Castle of Bal, also known as Val Castle, is a location in Final Fantasy V, in Galuf's world and the merged world. It is a kingdom ruled by King Galuf Halm Baldesion and his granddaughter, Princess Krile Mayer Baldesion. The castle contains tight security, and has a hidden basement filled with secrets.
History[]
Before Final Fantasy V[]
Castle of Bal is ancient, and may predate the worlds being split, which would make it over 1,000 years old.[note 1]
It is unknown whether Galuf became king before or after being a Dawn Warrior, wherein he and the other warriors defeated Exdeath 30 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy V, sealing him on Bartz's world.[3]
At some point, Krile's parents, shortly after she was born, left the castle in search of the last wind drake, but were lost in the Gloceana Desert.[1]
Around the beginning of Final Fantasy V, Galuf sensed Exdeath's return and traveled to Bartz's world via meteorite,[3] with Krile and another soldier from Bal[note 2] following shortly after.
Final Fantasy V[]
The wind drake tower at Bal.
Galuf and Krile returned to Bal after getting his memory back, and began leading the war against Exdeath, leading a siege across the Big Bridge. The siege was halted when Exdeath held Bartz Klauser, Lenna Charlotte Tycoon, and Faris Scherwiz hostage, and shortly after Galuf rescued them, a barrier around the tower was activated, making the Big Bridge inaccessible.[4] Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Galuf were flung to Gloceana, while Krile returned safely. From that point, the soldiers of Bal fought a losing war, with Gilgamesh decimating their forces.[1]
When Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Galuf arrived in the Moogle Village, since moogles could communicate long distances, and Krile could talk to moogles, the moogle in Krile's room informed her of where they were, and she came to their rescue on her wind drake at the drake's expense.[5] The party then ventured to Drakenvale for some Dragon Grass to heal the wind drake. The drake initially refused to taste the grass, forcing Lenna to consume some first; after the wind drake saw Lenna eat the grass, it ate some itself and recovered, although Lenna fell ill as dragon grass is poisonous to humans.[6]
The party regrouped at Bal after Galuf died in the Great Forest of Moore, and Krile joined the party permanently.
In the merged world, the Castle of Bal reconnected with Jachol Cave, allowing the party to reach the room in its basement locked behind the inaccessible gate. There, they found Odin, the legendary summon, who joined them after they defeated him within one minute.
Geography[]
The Castle of Bal is located within a valley at the center of a continent. To its north is the werewolf village of Quelb, and north of that is Drakenvale. In the merged world, the castle is located in much the same area, though it is connected to Jachol Cave that leads to its basement. Though the castle is surrounded by a moat, the moat is not visible on the world map, suggesting it is smaller than other castles.
Despite the castle's age,[note 1] the Castle of Bal has no major apparent differences compared to other inhabited castles in Bartz's and Galuf's worlds. Its basement beneath the castle is a noted exception, haunted by Objet d'Art monsters and Odin behind an inaccessible gate. The tower on the right of the castle holds the throne room, as well as Krile's room, with a balcony where the wind drake rests.
The castle has no nearby village suggesting residents of its kingdom would live within the castle. However, no villagers are seen on the castle grounds, and the few who are seen are seen in the castle's shops. Bal is an apparently militaristic kingdom, playing a major role in the siege against Exdeath.
Gameplay[]
Items[]
The Teleport spell through a hidden passage in the throne room.
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Angel Robe | Backroom of shop |
| Great Sword | Northeast side of moat |
| Hero Cocktail | Throne Room |
| Lamia's Harp | Backroom of shop. Must enter special passage into shop from where Angel Robe is and stand in middle counter. |
| Teleport | Throne Room |
Shops[]
- Armor Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Gaia Gear | 2,000 gil |
| Gauntlets | 3,000 gil |
| Golden Armor | 4,000 gil |
| Golden Helmet | 3,500 gil |
| Golden Shield | 3,000 gil |
| Green Beret | 2,500 gil |
| Ninja Suit | 3,000 gil |
| Wizard's Hat | 1,500 gil |
- Weapon Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Ashura | 5,800 gil |
| Chain Whip | 3,300 gil |
| Dark Bow | 3,800 gil |
| Dream Harp | 1,600 gil |
| Orichalcum Dirk | 3,400 gil |
| Sleep Blade | 5,600 gil |
| War Hammer | 6,400 gil |
| Wind Spear | 5,400 gil |
- Item Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Potion | 40 gil |
| Hi-Potion | 360 gil |
| Ether | 1,500 gil |
| Antidote | 30 gil |
| Eye Drops | 20 gil |
| Maiden's Kiss | 60 gil |
| Mallet | 50 gil |
| Gold Needle | 150 gil |
| Holy Water | 150 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 1,000 gil |
| Tent | 250 gil |
| Cottage | 600 gil |
| Power Drink | 110 gil |
| Goliath Tonic | 110 gil |
| Iron Draft | 110 gil |
| Speed Shake | 110 gil |
| Hero Cocktail | 110 gil |
Enemies[]
- Basement
- Objet d'Art
- Odin (Boss)
- Outside (Second World)
- Outside (merged world)
Quests[]
Odin's challenge.
Two mandatory quests involve the castle in Galuf's world. The first occurs immediately after the Moogle Village, where the party has to then leave the castle and head north to Drakenvale. Upon leaving the castle, they will fight Abductor, a brief boss battle, before they can leave. They must first travel through Quelb before reaching Drakenvale.
After returning to Drakenvale, the party must reenter the castle. Because the soldiers mistake Galuf for a monster, the party needs to instead use the moat to enter, and then visit the wind drake to then use it for flight. After obtaining the wind drake, the player can travel to Surgate Castle.
In the merged world, a few optional quests are available. Traveling through Jachol Cave allows the party to fight Odin, who must be defeated within one minute to obtain the summon. Also within the merged world, it is possible to obtain the wind drake again as a means of flight, although it offers no major advantage over the black chocobo or the airship.
Musical themes[]
The background theme that plays at the Castle of Bal is called "The Castle of Dawn".
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy XIV[]
Bal's full name is the Island of Val, an island originally home to the Students of Baldesion, a research organization formerly led by Galuf, dedicated to the study of unexplained phenomena. In the first postgame update storyline, the island seemingly vanishes, with the only known survivor of the incident being the game's version of Krile. However, in Stormblood's postgame, the island reappears in the Far East, having been renamed Eureka, the Forbidden Land. The player is tasked with exploring the island and investigating its sudden disappearance and reappearance through a series of side quests, though the storyline is primarily for upgrading the game's artifact gear. The Students of Baldesion no longer use the island as their base of operations, having moved to a building in Old Sharlayan.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]
Bal is present as a room for customized characters of the game's Multiplayer Mode Online Lobby.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]
This section about a location in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
Castle of Bal[]
This section about a location in Final Fantasy Record Keeper is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Castle of Bal - Dungeon[]
This section about a location in Final Fantasy Record Keeper is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Gallery[]
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Though the basement of the castle was reachable through the Jachol Cave, the Jachol Cave was split to Bartz's world, and Galuf's soldiers described the castle as having a "long and rich history" that they did not know the full extent of, and also mentioned knowing nothing of how to open the basement gate.[1] This would suggest the castle existed prior to the worlds being split, which occurred 1,000 years before the events of Final Fantasy V.[2]
- ↑ The soldier in Walse Tower's crystal room trying to stop Garula has the same orange armor as those from the Castle of Bal, as opposed to the Castle Walse soldiers who wear blue armor.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Castle of Bal optional dialogue"
- ↑ Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Ghido's Cave 2"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Fire-Powered Ship (after Library of the Ancients)"
- ↑ Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Regole"
- ↑ Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Moogle Village"
- ↑ Final Fantasy V Advance script § "Castle of Bal (after Drakenvale)"