{SPOILERS} So, how did you feel about...

[Braneric]

We are also no longer at war with the Empire - for the time being, at least.

Unless you believe that the Garleans are going to take the loss of two of their provinces philosophically I very much doubt this to be true.

[Cilia]

Unless you believe that the Garleans are going to take the loss of two of their provinces philosophically I very much doubt this to be true.

The Ala Mhigans and Domans have accomplished their objectives - reclamation and liberation of their homelands. As far as we are aware neither have designs to pursue further aggression against the Empire.

If the Empire wants to engage us in diplomacy, now is the time. If they go on the offense I do not want to hear further excuses for their lack of diplomatic outreach.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

If the Empire wants to engage us in diplomacy, now is the time. If they go on the offense I do not want to hear further excuses for their lack of diplomatic outreach.

I was under the assumption that the Emperor allowed both provinces to fall so as to force his son Zenos into a corner where he could get himself killed. The loss of two dilapidated provinces is nothing compared to the ruin that would have been brought about by Zenos ascending the throne. Both Ala Mhigo and Doma were conquered long before the current Emperor came to power and it stands to reason that, unlike his grandfather, he himself could care less about trying to conquer all lands possible. If this were a game of civilization, Emperor Varis would be the player seeking a technological victory rather than a straight up military victory to ensure dominance. This was shown in his efforts on Azys Lla which focused on reclaiming Allagan tech rather than conquering more turf.

Whatever experiments or procedures produced a powerful warrior like Zenos would be more than enough to put down anything the Warriors of Light could throw at Emperor Varis if brought to bear out of necessity. The only thing we know about the current Emperor is his focus on stopping the Eikons, possible genetic experimentation, and a willingness to work with Ascian elements. None of those seem to mesh with a conqueror, but rather someone who wants to maintain a secured position.

[Cilia]

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Ahh finally! Someone who wants to discuss the possibility of Garlean power politics being in play instead of making me go "blah blah blah freedom blah blah blah justice blah blah blah Garlemald, blah blah" all the time!

Er. I am still unconvinced that Zenos had some sort of experiments or procedures performed on him prior to 4.0. I believe that he was simply a highly trained, talented, and experienced fighter prior to gaining Resonance. Elidibus refers to him as an "irreplaceable test subject," but it is my hypothesis that Varis used Zenos to get Aulus' research and experiments carried out without publicly supporting it himself. Whether Zenos lived or died was immaterial - he would not have given his son the throne, even if he survived.

I had considered the possibility that Varis did this to get Zenos killed, but doubt he would do it for that alone. If he's going to get his son killed, why not benefit from it?

Current hypothesis is that Varis is working with Elidibus to try and secure Garlemald's safety in the restored, compressed world.