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The garif people live by the old ways. Magicite Lore is a part of their culture. They may hear it. The cry of the nethicite's power. Whispers of the Stone's menace.

Fran

The garif are a humanoid race from Final Fantasy XII, who live in tribes scattered over the Bancour Region of Ivalice. The only tribe encountered by the player is located in the village of Jahara.

Though all garif met in Final Fantasy XII are male, High-chief Zayalu makes a mention of 'mothers and daughters', confirming the existence of female members of the tribe. The Final Fantasy XII Scenario Ultimania states that the garif sexes live separated[1], like the viera, and thus only the male side of the tribe is ever met.

Notable members[]

  • Supinelu - The current War-chief of Jahara who surpassed his brother Kadalu to this position.
  • Kadalu - The former War-chief, who was forced to stand down after sustaining heavy injuries in a battle against Catoblepas.
  • Uball-ka - The Great-chief of Jahara.
  • Sugumu - A Low-chief who posted a bill for the Enkelados after it trampled his herbs.
  • Zayalu - A High-chief who posted a bill for Ixtab after its presence became a concern.
  • Yugelu - A learned garif Geomancer with knowledge of a powerful Esper locked within the Henne Mines.
  • Garif Trader - A friendly and enthusiastic merchant with an interest in monographs.

Profile[]

Garif1

Great-chief Uball-Ka.

The garif are a muscular race covered in thick brown hair. Abhorring machinery and material goods such as money, they live off the land, adorning themselves in simple, natural materials, such as leather, grass, wood and stone, and building their houses from the same materials.

They often stand with a slight stoop, possibly from the weight of their masks. The masks are a vital part of garif customs and all garif receive a mask on the day they are born, which they wear until they die and will not remove, lend or sell. The Great-chiefs wear more elaborate masks, wrought with metal and painted with pigments that most likely have come from the land.

Despite their intimidating appearance, the garif are a peace-loving people, albeit physically capable of fighting and hunting thanks to their muscular bodies, thick fur and incredible hearing and sense of smell. Many garif become herders, overlooking livestock of creatures known as "Nanna" in the garif tongue. The garif milk these creatures to make Nanna-cheese, a product famous throughout Ivalice.

Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

After Ashe receives the Dawn Shard and witnesses its power in destroying the Dreadnought Leviathan, she wishes to use the stone's power to protect the Kingdom of Dalmasca. The stone is cold and empty of Mist, however, and Fran tells her of the garif who are known for their worship of magicite. The garif were the original race whom the Occuria approached with the power to wield nethicite, the most powerful form of magicite in Ivalice, and thus worship of magicite became part of their culture. As garif were not interested in learning to use the nethicite to project power over Ivalice, the Occuria took the nethicite back and instead offered it to the humes, namely, Raithwall, who wielded the nethicite and became known as the Dynast-King.

As Ashe and her party reach Jahara asking for help, the garif inform her they do not know how to use the nethicite, but note that the piece of nethicite in Ashe's possession has lost its power. Nevertheless, the garif are always welcoming and willing to hear tales of Ashe and her companions' travels.

Spoilers end here.

Gameplay[]

The player can fight a Garif Adventurer at the Greensnake and Haulo Green area of the Ozmone Plain. If the player wants to reveal the entire bestiary entry they will need to kill the Garif Adventurer multiple times. The Garif Hunter, who also occasionally appears, does not count towards bestiary entries. Garif are weak to Lightning.

Clan Primer[]

Classification: Humanoid
Genus: Garif

Page 1: Observations[]

This race of large-framed, well-muscled humanoids have bodies covered in thick fur.
The Garif adorn themselves simply with ornaments of stone and bone, preferring natural objects over those crafted or otherwise unchanged from their original form. The one exception is their masks: each is unique, and is worn for the duration of the owner's life.
The Garif worship magicite as a sacred substance, and possess deep cultural knowledge of the stones.

Page 2: The Dragon's Game[]

Dragons.
The most feared of all creatures, yet, beyond mention in ancient tomes of their servitude to the gods in antiquity, little is known of the ecology and development of the great wyrms.
I have in my studies, come across a certain fable concerning a god and a dragon. The stone tablet upon which it was written was only recently discovered, and though there are surely some embellishments as might be found in any fable, I wonder with no little surprise at its simple elegance. Perhaps, I find myself thinking, this tale has the germ of truth in it.

Lecluse, Exegete of Tales

Page 3: The Dragon's Game[]

In times now ancient, a Dragon was born, stronger than anything that had been before, and in time he thought himself superior to the God that had created him.
One day he said unto Him, "I am stronger than you, God."
"Very well," replied the smiling God, "then let us play a game, and we shall see which of us is the stronger."
So began the Dragon's game.

Page 4: The Dragon's Game[]

Dragon and God agreed to three tests to see who was the strongest.
"See yon mountain?" asked the God, "can you carry it here to me?"
"As easily as an ant might carry a blade of grass," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had brought the mountain to the God's feet.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not strong enough to move a mountain."
And so did the Dragon win the first test.

Page 5: The Dragon's Game[]

The next test was also one of strength.
"See there yon rock?" asked the God. "It is of the strongest stone in the world. Can you pierce it?"
"As easily as a sparrow might pierce an apple in search of the worm," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had opened a gaping hole in the stone.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not strong enough to pierce such a stone."
"And so did the Dragon win the second test.

Page 6: The Dragon's Game[]

And so they came to the final test.
"See there yon magickal ring?" asked the God. "Can you pass through it?"
"As easily as the ferret scampers through the warren-hole, in search of the hare," and a moment later, the Dragon's neck was through the ring.
Yet the ring was too narrow for the dragon to pass through entirely.
"You have tricked me," the Dragon said.
"I am cleverer than you," replied the smiling God.
Thus did the God win the final test, and thus did the Dragon become lesser than the God in all things.

Behind the scenes[]

The garif may be loosely based on the Central African Garifuna people.

In Final Fantasy XII, there are 24 total Garif that the player can speak with.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Final Fantasy XII Scenario Ultimania p.92
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