I would've tried to find an alternate solution, which I believed to be what Azem tried to do but EW (and subsequent interviews) muddied those waters. I'm still not happy about how it's written that Azem absolutely did not assist with the Convocation/Zodiark to the extent they were branded a traitor and not deemed worthy of a memory crystal, but the door is left wide open that Azem could've been working with Venat. It's BS. They should've committed to neutrality.

As for it being about the sacrifices, that either could've been a legitimate schism in society she capitalized upon or a convenient lie she told to amass followers. There's no evidence in game she ever shared the truth with anyone, at least not about the sundering. Unless she managed to find more twisted individuals like herself and Hermes, I can't imagine she'd be successful in piecing together a sizable enough crew with the understanding that her goal was to eradicate their race and split apart the star they held in such high reverence.

Regarding not-yet-explored continents, I mostly only care that it's a fantasy setting and that they don't push ideologies.