Thread: 3.4 speculation

Originally Posted by PArcher

Fear most likely. They've likely been brainwashed into thinking the Eorzeans will just kill them should they surrender, even though thats not really the case.

Dude... The most reason I ever needed to slaughter them was "Because an Animus book told me to", we're no saints... At least with the beast tribes we have the justification that they've definitely been brainwashed (and murder is already how we "fix" tempering), though it's slightly odd with the Sylphs, after Ramuh was all for Jolly Cooperation...

I actually wonder if they have been brainwashed though... There was a scene in 1.0 in which Garleans brainwashed children, no idea if that was carried over though... Most of the Garleans we've spoken to don't seem brainwashed though... They mostly just view us as savages, because Cid didn't care to share magitek air conditioning with us... A few actually seem like reasonable men, concerned about their families back home...

Originally Posted by VargasVermillion

surrendering isn't what would happen with garlemald, they have no reason to surrender because they have more land and resources, they stop when they can't be bothered trying to take eorzea or until eorzea or someone else goes on the offense against garlemald and succeeds.

Probably. But the context of the question is "What are the remnants of the XIVth doing in their castrums still? Shouldn't they have surrendered or died from starvation or something?" Well... maybe? But the XIVth has "kill on sight" orders from Garlemald proper for going rogue... and they make no effort to make peace with the Eorzeans... so they're kind of stuck.

But, if we got into a war with Garlemald and if we won, the likelihood of Eorzeans executing Garlean survivors and POWs is pretty low. From what we know.

Originally Posted by Theodric

The latest 'sneak peak' at the end of 3.3 seemed to imply that we may be going back to the Shroud next. So hopefully that means we'll see something other than Ishgard or Ul'dah get some time in the spotlight for a change. I'm also hoping that there's lingering tension between the Gridanians and Ala Mhigans to make the build up towards 4.0 - and 4.0 - more exciting, in-depth and interesting. I don't want it to be 'clean' if that makes sense - mostly because my favourite FF titles are the ones that embrace intrigue and grey morality.

As for the avatar...I figured I'd do my best to try and create a Garlean Pureblood in-game. (To few people's surprise, I'm sure. )

The Autumn War was 100 years ago - few people left in Gridania likely still remember it, and what resentment they may have for it is likely tempered by the fact the Ala Mhigans had their home taken from them.

Nice try, but Garlean purebloods are all fair-skinned if not pale and blonde or white-haired! Look at Varis, he's practically a ghost! ... all joking aside, Garlean purebloods do lean towards paler colors; Cid, Varis, Nael, and Solus all have (or had, in Solus' and Nael's cases) white hair, while Nero and Lucia are blonde, they all have fairer skin tones (even excluding Varis' practical chalk-white), and bright eye colors (all blue except for Varis' and possibly Solus' yellow. Maybe Nael too, but I can't recall off the top of my head and I'm not that dedicated).

EDIT
Oh, and here's Solus zos Galvus' old bio for you, ya Garlean history junkie:

A blend of Gaius Julius Caesar and VI's Gestahl. Basically.

Originally Posted by Zohar_Lahar

The Scions and Grand Companies, sure. But other groups like Ilberd's turncoats, the Ala Mhigan Resistance, the more ruthless Lominsan pirates, the Elementals, and various beast-tribes might not be so magnanimous.

Those are very small guerrilla factions at best. Excepting the Elementals, who will only act in earnest if the Twelveswood is threatened. (God I would hate to live in Gridania. No matter how idyllic they try and make it seem, having to bow to the arbitrary demands of the Elementals is... not worth it.)

This is war we're talking about. Full-scale war, not the skirmishes we've had with the Garleans throughout Heavensward and not Operation: Archon against the XIVth. As a whole, however, the Grand Companies (which are the only forces that have the structure needed to properly oppose the entire Garlean military) are more than likely not going to execute survivors, POWs, and noncombatants.

There's no guarantee that won't happen - even modern militaries, with all the tech and oversight we possess, still have soldiers commit war crimes. However most the groups listed - Ilberd's turncoats (which consist of... himself, Laurentius, and Yuyuhase and that's it), the Ala Mhigan resistance (a guerrilla faction), some of the Lominsan pirates, and the beast tribes are a far cry from proper militaries and would be utterly crushed if the Garleans decided to decisively deal with them. (The Elementals, who knows? They're content to let dying people... just die though, so roll the dice and see what comes up.) Aside from the Gration's engines being frozen, there is literally nothing preventing them from using it to blast the Vanu Vanu (and other beast tribes) to smithereens.

If we want to win, that means standing together... and the Grand Companies are the only ones who have the structure to do so, meaning we'll play by their rules. Meaning no executing survivors, POWs, and noncombatants - or at least that not being an official policy and an offense worthy of court martial (that will get you a lifetime in prison). Again though, no matter how hard you try to avoid them, war crimes are inevitable on both sides. There are no real survivors of war - just the guilty and the dead.

In the context of the lingering remnants of the XIVth Legion, though... I don't think there's much to worry about.

TL;DR ver.: there's no guarantee Garlean survivors, POWs, and noncombatants won't die or be executed by any and every splinter faction of Eorzeans if we get into a war with Garlemald, but the Grand Companies who will doubtlessly helm the effort will never condone and almost certainly condemn war crimes.

Here's the thing, though: while morality is certainly grey, in this war (cold or otherwise) with Garlemald we're the defenders. Garlemald is always the aggressor. If the Garleans laid down their arms and surrendered, there is a high probability Eorzeans (except maybe some Ala Mhigan refugees, understandably) would be willing to let them go home or integrate into Eorzean society. As long as they aren't causing trouble we have no reason to fight Garlemald... it's when they go on the offense that we have to do something. Fighting back in self-defense isn't wrong.

... and yes, us slaughtering Garleans for the purpose of powering up Zodiac Weapons is totes uncool. How canon us doing so is up for debate, though, and the Eorzean city-states do nothing about them.