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...]
