Othard

Othard is one of the three great continents on the Source in Final Fantasy XIV. It is featured in the Stormblood expansion as one of regions of the Far East.
This region was mentioned throughout early in game, and with revealing the Au Ra race in Heavensward expansion, their race description mentions the region of Othard. Many parts of the continent are under the control of the Garlean Empire, having invaded it once they began expanding out of Ilsabard. It was home to the city-state of Doma before its people rebelled against the imperial control and were forced to flee before their home was razed to the ground. The Garlean occupation has resulted in increasing numbers of displaced Au Ra seeking refuge in Eorzea.
==Profile==
Upon the eastern banks of Othard lies Doma, the lands from which the ninja and samurai hail. Invaded twenty-five years ago by the Garlean Empire in their relentless effort to expand their borders, this once-peaceful nation now struggles under the imperial yoke. In the wake of a recent large-scale uprising that ended in failure, a majority of the civilians have been stripped of even their most fundamental freedoms.
==Geography==
Othard's climate in the areas seen thus far is fairly mild, comparable to La Noscea and Dravania. The land features expansive steppes, wet rice farmland, and a number of mountain ranges. To the east lies the Hingashi archipelago and the Glass Ocean. To its west lies the island of Thavnair.
===North Othard===
The Azim Steppe and Yanxia are the Othardian theater of action in Stormblood. While the Xaela tribes remain independent from Garlemald, Doma suffers under the Imperial Rule and the Viceroy's cruelty.
==== The Ruby Sea ====
A sea area infested with pirate activity. Extensive volcanism has shaped many of the islands in this area, and a few settlements can even be found beneath the ocean waves along the seabed.
==== Azim Steppe ====
A vast plain inhabited by the many nomadic Xaela tribes.http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/281457-Letter-from-the-Producer-LIVE-Part-XXVII-Digest-%2802-10-2016%29?p=3563315&viewfull=1#post3563315 Permanent settlements are few and far between.
====Onsal Hakair====
A hilly area marking the transition between the Azim Steppe and the Tail Mountains, it is the current retreat of the Mol Tribe.
==== Yanxia ====
Located along the delta of the One River, this area is home to the nation of Doma. The area consists of extensive wet rice cultivation, though under Garlean occupation much of it has seen better days.
==== The One River ====
The One River is a massive river running from the Tail Mountains in the Azim Steppe to the Ruby Sea, separating Yangxia and Nagxia along its way. It is the main transport artery of the kingdom of Doma, through which people and merchandise flowed before the arrival of the Garlean who blocked it with massive magiteck gates.
==== The Tail Mountains ====
A large mountain range surrounding the Steppes to the west before joining the Fanged Crescent, its northern peaks separates the Steppes from the Dalvalan Grath and the Proving Sea. They are also home to Bardam's Mettle, an ancestral proving ground for the Xaela.
==== The Dalvalan Grath ====
A wasteland situated north of the Tail Mountains, it is bordered by the Knowing Sea to its south-west and the Blindfrost to the north.
==== The Arras and Ryakgyr Peninsula ====
Separated from the Azim Steppes by the Wound, the Arras, along with the Ryakgyr Peninsula, are vast steppes that also houses numerous Xaela tribes.
==== The Nhaama Desert ====
A great Desert located west of the Azim Steppes, it is as well home to some of the Xaela Tribes.
==== The Fanged Crescent ====
A mountainous range located west of Yangxia and the one river.
==== The Burn ====
A vast desert situated between the Tail Mountains and The Skatay Range depleted of almost all Aether in its surroundings. Hidden in its sands are several Allagan facilities, and it is later revealed that Azys Lla was originally lifted from this region. The Domans, with the help of the Garlond Ironworks and the Scions, managed to restore an aetheric barrier which prevents any movement through it, rendering it literally impassable.
==== The Skatay Range ====
The Skatay Range are the snow-capped mountains that stretch from east of Othard to west of Ilsabard. They mark the border between the Burn and the Kingdom of Dalmasca and Yanxia. The region is the home to Veena Viera, the village of Kuguma being one of their settlements.
The Kuguma village is said to be a remote location with no easily accessible roads. In Kuguma, the women oversee daily life while the men live outside the gates as protectors. Although the terrain is harsh and unforgiving, the locals know traditions about hunting when prey is scarce and foraging when frost kills most of the crops. When the Garlean Empire marched into the region and conquered the surrounding nations, the Kuguma elders decided to cut off all contact with the outside world, but such extreme measures were unsustainable. Only a few years ago, it was decided to choose an emissary to travel the outside world to gather knowledge and return to the village to teach them everything they had learned. The people of Kuguma believe that some minerals with a unique essence are the souls of their ancestors who have returned to their ancestral home, and they often carry them as a form of protection.
==== The Blindfrost ====
A chilly ocean north of Othard that also borders the east of Ilsabard.
==== The Knowing Sea ====
A northern inland sea separating Othard and Ilsabard.
====The Unpromised====
An island in the sea at mid-distance between Othard and Ilsabard.
==== The Bay of Yanxia ====
North of Yanxia, the Ruby Sea goes west into the land to form the bay of Yanxia, which in fact is more an inland sea separating the later from the Ryakgyr Peninsula and the Arras.
=== South Othard ===
While most of the Northern Othard was freed during the Stormblood events from Garlean rule, South Othard remains a disputed region where the Empire struggles to keep its possessions.
==== Nagxia ====
Located south of the One River, the region of Nagxia is known for the heat and humidity of its subtropical climate and almost constant rainfall. The region's dense jungles and swampy ground make for poor farming, and Nagxia has never produced a historically significant nation. However, the jungle has also prevented the empire from ever fully conquering the nation, and long has the Nagxian resistance fought guerilla battles against their occupiers while hidden by the trees.
The Garlemald imperial invasion of Nagxia was led by the XIth Legion 25-30 years ago, and it is presently ruled by Garlemald's IVth Imperial Legion led by Noah van Gabranth. Devastated by the Garlean occupation, Domans were regularly sent to do grueling work there in retaliation for resistance actions.
Hyur, Au Ra, and Roegadyn are three of the races known to live in Nagxia.
The Nagxian resistance has recently joined other Othardian nations as part of the Eastern Alliance.
* Bunlai: A remote village in northern Nagxia. Most inhabitants were killed 30 years ago by the Garleans during the invasion of Nagxia.
* Dagluk: A village in southern Nagxia that was infamously massacred 25 years ago.
* Castrum Viride: An imperial castrum in Nagxia.
==== Dalmasca Superior ====
A sandy desert which was once home to the Kingdom of Dalmasca before it was conquered by the Garlean Empire.
* Royal City of Rabanastre: The former capital of Dalmasca, recently destroyed by the empire as a show of force against the rebellion. In its heyday it was known as the "Desert Sapphire".
* The Estersand and Westersand: The desert that sprawls around the Royal City of Rabanastre, so large it must be divided into two.
* Nalbina Fortress: A fortress that was reputed impregnable until its fall to the IVth Legion. This event was considered the turning point of the war between Garlemald and Dalmasca.
* Valnard Sea: Situated south of Rabanastre, the Ridorana Cataract and Lighthouse are situated there.
* Skatay Range: A snowy mountain range on the northern border that divides Dalmasca from the rest of Othard. Its forests are home to the Veena Viera.
==== Dalmasca Inferior ====
A more fertile region east of the Dalmascan Desert, which now serves as the center of Garlean rule in South Othard.
* Lea Monde: The capital of Dalmasca Inferior under Garlean occupation. Known for its wine.
* Golmore Jungle: A large forest, home to the Rava Viera, that lies in the east of Dalmasca, south-west of Nagxia.
* Zeirchele River: A river separating South Othard in two through the Golmore Jungle. The Orbonne Monastery lies along its banks.
* Greylic's Bend: The southernmost point of Othard, a Cape that any traveler who desires to attain the Far East must cross.
* Valnain: A major commercial port situated on the southern shore of the Golmore Jungle. Currently the center of operations for the IVth Legion.
==Aetheryte Sanctuaries==
*Tamamizu (The Ruby Sea)
*Onokoro (The Ruby Sea)
*Namai (Yanxia)
*The House of the Fierce (Yanxia)
*Dhoro Iloh (The Azim Steppe)
*Reunion (The Azim Steppe)
*The Dawn Throne (The Azim Steppe)
==Instances==
;Othard - The Ruby Sea
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;Othard - Yanxia
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;Othard - The Azim Steppe
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==Citations==
Category:Far East locations in Final Fantasy XIV