Balfonheim Port The Port at Balfonheim , commonly referred as Balfonheim , is a location in the land of Ivalice in " Final Fantasy XII " . It is a town full of sailors and pirates , led by the infamous Reddas . Despite being located in Archadia n territory , Balfonheim stays out of the Empire ' s conflicts . Instead , it is a town willing to offer its services to whoever wants them , such as the Resistance . Location . Balfonheim is located at the southern tip of the continent of Valendia , in the Archadia region , near the Cerobi Steppe . Balfonheim was a place full of troublemakers and cut - throats until Reddas came and got rid of the riffraff , making it a haven to pirates of both sea and air . Story . As Ashe ' s party storms the Draklor Laboratory in Archades , they find Reddas there after the same goal : to destroy the Empire ' s nethicite . Dr . Cid escapes with the pieces of deifacted nethicite , telling the party he ' s off to Giruvegan , and Reddas takes the party to Balfonheim on his airship . Reddas tells the party Marquis Ondore has already been looking for the sky pirates ' assistance to join the Resistance . The war seems closer than ever , but as long as it ' s Cid who holds the nethicite and not Vayne , there may be hope . The party decides to follow Cid to Giruvegan , but Reddas refuses to join them , saying he has other plans . After returning from Giruvegan the party ends up in Balfonheim and finds Reddas has sent a fleet to Ridorana Cataract , but it caught trouble . After hearing Ashe ' s plan is to destroy the Sun - Cryst , the motherlode of all nethicite in Ivalice , Reddas joins the party to aid them and gives the party a skystone he stole from the Draklor Laboratory so that the party ' s airship may fly on the jagd . Reddas sacrifices himself at Pharos , leaving Balfonheim without a governor , but its people honor Reddas ' s memory and stay true to the path Reddas had set before his death . Treasures . Balfonheim is one of the few areas in the game that has treasures within a town area ( where only Vaan is controllable ) . The treasure in the Sea Breeze Lane next to Dyce is always gil , and will never respawn . Without the Diamond Armlet the treasure is 5040 gil , but with the Diamond Armlet equipped , the amount is reduced to mere 3 gil . North of the Canal Lane area , the player can enter a residence on the right that has a treasure that will never respawn , and without the Diamond Armlet is either an Elixir or a Megalixir . With the Diamond Armlet equipped the treasure is 90 % Megalixir , 10 % Ensanguined Shield . Quayside Court - The White Cap . This chest only appears in the " International Zodiac Job System " version . Canal Lane - Port Villa , West Side . This chest only appears in the " International Zodiac Job System " version of the game . Quests . Hunts . The Vyraal is a Rank V Mark whose hunt can be undertaken after the events in Draklor Laboratory are complete . The Vyraal can be found in The Northsward area of the Cerobi Steppe , and enemies will be cleared out when the player enters it . The hunt is petitioned by the Viera Wayfarer in the Whitecap pub in Balfonheim . The player will also receive the Viera Rucksack after the battle , which the Viera Wayfarer will take back when the hunt is reported . She lets the player keep the Dragon Scale , item part of the Wyrm Philosopher quest . Pylraster is a Mark whose hunt becomes available after the events in the Pharos . The hunt is petitioned by Rikken , but he is not sure where to find it . The player can find the Pylraster at the entrance to the Pharos in the section They Who Thirst Not . The player can use the Gate Crystal at the First Ascent , and go outside to find the Mark . Ixion is an Elite Mark found in the Penumbra - Interior area of Subterra at Pharos . The hunt becomes available after the events in the Pharos . It is petitioned by Whitecap Wench at Quayside Court - The Whitecap . Ixion can be found at Pharos ' s Subterra , on any of the three floors . Pirate Olympics . When the party leaves Reddas Mansion after the first time they visit Balfonheim , Rikken and his gang will be outside and give Vaan information about the Feywood . If Vaan talks to him a couple of times , Rikken will invite him for a footrace minigame . The minigame consists of 100 levels that reward the party with treasures , including the rare loot Slime Oil . Racing requires pressing two buttons together . Beating the pirates gets the party potions and curative items . At tier 100 the reward is 10 , 000 gil , and any tier higher than tier 30 will give Unpurified Ether and / or Elixirs . Rikken is normally in the lead , and travels at about the same speed as Vaan , making it difficult to pass him until near the final turn , where he slows down for a second . If the player did not steal Slime Oil from the mark Orthros , the only other way to obtain one is to win the tier 90 footrace . Great cockatrice escape quest . A cockatrice called Moomer is in the chocobo pen at Sea Breeze Lane of Balfonheim . The player must talk to the Chocobo Wrangler by the chocobo pen and show her the Feather of the Flock , then talk to the Miffed Moogle , and then Gurdy , to receive the Defender . The Feather of the Flock item , needed to talk to cockatrice , is found in an urn in the Giza Plains Tracks of the Beast area during the Rains . Fishing rod . The fishing minigame is played in the South Bank Village of the Dalmasca Estersand . To begin the fishing sidequest , the player must have completed the Cactuar Family sidequest and the portion of the game ' s storyline at the Draklor Laboratory . After speaking with Ruksel at the South Bank village , the player must travel to the Port at Balfonheim and speak to the Fishing Enthusiast outside of the Aerodrome . The player must talk to him twice and ask about the fishing rod , then run to the Aerodrome ' s entrance and back to the same spot without leaving the area . The Muramata fishing rod will be near the wall where she was sitting . The player can return to Ruksel at the Dalmasca Estersand to begin the minigame . Shops . Note : The items available for purchase change throughout the game . These items may not all be available at the same time . Dyce . A treasure containing 5040 gil ( without Diamond Armlet ) can be opened near him . Musical themes . The theme of Balfonheim is called " The Port of Balfonheim " . Etymology . The name is a combination of three German words : " Bald " ( " soon " ) , " Von " , pronounced " Fon " ( " of " ) , and " Heim " ( " home " ) . Therefore , the city ' s name means " Soon of Home " , a fitting name for port city .