Our Azem - A secret plan? (Slight EW Spoilers)

[Shookbeast]

I agree that the whole “the Sound” thing seems likely put to bed with Meteion.

I also agree that I think Venat’s decision to destroy an entire planet was given a bit of a handwave. If you think about it - her dilemma isn’t that different from the one presented to Fourchenault and the Forum. And while our character (and their friends) doesn’t set out to stop the Forum - we do work to find an alternative in an attempt to save the planet. Since the authors like parallels - it seems possible our Azem could have been doing much the same.

As far as ever seeing our Azem… I think it could play out a few different ways.

- We could just never see them, but instead interact with elements of their plan.

- The disdain shown by Emet for his compatriots transforming in public - and how it’s considered uncouth - could be something Azem loves doing, because Azem loved marching to their own drum. Thus when we see them - they look like our model, because that’s the transformed form they prefer to take.

- I’ve got an animation background - and it wouldn’t be hard to alter the models to make an Azem that matches your character via certain assets (eyes, nose, hair) but still is relatively humanoid. It wouldn’t be 1 to 1 matching, but instead they’d make a library of altered assets that get used to match your character’s appearance. The mileage you get out of the results may vary - but people may like picking out the details of them carried over from the old Azem.

- We play as Azem in an MSQ using our character model - and our character only ever sees the actual Azem off screen. (Maybe we get a reaction shot of our character when they see Azem. We’re surprised, or give a smiling nod, etc…).

Whatever the solution, I think we’ve got more Azem coming in the future.

To bring it back to my original question - when do we think we’d see this as content? Is it part of the wrap up in EW? Or is it possibly being held back for a much later expansion?

And what might their plan be? (If there was one). Is there any lore this might link up with?

[Atamis]

Something I forget to add and another reason i expect the planet itself to be the sound and a future plot point. Part of the Song "Answers" that was a focal point in endwalker but was never really addressed like the rest of the verses.

"Shining is the Land’s light of justice
Ever flows the Land’s well of purpose
Walk free, walk free, walk free, believe…
The Land is alive, so believe…"

I think shes being literal here. Venat may of been able to ear the planet's whispers and we had no real effects on her in Elpis. Nobody even seemed to remember us until after Elpis anyway.

[Videra]

Snip

'The Sound' was very firmly stated to be the Meteia's Song of Oblivion at several points in the story.

As to The Towers, the excess aether was being pumped to Anima, where it was going to be used for that laser Fandaniel cooked up so he could go break Zodiark's prison. The death of Zodiark then essentially pulled the blanket of aether safeguarding Etheirys from The Final Days off of it and threw it into a fire.

[Anvaire]

The thing about the Hydealyn and Zodiark situation is that arguably Hydealyn only made it worse, while the summoning of Zodiark actually allowed Etherys to survive. There are two reasons for this - Hyaelyn laid two plans to save the people. The first was to sunder everything to allow them to be more readily affected by dynamis. The question though is why? It would certainly stop the creation magicks from being corrupted, but the result was to make the people and the souls they carry vulnerable to the same corruption. The second plan was for the epeople to flee Etherys and "never look back" but that plan would have ultimately led to disaster. Once that ship departed it would have been beyond the lingering protection that the planets Aether was providing. Like as not every soul on that ship would have died as people turned and more and more became the monsters they were supposed to flee.

Zodiark's protection of the planet lasted thousands of years. He was rendered completely inert by the departure of Elidibus and the sundering. In his role as the mediator he was to see the diveded opions reconcilled, i think this may have played into his promise to Azem. When we consider why elidibus tried to have the WOL killed, it was always to keep the balance between the Light and Dark. He didn't want to risk another 13th or a 1st. The years robbed him of his purpose and memory, but ultimately he wanted to reconcile both parties.

Had Hydealyn not murdered everyone and sundered the planet, it is likely that he would have suceeded and i wonder if this is something that he had left Zodiark to do. Azems involvement in this is important, and one I hope is explored later on.

We also have to consider why hydealyn refers to people as "her children" I suspect it is because for all purpposes that is exactly what they are. New arcane entities created and imbued with fragmented souls that then became the life forms of the planet. Essenentially all life is a product of her creation.

I think Azem would have been against summoning Zodiark for the same reason he/she was agianst Hydealn. The cost was too great. That said, those who summoned Zodiark did so of their own volition, they were martrs who choose to die to give hope to a new future. Venat and Hydealyn's actions though, were imposed on the majority. I think that is also why Azem would have opposed it. Though her intentions were to save the planet. The cost of her actions far outstripped that of summoning Zodiark. With enough time, they likely would have found a solution to Meteion. Or at least I believe they would have. We never got Elidibus' answer to sacrificing the new life to resurrect those scrificed, But i think it was likely something he would not have agreed to. We also don't knwo what the "life" they were going to sacrifice was. It is possible they were simply refering to the many monsters that were around.

[Shookbeast]

The thing about the Hydealyn and Zodiark situation is that arguably Hydealyn only made it worse… (rest cut for space but I agree)

I agree with all of this. It feels to me like Azem was part of a plan yet to be revealed. There’s definitely something missing from all this. Perhaps the new raids will answer some of it?

We also had Emet mention the 12, and we know that’s future content. Azem has been connected with the 12 through Azim and Azeyma - so maybe there’s something there? (Although I imagine the 12 have more to do with the convocation and perhaps we’re still just talking about the title of Azem, and not our Azem).

But there must be something, some kind of hint about what Azem has been up to - or even some content they’ll retcon. I’m just not sure what.

[Katie_Kitty]

I don't know why so many of you are obsessed with hating venat/hydaelyn and want to oppose her. It was less weird during ShB when we lacked the details about what happened but with the knowledge gained through endwalker it makes no sense to still be hating on her. I guess Emet fangirls will do Emet fangirl things.

[Anvaire]

I don't know why so many of you are obsessed with hating venat/hydaelyn and want to oppose her. It was less weird during ShB when we lacked the details about what happened but with the knowledge gained through endwalker it makes no sense to still be hating on her. I guess Emet fangirls will do Emet fangirl things.

Im not obsessed with Hating Venat/Hydealyn. By your way of reasoning perhaps you are obsessed with simping for her?

I just dont think she is a "good person" or made the right choice, given the facts that we know and the holes in things that we do not.

It is is fine to criticize a character and not agree with the choices they make. Besides what is the lore forum for other than discussion of the very game lore, characters and possibilities you deride us for?

[Atreides]

I actually start to believe that we are Azem, not a part of him but the actual one, we play with time shenanigans after all. Azem is reportedly never in one place and always on the move, trying to solve issues and help people in need. I think at some point we become Azem, I can see us meeting Azem and that he looks exactly like our character but he won't reveal the truth and it will be brief. (Don't think we'll get something voiced here because it would require male and female voice actors for one character.)

With the raid that is set up now, we might also create a whole new timeline where we safe the ancients now with the Pandemonium story going on... but it's too early to tell since we're only in the first tier of it and alot of questions are yet unanswered. It does hint that whatever is in there might have worked in conjunction with the song of oblivion which caused the Final days tho.

[RyuDragnier]

Im not obsessed with Hating Venat/Hydealyn. By your way of reasoning perhaps you are obsessed with simping for her?

No no, they're right, a lot of your posts feel like you trying to make Venat into a villain when it has been shown she is anything but.

I just dont think she is a "good person" or made the right choice, given the facts that we know and the holes in things that we do not.

Considering the abridged sequence after Elpis showing what she did, our time with her on Elpis, how she set things up so mortals would have a choice on life, something the Ancients never gave familiars (which they saw the WoL as), how she tried to save the First through Minfilia, us from Ultima back in ARR, and has not treated us or anybody else with any kind of hostility, I cannot see how anybody cannot see her as a good person.

It is is fine to criticize a character and not agree with the choices they make. Besides what is the lore forum for other than discussion of the very game lore, characters and possibilities you deride us for?

You are correct...if done in good faith and not contradicting evidence or canon the game itself has given.

[Jandor]

With the raid that is set up now, we might also create a whole new timeline where we safe the ancients now with the Pandemonium story going on... but it's too early to tell since we're only in the first tier of it and alot of questions are yet unanswered. It does hint that whatever is in there might have worked in conjunction with the song of oblivion which caused the Final days tho.

I'm going to bet this doesn't happen, and that by the end all the Ancients involved chuck their memories of the events in to that crystal and lob it into the lifestream.