Garda Bird
Garda Birds are powerful fire elementals, amongst the most ancient of their kind, thought by some occult savants to be shards of the Great Garda itself, broken away when that great being was shattered. They possess three majestic forms: the Emperor Form of the Garda is of a bird similar to a peacock, with feathers of purple and flame; the Empress Form of the Garda is an enormous Fenhuan or Pheasant made of flame, with burning silver eyes; the Phoenix Form of the Garda, most mighty and terrible to behold, is a shape with the head and wings of an eagle, the legs of a muscled human, and six arms each bearing a sword of flame, its whole being flickering with fire across skin and feather, evoking terror in those who see it.
Garda Birds are immortal, though this secret is not known across Creation. Unlike other Elementals, when a Garda dies, it is reborn back into Creation with its memories intact. The only means of overcoming this immortality is by joining with another Garda Bird, the pair uniting and immolating to join being and memory into a new Garda Bird, with a new sense of self. Because of this, Garda are discerning when choosing mates, demanding power and perfection before they will surrender their eternal lives... they do not engage in romantic dalliances with mortals, for such things are empty and meaningless, the only other reproduction they engage in being to birth godblooded Phoenixes through unions with Fenhuan, one of few creatures in Creation which experiences similar sacrifice to bear offspring.
In the politics of spirits, Garda Birds are listened to with great respect by most spirit courts, due to their deep knowledge and wisdom, but they are rarely able to emerge as leaders within such groups... a being which is truly immortal has a very different perspective on appropriate response and sacrifice than one which lives only once, and other spirits rarely find themselves comfortable obeying a Garda's commands.
Garda Birds are powerful warriors, and on being 'slain' unleash their greatest weapon, a massive explosion of fiery essence that devastates the surrounding landscape. Their age and experience also make them fonts of knowledge, and it is for these two reasons that they are summoned by sorcerers.
Garda Bird plumage normally does not survive being detached fro the spirit, simply burning up as it falls away. However, when two Garda Birds unite to perish creating offspring, their tail feathers remain. These feathers are shades of red, glowing with indigo flame that does not burn to the touch, and neither spreads nor is ever extinguished. Such rare feathers carry with them some element of the Garda's fiery immortality, and are much sought by artificers as exotic components.
