Carwen, originally romanized Caerwyn and also Kerwin, is a location in Final Fantasy V. It is a prosperous port town located north of Walse and south of the North Mountain. It is accessible on both Bartz's world and merged world.
History[]
Carwen was notable both for its port, described as the finest in the world, and its proximity to the North Mountain, home of wind drakes. The shattering of the wind crystal meant no ships could sail, greatly damaging the town's economy. The proximity to the North Mountain meant many villagers heard stories of them and the dragon grass, though a war fifty years prior to the events of Final Fantasy V killed off all but one wind drake. Them being an endangered species, and the dragon grass being poisonous, made both extremely valuable to the locals.[1]
Bartz Klauser and the rest of the Warriors of Light arrived to Carwen coming directly from the Ship Graveyard. There the party picked up rumors of sightings of Lenna Charlotte Tycoon's wind drake, Hiryuu, at the North Mountain, which prompted them to search for him there.[2]
Geography[]
Carwen is located southeast of the Ship Graveyard, north of Walse, and south of North Mountain. Its geographical location greatly changes between Bartz's world and the merged world: in Bartz's world, it is on the shore of the eastern continent; in the merged world, it is surrounded by mountains to its northwest, a forest to its south, and a lake to its east.
Carwen is mostly built atop a stone pavement, and much of it is elevated over a wall. Its points of interest are its port, its four shops, its pub, and its inn. Carwen's port is described to be the finest in Bartz's world, but largely irrelevant as a result of the crystal shattering. The town's proximity to the North Mountain means many residents have heard stories about the dragon grass and wind drakes, though both are extremely rare especially with wind drakes being an endangered species.[1]
Gameplay[]
Shops[]
- Item Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Potion | 40 gil |
| Antidote | 30 gil |
| Eye Drop | 20 gil |
| Maiden's Kiss | 60 gil |
| Mallet | 50 gil |
| Gold Needle | 150 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 1,000 gil |
| Tent | 250 gil |
- Armor Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bronze Shield | 290 gil |
| Bronze Helm | 250 gil |
| Bronze Armor | 400 gil |
| Copper Cuirass | 350 gil |
| Cotton Robe | 300 gil |
- Weapon Shop
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 300 gil |
| Long Sword | 480 gil |
| Rod | 200 gil |
| Staff | 200 gil |
Items[]
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| 1000 gil | Pub |
| Frost Rod | Chests on the southern dock |
| Antidote | Chests on the southern dock |
| Cottage | North in a chest where a man was blocking the path near the docks in World 1. Only accessible in World 3, and only if Lone Wolf was not let out. |
Enemies[]
All enemies are found in the area outside Carwen.
- Outside (Bartz's world)
- Outside (merged world)
Quests[]
Carwen is an optional location. Upon arriving after wherein the player can talk to non-player characters, beginning with a green-haired woman, for rumors about the wind drake. However, this is not mandatory and the player can simply travel to the mountain.
The party leader can play a piano at the pub. Playing all the pianos in the world acquires the last song, Hero's Rime. This is the second piano the player is likely to encounter, and thus results in the early lessons of finger exercises rather than playing a full song.
outside of the Inn in the merged world if you interact with the NPC with green hair standing next to the stairs it will give you hint for the mimic job.
Musical themes[]
Carwen's background music is the recurring theme "Harvest" (ハーヴェスト, Hāvesuto?) that also plays in Istory and Quelb. The song is in the style of Welsh instrumental folk music.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
In Japan, the original provided romanization for the location was Caerwyn. The name is Welsh, from caer which means "castle" or "fortified city" (roughly equivalent to the old-fashioned meaning of "borough"), and gwyn which means "white" or "blessed". (The g in gwyn is dropped because of lenition in Welsh grammar.) The Japanese form カーウェン Kāwen reflects the anglicized pronunciation [/ˈkɑː(r)wᵻn/] "CAR win", which in turn reflects northern Welsh [/kɑːɨrwᵻn/]. (The southern Welsh pronunciation is [/kairwɪn/], and its anglicized form is [/ˈkaɪə(r)wᵻn/] "KIRE win".)