hunter Camp
Of the many hunters roaming Ivalice, the best of the best, seeking out the rarest of marks, are known to gather in a camp along the Phon Coast.
Unlike clans, the hunters that collect here have no leader, and all information exchanges, activities to support the camp, and payments for such, are handled on an individual basis.
27. The Espers
Beings of strange form and appearance made by the gods in ancient times. Favored with great strength and intellect, the Espers knew power far beyond that of men, but their power made them proud, and at length they sought to challenge the gods. Seeing this, the gods were angered and struck down their blessed children, and binding their souls and flesh with the Glyph of the Beast, they stole their freedom for all eternity. Now they are bound to live only when summoned by their Glyph, to serve whosoever called them forth.
28. Wyrmbreath
What could be more terrible than the breath of the mighty dragon? Not many know that this fearsome weapon is indeed a wholly natural emission generated in a large gland, rather prosaically named "the breath-sac." Thus, the wyrmbreath is a purely physical manifestation of searing flame, and one that has provided an impromptu pyre for many an overzealous adventurer.
29. Ivalice
The region consisting of the three continents of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwon, blessed throughout with verdant natural landscapes and climatic conditions supporting a great variety of life.
Regional climate trends are thought to be determined largely by the density of Mist present in the air, though this correlation is as yet not well understood.
Many humanoids call Ivalice home, each belonging to a distinct cultural sphere. By far the most prevalent of these are the humes, and it is around their civilization that affairs thoughout the rest of the world revolve.
30. Ordalia
Continent on the western edge of Ivalice. The vast plains in the interior are home to the great Rozarrian Empire. To the east of Rozarria the land is arid and largely desert.
The Galtean Peninsula on the eastern portion of the continent is a crossroads connecting to Valendia and Kerwon both, and a strategic prize sought by empire and kingdom alike.
Though Dalmasca has controlled the peninsula for the last several hundred years, it was lost to the Archadian Empire in an invasion two years past.
31. Valendia
Continent lying to the northeast of Ordalia. The climate is overall quite clement, and levels of Mist are far more stable than on the other two large continents.
Many towns and villages dot the hilly region stretching from the continent's interior to the shores of the Inner Naldoan Sea, most under the direct control of Archadia.
The Kingdom of Nabradia, lying on the Phon Straits in western Valendia, prospered here until its destruction in the Archadian invasion of two years past, its capital of Nabudis becoming a deserted wasteland.
32. Kerwon
Largely forested continent lying to the southeast of Ordalia. Climate varies greatly by region, and many less hospitable areas are uninhabited. In the west of Kerwon dwell the garif, in the wooded north dwell the viera, both living in piece, apparently unaffected by the expansionist hunger which has so dominated hume history.
Though the hume presence is strong on the other continents, in Kerwon they can only be found in the eastern highlands, on the slopes of the holy mountain of Kiltia, Bur-Omisace.
33. Purvama, the Floating Lands
A great landmass, floating in the skies above the Naldoan Sea. Such landmasses are not uncommon, found throughout Ivalice in every sort and size, though the manner of their formation remains a mystery.
The region in which they float has some bearing on their climate, however most are warm to subtropical, boasting primordial jungles in which flora and fauna both rare and wondgrous can be seen.
The crust of these floating islands boasts a high magicite concentration, and after airships became a common mode of transport, mining colonies sprung up on the richest outcrops.
Bhjuerba, in Dorstonis, is the largest of the skycities, and oversees the administration of many of the rest.
34. The Kingdom of Dalmasca
A small kingdom comprising the lands around the city of Rabanastre, governing a portion of the Galtean Peninsula. While its territories are small, its situation at the crossroads of three continents has enabled it to prosper as a center for trade.
More than 700 years are marked in the charts of history since her founding, yet many are the armies that have sought to claim her for her cultural richness and strategic importance.
Upon her defeat to Archadia in the invasion of 704, her lands were placed under direct control of the empire.
35. The Kingdom of Nabradia
A land neighboring Dalmasca, both kingdoms being founded by the bloodline of the Dynast-King, who first unified Ivalice under one rule. Graced with beautiful landscapes and rich natural resources, Nabradia prospered for many years as a center of both agriculture and industry.
Two years ago, an internal struggle boiled over into civil war, this opening the door to the Archadian invasion of Nabradia.
Several days after the beginning of the siege of Nabudis, a mysterious explosion consumed the city, leaving a smoking ruin where the political and cultural heart of Nabradia once stood, and sounding the death-knell for the kingdom.
36. The Archadian Empire
The mightiest sovereign state in Valendia. Originally a republic governed by an active senate, the rise of the military brought about the shift to an imperial system 200 years ago. With the change in governance, Archadia began invading its neighboring lands, quickly becoming the largest realm in Ivalice.
While in the past the emperor was traditionally of military extraction, a purge of key figures in the military by the politically powerful House Solidor led to the installation of a line of Solidor emperors which continue to this day.
37. The Rozarrian Empire
Empire located in the west of Ordalia, possessing an army rumored to be the equal of the Archadian Imperial forces.
Though an emperor rules, Rozarria is a military state, and the armed forces carry much political power.
In recent years, the Margrace Imperial family has sought to limit the military's power, embarking on a series of reforms to restrict the scope of their authority.
Archadia's unprovoked invasion of Dalmasca sent shockwaves through the Rozarrian establishment, and many are those who see a war between empires looming on the horizon.
38. Jagd
Regions of Mist-laden winds and magicite-rich soil, precluding the proper operation of skystone. Shifts in weather have been known to make jagd where once there was none, though the reverse has never been recorded by the chroniclers of such things.
As airships cannot operate in jagd, no such region is under the control of a major country, making the jagds lawless, perilous places.
39. Rabanastre
Capital of Old Dalmasca, and before that, many other kingdoms stretching back into the storied history of the Galtean Peninsula. Rule by the Dalmascan royal family lasted for several hundred years before the city's fall to the Archadian Empire two years past. Now an Imperial territory. The story of the city's people is the story of three cultures, those of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwon, who bore trade goods along the many well-frequented routes leading to her welcoming gates.
The town proper of Rabanastre is divided into four sections by the cardinal directions of the compass. The east and west are merchant districts, the streets lined with shops and stalls of every description. In the north, the streets widen into a large piazza facing the palace, and to the South can be found three gates leading beyond the city walls to the Dalmasca desert and Giza Plains.
The aerodrome can be found in the western outskirts of town, surrounded by numerous privately operated airship docks.
In the northwestern part of town stands a splendid cathedral built in the Galtean style, the bell of which, when rung, sounds through every hearth and home in the city.
40. Lowtown
Lowtown lies, as its name would suggest, beneath the city streets of Rabanastre. Great pillars standing throughout Lowton support the soaring edifices above. Prior to the war with Archadia, many merchants used Lowtown as a place to store foodstuffs and wares for sale. With the defeat and occupation of Archadia, many of the former residents of upper Rabanastre were relocated here, leading to its gradual transformation into a residential area. No natural light shines on Lowtown, save where there are passages to the streets above, making it perpetually gloomy.
Many orphans from the war have adopted Lowtown as their new home.
41. Royal Palace
A short walk north from the center of Rabanastre will lead you to the gates of the royal palace.
Before the war with Archadia, this magnifigant structure was home to the Dalmascan royal family, and barracks to the order of knights that served them. It is currently employed as living quarters and apartments by the recently appointed consul from Archadia.
The palace itself was built several centuries ago and has since been home to many Dalmascan monarchs, King Raminas being the most recent.
Numerous additions have been made to the palace over the course of its long history (the Royal City of Rabanastre having several times fallen under the control of foreign powers through invasion), but the overall bearing of its architecture is true to the original Galtean design.
Within the palace are secret chambers containing documents and treasures belonging to the royal family. Few who live beyond the palace walls know how they may be found.
42. Garamsythe Waterway
An underground waterway running deep beneath the Royal City of Rabanastre. Built and rebuilt over the centuries, no one alive knows all of its labyrinthine ways. Some are said to lead even to the royal palace.
There are stairs leading down to the waterway from Lowtown, but they are normally barred to keep unwelcome visitors down in the sewers where they belong.
43. Nalbina Fortress
A fortress built on an oasis located between the old kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia. Defended by high ridges and barren sands, long it stood firm against generations of aggressors. Nalbina Fortress and the merchant town that sprang up in its shadow made the area a focal point for local commerce. The treaty to end hostilities in the war with Archadia was signed at Nalbina, yet immediately after the signing, the Dalmascan king was slain, and as a result, the Kingdom of Dalmasca came under complete Archadian Imperial rule.
In the two years since the war and occupation by Archadian forces, the fortress has become a key strategic stronghold against the distant, yet ever-threatening, Rozarrian Empire. Works continue to this day to repair the damage which the fortress suffered during the war.
Recently, markets where antiques and rarities can readily be had have sprung up in the outer wards of the fortress, taking advantage of the steady flow of traffic which passes through this midpoint between Rabanastre and Nabudis. It is this pivotal location that gives the fortress its unique character. many are the travelers who visit Nalbina Fortress to witness this ever-booming oasis that refuses to silt over in neglect, or crumble before the blistering winds of war.
44. Nalbina Fortress & Dungeons
A great dungeon, created when the Archadian army sealed off the lower levels of Nalbina Fortress. Originally a complex lowtown region. In addition to the usual collection of petty thieves and murderes, its inmates include political dissenters and prisoners of war from the Dalmascan and Nabradian armies, all thrown together without discrimination, separation, or order. An oubliette has been created in the depths of the fortress to hold those prisoners whose cases await judgement before the Court of Archadia.
45. Barheim Passage
An underground passage beneath the fortress at Nalbina. Originally a railway to carry goods into the fortress, the passage was closed with the introduction of airships as the primary means of transport.
The abandoned railway line is now rife with Mist, and the dwelling place of many fell beasts.
46. Dalmasca Estersand
One of the large desert regions of Dalmasca, located to the east of Rabanastre. Rife with all manner of monstrous beasts, it regularly plays host to hunts organized within the city.
What settlements there are line the banks of the River Nebra, a vibrant blue vein running through the heart of the sands, wherein can be found ferries for the conveyance of travelers and goods across her flow. Many merchants make a point of stopping in the villages to trade on their way to and from Rabanastre.
47. Dalmasca Westersand
One of the vast deserts of the Dalmascan region situated west of Rabanastre. Few roads pass through this waste, asnd as such it is little frequented by merchants.
In Dalmasca Westersand, the sandstorms are more greatly feared than the beasts; so much so, in fact, that whole societies of natural philosophers in Rabanastre devote themselves to their study.
48. Giza Planes
A vast savannah spreading out to the Royal City of Rabanastre, the environs of which vary drastically between dry and rainy seasons.
Large dark crystals lie scattered here and there across the savannah. During the Dry, they absorb the sun's radiance and glow with an auric brilliance. A village of nomadic herders is located near the middle of the grasslands. During the Rains, the villagers relocate to the mountains. While they reside in the greenlands, the menfolk rarely return from their herding, leaving the women and children to their own devices in the village.
These nomads know the art of capturing the energy of the dark crystals in chunks of magicite, called sunstone, which they then bring to market to sell. The animals by which they make their living is primarily of cockatrice stock.
49. Ogir-Yensa Sandsea
A desert region in the west of the Jagd Yensa, most of it is covered in fine-grain sand that ebbs and flows like water, compared from antiquity to a sea. Abandoned drilling rigs can be found here and there, dotted about the ever-shifting terrain. In the past, the Rozarrian Empire sought to draw rich oils from the ground here, but relentless attacks from the Urutan-Yensa, who consider the sandsea to be solely theirs, drove them away. Men are now a rare sight inside the desert borders.
50. The Nam-Yensa Sandsea
The desert in the west of the Jagd Yensa. Fine sand beats in waves against the feet of the rolling dunes of this region which, together with the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, is called the Great Yensan Sandsea.
To the west of the Nam-Yensa lies the gorge known as the Valley of the Dead, so called because it has been the scene of many an ill-starred adventurer's demise.
51. Zertinan Caverns
A great cavern complex stretching along the length of the inland sea between Ordalia and Kerwon. Its passages twist and turn, winding their way from the Jagd Yensa to Dalmasca, and even Bancour.
Labyrinthine and dark, the caverns provide an excellent place for criminals and bandits to hide from the authorities. The reaches near the Great Yensan Sandsea are known for their frequent deadly subterranean sand drifts, and the fierce wyrms that make their home there. Nearer to the Bancour, the smell of brine grows stronger, and many of the cavern mouths open out onto cliffs overlooking the sea.
52. The Tomb of Raithwall
West of the Jagd Yensa, deep in the Valley of the Dead, lies the tomb of the Dynast-King Raithwall, a titanic stone structure built during the age of the Galtean Alliance to celebrate his subjugation of the lands bordering the Naldoan Sea. Inside can be found many technologies and archtectural marvels beyond the ken of modern man. In addition to Raithwall's crypt, the tomb contains priceless royal treasure, and only those with proof of direct lineage are suffered within. Intruders are met with the traps and guardians most terrible. Though the sky pirates know of the treasure's existence, none have succeed in its theft as yet.
53. Bhujerba
An autonomous city-state found on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Originally formed as a magicite mining colony with the advent of airship travel. The magicite mines of the skylands are superior to crystal mines on the surface in both quantity and quality of ore, and Bhujerba developed quickly on fortunes born of rock.
During the years of the Galtean Alliance, the Ondore family took over much of the daily business of Bhujerba's governance, a rule which cotninues to this day. Their neutral stance during the Archadian invasion two years ago positioned them as mediators of the peace negotiations that followed.
Like much of Dorstonis, Bhujerba is a city of hills and sloping boulevards. Merchant houses and shops are clustered near the peaks, while residences are found in the valleys. At the very bottom of the hills lies the network of crystalline shafts known as the Lhusu Mines.
Many visitors come to Bhujerba to enjoy the open-air parks with spectacular views only available to those who live in the sky. Very rarely does anyone fall from the skycity, and curiously enough, not a single death has been reported to have resulted from such an occurrence to date.
54. Lhusu Mines
A crystal mine located on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Many years have passed since the ore veins were first discovered here, yet even today, high-quality ores are found and processed in these well-worked shafts.
Many claim that the success of the mines is due to a project begun many centuries past by the Ondore family, whereby mining across their domains was closely regulated, never permitting too much to be drawn from one place, thereby allowing the magicite crystals to naturally recover.
The Lhusu Mines are most famous for their high caliber of the skystone, the material which enables airships to ply the skies, and memstone, a variety of magicite that can store sound and even images in its unique crystalline structure.
Unfortunately, the dense concentrations of Mist in the mines lure all manner of beasts, and when mining expeditions are planned, palings must be erected to keep such creatures at bay.
55. Archades
The capital of the Archadian Empire. Still small when it first formed as a city-state, it grew tremendously during the long peace fosterd by the Galtean Alliance. When the Empire was formed, the city center was re-located, forming the Archades we know today.
Though poor in both natural resources and land, Archades came to prominence as a city of innovation and learning. All information and technology gathers here, and the famed mages and artificers born within her walls are legion. Knowledge, then, is the true strength of the Archadian Empire.
The city of Archades forms an octagon with the Imperial Palace at its center. Around the Palace sit the Senate Chambers and other administrative quarters, beyond which lies a booming mercantile district. The buildings in the city center are quite tall, with the lower floors being used mainly as residences. The difference in heights between the various buildings makes this a city of small airships, that being the most efficient means of accessing all levels of the metropolis.
More than half the population of Archades is hume, and while at one time all lived near the ground, of late, those of power or particular wealth have taken to living in the higher appartments and travelling exclusively by private airship.
56. Old Archades
District on the outskirts of Archades. With the transfer of governance to the Imperial system, a new city was created, the existing city blocks now belonging to the old quarter. At the time, the under-privileged lived here along with nobles who had lost power with the rise of the Empire, while those with power lived in the new city.
Now, several centuries later, little has changed. The residents of the old quarter are largely itinerants and those others outside the protection of Imperial law. Unlike the new city where buldings tower towards the sky, the old city remains brick and stone. Everything feels neglected, abandoned to fate of slow decay. With officials less than inclined to worry about the old quarter's governance, little or no effort has ever been made to revitalize the area.
57. Draklor Laboratory
Weapons research laboratory located a short distance from the administrative district in the northeast of Archades, sponsored by the Archadian Imperial Army, with Dr. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa as its head researcher and maker of policy.
Research is divided among airship design projects, sundry weapons projects, and magickal endeavors. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to magicite research, with great strides being made in the manufacting of magicite and improved methods of drawing energy from the stones.
A strict security system is in place to ensure that none of the knowledge in Draklor Laboratory leaves its doors without authorization.
58. Phon Coast
Coastal region lying along the Phon Straits which divide Archadia from Nabradia. Praised for its beautiful beaches of white sand, and lush greenery. A hunter's camp along the coast attracts adventurers and headhunters, forming a community where they might exchange information and rest between expeditions.
59. Tchita Uplands
A hilly region reaching to the south of Archadia. Before the widespread adoption of airships as the primary means of conveyance, this region was the highway to the Imperial City, and filled with travelers.
Ruins can be spotted here and there amongst the tall grasses, and researchers from Archades often come here to delve into the mysteries left by whatever ancient civilization built them.
60. Sochen Cave Palace
A giant underground complex in Archadia, consisting of natural caverns and the abandoned ruins of an ancient palace. Many of its ways and passages remain uncharted on current maps. From the style of the carvings adorning some of the walls, it is thought that the complex was built at some point during the Galtean Alliance, though no records of its construction remain.
A survey mission was initiated to chart the many corridors here, but a particularly nasty infestation of creatures has significantly hampered progress.
61. The Cerobi Steppe
Hilly highlands area in the east of Archadia, through which the highroad to Balfinheim Port passes.
Air currents are notoriously unstable between Cerobi and Balfonheim, making land routes here as popular as those of the air.
In the past, villagers in the region erected windmills to catch the winds from the Naldoan Sea, and used them to mill grain from the harvest. With advancements in the use of magicks and machineries, however, the windmills fell into disuse and now stand merely as a reminder of the past.
62. The Port at Balfonheim
Prosperous port on the Naldoan Sea renowned for its rich fishing grounds. In addition to fishing, the port is known for its shipwrights and their numerous contributions to the advancement of seacraft. Though demand has dropped with the spread of airships, the wrights are still able to turn a profit on their craft.
The power in Balfonheim rests with the sea captains and pirates of wealth. Though belonging in name to the Archadian Empire, well-placed regular bribes have ensured the city autonomous governance.
The city itself is small, being a classic port town, with many stone-cobbled alleyways winding between buildings which hug the curve of the hills. Fresh seafood can be found in the market stalls daily, along with many other items brought by traders and pirates.
Several waterways run through the city, some carrying drinking water, others used as canals for the transport of goods.
The manse of Pirate King Reddas stands in the western quarter of Balfonheim.
63. Nabreus Deadlands
Place once known as Nabudis, the prosperous capital of Nabradia. In the war against Archadia two years ago, the city was utterly destroyed, leaving nothing but an eerie waste of swirling Mist. Even by day, the sun does not penetrate that ever present fog. Beneath it, dense Mist has given rise to all manner of bizarre flora and fauna of an invariably vicious temperament.
64. Necrohol of Nabudis
Palace once home to the royal family Nabradia. Called the Verdpale Palace, it once stood proudly in the middle of a lake.
Now it stands in ruin, destroyed in the attack on Nabudis two years ago. Though the ghost of the building remains in the crumbling walls, it is wholly gutted and lies half-submerged in the murk.
Now Mist flows freely through its abandoned halls, and its glorious memory is profaned by a menagerie of vile creatures.
65. Mosphoran Highwaste
Mighty mountain range standing between Dalmasca and Nabradia. Well-known for its odd rock formations: overhangs forming roofs over the mountain paths, and lone spires of rock jutting toward the sky.
In a col between the peaks is a flat area where spring water bubbles from the ground, creating an ideal resting place for weary travelers. The shrines standing in the clearing were built during the Galtean Alliance, the names of the gods they enshrine long since lost to the ken of Man.
66. The Salikawood
Forested region in central Nabradia. A path strung between the thick-growing trees leads towards Archadia. However, many of the tree-bridges are covered with thick moss, and in advanced stages of decay.
As transport by airship gained prominence, the land roads were abandoned. Now more beasts walk the woods than travelers.
The forest is the domain of the Kingdom of Nabradia. Abandoned these two years since its fall, the number of fell beasts within its borders swells daily.
67. The Ridorana Cataract
A strange opening in the seafloor that has created an endless whirlpool, drawing the surrounding sea ever downwards. An island is situated at the cataract's edge, on which stands a great pharos surrounded by ancient ruins. Its size suggests that once a great city flourished here, but of its rise and fall nothing is known.
The area surrounding this island is jagd, preventing approach by airship, while the proximity of the cataract and its tidal pull make it impossible to reach the island by sea.
68. The Pharos of Ridorana
Giant tower standing on an island near the Ridorana Cataract.
Though not actually a lighthouse, a curious light emits from its upper reaches, piercing the darkest night, so earning it the name of the Pharos. Similarities can be seen between the architectural style of the tower and that of the ruins about it, but there are none who know the details of its creation.
69. Jahara
A garif village in Bancour. Here, a chieftain elder watches over the old ways, and so administers the tribe. Though many other villages dot the area, there is little direct communication between them.
The garif have worshipped magicite since ancient times, and tribal legends tend much wisdom concerning the Stones. When the time is right, the elders teach these lessons to the youth of the village, and, on rare occasions, to visitors from other lands.
Abhorring machinery and iron, much of the garif material culture is based on wood and stone and other unmanufacted things. Their houses made of grass and strips of leather allow a breeze to pass through, and are uniquely suited to the hot, arid climate.
On the hill overlooking the village is a meeting lodge, warmed always by a bonfire. Near the lodge are the elders' huts, and below the hill is a clearing ringed by a healer's hut, and the tents of craftsmen, as well as a place to take care of the livestock, called "nanna" in the garif tongue.
Dalmasca has for many years honored the ways of the garif, and so kept up peaceful trade and relations with this isolated people.
70. Ozmone Plain
Wide region of plains in Bancour, bordering Dalmasca. Mostly tall grasses, though here and there can be seen volcanic rock formations.
In the past, a great battle was fought in the skies over Ozmone Plain. The decaying airshipwrecks punctuating the plains are monuments to the carnage once wrought there.
71. Eruyt Village
Hidden village of viera in Golmore Jungle. Viera enclaves are scattered throughout the jungle, but all are warded against entry by those of other tribes or lands. Viera are reclusive by nature, living separate from the world outside, shunning even the society of their own kind, save when necessity demands. This isolation is in part made possible by the viera ability to hear the spirit voice of the Wood, and thereby know all that comes to pass within her borders. Throughout the history of Ivalice, rarely have the viera ventured beyond the borders of the Wood, and few outsiders know of their laws or customs.
Viera villages are formed of massive trees linked by suspended paths, with dwellings and small shrines to the spirit of the Wood encircling the trunks. During the day, many viera come to a clearing in the village, where a glistering spring bubbles up from the earth, to meditate. Their leader resides in the center of the village, and governs according to the Word of the Wood. Those who perform the sacred ceremonial duties of salve-maker or wood-warder stand at her side, defending the ways of the village and of the viera.
Compared to other races, the viera seem to move at a slower, more contemplative pace, more at peace with the flow of time. However, some younger viera have begun to question the wisdom of rejecting change in the midst of a rapidly developing Ivalice.
72. Golmore Jungle
A sprawling jungle in the Jagd Difohr, it remains much as it always has been, untouched by the hand of Man.
Though the viera make their villages within this jungle, the ways to their enclaves are tangled and hidden.
Barriers throughout the jungle, too, prevent easy passage. These were erected by the viera to prevent outsiders from intruding, the blessing of their people needed before one may pass.
73. The Feywood
An ancient wood deep in the jungles of Golmore. The combination of dense Mist and regular snow, the latter a product of the region's elevation, is enough to keep away even the viera.
Many of the trees have stood for several thousands of years, and some have begun to petrify. Numerous plants once thought extinct grow here, and many rare birds and animals can be seen in their primitive forms, unchanged for millennia.
74. The Henne Magicite Mines
Crystal mines in the mountainous region of Bancour still producing a great variety of magicite, even as other mines around them close, their veins dry and spent.
The Archadian Empire possesses mining rights here, making this a key location for their acquisition of the stones, bypassing intermediaries and fluctuating markets.
75. Giruvegan
Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense Mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that if holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth.
Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries.
76. Mr Bur-Omisace
The sacred mountain of the Kiltia sect, located to the north of the Jagd Ramooda. A temple was built here by believers to mark the place where the founder of the Light of Kiltia began to spread the teachings. There are accounts of the holy city here dating back to writings from the age of the Galtean Alliance.
In its long history, Mr Bur-Omisace has never fallen under the control of any foreign power. On the understanding that Kiltia's followers would exempt themselves from political dealings in other lands, Kingdom and Empire both formed a pact to guarantee the holy city's independence, an agreement which stands to this day.
It would not be an error to call Mr Bur-Omisace itself a shrine to Kiltia. Apart from the temples, there are only a few residences, with roadside shops catering to the steady stream of pilgrims.
In recent years, refugees from war-torn lands have gathered here, forming camps on part of the mountain. The priests of Kiltia give them aid tht they might live here in peace.
As Mr Bur-Omisace is surrounded by jagd, the faithful must cross the Inner Naldoan Sea by boat in their pilgrimage to the holy city.
77. Paramina Rift
Comprising a great ravine running through the mountains of the Jagd Ramooda, this is a barren land covered in hoarfrost and deep snows. The spent shells of airships hang in the frozen river, and here and there can be seen the ruins of great cities built during the years of the Galtean Alliance.
Many are the scholars who believe that the Paramina Rift was once a rich and verdant land, and that a climate change brought about by Mist made it into the cold, harsh jagd we see today.
78. The Stilshrine of Miriam
An ancient shrine deep within the Jagd Ramooda. Like Raithwall's tomb, this, too, was constructed in the time of the Galtean Alliance, originally to honor the ancient god of swords and martial might. It is said that a Gran Kiltias of long ago selected the Stilshrine to house the relics of Dynast-King Raithwall, though why he would choose this side, and not a temple of his own sect, is unclear.