Emet-Selch Is Not That Tragic

[Just-Communication]

Good discussion. (where are the spoiler tags?)

Just want to put down some observations. From what little I remember of the time spent in Amaurot, the city and society gave me the impression of being driven by calculation and logic. Or, if I were to describe it in a single word, cold. Speaking with the NPCs and reading their bubble text made me feel like something was off and I think it had to do with what I can only describe as a lack of emotion. Not heartless, mind you, but the general idea that all can be resolved with calm, rational discourse.

Granted we only saw a very tiny segment of society but the closest comparison I can think of is if it were a community of scientists focused on personal development and research. Placing greater import on sound experimentation, qualitative data and results of trial and error versus being driven by base urges, bias or moral indignation stemming from illogical thought processes.

I think the storytellers were trying to make this very clear. For example, there was a quest that had you test a creation meant for children. It produced these blobs that attacked you and, after dispensing with them, the quest giver expresses surprise at the outcome but there was no indication of remorse, shock or guilt that it could have endangered the children.

Or that instance where they had conjured up a creature that just flew around bashing its head against the walls. It reminded me of that Jurassic Park dialogue where the character points out that they're so busy trying to see if they can do something they don't stop to ask whether they should do it.

That is the kind of society I saw and that Emet-Selch comes from. If it can be rationalized, then it is worth doing or trying, regardless of the morality of those actions - my guess being morals tend to have more to do with feeling than cold, hard facts. Given this presentation I feel less of a connection with their society versus, say, Ardbert and the First or G'raha and his timeline. I am inclined to believe we are meant to be disturbed by it.

While it can be said that Emet-Selch was driven by duty, the same could also be said of those who opposed his vision of the future, whose actions I presume led to the formation of Hydaelyn. The NPC we speak to in Amaurot who somehow deduced that not all was as it seemed and that Emet-Selch was involved - if this is the same individual that Emet briefly envisioned when the WoL was joined by other champions, then I would argue that they, too, were driven by a sense of duty.

By extension, we, the supposed champions of Hydaelyn, are the torchbearers of their legacy and, despite being only a fraction of what the inhabitants of Amaurot used to be, exhibit surprising potential when working together. To me it's not about good or evil or whether Emet should be considered a hero; we are two sides of the same coin - products of decisions, driven by our own needs and desires.

While the story played out as an epic battle, if everything that transpired was simply a hypothetical debate between two associates in Amaurot, then I believe, at the very end, Emet-Selch would realize he had lost the argument. Possibly to forces that cannot be explained by logic and reason alone.