« player event » 🌪️ the eye of the storm

[seaboards]

Who: Garuda & YOU.
Status: Open log.
Where: Eltrut, Nogard.
What: Benedikta Harman has primed into Garuda, and is wreaking havoc on the Leviathans.
Warnings: Violence, Final Fantasy XVI spoilers.

"The Warden of the Wind. She takes the form of a fearful harpy, summoning storms and tearing into the flesh of her prey with hawklike talons. Such is the Eikon's frenzy for destruction that even allies of the Dominant of the day are wont to begin fleeing the battlefield when dark clouds gather overhead."

The morning of May the 4th starts out like any other: calm waters, clear blue skies, ships coming and going from their ports. However, all of that is about to change—and abruptly—as Benedikta Harman soars over the ocean after learning the painful truth about the fate of Cidolfus, and of herself. Her wrath now unbound and unmatched, all coming to a head as her aether bursts at the seams, a storm gathers on the horizon. With every angry beat of her wings, the skies turn a dark, eerie green, the winds grow stronger, and Garuda's voice is louder as laughter rings clearer for the first time since that one fateful dawn...

Benedikta & Garuda's Wrath (Final Fantasy XVI spoilers)

Her wings are tired, her face stings with the burn of sharp tears and sharper winds that follow after her, but she does not stop. She cannot. Any other day, she would never make it this far, but her body and the air are dense with her aether that she can fly farther and faster than she has ever managed—in no particular direction, so long as it is a direction away from him. Away from the place where she thought home could be. How naive she was to think that anywhere could be; how ignorant of her to have lit even the smallest spark of hope that things could be any different than before.

Reckless to think that trusting anyone, especially after a whole life of never affording to, would end in anything but deceit.

They all leave. They always leave.

Just like they had then, six years ago on that fateful night in Stonhyrr, those claws of betrayal coil tight around her throat and sink deep into flesh. Only this time, who is there to catch her?

The thought of that wide, open freedom that always followed Cidolfus wheresoever he went frightened her to no end. To her, it meant the unknown that came with running away, being whisked on the back of the winds, to a place where she would not know if, when next she landed, there would be a ground beneath her feet. His betrayal left her on her back once before, and she had been fool enough to take that risk again. Six years in an empty pursuit in his absence, chasing what she thought to be stability, power, and even love in another—her king, touch-starved and hunting any warmth that she could find, is what had her listening to the promises he whispered into her ear again. It is what made her take that plunge into that vast unknown, made her lean into his easy-going benevolence...

And look at where it has led her.

Back then, she had King Barnabas to pull her back on her feet. He would show her a better world, through what they both knew to be empty platitudes, and hearts that did not belong to the other, but she would be loyal. She would be good. She would be everything that Cid could not be. She would do his bidding to prove to him—and most importantly, to the rest of the world, and to herself—that she could be valuable. Powerful. Yet, what she thought was love, she realised in hindsight, was nothing more than a passion for his insurmountable power. A stable place above all the rest who thought they could cut her down. And it was his power that gripped her like a vise—she feared him, and yet, she was still loyal.

Look at what trust and loyalty have wrought.

Destined to loneliness and desperation.

Falling, falling...

Alone and afraid, a wrath now unbound as she soars over the bone dragon's head. Fumbling in the dark, she is trying to catch the pieces of herself that have shattered and are now being scattered into the wind—how the fuck is she supposed to put herself back together now?

A tool for love. A way to atone for his past sins. A way to "save her" where he could not before, and to fulfill a promise he could not uphold the first time. To make up for past mistakes so that he may now live with himself. Because that was all she was, wasn't she? A remnant, a ghost of a broken past that haunted him.

A tool for war. Even in death, she was nothing more than that. The king that she pledged her utmost fealty to then saw fit to use her however he wanted. Her body was desecrated and turned into an instrument to fuel the war between cruel men and crueler gods. Nothing more than a vessel for power. Nothing more than Garuda.

Falling...

So why does she refuse her? Why has she been so afraid of her? She should embrace her Eikon again. Become one with her once more, all fangs and no mercy, because that was all she was ever seen as: a source of power, of redemption, but they were not her own. They were never to be her own.

Tighter, the claws squeeze, and Benedikta screams and screams until she can no longer breathe. Until it is no longer her own screams, but Garuda's.

This wretched world... With wretched people...

Liars. Maggots. All of them. They all knew, and they lied.

She is afraid, but she is angry, and she has learned that it is easier to let in the rage than it is the fear. It was at Garuda's hand that she had died before, but that would not happen this time, that voice promises her. Garuda will protect her, swathe her in her comforting winds and rip apart everything that has and could hurt her.

The sky above Nogard falls dark, almost black. The waters rage as the wind abruptly picks up, lightning cracks, and a violent, swirling gale descends, only growing.

Let me help you. Let us show them what happens when they hurt you. Again and again...

If only Barnabas could see her now in all her strength. All power coursing through her pulsing aether, not an ounce of humanity left. This is what he wanted, isn't it?

She can at least take solace in the fact that Cidolfus is here. He could not keep his promise, could not save her, and instead, he lied to her, deceived her. In return, she will hate and hurt with all her love. She will let the fury take her. She will tear it all apart, and he will have to watch, knowing that he did this.

So much for your fucking redemption now.

DIE, DIE... DIE...

And from that whirling gale, she emerges. No longer is it Benedikta at the eye of the storm, but the true Warden of the Wind, the Eikon, Garuda, a reckless harpy with four wings wider than any bird's, claws that could split a man open in a single swipe, and fangs that could rip flesh from bone. With them all bared, her laughter echoes across the sea and sky.

Freedom. She is untethered, let out of the cage that Benedikta chained her in for so long.

And she will ravage this world in her name. Now fall...

WEATHERING THE STORMS

The moment that Nogard senses that something is amiss, its flesh will reform to protect itself and the villages within from the worst of the storms. While the Leviathan does get battered and the winds persist even after its body takes shape, Fang and its docks will be saved from the tidal surges that are bound to come and, upon seeing Garuda take off in the direction of Eltrut, the dragon will follow after her, roaring across the seas to send a signal of warning to the others to either flee or shield.

Heeding its call, the Naughtilust and Norhpip will retreat while Elah comes to their aid. Paladins will be encouraged by Elah to assist with rescue efforts—brave the storms and head out to sea to help. Those who do not wish to face the harpy's wrath can take refuge on the whale's back. But it will be Eltrut that will receive the brunt of Garuda's attacks, and where her magic will be most potent, the build-up of her aether coming to a head when she lands on the turtle's back.

Harsh, hurricane-like winds will assault Eltrut, and with them, a sense of dread and trickles of sadness fall upon the Leviathan. With Eltrut docked at an island, it's easier to see what is about to happen: the tide recedes, and on the horizon, the shadow of a giant tsunami wave guided by the wind approaches. While Eltrut can shield itself with its bubble, it will still need some help!

Using whatever magic is available—and necessary—everyone will have to work together to help Eltrut withstand the worst of it and, when the tide hits, it's best to be holding onto something, or someone, as Eltrut will be knocked around a bit before stabilising. Unfortunately, with the water's far too choppy to swim in, everyone will have to wait it out and work together to reduce the magic, and hope that someone comes along soon to take care of the harpy that keeps tearing through its shields.

🏝️ On Land. For those stuck on Eltrut or Nogard, the storms are just as fierce. With winds strong enough to rip the trees from their roots, shatter glass, and throw large objects around, it is imperative that people help each other find shelter and safety, and those with shielding magic use it, especially around the docks. Help the locals, assist the merfolk that have been washed up back into the water. There are weaponsmiths asking anyone with a set of hands to help craft things like harpoons and arrows that will be useful against the creatures that now roam the Leviathans.

🌊 Out at Sea. Crews will need to batten down the hatches and work together to weather the storms as well as rescue anyone else, including locals, who might be out there. Though, it is recommended that people try to outrun them as that is one big wave that is heading for Eltrut. Thanks to Garuda's magic, some of the wildlife have grown wings, and sharks are chomping down on boats and even leaping onto decks in search of a good meal.

☁️ In the Air. Male gryphons from The Hideaway's island will arrive to aid those who wish to take to the skies for search and rescue efforts. They are still wary and a bit erratic from being attacked earlier on the island, so working together to earn their trust will be imperative. Offering them food or small gifts such as feathers or beads will appease them, as well as protecting them from oncoming attacks from their fellow birdkin. Once in the air, riding on gryphon-back will take some getting used to, as they will always travel in pairs, and will employ tactical maneuvers to dodge the debris and any creatures that attack.

With their homes partially destroyed by the massive wave, some of the merfolk have come to aid not only their own that have been washed up onto land, but those who hope to alleviate the stress on the Leviathans, whether it be rescue efforts or fighting off the birds and winged sharks. They have offered their herd of seahorses for people to ride on, but they are a bit temperamental, especially with all the chaos, so they will need to be calmed first before they can be ridden.

All threads will be worth 4 points.

( Bonus ♫ )

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

It isn't just the violent skies and seas that pose a problem. Garuda's magic has somehow affected all of the birdkin and bird folk alike across Nogard and Eltrut. What once were peaceful, friendly creatures have now turned on others, as well as each other, and will be attacking and fighting on the streets.

More than that, while some birds have transformed into menacing beasts large enough to pick up a whole person—sometimes two—there are also dozens and dozens of Wind Elementals that have spawned all around the Leviathans, all of them under the command of Benedikta's sisters, Chirada and Suparna, the strongest of them. They hardly ever leave one another's side, but when they are provoked, they will not hesitate to attack. To make matters worse, when threatened, they will tether their aether to each other to make themselves more immune and to regenerate. They are fast, agile, with wide wingspans and talons that will rip anyone apart if they manage to catch them. They are weak to lightning magic and can be held off by the plumes found throughout the forest, and destroying them will buy time for those fighting the smaller Egis to defeat them... However, be warned, they will only respawn again elsewhere, and will keep doing so until Garuda is chased away. (Note: this video of their boss fight can be referred to if needed.)

🐦 Birds and Birdfolk. Beware of feathered friends! Garuda's magic has made both the birds of the islands and the bird folk particularly aggressive. Bird folk will be quick to anger, and those caught up in the worst of the effects will attack anyone unprovoked for so much as looking at them. The only cure for this is taking out the Wind Elementals that have spawned, as they are what sustains Garuda's magic. In the meantime, until they can be destroyed, luring them further away and outside of town or finding a humane way to knock them out for the time being will work to help alleviate the threats at the eye of the storm. Cats will also be effective against them. Be careful, however—the birds are capable of stealing the breath of anyone who wanders too close, strangling them through lack of air.

🌪️ Wind Elementals. Minions of Garuda herself, these Wind Egis will indiscriminately pick out anyone they find to assault with their large wings, sharpened talons, and powerful wind magic. Men will be carried out to sea where they will attempt to drown them, while women will be carried to "safety" in the nests that the birds have built within the forests. Defeating them is the key to weakening Garuda's magic, so take them out by any means necessary. Note: Players are free to use and control the Egis however they want.

🪹 Within the Nest. For those caught in the nest, escaping on the ground will be the only way out as horrific winged beasts and Egis guard the skies. Beneath the trees, people will need to carve out a path through the messy vines and thorns. It will be safer with a partner, as all sorts of horrors lurk. Eldritch hummingbirds, cassowary, magpies, human-sized hawkmoths, guineafowl, pelicans, and a strange breed of geese that are prepared to feed on or tear apart anyone who might threaten their nest.

There will occasionally be white plumes that will flutter down from the skies. These feathers are from Garuda's wings, and gathering them will provide a ward to protect one from harm for a short period of time. They can shield against one hit or act as a repellent to the birds and the Egis before they are destroyed. Search for them in the treetops and the vines, gather them, and they should be shared so that everyone can make it out of the forest safely. If anyone is able to collect enough of them, they will have healing wind properties that can mend small wounds and cuts.

For those at The Roost (the Hideaway crew's island), the gryphons will be up in arms, not only because one of their nests has been destroyed, but because Benedikta's uncontrollable magic has bled into them, too. The female gryphons, led by the Matriarch, will attack the males, and a fight will break out among them. The males will flee down into the Roost to seek help, but the females will surely soon follow. Killing the gryphons is not an option, and anyone who threatens the lives of the females will have to get through the males in spite of this war, so they will need to be chased off for now. In return, the males will allow anyone to ride on their backs and carry them to Eltrut should they wish to help there.

All threads will be worth 4 points.

( Bonus ♫ )

THE LADY OF THE WIND

For those few who are brave enough to encounter Garuda and live to tell the tale, and those fewer who are daring enough to chase her down seeking to clip the vengeful harpy's wings, they will likely not have to look very far. Garuda is a mischievous and wicked Eikon, chaotic, as if she were made of the winds and storms herself, and through all of the destruction she brings, she also finds enjoyment in taunting others, sometimes swooping down or over one's head just to toy with those on the ground before flying off again.

If she is feeling particularly naughty, she may even kidnap a few, scooping them up in her claws and flying them off someplace else... just for fun. Whether it is the nest, into the sky, out to sea, who knows, but one thing is for certain... one does not want to be engaged with her for long, lest they wish to feel just how sharp her claws and fangs truly are...

Try as they might, however, it will take the might of another full Eikon to take her down, and the battles will end as Ramuh, the Warden of Thunder, makes his appearance and chases her away from Eltrut, and they will face off against one another over the ocean.

Note: This portion of the log is closed to those who signed up for an encounter with Garuda. Please leave a starter at your designated top level down below! They will be worth 6 points.

( Bonus ♫ )

This is the designated log for a player-run (garudas) mini-event. After revelations came about surrounding her fate, Benedikta Harman primed into her full Eikon, Garuda, and she is now ravaging the seas, skies, and land.

Players are free to make their own top levels and tag around, and those who have signed up to face Garuda can leave their starters beneath their designated top levels. Information can be found on the OOC post and please direct any questions here. New players/characters are free to tag into this as well, as this is all occurring after their arrival.

The event and its effects will last less than one day ICly and will have a resolution, so there will be no bearing on anything afterward. Any post-Garuda events will be on the main monthly log that will be going up, including Leviathan clean-up and helping the mermaids after parts of their underwater dwelling were ruined by the wave that hit Eltrut.

Comments

[netherese]

[The memory is visceral as it tears through him— he and Benedikta remain two separate entities, and yet so intertwined in that moment that he can feel her emotions as though they are her very own, feel her fear and resignation, her uncertainty, that faint trembling of hope. It is all so very real that the present falls away, even as the wind continues to howl, Hesperos' wings still beating— those sounds feel hollow and strangely distant despite the fact that he and the gryphon are quite literally at the eye of the storm, face-to-face with its very cause.

The second memory tugs at him in a way that is oddly familiar. There is still fear, still uncertainty, but that feeling of awe in the face of another's kindness—

That, he knows well.

Though the memory begins to fade and the howling of the wind begins to roar in his ears once more, it is not soon enough— though he returns to the present, he is not fast enough to react to the incoming swipe of her claw. He attempts to erect a shield and fails, still halfway between the past and present, and her talons catch his flank and knock him off-course.

He goes flying, caught by the wind and saved only by the fact that he had already cast a Flight spell on himself. Though injured, he rights himself in mid-air as Hesperos flaps wildly a few yards from him, and Gale shakes his head as he clutches at his side, feeling blood seep through his robes and between his fingers, using his free hand to point downwards.]

Go— go! Get Cid!

[The gryphon looks momentarily hesitant, then lets out a loud squawk of assent and begins to dive towards the ground to retrieve his other rider, leaving Gale to contend with Garuda for just a bit longer on his own.

He grits his teeth as he looks back at her, repressing the pain as best he can. It is temporary, he tells himself, and nothing that cannot be mended, even as he feels a familiar surge of discomfort flare in his chest, a purple glow beginning to line the marks that peek up above his robes and crawl upwards along his neck.]

Cid will be here soon— to bring you home! You must stop this!

[garudas]

[The smell of blood only incites her further and riles her up, her anger reaching its tipping point when Gale says his name.

He speaks of "home", and yet he knows nothing of hers. Knows not where she has been or what she has struggled through to find it, only for it all to crumble under her wings. She convinces herself of this because how could anyone understand? They are not her, and more than that, they are all part of the problem in the end. Cid betrayed her, her king used her, and what of everyone else? Who is to say that they will not do the same? How does she ensure that they cannot?

By destroying everything and everyone, of course.

Simple enough, given that she has already managed to strike this particularly annoying one. It's time to end it.

She is forced to bank around again, her massive wings ripping through the wind when she comes at him again, and this time, she doesn't try to grab him, but instead, the talons on said wings will curl, claws forward...

Only for Gale to be hit with more memories, in quicker succession, but their emotions are no less palpable.

"You are to teach her everything that you know," King Barnabas told the Lord Commander as Benedikta bowed her head and then bowed it some more—until her neck grew sore under the weight of his exacting gaze. "She shows promise, and I will not see Garuda's power wasted."

That was when she knew what he saw when he looked at her. That he saw not the girl, Benedikta Harman, but the harpy behind her bright, hopeful green eyes.

Truly a man who could strike both fear and reverence in even the boldest and most impenetrable of souls. Benedikta was neither.

—

Where she once sat tucked away safely at the Lord Commander's right, she now sits across from him at the table, next to Hugo Kupka, and every time she feels his eyes lingering on her, she wants so badly to crawl out of her flesh and slide under the table. It takes every ounce of strength within her body to not tense up in her shoulders, her wings feeling like they could shudder, too, under her skin.

She looks over to Cidolfus sitting across from her, but he's too focused on what the Prime Minister is saying, and she can tell that whatever it is—because it's not as if she is listening—has him displeased. Those crows feet that have sprung up at the corners of his eyes deepen just a touch.

Hugo cuts in, and that seems to snap him out of it, and suddenly, Cidolfus is turning to her, his eyes meeting her own head on, and... he smiles. It's small, the most subtle upturn of his lips that one can only spot if they were watching him carefully, and she had been, but it's there.

And with an even smaller jerk of his head, he tells her to focus.

—

"I unite the Dominants... that we may bring an end to the strife and found a new order to see us unto tomorrow." In the darkness of his chambers, the candlelight being the only thing to illuminate him, her king speaks yet again of his plans. "The world must be restored. And I will see it so."

And as Benedikta sits beside him, she can't help herself, her voice and the words spilling out of her before she can stop them.

"You might have already had Cidolfus not betrayed us..."

"Him again?" There's an anger that edges Barnabas's voice. "Lust you still for his embrace?"

A barb of panic sinks into her and she climbs atop him, forcing him onto his back. "But of course not, my liege. I serve you, and you alone..."

Because that is all that she could do. Serve. Loyally and unconditionally, without question. She wouldn't dare be like him—she would take her oath seriously, she would be faithful because she loved him. She did, she did, she did, and anyone who would question it would earn her sword through their throats. She loved him... because she feared him. She loved him because she needed him if she were to survive in this world. She loved him because she yearned to be needed too.

Even if her heart left this place with another...

And there will be no escape for Gale from this onslaught of memories this time. He keeps saying his name—Cid's name—and Garuda has had enough.

More and more will come, one after another, flashes that fill his vision and his whole being...

A pendant that digs into the palm of her hand as she screams out to the sea as she tries to throw it, but can't.

A bow of her head and her expressing words of fealty to her liege as he stands over her.

The warm embrace of the only person who has ever shown her kindness as she sobbed in his arms.

The cold, blue eyes of her king that were as empty as she felt as she stared into them, trying to see past the walls that he put up, though she never could.

A wall of flame that is hot against skin that burns away her feathers...

Fear. So, so much fear and desperation.

As the images fade into one another, he will be struck with a power that prickles until it burns under his skin, like it's about to burst—her aether.

All of it ends with him waking up from them with her claw snatching him in mid-air.]

[netherese]

[All of those memories tear at wounds that have not yet healed, summon up old hurts are still so raw he cannot tell where his feelings end and hers begin— there is no time to react to any of what he sees, no time to speak, hardly enough to think as his own being as each one overwhelms him, each more painful and embittered than the last. They are personal, private; he feels as though he shouldn't be looking in, but there is no choice, and he cannot look away&mdash.

As her aether strikes him and threatens to push its way inside, a scream is torn from his throat, nearly drowned out by the howling wind; he nearly goes limp in the air from the force of it, but as she snatches at him, something begins to push back, to resist. It is not a spell willingly cast, nor a deliberate effort to turn her own aether back on her, but for just a moment, it will feel as though it has struck an invisible wall even as it burns and simmers beneath his skin— and then all resistance stops, and something within Gale begins to draw in yet more as the air grows chill around them, his eyes glowing blinding white as his head is thrown back and he lets out a pained, anguished sound, that violent glow that had begun at his chest now encompassing his form.

The force no longer fights against the surge of aether, but draws it in, devours it; it is cold and hungry and bottomless, feeding off what it has been unwittingly given even as its vessel is held hostage by injury, by memory, and the deep darkness within him reaches unseen for the harpy, ice-cold necrotic tendrils invisible to the naked eye curling along her talons, her arms, grasping and hoping to draw her downwards, down into its unseen maw.

Gale is but a cage of flesh, and the power within him is ravenous, its arcane hunger for magic, for greater power insatiable. To it, Garuda's aether seems a veritable feast, and it is desperate for more.]

[garudas]

[Something is not right. This is not right. Whatever he is doing to her, Garuda can sense that this is a danger to her. To Benedikta. The memories are forced to come to a halt, and she lets out a blood-curdling scream that rends the clouds overhead and the wind around them. Something hot buzzes under her feathers while something cold brushes over them, like she's trapped between the two, and there is a very stark and sudden drain on her aether, whatever this magic it is that he is using against her is drawing upon it now rather than battling it.

She tries to wrench her claw free, but it somehow keeps its hold on her just long enough that it sends Garuda into a panic. She flails and kicks, screams and beats her wings as they tumble through the air, down towards the mass of water below. She shakes him, spins him, slams him into her other claw until finally, she is able to free herself from those invisible chains that bound her to him.

Garuda feels weakened, and for a moment, it is Benedikta in control, the harpy's eyes flickering blue as the Dominant somewhere inside regains her consciousness long enough to steer her around before she can make the mistake of continuing to engage. Survive—that is what she must do now. It takes only a moment before the malevolent yellow comes back to her gaze, and as she flings Gale towards the sea down below with all of her might, she turns around and flies off. She flies as far away from him as possible, as fast as her wings can take her in this state. She will need to recuperate, so back to the sanctuary of Eltrut's trees it is.

And hopefully that gryphon will be there to catch him before he takes the plunge into the ocean...]