Excerpt from ‘The history of the Black Shroud, from Amdapor to Gridania’ by Archon Niniri Niri. A complex of tunnels hidden deep beneath the South Shroud, the Thousand Maws are modified natural caves that were used as a prison for the most heinous criminals of Gridania. What exactly constituted the worst possible criminal is different in Gridania due to the influence of the elementals, with poachers and arsonists being imprisoned with the complex due to the existential threat their actions posed towards both the forest and Gridania itself. Thirty years ago the prison was deemed untenable due to the widespread mistreatment of its prisoners, and after construction of a jail closer to the city, it was abandoned. Toto-Rak has since become … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of Halatali
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 … [Read more...]
Halatali – Rusted Gore and Glory
Excerpt from ‘The history of Thanalan, from Belah’dia to Ul’dah' by Archon Niniri Niri. Halatali is a more ancient and revered site than the vast majority of those who attend fights facilitated by it on the Bloodsands would ever know. Piecing together what few records survive with folklore and archaeological evidence has revealed that Halatali was a system of naturally-occurring caves that were found by Lalafell who escaped the terror of the fall of Mhach. They settled here, naming it Halatali, which translates to 'the land of a thousand shadows' in honor of its role in protecting them from Thanalan's baleful sun, and would later go on to found Belah'dia. This status persisted until later in the life of Belah'dia's successor, … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of Copperbell Mines
The Spriggans Taxonomy: Soulkin (Spriggan) Description: Despite their seemingly corporeal nature, spriggan are essentially the animated forms of aetherial earthen energy, and are frequently referred to as being the ‘will of earth.’ That the personality and abilities of the spriggan are determined by the stones they hold implies that their primary source for this energy is derived from their constant companion. There are a number of different kinds of spriggan within the mines, given names by the miners that once frequented them. The first is a grouping named ‘Copper Coppers’ possibly a reference to the use of the word ‘cop’ as a term for receiving or taking something, as in they take copper ore. The second group are … [Read more...]
The Copperbell Mines – Ul’dah’s Shame
Excerpt from ‘The history of Thanalan, from Belah'dia to Ul’dah by Archon Niniri Niri. It had long been claimed by the powers of Ul’dah that the abandonment of the copper mining operation commonly known as the Copperbell Mines three hundred years ago was due to the drying up of the veins within, and that the mines were off-limits due to monsters that had moved in after the abandonment. When the powerful Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern reclaimed the mines, however, using new mining techniques in an attempt to reach valuable veins too deep for the ancient mines to exploit they discovered the true end of the Copperbell Mines. The Thorne dynasty of Ul’dah, rulers in a two hundred year interregnum of the ‘Ul dynasty, were ardent … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of Tam-Tara Deepcroft
The Retainers Taxonomy: Ashkin (Damned) Description: It seems that the retainers of both the Inik and Mena dynasties were raised as undead by something, judging by the testimony of the Gridanians that cleansed the grounds after the Lambs of Dalamud were destroyed. The undead were an issue in the Deepcroft long before the arrival of the cult, and so it may be that they were raised simply by the environment around them, so steeped in the accumulated aether of the dead as the Deepcroft is. It is also plausible, albeit much less palatable, that the ancient houses of Gelmorra raised their servants as undead to serve as guardians from beyond the grave. This would explain why they were armed and armored when interred, although this … [Read more...]
The Tam-Tara Deepcroft – A Tomb of Kings
Excerpt from ‘The history of the Black Shroud, from Amdapor to Gridania’ by Archon Niniri Niri. The histories of Eorzea tell us that Gelmorra was born out of the terror of magic produced by the Sixth Umbral Calamity. In the wake of the colossal floods that characterized the Calamity the survivors turned on the arts of magic that had caused the disaster, putting both knowledge and practitioners to the flame. The elementals of the Twelveswood were enraged by the excess of Amdapor and its contemporaries, and the Hyur and Elezen of the Black Shroud, unable to commune with the elementals after abandoning magic, were driven underground, where they would later join hands and found the underground city of Gelmorra. Over the course of centuries … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of Sastasha
Black Bat Taxonomy: Cloudkin (Bat) Description: Bats reside within the dark places of the world, roosting in caves and other secluded locales. It is common knowledge that they are nocturnal creatures, but more dedicated research by the scholars of the realm has uncovered that they are capable of feats of extremely keen hearing and a technique called echolocation. Although most bats feed on insects and fruit, folklore has long held that some of them instead feed on blood. Cave Aurelia Taxonomy: Wavekin (Jellyfish) Description: Unusual creatures, dissection has demonstrated that the Jellyfish is capable of a crude form of flight by expelling gas from its body. The tendrils of a jellyfish contain potent stinging barbs which … [Read more...]
Sastasha Seagrot – The Reaver’s Lair
Excerpt from ‘The history of Vylbrand, from Nym to Limsa Lominsa’ by Archon Niniri Niri. An extensive system of caverns on the western coast of Vylbrand, Sastasha was carved from the rock by eons of erosion. The cave’s initial inhabitants were the sahagin, an aquatic race of spoken hailing from the depths of the Indigo Deep. Common knowledge amongst the people of Western La Noscea dictates that the sahagin used the cove as a meeting place, and that the name ‘Sastasha’ derives from this, meaning ‘many shells’ in their native language. The cove is sometimes referred to by a longer name, Sastasha Seagrot, and Seagrot is likely a portmanteau of sea and grotto, with a grotto being a partially submerged cave system. Roughly … [Read more...]
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