Quote Originally Posted by Fenral View Post
And I still say you have it backwards: Eldibus is trying to show Urianger that there's a fate in need of fighting, not that he should give in and accept destiny. It's of course tempting to believe that we're already on the "fighting fate" side, because JRPG heroes usually are, but I don't think we have any tangible indicator of that, yet.

As for me, I'm presently inclined to think of events like the Ultima Weapon fight as a sign that Hydaelyn is ensuring our destiny by directly intervening in situations that jeopardize Her plans for us. "Destiny" is ultimately just a conceit used to describe the unseen authorial intent behind the universe. The problem is figuring out who's writing what.
Until we really get more from Elidibus and Urianger, it's hard to say what exactly is in The Gerun Oracles beyond that it foretells fate and Elidibus believes it's correct. The full quote of Urianger's small talk, though is:

Quote Originally Posted by Urianger
Tataru hath told me all. Thou hast prevailed over the Ascians, and so avenged Moenbryda. "Knowledge dictates expectation, and expectation colors perception." On occasion, truth may issue from the mouths of fiends and foes. Our knowledge is dwarfed by our ignorance, and what wisdom we possess hath been distorted by the passage of time. But no matter how distorted our wisdom becometh, may it never be forgot that man is the master of his own destiny. The final verse of the Divine Chronicles fortelleth the destruction of the world. But if it is our fate to perish, so too is it our fate to fight. So let us fight on, as ever we have, in the hopes that the dawn's light will shine again and forevermore.
Doesn't sound to me like he's intent on following Hydaelyn's spelled-out doom. Rather, combined with this year's page from Louisoix's journal, it seems to me that Zodiark cast a curse of doom on Hydaelyn out of hatred for some reason, which is the reason for the repeated Calamities that are trying to end the world - and each time she rebuffs the curse (though Echo users), it weakens her, which is the reason behind the gradual weakening of her blessing through the ages. Doubtless whenever she performs a divine intervention she's ensuring the path she wants us to follow - but if Zodiark's curse is the inevitable doom of the world, and Hydaelyn's aim is to delay or prevent that... I'll go with the goddess who doesn't want me to die.

The problem then becomes the fact that, despite her desire to let us live, she's shackling us (at least us, the Warrior of Light) to her own written fate, making Hydaelyn kind of hypocritical. This is the problem with dealing with gods - they all have their own objective and no qualms manipulating whoever they need to achieve that objective. We are Hydaelyn's "beloved daughter/son," but despite that we're functionally little more than a piece in her game against Zodiark. An important piece, but just a piece nonetheless.

... of course, if man is the master of his own destiny, and he declares his fate is to challenge his fate, can such a thing as fate be said to exist? Clearly Elidibus thinks so, pulling out his book of foretold fate to tell Urianger this is what our fates are, and with your preordained fate known you can either A) play your part or B) rebel against it. As noted above in his own dialogue, Urianger seems intent on deciding his own destiny at least. If it's our fate to die then it's our fate to fight that death... so is there any rebellion to be made?

Gah, all this talk of fate is getting me confuzzled. I'm gonna go do a FATE to get my thoughts in order.