Just met with Lord Hien. Spoilers!

Sooo... this man intend to repay the Mol for their kindess by dragging their people into a bloody and in a likelyhood unwinnable war?

With friends like these....

Not necessarily the Mol - remember, being Khagan gives him a degree of influence over a whole host of Xaela tribes, many of which are significantly more hardened than the Mol.

I joked about that a lot in 4.0, that it seemed like a convenient excuse to learn about the Xaela and massage the Au Ra deeper into the world lore by ... having a guy stake his entire country's future on usurping another culture for personal gain. At least the Xaela seem pretty down with it; the gods let this happen, and fighting is fighting. All glory to the victors of the Naadam. Etc.

When Grynewaht came bumbling in looking for us I was sure he'd conveniently cause a scene that really impressed on the Xaela that they're a threat and worth fighting, but it didn't really play out that way, at least not very strongly.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

I joked about that a lot in 4.0, that it seemed like a convenient excuse to learn about the Xaela and massage the Au Ra deeper into the world lore by ... having a guy stake his entire country's future on usurping another culture for personal gain. At least the Xaela seem pretty down with it; the gods let this happen, and fighting is fighting. All glory to the victors of the Naadam. Etc.

When Grynewaht came bumbling in looking for us I was sure he'd conveniently cause a scene that really impressed on the Xaela that they're a threat and worth fighting, but it didn't really play out that way, at least not very strongly.

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Well they know the Garleans are a problem and did help retake Doma Castle. However at this point, until the Garleans attack them, they might not be doing anymore to necessarily help. Still I did love their lore and was happy to see them. Wished they did more with the Raen, I mean not all of them come from that underwater town after all.

It's a plot point that I hope is addressed in the future. Garlemald left the Xaela alone, yet Hien basically strong armed them into fighting a war that did not really concern them. Worse yet, Grynewaht's presence only served to make Garlemald look incompetent and the Xaela were easily triumphing over magitek despite never having encountered it before in the past. It was a bit tedious, in my opinion. I did enjoy learning more about the Xaela, though - they're a very interesting race. The thing is, a war with Garlemald isn't 'unwinnable' - they're just not a threat anymore. Even I'm getting bored of them and I'm a huge fan of the more interesting, moderate aspects of Garlemald. As it stands, they just seem to show up, act crazy and then throw fodder at the Warrior of Light only to get killed very easily with minimal meaningful losses on the protagonists side.

To be fair to Hien, though, what he did is really no different to how Lyse and Alisae strong armed the Confederacy into joining the fight against Zenos' forces. They originally said 'no', though Lyse and Alisae pushed on regardless. It would be interesting, if the story bothered to explore the reality of war in such a way as to make both sides sympathetic. Though apparently 'Stormblood' only refers to the masses of Garlean troops being put to the sword. An unfortunate consequence of confining moderate Garleans to side quests and making those who show up in the MSQ's various shades of unhinged. Alas.

I suppose there is some slim hope that things might improve, yet as it stands I can't claim to be too impressed with how Garlemald has been handled thus far. Hien's and Lyse's actions were an excellent opportunity to show how it isn't only Garlemald that drag others into their conflicts, though that particular story beat was never addressed.

I often wonder how the whole thing in the Steppes would have gone down if oh... Alphinaud had been there. The guy really likes peaceful ways of rallying people and peaceful the Xaela are not. Even tribes like the Mol fully acknowledge that they are the children of the Dawn Mother and that if their gods want them to go to war (which they say their gods do in this case) then they don't have a problem doing that. Like, they all but say that being Xaela means being made for battle.

Incidentally, does anyone know how long Hien was with the Mol? The way he and the Mol talk about each-other makes it seem like it's been awhile. I think Hien orchestrating the thing with Naadam is different from what Alisae did with the Confederacy due to how long he has spent with them. Even before meeting us, he knew that Naadam was close to taking place and that the gods had already told the Mol they would be participating in it. Joining in with them was not a spur of the moment decision. Given the way most of the Mol sidequests go, they seem to think their gods do not mind the Mol stacking the odds in their favor by getting more powerful people to help them with stuff.

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Originally Posted by Hinoto-no-Ryuji

Not necessarily the Mol - remember, being Khagan gives him a degree of influence over a whole host of Xaela tribes, many of which are significantly more hardened than the Mol.

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Uhm... I thought the WoL was the Khagan? Him knowing us and us wanting to help him out (plus the WoL winning the Nadaam) is what gives him influence or so I thought. Maybe I'm wrong?

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Originally Posted by AphraelAmarantha

Uhm... I thought the WoL was the Khagan? Him knowing us and us wanting to help him out (plus the WoL winning the Nadaam) is what gives him influence or so I thought. Maybe I'm wrong?

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That's how it shakes out, but only because we were the one who fought; had Hien succeeded without us, he would have been the Khagan.

I'm wondering if they plan on having us revisit the steppe during the 4.3 MSQ for one reason or another.

It seems almost completely detached from the current conflict, with Hien just making a passing mention of how the yol the Xaela possess are their only effective means of dealing with Garlean aircraft.

There's those Buduga guys making mischief in the enclave, but it could just be an evolving gag as patches progress like the hanging guy in Idyllshire.

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Originally Posted by Hinoto-no-Ryuji

That's how it shakes out, but only because we were the one who fought; had Hien succeeded without us, he would have been the Khagan.

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But he didn't. Since the WoL is the one who actually claimed the ovoo, we're the khagan. My Xaela WoL is more than a little concerned about the fact that the Xaela may have come to the Empire's awareness, and that Hien doesn't seem to remember that.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

When Grynewaht came bumbling in looking for us I was sure he'd conveniently cause a scene that really impressed on the Xaela that they're a threat and worth fighting, but it didn't really play out that way, at least not very strongly.

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I would still like to know a) how he got to the middle of the Steppes, and b) where he went when we foolishly didn't kill him. His presence suggests that the Xaela are now on the Imperial radar.

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

I would still like to know a) how he got to the middle of the Steppes, and b) where he went when we foolishly didn't kill him. His presence suggests that the Xaela are now on the Imperial radar.

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He probably came through Yanxia since if you go from the Steppes to Yanxia you end up on the other side of that force field/wall and closer to Doma Castle. He probably came back the same way. Also considering how dumb he was portrayed and how he was the only one who survived again, I am certain he most likely forgot to mention the Xaela. Heck how many Garleans even survived after we all stormed Doma Castle?

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

But he didn't. Since the WoL is the one who actually claimed the ovoo, we're the khagan. My Xaela WoL is more than a little concerned about the fact that the Xaela may have come to the Empire's awareness, and that Hien doesn't seem to remember that.

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Whether you're the Khagan or Hien is, it's a moot point. Hien's plan was to use the influence of the Khagan - whether that be him, you, or a Mol ally - to rally the Xaela tribes against Garlemald, and you were (as per the story) 100% on board with that, so it's the same outcome.

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

His presence suggests that the Xaela are now on the Imperial radar.

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I doubt it.

Garlemald had no interest in claiming the Steppes and Grynewaht wasn't even acting in Garlemald's best interests - he was after vengeance due to the Warrior of Light beating him. Like almost everybody associated with Garlemald this expansion, nothing he did was of any real benefit to Garlemald itself. His entire reason for existence was to be a thorn in the Warrior of Light's side as a 'comic relief' rival along the lines of Team Rocket. Complete with the 'tragic' demise when he finally pushed himself too far in an effort to overcome the Warrior of Light.

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

His presence suggests that the Xaela are now on the Imperial radar.

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The Xaela of the Steppe were always on Garlemald's radar. They just don't see the Steppe as worth the time or resources to conquer yet. A bunch of scattered tribes don't make much of an Imperial province, after all.

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Originally Posted by Annana

The Xaela of the Steppe were always on Garlemald's radar. They just don't see the Steppe as worth the time or resources to conquer yet. A bunch of scattered tribes don't make much of an Imperial province, after all.

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Now, though, the Xaela are fighting alongside the Domans, and they're connected to the Warrior of Light. If I were Varis, I might be thinking about sending a legion over there just to remind that bunch of savages that I know they're there, and that they need to stay in their tents where they belong. As an added bonus, it would be yet one more thing for that do-gooder Imperial Nuisance to have to deal with while I'm off trying to subvert Doma.

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

Now, though, the Xaela are fighting alongside the Domans, and they're connected to the Warrior of Light. If I were Varis, I might be thinking about sending a legion over there just to remind that bunch of savages that I know they're there, and that they need to stay in their tents where they belong. As an added bonus, it would be yet one more thing for that do-gooder Imperial Nuisance to have to deal with while I'm off trying to subvert Doma.

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Would that be really worth his time and resources though? Send a bunch of troops, maybe put them in their places but how much would they lose/gain from such an endeavor? It seems the only concerning thing they want from Doma is Yotsuyu as shown in the MSQ. If anything Varis might just not bother with the small fry and hit a bigger city like Gridania or something to cripple the Eorzean Alliance.

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Originally Posted by Rosenoire

-snip-

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Nah, that'd be a poor move. The Gration could be restored, enhanced and brought to fire on the Xaela only for the Warrior of Light and Scions to swoop in and save the day. Garlemald isn't a threat anymore. It's the Team Rocket of Hydaelyn - something to cause a bit of mischief every now and then but otherwise just serve as plot convenience and fodder to be mowed down to glorify the protagonists. The Warrior of Light is incredibly powerful, after all. He isn't going anywhere - and neither are most of his allies, either. So everybody they interact with on good terms has nothing to worry about...ever. Aside from, perhaps, what colour bow to use when wrapping everything up in a neat little package. ;)

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Originally Posted by SicariusSeven

Would that be really worth his time and resources though? Send a bunch of troops, maybe put them in their places but how much would they lose/gain from such an endeavor? It seems the only concerning thing they want from Doma is Yotsuyu as shown in the MSQ. If anything Varis might just not bother with the small fry and hit a bigger city like Gridania or something to cripple the Eorzean Alliance.

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Hitting Gridania would bring the Alliance into it, and if Asahi's comments about the political situation in the Empire are true, a protracted conflict like invading Gridania would be a disaster, because it would give political ammunition to the less militaristic faction. Going and beating up on a weak opponent, however, provides an excuse for everyone to rally around the standard.

On October 25, 1983, Ronald Reagan sent Marines on their way to Lebanon to invade the tiny Caribbean island nation of Grenada. I'm old enough to remember the news coverage, and how it was framed as a huge victory for U.S. troops to invade and occupy a country with a population smaller than many U.S. states. It would be a way to distract from the rumors that the Empire managed to lose both Doma and Ala Mhigo. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it would be an intereting possibility, and one that might force the Warrior of Light and the Scions into having to make choices about who to defend.

As far as the Garleans are concerned the Xaela weren't worth anything prior to Doma's freedom. And they still wouldn't be after because they were only one part of a larger whole that was primarely directed by the Domans under Hien. If anything was going to bring the Xaela to Garlemald's attention it would be the rather magitecky things they have hidden away, which either A.) Were already investigated and were decided to not be worth the time compared to what they have, or B.) they literally wrote the Xaela off as the savages of the savages and probably will continue to do so even now.

If the Xaela actually are in the cross-hairs of Garlemald, then so is the rest of Othard by that point.

As far as Hein's plan with the Xaela: He was most likely already aware that the Mol's gods wanted them to compete. He also knows that atleast two more tribes would most like relish the challenge of facing the Garleans, but wouldn't just fight for him if he brought such a thing up since he had no influence on any of the tribes. and the Mol aren't averse to fighting either even if they know they aren't as strong as some other tribes, or atleast believe they aren't.

Oh and for the one who asked how long Hein had been with the Mol: Since around patch 2.1, since Yugiri came with the Doman refugees around that point. The time bubble futz with things a little because of this. Personally I'd put him being the Mol for around a year.

I don't think they care honestly. In some ways the more militant Xaela are in some aspects only a few steps removed from Orks, at least with regards to fighting.

They're warriors, they fight it's what they do. Who they're fighting and while isn't particularly material, so long as it's rightful leader giving the orders. He played the game on their terms, so they're more than willing to go fight for whatever, wherever.

To an extent they seem themselves and their lives as weapons, to be wielded however the winner sees fit.

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Originally Posted by Dualblade

Oh and for the one who asked how long Hein had been with the Mol: Since around patch 2.1, since Yugiri came with the Doman refugees around that point. The time bubble futz with things a little because of this. Personally I'd put him being the Mol for around a year.

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The "what do you do here?" person at the Doman Enclave says it's been a year since the failed rebellion, so you're spot on!

...which in turn gives us a time scale for *all* of Heavensward + Stormblood, but I think that sounds too short. Not sure.

Although we do gotta remember that over Yugiri had to come from Doma to Eorzea over time and seeing as that was across the length of three continents it can't of been a short trip, and then we'd have to make the same trip later to get to Othard.
That gives us enough "filler time" to justify the length of Heavensward.