[Spoilers 5.1~5.3] How Could Elidibus Do The Thing?

And by the thing I mean possess Ardbert's body.

We know from the Cardinal Virtues quests that Vauthry raided the graves of the First's Warriors of Light and turned their corpses into Cardinal Virtues and spread the sin eater blight across the realm.

Why did he not do so for Ardbert as well? Was it a matter of could and chose not to, or couldn't?

Either way, his body was left ripe for the taking by Elidibus, who we learned from Anamnesis was the heart of Zodiark and thrived on that desire to save the world. Why did Elidibus not possess Ardbert's flesh from the start, if the people's hopes for saving the world are what empower him? Was it something to do with his shade still hanging around?

I feel like I've missed something important here.

"From the start"

Of what? Emet was taking care of things on the First, so Elidibus didn't need to get involved until Emet's defeat.

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Originally Posted by Torquil

"From the start"

Of what? Emet was taking care of things on the First, so Elidibus didn't need to get involved until Emet's defeat.

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That's a fair point. I guess it brings me back around to the first question, then, of why Vauthry didn't turn Ardbert into a Cardinal Virtue along with his fellows.

If I had to guess It would be because everyone gave up themselves to stay the flood with Minfillia. So since Ardbert was still wandering aimlessly perhaps that was acting as a barrier to protect his body thanks to a lingering blessing of light?

Therefore when Ardbert willingly rejoined with our soul that also severed any connection he had to his flesh so Elidibus said "Fair Game"

Emet said that Ascians (or at least the Unsundered) could just change the appearance of their hosts on a whim, so that raises the question: Was it Ardbert's real body, or did we/the characters just assume that because Elidibus made some random denizen of the First look the part?

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Originally Posted by glitteringcosmos

That's a fair point. I guess it brings me back around to the first question, then, of why Vauthry didn't turn Ardbert into a Cardinal Virtue along with his fellows.

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Because - according to a quick Google Search - there only are 4 Cardinal Virtues.

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Originally Posted by RicaRuin

Emet said that Ascians (or at least the Unsundered) could just change the appearance of their hosts on a whim, so that raises the question: Was it Ardbert's real body, or did we/the characters just assume that because Elidibus made some random denizen of the First look the part?

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I'm fairly certain it was his real body, because both Cylva and Seto mention being upset that his grave was desicrated. It's also how we came to have Ardbert's crystal, which was buried with him.

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Originally Posted by RicaRuin

Because - according to a quick Google Search - there only are 4 Cardinal Virtues.

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Didn't know that :O thank you for that clarity! It makes sense.

I recall it being specifically implied that Ardbert's body was already gone by the time the Cardinal Virtues were created, so it honestly wouldn't surprise me if the Ascians made a habit of collecting the bodies of influential individuals to use as tools for whenever it seems practical.

They must have or Ardbert's body would be terribly rotten...

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Originally Posted by Erendis

They must have or Ardbert's body would be terribly rotten...

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That was actually the first thing I thought when he rolled up to the Crystarium: “You should be full of worms. This isn’t a miracle, it’s a trap.”

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Originally Posted by RicaRuin

Because - according to a quick Google Search - there only are 4 Cardinal Virtues.

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I mean, yes, technically. But why didn't Vauthry take his body and make something of it and call it something else? I mean, he was the leader of the group, after all. And I think his body was buried near Eulmore, iirc? Seems a bit of a missed opportunity on Vauthry/Emet's part. Perhaps Ardbert's soul still hanging around interfered with the process or something?

I imagine it would be because the other 4 sacrificed their souls and crystals of Light in order to stop the flood.

It's not explicit, but not only were their crystals faded, they were also damaged, prior to being turned into sineaters. I think it's from the sacrifice, whereas Ardbert's was faded due to being used only for world traversal, I suppose? Perhaps it protected his body from Vauthry's influence.

It might also be because Ardbert had no unfinished purpose or weights that drove him in life. He was pure, so to speak, driven by charity. All of the rest of his companions set out with specific people they hoped to avenge or save. With no driving, unfinished business, his body lay unresponsive to Vauthry's influence.