[Ul'dah Spoilers, maybe? Probably not] WoL - Royalist or Monetarist?

[Cilia]

Is it weird that I find Lolorito actually one of the good guys?

In my opinion, Lolorito is neither good nor bad. He's self-interested, first and foremost - everything he does is for his personal gain, be it short-term or long-term. This is why so many people dislike and are distrustful of him. The protagonists regularly risk life and limb for others; someone who cares first and foremost about his own well-being (wealth) and gain is a stark contrast.

Take, for example, lending the EATC office in Kugane to the Scions for their use during the Doman campaign. It's a nice gesture and his way of making up for the assassination plot going awry, right? Well, it is... but on further inspection it's also a means for Lolorito to benefit tremendously from our effort while risking next to nothing. With Doma freed, the Imperials' grip on trade and goods being shipped across the Ruby Sea is gone, letting him import exotic Doman goods and export Eorzean goods to Domans. It's also an attempt to make himself look better to the Scions, though they seem to know better than to trust just about anyone on the Syndicate. And for all this, he has no real skin in the game - Lolorito has nothing to lose by lending the EATC Kugane office to the Scions, since Hancock can continue business as usual even with them there. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

The Goldsmithing school and Saltery follow similar paradigms; he is fronting no capital, but benefiting tremendously in the long run.

The friction between the Sultanate and the Syndicate is a conflict of power. The Syndicate is trying to erode the Sultanate's power, presumably so they can reap bigger profits (despite the name, "monetarist" is a misnomer when it comes to the Syndicate unless their stance on fiscal policy is expanded - they're much closer to plutocrats, or the belief that the rich / wealthy should hold great(er) political power); the Royalists believe the Sultanate should have more power (which is also a problem depending on the ruler - Nanamo's populism may be to the benefit of contemporary Ul'dahn commoners, but one only need look at Ala Mhigo's King Theodric to see why this is also a very flawed political system).

Godbert's example is how capitalism is supposed to work - someone taking a brilliant idea (Gold Saucer) and using it to not only enrich themselves but to provide for others (Gold Saucer gives him income while also providing Ul'dah's poor with gainful employment). The difference between what Godbert does and what Lolorito does is that Godbert takes great personal risks - the Gold Saucer doubtlessly cost millions if not billions of gil to build, which he (presumably) fronted himself, while Lolorito used the Sultanate and Scions to do the hard part for him while reaping the benefits.

In short, Lolorito is not a "bad guy" - just a self-interested scuz bucket you can trust to be a self-interested scuz bucket who profits from the hard work of others while risking next to nothing himself, which is why I (and I would venture to guess a lot of other people) don't like him. (At least he's predictable.)

[Belhi]

Yeah, Lolorito isn't really a 'bad guy' but I still kind of want to punch him in the face just once or at the very least see that arrogant smirk wiped off his face. At least his neice (was it his neice in the Kugane Castle) seemed nice. She can give him some grief with her adventurous spirit.

[Theodric]

Lolorito never really bothered me. It's not as if he's simply greedy, either - he's an opportunist. Yet he's an opportunist who is fiercely loyal to his country. Such is - regrettably - a rarity for leader figures in the modern day. Nanamo proved to be a naive fool of a leader, requiring a lecture from Godbert of all people. Now that she has finally seen the light, however, she will bring prosperity to Ul'dah alongside Lolorito.

Lolorito may have exploited various opportunities presented to him but that is something that other major NPC's have done as well. The Warrior of Light and Scions included. They did not take 'no' for an answer when people told them they did not wish to rise up against Garlemald. They stubbornly insisted that they would find some way to change their mind and then manipulated events until that came to be - risking the lives of those they encouraged to rise up in the process. I'm going to call shenanigans if none of the peasants, Xaela or members of the Confederacy who rose to the call died.

One plot point I would love to see is for a relative or lover of one of those who perished in such a battle to seek out the Warrior of Light and Scions and coldly express their contempt at how casually they exploited others to join their fight. As it stands it feels like Ala Mhigo and Doma were liberated with minimal negative consequences for the protagonists...which is becoming rather grating.

At any rate, if the Warrior of Light and the Scions get a pass for doing stuff in the name of the supposed 'Greater Good' then Lolorito deserves one too.

[YianKutku]

Yeah, Lolorito isn't really a 'bad guy' but I still kind of want to punch him in the face just once or at the very least see that arrogant smirk wiped off his face. At least his neice (was it his neice in the Kugane Castle) seemed nice. She can give him some grief with her adventurous spirit.

Liliju is indeed Lolorito's niece. She also says that Lolorito tells her many stories about the WoL, and she thus wants to follow in our footsteps to be more adventurous.

I get the impression Lolorito's tales of us go beyond mere factual accounting of our deeds while he continues being self-interested and ruthlessly seeking profit. I don't know if it's more "CURSE YOU WARRIOR OF LIGHT" or "Liliju, make sure you don't follow the methods of the Warrior of Light, which I am going to describe to you in great detail, so take notes".

[Theodric]

Liliju is indeed Lolorito's niece. She also says that Lolorito tells her many stories about the WoL, and she thus wants to follow in our footsteps to be more adventurous.

I get the impression Lolorito's tales of us go beyond mere factual accounting of our deeds while he continues being self-interested and ruthlessly seeking profit. I don't know if it's more "CURSE YOU WARRIOR OF LIGHT" or "Liliju, make sure you don't follow the methods of the Warrior of Light, which I am going to describe to you in great detail, so take notes".

He's unlikely to lie about the Warrior of Light. He's always been cordial with them - the Warrior of Light is a useful tool. A useful tool that has frequently treated other people as useful tools as mentioned in my earlier post. Either directly or indirectly. That aside, introducing Liliju is pretty great - there's a lot of potential when figures such as Lolorito have family members show up who do not simply slip into the dull defector trope.

[Belhi]

He's unlikely to lie about the Warrior of Light. He's always been cordial with them - the Warrior of Light is a useful tool. A useful tool that has frequently treated other people as useful tools as mentioned in my earlier post. Either directly or indirectly. That aside, introducing Liliju is pretty great - there's a lot of potential when figures such as Lolorito have family members show up who do not simply slip into the dull defector trope.

He was pretty underhanded and dirty in trying to humiliate me during the lvl 50 CUL quest. Only time the WoL has ever had a chance to bring Lolorito low.