Caturae

Caturae No life form under the skies of Vana'diel nor the crimson moon of Abyssea is more mysterious than the enigmatic caturae. It is believed that these impenetrable beings once served the leisure events of a forsaken and equally arcane civilization. To date, nearly every piece of minutiae regarding their existence has managed to elude Vana'delian observation. While sightings have been rumored among the wayfarers of the Abyssean landscape, contact with the creatures has been stymied by their exceptional elusiveness. Perhaps no such accounts exist because those unfortunate enough to witness the blood-stained claws of these tortured creatures would either be unable to recount the terror or would have never returned to speak of it.

Family Information Type: Arcana Subfamilies: Tabbiyyat Common Behavior: A, T(S) Weak against: Strong against: Common Job(s): Black Mage, Red Mage, Monk, Warrior Traits: Enhanced Speed (+25%) Charmable: X✗ Pankration: X✗ Aspir: Drain: Check✓ Notes: You can check which caturae titles you have obtained by talking to Zuah Lepahnyu in Port Jeuno

Special Attacks[]

Special Abilities	Vision Areas	Scars Areas	Heroes Areas
Afflicting Gaze: Gaze Attack Bind and Plague.	Check✓		Check✓
Dark Arrivisme: Moderate Area of Effect damage with Additional Effects: Knockback and Dispel (3 buffs). Gains a strong Intimidation effect after use.		Check✓
Deathly Diminuendo: Area of Effect damage with Additional Effects: Bio and Curse.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Diabolic Claw: Powerful, single-target threefold attack. Absorbed by Shadow Images. Additional Effect: Magic Defense Down.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Draw In: Pulls target(s) to the user. Usually followed by a TP attack.	X✗	Check✓
Hellish Crescendo: Area of Effect damage with Additional Effect: Paralysis.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Interference: High Area of Effect damage with Additional Effect: Dispel. Damage may be proportional to number of buffs removed.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Malign Invocation: Moderate-to-high Area of Effect damage with Additional Effect: Amnesia.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Stygian Cyclone: Low Area of Effect damage with Additional Effect: Silence. Ignores Shadow Images.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Stygian Sphere: Heals self for 1800-2000 HP.	Check✓	Check✓	Check✓
Shadow Wreck: High Area of Effect Dark damage. (Only used by Iratham)	Check✓	X✗	X✗
Banneret Charge: 25-30 yalm Area of Effect that reduces HP to critical levels and resets hate. (Only used by Kutharei below 25%)	X✗	Check✓	X✗
Besieger's Bane: Area of Effect Bio, Zombie, and Terror (approx. 10 seconds). (Only used by Yaanei under 25%)	X✗	Check✓	X✗
Enthrall: Area of Effect Charm and Caturae Costume. (Only used by Rani)	X✗	X✗	Check✓
Royal Decree: High Area of Effect Damage and Obliviscence that lasts for up to 5 minutes. (Only used by Raja)	X✗	X✗	Check✓

Notorious Monsters in Family[]

Name	Spawn Information	Level	Zone	Notable Drop(s)
Iratham	Circles the mountain where Veridical Conflux #7 is located		Abyssea - Tahrongi	Timarli Jawshan Meridian Ring Aquiline Belt Atma of the Cosmos
Kutharei	Appears at (G-12) behind the Southwestern Gate		Abyssea - Misareaux	Navarch's Mantle Raider's Boomerang Laurel Wreath Atma of the Mounted Champion
Sippoy	Appears at (E-7) among the Speltercaps		Abyssea - Vunkerl	Ravager's Orb Aoidos' Matinee Veloce Zuchetto Atma of the Would-Be King
Yaanei	Appears from (J-8) to (K-9) atop the Parradamo Tor		Abyssea - Attohwa	Aias Bonnet Estoqueur's Cape Ferine Necklace Atma of the Impregnable Tower
Rani	Examining the ??? at (D-10) with Broken Iron Giant Spike and Rusted Chariot Gear and Dominion requirements are met		Abyssea - Altepa	Hecate's Earring Epona's Ring Uther's Grip Atma of the Merciless Matriarch
Raja	Examining the ??? at (J-5) with Shattered Iron Giant Chain and Warped Chariot Plate and Dominion requirements are met		Abyssea - Grauberg	Portent Pants Ace's Mufflers Schutzen Mittens Atma of the Despot
Pil	Examining the Planar Rift at (E-7), (H-8), or (J-10) in Behemoth's Dominion while in possession of a White Stratum Abyssite III and a Voidstone.		Behemoth's Dominion	Toci's Harness Aliyat Chakram Dilaram's Sollerets Pil's Tuille Heavy Metal Atmacite of Latitude Periapt of Emergence
Quest NMs: Iratham, Kutharei, Sippoy, Yaanei, Rani, Raja Mission NMs: None Battlefield NMs: Asb, Pil, Rukh, Sarbaz, Shah, Wazir Walk of Echoes NMs: Mingyi, Myin, Ne, Sin, Sitke, Yahhta Omen NMs: Ou, Fu, Gin, Kei, Kin, Kyou

Historical Background[]

Catura (Sanskrit चतुर or चातुर) is a Sanskrit word with various meanings. It may mean "of 4," "coach" (an enclosed carriage) or "clever," as well as "skillful at assuming different forms."

Caturaṅga (चतुरङ्ग) is roughly translated as "Chess" and is the same name of the ancient game developed in Gupta India during the 6th century. The literal translation is "having 4 limbs or parts" and is used to denote "army" in epic poetry, in which battle formations were divided into 4 parts.

Iratham, Kutharei, Sippoy, Yaanei, Rani and Raja are all playing pieces of the caturaṅga game.

Caturae denotes the plural and taxonomic title of this monster family; it represents a construction using Latin grammar rules, converting "Catura," in this case assumed to be a 1st declension noun, to the theoretical plural "Caturae" by adding the suffix "-ae."