Glossary of Terms

There are not many Final Fantasy games as information-dense as Tactics. It's not any shame to sometimes lose track of where you're at in the game, both in terms of plot or setting. Here's a transcription of the many Terms described in the Chronicles of the newest version of the game, to help you remember much about the factions and events circling Ivalice. Be aware that this shows the entirety of the Chronicle for this section, so there will be spoilers unmarked!

The Zodiac Stones

A set of auracite crystals, believed created in the age of myth, and appearing in many a tale. Heroes of legend are said to have used their divine power to perform a multitude of miracles, events which the Church of Glabados attributes to Saint Ajora and his disciples. As each of the twelve Stones bears a sign of the zodiac, they came to be known by their name.

The Zodiac Braves

Twelve Warriors of Light who appear in ancient legends from an age before Ivalice was unified. These valiant souls rose up to oppose the demons and dark gods that sought to overrun the world, and sent them back to their plane. As the heroes each possessed a crystal that bore a sign of the zodiac, so too did they come to be known. Throughout history, whenever the forces of darkness have threatened the world, they have returned to deliver mankind.

The Zodiac

The collective name given to the twelve constellations that divide the ecliptic plane on the celestial sphere, respectively called Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The twelve months of the Ivalician calendar year are named according to when each constellation arrives at a designated point in the night sky.

Lucavi

The demons and dark gods who are said to have ruled over the world in ages past. They are immortal and possessed of immense power, but whenever they have threatened to engulf humanity in the chaos of conflict, the Zodiac Braves have risen up, sacred stones in hand, to banish them back to their realm.

Fervent Desire

A human being's innermost wish, which a Zodiac Stone in one's possession may answer to give rise to a miracle. How this miracle manifests appears to differ according to the nature of the wish: those who yearn for power have been twisted into demonic Lucavi, while a sister who grieved for her slain brother saw him restored to life.

The Fifty Years' War

A great conflict between Ivalice and Ordallia, fought over succession to the Ordallian throne. Dragging neighboring nations into the fighting, it shifted between periods of struggle and stalemate as it played out over half a century. Countless Ivalician soldiers took up arms for their homeland, and many a hero took to the battlefield, though it ended in a defeat in all but name for Ivalice. Faced with crippling war debts, reparation payments, and the cession of territory, the kingdom now lies on the cusp of bankruptcy—a dire situation compounded by soldiers returning from the front lines with no work awaiting them. Thus, distrust toward the aristocracy and ruling classes has swelled, with public disorder widespread across the land.

The War of the Lions

A civil war that broke out in Ivalice shortly after the conclusion of the Fifty Years' War. Precipitated by the death of King Ondoria III, it was waged between Duke Larg, liege lord of Gallionne, and Duke Goltanna, liege lord of Zeltennia, over the rightful successor to the throne. Both their houses bear a lion upon their crests, hence the name of the conflict. While Duke Larg supported the claim of Prince Orinus, trueborn son of the late king, Duke Goltanna backed Princess Ovelia, the king's adopted daughter, and the two men clashed fiercely to uphold their chosen successors.

The Princess's Abduction

The incident of Princess Ovelia's abduction, which took place at Orbonne Monastery in southern Lesalia and was carried out by soldiers bearing the crest of Duke Goltanna. It later came to light that the true perpetrator was Duke Larg, whose objective was twofold: framing his political rival for the crime, thereby staining his name, and assassinating the princess, who stood second in the line of succession.

Eradication of the Corpse Brigade

A large-scale military operation to eliminate the Corpse Brigade, spearheaded by the Order of the Northern Sky. It was conducted at the behest of Duke Larg, who sought to quash the epidemic of brigandry that had plagued Gallionne since the end of the Fifty Years' War. A large number of knightly orders, including Larg's personal guard, participated in the operation, which culminated in simultaneous, coordinated attacks on multiple targets across the region.

The Scriptures of Germonique

A collection of manuscripts thought to have been penned by Germonique, a disciple of Saint Ajora. The Scriptures had long existed only in rumors, but in truth they had been marked forbidden by the Church of Glabados and locked away in the vaults beneath Orbonne Monastery. Years later, the Scriptures were discovered by Elder Simon, a theologian at the monastery, who recognized in them the power to expose the Church's deception.

The Durai Papers

A tome whose existence had been kept secret for long years by the Church of Glabados. It claims that the true hero of the War of the Lions was a young man named Ramza Beoulve, and paints a very different picture of him compared to that which the Church asserts is the truth. The papers are currently in the possession of the historian Arazlam.

The Order of the Northern Sky

One of Ivalice's four great knightly orders, serving under Duke Larg, liege lord of Gallionne. It has for generations been commanded by a knight hailing from the distinguished House Beoulve. During the Fifty Years' War, the Northern Order numbered as many as one hundred and fifty thousand strong, and with Knight Devout Barbaneth Beoulve at its helm, it saved Ivalice from the brink of defeat on no few occasions.

The Order of the Southern Sky

A knightly company whose might rivaled that of the Order of the Northern Sky, serving under Duke Goltanna, liege lord of Zeltennia. Together with its Northern counterpart, the Southern Order secured numerous victories in the Fifty Years' War, and fought tirelessly to make inroads into Ordallian territory. The redoubtable Count Cidolfus Orlandu, known as the "Thunder God," was its lord commander for long years.

The Blackram Knights

A knightly order led by Baron Grimms, a nobleman of Zeltennia. The baron and most of his Blackrams were slain in battle against the Order of the Ebon Eye, a band of knights-turned-bandits that were marauding the Zeltennia region. A Blackram lieutenant by the name Delita Heiral, after returning from a secret mission to rescue Princess Ovelia, mustered what remained of the company and assumed leadership as its new commander.

The Lionsguard

A knightly order whose members are directly sworn to the Atkascha royal family. One of its number, Agrias Oaks, was dispatched to escort Princess Ovelia on her journey from Orbonne Monastery to Igros.

The Gryphon Knights of Lionel

A knightly order under the command of Cardinal Delacroix, liege lord of Lionel. Garrisoned at Lionel Castle, its members are pledged to maintain law and order in the region.

The Baert Trading Company

A trading firm operating from the Port City of Warjilis in Lionel, headed by Viscount Ludovich Baert. While the company is known for its charitable activities, such as donating to orphanages and building bridges, this is but a façade for its criminal enterprises, which include opium smuggling and human trafficking. Pursuing its ends without scruple, the company employs outlaws and puts them to work in abductions, robberies, and worse.

The Limberry Guard

An order of knights serving directly under Marquis Elmdore, liege lord of Limberry. The company was annihilated in an ambush by the Corpse Brigade as it escorted the marquis on a journey to Igros in Gallionne. Only a young squire named Algus survived the attack.

The Church of Glabados

A religious organization led by High Confessor Marcel V; its name in full is the Church of Glabados in Mullonde. The Church preaches the official faith of the kingdom of Ivalice, and its great influence transcends borders and social classes both. Serving as the Church's blade and shield is the order of the Knights Templar, whose primary duty is preservation of law and order in Mullonde.

The Knights Templar

A knightly order that serves the Church of Glabados; its lord commander is Vormav Tengille. It is, in effect, the personal army of High Confessor Marcel, and its strength is the equal of any military company.

Adherents of the High Confessor

A faction within the Church of Glabados that supports the high confessor's ambitions, and seeks to bring Ivalice under Church rule. Even as they plotted to pit dukes Larg and Goltanna against one another, that the people might grow wearier of war, they worked to revive the Zodiac Braves of legend.

The Corpse Brigade

A group of outlaws that emerged in Gallionne after the Fifty Years' War. Its members were once soldiers who fought for Ivalice, but they turned to banditry in the war's wake.

The Dead Men

A knightly order formed in the closing stages of the Fifty Years' War, comprised of volunteers from the commonfolk. Despite fighting with courage and conviction, and distinguishing themselves on the battlefield, they were denied due recompense at war's end and ordered to disband. Its leader and several surviving members later went on to form the Corpse Brigade.

The Council

A political assembly that assists the Crown in matters of governance. Since the days of the Fifty Years' War, the Council had stood in opposition to Queen Louveria, who, together with her trueborn brother Duke Larg, had effectively taken control of Ivalice in place of King Ondoria III. Seeking to weaken their grip on power, the Council had the queen regent's children assassinated and engineered the king's adoption of Princess Ovelia, his predecessor's trueborn daughter.

The Khamja

A band of assassins in service to Grand Duke Barrington, liege lord of Fovoham. Its members are comprised of war orphans who are selected for their potential, and made to undergo special training in secret. Rafa and Malak were once among their number.

The Black Lion

The epithet of Duke Goltanna, liege lord of Zeltennia. It is derived from the Goltanna family crest, which depicts a black lion facing right.

The White Lion

The epithet of Duke Larg, liege lord of Gallionne. It is derived from the Larg family crest, which depicts a white lion facing left.

Heretics

Those whose thoughts, words, or actions are deemed antithetical to the teachings of the Church of Glabados. Individuals who have been branded heretics are often abhorred as evildoers and treated as spawns of darkness.

Confessors

Priests of the Church of Glabados whose duty is to hunt down and punish heretics in Ivalice. They possess great authority both within and without the Church, and are at liberty to render judgment without need for a trial.

House Beoulve

A distinguished military family sworn to the Crown. House Beoulve has for generations produced commanders of the Order of the Northern Sky, and their many exploits in battle are well chronicled. The house has endured for some three hundred years, during which time it has saved Ivalice from the brink of defeat on numerous occasions.

The Atkascha Royal Family

The family that rules Ivalice in its entirety from Lesalia, the royal capital. King Denamda II, the monarch at the onset of the Fifty Years' War, had left behind two branch families: houses Larg and Goltanna. Following the war, Duke Larg's nephew Prince Orinus and Duke Goltanna's cousin Princess Ovelia were marked as heirs to King Ondoria III.

The Galthenas

A clan whose members are the keepers of a secret art passed down from generation to generation. The wielders of this art bend the very fabric of nature via mantras, a power distinct from magick, with those who command the might of the heavens known as skyseers, and those who channel the forces of the underworld known as netherseers. The clan's ancestral village was put to the torch during the Fifty Years' War, and only two children, the siblings Malak and Rafa, survived.

Relics of Goug

Beneath the Clockwork City of Goug lie the remnants of an ancient, technologically advanced civilization that prospered in the time of Saint Ajora. In that bygone era, flying ships, mechanical men, and weapons that used explosive powder to fire metal pellets were a common sight, but twelve centuries on from the civilization's collapse, such things have fallen into oblivion.

Machinists

Engineers living in the Clockwork City of Goug, who toil to revive the technology of an ancient civilization. They excavate forgotten relics from tunnels beneath the city and restore them to working order in hopes of reclaiming the wisdom of a lost age.

Crystals

Gleaming jewels, left behind by living beings upon death, that harbor the power of the soul. They can impart vitality as well as the knowledge of the departed to those who touch them, and with their gentle light, illuminate the darkest places.

Magick

A phenomenon that manifests when human beings use their innate magickal abilities to harness the ever-present energies of creation. Many magickal disciplines exist, allowing for a wide range of feats to be performed, from attacking and healing to manipulating the flow of time. In Ivalice, where the fires of conflict ever burn, disciplines that originate from foreign lands may also be seen.

Creatures

A general term used to refer to wild, non-human fauna—and in some cases, flora—that inhabit the land. Many are vicious and will attack humans, whom they regard as a threat. While often poached for the useful materials they yield, they may also be tamed in a similar fashion to chocobos. The majority of species found in Ivalice are known to hatch from eggs.

Mossfungus

A type of poisonous fungus. While its toxin is relatively weak, it can be lethal in large quantities, or small doses repeated over time. The symptoms of mossfungus poisoning closely resemble those of a common cold, making it difficult to identify in a patient, but after death, fresh toadstools will sprout from the victim's corpse. An airborne poison extracted from mossfungus spores was released into the wind near Bethla Garrison.