Thread: 3.4 speculation

Garlemald still holding the Thanalan castrum is kind of ridiculous to be honest, the XIVth legion should have by all rights starved to death ages ago, since I seem to recall something being made of them pretty much being completely isolated with no means of reclaiming more resources. Unless we're supposed to buy everything since 2.0 has happened in the space of a week or so.

Originally Posted by Laili

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They're efficient and competent enough to turn their luck around, I imagine. It's plausible that they send out operatives - or even constructs - to hunt for food and clean water. For the sake of plot convenience Eorzea hasn't been broken by Garlemald and likely never will be - but I think a lot of people forget that Garlemald controls much of Hydaelyn and that they're actually pretty good at what they do. It's just that most of the time when they've done something in Eorzea they've had their plans foiled. I don't disagree that it's stretching it though. Personally I would have liked to have seen Castrum Meridianum completely destroyed only for it to be revealed that numerous Garlean civilians and non-combatants were killed not only in the explosion but by overzealous members of the Eorzean Alliance. It would muddy the waters of morality for sure...and it's exactly that sort of thing that I hope will be at the forefront of 3.4, 3.5 and 4.0. Then, perhaps, in the future we can reach a point where both Eorzea and Garlemald make peace without either side being eradicated or changed too much.

Originally Posted by Laili

Garlemald still holding the Thanalan castrum is kind of ridiculous to be honest, the XIVth legion should have by all rights starved to death ages ago, since I seem to recall something being made of them pretty much being completely isolated with no means of reclaiming more resources. Unless we're supposed to buy everything since 2.0 has happened in the space of a week or so.

They could have rations to last them for a few years for all we know. sieges are quite difficult to pull off and only require a surprisingly small number of men to defend against and can cost a lot of resources to penetrate, assuming garlemalds fortifications are up to scratch which they most definitely would be, eorzea lacks any advanced flying machines to get over the walls and garleans have powerful artillery and likely have skilled marksman defending from a distance as well.

speaking of the former imperial troops holed up in thanalan, If they have truly been abandoned by the empire what do they hope to gain by shutting themselves inside the castrum? The empire doesn't seem to care and the eorzeans are just gonna remain hostile until they surrender so what are they actually doing? They seem screwed on all accounts since they can't stay there forever...

Originally Posted by VargasVermillion

speaking of the former imperial troops holed up in thanalan, If they have truly been abandoned by the empire what do they hope to gain by shutting themselves inside the castrum? The empire doesn't seem to care and the eorzeans are just gonna remain hostile until they surrender so what are they actually doing? They seem screwed on all accounts since they can't stay there forever...

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.

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.

That's not really 'brainwashing' so much as it's a legitimate concern. Even assuming that they did surrender there is very little guarantee that they would be treated well - and even if they were kept alive it would likely be indefinitely as prisoners. Plus if someone as supposedly 'pure' as the Warrior of Light can slaughter rank and file soldiers - even with the knowledge that many are just conscripts - and forcibly tear out their souls to empower their weaponry then it doesn't likely give much incentive for them to believe that the fate in store for them would be pleasant.

The nearest city to Castrum Meridianum is also Ul'dah. A place that has been, uh, 'culturally enriched' by many Ala Mhigan refugees. Many of whom have joined the Immortal Flames which, presumably, would boast a fair number of them. Given how irrational many Ala Mhigans have shown to be in the name of their homeland it's easy to assume that there's a genuine risk for atrocities to be committed where Garlean prisoners in their 'care' are concerned. If it's the Brass Blades that are in charge of prisoners, however, then not only is there a similar risk (I suspect it is also full of a good number of Ala Mhigans) but we've seen countless examples to show that the organisation is prone to corruption.

Originally Posted by Theodric

It's a common trope for 'adventurers' in fantasy settings to do anything and everything for a bit of coin or because someone tells them to do it, too. Heck, don't some of the Grand Company hunt bills sometimes include killing Garleans in exchange for seals? Arguably that sort of thing just turns casual slaughter into a sport.

Technically, I think the Grand Company Hunts are supposed to be threat Elimination (I imagine it as Culling when applied to lesser non-hostile creatures. They're over populating (Probably because you just killed their predators last week)), for which you are rewarded, rather than sport. Amusingly, this would suggest that the Grand Companies ((The Flames in particular)) still see the Garleans as a threat for some reason.

Originally Posted by Nalien

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Well, the problem with using Hunts and Relic as justification is its not MSQ cannon...technically, we don't do that stuff.

If you go through the Tales of the Calamity, I'm 99% sure that Kan-E took a former Garlean soldier as one of her personal guard (think its the same guy who follows her in Heavensward too), so there is precedent that the Alliance is willing to allow Garlean soldiers to work their way into their society.

As far as the brainwashing...more that they're told Eorzeans are nothing but savages who *need* the Garleans to look over them like children, and until they're conquered and forced to submit they'll keep throwing this "tantrum" of resistance.