Quote Originally Posted by EaraGrace View Post
Spare me the condescension. My point is that using those three as a baseline is ridiculous, given they were clearly exceptional individuals. Using their reaction doesn’t tell us anything.
I'm just saying, those are not the same situations. And if we can't take their reactions into account, then frankly we have no baseline for what people in general would think. I also don't think their reactions would matter to begin with.

Venats plan A was the defeat of Meteion, based on my read. The Mothercrystal, as well as the reserve of strength she kept for our trial make that clear. And why couldn’t she just leave? To where? To a plant unprotected by Zodiark where Meteion would find a weakened, separated group of Ancients and immediately kill them? It seems obvious why that wasn’t in the cards.
Based on my read that was her final backup plan on the offchance somebody wanted to try and challenge her. And again - It was in Venat's cards, she was literally planning to do it and had been in communication with the Loporrits and Sharlayans about doing it.

That’s your subjective take.
I've seen other writers describe more sound narrative decisions in their own works as being worthy of derision for less.

What a dim view of people.
It's the correct view, one we see reflected in the game, life, and as I said by WoL themselves.

The Convocation, a group of smart people brought together as experts in their field, do not need another “smart guy” and he certainly wouldn’t be “invaluable in the crises to come.” Come on.
That's precisely my point. As it is, we have absolutely zero evidence that Hermes had any information of worth to add beyond what Venat already knew.

You’re letting your distaste for a certain character cloud the reality of what happened.
That's exactly what happened though. She didn't want to reveal the truth to him on the offchance that he could be made useful. She has a history of doing this now.

Assumptions.
When I presented the idea, that indeed was all it was. Not up to me if you don't find it of interest.

This does not sound like animals being sacrificed to me.
Exactly who is being disingenuous here? You know full well the situation at the time of the third sacrifice and the situation now, 12,000 years later, are nothing alike.