PRT Threat Assessment: Farasha (Patreon)

The Butcher of Dasman Palace during the Second Iran-Iraq War, 1995

Series: Genshin Impact

Cape Name: Farasha

Civilian Name: Hutah Taha

Aliases: Butcher of Dasman Palace, Scourge of Khuzestan, The Scarlet Butterfly

Disposition: Member of the Special Action Guard of Iraq

Location: Baghdad, Iraq. Farasha typically stays close to Iraqi leadership and centers of power, though she does tend to wander the city.

General Information: Not much is known of the girl Hutah Taha, aside from originally being from Baghdad, and being a daughter of a minor Ba’ath party official. What her trigger event was exactly is unknown, but it is suspected to be related to the death of her mother. What is known is that at the age of 11 in 1989, Farasha was born. Her trigger event is suspected to have been incredibly bloody, as was the rest of her career. The exact circumstances were deliberately hidden by the Ba’ath Party and Iraqi leadership, so we can only speculate.

What is known is that in the next year, a 12-year-old girl was the single most instrumental force in the Iraqi conquest of Kuwait. Footage of a young girl, surrounded by crimson butterflies destroying entire military units and immolating tank battalions was trumpeted to the world by Iraqi propaganda. The aftermath of the massacre at Dasman Palace was not publicly aired, but grim information leaked out: The few Kuwaiti capes had made a last stand, including Shakush who was at the time considered the strongest cape in the Persian Gulf, fully a dozen of them against the Republican Guard and one little girl.

There were no survivors, save for Farasha. Both the guard and the Kuwaiti capes were slaughtered. One video that was smuggled out by an asset showed Shakush using his hammers to obliterate the little girl, only for her to explode into a shower of crimson butterflies. A moment later, the soldiers with the girl were consumed in bloody flames, and Farasha stepped out of the flames as Shakush ignited from within.

She was also involved in the violent and bloody Second Iran-Iraq War, and instrumental in bringing it to a close. This time, Tehran had comparable capes to counter her, and spent a great deal of effort in attempting to assassinate or kill Farasha before she ever took the field. None of their capes or wetwork teams managed to stand against her, save for Fahala Alsahra, whose constructs were largely immune to Farasha’s abilities. Their bloody stalemate lasted a month until the UN was finally able to broker a peace deal between Baghdad and Tehran. The casualties from the war were well over 250,000, with at least 10,000 dead attributed directly to Farasha.

In the years since the end of the war, Farasha has been largely inactive, save for killing a few capes who attempted to overthrow the Ba’ath party or refused to join the Special Action Squad. She has been noted to spend time in the company of Doctor Bashir Saeed, who seems to be her physician. The two of them were acquainted as children, both of their fathers being ranking members of the Ba’ath party.

Farasha has refused any invitations to join in a battle against an Endbringer, and has expressed extreme dislike of Americans and American capes in general, especially the Protectorate. She has not strayed outside of Iraqi territory for her entire life, and shows no inclination to do so. Should she ever do so, she is to be classified as an S Class Threat.

Personality: Despite having one of the largest body counts of any cape as well as being terrifyingly powerful, Farasha is generally described as upbeat, cheerful, and humorous. She does not generally pick fights with others unless directed to do so by Ba’ath Party leadership, and she is known to help the citizens of Baghdad solve minor problems or chase down petty criminals, despite being greatly feared. The exception is that she seems to have something of a good reputation amongst the children of the ghettos there, and is known to frequently give them candies or sweets.

She is known to personally seek out any parahumans or Vision Holders within Iraq to recruit them into the Special Action Squad, as well as personally welcome any capes that escape from the pogroms in Syria or Saudi Arabia. Those who she recruits describe her as pleasant, cheerful, upbeat, and utterly terrifying.

Classification: Mover 5, Shaker 10, Brute 11+, Breaker 8, Striker 11, Changer 6

Mover 5: The lowest of Farasha’s ratings should not be underestimated. She is able to teleport distances of up to a mile, taking on the form of a swarm of butterflies of flame, or transferring herself to an already formed swarm. She can also move much more quickly than your standard human, though at speeds that are containable with the right preparation or equipment.

Shaker 10: The most terrifying of Farasha’s abilities is the wide area over which her powers can be exerted, and the horrific results when she does. She can send forth a massive swarm of butterflies, composed of blood and flame. Any organic material, including living beings, that are touched by these butterflies will immolate, transforming into butterflies themselves. The largest observed usage of this power was at the Battle of Shaykhun, where Farasha’s swarm reached numbers in the tens of thousands, wiping out several invading Iranian brigades. Tanks, jets, and thousands of soldiers were turned into burning butterflies, stopping the Iranian advance. Being inside of a vehicle or building will not save you, unless it is airtight and extremely durable. Farasha’s butterflies can melt through an inch of steel to get to their victims, and they seem to seek out living targets within an area so long as she directs them to do so.

What this would do in a major metropolitan area is too grisly to imagine, and is responsible for Dasman Palace.

Brute 11+:  A point that must be made is that Farasha is her butterflies. She seems to be able to reconstitute her form from the butterflies when killed, should a large enough number of them exist. As that would require her killing only one or two people and turning them into butterflies, on the battlefield it is almost guaranteed she can do so. She can also use her butterflies to restore any injuries she takes, whether that be a missing limb or head. It is speculated that so long as one of her butterflies still exists, she is not yet dead, as a touch from one would theoretically allow her to reconstitute from the explosion of the unfortunate soul. There are an extremely small number of capes that are able to extinguish her butterflies in a large enough area to truly put her down. All others should evacuate, as the presence of any civilians or parahumans with insufficient defenses would result in only more insects for the swarm.

Breaker 8:  Farasha can turn into a swarm of her butterflies at will, and then reappear in her physical body from another part of her swarm. The butterflies can exist at least up to a mile away from her before they fade away, and they have been known to flutter about her for several hours before winking out. This means that with a large enough number of butterflies, Farasha can stay in her Breaker state for an indefinite period of time, provided there are enough people to fuel her swarm. The butterflies themselves seem to be made of burning blood, though none have been able to be studied closely due to their extreme hazard. They burn at a temperature hot enough to melt steel, and can fly at least 30mph.

Striker 11:  Farasha can kill with a touch, or with one of her butterflies, which she can conjure up with her own blood. She carries a knife with her for the purpose of cutting herself to let loose a butterfly, along with a deadly spear known as the Staff of Homa. This contains blood within the spear that Farasha can ignite at will, which in her hands is always a deadly threat. There are no known capes that have survived an attack from Farasha who did not have some sort of changer ability to alter their biochemistry so they lacked blood, or who had some sort of invincibility of at least Alexandria level. Even capes with some form of invulnerability defense have been worn down and killed as Farasha drew and ignited their blood.

Changer 8: While Farashaw’s butterflies individually could be extinguished without too much trouble, the sheer number of them makes her incredibly dangerous. Even in high winds or rain storms, simple water and gusts are not enough to completely remove their threat. Because of her ability to turn into them at will or cut herself and create one, Farasha is extremely dangerous and hard to contain. Again, it cannot be overstated that as long as there is even one butterfly left for her to change into, Farasha is a deadly and persistent threat.

Recommended Strategies:

Immediately evacuate all civilians and PRT personnel, as well as all Protectorate capes without at least a class 7 Invulnerability power. Farasha is an extremely powerful cape, and has thoroughly earned her reputation. She is by far the most powerful cape in the Middle East, and one of the most dangerous globally. Out of the Protectorate’s Capes, only a select few are capable of stopping Farasha, and they would be immediately summoned if Farasha became a threat. This is a situation where numbers are only a hindrance, not a help. The average PRT trooper is a liability against Farasha, and should evacuate immediately.

Addendum: Something odd has happened to Farasha since the arrival of Kusanali. Further analysis is needed, but for now, all her categories should be downgraded to no higher than 4, pending Thinker review.