It was during this time that the Humes, in their adventurous nature, decided to explore the lands to the far north. Long forbidden they were now the stuff of imagination and legend. Two Hume officers, the elite Iron Musketeer warrior Ulrich and the monk Cornelia were given the task of leading the team. Under suggestion of Cornelia, her friend and Talekeeper of the Galka, Raogrimm was allowed to accompany them. Raogrimm, as talekeeper carried the memories or all past Galka within him. This made him a sort of "leader" of the Galka. He was also a member of the Mythril Musketeers, but in name only, as he detested the treatment of the beastmen by the Humes in the squad.

With the help of his friend and aide War Cloud, he was charged with a task of great importance amongst their people. This fact did not bother Cornelia though. She had known him for some time, and it seemed to many that their association was more than friendship. Ulrich noticed this too, having feelings for Cornelia, and did not like it one bit.

To travel to the northlands, the expedition would have to cross San d'Orian lands. Though they would allow it, the San d'Orians requested one of their best knights, Francmage come along. Though deemed as a "escort through the lands", he was more of a spy to make sure the Bastokans weren't up to something else.

Of course seeing this, the Tarus demanded 2 of their top officials go too. With the Hume's approval, Iru-Kuiru the taru and Rabntah the mithra were sent. These 6 adventurers set off from San d'Oria through the mountains to the north. It was here things turned horribly wrong.

Ulrich, after spending so much time with Raogrimm and Cornelia became jealous of their relationship. Angered that a hume woman would love a Galka over him, he found his own solution. Suggesting the party split in two, Raogrimm and he would search one way, the remaining 4 would go the other. Taking Raogrimm down deep into the chasms of the northlands Ulrich plotting the Galka's death, he did not notice Cornelia had decided to follow.

It was in the deepest chasm that Ulrich launched his attack, hitting Raogrimm when he least expected. Knocked to his feet and winded, Raogrimm could to nothing as Ulrich pulled back his sword for the final thrust...

It was then Cornelia jumped in front of Raogrimm, Ulrich's blade thrusting into her stomach.

Ulrich shocked by what he had done ran from the area. Raogrimm, the woman he loved at his feet covered in blood, let out a great roar. This was the last anyone heard from him.

Ulrich finding the other 3 members of the party announced that Raogrimm and Cornelia had fallen from a cliff led a fake rescue.

No bodies were ever found and the remaining members decided to return home before anyone else died. It was then that the strange murders began. One by one, each of the 4 remaining members were horrifically murdered.

Meanwhile in Windurst, though an internalist nation, their country continued to grow. The Mithra developed their own population and chieftaness within the capital, and a new Star Sybil was appointed. Also mastering magic to a science, the taru people had grown and prospered. 5 minstries of magic were created to govern the magical powers of the Tarutaru, each with their own specific function. The Optistery, was the magical library of Windurst, holding the tomes of ancient lore and magical power. The Aurastery, or the schools, were the learning grounds of young taru who would someday be the future leaders of Windurst. The Rhinostery was the ministry which experimented with the world around them. This ministry was the group that created the plants that light up at night. The fourth was the Oarstery, the taru mages training grounds which developed the ranks of the black, white, and red mages. The last ministry was the most recent and at the time, the most groundbreaking. The Maunastery, was responsible for the construction of Cardians. Under the supervision of the Taru Zonpa-Zippa, the Cardian's were created from dolls imbued with life by the star fruit collected from the gigantic star tree of Windurst Walls. These cardians were to be the new infantry and grunts of the Windurst army and do the daily work too hard for the Taru and Mithra. The problems would begin here.

The cardians were created with an absolute duty to their master, in this case, Zippa. Zonpa-Zippa could not of course control them all as the ranks grew, so he created 4 "Ace" Cardians to rule over them with the basic logic of black and white, a wrong and a right. The Aces would only report to him, and he would only have to deal with those 4 to control and army. Zonpa-Zippa was received as the hero of the Tarutaru.

This would have worked perfectly for the Taru people, if not for the discovery by the ambitious Optistery minster Karaha-Baruha. Working in the Optistery libraries Baruha discovered the ancient secrets hidden away by the first Taru settlers deep within Horotoro Ruins. Working without the authority of the Stary Sybil he came to Zonpa-Zippa to asked for his help and grant him the use of super strong cardians to search the ruins with him. Zonpa accepted and gave him control of the 4 ace cardians. With them in his power, Baruha had them secretly build a new cardian, Joker.

Using magics locked away within the libraries he bound his life-force to Joker and then proclaimed Joker the new master of the Aces.

While keeping up appearances in town, Baruha had the 5 cardians search within the ruins near town. It was then that the canals deep within the ruins were uncovered. Old sewers from the time of the Kuluu connected through all the towers, and even the Heaven's Tower of Windurst itself. Also, he had discovered a mysterious fountain deep within the canal. In it's dark reflection were the moon and the stars. It became apparent to him that he had stumbled upon the lost Full Moon Fountain of lore, which had given the first Star Sybil her great vision. Returning to Windurst he approached the Star Sybil in private, telling her of the fountain.

With this new knowledge, the Star Sybil returned to the fountain by herself. It was here that she had a vision which she did not expect. Deep within the fountain the visage of a great beast appeared. His name was Fenrir, the great beast of legend which gave the first Sybil her reading. The vision of Fenrir showed the future of Windurst, in ruin. The world of peace had been destroyed and the world was now covered in emptiness. Shocked at this vision she fled from the fountain. Unbeknownst to the two, Baruha had been watching. Taking the knowledge gained, he built a study deep within the canals, which would be known as the Animastery. Here, he discovered through ancient texts that it might be possible to change the will of the beast, and in fact change the fate of Windurst. Approaching the Star Sybil with this information, the two devised a plan. They would return to the fountain and Fenrir and ask how to change fate, if they couldn't do so, then Baruha would attempt to manipulate the beast. But, the Star Sybil was unaware how far his lust for power had gone.

Having bound himself to Joker through the forbidden magics, the sanity and mind of Baruha began to slip. He had decided not to just manipulate Fenrir, but to control him entirely. Arriving to ask for council from Fenrir, the two were turned away with news that fate cannot be changed. It was then the Star Sybil granted Baruha the chance he had been waiting for.

Sapping the power and will from Fenrir, the great beast muttered out these final words - Though the path is dark, there is always light. It was then, the fountain went dark.

During the times before the Crystal War the tensions between the kingdoms of the 5 races had reached a boiling point. There were no longer new lands to claim, and the 3 Kingdoms began to look at each others lands. This posturing for power, amongst each other had drawn the attention from the world around them to their own petty differences. It was at this time that the world began to change.

In the frozen northlands a new strange breed of beastmen had begun making a home. These winged beastmen posed a high level of intelligence and dark armor which protected heavily against most magics. Known as Kindred, they would eventually develop the reputation and nickname of "Demons".

Gathered under a dark master they sent emissaries south to the other beastmen. Without question the beastmen races of the Orcs, Quadav, and Yagudo submitted to this new power. Under the demon's instruction great armies of each race were constructed. Using weapons and tactics never seen before by beastmen, raids on the 3 Kingdoms of Vana'diel escalated. The most devastating such raid took place on the island of Quifim, near the town of Jeuno. Though the humes there fought valiantly, the beastmen had a trump card - the massive Gigas warriors of the islands to the North. Recently recruited in the army these monsters shook the ground with every step of their might and the hume forces crumbled as the rocks around them.

In the North, the beastmen raided small encampments, supplies were needed. A black citadel was to be built to the new Lord of the Beastmen... The Shadow Lord.

The legend begins as so.

The Beginning of everything was with the stone.

A long long ago, this beautiful living stone,

With its shining of seven colors banished the darkness,

Filled the world with life,

And gave birth to powerful gods.

Happiness and light blessed ages continued,

And soon the gods have gone to their sleep.

The name of this world is Vana'diel.

Sometime after, a great tribulation

Was about to fill this blessed land of Vana'diel.

The ancient seal, after resisting dark power for thousands of years,

Was broken and awakening the ending nightmare.

Innocent blood will flow through the great land.

The world will be enveloped by fear, sadness, and disparity.

However, this does not mean there is no hope...

There exists one star, shining brightly

Even through the nights of the harshest storms.

There exists a powerful song,

Not being vanished by the howls of any beasts.

That's right.

Proud ones,

Filled with wisdom, courage, and determination...

Now, awaken from the dark slumber.

Stand now, the legendary heroes.

The crystal warriors!

Just before the outbreak of the Crystal War, there appeared a strange new leader of military brilliance and unnatural intelligence in Jeuno. As the city slowly grew from a tiny fishing town, the new leader presented a plan to the Bastok government to form a new nation-state: The Grand Duchy of Jeuno. The president seeing this as a good chance to "neglect" his responsibilities there and focus on the increase number of beastmen, accepted. It was during this time that in a feet only matched by Cid's engineering skills, the small town of Jeuno became a teeming metropolis of trade and industry. Construction of great bridges connecting the 3 nations was started and soon Jeuno took Bastok's place as the most powerful of the nations.

Though having no real army, the Archduke's guards were recruited from the best warriors around the world and trained in tactics never seen before. Inspiring awe and a feeling of protection over the visitors to the town, the guards were the finest example of the new age. With this in mind people began settling in Jeuno and the town grew, not outwards, but up. Soon the Duchy of Jeuno was seen as a spectacle and attracted even more visitors. The people of Jeuno and indeed the world had only one person to thank, the Archduke, Kam'lanaut.