National Leadership in Stormblood and Heavensward

[Vexander]

Would it be weird to say I saw Gridania as something of a Benign Cult? Semi Benign.

You have these secretive, rarely seen leaders held as gods (Elementals) who create and empower a privileged caste (Padjals who have White Magic, an otherwise taboo art), and this privileged caste passes down interpretations from the Gods above that dictates how people live. The people are taught to fear their gods to the point that they desperately rely on the privileged caste to avoid destruction and despair. Certain horrible acts committed by the Gods are seen as perfectly acceptable and just (I believe in 1.0 a child was turned to stone for invoking the green wrath by something like stepping on the grass). Outsiders are shunned, and contact is cut off (less so these days in game, but its a common indoctrination and brainwashing technique used by cults to make their members very insular so they cannot be influenced away from the cult's teachings).

I guess (in my opinion) Gridania just had a lot of Cult-like activity to me, but that it was judged as beneficial or benign because people got to live in the Twelveswoods.

I find it fun to speculate about Sharlayan, since I often (jokingly) think of it as a fantasy version of Nazi Germany. Or really, any other kind of closed-off, secretive, totalitarian regime in the past or present. In the AST questline, we're told that the Sharlayan government apparently sanctions a form of solitary confinement that's simply psychological torture through sensory deprivation - and they're subjecting one of their own citizens, a presumably well-respected mage and scholar, to this.

Sharlayan citizens aren't allowed to leave their country and if they do, I suppose they're not allowed to return... unless you're a Leveilleur, since the laws don't apply to you then.

They're willing to send assassins after Leveva, and I'm still curious as to why the Scions, Moenbryda, or Krile didn't/haven't had to deal with this yet. From a story-writing standpoint, I can tell that throwing in some assassins into the mix would've bloated the plot too much, perhaps. Unless they're saving that for a later expansion.

And lastly, I would not be surprised if the Sharlayan government turned out to be collaborating with the Garleans, presumably in exchange for protection from invasion and being allowed to maintain their autonomy. It's honestly the best explanation I can think of, as to why a nation of scholars would be so confident in their defenses against a world-dominating empire.

Just to touch up on some of the Sharlayan stuff.

For the most part the most influential faction in the forum, led by Louisoix's son, has adopted a, 'People can do whatever,' policy as far as Eorzea is concerned. This is why The Scions of the Seventh Dawn haven't been hauled back to Sharlayan and put on Trial yet. They're basically acting not as an extension of Sharlayan, but as a separate group that happens to have a significant portion of its leadership from Sharlayan. Sharlayan citizens -are- allowed to leave their country, and they're allowed to return. Its simply that few have reason to leave, and those who do have reason to leave, have reasons not to return.

Levava and the Bibliothecs are a unique focus for Sharlayan rather than the norm. The Bibliothecs are in favor of isolationism, but more importantly, they are staunchly against, 'Sharing Sharlayan Knowledge,' with non-Sharlayans. In Levava's case, she is SPECIFICALLY teaching the Sharlayan art of Astromancy to outsiders. That is why they tried hard to silence her.

As for the relations between Sharlayan and Garlemald, Sharlayan maintains its standard position of not influencing history, and so doesn't oppose Garlemald. It doesn't support it either. As for why Garlemald has not attacked Sharlayan, during the 2.0 MSQ Minfilia states that the Garleans are afraid of Sharlayan's magical prowess. This is supported during the Warring Triad storyline where Urianger has created a barrier around parts of the Aetherochemical Research Facility to keep the Garleans away from sensitive artifacts and information. The barriers are too powerful for the Garleans to overcome, which is how Unukhalai was able to lure the Garleans into a trap by breaking the barrier with the echo.

Which brings us to the interesting thought of, if Garlemald has Resonant, is Sharlayan as safe as it always believed it was?