*Spoilers* Anyone feel joining Emet would have been better

[EaraGrace]

We have no idea what the ancient history of the star before the Ancients was like, if there even was one. But yes, the Ancients did restart the cycle of life which the Final Days had destroyed - And if they themselves didn't create any new lifeforms at this time to repopulate the world, why would the planet suddenly poof a bunch of sapient species out of nowhere, when before everyone was an Ancient?

Because that’s what the planet does? The Ancients only used that process to improve on the planet as they saw fit, they weren’t it’s creators. Life would, as it always has, grow and spread in areas conducive to its existence, and those lives would be ensouled by the planet in the same natural process it always has. And we do know that, quest text mentions outright that the world had unconstrained wilds before the Ancients rose to prominence.

Why? If the conclusion is that life only has meaning insofar as the one you prescribe, is it not the case that someone like Zenos, who tortures and destroys entire civilizations for his own amusement, is just as justified in his actions as anyone else? That's his given purpose in life.

Because one’s meaning can have no bearing on the morals of said universe. If you believe morals aren’t relative, that they are capable of being reasoned and discovered much in the same way math is, then it exists without any input from us. It’s a set of natural principles that exists independently of life. If you believe it’s relative, then it doesn’t matter what one’s meaning is, but what one subjectively views as right or wrong. Meaning doesn’t change either of those necessarily.

When they revealed the plan to the rest of the Ironworks in the short story, most of them just abandoned the effort. Many individual people or small groups helped out with their cause over time, but 99% of the world had no interest in joining them, nevermind any races and species existing outside Etheirys itself. So no, it was not consensual, it was a tiny conclave of technicians undertaking a venture which they full well believed would erase their entire timeline.

Many left, for sure, but not because they didn’t want to be sacrificed. From the short story:

Their aim was to change the past to create an alternate reality in which the Calamity never occurred─a feat rendered conceivable by their knowledge of the advanced technologies of fallen civilizations. However, many of those who would bear the burden of continued existence in a world ravaged by Black Rose failed to see this as a viable stratagem. Such responses were consistent with my projections, as it is generally the primary objective of all life-forms to secure their own survival in the here and now.

Many of Master Cid’s followers either refused to cooperate or expressed a desire to leave the Ironworks altogether. Certain former employees went as far as to appropriate equipment and supplies by force before heading into the wilderness to fend for themselves.

They saw the endeavor, not as a mortal threat, but a waste of time as it was understood that doing so would have no impact on their situation. The exact opposite of what you’re claiming they would not be consenting to.

The question Venat asks is existential in nature, not moral. "Is it better to suffer in the pursuit of fleeting happiness, or live in eternal yet ignorant bliss?" Ultimately this isn't even a question though; nothing lasts forever, and you can't unring the bell. Now knowing the world isn't just sugar and rainbows, the Ancients could never go back to their "paradise" no matter what they sacrificed or whether or not Meteion was stopped.

Never mind the fact their "paradise" never existed to begin with. Suffering was always there, they were just largely ignorant of it... Erichthonios appears to be in a great deal of emotional pain over his mother's death and his father's indifferent attitude toward both him and his mother's passing, for example.

... and raising creatures for the sole purpose of sacking them to Zodiark for their selfish desire betrays the Ancients' (self-appointed) mission as stewards of the star, does it not?

Largely agree with this. Many of the Ancients never conceived of suffering as an inevitability. Take a soul sacrificed to Zodiark for example.

Temperamental Spirit: We and the star were fulfilled...
Wanted for naught, mourned for naught...
So why... Why did it have to end!?

Temperamental Spirit: The Final Days taught us to fear a death forced upon us.
The injustice of duties and dreams left unfulfilled. The grief of unexpected partings...
Swift as darkness, cold as ash.
Such tragedy, yet no catharsis! Such truth, yet no consolation...

Adds a whole new layer to the Shadowbringers theme as well.