Do you think Elidibus unknowingly tempered people?

[SannaR]

This makes me want to take another look at how tempered the raised shards were. As we have some that do the whole "Oh Lord Zodiark." praise and then we have Fandaniel who when correctly theorizing that Elidibus had gotten done and dusted was happy that Elidibus wasn't there to keep him and any other unsundered in line. Now one could look at this and read it as the unsundered behaved as the others bosses. While it could also be read as now he's free of any of Elidibus's primal influences.

[Anonymoose]

This makes me want to take another look at how tempered the raised shards were.

This topic fills me with angst, lmao. Prior to Endwalker I correlated certain data and arrived at what I felt to be a fairly well-supported inference. Emet-Selch said "he tempered us". Period. No caveat was ever given for the sundered mooks. Every reincarnate Ascian introduced themselves with some form of, "Hail Zodiark". Gaia was not tempered as a new identify of the old Gaia, but as soon as she accepted herself as that Gaia, was all "Hail Zodiark", as well. I figured it was safe to assume that tempering left an indelible mark on the identity of the soul which returned if one embraced themselves as that person. Except every time I said that I got a lot of pushback, suggesting it was not a common interpretation at all.

Every time I said it, though, I was supporting the idea that I just can't accept that Fandaniel isn't tempered until he gives me a reason that circumvents that logic - that rules out the precedent. Then Fandaniel walked right out and said, "By the way, I never accepted myself as Hermes, so I can do whatever I want."** (Excellent scene.) I don't know if that made my interpretation any more popular in the fandom, however.

**I inherited the position─and the soul─of the Fandaniel who sat on the Convocation in the time of the Final Days. Theoretically speaking. Practically speaking, that fact is of no consequence! I was born and lived as...well. Me. Eventually I was recruited into the Ascians and imbued with the former Fandaniel's knowledge and memories, but I never felt that they were truly a part of who I am. <...> Amon, at your service.

So yes, we can step back and examine all of her script throughout the game and say she has a pattern of doing this, but it's not easy to review the whole game's dialogue like that, and in that particular moment she is giving important exposition and people are going to recall that line on its own.

We can at least archive this one line, I suppose!

In contrast, our creation magicks─the original and the best, accept no substitutes─don't incorporate any of that rubbish, so there's no risk of tempering. I mean, if the being was on the scale of Zodiark, you might feel a little “tug”...but I think we'll be safe enough.

けれど本来の創造魔法に、その概念はありません。さすがにゾディアーク級を創れば引っ張られるでしょうが、今回の規模であれば、ご心配には及ばないかと。
However, the original creation magic does not have that concept. As expected, if you create a Zodiark-level entity, you will probably be dragged under, but on this scale, I don't think you need to worry.

Aber ihr könnt ganz unbesorgt sein. Die Schöpfungsmagie kommt ohne diesen gemeinen Zusatz zurecht. Außerdem beschwören wir ja keinen zweiten Zodiark, oder? Es besteht also kein Anlass zur Sorge, kann ich euch versichern. Es wird schon schiefgehen!
But you can rest assured. Creation magic can do without that nasty addition. Besides, we're not summoning another Zodiark, are we? So there is no need to worry, I can assure you. It will be fine!

Fort heureusement, ce danger n'existe pas si l'on respecte les rituels originaux. À moins que l'on parle de puissantes entités comme Zordiarche, bien sûr, mais les nôtres seront bien plus modestes.
Fortunately, this danger does not exist if one respects the original rituals. Unless we are talking about powerful entities like Zodiark, of course, but ours will be much more modest.