One of the "what if" scenarios I could always see Garlemald pulling off was becoming the FFXIV equivalent of Eshar. That is, instead of expanding their borders once they discovered magiteck, I could see them going the isolationist route and becoming that super advanced country that wanted nothing to do with everyone else's problems because they'd been dealing with every one else's problems for so long.

Actually... I could still see them going that route...