The coming Garlean invasion

[NoblePigeon]

It would seem I have over-played my sarcasm and my tongue in cheek jests regarding a war with the Empire. Allow me to be clear on two short items:
-snip-

Some people are better at detecting sarcasm in typed words than others. I unfortunately am not one of them, so apologies!

Garlemald is actually my favorite faction in the game because of a lot of its themes appeal to me. Honestly I would very much like for the FATE system to be overhauled for stuff like that. Metaevents that affect the whole map, a la Guild Wars 2. That would require a overhaul of EVERYTHING though, which I don't see them doing anytime soon, sadly.

Gaius most definitely was a brilliant strategist, but as he ended up consorting with Ascians to mess around with a weapon barely understood, to use a WMD to hold the entire continent hostage? There were most definitely flaws in his thinking. Alongside the naive belief that Eorzeans would be okay with being ruled by the same nation that threw an entire Moon down on them and was directly responsible for allowing beast tribes to summon primals again (that Gaius and some others opposed the project is hardly relevant to those people). His plan would have almost worked too, at least in making the leaders surrender, but those pesky Scions urged them to not put up with Gaius's nonsense and that they have a solution.

I'd be okay for there being a full scale war, and having the Scions try to maneuver into the heart of Garlemald to try putting an end to it and stem it at its source. Whether Varis is cooperative or not will be the big question mark; maybe he sends out an invasion force because of the pressure the Ascians are putting on him. "Do this or we'll just turn you into free real estate for another Ascian." But I'd also be okay if there was only the threat of total war as well, something that needs to be defused with the help of those scheming against the throne or the ruling regime in general. It was noted that there's definitely factions outside the Populares that oppose the current leadership, some likely for less altruistic reasons than the Populares.

He forbade it yes, until someone reminded him that he is a puppet and must do what he is told, so that invasion is coming.
Varis did try to change the course of the empire by sponsoring the populares, but someone saw to end that before it could happen

Also before ppl forgets. The garleans DO believe that they are saving the world, the difference between populares and optimates is how they want to rule. Both sides still want to conquer and educate the ppl of the world, they but differ in how, but at the end of the day for both of them non garleans or honorary garleans are savages and don't mistake that

Actually, the Populares want to improve the lives of those in the provinces, Garlean or otherwise. Asahi was a scumbag, but he likely wouldn't lie w hen he explained this to the WoL. And if Maxima is any indication, they'll probably shift their position on Imperial expansion quickly once the truths about the Burn is revealed and be made aware of how awful and brutal the Empire was being in places like Dalmasca, Doma and Ala Mhigo.