What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Rulakir]

Said civilization had zero qualms about throwing away half their population twice over and were perfectly willing to commit genocide of every new life born into the world just so they wouldn't have to feel sorrow or despair and recluse themselves into ignorant bliss of "paradise". The rest of the Ancient population making decisions aren't exactly of high standing moral character either.

There was nothing left to use for aether other than themselves. I'm sure mass suicide wouldn't be their #1 choice had circumstances not demanded it. "...Yet oh how the star had suffered. So many species lost. The land was blighted, the waters poisoned, and even the wind had ceased to blow."

As for the new life: "Once more did our people give of themselves to Zodiark. Another half of our race sacrificed to cleanse the world; to ensure that trees and grasses and myriad tiny lives would sprout and grow and flourish." Sounds to me like the focus was on restoring ecosystems to make the star inhabitable.

Regardless, I couldn't help but notice that "new life" was not mentioned in EW as one of Venat's reasons for sundering, so I'm left to assume either that plot was dropped, the Convocation was incorrect about her motives, or that's the lie she was telling people.

So, this new life had souls and they wanted to sacrifice it to get back what they had.

The Ancients couldn't create souls, so there's no reason to believe Zodiark capable of that feat either. However, souls being randomly generated, it stands to reason there were some in the mix. The Ancients weren't vegan and they didn't consider returning to the star to be a bad thing, so they wouldn't have had a moral quandary about sacrificing a portion of flora and fauna to release their loved ones' souls from Zodiark purgatory.

[TaleraRistain]

The Ancients couldn't create souls, so there's no reason to believe Zodiark capable of that feat either. However, souls being randomly generated, it stands to reason there were some in the mix. The Ancients weren't vegan and they didn't consider returning to the star to be a bad thing, so they wouldn't have had a moral quandary about sacrificing a portion of flora and fauna to release their loved ones' souls from Zodiark purgatory.

They did have a moral quandary as Ere Our Curtain Falls outlines

"The people were divided, unable to decide what to do with the future that now stretched out before them. Many wished to trade the new life which had sprung forth to reclaim those lost in sacrifice to Zodiark. No small number, however, insisted that the fate of our world should be entrusted to those selfsame freshly minted souls. All were at our wits' end."

It doesn't seem likely that they're going to debate entrusting the world to flora and fauna. Like you said, they would sacrifice without hesitation. But what would give pause? New people.

Also....why sacrifice at all? Their people are lost. It's very sad. Move on. Humanity learned how to do this after the Sundering. They couldn't.

[SDaemon]

As for the new life: "Once more did our people give of themselves to Zodiark. Another half of our race sacrificed to cleanse the world; to ensure that trees and grasses and myriad tiny lives would sprout and grow and flourish." Sounds to me like the focus was on restoring ecosystems to make the star inhabitable.

1/2 was given so Zodiark could shroud the world in aether to stop the Final Days, the 2nd set of 1/2 their population was off'd to restore the planet to how it was before. The final offering was to be the new life growing in the world and was to be a trade, their unwilling lives for the lives they shoved into Zodiark.

[linayar]

Regardless, I couldn't help but notice that "new life" was not mentioned in EW as one of Venat's reasons for sundering, so I'm left to assume either that plot was dropped, the Convocation was incorrect about her motives, or that's the lie she was telling people.

The new life is part of it, just not the sole reason.

Venat: "To try and reclaim those lives we lost by sacrificing yet more isn't wisdom. It is weakness. No paradise is without its shadows. If we cannot accept this truth and learn from our pain, then our plight shall be repeated."

[Rulakir]

The new life is part of it, just not the sole reason.

Venat: "To try and reclaim those lives we lost by sacrificing yet more isn't wisdom. It is weakness. No paradise is without its shadows. If we cannot accept this truth and learn from our pain, then our plight shall be repeated."

I'd forgotten about that, thanks for reminding me. I hated that cutscene, so I've tried not to watch it any more than necessary.

It doesn't seem likely that they're going to debate entrusting the world to flora and fauna. Like you said, they would sacrifice without hesitation. But what would give pause? New people.

You've given me something to think about now. I generally don't like to debate the third sacrifice due to lack of information. I don't know what other races existed that weren't Ancient constructs. I don't know if the Ancients would have sacrificed themselves to bring back other races either, it seems like a damned if you do and damned if you don't scenario. Either they were so altruistic they did so, or they were so selfish they did not. I'd only been thinking in terms of making the star inhabitable again, in which case it wouldn't make sense to bother with anything more than the basics needed to replenish and sustain life.

My opinion is it still never should've gotten to that point. Venat wasted valuable time they could've used to prepare for the Final Days. Instead, it hit without warning and by the time they figured out how to stop it they had no choice but to use themselves as primal fodder (something she didn't attempt to stop either). I can't imagine knowing what she did and not informing anyone in a position to do something about it, it's unconscionable to me.

Also....why sacrifice at all? Their people are lost. It's very sad. Move on. Humanity learned how to do this after the Sundering. They couldn't.

Either you've never lost anyone or handled it much differently than most people. Humanity didn't learn anything. The 8UC timeline suffered far less than the Final Days and still labored for two centuries to undo it with the belief that in doing so their existence would be erased. Post sundering and 12k years into the future, people were still willing to sacrifice themselves to return to the past over moving forward. Had current Etheirys suffered the Final Days more substantially I've no doubt they would've ended up the same as well.

[TaleraRistain]

Either you've never lost anyone or handled it much differently than most people. Humanity didn't learn anything. The 8UC timeline suffered far less than the Final Days and still labored for two centuries to undo it with the belief that in doing so their existence would be erased. Post sundering and 12k years into the future, people were still willing to sacrifice themselves to return to the past over moving forward. Had current Etheirys suffered the Final Days more substantially I've no doubt they would've ended up the same as well.

I've lost plenty of people and some still hurt every day. I never forgot them, but I also can't let that run my life.

For the 8th Umbral Calamity timeline, I got the impression especially from An Unpromised Tomorrow story that they didn't really have a future. They worked for 200 years on that project and at the end of it the world was still in ruin and resources were scarce. It's because Middy wakes up at the end and says he'll protect and guide them in rebuilding and give them the knowledge to succeed that they start hoping for something more.

That's also just one group. There are plenty of groups we've met in the MSQ over the years who experienced tragic losses and forged ahead. And we never would have been able to defeat Endsinger if humanity hadn't learned to continue on past tragedy. We tell Meteion ourselves when says what she was looking for was always on Etheirys. It wasn't always there.