Other Important Items
Deciding against creating a huge quantity of separate pages, here is a list of other small things to know about the game's universe.
When the World of Ruin was formed, the currency of Gil turned into Munny - the same currency that is used all-throughout Traverse Town. However, 'Gil' is still an acceptable slang for it. Outside of that, the Portals will change currency into something usable in that world. That means that when one for instance travels to Manhattan, Munny becomes Dollars, and in The Roving Islands area, it becomes Doubloons.
In worlds where it might have otherwise been possible for characters to have known of a Phantasia world as a film or television program, or to know of a Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts game, it is the staff's decision that any references simply would not have existed. (Examples: Hudson flipping channels and seeing a glance of Lion King, or Elisa wearing Belle's dress in "Eye of the Beholder". For the sake of Final Kingdom, we assume that Hudson never saw any such thing while flipping channels, and Elisa just happened to have a very pretty ballgown.)
Other media that is not associated with any World or World Shard within Final Kingdom are okay. Characters who come from modern settings can have seen/know of/etc. other kinds of fictional books, films, and television programs. Some examples: Jackie Chan Adventures (trust us, we wish it was Disney, but it's not), Lord of the Rings (high-fantasy knights might be mistaken for cosplayers in Manhattan), or Old Yeller (which is a non-integrated live-action Disney film which is unlikely to ever be incorporated into Final Kingdom).
Within the World of Ruin there are many hidden Temples/Cloisters to the various Espers. These are places of power for Summoners, or those who wish to gain the aid of one of these Eidelons. The following is a list of 'known' Cloisters. Please contact staff via +request to begin a search for any additional Cloisters.
- Ixion's Cloister is hidden in the Traverse Town Clocktower.
- Shiva's Cloister is near the Mt. Bur-Omisace Temple.
- Ifrit's Cloister can be found hidden in the Land of Dragons, beneath the Imperial City.
- Bahamut's Cloister is in Bevelle Cathedral.
- Carbuncle's Cloister can be found in the Pride Lands, near the Forgotten Oasis.
- Phoenix's Cloister can be found on Mt. Kilauea in the Roving Islands.
- Midgarsrmr's Cloister can be found within the Serpent's Trench.
See The Crystals.
The Lifestream exists and flows through the World of Ruin. To be more precise, it has become an extension of the River Hades, which now also runs through the Farplane. However, those who perish and return to the lifestream - as governed by Hades, will not generally return to the World of Ruin... unless he has different plans.
Mako Reactors, of course, still draw their power from the Lifestream - and this puts Shinra at a strange odds with the Shadow Lords. After all, Shinra's technology and leadership lends itself to the darkness... but the corruption of the Lifestream annoys Hades.
The thing to note however, is that the Mako Reactor in the Land of Dragons is an exception. But if not the Lifestream... what does it feed off of?
Light and darkness are two opposing forces. Where Darkness inevitably tries to draw a person down into dark thoughts and emotions. Of the two, Darkness is certainly the most corruptive. Only a true Princess of Heart contains no darkness in their heart. And the more darkness one has in their heart, the harder the struggle gets to remain on the path of light.
It is rare for a person to wield both darkness and light, and even if they do, it's usually in the form of typical magic. It's generally impossible to wield both mastered Light abilities, and mastered Dark abilities. For instance, you most likely won't see someone who knows Holyja to also be casting Darkja. What's more, to commit to a perfect balance between the two is an extremely difficult course to take.
Almost every character will lie on either side of what is referred to as the 'Twilight' border between the two opposing forces - especially in the power they wield. The struggle between Light and Darkness is an overarching theme for Final Kingdom.
