Locations in Spira
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-
This article is about locations in Spira. For other uses, see Spira. For the customs, history, and supernatural elements of Spira, see Spira (Final Fantasy X).
| Final Fantasy locations |
|
Final Fantasy |
Spira (スピラ Supira?) is the world in which the role-playing games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 take place. It is composed of one continent and several islands. Spira consists of many diverse climates: from the tropical seaside villages of Besaid and Kilika, to the temperate locales in the Mi'ihen region, to the polar extremes of northern Macalania and Mt Gagazet. Its initial design is credited to Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura.[1]
As befitting its name, Spira is characterized by cycles and repetition, such as the spiral of death that the world endures, the many spheres found in Spira, the blitzball sphere pools, the prayer to Yevon, the Sphere Grid, and Spira's cycle of life energy emerging from within the planet's core, granting life to all its living inhabitants, and then returning to the core when a life form dies.[2]
[edit] Locations
The following are the various locales of Spira in the rough order of which Yuna visited them during her pilgrimage, as seen in Final Fantasy X:
[edit] Besaid Island
A small tropical island on the southernmost end of Spira, Besaid Island (ビサイド島 Bisaido-tō?) is famous for its fabrics and the clothes it produces. It was originally a city which relied heavily on machina until it was completely destroyed by Sin. Its ruins now remain as a monument to Sin's power, and still has remains of machina which house ancient weapons. Home to the blitzball team Besaid Aurochs. It was attacked by Sin shortly before Yuna's pilgrimage, depicted in Final Fantasy X.
Yuna was brought here by Kimahri Ronso at the request of one of her father's guardians, Sir Auron. Initially it was to be Auron who would bring her, but he was mortally wounded by Lady Yunalesca, and just before he died, he relegated the task to Kimahri.[3][4] Yuna grew up here with Wakka and Lulu. The temple in Besaid was home to the fayth for the aeon Valefor. The island also featured Yadonaki Tower, the setting for an extra adventure exclusive to the Japanese-only Final Fantasy X-2: International+Last Mission.
[edit] Kilika Island
A medium-sized island north of Besaid and just south of Luca, Kilika Island (キーリカ島 Kīrika-tō?) is home to the blitzball team Kilika Beasts.
During Yuna's pilgrimage, its village was decimated by Sin and many people were killed. It was here that Yuna performed her first sending of the dead. Two years later, the village was rebuilt, but again became a setting for violence when tensions between the Youth League and New Yevon were at their worst. The temple in the forests of Kilika was home to the fayth for the aeon Ifrit.
[edit] Luca
Luca (ルカ Ruka?) is the second largest city in Spira, home of the blitzball team Luca Goers. It also houses the only blitzball stadium in Spira. Because of this, the Crusaders, a group organized to protect the people of Spira from Sin, fought to the death in order to protect it. Blitzball was the only form of entertainment for the people of Spira during the time of Sin, and losing the stadium would have been a serious blow to their morale. Also of interest is the theater, where the player can listen to the music and view the full motion video sequences of the game.
After Sin's defeat, Luca began to host more entertainment. In Final Fantasy X-2, an Al Bhed entrepreneur named "Rin" starts up a game called "Sphere Break" here.
[edit] Mi'ihen Highroad
The Mi'ihen Highroad (ミヘン街道 Mihen Kaidō?) links the city of Luca to Mushroom Rock Road. It is also the road that Lord Mi'ihen, creator of the Crusaders (initially known as "the Crimson Blades"), walked on to face a trial of Yevon. The clergy thought that his organization was dangerous to the temples; however, he convinced them that he was no threat, and they made his group an arm of Yevon. Beyond the travel agency, the road separates into two different paths. The lower path is called the "Old Road" and may have been the path that Lord Mi'ihen traveled. It is a narrow path that is now used mostly when someone falls off the main highroad.
Before the defeat of Sin, the Mi'ihen Highroad was populated by Chocobos, which could be hired from the travel agency by travellers in order to traverse the Highroad more quickly. Their presence attracted a particular type of fiend called "the Chocobo Eater", who would prey on them at any opportunity. After Sin was vanquished at the end of Final Fantasy X, machina hovers were used instead and chocobos became a rare sight on the Highroad.[5]
[edit] Mushroom Rock Road
Mushroom Rock Road (キノコ岩街道 Kinoko Iwa Kaidō?) is notable chiefly for its mushroom-shaped rock formations and as the site of the ill-fated Operation Mi'ihen, where the Crusaders and the Al Bhed tried — and failed — to defeat Sin by using ancient machina, as seen in Final Fantasy X. It later became the base of operations and training ground for the Youth League in Final Fantasy X-2. The Den of Woe is located in a ravine here. The road is also the link between the Mi'ihen and Djose highroads.
l
[edit] Djose
There is not much of interest in Djose (ジョゼ Joze?), with the notable exception of its temple, which housed the fayth for the aeon, Ixion, during Sin's millennium of terror. Once the Eternal Calm began, following the events of Final Fantasy X, the temple was abandoned, and the Machine Faction set up their headquarters there. Also of note is that when Sin was rampaging across Spira, the rocks normally covering the temple would separate and hover in mid-air when a summoner prayed to the fayth. Now the rocks hover whenever anybody approaches the temple.
[edit] Moonflow
The Moonflow (幻光河 Genkō Kawa?, lit. "magic light river") is a large river running through the heart of Spira. It is notable for shoopuf rides and for the pyreflies that congregate around the surface of the water, as well as the semi-entertaining productions by Chief Tobli and his troupe of Hypello performers, which can be seen in Final Fantasy X-2. An ancient machina city lies at the bottom of the Moonflow. Long ago, in hubris, a city was built on top of the river. It is said, however, that nature prevailed, and the city sank into the waters. Before the Eternal Calm, the people of Spira viewed the fate of this city as proof of the veracity of Yevon's teachings; even with its plethora of advanced technology, the city still sank into the river.[6]
[edit] Guadosalam
Guadosalam (グアドサラム Guadosaramu?) is home of the Guado and the location of a gateway to the Farplane. Prior to the Eternal Calm, most summoners only made a short stop here to pay respects to their fallen while on their pilgrimage to the Zanarkand Ruins. After Sin was destroyed, the Guado left their home in fear of the Ronso. Shortly thereafter, Guadosalam became a favorite locale for sphere hunters, and the LeBlanc Syndicate took up residence in the old manor where Guado leaders, such as Seymour, once lived.
[edit] Farplane
The Farplane (異界 Ikai?, lit "other world") is the final resting place for the people of Spira. Summoners send the souls of the dead to the Farplane using a ritual dance called the sending". A gateway to the Farplane, through which the living may travel back and forth, is located in Guadosalam, where the Guado look after the Farplane. Those who journey here can summon an image of a dead person by thinking about them. It is believed by the Al Bhed that this phenomenon is a result of pyreflies reacting to peoples' memories, but no image of a living nor unsent person has ever been seen on the Farplane.[2] This lends to an alternate belief that while images form due to pyreflies reacting to the memories of the living, only the images of those whose pyreflies (spiritual energy) are actually present in the Farplane can be seen there. Indeed, in Final Fantasy X, neither the images of Lady Ginnem nor of Seymour Guado can be seen on the Farplane until after the two unsent individuals have made their way to the Farplane.[7][8]
In Final Fantasy X-2, it is revealed that the Farplane is actually the heart of Spira, and that it contains a potentially limitless amount of spiritual energy.[9] The unsent Shuyin used an enormous machina called "Vegnagun" to drill extra-planar tunnels from the Farplane to Spira. These tunnels ended at each of the Chambers of the Fayth, and out of the tunnels poured hundreds of fiends, influenced by the malice and despair of Shuyin. These fiends were put down with the help of the Gullwings, and Shuyin was later defeated.
- See also: Spira (Final Fantasy X)
[edit] Thunder Plains
The Thunder Plains (雷平原 Raiheigen?) are the site of a vast, never-ending thunderstorm. Many a traveler met their end here, until an Al Bhed by the name of "Bilghen" set up lightning rod towers to draw the lightning away from the main path. Ironically, he died after being hit by a stray bolt. With the arrival of the Eternal Calm and Sin's permanent defeat, the Al Bhed fortified the towers so the lightning would not harm travelers.
The only recorded time that the endless storm across the Thunder Plains ceased was momentarily as Yuna sang her song "1000 Words" on the deck of the Celsius airship during Final Fantasy X-2. Shortly after the song started, the rain stopped, and by the end, the clouds had parted and the sun shone down on the barren plains. By the time she awoke in the cabin of the Celsius airship, the storm had resumed.
[edit] Macalania
Perhaps the most striking location in all of Spira, Macalania (マカラーニャ Makarānya?) was a large sparkling blue forest, full of glowing crystal formations and shining skyways. Eventually, the forest led out into an icy lake, which was the location of Macalania Temple, home of the fayth for the aeon Shiva, which was the reason for Macalania's frozen environment. But after the fayth faded away at the end of Final Fantasy X, the forest began to die, and the temple sank into the unfrozen lake. Some of Spira's greatest musicians also lived there. In Final Fantasy X, with the help of the Celesteral mirror, and relevent crests and sigels, the party can recieve their Ultimate wepons here.
[edit] Bikanel Island
A large desert island far to the west of Spira's mainland, Bikanel Island (ビーカネル島 Bīkaneru-tō?) was the location of the Al Bhed's home until it was attacked by the Guado. In Final Fantasy X, Bikanel is first visited by the party when they are swept there from Macalania by Sin. Rikku tells the party that Yuna is probably being held on the island at the Al Bhed's base, "Home". However, when they reach Home, they discover that it is under attack by the Guado and learn that Yuna has been kidnapped. In the midst of the chaos, the party meets Cid, Rikku's father, who decides that there is no way to save Home and—after gathering the survivors in the salvaged airship, Fahrenheit—destroys it using the airship's missiles.
The Machine Faction later returned to excavate the sands for machine parts, only to learn of another race, the cactuars of the Cactuar Nation, as seen in Final Fantasy X-2. It is believed that there was a war before Sin's appearance, causing the whole island to become a desert. Now many machina lie hidden under the desert sands. There is also an ancient and powerful fiend called "Angra Mainyu" dwelling beneath the deserts of Bikanel.
[edit] Bevelle
The largest city in Spira and center of the order of Yevon prior to the coming of the Eternal Calm, Bevelle (ベベル Beberu?) it is also the birthplace of Yuna. It was guarded by a giant wyvern named Evrae, who Tidus and co. killed on the Cid's Airship when going to save Yuna from Seymour. Interestingly, Bevelle made liberal use of machina even before the Eternal Calm, though they were forbidden by the scriptures. Even the grand maester of Yevon, Lord Mika, was unsent, despite the temples' edicts holding that it was the duty of summoners to send the souls of the dead. People who questioned Yevon's policies were thrown into the Via Purifico (Latin for "the Way of Purification", or "the Road of Purification"), a large underground sewer full of fiends. After Sin was defeated, the Yevon order was disbanded, but a new group based on Yevon—the New Yevon Party—took up residence. Aside from the Via Purifico, the areas under Bevelle include the resting place for Vegnagun, and the Via Infinito ("the Infinite Road"). The temple in Bevelle was home to the fayth of the aeon Bahamut.
- See also: Spira (Final Fantasy X)
[edit] Calm Lands
The Calm Lands (ナギ平原 Nagi Heigen?, lit. "calm prairie") are the location where Bevelle and Zanarkand fought their most brutal and destructive battle, some 1,000 years before the events of Final Fantasy X. The war left the land practically dead and barren. Eventually, summoners took note of this uninhabited land; it was an ideal place to perform the Final Summoning. It became known as "the Calm Lands", as it is where summoners defeat Sin and bring the Calm. The Calm Lands also house the hidden Remiem Temple—which was lost as Sin tore the earth asunder with the last of its strength combatting High Summoner Gandof[10][11]—the location where the forgotten fayth of the three Magus Sisters aeons rests. This is also where the unsent summoner Belgemine resided prior to the Eternal Calm. After Sin's defeat, the Calm Lands became an amusement park where two promotion companies, Open Air and Argent, compete for customers to play their betting games. The Calm Lands also featured a battle arena known as "the Monster Ranch", where the unsuspecting visitor would get to battle Spira's toughest fiends. In Final Fantasy X-2, however, the owner of the arena is gone and with the help of YRP, Clasko turned the place into the Chocobo Ranch.
[edit] Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth (盗まれた祈り子の洞窟 Nusumareta Inoriko no Dōkutsu?) is a large cave located between the Calm Lands and Mount Gagazet. It is on the other side of the scar, a large gorge made by Sin after Lord Gandof struck it down. The cave was home to the fayth of the aeon Yojimbo. Yuna's team believes that the fayth was stolen from its original temple and hidden in the cave to prevent summoners from completing their pilgrimage.[12] Summoner Ginnem, who was guarded by Lulu, died in the cave while attempting to reach this fayth two years before the events of Final Fantasy X.[13] When Yuna and her companions entered the cave during her pilgrimage, they encountered Ginnem's unsent spirit. After fighting her aeon, her spirit departed to the Farplane.
[edit] Mount Gagazet
The highest point in Spira, Mount Gagazet (ガガゼト山 Gagazeto-san?) is home to the Ronso tribe as well as the fayth of Dream Zanarkand. Before the Eternal Calm, summoners had to pass over this treacherous mountain in order to reach the Zanarkand ruins. It is littered with the graves of summoners who died trying to pass. After the defeat of Sin, the fayth which resided here disappeared. The place where they used to reside is now called "the Fayth Scar". The disappearance of the fayth revealed ancient ruins on the peak of Gagazet.
[edit] Gagazet Ruins
The Gagazet Ruins (ガガゼト遺跡 Gagazeto Iseki?) are a mysterious temple atop Mt. Gagazet that can not be seen in Final Fantasy X. After the fayth awoke at the coming of the Eternal Calm, the mists on top of the mountain dissipated enough to display a new set of ruins.[14] During Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna, Rikku and Paine find a one thousand year old sphere from Zanarkand's time here.
[edit] Zanarkand Ruins
The Zanarkand Ruins (ザナルカンド遺跡 Zanarukando Iseki?) are the desiccated remains of the once great machina city, Zanarkand. A war between Bevelle and Zanarkand 1,000 years before Final Fantasy X contributed to the latter's downfall. Once active and full of life, it was left dark, home only to dust and fiends. It was here that the unsent summoner Yunalesca awaited the arrival of the strongest of the summoners, so that she might bestow upon them the Final Summoning to defeat Sin. During the Eternal Calm, Zanarkand became a tourist attraction, and people from all over Spira sought to visit it, despite its previous status as a holy place.
[edit] Dream Zanarkand
A magical city summoned by Yu Yevon, the ruler of the original city of Zanarkand. The inhabitants of Dream Zanarkand (夢のザナルカンド Yume no Zanarukando?) are also summons,[15][16] though they use little to no magic. Blitzball is popular in the city, with both Tidus and Jecht being stars of the Zanarkand Abes blitzball team. At the end of Final Fantasy X, the pyreflies composing the city and its inhabitants — including Tidus — dissipate once Yu Yevon has been defeated.
[edit] Baaj Temple
Baaj Temple (バージ＝エボン寺院 Bāji Ebon Jīn?) is the location where Tidus first awakened after being displaced from Dream Zanarkand early in Final Fantasy X. Here, he nearly lost his life to the aquatic fiend Geosgaeno, and also met Rikku for the first time. Most of the temple lies in ruins and much of it is submerged underwater. It was here that Jyscal sent his wife and their son, Seymour Guado, to avoid persecution for taking a regular human as a wife, and for Seymour being the child of a regular human and a Guado.[13] This was regarded as an abomination by regular humans and Guado alike at the time. Late in Final Fantasy X, it is also here that the party can receive the aeon Anima after defeating Yunalesca and journeying to Baaj in the airship.
[edit] Omega Ruins
Long ago, a Yevonite heretic named "Omega" was banished to these ruins by the maesters of Yevon and executed.[13][17]After his death, his hatred turned his unsent soul into a horrifying fiend of great strength — Omega Weapon (and, because the hatred was overflowing, another fiend called "Ultima Weapon" also manifested). Because of the terrible fiend, the site came to be known as the Omega Ruins (オメガ遺跡 Omega Iseki?). Only the most courageous adventurers dared to set foot in the ruins, as they became home to some of the most dangerous fiends in the world. During Final Fantasy X, Yuna and her guardians sought out Omega Weapon and vanquished the powerful fiend, sending Omega's soul to rest on the Farplane at last.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Square Enix North America Site Staff (2001). Behind The Game The Creators. Square Enix North America. Retrieved on April 12, 2006.
- ^ a b Maechen: Ahem! The Farplane is the place where pyreflies born from a sending gather. They appear in the shape of people who've died and gone to the Farplane. Quite the phenomenon: how I wish I understood it more fully! The Al Bhed have a theory, you know. They say the pyreflies are just reacting to visitors' thoughts and dreams. But only the dead appear on the Farplane. No image of the living has ever been seen. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Auron: Somehow I made my way, crawling, down Mount Gagazet. But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna... just before I died. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Yuna: Then, you appeared, Kimahri. ... When I told you that I was Braska's daughter... you said you would take me as far from Bevelle as you could. That it was the wish of a man facing death. Square Co.. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Calli: I came to ride a chocobo. I've wanted to ride one for as long as I can remember. / Rikku: Hmm, you don't see too many chocobos these days. Everybody rides hovers. Square Co. Final Fantasy X-2. Square Enix U.S.A.. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2003-11-18.
- ^ Tidus: Whoa! A sunken city! / Wakka: A machina city--a thousand years old! They built the city on top of bridges across the river. / Lulu: But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom. / Wakka: Right. It's a good lesson. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Before Seymour's sending—Tromell: I have prayed and prayed, yet Lord Seymour does not appear. Has he not reached the Farplane? Has he become a fiend? Oh, my poor Lord Seymour... Tell me, where do you wander? After Seymour's sending—Tromell: Benevolent Lord Jyscal, and most wise Lord Seymour. The days spent in your service were the best in this old man's life. Those of us left behind will soon be destroyed by Sin and join you in the Farplane. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Before encountering Ginnem—Tidus: No one there? / Lulu: She's not appearing. After encountering Ginnem—Lulu: I'm still not the person I wanted to become, not yet. I'll come back to let you know how things went. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Yuna: What are you looking at? / Shinra: Farplane data. The more I study it, the more fascinating it gets. There's limitless energy swirling around in there.... The life force that flows through our planet...Square Co. Final Fantasy X-2. Square Enix U.S.A.. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2003-11-18.
- ^ Maechen: Oh dear, I almost forgot to tell you something. There's a chasm, a great rend in the earth, in these parts. A scar left from High Summoner Gandof's bitter battle with Sin, four hundred years past. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Yuna: What is this place? / Belgemine: Remiem Temple. Once a great religious center in the Calm Lands, lost after the battle with Sin. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ Lulu: They say it was stolen from a temple long ago. / Tidus: Huh? / Auron: With no fayth, summoners cannot train. Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. Without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin. That is why. / Rikku: 'Cause then the summoner won't die! Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ a b c (2001) Studio BentStuff Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square Enix, 81. ISBN 4-88787-021-3.
- ^ Yuna: Sacred Mt. Gagazet. Silent guardian of Zanarkand, city of the dead. When the fayth disappeared, the clouds enshrouding the mountain began to thin and disperse... ...revealing long-forgotten ruins among its peaks. Square Co. Final Fantasy X-2. Square Enix U.S.A.. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2003-11-18.
- ^ Fayth: Long ago, there was a war.... A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it – if only in a memory.... The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war... They all became fayth – fayth for the summoning. ... / Fayth: The dreams of the fayth summoned the memories of the city. They summoned all the buildings, all the people who lived there. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
- ^ (2001) Studio BentStuff Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square Enix, 84. ISBN 4-88787-021-3.
- ^ Tidus: What is this place? / Lulu: Seven hundred years ago... a monk who defied the teachings was sentenced here. / Wakka: Oh, the traitor Omega, ya? / Yuna: Omega's loathing of Yevon has turned him into a fiend. Square Co. Final Fantasy X. Square EA. PlayStation 2. (in English). 2001-12-20.
[edit] External links
| List of Final Fantasy X characters - List of Final Fantasy X-2 characters Tidus - Yuna - Auron - Wakka - Kimahri Ronso - Lulu - Rikku |
