About the Emperor [Major Spoilers for 4.4]

We've never stopped his plans. The only thing he didn't foresee turned out to be a gain.
He has been consistently written as being 2 steps ahead

Also the triad might not be a needed quest for advancing into the game, but so are Bahamut or Alexander or Omega which have several repercussions and some references in the story.
The reason Warring triad wasn't a part of MSQ was because ppl complained about unlocking stuff during ARR and so we have these disjointed stories, which while they aren't directly needed they have been reported by the devs to be the canon lore of the game

The Warring Triad was originally meant to be part of the MSQ's - it was simply shifted over to an in-game side quest because raiders kept complaining about having to do the MSQ's to unlock progression content. As for Regula, he was quite clearly painted as being an honourable figure. That the usual suspects paint even the most honourable Garleans in an unflattering light isn't exactly a surprise, though. Anybody who went out of their way to try and clear up corruption within Garlemald is worthy of respect. I stand by my theory that he was originally intended for a larger role - and he may very well show up again in the future, even if it's simply through the use of Echo flashbacks.

As for Elidibus...it's pretty clear that he wants a war with Garlemald to occur and he also wants Primals to be conjured and defeated - so thus far the Warrior of Light and their allies have been playing into his hands perfectly. Especially when they insist on assuming the worst about Garlemald at pretty much every turn. Elidibus whispered in the ear of his servant and no doubt left out key information regarding Regula's nature - it's poetic that the very person he tried to condemn ended being the one to save his life selflessly as the Scions and WoL looked on with slack jaws.

5.0 is almost certainly going to be a story about Garlemald and Eorzea putting their differences to deal with the greater threat that is the Ascians - and perhaps work towards a method of efficiently dealing with the Primal threat, too.

Well, to be fair to the WoL and allies, Garlemand has been fairly consistent in serving up the worst at every turn, so they tend to be right on the money!

That said, it's kind of a shame that the Warring Triad weren't part of the MSQ, but given the trial release schedule, it would have made the story flow pretty awkward. "Prepare for the upcoming summit to make peace with the dragons - but first, go beat up Sephirot." "I'd like you to investigate the Warriors of Darkness! Oh, and also take care of Sophia." I can't really think of an elegant way to get the Triad in there, so making it a side quest was a reasonable way to go. But yeah, I think that by the time of Stormblood, it can be assumed to be canon to every player.

I also don't give Regula THAT much credit. When he took the blow from Zurvan, it didn't look like a planned self-sacrifice - the attack just turned out to be more than he could handle. His team-up with the WoL and friends was clearly an alliance of convenience, as he needed to save his troops and Zurvan was the greater evil in comparison to the WoL. He was a noble villain compared to the likes of Livia, Nero, Asahi, or especially Zenos, given that he actually is concerned about his soldiers and about the welfare of his nation rather than advancing his own personal goals, but that's a mighty low bar to hurdle. (In fact, his attitude SHOULD be the NORM for upper echelons of Garlean society - the fact that so many self-interested individuals hold such powerful positions is a big part of the reason Garlemand is a problem.) He never showed any signs of being enthusiastic about reforming the empire; on the contrary, he seemed to be a devoted supporter of its policies of conquest and subjugation, and was just as clear in his contempt of non-Garlean savages as any pure-bred Garlean. It's a shame that he died, but even if he'd lived it's unlikely he would have remained an ally once we parted ways - though, he might have changed his tune once he learned about the Ascian Conspiracy.

There's an important distinction to be made between a villain and an antagonist. Zenos is a villain, as a consequence of having very few - if any - redeeming qualities. Regula wasn't a villain - he was an antagonist who offered aid when it was needed for the sake of the greater good. His attitude is a reflection of what Garlemald likely will become and what it always sought to be. A nation founded on pragmatism and efficiency.

The whole 'savage' thing is blown way out of proportion, too. Discrimination is extremely common across pretty much every part of Hydaelyn - it isn't something unique to Pureblood Garleans. It is also false to state that Regula never pushed for reform, since he rooted out corruption within the 6th Legion. That is the very definition of reform.

Had he survived, he would have likely remained at Varis' side - yet as we know, Varis is not the cackling warmonger that many tried to paint him as. Even if he does resort to warfare in the future then it is likely to be due to his hand being forced by a combination of the Ascians and the infiltration and sabotage at the hands of Eorzean and Doman agents. As of the events of Baelsar's Wall it has been Garlemald that has been on the defensive and the Eorzean Alliance - and its allies - that have been on the offensive.

In short, the story is going to involve wonderful nuances and will be by no means a case of black and white morality.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

It is also false to state that Regula never pushed for reform, since he rooted out corruption within the 6th Legion. That is the very definition of reform.

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I'm not sure about that definition. I understand "reform" to involve changing the organisation's rules or laws for the better. (If Garlemald's foreign policies change over the future course of the story, that would be a reform.) Whereas rooting out corruption is only removing people who aren't abiding by the current laws.

The use of the word fits in the context of the debate. I think people around these parts get a little too caught up in the idea of Garlemald undergoing reform on a large scale. That may or may not happen - but if it does happen, then it'll involve small steps. Regula's actions are a clear example of things improving for the better.

From Garlemald's perspective, Garlemald and her people will be the priority. Just as from Eorzea's perspective, Eorzea and her people will be the priority. With that said, one thing that has been consistent is Garleans speaking out in regards to cases of corruption and brutality. Regula, Varis, Gaius, Maxima and Baut are among those voices. All five of them took steps to change things from within.

There's other factors to address. Garlemald itself is described as a frigid wasteland where food can only be grown and fish can only be grown during specific windows. If Garlemald's foreign policy is to change, then its people will need a guarantee that they will have a steady source of food and trade. They're also unlikely to want to relinquish all of their holdings - because then they'd simply be left with a frigid wasteland and little else. At the very least, I expect most of Ilsabard to remain firmly in Garlemald's grasp. Anything beyond that stands a good chance of being cut loose.

Now, going back to the definition of 'reform' I put it through Google and it came up with the following definitions:


verb
1.
make changes in (something, especially an institution or practice) in order to improve it.
"the Bill will reform the tax system"
synonyms: improve, make better, better, ameliorate, refine, mend, rectify, correct, rehabilitate;


As a definition, this fits. The institution in this case is the 6th Legion, which Regula improved by rooting out corruption. He clearly cared for his men and also showed respect for enemy combatants.


2.
CHEMISTRY
subject (hydrocarbons) to a catalytic process in which straight-chain molecules are converted to branched forms for use as petrol.


That particular definition isn't really relevant to the discussion.


noun
1.
the action or process of reforming an institution or practice.
"the reform of the divorce laws"
synonyms: improvement, betterment, amelioration, refinement, rectification, correction, rehabilitation;


Again, that fits Regula's actions like a glove. Let us not forget that he decided to walk away from compromised technology as he deemed it too flawed and too dangerous. The likes of Zenos and Aulus, however, showed no such inhibitions. In short, characters such as Regula are going to be instrumental in bringing about a better Garlemald.

Apologies for the somewhat messy post...I had to type it up twice since the site refused to load properly. Was it playing havoc for anybody else?

Regula did care for his men since, the whole reason he asked for our help was to save his men that were left behind.
I think that describing him as just a loyal lapdog doesn't give him justice and is actually a disservice when you consider this

Regual's method of "reform" in the VIth Legion was to execute their former Legatus and clear out the VIth's Legion's high ranking officers. It's no different then what Nael did to the VIIth Legion. Only Nael was either out for revenge or tempered (or both!). Given that it's never mentioned people had a problem with how either of those events happened, I'd say lower-ranked officers killing off their bosses as part of a take-over in Garlemald's Military is common enough no one thinks it's weird.

As for why Varis wanted the VIth Legion cleared of corruption... the VIth Legion had subjugated most of Southern Ilsabard, but the subjugated nations didn't rebel against them the way the nations of Othard and Aldanard did so the VIth Legion grew complacent. The VIth Legion accepted bribes from the leaders of Southern Ilsabard to the point that that VIth Legion was working less for Garlemald and more for the locals who actually lived in Southern Ilsabard. Varis found out about it and put his enforcer in charge of the VIth Legion to get rid of the corruption.

As with all mentions of corruption in Garlemald that are not specified, I have to wonder what type of corruption was actually happening. On the one hand, it could be your average run-of-the-mill government corruption. On the other hand, it could have been a haven for anti-Garlean sentiment. Or it could have been some place the Ascians where doing a lot of work. There's just as many cases where "rooting out corruption" could mean getting rid of the actual people in charge and replacing them with Ascian agents (unknowingly) as there are cases where it could mean the opposite.

The XIVth Legion is probably the ultimate example of a corrupt Imperial Legion and what Varis was trying to avoid. The XIVth Legion was so loyal to their Legatus that they followed him into exile. In terms of weakening Garlemald's military, convincing the remaining Legati that there's something screwy going on in the Garlean Government wouldn't be a bad way to go about it. It would just depend on who the other nine Legati are and how good their reasoning skills are. Although, given that we've seen Legati like Zenos and Nael, that's not exactly a high bar to hurdle.

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Originally Posted by Remedi

Regula did care for his men since, the whole reason he asked for our help was to save his men that were left behind.
I think that describing him as just a loyal lapdog doesn't give him justice and is actually a disservice when you consider this

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Nicely put!

He is described directly in the lore book as a man of honour and his deeds in-game reflect that.

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Originally Posted by Remedi

Regula did care for his men since, the whole reason he asked for our help was to save his men that were left behind.
I think that describing him as just a loyal lapdog doesn't give him justice and is actually a disservice when you consider this

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There's no reason he can't be both. Just about everyone we've come across is terrified of what goes on with primal summoning and what that means. And want the primal who is tempering people to be killed ASAP.

I think it says a lot about what Regula's priorities concerting us are that the last thing someone talks about when he dies is us being useful to his boss/best friend as a weapon against a certain kind of enemy. If you take the most cynical view of the Eorzean Alliance and the Scions, that's what we already are to them. And at least some of them make the attempt to view us as people. Garlemald though? They've got no reason to trust us. I honestly laughed when Regula was surprised at our reaction to us allying with him. Like... he told us as late as Sophia that he wanted to kill us for getting in his way; why wouldn't we be suspicious of him?

Regula makes it pretty clear that his ultimate priority is pleasing Varis and that Varis doesn't tolerate failure. I've always been suspicious about what he would have asked us to do after we beat Zurvan if he hadn't died. Like, he's supposed to bring Varis back a way of dealing with primals. How is he supposed to do that when the way of dealing with primals is a person?