Nethicite Nethicite is a powerful source of magickal energy in the world of Ivalice in " Final Fantasy XII " . A subtype of magicite , nethicite absorbs copious amounts of Mist and can release it as magickal energy . Historically most nethicite was created by the Occuria ( " deifacted " nethicite ) , but Archadia has discovered how to create artificial " manufacted " nethicite . Deifacted nethicite is too strong to be controlled properly , and dangerous when it cannot be . Manufacted nethicite is weaker , but safer and easier to use . Nethicite can disrupt magickal energy and machines that rely on it with its presence , and can absorb magickal attacks . Charged with Mist , it can create skystones resistant to jagd , be used to summon Espers , and can even be implanted in a person ' s body to augment their physical strength and magickal abilities , although such use of nethicite damages one ' s sanity . Story . Deifacted nethicite was created by the Occuria in the form of the Sun - Cryst . They sought to give nethicite first to the garif , but they could not or would not use it as the Occuria demanded , so they turned their attention to King Raithwall of Dalmasca instead . They granted Raithwall the Sword of Kings , which could cut nethicite , and Raithwall took three shards from the Sun - Cryst . He went on to conquer much of the nearby territories and founded the Galtean Alliance , of which Dalmasca , Nabradia , Rozarria , and Archadia , were members . Raithwall was crowned the first Dynast King , a uniter of Ivalice . When Raithwall died the three shards he had cut were split up . The Midlight Shard was given to what would become House Nabradia , the Dusk Shard was kept in Dalmasca — hidden in the Royal Palace of Rabanastre — and the third piece , the Dawn Shard , was buried with Raithwall in his tomb , a secret kept by the Dalmascan royal family . The peace he had brought to Ivalice endured for hundreds of years . One of the Occuria , Venat , believed that using gifts of power to control the factions of Ivalice was wrong and sought to break their hold over Ivalice and free her people from Occurian control . Seven years ago an Archadian expedition led by Cidolfus Demen Bunansa ventured into Giruvegan , where the seat of the Occuria rested . Venat made contact with Cid and the two entered into an alliance . Cid returned to Archadia with Venat and , guided by the Occuria , synthesized artificial nethicite from ordinary magicite mined at the Lhusu Mines . Over the next several years Archadia ' s power grew with nethicite empowering their armies , and were even able to develop skystones that let their airships fly over jagd , something impossible with normal skystones . Archadia declared war on Dalmasca and Nabradia and during the invasion of Nabradia , Doctor Cid bid Judge Zecht to find the Midlight Shard hidden in the city of Nabudis and use its power to see the power of deifacted nethicite against manufacted nethicite . The Midlight Shard ' s power discharged in a massive explosion that turned Nabudis and surrounding environs to rubble , sinking the land and creating a thick mist to fill the valley that resulted in many dangerous monsters moving into what was left . The area became a no - man ' s - land known as the Necrohol of Nabudis and Nabreus Deadlands . The Midlight Shard , its power expended , was retrieved and handed off to Cid . The Archadians conquer Dalmasca intent on searching the city for the Dusk Shard . During an attack on the Royal Palace of Rabanastre by the Resistance forces , a street thief named Vaan discovers the Dusk Shard hidden in a statue in the palace treasury . Pursued by the sky pirates Balthier and Fran , Vaan keeps the stone as the three are caught in the battle between the Resistance and Archadia . The three remain ignorant of the stone ' s origins , presuming it a piece of normal magicite . The group heads to the Lhusu Mines to save Vaan ' s friend Penelo from the bounty hunter Ba ' Gamnan and are joined by an Archadian boy who introduces himself as " Lamont " . His true identity is that of Larsa Ferrinas Solidor , who wants to inspect the mines to see for himself whether they really provide the Draklor Laboratory with magicite behind the Emperor Gramis Gana Solidor ' s back . In the mines he takes out a piece of manufacted nethicite that reacts to the magicite nearby , rousing Balthier ' s suspicions and " Lamont ' s " cover is blown . When the group is held captive aboard the Dreadnought " Leviathan " the Dusk Shard reacts to Ashelia B ' nargin Dalmasca ' s presence , identifying her as Raithwall ' s kin . Basch fon Ronsenburg and Ashe recognize it , and Vaan relinquishes the stone to Judge Ghis in exchange for their lives . The group escapes the " Leviathan " with Larsa ' s aid , who gives Penelo his piece of manufacted nethicite . As the party faces off against Ghis , the piece of manufacted nethicite absorbs a magickal attack he sends their way , saving them . The party bests Ghis and escapes , and afterward Ghis has the Dusk Shard sent to Archadia and Doctor Cid . Seeking proof of her royal lineage , Ashe and the group enter Raithwall ' s Tomb to retrieve the Dawn Shard . Though they succeed , Ghis returns and seizes the shard from them . Wishing to learn the nethicite ' s power for himself , he has it tested to see how much power it could generate resulting in an explosion of Mist that destroys Ghis ' s fleet . Ashe and the party recover the Dawn Shard , but with its power expended it is of no use . The party runs into Larsa again who wishes for Ashe to meet with Gran Kiltas Anastasis . On their way to Mt Bur - Omisace the party visits the Henne Mines where they run into Fran ' s sister Mjrn who has been given a piece of manufacted nethicite and been possessed by it . The party snaps her out of her fervor , but Larsa asks Penelo to return the piece of manufacted nethicite he ' d given her earlier , apologizing for not realizing the danger . The Gran Kiltias directs Ashe to find the Sword of Kings in the Stilshrine of Miriam , and Larsa remains behind as Ashe takes the others to find the sword . Afterward , Anastasis is killed by Judge Bergan , who had set nethicite into his own body to augment his power , but the nethicite ' s power is too great and Bergan is destroyed by it . The group sneaks into the Imperial capital of Archades intending to use the Sword of Kings to destroy the shards of deifacted in Cid ' s possession . He escapes and directs them to Giruvegan where Ashe meets with the Occuria who grant her a new sword , the Treaty - Blade , and tell her to cut new shards from the Sun - Cryst . With the aid of a mysterious sky pirate Reddas , the group travels to the Ridorana Cataract and finds the Sun - Cryst atop the Pharos . Reddas reveals his identity as Judge Zecht , and encourages Ashe not to be tempted by the nethicite ' s power . Ashe refuses to take the Sun - Cryst ' s power and instead declares to destroy it . Doctor Cid arrives and summons the Esper Famfrit via the power of manufacted nethicite to fight the party , but the two are defeated . Cid has Venat reintegrate the three shards of deifacted nethicite into the Sun - Cryst , causing it to spill copious amounts of Mist over Ivalice . Cid is killed , and Reddas takes the Sword of Kings from Ashe and uses it to destroy the Sun - Cryst in a self - sacrificing attack . The deifacted nethicite is destroyed , and with Cid ' s death , the secrets to manufacted nethicite may likewise have been lost . The party accosts Vayne Carudas Solidor on the Sky Fortress " Bahamut " during the Battle above Rabanastre between the Resistance and the Archadian Imperial Fleets . They are joined by Larsa , who wishes to avert the war . Vayne is willing to even attack Larsa to have his way , but when he summons an array of magickal swords to attack the party , Larsa holds up the piece of manufacted nethicite that repels the attack before shattering . Vayne merges with Venat to become the Undying , but is defeated . The war is averted and Larsa becomes the new Emperor , who presumably leads Archadia to a new path free of nethicite . Gameplay . Pieces of nethicite can be obtained in - game and equipped as accessories . The Dusk Shard , then known as the Goddess ' Magicite , increases Magick Resist by 13 , but saps the wearer ' s MP to 0 . Similarly , the Dawn Shard increases Magick Resist by 20 , but saps MP to 0 . While a party member is equipped with these items , they are also incapable of restoring their MP in any way . In the " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " version , the two items also reduce the Mist Charge gauge to zero . Equipping the Dawn Shard is necessary to explore the Stilshrine of Miriam , as various altars only respond to the player when the party leader has the Dawn Shard equipped . A piece of Manufacted Nethicite is acquired as an accessory on the Dreadnought " Leviathan " . It grants the user 50 % resistance to all elemental attacks , but inflicts permanent Silence status . Other appearances . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . Nethicite is a special trade accessory that can only be obtained via Battlegen in a battle against a Friend Card of Gabranth , and is used to create the Thornlet . When Gabranth uses his EX Charge abilities to charge his EX Meter , he glows in a manner similar to those using the power of nethicite , and his aura in EX Mode is similar to the same glow . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Nethicite returns as an accessory , and the said aura graphics on Gabranth are also retained .