*Spoilers* Anyone feel joining Emet would have been better

[SpectrePhantasia]

Venat and Emet both use the term Mankind at certain points as an umbrella for both groups, implying they (come to) view the sundered as a continuation rather than a replacement.

Right you are! Which is a particularly nice subtle little touch of development on Emet-selch's part, considering what it took to get the grumpy old ancient to see it that way. Still, in that context I don't think the term is incorrect or somehow wrong to use, from an outsider's perspective, especially in matters of fiction. But if you just wanted to point out that little tidbit to me, I do think that makes for an excellent bow on both characters.

[Jandor]

Right you are! Which is a particularly nice subtle little touch of development on Emet-selch's part, considering what it took to get the grumpy old ancient to see it that way. Still, in that context I don't think the term is incorrect or somehow wrong to use, from an outsider's perspective, especially in matters of fiction. But if you just wanted to point out that little tidbit to me, I do think that makes for an excellent bow on both characters.

Mostly just a tidbit. I suppose though, if you agree with Venat and Emet, it does make the term genocide a little fuzzier.

I suppose it also depends on what you think happened directly after the sundering.

• Did the current races exist in some form pre-sundering?
• Did all the ancients instantly fall over dead wherever they were stood?
• Was the addition of ancient souls to modern mankind something that slowly happened over time?
• Was it a consequence of the life-stream having a whole bunch of shattered ancient souls and no ancients to put them in?
• Did the life-stream essentially just go 'eh, these are close enough' and started reincarnating them as modern man?
• Is 'close enough' even a factor?
• If it's not then could Emet-Selch end up reincarnating as a spriggan?

• Did the current races not exist?
• Are the current races just what happens when you sunder Ancients?
• Did Azem go to sleep the night of the sundering an Ancient, and wake up the next day as a Viera?
• Is the deficit of ancient souls in modern mankind a result of our population growing larger than theirs?
• Do some people not awaken to the echo because they're a relatively fresh soul, created sometime is the past 12'000 years?