Quote Originally Posted by Alleo View Post
*snip
What do you mean by 'Our characters can't meet him again after death?' If you do the Alchemist questline, it provides solid proof that a person's spirit persists after death.

Haurchefant's death had no real plot impact, true. But it had a hella of a lot of emotional impact. Let's see if I can explain myself here...

A theme that's started cropping up in Heavensward is 'Who, or what, is the Warrior of Light, exactly?' We had the DRK questline with all its minscrew, showing the WoL that they aren't as okay with them being used by others as it seems. We had Illberd's comment during 'Keeping the Flame Alive':

Illberd: If you think you fight for justice, lass, you'd best wake up. The truth is, you fight for whoever bloody well tells you to. Can you not see you're being used!? By the Scions, the city-states, even the Crystal Braves. They none of 'em care a whit what you want ─ only what you can do for them.

And we had a this significant bit of character development from Alphinaud in the lead-up to fighting Ravanna:

ESTINIEN
How lightly you propose the destruction of this god, Master Alphinaud─a being of whom we know naught. Has it occurred to you that you may be sending the Warrior of Light to her death?
ALPHINAUD
No, I─ ...You have the right of it, Estinien. 'Twould seem it is I who am guilty of presuming too much.
Pray forgive me, Forename.

ALPHINAUD
Estinien's words stung me more than I care to admit─'twould seem I have begun to take your victories for granted. Do be cautious, my friend...

And of course, we had the Archbishop's line at the very end. The most recent development in this theme is the appearance of the 'Warriors of Darkness', which you just *know* is going to lead to some uncomfortable question and revelations.

Haurchefant's death was significant for the WoL, because it made the conflict with the Archbishop personal for them in a way nothing else before had ever been. Even if you don't pick a certain dialogue option with Aymeric, you get this line in the journal after Edmont gives you the shield:

In a touching gesture, Lord Edmont bequeaths to you the shield that his son used to save your life. Noble Haurchefant...a man of no less courage than you, and no less honor, but one upon whom Hydaelyn never smiled. Inwardly, you reaffirm your vow to exact vengeance upon Ser Zephirin.

At this point in the story, the WoL is no longer pursuing goals in HW just because they're being told to. They're doing it because they want to make the bastards who killed their friend paid. Just look at their expression when the Archbishop shows up after defeating Bismarck. It could be argued the defeat of the Archbishop was as much at the WoL's own intiative, as it was at others, which in terms of the described theme is pretty significant.

In the longer run, the legacy Haurchefant left behind seems to be one of the underlying theme of 3.x. And I don't think this will just affect the surviving Fortempts brothers and the storyline in Ishgard.

Here's my prediction: The question that will inevitably come up as a result of the Warrior of Darkness drama and whatever the hell Elidibus is teasing us about is 'Is the WoL *really* a hero? Have they truly been doing the right thing?' There will be a *severe* moment of doubt, about the WoL and everything they've fought for. I cannot say what else will happen, but I think Haurchefant's memory will play a role. He believed, to the very end, that we were a hero. That we were 'hope incarnate'. And that memory, combined with whatever else happens, is going to help the WoL and the Scions flip the metaphorical bird at whatever 'awful truth' the Ascians will inevitably drop on us.

If it happens, its honestly going to be the kind of scene that works *way, way* better if the character in question is dead rather then alive. Just because a character is no longer among the living, doesn't mean they don't stop serving the story.

Phew, I don't think I explained it well-enough, and will probably come back to edit this later, but here you go. XD