3.5/4.0 Speculation & Discussion (Spoilers)

[Theodric]

Yeah, there's definitely a contradiction at play regarding Xenos. I'm not sure how to read into the whole 'nobody will sympathise with him' statement because a character can do awful things and still have at least some redeeming qualities. Cersei Lannister is my favourite example for those familiar with Game of Thrones - a lot of people brush her off as 'evil' but fail to understand why she acts like she does. I do hope they're not backing down on the more moderate angle of the conflict. Turning Garlemald into a one dimensional villain across the board after seeing the likes of Gaius and Regula would be very disappointing.

I'd like to think that they won't do that but I've been disappointed by cheap cop outs for major plot developments in the past so I'm trying to temper my expectations this time around. Belhi's point about Garleans not necessarily needing to be loyal to the Emperor to be loyal to their homeland is a great point. As the war starts getting closer and closer to the 'comfortable' Garlean territory I imagine there may be a backlash against aggressive expansion. At the same time I hope it's made clear that - as the lorebook states - the Garleans didn't have it easy and were forced to relocate and survive in a hostile land against their will, eventually building themselves up so that they could fight back and expand.

As for a potential time skip...I wouldn't be opposed but it'd be a real pain for role-players and their characters. Unless it's something moderate. It would be refreshing to see the 'time bubble' popped though.