Pure-blood Garleans and aether

[NoloeTazier]

Nael van Darnus was tempered by Bahamut as soon as he turned the Lunar Transmitter on. It's never said how the Garleans defeated the Primals in Othard but it's highly likely they did just what the Company of Heroes did and that's throw bodies at the beasts. After all the Garleans Empire cares nothing about their average soldier, like others said they're 99% brainwashed citizens. As for the Garlean's third eye, it's never actually said what it's for or if it's even a usable thing. It could just be like our appendix, it was once a useful organ and now it's just a byproduct of evolution i.e. the eye is merely just there now. If the Garleans were created by the Allagans a third eye could have indeed been an organ developed for aether use, but due to so many years since production it could have simply fallen into a useless state due to natural and or biological reasons.

[LystAP]

Nael van Darnus was tempered by Bahamut as soon as he turned the Lunar Transmitter on. It's never said how the Garleans defeated the Primals in Othard but it's highly likely they did just what the Company of Heroes did and that's throw bodies at the beasts. After all the Garleans Empire cares nothing about their average soldier, like others said they're 99% brainwashed citizens.

Depending on your notion of 'brainwashed', Rhitahtyn seems generally loyal to the Garlean cause, although he is particularly loyal to Gaius. Nero also isn't the complete douche that the main storyline painted him to be, if you do the CT quests. Saying that the Garlean citizenry are 99% brainwashed is like saying 99% of certain developed countries are 'brainwashed' by their ideology.

Most of the legionnaires in Eorzea are conscripts from freshly conquered regions and so far, all that we have seen of the Empire is two renegade legions, first by Nael (the crazy moon guy) and Gaius (the Darwinist), it could be within reason that other legions aren't as overtly genocidal or violent, perhaps even more diplomatic; however, they would still have to deal with the primals as well.

[NoloeTazier]

Depending on your notion of 'brainwashed', Rhitahtyn seems generally loyal to the Garlean cause, although he is particularly loyal to Gaius. Nero also isn't the complete douche that the main storyline painted him to be, if you do the CT quests. Saying that the Garlean citizenry are 99% brainwashed is like saying 99% of certain developed countries are 'brainwashed' by their ideology.

I never said the Garlean citizens were brainwashed, I'm talking about the grunt soldiers who were Ala Mhigans (citizens) who were brainwashed and sent to fight their fellow Eorzeans. The entire VII Legion was made entirely of Ala Mhigans.

[LineageRazor]

I never said the Garlean citizens were brainwashed, I'm talking about the grunt soldiers who were Ala Mhigans (citizens) who were brainwashed and sent to fight their fellow Eorzeans. The entire VII Legion was made entirely of Ala Mhigans.

I doubt brainwashing is involved for the soldiers either. Conscripting the conquered isn't just a fantasy trope, it happened in real life, too. Real-life brainwashing is rarely effective, and when it does work, it takes a lot of time and effort - FAR too much to apply to grunt soldiers. No, conscripts are kept in line not through brainwashing, but by the simple fact that their homelands aren't theirs anymore. It's fight as a soldier and live, or don't and die. This is especially true if they have family - fight and live, or don't and die AND die knowing that things are probably going to go very poorly for your family.

Conscription is basically slavery, and you don't need to brainwash someone to keep them as a slave. It is very unlikely that the conscripts in the Garlean army feel much loyalty to the Garlean empire. They fight because they feel like they have no other choice.

[VargasVermillion]

The part about brainwashing is a little misunderstood, they do brainwash the youth into hating primals and beastmen, but this isn't brainwashing as making them into 'mindless' slaves but just forcing garlean ideals on the youth of conscripted countries, after all Ala mhigo has a whole generation born within the time after it's fall so naturally many ala mhigan youths are loyal to the empire. Not to mention it was confirmed they keep some of the cultures alive for the possibility of learning new things. They just forbid the worship of gods of any kind.

[VargasVermillion]

The reason people think otherwise is because he claimed to be of Allagan blood in 1.0, even though his farther (now dead - assumed also part Allagan) was a founding figure of the empire. I suspect this may be brought back up in the expansion when/if it's answered why both forces of Garlemald and Allag share magitek technology.

On that note from some dialogue a soldier reports to gaius that Rhitahtyn Sas Arvina was defeated, gaius questioned why his men abandoned him (Rhitahtyn sent them away) and if it was due to his birth. This suggests that pure bloods discriminate against other races and I'd imagine a founding figure would of also been a pure blood. The allagan decent could date so far that it could barely be considered a different heritage from the others as most spoken races could be decent from them.

[treuhavik]

This suggests that pure bloods discriminate against other races and I'd imagine a founding figure would of also been a pure blood. The allagan decent could date so far that it could barely be considered a different heritage from the others as most spoken races could be decent from them.

If possessing Allagan blood was shameful to Garleans in any way, I don't imagime they'd boast it. I think, if anything, being of Allagan decent would be a point of pride. The Allagan Empire ruled nearly the entire planet in it's hay-day - an achivement that would likely interest Garlemald - and invented magitek, which Garleans use to this day to make up for their aetherial affinity (or lack thereof).

BTW, you're spot on about the brainwashing business.

[Naria]

BTW, you're spot on about the brainwashing business.

Actually he's probably referencing the kids in Future's Perfect.

Although I suppose it depends on if you consider that brainwashing or not.

[treuhavik]

Actually he's probably referencing the kids in Future's Perfect.

He is.

Although I suppose it depends on if you consider that brainwashing or not.

No, not in a strict sense, and neither does he -

but this isn't brainwashing as making them into 'mindless' slaves but just forcing garlean ideals on the youth of conscripted countries

[myahele]

I guess he it's more like cultural "re-education" with a mix of propaganda that the Garleans used on the younger citizens on conquered nations