1.) Where the hell are you supposed to find Oilings? The walkthrough I read says Stillshrine of Miriam - Cold Distance, but there are no enemies at all there, let alone Oilings.

2.) In order to complete the maps (for the Old Dalan figurine in the Sky Pirate's Den) do you have to physically go everywhere on the map, or is it enough to buy/find the map?

I can't help you 'cause it's really been months since I've played XII.... boring piece of trash that it is. Ashe was hot though... YEAH YEAH, SHUT UP YOU NON-FANBOYS!

1.) Where the hell are you supposed to find Oilings? The walkthrough I read says Stillshrine of Miriam - Cold Distance, but there are no enemies at all there, let alone Oilings.

2.) In order to complete the maps (for the Old Dalan figurine in the Sky Pirate's Den) do you have to physically go everywhere on the map, or is it enough to buy/find the map?

1. Oilings are in a secret hidden place in the Stillshrine, as well as the Matriarch Bomb Rare Game. You know the area where the Darkmare is? Well, on the far wall (the right one if you're facing the giant sword, the far one if you're coming from the save crystal), there is an area in the wall that disappears. You have to stand in a certain place, right in front of it I think, and wait. I forget what the requirements are to open it up, and where it is, but try getting rid of the enemies in the area if it doesn't work.
Anyway, the Oilings are in the area through there. ONLY Oilings, and a lot of them, so it should be easy to complete their Bestiary. But watch out, there are a ton of malicious traps in the area. I'm not even joking, I forget what they are, might have been a Confuse/Disease/Berserk trap. There are also chests there where you can get Dark Matter, IIRC.

2. I think you have to go everywhere. Because, in a playthrough of mine, the last bit of map I completed was the Henne Mines, after defeating Zodiark. And, I already had the Henne Mines map AND the "Henne Candle", so I could see the whole place. But, Dalan didn't appear in my Sky Pirate's Den until after I beat Zodiark, so... I was able to see his lair on the map, and as soon as I went in there, after I beat him I checked my Bestiary and Dalan appeared. He wasn't there before.
Now, I'm not sure whether you have to just visit every screen, or completely un-gray every corner (I did that because of my game-OCD tendencies. But buying or finding the maps is definitely not enough.

I think you can find Oilings in the Stillshrine of Miriam - Walk Of Torn Illusion

I can't help with the map thing. I have not yet got it myself. Although i would imagine the figurine is granted for clearing all the darkness on the world map. But i don't know.

Well, You can't find them directly in the Walk of Torn Illusion. Or in Cold Distance.

Look at the map. See that dot in the top of "Cold Distance"? The isolated little dot? That's where you find them, hence why it said that. But you have to get to them through the "Ward of the Sword-King" using the instructions I gave above. Once you open up that secret passage you zone to a secret stairway, which zones to that isolated dot. The secret stairway also has Oilings, it's invisible on the map, but if you press select while you're there you see it's part of the "Walk of Torn Illusion", hence probably where Calum got that idea.

So, technically the FAQs aren't lying when they that you find them in Cold Distance and Walk of Torn Illusion, but only in these secret passages. Following the map there won't get you them.

Again, beware the traps there. They're insane. Not only that, one of these traps is located JUST past a zone so you should have Float on.

Thanks. I thought they would be on that dot, but I couldn't work out how to get there. There are a few places on the maps I haven't been yet (in the Sandsea, I think), so I'll see what you have to do.

If you stand right at the wall and twirl the camera all the way around the secret wall opens up immediately and you don't have to stand there and wait.

wow I wish I still had the game to play that part. It doesn't seem like complete trash to me but the traps are too easy to avoid imo.

I actually believed that it was an after game effect to not see oilings anymore like the mist roots blocking off areas in IX somewhere towards the end of the 3rd disc.

Gotta love those names for particuarly segements of the maps. "Walk of Torn Illusion." God that's cool.