Clan Primer

Hunts

Bestiary

Clan Centurio

Bestiary

The Dalmascan Sands
Giza Plains
The Garamsythe Waterway
Barheim Passage
Lhusu Mines
The Yensan Sandsea
The Tomb of Raithwall

Sage Knowledge Index:
History
2. The Age of King Raithwall (057)  -  4. House Dalmasca (063)  -  5. House Solidor (061)

Society
8. Bazaar Goods (033)  -  9. Mist (031)  -  10. Terrestrial Conveyances (037)  -  11. Electricity and Magick (030)  -  14. Airships (028)  -  16. The Ifrit (026)  -  17. The Shiva (009) -  18. The Leviathan (011)  -  19. The Bahamut (049)  -  21. The Strahl (054)  -  25. Marks (018)

The World
29. Ivalice (012)  -  30. Ordalia (016)  -  33. Purvama, The Floating Lands (043)  -  34. Kingdom of Dalmasca (002)  -  38. Jagd (058)

Places
39. Rabanastre (014)  -  40. Lowtown (008)  -  41. Royal Palace (024)  -  42. The Garamsythe Waterway (022)  -  43. Nalbina Fortress (007)  -  44. Nalbina Fortress & Dungeons (029)
45. Barheim Passage (040)  -  46. Dalmasca Estersand (003)  -  47. Dalmasca Westersand (005)
48. Giza Plains (010)  -  49. Ogir-Yensa Sandsea (050)  -  50. Nam-Yensa Sandsea (051) 
52. The Tomb of Raithwall (062)  -  53. Bhujerba (043)  -  54. Lhusu Mines (042)

*Numbers in parentheses indicate the bestiary entry the chapter can be found in.

The Tomb of Raithwall

056: Seeker

Genus – Avion Classification – Steeling

Observations: Being a sort of steeling, its body cloaked in fine white fur, and favoring darkness to the light of day.

Known to employ shrieks of an extremely high pitch as a means to navigate in the gloom, as well as to deprive potential prey of their sense of direction, a more conventional approach being used thereafter to deprive them of their lives.

Mainly feeding upon smaller creatures, but known to attack larger foes in packs on occasion, giving rise to the extraordinary sight of a flight of white-winged creatures speckled crimson with fresh blood.

Philosophical Musings: This wing, covered as it is in snow-white fur, is the most exceptionally beautiful steeling artifact. Should the fur be rich and even in its length and set, the wing becomes even more beautiful - a perfect work of art.

To the trained eye of the collector, its value is beyond question. That is why I seek out these bat wings and store them reverently as another might horde precious jewels.

057: Lost Soul

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: Men whose souls have been wrenched from the flesh and made to march to another's tune are called lost souls. Sightings of these poor creatures serving as guards for ancient ruins or graves are common. In modern times, even those with power and title are prevented from performing the rituals of extraction necessary to fashion these monstrosities, hopefully ensuring that none shall ever more be made. To release their souls from bondage, no other means is known save to pulverize their bones and return them to the earth.

Sage Knowledge (2 of 78): The Age of King Raithwall: Many were the countries and kingdoms dotting Ivalice, and many were the wars waged in this time. Legend says that Raithwall, a noble from a small country in Valendia, was granted a sword and magicite from the gods, and with these artifacts, a mission: to unify the land. His strategic genius and deep empathy with his people were evident in his rule of Valendia, and from there he went on to take control of the remaining two continents. Soon all Ivalice belonged to the Galtean Alliance, and a Golden Age had begun.

Now king of all he surveyed, Raithwall's was a benevolent and just reign, guiding the Alliance for near half a century. After his death, the Alliance held firm and knew peace and prosperity for four hundred years until its dissolution with the passing of the last of Raithwall's direct descendants.

058: Lesser Chimera

Genus – Fiend Classification – Cockatrice

Observations: In times now ancient, mages worked magicks upon captured cockatrices to effect the eldritch creation of these twisted beings. They are possessed of a singularly wicked intellect, which they use to its full extent for the infliction of pain upon their enemies.

Their wings shine as the rainbow, each bearing a blazing red eye marking that shifts from side to side as they move, these being used to discourage foes larger than they, and for purposes of attracting a mate during the mating season.

Sage Knowledge (38 of 78): Jagd: Regions of Mist-laden winds and magicite-rich soil, precluding the proper operation of skystone.

Shifts in weather have been known to make jagd where once there was none, though the reverse has never been recorded by the chroniclers of such things.

As airships cannot operate in jagd, no such region is under the control of a major country, making the jagds lawless, perilous places.

059: Zombie Mage

Genus – Undead Classification – Zombie

Observations: Behold the fate of the sorcerer who seeks to satisfy his dark intellectual curiosity by means of the abnormal extension of his natural lifespan!

Alas, though all manner of precaution be taken, he cannot stop the wearying gradual decay of the flesh.

Yet what other means hath he to know the mysteries of this world? How many have walked his grim path?

We shall never know, for they guard their secrets fiercely with tooth and nail to their graves and beyond.

Aletap Rumors: When we think of travelers, we think, perhaps, of people without ties to any place or thing... but this is not so! Take, for instance, clothing. The longer the journey one intends to make, the more important the clothes you must pack.

Of the many choices available, traveler's vestments are held in highest esteem.

Made of braid wool and tanned hides, purchase one of these, and you've bought yourself a lightweight garment that feels great against the skin, with little or no chafing!

Tongo, Morpher Apprentice

060: Skull Warrior

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: Cold bones sheathed in armor forged of a strong alloy, wielding a blade with more skill and more cruelty than any warrior alive. Perhaps all were as skilled in the forgotten past, for this undead creature's bearing, arms, and armor are of an ancient style.

Indeed, the skull warrior's skill with a spear illuminates the old ways of war in a fashion more vivid and fearsome than any tome on the subject could hope to effect. Though pale by comparison, even a modern interpretation of the spearman's art is not to be underestimated when employed by a dedicated practitioner.

The Town Crier: Hear ye! Announcing a feat of hunting mastery such as the world has never seen! Donatelos the White Mage has trounced all existing records in the annual city gathering of hunters. As you know, each year contestants vie to see who might slay the most creatures designated as that year's quarry.

This year's target: the fiendish skull warrior! A tally has been made of broken spears retrieved, and Donatelos has distinguished himself for eternity with an incredible haul of 126! Honor to the champion!

061: Lich

Genus – Undead Classification – Ghost

Observations: Of the legions of ghosts that cling to this world, the greatest are called liches.

When a man dies with hatred enduring, he is rent from his station in this life, and given new station in undeath according to the depth of his passion… a testament indeed to the depths of the evil manifest in these kings among the dead.

Sage Knowledge (5 of 78): House Solidor: A noble Archadian family having a permanent seat on the Senate, and de facto control over the Ministry of Law.

In the days following Archadia's establishment as an empire, House Solidor found itself in opposition to the then-powerful military. Having won the ensuing struggle, it then initiated far-reaching revisions to the law in an attempt to prevent any further challenge to its supremacy. Subsequently, the Ministry of Law was created to monitor the military, with the order of Judges at its head.

House Solidor's firm grip on the workings of the Empire can be felt to this day, with Emperor Gramis the fourth in a succession of Solidor emperors.

062: Ragoh

Genus – Construct Classification – Facer

Observations: Once a proud statue set to protect the Tomb of Raithwall for all eternity, the blades and horns on its head being symbols of the Dynast-King's authority and power.

On a fell day, monsters intruded the sanctum of the tomb, and with them came a great surge in the Mist within. Perhaps this caused the mechanisms of its control to fail, for now it is no better than the beasts it was charged to keep away, and it will rampage down death-corridors until it is given its final rest.

Sage Knowledge (52 of 78): The Tomb of Raithwall: West of the Jagd Yensa, deep in the Valley of the Dead, lies the tomb of Dynast-King Raithwall, a titanic stone structure built during the age of the Galtean Alliance to celebrate his subjugation of the lands bordering the Naldoan sea.

Inside can be found many technologies and architectural marvels beyond the ken of modern man. In addition to Raithwall's crypt, the tomb contains priceless royal treasure, and only those with proof of direct lineage are suffered within. Intruders are met with traps and guardians most terrible. Though the sky pirates know of the treasure's existence, none have succeeded in its theft as yet.

063: Tallow

Genus – Amorph Classification – Flan

Observations: Being an amorph appearing most often in those ancient ruins of religious power and ensorceled bearing.

The nodules of metal that float freely through its body suggest a previous existence as a statue, perhaps set to guard whatever building the ruins once were. Regardless, it has now melted beyond recognition.

The inexhaustible flame atop its head is the source of its life-energy, leading some to theorize (and not without merit) that the flame is indeed a fire elemental forever bound to a strange, slimy master.

Sage Knowledge (4 of 78): House Dalmasca: Bloodline begun by the second prince of Dalmasca to take up the mantle of rule after King Raithwall's passing.

The reign of Raithwall's direct descendants, House Galtea, drew to a close after 400 years, marking the end of the Galtean Alliance, and the beginning of rule by House Dalmasca.

Dalmascan reign continued for nearly seven centuries, until the Archadian invasion brought their era to an end.

The Yensan Sandsea

050: Alraune

Genus – Plant Classification – Mandragora

Observations: A curiously sentient plant-like creature favoring warm climes, both tropical and arid.

The horns on their heads are used for cracking rock-salt, from which they draw the salinity that sustains their life.

The vines spreading like a mask from their necks have led to the classification of these creatures as a sub-variety of mandragora. Apparently, however, the distinctive viny ruff is a source of much frustration to the creatures, and they can often be seen clawing at them, looking much like irritated pets clawing at a leash.

Sage Knowledge (49 of 78): Ogir-Yensa Sandsea: A desert region in the west of the Jagd Yensa, most of it covered in fine-grain sand that ebbs and flows like water, compared from antiquity to a sea.

Abandoned drilling rigs can be found here and there, dotted about the ever-shifting terrain. In the past, the Rozarrian Empire sought to draw rich oils from the ground here, but relentless attacks from the Urutan Yensa, who consider the sandsea to be solely theirs, drove them away. Men are now a rare sight inside the desert borders.

051: Danbania

Genus – Ichthian Classification – Pirahna

Observations: Being a variety of ichthon traveling the desert regions in flocks formed around a lone bull danbania.

It is a peculiarity of their physiology that a bone juts forth from the lower jaw like a spear. Their brownish-yellow coloration perfectly blends in with the sands, camouflaging them from their greatest natural predator, the wyvern.

Their fins are highly evolved for scooping at the wind, lifting them upwards, and by flapping them as a bird flaps its wings, they can fly with ease.

Sage Knowledge (50 of 78): Nam-Yensa Sandsea: The desert in the west of the Jagd Yensa. Fine sand beats in waves against the feet of the rolling dunes of this region which, together with the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, is called the Great Yensan Sandsea.

To the west of the Nam-Yensa lies the gorge known as the Valley of the Dead, so called because it has been the scene of many an ill-starred adventurer's demise.

052: Axebeak

Genus – Avion Classification – Cockatrice

Observations: Easily identified by its band of colored plumage, which rivals that of even the most exotic jungle fowl, this creature makes its home in the sun-baked desert climes of Ivalice.

Adventurers be warned, its cheerfully colorful appearance belies a violent nature, and its beak is as sharp as the weapon after which it is named.

Generally feeding upon smaller creatures, they have also been known to gather in packs for the hunting of larger prey.

Our Daily Burden: Let the Egg Sing of Miracles, Let it Sing for the Children!

So pleads Kirus Andii in her latest song of succor for the orphans of war.

Since ancient times, rainbow eggs have been prized as a miracle food - a rich source of nutrition in a small, easily portable package. Recently, however, the egg's rich taste has attracted the appetites of the wealthy, the concomitant rise in price lifting this amazing food out of the reach of those who need it most.

053: Yensa

Genus – Ichthian Classification – Yensa

Observations: Being a great sandfish, living in the Sandsea of the Jags Yensa that, when full-grown, becomes a bull yensa.

Though commonly found moving through the sands, they do occasionally surface. Their outside being covered in a sheath of bony scales, from beneath which is secreted a viscous slime having the likeness of a membrane, this being to repel the intrusion of sand.

The Urutan-Yensa have learned the art of harnessing these beasts as an excellent means of travel across the trackless Sandsea.

The Town Crier: The Iron Stomach, a guild of tasters known for its lust to discover new edibles at any cost, has discovered yet another delicacy!

Known as the yensa fin, it's not only delicious, but reasonably priced to boot! The response from housekeepers has been universally positive.

One such convert recommends a soup broth for bringing out the fin's full flavor. A book of recipes is in the works!

054: Wyvern

Genus – Dragon Classification – Wyvern

Observations: This strain of dragon possesses both the sharpened talons of a tyrant wyrm, and the wings of a wyvern, the latter having been traded for forelimbs at some point in the creature's eons-long development.

Particularly fond of the flesh of the danbania fish, they wheel through the upper air, searching with keen eye for their next meal.

Of the same strain, the more aged individuals are called bell-wyvern, thought to be emissaries of the war gods for their effect on warriors in the field, who are inspired to great acts of foolhardy courage and bravery by the merest sight of these mighty creatures in motion.

Sage Knowledge (21 of 78): The Strahl: Airship designed and built by YPA, a shipwright's guild of Archades.

Officially named the YPA-GB47 Test Combat Fighter, production was halted after the completion of a single test model due to dissatisfaction on the part of the Imperial customer with the costly dual-movable-wing design. Scheduled for scrapping, Balthier liberated the ship at the last moment.

Balthier has since modified the Strahl to his tastes with a new engine and numerous other augmentations, making it a very different ship from the one envisaged by its YPA inventors.

055: Salamand Entite

Genus – Salamand Entite Classification – Elemental

Observations: When the gods looked down on Man, shivering in his ignorance, they bestowed upon him the gift of fire. So did the gods give both warmth and knowledge to Man.

Gradually, Man grew wiser, and made many things. Yet, when war came, he used the fire of the gods for the taking of life, and the gods became angry, scorching the world. In this inferno was born the salamand entite.

The Entite Pact: To prevent the ne'er-sated hunger of flame from consuming all, drink only from that water which will ne'er parch, and thereby shall it be sated.

Only then shall the shining electrum be revealed at last beneath burnt-weary ash.

The Lhusu Mines

042: Vampyr

Genus – Undead Classification – Steeling

Observations: Being a variety of steeling draped in crimson fur.

The most vampyric of their ilk, obtaining sustenance from other creatures' blood alone.

Making their abode in magicite mines and other darkened places, they feed on beasts and miners alike.

Because of this, they are renowned for spreading disease, and depriving many
a mine of its entire workforce in the space of days.

Sage Knowledge (54 of 78): Lhusu Mines: A crystal mine located on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Many years have passed since the ore veins were first discovered here, yet even today, high-quality ores are found and processed in these well-worked shafts.

Many claim that the success of the mines is due to a project begun many centuries past by the Ondore family, whereby mining across their domains was closely regulated, never permitting too much to be drawn from one place, thereby allowing the magicite crystals to naturally recover.

The Lhusu Mines are most famous for their high caliber of skystone, the material which enables airships to ply the skies, and memstone, a variety of magicite that can store sound and even images in its unique crystalline structure.

Unfortunately, the dense concentrations of Mist in the mines lure all manner of beasts, and when mining expeditions are planned, palings must be erected to keep such creatures at bay.

043: Headless

Genus – Giant Classification – Headless

Observations: The Headless are surmised to be criminals of the dark lands whence they came. So called for the harnesses they must wear, obscuring their bowed heads.

These poor souls are tortured to distraction, their only hope of release being to coat their harnesses in the fresh blood of others. Thus they cut with blades both cruel and sharp, and in hideous ritual, rub the severed limbs of their victims upon themselves.

Sage Knowledge (53 of 78): Bhujerba: An autonomous city-state found on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Originally formed as a magicite mining colony with the advent of airship travel. The magicite mines of the skylands are superior to crystal mines on the surface in both quantity and quality of ore, and Bhujerba developed quickly on fortunes born of rock.

During the years of the Galtean Alliance, the Ondore family took over much of the daily business of Bhujerba's governance, a rule which continues to this day. Their neutral stance during the Archadian invasion two years ago positioned them as mediators of the peace negotiations that followed.

Like much of Dorstonis, Bhujerba is a city of hills and sloping boulevards. Merchant houses and shops are clustered near the peaks, while residences are found in the valleys. At the very bottom of the hills lies the network of crystalline shafts known as the Lhusu Mines.

Many visitors come to Bhujerba to enjoy the open-air parks with spectacular views only available to those who live in the sky. Very rarely does anyone fall from the skycity, and curiously enough, not a single death has been reported to have resulted from such an occurrence to date.

044: Killer Mantis

Genus – Insect Classification – Mantis

Observations: Being a great insect with forelimbs resembling sharp scythes. The head being directly attached to, and forming a part of, the creature's upper body. The forelimb blades being jointed in three places, the better to grasp prey, their tips sharp as needles.

While aggressive, they are also known to be quite cautious, raising their scythes at the first sign of danger to threaten and give warning to potential predators.

Aletap Rumors: Know what happens if you take entite lightning and direct the charge at electrum?

I'll tell you: you get gold. Or something quite close, at least. Once, the stuff was used in all manner of weapons, for the look. These days, you'll find little other than the odd golden axe that still uses the stuff.

So you see, all that glitters really isn't gold.

Pantages, Alchemickal Scholar

045: Dullahan

Genus – Giant Classification – Headless

Observations: Being a fallen angel with guilt-burdened wings, its behaloed head cut off and a cruel brace set in its place.

Though originally emissaries sent to warn mankind of unnatural death, they came to enjoy the grim spectacle.

The swords they wield are called "blood brands," a sign of their bloody treachery against humanity.

Sage Knowledge (33 of 78): Purvama, The Floating Lands: A great landmass, floating in the skies above the Naldoan Sea. Such landmasses are not uncommon, found throughout Ivalice in every sort and size, though the manner of their formation remains a mystery.

The region in which they float has some bearing on their climate, however most are warm to subtropical, boasting primordial jungles in which flora and fauna both rare and wondrous can be seen.

The crust of these floating islands boasts a high magicite concentration, and after airships became a common mode of transport, mining colonies sprung up on the richest outcrops.

Bhujerba, in Dorstonis, is the largest of the skycities, and oversees the administration of many of the rest.

046: Bug

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: Being a rare strain of mimic, its shell turned a jet black due to magicite consumption in the larval stage.

While the magicite content of its body works to harden its shell against attacks, this effect is lost outside of magicite-rich areas.

Consequently, all attempts at laboratory inquiry into the creature have been in vain, and its mechanisms for absorbing the power of magicite remain a mystery.

Aletap Rumors: Metal of the highest grade is being traded as fast as it hits the market.

Word has it that a certain war council's seen which way the winds blow, and is pouring all its efforts into gearing up for the coming conflict. What's more, it's begun buying up broken weapons from anyone who'll sell.

I suppose even a notched blade is better than a handful of gil when the going gets rough.

Sosi, Navigator

047: Dark Lord

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: No warrior band of flesh and blood has followed so dark a leader as this cold corpse, wrapped in armor caked in the gore of countless slaughtered enemies. Chilling though it may be, there is reason behind this macabre decoration: in the barbaric past, it was thought that true victory came when you defeated not only the body, but the soul of your enemy. Once the physical vessel of the soul was slain, the victim's remains were defiled and rubbed on the victor's armor withal, so that the soul would find no sanctuary but the arms of its enemy. Yet the hatred of the fallen placed a curse upon these men, trapping them in their grisly armor even in death, and so they fell to dark wanderings.

Aletap Rumors: Not all souls are created equal, my friend. Hmm? No, I ain't no mission'ry tryin' to peddle me faith.

Try listenin' with your ears, not your mouth. Accordin' to my information, and it's as good as its kind gets, the ones what top the list are called empyreal souls, see?

It'd take a hero o' legend, or a first-class crook what's got himself a serious reputation to make that grade.

Dolura-eh-Ro, Streetear

048: Pandora

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: Some boxes are made to be opened, others to remain closed. A prime example of the latter is none other than the pandora, a fiendish creature that assumes the look of a chest or coffer, granting death to any who open it.

But o, the folly! For still it is whispered that the taboo upon the death-box's opening is nothing more than a rumor spread by those avaricious few who would claim the treasures inside for themselves! How many, hearing this, have opened what they believed to be a boon only to find a bane.

A Curious Treasure: Though it appears to be naught but a puppeteer's fantasy, the pandora is a crafty creature, with complex, highly developed innards that somehow harness the power of lightning. Where blood flows in our veins, lightning flows in theirs.

Its heart, charged with the task of sending that lightning to the rest of its body, works much like the engine of an airship. Mechanists call this unusual organ the wrath of the gods.

049: Gazer

Genus – Undead Classification – Reaper

Observations: Being a demon-reaper, said to sense the presence of sinful knowledge with the gleaming, baleful eye in the middle of its forehead.

Look into its depths and there you will see the reflection of all your sins, a revelation which will drive you to madness.

How many have stopped asudden, stricken by the accumulated weight of guilt, even as the cold, cruel claws of the gazer stripped their soul of its earthly husk?

Sage Knowledge (19 of 78): The Bahamut: No. 1 Sky Fortress Class Airship

Belonging to the western divisions of the Archadian Imperial Army, a mobile fortress and tactical base, under the control of the commandant of the Archadian forces, Lord Vayne.

This was the last sky fortress designed by Dr. Cid, powered both by ordinary skystone and manufacted nethicite, the latter absorbing Mist from its surroundings to generate the massive amounts of energy the fortress requires to function.

The Barheim Passage

028: Steeling

Genus – Avion Classification – Steeling

Observations: Being an avion possessed of clawed hands and a deep purple hue as though 'twere cut from the dark cloth of night.

From the records of the naturalist Merlose: "Liveth they in the dark places, feeding on the life-humors of other monstrosities."

It is known to the modern natural philosophers that they are not "guided through the black by the devil's hand" as was once suggested, but instead that they employ a cry of such high pitch that it is as silence to hume ears, and by its echoing do they navigate with uncanny precision.

It is a peculiarity of their ilk that they hunt often in packs, whence comes our common expression "Wings o' leather, flock together."

Sage Knowledge (14 of 78): Airships: Airborne craft, developed by moogles centuries ago. They float by the power of skystone, and are given direction and speed by means of propeller or glossair ring.

Currently, they are one of the most popular forms of transport in Ivalice, and the skyroutes are comfortably the busiest of the highways linking the major cities. Airships range in size from private yachts to giant military warcraft.

Unable to fly in jagd, where skystone is ineffective.

029: Suriander

Genus – Beast Classification – Toad

Observations: Being a carnivorous beast commonly dwelling near shallow bodies of water.

Though their feet lack the webbing of other aquatic creatures, the fins on their tails can be threshed in a sideways manner, propelling them with frightening celerity.

Their horns being used to contest dominance over females, and determining standing in the herd by virtue of length. Such with smaller horns learn swiftly to keep out of harms way. While they are normally quite docile, during the mating season they can be easily agitated, and attack asudden with a great whooping cry.

Sage Knowledge (44 of 78): Nalbina Fortress & Dungeons: A great dungeon, created when the Archadian army sealed off the lower levels of Nalbina Fortress. Originally a complex lowtown region. In addition to the usual collection of petty thieves and murderers, its inmates include political dissenters and prisoners of war from the Dalmascan and Nabradian armies, all thrown together without discrimination, separation, or order. An oubliette has been created in the depths of the fortress to hold those prisoners whose cases await judgment before the Court of Archadia.

030: Mimic

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: Being an insectoid with four sharpened limbs and a hard, metallic shell.

Preferring to feast upon brains of high intellect, whereby they may improve their own faculties. By arranging their own carapaces to resemble a coffer, they wait for unwitting prey to "open" them, thereby proving some modicum of intelligence, and thus suitability for consumption.

It is most often humes, wracked with base greed, who fall prey to this simple but efficacious ruse, which in turn has made humes the mainstay of the mimic's diet.

Sage Knowledge (11 of 78): Electricity and Magick: With the discovery and harnessing of electricity, it was suddenly possible to operate devices of a far larger scale than ever before conceived.

However, the vast quantity of solid fuel required to generate electrical power, and the development of methods to artificially condense Mist, led to the latter supplanting the former as the dominant usable energy source in Ivalice.

Only the most energy-hungry devices still use electricity today.

031: Zombie

Genus – Undead Classification – Zombie

Observations: Being a corpse exhumed, bound by foul magicks, and enslaved. The corruption of the flesh is advanced, its stench both rank and cloying withal.

As exposure to the sun's rays speeds this decay, they are oft conditioned for nocturnal activity.

Perhaps due to this, they seem to shun even the lesser light of candles &c.

Sage Knowledge (9 of 78): Mist: Naturally occurring energy, found in almost all regions of the world, affecting all living things, the climate, and even the land itself.

Magick is but one of the diverse methods of harnessing the power of Mist, the most common being via its controlled release from magicite, an ore known to hold high concentrations of condensed Mist within its crystalline structure. For larger effects, a greater amount of Mist is required, making particularly rich magicite a valuable commodity.

There are marked regional differences in the amount of Mist contained in the atmosphere and soil. While typically invisible to the naked eye, high densities of Mist will occasionally manifest in very visible phenomena.

The highest concentrations of Mist can even do damage, leading to over-rapid changes in the environment, and violent behavior among animals and those more sensitive to the Mist's effects.

032: Tiny Mimic

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: The wandering nature of these creatures has been attributed to their apparent predilection for hunting prey of high intelligence.

From their diet of Nature's intelligentsia, they receive nutrients to aid their own development, and it so follows that fledglings are often vapid and dull. Some strains, however, such as the tiny bug, never leave the larval stage, and so die as poor of wit as they were when they were born.

Talk About Town: I should think you know by now that arrows, shot, and the like are a prized commodity in these parts, eh?

Most of them, you see, must be imported from other lands! We've none but ourselves to blame, mind you. If only there were a few more people here with the skill to craft them…

Aye, that's why you'll be going to the bazaar for your munitions. Bring some scales or fangs and you'll get what you need.

Gobalta, Merchant

033: Skeleton

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: Many are those who bear burdens through life, and fail to relinquish them at the moment of death. Weighted down, they attain not heaven, but are cast aside to wander the land as skeletons.

Robbed of the pardon of flesh, they are cursed to walk for eons, till their very bones are reduced to ash.

Only when they are undone and gone from this world, and nothing remains to bear that which they should not have borne, will they permit themselves eternal sleep.

Sage Knowledge (8 of 78): Bazaar Goods: Loot from monsters and the like are crafted into articles fit for sale.

Some of these are little more than refinements on the base materials.

Others require crystals, concoctions, and alchemy to produce. Few require too much skill or effort, though, making crafted articles a common sight at market, their quality, if not quite their appearance, being hardly distinguishable from that of regularly produced goods. If one is lucky, one might find some articles selling for below the going rate.

034: Battery Mimic

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: What strange manner of creature, to so readily absorb the crackling power of electricity!

Having absorbed an appropriate amount of nourishment from their feast of lightning, they discharge spectacularly, this being their primary form of excretion.

Forgoing food of substance, their life-span is pitifully short.

Aletap Rumors: Witness the marksman! You'll find that the steadiest of arms and truest of aims belong to the most cautious, cowardly fellows of the bunch. These be they that use silent shot and like trickery to make sure that, when that one killing shot misses its mark, it draws no unfriendly attention.

Just between you and me, I've found through plentiful study that this shot be made with magickal processes of a most special variety, requiring darkness trapped within a certain kind of scale! A scale!

Ffrimllad, Mage

035: Specter

Genus – Undead Classification – Ghost

Observations: The shapeless emotion of fear, coalesced and made manifest by magicks.

Fear remains in traces for a time where men have been slaughtered, and it is there, in aceldama, where specters are known to arise.

As their bodies are composed of little more than fear itself, other emotions are anathema to them, and liable to incite attack. In defense of their very substance, they will rend their victim's soul from its bodily cage, leaving naught behind but fear. Thus are new specters born.

Aletap Rumors: The markets are astir with the news that a great storm of some duration has made it impossible for the lands by the Eastern Sea to fish.

When the storm breaks, 'twill be a rush on the waters. No doubt why everyone and his cousin is looking to get their angling supplies in good order. If you've any horn or foul flesh to be sold for bait, now's the time!

Why, they're selling for as much as it costs to buy an imported javelin or the like, I hear. There's never been a better time to sell!

Soma, Apprentice Swordsman

036: Tiny Battery

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: Gaze upon the larval form of the battery mimic and despair. Wracked with hunger from the moment of birth, every moment of these poor creatures' lives is spent in pursuit of sustenance.

Technically, they can be considered to be in a constant state of starvation until maturity, and are prone to attack any perceived obstruction to their feeding. On rare occasions, a tiny battery possessing a modicum of intellect is born. Theories that these gifted grubs become queens have gained some following of late.

Street Corner Musings: When things want craftin', a rock what's got magick in it, even a sniff, is the order o' the day.

Now you don't need to know what to do with it, but you do need to know this: Adventurers need society just like society needs adventurers. "What's that got to do with the price o' potions, Leryll?" I hear you ask. Well, them very same stones what you adventurers earn an honest gil floggin' at market just happen to make the world go 'round, too. Simple as that. ...How'd you know my name, anyway?

Leryll, Archer

037: Mimeo

Genus – Insect Classification – Mimic

Observations: Being a creature whose substance is almost entirely metallic.

That its parts so close resemble commonly worked metals assists its camouflage. Few are they who deem an unmoving lump of iron to be just cause for alarm, and so do the corpses of the foolish congregate around such innocuous deposits.

Sage Knowledge (10 of 78): Terrestrial Conveyances: We all are told at one time or another, but how many of us recall that Ivalice is covered with mimic-germinites? Easy to forget, as they have little impact on living creatures, but any moogle worth his hammer could tell you the horribly corrosive effect the little devils have on the metals most often used for engines and vehicles.

All the better for airships, which fly high above the germinite clouds, yet a sorry state of affairs for those who would make their journeys on land.

The next time you see a party traveling by chocobo and chocobo-led wagon, you will know why they're the preferred means of overland transport, won't you.

038: Flan

Genus – Amorph Classification – Flan

Observations: Being an amorph, coated in slime, its eyes and mouth having a most evil aspect.

They know no distinction of sex, instead absorbing prey until enough bulk has been gleaned, whereupon they divide their mass, creating offspring in this manner.

Recent research has shown striking similarities in the magickal ordering of these creatures with the ordering seen in naturally occurring Mist, leading some to believe that their generation is tied to Mist at a fundamental level.

The Town Crier: The Iron Stomach, a guild of tasters known for its roster of legendary chefs, has announced a new dessert!

Called "flan" after the creature of the same name, and fashioned to look much like its namesake, its popularity is rising as a hunter's treat.

In an astonishing example of creature influencing dessert influencing creature, it has become common practice to refer to the darkened region near the flan's head as "caramel," a truer sign of the dessert's popularity than any of its creators could ever have hoped for.

039: Skull Defender

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: Being the corpse of a fallen warrior, plated in armor of pale bronze. Brave and eager for battle in life, they continue to lust for war in undeath.

From their preferred haunts of man-made caves and mines, some skull defenders are thought to be fallen hunters, slain in their quest for a mark.

Aletap Rumors: Rumor has it that the island nations to the west lack the iron to make decent quality fishing goods. Apparently, they use one grade of iron for the weapons they export, and a cheaper grade for the goods they use in their everyday lives.

Seems to me, they could lower the quality of their iron swords and solve the problem, but I think they've too much pride for that.

Tor'Na Moode, Swordsman

040: Bomb

Genus – Fiend Classification – Bomb

Observations: An ensorceled weapon for use against mages in days past, left to grow wild. Known to react swiftly to the presence of magick, the action of which triggering the explosive energies contained within.

Notwithstanding, the release of said energy leads to an explosion of a physical nature, making it greatly effective against targets who rely upon magickal protection. Many are the mages who hesitate to work magicks around bombs and their ilk.

Sage Knowledge (45 of 78): Barheim Passage: An underground passage beneath the fortress at Nalbina. Originally a railway to carry goods into the fortress, the passage was closed with the introduction of airships as the primary means of transport.

The abandoned railway line is now rife with Mist, and the dwelling place of
many fell beasts.

041: Dead Bones

Genus – Undead Classification – Skeleton

Observations: The fate of such who sought to barter with demons for exemption from death, yet were found by the Reaper all the same. Their souls filled with dark energies, they are cursed to live another life, a half-life, as punishment.

To add to their torment, the dark energies within them slowly devour their being, causing endless pain. And so people speak of these tortured souls, these dead bones, with pity, relieved that their fate is theirs alone.

Mysteries of the Ancients: Why did the ancients perish? Given what we know of their strength and power as a race, it is difficult to fathom.

The level of technology and magickal potency exhibited by their relics are, in many ways, far superior to our own. So, why did they die? Could it be that, for all our preparations, a similar fate awaits us? To solve this riddle, it is imperative that we study what ancient bones are left to us, and thereby shed light upon a past which may predict our future.