#i love this colour variant so mch

[figurecollection]

Bridget Pop Up Parade Figure by Max Factory, from Guilty Gear -Strive-

[ever-searching]

Primal OC Challenge - Cain

Boss Name: Kullervo (warning: Wikipedia article mentions incest and suicide)

Quest Overview: You finally track down the location of missing crystals. It turns out that Cain has managed to gather them in a single location through persuasion, bribery and misinformation, and before you manage to stop him, he proceeds to summon a primal. As he turns into the vessel of Kullervo, a tragic vengeful hero of northern legends, it falls to you to strike him down before he can wreck havoc on the world that wronged him.  

(I saw @mathemagiks​'s brilliant version of this meme and got inspired. Not tagging anyone, but feel free to tag me if this post inspired you!)

(The rest is behind a readmore because this turned out long. And possibly melodramatic.)

Trial Name: The Quiet Plateau (located in the mountain range near the Silver Bazaar in Western Thanalan)

Battle Music: Nightwish - Ghost Love Score

Appearance: Cain retains his general appearance while transformed into Kullervo, but most of his colour scheme almost inverts. He wears a blue tunic and white trousers, and his hair turns such pale blond that it almost looks white. His eyes become violet-blue, and they emit a faint glow. Instead of a thaumaturge’s staff, he wields a slim two-handed sword. 

Start of Battle Quote: “If it’s me against the world, so be it, then!”

Battle Overview: The battle against Kullervo/Cain is split into two phases and an interlude.

In phase 1, Cain will use a combination of lightning and water attacks. Examples include Braided Lightning, where even his hair becomes electrified and he swings his braid in a wide arc, dealing damage and inflicting Paralysis effect on those who get hit. He also uses Surge of Inspiration, causing all players to get hit by a small lightning or water AoEs which should not overlap.

One curious mechanic of phase 1 is Sound the Horn, where Cain blows into a hunting horn and summons one or more spectral creatures depending on what element he used last (and what line he says). The lightning-based variant summons a Thunder Hound, which needs to be tanked by the off-tank and destroyed quickly; the water-based variant calls untargettable Watery Steeds, which will rush forward from the sides of the platform and cause water damage and a Dropsy debuff on those who get hit; the steeds won’t cross the whole platform, though, so there are small safe spots near the middle.

At first, Cain seems determined and defiant. When the players chip away a certain amount of his HP, however, he will start wavering and the interlude begins.

Oh wayward son Where does your path lie? Your home is gone No arms to hold you, voice to guide you Ocean drowns your cries...

(A sample of the interlude music here) 

During the interlude, Cain will be wrapped in an impenetrable black cocoon, and the party will instead fight against Shade of Despair and Shade of Solitude. These Shades themselves do little else than auto-attack, but the party will have to watch out for random AoEs in the meanwhile. The shades must be destroyed before the party’s ‘Hope’ gauge (which starts from 100) reaches zero.

After the Shades are destroyed, the screen turns completely black for a moment, and the party gets hit with Desolation, dealing damage proportional to the Hope they had lost.

“...In the end, I’m still alone.”

As Cain emerges from the cocoon, he loses his boots and gloves, and his braid unravels. His voice lines gain a more desperate and/or bitter edge.

In phase 2, Cain gains a few new skills, such as Calamitous Thunder, which hits the primary target with a large cone attack and a Vulnerability debuff, more or less forcing a tank swap. He will also use Impulsive Strike, which makes him leap on top of the two healers while driving his sword to the ground. This is a stack-up mechanic which requires the party to split before Cain finishes casting, as the second marker will appear only after the first leap (and players don’t have enough time to run away after that). His group-wide AoE skill is called Bitter Waves.

Party Wipe Quote: “Today is the day it all ends.”

Defeat Quote: “Even my best... wasn’t good enough...?”

Once players defeat Kullervo, his aether dissipates, and Cain falls to the ground - his clothes in tatters and hair disheveled.

Loot: Kullervo/Cain drops weapons with a dark colour scheme, bronze and red highlights and Finnish names:

AST: Taivaankansi ("sky lid"; firmament)

BLM: Revontuli ("fox fire"; northern lights)

BRD: Noidannuoli ("witch's arrow"; lower back pain / lumbago)

DNC: Kaunosielu (”beautiful soul”; daydreamer)

DRG: Kaihomieli ("wistful mind"; one who yearns for something unattainable)

DRK: Surmanisku ("killing blow")

GNB: Henkivartija (”spirit/life guardian”; bodyguard)

MCH: Uranuurtaja ("trail-carver"; pioneer)

MNK: Kalmankoura ("corpse's hand"; old name for eagle fern)

NIN: Varjokuva ("shadow picture"; shadow / silhouette)

PLD: Uroteko ("act of bravery") & Jalopeura ("noble deer"; lion)

RDM: Mielijohde ("mind stem"; spontaneous idea or desire)

SAM: Kaukokaipuu ("far-longing"; wanderlust)

SCH: Ajastaika ("time from time"; year)

SMN: Selkokieli (“clear language”; simplified and more precise language)

WAR: Hurmevuo ("stream of blood")

WHM: Lintukoto ("bird home"; paradise-like place where birds migrate)