Narshe Narshe , also known as Narche , and titled " Colliery City Narshe " in the Japanese version , is a city in " Final Fantasy VI " . It is a coal mining town at the northern edge of the world , governed by the Elder of Narshe . The town is one of the game ' s most important locations — it is where the player party makes their base of operations for much of the game , and several storyline events , including the beginning , take place here . Situated in the mountains and affected by snowy conditions , Narshe is the only independent city to resist invasion attempts by the Gestahlian Empire . Story . According to a timeline in the " Settei Shiryou Hen " guide book , Narshe forms an independent political system 150 years prior to the game . Around 20 years ago , it is mentioned to have refused to sell coal to the invading Gestahlian Empire with armed resistance ; afterwards a pact of mutual peace is agreed upon . The canonity of this timeline is questionable , however . In the World of Balance Narshe is a neutral city that strives to keep the war between the Gestahlian Empire and the Returners away , but when the miners dig up a frozen esper they attract the attention of both factions . The Empire sends Terra , Biggs and Wedge to raid the town and although the Narshe guards try to stop them , they fail . Once Biggs , Wedge and Terra reach the esper , it kills Biggs and Wedge and frees Terra from imperial control by breaking the Slave Crown . Terra is rescued by Arvis , a Returner living in Narshe , who helps her escape . The guards catch up to her and corner her in the mines , but Locke Cole , a " Treasure Hunter " , along with Mog and ten other moogles , rescue her , and Locke takes her out of Narshe . When Terra returns to the town in the company of Edgar and Banon , Arvis attempts to convince the town to side with the Returners to no avail . Locke returns from the imperial - occupied South Figaro and , with information supplied by the traitor Imperial general Celes , warns the townspeople of an Imperial force on its way to seize the esper , lead by Kefka . The Elder of Narshe accepts the Returners ' help and the rebels assist the Narshe Guards in defending the town and drive Kefka off in the Battle for the Frozen Esper . In the aftermath , Terra confronts the frozen esper and transforms into an esper herself , flying away . Banon and a handful of Returners remain in the town while another group departs to search for Terra . Terra is recovered and the people of Narshe agree to join the Returners , giving them the strength to plot a direct attack on the imperial capital Vector . Vector slips into the hands of the allied forces after co - belligerent espers decimate the city , forcing the Empire to sign a temporary peace treaty with the Returners . The allies subsequently withdrew fom Vector . After the end of the world Narshe is overrun by monsters , and most of the townsfolk have fled or been killed . It is never directly stated how this happened ; one possibility is that Kefka , having suffered his first defeat in Narshe , avenged himself by making the town one of the first targets of his Light of Judgment . Many doors are locked and require Locke in the party to open them . The owner of the weapon shop refuses to leave Narshe and has locked himself in , and will give the player Ragnarok if talked to . Another old man who has stayed behind will hand over the Cursed Shield if the party finds him in his basement . Mog has returned to the moogle home within the mines . The frozen esper can still be found where it was left after the battle , and the party can obtain its magicite by awakening it and defeat it in battle . A secret passage to the Yeti ' s Cave behind the cliffs of Narshe is then automatically opened and Umaro can be fought and recruited into the party , provided Mog is in the party when this happens . Whether Narshe was repopulated after the final defeat of Kefka is unknown . Locations . Mines . The mines of Narshe form an expansive system of caves leading through and above the cliffs overlooking the town . There are three distinct sets of caves : one leads from just inside the town ' s entrance to Arvis ' s house , and includes the moogles ' home . Cliffs . The second set of caves can be found north of the town and leads onto the cliffs where the frozen esper is located for most of the game . A rear passage in these caves is where the esper is first found at the beginning of the game . The third set of caves , known as the Yeti ' s Cave , is only accessible after unthawing Valigarmanda in the World of Ruin , and leads to Umaro ' s home . A drop - off within the cave drops the party back on the path leading up to the cliffs . In the World of Balance , Umaro can sometimes be seen poking his head out from this hole in the cliffs . Quests . Recruiting Mog . During the third visit to the town the player can find Lone Wolf in the house on the hill on the east side of town . The player must pursue him into the mines and onto the cliffs where he holds Mog hostage . If the player holds still for a few moments after approaching once , Mog will struggle and knock himself and Lone Wolf to opposite sides of the cliff . The player can rescue Mog and recruit him to the party , or can approach Lone Wolf to take the Gold Hairpin he had stolen earlier . If they take the latter option however , Mog falls and can only be recruited in the World of Ruin . In the World of Ruin , Mog can be found in the moogle cave in the depths of the Narshe ' s mines and finding him will prompt him to join or rejoin the party depending on the action the party took in the World of Balance . The Cursed Shield . In the World of Ruin , a man in the basement of a house on the west side of town will give the player the Cursed Shield that inflicts a slew of negative status ailments , stat penalties and elemental weaknesses on the equipped character . If a player fights 256 battles with it the curse will be lifted and it becomes the Paladin ' s Shield , the best shield in the game . A fast way to dispel the curse is to fly to Solitary Island and fight against the Peepers ; since they have innate Sap and only one HP , it will die on its first turn . The players must be careful when fighting in the desert , as a Black Dragon may occasionally show up . Ragnarok . In the World of Ruin , the owner of the weapon shop in his back room shows the party a glowing stone and comments on the power of a sword forged from it . The player can either take the magicite Ragnarok , or have it be forged into the sword Ragnarok . The magicite is the only magicite to teach Ultima , the most powerful spell , and the only way to use Metamorphosis to turn enemies into items . The sword meanwhile is one of the most powerful weapons and can be bet at Dragon ' s Neck Coliseum to win an even more powerful weapon , the Lightbringer . The player cannot return to have the magicite turned into the sword if they take the magicite . In the GBA and later releases , where the player can continue their save data after the final battle , it may be preferable to take the magicite , as a Ragnarok sword can be stolen from Lady , while the magicite cannot be obtained in other ways . Even if the player takes the sword , the Ultima spell can still be learned from the Paladin Shield . Optional bosses . In the snowfields atop the town the player can find the Ice Dragon , one of the Eight legendary dragons . Beyond the snowfield at the cliff , the player can find the frozen esper Valigarmanda and battle it , thawing it to obtain it as a magicite . Defeating Valigarmanda opens a passage to the Yeti ' s Cave where Umaro lives . Defeating Umaro with Mog in the party will have Umaro join the party . Mog ' s Dance . The snowfields above the town are the only location where Mog can learn the Snowman Rondo Dance . Because no random encounter s occur here in the World of Balance , Mog cannot learn the Dance until the World of Ruin . Creation and development . Narshe was going to have a chocobo stable , situated right next to the Beginner ' s House . It didn ' t make the cut for the final version of the game . The inn also appears to have a pub sign right above it . Musical themes . " The Mines of Narshe " is the track used as the background theme for Narshe , but is replaced by the theme " Dark World " in the World of Ruin . Other appearances . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy " . Narshe and the surrounding snowcapped mountains appear in the background of the Field Music Sequence for " Terra ' s Theme " and " Searching for Friends " , existing in the World of Balance for " Terra ' s Theme " and the World of Ruin for " Searching for Friends " . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . The Snowfield Mining Town in the Kolts Region is based on the city of Narshe . As part of the January special events of " Typhon Attacks " and " Deathgaze ' s Onslaught " , four locations from the game were added , including the Snow Fields ( which use the same background as the Snow Fields of Narshe ) . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Narshe is the setting for two regular dungeons and is also featured in the Challenge Event s A Fateful Coin Toss and Back to the Skies . In Assassin in Black Narshe is the name of a " + + + " difficulty battle .