Azem timeline confusion

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Originally Posted by Rannie

Can I haz her age defying secret then? I need my hair to no longer being damn near completely gray at the young age of 40...

And no dyeing it doesn't always cover completely and it grows out >.<

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I'll take her skin care regimen, thanks. I've already got clearly defined forehead wrinkles, and I only turn 32 this year. Not too mention the ones near my eyes.

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Originally Posted by Vyrerus

I'll take her skin care regimen, thanks. I've already got clearly defined forehead wrinkles, and I only turn 32 this year. Not too mention the ones near my eyes.

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I hesitate to post this in a lore discussion but beyond the usual of mitigating sun exposure etc... research retinoids. You won't glow quite as much as she does, though.

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Originally Posted by Rannie

I hate to say cause you don't ask a woman her age but damn how old do we think Venat may have been? She straight out says that when we fought her in our past life we were less than half her age and also (though this is by their standard) that Emet is even too young to get wrinkles...

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Incalculable, because we don't know how Ancients perceive time or how old 'old' is. Hell, basically our only frame of reference for the Ancients' perception of the passage of time is 'days exist and people sleep at night', which isn't exactly a groundbreaking discovery.

But if we were to hypothetically fit Ancient lifespans to the same relative length as a human lifespan of '100 years-ish' (which, mind you, also enforces an unwilling death on the Ancients which means it's also wrong), maybe she's... I dunno, fifty-ish? Not old old, but old enough to be the unquestionable senior figure in pretty much every group we see her in. It also means there's a decent stretch of time in 'less than half her age' where people are still grown adults.

Alternative answer: she was somewhere over four hundred, because if we take the 'less than half her age' comment to be literal, then we have to assume that 'half her age' is the upper limit of age any player character can be. And that upper limit is viera, with a lifespan of 200-250 years.

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Originally Posted by Cleretic

Venat is also buddies with Hythlodaeus, a guy with no big-deal role on that level at all. I think she's just the kind of friendly busybody who's got some history with everyone. Which, according to what we know of the Azem role, is the actual job description.

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Hythlodaeus is Chief of the Bureau of the Architect – maybe not ranking as high as the Convocation, but certainly not a nobody.

As for Venat and her likely age... well, she's old enough to have retired and kept on going, so despite having no apparent age and not seeming older than the others, logically she's more towards the "cool old lady" archetype.

Also it's possible that Venat still does some work with the Convocation as an advisor even if she's not an actual member any more.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

As for Venat and her likely age... well, she's old enough to have retired and kept on going, so despite having no apparent age and not seeming older than the others, logically she's more towards the "cool old lady" archetype.

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Indeed. A lot of things allow for us to perceive her as such. You can likely attest that being a female Midlander during this part of the story really helps with the immersion and the seniority Venat has over us. Not that she needs the help being the heart of Hydaelyn and all, but other things like mentioning Azem being less than half her age, her appearance, and the sparring match also really help to put her in that position. Regardless of which race and gender you pick though, the current Azem is a Hyur and not as old, and likely not as physically imposing as Venat.

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Originally Posted by Cleretic

Venat is also buddies with Hythlodaeus, a guy with no big-deal role on that level at all. I think she's just the kind of friendly busybody who's got some history with everyone. Which, according to what we know of the Azem role, is the actual job description.

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Yeah this is the impression I got. Specifically, Venat is close with her student, these two are her student’s go to party members and best friends, therefore Venat has worked with them often. They’re likely just friends thru Azem.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Hythlodaeus is Chief of the Bureau of the Architect – maybe not ranking as high as the Convocation, but certainly not a nobody.

As for Venat and her likely age... well, she's old enough to have retired and kept on going, so despite having no apparent age and not seeming older than the others, logically she's more towards the "cool old lady" archetype.

Also it's possible that Venat still does some work with the Convocation as an advisor even if she's not an actual member any more.

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I'll point out further that Hythlodaeus was up for Hades's seat on the Convocation first, and was likely visited by/suggested by its members to fill the Emet-selch position and Venat could have come into contact with him that way, if she didn't already know him.

I like seeing Azem, Emet and Hythlodeaus as childhood friends... or if not something like middle school or high-school buddies. To me it seems odd not to see (though I'm probably going from my view of how long people live) that they're really close as friends and that it happened before them both being raised. Hythlodeaus even mentions that he is willing to do anything and everything to help both Azem and Emet out to finish their dreams. That it was his dream to make it happen and they'd all go back to the star together when hes helped them accomplish that.... kinda like a Sailor Moon friendship thing.

Edit: or even like maxing out your friendship with a specific character like in Persona.. (sorry picked up persona 5 royal during the psn sale and have been playing it as well since I played vanilla and heard they did well with the integration of the new character)

I also wonder if/when Hades was an Azem. He's used the Azem summoning powers a few times (Warrior of Light, Endsinger Trials). A friend and I reckon that the order was Venat, Hades, and then us. Just because we were her protege (so to speak) doesn't mean we haven't also been friends with Venat for a long time. Or that we haven't been doing things before that. You have to have a traveler's spirit and ability to counsel to be an Azem, after all.

Hades was never Azem once you become a member of the Convocation you are that seat until you step down and retire back to the planet... no he was only ever Emet-Selch and Hades mentions specifically that Venat was the Azem before as in right before us our previous life. He calls our past life HER successor (granted unruly) Not his...