#Garleans

[finalfantabee]

This is basically what happened in Garlemald, right?

[lichdandy]

Garlean propaganda via public baths. Varis zos Galvus time.

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2024: 19 Taken

(Violence, fantasy racism, kidnapping, death)

His side twinged, but he winced and kept tracking his quarry. It was not difficult, given their vehicles and the way they marched the troops and their prisoners.

A surge of anger rolled through him and he pressed on, the pain in his side forgotten. It had been his own fault, when his mentor had pushed him out of the way of the attacking soldiers. It had saved his life, but his mentor’s had been lost.

Along with most of the village they protected; the warders had failed. His shame in surviving could only be alleviated by finding the children that had been taken.

In the smoldering wreckage he had found his dying mother. She had weakly cried out for his sibling, using their diminutive nickname for the child—Ijna. When he made his occasional visits to the village—as a young man, he made more frequent trips than his elders tended to—he would be sure to visit his mother, and had been fond of Ijna, with skin as coal-dark as Mother’s. Their dark hair had turquoise streaks to match their bright eyes. A small, slight child, but he had once been, too, and had often assured the little one that someday they would grow as large and strong as himself—perhaps moreso, if they were a girl.

His sibling was among those stolen.

His nose caught the stench of ceruleum. His lips twisted in a snarl and he took to the tree branches.

The chief had defied the imperial officers who came to make demands, and the warders had harried them. They thought they had made the Garleans leave their valley. They had been terribly wrong, as the invaders had returned in force.

He did not know what he would do, when he rescued the children. He would figure that out once safely away from the camp.

They had stopped for the night, a pavilion set up for the officers to dine and sleep in. Troops who were not attending to their superiors patrolled the perimeter, or guarded the vehicle where the children huddled. They had been allowed to relieve themselves in a trench, and given some rations to eat the same as the soldiers. Then returned to the bed of the truck, where they huddled together for comfort and warmth under not enough thin blankets.

“Wretched little beasts,” one of the soldiers under his chosen branch said to a fellow. “And the Praefectus thinks they can be citizens?”

The other shrugged. “That’s the Emperor’s idea. If they will not submit, make them wish they had, as one way or another, they will be civilized. These brats shouldn’t be as feral as the adults, and there’s a school where they’ll be tamed of their savage ways.”

The first made another derogatory sound. “Even so, no one will mistake them for anything but beasts with those ears.” The two laughed and continued on their patrols.

He grit his teeth and waited.

Eventually the camp settled in for the night. There were soldiers taking their turn at patrol, at guarding the children. They were more lax than they could have been, thinking they had dealt with all of the village’s adults.

He handled the wandering patrols first, with careful, silent arrows for the first, and a dagger across the throat of the second. The high collars of their lightly armored uniforms, in addition to the rounded helms they wore, made it difficult, but there was hardly any sound, and no one came to investigate. He deposited the bodies in the woodline and crept toward the truck.

The children heard him coming, even if their Garlean guard did not. He gestured for them to keep quiet, uncertain if they could see him in the dark. Even silent, their stirring and looking around put their guard on alert. He would have to be swift. He drew his bow and—

A light snapped on, blinding him as he was exposed. “I knew it!” one of the officers growled. “Kill him, and search for more! He may be a scout for a war band!”

They were already firing their weapons as he dashed into the woods. The children screamed and shouted, their guards yelling at them. His ears picked up Ijna’s particular keening cry before it was cut off, the child struck by a guard.

A bullet hit his calf, another his bicep, and one tore a long graze along his side. He cried out as pain erupted through him and he fell, tumbling down a bank, bruised and cut from the fall. The soldiers were above him, he had to move but gods help him everything not bruised was on fire, and his older injury had reopened.

“Been awhile since I’ve been on a rabbit hunt,” a distant voice said, cruel laughter answering.

He tried to crawl forward, into the thorny bramble and the swift stream he heard on its other side. He had to get away, had to heal, had to pick up the trail later and find the children. He owed it to his mentor, he had promised his mother…

More gunshots, more fiery pain blooming across his body. His blood flowed freely, pooling around him, his leathers and green clothes stained. He couldn’t move, no matter how he wanted to.

He had failed.

Boots tromped close. His vision faded.

“Ijna, I’m sorry,” he tried to say, hardly enough breath for it.

“Damned savages,” a soldier said, pressing the muzzle of a weapon against his head.

[14kuponuts]

Almost all the alliance raids info from way back in the days - Encyclopedia Eorzea III

[sforzie]

Even more of Maggy and Estinien memeing their way through life

[the-imperial-nuisance]

A Garlean WoL -or Lucia, perhaps- translating Edmont's Heavensward into Garlean so that the people of Garlemald can read about their exploits, should they wish to.

[voidtekarc]

"The dream changes every time I have it. Ever so slowly does it feel like it's edging towards something. It's the same place that I feel like I've been here before but It's impossible that I have. The thoughts are hazy, feeling as if they belong to me and do not at the same time as if I'm living in my own mind and someone else's. I always feel some presence hovering over me, watching me as I wander through these visions, stalking me." "Wherever it leads me, I need to see it to it's end."

[villainousintent]

Seeing folks arguing about Sorrows of Werlyt on multiple platforms refuse to engage with it critically outside of what does/doesn't make sense in-universe. Like the FFXIV writing team has a habit of writing these righteous fascist characters. Despite being villainous and antagonistic they share traits with the heroes; i.e. they are loyal, dedicated and even virtuous. Gaius is like this from ARR, we're told by one of his commanding officers he doesn't discriminate unlike the other Garleans and uplifts any worthy fighter in his ranks. That dumb ass moment with Regula van Hydrus when he dies and the Scions along with the WoL mourn him. There's many more moments that go beyond just humanizing the Garleans.

This game spends so much time trying to make you sympathize with the Garlean conquerors while placing them alongside their atrocities and xenophobic language. They talk about racial/national purity and denounce everyone else as "savages." Like someone wrote all of this shit. Endwalker, especially irks me.

What baffles me is folks talking about how Werlyt deconstructs Garlean ideology like what is there to deconstruct, it's Nazi shit. You need to spell out why it's bad?? Lmao. Had to put a cartoon villain next to an even more cartoon villain and leverage children to purify his character through the narrative. He is redeemed as far as the narrative (and the fans) is concerned, it just took murdering a half-dozen children to do it.

And like that's all well and good or whatever, but this stuff doesn't arrive fully formed from the aether as it were. It's written by people. It's seen by many eyes. It's shaped by the culture of its writers. Japan is a former imperialist nation surrounded by country's it's terrorized. Those scars run deep. So maybe don't like snap at folks from say South Korea who show displeasure at the news cuz they don't "get" Sorrows of Werlyt.

[gileam-v]

As if this picture doesn’t just sum these two up perfectly.

[akirakirxaa]

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

[eorzeansavagery]

SOLUS ZOS GALVUS . MARCELLA YAE GALVUS

The most toxic and miserable marriage in Garlean existence.

[lichdandy]

Quick Leyendecker study/warmup. Excellent excuse for a Varis instead of the og model.

[thegreatsharkleve]

Talking to my friend and was reminded I edited this dril tweet 2 years ago and I still think it's funny

This has probably been done but…

[14kuponuts]

Without them, things can’t be done~

HES SO RIDICULOUS

KEIAN WILL DO ANYTHING

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite2023 Prompt #14 - Clear

Mettius felt in the pit of his stomach a drop as if into a small cage with a large hungry bear in it.

There, standing in winter gear, was Van Baelsar's Bane. The Abattoir of Ala Mhigo, the Butcher of Bozja, the Savior of Savages, the Killer of Men.

The Warrior of Light.

Gnaeus grabbed him from behind as he almost tripped over his own feet, "Courage, Lord Mettius, courage."

"We've been duped. These savages seek to take everything from us, we'll be lucky to return to the Senatus with our lives."

"If that were the case, do you think young Jullus would lead us right to them?"

"They've magicked him, altered his mind to bend to their aetheric wiles. I've not held a weapon in twenty-five years. We don't stand a chance. Oh why didn't we bring more soldiers?"

Gnaeus shook him slightly, "Get a hold of yourself. Do you really think the Ilsabard contingent would go through moons of this song and dance only to fatten us for the slaughter here and now? Why bother pretending and continuing to pretend to seek to entreat? If we are to meet our end, wouldn't it just be the Warrior of Light alone with her monstrous cleaver drawn?"

Her cruel blade was indeed strapped to her back, but it seemed she was escorting a Thavnairian of some repute based on the finery of his winter wear. He wore only a ceremonial sword at his waist, as Mettius knew Thavnairians of status were oft to do. Besides these two was a curious figure, he could not tell if they were man or woman, masculine of attire, but feminine of face. They wore a scythe that he recognized as that of a Reaper, one of Garlemald's elite assassins. All told, it didn't make sense for a kill squad. The Warrior of Light did not leap at them or indeed move in any sort of threatening manner. Rather, she seemed to defer to the Thavnairian.

Regardless, the Warrior of Light's presence was just short of a declaration of war.

***

Imagine nearly a century of victories and conquest, a people triumphant, the world united within their grasp, peace and prosperity for all... And in the course of five years, so much of it was undone.

Oh, there was civil war and horrific unrest and brothers killing brothers on the home front, that is not to be denied, but the empire frayed on the fringes because of one individual in particular.

It started in Eorzea, a united effort on all accounts, but the reports from the Castrum Meridianum and the fallout of the disastrous defense of the Praetorium and the Ultima Weapon seemed to make reference to the same individual many fold. The Gration, stranded and grounded so far away in Azys Lla, reported sightings of the same individual. But these were Eorzean territories, untouched by Garlean rule, yet to be conquered.

And then she started appearing in Garlean conquered and claimed territories. It was then that the Crown Prince took a shine to her, and there were those that assumed it would be the end of it.

It would not be so. Zenos was said to have died in Ala Mhigo, even as he reappeared in Garlemald. The individual was dubbed the Eorzean Weapon, the Aetheric Monster. From the masses arose the moniker that would stick, the Warrior of Light. Anywhere she was rumored to have appeared, morale bled. Anywhere she was confirmed to have struck, even full-blooded Garlean soldiers would flee. Everywhere, it seems, the non-citizenry of Garlemald took her appearance as a sign to stir and rise up. Once docile and fully tamed populations roused on the word of unconfirmed sightings within their borders. Even naturalized citizens were not unaffected by her appeal.

In short, her sighting in Garlemald proper was no less than the sounding of the final bell. Garlemald was finished. Death was here.

The Garleans would not entreat accompanied by a Magitek Vanguard, so why were they expected to sit calmly with the Warrior of Light at their throats?

And yet, except when attacked first, the Warrior of Light never drew her weapon, and the weapon was never used upon Garleans. Magitek, wildlife, and escaped experiments were put to the blade, yes, but it was only in defense of others. How difficult it must have been to dole out aid and succor with claws meant to rend and murder!

Still, her presence was more than enough to drive even great men like Quintus to the deepest pits of despair. How shameful it was that even the Tenth Legion laid down their arms to the Eorzeans without a fight!

***

And yet as Mettius gathered himself after his initial panic, he noted a lack of malice, or indeed any sort of murderous intent. Jullus had none of the signs of aetheric manipulation, he was bright eyed and slightly apprehensive. The Thavnairian and the Reaper were also not known acquaintances of the Warrior of Light, the so-called "Scions."

So he decided he would not be intimidated. Forcibly, he'd make his position on Eorzean conquest explicit and unambiguous, citing the rules of war, conquest, and the spoils thereof.

The presence of the Eorzean Menace would not cow him.

[the-imperial-nuisance]

I wonder what the Garlean equivalent to the lowrider community looks like because you know some Garleans would be into things like that