Barbariccia (Final Fantasy XIV)

Barbariccia is a voidsent who serves as a boss and antagonist in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker patch 6.2. Formerly an elezen living in the Thirteenth reflection of the Source before the Flood of Darkness twisted her into an aether-starved creature, Barbariccia served under Golbez as one of his archfiends.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy XIV===
====Gaining freedom====
The woman who would come to be known as "Barbariccia" was the sole daughter of a high-class family that had recently become nobles. She was raised in isolation and with no agency, rarely leaving her family's manor and not being allowed to choose what to do. With the aid of one of her maids she secretly left the manor to enjoy a moment of freedom, but was found by her father who dragged her back to his manor and once more imprisoned her, this time locking doors and windows, not even allowing her to enjoy the breeze.
Having tasted freedom once she continued to look for a way out, finally managing to escape her home once more. Free at last, she hoped to meet with people she considered friends and arrived at their meeting place to wait for them. Some time later it was not her friends who she found, but her father, who claimed he'd killed them so as to not allow "miscreants" to cavort with his daughter. Once more he demanded of her to not speak her mind and exist only as a means for her family to gain influence, her father laid down his demands, threatening her if she deigned disobey him again. Enraged, the woman cursed her father and attacked him with a botanist's axe, murdering him.
Beaming with exhilaration at the chance to "speak her mind", the woman celebrated her newfound freedom and struck out into the world. In this time she discovered her true calling, that of a warrior on the battlefield. It was during this career that she took the name "Barbariccia", becoming famous for both her beauty and savagery.
====Master of her domain====
After the flood of Darkness, Barbariccia established her domain and willed her minions bring her prey, never leaving herself. The aether she amassed she often used to care for her gleaming locks. However this sedentary lifestyle led to diminishing resources within her domain and soon she found herself alone with no one to oppose her, her domain empty save for her. At this she realized she had imprisoned herself in her domain, never truly being free, and doomed herself to perish.
While despairing about her situation, Golbez appeared, granting her some aether, allowing her to survive. When asked by Golbez what was it that she desired, Barbariccia used her newfound aether to make her domain mobile. Barbariccia was astonished at this, believing Golbez had done it, but he claimed that it was simply her will that allowed her to do so.
While in the service of Golbez, Barbariccia was offered a portion of the aether of the captured great wyrm Azdaja, which transformed her into the archfiend of wind.
===Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker===
After Warrior of Light entered the Thirteenth and slew Scarmiglione with the help of the memoriate Zero, Barbariccia volunteered to slay the interlopers that felled Scarmiglione in exchange of the rest of the aether of Azdaja. Impressed with her boldness, Golbez's agrees to allow Barbariccia to deal with the Scions. Upon arriving at Zero's domain with her own, Barbariccia confronted the party and fought the Warrior of Light, yet despite her power over wind and use of her weaponized hair, Barbariccia began to falter, leading the Archfiend of Wind to grow desperate. Despite using the full extent of her power, Barbariccia was subdued by the Warrior. On her knees but refusing to accept this as her end, Barbariccia attempted to flee and hopefully feed more off of Azdaja's aether but Zero quickly captured the fiend in a memoria crystal, ending her threat.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Before the flood of Darkness, Barbariccia was a female elezen standing at 73.3 ilms, with long blonde hair, long ears and green eyes. As a the daughter of a well-to-do family, Barbariccia wore a turquoise green , with an , and .
As a voidsent, before absorbing aether from the great wyrm Azdaja, Barbariccia was a humanoid creature, resembling a woman with head wings, hair ornaments, a tail, claws, and a cloak that resembled wings, in totality resembling a succubus.
After absorbing the aether of Azdaja, Barbariccia became a large green humanoid woman with long, green-yellow hair, darker green and silver-ish green ornamentation throughout her body, with parts of it resembling a swimsuit and shoes. Barbariccia can also use her hair as a suit, wrapping it around herself using it to increase her power and strength, with her weaved as if it were musculature around her body.
===Personality===
Barbariccia yearns for freedom over all things. Before becoming a voidsent, she wished only to escape the confines of her stifling life until her controlling and abusive father killed her friends, at which point she flew into a murderous rage. After killing her father, Barbariccia had no remorse and only found it liberating and exhilarating, conflating that violence with being able to speak her mind and do as she pleased. During her time as a warrior on the battlefield, Barbariccia was famously savage.
After becoming a voidsent, Barbariccia became arrogant with her newfound power, expecting her name to be spoken of in reverence and fear, especially after becoming one of Golbez's archfiends. She still feared not being free above all else, initially despairing when she realized she had ended alone and trapped in her domain. Barbariccia is vain, being excessively proud of her looks, her hair in particular, devoting all of her extra aether toward keeping it supple and glossy. When she began to starve from a lack of aether, she bemoaned that her hair was starting to frazzle.
Her confidence and arrogant demeanor crack after facing the Warrior of Light. As they gained the upper hand, she began throwing more and more frantic attack combinations alongside increasingly frustrated and vulgar insults.
=== Abilities ===
As a voidsent, Barbariccia can devour free floating aether as well as control the winds with her powers. Additionally, with her carefully cared for hair, she can perform attacks and even use as a makeshift muscle suit, allowing her to increase her physical capabilities. She is capable of using her locks of hair as weapons to aid in her battle, such as wielding her broadsword in wide swipe attacks or using them to ensnare her opponents, leaving them open for to attack. 
In addition, Golbez did note that Barbariccia is a skilled commander, well versed in leading an assault, making her a dangerous foe. However, her overconfidence in her abilities ultimately led to her defeat when thinking she could defeat the Warrior of Light.
==Gameplay==
Barbariccia appears as the boss of the duty, as well as the harder version .
==Musical themes==
When encountered within Storm's Crown, the theme "Battle with the Four Fiends (Buried Memory)" will play.
==Behind the scenes==
Barbariccia is based on Barbariccia from Final Fantasy IV, being the archfiend of wind serving under Golbez. In reference to her battle mechanics where she would hide herself behind a tornado partway through the fight, the animation she takes while transitioning forms has her wrapping herself in her hair in a similar manner.
==Etymology==
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Antagonists
Category:Voidsents