Stilshrine of Miriam

The Stilshrine of Miriam is a location in the land of Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII. It is a temple located in snowy mountains, housing a powerful artifact. The player needs to equip the Dawn Shard as an accessory onto their party leader to activate the pedestal that opens the rest of the shrine; afterward, they may remove it.
Stilshrine of Miriam is one of the two areas included in the playable demo released in North America a year before the game.
== Sage Knowledge ==
== Profile ==
Stilshrine of Miriam is named after an ancient god of swords and martial might (also referred to as a goddess elsewhere in the game). It was built during the time of the Galtean Alliance, by the Gran Kiltias of that time. The Sword of Kings rests, sealed deep within. No one knows why the Sword was left with the Gran Kiltias and not kept by King Raithwall himself. The pedestal that opens the way deeper into the shrine only responds to those who hold the Dawn Shard.
Stilshrine of Miriam has a design similar to other places built during the Galtean Alliance, like the Sochen Cave Palace. Unlike other buildings from this era though, it is in much better condition, thanks to the effort of the Kiltia. The guardians of the Stilshrine even consist of the walls themselves. The technology to do this has since been lost.
== Story ==
Princess Ashe has decided to fight the Empire, but with no nethicite to use for a weapon after the Dawn Shard lost its power, the outlook looks grim. The Gran Kiltias Anastasis on Mt Bur-Omisace tells Ashe of the Sword of Kings resting deep inside the Stilshrine of Miriam; a sword, that can cut through nethicite, to destroy the Empire's most powerful of weapons.
The party venture inside the shrine and eventually come across the sword. Balthier urges Ashe to test the sword on the Dawn Shard to see if it really works. Ashe hesitates and sees the ghostly vision of Lord Rasler, shaking his head at her. She still picks up the sword and raises it to the stone, but on purpose misses the mark. Fran says the stone fears the sword, and Ashe says she is positive this sword is the real Sword of Kings.
== Locations ==
The Stilshrine of Miriam is located in a territory near the Paramina Rift. Flying there is normally impossible, because the area is a jagd.
* Walk of Sky (to the Paramina Rift)
* Walk of Mind
* Ward of Measure
* Cold Distance
* Ward of Steel
* Walk of Prescience
* Walk of Reason
* Ward of Velitation
* Walk of Torn Illusion
* Ward of the Sword-King
* Walk of Revelation
* Hall of Worth
* Vault of the Champion
* Throne of Veiled Gods (enter from Ward of Measure with Stone of the Condemner)
== Treasures ==
In the original version, with the Diamond Armlet equipped, the common item treasure is a Knot of Rust and the rare treasure is an Elixir. Most treasures are found in the Walk of Reason area. The treasure in the northeast can contain Steel Poleyns, and the treasure slightly south from there can have the Lamia's Tiara. There is a group of four treasures in the southeast corner, and one of them can have the Pirate Hat. Among the treasures on the other side of the map, in the northwest, the player may find the Firefly and Sorcerer's Hat.
The treasure in the east end of the Ward of Velitation is always either an Elixir or a Megalixir when Diamond Armlet is not equipped, but with Diamond Armlet the treasure is always Megalixir. The treasure will not respawn. The Ward of the Sword-King area has a hidden passage on the left of the hallway; skirting the wall in a way the camera attempts to go "inside" the wall reveals a new path. At the end of the path is a treasure that never respawns that has either a Dark Matter or a Shell Shield. With the Diamond Armlet equipped the treasure is 90% Shell Shield, 10% Dark Matter. When entering the last room after the hidden passage the player should cast Float before entering, because the entrance is covered in traps.
In the Zodiac versions, the treasures are different. Walk of Sky has some accessories, and Walk of Mind has an Ice Shield, which may be of use for the boss of this dungeon. The Ward of Velitation area has the Countdown spell. The hidden passage still has the Shell Shield, now as a guaranteed treasure. Walk of Prescience has the Ruby Ring, that bestows constant Reflect status to the wearer.
=== Walk of Sky ===
These chests only appear in the Zodiac versions. They do not respawn.
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
1 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Tourmaline Ring	Tourmaline Ring	Tourmaline Ring 	Tourmaline Ring
2 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Tourmaline Ring	Tourmaline Ring	Tourmaline Ring 	Tourmaline Ring
3 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Battle Harness 	Battle Harness 	Battle Harness 	Battle Harness
=== Walk of Mind ===
This chest only appears in the Zodiac versions. It does not respawn.
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
4 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Ice Shield 	Ice Shield 	Ice Shield 	Ice Shield
=== Ward of Velitation ===
;Zodiac
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil 	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
5 	5% 	5% 	≤ 65000 gil	Potion 	Potion 	Common 	Rare
5 	5% 	5% 	≤ 65000 gil	Potion 	Potion 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (B)
6 	10% 	95% 	≤ 200 gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
6 	10% 	95% 	≤ 200 gil 	Megalixir 	Potion 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
7 	100% 	0% 	N/A 	Countdown 	Countdown 	Countdown 	Countdown
;Original
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
1 	100% 	0% 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Knot of Rust
1 	100% 	0% 	Elixir 	Knot of Rust 	Knot of Rust
=== Cold Distance ===
;Zodiac
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
8 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Shell Shield 	Shell Shield 	Shell Shield 	Shell Shield
;Original
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
2 	100% 	0% 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
2 	100% 	0% 	Dark Matter 	Shell Shield 	Shell Shield 	Dark Mater
=== Walk of Prescience ===
This chest only appears in the Zodiac versions. It does not respawn.
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
9 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Ruby Ring 	Ruby Ring 	Ruby Ring 	Ruby Ring
=== Walk of Reason ===
;Zodiac
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil 	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure 	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
10 	100% 	0% 	N/A 	Ashura 	Ashura 	Ashura 	Ashura
11 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
11 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Cura Mote 	Platinum Sword 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
12 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
12 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Hi-Potion 	Obelisk 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
13 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
13 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Remedy 	Hunting Crossbow	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
14 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
14 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Phoenix Down 	Power Rod 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (C)
15 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
15 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Chronos Tear 	Kiku-ichimonji 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
16 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
16 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Chronos Tear 	Golden Staff 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
17 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
17 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Cura Mote 	Loxley Bow 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (B)
18 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
18 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Phoenix Down 	Ras Algethi 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
19 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Item 1 	Item 2 	Common 	Rare
19 	75% 	50% 	≤ 370 gil	Phoenix Down 	Hammerhead 	Knot of Rust 	Meteorite (A)
;Original
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure 	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
3 	60% 	45% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
3 	60% 	45% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Steel Poleyns 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
4 	60% 	45% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
4 	60% 	45% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Lamia's Tiara 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
5 	70% 	30% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
5 	70% 	30% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Chronos Tear 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
6 	55% 	45% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
6 	55% 	45% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Firefly 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
7 	60% 	45% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
7 	60% 	45% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Sorcerer's Hat 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
8 	60% 	40% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
8 	60% 	40% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Gold Needle 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
9 	55% 	30% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
9 	55% 	30% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Pirate Hat 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
10 	80% 	40% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
10 	80% 	40% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	G-Foe: HP >= 3000	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
11 	80% 	40% 	Gil 	Item 1 	Item 2 	Gil 	Common 	Rare
11 	80% 	40% 	≤ 50 gil 	Knot of Rust 	G-Foe: HP < 3000 	≤ 200 gil 	Knot of Rust 	Elixir
=== Ward of Steel ===
This chest only appears in the Zodiac versions. It does not respawn.
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
20 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Sage's Ring 	Sage's Ring 	Sage's Ring 	Sage's Ring
=== Hall of Worth ===
These chests only appear in the Zodiac versions. They do not respawn.
Chest	Spawns	Holds Gil%	Gil	Normal Treasure	Normal Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure	Diamond Armlet Treasure
20 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Elixir 	Elixir 	Elixir 	Elixir
21 	100% 	0% 	N/A	Bubble Mote 	Bubble Mote 	Bubble Mote 	Bubble Mote
== Quests ==
=== Rare Game ===
To find Myath, the player must have spoken to the "Huntmaster" in Phon Coast and defeated Thalassinon, which will trigger the start of the Rare Game quest. Myath then appears in the Stilshrine of Miriam in the area Ward of Velitation. To get this creature to spawn, the player must kill the three Dragon Aevises in the room, leave and return, and it will be in the center of the room. Like all trophy game, once it is killed, it will never reappear.
To find the Rare Game Matriarch Bomb, as well as the enemy Oiling, the player needs to locate the hidden passage in Ward of the Sword-King. The player should head south to where Darkmare stands in waiting. The western wall here is where the hidden passage is located. When the player stands in front of the western wall for a few seconds, the wall will vanish and reveal a hidden stairway leading up. The player can try to move the game camera inside the wall to reveal it. The player should cast Float on the party, as the last hidden area has a trap that immediately applies berserk and confuse and is otherwise impossible to avoid.
The Matriarch Bomb has a 20% chance to spawn in the final area, along with a one time only treasure that can contain either a Dark Matter or a Shell Shield.
Once entering the Stilshrine, the player must spend at least thirty minutes within to find Negalmuur. Darkmare must also be killed (Ward of the Sword-King) for it to appear. Negalmuur will spawn at the junction within the Ward of the Sword-King. Negalmuur can be used for auto-leveling (see below).
=== Level grinding ===
By correctly setting up the party's gambits, it is possible to create an infinite loop, which allows the game to be left playing while the party continues to gain experience. Leaving the game for a long period of time, for example overnight, allows the party to gain several levels with only minor initial effort.
There are two important things to avoid, both of which have the effect of ending the loop. The first is killing Negalmuur. To this end, gambits should be set up so as to ensure that only the summoned enemies are attacked, for example, using a gambit such as "Foe:HP<3,000", since Negalmuur's HP is far in excess of that. The second thing is to prevent the party leader remaining KOed for long enough that the game is paused to select a new leader. The appropriate healing gambits should be set up to avoid the party leader's death, and Decoy used to attract as many attacks as possible to other members.
One early method for near infinite auto-leveling is to teleport back to Rabanastre and buy the gambit for Foe: HP <2000 (also the < 3000 gambit, if the party doesn't already have it), plus Bone Mail. It's also good to grab a Flame Shield to farm some Oilings while waiting for the 30 min Negalmuur spawn time to pass.
Party leader gambits in order of priority top to bottom:
:(1) Party health maintenance gambits (Vox, Raise, Curaga, Haste, ... , Esuna);
:(2a) Foe: HP < 1000 → Attack (Optional - if there is enough available gambit space);
:(2) Foe: HP < 2000 → Attack (If one does not want to steal, one can just use the HP < 3000 gambit);
:(3) Foe: HP = 100% → Steal;
:(4) Self → Charge.
Using Remedies to remove Doom status is not so workable as the earliest the Self: Status = Doom gambit is available is Balfonheim. The Ally: Status = Doom gambit would probably end up using too many Remedies. This is why this method is described as "near" infinite; there is still the small chance the party leader might get doomed.
Number (2) on the list should have higher priority than (3), as the aim is for turnover: the faster the Ghasts are killed, the faster Negalmuur spawns more, and the fewer Ghasts there are simultaneously present hitting the party. One wants to avoid having Negalmuur + four Ghasts with part-health spawned and to be stuck on raising, healing and buffing because of being under constant attack, also increasing the likelihood of the party leader ending up doomed.
The party should be equipped with weapons with stable damage instead weapons with high but unstable damage to get the Ghasts' health below 2000 on the first hit from the secondary characters. Alternatively, one could use the Foe: HP < 3000 gambit instead, but then the chances of stealing are reduced.
Secondary character gambits in order of priority top to bottom:
:(1) Self → Decoy;
:(2) Party health maintenance gambits (as per tank, but is a good idea to mix them up a bit so the characters aren't constantly interrupting their action/cast because another character has changed theirs);
:(3a) Foe: HP < 1000 → Attack (as per tank, optional - if there is available gambit space);
:(3) Foe: HP < 2000 → Attack (as per tank, if the player does not care about stealing, one should just use HP < 3000);
:(4) Foe: party leader's target → Attack;
:(5) Self → Charge.
Both subs should have Decoy as it reduces the likelihood of the party leader becoming a target should one of the subs die and have to be raised. It helps to have the licenses for extended status effect time (to limit Haste, Decoy recasting) and to gain MP from dealing or taking damage. Finally, having Thief's Cuffs equipped increases the chance of a Paramina Crossbow steal.
The above early method is not fool-proof, as the tank will occasionally be doomed.
Later methods available are to either equip the party leader with a Ribbon to prevent Doom status, or otherwise gaining the Self: Status = Doom gambit, a stack of Remedies, and the license that allows Remedies to heal Doom. The latter Remedy method would only last as long as the Remedies do, while the former Ribbon method would mean the party leader would be stealing without having Thief's Cuffs equipped.
== Enemies ==
* Blood Gigas
* Balloon
* Crystalbug (green)
* Darkmare
* Dragon Aevis
* Facer
* Redmaw
* Zombie
* Zombie Warrior
* Miriam Guardian
* Miriam Facer
* Ghoul
* Ghast
* Dark Lord
* Nightwalker
* Reaper Mage
* Reaper Claw
* Oiling (Secret area only)
* Ice Azer (During Esper battle)
* Vinuskar (Boss)
* Mateus (Esper)
* Zeromus (Optional Esper)
* Myath (Rare)
* Matriarch Bomb (Rare)
* Negalmuur (Rare)
== Map ==
The map can be found behind the ancient door leading to the statue in the Ward of Steel after defeating Vinuskar.
:Areas highlighted in red are hidden passages that do not appear on the map.
Map from the original Final Fantasy XII that includes all treasure information
==Musical themes==
"The Stilshrine of Miriam" is the location theme. It is a mysterious, ambient track.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
==== Stilshrine of Miriam, Part 1 ====
==== Stilshrine of Miriam, Part 2 ====
== Gallery ==
Stilshrine of miriam2.png|Outside Stilshrine of Miriam.
Stilsrine-pedestal-of-dawn.jpg|Pedestal of Dawn activated.
Stilshrine-of-Miriam-Statue-FFXII-TZA.jpg|Statue.
Stilshrine-path-opened.jpg|Path under the large statue's sword opened.
Stilshrine-Save-Crystal-Appears-FFXII-TZA.jpg|Save crystal appears.
Statue-Pedestal-Stilshrine-FFXII-TZA.jpg|Statue on a pedestal.
Sword-of-Kings.png|Sword of Kings.
MiriamGuardian-ffxii.png|Miriam Guardian.
Ashe-Dawn-Shard-FFXII-TZA.png
FFRK Stilshrine of Miriam, Part 2 JP FFXII.png|The Japanese dungeon image for Stilshrine of Miriam, Part 2 in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
== Etymology ==
Miriam is the name of the sister of both Moses and Aaron as told in the Book of Exodus in Hebrew Bible. She is in fact, a prophetess and the older sibling of them.
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Temples
Category:Ruins
de:Miriam-Stillschrein