Y'shtola

1. #1[X] 0. Early Lifeselective

   Keys: Seventh Umbral Era
2. #2[X] 1. Realm Rebornselective

   Keys: Seventh Umbral Era, Eorzea
3. #3[X] 2. Heavenswardselective

   Keys: Seventh Astral Era, Ishgard
4. #4[X] 3. Stormbloodselective

   Keys: Seventh Astral Era, Doma, Ala Mhigo
5. #5[X] 4. Shadowbringersselective

   Keys: Seventh Astral Era, First, Norvandt
6. #6[X] 5. Endwalkerselective

   Keys: Seventh Astral Era
7. #7[X] 6. Misc. Historyselective
8. #8[X] 7. Misc. Historyselective
9. #9[Thanalan] Ul'dahselective

   Keys: Ul'dah, Eorzea, city-state, Aldenard, Lalafell, The Syndicate, Nanamo Ul Namo, Eorzean Alliance, Thanalan

   Deep in the sunbaked south, surrounded by the shifting sands of an endless desert, she rises. A solitary rose amidst the dust and rock. A symbol of defiance. Her name: Ul'dah. Even with the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era, hope springs eternal for the mongers and merchants who vie for lost fortunes in this bustling oasis. As the Twin Faces of Nald'thal maintain Their vigil over all that has been and shall be, the present proffers a brave soul... ...One whose arrival could mark the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the realm. May the Traders nurture our fortunes as They kindle the flames which burn within us all. For by fire are we reborn.

   Ul'dah is a city-state located in the deserts of southern Aldenard. It is the most wealthy of the city-states, its flag bearing scales as a symbol of their commercial significance in Eorzea. The city-state was once exclusively populated by Lalafells, and the royal family is of this race, but the prospect of wealth attracted all peoples from across the world. The majority of the Syndicate members are Lalafell. The bustling commercial hub of Ul'dah sits organized strategically around the dome-shaped citadel at the center. Its towering fortifications and protective outer walls are visible for malms in all directions to deter would-be besiegers.

   Visitors from every corner of Eorzea come to Ul'dah to partake of the city's famed recreation, most notably the fighting arenas and gambling halls. Ul'dahn culture is known for its affluence, and the nation's wealth largely comes from its abundant mineral resources and prestigious clothcrafting industry.

   Historically, the sultan claims sovereignty over Ul'dah, but true power is wielded by the Syndicate, an elite group of six of the most influential and richest members of society. Nald'thal is the city's patron deity and two great halls devoted to his two aspects are found in the eastern and western sections of the city. The sultanate has its roots in the nation of Belah'dia that held Thanalan until a war of succession tore it apart in 969 of the Sixth Astral Era. The twin rulers founded their own nations, Ul'dah and Sil'dih, which engaged in a bloody conflict known as the War of the Sisters. Sil'dih was destroyed in 1181 when an alchemical powder transformed its armies into the undead. Ul'dah has held dominion over Thanalan ever since.

   Shortly after the war, the reigning Sasagan Ul Sisigan III was ousted in favor of Baldurf Thorne, ending the reign of the first Ul Dynasty and beginning the lost Thorne Dynasty of Ul'dahn sultans. After the Thornes abdicated in 1355, the second Ul Dynasty came to power. True power in Ul'dah soon fell to the merchant class, which had grown powerful. In an attempt to keep the merchants loyal to the throne, the sultanate created the Syndicate, but it soon came to hold more power in the city-state than the throne.

   The untimely demise of sultan Sasabal Ul Sisibal and his wife Nanasha Ul Nasha in 1561 caused their daughter, Nanamo Ul Namo, to ascend the throne at the age of five. The Syndicate officiated over all for a long time until she won the loyalty of the Ala Mhigan gladiator Raubahn Aldynn, who used his winnings in the coliseum to buy his freedom and a seat on the Syndicate. He created the Ul'dahn Grand Company, the Immortal Flames, to both combat Garlemald and place power in the hands of the royal house.

   While Dunesfolk Lalafell make up the majority of Ul'dah's citizens by a small margin, the city-state also contains a sizeable population of Midlander Hyur with small but notable populations of Hellsguard Roegadyn and Highlander Hyur. The populations of refugees from Ala Mhigo and the Calamity may have shifted these demographics somewhat. Despite the Immortal Flames' efforts, the Amalj'aa have entrenched themselves in southern Thanalan.

   The destroyed nation of Nabaath Araeng appears to have been its counterpart in the First.

10. #10[Thanalan] The Syndicateselective

    Keys: Ul'dah, The Syndicate, Raubahn Aldynn, Teledji Adeledji, Nanamo Ul Namo, Godbert Manderville, Fyrgeiss Loetkilbsyn, Lolorito Nanarito, Thanalan

    The culture and politics of Ul'dah has greatly been dominated by trade and profiteering, affording the Syndicate a significant power base. Influence and most importantly wealth are the criteria for membership, and seats on the Syndicate can be bought. Syndicate members typically fell into two camps: Royalists who supported the monarchy, and Monetarists who prefer to displace the monarchy and exert more control over the city-state. Though Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo is officially the head of state in Ul'dah, her power has been eroded by the largely Monetarist Syndicate, reducing her to a figurehead.

    Syndicate is chaired by the following:

    Lord Lolorito Nanarito - Chairman of the East Aldenard Trading Company Dewlala Dewla - Director of the Milvaneth Sacrarium Fyrgeiss Loetkilbsyn - Chief Foreman of Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern Godbert Manderville - Proprietor of the Manderville Gold Saucer and master goldsmith General Raubahn is a former Royalist in the Syndicate, and earned his place thanks to using his winnings from a high-stakes gladiatorial match to purchase both the Coliseum and a seat on the Syndicate. Another former member, Teledji Adeledji, the now deceased Head of the Mirage Trust. Slain by Raubahn following an attempt to poison the Sultana.

11. #11[Thanalan] Thanalanselective

    Keys: Thanalan, Aldenard

    Thanalan is a region located outside of Ul'dah. Most of its fauna are suited to the desert, including various arthropods and a strange crystalbacked creature called a Coblyn. In its center lies the city-state of Ul'dah.

    Many people, when they think of Thanalan both in-universe and out, are tempted to think of it as nothing but a trackless, sun-baked wasteland. This is far from the truth - while Thanalan is generally arid, it is only the Sagolii Desert proper that can be called desolate and lacking in vegetation. Much of Thanalan is more like a savanna, with somewhat sparse but active plant life which can get notably more lush near major sources of water, particularly in Western, Central and Eastern Thanalan, following the rivers. As a result, the geography varies significantly - from Central Thanalan's relatively flat plains to the towering canyons of Eastern Thanalan to the massive dunes in the Sagolii.

    Thanalan has seen some of the worst effects of the Seventh Umbral Era. It was the first to have Atomos appear, and as a result the strongest of the Deepvoid have appeared here. The aftermath of Dalamud has resulted in some of the most spectacular landscape changes, particularly in Eastern Thanalan.

12. #12[Thanalan] The Immortal Flamesselective

    Keys: The Immortal Flames, Ul'dah, Grand Company, Eorzea, Hall of Flames, Pipin Tarupin, Raubahn Aldynn, Thanalan

    The Immortal Flames is one of the three Grand Companies in Eorzea, headquarted at the Hall of Flames in Ul'dah. Using his winnings as a gladiator, the Ala Mhigan refugee Raubahn Aldynn purchased a seat on the Syndicate, and with the support of Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo re-instated the Immortal Flames. After the liberation of Ala Mhigo, leadership of The Immortal Flames was transferred to Pipin Tarupin. Currently, the bulk of Ul'dah's military strength comes from their standing army of mercenaries and the now dwindling contingent of palace guards known as the Sultansworn. To bring order to their ranks and oversee additional wartime training, the sultana has resurrected the Immortal Flames—an elite force of battle-hardened veterans that once instilled fear in the city-state's neighboring nations during ages past. This unit would act as a core aspect of the army, essentially bolstering its power, and in effect grant more authority to the sultana and her advisers—something of which those in control of the city-state's economy—namely the Syndicate—are wary. Notable members:

    • Flame General Pipin Tarupin (Previously Vice Marshal)
    • Grand Marshal Still River
    • High Commander Swift
    • Dancing Wolf Previous Members:
    • Flame General Raubahn Aldynn
    • Grand Marshal Eline Roaille
13. #13[La Noscea] Limsa Lominsaselective

    Keys: Eorzea, Vylbrand, Limsa Lominsa, city-state, Eorzean Alliance, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, La Noscea

    On a windswept isle in the southwestern corner of the realm, amidst the roiling waves of the Rhotano Sea, lies the maritime city-state of Limsa Lominsa. To this haven for bandits and brigands, cutthroats and curs, seekers of both freedom and fortune, comes a lone adventurer. Lone, yet not alone, for the hero's arrival has drawn the gaze of the nation's patron deity Llymlaen. What realm-shaking fate has She descried in the churning waters of this mortal's future? Through peril and hardship, discovery and triumph, may the Navigator guide this brave soul on [his/her] life's voyage... Till sea swallows all.

    Limsa Lominsa is an independent marine city-state of Eorzea. On the southern coast of the island of Vylbrand, under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the Rhotano Sea, lies the marine city-state of Limsa Lominsa. Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, Llymlaen, the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, each connected by sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the "Navigator's Veil" from traveling bards who have witnessed the city's beauty from afar.

    Limsa Lominsa is a traditional thalassocracy, with power lying in the hands of the ruling party and its leader, Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Its economy is driven by shipbuilding, fishing, and blacksmithing, but the majority of wealth comes from the lucrative shipping industry.

    To maintain the safety of its maritime routes, the city employs a formidable navy known as the Knights of the Barracuda, but even in the waters nearby the city, pirate bands run rampant, raving and pillaging. Admiral Merlwyb reinstated the Maelstrom to combine the forces of the Knights, conscripted pirates, and adventurers into a land-and-sea army to combat the Garlean Empire and the encroaching Sahagin of the Indigo Deep.

    Founded in 875 of the Sixth Astral Era, the maritime city-state was founded by Sea Wolf refugees from Aerslaent. Forced to leave their homeland after a failed rebellion against a tyrannical king, Admiral Elilwaen and the crew of his flagship Galadion, came to Vylbrand believing it was uninhabited. After conflict erupted with the native Kobolds, they were forced to build in the reefs around their derelict vessel. At first, Limsa was a shanty town, the Lominsan populace made up of coinless refugees. This changed after occupying the nearby forests, allowing them to build ships and use their skills as sailors to engage in piracy across the Five Seas.

    This lasted for several centuries, but the decline of piracy's golden age and threat of the Garlean Empire caused the current Admiral, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, to outlaw piracy altogether in the interest of forging lasting alliances with the other city-states of Eorzea. She created the Lominsan Grand Company, the Maelstrom, in 1572 of the Sixth Astral Era, consolidating all the city-state's resources to defeating the Garlean Empire.

    Though the original founders of Limsa Lominsa were Sea Wolf Roegadyn, Miqo'te Seekers of the Sun and Midlander Hyur came to dwell in the city-state after being forced to serve aboard pirate ships, while Plainsfolk Lalafells came to trade in stolen goods. The native Kobolds still make their home in the north of Vylbrand, and the Sahagin have claimed a place in western La Noscea.

    The flag of the thalassocracy depicts a pirate ship, representing the nation's founders: brutal Sea Wolf buccaneers. The crimson field represents the spilled blood of lost companions and reflects the city-state's bloody history.

14. #14[La Noscea] Maelstromselective

    Keys: La Noscea, Eorzean Alliance, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, Grand Company

    The Maelstrom is one of the three Grand Companies in Eorzea, headquarted at Maelstrom Command in Limsa Lominsa. Upon ascending as Admiral, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn re-instated the Maelstrom, with the Knights of the Barracuda and the rest of Lominsan navy incorporated into the company.

    At the heart of the Thalassocratic Navy lies the Crimson Fleet, composed of five independent squadrons, the First through the Fifth. The Maelstrom is an extension of the First Squadron, expanding its role as armada flagship and granting it power to administer not only the remaining four squadrons, but the various merchant fleets that navigate the seas off Vylbrand. With the reestablishment of the Maelstrom, the Admiral has invoked ancient maritime law, by which she promoted herself to Chief Admiral, effectively expanding her authority to cover not only state and military dealings, but grant her the power to directly command all ships in Lominsan waters. While adverse to this encroachment on their independence, the city-state's pirates are willing to put aside their differences, lest the Garlean Empire take more than just their freedom.

15. #15[Black Shroud] Gridaniaselective

    Keys: city-state, Eorzea, Kan-E-Senna, The Black Shroud, Aldenard, Elezen, Hyur, Twelveswood, Gridania, Seedseer, Nophica

    The Black Shroud—the ancient forest close to the heart of Eorzea. Beneath the boughs of its towering trees lies the woodland city-state of Gridania. Once a sanctuary from the world beyond the Hedge, even the mighty elementals, eternal guardians of the forest, could not forestall the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era. However, the goddess Nophica was never one to forsake Her children, and today She welcomes another brave soul...one who may yet play a telling role in the tale of this great realm. May the Matron take [him/her] to Her Bosom, that [he/she] may never want. And in [his/her] heart sow serenity, purity, and sanctity.

    Gridania is one of the city-states in Eorzea located on the Aldenard continent. It is located in the midst of the Black Shroud, a dense forest also known as the Twelveswood that serves to filter out those hostile toward the Elementals and those in cooperation with them. Gridania is by far the most unified of the city-states. Its guilds all work in cooperation with each other under the guiding hand of Kan-E-Senna, who brought back the Order of the Twin Adder. In the eastern reaches of the Aldenard landmass, home to vast, dense woodlands and coursing rivers, lies the forest nation of Gridania. The cityscape is a mosaic of labyrinthine waterways and great wooden structures, so gracefully constructed they seem a part of the surrounding environment.

    The Gridanian emphasis on natural harmony has led to its preeminence among Eorzea's city-states in trades such as forestry, agriculture, carpentry, and leatherworking. Gridania is also home to the Wood Wailers, a militant band of polearm-wielding sentries charged with the protection of their homeland.

    The favored goddess of the citizenry is Nophica, the Matron, but great faith is also placed in the wisdom of the Seedseers—young oracles who guide the nation based on the will of the forest's elementals.

    Gridania's history begins with Gelmorra, the subterranean city-state founded by Hyur and Elezen around the year 740 of the Sixth Astral Era. In 1076, a Hyuran mage named Jorin Lightheart created the art of conjury to commune with the elementals of the forests above. Successful in gaining their permission to dwell within the forest, he led the people of Gelmorra from their caverns to found the city-state of Gridania.

    The people of Gridania lead largely peaceful lives, but the Ixal who inhabited the forest before the elementals evicted them seek to reclaim the forest as their own. In 1468, they also had to defend their territories from Ala Mhigo in a conflict known as the Autumn War. The Ala Mhigans were swiftly routed when Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah lent their aid to Gridania, driving them from the forest by 1469.

    The current leader of Gridania, Kan-E-Senna created the Order of the Twin Adder in 1572 to deal with the Garlean threat. After the Calamity, the elementals were severely weakened, making the Black Shroud a less threatening place to outsiders, but leaving the city-state vulnerable to incursions.

    Like Gelmorra before it, the majority of Gridanians are Elezen and Midlander Hyur. A rift formed between the Elezen when they were asked to leave Gelmorra. Those who chose to dwell in the forest became the Wildwood clan, and those who tried to remain in their underground home became the Duskwight clan, with no love lost between the two. The Black Shroud is also home to Miqo'te Keepers of the Moon, who often face discrimination like the Duskwights. The Sylph tribe also makes their home in East Shroud.

    The golden field of the Gridanian standard represents the land filled with the elementals' power. The entwined serpents originate with Gelmorra, representing the unity between Elezen and Hyur.

16. #16[Coerthas] Chocoboselective

    Keys: Creature, Mount, Chocobo, Animal, Ishgard

    Chocobo is a prominent avian creature in the realm of Eorzea within the Source and are a popular form of transportation, though they also featured in racing, hunted, and feature as companions.

    Chocobos live within the eastern parts of Dravania, with the Chocobo Forest in the Dravanian Forelands being home to many wild chocobos. Chocobos are usually trained and bred in Ishgard. A mysterious plague infected the birds greatly reducing their numbers and forcing the city-state stables to stop renting the birds to adventurers. The plague started to subside, and with help of the newly reformed Grand Companies, the Holy See again permitted the exporting of chocobos with the caveat that only male birds were exported to avoid breeding outside of their control. Chocobo rentals have since opened up, and Grand Company members can be granted their own company chocobo as their steed. Chocobos are not widely known in the "Far Eastern" territories of Yanxia and Koshu, with Doman refugees in Eorzea referring to them as "horsebirds".

    Chocobos are typically larger than Hyur, though some breeds, such as the Belah'dian jennets and destriers, are smaller or larger to accommodate Lalafellin and Roegadyn riders, respectively. Though the yellow feather coloration is the most common, chocobos can be found in many shades, either through genetics or from dietary influences. Trained chocobos are called upon using hand-crafted whistles that emit high-pitched tones the chocobos are trained from birth to recognize. These trained birds are most often found in stables, looked after by "chocobokeeps".

    In the wild, untamed chocobos are territorial, and can easily injure a person with their beaks and claws. Chocobo hunters, such as those residing in Tailfeather, often hunt and trap wild chocobos to sell.

17. #17[Black Shroud] Sylphselective

    Keys: Sylph, Beast Tribe, Creature, The Black Shroud, Race, Eorzea

    A diminutive people who dwell deep within the Black Shroud, sylphs resemble delicate dolls wrapped in vibrant leaves. By and large, these woodland folk hold favorable relations with other races, and have become an almost common sight since a trade in crystals was established. The Garlean invasion of the Black Shroud, however, had quickly soured the sylphs' view of outsiders. Resembling delicate dolls wrapped in vibrant leaves, sylphs rarely use their twig-like legs for locomotion, preferring instead to float and flit from place to place. The method of flight is unique to the race: holding their bodies aloft through arcane will, the feather-shaped leaves on their back provide propulsion in a manner similar to an airship's aether-coated wings. The crest of the sylphs symbolizes a bolt of lightning crackling forth from Ramuh's staff. The bolt represents the judgment that awaits those who despoil the forest.

    Sylphs derive all their nourishment from the process of photosynthesis, and do not require other sources of food. Water is the only substance they ingest directly, though certain of the race also favor a beverage made by squeezing the sap from milkroot. Essentially the equivalent of strong liquor, sylphs who imbibe the sap quickly show the effects of inebriation.

    The elder sylph fills the role of mediator, but wields no authority to enforce laws as might a king or chieftain. As a result, attempts at race-wide diplomacy are largely meaningless, with Gridanians reciting a frustrating history of needing to treat with fickle individuals when bringing grievances to bear.

    During pollinating seasons, certain sylphs can produce bulb-like seeds from the flowers that bloom atop their heads. Known as "podlings", these bulbs are immature sylphs who must be taken deep within the Black Shroud and incubated in the fruits of the Seedbed. The fleshy vegetation provides the podlings with all the warmth and nourishment they require, and when a bulb has sufficiently ripened, a new sylph will sprout from its casing. Young sylphs are raised by the race as a whole-the usual bond between parent and offspring almost entirely replaced by a deep sense of family within the overall community.

18. #18[Black Shroud] Order of the Twin Adderselective

    Keys: Kan-E-Senna, Grand Company, Eorzea, Eorzean Alliance, Gridania

    The Order of the Twin Adder is one of the three Grand Companies in Final Fantasy XIV, located within the Adders' Nest in Gridania. The Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna is the leader of the clan while Nophica, the Matron is the favored goddess.

    The Order of the Twin Adder establishes a medium from which the Seedseers can return from their wanderings deep within the Black Shroud and directly oversee not only the safety of Gridania's citizens, but the workings of the local guard. Both the Gods' Quiver, who defend the forest from external threats, and the Wood Wailers, who protect it from internal strife, have expressed their support of this temporary measure. Although they have proven their aptitude for handling political affairs in light of Calamity and events that followed, there are still those within Gridania who would question the Seedseers' ability to lead a nation into war.

19. #19[The Northern Empty] Sharlayanselective

    Keys: Sharlayan, Circle of Knowing, Sons of Saint Coinach, Students of Baldesion, Thaliak, Louisoix, city-state, The Northern Empty, Nautilus

    Sharlayan is a nation of scholars located on an island in the Northern Empty to the north of Eorzea, members of the Circle of Knowing, Sons of Saint Coinach, and Students of Baldesion all hail from this city-state. Their patron deity is Thaliak, the Scholar and their motto is "Knowledge Seeks No Man".

    Founded by descendants of Eorzeans saved from the Sixth Umbral Calamity by Nyunkrepf Nyunkrepfsyn, the northern islands of Sharlayan are known as a shining seat of knowledge. In 1361 of the Sixth Umbral Era, the Sharlayans created a colony in Dravania that became a city-state in its own right. After Ala Mhigo's fall they voted to abandon the colony and, in 1562, returned to the northern seas.

    The notable Archon Louisoix Leveilleur, fearing the Seventh Umbral Calamity was nigh, chose to defy his nation's policy of non-interference. He founded the Circle of Knowing with twelve of his students and colleagues, and ultimately gave his life to help stop the Calamity from destroying the realm. His Circle of Knowing joined with the Path of the Twelve to form the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and continue to help the people of Eorzea.

    Until recently, Sharlayan had established a colony in the Dravanian hinterlands, which grew prosperous enough to be counted among Eorzea's great city-states. With the fall of Ala Mhigo, the Sharlayans elected to evacuate the colony in anticipation of turmoil that would engulf the realm, in accordance with their policy of neutrality.

    Though a highly academic and scholastic nation, Sharlayans seldom get involved in international politics, and the nation itself withdrew from Eorzea once it became apparent that the Garlean Empire was intent on conquest. Sharlayan is located in the "Old World" to the north of Eorzea and its main governing body is the Forum, a parliament of ninety-nine elected officials that determine national policy.

    Sharlayan government is selective in what knowledge it is willing to share with other nations.[1] It is implied that sharing knowledge without sanction is considered treason. This isolationist stance is due to the dominant Bibliothec faction, who advocate hoarding knowledge and observing history from the sidelines.

    Sharlayans are disinclined to accept any form of warfare, regardless of the necessity, and would not dream of using their legendary knowledge for martial purposes. Viewing war as barbaric, Sharlayans prefer to compromise and negotiate even when war is inevitable. This stance led to Sharlayans abandoning their holdings in Eorzea and retreating to their homeland over standing with the Eorzean nations against the Empire.

    Nevertheless, the Circle of Knowing, led by the sage Louisoix Leveilleur, defied official policy and intervened in the prophecy of the Divine Chronicles.

    The banner of Sharlayan depicts a nautilus, a symbol of the deity Thaliak. As men have long believed mollusks lived forever, the spiral shell has represented wisdom and knowledge since time immemorial.

20. #20[Coerthas] Ishgardselective

    Keys: Ishgard, city-state, Eorzean Alliance, Eorzea, Abalathia's Spine, Aldenard, Coerthas, Dragonsong War, Aymeric de Borel, Thordan VII

    "To Ishgard, shining city on the mount, overlooking the dominion of Coerthas...

    A great and proud nation devoted to Halone, the Fury, ruled by Thordan VII, Archbishop of the Ishgardian Orthodox Church...

    The last bastion of the faith, her walls ever bristling with the swords and spears of her four High Houses...

    A land that after a thousand years of war had forgotten what it meant to be at peace. Through gates long closed the Warrior of Light and [his/her] companions passed, entering at last a city whose history was written blood. In the midst of the Dragonsong War they came—three weary travelers whose arrival would set in motion great change...

    Though none knew then how great..." - From the memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps Heavensward

    According to the Enchiridion, the book of holy scripture of the Ishgardian Orthodox Church, the Holy See of Ishgard was founded when King Thordan led the Elezen to the promised land of Coerthas. The dragon Nidhogg attacked them, killing the king, but his son, Haldrath, took the wyrm's eye and forced him to retreat. In the wake of the king's demise, Haldrath refused the crown and became the first Azure Dragoon. The Elezen chose to put power in faith, annointing an archbishop as sovereign of their new nation with the remaining knights founding the four High Houses of Ishgard.

    Nidhogg and his Dravanian Horde waged a thousand-year war against the Ishgardians, attacking them fiercely between long periods of rest. Though the Holy See was part of the original Eorzean Alliance, it withdrew its support in 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era to focus on the Dragonsong War, isolating the main city from almost all outsiders.

    When the Calamity struck ten years later, Coerthas became trapped in an eternal winter that continues even in the Seventh Astral Era five years later. Recent events caused Ishgard to undergo a dramatic change in leadership, forming a bicameral republic with a House of Lords and House of Commons and rejoining the Eorzean Alliance.

    Unlike most of Eorzea's city-states, which feature diverse races, the people of Ishgard are almost entirely made up of Ishgardian Elezen with a minority of Midlander Hyur and a very small number of any other race. The Ixal have also taken up residence in Natalan in the central highlands, a forward camp to attack Gridania from the north.

    Ishgard's banner displays the crests of the four High Houses on an escutcheon and the winged crown on top represents the archbishop. The city-state's motto, "Of the Sky, From the Sky, For the Sky", is featured beneath the sigils.

    In the central region of Abalathia's Spine, that great mountain range that spans Aldenard from east to west, can be found the forbidding highlands of Coerthas and the Holy See of Ishgard. The Archbishop of the Ishgardian Orthodox Church, Thordan VII, while leading his people in the teachings of Halone, the Fury, rules also as the nation's sovereign.

    Ishgard's formidable army of knights wages constant battle against its mortal enemies, the dragons, in the millennia long Dragonsong War. Faced with ever more aggressive attacks from its serpentine foes, as well as an unprecedented spell of bitter cold following the Calamity, the theocracy's days are dark indeed. Nevertheless, the city-state proper is warded with a layer of wards known as Daniffen's Collar to prevent direct assault from their draconic adversaries.

    Matters have grown so grave as to prompt the archbishop and his advisers to consider throwing open the heretofore sealed gates of Ishgard and calling for outside aid. The city-state's only known access point is a bridge called the Steps of Faith, blocked off by the Gate of Judgement. As of yet, adventurers are still forbidden from entering the city walls, though local garrisons at the Observatorium, Camp Dragonhead, and Whitebrim Front maintain services for travelers and may seek their aid.

    The city itself is divided into two known districts: Foundation at the bottom, and The Pillars above. Foundation appears to be home to lower class citizens, and exhibits scarring from war with visible damage to the stone structure. The Pillars is comparatively cleaner, with open-air plazas.

    The Dragonsong War came to a close with the death of Thordan VII, Archbishop of the Ishgardian Orthodox Church, and his treacherous plot, Aymeric de Borel took leadership of Ishgard and has since rejoined with Eorzea at large.

21. #21[Coerthas] Political structureselective

    Keys: Ishgard, Thordan, Aymeric de Borel, Fortemps, Dzemael, Haillenarte, Durendaire, Dragonsong War, Inquisition

    Since its founding, Ishgard has seen two political systems:

    Founding Ishgard is a strict theocracy led by the line of Thordan I, its most recent former leader being Archbishop Thordan VII and his Heavens Ward. The Orthodox Church employed inquisitors to root out heresy among its populace (often with fatal results for the accused regardless of guilt or innocence). The church has a knightly order, the Temple Knights, led by Lord Commander Aymeric de Borel.

    Most of the power in Ishgard was concentrated in the nobility. Almost universally staunch traditionalists, they were reluctant to trust outsiders, or even the other city-states of the Eorzean Alliance. Within the city-state, the "lowborn" commonfolk are often viewed as little better than disposable servants by the "highborn" nobles and the church. The nobility is divided into four "High Houses", each descended from four of the Twelve Knights of legend. Each high house, led by a Count, is composed of lords and a knightly order, and the city-state's flag depicts the symbol of each house:

    House Fortemps: Founded by Flavien de Fortemps and symbolized by a unicorn. Currently led by Count Edmont de Fortemps. House Dzemael: Founded by Sylvetrel de Dzemael and symbolized by a tower/rook. House Haillenarte: Symbolized by a rose. Currently led by Count Baurendouin de Haillenarte. House Durendaire: Symbolized by a bell. Currently led by Count Charlemend de Durendaire.

    After Dragonsong War After the Dragonsong War ended, Ishgard was changed into 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. The church was separated from the state.

22. #22[Coerthas] Dragonsong Warselective

    Keys: Ishgard, Nidhogg, Ysayle, Shiva, Haurchefant, Estinien, Midgardsormr, Aymeric, Thordan VII

    The war was triggered by the murder of Ratatoskr, Nidhogg's brood-sister. At the start of the Sixth Astral Era, the Halone-worshiping tribes living in Coerthas lived in peace with Dravania, bound by the sacrifice Shiva made out of love for Hraesvelgr. The peace between man and dragon may have been unusual, considering that the war between Meracydia and the Allagan Empire led to the thralldom of Tiamat and Bahamut, the apparent mutual destruction of both states, and the Fourth Umbral Era.

    This peace was shattered when Ratatoskr, in an attempt to strengthen the peace with man and dragon, revealed to King Thordan that a dragon's eye was a source of immense power.[1] Thordan and his Knights Twelve murdered Ratatoskr to obtain her eyes. After ripping out and consuming her eyes, the Knights Twelve became exceptionally powerful, but Nidhogg attacked them, vowing for revenge. Thordan and four of his Knights fell in battle against Nidhogg, but Haldrath, Thordan's son, defeated the dragon by gouging out his eyes.

    Four of the surviving Knights went on to found the High Houses of Ishgard, but Haldrath abdicated the throne, ending the monarchy out of remorse. He became the first Azure Dragoon, fighting off Dravanian attempts at revenge. Haldrath was later buried with Nidhogg's right eye, and the left eye was wielded by later Azure Dragoons in their defense of Ishgard.

    Hraesvelgr healed the dying Nidhogg by giving him his right eye. While Shiva's spirit prevented Hraesvelgr from entering the war against the surviving members of the Knights Twelve, his horror at the betrayal of Ratatoskr led him willing to aid Nidhogg in his quest for revenge.

    The Holy See of Ishgard blotted out most of these details; according to their revision of history, Thordan was noble and guilty of no crimes when he was slain by Nidhogg in a week-long battle; Haldrath only pierced out Nidhogg's left eye; and Shiva was a dangerous heretic who committed the mortal sin of laying with dragons.

    Over the next millennium, Nidhogg alternated between seven periods when he was awake and attacking Ishgard, and periods when he was asleep which resulted in a ceasefire. While the Dravanian Horde could have defeated Ishgard outright, they preferred to attack the city repeatedly without putting its residents out of their misery to ensure that the the Knights Twelve's descendants would suffer for many generations, as payback for Ratatoskr's death.

    During his seventh assault, c. 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, Nidhogg led the Dravanian Horde against the Azure Dragoon Alberic Bale. After three days of battle in the village of Ferndale, Alberic feared that he would fall under Nidhogg's control, and relinquished his title as Azure Dragoon, as well as Nidhogg's eye. Alberic was therefore powerless to prevent the Dravanians from razing the city to the ground and the only survivor, Estinien Wyrmblood, trained under Alberic to become the next Azure Dragoon and exact revenge against Nidhogg for the deaths of his family at Ferndale.

    Even though Nidhogg returned to his slumber after the battle of Ferndale, the Dravanian Horde was not left leaderless, as Midgardsormr, the Father of Dragons, rallied them in 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era against an even greater enemy than the Holy See of Ishgard: the Garlean Empire, who were preparing their assault on Eorzea. The war between the Eorzean city-states and the Garleans was not directly tied to the Dragonsong War, but the two conflicts fed each other. The Horde defeated the Empire soundly at the Battle of Silvertear Skies, though Midgardsormr was "slain" for the next fifteen years.

    In 1572, the war between the Eorzean Alliance and Garlean Empire came to a head at the Battle of Carteneau. Though Ishgard did not participate, they were seemingly ruined by the battle as the environmental damage from the resulting Seventh Umbral Era transformed Coerthas into a land of eternal winter.

    Five years into the Seventh Umbral Era, Nidhogg began to awaken to resume his crusade against the now frozen Ishgardians. Before his awakening, Estinien fled from Ishgard with the Eye, hoping to draw Nidhogg's attention away from the Holy See and onto himself. An adventurer, also Azure Dragoon, pursued Estinien, and the two considered allying against Nidhogg, but Estinien, consumed by the dragon's wrath, turned on the adventurer and Alberic. After being defeated, Estinien left them, seemingly dead.

    Heretic factions started to gain power. One in particular, the Harriers, led by a woman named Ysayle "Iceheart" Dangoulain, began to launch attacks on trading caravans in Coerthas, resulting in significant civilian casualties. They obtained enough crystals to summon Shiva, whom they claimed as their patron saint, into the body of Ysayle. They learned from Hraesvelgr that, because all Ishgardians descended from the Knights Twelve, they had powers granted by Ratatoskr's eye: namely, upon exposure to dragon's blood, they transformed into aevis.

    The adventurer, now known as the Warrior of Light, defeated Shiva at the Akh Afah Amphitheatre. Later, they were sent to investigate the "rising chorus" of dragonsong from the Keeper of the Lake, which turned out to caused by Nidhogg's awakening. While in the Keeper of the Lake, the Warrior of Light bore witness to Midgardsormr being roused from sleep to join Nidhogg's chorus.

    Nidhogg's dragonsong called for an attack on Ishgard, which was halted by an Allied armed intervention. The attack nearly led to Ishgard's destruction because of Ysayle's sabotage of Daniffen's Collar, Ishgard's last defense against dragons, landing directly in their city.

    To end the Dragonsong War by peaceful means, Ser Aymeric de Borel, commander of Ishgard's Temple Knights, secretly sent a party of unlikely allies—Estinien, Ysayle, the Warrior of Light, and Alphinaud Leveilleur of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn—to attempt to common ground between man and dragon. The party formed an alliance with the dragons of Anyx Trine after defeating their mortal enemy, the primal Ravana, at Thok ast Thok. While climbing to the Churning Mists to treat with Hraesvelgr, they were attacked by, and forced to kill Nidhogg's mate, Tioman, atop the holy mountain of Sohm Al, ruining any chance they had at forging peace. Estinien and the Warrior of Light pursued Nidhogg to his lair, the Aery, and assassinated him by wielding his own eye.

    The Dragonsong War momentarily stopped at Nidhogg's death, but after the deaths of Thordan VII and the Heavens' Ward—overthrown by the Warrior of Light after attempting to use Ascian primal summoning techniques and Nidhogg's right eye to become King Thordan and his Knights Twelve—Estinien came to possess both of Nidhogg's eyes. The wyrm possessed Estinien and reconstituted his own body. Though Ser Aymeric intended to make amends to the Dravanians as the new leader of Ishgard, Midgardsormr warned him that Nidhogg would resume the war with those still loyal to him; now that he had both of his eyes, he was more threatening than ever before.

    Revolution in Ishgard complicated matters, though Ser Aymeric had some diplomatic victories: Ishgard formally joined the Eorzean Alliance, and the Dravanians of Anyx Trine agreed to peace. Fundamentalists unable to accept that Thordan I was at fault in starting the Dragonsong War attempted to assassinate Aymeric and take hostages in the Vault, but Aymeric and the hostages survived due to the intervention of the Scions and Vidofnir of Anyx Trine.

    Nidhogg crashed the peace conference held in Falcon's Nest between Ser Aymeric and Vidofnir. Using the form of the Azure Dragoon Estinien—his eyes grafted into the dragoon's flesh—Nidhogg attacked Vidofnir as a warning and declared to all Ishgardians that the final chorus of the war would soon begin. As the great wyrm shifted to his true form and flew off, the conference ended with attendees chanting "Death to Nidhogg!"

    Realizing that not even the Warrior of Light could survive Nidhogg's wrath now that he wielded both of his eyes, Aymeric sent them to meet with Hraesvelgr, Nidhogg's only equal. Midgardsormr persuaded Hraesvelgr to turn against his hate-filled brother, who agreed to fight for Ishgard.

    The war's final battle took place on the Steps of Faith, as the Horde, led by Nidhogg himself, launched an all-out assault on what remained of Ishgard's defenses. The duel between Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr nearly destroyed the bridge, but as Hraesvelgr fell to the ground, wounded, he transferred the power of his eye to the Warrior of Light, who slayed Nidhogg. With the aid of the ghosts of Ysayle and Haurchefant Greystone, the Warrior freed Estinien from Nidhogg's grasp, ending the war.

23. #23[Gyr Abania] Ala Mhigoselective

    Keys: Ala Mhigo, city-state, Aldenard, Hyur, Highlanders, Garlean Empire, Zenos yae Galvus, Raubahn, Lyse Hext, Eorzean Alliance, Eorzea

    For centuries, the Highlander clans of Gyr Abania warred among one another for what little resources their lands could provide. That changed in 1100 of the Sixth Astral Era, when Anshelm Cotter united the clans under his leadership and founded the city-state of Ala Mhigo.

    The city-state prospered for centuries through mercenaries, salt and other minerals, taxation on overland routes to the Near East, and trade with regions beyond Eorzea. The increase in sea trade saw the toll routes abandoned by most merchants and, in 1468, King Manfred decided to wage a war of conquest on Gridania to gain its fertile land. They were defeated within a year, the other city-states of the realm—save for Sharlayan—uniting to end Ala Mhigo's conquest.

    In the years that followed, the royal house's power gave way to the monkhood of the Fist of Rhalgr. In 1552, King Theodoric purged the monks and, in his paranoia, began purging anyone he perceived as a threat to his rule. The XIVth Imperial Legion of Garlemald attacked their border and, on the day rebels ended Theodoric's tyranny, they swiftly found themselves under the heel of the Garlean Empire.

    The lives of Ala Mhigans in their homeland became harsh and brutal as a result of Garlean occupation while their refugees flooded the streets of Ul'dah, living hand to mouth. A successful rebellion backed by the Eorzean Alliance liberated Ala Mhigo from Garlemald, and it is currently ruled by an elected council of representatives from all corners of Gyr Abania.

    While most of Ala Mhigo's populace are Highlander Hyur, Gyr Abania is also home to smaller populations of Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te, Hellsguard Roegadyn, and Midlander Hyur. The Ananta and some Qiqirn also call the rugged highlands home.

    Ala Mhigo is a city-state in Eozrea located on the eastern corner of Aldenard in the region of Gyr Abania, along the salt lake of Loch Seid. The liberation of Ala Mhigo is a major turning point in the war between the Eorzean Alliance and the Garlean Empire, with the siege of the city itself serving to push the majority of Garlean forces from Aldenard. The majority of all Hyur Highlander clans lived within this city before the time of the initial Garlean invasion.

    Ala Mhigo is freed from imperial control after the death of acting Viceroy and Imperial Prince Zenos yae Galvus. The people celebrate their victory by singing their nation's original anthem. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn work with the Resistance to rebuild Ala Mhigo, both its industry and government. With Lyse Hext and General Raubahn guiding the proceedings, the people abolish the old monarchy and decide to form a republic with elected officials modeled after Ishgard's House of Commons. Raubahn, having been released from Sultana Nanamo's service, becomes the leader of Ala Mhigo army. Nanamo and Lolorito collaborate in reestablishing the nation's industry, using the salvaged riches of King Theodoric to fund the relocation of the Ala Mhigan refugees and focus their efforts on the Saltery.

    A council of the Eorzean Alliance is called in Ala Mhigo to formally welcome the newly freed nation with its sister nations, Lyse and General Raubahn acting as the de facto representatives and leaders.

    The Ala Mhigan flag displays a silver griffin, with a sword in its talons, the symbol of its royal house. The purple color represents Rhalgr and the element of lightning and marks the bond between the royal house and the Fist of Rhalgr. The Ala Mhigan Resistance also has its own, violet banner with a streaking comet at its center.

24. #24[Gyr Abania] Autumn Warselective

    Keys: Autumn War, Gridania, Ala Mhigo, Sixth Astral Era

    The Autumn War was a military conflict between Gridania and Ala Mhigo in the years 1468-1469 of the Sixth Astral Era, over 100 years before the events of Final Fantasy XIV. Little is revealed about the conflict in-game, but it had important implications for the realm, as it led to the formation of the first Eorzean Alliance, the creation of a balance of power, and the adoption of gil as a universal currency. The war grew out of the desire of King Manfred of Ala Mhigo's ambitions, as he hoped to expand his nation's influence by sending forces into the Black Shroud. The Gridanians were unwilling to tolerate this intrusion and, under the banner of the lancer Vainchelon, met Ala Mhigo's forces at the Firesand Banks. The battle of the Firesand Banks was inconclusive, and Vainchelon withdrew, hoping to bait the Ala Mhigan commander, Gylbarde, into overextending into an ambush. However, Vainchelon fell ill and died before his plans could come to fruition.

    Vainchelon's replacement, Osbern, ordered a catastrophic frontal assault on Ala Mhigo's forces. Fearing that after the Shroud fell, Ala Mhigo would invade Coerthas next, Ishgard petitioned for an alliance of Eorzean city-states to defend Gridania. Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa answered the call, and Gylbarde's forces were swiftly defeated.

    After Ala Mhigo's defeat, borders were drawn, and it was agreed that no one city-state would be allowed to dominate the others. Furthermore, local currencies had unstable exchange rates and Allagan pieces were outdated, the continent agreed to adopt a universal currency, gil, which depicted the Twelve rather than national heroes. However, the Alliance weakened over time, and in the year 1557, when Ala Mhigo underwent a civil war and was invaded by the Garlean Empire, and Nidhogg awoke and resumed the Dragonsong War by attacking Ferndale, the Alliance did nothing. It would not be until 1572, when the Garlean Empire sought to destroy Eorzea itself, that the Alliance finally united against a common enemy.

    Even in the present, the true events of the Autumn War are unclear. According to a journal possessed by Vainchelon's descendant Nourval, allgedely written by Gylbarde, Vainchelon sought peace with Ala Mhigo, and agreed to a secret meeting with Gylbarde to discuss a treaty. However, Gylbarde poisoned Vainchelon at the meeting and sent his son to spread news that Vainchelon had died of illness.

    Gylbarde's journal causes some controversy among the Order of the Twin Adder during Operation Rhalgr's Beacon, because the truth (if it is indeed the truth) could stir anti-Ala Mhigan sentiment in the Eorzean Alliance.

25. #25[Gyr Abania] Anantaselective

    Keys: Ananta, Beast Tribe, Gyr Abania, Eorzea, Race, Creature

    A serpent-like people who inhabit the mountains of Gyr Abania. Consisting solely of women, this tribe has existed since the time of the Allagans, and are famed for their proficiency with gemcraft, employing age-old magicks handed down through generations. At a glance, the Ananta's upper body appears similar to that of a Hyur female, but closer inspection reveals that the "hair" upon her head is in fact a cowl of strands formed from rigid scales. Her most distinctive feature, of course, is a serpent-like lower body-a sinuous appendage which propels her along the ground with an undulating motion. An Ananta molts at regular intervals, constantly renewing the glossy sheen of her scaled skin.

    Possessed of a unique sense of beauty, the Ananta favor a symbol based upon their own shimmering scales to represent their tribe. The crest of the Vira, however, is a variation of the design used by their insular kin, the Qalyana, and employs an inverse color scheme.

    The Ananta are hunter-gatherers, and subsist primarily on the flesh of the prey they bring down. This reliance on meat is in large part due to the stark landscape of Gyr Abania, and the scarcity of wild fruits and other vegetation. They are, however, fond of certain species of fungi, and have been known to use mushrooms for added flavor in their cooking.

    The Ananta tribe has traditionally followed the rule of a broodmother who inherited her position through familial succession-a bloodline that can be traced back to the very first Ananta brought into being by the Lady of Bliss. Since the Empire conquered the region, however, the tribe has splintered over differences in ideology, and the Qalyana broodmother's unifying presence has begun to weaken.

    The Velodyna Gatekeepers are an Ala Mhigan Resistance unit tasked with holding the newly established border outpost at Castellum Velodyna, as well as patrolling the surrounding area. Captain Alpa commands the unit, and her presence, along with her Ananta sisters, was initially the source of frequent culture-based upsets for the racially diverse contingent. Through supplementing their inexperienced ranks with battle-hardened adventurers and other such inventive solutions, however, the Gatekeepers have slowly developed into a tight-knit company. Many of its members are former smiths, and taking advantage of their talents to expand the castellum's facilities has also garnered praise from the unit’s superiors.

    The Ananta are proficient in metal-shaping spellcraft,and use their magicks to construct ovoid dwellings from the ore they draw forth from the ground. Djanan Qhat, the Qalyana broodmother's fortress, is a prime example of this unique form of architecture. Ensconced within their territory, the Qalyana isolate themselves from other civilizations in a bid to preserve their traditional way of life.

    Conversely, the Vira faction of the Ananta elected to leave their ancestral stronghold and found the small settlement of Vira Nilya to the southwest. Unified under the guidance of Sarisha, the Vira have contributed soldiers to the Ala Mhigan Resistance, and actively sought interaction with outsiders. They are also known to have formed a beneficial relationship with the nearby M Tribe, and regularly barter goods with the Miqo'te.

    Regardless of faction, all Ananta decorate their bodies with spell-shaped metallic jewelry featuring embedded crystals. These crystalline pieces are worn to honor Lakshmi's demands for beauty, and are valued as a reflection of the wearer's soul.

26. #26[Othard] Domaselective

    Keys: Doma, Eorzean Alliance, Yanxia, Othard, Garlean Empire, Kingdom, Hien Rijin

    Doma is a kingdom located in the fertile land of Yanxia on the continent Othard, it was a vassal to the Garlean Empire, occupied by an imperial viceroy and her host of brutish men but liberated thanks to the intervention of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and the Eorzean Alliance. Citizens struggled to survive in the face of oppression in the form of punishing taxes and grueling physical labor. Located in the region of Yanxia, the kingdom is situated along the One River, which has provided the Domans with fresh fish. The banks are considered to the most fertile farmland in all of Yanxia, and the people live off the land growing rice crops, along with plums and persimmons. Doman paper is favored the world over due to its durability and beauty; it is used in important documents, scrolls and artistic crafts, such as fans, lanterns and other elaborate displays.

    Domans practice their faith in private and won't judge others for not sharing in their beliefs. They believe in a host of spirits known as the kami, which can be personifications of nature, enlightened sages, and long-lived animals of legend.

    Though Doma is of the Far East, the nation is considered a part of the Eorzean Alliance, making it an unofficial member or at least a very close ally. Hien Rijin, Doma's crowned prince, is considered close allies to the Scions.

27. #27[Tural] Tuliyollalselective

    Keys: Tural, Tuliyollal, The New World

    Located in southern part of Tural, the nation of Tuliyollal was founded around eighty years ago by the Dawnservant Gulool Ja Ja to unite the various different peoples of Tural to bring an end to the constant fighting between them. The nation's capital's name is the same as the nation. Since the founding of the nation, Tuliyollal has been living in undisturbed peace.

    The nation serves as a home to multitude of different races, but it is mainly governed by the Mamool Ja.

28. #28[Thanalan] Amalj'aaselective

    Keys: Amalj'aa, Beast Tribe, Creature, Race, Thanalan

    The Amalj'aa are tall with a muscular physique, and have a martial culture. Fitting their worship of Ifrit, enemy Amalj'aa specialize in fire-based skills, such as Enfire. They possess general knowledge of metalworking, and have been known to tame fire drakes.

    As the primary focus of their Thanalan population is the summoning and empowerment of their patron primal, they often come into conflict with the other races of Eorzea, and are long standing enemies of the city state of Ul'dah. They frequently attack travelers and trading caravans, both to steal the large amount of crystals needed for their rituals, as well as to gain captives for Ifrit to "temper", permanently making them loyal servants to Ifrit and the Amalj'aa. These rituals are conducted at the Bowl of Embers.

    Unlike the Amalj'aa who wear steel into battle, the Zun of the First wear the bones and hide of amaro that passed on.

    Separate from the main Amalj'aa force in Thanalan is a small splinter group known as the Brotherhood of Ash. Unlike the rest of their race, the Brotherhood is a society of honorable warriors. Their leader, Hamujj Gah, claims that all of Amalj'aa society was originally like theirs, before the reliance on Ifrit worship (or, more specifically, Ifrit's relentless tempering of his adherents) corrupted the rest of the race.

    The Brotherhood considers the main Amalj'aa forces to be their sworn enemies. Unlike their kin, the Brotherhood are relatively friendly, if somewhat distant, towards members of other Eorzean races, and have been known to ally with them against their common foe. Recently, they have also developed relations with the friendly factions of Ixal, Sahagin, Sylph, and Kobold, creating what they refer to as "The Beastman Alliance".

    While the Brotherhood of Ash is mainly made up of Amalj'aa, they do not seem to be opposed to welcoming other races into their ranks. Loonh Gah was a Miqo'te born in the U Tribe, but after being one of the few survivors of a Amalj'aa caravan raid as a child, she was found by the Brotherhood of Ash and raised as one of their own. She now embodies the values of the Brotherhood of Ash and prefers being among them than other people.

    Hundreds of years prior to the Warrior of Light's arrival at Ul'dah, the Amalj'aa lived amicably among the Lalafells of the city-state and were considered stalwart allies in wiping out the zombies that emerged from the ruins of Sil'dih.

    At the time of the Warrior of Light's arrival, relations between Amalj'aa and Ul'dah have soured. The Lalafell business leaders have taken to derogatorily referring to the Amalj'aa as "beasts" and portrayed them as "inferior" to justify raiding Amalj'aa caravans. The Amalj'aa, meanwhile, wish to zealously spread their belief in Ifrit and kidnap Eorzeans to temper them into Ifrit's minions. The Amalj'aa would come into conflict with the Warrior of Light. While they successfully captured them, they were taken aback at their apparent immunity to tempering and were forced to retreat after the Warrior slayed Ifrit.

    Some Amalj'aa were eventually kidnapped by the Ixal and their primal, Garuda, who tortured the captives into summoning Ifrit in a failed attempt to absorb their strength.

    Following Eorzea's victory of the XIVth Imperial Legion, the Amalj'aa resumed attempting to zealously spread Ifrit's influence, though the Warrior of Light defeated the primal each time it returned. A splinter group known as the Brotherhood of Ash also emerged to help fight the more "dishonorable" Amalj'aa living Zah'harak.

    The Amalj'aa of the First, referred to as the Zun, lived alongside the citizens of the First in equal relations. The only known population lived in the Crystarium, operating small shops and the amaro stables.

    After the Scions of the Seventh Dawn members returned from the First, they learned that each city-state was renewing efforts to erase the racial prejudices and sought a lasting peace with the tribes. This effort was bolstered with Alisaie's creation of a cure for tempering. Peace talks were threatened when the Garleans began kidnapping Amalj'aa, and the Amalj'aa were left to believe the Ul'dahns were the culprit. The real perpetrator was discovered but the kidnapped Amalj'aas were forcibly tempered into becoming servants of the empire and summon a corrupted version of Ifrit. The Amalj'aa eventually resumed peace talks and joined the Grand Company of Eorzea in their battle at Carteneau.

29. #29[The Northern Empty] The Northern Emptyselective

    Keys: The Northern Empty, Sea, Sharlayan, Northern Sea, North, Nagyn, Aerslaent

    The Northern Empty is a sea to the north of Aldenard and west of Ilsabard. The islands that dot the Northern Empty comprise the what is known colloquially as the "Old World". Most prominent among these are the five islands of Sharlayan, sometimes called "Old Sharlayan" to distinguish it from the now-defunct colony its scholars founded in Dravania. Apart from the main island of Sharlayan, they also control the northern Isle of Haam, the southern Isle of Yorn, and the eastern Isle of Val.

    The Roegadyn homeland of Aerslaent (meaning "first land") is also located in the frigid northern seas, as is the island of Nagyn (meaning "origin") which, according to old Roegadyn legends, is the place from which all of the world originated.

30. #30[The Northern Empty] Sharlayan Historyselective

    Keys: Sharlayan, Fourchenault, Louisoix, Students of Baldesion, Krile Baldesion, G'raha Tia, Circle of Knowing

    Sharlayan was founded in the wake of the Great Flood that characterized the Sixth Umbral Calamity. In the time prior to the calamity, a Roegadyn scholar from the distant island of Aerslant, known as Nyunkrepf Nyunkrepfsyn, predicted that the flood would hit the realm of Eorzea as a consequence of the War of the Magi currently being waged there. Creating a giant magical Ark that would be known as Nyunkrepf's Hope, he sailed down to Eorzea and tried to convince as many as he could about the coming disaster. When the Flood finally hit, Nyunkrepf saved as many as possible aboard his Ark.

    The ship came under threat of being overturned by the churning tides, and Nyunkrepf invoked a spell that transported the Ark high atop the peaks in Gyr Abania, where they remained stranded for a while. As the flood waters began to recede, the passengers of the Ark looked to Nyunkrepf for leadership, especially when they needed to contend with other survivors in the region, the ancestors of the Ala Mhiganns. Nyunkrepf forswore conflict with their opponents and instead guided his people across Abalathia's Spine to the Orn Wild in the Dravanian Hinterlands, from where they constructed a new ship and set sail north to the currently uninhabited islands of the Old World. It is here that the original Sharlayan was founded, taking Thaliak the Scholar as their patron deity in honor of their Eorzean roots.

    In 1311, many years after the founding of Sharlayan, an expedition of scholars returned across the seas of the Northern Empty to the Dravanian Hinterlands where they built an outpost to study the aetherial sea. This became a stop for all academics who ventured to Eorzea to conduct their research, and a hostelry was constructed for long-term tenure upon foreign shores. This small collection of buildings grew more numerous, and in time became a handsome settlement. Rumor of this community of learned men spread, and students began to converge upon the place from every corner of Eorzea. In 1361, upon the fiftieth anniversary of the research outpost, The Forum formally proclaimed it a colony and the Sharlayan settlement joined the six city-states of Eorzea.

    The Hinterlands colony attracted students from all across Eorzea, and grew into a beacon of knowledge and wisdom. This was not to last as tidings that Garlemald had captured Ala Mhigo reached the city. To the Sharlayans, the Empire was a threat to their very way of life. They had spent an age stubbornly resisting all war, and the Imperial invasion of Ilsabard and Othard was a bane to the values they had held dearly since Nyunkrepf's time. Sharlayan sent ambassador after ambassador to Garlemald with entreaties to stop their advance. They even strove mightily to parlay a peace, but all these pleas fell on deaf ears, and the envoys returned home empty-handed.

    In the wake of the failed negotiations, Fourchenault Leveilleur and the faction he led within the Forum elected to forsake their colony in Eorzea, abandoning the realm to struggle alone against the Garlean Empire. Following five years of elaborate and painstaking preparation, the plan to evacuate the settlement's entire population to the northern archipelago of their homeland was put into motion. The city of Sharlayan became a maze of empty streets and buildings in the space of a single evening. Despite the Forum's decrees of remaining neutral, Louisoix Leveilleur defied Sharlayan's policies of nonintervention when he learned the possibility of another Calamity and founded the Circle of Knowing to prevent it.

31. #31[Ilsabard] Garlemaldselective

    Keys: Garlemald, Garlean Empire, Ilsabard, Zenos Galvus, Solus Galvus

    Founded in 922 of the Sixth Astral Era as the Republic of Garlemald, the people struggled to survive in their icy homeland for centuries until the rise of Solus Galvus, who joined the Republican army in 1505 and by 1517 was named Dictator. By 1522, all of Ilsabard was unified under Garlean rule, utilizing magitek and airships, allowing Solus to name himself the first emperor of the Garlean Empire.

    Garlemald set its sights on Othard, toppling Dalmasca in 1547, Nagxia in 1550, and Doma in 1552. The XIVth Imperial Legion achieved victory on Aldenard through subterfuge, taking Ala Mhigo in 1557 by using the political unrest already tearing the nation apart to its advantage.

    Most infamous of Garlemald's actions was Meteor Project, responsible for bringing about the Seventh Umbral Calamity. In 1572, the VIIth Imperial Legion legatus Nael van Darnus brought down the lesser moon Dalamud onto Eorzea, seeking to wipe out its peoples and clear the way for Garlean conquest. Despite the mad legatus's death, the moon fell and broke open, revealing the elder primal Bahamut, who unleashed his fury upon the realm.

    At the height of its power, the Empire ruled two of the Three Great Continents along with Gyr Abania in Eorzea. However, recent rebellions have freed the lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma from imperial rule in the wake of Emperor Solus's death and the rise of Varis zos Galvus.

    Citizens of the imperial capital enjoy lives uplifted by technology, which helps compensate for the Garlean purebloods' near-complete inability to use magic. While official censuses from Garlemald list pureblood Garleans as the most populous race, this is because they do not count "aan" (members of conquered nations who have not earned Garlean citizenship) in their population figures.

    Garlemald is now reduced to ruin by the machinations of Zenos Galvus and the Ascian Fandaniel.

    Despite being situated on the frozen plains of northern Ilsabard, the imperial capital overcame the natural disadvantages of its location—and many a further obstacle facing the now-crippled Empire—with the power of magitek. The rise of this burgeoning industry spurred rapid urban development in recent decades—until the sprawling metropolis was brought to its knees by civil war. Now, the once-proud jewel of the Empire is a sea of desolation.

    The imperial standard is an abstract depiction of a chain, representing unity. The red link symbolizes the blood of those who have died in the name of the Garlean people.

32. #32[Ilsabard] Garlean Empireselective

    Keys: 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, Garlean Empire, Garlemald, Eorzean Alliance, Eorzea, Ala Mhigo, Solus zos Galvus, Aldenard, Ilsabard, Gaius van Baelsar.

    The Garlean Empire is a major world power in Hydaelyn/The Source. Operating out of the region of Garlemald, in the far north of the continent of Ilsabard, it is one of the main antagonist groups, having sought to annex the realms beyond its borders for the past several decades. The key to the Empire's success in their advanced technology, specializing in magitek machinery and airships. Their magitek is powered by a substance called ceruleum. The Imperials are mainly of the Garlean race, characterized by their inability to use magick in comparison to the world's other races.

    Thousands of years ago, the people of the island city of Goug were forced to abandon their home because of a massive cataract that opened in the ocean nearby. They traveled to the continent of Ilsabard and eventually became one of the ancestors of the Garlean people.

    Before uniting as a nation, the disparate and weak Garlean tribes in Ilsabard's temperate and fertile region of Locus Amoenus were rejected and mistreated by the other races due to their inability to use magick. They were slowly but surely driven out of their home and forced northward into the cold and inhospitable regions of Ilsabard, where they gathered to form the Republic of Garlemald.

    Until around sixty years ago, the Garlemald Republic was a remote and sparsely populated nation occupying little more than a fraction of the northlands. The Ascian Emet-Selch, assuming the identity of a brilliant Legatus named Solus zos Galvus, brought about a technological revolution with the discovery of ceruleum. Solus established Garlemald as a world power within a single generation with himself as its emperor. He began a campaign of conquering other nations with his magitek forces under the pretense of exterminating the practice of primal-summoning while presenting the other races as barbarians. The first nation Garlemald conquered was Nhalmasque in Ilsabard's central mountains, in the year 1517.

    Fifteen years prior to Calamity (twenty years prior to the Warrior of Light's arrival), in the year 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Garleans launched an attack on Eorzea's city-states, using powerful machinery far more advanced than those of their enemies. The Garleans' massive airships wreaked havoc on the northern part of Aldenard and the most powerful of these city-states, Ala Mhigo, fell under the command of Legatus Gaius van Baelsar. Though the remaining states were forced to put aside their differences to battle the new foe, the Empire never attacked the southern nations due to the emergence of primals in Eorzea following the destruction of the Agrius at Lake Silvertear in a skirmish with Midgardsormr and the Dravanian Horde. The Eorzean city-states, not wanting the purposeless warriors and armies they had established to resort to criminal activities, founded guilds and services for the profession of "adventurer", beginning what became known as the "Age of Adventure".

33. #33[Ilsabard] The Fall of the Empireselective

    Keys: Garlemald, Garlean Empire, Grand Company of Eorzea, Vergilia Corculum, Quintus van Cinna, IIIrd Legion, Xth Legion, Ist Legion, Zenos yae Galvus, Maxima quo Priscus, Garlean, Ilsabard

    By the time the Grand Company of Eorzea arrived in Garlemald, the city was already in ruins, and only tempered imperials were openly around. The tempered IIIrd Legion, led by Vergilia Corculum, was subdued and cured of their tempering. The remnants of the Ist Legion still held on, intending to retake the capital under the belief Varis was still alive and that the Xth Legion would reinforce them. However, the Telophoroi had all but eradicated the Xth Legion after they had failed to gather the other remaining legions. With no other recourse, they sought help from the Grand Company of Eorzea. When this message reached the Ist Legion, they gave up, with their legatus, Quintus van Cinna, honoring the Xth's command to stand down but committing suicide right after, bringing the Garlean Empire to its end.

    The Garlean legions in Garlemald remained tempered by Anima, forcing them to continue serving Zenos and Fandaniel. They end up on a suicidal killing spree after Anima's destruction, but most were subdued and cured of their tempering. Following Fandaniel's death and the beginning of the Final Days, the Garleans would face further troubles as the Final Days spread throughout Eorzea, with the IInd Imperial Legion wiped out by monsters within Corvus.

    After Zenos' defeat and the end of the Final Days, Maxima quo Priscus promised to gather like-minded Garleans to hopefully rebuild their ruined homeland into a land of peace.

    Though the Final Days were averted and Zenos was killed, the Garleans' lot remained a struggle. Lord Nerva, a former rival to Emperor Varis, attempted to gain control of the Tower of Babil and restore the empire using Varis's heart. Unfortunately, he was corrupted into a blasphemy, forcing an Alliance strike team—involving the Warrior of Light, Nero, and Fourchenault—to storm the tower and destroy the monster Nerva had become. The corruption and loss of Nerva left many Garleans disheartened, wondering if they will ever call their land home again. Fourchenault offered many Garleans a new home in Sharlayan, but this was met with skepticism as they balked at the thought of living in a "foreign land". A compromise was made when habitation on the moon was offered, to which some of the Garleans agreed.

    Despite the Ilsabard Contingent providing much relief and supplies to the Garlean people, the former imperials began to grow frustrated at their loss of independence and self-sufficiency. Their nationalistic pride had been hurt now that they had to rely on those they once called "savages". Though some of the Garlean Magistrates attempted to form a new government, their efforts were made difficult for no longer being an empire and being treated as refugees by the other nations. To alleviate this frustration and grant the Garleans a measure of autonomy, as well as be granted access to the Tower of Babil, Vrtra worked out an equal trade agreement between Garlemald and Thavnair.

34. #34[The Northern Empty] Students of Baldesionselective

    Keys: Students of Baldesion, Krile Baldesion, Sharlayan, Baldesion, Isle of Val, Eureka, Galuf, G'raha Tia, Urianger Augurelt

    The Students of Baldesion is an organization of scholars based near Sharlayan on the Isle of Val. The organization exists to study arcane mysteries across the world, and recently have focused on the echo, Ascians, and the Umbral Calamity phenomenon. They are close allies with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.

    In his youth Galuf Baldesion yearned to see the wider world, and to that end left the northern seas and traveled distant lands with his three brave companions. The four had many grand adventures, during which they learned of myriad threats to the world, including the primals. These experiences spurred Galuf to use his considerable resources to purchase the deserted Isle of Val off the coast of Sharlayan, where he and his comrades set about building various research facilities, as well as developing an expansive Aethernet. With the recognition and support of the Forum, he went on to found the Students of Baldesion.

    Galuf also financed several orphanages and the education of promising young people and among the orphans, Galuf had adopted Krile. After Krile awoke the echo, Galuf directed the Students of Baldesion to study Krile's powers and help her to come into harmony with her powers During the conflict between the Garlean Empire and Eorzea's Grand Companies they served as contacts for Scions Urianger Augurelt and Minfilia Warde. Later, during the investigations of the Crystal Tower, one of their members, G'raha Tia, is recruited by Cid and Rammbroes Zasertylsyn for the investigation. Eventually the Scions lose contact with the Students of Baldesion. Urianger discovered that something happened to the Isle of Val, as though some great and powerful magic similar to Ultima was used and the island was "utterly....gone."

    Krile, grandaughter of the organization's leader Galuf and the only known survivor of the Isle of Val's disappearance, arrived in Eorzea to help the Scions. She had been saved from the island's disappearance by the intervention of Hydaelyn. The Isle of Val was discovered on the other side of the world from where it should be, in the ocean near Kugane. Upon arriving on the deserted island and speaking with Krile, the Warrior of Light learned that they had given the island the new name "Eureka". Krile's goal was to both learn what happened and to see if any surviving members of the Students of Baldesion could be found on the island. Ejika Tsunjika is also revealed to have survived the mysterious incident.

    Over the course of the investigation, it is discovered that the incident that teleported the Isle of Val away and killed everyone on it was intentionally done by Galuf himself. He plunged the entire island in the aetherial sea in order to kill the Ascian Emmerololth and keep them from reaching the primal Eureka.

    Unrelated to the expedition in Eureka, another Student of Baldesion, Mikoto Jinba, assisted Jenomis cen Lexentale in his investigations into Ivalice.

35. #35[The Northern Empty] Studiumselective

    Keys: Sharlayan, Studium, School, Education, Aetherology

    Foremost of the many academies of Sharlayan, the Studium was founded in 432 of the Sixth Astral Era by the first Archons to be recognized in the nation's history—named in honor of Nyunkrepf Nyunkrepfsyn, the nation's founder and one of the Twelve Archons of the Fifth Astral Era. Instructing pupils in everything from aetherial studies to astromancy, it encourages the study of both the arcane and the occult, and has produced a great many Archons over the ages. The Studium has also made numerous discoveries that have helped Eorzea as well, including the lost secrets of travel by aetheryte.

36. #36[Eorzea] War of the Magiselective

    Keys: Eorzea, Fifth Astral Era, Amdapor, Twelveswood, Nym, Vylbrand, Mhach, Yafaem, War of the Magi, Sixth Umbral Calamity, The Great Flood

    The War of the Magi was a cataclysmic war that culminated in the Sixth Umbral Calamity, also known as the Great Flood, and happened between 3,000 and 1,577 years ago in Eorzea during the height of the Fifth Astral Era.

    During the Fifth Astral Era, Eorzea was dominated by three major powers: the scholars of Nym in Vylbrand, the white mages of Amdapor in Twelveswood, and the void mages of Mhach in Yafaem. For unclear reasons, a war broke out, with Mhach utilizing increasingly destructive applications of voidsent to combat their foes. The Mhachi tricked a Nymian sea galley into bringing an ampoule to their home nation containing a voidsent named Bitoso who unleashed a devastating plague called the "Green Death" that transformed many Nymians into tonberries. The mages of Amdapor developed White Magic and stone golems based on beings of light to counteract the dark arts used by Mhach, sealing away the voidsent Diabolos when he was sent to attack Amdapor.

    This wanton abuse of the lands' aether tipped the balance in favor of water (the other elements having been used extensively in the conflict). Accounts attributed the flood to the wrath of the elementals, their collective wrath spawned Oha-Sok, an unaspected Elemental that decided to eliminate the warring factions with a catastrophic flood. However, more recent depictions of these events in Encyclopaedia Eorzea claim that the elementals did not take any action during or after the War of the Magi, save to cover the ruins of Amdapor in forest, creating what is now South Shroud.

    The great floodwaters of the Sixth Umbral Calamity devastated the realm, forcing residents to flee to the highlands of Gyr Abania. The people of Nym similarly fled to a small settlement in the mountains of Vylbrand while their Royal Marines enacted Operation Maelstrom in a vain attempt to protect their maritime city-state from the deluge. Nym was destroyed, however, weathering only the first tidal wave before being washed away in the subsequent ones.

    The Mhachi attempted to ride out the rising waters by building an airship powered by a thousand voidsent. However, even the mightiest voidmages could not contain its main power source, the voidsent Scathach, and the vessel became a derelict in the Sea of Clouds.

    The small nation of Skalla was located in a natural steep-walled ravine in Gyr Abania, and the rising sea waters drowned the city-state but had nowhere to drain when the waters receded, resulting in the creation of saltwater lakes known as the Lochs.

37. #37[Race] Lalafellselective

    Keys: Lalafell, Dunesfolk, Plainsfolk, Ul'dah, Eorzea

    The Lalafell were originally a group of agriculturalists inhabiting the fertile islands of the south seas. With the introduction of transmarine commerce, they soon found their way to Eorzea via trade routes. They are now one of the more populous races and are well established throughout the region, though they remain averse to cold climates.

    The short, rotund builds of the Lalafell belie an incredible agility, and their seemingly feeble legs are capable of carrying them long distances over any terrain. Many among them are also known for possessing highly developed and cunning intellects.

    The Lalafell place a great deal of significance on familial bonds, but are by no means unfriendly to outsiders. This is evidenced by the fact that they continue to share prosperous relations with all of the other races of Eorzea.

    Plainsfolk; The flat landscapes of the Plainsfolk's home islands are dotted with the clan's traditional thatched huts, beneath which lie intricate networks of underground passageways. Their distinct hair coloration—a myriad of earthy and grassy tones—mimics their native environment, and their long, pointy ears are said to be able to detect the faintest scampering of the prairie's various fauna. Their skin tones tend generally toward the fairer, lighter side of the spectrum, though as with many races this is not universal.

    This inclination toward grasslands and plains naturally led the bulk of Eorzea's Plainsfolk to Vylbrand's wide meadows; it has been strongly implied that they made up a major portion, perhaps the majority, of the population of Nym, and even today the greater majority of Plainsfolk can be found in and around Limsa Lominsa. They are somewhat more diasporized than the Dunesfolk, though, and some Plainsfolk can be found in nearly every corner of the land, from North Shroud to the southern tip of Thanalan, with quite a few to be found in Ul'dah. The sole exception is Ishgard—due to the general Lalafellin dislike for cold, outside of the adventuring cadre it is rare indeed to encounter them anywhere in Coerthas, especially today.

    Dunesfolk; Dunesfolk Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Dunesfolk culture is its traditional dwellings—structures affixed to the backs of large beasts of burden. The luminous eyes of the Dunesfolk are the result of a glossy, protective layer which covers the pupil, an evolutionary response to the glaring sunlight of their home region. Many individuals wear a small gemstone on their forehead, representing their zodiacal sign. Dunesfolk have a particularly wide variation in skin tone - while many tend toward the darker side of the spectrum (as they live in a desert), several prominent Dunesfolk, such as Nanamo Ul Namo, are among the fairest-skinned individuals in Eorzea.

    While the traditional dwelling of the Dunesfolk is on beasts of burden, the Dunesfolk are also the founders of the city of Ul'dah. The vast majority of Dunesfolk a traveler encounters in modern Eorzea will be from that city - if you encounter a Dunefolk on the bridge-streets of Limsa or angrily haggling for a chocobo outside of Gridania, odds are they'll be from Ul'dah. Ul'dah's prosperity means that very few Dunesfolk have settled away from the city-state.

38. #38[Race] Lalafell Naming Conventionsselective

    Keys: Lalafell, Culture, Plainsfolk, Dunesfolk

    Lalafell use names that are ruled by rhythm, repetition, rhyming, and alliteration. Syllable count also plays a large part. There are four unique sets of phoneme patterns based on the person's background, and these rules are rarely deviated from. Once the rules are learned, one can potentially discern a Lalafell's clan and gender by simply looking at a name. Surnames are only surnames in placement, as they are not taken from the mother or father and are unique to the individual.

    Plainsfolk lalafell use the phoneme patterns AB-CB for males, with each phoneme usually limited to one or two syllables. In everyday speech, Plainsfolk males will usually always use their full names, rarely ever breaking them down into solely first or last. As male Plainsfolk names are slightly less strict, it can lead to some mix-up with male Dunesfolk names, as the rules behind male Dunesfolk names also satisfy the Plainsfolk rule. One example of this is the Plainsfolk Papalymo Totolymo, whose name satisfies both Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk rules.

    Females will use the pattern ABB-AB, where each phoneme is always a single syllable typically made up of only one to two letters.

    Example names; Male

    • Zorido Manarido
    • Kopel Yorpel
    • Alka Zolka
    • Waguda Mabaguda Female
    • Mimomo Mimo
    • Tokiki Toki
    • Ulala Ula
    • Honmeme Honme

    Dunesfolk lalafell use the pattern AAB-CCB for males, where A and C are always one syllable and B two syllables. There are rare cases when the B phoneme will seemingly have one syllable such as Zozonan or Nanalai. The N and I here are, in fact, the remnants of sounds that were once paired with a Lalafellin vowel that, over time, has disappeared from speech, and therefore become silent in names.

    Females use the pattern AAB-AB, with each phoneme being a single syllable.

    Members of the Ul'dah and Sil'dih royal families also bear the names of their respective sultanates (Ul and Sil) as a middle name.

    Example names: Male

    • Jajariku Nanariku
    • Momomena Lolomena
    • Nunulupa Tatalupa
    • Fafajoni Kukujoni
    • Lalawefu Sil Tatawefu Female
    • Jajano Jano
    • Kokobi Kobi
    • Yayamo Yamo
    • Chuchumu Chumu
    • Nanamo Ul Namo
39. #39[Race] Elezenselective

    Keys: Elezen, Race, Gridania, Ishgard, Allagan Empire

    The Elezen can lay claim to being the oldest of Eorzea's native sentient races—various city-states over multiple Astral Eras have been founded by them, and there is significant evidence to suggest that the ancient, mighty Allagan Empire may have been substantially driven by the Elezen's distant forebears. In modern times, while a few Elezen can be found all across Eorzea, their greatest populations are in Gridania and Ishgard. Elezen were instrumental in Gridania's founding and are responsible for many of the traditions of its greatest institutions, such as the Archer's and Conjurer's Guilds. Their long attachment to the Black Shroud and understanding of the elementals who truly rule that forest mean that they will be a crucial part of Gridania, as long as it endures.

    The Elezen's characteristically tall, slim physiques and elongated limbs are part of a successful adaptation to the land's various environments. It is said that their highly sensitive ears can discern the squeak of a field mouse at a distance of up to several malms.

    The Elezen are a traditionally nomadic people who in former times claimed sole dominion over Eorzea, their presence predating that of the other races. Believing this prominence to be ordained by the gods, they came to develop an esteemed sense of honor and pride.

    The Elezen perceived the immigration of the Hyur as tantamount to invasion, and as a result the two share a past plagued by warfare. At present, however, they coexist peacefully, the exception being the reclusive Duskwight Elezen.

40. #40[Black Shroud] Moogleselective

    Keys: Moogle, The Black Shroud, Creature, Race, Beast Tribe

    These elusive denizens of the Black Shroud are skilled in the manipulation of aether, their arcane arts allowing them to remain undetected by all but the most determined or gifted of seekers. Moogles are entirely covered in soft, white fur, and their stubby limbs are almost comically short. From their backs sprout bat-like wings, but these are not flapped to catch the air-rather, each beat releases a burst of aether that provides a means of controlled levitation. A spherical "pom" adorns the head of every moogle, and this distinctive feature has been observed to change color depending on the flighty creature's current moods.

    Moogles are omnivorous, and display an appetite for a wide variety of food. The Black Shroud moogles were first introduced to the culinary arts by the people of Gridania, and have since learned to prepare an astounding array of dishes. They do, however, remain particularly fond of the simple Kupo Nut-a crunchy delicacy that also serves the moogles as a form of currency. The Black Shroud and Churning Mists moogles are ostensibly ruled by their clan chieftains, but both societies are rife with whimsical individualism. There appear to be no overarching laws or organizations that could be said to resemble and form of government.

    Despite the centuries of contact Gridanians have had with the Black Shroud moogles, extremely little is known about the enigmatic race's way of life. Moogles have an unrivaled talent for vanishing at a moment's notice, and thus outsiders have been largely unsuccessful in observing the clan's day-to-day existence. Moogle reproduction in particular is a subject of enduring mystery, with any direct inquiries into the matter being casually deflected or simply ignored.

    When seeking to achieve specific goals, moogles will often band together to form small, purpose-driven groups. Examples of this can be found in the Mogglesguard and their efforts to summon the Primal "Good King Moggle Mog XII".

41. #41[Race] Hyurselective

    Keys: Hyur, Race, Aldenard, Highlander, Midlander

    Over the course of three great migratory waves, the Hyur have become the most populous of Eorzea's races, and make up a prominent portion of the population of each of the realm's city-states. Possessed of an average physique in height and build compared to the other races, they champion personal freedom and liberty, with an eclectic variety of languages and traditions stemming from their diverse backgrounds. The Hyur are known for their peculiarly short, rounded ears and are well-suited for traveling long distances by foot—a trait thought to account for their swift proliferation.

    When the Hyur first arrived in Eorzea before the First Astral Era, they were just one race among many. They remained no more populous than the other races for millennia, with Hyuran citizens appearing in many of Eorzea's societies such as ancient Allag, Mhach, and Amdapor. Around the year 350 of the Sixth Astral Era, Hyuran tribes began to emigrate en masse into Eorzea in the first of three great migratory wave, followed by an additional two waves close to the years 660 and 750.

    The Hyur spread from the northeastern reaches of Ilsabard and other continents and islands to all corners of the realm, forever changing the racial demographic of Eorzea and solidifying their status as the most populous race in the modern day. As they came to settle in Eorzea, they displaced the Elezen inhabitants of the land, some finding themselves in conflict and outright war with those Elezen who chose to settle the Black Shroud and the Lalafellin citizens of Belah'dia. Ultimately, the former were able to settle their differences, forming the Pact of Gelmorra and co-founding the eponymous city-state. The Highlander Hyur of Gyr Abania spent the early years of the Sixth Astral Era warring amongst themselves until Anshelm Cotter founded the city-state of Ala Mhigo and united their clans. For a time, Ala Mhigo would serve as the predominant Hyuran nation in Eorzea, with Gelmorra as a secondary bastion for the Hyur, but as the races integrated, Hyur came to live in each city-state.

    The Hyur of Limsa Lominsa primarily descend from Hyuran sailors forced to serve aboard Lominsan pirate ships. They also dwelled in Belah'dia near the end of its lifespan, and formed part of the populations of its successor city-states: Ul'dah, where Hyur of both clans continue to dwell to this day, and fallen Sil'dih. In fact, a Hyuran man named Baldurf Thorne came into power as sultan of Ul'dah following the War of the Sisters, beginning the lost Thorne Dynasty.

    In 1076, a Hyuran mage named Jorin Lightheart created conjury to commune with the elementals, securing safe dwelling in the forest for the Gelmorrans. When Gelmorra was abandoned, the Hyur formed a sizable portion of Gridania's native population, and both Ishgard and Sharlayan include Hyuran citizenry. In 1322 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Creeping Death struck the Hyuran population of Gridania, taking many Hyuran residents of the city-state before a cure was found five years later. Around the 930th year of the Sixth Astral Era, the fledgling Republic of Garlemald suffered a crippling blow when it was raided by Hyuran nomads from northern Ilsabard. The Republic hired Roegadyn mountain clans to fight them back, successfully driving off the Hyur. Hyur dwell in the capital of Garlemald and its surrounding areas even today.

42. #42[La Noscea] Koboldsselective

    Keys: La Noscea, Kobold, Beast Tribe, Creature

    These subterranean beastmen dwell in northern Vylbrand, where they perforate the rocky bowels of O'Ghomoro with an ever-expanding warren of shafts and tunnels. After long years of conflict, the kobolds forged a peace treaty with the nearby city-state of Limsa Lominsa, but recent disagreements over the acquisition of mineral resources have sparked a resurgence of hostilities. On The First, they are known as the Mord.

    Short and squat with their heads encased in metal helms, kobolds are commonly described as "armored moles". Despite this comparison, onlookers are often taken aback when the predominantly bipedal creatures skitter along the ground on all fours, their long, sharp clase affording them secure purchase on all manner of surfaces. As a race that spends the majority of its time underground, kobold eyesight is predictably poor-a disadvantage that is offset by incredibly keen hearing as well as the presence of tactile hair that allows the beastmen to sense subtle changes in air pressure.

    The iconic crest of the kobolds depicts a stone imbued with life force--a property the mole-like race ascribes to every chunk of ore. From a wider perspective, it also represents the blessings of Titan, Lord of Crags, which is said to sanctify all things beneath the ground.

    Kobolds favor the earthy taste of grubs and larvae, as well as other invertebrates that burrow through the ground. White earthworms are considered a particular delicacy, and these treasured discoveries commonly find their way into the bowls of the higher-ranked digs. Raw and wriggling is the preferred method of consumption, though some choose to grind together ingredients and roll the resulting mixture into bite-sized balls.

    Acting as the mouthpiece for the Great Father Titan, the patriarch of the 1st Order Dig is the guiding voice for the entire race of kobolds. The 1st Order itself contains not a single pickman, its ranks filled instead by a multitude of priests responsible for governing the various facets of the ruling theocracy.

    Kobold society is structured around the existence of ranked groups known as "digs". The 1st Order Dig stands at the pinnacle of a rigid hierarchy, with each successive rung on the social ladder wielding authority over the lesser-ranked digs beneath it. All digs have an associated role: the highest rungs consist of bureaucrats and priests, responsible for the governance of state and faith; the middle rungs consist of metallurgists and alchemists, as well as mining operation surveyors; the bottom rungs are occupied by manual laborers, such as pickmen and industrial workers, with the overall trend appearing to show that the lower a dig's rank, the less cerebral its task is likely to be. Kobold young are raised as a group by a foster dig. When they come of age, they are then assigned to live and work with whichever dig in the hierarchy best suits their individual capabilities. Depending on the quality of their work, kobolds might also move up or down the social ladder, potentially belonging to multiple digs over the course of their lifetimes.

43. #43[Race] Miqo'teselective

    Keys: Miqo'te, Race, Eorzea, Seekers of the Sun, Keepers of the Moon, cat, feline

    Miqo'te is a race from Eorzea that exhibit bestial traits. Like the Hyur, the Miqo'te is an immigrant race to Eorzea. They originally came from the southern continent of Meracydia.

    The Miqo'te have diverged into two ethnicities: the Diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the Nocturnal Keepers of the Moon.

    The Seekers of the Sun are a patriarchal culture, with each tribe centered around a breeding male or nunh whose duty is to form a harem and lead his people to glory and prosperity. Young males are born and raised as "tia", and must either assume the position of nunh by defeating the existing nunh in single combat, or leave the community to form a harem of their own. In larger tribes, multiple nunh may coexist in the same community, although such cases are rare. The majority of Seekers worship Azeyma the Warden.

    In contrast to the Seekers of the Sun, the family is the fundamental unit of Keeper of the Moon Society. Keeper tribes are often made up of two or three families who hunt together. The males are prone to wandering and the females believe men to be best in small doses. Keepers are often raised without the father, growing up in a more matriarchal society. The Keepers of the Moon have a custom of applying war paint to their faces, a symbolic message to their god that they are prepared to serve as warriors in the afterlife should they fall. It is believed the vivid colors also grant lunar powers. The Keepers offer their piety to Menphina the Lover.

    In the western continent of Tural, the Miqo'te (known there as "Hhetsarro") live in the northern area of Xak Tural, specifically the plains of Shaaloani. In the past they were a migratory people moving across the vast open plains, and though most have since adapted to modern life in the nation of Tuliyollal some tribes still maintain their traditional migratory ways. Each tribe has a species of animal they revere called a hhetso, meaning "leader of souls", which they follow across the plains and learn from. For example, one tribe's hhetso is a buffalo-like animal called the rroneek. Due to the differences of their cultures there are some physical differences between the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon.

    Due to their exposure to light, the pupils of a Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te are vertically aligned slits with irises faintly colored. It is common for their eyes to be disparately colored from birth, a trait considered auspicious among their kind.

    In contrast, due to their exposure to darkness, the pupils of a Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te are large and round with little iris exposure. They are distinguishable from their diurnal cousins by their darker fur, larger ears, rounder eyes, more pronounced canines, and longer, skinnier tails.

    The groups share a superb sense of smell and powerful leg muscles, results of a long evolution geared towards hunting and predation.

    The A Realm Reborn version brought some differences: for instance the Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te's ears are wider with thick hair, while the Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te have stylized ears with short hair and are slightly longer and thinner.

    Male Miqo'te from the Seekers of the Sun have tanned skin and have wider faces and their tails have a leonine design, while the Keepers of the Moon have pale canine tails. The Seekers of the Sun do not have pronounced canine teeth, but Keepers of the Moon have long canines clearly visible when laughing, cheering, or most other emoting.

    While the variation in Seeker skin color tends toward the more "traditional" tan coloration seen in many other races, darker-skinned Keepers tilt more toward blue and gray. This even affects the Keepers' lighter skin tones as a fair-skinned Keeper will still appear distinct next to a Hyur of similar skin tone.

44. #44[La Noscea] Sahaginselective

    Keys: Sahagin, La Noscea, Beast Tribe, Creature, Race

    This aquatic race of beastmen reside in a city built at the bottom of the Indigo Deep. Known for attacking ocean-faring ships and dragging sailors screaming into the murky depths, the Sahagin are often the subject of angry and fearful curses on the streets of Limsa Lominsa. Since the advent of the Seventh Umbral Era, these hostile denizens of the sea have taken to seizing territory along the Vylbrand coastline in order to establish new spawning grounds. On The First, they are known as the Ondo.The webbing and fins adorning the wiry frames of the Sahagin allow them to glide through the depths with uncanny grace and swiftness. They are also able to remain submerged indefinitely by breathing through their gills, making any protracted underwater clash with the scaled beastmen a reckless proposition at best. Even on dry land, however, the Sahagin are not to be underestimated, the coiled strength of their springlike musculature lending explosive force to their attacks.

    The symbol of the Sahagin combines the roiling whirlpool that spawned the ocean deity, Leviathan, with a representation of the beastmen's cranial fins-the physical feature of which they are most proud.

    The Sahagin diet consists primarily of fish and shellfish. Such fare is cooked without the aid of fire, the vent-heated water of hot springs used to flake flesh away from bone or boil fish broth in which the tough meat of axolotls is stewed until tender. Sahagin are not entirely carnivorous, and are known to consume a variety of seaweed as well as fruits-La Noscean oranges being a particularly popular treat amongst the younger spawnlings.

    Sahagin society is governed by an egg-laying queen-the Indigo Matriarch, outside of her spawning season, the matriarch remains ensconced within the palace, ruling her subjects from her throne on the ocean floor. It is claimed that when the queen becomes infertile with age, she will appoint a new Indigo Matriarch from the most promising young females before taking deliberate steps to end her own life.

    The Sahagin population is overwhelmingly male, with females accounting for less than a tenth of their number. From this small pool of females, the most dominant and capable individual ascends to the throne of the Indigo Matriarch-a position from which she bequeaths clutches of eggs to those male champions proven worthy of her favor. A male Sahagin who has thus earned the mantle of clutchfather will construct a nursery in the coastline's shallows, raising his adopted offspring on land until the spawnlings become sufficiently developed to breathe through their gills. During this period, the clutchfather teaches his charges everything a young Sahagin needs to flourish: from efficient swimming and fishing methods who hatched from earlier clutches often assist with such instruction, a practice which well explains the race's tendency towards strong familial bonds.

    In the rare cases that a female is born, she is sent to live in the matriarch's palace deep beneath the waves, where she is carefully groomed alongside her sister Sahagin as a candidate for future queen.

45. #45[Race] Roegadynselective

    Keys: Roegadyn, Nagyn, Aerslaent

    Massive and heavily muscled, the Roegadyn are known for their brawny builds and piercing eyes and are the largest and most rugged of Eorzea's races. They are descended from a maritime people that roamed northern seas, though many of their ancestors came to dwell in Eorzea. Though often considered a barbaric and fiercely competitive race, they are also known for their honor, compassion, and loyalty. The histories are filled with tales of Roegadyn warriors and their courageous deeds. Roegadyn are said to be possessed of near-endless stamina, which may account for the impressive resilience shown by Roegadyn such as Gosetsu Daito.

    A maritime folk hailing from the bleak isles of the Northern Empty, the name "Roegadyn" means "people of the rain." According to their mythologies, all life first began on the island of Nagyn, meaning "Origin" in their tongue. It is said to be the center of all life and civilization, and is considered sacred to them.

    Their ancestral homeland is Aerslaent, meaning "First Land," from which they established their reputation as brutal pirates. They're also known to have dwelled in Meracydia during the time of the Allagan Empire. At some point in time, a group of Roegadyn crossed over from Aerslaent and established a civilization in the mountains of Abalathia's Spine, where their Hellsguard descendants reside to this day. A different group of Sea Wolf Roegadyn came to Eorzea fleeing the rule of a despotic tyrant, and came ashore the isle of Vylbrand in 875 of the Sixth Astral Era. The city of Limsa Lominsa rose to prosperity from the crew of this lone vessel, the Galadion.

    While the Sea Wolves of Limsa Lominsa have a long and storied history as pirates, with many to hold the position of Admiral hailing from the clan (including current holder, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn), the Hellsguard established themselves as mercenaries in Ul'dah and Ala Mhigo. They were once known for their unique brand of warrior, who wielded bestial fury on the battlefield. On Ilsabard, in 935 of the Sixth Astral Era, a separate group of Roegadyn mountain clans were employed by the republic of Garlemald to fend off invasions by Hyuran nomads. They ultimately withdrew from the capital a century later after the Garleans refused to compensate them for their service.

    The Roegadyn of Eorzea are roughly grouped into two clans: the Sea Wolves who descend from the seafaring people of the north, and the mountain-dwelling Hellsguard. Of the two clans, the Sea Wolves are the more populous. Those belonging to neither clan can be found elsewhere in the Three Great Continents. In Ilsabard, a group of Roegadyn are known to dwell in the mountains. These Ilsabardian Roegadyn may physically resemble either Sea Wolves or Hellsguard. Many of them currently serve as part of the Garlean Empire, where they can be seen wreaking havoc on the battlefield for the imperial army, having been assimilated under the Garlean yoke. Still another clan of Roegadyn resembling the Hellsguard is a common sight in the Far East, where they make up a significant population of both Doma and Hingashi. During the time of the Allagan Empire, they also dwelled in Meracydia.

46. #46[Race] Au Raselective

    Keys: Othard, Au Ra, Race, Dragon, Azim, Raen, Xaela, Doma, Hingashi

    Hailing from the Far Eastern continent of Othard, the Au Ra were rare in Eorzea until recently, when increasing unrest in their homeland forced a not-insignificant number to journey west as refugees. The curved horns and beautifully-patterned scales of the Au Ra often invite speculation that they are descended from dragons. This has long been disputed, with scholars citing distinct differences between the two as evidence against this. The enhanced hearing and spatial recognition granted by their horns are traits not found in draconian horns, and the extreme sexual dimorphism seen in the race is also widely unseen in dragons. Auri creation myth holds that the world was created by the Dawn Father Azim, god of the sun, and the Dusk Mother Nhaama, goddess of the moon. The two deities quarreled over which should rule the new world, and created mortals to serve as their soldiers to wage a war by proxy. These were the first Au Ra—the Raen, children of the Dawn Father, and the Xaela, chosen of the Dusk Mother. At the culmination of their bitter struggle, the clans set aside their differences and learned to love one another, giving birth to a new generation. On seeing this, Azim and Nhaama returned to the heavens and bequeathed the world to their children. The ancestral homeland of all Au Ra is the Azim Steppe. The Auri Raen clan, believing themselves children of the Dawn Father, left their homeland behind to settle across Othard, and were received with hatred and hostility by the other races in the early years. A prominent warlord of Yanxia, impressed by their valor, forged an alliance with the Raen and took them on as retainers. Before long, the Raen assumed a prominent role as warriors in the service of countless great warlords. During this time of strife, some Raen chose to settle across the deep valleys of Othard's mountainous eastern reaches, and one group found solace under the Ruby Sea. Still others journeyed across the sea to the islands of Hingashi, where they earned a reputation as legendary swordmasters. The Xaela, on the other hand, never abandoned their ancestral home and dwell today on the vast Azim Steppe and surrounding regions. Their history is bloody and filled with conflict between tribes, which rise and fall in number as they're created and dissolved by war. Modern times have seen some of the Auri Xaela displaced from their homes, venturing west to Eorzea. Some attempted to settle in Coerthas around 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era, but the Ishgardians mistook them for the forces of the Dravanian Horde and slaughtered many innocent Xaela in their ignorant zealotry The most widely known Auri clans are the Raen and Xaela. The Raen live in central Othard and surrounding islands, having forged strong relations with the Hyur and Roegadyn of the Far East and adapted to the cultures of Doma and Hingashi. Conversely, the Xaela still live mostly in the Azim Steppe and its surrounding regions, maintaining their traditional, nomadic way of life.

47. #47[Race] Vieraselective

    Keys: Viera, Othard, Golmore Jungle, Veena, Matriarch

    Of tall stature and frame, the Viera are similar in appearance to the Hyur and Elezen, save for their long, leporine ears.

    The word Viera means "people of the wood" and they are most commonly found in the forests of southern Othard, with the Rava clan making its home in the Golmore Jungle and the Veena making their home in the forests along the foothills of the southwestern Skatay Range. They are a strictly matriarchal people; Viera males are notoriously rare and reclusive, shunning contact even with their own kin. They are also known for their incredible longevity, as they can live to ages upward of two-hundred and forty years. For centuries, even since the age of Ivalice, many Viera tribes have remained hidden in the jungles, content with their self-imposed solitude. Efforts by past kings to bring Viera lands under Dalmascan rule were all met either by indifference or violence, and the nation ultimately suffered the Viera their self-governance, with the promise their villages would not take up their bows against the throne. It was not until the past several generations that a Viera living outside of her homeland was unheard of, yet recently more and more of the leporine women have abandoned their ancestral homes for the comforts of the cities. Those Viera who have done so tend to be held in high regard, their small numbers lending them an air of mystery with some members of the upper class paying large sums to be seen with one of their kind. Thirty years ago, when the Garlean Empire occupied Dalmasca, several imperial army units were sent into Golmore Jungle to round up Viera and bring them to Rabanastre. Though only a few of the soldiers returned, the few Viera with them appeared to have followed on their own volition. However, while the Viera had long been treated as equals by the Dalmascans, like any not of the pureblood Garlean race, they have been relegated to life as second-, or even third-class citizens, a change that has proved especially difficult for the Viera who left their forests in pursuit of freedom The Viera are roughly divided into two clans. The Rava live primarily in the lush, colorful Golmore Jungle, distinguished by their melonated skin, while the Veena have paler skin, who reside in the mountains of the Skatay Range that rise above their forest home in its foothills. Members of both clans have become more common in cities such as Rabanastre in the past few generations

48. #48[Race] Hrothgarselective

    Keys: Hrothgar, Race, Ilsabard

    Hailing from the distant shores of Ilsabard, the Hrothgar are a burly people of lionlike appearance—or the males are, at least. Females number staggeringly few among their population, and thus are rarely so much as glimpsed by the other races.

    The Hrothgar's imposing countenance─mitigated not at all by their sharp claws and still sharper fangs—incited panic amongst Eorzeans upon their arrival. As they were also unable to communicate, initial interactions with the commonfolk often escalated into conflict. It was not until the Hrothgar gained mastery of the common tongue that fears were allayed, and in time they would be as neighbors, welcome in all corners of the realm. The bulk of Hrothgar remain concentrated in the areas in and around Bozja, where they continue to struggle to liberate their homeland from the empire and rebuild.

    The Xbr'aal, a group of Hrothgar with shared ancestry to other Hrothgar, reside in Yak T'el within Tural.

    The Hrothgar are separated into two social groups, the Helion and the The Lost. In ages past, the Helions of southern Ilsabard served under a singular matriarchal rule, their lives revolving around their queen. Helions tend to have golden colored fur, but this is not a defining trait.

    By contrast, The Lost are a nomadic clan known to undertake many trade professions, from peddlers to mercenaries. They're hesitant to take up occupations that restrict their traveling. Their cold fur is said to be a symbol of their independent nature, driving them away from the warm embrace of their queen. However, similar to Helions, their fur color is not a defining trait.

    The Gunbreaker job originates with the Hrothgar, who have passed the art of the gunblade from generation to generation. Originally employed by Queen Gunnhildr's personal guard, the weapon combines a sword with a firing mechanism, emitting a range of magical effects by utilizing aetherically imbued cartridges.

49. #49[Race] Viera Cultureselective

    Keys: Viera, Othard, Culture

    Viera society is purely matriarchal, and each tribe follows its own strict code and will meet swift punishment to any who would defy these laws. As such, many a Viera will spend her life bound to the territory of her ancestors, both unwilling and unable to venture beyond its borders. While the tribes are wholly independent, they have all agreed to uphold a single standard: shun all contact with the outside world unless it is to protect the jungle. This code is known as the "Green Word," and those who break it face the threat of exile. However, the past several generations have seen more and more Viera choose to break the Green Word and leave the forest for the cities. At last count, the Viera made up approximately five percent of the nation of Dalmasca

    Befitting the name of "people of the wood," Viera women live largely as hunters and gatherers, laboring not only to protect the wood, but to nurture them. They clear undergrowth, plant seeds, and eradicate vermin. To the Viera, their forest is sacred ground, and they will not suffer the desecration of their sovereign domains by outsiders. This is especially true of those who would dare hunt their lands. Even the mere presence of outsiders can be taken as a grave offense.

    Viera live upward of two-hundred and forty years, and more than eight in ten Viera are born female. It is not until the thirteenth nameday—when the individual moves from adolescence into adulthood—that the individual's gender becomes apparent. For the next two centuries, the Viera maintain their physical youth, making it nigh impossible to discern their age simply from outward appearances. Known for their unmatched beauty, their traditional attire seems to accentuate their bodies and—perplexingly to the eyes of outsiders—includes tall stiletto-heeled sandals that would typically make traversing the forest difficult.

    Though males are not typically found in villages, they play an important role in Viera society. When it is revealed a Viera kit is male, they are given to the care of another, that he may learn the ways of the Wood-warder—protectors of the forest. Similar to Miqo'te Keepers of the Moon, Viera males are, for the most part, reclusive, shunning contact with even their own kin. Every three to five summers, they return to the village of their birth, sowing their seed and taking any recently discovered jacks as their wards and teaching them how to survive without the crutch of companionship. Only following countless seasons of training and strict adherence to the Word of the Wood will the students earn the title of master, and be allowed to seek solitude. More than a few perish in this brutal rite of passage, further thinning the tribe's males until only the strongest remain.

    Without a supportive community the males must constantly struggle to survive. Food, clothing, weapons, medicines—all must be procured or crafted by the individual and without the aid of another. The male lives and dies alone, and this has gone unchanged for countless generations. The duty of a Wood-warder is to see their tribe's demesne remain untouched by the destructive whims of outsiders. They do so from the shadows, oft choosing to shoot first and not bother with questions. Females are more open in their relationship with the wood, albeit in a loose sense. If asked whether the segregation of sexes was awkward, a Viera might answer that "The value of coexistence will not be found 'neath a loincloth. Long has our kind endured understanding that the distance 'twixt two bodies does not dictate the distance 'twixt two souls." Those who enter the wood seeking a male Viera will be met with either disappointment or death.

    Despite the might of their males, the martial prowess of Viera females is as formidable as their counterparts', they merely choose to devote their attention to the protection of their hearth and young

50. #50[Mor Dhona] Mor Dhonaselective

    Keys: Mor Dhona, Aldenard, Eorzea

    Mor Dhona is a region in Eorzea, on the sub-continent of Aldenard, to the southeast of Coerthas and north of Thanalan.

    The whole area had been rendered barren and corrupt of aether during a massive battle between an army of dragons led by the Wyrmking Midgardsormr and a fleet of Garlean airships that happened fifteen years ago.

    The battle turned the place into a dangerous, lifeless place full of terrible beasts, and became later known as the Battle of Silvertear Skies. It would be further transformed by the fall of Dalamud at the end of the Sixth Astral Era over a decade late

    Mor Dhona long laid between the various city-states of Eorzea, and generally unclaimed by any. It was said that since immemorial times, a great force slumbered there. This force was said to drain the element from anything that remained in contact with the ground for a long time; if a wind crystal was buried there, for example, it soon became a pure crystal devoid of wind properties. In spite of this, Mor Dhona was famous for its wild and rugged beauty, particularly its lush green forests and striking waterfalls, which fed into and out of one of Aldenard's largest inland bodies of water: Silvertear Lake.

    It was the unclaimed nature of the area, as well as its central position on Aldenard and its verdancy, that likely attracted the attention of the Garlean Empire. After taking Ala Mhigo, the Imperial Air Fleet made a move en-mass into Mor Dhona, led by the mighty super-dreadnought, the Agrius. However, as the imperial fleet advanced into the skies above Silvertear Lake, it was met with a wholly unexpected sight.

    Midgardsormr, the dragon deity of Silvertear, had arisen, summoned by a hand unknown. And as if to answer the mighty wyrm's call, a host of dragons flew in from the northwestern reaches of Dravania and fell upon the Empire's forces. The air was filled with the deafening roars of cannons and dragonkin alike. Locked in a deadly embrace, the thunderous impact of Midgardsormr and the Agrius tolled their mutual demise. Thus ended the Battle of Silvertear Skies - and one of the greatest defeats Garlemald had yet experienced in their campaigns of conquest. Ceruleum leaking from the fallen airship, combined with Aether from the dying dragon king, would soon transform the flora of Mor Dhona into crystallized structures that remain visible to this day.

    Many years later, the Battle of Carteneau ended with half of the region devastated by the effects of Bahamut emerging from Dalamud. Today, Mor Dhona stands as perhaps the single most scarred, battle-blasted region in all of Eorzea; having been the stage for two of the most destructive battles in recent Eorzean history, and the first focus of Bahamut's awakened rage, much of the region is now desperately barren, crystal-scarred and uninhabitable, a far cry from its old verdancy. Even now, the carcass of Midgardsormr lies entwined with the wreckage of the Agrius in the center of Silvertear Lake, a towering monument to the ferocity of the conflicts that have ravaged this land.

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