(EW Spoilers) Tales from the Dawn #5 - Days Gone By, Days Yet to Come

[Nayukhuut]

See, I always thought that of that course of action as spot on for what Azem as we know them would take, considering they're essentially an incarnation of the WoL. Given everything we've seen up until now, I couldn't ever see our character simply accepting that half of their people had to die so the other half could live, when we've very much always been about going against the grain and trying to save everyone, no matter the odds (which is why Endwalker annoyed me so much.) The story also makes a point of emphasising their travels and the connection it led to them building with their people, as opposed to the somewhat more insular Amaurot, and it makes sense to me they would naturally be far more reluctant to go along with such a plan and saw it as too high a price to pay. They notably didn't respond to Venat's group either, which to me also supports this; I very much doubt Azem was ever a "for the greater good" kind of guy, just like we never were until Endwalker.
.

This is what I figured. Zodiark might have halted the final days, but the cost to summon him was terrible, and Venat's plan was even more awful. So, go find another way. Obviously they failed, and that sucks, but the fact that they tried at least makes me happy.

Do I wish there was more detail to it? Do I wish they had kept in touch with their friends while they searched? Sure, but I am just thrilled we at least ignored Venat's plan too. :P

[MikkoAkure]

So we got “a soul of a brown color” in English versus “a dark figure” in the original.

Since “soul” can mean “person” in English, particularly slightly more archaic English, and “sable”, just as Vyrerus said, typically meant “black” or “dark”, the English version of the text still means “a dark/black figure/person” just that it uses a slightly older and more flowery way of saying that.

They notably didn't respond to Venat's group either, which to me also supports this; I very much doubt Azem was ever a "for the greater good" kind of guy, just like we never were until Endwalker.

Considering Azem vacated their seat on the Convocation in response to the Zodiark plan and left Amaurot never to be heard from again before the first summoning, right at the height of the Final Days that likely killed most of the world’s population, they could very well have been dead already for all we know by the time Venat tried to contact them.

Leaving their mentor on read doesn’t feel on-brand for Azem either and Emet-Selch didn’t hear anything back from them as well. That’s why I wish there was less ambiguity and something at all to describe Azem post-summoning as well as the lead-up into Hydaelyn’s summoning.

[Lunaxia]

Since “soul” can mean “person” in English...

That sable soul thing reminds me of old-school fanfiction (or at least as I remember it, I have no idea if it still is that way) - using the most awkward and obscure terms to avoid repeating phrases so you'd get something like "his cerulean orbs glanced around the room" instead of just "eyes", lol. It's pretty clunky for them.

And I mean, I really doubt it, considering Azem's importance to the story and their presumed competence in combat, but in the absence of concrete evidence I can't exactly refute you.

As for ignoring Venat, I'd say it could be. If Azem's made clear their feelings on the initial summoning and they're working against a clock to find a solution to both the Final Days and the eventual conflict that they may have seen coming, it would be fairly natural. While the Zodiark plan may have taken away the immediate danger, I can imagine there was a palpable sense of tension and the unknown looming over everyone, and perhaps more than a few people were keenly aware of it potentially coming to a head.

But yeah, it's all conjecture and we're just throwing our personal feelings at each other until they give us anything concrete on that time era, and I doubt they will. The current obscurity keeps most people vaguely happy in that they can make their own assumptions about what their Azem was doing and what "defying fate in their own way" might mean without the game forcing them into a narrative they may not like. In that respect, keeping Azem apart from both parties was one of the best decisions they made, and I only wish they'd continued it with the WoL.

[redheadturk]

Since “soul” can mean “person” in English, particularly slightly more archaic English, and “sable”, just as Vyrerus said, typically meant “black” or “dark”, the English version of the text still means “a dark/black figure/person” just that it uses a slightly older and more flowery way of saying that.




Considering Azem vacated their seat on the Convocation in response to the Zodiark plan and left Amaurot never to be heard from again before the first summoning, right at the height of the Final Days that likely killed most of the world’s population, they could very well have been dead already for all we know by the time Venat tried to contact them.

Leaving their mentor on read doesn’t feel on-brand for Azem either and Emet-Selch didn’t hear anything back from them as well. That’s why I wish there was less ambiguity and something at all to describe Azem post-summoning as well as the lead-up into Hydaelyn’s summoning.

I feel it is perfectly on brand if they heard Venat's plan and felt it was full of crap.

[Yuella]

Or they approved Venat's plan and they knew they needed to be sundered in order to bring the plot to a complete circle

[Lunaxia]

I feel it is perfectly on brand if they heard Venat's plan and felt it was full of crap.

Yeah, I'm a little vague on why ignoring Venat's overtures would be considered weird when they defected from the Convocation and left Amaurot over sacrificing half the population, and Venat's solution involves the destruction of life as they knew it (???)

Lore forums gonna lore forum, I guess.

[redheadturk]

Or they approved Venat's plan and they knew they needed to be sundered in order to bring the plot to a complete circle

I doubt they even knew of all of the effects of her plan and would have been horrified if they had known. I doubt genocide would have been ok with them at all

[Scintilla]

Or they approved Venat's plan and they knew they needed to be sundered in order to bring the plot to a complete circle

Surely if Azem had approved Venat's plan, he/she would have responded to their calls for support. As it was, he/she didn't and decided to look for another way, one different to both the Convocation and the Venat. Sadly, it seems they failed or just didn't have the time they needed before the sundering.

[Nayukhuut]

I doubt they even knew of all of the effects of her plan and would have been horrified if they had known. I doubt genocide would have been ok with them at all

Agreed. If Azem opposed a plan that had a large part of the population willingly sacrifice themselves, no way they would want to support Venat's plan where she took an unwilling populace, destroyed everything they were, and decided that world was gonna do what she thought it should do now.

[thegreatonemal]

I doubt Azem would have been too pleased with the convocation's plan to sacrifice newly born souls to bring back the good old days. Also we don't even know if Azem got the message Venat sent them. All we were told is that they did not get a reply and since they were missing since the end of the world some might be jumping the gun as to if they even got the message and decided to ignore it because they didn't agree. I doubt Azem would let one of thier best friends commit sensless murder to bring back their other best friend who gave his life for the good of all that would live. I'd imagine they'd be pretty pissed and wondering what happened to him.