"A small kingdom comprising the lands around the city of Rabanastre, governing a portion of the Galtean Peninsula. While its territories are small, its situation at the crossroads of three continents enables it to prosper as a center for trade." Like most locations in FFXII's Ivalice, the kingdom of Dalmasca has a rich and detailed history. The bloodline of the royal family of Dalmasca began with the Dynast-King Raithwall, a strong and valiant leader chosen by the "gods" to wield the power of Nethicite. The ruling family was granted one of Raithwall's pieces of Nethicite, the Dusk Shard, which was hidden away in the royal palace. House Dalmasca ruled until the Archadian takeover, two years prior to the beginning of the game. Because it was announced that Ashe had committed suicide after the invasion, the family line was assumed to have died out, and so the Princess has to reclaim relics that prove her lineage...

Located in the continent of Valendia, Dalmasca consists of the capital city of Rabanastre, the Dalmasca Estersand and Westersand, and the Giza Plains. The kingdom itself is only a small part of Archadia's vast empire during the game's events, and yet its citizens bear the brunt of the Empire's oppressive rule. The game opens in Rabanastre, where poor citizens devastated by the war dwell underground, while the upper area, still bustling with trade, is patrolled by Archadian soldiers.

It's safe to say that Ashe feels like she has a duty to ensure the liberation of her kingdom and its people, even if her original quest for liberation seems to be fueled by revenge more than compassion. But as the story progresses, Ashe comes to realize that Dalmasca and Rabanastre would become a battlefield should she attack the Empire by the means the Occuria prescribe...

"The story of the city's people is the story of three cultures, those of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwon, who bore trade goods along the many well-frequented routes leading to her welcoming gates." Dalmasca's capital, home to Vaan and Penelo as well as Ashe before her supposed suicide and the fall of the kingdom, serves as a center point for the story. The game formally begins in Rabanastre and ends there as well, as the final battleground hovers over the city. While the Archadians rule the city, Penelo remarks that, "…it's like it's not even Rabanastre anymore. Like the Empire is swallowing it whole." But the city is home to Ashe's resistance movement, which offers hope to the city's inhabitants, even if they're unaware that such a movement exists beneath their streets.
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