Final Fantasy XII: Those who live in Ivalice
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Aug 22, 2004Warning: Use of undefined constant Story - assumed 'Story' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /mnt/web203/e0/91/54654191/htdocs/news/news.php on line 78 Warning: Use of undefined constant Story - assumed 'Story' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /mnt/web203/e0/91/54654191/htdocs/news/news.php on line 79 So after a bit of a dry run in regards of any Final Fantasy XII information, the official site decides to throw the fans a bone and give us an update on the various races living on Ivalice. Altogether, five races were showcased. While nothing on these mysterious “Nu Mou” has cropped up there’s still thorough information on the two most prominent species of Ivalice. One really can’t say that Yasumi Matsuno’s skimping on a detailed world after taking a look at what he’s created.
Hume
Humes make up the 40% of Ivalice’s total population making them the predominant and most widespread species of the five. There are several offshoots of Humes based on culture and slight physical differences but they’re all still classed under the same nomenclature. 
Hume relations with other species depend on two dynamics. The first is intelligence and the second, which comes as no surprise of course, is physical appearance. Races that are “smart” and more homonid-like are treated with far more respect than say creatures of base intelligence and non-homonid-like appearances. In fact those that fail to meet the bar are enslaved and utilised for manual labour. Bangaa, Seeqs and even Moogles are prime examples of ill treated creatures while the Viera, a race bearing a strong resemblance to Humes, are tolerated and are able to coexist peacefully with them.There is, however, a species of higher intelligence to Humes though they prefer to live in a separate, secluded culture, keeping their presence hidden from the rest of the world.
Viera
They’re known as the “People of the Forest” and long before war broke out on Ivalice, the Viera were content with living in isolation. Twenty-five years ago, a Viera would not have been as commonplace in a city such as Rabanastre as they are now, but as war ravaged their forests, the Viera were forced from their habitats to live in tandem with Humes.The Viera are generally tall and slim with long legs, arms and silver hair. They’re built for life in the forest through their superior sense of sight and sound. In fact, a Viera’s hearing is so keen that she’d be able to distinguish footsteps at a 10-kilometre radius. Still, asides from minor physical differences, the Viera are very much alike to Humes, though they do have lifespans that are three times longer.
There are two main sub-species of Viera, the Veena Viera and the Rava Viera. Those with light skin are known as the Veena Viera while those with dark skin are known as the Rava Viera. While hybrids of the Veena and Rava Viera are able to easily adapt to change, there is still a group of Veena Viera refusing to compromise their traditions. These blue blooded Veena Viera continue to live within what remaining forests that are left.
Seeq
The pig people that were originally thought to be Nu Mous are actually called Seeqs. No further information was revealed.
Article written by Chrissy
Sources:
SquareNet
FFXII.Net
Final Fantasy XII Online
Final Fantasy XII Official Site
Related Links:
News Article - Final Fantasy XII: Ivalice Revisited
Forum Board - Final Fantasy XII Forum