Ascian Motivations [Spoilers]

[Anonymoose]

Each Ascian seems to have their own pet projects and preferences as well.

That's probably a good way of putting it. Lahabrea is clearly considered an arrogant fool by his comrades for being far more interested in his pet projects than actually succeeding the goal the machinations existed to serve. Remember when he said "my will" and Elidibus had to remind him "Zodiark's will"? Who knows what he could have accomplished if he'd taken the Warrior of Light out early instead of using them as a shortcut to inspiring the beast tribes to use more crystals and deeper faith to summon more powerful primals. Who knows where Heavensward would have gone if he'd have even considered Thordan's duplicity beforehand.

Meanwhile Nabriales begrudgingly serves Project Shiva at Lahabrea's behest, chides you for undoing all his hard work in actually pulling off the main/primal merger, and abandons ship to cause his own Calamity at the first opportunity because he believes that he, not Lahabrea, should "sit at Zodiark's right hand".

Solus is an interesting oddity. Occam's Razor would suggest that he's just been listening to Ascians since he was a legionnaire and everything's been going great; he raised an empire, he transcended mortality, they're going to fix the world or whatever. "Obviously, just do whatever Elidibus advocates, it worked when I answered to Lahabrea, even in spite of his idiocy, so it'll work now."

(Of course, there's always the possibility that Emperor Solus zos Galvus is an entirely fabricated identity created by some hitherto unknown Ascian who just possessed a guy for a while, but that's a whole other layer of assumptions required to make it work, which opens the door to a whole other layer of questions in need of answers, so let's burn that bridge when we get to it.)

Elidibus (who's practically our 'main' Ascian at the moment) seems to have different goals, and especially different aims, from the other Ascians.

I'm going to die if he was an even bigger snake than I claimed and even the black-robed Ascians are just a faction of fanatics he built as pawns and is going to wipe them off the board the instant Zodiark is back. Once upon a time I dreamed of Elidibus being the true big bad of this game - that he'd somehow usurp the whole thing and Time Compression the cosmos into a new Genesis in his image (to save it from the war of the crystals, the unstable and fractured dimensions, the whimy and fragility or mortals; you know, villain with a good point but has to die anyway stuff).

Except that too is a whole other layer of assumptions. So far everything we know suggests Elidibus is completely loyal to Zodiark, which means (for now) it makes sense to assume Zodiark wants all of this. (Except for the part where it goes sideways in 4.5, which might explain the Mystery Voice...). And to be honest I see no reason why Zodiark would harbor any love for His agents, who've practically been Team Rocket for eons, once he no longer needs them as proxies.

Elidibus is implied to have specifically taught the Scions how to kill Ascians after all, through teaching the Sahaguin priest how to use the Echo to use Ascian style immortality.

Hmm...

My personal pet theory is that he actually wants Hydelyn and Zodiark to fuse again and create 'true balance', even if it would logically wipe out all mortal life since Hydelyn is the thing that creates/sustains it.

This theory could also be forked mid-way and assume that the merger itself is what allows Zodiark to destroy Hydaelyn safely, considering He was stronger than Her at the division. A unification could simply allow Him to smother Her will from within the sea.