fate of emperor varis at the end

[Cilia]

The Doman and Ala Mhigan territories were liberated; ergo, the Eorzeans were well within their rights to defend them from Imperial aggression started under false pretenses. The conflicts that led to their liberation were over for some time before the next battle, during which Ala Mhigo hammered out a new system of government and Doma received an Imperial ambassador. The Alliance pushing into Imperial territory after the Ghimlyt Dark in the original timeline is not an effort at conquest, but an effort to stop Varis from causing rejoinings on purpose (this would cause the complete annihilation of multiple other realities with the deaths of countless people on the Source besides). The Empire is fully within rights to defend its territories, but it's not as if the Alliance can just sit around twiddling their thumbs knowing the ruler of the Empire is deliberately planning to commit genocide multiple times over (and they learned this in a parley with him, so it's doubtful further discussion would do any good). Knowing this, what would be the correct course of action?

The GNB NPC is another example of the reviled "apologist defector," though. Supporters of the Empire don't like such characters. (The GNB quest also reveals that some Imperials use shock collars to enforce obedience from prisoners. Or just for funsies.)

Weapons like Black Rose are not weapons of war. They are weapons of terror, intended to intimidate others into submission instead of actually being used to prove military superiority or, failing that, just kill the opposition without giving them a chance to fight back. That doesn't prove anything but that you're capable of killing lots of people with chemical weapons, and dumping it on Eorzea (or any other region for that matter) is literally genocide. That is not warfare or securing borders, it is straight-up genocide.

We do not know how far the Alliance made it into Ilsabard before the Empire used Black Rose in the original timeline. It was not stated they made it to the Garlean heartland or the capital. I would argue that it was used as soon as the Empire realized it was not going to win otherwise, but that is unknown.

I do not recall the game ever stating the Empire was getting desperate. They were still well secure within their borders and nobody from Doma or Ala Mhigo, or the rest of the Alliance, had any intention of continuing hostilities (again, see above). The war was started so that Varis' plans of causing all the rejoinings so he could make his perfect master race and overthrow the Ascians at the eleventh hour, not because they were "desperate." The first thing they did after the conflicts were over was to carpet bomb Dalmasca into oblivion for daring to rise up in the hopes they could follow Doma and Ala Mhigo's lead; this does not strike me as coming across as desperate or vulnerable. (Desperate for what? Vulnerable how?)

While war mages are part of Grand Companies, what we've seen of their capabilities are... rather unimpressive. It took all of the senior Thaumaturges of Arrzaneth Ossuary to create a stream of fireballs potent enough to crack open the gate to Ala Mhigo - this is all we've seen of such magic being used in a military capacity. The magic employed by the PC and the Mhachi Black Mages of eld is tightly regulated in contemporary times without pissing off the Elementals [i]as a consequence of the War of the Magi[i]; thus very few are able to employ such great power. Dropping meteors is not something every thaumaturge can do, and in fact some people can't even practice the arts at all.

[Absimiliard]

The Doman and Ala Mhigan territories were liberated; ergo, the Eorzeans were well within their rights to defend them from Imperial aggression started under false pretenses. The conflicts that led to their liberation were over for some time before the next battle, during which Ala Mhigo hammered out a new system of government and Doma received an Imperial ambassador. The Alliance pushing into Imperial territory after the Ghimlyt Dark in the original timeline is not an effort at conquest, but an effort to stop Varis from causing rejoinings on purpose (this would cause the complete annihilation of multiple other realities with the deaths of countless people on the Source besides). The Empire is fully within rights to defend its territories, but it's not as if the Alliance can just sit around twiddling their thumbs knowing the ruler of the Empire is deliberately planning to commit genocide multiple times over (and they learned this in a parley with him, so it's doubtful further discussion would do any good). Knowing this, what would be the correct course of action?

Where is this idea that people are saying Eorzea shouldn't fight back coming from? No one has said that. What we've been saying is that both sides are well within their rights to protect themselves through whatever means they deem necessary. Those lands now liberated from the Empire are no longer part of the Empire and therefore no longer subject to its rules and regulations. Should it manage to retake them despite Eorzean opposition, those lands would again fall under imperial rule. That's all there is to it. Liberating conquered territories is not a wrong course of action. Defending the territories you've conquered is not a wrong course of action. As for Varis? Getting him out of power was probably something they needed to look into doing. Y'know, til his son did it for them. Now the Empire will fall into civil war, and I have no doubt the Alliance will decide to destroy them while they're vulnerable. Not attacking an enemy while they are vulnerable would be a very poor strategy indeed.

The GNB NPC is another example of the reviled "apologist defector," though. Supporters of the Empire don't like such characters. (The GNB quest also reveals that some Imperials use shock collars to enforce obedience from prisoners. Or just for funsies.)

Some imperial citizens are pretty awful people. That's not really up for debate. The shock collar thing, while messed up, is probably only about as bad as what happens to prisoners in Ul'dah that don't or can't fight for a chance at freedom. I don't think anybody is saying the Empire is in the right, at any rate. We would simply like for writers to call more attention to some of the deplorable things Eorzeans do. As for the defector? No amount of effort on his part should ever rightfully earn him forgiveness for all those lives lost, however accidentally it might have been.

Weapons like Black Rose are not weapons of war. They are weapons of terror, intended to intimidate others into submission instead of actually being used to prove military superiority or, failing that, just kill the opposition without giving them a chance to fight back. That doesn't prove anything but that you're capable of killing lots of people with chemical weapons, and dumping it on Eorzea (or any other region for that matter) is literally genocide. That is not warfare or securing borders, it is straight-up genocide.

Consider the following:
You are the leader of a technologically advanced Empire, the capital of which is inhabited primarily by a race of people that are severely biologically handicapped compared to virtually every other sapient organism on the planet. You've long used your technology to compensate for that weakness, but the tide is turning; your technology is no longer sufficient to maintain your position of dominance against a continually growing list of nations allied against you. Whatever you've done to provoke their ire, you still have to look out for your own above all else, yes?

Now, I posed the above hypothetical to ask this question: If the above were true and you'd suddenly lost your advantage; if you were being pushed back time and time again by an enemy you were slowly becoming less and less able to handle, would you simply let your empire eventually fall? Would you let your people go back to the days of being oppressed because of their disability, or would you use every means available to you to prevent that from happening? Black Rose is a weapon of terror, yes - its destructive power is horrifying, but it is a weapon all the same. Who wants to go to war, especially one they're starting to think they might not win, when they can simply destroy their opposition without risking anything?

I'm not saying the Eorzeans are looking to oppress here, but the Garleans probably think they are. We are after all talking about a race that suffered immeasurably for a very long time because of their inherent inability to manipulate aether. Consequently, we aren't claiming the war started as a result of Garlean desperation, either. Their initial use of Black Rose is not being defended at all. What we're arguing is that it would be perfectly understandable if they began to use it in larger quantities after the war begins to go incredibly poorly for them.

We do not know how far the Alliance made it into Ilsabard before the Empire used Black Rose in the original timeline. It was not stated they made it to the Garlean heartland or the capital. I would argue that it was used as soon as the Empire realized it was not going to win otherwise, but that is unknown.

That seems like a reasonable assumption. That being said, does an otherwise unwinnable fight not sound like a pretty desperate situation to you? Realizing you're in a war you can't win would lead any nation to a state of desperation. Regardless of this fact, I would contend that resorting to the use of Black Rose in an attempt to turn a no-win scenario in your favor is actually a very reasonable thing to do, as otherwise your empire and your people are pretty well screwed. This is especially true when your race has been conditioned to view all other sapient races as a threat to their survival.

Dropping meteors is not something every thaumaturge can do, and in fact some people can't even practice the arts at all.

Not every thaumaturge, but we have been shown a few NPC spellcasters of varying types that are indeed capable of that level of destruction.

[YianKutku]

Gaius: As far as I can see the view on him is quite good on this forum. I would see him as one of the few that managed to change from a bad guy to someone that at least helps us in some way. He saw his mistakes and is now trying everything in his power to stop the Ascians. He has done some bad stuff and is fine with conquering (wondering if he still is after finding out all about the Ascians) but at the same time has shown to be honorable and has shown to have some morals too. He was against project meteor, is destroying black rose because its a horrible weapon and is also actively fighting against Asicans. He is a good written character with nuance.

Minor note: Gaius didn't object to Black Rose on moral grounds, ie he didn't think Black Rose was somehow "too terrible" to use. He objected to Black Rose on "pragmatic" grounds, in that he thinks Black Rose is too deadly and indiscriminate. Presumably if there was a formulation of Black Rose that had a definite non-100% casualty rate, he would be far less opposed to it.

The same applies for Meteor: his objections to it were entirely because it killed everyone, or at least had a very high probability of killing everyone.

Consider the following:
You are the leader of a technologically advanced Empire, the capital of which is inhabited primarily by a race of people that are severely biologically handicapped compared to virtually every other sapient organism on the planet. You've long used your technology to compensate for that weakness, but the tide is turning; your technology is no longer sufficient to maintain your position of dominance against a continually growing list of nations allied against you. Whatever you've done to provoke their ire, you still have to look out for your own above all else, yes?

Firstly, "long used your technology to compensate for that weakness" in the case of Garlemald means "for about 65 years". Previously, Garlemald used subterfuge and diplomacy (and coin to hire mercenaries) to survive, and expand their territories.

Secondly, based on Emet-Selch's words, as Solus he advocated for treating the conquered well, in order to assimilate them into the Empire. (Whether he truly believed that is uncertain for now, especially given that he doesn't even see anyone else as truly "alive", and we also know that his tenure as Emperor of Garlemald was primarily intended to sow chaos in the world.) The Garlean Empire has clearly failed at doing this, hence provoking the ire of not only the subjugated nations under their rule, but also other nations who are presented with the evidence of its misdeeds.

So in this hypothetical question of what I would do as leader of this Garlean Empire, the answer is fairly obvious: use the tools available to Garlemald for six hundred years prior to the development of this "superior technology", namely diplomacy and subterfuge. Apologize for brutalities done in the Empire's name. Negotiate concessions and compromises. Promote propaganda presenting life under Garlemald as better than life before, and back it up with evidence. And most certainly keep maniacs like Zenos away from any position of governing authority.

The execution (ie the "how") is deeply complex and ever-changing, but the basic concept (ie the "what") is entirely obvious from Solus's own stated policies. That this was not done proves that Garlemald simply has no intention of being a proper ruler to its people, and is instead lashing out like a spoiled child. Which was the criticism pointed at Yotsuyu for her actions against Domans.

[Absimiliard]

Stuff

Allow me to reiterate a key component of context:
Diplomacy is no longer an option. The advancing force has progressed sufficiently as to demonstrate that it likely has no intention of stopping. The people - these oft times brilliant but none the less biologically handicapped individuals - are in abject fear of again suffering the indignities and torments of their forbears.

The objective behind the thought exercise is to establish a level of understanding as to the whys of what what could happen, not what necessarily will. If backed into a corner with no way to win and no way of talking their way out, what ruler wouldn't resort to whatever means available to try and change that dismal state of affairs? Attempting to utterly decimate your enemies through admittedly horrible means is probably better than allowing your people to suffer.

[YianKutku]

Allow me to reiterate a key component of context:
Diplomacy is no longer an option. The advancing force has progressed sufficiently as to demonstrate that it likely has no intention of stopping. The people - these oft times brilliant but none the less biologically handicapped individuals - are in abject fear of again suffering the indignities and torments of their forbears.

The objective behind the thought exercise is to establish a level of understanding as to the whys of what what could happen, not what necessarily will. If backed into a corner with no way to win and no way of talking their way out, what ruler wouldn't resort to whatever means available to try and change that dismal state of affairs? Attempting to utterly decimate your enemies through admittedly horrible means is probably better than allowing your people to suffer.

I mean, "no way to win and no way of talking their way out" sounds like it's assuming conditions that may not actually be true. "No way to win" might be correct, but "no way of talking their way out" was clearly incorrect, since the Eorzean Alliance was willing to parley with Varis. Varis then railroaded the first half of the parley (which I blame on poor writing, but that's a topic that's already been covered extensively), then gave an ultimatum in the second half with no room for compromise. That's not "no way of talking their way out", that's "no inclination to talk at all".

The Garlean Empire was faced with a disaster of their own making, and then decided that they would rather unleash another disaster than submit. It is possible they believed the Eorzean Alliance would be as brutal to them as they were to the Garlean-conquered territories, but that's still classified under "a disaster of their own making" in that this belief had to come from somewhere, and Imperial Propaganda is the most likely answer. (And yet, Imperial Japan surrendered.)

[Theodric]

It isn't really a disaster of their own making, though. Not entirely at least. For starters, they were manipulated by the Ascians. Their situation needs to be looked at through the lens of the Garleans themselves. They have no guarantee that they will truly be spared - especially with much of the campaign against them being driven by vengeance. Their ancestors were also driven to near extinction in the past. They cannot make use of aether bar a few rare exceptions. Their core territory is ill suited to growing crops. If fertile land is liberated, how are they to feed their people? Their invaders have incited riots and uprisings. Their invaders have killed their loved ones. Genuine attempts at making peace would be thwarted by Ascian schemes.

Nobody is saying that the Garleans have not done bad things. They're simply pointing out that a resolution to their plight is not so simple and for a long time their hands have been tied and forced by Ascian meddling.

It isn't a black or white scenario. Very few things in this setting actually are - at least when approaching them from the perspective of the characters and factions themselves. The Parley is subject to the same restrictions - Varis met with Eorzea's leaders (who only came to the table after assaulting two Imperial territories) - and although they spoke of platitudes Varis' concerns held merit. Even putting that aside, his priority is protecting his homeland and people. The Ascians hold the true reins over Garlemald. Had Varis sided with Eorzea, what is to say the Ascians would not strike out against his people in revenge? They want chaos, after all.

So, with all that in mind it's but a matter of taking everything into account, not just whatever paints them as 'deserving' of their fate. It's a lot more complicated than that. It always has been and the same can be said of pretty much any hot topic around these parts.

I'm genuinely curious to see what people come up with.

[YianKutku]

Nobody is saying that the Garleans have not done bad things. They're simply pointing out that a resolution to their plight is not so simple and for a long time their hands have been tied and forced by Ascian meddling.

But if every action taken by the people of Garlemald to better their lot has to be dismissed as unfeasible due to Ascian meddling, then the people of Garlemald no longer have any free will or recourse. Which would make usage of Black Rose just as much a product of Ascian scheming, rather than Garlemald theoretically trying to stop the Eorzean Alliance advance of their own will.

And it would mean there is nothing the Eorzean Alliance can do about making peace with Garlemald until the Ascians are removed from the situation, which the ruling government of Garlemald has explicitly prevented from happening (with Varis and Elidi-zenos squashing the rumours of Zenos being possessed by one). After all, any attempts to make peace would be sabotaged by Ascians, as you claim.

So once again, the solution is to stop the Ascians. Which Varis is unwilling or unable to do (well, he's certainly unable to do it now), and now Zenos has also expressed complete disinterest in doing so. The alleged Senate has had zero input on the situation throughout the story. Gaius could initiate a coup, but Zenos seems reluctant to let him take over, last we saw, and personally I do not trust Gaius's inconsistency in beliefs; he claimed in the Praetorium that the Strongest should rule, and Zenos is clearly stronger than Varis, so by his own logic Zenos is a suitable ruler for Garlemald. And as mentioned, I do not trust that Gaius will refrain from using Black Rose variants (or another Meteor) if he can be convinced that it would limit casualties to "undesirables".

One possible path forward is to somehow try to convince the population of Garlemald that they should rebel against the Ascians. But how this can be accomplished is uncertain, because apparently, according to you and Absimiliard, the population of Garlemald isn't going to believe anyone else, whether Eorzean Alliance or Doman Alliance.

[Absimiliard]

And it would mean there is nothing the Eorzean Alliance can do about making peace with Garlemald until the Ascians are removed from the situation, which the ruling government of Garlemald has explicitly prevented from happening (with Varis and Elidi-zenos squashing the rumours of Zenos being possessed by one). After all, any attempts to make peace would be sabotaged by Ascians, as you claim.

Emet-Selch and Varis are both dead now, Elidibus is no longer possessing Zenos, and Garlemald is again without a leader. This would be an excellent opportunity to make a move against however few Ascians yet remain in Garlemald. If Eorzea really wants things to end in the least destructive manner possible then they're going to need to capitalize on the (presumed) upcoming period of civil unrest.

could initiate a coup, but Zenos seems reluctant to let him take over, last we saw, and personally I do not trust Gaius's inconsistency in beliefs; he claimed in the Praetorium that the Strongest should rule, and Zenos is clearly stronger than Varis, so by his own logic Zenos is a suitable ruler for Garlemald.

Zenos is also completely insane. Gaius may have a "might-makes-right" philosophy, but that doesn't mean the man is an idiot. If anything, he's one of the most shrewd Garleans to date. Besides, Zenos has no desire to rule. He just wants to keep on killing.

One possible path forward is to somehow try to convince the population of Garlemald that they should rebel against the Ascians. But how this can be accomplished is uncertain, because apparently, according to you and Absimiliard, the population of Garlemald isn't going to believe anyone else, whether Eorzean Alliance or Doman Alliance.

Where have I said that, exactly? There is a difference between the thought exercise I proposed earlier and the current state of affairs in the game. The Garleans have suffered every indignity imaginable at the hands of the other Spoken races, but they're also exceedingly intelligent and more than a little prone to listening to reason when the situation calls for it. Several members of the Garlean leadership are unreasonable or flat out lunatics, I grant, but this does not mean all Garleans are like that. It could be quite possible to convince the population to turn on the Ascians, but that would also require first convincing the people that there are in fact Ascians among them. It's been a carefully guarded secret.

[YianKutku]

Emet-Selch and Varis are both dead now, Elidibus is no longer possessing Zenos, and Garlemald is again without a leader. This would be an excellent opportunity to make a move against however few Ascians yet remain in Garlemald. If Eorzea really wants things to end in the least destructive manner possible then they're going to need to capitalize on the (presumed) upcoming period of civil unrest.

Unfortunately, the only person sympathetic to the Eorzean Alliance who is aware of Varis's death is also stuck in a room with Zenos. Then again, Estinien has shown that he can be the deus ex machina for all sorts of plotlines, so he'll probably be able to report back. And Zenos never does things subtly (despite his alleged reputation pre-Stormblood), so the state of Garlemald would be very clear very quickly.

Given that the Eorzean Alliance seems to have appointed Nanamo as primary spokesperson and leader, and given Nanamo's selfless (and up until recently, naive) nature, I can easily imagine the Eorzean Alliance offering aid and help to any Garlean refugees who are fleeing the unrest of a civil war. After all, they did so for Maxima and the Populares.

Zenos is also completely insane. Gaius may have a "might-makes-right" philosophy, but that doesn't mean the man is an idiot. If anything, he's one of the most shrewd Garleans to date. Besides, Zenos has no desire to rule. He just wants to keep on killing.

And Gaius claimed that Might Makes Right, but when we defeated him and his Ultima Weapon, he still refused to believe that we (as representatives of Eorzea, which he addressed us as) could rule our own destiny. Given his present statements about objecting to Black Rose because it was impractical rather than unethical, I do not know how much of his philosophies have changed. For all we know, he just intends to go on an anti-Ascian vengeance spree, before going back to conquest. He certainly didn't deny that his primary motivation to avoid needless deaths was because he wanted population resources for the Empire.

Basically, I'm calling Gaius a hypocrite, in that his actions do not match his stated words.

Where have I said that, exactly? There is a difference between the thought exercise I proposed earlier and the current state of affairs in the game. The Garleans have suffered every indignity imaginable at the hands of the other Spoken races, but they're also exceedingly intelligent and more than a little prone to listening to reason when the situation calls for it. Several members of the Garlean leadership are unreasonable or flat out lunatics, I grant, but this does not mean all Garleans are like that. It could be quite possible to convince the population to turn on the Ascians, but that would also require first convincing the people that there are in fact Ascians among them. It's been a carefully guarded secret.

I was indeed referring to your thought exercise, which I believed was referencing the state of Garlemald during the Black Rose timeline.

The issue with pointing out that there are "reasonable Garleans" is that this may be true, but I doubt it is useful. We meet reasonable Garleans, and then due to the actions of Elidi-zenos (or Varis), they got purged and defected. I would suggest that at this point in time, "reasonable Garleans" may be present (and I would assume so, although I do not have any concrete sources), but they have no power. The people in power, at least until the end of Shadowbringers 5.0, are the unreasonable ones.

Hence my mention that the Senate, which is supposed to serve as an advisory role to the Emperor, has been completely out of the picture throughout all this upheaval.

As for Ascians being a secret, Varis did tell the entire Eorzean Alliance delegation. Clearly he expected that even if the Eorzean Alliance tried to spread the word back to Garlemald, either the Garleans will not believe them, or it will not matter anyway. Gaius himself was aware of what Varis said about Ascians being the origins of the Garlean Empire, but he still insisted on infiltrating the capital just to check for himself. If this "most shrewd of Garleans to date" has so much doubt, what of the less shrewd of Garleans?

[Cilia]

Some imperial citizens are pretty awful people. That's not really up for debate. The shock collar thing, while messed up, is probably only about as bad as what happens to prisoners in Ul'dah that don't or can't fight for a chance at freedom. I don't think anybody is saying the Empire is in the right, at any rate. We would simply like for writers to call more attention to some of the deplorable things Eorzeans do.

What the Ul'dahn prisoners that don't or can't fight for their freedom is explored in Pipin's Tales from the Storm backstory, "When the Wager Pays Off." They maintain equipment for, patch up, and assist those who do fight.

The deplorable things done by the Eorzeans largely lie in the past. Yes, they did horrible things and those who learn of them consider them as such, but that doesn't excuse (much less justify) what the Empire is doing now. The past cannot be changed - the future can, and a future with less death and suffering is the ideal one.

Consider the following:
You are the leader of a technologically advanced Empire, the capital of which is inhabited primarily by a race of people that are severely biologically handicapped compared to virtually every other sapient organism on the planet. You've long used your technology to compensate for that weakness, but the tide is turning; your technology is no longer sufficient to maintain your position of dominance against a continually growing list of nations allied against you. Whatever you've done to provoke their ire, you still have to look out for your own above all else, yes?

Now, I posed the above hypothetical to ask this question: If the above were true and you'd suddenly lost your advantage; if you were being pushed back time and time again by an enemy you were slowly becoming less and less able to handle, would you simply let your empire eventually fall? Would you let your people go back to the days of being oppressed because of their disability, or would you use every means available to you to prevent that from happening? Black Rose is a weapon of terror, yes - its destructive power is horrifying, but it is a weapon all the same. Who wants to go to war, especially one they're starting to think they might not win, when they can simply destroy their opposition without risking anything?

The answer to this is simple: have the humility to accept when you have lost. Be humble. Engage in diplomacy. Make amends. That need not involve relinquishing the magitek used to even the scales or giving up territory, though it may. Acknowledge that you have to work with other people of the world - some of who you may not like - to make it a better place for everyone (your people included), and that you cannot have it your own way all the time anymore.

Throwing chemical weapons to maintain supremacy is essentially a ragequit; "We picked a fight we can't win through conventional means, so we'll just gas them." It's also bad for the Garlean people in the long run by killing land and furthering the negative perception of the Empire among those who hear of it.

I'm not saying the Eorzeans are looking to oppress here, but the Garleans probably think they are. We are after all talking about a race that suffered immeasurably for a very long time because of their inherent inability to manipulate aether. Consequently, we aren't claiming the war started as a result of Garlean desperation, either. Their initial use of Black Rose is not being defended at all. What we're arguing is that it would be perfectly understandable if they began to use it in larger quantities after the war begins to go incredibly poorly for them.

That seems like a reasonable assumption. That being said, does an otherwise unwinnable fight not sound like a pretty desperate situation to you? Realizing you're in a war you can't win would lead any nation to a state of desperation. Regardless of this fact, I would contend that resorting to the use of Black Rose in an attempt to turn a no-win scenario in your favor is actually a very reasonable thing to do, as otherwise your empire and your people are pretty well screwed. This is especially true when your race has been conditioned to view all other sapient races as a threat to their survival.

As far as we know the initial use of Black Rose was when the war began to go poorly for the Empire; the only previous use of the weapon was against the insurgent camp Alphinaud and Gaius stumble across in 4.4. (From the looks of it death by Black Rose is also pretty painful.)

It is known that the Empire spreads propaganda painting the other races of the world as brutal savages, and that this information is not accurate. A sidequest chain in the Peaks involved Baut (an oft-brought up figure during Stormblood discussions to point at an instance of Imperial decency), a centurion / town magistrate of Ala Ghiri. The people of the town liked him, but refused to turn him over to the Alliance when they came rolling through (despite the town peacefully surrendering) because Imperial propaganda stated they killed any and all PoWs. This is untrue; prisoners are shown to be treated humanely (in Baut's case, while he was eventually taken into custody he was quickly let out on parole for good conduct and cooperating very well with the Alliance). There's also one of Kan-E-Senna's personal guards being a former Legionnaire who defected after Cartenau, as well as the Eorzean conjurers / White Mages healing friend and foe alike in the wake of the Calamity. Hien would also logically need PoWs for the prisoner exchange offered by Asahi (under false pretense, but regardless).

Do the Garleans fear how they will be treated if they lose their supremacy? Most likely, due to propaganda.
Should the Garleans fear how they will be treated if they lose their supremacy? Arguably not, or if so it's entirely a consequence of the brutality with which they've interacted with the rest of the world since their rise to power. (Those who recognize this tend to defect or join the Populares.)

Using Black Rose in the first place is, again, not much more than a ragequit. You don't get to pick a fight you end up being unable to win, gas your enemies, and then declare victory. Chemical agents are not weapons of war, they are weapons of terror, and their use does not constitute proper warfare. Don't start none, won't be none.

Not every thaumaturge, but we have been shown a few NPC spellcasters of varying types that are indeed capable of that level of destruction.

The only friendly NPC I recall capable of calling down meteors was Sadu, and her technique has a pretty big flaw. (Too much windup. And she's not entirely friendly, more like an amiable Zenos who is on our side if you ask me...) Other than that it's limited to Black Mages, and having not played the BLM quests, as far as I know the only one capable of using that particular technique is the PC (who can only use it as a Lv3 Limit Break to boot).

There are plenty of destructive magicks in the game, but few NPCs actually have ready access to them. (Or: the Empire doesn't need Agrius-class airships because half a dozen thaumaturges can make enough fireballs to break open a big gate.) What we (the PCs) do on a daily basis is far beyond average means.