Zone Summary: Ul’dah is a plutocracy in the merest wrapping of a monarchy, and so it needs access not only to overland trade but also the eternally lucrative ocean trade routes. Western Thanalan is this access, positioned directly opposite Vylbrand and dotted with ports and thoroughfares aplenty. The landscape of the western coast is one of the most valuable and fertile in Thanalan, and thus is home to many, varied species as well as imported food crops, and threats such as the Garlean remnants in Cape Westwind. When one studies the sites of interest in Western Thanalan one thing becomes obvious; it is a landscape defined by the wealth disparity of Ul’dah. The wealthy merchants of the Syndicate move their trade interests from one port … [Read more...]
Western Thanalan – FATEs, Quests and Leves
Summary: Ul'dah is a plutocracy in the merest wrapping of a monarchy, and so it needs access not only to overland trade but also the eternally lucrative ocean trade routes. Western Thanalan is this access, positioned directly opposite Vylbrand and dotted with ports and thoroughfares aplenty. The landscape of the western coast is one of the most valuable and fertile in Thanalan, and thus is home to many, varied species as well as imported food crops, and threats such as the Garlean remnants in Cape Westwind. When one studies the sites of interest in Western Thanalan one thing becomes obvious; it is a landscape defined by the wealth disparity of Ul'dah. The wealthy merchants of the Syndicate move their trade interests from one port to … [Read more...]
Western Thanalan – Sites of Interest
Zone Summary: Ul'dah is a plutocracy in the merest wrapping of a monarchy, and so it needs access not only to overland trade but also the eternally lucrative ocean trade routes. Western Thanalan is this access, positioned directly opposite Vylbrand and dotted with ports and thoroughfares aplenty. The landscape of the western coast is one of the most valuable and fertile in Thanalan, and thus is home to many, varied species as well as imported food crops, and threats such as the Garlean remnants in Cape Westwind. When one studies the sites of interest in Western Thanalan one thing becomes obvious; it is a landscape defined by the wealth disparity of Ul'dah. The wealthy merchants of the Syndicate move their trade interests from one port to … [Read more...]
Western Thanalan – Flora and Fauna
Zone Summary: Ul'dah is a plutocracy in the merest wrapping of a monarchy, and so it needs access not only to overland trade but also the eternally lucrative ocean trade routes. Western Thanalan is this access, positioned directly opposite Vylbrand and dotted with ports and thoroughfares aplenty. The landscape of the western coast is one of the most valuable and fertile in Thanalan, and thus is home to many, varied species as well as imported food crops, and threats such as the Garlean remnants in Cape Westwind. When one studies the sites of interest in Western Thanalan one thing becomes obvious; it is a landscape defined by the wealth disparity of Ul'dah. The wealthy merchants of the Syndicate move their trade interests from one port to … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of the Final Coil of Bahamut
Clockwork Spider Taxonomy: Forgekin (Clockwork Spider) Description: Fitted with enhanced weaponry and sophisticated defensive techniques, these clockwork spiders were also possessed of advanced AI allowing them to adapt quickly to emergent crises. Dark Matter Slime Taxonomy: Ashkin (Slime) Description: Slimes are produced when humors leaking out of corpses come to rest on an area enriched by earth aether. The earth aether adopts the aetheric energies left behind by the dead individual(s) and uses them to control the congealed biological material. These particular specimens seem to have come into contact with dark matter, a substance that is capable of melding with other materials and improving it. This … [Read more...]
The Final Coil of Bahamut
Excerpt from ‘Records on the Traverse of Dalamud’s Ruins – A Handbook for Scholars of Allag’ by Archon Niniri Niri. It was at the zenith of ancient Allag, during the second reign of Xande, the revived Emperor, that the elder primal Bahamut was captured and ensorcelled within a colossal metal sphere containing vast apparatus aimed at imprisoning the primal and draining its power. This sphere would later go on to gain the name Dalamud, likely a derivation of Bahamut’s own name by later peoples, and was intended to generate power enough not only to sustain the Empire, but to bring destruction upon it by the madness-invoked apocalyptic designs of the Emperor. The Warrior of Light, in conjunction with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and other … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of the Sunken Temple of Qarn (Hard)
Belah'dian Knight Taxonomy: Ashkin (Damned) Description: Presumably once the elite warriors and perhaps aristocratic scions of Belah'dia, these unliving remnants walked once more in order to defend the temple they were buried within. This may have been intentional as an attempt to defend the temple, or a result of the bloody wars that saw the end of Belah'dia, as catastrophe and tragedy can bring corpses back to life without direct intervention. Perhaps these warriors represent a martial tradition that the founders of Ul'dah would go on to draw from in their creation of the Sultansworn. Capabilities: The Belah'dian knights were able to 'ossify' their crumbling bodies in order to strengthen their physical … [Read more...]
The Sunken Temple of Qarn (Hard) – Reckless ‘Archaeology’
Excerpt from ‘The history of Thanalan, from Belah’dia to Ul’dah’ by Archon Niniri Niri. The Temple of Qarn, after being made safe by the intervention of a party of trusted adventurers, was given over to the Order of Nald’thal and the Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern in hopes of excavating the valuable secrets of Belah’dia. Unfortunately the approved authorities were not the only ones eager to unearth the treasures of Qarn, and a number of amateur adventurers triggered the traps hidden within, trapping the researchers in the Temple. Most urgently among these captives was Nenekko Neko, the daughter of the Concern’s chairman. The Sun Terrace Qarn opened on a wide plateau of elaborately carved stone lit with blue aether … [Read more...]
The Two Dynasties of Ul’Dah
From a small pamphlet entitled ‘A Primer on Eorzean Geopolitics for New Researchers’ by Archon Niniri Niri. The First Rule of Ul: The Ul dynasty is, in truth, a branch of the Belah'dian ruling dynasty, and emerged from that ancient bloodline in the year 964 of the Sixth Astral Era. The events that triggered this was the death of the reigning Sultan of Belah'dia and the succession crisis that ensued between Sasagan and Sasawefu, who had begun a civil war over the throne even before their father's demise, eventually culminating in the dissolution of Belah'dia in the year of 969 and the founding of Thanalan's twin nations, Sil'dih, ruled by Sasawefu and Ul'dah, under Sasagan, founder of the Ul dynasty. Soon after this founding Sasagan went … [Read more...]
The Bestiary of Halatali (Hard)
Pit Basilisk 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. The beasts of Halatali were used as training for gladiators and as part of spectacle fights in the arenas. Capabilities: The basilisks of Halatali were able to unleash the baleful energy of their 'cold gaze' in order to freeze and petrify the bodies of their prey. Pit Wolf Taxonomy: Beastkin (Wolf) Description: Fearsome pack creatures that roam the forests of Eorzea, wolves such as these were previously more or less harmless towards the spoken races and their holdings. With the cataclysmic … [Read more...]
