Western Thanalan

Western Thanalan is a zone located in Thanalan.

As Ul'dah's ocean entrance, Western Thanalan is filled with commercial facilities, from markets to ports to well-traveled highways. One might even see Vylbrand across the Rhotano Sea on a clear day after a good rain that has cleaned the air of desert dust from the beaches of this rocky region.

Geography[]

The Eighty Sins of Sasamo[]

Princess Sasamo, the second daughter of her family, devised a plan to usurp the crown from the legitimate successor about 200 years ago. Before she could act, her plot was uncovered, and she was taken into custody. She was forced to walk the 80 steps outside the city gate 80 times a day for 80 days straight after being accused of high treason. As she completed the last step of her penance, she collapsed and died.

Hammerlea[]

The richest residents of Ul'dah no longer enjoy the living conditions due to the flood of refugees. So, Hammerlea is their haven—a place where grand houses will someday be constructed. The place gets its name from the powerful towers known as the Hammers, which currently pound the ground into a firm foundation.

Scorpion Crossing: Shopkeepers of all stripes send their goods through here, from the East Aldenard Trading Company to the independent merchants of the Seventy-Seven Caravans. The quality of the products discharged at Vesper Bay is sorted here; the best are sent to Ul'dah, while the remainder are delivered to the Silver Bazaar.
Silver Bazaar: In the past, Ul'dah's sea trade was centered at the Silver Bazaar. However, fewer ships now dock at the hamlet's isolated docks; they now head towards Vesper Bay's deep harbor. Recently, the village has become a haven for people who had their hopes dashed in Ul'dah and are desperately trying to pick up the pieces.
Beaconhill Lighthouse: Back in the day, the Silver Bazaar's merchants would build a massive bonfire next to the village on a nearby hill to guide ships safely into harbor. At the height of the Bazaar's success, merchants and ship captains alike contributed money to the building of the powerful lighthouse that now atop that very hill.

Nophica's Wells[]

A natural basin formed by the recent collapse of a vast network of underground tunnels, it lies nestled between Hammerlea and Horizon's Edge. The land is lush and verdant, as though blessed by Nophica, the goddess of abundance, because it is a scarce supply of water in Thanalan's deserts.

Horizon's Edge[]

It is said that from the top of the granite cliffs that line this otherwise dry wasteland, one can see all the way to the extreme limit of the horizon.

Copperbell Mines: These mines were abandoned after all ore was removed, and they were left unexplored for nearly three centuries. Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern reclaimed the shafts with the intention of extending the mines downward to access as-yet-untapped lucrative metal veins. The miners dug too far, though, and an army of angry giants emerged from the mines' deepest caverns. These were hecatoncheires, or thralls of the Thorne Dynasty, who had defied their masters and been imprisoned in a dark place.
Horizon: Horizon is home to a Brass Blades encampment to ensure that travelers and commerce may pass freely between the harbors of Vesper Bay and Ul'dah itself along the Royal Allagan Sunway. Through Sunrise Gate to the east, one may see the first rays of dawn, while through Sunset Gate to the west, one can see the setting sun.

The Footfalls[]

The Footfalls are less than a malm away from Horizon's Edge, but they are substantially lower. According to a popular bedtime story, an ancient race of enraged giants trampled the earth as they traveled from the north to Vylbrand's volcanoes.

The Silent King: Believed to be a remnant of Belah'dia, this area was recently revealed for the first time in centuries as a result of the collapse of a sinkhole. The Order of Nald'thal has currently deployed thaumaturges to investigate more of its mysteries. Unfortunately, many of the other ruins discovered during the collapse have subsequently been removed by neighborhood residents for use in constructing new buildings to replace those lost in the Calamity.
Crescent Cove: This cove, which resembles a waning crescent moon, is home to a small, desolate fishing community. Since the Calamity, its inhabitants have become increasingly hopeless since once-rich fishing grounds have become barren due to changing current flows in the adjacent seas.
Vesper Bay: A thriving port city strategically located on Thanalan's western coast, it is a point of entry and exit for sultanate-controlled territory and is liberally supported by Syndicate chairman Lolorito. According to reports, the enormous bronze monument in the main square (when seen up close) accurately depicts the stated chairman.
Parata's Peace: Legend has it that after centuries of tormenting local fishing communities and demanding virgin sacrifices, the monster known as the Parata, dread of the straits, was ultimately destroyed in this remote valley. As a result of the area's decreased earth aspect, Parata's Peace is currently obscured by clouds of corrosive gas, which the superstitious villagers attribute to a curse the Parata may have pronounced in its final moments.
Moondrip: It appears as though the moon's light has been captured by the cavern's waters, which glow dimly. Scholars dispute the liquid's supernatural characteristics and assert that thousands of tiny phosphorescent organisms are to blame for the water's brilliance, despite some mountebanks' claims to the contrary and their willingness to charge a small fortune for vials of the liquid.

Cape Westwind[]

The westerly breeze that blows from the seas gave this location its name. Because the imperial army quickly took control of the region following the Calamity, few people today come anywhere close to the cape.

Imperial Outpost: Castrum Marinum, a floating, man-made island charged with resupplying Garlean soldiers, is connected to imperial units stationed on the mainland by means of a massive magitek transporter at this improvised camp.^[1]