The Pharos
175. Pharos: Abaddon
GENUS: Beast
CLASSIFICATION: Toad
[1/2] Observations
Being the beasts born from the bones of an ancient creature that has long lain dead within the Pharos. Of these, the most violent are called bulls, and greatly feared by even their own kin.
Thick purple veins stripe its body, constantly oozing viscous fluid, by which action impurities are removed from the creature's blood. The foul discharge serves also as a slippery second skin, deflecting the blades and claws of those who would do it harm.
[2/2] Sage Knowledge (62 of 78)
The Port at Balfonheim
Prosperous port on the Naldoan Sea renowned for its rich fishing grounds. In addition to fishing, the port is known for its shipwrights and their numerous contributions to the advancement of seacraft. Though demand has dropped with the spread of airships, the wrights are still able to turn a profit on their craft.
The power in Balfonheim rests with the sea captains and pirates of wealth. Though belonging in name to the Archadian Empire, well-placed regular bribes have ensured the city autonomous governance.
The city itself is small, being a classic port town, with many stone-cobbled alleyways winding between buildings which hug the curve of the hills. Fresh seafood can be found in the market stalls daily, along with many other items brought by traders and pirates.
Several waterways run through the city, some carrying drinking water, others used as canals for the transport of goods.
The manse of Pirate King Reddas stands in the western quarter of Balfonheim.
176. Pharos: Chimera Brain
GENUS: Fiend
CLASSIFICATION: Cockatrice
[1/2] Observations
Sorcerers twisted into fell beings by the spiteful magicks of rivals. Though full half of their wit be dissipated by ensorcelment, they still possess great magickal power. perhaps because of their history, they fear mages greatly, and travel in packs for strength.
[2/2] Report #A0075 O.P.O.D.
Eat the head of the wise, and his wisdom you shall gain! Like eating food whence to gain nourishment.
To determine the truth of this, I have just now eaten a whole chimera head. No effects as yet. On the morrow, we shall see.
---No further entries, poacher no longer at large. Ivestigation closed, by Imperial Decree.
Sgt. Xerse of the 8th
177. Pharos: Bune
GENUS: Giant
CLASSIFICATION: Headless
[1/2] Observations
Being the avatar of a demon summoned by ritual. Unlike other demons, to protect is its bounden duty...but that which it protects need not be a person or a place. Some are set to protect the calm of a town, or the peace in a city. Scops sing of these curious creations as the gentle hand of evil.
[2/2] Research Notes
Engrave naked steel with this special pattern, work magicks into the steel over several days, and it will transform into the never-rusting alloy known as Damascus steel.
This tempering process works only with steel, and is utterly ineffectual when applied to other metals.
This is due to the presence of the power of Earth within steel, and being neither too abundant nor too sparse, and accounts for the recent rise in metal's price.
178. Pharos: Magic Pot
GENUS: Fiend
CLASSIFICATION: ???
[1/2] Observations
Not a single report of this curious and rare fiend's capture or slaying has ever been circulated.
In the past, these creatures were demons of legendary might, foes unto the gods themselves. The gods feared them and their power, and so changed their form to that of a harmless pot.
Though their strength be stolen, and their temperament cooled by transformation, they still possess terrible magickal powers. Anyone seeking to best one of these beings is advised to approach with caution, and perhaps a show of good-will, too, lest they suspect and strike the first blow... for it might well be the last.
[2/2] Sage Knowledge (7 of 78)
The Light of Kiltia
Religion begun by the prophet Kiltia over two millennia ago. The religion of the Ordalian peoples is a dualistic system -- a polytheistic pantheon with a God of Light, Faram the Father, at its head.
After embarking on a pilgrimage to proselytize and deliver the word of the vision he had seen to the people, Kiltia came to Mt But-Omisace, and from there his teachings spread. The Light of Kiltia, as his teachings were called, continued even after his death, until they covered all of Ivalice. Though the followers and churches of Kiltia are spread far and wide, they do not interfere in affairs of state or governance.
Though at one point the church held considerable influence, they willingly discarded that power, fearing oppression. Ever since, church officials with the rank of celebrant or higher have been forbidden from participating in statecraft. In addition, Mt Bur-Omisace maintains a mutual non-incursion policy with the surrounding territories. Several years after Kiltia's founding, Saint Ajora began a new teaching, claiming that Faram alone was the one true god, the popularity of this new sect further lessening the power of the Light.
179. Pharos: Reaver
GENUS: Giant
CLASSIFICATION: Behemoth
[1/2] Observations
Being a giant entity with the power to cross the divide between this world and the spirit world. Its body is highly muscled, requiring massive amounts of energy to sustain movement, as the reacher's voracious appetite for the flesh of other creatures well attests.
The horns atop its head are of incredible hardness, able to notch even adamantite.
On rare occasions, a reaver of exceptional strength is born, this being a high reaver, and even more to be feared than the more common variety.
[2/2] Sage Knowledge (68 of 78)
The Pharos of Ridorana
Giant tower standing on an island near the Ridorana Cataract.
Though not actually a lighthouse, a curious light emits from its upper reaches, piercing the darkest night, so earning it the name of the Pharos. Similarities can be seen between the architectural style of the tower and that of the ruins about it, but there are none who know the details of its creation.
180. Pharos: Crusader
GENUS: Undead
CLASSIFICATION: Skeleton
[1/2] Observations
Being an undead warrior of some former renown, wearing armor of polished mythril.
In life, these fell soldiers belonged to an invading army that massacred many people. It was the hatred of the slain that cursed the warriors, condemning them to an eternal unlife of aimless wandering. Scourged with remorse of their crimes and hatred for those who led the invasion, they ceaselessly roam the world, hoping one day to claim revenge.
[2/2] Aletap Rumors
There is a metal, a rare metal called gemsteel found only in the hidden enclaves of warriors. The manner of its making is shrouded in mystery, but the finished product is traded commonly enough.
Why, I should think that gemsteel would show up in the bazaar stalls sooner or later if enough raw materials found their way to market. I'm sure that one of them would turn out to be the secret ingedient!
Bardok, Thaumaturgist.
181. Pharos: Aeronite
GENUS: Dragon
CLASSIFICATION: Wyvern
[1/2] Observations
Being a creature of extreme rarity, its body lighter than the air itself. Vents upon its back belch heat and steam upward, keeping the creature from floating too high. Should these vents be damaged, it would rise up and be carried away on the winds.
Aeronites are revered among many cultures as a symbol of holiness, appearing as a motif in sculpture and murals.
[2/2] Concerning Heraldry
The airship armadas of the far-off land display a blood red wyvern wing as their heraldic crest.
In this land, colors are used to distinguish class, with red being the most auspicious and thus highest rank, used both for the royal family and, it being a military state, for their elite fleet.
This Redwing Armada is said to be the strongest in the world, and serves as an excellent deterrent to invasion.
182. Pharos: Dragon Lich
GENUS: Undead
CLASSIFICATION: Plate Wyrm
[1/2] Observations
When it so happens that a dragon lives long enough to forget its own mortality, it becomes a dragon lich.
Once zombified, it will never know true death. Unless it is somehow reminded, the creature is doomed to wander for an eternity. This phenomenon is believed to be a product of the dragon's iron will, in combination with its startling vitality.
Interestingly, there are recorded cases of dragons being freed from zombification. Whether this be achieved by secret means, or by fatal force, the result is, of course, the same.
[2/2] Torn Note
In an empty vessel not waste, to be freely discarded?
And if it is, then is a body bereft of the soul not the same?
No matter how dear the friend, should they perish and their soul move on, what's left behind is naught but a shell.
But then...why am I so vexed?
If this body is truly waste, then why do I despise the corpse flies that gather about it so?
183. Pharos: Cataract Aevis
GENUS: Dragon
CLASSIFICATION: Plate Wyrm
[1/2] Observations
Being a dragon with a carapace of deep-sea blue, found living in the Pharos.
These creatures spend their infant stage in the great cataract surrounding the island upon which the Pharos was built. Their aquatic origin is discernable in the water grooves cut into their scales, and the smooth slipperiness of their hides.
Though they possess eyes, they cannot see well in the gloom of the Pharos, and rely primarily on their acute hearing to detect prey and predator alike.
[2/2] Sage Knowledge (56 of 78)
Old Archades
District on the outskirts of Archades. With the transfer of governance to the Imperial system, a new city was created, the existing city blocks now belonging to the old quarter. At the time, the under-privileged lived here along with nobles who had lost power with the rise of the Empire, while those with power lived in the new city.
Now, several centuries later, little has changed. The residents of the old quarter are largely itinerants and those others outside the protection of Imperial law. Unlike the new city where buldings tower towards the sky, the old city remains brick and stone. Everything feels neglected, abandoned to fate of slow decay. With officials less than inclined to worry about the old quarter's governance, little or no effort has ever been made to revitalize the area.
184. Pharos: Brain Pan
GENUS: Construct
CLASSIFICATION: Facer
[1/2] Observations
Being statues of ill-favored aspect, set insite the great Pharos.
It is said they were created in antiquity to protect the magicite that lies sleeping at the very top of the tower. Yet the magickal power of the stone they were set to guard corrupted them, and they became twisted and evil, attacking all without pause of purpose.
Strong magicks seethe within these statues, gradually building up before erupting from their mouths in rays of brilliant light.
[2/2] Sage Knowledge (1 of 78)
The Age of the Gods
Many thousand years ago, all-powerful beings looked down upon the land, and their rule was absolute. They commanded all things on the earth. All was done according to their will.
Then one day they withdrew behind the walls of a great city of their own making, disappearing from history's stage. In the vacuum left behind, Ivalice fell into chaos, until the march towards a new age finally began.
185. Pharos: Purobolos
GENUS: Fiend
CLASSIFICATION: Bomb
[1/2] Observations
Being a bomb-shaped fiend dwelling within the Pharos.
The bones of ancient monstrosities were used in its creation, trapping within it a fearsome volume of magicks and Mist.
Its goal is first and last the defense of the magicite sleeping at the very top of the Pharos.
To this end will it give its life, going out with something of a bang if necessary.
[2/2] The History of Things
Until quite recently, the mallet was a tool used exclusively to bring the deeply distressed to their senses.
However, the violent appearance of the tool has lessened its popularity of late, and mallet-makers everywhere are feeling the strain of a downturn in demand.
But now a savior has emerged from a most unlikely direction: the famed Mameco the Pug and several other mummers have begun using mallets in their work on the stage. Nothing is more crowd-pleasing than braining a fool with a mallet, it seems.
186. Pharos: Deidar
GENUS: Construct
CLASSIFICATION: Facer
[1/2] Observations
Being a statue of stone set to protect the holy magicite that lies sleeping within the Pharos. Its surface is caked with the dired blood and gore of countless creatures who have died trying to claim the stone for themselves.
The statue has been worked with numerous mechanisms for stopping intruders to the Pharos, though such subtleties have long since been lost to a Mist-induced madness that now possesses this construct.
[2/2] Research Notes
A certain kind of metal is always used when making statues of protection.
This orichalcum is a curious metal indeed, ever burning with a cold flame. That it apepars as a flame, in fact, has led to the belief that orichalcum has no true substance...but combine an incandescent flame with the cool-burning flame of the metal, and the energy given off as a result will be quite real enough to convince even the stubbornest sceptic.
This is the power that moves the statues.
187. Pharos: Mistmare
GENUS: Fiend
CLASSIFICATION: Nightmare
[1/2] Observations
Being a variety of mallicant whose plant-like covering has withered, and turned a dull blue.
It thrives on Mist itself, even absorbing hostile magicks on occasion, hence requiring no food or other material sustenance. Its dependence on Mist, and the fearful reports of black mages who saw their finest magicks consumed, earned it its name.
[2/2] Street Cornet Musings
Man, monster, all heed the sway of the stars.
All lives are guided by twelve stars, and the star to which you belong determines your fate. When the fire of a life dies, sometimes, rarely, it leaves behind a gemstone of great beauty.
When the wheels of fate stop, and the soul leaves its starry home, then does it become a jewel.
Unknown Astrologer
188. Undin Entite
GENUS: Undin Entite
CLASSIFICATION: Elemental
[1/2] Observations
The gods gave water to Man to purify and cleanse pollution, and they made the rains fall to purify and cleanse the land. The clean land gave rise to flowers and plants, nurturing Man.
Yet Man continued to pollute himself and his land, trusting ever in the gods to cleanse what damage he wrought, so the gods sent down a deluge until the land was sunk in deep waters. It is said this deluge gave rise to the undin entite.
[2/2] The Entite Pact
The power of water is the power of benediction.
Blessings to all it gives, yet it covers all, jealously wanting for itself.
Wield the roaring flame, wither the water's lust until its desire is parched and dry.
The water, once withered, will be reborn as tears, and when those tears flow, thence will you find the shining electrum.