Thread: 3.1 MSQ Reaction [SPOILERS]

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

The Battle of Silvertear Skies playing out like it did wasn't unusual, it was downright ironic. The Garleans sought to prevent the summoning of primals and ened up making it easier. Midgardsormr fought to protect the seal and ended up accidentally breaking it. Everyone lost - chaos ensued. Makes you wonder if Ascians moved any pieces on the board.

Do we know exactly when Lahabrea started working with Gaius? He seems the mostly likely to be moving pieces given his plan for Ultima

Originally Posted by Morningstar1337

Do we know exactly when Lahabrea started working with Gaius?

I imagine that Gaius would have acted very, very differently if he'd been in contact with Lahabrea much earlier than we saw. Otherwise why sit on Ala Mhigo for ten years feeling that the primals couldn't be dealt with? Why let Nael convince the Emperor that Meteor was the only reasonable option left? Why accept being treated like a failure and assigned as Nael's personal attache?

The earliest I can fathom is when Gaius turned on Nael and shot down his airship. It would imply that Lahabrea came to him shortly after he was torn down by Cid in La Noscea and capitalized on his helplessness and rage at being relegated to Darnus' lapdog. However, I don't think that's the most likely scenario. When Gaius finally decides it's best for the Empire if Darnus does not succeed, thus quietly helping the Alliance undo him and retreating to Ala Mhigo, the only new information he seems to have is that Nael isn't right - that he's been touched by something and deceives the Emperor.

I think Lahabrea came to him right after - when Louisoix cut off the seventh rejoining. The ARR Echo of the Battle of Cartenau suggested that Lahabrea was sure that this is it, baby. Why come to Gaius before that? Once the whole "phoenix" thing happened, I think Lahabrea figured - welp - needs moar chaos - and pulled Ultima out of Gyr Abania's basement knowing that Gaius would be the most likely to embrace gifts of extraordinary power in such a way that he'd immediately use them to wage war.

If Gaius was acting in service to the Empire (as far as he was concerned) when he let us take down Darnus, I assume contact with Lahabrea was what encouraged him to immediately go rogue and invade Eorzea alone, swiftly setting the stage for Ultima's appearance. After all, the Emperor was starting to fall ill and claimants to the throne were getting anxious... if ever there was a time to prove his worth...

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

I think Lahabrea came to him right after - when Louisoix cut off the seventh rejoining. The ARR Echo of the Battle of Cartenau suggested that Lahabrea was sure that this is it, baby. Why come to Gaius before that? Once the whole "phoenix" thing happened, I think Lahabrea figured - welp - needs moar chaos - and pulled Ultima out of Gyr Abania's basement knowing that Gaius would be the most likely to embrace gifts of extraordinary power in such a way that he'd immediately use them to wage war.

About that, why didn't Lahabrea go for Omega after Ultima's destruction?

[*] The Garleans attacked Silvertear Lake because they, too, knew of the legends about the place and realized its aetherial importance and knew that it could be tapped for summoning. (Confirmed by Fernehalwes)

So what were they aiming to accomplish by attacking it? Were they going to occupy it?

Same. If you closely follow his story from beginning to end, he was what I call a true believer. He bought into the notion that the Garleans, the second coming of the great empire of Allag, were all that stood between the planet and its destruction - that might is right and all nations must be brought under the Imperial standard by will or by force in order to save them. And, compared to others in the Empire, Gaius acted (at least as far as his principles were concerned) with honor.

I don't think I can call a man who would sanction the slaughter of several innocents "honorable". Not to mention that he essentially made his move against the Waking Sands when the Warrior of Light was otherwise occupied and then proceeded to capture those he did not kill. To me, Gaius is not so much honorable as, like you said, a true believer. More than that though, I think he was a very practical man who, instead of relying on blind faith in some gods who only respond to crystals, instead relied purely on his own strengths and abilities.

Originally Posted by Tenkuu

About that, why didn't Lahabrea go for Omega after Ultima's destruction?

He was out of commision due to his injuries from the ass Kicking we gave him in the Ultima incident. By the time he got back into the ring, Various Parties were already trying to uncover Omega. Same with the Crystal Tower. He either already did put them into motion, or he didn't need to.

So what were they aiming to accomplish by attacking it? Were they going to occupy it?

Assuming they could capture and control the lake, and they could contrive a way to effectively valve the flow, they'd control the primary flow of Aether entering Eorzea ((All of Hydelen? I'm not actually read up on that.)) I don't know of their motives, but I'm pretty sure that being able to mete out aether at their discression to whomever bows down to them ((and presumably isn't using it to summon Primals)) would put even more pressure on Eorzea and the Alliance than Ultima did. Areas without Aether die, right, I understood that correctly?

Edit: also, no Aether, no Primals. and Primals=bad.

Lahabrea might have been going after Omega. Keep in mind that the Overlords don't do all their own dirty work, Lahabrea and possibly the others at least have servants do a lot for them as well. Even when Lahabrea dies his servants are still working to see his will fulfilled; a little thing like being banished to the void wouldn't stop his plans completely. There was that one line in 2.2 or 2.3 in Ul'Dah that may have implied there was Ascian involvement in the plot. That plot may have been one of Lahabrea's backup plans for Omega. Or it might not have been Lahabrea's at all, but another Ascian's. Honestly, we don't know in this case and I can only make conjectures.

When you can teleport around at will, you can work multiple fields. I wouldn't be surprised if he at least had his hands in other countries events, similar to how it was said that Hydaelyn has multiple people working for her throughout the world.

His little pet project did seem to be the altering of mortals into Primals, but he was arrogant enough to put Nabriales in change of that, to Nabriales' chagrin. So he wasn't overseeing even his favorite projects. Alternatively, I like to think Elidibus was giving Lahabrea a little smack on the hand as he made Lahabrea work with him in 2.X in Ishgard, so he had to put Nabriales in charge because he couldn't personally oversee it.
Belated edit: Point being, Lahabrea was otherwise occupied, but could have very much still have influenced events in some way, like he did with Ysayle.

We do not. Gaius made no indication of knowing Ascians in 1.0. Though it has to be remembered that the existence of the "overlord" Ascians wasn't even known until 2.0.