The Road to 5.0

[ChaoticCrimson]

Zenos has always been a bit of a wild card, now more than ever. Hopefully 4.5 will put to bed most of the questions regarding his upbringing that haven't already been vaguely touched upon. Also, more importantly, we'll presumably find out what part he has to play now. We know he'll seek out the WoL, and will probably try fighting them again somewhere down the road. Beyond that, his motives are a huge unknown. Will he continue to work with the Empire? I can't imagine he's ever really had all that much love for Garlemald, and pretty much seems to rather have used his position and birthright as a means to an end, looking for someone to finally put his skills in battle to the test. Therefore, now that he's found that, and no longer inhabits the body of a Garlean prince while furthermore another being is now playing that role within said body, I'm hard-pressed to believe he'd bother with the Empire. In any case, if he actually knows of the Ascians' involvement on Garlemald's designs, that too could make for some interesting developments. Perhaps he'll indulge this info to the WoL during their fated meeting? And if he does, why do so then rather than during their previous conflict? I'm just really curious what it is they're keeping Zenos alive for in terms of the plot, because it's kind of a risk in storytelling unless you make it something suitably huge. At least with TotallyNotGaiusLol there's some precedence to bringing him back, given that he has reason to fight the Ascians and could have a big impact on the future of the Empire in the long-term, given his perspective. Zenos so far hasn't really been shown to have much going for his agenda aside from "fight powerful warriors because I'm bored". Perhaps a new body/new life broadens his perspective? Meh, unlikely given his most recent dialogue but we'll see.

[Cilia]

Zenos' past, while veiled, can be pretty easily surmised from what we've been told about him.

He is a naturally gifted fighter, further enhanced through Aulus' experimentation. According to someone, he was given the finest combat instructors to maximize his talent. He may have a naturally violent and cruel disposition, which was only fostered by the Empire's glorification of conquest and bloodshed. Given his poor opinion of Zenos, either Varis failed Zenos as a father or was negligent. (Were I a betting man my money would be on the latter, but that's just bias talking.)

Given Varis only became Emperor recently, it's unlikely Zenos was used as a pawn in political games.

As said, his motivation was entertainment. Having been a naturally gifted warrior who pushed himself to the pinnacle of mortal ability and beyond, he grew bored with life. Thus, as High Legatus he used his political clout to set things up to give him the most entertainment - he engendered conditions for rebellions in Doma and Ala Mhigo because he believed it would relieve his boredom.

Without further information, Occam's razor says it's that simple. Zenos was born a gifted warrior into a culture that glorifies combat prowess and conquest, excelled at both to the point he became bored, and set up conditions for rebellions in his governed provinces to relieve said boredom. (I really like my logical razors, mmkay? They keep things grounded.)

As to what role Zenos has left to play... well, that's the big question. To continue the theater metaphor he's using, he should have bowed off the stage with his defeat at Ala Mhigo. An actor lingering onstage after his role is finished... what to do?

[Theodric]

Given that we were told that we'd have no reason to sympathise with Zenos, I'm inclined to believe that he's simply a bad apple. Garlemald values might, certainly, though to a large degree that is out of necessity - Hydaelyn isn't the greatest place to live to begin with and Garlemald's inner territory is a frigid wasteland. Zenos was afforded a life of relative luxury - and it doesn't appear that Varis deliberately went out of his way to nurture Zenos' monstrous nature. In fact, he outright opposed it - just as he opposed Aulus and sent him packing. There's also the possibility that Zenos was compromised by Elidibus and/or Solus and that Zenos being used as a host for Elidibus was planned from the very start of his conception - and that is the sort of thing I do not see Varis approving of at all.

The snippets of the lore book imply that Varis has multiple heirs. If they're still alive or we get further elaboration then how they turned out will be a good way to judge Varis' capabilities as a father figure. He's not exactly emotionless - and the fact that his friendship with Regula spanned decades without wavering suggests that he is capable of long term affection.

[Ramesses]

according to the lore snips on ala mhigo, they said he was a prodigy of talent and that made life boring for him

*(Nods)*

Very correct, agreed; that's what I gathered from all his cutscenes till date... and I just had a read of the lore teasers as well. That's why I mentioned above that he maybe found out he had a natural prowess for battle at a very early age... thus, he only had to place minimal effort into becoming a highly proficient warrior without peer.

Its the "without peer" that contributed to his boredom.

[Ramesses]

The snippets of the lore book imply that Varis has multiple heirs. If they're still alive or we get further elaboration then how they turned out will be a good way to judge Varis' capabilities as a father figure. He's not exactly emotionless - and the fact that his friendship with Regula spanned decades without wavering suggests that he is capable of long term affection.

This is one of the elements i'm eagerly awaiting to see in either volume two of the lore book or in 5.0... Varis' other children (including other potential nephews or nieces?). How many are there? What are they like? Are they in fierce competition with one another? Are they in cahoot with one another? Do they like or hate Zenos, Solus or their father/uncle? What are their names? Marius? Cornelia? Flavius? Aurelia? Felix? Claudia? Aelius?

Darn it... I needs to know.

[Iscah]

Perhaps a new body/new life broadens his perspective? Meh, unlikely given his most recent dialogue but we'll see.

I think his dialogue in 4.3 could go either way, really.

Katana-Wielding Soldier:
Shall I use this chance to repent for my sins? Embrace goodness and mediocrity? Nay, I think not. While the one I yearn to face yet lives, the hunt must go on.

On the one hand, he's rejecting having a conscious change of heart - and yet the fact he's brought it up at all implies (to me at least) that he has contemplated it. It could even be spun as trying to convince himself he's not interested in doing so - perhaps some part of him does aspire to be better and yet his selfish side would rather not, so he's trying to ignore that feeling.

Or he could just be carrying on the theatre metaphor, going "yeah, this would be the bit in the story where the villain redeems himself. Hahaha no."

As to what role Zenos has left to play... well, that's the big question. To continue the theater metaphor he's using, he should have bowed off the stage with his defeat at Ala Mhigo. An actor lingering onstage after his role is finished... what to do?

He does acknowledge that, actually.

Katana-Wielding Soldier:
There upon the stage I stood, prepared to take my final bow, only to find that the finale was but an intermission...

[Remedi]

I wonder if the multiple heirs is a hint of a coming Larsa-like son in the empire

[Anonymoose]

I was making a grumpy face at the 50th cycle of "What are the metaphysics of Solus?" -> "We can't yet be sure of the metaphysics of Solus in spite of several convincing theories." and yet somehow the return of the Garlean Larsa Hypothesis makes me smile, lol.

[Remedi]

Well they are working closely with Yasumi Matsuno, maybe a little of his story ideas are dubbing off them.

But who knows maybe we are thinking at Larsa while it's VAYNE that is coming and the raid tier is a giant Garlean flying fortress

[ChaoticCrimson]

I think the narrative could go either way when it comes to introducing a Larsa-like Galvus (personally, I'd welcome it). In regards to Zenos' past, I don't argue that the basic gist of things is probably very simple. I don't expect some tragic backstory or anything silly like that. But I do wonder just how much involvement Solus had in particular when it came to throwing kindling onto Zenos' brutally passionate nature, especially given that Varis had no desire to nurture it himself. The line about Zenos "playing the part of a fool" and "playing it to perfection" does lead me to wonder if he had, in fact, been in contact with Solus at some point during (possibly even before) the events of 4.0, assuming Solus returned almost immediately after Lahabrea's demise. Perhaps the reason Zenos was so lax in allowing both Doma and Ala Mhigo to slip from the Empire's grasp was because he was instructed to do so.

After all, it's implied that despite his particular "quirks", such as they are, Zenos is overall supposed to be an intelligent man. One could attribute him allowing such losses was due to him simply not caring, and perhaps to a degree that might still be true. But given what we now know of the Empire, what if perhaps the two nations were allowed to be taken back so easily? What if their people were allowed that sense of hope, so that it would be all the more crushing once that hope was crushed by tremendous force? Certainly sounds like the kind of plan an Ascian would surmise. Not to mention we know Elidibus is jumping at the bit to get Varis to take action. He deliberately set things up to make it look like the Empire might negotiate peace with Doma, only to crush that hope using Asahi and Yotsuyu. The one thing the Ascians might not have considered there may be using the Allagan tech in the Burn to undermine the Empire's advantage of aerial supremacy to prevent an efficient strike on Doma, but they were probably somewhat aware of the possibility I'm sure, and may not even be of much consequence to them in the long-run. Completely obliterating most of Ala Mhigo and razing it to the ground like the Empire did in Dalmasca would also be a good way to crush hope. Imagine the despair of the surviving Ala Mhigans, after having their home taken away by the Garleans for over twenty years, and then after finally taking back their home it's just gone in an instant, along with most of their countrymen... Despair that could be used in service of the Ascian's plans.