The Squaresoft video game Final Fantasy VI contains a number of nations, castles, towns, and villages; some integral to the plot, others less so.
Many places in the game differ between the World of Balance and the World of Ruin.
Narshe
Narshe ("Narche" in Japan) is a coal-mining town where the game begins.
While the town tries to remain neutral in the conflict between the Empire and other nations, it nevertheless serves as a base of operations for the Returners throughout much of the first half of the game.
Narshe is virtually abandoned. Locke can open the locked buildings, where the Cursed Shield and the Magicite Ragnarok can be found. Mog has returned the to mines, and must be in the party to recruit Umaro, who lives behind the huge ice field beyond the mines (where the Ice Dragon, one of the eight dragons that seal the Esper Crusader, and the Esper Tritoch, can be found).
Figaro Castle
It is the most technologically advanced structure in the world, and capable of submerging and traveling beneath the sand. It is also the home of Figaro's king, Edgar Roni Figaro.
Figaro Castle is fitted with massive engines that allow it to burrow under the desert sand and go beneath the mountains, rising up to the surface just southeast of Kohlingen. Locke Cole takes Terra Branford to Figaro Castle in order to meet King Edgar and join the Returners. When Kefka arrives, Edgar has to evade his questions regarding Terra's whereabouts. Kefka responds by setting the castle on fire. Edgar takes off with Locke and Terra on chocobos, while the castle submerges to safety.
The Returners later use Figaro Castle to get to Kohlingen in their search for Terra, who had transformed in the presence of the frozen Esper and flown away, toward the thieves' city Zozo.
Figaro Castle is cut off from South Figaro when the cave entrance collapses. While under the sand, tentacular creatures infest the engines and stop the castle in its path, releasing the small-time criminals locked in the dungeon. King Edgar dons the disguise of "Gerad" in order to join their gang and get back to the castle. Celes Chere (and optionally Sabin Rene Figaro) find Gerad at Nikeah, and hide on the Crimson Robbers' ship as it sails to South Figaro. They go into the basement and find the thieves, whom Gerad tells to loot the treasure vault while he fights the tentacles. He tells Celes (and Sabin) to help him, and they hide from the robbers when they leave.
Figaro Castle is required to carry out a side quest to find the Ancient Castle and the powerful Esper Odin, which can be upgraded deeper in the castle into Raiden. The upgrade room contains the stone statue of the Ancient Castle's queen, as well as the Blue Dragon, one of the eight dragons that seal the powerful Esper Crusader (Jihad in the Japanese version). The Ancient Castle is also the only place to find the KatanaSoul and get the Offering relic.
South Figaro
A town that's part of the kingdom ruled by Edgar Roni Figaro. South Figaro, which is actually beyond a mountain range and accessible by the Figaro Cave, is famous for selling armor and weapons originally manufactured in Figaro castle.
Edgar is betrayed when the Empire invades South Figaro. At that time, Celes Chere is being held there pending her execution; Locke Cole discovers and rescues her during his own escape from the town. Later, the Empire will withdraw from South Figaro if the player shows good manners at an Imperial banquet.
South Figaro is one of the few towns still thriving despite Kefka's attempts to destroy everything he sees.
Returners' Hideout
The Returners' primary base is beyond Mt. Koltz, which is where Edgar and Locke plan to take Terra after Locke brings her to Figaro Castle. Banon, the leader of the Returners, asks Terra to help them fight the Empire. Whether or not she accepts, she must accompany Banon, Edgar, and Sabin down the Lete River to Narshe and meet with the town's elder regarding the frozen Esper. During this trip, the party meets Ultros for the first time.
Doma Castle
The home of Cyan Garamonde, Doma was one of the few nations that held out against the Empire. While Sabin was trekking south toward Mobliz, he found an Imperial base, where the Empire staged its attacks on Doma, and where Kefka poisoned the castle's water supply, killing everyone except Cyan and one Doma soldier.
In the World of Ruin, a party containing Cyan will enter Cyan's dreamscape if they rest in the castle. By defeating the 3 Dream Stooges (Larry, Curley, and Moe) and the evil Wrexsoul, Cyan will be freed of his despair and guilt, mastering himself and learning his greatest Sword Technique, Cleave. After the dreamscape event, the Magicite Alexander is sitting on the throne.
Phantom Forest
Deep within the Phantom Forest is a train station where, in the World of Balance, the characters Sabin Rene Figaro, Cyan Garamonde, and (possibly) Shadow find and board the spectral Phantom Train , which takes the souls of the newly dead to the next world. Cyan is here given the chance to say good-bye to his wife and son, who were both killed in Kefka's poisoning of Doma.
In the World of Ruin, neither the Phantom Forest nor the Train appear on the world map.
Veldt
Monsters from all over the world migrate to the Veldt, and thus any monster previously encountered can be fought there. Gau, the wild boy, lives on the Veldt and will join Sabin and Cyan if they give him Dried Meat. Several creatures will give Gau powerful Rages: Stray Cat (CatScratch: 4x physical damage), Aspik (Giga Volt: Bolt3), and Rhinox (Life3) in the World of Balance, and Dark Force (almost all of Strago's Lores) and Retainer (Shock: General Leo's special command) in the World of Ruin.
The WoR Veldt also has a cave where Relm or Shadow can be found, as well as the Rage Ring relic and the Tiger Fangs weapon for Sabin.
Mobliz
Mobliz is a small town on the edge of the Veldt in the World of Balance, and where a wounded Imperial soldier is convalescing. He wishes to correspond with his girlfriend in Maranda, Lola, but cannot lift a pen; the party can help him, and after sending enough correspondence, he gives them a Tintinabar relic. The bed in the back of the Relic shop is free to use.
In the World of Ruin, Kefka destroyed the town with his Light of Judgement, killing everyone except a handful of children, Duane, and Katarin. Terra finds her way here, and becomes "Mama" to the children. When the party first arrives in Mobliz, Terra will fight, and lose to, Phunbaba (an ancient demon released after the end of the world), leaving the party to fight it and send it running. Terra does not join the party, but they do receive the Magicite Fenrir.
Later, Duane and Katarin will have problems, and when found, Terra is with Katarin, who is pregnant. Phunbaba chooses this time to return, and will use BabaBreath to knock two members of the party away. Terra joins the party in her Morphed form, and defeats Phunbaba. The children are afraid of her, except for one girl who recognizes her Mama. Terra discovers that she feels love for these children, and tells them that she must leave for now.
Nikeah
Nikeah is a coastal town that offers a variety of strong (but expensive) equipment when Sabin, Cyan, and Gau arrive through the Serpent Trench. When the party is finished shopping, a steamship will take them to South Figaro. Later in the game (before the Empire pulls out of South Figaro), taking the ship again will not get the party into occupied South Figaro, and they must trek through Mt. Koltz, the Lete River, and the Veldt to return to Nikeah and the airship.
In the World of Ruin, Celes (and Sabin) will find that the Crimson Robbers own the steamship, and that "Gerad," who looks exactly like Edgar, leads them. After talking to Gerad (who denies being Edgar), Celes can stow aboard the ship and take it to South Figaro.
Kohlingen
Kohlingen is on the western side of the mountains from Figaro Castle, and the party will go there on the search for Terra. Shadow can be hired in the Cafe for 3,000 GP, and the party will learn about Locke's motivations if he is in the party and they visit the houses in the northeast and northwest of the village.
In the World of Ruin, Sezter is drowning his despair in the Cafe, but Celes will snap him out and he will take the party to find his friend's interred airship, the Falcon. After finding Locke, he brings the Magicite Phoenix, and the treasures of the star-shaped mountain cave (where the Red Dragon, one of the eight dragons that seal Crusader, is located).
Jidoor
Jidoor is the westernmost town on the world map, as boasted by one of the townspeople. It is the home of the art collector Owzer, and the auction house where the Magicite Golem and ZoneSeek can be won for the right price. Jidoor is where Locke and Celes will first hear about Setzer, the Wandering Gambler, and his love of the opera.
In the World of Ruin, Owzer's house is dark, and an unseen force prevents the party from climbing the stairs to the gallery. By reading Owzer's diary and using the lights, they can proceed, find the Emperor's Letter in his painting, and go into Owzer's basement and find Relm and the Magicite Starlet. If Shadow did not survive the Floating Continent, Relm must first be rescued from the Cave in the Veldt.
Zozo
Zozo is unique in the game in that random battles can take place in the town.
People in Jidoor will tell you that they saw a glowing shape fly through the sky toward Zozo, and that is where you'll find Terra Branford, who turned into a magical creature and flew off after touching minds with the frozen Esper in Narshe.
One person in Zozo tells you that everybody else lies, and he's right. Everybody else claims the time is something it isn't, which is a clue to how to properly reset a clock in town and access a powerful Tool for Edgar Roni Figaro.
After climbing a huge skyscraper and gathering some decent items, the party encounters Dadaluma (Dadama in the Japanese version), who claims he's a pacifist, and then attacks. After defeating him, the party finds Terra, and meets Ramuh, an Esper, who tells you the story of the Espers, and gives you the Magicite remains of himself and three companions who escaped the Magitek Research Facility in Vector, the capital of the Empire.
When the party returns from the Facility with liberated Magicite, one piece glows in Terra's presence, the remains of Maduin, who is actually Terra's father.
Zozo's monsters are powerful at this point in the game: the HadesGigas has Magnitude8, an Earth-based attack that deals 200+ damage to the party, and SlamDancers can cast Fire2, Ice2, and Bolt2.
After Setzer Gabbiani, Celes Chere, and Edgar Figaro (and optionally Sabin Rene Figaro) get the Falcon out of mothballs, Celes sees a carrier pigeon take a letter to Maranda. Lola, who has been receiving letters and hand-crafted silk flowers from her boyfriend in Mobliz, asks them to send a letter by pigeon. The pigeon takes the letter to Mt. Zozo. In order to follow, they must purchase RustRid from the honest man, and fight their way up the mountain to find Cyan Garamonde, who writes to Lola in her dead boyfriend's name. He sends a final letter, owning up to his charade, and joins the group to fight Kefka. He mentions that Gau has returned to the Veldt.
Mt. Zozo is the location of the Storm Dragon, one of the eight dragons that seal the powerful Esper Crusader (Jihad in the Japanese version). Zozo's monsters have not changed from the World of Balance, but Mt. Zozo has a much stronger version of the HadesGigas: Borras.
Opera House
In the Opera House, the party appears in a opera, participating of the opera itself or helping to save it at the background.
The party has to go to the Opera House in order to get Setzer Gabbiani's airship and get to Vector. Locke Cole convinces the Impresario to switch Maria, the opera singer, with the dead ringer Celes Chere; Setzer plans on kidnapping Maria at the climax of Act 1, but Ultros tries to foil their plan. When his first attempt fails, he tries again, this time with a 5-ton weight that he intends to drop on "Maria" from the rafters. Locke and his allies stop him, but fall on stage, knocking out the Draco and Prince Ralse characters, and the Impresario ad-libs the incident into the opera.
The Earth Dragon, one of the eight dragons that seal the powerful Esper Crusader (Jihad in the Japanese version), is sitting on the stage, much to the Impresario's dismay. One of the switches in the rightmost room will drop the party onto the stage, where they can battle the Earth Dragon.
Other than the Earth Dragon, the Opera House has no role in the World of Ruin.
Sealed Gate
The Empire has a heavily-occupied base outside the Cave to the Sealed Gate, but when the party takes Terra to talk to the Espers, the base is abandoned. The cave has many treasures, including the Atma Weapon, which are guarded by strong undead creatures.
Esper World
The Esper World appears only in a controlled flashback after the party escapes the Magitek Research Facility. Maduin (one of the rescued pieces of Magicite) finds a human woman has stumbled into the Esper World, and takes care of her, eventually fathering a child with her, Terra. Emperor Gestahl infiltrates the Esper World and his forces carry off a number of Espers, including Maduin, and he takes Terra from her mother.
Thamasa
A xenophobic backwater, Thamasa is actually the home of the Mage Warriors, the magic-wielding warriors of the War of the Magi, who fled persecution 1,000 years ago to live in peace. It is the home of the Blue Mage Strago Magus and his adopted granddaughter, Relm Arrowny. All in-game evidence points to Shadow being Relm's missing father.
Floating Continent
When Gestahl and Kefka enter the Esper World, they tear the eastern island of the south continent off the ground and cause it to rise into the sky. It is populated by powerful magic beasts, defended by the Imperial Air Force, and the home of the monstrous Atma Weapon. Shadow will rejoin the party on the Continent, and leave after fighting the Atma Weapon. Gestahl and Kefka will try to convince Celes (who will arrive if she's not in the party) to return to them and rule the world by their side. She refuses, and Kefka disrupts the Goddess Statues, causing worldwide catastrophe.
Colosseum
A man in Kohlingen mentions that his "touched" brother is trying to build a colosseum to the north, and by the time the world ends, he has constructed Dragon's Neck Colosseum, where the last Imperial soldier has advice, and Ultros works off a debt as a receptionist. If Shadow survived the Floating Continent and was rescued from the Cave in the Veldt, betting the Striker will pit a member of the party against him in an easy battle (Shadow is unequipped) to regain him.
Kefka's Tower
After he desstroys the world, Kefka absorbs the Statues' magical power, and uses it to create a gigantic tower from the rubble and debris from around the world. Any time after finding the Falcon, the party can assault the tower, although completing the game with just Celes, Edgar, and Setzer is almost impossible. Bosses include Atma (a stronger version of the Atma Weapon), Inferno, Striker, and Rough (palette-swap of Number 128), the Statues (Doom, Goddess, and Poltergeist), the Guardian, and Kefka himself. After defeating Kefka, the final source of the world's magic is destroyed, and Magicite starts evapourating while the world reassembles itself.
The Empire
The large enemy nation is simply known as "the Empire" (or, in Japan, "the Empire of Gastra"). Its ruler is Gestahl, a power-hungry man who seeks magicite and, later, the mythical Statues in order to exploit and plunder magic. The three generals (or "Shoguns" in Japan) who lead Gestahl's armies are Kefka Palazzo, Celes Chere, and General Leo Christophe. Terra Branford was used as a soldier of the Empire, but against her will and under the influence of a slave crown.
In the World of Balance, the Empire takes up the entire southern continent and includes the cities Albrook, Tzen, Maranda, and the capital city of Vector. The Empire's superior Magitek weaponry helps it to conquer other nations, including Doma and South Figaro. However, furious Espers end up destroying Vector during the course of the game, and with the death of Emperor Gestahl, the Empire no longer exists once the game enters the World of Ruin. At Kefka's Tower , however, it is possible to see the twisted and scattered remains of the royal palace and factories of Vector.
Vector
Vector is a gloomy place with grim background music. Imperial troopers patrol the area above the town, around a cafe where the party can learn more about the Magitek research. The Imperial Palace is protected by an impervious machine called the Guardian.
The party has to infiltrate the Magitek Research Facility and release the captive Espers, but the mission does not proceed as planned, and Celes is lost.
The party returns to Vector once more, after the Espers behind the Sealed Gate escape and smash it. Emperor Gestahl asks the Returners to help him convince the Espers that he really wants peace; how the party reacts to Gestahl's conversations during the banquet will determine how the Emperor will reward them afterward.
Gestahl's gestures for peace were a ruse; he freed Kefka and they proceeded to revive the Floating Continent.
At this point in the game, Vector is a ghost town, and will cease to exist when Kefka destroys the world; parts of it will reappear in Kefka's Tower.
Albrook
Albrook is under Imperial rule and runs ships to the capital, Vector. In the World of Ruin, Albrook is the closest town to Kefka's tower and the first place Celes arrives.
Maranda
Maranda is under Imperial rule; in fact, the Empire slaughtered its royal family and instated their own government.
The non-playable character Lola lives in Maranda, where she receives letters and flowers via carrier pigeons from her "boyfriend in Mobliz" (later discovered to be actually sent by Cyan Garamonde).
Tzen
After escaping the Magitek Research Facility, the party can purchase the Magicite Seraphim for 3,000 GP. In the World of Ruin, Tzen is razed by Kefka's Light of Judgement; the character Sabin Rene Figaro can be regained at this time. If the party did not purchase Seraphim in the World of Balance, it can be had for 10 GP.