6.0 Story Speculations

[WhiteArchmage]

Speaking of the moon...did anybody else notice that from this picture both of their hands are focusing on the moon? And if you notice, what looks like a small amount of energy is going to it from Hydaelyn and Zodiark. I wonder...maybe what the Unsundered Ascians thought happened isn't the entirety of the truth.

I think they're focusing on the PLANET, there's a smaller ball next to the large ball in the middle which I think would actually be the Moon. (sidenote: Does Hydaelin's "Moon" have a name? Ours is techincally named Luna after the Roman Goddess of the Moon, but then again FF world Moons don't tend to have a name...).

So, a lot to unpack, I'll echo some things first:

• Fandaniel wanting to be Zenos's BFF the instant he decided to gun for Zodiark was not a coincidence.
• Fandaniel's ultimate goal is not simply "kill everyone."
• Venat and the Twelve will play big roles. (Triple points of Gerun is addressed.)
• I used to believe we'd use Radz-at-Han as a base to march on Garlemald from the south. It gives us an opportunity to see more new stuff along the way rather than do the obvious and pincer the capitol from the bottle-necked land bridge from Aldenard and mountain pass from Othard. If the Garleans had the war without us...is that still going to be our path, but without a war? Are we mopping up? Helping survivors consolidate and turn?

Most of my previous speculations were way off, but I DID believe the Empire would face a civil war and fall and 6.0 would deal with liberating/rebuilding the territories caught in the blast. I guess that WILL end up happening, in a roundabout kind of way. I'm currently at a loss at what role Radz-at-Han will play, though Theodric's speculation above(and below) about the Thavnairian Consulate in Kugane sounds plausible, if only for the fact that we've had both the Consulate and the Embassy there since 4.0 and nothing's come off them, just let me in, damnit!

With Thavnair's apparent neutrality and fame as a center for commerce, my guess/hope is that we'll be going for less military and more diplomatic or academic ends. But, of course, we'll have to be rushed because of the imminent world-ending threat.

My speculation:

- The Thavnairian and Garlean Consulates within Kugane will finally be accessible and put to use.
- We'll be using Radz-at-Han as a way to gain access to Ilsabard. Though we'll have to deal with some local problems first once we get to the city itself.
- There will be more than one new zone located within Ilsabard.
- 'Garlemald Reconstruction' will play a part throughout the expansion. We won't necessarily fix the capital itself, though. Instead we'll help the displaced Garleans create a new home for themselves somewhere warmer and more hospitable.

Funny enough, I was thinking Garlean Reconstruction might be a thing. Not so much like the Ishgardian Reconstruction but closer to the Doman Enclave's; extending the olive branch to the Garleans in making a new home. Also, for sure, we'll likely end with more than one Ilsabardian zone, that cloud-covered place is the size of Eorzea and Othard COMBINED.

- Things will end badly for both Hydaelyn and Zodiark. They will both be revealed as victims of a much larger threat in the form of whatever being caused the destruction of the original Star.
- The Warrior of Darkness will become the Warrior of Balance.
- The MSQ's will be longer than usual for a base expansion.
- We'll be exploring the interior of the Moon rather than just the surface.

I hope the MSQ will be longer to acommodate the dangling plot threads of 5 Ascians, the backstory of and truth about Zodiark and Hydaelin, Thavnair, (probably) Sharlayan... it feels like a lot...