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dragonhaven: moonflow
Moonflow
Final Fantasy X
Type of Location: Landscape
Physical Description:
South bank: moonlillies | South bank: station | South bank: Shoopuf boarding station
Crossing the Moonflow | Concept art of the shoopuf ride and the sunken machina city
North bank: Shoopuf boarding station | North bank: rest stop | North bank: path to Guadosalam
"Moonflow" is the name of the river that dissects the continent of Spira into two halves. As such, it is well traversed; the south and north bank are often populated by those passing through, and there are several signposts along both of the banks as well as places to rest before continuing their journeys.
The river is a cloudy, murky green in colour. Moonlillies often grow on its surface at the banks and they are particularly spectacular on its southern bank. Just past the station, there is a long stretch of untouched Moonlillies. At night, pyreflies gather around the flowers, and make the surface of the water glow.
As well as the expanse of river itself (and the machina city below it), both banks are present in the havens. The path towards Guadosalam exists on the north bank, though upon where the city of the Guado should be, it is not there. As the path heads away from the river, it slowly becomes densely populated with trees. Likewise, as one exits the area of the south bank, they will be returned to the havens. The road just beyond Djose Highroad does not exist here, neither.
History: Whilst crossing the Moonflow, one can see the remains of an ancient machina city beneath the surface, which has given rise to the popular and widely spread legend that defying the laws of nature by trying to build a bridge across the river led to the city's destruction. The size of the city meant that the bridges could not longer support it, and it sank. Whether it is true it went against the laws of nature is widely speculated, but there is an element of truth to it; the city was indeed there and it did sink, thanks to Sin or by other means.
Ten years prior to its current state, during his pilgrimage, Braska crossed the Moonflow along with his guardians Auron and Jecht. When they arrived, Jecht was drunk, and seeing a Shoopuf - and he had never seen one before - mistook it for a fiend, and attacked it. Out of embarrassment for Braska (because he was the only person who believed his story), Jecht paid for all the damage he caused and swore never to drink again.
The Shoopuf Jecht attacked is still in service on the Moonflow; on its right hind leg, a long scar is visible.
Culture:
*Housing: Being primarily a crossing point, there is little in the way of housing. There is a small station on the south side of the Moonflow, but this is little more than a tent on a raised platform. Here one can view the map of Spira and pay for passage across the Moonflow itself by riding a Shoopuf. At night, individuals have usually moved on to find places to sleep.
*Families and family structure: Nothing as such; there are no permenant residents, save the Hypello and the Shoopuf. Travellers constantly come and go, and they usually travel alone, or in very small groups.
*Religion: Spira follows the teachings of Yevon. Sin is the price for their crimes of tampering with machina in the past, and they must pay for it. The people long for a Calm, which summoners can give to them - but only for ten years, before the cycle begins again. An Eternal Calm is what the people most desire, a life free from Sin. Summoners leave their home temples and begin pilgrimages across Spira to obtain their Aeons before fighting Sin. At some point, they will usually have to cross the Moonflow from one side of the continent to the other.
The Moonflow is taken from a point where these teachings are still intact, however, there is very little presence of the religion here itself. Travellers may tell you about Yevon and praise Yevon for occurrences, talk of those who have passed on (and have been Sent, in some cases; Sin is still rife) and speak of High Summoner Braska and other summoners, but there are no temples within the area of the Moonflow itself. Some travellers may speak of Guadosalam and the Farplane, which are perhaps the closest areas to the Moonflow on the north bank. Being within Guadosalam, a majority of its visitors are indeed heading to the Farplane.
The ruins of the destroyed machina city at the bottom of the river are used as an example against their use in the first place, as well as many other areas of Spira with similarly destroyed cities. The area and culture of Spira is very adverse to technology as a whole, and only the Al Bhed stand against this. Individuals may not act favourably if you reveal something they believe to be machina to them.
*Exports/Imports and Local Products: The plus side of being an often used crossing point is the merchants that pass through. There are multiple merchants willing to sell any of their wares, from potions to weapons, whether they stay around the area frequently or move on fairly quickly.
*Economy: The currency used is gil.
*Languages Spoken: Common tongue of Spira. The Hypellos speak a corrupted form of this as their pronunciation can be a little awry, but they can be easily understood.
*Mode(s) of transportation: Chocobos are available for hire at the station on the south bank, if one so desires. Perhaps the highlight of crossing the Moonflow is the method used to do this. Travellers will climb aboard a Shoopuf as it traverses the river to the other side.
*Methods of Communication: Written word and spoken language only.
Local Inhabitants:
Hypello: The Hypello are a race of amphibian creatures that inhabit Spira. They are most at home in water and are fairly agile, but on land become a little sluggish. They speak a corrupted form of Spira's common tongue, and most of their sentences end with a questioning tone, as if unsure they are understood. The Hypello transport travellers across the Moonflow for a fee by taking them aboard the Shoopufs.
Shoopuf: Elephantine creatures that can swim across the river. They are native to water, and are often seen near the Moonflow. They are pack animals and are "driven" by the Hypello.
O'aka XIII: One of the merchants. He trades on both banks. He is a devout supporter of Yuna.
Risks: The Moonflow is fairly peaceful. It is one of the few places in Spira that Sin doesn't seem to have attacked at any point (whether it was involved in sinking the machina city is unknown). Some guards do protect the stations on each bank, but there are only one or two. The only real dangers is falling into the river, but if this happens, the Shoopuf will scoop you back up onto its back.
If you are a Shoopuf you should probably watch out for drunk guys with swords. Word on the street is they're pretty dangerous.
Celebrations: None to speak of.
Additional Information: The Moonflow is taken from during the events of Final Fantasy X, after the party moves on to Guadosalam.
Final Fantasy X
Type of Location: Landscape
Physical Description:
Crossing the Moonflow | Concept art of the shoopuf ride and the sunken machina city
North bank: Shoopuf boarding station | North bank: rest stop | North bank: path to Guadosalam
"Moonflow" is the name of the river that dissects the continent of Spira into two halves. As such, it is well traversed; the south and north bank are often populated by those passing through, and there are several signposts along both of the banks as well as places to rest before continuing their journeys.
The river is a cloudy, murky green in colour. Moonlillies often grow on its surface at the banks and they are particularly spectacular on its southern bank. Just past the station, there is a long stretch of untouched Moonlillies. At night, pyreflies gather around the flowers, and make the surface of the water glow.
As well as the expanse of river itself (and the machina city below it), both banks are present in the havens. The path towards Guadosalam exists on the north bank, though upon where the city of the Guado should be, it is not there. As the path heads away from the river, it slowly becomes densely populated with trees. Likewise, as one exits the area of the south bank, they will be returned to the havens. The road just beyond Djose Highroad does not exist here, neither.
History: Whilst crossing the Moonflow, one can see the remains of an ancient machina city beneath the surface, which has given rise to the popular and widely spread legend that defying the laws of nature by trying to build a bridge across the river led to the city's destruction. The size of the city meant that the bridges could not longer support it, and it sank. Whether it is true it went against the laws of nature is widely speculated, but there is an element of truth to it; the city was indeed there and it did sink, thanks to Sin or by other means.
Ten years prior to its current state, during his pilgrimage, Braska crossed the Moonflow along with his guardians Auron and Jecht. When they arrived, Jecht was drunk, and seeing a Shoopuf - and he had never seen one before - mistook it for a fiend, and attacked it. Out of embarrassment for Braska (because he was the only person who believed his story), Jecht paid for all the damage he caused and swore never to drink again.
The Shoopuf Jecht attacked is still in service on the Moonflow; on its right hind leg, a long scar is visible.
Culture:
*Housing: Being primarily a crossing point, there is little in the way of housing. There is a small station on the south side of the Moonflow, but this is little more than a tent on a raised platform. Here one can view the map of Spira and pay for passage across the Moonflow itself by riding a Shoopuf. At night, individuals have usually moved on to find places to sleep.
*Families and family structure: Nothing as such; there are no permenant residents, save the Hypello and the Shoopuf. Travellers constantly come and go, and they usually travel alone, or in very small groups.
*Religion: Spira follows the teachings of Yevon. Sin is the price for their crimes of tampering with machina in the past, and they must pay for it. The people long for a Calm, which summoners can give to them - but only for ten years, before the cycle begins again. An Eternal Calm is what the people most desire, a life free from Sin. Summoners leave their home temples and begin pilgrimages across Spira to obtain their Aeons before fighting Sin. At some point, they will usually have to cross the Moonflow from one side of the continent to the other.
The Moonflow is taken from a point where these teachings are still intact, however, there is very little presence of the religion here itself. Travellers may tell you about Yevon and praise Yevon for occurrences, talk of those who have passed on (and have been Sent, in some cases; Sin is still rife) and speak of High Summoner Braska and other summoners, but there are no temples within the area of the Moonflow itself. Some travellers may speak of Guadosalam and the Farplane, which are perhaps the closest areas to the Moonflow on the north bank. Being within Guadosalam, a majority of its visitors are indeed heading to the Farplane.
The ruins of the destroyed machina city at the bottom of the river are used as an example against their use in the first place, as well as many other areas of Spira with similarly destroyed cities. The area and culture of Spira is very adverse to technology as a whole, and only the Al Bhed stand against this. Individuals may not act favourably if you reveal something they believe to be machina to them.
*Exports/Imports and Local Products: The plus side of being an often used crossing point is the merchants that pass through. There are multiple merchants willing to sell any of their wares, from potions to weapons, whether they stay around the area frequently or move on fairly quickly.
*Economy: The currency used is gil.
*Languages Spoken: Common tongue of Spira. The Hypellos speak a corrupted form of this as their pronunciation can be a little awry, but they can be easily understood.
*Mode(s) of transportation: Chocobos are available for hire at the station on the south bank, if one so desires. Perhaps the highlight of crossing the Moonflow is the method used to do this. Travellers will climb aboard a Shoopuf as it traverses the river to the other side.
*Methods of Communication: Written word and spoken language only.
Local Inhabitants:
Hypello: The Hypello are a race of amphibian creatures that inhabit Spira. They are most at home in water and are fairly agile, but on land become a little sluggish. They speak a corrupted form of Spira's common tongue, and most of their sentences end with a questioning tone, as if unsure they are understood. The Hypello transport travellers across the Moonflow for a fee by taking them aboard the Shoopufs.
Shoopuf: Elephantine creatures that can swim across the river. They are native to water, and are often seen near the Moonflow. They are pack animals and are "driven" by the Hypello.
O'aka XIII: One of the merchants. He trades on both banks. He is a devout supporter of Yuna.
Risks: The Moonflow is fairly peaceful. It is one of the few places in Spira that Sin doesn't seem to have attacked at any point (whether it was involved in sinking the machina city is unknown). Some guards do protect the stations on each bank, but there are only one or two. The only real dangers is falling into the river, but if this happens, the Shoopuf will scoop you back up onto its back.
If you are a Shoopuf you should probably watch out for drunk guys with swords. Word on the street is they're pretty dangerous.
Celebrations: None to speak of.
Additional Information: The Moonflow is taken from during the events of Final Fantasy X, after the party moves on to Guadosalam.