High Entia

The High Entia are the first sentient race to arise from the Bionis and could easily be mistaken for human were it not for a pair of conspicious bird wings that stick out of every High Entia's head. They have developed their society in seclusion, at the very peak of the Bionis - their advanced city of Alcamoth floats just over the Eryth Sea within the Bionis' scalp. As such, the current High Entia are unknown to the vast majority of Homs and have instead become something of a legendary race of ancients.

Their society is governed by a hierarchical Empire and they choose to remain neutral and separated from the rest of the Bionis. They remain unscathed from the Mechon attacks on the Bionis thanks to their advanced technology.

Role in the Story

The party first meets their first High Entia, Melia Antiqua, unconscious in Makna Forest after her run-in with a Telethia, a powerful monster. They promise to escort her home, not realising that she isn't a Homs. She leads them to the secret route to the Eryth Sea through the Nopon Village and subsequently, to the High Entia city of Alcamoth. She reveals that not only is she a High Entia, like the rest of the population, but she is also the heiress apparent. Though not a pure High Entia (she had a human mother), she was selected by her father and current Emperor, Sorean Antiqua, as his replacement upon his death. This has riled up some of the pure-blooded bigots of Alcamoth, most significant of which is Sorean's primary consort (and Melia's stepmother), who is behind an assassination attempt on Melia's life.

The High Entia explain that they want no involvement in the Mechon war raging further down the Bionis, and sat out the previous war that happened during the prologue of the game. They are able to remain neutral due to the high level of technology at their disposal, which has successfully defended Alcamoth from Mechon attacks since time immemorial. However, they are finally guilted into taking an active role when an attack led by the Faced Mechon does some considerable damage to the High Entia forces and Alcamoth, as well being responsible for the death of Emperor Sorean. Prince Kallian, Melia's stepbrother and an honorable man, is brought in as regent (so that Melia can travel with the others) and decides to hold a war council with the other races of the Bionis to make preparations for an attack on Mechonis.

Leading the attack on the Mechon's primary front-line base, Galahad Fortress, the allied forces of Bionis receive a last minute order to fall back just as the Mechonis is activated and it draws back its sword, upon which the allied forces were currently situated. Though most of the High Entia forces survive, both due to the early warning and having mostly aerial units, the events that follow tragically all but wipe out the High Entia:

Zanza (the "God" of Bionis) awakens after the defeat of Egil, the Machina who declared war on Bionis. After the deaths of Shulk, Lady Meyneth (the "God" of Mechonis and Zanza's counterpart) and Egil, Zanza heads back to the Bionis and takes it over. At the same time, he "activates" the dormant genes of the High Entia and transforms them all into mindless Telethia, who then go on to attack every living thing on Bionis. The only High Entia to survive are the half-breeds like Melia, and with this revelation comes the reason why she was selected as the next monarch of the High Entia: The High Entia's true role in Zanza's schemes was something discovered by their scientists and scholars some time ago, and they have been breeding themselves with humans to dilute the Telethia part of their genetic structure in an attempt to escape this fate.

Many of the transformed High Entia, including Kallian, are eventually euthanized by the party during several story missions and side-quests. Alcamoth is now in ruins and deserted but for the wild Telethia roaming around, with most of the half-breeds escaping to lower areas of the Bionis such as Colony 6 and the Nopon Village.