About the Emperor [Major Spoilers for 4.4]

[Theodric]

Regula didn't fear Varis - the pair had a strong friendship that spanned decades - and he was more than willing to turn his back on the flawed technology present in Azys Lla so it wasn't as if he was desperately seeking something to take back with him at any cost.

The initial bad blood between Regula and the Warrior of Light was based entirely on misunderstandings. Which is...exactly how things played out with Ysayle and pretty much every other antagonist that we've come to ally with after learning more about them.

At the end of the day, it is firmly established that Regula was a man of honour. Not simply within the lore book but through what we saw in-game.

[Remedi]

He probably would've asked us to go to Garlemand to show that the echo is the correct way to remove the primal threat, that is a given by what he told to Unukalhai.

[Theodric]

He probably would've asked us to go to Garlemand to show that the echo is the correct way to remove the primal threat, that is a given by what he told to Unukalhai.

Yeah. I didn't sense anything sinister about his intentions. By the point of his death, he'd come to respect the Warrior of Light and spoke with him intimately. He seemed smart enough to realise that brute force wasn't the way to go in every situation - as evidenced by him walking away from the flawed tech and defending someone who had been an enemy combatant until the alliance was forged.

It also makes a lot more sense as of 4.4 - we know that Varis is a cautious man who is in an unpleasant predicament. A man who is doing his very best to avoid letting war break out. I suspect that Alphinaud will meet with him at some point and further soften his view of the Warrior of Light. It'd make sense since Alphinaud spoke with Varis directly back in Heavensward and since that point both have had their world views shaken immensely.

As for the Echo, it's likely that the only reason that the Garleans feared it in the first place was due to Ascian meddling. Varis, at least, is likely smart and strategic enough to realise that the Echo and/or the Resonance is the best way forward.

[ChaoticCrimson]

Regula, while holding onto certain Garlean ideals that weren't particularly agreeable, was still at his core a man who strongly believed in the future of his nation and its people, and a man of honor. He was a dedicated person, with a strong sense of duty that allowed him to set aside his differences with the Scions and the WoL in order to save his men and deal with the threat of Zurvan. He was immensely loyal to Varis, both as a subject and a friend. It's a shame he was simply killed off without exploring him more as a character, as I felt he had a lot of potential.

[Ramesses]

The XIVth Legion is probably the ultimate example of a corrupt Imperial Legion and what Varis was trying to avoid. The XIVth Legion was so loyal to their Legatus that they followed him into exile. In terms of weakening Garlemald's military, convincing the remaining Legati that there's something screwy going on in the Garlean Government wouldn't be a bad way to go about it. It would just depend on who the other nine Legati are and how good their reasoning skills are. Although, given that we've seen Legati like Zenos and Nael, that's not exactly a high bar to hurdle.

I have to disagree with this, ObsidianFire. In my opinion, to state that the XIVth are corrupt is false and if anything, their actions underline the exact opposite. Before I venture further, I’m sincerely attempting to understand your comment as fairly as I can and clarify what type of corruption you are referring to… is it financial, cronyism or discipline?

Indeed, I might sound biased because I’m a massive fan of Gaius’ potential in the upcoming MSQ for 5.0; however, let us examine the three main elements related to this argument (Gaius, his officers, his troops) and list the clear facts:

• A Garlean legion is made up of approximately 6,000 troops and it is safe to assume that a sizable number of them are from several regions of the empire (they are not all pure blood Garleans). That he was able to make this entire legion of six thousand souls (which comprised of various cultures and “nationalities”) fiercely loyal to him shows incredible leadership skills. Ergo, we can conclude that it is not their discipline that was corrupted… if they were, they would have repeatedly committed acts of desertion, in-house fighting and atrocities during his conquest of five different cities.
• The three main officers of the XIVth earned their positions, which speaks volumes of the fact that Gaius clearly favours a meritocracy style of leadership within his legion. This sort of precedence rules out corruption based on cronyism, class or racism.
• Gaius had repeatedly shown himself to exhibit a fair but firm style of orderly governance during his time at Ala Mhigo. In addition, this cutscene HERE from 2.0 gives us a very short yet very clear insight into his solid abilities as a leader… Innovation and Creativity (to Nero); Delegation and Empowerment (to Rhitahtyn). I would even venture forth and claim that the Devs included this particular scene just so that we could get a glimpse into the type of capable leader that he was. This rules out corruption by ineptitude leadership.

Are the XIVth then exhibiting corruption only because they did not return to the capital as ordered? Let’s take a step back and examine the leadership system of the legions of real life Rome... these troops were fiercely loyal to their Legatus in the field which is why at various times during the history of Rome, they have even marched on the capital at the behest of their leader. A prime example of this was the all famous Gaius Julius Caesar who had several legions of elite veterans.

Gaius Julius Caesar and his legions during the ancient Roman Empire:

Allow me to drum up some of my recollection of Caesar’s history with his legions (yes, I love history). In 61 BC after the Senate, Pompey and his enemies relegated him away from Rome to become the Governor of the province of Hispania Ulterior, he inherited two legions-- about twenty cohorts (see image above)--which were already based in the province. These were the Eighth and Ninth Legions.

Note that at this time, he was still a member of the powerful First Triumvirate --which is why he was able to get massive five-year terms as Governor rather than one or two years – however, he had some financial issues with several of the Senate and Pompey was beginning to side more and more with the Optimates. Mind you, Caesar was born an Optimate (from a very ancient aristocratic line) but he eventually sided with the Populares because he was shrewd enough to understand that they would form his foundations of his power. It was a clever way for him to oppose his enemies in the Senate... win over the hearts of the populace. And he did... tremendously.

Anyway, due to the fact that the two legions he inherited in Hispania were initially loyal to Pompey, Caesar couldn’t fully trust them just yet, and he also needed more troops to carry out his plan of conquest in Gaul. Thus, he swiftly got the Senate to grant him the authority to levy more legions.

The Senate happily agreed to his request for legal authority to levy legions as needed especially since he agreed to bear most of the financial burden for these new troops. In reality, it was well known that he had a massive growing debt at the capital and his enemies in the Senate were hoping that these new legions would finally bankrupt him. So they hastily gave him legal authority to levy as many legions as he needed. This was their first of many fatal mistakes.

As such, he levied the first of his own brand spanking new legions… his famous Tenth legion. Exactly like Gaius Van Baelsar (who had the XIVth created for him--please refer to page 185 of the Encyclopedia), this was the first legion who were truly created by Caesar for Caesar… and their fanatical loyalty to him was legendary. I repeat, legendary… and they were his favourites. In fact, they were so loyal that even after his death, they fought for his successors, Mark Anthony and then Octavian (Augustus) --his great nephew, heir and first Emperor of Rome. And historians propose that when Octavian would later form the Praetorian Guard (who answered only to himself, the Emperor), many of them were selected from Caesar's veteran legions. They were the first troops to wear purple with their armour--Note, image below is not how they looked and is just posted here to buttress my point because they looked spiffy.

Back to Caesar.

In time, fueled by the incredible massive funds and resources won from his Gallic wars, he levied more legions, of which the famous Thirteenth legion would also become one of his favourites. This is the famous Thirteenth legion that he crossed the Rubicon with when he marched on Rome and the main legion depicted in the very successful “Rome” series that ran on HBO about ten or eleven years ago. I very highly recommend that everyone find time to watch that show (two seasons, 22 episodes)… one of the very best shows on HBO at the time and one that very closely exhibited that era of Roman culture, war and politics.

The key point here is that Caesar was known for his excellent oratory skills and eloquence... and his inspiring speeches to his troops made them believe they were literally his adopted sons. Not only that, many times, he was right there at the head of his armies, fighting tooth and nail in the bloody trenches. Which is one of the reasons why they were so loyal to him and would've followed him to hell and back if need be.

When we now apply all this to Gaius and his XIVth legion, we have a clear inkling why they were still loyal to him even if it meant exhibiting mutiny to the empire. It is not that they were corrupt… they were just loyal. And like the real Caesar, I highly suspect that Gaius gave his troops some kind of rousing speech (before and after the events at the Praetorium) that made them turn their backs on the machinations of the Empire.

I think he told them the truth about Solus.

This is another prime reason I’m certain that Gaius knew about Solus’ real nature and his plans; thus, decided to disregard the order to return to the capital during the war of Succession. And his troops gladly followed him because their eyes were now open to an empire built on lies... not that they were corrupt.

[Cilia]

Real-world history, while potentially giving context, may not apply to the Garlean Empire.

Minus the history lesson, the fact Gaius and the rest of the XIVth were charged with desertion and marked for death by the Empire says a lot about how it treats legions more loyal to their legatus than the Imperial government. Regardless of whether or not one considers it corruption, it's clearly not tolerated by the Empire.

... and there's nothing suggesting Gaius knew how far the Ascian corruption in the Empire reached during 2.0, or even knows now. Until we're told otherwise my best guesses for as to why Gaius decided to desert was because he decided subjugating Eorzea took priority over his loyalty to the throne (and chose to go rogue in full knowledge it would likely get him executed by the Empire), or wanted to get a victory for the Empire in an otherwise uncertain time. As far as we know, Solus revealed his true nature to Varis alone some time before the 4.4 stinger and nobody else knows about it at all. Much else is... just speculation.

[Ramesses]

Real-world history, while potentially giving context, may not apply to the Garlean Empire.

Minus the history lesson, the fact Gaius and the rest of the XIVth were charged with desertion and marked for death by the Empire says a lot about how it treats legions more loyal to their legatus than the Imperial government. Regardless of whether or not one considers it corruption, it's clearly not tolerated by the Empire.

... and there's nothing suggesting Gaius knew how far the Ascian corruption in the Empire reached during 2.0, or even knows now. Until we're told otherwise my best guesses for as to why Gaius decided to desert was because he decided subjugating Eorzea took priority over his loyalty to the throne (and chose to go rogue in full knowledge it would likely get him executed by the Empire), or wanted to get a victory for the Empire in an otherwise uncertain time. As far as we know, Solus revealed his true nature to Varis during the 4.4 stinger and nobody else knows about it at all. Much else is... just speculation.

First, where exactly does it say in-game or lore wise that the XIVth have been marked for death? I'm actually curious about that particular statement... cite sources. If we really want to notch up the speculation gear all the way, for all we know, Gaius might secretly be working on behalf of Varis. I always did find it very coincidental he showed up right when Alphy and Maxima crash landed.

Secondly, the history "lesson" was within context... the similarities between both Gaius(es) was stated intentionally so as to underline the fact that desertion of the XIVth did not mean they were corrupt. More importantly, the Roman (and Archadian) influences within the Empire's theme has been very apparent since when Gaius was introduced to us in 2010... absolutely nothing new there.

Thirdly, yes... its all speculation... I clearly stated that above at the beginning of my comment "in my opinion"... its all speculative opinions and investigative debates...is that not the whole point of these discussions?

[ObsidianFire]

@Ramesses: Lol. I actually agree with your views on the XIVth Legion. Out of all the Garlean Legions they're probably the best off in terms of being able to figure out what they want to do without worrying about what the rest of Garlemald thinks of them. And yes, I do think they know something of the Ascians. If simply because I can't see the Garleans not having a mountain of surveillance in and around their own bases. The odds of them recording Lahabrea's monologue up until Ultima is cast is pretty good. That goes double if the XIVth Legion knew Gaius had survived... anyway, enough headcanon...

I was more thinking about the XIVth Legion from Varis' point of view. Here's a High Legatus who supposed to have authority over the other Legeti and their legions and clearly, he doesn't. He has to send his best friend in to clean up one of the legions that's in Ilsabard, Garleamald's native continent. And apparently, the reason that legion was corrupt in the first place was because the nations they were occupying weren't rebelling against them. Then a legion who's only ever had one legatus deserts and takes all their expertise with them (including some good tacticians and what is probably one of the best engineering divisions in the Empire ever since Cid left). And then they go somewhere that it's not very convent for the Garlean military to go to what with Garlemald being in the middle of a Civil War at the time. And all that happens after Varis specifically told them not to invade...

Like... Varis has some very good reasons to keep a stranglehold on the military. If he doesn't, I can see them turning on him. Probably because a good portion of the military was against him in the War of Succession anyway, but also because they're probably used to having a lot more leeway with the Garlean government to do whatever they want to. It seems that Solus had a habit of leaving the legions up to their own devices for obvious reasons (more chaos). Varis probably wants to reign that in so he can have more influence over the contry (instead of Solus), but like all things that have to do with Garlemald nowadays, how good an idea that is is rather murky. On the one hand, reversing an Ascian's policies is probably a good idea. On the other hand, that freedom is probably why the better Legions can get away with certain things that contribute more to stability then they do to chaos.

[Ramesses]

Nicely put!

He is described directly in the lore book as a man of honour and his deeds in-game reflect that.

Exactly this and I absolutely agree.

[Cilia]

During the Crystal Tower introductory quests, Nero explains that he hasn't returned to the Empire because, in following Gaius against Imperial orders, he and the other survivors of the XIVth are now considered deserters punishable by death.

...But rest assured I am no longer a threat to you. My legion is for all intents and purposes defunct, and my association with it means a tight noose awaits me back in Garlemald. And so I've been roaming this land Eorzea, a regular itinerant. ...

Regardless of whether or not one personally considers the XIVth deserting a sign of corruption, it's clearly not tolerated by the Imperial government.

Speculation is fine, but this is getting rather wild. (Didn't see that stated verbatim, and you said you were certain... how? What supports certainty?)