When are we going to infiltrate the Garlean Empire?!

[Belhi]

Theodric, you realize the way you are describing Ala Mhigo, apart from being off in a few places, is exactly what you are saying you don't want them to do with Garlemald. It really sounds like you want the Garleans to be the protagonists and want to paint those with issues with them in a bad light to make them look better.

A few points.

The Ala Mhigans last actually tried to invade another Eorzean state 100 years ago. They haven't been aggressive to the other nations since they were beaten back. Infact there is probably very few people still alive that were alive when the Autumn war took place.

Secondly, Ala Mhigans have been painted as a flawed people but no worse than any of the other nationalities. You point out Ilberd and the Corpse Brigade (a group of former royal guard to a insane king who have turned bandit and the other Ala Mhigans either hate or see with contempt) and ignore the likes of Minfilia, Raubahn, probably Yda, Wilred and many more.

Thirdly, Ala Mhigo is an occupied country and has been for only about 15 years. More over the treatement of the Ala Mhigians in that time has been appaling. Lets be clear. The took youth from their parents and brainwashed them with Garlean propaganda, then had them kill their former loved ones. They forced conscription on the populous. They had women taken and used as 'entertainment' for their soldiers to the point where we know women who escaped this fate committed suicide rather than be recaptured.

Fourth, Ala Mhigo probably doesn't have many Garlean citizens since people of the occupied territories don't have the rights of a citizen. They are the very lowest caste of Garlean society.

Fifth, and this is a big one, the main difference between Garlemald and anyone else we are dealing with is Garlemald is trying to invade and subjugate everyone else. That makes Garlemald a bad. Considering the crap we put up with from the city states we would probably be more willing to work with Garlemald if they weren't busy trying to enslave the rest of the world.

Now as I said before, I think Garlemald probably has element we can work with but Garlemald as it exists now is going to need to see some changes for us to be able to work with them. I also doubt we will be killing many innocent Garleans and I would be surprised in the least if we at some stage in a liberation of Ala Mhigo have to actually protect Garlean innocents from hate filled Ala Mhigans. We certainly have had to kill off some Ishgardians in HW.

I think we will work with them eventually but its not going to happen over night or be a case of 'oh they weren't so bad after all'. I think we might run into more moderate groups in an Ala Mhigo expansion as the focus will be much more on Garlemald and it would be a fantastic time to set the groundwork for more in depth Garlemald development but if anything happens to them I suspect it will be much more likely Garlean hardliners either neutralising them for being soft or effectively removing their power leaving them unable to aid us.