Have we seen the last of them?

[Kranel_San]

Fisher, actually, I believe, but the time travel allusion was an invention of the English script. The Japanese script was more of a vague 'well we knew that thing you found out, but we didn't expect you to figure it out independently'.

As for how they dodged Garlemald... well, it is indeed entirely possible they were up to something, but I would be remiss not to point out that it's entirely possible they were spared for a much simpler reason: they weren't worth attacking. Sharlayan was isolationist to the point of actively fleeing Eorzea when the notion of war arose (which yes, was more complicated than that, but AST's story confirmed they weren't unrelated), across a sea, and were keeping any fancy shows of technology pretty secret. That's a perfect formula for 'not worth the effort', it's why a country like New Zealand was untouched during the World Wars.

If I remember correctly, the main MSQ in 2.0 stated that the Garleans are afraid of Sharlayans because of everything they got (Fancy technology, advanced magic, and forbidden knowledge) which was a big nope. In addition to what you have said, Sharlayan isn't known for going into wars and their location is on the map's edge so yeah. Not worth the effort of invading it and if someone decided not to look in their direction then their existence can be completely forgotten.

[Seraphor]

Just finding "a shard" of a Convocation member won't do anything to tie up loose ends regarding a different Ascianised shard just because they share an ancient soul.

That's literally all we have for most Ascians, because only 3 were unsundered.

Hermes/Amon/Fandaniel was just one shard.
There could still be 6 other Hermes shards out there.

[Cleretic]

That's literally all we have for most Ascians, because only 3 were unsundered.

Hermes/Amon/Fandaniel was just one shard.
There could still be 6 other Hermes shards out there.

And it wouldn't matter, because there's no way to ascend them anymore even if someone wanted them to; the crystals were given to Elidibus and consumed by the Crystal Tower.

[Iscah]

That's literally all we have for most Ascians, because only 3 were unsundered.

That's not what I'm saying. You're starting from the wrong end.

It's not a matter of how many potential Ascian shards remain. All that matters is current Ascians – the specific shards who have been raised to their former positions in the organisation.

Even if, as you speculate, Golbez is Pashtarot's 13th shard and Zero is Halmarut's, that is irrelevant. The current Ascians Pashtarot and Halmarut are elsewhere, represented by a different shard of the original's soul, and we cannot magically deal with those other soul-shard people by interacting with Golbez and Zero.

[Seraphor]

That's not what I'm saying. You're starting from the wrong end.

It's not a matter of how many potential Ascian shards remain. All that matters is current Ascians – the specific shards who have been raised to their former positions in the organisation.

Even if, as you speculate, Golbez is Pashtarot's 13th shard and Zero is Halmarut's, that is irrelevant. The current Ascians Pashtarot and Halmarut are elsewhere, represented by a different shard of the original's soul, and we cannot magically deal with those other soul-shard people by interacting with Golbez and Zero.

Gotcha. Yes that is the issue. I suppose I'm thinking of coverage, and including each of the convocation in some way.
But with the current elevated shards essentially MIA, who's to say they're not similar cases to Logrif and Mitron?
That doesn't really apply to Zero and the 13th after all, because that started several thousand years ago, while the Eden arc was technically set in motion a mere couple years ago from the Source's PoV.
But do we know how long ago Golbez appeared?

[Kranel_San]

Even if, as you speculate, Golbez is Pashtarot's 13th shard and Zero is Halmarut's, that is irrelevant.

Didn't Golbez say something about "Ascian revelation" that made the presence of other shards known to Golbez and the four archfiends at the very least?
I don't think the ascians are the type who goes around saying such revelation as it literally serves no purpose except for recruitment.

[Iscah]

Didn't Golbez say something about "Ascian revelation" that made the presence of other shards known to Golbez and the four archfiends at the very least?
I don't think the ascians are the type who goes around saying such revelation as it literally serves no purpose except for recruitment.

I don't have references for what Golbez said, but IF he has actively been recruited by the Ascians, then that is a different situation again. That would make him important for being an actual Ascian or potential replacement for an eliminated member, not simply for being a dormant shard while the Ascian is elsewhere.

Still, at a guess I would think it more likely that he got information on the other shards from the Thirteenth's Watcher, who we saw he interacted with (and possibly killed) in a flashback.

[WhiteArchmage]

I mean, Elidibus also told Ardbert about the shards, so it's not like they only tell potential replacements. Golbez could have been told as a way to manipulate him into causing chaos in the Source, especially since voidgates are a thing. Heck, since voidgates are a thing it wouldn't surprise me that regular voidsents know there's more than one shard, it's just that the source is the one the gates actually link to.

[Cleretic]

I don't have references for what Golbez said,

I do!

Golbez: Join me, and together we shall seek the promised land!
Rubicante: There is no hope--no freedom from the wheel. You speak a fantasy.
Golbez: I speak truth. The Ascians' revelation. There are other worlds than this. Ours is but one of fourteen. There is no greater proof than the whispers we hear--born of a neighboring reality. A reality to which we may journey if we can but break down the barrier that divides us.

So yes, this context paints the Ascians as an external force, but a fairly understood one; the Ascians are a known quantity that needs no introduction to Golbez's audience. Given this actually the point where Golbez explains the plan to and recruits the Fiends, he likely wouldn't have explained them prior, and given the Fiends were basically nobodies until he recruited them we can gather this wasn't privileged information available only to a select few. That suggests to me that the Ascians are pretty common knowledge, at least to those five.

While it's an outside possibility that Golbez was himself an Ascian and just hiding that fact, I do think it unlikely; he's clearly got a story more tied to the Thirteenth, and the only Ascian whose story was tied to the Thirteenth was the firmly accounted-for Igeyorhm. If I were digging for clues, what I actually find more pertinent is the fact that all four of the Fiends have a common thread: they were all actively fighting in the Contramemoria (granted, 'active' is a bit of a generous descriptor for Scarmiglione). Given how disorganized the Thirteenth is now, I find it difficult to imagine the Ascians could get a single unified message across it even if they tried, but if they were active in the Contramemoria then it completely tracks why specifically these four people would know. ...but if that were true then it would raise the question of where Golbez was at that time to have also heard them.

[Kesey]

Seriously though, it seems there certainly can be some Ascians floating around, and I think it would be really interesting to see what they are doing now. What are their goals now that Zodiark is gone? Are they just floating around in despair, or are they now going to try something new with their lives? Could they even still hold on to that dream of the Ancients being restored that they will be looking for new ways to regain what was lost, no matter how impossible. Could be allot of good stories to mine there, perhaps in side stories. They could be involved in future MSQ I suppose (It seems possible that Zodiarks or their power at least may be apart of Golbez’s plans)

The thing is, all the remaining Ascians are now story wild cards. Because all the unsundered and Zodiark/Hydaelyn are gone, the remaining Ascians are like Fandaniel. They were raised to have Ascian powers and memories of their time in Amaurot but will also retain their memories of who they were BEFORE they were raised to Ascians and that will change their motivations and actions going forward.

Imagine having all that power and knowledge, and the burden of duty (Zodiark) is removed. You could do what ever your heart desired, good or evil. The remaining Ascians aren't gone, they just haven't made their move yet. And I think we may find them in the most unexpected places.