How many legions are left and what is the status of them?

[RyuDragnier]

The IVth is the most interesting and fleshed out legion so far but It feels cheapened by the fact it's breaking the rules established in the lore that non garleans can't be legates. I'm hoping for some kind of explanation that makes sense cause it seems like a lazy retcon, especially when it's implied to be the case even before garlemald was officially classed as an empire.

Considering it was allowed, that likely means that Emperor Solus himself was so impressed with Gabranth to do so. What he did to impress the Emperor is likely going to be echo fodder within the remainder of the Save The Queen storyline.

[Kesey]

The IVth is the most interesting and fleshed out legion so far but It feels cheapened by the fact it's breaking the rules established in the lore that non garleans can't be legates. I'm hoping for some kind of explanation that makes sense cause it seems like a lazy retcon, especially when it's implied to be the case even before garlemald was officially classed as an empire.

I think the limiting rule is Garlean citizenship, not race. As all Garlean conscripts are offered citizenship after 10 years of loyal service. So by serving faithfully can grant citizenship and then by extension allow for promotion to legates.

[YianKutku]

I think the limiting rule is Garlean citizenship, not race. As all Garlean conscripts are offered citizenship after 10 years of loyal service. So by serving faithfully can grant citizenship and then by extension allow for promotion to legates.

The bio blurb for Asahi in the second lorebook says that his rank of "sas" is "the highest achievable by provincial citizens". "Province", when uses in the lore, has consistently meant the territories conquered by Garlemald after they became an Empire. (An example is Rhitatyn's blurb in the first lorebook.)

So even citizens who are not "Garlean" can only rise to the rank of "sas".

[RyuDragnier]

The bio blurb for Asahi in the second lorebook says that his rank of "sas" is "the highest achievable by provincial citizens". "Province", when uses in the lore, has consistently meant the territories conquered by Garlemald after they became an Empire. (An example is Rhitatyn's blurb in the first lorebook.)

So even citizens who are not "Garlean" can only rise to the rank of "sas".

Though that does lead to a good question...was the Garlean Empire only called that AFTER the Republic of Landis was conquered? Or were the rules put in place after it was conquered? If so, does that mean they were allowed due to already having been citizens of the empire prior to the naming/rules?

[VargasVermillion]

Though that does lead to a good question...was the Garlean Empire only called that AFTER the Republic of Landis was conquered? Or were the rules put in place after it was conquered? If so, does that mean they were allowed due to already having been citizens of the empire prior to the naming/rules?

Garlemald officially became an empire after it conquered every nation on Ilsabard, which I believe inclides Landis. As for which rules were in place during the republic? We can only guess, I'm interested in learning more about republican Garlemald and how it differed from it's current form.

[YianKutku]

Garlemald officially became an empire after it conquered every nation on Ilsabard, which I believe inclides Landis. As for which rules were in place during the republic? We can only guess, I'm interested in learning more about republican Garlemald and how it differed from it's current form.

Definitely, yeah. I keep wondering how far the parallels to the Romans go, since we know Garlemald was deliberately modelled after at least some parts of it.

For example, the shift from the Late Roman Republic into the Roman Empire was not really that major, since the Roman Republic had been conquering and enslaving territories as a matter of course, and instituted the post of Dictator (which Garlemald theoretically still has, in the rank of "iyl") which was effectively imperial anyway. So it's conceivable that the Garlean Republic immediately before Solus was not that different from the Garlean Empire.

However, I also get the impression Garlemald isn't that analogous to Rome, in that I don't think we've heard about the equivalent of how Rome kept sending generals out to conquer territory, and then the generals went back home to try to conquer Rome itself, and this kept happening over and over again. I don't think that happened to the Republic of Garlemald, since it would presumably be a major enough event to warrant mention.

[Kesey]

However, I also get the impression Garlemald isn't that analogous to Rome, in that I don't think we've heard about the equivalent of how Rome kept sending generals out to conquer territory, and then the generals went back home to try to conquer Rome itself, and this kept happening over and over again. I don't think that happened to the Republic of Garlemald, since it would presumably be a major enough event to warrant mention.

Or it happens so often it isn't worth reporting, or is just a small footnote in the historical record. Also, haven't the Garleans fought two civil wars off screen in the current timeline of the game?

[YianKutku]

Or it happens so often it isn't worth reporting, or is just a small footnote in the historical record. Also, haven't the Garleans fought two civil wars off screen in the current timeline of the game?

True. On the one hand, we did hear of those civil wars around the time they happened (in 2.x and 5.x).

On the other hand, we heard of them mostly by what the consequences of the civil wars were for Eorzea, which I think might not apply to the civil wars of Rome, which were basically the generals wanting to be in charge and the Senators eventually (after varying amounts of bloodshed) going "yeah, okay", and then it was business as usual. So I can imagine the news of the Garlean Republic being mostly "they had a civil war and a new Dictator, so update your diplomatic correspondences" and little else.