Alexandria



Alexandria is both a nation and the capital of that nation, and for a time the capital of the Alexandrian Empire, on the planet of Gaia in Final Fantasy IX. It is a large kingdom centered on a plateau in the northern Mist Continent, extending out over the Zamo and Gunitas basins.

A monarchy, it is ruled by Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI and later Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. Alexandria is well-known for its all-female army led by General Beatrix and a group of male knights in charge of protecting the city, known as the Knights of Pluto led by Captain Adelbert Steiner.

History
According to the Final Fantasy IX Ultimania, Alexandria was founded circa 800 years prior to the game's start, after the other civilizations on Mist Continent collapsed.

After mist began appearing on the continent, its civilizations succumbed into warfare, eventually destroying each other. Alexandria was born out of the destroyed civilizations' remains and was the first kingdom built on high elevation, above the mist. At this time, the summoners still lived in Alexandria.

Around 500 years prior to the game, Alexandria was destroyed by a failed summoning experiment. To ensure that the powerful eidolon would never be summoned again, its crystal was divided up into four pieces, one given to each of the ruling kingdoms on the continent, and one was kept by the summoner tribe. After the event, the summoners left the Mist Continent, migrating to Outer Continent.

Despite being located above the mist, smaller scale conflicts continued, mainly between the three major nations: Alexandria, Lindblum, and Burmecia, with Lindblum and Alexandria having a long history of recorded wars. This continued until the advent of mist-powered airships in Lindblum. Around 30 years before the game's start, Lindblum's air force intervened during an Alexandrian conflict with Burmecia and was resolved peacefully. Alexandria and Lindblum began diplomatic relations, and the wars that had been plaguing the continent came to a stop. South Gate and the Berkmea cable cars were built, so airships and travelers could pass freely between the two nations.

Story
At the beginning of the game, the kingdom is celebrating Princess Garnet's 16th birthday. To celebrate, a show is being put on by the Tantalus Theater Troupe: a performance of Lord Avon's famous play I Want to Be Your Canary. The Tantalus Troupe is actually hired by Regent Cid Fabool IX of Lindblum to kidnap Princess Garnet to ask her about her mother's recent and unusual behavior.

In a twist of events, Garnet actually wants to be kidnapped because she believes her mother has been acting strange lately. As the events of I Want to Be Your Canary unfold, Zidane meets Garnet at one of Alexandria Castle's towers, as she attempts to flee from the city. They both grab the Prima Vista's lines and swing onto the ship, but Steiner pursues them.

All three, including the confused black mage Vivi Ornitier, end up on center stage. The play manages to go on smoothly with some impromptu acting, but as Tantalus prepares the engines for departure, Queen Brahne realizes the scenario and orders the firing of an explosive Bomb onto the decks. The Prima Vista escapes Alexandria, but crash-lands in the Evil Forest.

Alexandria is closely linked to the powerful regency of Lindblum, and when Garnet and the others arrive there, they converse with Regent Cid, who is worried about the Queen's behavior. It is later discovered that Brahne has been under Kuja's influence, a weapons dealer of sorts, who persuades her to take over the Mist Continent in order to further his own schemes.

When Garnet and Steiner return to Alexandria, Brahne uses an ancient extraction ritual to take Garnet's eidolons with which she attacks neighboring nations. Once the eidolon Odin destroys the city of Cleyra, Zidane, Vivi, and Freya Crescent warp into Alexandria Castle via teleportation pods on the Red Rose airship.

They join Steiner in liberating Garnet from her prison in the castle basements and are forced to fend off a slew of Bandersnatches set upon them by the queen. The party is split up at the castle antechamber: one group flees to Treno, while the other stays to slay the Bandersnatches, and in chaos, Brahne readies her naval fleet for the Outer Continent.

Queen Brahne eventually comes to her senses after suffering a mortal wound inflicted by Bahamut, which Kuja had captured from her. The queen perishes on the Outer Continent shores, and Garnet prepares to be crowned the new ruler of Alexandria. Kuja soon orders Bahamut to torch the city and during the attack, the eidolon Alexander defends the castle, summoned by Eiko Carol and Garnet, who have brought the four crystal fragments together.

After Alexander destroys Bahamut, Garland appears with the Invincible and wrecks the city with a single blow. Reconstruction work begins straight away, however, and in the game's final scene occurring some time after the final battle, Alexandria seems to have been restored to its former glory, as Tantalus once again returns to perform I Want to Be Your Canary.

Locations
The city is not as large as Lindblum, so there is no real need for an air cab service. This is partially because Alexandria isn't as technologically advanced as Lindblum. Therefore, the only way to get around town is on foot. Alexandria's natural setting over a lake separates the castle from the city proper, and a simple rowing ferry serves as transport between the two locations.

The city is badly damaged after it is ravaged by Bahamut and the Invincible, but as in Lindblum, residents immediately begin to rebuild the city, allowing it to be partially explored in later discs.

The game begins here on the main street, with Vivi watching the Prima Vista cross the city. In the south, the street leads to the town exit that has a statue in the middle of the square; north onwards leads toward the castle. The street is lined by many residences and a tavern. The player can race against Hippaul in a minigame here at the beginning of Disc Three.
 * Main street

The pub is found along the main street. The player can find some gil here on the floor and get a tutorial for playing Tetra Master if they find Alleyway Jack in the alley. At the beginning of Disc 3, when the player is in control of Vivi in Alexandria, they can find Zidane here.
 * Pub

The town square is at the center of town. The north leads to the castle, and there are shops and an inn around the square. The ticket office in the middle checks patrons' tickets when they come to see I Want to Be Your Canary. The player can play the Jump Rope minigame here at the start of the game and obtain the Alexandria card from a girl here in Discs 3 and 4.
 * Town Square

The inn is located by the town square and is run by Hippaul's family. The guests' rooms are upstairs, and there is a balcony overlooking the town square from the inn. The inn is packed at the beginning of the game due to the performance of I Want to Be Your Canary at the castle.
 * Inn

After being left behind in Alexandria, Ruby opens a mini theater in the alley, but she has trouble finding good actors for her shows. She manages to get Lowell Bridges, the star of the Theater District in Lindblum, but upon seeing Ruby's tiny theater, Lowell does nothing but complain of how his talents are being wasted. The item to be obtained to solve the Mognet Central sidequest can be obtained from Ruby but only after hearing the clue that the item is somewhere in Alexandria.
 * Mini Theater

Kupo, the local moogle, makes his residence here and can record the player's progress as a save point. At the start of the game, Stiltzkin visits Kupo before embarking on his travels, and he can be found in the steeple again near the end. The player starts the Mognet quest here by receiving a letter from Kupo, who also plays a role later on Disc 4 if the player does the Mognet Central sidequest; Kupo will give the hint that the required item is somewhere in Alexandria. From Disc 3 onwards, the player can play the jump rope minigame here if either Vivi or Eiko are in the party. Hippaul has hidden some Tetra Master cards in the bell.
 * Steeple

Puck leads Vivi on the rooftops of Alexandria from the steeple during the pair's attempt to sneak in to watch I Want to Be Your Canary. Using the ladder, the two can get across gaps between the buildings, and there are treasures to be found in the houses' chimneys.
 * Rooftops

Alexandria Castle
Alexandria Castle is the most prominent landmark of Alexandria with its enormous crystal pillar in the middle of the castle. The castle is the home of the royal family and is guarded by the Knights of Pluto, as well as members of Squad Beatrix. The castle has vast libraries, a dungeon, and an ancient underground tunnel leading to Treno.

Treasure

 * Potion x6
 * Eye Drops
 * Ether
 * Tent
 * Phoenix Pinion
 * Zombie card
 * Sahagin card
 * Fang card x3
 * Goblin card x2
 * Bomb card x1
 * Skeleton card
 * Lizard Man card


 * 63 Gil
 * 33 Gil
 * 27 Gil
 * 29 Gil
 * 3 Gil
 * 92 Gil
 * 38 Gil

(During Disc 3 before heading to Mini-Theater)
 * Topaz
 * Desert Star
 * Falcon Claw
 * Amethyst
 * Phoenix Pinion x3
 * Potion
 * Lapis Lazuli
 * Ether
 * Opal
 * 2680 Gil
 * 3927 Gil
 * 9 gil

(Hippaul Racing Only Items)
 * Wyerd card
 * Carrion Worm card
 * Tantarian card
 * Armstrong card
 * Ribbon card
 * Nova Dragon card
 * Genji card
 * Athlete Queen

(Jump Rope Only Items)
 * 10 Gil
 * Cactuar Card
 * Genji Card
 * Alexandria Card
 * Tiger Racket Card
 * King of Jump Rope

Bell tower Disc 1 at the beginning:
 * Ironite card
 * Goblin card
 * Fang card

Disc 3
 * Shiva card
 * Ramuh card

After Destruction

 * Remedy
 * Ether
 * Tent
 * Opal
 * Peridot
 * Sapphire
 * Alexandria card

Jump Rope
Jump rope is a minigame the player can participate in as Vivi in Alexandria at the beginning of the game by approaching the girls jumping rope to the left of the ticket booth. Later, the girls relocate to the steeple, and Eiko can also play at this point. The minigame yields rewards such as gil, rare cards, and a rare key item. The field icon indicates when the player should jump. The rhythm of the game varies as the player gets a higher total.

Meeting with Alleyway Jack
At the beginning of the game, the player can hear rumors of an "Alleyway Jack" who knows a lot about Tetra Master. The player can meet him in the alley west of the town square, but if the player lets Alleyway Jack walk across the screen and leave the area, they miss the chance of talking to him. After meeting him, the player can talk to him in the tavern, and he will explain he rules of Tetra Master.

Find a missing cat
On the first disc, there is a boy called Tom who has lost his cat, Mittens, near the steeple by the lake. The cat can be found in the very first area of the city, where the statue is found in the middle. Talking to the boy after having found the cat nets the player the Bomb card.

Hippaul's hidden cards
Hippaul has hidden his valuable Tetra Master cards at the top of the steeple. If the player looks there at the beginning of the game, they find generic monster cards, but if they check during Disc 3, they will find eidolon cards for Shiva and Ramuh.

Mognet
The player can start the Mognet sidequest by accepting a letter from Kupo in the steeple at the start of the game. On Disc 4, the player can start a chain of deliveries to complete the Mognet Central quest, where the letters eventually point that the item Artemicion needs to fix Mognet is in Alexandria. After getting this clue, the player can get the Super Slick key item from Ruby in the mini theater.

Racing Hippaul
Hippaul can be challenged to a footrace at the beginning of Disc 3. The race is available for a short time only, and the opportunity to race him ends as the player agrees to see Ruby's play. Hippaul can be found on the main street in Alexandria. The player controls Vivi and must press and  in succession to beat him. Prizes include the rare key item Athlete Queen as well as Genji and Ribbon cards.

Nero Brothers' gambling minigame
The Nero Brothers host a gambling minigame at the start of Disc 3 in Alexandria's weapon shop. The minigame is only available when the player controls Zidane. The minigame is basically a shell game: The three brothers will shuffle their positions and ask the player to identify one of them. After a correct answer, the player is given a choice to continue or stop and receive a reward. After a wrong answer, the player loses the money they paid for the game. The only reward is gil, and the prize sum rises all the way up to 25,600.

The player can use the to pause the game during the shuffle to make it easier.

Shops
Doug's Item Shop is the only store available at the beginning of the game, and at that time, it does not stock Remedies, Hi-Potions, or Annoyntments.

Outside

 * Bomb
 * Bomb X2
 * Bandersnatch

During the Battle for Alexandria

 * Mistodon
 * Mistodon X2

Tetra Master
Got from skipping 200 times at Alexandria Square, Steeple (Disc 1/3/4) Got from talking to the Girl at Alexandria Square (Disc 3-4) Win from Gamble Grecchio at Treno Card Stadium (Disc 3) Win from Librarian at Daguerreo 2nd Floor (Disc 3-4) Win from Engineer Zebolt at Daguerreo 2nd Floor (Disc 3-4) Win from Strong Phantom at Memoria Lost Memory (Disc 4)
 * Card 094
 * Location:

Musical Themes
While neither Alexandria nor its castle have official themes like the other nations in the Mist Continent, three different songs play whenever the party visits Alexandria. "Vivi's Theme" plays when the player has control of Vivi at the beginning of the game before I Want To Be Your Canary is performed.

"We're Thieves" plays during the party's visit at the beginning of Disc 3, when the party is waiting for Garnet's coronation. "Unrequited Love" becomes the nation's main theme for the rest of the game, starting when Zidane laments about being in love with soon-to-be Queen Garnet.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Alexandria is present as a room for preset characters of the game's Multiplayer Mode Online Lobby.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Alexandria appears in the background of the "Over the Hill" Field Music Sequence.

Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Mobile
Alexandria is present in this crossover between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy as a stage.

Etymology
Alexandria is a city founded and named by Alexander III of Macedon, and is the second largest city in Egypt. However, its name probably derives from the in-game lore, as it is the resting spot of the powerful eidolon Alexander.

Trivia

 * One of the rooms from the Online Lobby in Dissidia Final Fantasy is named Alexandria.
 * At the beginning of Disc 3, when Vivi reunites with Zidane, the player can leave Alexandria and see it from the World Map, before it is destroyed. This is the only time in the game the player can do this.
 * According to his concept art in the Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania, Gilgamesh found his Excalibur in a hidden room in Alexandria.