Garamsythe Waterway The Garamsythe Waterway is a location in the land of Ivalice in " Final Fantasy XII " . It serves as the sewer system for the Royal City of Rabanastre . The Garamsythe Waterway spans the underneath of the city of Rabanastre , and is accessed via Lowtown . After the Esper Zalera is defeated deep within the Barheim Passage , a zoning point to the waterway becomes available . The waterway is a labyrinth of water and passages with monsters roaming the pathways . The water ' s level can be adjusted to reveal lower pathways through the opening and closing of the sluice gates . Because the waterway is of water terrain , all Water and Lightning attacks deal 20 % more damage than normal , and Earth damage is halved . Story . In the manga version Princess Ashe and Lord Rasler fell into the waterway through a weak spot in a closed - off section of the Royal Palace of Rabanastre after Ashe spied on a Neo - Rozarria Faction meeting conspiring to kill her father , King Raminas B ' nargin Dalmasca . Learning Rasler is not part of the faction , Ashe treated the wound he sustained when jumping in after her , but as it still smarted Ashe took his sword and led the way back to the palace . Some years later , Vaan ' s adventure begins in the Garamsythe Waterway where he is hunting for rats until Kytes fetches him for Migelo . Vaan asks Kytes to lock the place up , because he does not want Migelo to discover he has been in the waterway . Vaan later enters the waterway having heard from Old Dalan it holds a hidden entrance to the Royal Palace . He is not the only one , as the Resistance moves their troops and supplies via the waterway to strike the palace on the night of the fete , the effort being led by Vossler and Amalia . While in the palace Vaan runs into two sky pirates , Balthier and Fran , and they crash into the waterway as the piece of nethicite Vaan stole from the palace drains the power from the sky pirates ' hoverbike . Escaping from the Imperial troops through the sewers , they come across Amalia and team up with her . After battling the Firemane the group is cornered by Rabanastre ' s new consul , Vayne Solidor , and separated , Amalia taken by the Empire and Vaan and the sky pirates thrown into the Nalbina Dungeons . The manga version expands on the events . Vaan forms a temporary alliance with Balthier and Fran to escape the waterway during the Resistance attack on the palace . Vossler realizes the insurgence was led into a trap and orders a retreat , but Ashe , accompanying him under the alias " Amalia " , refuses to admit defeat . Vossler orders Ashe taken to safety through the Garamsythe Waterway , but the troops he sends with her are imperial informants and aware of her identity as the Princess of Dalmasca . Ashe fights them off but is saved by Vaan . Vaan , Balthier , Ashe and Fran are met with a force of imperial soldiers with the insurgent traitors when a Firemane attacks them . Judge Ghis , who was appointed by Vayne to oversee the imperial counterattack , saves the insurgent traitors and defeats the Firemane , ordering the insurgents to take him to Ashe . The party defeats a second Firemane after which Ashe introduces herself as " Amalia " when Ghis finds them . Vaan attacks him and is thrown aside , and Balthier tells him Ghis is a Judge Magister who works for House Solidor . With Vaan knocked out and Ashe held captive Balthier and Fran fight Ghis , but are outmatched . Vaan , Fran and Balthier are sent to the Nalbina Dungeons , while Ghis has Ashe taken away aboard Dreadnought " Leviathan " . Treasures . The waterway contains multiple treasures , but they are mainly common items and low level equipment , unless they have gil . With the Diamond Armlet equipped the treasures contain Knots of Rust as a common item , and Elixir or Hi - Ether as a rare item . When Vaan is on his way to the palace he passes through the North Spur Sluiceway . It is possible to obtain two weapons here . Oak Staff in a treasure right in the middle of the area that spawns 65 % of the time , has 70 % chance to contain items instead of gil , and when it contains items it can be either the Oak Staff or a Potion . The treasure respawns . Right before the stairs leading up toward the palace there is a treasure that spawns 65 % of the time , and when it contains an item , it yields a Mage Masher . Quests . Hunts . The Wraith hunt can be undertaken after escaping from the Barheim Passage . It is found in the Overflow Cloaca area and will constantly cast Doom on the party . Its petitioner is Milha in Rabanastre ' s Lowtown . Defeating Wraith allows the player enter a private residence in Lowtown and pick up the Dusty Letter key item , part of a later sidequest ( see below ) that tells in which order the sluice gates must be operated in the waterway . The White Mousse is a Mark whose hunt can be undertaken after the player attains the clan rank of Vanguard . White Mousse is a breed of flan that lives in the West Sluice Control area of the Garamsythe Waterway . The Sluice Gate Key can be obtained from Sorbet after completion of the hunt . Orthros is an Elite Mark located in the Garamsythe Waterway , in the Southern Sluiceway . The earliest the hunt can be accepted is after obtaining the Dawn Shard , and reaching the clan rank of " Headhunter " . Orthros will appear if the party consists of the three females . The player can swap the characters after Orthros appears . Guest characters , Larsa and Reddas , can be in the party as well . It is petitioned by Contrite Thief in Rabnastre ' s Lowtown ( North Sprawl ) after learning of the hunt from Montblanc . The player will receive the Stolen Articles after the battle , which the Contrite Thief returns to Samal . He comes by to give the player a Blackened Fragment , which is part of the three medallions sidequest . Rare Game . The Gavial is a Trophy Rare Game that appears in the No . 10 Channel . Since it is a trophy monster , it will only spawn once the trophy quest has started and never spawns again when killed . The player must have spoken to the " Huntmaster " in Phon Coast and defeated Thalassinon , which will trigger the start of the Rare Game quest . The player must close the no . 10 sluice gate and enter the area drained of water . Gavial is not found on one of the upper walkways , but down in the channel . After waiting 10 to 15 seconds , Gavial will come running towards the party . Razorfin has a 10 % chance of spawning instead of an Ichthon in the North Spur Sluiceway . It can be picked out from the Ichthons around it because it is larger and not docile . The player must spend at least five minutes in the No . 4 Cloaca Spur after which the chances of the Drowned spawning increases by 8 % every 15 seconds . The player should have drained the water in the No . 4 Cloaca Spur . One must enter the lower level of the southeast area , near to the Gespenst . If it has not appeared after eight minutes , it will not appear , so the player must re - zone and try again . Sluice gates . Medallion quest . After defeating the White Mousse mark the player gets the Sluice Gate Key that allows them to work the gates in the opening area of the waterway . The player must first turn all the switches off ( that means lights off ) and follow the steps below : After the last gate is closed a click is heard and south in the same semi - circle area , on the ground , there is a glittering object , the Dull Fragment . This item is part of the three medallions sidequest . Cúchulainn . The Esper Cúchulainn can be fought in the middle of the waterway by working the sluice gates . The player must again work the sluice gates . The player must first switch on No . 3 and No . 10 sluice gates , by lighting up the panels , then move to the South - West ( No . 3 area ) and find the No . 1 South Switch and activate it . Next the player must turn off No . 3 and No . 10 sluice gates , and switch on No . 4 and 11 , then head to South - East ( No . 4 area ) , locate and activate the No . 1 North sluice gate switch . After returning to the central , the player must finally turn off the No . 11 switch , and turn on the No . 3 panel . Now only sluice gates No . 3 and No . 4 should be on and the player can access the area where Cúchulainn is fought , although the player must be quick because he disappears exactly 75 seconds after the player has pulled the switches . Other appearances . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Vaan has snuck into Rabanastre Palace , where he meets a dashing man and his viera partner . The two help Vaan escape on their airbike before careening down to a crash landing in the Garamsythe Waterway . Musical themes . " The Garamsythe Waterway " plays as the location background music . At the game ' s beginning where Vaan and Kytes are training in the sewers , the theme " Secret Practice " plays .