Heavensward Question

[Scott]

I'm playing through the Story of Heavensward again after many years and I reached the Thordan fight today. And a question arises for me....

It was never explained why the Archbishop traveled to AzysLa.... He flees from the Vault. Travels to Azys La. Transforms into King Thordan, Kills Lahabrea and we fight him. But why did he travel to Azys La? What was his goal at that place?

[RicaRuin]

They wanted to access the power of the trapped Warring Triad. For what end? Who knows, the Ascians manipulated them hoping it would bring about a Calamity. Maybe Thordan hoped it would give him the power to wipe out the Dravanians and Heretics and keep his rule over Ishgard.

[Recon1o6]

They wanted to access the power of the trapped Warring Triad. For what end? Who knows, the Ascians manipulated them hoping it would bring about a Calamity. Maybe Thordan hoped it would give him the power to wipe out the Dravanians and Heretics and keep his rule over Ishgard.

This is partially the reason, the other is the archbishop was actively seeking allagan artifacts to offset the magic cost of summoning the primal thordan. That's why he drained some of the warring triad's power and nidhoggs eye.

[Anonymoose]

A lot of Heavensward feels like things were cut and pasted and moved around. For example, you never actually get introduced to Igeyorhm. It's as though the game expects the WOL to know her because you the player saw her in teasers the WOL was not privy to, or as though whatever scene had her nametag as [???] until someone said her name is on the cutting room floor somewhere.

When the Ascians speak to Thordan about Azys Lla, they refer to The Secrets of Allag™. I believe they expected him to go myopically after the dragon-binding / dragon-control technology, and then use his incarnate primal form (seeing as Lahabrea and Elidibus, with the help of Nabriales, just spent 2.1 to 2.4 working out how to make it possible) to start building an empire that Garlemald would be "obligated" to destroy "for the safety of the star," whereby the ensuing war leads to calamity.

Lahabrea seems to be shocked that Thordan instead whips out Nidhogg's missing eye from Haldrath's casket, transforms it into a sword capable of storing nigh infinite energy, and tries to user his primal power suit as a straw through which to drink the Warring Triad (Sahagin-elder Style). (Making him A, much more powerful than their chess board was ready for, and B, willing and able to kill the Ascians.) Thordan probably still could have gone on to forge an empire and cause a calamity fighting Garlemald if he didn't kill Lahabrea and immediately in turn get killed by the Warrior of Light. Elidibus probably could have adjusted. But I think this is one of those "Lahabrea got arrogant needlessly experimenting with a foolproof plan for his own amusement and the whole thing fell apart." moments. Even Emet-Selch refers to it as his "crowning act of idiocy."

Notice also that this was a direct consequence of Lahabrea needlessly using the Warrior of Light, knowing they were a Warrior of Light, to experimentally and conveniently expedite his own plans during 2.00, realizing too late that the window where it would have been easy to kill them had closed.

[Recon1o6]

in addition to what anonymoose said, something that a lot of people forget was heavensward got rushed so its absolutely the case some of it was moved. Yugiri was going to be omnipresent in hw and SE cut her out the plot until her voice actress' court case was closed.
The heavensward guard of the archbishop were also going to be more fleshed out with their own quests.

So its plausible that Igeyorhm had more screentime that was cut.

[Vyrerus]

I'm playing through the Story of Heavensward again after many years and I reached the Thordan fight today. And a question arises for me....

It was never explained why the Archbishop traveled to AzysLa.... He flees from the Vault. Travels to Azys La. Transforms into King Thordan, Kills Lahabrea and we fight him. But why did he travel to Azys La? What was his goal at that place?

It's implied that the Ascians are who told him what lay in Azys Lla, and he worked in concert with the Ascians from before the start of Heavensward all the way until he kills Lahabrea in the Aetherochemical Research Facility. The draw of Azys Llla is the power of the slumbering Warring Triad.

It's easy to miss, but in the middle of the fight with Thordan when he exits the field so that the Heavensward in their Knights of the Round reference forms can hit you with their combos, he says, "Oh, Ascalon! Drink deep of the power of the slumbering gods!" As he thrusts the blade into the seal on the ground of the Singularity Reactor within the Neurolink Nacelle. He tells you his intent for the world just before the battle, saying that he wishes for men to rule the world and be orderly and peaceful. He says that he will strike down any who threaten his rule, that his rule will be just and that mankind will be sanctified by his power. He also says that he will put an end to the 1,000 year conflict.

So TL; DR the Archbishop goes to Azys Lla to obtain power, and he hopes to use that power to rule the world. In a very LoTR style way, he wants to use this evil power for good, but since there's no way that can be, we have to kill him.