Easy. Hydaelyn sealed away primals, IE Ancient concepts, but not eikons, IE modern concepts. So she could still drain their aether and try to return them to the aetherial sea like the primals, but they weren't locked up.
We don't really know what Meracydia is like in the modern day other than that people exist there and they drive off any outsiders. As for Hingashi, rather than just intruding upon them it could rather be they turn expansionistic and try to invade Doma, Nagxia, and Dalmasca since the downfall of the empire has opened up a huge power vacuum. If I was to conceptualize this further, I'd say that Doma fends off the invasion, Nagxia is occupied, and the invasion only goes so far as Dalmasca Inferior, Golmore and Valnain. You may say we've already had a Far East expansion, but that isn't strictly true - We only really visited Yanxia and the Azim Steppe. Dalmasca, Golmore, Skatay, Nagxia, and Koshu are really not visited directly. If we're shifting gears in terms of story arcs, we really should take the time to flesh areas out and build upon what we have more rather than scarcely touch an entire continent and call it done.We've already had a far-east expansion and I feel like showing up just because we're powerful and we don't like their government is a parallel to real life that we don't really need. I think Hingashi being closed off is just a writing tool to evoke feelings of Edo-period Japan. Meracydia would work if it wasn't the sole focus. It's a barren wasteland and I wouldn't expect to see any cities there that would qualify as a hub for the expansion.
As for a capitol hub, just make it Rabanastre.
That was the given excuse, but it's not like any of the Scions can know firsthand what may or may not exist there. Not to mention there is some very Ancient architecture on those sky islands we've seen in the previews.It was specifically called out in-game that the underwater ruins of Amaurot on the Source likely do not exist anymore.



Reply With Quote

