The Reasoning behind The Sundering? (*6.0 Endwalker Spoilers*)

[EaraGrace]

I will note that several retcons have occurred that have invalidated some parts of the Encyclopedia Eorzea. The Echo, for example, no longer works at all how it was previously described. It is not connected to Hydaelyn at this time.

Right, but none of the retcons have changed anything about the role she had. We know Hydaelyn and Ramza were connected from the Ivalice raids, we have a firsthand account for that. We have Her efforts to prevent the Seventh Umbral Calamity. We have the records messaged in the Encyclopedia of visions and blessing that we’re not the Echo being bestowed on heroes at the time. And we have Venat/Hydaelyns statements on the future, on the Rejoining and the Calamities. All points in a singular direction, that she tried to halt the Calamities.

Sure. So why didn't she just tell them what the threat was? Even the Ascians would want to see the Meteion ended, and during Allag for example would have had more than enough resources to have a go at her.

Ancient Allag at its height was run by Xande and Amon, a suicidal ruler who wished to see the world end and his devoted researcher. Not to mention, the Ascians were running the empire behind the scenes, if Emets statements are anything to go by.

They were both dealing with little-c calamities. That is to say the issues of the Auspices and Ultima appear quite unrelated to the Ascians and the Rejoinings, they were just local issues. And yes she has created WoLs around the time of various Calamities, but by the very nature of our knowledge of them they seem to have a 100% failure rate. If anything their presence had only served to mark Echo-users as portents of doom.

Little c calamities and big C ones are impossible for us to distinguish. That assertion and the 100% failure rate are great examples of circular reasoning. Any effort that stopped a calamity would not be remembered as such since it was stopped and the Ascians machinations would not manifest, while any effort that failed would be remembered due to the worldwide impact and thus would be clearly Ascian caused.

But even if I accepted that, the fact remains that trying to stop and failing still shows Her priorities. Why waste time and resources trying to halt an event you want to happen?

Not to mention her most well-known creation of WoLs by far, on the First, was actually directly causing the Calamity there. And since we now know she's not just a mindless robot dispensing crystals like a slot machine, we can only presume that she knew what was going on and was actively abetting it. Presumably because she knew it had to happen to reach WoL's future, and thus meet her own ends.

This is a strong presumption to make. Exactly how much Venat knew of Mitron and Loghrifs demise, info that could only come from us, and of the Warriors of Darkness is uncertain. We could’ve told her everything, and thus it would be logical to presume she knew when she bestowed the Crystals that they would ultimately cause the Flood. On the other hand, if we only spoke of Emet-Selch and Amaurot, and his death there, then there wouldn’t be reason to believe that was mentioned.

Supporting the former is the scene with Minfilia on the First, where she tells Ardbert to wait, suggesting she knew he would be needed, though that was Minfilias decision, not Venats. There’s also the fact that he was told to wait to give us hope, not to help us in battle, once again the vagueness makes it hard to read intent. Supporting the latter is the fact that if she did want them to have the crystals, waiting until after Cyella manipulated them wouldn’t be necessary, giving them when she did would be arbitrary and an unneeded requisite. There’s also the fact that the events of the Flood had little to do with our presence in Elpis, with only Emets involvement being confirmed to be mentioned.

Either way, going off Venats later statements, I think it’s safe to say the latter is more likely.