Othard!

[SaitoHikari]

I'm trying to come up with a feasible scenario to explain how the player character ends up on the other side of the known world. Considering that it's somewhat implied that Yugiri's arrival to Eorzea was a rather difficult journey, I'm not entirely sure the player character is going all the way over there willingly seemingly out of nowhere.

Like, I think there's a possibility that we end up in a scenario where the Garleans actually capture us (which would lead to a plot point where someone close to the player character wonders why Hydaleyn wouldn't intervene in any way - likely because the Ascians aren't involved, like how she didn't really do anything to stop the massacre at the Waking Sands and the Ul'dah feast, even if a possessed Thancred was responsible for the former and that she MIGHT have wanted the latter to happen anyway because of her plans for Minfillia). But instead of outright executing us, the Garleans decide we're way too useful to be killed, and they want to try converting us since we've only ever seen things from the side of the Eorzea Alliance. They ship us off to Othard to see for ourselves how the Garleans have improved the quality of life of the people over there - only to be freed by rebels that know Yugiri soon after arrival, with her arriving later (due to hearing about the WoL being in Othard through that eagle seen in the cinematic, assuming it's used to pass messages).