Ixal

Ixal are a race of bird-like Beastmen in Final Fantasy XIV, who worship the primal Garuda. Though they are mostly found in the highlands of Coerthas and Xelphatol, their frequent excursions into the northern Black Shroud has drawn them into conflict with Gridania.
==Profile==
The Ixal are lithe in stature, and feature horns and a toothed beak. For reasons unknown, after their exile from the Black Shroud, new generations of Ixal have lacked pinion feathers. Having lost their ability to fly, they use balloons for transporting cargo throughout mountain passes. Their main stronghold is Natalan, located east of Camp Dragonhead in the Coerthas Highlands. As befitting their reverence for the Lady of Vortexes, the Ixal have an affinity to using wind magic, and her blessings power the airstones that guide their airships.
They frequently make excursions into the Black Shroud to obtain timber, both for practical use and as religious service to Garuda. These activities have earned the ire of the elementals, and by extension the city-state of Gridania, leading to frequent clashes. In contrast, their encroachment into Coerthas has been generally dismissed as a secondary concern by the Holy See of Ishgard, who are too preoccupied with the holy war against the Dravanian Horde to deal with Natalan. The lack of overt aggression by Ixal against the Holy See has supported their view.
==Ehcatl Nine==
The Ehcatl Nine is a group of Ixal under the initiative of Sezul Totoloc. Dreaming of one day returning to the lost floating continent of "Ayatlan", he wishes to develop an experimental hybrid airship, Dezul Qualan, by combing both Ixali engineering with modern airship designs. Their goal is to surpass existing aeronautical capabilities and reach higher altitudes than any Eorzean, Ixali, or Garlean airship can reach.
They have set up a work camp within North Shroud on the outskirts of Fallgourd Float. Due to the nature of their project, Sezul is willing to welcome the five races of Eorzea, particularly skilled craftsmen. They are, however, considered enemies to the rest of the Ixal race, due to their rejection of the worship of Garuda.
One of their engineers is eventually successful in using the Dezul Qualan to reach Azyz Lla. Exploring the Fractal Continuum, he is horrified to discover the origin of his race as the descendants of the Allagan chimeras known as Iskalions. Distraught that the legends of their paradise are false, he reports his findings to Sezul Totoloc. Their leader, however, is unperturbed by the news, and declares that if their paradise is not to be found in Ayatlan, they will find it elsewhere.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy XV===
In the Adventurer from Another World collaboration quest, Prince Noctis and his friends discover a Miqo'te called Y'jhimei has brought Ixal to Eos by accident in a mystical teleporter. The Ixal use shards of the Meteor of the Six to perform a summoning ritual to call upon their primal, Garuda. When they realize Noctis and his friends are about to stop them, the Ixal operate a magitek armor to halt them.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Ixal appears with a wind-elemental card.
==Trivia==
*Enemies known as Iksalions can be found in the Fractal Continuum in Azys Lla which bear a strong resemblance to the Ixal, but with a full body of feathers and the ability to fly. Chimerically created by the Allagan Empire, their museum entry states that they were highly intelligent but suffered from genetic defects, leading many to surmise that the Iksalion are the ancestors of the Ixal, and Azys Lla the floating continent that the Ixal claim to hail from.
Category:Beastmen in Final Fantasy XIV