The coming Garlean invasion

[Zephanoa]

I have yet to see anything that I would call an imperialistic tendency whenever it comes to Eorzea. Private business firms =/= political stance. Sure, they can influence politics but it doesn't solely mean that a business somewhere represents all of Eorzea. More so now that Ul Dah is moving to making political changes in it's landscape since after the 2.5 fiasco. We shouldn't forget the hand was more or less forced whenever it comes to Ala Mhigo, it just happened at a time whenever Doma also sought to relieve itself from it's Garlean masters. I can see where one might see a move on Ala Mhigo being for gains but not Doma. Doma is it's own government with it's own political system and concerns. It just happens to be that we have the same enemies in the world. Hien was on the right track to receive the Garlean ambassadors regardless of the moves that they made for a hope on peace. Right now Eorzea's primary objective isn't to over throw Garlemald but to sow dissent.



The dissent being the key word as they aren't looking to gain anything but to keep the Garleans from launching an attack while hoping for a revolution. To be honest Eorzea and it's allies could use a break lest they fall to attrition. I don't feel either side can really afford an all out front against the other. I am mostly assuming the move to start an attack from Elidenos is just the normal Ascian route for causing chaos and destruction. Right now Varis cannot do much but to undermine the very plots that he is going to be forced to execute. If it wasn't apparent before, it is now brutally apparent that he is Emperor because the Ascians allow it. They are a stone's throw away from taking it back from him if he does anything to ruin the plans.


As for Hingashi I think they are doing what is best for their well-being. They are a neutral state that trades with all sides, and that is a good position to be in whenever it comes to a time of warfare. If they can provide resources to both sides and stay out of the cross hairs as well then they are set to gain what everyone else is losing. Plus Hingashi is notoriously isolationist with a rough take in the increasing amount of Foreigners in it's territory.

[Jonnycbad]

We also have Dragons on our side.

[Jonnycbad]

Also, Eorzea is weak because they don't have armies they have grand companies, which are maybe hundreds if not a few thousand soldiers. Their numbers were decimated by Bahamut 5 years ago. The Imperials have hundreds of thousands-- if not, low-millions of soldiers. Many of them conscripted from foreign nations (Doma, Hingashi, Ala Mhigo, Thavnair, etc). The only way Eorzea could win is by allying with Ala Mhigo, Doma, Ishgard and all the beast tribes. Literally a combined assault from a rag-tag group of rebels from all the allianced races. Basically some Return of the Jedi, rebel alliance shit.

[LineageRazor]

I wouldn't be so sure about being able to count on the dragons' aid. At the end of the Omega storyline, Hraesvalgr saves our bacon, but makes it clear that he was only there because his father requested it of him (the only thing he'd EVER requested of him, apparently). In general, Hraes prefers to keep out of human business, and that attitude likely extends to his brood (the closest thing we have to dragon allies), as well. It's understandable, considering what happened the last time dragons forged close ties with humans. He's fine with peaceful coexistence, but actually intervening in a war between humans? That seems unlikely.

Or else he's just a big damn Tsundere. That's a possibility, as well. :3

[Nalien]

Part of me is hoping that the VIth Legion ends up coming into this somehow... Azys Lla really hasn't seen a lot of use in the MSQ and we've got an entire legion stationed up there... I've expected the Gration to be a dungeon eventually, perhaps 4.5 we storm our way on board, take control of the weapons systems and fire down upon the Garlean frontline? How long ranged do you suppose an Agrius-class battleships weapons are? I expect the weapons are still fully functional, I mean the Agrius' were in 1.x... Alternatively they might have some deus ex machina on board by now (they've been bumming around Azys Lla long enough to have something to show for it), or even have repaired the ship and it'll be leading the assault on Ala Mhigo so we have to go re-ice it...

[Cilia]

A couple of counterpoints:

• Both Ishgard and Ala Mhigo, as of 4.4, are part of the Eorzean Alliance, even if players can't enlist in their Grand Companies (Temple Knights / ???).
• The Dravanians are largely apathetic to the conflicts of mortals; the only reason Hraesvelgr intervened to end the Dragonsong War was because it was important to him, and the only reason he saved the party at the end of Omega's storyline is because Midgardsormr asked him to. Their assistance is... unreliable, at best.
• Due to the distances involved, actually deployed a coherent fighting force from Eorzea to Othard (or vice versa) would be a logistical nightmare without modern travel. By the time any reinforcements arrived, the Empire would have steamrolled its opposition with their superior technology.
• Doma is forming an alliance of its own to help keep the Empire in check.

It's all but acknowledged by the Alliance that, if the Empire were to actually commit to a war with either Eorzea or Othard (leaning towards Eorzea - Elidibus suggests attacking Ala Mhigo verbatim) and go for the win, there's no way they'd be able to stop it. The only reason the XIVth was fended off is because it didn't have reinforcements, and even then it took a literal divine intervention to do so (albeit to counter another divine power, but that's neither here nor there). The XIIth only fell because its commander wasn't interested in victory, just prolonging the conflict because it entertained him.

The main host of the Imperial army won't be held back by either. If the Empire attacks Eorzea (specifically Ala Mhigo), they're done for. That's why Thancred suggested waging a shadow war - by spreading (ironically) the truth about Zenos' current condition, they hope to make the Empire too discordant to actually commit to the attack due to a civil war.

Is it the most honorable way to "win"? By no means. But the truth needs to be let out - down to the core truth that the Empire is meant to be nothing more than a tool of the Ascians, propped up on a bunch of meaningless lies everyone but Varis remains ignorant of. The Eorzeans can't win in a straight-out fight, so this is the only real option available to them other than surrender.

[Remedi]

We could say that we won Ala mhigo because of a deus ex machina of Hien with the Yols, otherwise their air force would've decimated the ground troops and the cannons in addition to Zenos being not interested in military victory.
Frankly after the castellum velodya victory, where we used strategy to win, the victory of the alliance relied on miracles which imho isn't that good for writing but w/e

[Bright-Flower]

We could say that we won Ala mhigo because of a deus ex machina of Hien with the Yols, otherwise their air force would've decimated the ground troops and the cannons in addition to Zenos being not interested in military victory.
Frankly after the castellum velodya victory, where we used strategy to win, the victory of the alliance relied on miracles which imho isn't that good for writing but w/e

I don't know that I'd call it a deus ex machina, it was just Hien repaying the favor after we wrapped up the Doma arc and he just couldn't come right away because a temporary government had to be set up before he left to aid us.

Ultimately though the story felt unsatisfying. We won for one reason: Zenos didn't care about winning. It was his war to lose, and he lost it because he was more interested in fighting the WOL. He could have ended things at Rhalgr's Reach. He could have killed the WoL, killed a few of the Scions, utterly crushed the resistance. But what does he do? He just up and leaves, LETTING US KEEP THE REACH. And on the doma side of things he leaves someone he admits is not qualified for the job in charge because he just wants to leave. Ultimately the war story was a big let down.

[Lubu_Mykono]

Something is gonna get blown to bits in 4.5 You got to have some suspense and drama to get those pre-orders in.

[Bright-Flower]

Something is gonna get blown to bits in 4.5 You got to have some suspense and drama to get those pre-orders in.

Let's see.

1.0 ended with the Calamity. Hard to top that.

ARR ended with us fleeing Ul'dah, was a shocking moment at the time but the way it resolved in HW was a let down and was mostly a return to status quo minus one arm. But between 2.55 and 3.0 it left an impression.

HW had Baelsa'rs wall and the Omega vs Shinryu fight.

I think we can definitely expect something big to happen.