Ascian Masks on Gaius’s belt: Fandaniel and….?

[Anonymoose]

I'll take this to its heartbreaking extreme.

I love exploring this part because I sincerely believe that everyone has a different idea of how many Ascians are even dead.

The offending cutscenes here are 2.0 and 2.3. In 2.0, you see 14 black-robed Overlords (with shoulder armor and hoods down). In 2.3, you see what appear to be the same 14 black-robed Overlords (plus Elidibus), but with hoods up, and black-masks standing in for anyone whose red-mask wasn't ready yet (except they forgot to, or maybe even could not, activate the shoulder armor for reasons unknown).

2.0 we get Lahabrea's mask.
2.1 we get Elidibus's mask.
2.4 we get Nabriales's mask, 2.5 he dies
3.0 we get Igeyorhms mask, she dies. So does Lahabrea.
3.2 to 3.4 we're told about Mitron dying but don't see his mask.
4.x we just get told Emmerololth died in 2.2 but she was in a 2.3 cutscene so...???
4.4 we get two random new red-masks on Gaius's belt
5.0 they're just like, "So hey btw Logrif died with Mitron" as if they're trying to get rid of more Ascians faster, we get Emet's alleged mask from his final form.
Eden eventually gives up Mitron and Loghrif's masks.

But then in that 5.0 mix we get the news that Ascians can be re-raised. Anyone who's been paying attention immediately asks, "Is that how Emmerololth was back?" but then what about Nabriales? Igeyorhm? Another Mitron and Loghrif? Why not re-raise them, too? lol.

I suspect based on past story-telling that they decided where the rest of the Ascians are (even if the answer is just "not here, used later") during the 4.x era, and put those two masks there deliberately. Whether it was to rush two more into the grave I'm not sure. What if the supposed-obviousness of Fandaniel's mask is meant to foreshadow that in 6.0 he has a partner?

Now, 5.0 tells us there were only 14 Ascians to start with, and Azem was never risen into an overlord. So we've got two extra people in 2.0, already. Somewhere between 2 and 4 extras in 2.3 depending on whether Emmerololth was supposed to be dead and Emet-Selch was supposed to be napping.

SE probably thinks we think we're down to "just" Fandaniel, Halmarut, Pashtarot, Altima, and Deudalaphon. And then one or two of those might be dead already. (And what I'd give to just gank them all in Endwalker and be done with it, at this point). But ... the math could be... anything.