Doctore
Taxonomy: Soulkin (Dullahan)
Description: Golems of arcane origin, dullahan such as these doctore are suits of animated plate armor. Opinions on the origin of the dullahan vary, from magical creations to ghostly possessed armor. The general scholarly opinion seems to lean towards the former, however. The name doctore is adopted from the entities’ roles as gladiatorial trainers.
Capabilities: According to reports given by the maintainers of the complex, the doctore were capable of using a number of terribly destructive techniques including a wide sweep named the ‘iron justice’ and a magical empowerment of their physical ability named the ‘king’s will’ which might reference a form of patronage by the Sultanate.
Etymology Notes: Doctore was a title given to head-trainers in a gladiator school during the days of ancient Rome.
Heckler Imp
Taxonomy: Voidsent (Imp)
Description: Low-ranking voidsent of the twelfth rung of the voidal hierarchy, imps are nimble, cunning creatures with a mischievous streak. The name given these particular imps by the staff of Halatali somewhat clearly implies the heavy use of insults by the creatures in their training of the gladiators.
Etymology Notes: An imp is typically used to refer to a mischievous creature often associated with the devil or demons in European folklore.
Gas Bomb
Taxonomy: Voidsent (Bomb)
Description: Bombs are an interesting example of Voidsent, occupying the eleventh rung of the voidal hierarchy, they are driven to constantly replenish their internal fuel stores and are thus wildly carnivorous. They were likely here as traps and hurdles for the gladiators.
Firemane
Taxonomy: Elemental (Sprite)
Description: Essentially a mere conjoining of aether and ideal conditions, a sprite is of no relation to the powerful elementals of the Black Shroud, and are in fact as devoid of reason and sentience as the average weather pattern. Evidently Firemane is aspected firmly towards fire, and is a rather prodigious example of a sprite. It may have been a particularly tough test for the gladiators, or have formed in the central fire naturally for other reasons.
Damantus and Noxius
Taxonomy: Ashkin (Will-o’-the-wisp)
Description: Amongst the simplest of the ashkin, wisps such as these are found in folk tales across the realms as lures leading the lost into further danger. Theories as to their true nature abound, however, and alternate from orbs of burning gas animated by the aether of the corpse they emitted from to the souls of the dead themselves. These, then, may be entities born from the aether of dead beasts or even gladiators, perhaps lain to rest in the central fire of the Hall of the Cesti.
Etymology Notes: I wasn’t able to track down the etymology of damantus, but noxius is of course an alternative spelling of noxious, a word that means offensive or vile, especially with respects to smell.
Scythe Mantis
Taxonomy: Vilekin (Mantis)
Description: Immigrants of Eorzea, the greater mantis actually arrived on the continent at the same time as this author’s ancestors. Lalafellin voyagers landed on Vylbrand, carrying the mantis with them unintentionally via egg sacs attached to their boats when they were still reeds yet to be woven into ship hulls. These individuals are evidently within Halatali as a training method.
Capabilities: Many gladiators with particularly nasty scars from the mantis have named the strongest of their strikes ‘standing chine’ in reference to the butchers’ technique known as the chine, slicing meat across the backbone. Graphic.
Lightning Sprite
Taxonomy: Elemental (Sprite)
Description: Essentially a mere conjoining of aether and ideal conditions, a sprite is of no relation to the powerful elementals of the Black Shroud, and are in fact as devoid of reason and sentience as the average weather pattern. These may be here as traps for training gladiators, or may have naturally formed over the years.
Coliseum Python
Taxonomy: Scalekin (Cobra)
Description: Enormous creatures, cobras such as these were originally native to Othard before coming to Eorzea as part of trade. Some scholars do suggest a different origin however, that of the Allagan Empire’s fearsome chimerical experiments. There is a long and lauded tradition of their use in the coliseum.
Capabilities: Alongside their usual bite, these specimens are quite capable of inflicting serious envenomation through their ‘dripping fangs’ as well as striking with their ferociously powerful tails, replete with sinister rattles. This author feels rather sorry for the poor gladiators, frankly.
Thunderclap Guivre
Taxonomy: Scalekin (Biast)
Description: Drakes are ferocious predatory creatures with powerful tracking abilities and the ability to exhale gouts of fire. They are perhaps most famous as domesticated beasts of the Amalj’aa. This is a biast, however, which is a subspecies that exhales lightning instead of fire.
Capabilities: The guivre was capable of marshalling great amounts of lightning, including lightning breaths named levinshower by those who have studied the creatures, as well as spitting ranged orbs of lightning that ‘electrify’ their opponents.
Etymology Notes: Guivre are dragon-like creatures from french folklore that reside in small bodies of water, just like the guivre in Halatali.
Rudis Beak
Taxonomy: Scalekin (Ziz)
Description: Speedy creatures, the ziz is not capable of flight but can cover ground at a rapid pace with its powerful legs and sharp claws. They are also often capable of exhaling poison. These particular ziz were trainers for the gladiators of the complex, as denoted by their name.
Etymology Notes: A rudis was a wooden rod used for gladiatorial training in ancient Rome.
Pit Peiste
Taxonomy: Scalekin (Basilisk)
Description: Natives of Aldenard, basilisks are fiercely territorial creatures that have a particularly dark place in Eorzean culture, where they often represent evil. This specimen, particularly large, seems to have been taken to use as training for gladiators.
Etymology Notes: Peiste are lake-dwelling serpents or dragons from Irish folklore.
Tangata
Taxonomy: Voidsent (Ogre)
Description: Ogres are immensely strong and similarly immensely stupid voidsent that occupy the ninth rank of the voidal hierarchy. They are often enslaved by more powerful voidsent, or even by talented void mages because of this low intelligence. This specimen was evidently somewhat more powerful than the average ogre judging by the adventurers reports, and was to be used as a prize fighter against gladiators in the Hall of the Bestiarii. It was captured by the Order of Nald’thal in Coerthas in return for a considerable donation by the Sultanate, avoiding the illegality of summoning magics.
Capabilities: Tangata was able to summon fire aspected aether to it and employ it in a number of devastating ways, including swathing its hands in flame, covering the floor in fire and exhaling orbs of it, nicknamed ‘firewater’ by fighters, presumably because it stings like the beverage.
Etymology Notes: Tangata is the Maori name for humankind, or people. The implication here is, perhaps, an early hint at the origin of some of the Voidsent before the official reveal.
Fire Sprite
Taxonomy: Elemental (Sprite)
Description: Further sprites, these more fiery examples were summoned by the ferocious Tangata during his battle against the adventurers that cleared Halatali.
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