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Grave sites are splendid repository of priceless artifacts. The golden mask of Agamemnon from Schliemann's excavation of the royal shaft graves at Mycenae. King Tutankhamun's glorious, some say cursed, tomb. Beautiful Etruscan jewelry from the tomb of Tarquinia.

[His eyes gleam with excitement as he talks about the treasures.]

I wonder why there are no graves on this planet. It is a universal truth of archaeology that where there are settlements, there are graves. It may be internments, ashes and bone fragments of cremation, wall burials, sky burials, but all peoples must deal with their dead. And yet for all the ruins here...nothing.

[He's convinced that there must be burials somewhere. But it would suit his purposes just fine if he discovered a burial site (and the grave goods within) with no one else in a position to know or suspect.]

My apologies, where are my manners. I am Dr. Belloq, archeologist from Earth, year of our Lord 1936. These communicators, remarkable devices. It's very strange to think that to some here, I am a part of ancient history.

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Welcome, Dr. Belloq. I am Braska of Spira.

I am aware that there has yet to be evidence supporting this, but... It is possible that this world shares a feature in common with my own. On Spira, graves are very rare, and only ever symbolic. [Like those on Mt. Gagazet.] Ideally, bodies fade away into pyreflies -- lights that represent life energy -- as it means that the spirit has passed on.

[His mouth quirks, and his neutral-friendly smile widens into something a little more -- earnest.] But, as I said. It seems that, generally, my world a heavier emphasis on magic than people even here are accustomed to. As unlikely as it is for there to be a connection there, there's always a chance, I suppose.

[The whole concept is strange to Belloq, but he's getting used to strange concepts being presented to him. So he asks the first logical question that comes to his mind.]

Where do the pyreflies go?

The resting place of all life when they've passed on, the Farplane, located in the town of Guadosalam.

[Location. The afterlife has a physical location.]

[The Romans thought that a gate to the Underworld was located at the very real Lake Avernus in Italy, so Belloq assumes that this is something like that. A place, a normal place, but one which is culturally associated with the netherworld--a massive necropolis.]

So there is a grave site of a sort, but only the one, at this town you speak of, which holds all the remains. One where there are no bodies, only these...pyreflies as remnants of the dead.

[A little thoughtfully,] I suppose the Farplane could be considered a grave as well as the afterlife proper, yes. We do visit it to speak with the spirits of our loved ones. There, in the Farplane, the pyreflies even create images of them. [And here, Braska animates a little more, because the differing theory is still exciting to him.] Depending on who you ask, though, it's uncertain as to whether or not those are truly the spirits we're seeing, or if the pyreflies are just reacting to our memories and showing us what we'd like to see. But the pyreflies on the Farplane have never once shown the image of someone who is still alive, so it remains a mystery.

[He returns to thoughtful.] I don't think I could truly call pyreflies... the remains, though. After all, they're as much a part of nature as anything else. Magic, spheres, and other phenomenon that we Spirans take for granted wouldn't be possible otherwise.

[This is getting stranger and stranger, but one very critical point sticks out for Belloq.]

You can speak to the dead? Can you speak to any of them, even those from the distant past? Historical figures who passed away long ago?

[Braska laughs.] I suppose it's more like we talk at them, instead of with them. They never do answer us, after all.

Although... If you do go deep enough into the Farplane, it is possible to hear their voices. [Braska's smile becomes a little mischievous here, like he's keeping a secret. Because he is. He's used that trick to encourage Yuna in her fight against Vegnagun.] But, you must be very deep within it, and no one makes it regular practice to go that far. The viewing platform remains just inside.

What a pity. I should have liked to have asked the great Ramesses the Second a few questions.

What happens if one goes too deep within the Farplane? [Belloq likes pushing boundaries and going where Man Was Not Meant To Go.]

[Braska chuckles.] Even if it were so, I can't guarantee such a thing would even be possible. I don't think the dead from other worlds go to the Farplane... I could be very wrong, of course, since the thought's obviously never come to us before.

I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I only know of one instance, and though many extraordinary things happened, then, very little of it had to do with the Farplane itself. [This is Braska, secretly bragging on his daughter. You kicked that machina ass, gurl. You kicked it good.] But it was the first time the souls in the Farplane were able to contact the living within that I'm aware of.

Do people not often try? That surprises me.

[And not just academics like him wanting to speak to historical figures. He thinks of how very popular seances were just a few decades ago, so many people so desperate to speak to their lost loved ones.]

No, not often at all. In fact, the circumstance that I speak of was an emergency, otherwise I don't imagine it would've happened at all.

Why does it surprise you?

Because I can hardly imagine a person alive who wouldn't want to speak to their dead loved ones, if they thought the possibility was there.

I don't think the possibility ever occurred to us. Going deeper into the Farplane... I'm sure if the idea was proposed, most would be too afraid of what could be there.

Spirans are especially sensitive to the idea that this day may be our last. We may mourn deeply those we have lost, but we cling to what life we have. Most of us aren't very keen to put ourselves in more danger, even for the sake of something like this. Those of us who are more willing to do so, do it for the sake of protecting the living.

All in all, we don't have a history of being particularly adventurous, I'm afraid.

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