These discussions are always so fascinating, I love them. Or at least I do when people are civilised - as most are on the lore forums - and engage in a healthy and respectful exchange of ideas.

I get what you're saying, Cilia, about Hydaelyn as Mother. I hadn't thought of it in that way. But I still can't shake the sense I have of her being like a broken AI or something. She did what she supposed to do, stop more sacrifices, but I wonder if the cost paid was a shock to her summoners? I mean, basically she killed her creators by sundering them. I know there have been discussions about how much the Sundered remember, but my hunch is nothing since the Unsundered had to reinvoke memories in the broken Ascian members of the Convocation. I may have that wrong, of course, but that's the impression I have.

Hydaelyn just feels like an advanced version of an Allagan drone (very advanced) that's a bit confused about where its maker has gone and not quite sure what to do so just keeps going with its original program. She even sounds like a garbled AI in Heavensward. I remember doing the Praetorium for the first time and wondering why she was so obsessed with just one thing. She literally never talks about anything else ever. It is creepy and a bit insane-sounding, and so I have always been wary of her. All the revelations that have come since have only deepened this for me. Which is why I say I hope there's some convincing story telling on the way if she is going to turn out to be Mother. I know they can pull it off because I loathed Solus in SB. Absolutely loathed him. But I loved Emet-Selch