Quote Originally Posted by WhiteArchmage View Post
Gaia is not Loghrif, the Eden questline was all about that point. Gaia has the soul of Loghrif but she's her own person with her own wants and wishes and actions.
Fordola is still being punished. The Ala Mhigans outright said "I thank you for saving us, but I don't forgive you for for hunting us." And she herself is undergoing a redemption arc of feeling exactly how she hurt others and the grief she put them through. So, uh, congrats? The game and Fordola herself agree with you.
Estinien has been getting a crap-ton of character development and the people he needs to make ammends to (the dragons, and the WoL) he turned to defend them instead, so really he's a whole separate case.
I'd actually point to Fordola as a great example of a redemption/atonement arc, because they REALLY have her walk it. With this sort of thing, I ask a question of 'what more could they have done to sell me on this', and with Fordola I genuinely don't think there's anything else they could've done both in terms of action and treatment. I have a similar view of Gaius, although it's a bit more conditional: I think they've done everything they could've done within the confines of the stories he's been in. If he were in parts of the game with more storytelling space and freedom it wouldn't be enough, but he's not.

Golbez is sort of in the same boat as Gaius: I don't know if what they've done with him is enough for me to believe his face turn, but I also know that he didn't exactly have the luxury of space for it. If/when he comes back I'd hope to see some 'Fordola in EW healer quests' work on him, where he's clearly doing the hard yards and going through an uphill battle.

(Also, his story even now is better than IV Golbez's, which is a game with far less excuses.)