Garland

"An auric heart for a pedestal marred in blood."

—Somnium Fluxus

Garland Dragan (ガルランヅヅラガン, Duragan Garurandu) Is a young Nefas sorcerer formally retained by Diluculum Aeternus. Famed as the only child of the nefarious Randa Primarosa, Garland is sought after by her mother's enemies for her dormant power along with widespread fear that she may one day prove a catastrophic threat for both physical and spiritual realms.

Although widely believed as Randa's biological daughter, Garland is in fact an effigy of Adjudicator Ajoris, synthesized by Randa's essence along with a portion of Ajoris' soul siphoned by Randa during the climax of their last confrontation. Garland and Ajoris form a spiritual pair as designed by Randa, meaning their fates are inextricably linked. Deeming Ajoris virtually impossible to kill directly, Randa designed Garland as her protection from Ajoris and a failsafe to be used by Diluculum Aeternus in the case she were to die before stopping Ajoris personally. Nevertheless, Randa refrained from immediately killing Garland for reasons unknown and abandoned her to Diluculum Aeternus at an early age. Garland was adopted into the organization only after much debate as to whether she should be killed or allowed to live. Although Garland spent much of her life in the relative safety of the covenant, its leaders, Ichchha-un-Idika Edha Guha Thakurta and Eriphyla, grew wary of Soul Society's impending threats along with the danger Garland's presence posed upon the covenant's membership and Garland herself. Once Garland had grown sufficiently powerful, the covenant organized an alliance with the Gotei 13, agreeing to provide them with a single member who would represent the covenant's good faith and aid the Gotei 13 as a regular officer. This was in fact a pretence that would likely succeed in protecting Garland and her allies from the more radical Sagi cults along with the wrath of her own mother. At present, very few Sagi outside of Diluculum Aeternus are aware of Garland's existence.

As a representative of Diluculum Aeternus, Garland spent her time within the First Division until Jaromira Dragan was released from the Muken and subsequently selected as the Twelfth Division Captain. Following this, Garland was transferred to that division to serve as its Lieutenant, much to her initial chagrin. As Garland slowly began to come to terms with her new responsibilities, she idolized her Captain and soon took her family name as her own, fully severing her ties with Randa as Diluculum Aeternus had planned.

While Garland is poorly versed on Sagus lore and is thus unfamiliar with the Goddess they worship, her existence has attracted the interest of Velia Agostinha Vivax, who remarks that despite Diluculum Aeternus' best efforts, Garland will one day confront her mother in a battle to the death, for such is her fate.

Powers and Abilities
Garland is noted to be an exceptionally gifted entity for her age, drawing comparisons between her and Randa on more than one occasion. Although not largely powerful compared to Diluculum Aeternus' senior members, Garland's brilliant mind and capacity to grow has made her into one of the organization's most valued associates. Given Eriphyla's observations and Agostinha's interest in Garland, she is likely to possess some form of dormant power.

Natural Abilities
Unfounded Growth Rate:

Immortality: Having apparently inherited some fragment of Agostinha's power from Randa, Garland, much like her mother, cannot die of natural causes; as such, she does not require sustenance or sleep to survive. Although Garland can still be killed, her body is noted to be capable of regenerating from anything that does not instantly kill her. Upon sustaining a normally fatal injury, Garland will simply be rendered unconscious until her body has automatically restored itself. As Randa has never demonstrated self-regeneration to such an extent, it can be said that Garland is already closer to achieving absolute invulnerability; although it cannot be said for certain how long before this occurs.

Moderate Spiritual Power:

Genus-Level Intellect:
 * Master Strategist and Tactician:
 * Skillful Inventor:

Iudux Numinum
Vicēs Augur (バイシスオーグル, Latin for "Augur Shift"): A unique power that can manifest in various forms according to Garland's will, be it gaseous, liquid, solid, or plasmic. Even its temperature may be freely altered according to Garland's will and experience with the element. But however it is molded, its greyish coloration serves to distinguish it as a force of its own. Vicēs Augur is considered to be a lesser form of the Augur utilized by Ajoris. Identically, Vicēs Augur is Garland's primary means of offence and defence owing to its versatility.

Augur does not carry the weaknesses of any element if shaped into such—if it is molded to resemble fire, it is inextinguishable by water, and if molded to resemble water, it cannot be evaporated or frozen. Regardless of its form, Augur will forever persist over the environment until Garland either dismisses it or depletes her Reiryoku. Although Augur is capable of burning, freezing, drowning, or even striking opponents if moulded into a solid object, the true damage it may inflict is of a more supernatural nature, for any enemy to come into contact with it will rapidly lose their own spiritual powers, regardless of their properties, until finally they die outright. Even should the enemy manage to escape Augur before they reach the point of their own annihilation, its effects are long-lived, severely weakening the enemy's abilities often for quite some time after the battle has already concluded. The spiritual damage inflicted by Augur cannot be forcibly undone by any known method; it will automatically disappear given enough time. Objects and living beings sufficiently coated with Augur can be converted into it, restoring some of Garland's Reiryoku. While Augur generated is this manner is not tied to Garland's Reiryoku reserves and thus can be made in excess, she can only control it with profound concentration; otherwise it will persist in its initial form, dissipating after a certain period of time has passed.

Nevertheless, Augur's power is dependent upon the amount of the Reiryoku used to generate it; although Garland can drastically increase its power by utilizing more Reiryoku, this lowers the overall volume of Augur that can be conjured. As a result, Garland cannot often destroy powerful barriers or offensive Kidō spells with Augur alone unless she empowers it with massive amounts of Reiryoku. Utilizing the bare minimum of Augur and dedicating entirely to its offensive power can produce devastating results and almost instantly disable any opponent. Given enough time, Garland can freely change the form of her Augur whilst she has already released it, making it an incredibly deceptive weapon regardless of her own limitations with it.

Solitudo Iudicis (ソリュチュードイデクス, Latin for "Solitude of the Judge"): A passive trait possessed inherited by Ajoris, Solitudo Iudicis protects Garland's mind, past and future from change or corruption from an outside influence. Garland's thoughts, past and future cannot be read by techniques such as Randa's Sensus or even by Agostinha herself, and any direct alterations of her past or future with chronomancy or related abilities are immediately annulled as if they had never occurred. Because Solitudo Iudicis renders every future event concerning Garland unreadable, its protection partially extends to individuals who have recently interacted with her.

Auris Iudicis (オリスイデクス, Latin for "Ear of the Judge"): A passive trait, developed some time after Garland joined the Gotei 13, that grants the ability to pinpoint the location and read the thoughts of anyone thinking of her with great intent, regardless of where they may be. Auris Iudicis is derived from a power once possessed by Ajoris prior to the birth of Agostinha. No matter the number of individuals speaking or thinking of her all at once, Garland can freely obs.rve all of them for as long as she concerns them. By extension, Auris Iudicis grants Garland a limited capacity to pinpoint and predict her opponents' actions, rendering her more difficult to surprise or blindside. Auris Iudicis also allows Garland to subconsciously enter the dreams of those who have thought of her at any point or simply speak to them telepathically. Because Auris Iudicis cannot be deactivated at will, Garland states that it renders concentration impossible when a significant number of individuals are thinking of her at once; as such, she considers it more of a hindrance despite its benefits.

Oculus Iudicis (オクルスイデクス, Latin for "Eye of the Judge"): Another derivation of the all-seeing power her elder half once possessed, Oculus Iudicis allows Garland to oversee the world through any object that casts a reflection, such as a mirror or a crystal ball. Garland can choose to either manually navigate the world through the medium or allow it to automatically focus on an ongoing event she wishes to spectate. Unlike Ajoris, Garland cannot presently use this technique to expand the range within which she can conjure Augur.

Audacia Iudicis (アウダーチアイデクス, Latin for "Audacity of the Judge"): A unique form of defence derived from Ajoris' former power to unconsciously divert harm from her body, Audacia Iudicis allows Garland to actively redirect an object or attack she perceives as a threat away from her body by gesturing the direction she wishes the object to travel. The range within which objects can be influenced by Audacia Iudicis is a small radius around Garland, estimated by herself to extend around two metres and a half beyond the reach of her arms. Should a redirected object or attack extend beyond this radius, it will continue to travel in its new trajectory unless it possesses homing properties. If an object or attack is immovable or extends beyond the radius of Audacia Iudicis, Audacis Iudicis will cause it to bend around the radius rather than move it in its entirety. Unlike Ajoris, Garland can only move a target in a single direction at a time, meaning she cannot use this technique to split objects. Because Audacia Iudicis applies to solid objects and even individuals, Garland may use it offensively by disarming or throwing nearby opponents, using their own momentum against them.

Manūs Iudicis (マヌスイデクス, Latin for "Hands of the Judge"): An unusual technique manifested solely in Garland's hands, supposedly derived from Ajoris' former belief that no power was beyond her grasp. In accordance with such a concept, Manūs Iudicis allows Garland to grab physical or metaphysical substances in ways which would otherwise be impossible. Garland has mainly demonstrated Manūs Iudicis' power by performing feats such as "grabbing" Kidō spells and brandishing them as armaments such as swords or polearms. Even spiritual defences such as barriers can be grabbed and removed with the power of Manūs Iudicis, provided Garland is physically touching either the source or the barrier itself. Manūs Iudicis renders Garland's hands significantly more durable than the rest of her body, allowing her to grab energies that would otherwise fatally wound her. Garland may only utilize Manūs Iudicis with her hands, meaning that attempting to form a hold with her arms or legs, for example, would yield no supernatural effect.

Furia Iudicis (フリアイデクス, Latin for "Fury of the Judge"): A technique Garland regards as her "secret weapon" and most powerful attack. Considered the antithesis of Augur, a power which can assume any form, Furia Iudicis embodies destruction without form—in other words, its purest expression. True to such a concept, Furia Iudicis allows Garland to simply erase anything in her sight from existence without interacting with it in any way, regardless of its power or other properties. Because of its nature, Furia Iudicis can destroy even conceptual powers in their entirety regardless of whether or not their origin is within Garland's view. Nevertheless, Furia Iudicis possesses two major weaknesses which would compromise its usefulness in a battle against a capable opponent without the use of a distraction. Firstly, although no barrier or ward itself is capable of withstanding Furia Iudicis, such spiritual defences, regardless of how powerful or frail they might be, will always succeed in protecting everything contained within it from Furia Iudicis' effects before its inevitable destruction; in other words, destroying an opponent with Furia Iudicis requires that Garland first destroy any barrier or ward standing between her and the opponent. Secondly, using Furia Iudicis requires Garland to focus for nearly fifteen seconds, during which she must remain stationary; any conscious reaction to an opponent's action during this process will cause Furia Iudicis to fail. Because of her inexperience with Furia Iudicis, Garland describes it as very taxing to even attempt, and excessive use, regardless of whether it is successful or not, can inflict physical trauma to her body. Because of Furia Iudicis' drawbacks, Garland has only attempted to use it under the aid of her allies. Ajoris cannot use Furia and Oculus Iudicis alongside one another because the latter technique requires too much focus.

Jaromira Dragan
Having studied the history of the Gotei 13 upon joining the organization herself, Garland was made aware of Jaromira's background prior to joining her Division. As a formerly introverted child who felt much too peculiar to forge anything more than a fleeting friendship, Garland saw Jaromira as an entity she could finally relate with as both an intellectual and an outcast. Garland's fondness of her adoptive mother strengthened upon discovering that they both shared some form of immortality, something Garland hopes will allow her to stay eternally by her mother's side without any fear that she will one day die. As Jaromira's Lieutenant, Garland respects her authority and would follow her orders without question.

Randa Primarosa
As Randa abandoned her at an early age, Garland has little personal knowledge of her biological mother. Although she pleasantly recalls her little time spent within her mother's care, Garland has come to recognize her as a threat to her companions as a result of the vague information provided by Diluculum Aeternus. Even so, Garland harbors no resentment for Randa and is curious as to what she seeks, although she laments the idea of personally encountering her as she is unsure of how such a meeting would unfold.

Lin A. Privette
Upon being temporarily placed in the care of the Privettes, Garland developed a close friendship with the head of the family despite the latter's rather secretive nature. Lin fully revealed her past to Garland once she came of age, coinciding with the latter's alliance with the Gotei 13. Garland has since then become particularly protective of Lin and now considers her a sibling.

Ichchha-un-Idika Edha Guha Thakurta
Garland clearly holds her godmother in high regard despite her few interactions with her in childhood. Although most of their more recent interactions have been largely practical, Garland hopes for a chance to further socialize with Ichchha once their business with the Gotei 13 is settled.

Eriphyla
Garland spent most of her childhood in the care of Eriphyla, who served as both her caregiver and trainer. Garland despised Eriphyla in childhood due to the latter's rather harsh training and signs of apathy. Garland and Eriphyla began to interact on somewhat more friendly terms once Garland came of age, although Garland still considers Eriphyla to be unusual and unnervingly devious, avoiding interaction with her whenever possible.

Glacies Fidus
Left unaware of Glacies' true nature as the lost founder of Diluculum Sanctus, Garland mainly considers him as little more than an object of her interest. While Garland has admitted to having difficulty taking Glacies seriously due to his canine appearance, she is impressed with his intellect and does seem more open to interacting with him compared to other officers outside of the Twelfth Division. Glacies' habit of ignoring Garland has done little to deter her; although she is well aware of his opinion of her, she insists on pestering him as both a way of enacting revenge and satisfying her curiosity.

Trivia

 * Garland's name is a running gag among the members of her Division, who often initially believe Garland is male due to its masculinity. In worse cases, her full name is mispronounced as Garlic Dragon.

Behind the Scenes

 * Images drawn by the author
 * Garland is inspired by the initial concept the author had for Randa regarding the latters abilities. Although Randa was intended to be a fairly weak combatant who relied purely on versatility and strategy, rather than overwhelming power, to win against her opponents, Randa eventually became much too powerful to fulfill this purpose. And thus, Garland is meant to take Randa's place as a primarily strategic fighter and possibly the author's main character.;\