Pharos (Final Fantasy XII)



The Pharos at Ridorana is a location in the land of Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII. It is located on a floating island atop the Ridorana Cataract.

Location
The Pharos at Ridorana is located in the far east of Ivalice, in the Jagd Naldoa region. Since it is located in Jagd territory, it is impossible to reach by airship normally, and the tides surrounding it make it impossible for normal ships to approach. Access can only be had via the Ridorana Cataract. The Pharos at Ridorana is an area of three ascents, that are filled with creatures.

The expansive tower consists of three upper and three lower levels where various puzzles and challenges need to be completed before access to the next level is granted.

Threshold of Night
Located on the First Ascent of the Pharos at Ridorana. One Black Orb must be placed in each of the three Altar of Night in order to gain access. The inscription on the door reads:


 * "Ahead the watcher waits, first of three. Ye without wisdom, return whence you came."

Opening the door will cause the illusion of being in a desert. From inside, the name of the Threshold of Night changes to Dunes of Profaning Wind. There is no on-screen map to guide the player from inside, but following the path will lead to Pandaemonium, the first boss of the Pharos. Upon defeating Pandaemonium, the Way Stone in the First Ascent becomes operational.

History
The Pharos at Ridorana was built by the Occuria to house the power of all nethicite, the Occuria's creation, the Sun-Cryst. The Occuria gave the Sword of Kings to King Raithwall and told him to go to the Pharos and cut shards off the Cryst. During his visit, Raithwall engraved a message to the tower's entrance, warning all the future 'Dynast Kings' of the three guardians the Occuria had placed to guard the tower.

Reaching Pharos
Seven centuries later Princess Ashe was chosen as the new Dynast King and given the Treaty Blade by the Occuria, so she, too, could go the Pharos and cut shards off the Sun-Cryst. The 'tower of the distant shore' is known, but no human has set his foot on the land after Raithwall, as the Ridorana Cataract the Pharos is located on is situated by a waterfall making access by sea impossible, and the Pharos is located on the jagd, forbidding travel by air - until skystones that can travel on jagd were invented by the Draklor Laboratory in Archades. Reddas, who accompanies Ashe and the party to the Pharos, has stolen such skystone from the labs, and so the party can reach the Pharos.

The Sun-Cryst
The party make their way to the top of the Pharos where they find the Sun-Cryst. Ashe intends to go against the Occuria's wishes, and destroy the Sun-Cryst with the blade, but is met by a ghostly vision of her dead husband Lord Rasler, who urges Ashe to follow the Occuria's wishes to destroy the Empire. Ashe is shocked, and yells out she can't follow through with the plan, and is interrupted by Judge Gabranth. He urges Ashe to use the power she has to destroy the Empire that has stolen everything from her, and announces himself as the murdered of Ashe's father King Raminas.

Reddas rushes to block Gabranth's attack and reveals himself to be Judge Zecht who destroyed Nabudis with the Midlight Shard two years previously under Dr. Cid's orders. He wishes such power would never be wielded again.

Ashe realises that the Rasler she used to know would never ask her to mindlessly destroy the Empire, and that the ghostly vision is nothing but the Occuria's mind-games. With the Treaty Blade she strikes the ghostly vision. Having been revealed as nothing but an Occurian vision the ghost speaks with an Occurian voice and urges Ashe to follow her path as the next Dynast King, but Ashe yells out she is no false saint for them to use. She decides to destroy the Sun-Cryst.

Gabranth, embittered by the Princess's choice, strikes the party, but is defeated.

Dr. Cid enters the picture and dismisses Gabranth telling him he is no longer any use for the Empire. Enraged, Gabranth tries to strike Cid down, but is blocked by Venat. Cid takes out the shards of Deifacted Nethicite he had in his possession and integrates them back into the Sun-Cryst, which starts to exude powerful mist. The party then fight Cid and defeat him.

After Cid dies he turns into mist that is then absorbed into the Sun-Cryst. The reaction is becoming ever the more violent and the Sun-Cryst is about to burst. Vaan and Ashe try to destroy the Cryst together with the Occurian swords, but Reddas stops them, grabs the Sword of Kings from Ashe, launches at the Sun-Cryst, destroying it, sacrificing himself in the process.

Monsters

 * Abaddon
 * Bune
 * Crusader
 * Dragon Lich
 * Brainpan
 * Deidar
 * Mimeo
 * Undin Entite
 * Chimera Brain
 * Reaver
 * Aeronite
 * Cataract Aevis
 * Purobolos
 * Mistmare
 * Avenger (Rare)
 * Vishno (Rare)
 * Tower (Rare)
 * Hydro (Boss)
 * Pandaemonium (Boss)
 * Slyt (Boss)
 * Fenrir (Boss)
 * Phoenix (Boss)
 * Hashmal (Esper)
 * Judge Gabranth (Boss)
 * Dr. Cid (Boss)
 * Famfrit (Esper)

Sage Knowledge

 * For the Sage Knowledge on the Pharos at Ridorana, you may also see Sage Knowledge piece 68.

"Giant tower standing on an island near the Ridorana Cataract. Though not actually a lighthouse, a curious light emits from its upper reaches, piercing the darkest night, so earning it the name of the Pharos. Similarities can be seen between the architectural style of the tower and that of the ruins about it, but there are none who know the details of its creation."

Subterra
Subterra is the underground area of the Pharos which is available to explore after the upper levels have been completed.