Garuda Story Mode Question

[CaesarCV]

There is actually a very cool in game reason for Garuda to have a mostly human appearance.

**Spoilers for Heavensward Below**

In the latter parts of Heavensward, the heroes travel to a gigantic floating island created by the Allagans called Azys La. It was a legendary research base, and contains a great many chimeric creations. One of the dungeons here, the Fractal Continuum, features many. One of the most curious examples is the Ixallion , who appear to be winged Ixal. The lore on them claims that they were soldiers created to put down rebellions on the surface and that they had an unstable genetic structure. Curiously, this relates to the Ixal culture's belief in Atylan, the floating continent, the 'gods' they were warriors for, and the loss of their wings. The Lore Book posits that the commander of the Garuda Airborne Division was a beautiful female general. It stands to reason (albeit implied) that the Garuda we know is a mythologized form of this human commander.

[LineageRazor]

It's additionally worth considering that individuals can find beauty outside of their own race. No one thinks it odd for someone to appreciate a horse's beauty, for instance, or even an airplane's. The Ixali may consider Garuda to be beautiful because of her magnificent wings (FOUR of them, no less!), as well as her very nature as a being capable of flight, and the Hyur-like features are just part of the package.

[Anonymoose]

[Garuda's] followers call her beautiful, but is this a sign that they consider themselves ugly?

"It's okay. Everyone's furry for Krystal fleshy for Garuda." - Ixali Proverb

[Kyran-Varlsen]

There is actually a very cool in game reason for Garuda to have a mostly human appearance.

**Spoilers for Heavensward Below**

In the latter parts of Heavensward, the heroes travel to a gigantic floating island created by the Allagans called Azys La. It was a legendary research base, and contains a great many chimeric creations. One of the dungeons here, the Fractal Continuum, features many. One of the most curious examples is the Ixallion , who appear to be winged Ixal. The lore on them claims that they were soldiers created to put down rebellions on the surface and that they had an unstable genetic structure. Curiously, this relates to the Ixal culture's belief in Atylan, the floating continent, the 'gods' they were warriors for, and the loss of their wings. The Lore Book posits that the commander of the Garuda Airborne Division was a beautiful female general. It stands to reason (albeit implied) that the Garuda we know is a mythologized form of this human commander.

I never did that dungeon or read the lore book. That is actually quite interesting.

I had always suspected that a great many of the strange tribes inhabiting Eorzea were artificially created by the Allagan, and it seems true in the case of the Vira and the Ixali. Which makes me wonder who else the Allagans created in ages past.

[Belhi]

Actually the Ananta quite likely predated Allagan manipulation. Rather they seem likely to have been the 'material' for experimentation. They certainly weren't the only beast tribe the Allagans messed with.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

Actually I think the proto-Ixal were called the Iksalion based on this picture:

[Grayve]

Wait, so if we can subconsciously tear aether away from a primal and turn it into a crystal... that sounds rather useful. Why can we only do it that time? And I thought makoado said that Crystals of Light were direct gifts from Hydelaen?

[LineageRazor]

To be honest, the circumstances under which we acquire crystals don't seem to have any sort of commonality. Sometimes we're given the crystal, sometimes we find it, and in Garuda's case, we rip it out of her chest. It's like the universe is saying, "Welp, it's been a while since you last got a MacGuffin. Looks like you're due!"

While several crystals are found after defeating Primals, it doesn't really seem like those crystals are tied to the primals in any special way, in spite of the fact that the crystals we got from them were the Primals' element - particularly given that the Ice crystal doesn't even HAVE a Primal. (Shiva's first summoning was well-after we collected the Ice crystal.)

Not the best example of storytelling in this game, imo.

[Zohar_Lahar]

When it comes to the Primals like Ifrit, Titan, Leviathan, Ravana, Bismark and even Susano there is no disconnect from follower to gods due to appearance because these primals represent a manifestation of power or a cultural point of reverence. But with Primals like Garuda and Ramuh, it seems a developer blurp to just design them to look so alien to their followers that they could be Hyur gods. Lakshmi also kinda falls into this despite the fact she looks far more like her followers than Garuda, and I say this because she has no snake features (fangs, scales) upon her that we can see (though she may have a tail under her billowy dress).

Ramuh is implied to be sylphs' interpretation of Rhalgr (as the old man of the woods)

[Kyran-Varlsen]

Ramuh is implied to be sylphs' interpretation of Rhalgr (as the old man of the woods)

Yah, it seems that the game's lore goes deep enough to explain why these Primals look the way they do. My mistake was not realizing Garuda had been explained later due to a new addition to the Ixali Origins story.