Rugnica

Rugnica is a continent of Auldrant in Tales of the Abyss. It is the world's largest continent and geographically sits in the eastern hemisphere. Rugnica's territory is divided between the kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and the Malkuth Empire, with Kimlasca owning the southern region of the continent and Malkuth owning the north.

Geography
Rugnica is a large continent with valleys, forests, rivers, and lakes. It is a relatively diverse region with a mild climate that connects to the neighboring Abberian continent via Rotelro Bridge. Rugnica's lush landscape is characterized by its vastness, with many of its locations spread far apart from each other.

Towns

 * Grand Chokmah - Malkuth's floating capital. A beautiful city covered in aqueducts where fonic artes thrive. Ruled by Emperor Peony the Ninth.
 * Engeve - A village in Malkuth blessed with the bounty of nature. Ships its foods to Chesedonia for export to the far corners of the world.
 * St. Binah - ?
 * Kaitzur - Located on the boundary between Kimlasca and Malkuth. A passport is required to pass this checkpoint. Has a demilitarized zone.
 * Kaitzur Naval Port - This port's main function is the shipment of supplies to Kaitzur. A base for the Kimlascan forces is located here.

Cheagle Woods

 * A forest inhabited by the sacred cheagles. The tree in which the cheagles live produces a pollen that keeps predators away.

The Cheagle Woods (チーグルの森) is a forest north of Engeve. The woods are notable due to the rare cheagles that live there. Prior to the events of the story, a young cheagle named Mieu accidentally burned the home of the ligers, and the incident caused the ligers to move and hunt the cheagles for food. Despite being herbivores with plenty of vegetation in their forest, the cheagles were forced to steal food from Engeve's storage facilities in order to appease the ligers.

Later, Luke fon Fabre and Tear Grants visit the woods in order to investigate the food thefts in Engeve. There, they discover Fon Master Ion using a Daathic fonic arte to defeat a group of monsters attacking him. The two agree to take Ion with them in order to protect him. Upon stumbling across the tree in which the cheagles reside, the trio meet with the Cheagle Elder, who subsequently confesses to the thefts at Engeve, using the Sorcerer's Ring to communicate with them. However, after hearing the Elder's explanation, the trio agree to speak with the ligers hunting the cheagles. The Elder then assigns Mieu to accompany them and serve as a translator.

When they arrive at the liger's lair, Luke and Tear are forced to fight the Liger Queen; however, unable to defeat her, they are aided by Jade Curtiss, who swiftly helps relinquish the monster. Upon exiting the woods, Luke and Tear are arrested by Jade and imprisoned on the Tartarus. Later in the story, the group eventually returns to the woods in order to face the God-General Arietta and her monster companions, as she seeks vengeance for the death of the Liger Queen, whom she considers her mother, and Ion, who died in Mt. Zaleho. Arietta is defeated, and the God-General Largo carries her deceased body away, telling Anise Tatlin not to feel pity for her enemy.

Fubras River

 * A river crossing the continent of Rugnica. The nearby plains are spotted with Padanese crystals formed by unstable fonons.

Fubras River (フーブラス川) is located just north of Kaitzur on the Malkuth side, effectively separating the continent of Rugnica and traveling north into a lake near Theor Forest that contains Mushroom Road. The river floods often during rainfall, which crushes the wooden gates nearby, as seen when the group ventures across on their way to Kaitzur. There are many large stones and small islands for navigation across the river even during these floods, and many aquatic monsters dwell inside.

When the group arrives, Jade teaches Luke about the benefits and how to take advantage of Field of Fonons, as well as what effects they have on artes. Near the exit, Luke, Jade, Tear, Guy Cecil, and Fon Master Ion are confronted by the God-General Arietta and her liger friends. She swears vengeance for the death of her mother by the group, which confuses them initially, but it is then explained that Arietta was raised by monsters and was recruited into the God-Generals due to her ability to communicate with them. She considered the Liger Queen that Luke, Tear, and Jade killed in the Cheagle Woods her mother.

Soon after the confrontation, an earthquake strikes, and a mysterious purple gas mentioned as miasma gushes from the ground. Tear states that it is not harmful to humans if one does not inhale a large amount over a long period of time, but acting quickly, she casts Force Field, the second of Yulia Jue's Fonic Hymns, in order to protect the group from inhaling the poisonous gas. Once the earthquake ceases and the miasma disappears, the group discovers that Arietta has fainted due to exposure from the gas. Jade prepares to kill her but is stopped by Luke's nervousness and Ion's plea. They agree to move her body, then proceed to Kaitzur.

Theor Forest

 * A forest on a path leading to Grand Chokmah. A checkpoint guarded by Malkuth soldiers is located here.

Theor Forest (テオルの森) is located west of the Cheagle Woods. Just south of the forest lies the Sword Dancer, where it can be fought for the second time. The forest is has a centralized path that breaks apart deeper within, making it difficult to navigate. In addition, the area is heavily patrolled, with guards often using the hilly landscape abundant with trees and bushes to their advantage. The group ventures through the forest on their way to Grand Chokmah to meet with Emperor Peony Upala Malkuth IX, unable to do so via the capital's port due to heavy defenses. Sneaking through the forests's winding paths, they hide from guards and make their way to the end, where they are ambushed by the God-Generals Largo and Sync. The brief skirmish is halted when Malkuth soldiers advance from the capital.

Shurrey Hill

 * Home to ruins that guard a Sephiroth supporting the Outer Lands. The entrance has been hidden with a special fonic arte.

Shurrey Hill (シュレーの丘) is an area near St. Binah that houses a passage ring leading to the Sephiroth Tree of the region. During the story, Van Grants deactivates the passage ring here and causes the Sephiroth Tree to disappear. As a result, both Shurrey Hill and the nearby St. Binah fall into the Qliphoth, which is engulfed in deadly miasma. The group ventures to the passage ring themselves to operate the controls and prevent the region from sinking into the mantle entirely. By overcoming a variety of puzzles and using Luke's hyperresonance to manipulate the passage ring, memory particles again begin to flow upward. The group then notices that the Sephiroth Tree holds the entire region, so they make their way to Engeve to evacuate its people.

Mushroom Road

 * A forest made completely of mushrooms. The Rugnican death cap, a medicinal mushroom, can be found here.

Mushroom Road is located in a lake north of the Cheagle Woods The area around it is covered in a deep mist, with the only way to effectively get there being the Albiore II, which the group uses to sail through the river that connects the lake or fly through the mist after obtaining the "Refined Flightstone". It is very noticeable through the large mass of mushrooms on the Overworld Map.

In order to find Rugnican Death Caps to brew a medicine for Susanne fon Fabre, the group makes their way to Mushroom Road. Upon entering, they are surprised to see Asch at the entrance. Luke volunteers to stay at the entrance, seeing that Asch has the same fighting style as him, and Asch reluctantly follows the group into the forest. Eventually, after venturing through the forest, Asch and the group find the Rugnican Death Caps. When they return to the entrance, Asch hands over the Rugnican Death Caps to Luke before telling him to take care of Susanne, leaving afterward.

Choral Castle

 * A vacation home owned by Duke Fabre which was abandoned when the war began 16 years ago. Luke was found here 7 years ago.

Choral Castle (コーラル城) is a private castle located south of Kaitzur and east of the Kaitzur Naval Port. It once served as the Fabre family's vacation home and was also where Luke was found after his apparent kidnapping. The castle sits next to the sea, granting its atmosphere with a misty air. Having long been abandoned, the interior is old, dust-ridden, and unwelcoming, with several monsters and ghosts lurking throughout. The Sword Dancer can be fought for the first time here.

The group journeys to the castle in order to rescue the chief engineer from the Kaitzur Naval Port, who was captured by the God-General Arietta. Approaching the castle, they notice recent activity, which prompts them to enter prepared. Inside, Luke wanders ahead and is attacked by a strange, fon-tech doll designed to prevent intruders. The group defeats it and proceeds deeper into the castle. They then come across a basement area, where they discover a large, fon-tech machine. While Jade has his suspicions about the device, he remains silent. Suddenly, a startled Anise jumps on Guy, triggering his gynophobia and causing him to have a panic attack. Jade suggests it to be more than a startled reaction, and Guy explains that a part of his memory is missing: when his family was killed.

Upon reaching the roof of the castle, Arietta ambushes the group by sending her Hraesvelgr, a flying creature, to abduct Luke and Fon Master Ion. Instead of Ion, she catches Anise, but orders her monster friend to release her and hand Luke over to fellow God-General, Dist. As Luke regains consciousness, he realizes he is restrained on the fon-tech machine they saw in the basement. Dist and Sync, another God-General, proceed to open his fon slots and obtain his replica data. Guy soon appears, rescues Luke, and steals the data from Sync. They fight, and Sync loses his mask in the struggle, revealing his true identity to Guy. Sync quickly recovers his mask and escapes when the others arrive, claiming the mission was unofficial.

After Luke rejoins with the others, they return to the roof to confront Arietta once more. There, Luke uses Mieu to ward off the Hraesvelgr, which infuriates Arietta. She begs for Ion to return to her before claiming she will kill them all, seeking vengeance for the death of her "mother", the Liger Queen. The fight ensues, and Arietta loses. Jade prepares to kill her when Van intervenes, taking Arietta into custody and escorting the chief back to the port.