Happy Songkran Festival! 💦 Today is the day we Thais go out to splash water and cool down from the heat. Come visit Thailand—we always welcome new friends! I drew Zenos joining the fun in Thailand for Songkran. So much fun!
Uh oh it's yapping time once again and this time it's me rambling about Garlean Armor!
Let's start with the very basic which is the Emperor's attire:
This one seems to be protocol as between Varis and old man Solus here there aren't many differences really. You've got the usual Garlean armor underneath the big imposing cape and pauldrons, but what makes this whole thing special is the draconic motifs. Looking back into the background for Garlemald itself, I'm curious if it's always been chosen as a symbol for the royal family, or it had been incorporated after the Dravanian Horde skirmish. As far as I can tell, however, it seems like it's a Wyrm adorning their crowns and cape fabric, and oddly enough only Varis has the Garlean sigil, as Solus's front piece reminds me of someone else....
Zenos, of course. The Wiki specifically states that he chose to take Ala Mhigan elements such as the fabric and belts to adorn his armor with. That means that the red skirt is supposed to also be protocol most likely. No draconic elements besides the flame motif, no Garlean sigil either, whether it was meant to be as simple as a pure red with flame motifs, or he specifically had it done that way, we cannot know. Had he not worn the crown on his helmet, you could pass him off as a Legatus. Still, it's interesting to look at the style and way that he chooses to wrap the Ala Mhigan fabric around his waist, as it looks very similar in fashion to Solus. Varis on the other hand has absolutely no other extra elements, his attire being fully and entirely Garlean, very neatly worn, it just displays his pride as being Garlean and the Emperor.
Also let's not forget the fact that Zenos chooses to leave the helmet (implicitly the crown as well), once he deems us interesting enough and brimming with potential. He's never seen wearing it again, which honestly feels like the biggest symbol of him belonging to Garlemald, as he too has no royal sigil inscribed within his clothing. And we know he outright tells Varis he never intended to rule....while also never being seen with said helmet or crown again, even within the palace walls.
I've already mentioned in another post how with ShB and EW later on, he sheds the symbolic Garlean elements much like a reptile sheds its skin, so in the end you have a man that has nothing tying him to his Garlean identity, besides his Third Eye, which could also very easily be hidden away as many of the reformed Garleans have done.
No Garlean imagery, no draconic symbolism, not even the very bright Garlean red, no outright armor. It's instead lighter fabrics, with some semblance of metallic elements here and there. Can't exactly tell what the motifs on his shoulder are, but they feel floral (I can be wrong). His outfit changes are a very visible change of identity still, and choosing to entirely separate himself from his Garlean descent.
Also thinking back to him finding Shinryu a perfect specimen.
Wyrm.
The symbol of the Garlean crown apparently. And becoming such a symbol himself, he did what neither of the Emperors could, who instead could only adorn their armor in a dormant symbol of it, pretending to be just as powerful.
And then at the end of it all, he used the very same symbol and specimen to indirectly save the whole world through saving the WoL. The Wyrm no longer attacked, but offered support, trust even, since WoL got to ride upon its back.
Thanks to @sebille for opening my eyes to the possibility of the motifs on Zenos's pauldron in EW being grapes, cause it makes a lot of sense then looking back to his ShB outfit:
These are vines, no grapes on them yet, however in the EW outfit, the pauldron got proper grapes growing between the vines:
There's apparently symbolism regarding grapes when it comes to transformation and death, rebirth, victory over death, as well as reaping rewards after a long wait. This is opposed to the usual symbolism related to intoxication and merryment that usually comes from its association with Dionysus.
I feel though that even with EW he didn't reach his full potential, but achieved that sort of rebirth and transformation still, right at the end of it all.
But now the patterns evolving over time from ShB to EW make so much sense!!
Zenos viator Galvus, Master at Arms of the Ephemeral Hunt, caught mid-transformation by the Galactic Gazette immediately before backflipping off the ship his crew just robbed and disappearing into wildspace, having just narrowly escaped the first fight to really test his limits since arriving in this world.
If you're wondering why I've played dress-up with him in this manner, it's because I used my dynamis wish to isekai him into our Spelljammer campaign, where after being rescued from the far edge of the universe he has ended up becoming a space pirate, searching once more for his enemy, his friend, the Warrior of Light, Askalaphos Areios... who was originally a D&D character of mine that got isekai'd into FFXIV.
It's been a very fun AU to throw him into.
(bonus close up. if you'll excuse me, i have to go stare at him for ten hours now.)
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