Quote Originally Posted by Teraq View Post
Though I would like to say Zodiark did not temper Ancients in general, just the Convocation. Who were indeed respected world leaders, though in the context of a society based on debating, it's arguable how much sway they would have had on the overall population if the decisions they were making were obviously deranged.
I would agree that the tempering was limited to the Convocation and anyone else who may have been immediately present with the summoning. But the Convocation making decisions others didn't believe in did have an effect on the populace because while Venat and everyone else were A-OK with summonings 1 and 2, the 3rd was what caused the main debate and ultimately the Sundering.

Tempering also has seen to have had some degree of control over the Ascians as well, unless you want to fully retcon ARR and say that all the scenes of the Ascians deranged praying to the "one true god" didn't happen. You would also think that a society based on logic and the original summoners wouldn't call a being of their own creation a god unless it had some sort of effect on them. While they did have a greater degree of freedom than we typically see of the tempered, there was still enough there for Emet-Selch to admit matter-of-factly that he is tempered. Besides the whole god thing, Emet-Selch kept coming back to the original plan over and over despite his straying and falling in love and having children with the Sundered. A small drum in the back of their heads to keep them marching to the beat would be enough to keep them going for 12,000 years while still retaining most of a free will.

What I wish would be explored in an official story would be an alternate universe or insight in a world where Amaurot continued without being Sundered. A being of immense power being referred to and treated as a god by the world leaders who summoned it has got to have an effect on the society.