Empire is agitating for retaliation against Doma for Tsukuyomi. Hien wants to make an alliance with Hingashi/Sui-no-Sato/Nagxia. Only Azim answers positively, though there's hope for other off-camera allies to come around.
I am pleasantly surprised that it was not a walk in the park, particularly in Hingashi's case. It goes to show that Hingashi values its own preservation and existing alliances above all else. It does have a rather cautious elite and must wonder if they are concerned that closer bonds with the Eorzean Alliance could spur rebellions in their own homeland - rebellions which, from their historic experience, were more like the French Terror than the American Revolution.
While negotiating with the Au Ra, we come up with the revelation that Azys Lla was raised from the Burn using the pillars in the northern cave in Azim (where the Dotharl go to die forever). We decide to switch on the shield generators in the Burn (which should block airships as effectively as Azys Lla's shield) using the mechanism in Azim. Bonus: aether will return to the Burn. Surely nothing could go wrong. As Y'shtola switches it on, everything goes the same shade of purple that we see in e.g. The Chrysalis. Optional extra chat with Temulun reveals she senses a silver of darkness within us now. No one really gives this part of the plan a second thought even though we're messing with aether on a scale only used twice in known history before.
Now THIS part was hugely interesting. The device's nature is a mystery, other than it appears to be some means of regulating whence and whither aether can flow. The fact that Y'shtola and later Urianger confirm that there is a deficiency of aether in various locales is no doubt referring to the "hints" the Rising event threw us, of the world being bled dry.
During the meeting, all of the Scions (and only the Scions) are struck with a debilitating headache and hear a voice. WoL hears it most clearly - it warns of an impending Calamity, Light expunging all life, says only the WoL can prevent it, and demands the WoL "throw wide the gates." Thancred goes into a coma as a result. Kan-E Senna says his soul is no longer present in his body, and the phenomenon was the soul being "called" away. For some reason everyone is a lot more focused on the headaches happening at all than what the voice said to WoL? Ok, seems important, but sure.
I have a suspicion that this is more Ascian intervention. My guess here is that Elidibus has convinced Arbert of the imminence of a Calamity of Light - rightly or wrongly - prompting him to contact you, and insist that you open the passage for his return. It's unclear, this could even be direct Ascian manipulation, but this is not Lahabrea, Nabriales or Igeyorhm we're dealing with, but a far more subtle thinker, and our character was sympathetic to Arbert's plight, and therefore may take the bait. Of course, this may all be Arbert's own doing out of genuine conviction. There's a number of possibilities here, and any number of variables may or may not hold true. If it is Zodiark, and there is truly a Calamity of Light looming, and we're not fully apprised of his nature, this would fit with another hypothesis of mine. I agree that the time compression comments are reminiscent of Zodiark, but at the same time, they could also be what his Emissary or champions would say. Of course, the interceptions come at critical moments, but this may all relate to that "glint" of darkness Temulun saw, allowing an agent of darkness insight into the Scions' actions and the ability to beckon to them.
Epilogue: Zenos, confirmed to definitely be Elidibus, pushes Varis to give the word to commence the invasion of Ala Mhigo. Varis refuses to speak to him, and Elidibus walks away. Another figure comes out from the shadows, revealed to be Varis' dead grandfather, the previous emperor, Solus. He is revealed to have been an Ascian the entire time, the Empire founded for the explicit purpose of sowing chaos.
This was a HUGE one, especially after SE had stated in the past that the eminence grise behind Garlemald was not Ascian in nature. Apparently, it is. I think this may explain why Varis has been playing along. It's not so much that he sought out or sought to out-play Elidibus, but rather that the Ascians had been invested and well placed to act within the Empire all along. Hence, it would not be too difficult for Elidibus to ferry out grand-daddy, reveal some hard truths about the Empire, and see if Varis will convert to his cause. If not, blackmail is another route. Varis does not have any liking for the Ascians, or what is going on around him, but he appears cornered. I had thought that his personal guard might respond to Zenos's orders as well as his, and this was confirmed. I just wonder, now, how much of Stormblood can be explained through Elidibus having a hold over Varis? It would explain the imperial mainland's relative passivity whilst Zenos suffered two defeats, and also the zeal with which the Populares were dispatched. My thoughts, based on the words Elidibus used when face-dancing, was that it may have begun with gentle words and promises but later transmogrified into outright blackmail. I am interested in what means Varis possesses, exactly, to realise the Ascians' goal, when this new Ascian says (to paraphrase), "by your own hands".
On Moose's point about restoring the world to its original state, my thinking is that Varis's reticence suggests he is no longer willing to work with the Ascians but has little choice. What I believe "Solus" is doing is trying to get him to internalise the Ascian point of view on the matter. Alternatively: he is re-casting Varis's internalised goal (the Empire's, of eradicating the Eikon threat) in the same light as the Ascians' goal, of restoring the world to its original balance. This could be why Varis is so thoroughly displeased.
The question of when Solus became Ascian possessed is also interesting, or that an Ascian would choose a Garlean pureblood, unable as they are to wield the aether. It is likely, in my view, that they have had knowledge of how to impart their echo - the "Resonance" - for quite some time, and began with Solus, some time before he became Emperor - likely in the stage of his life where the Ascian has "frozen" him. It does raise the question of "when", but my suspicion is that the Ascians stood back and waited to see how the Garleans fared and sided with the "winner"; I suspect nudges early on in the Republic days, more than outright control here. If the lore on Goug confirms that they are the ancestors of the Garleans, the Ascians might have seen in the Purebloods something special - perhaps their unique aetheric situation makes it much harder for Hydaelyn to "eject" the true-form Ascians from their bodies, especially ones gifted with the Echo/Resonance. Major Ardyn vibes!
Epilogue 2: Alphinaud and Gaius come upon a remote resistance camp, at which the poison "Black Rose" was deployed, killing everyone there. They decide the Ascians did this and resolve to stop them. Again.
Good luck, is all I can say.
I am of the view that the Ascians, as we know them, are limited to an extent by the capabilities of their hosts; for example, how Lahabrea was ejected from Thancred due to Hydaelyn, but also when Igeyorhm excoriates her mortal body's "fragility". Both "Zenos" and "Solus" have been likely re-fashioned into as close as you can get to an ideal host for their Ascian "buddies". "Solus's" injection into the plotline makes me think Elidibus has much farther to go, and "Solus" is likelier to be the baddy we face in 5.0. After all, even Y'shtola, a Scion with the Echo, was flummoxed by channeling the amount of aether she did in the Steppes. So perhaps some "preparation" can assist an Ascian in perfecting their posession over a host to greater heights. "Zenos", after all, states he possesses the means to end the Eikon-slayer, in his "adamant" form. I doubt he's just bluffing, seeing what Zenos
without Elidibus could do.
The patch has, in classic SE style (as of late), introduced plenty of unknowns into the equation.
Big ones for me are:
*What, exactly, happened when Y'shtola flooded the Burn with aetheric energy? There were vague snapshots of scenery like the Chrysalis, and as the above-quoted, is Temulun right about seeing a glint of darkness in you? Is this what allowed for the Scions to be intercepted so?
*Where is the real Zenos? What role will he play? Will Elidibus lure him with the promise of final death? He may help us land a killing blow on grand-daddy but I suspect he will meet his final demise at Elidibus's hand.
*Just what is the extent of Allagan involvement in the House of the Crooked Coin? Are all the Au Ra's beliefs premised on a lie, or did the Allagan go there due to an abundance of aether, rather than creating what would later be deified? These have been long-standing questions/issues with the Allagan. ALL godly involvement could ultimately resolve to their own machinations, or to eikons.
*Do Sadu and Magnai possess the Echo? They both seem very powerful in their own right, and able to go toe-to-toe with the Scions/WoL.
*When will Magnai get his Nhaama, and when will the Buduga get their Hien?
Predictions:
*There is indeed the threat of a twin calamity. The unknown is who will we meet when we throw wide the floodgates, which I believe we will. My bet is still on Arbert, as it is too early for Zodiark, and he is still guided by Elidibus. I don't doubt Elidibus on the point that both light and darkness can run in excess. My own hypothesis is also that we have a poor understanding of the true nature of either divinity. We may see ourselves working with Arbert, possibly Elidibus and a very slight chance of it being Zodiark.
*When we head to Garlemald, we will find ourselves allying with Varis, who in turn will probably come to work with the Populares. I had thought they might kill him off but as the Eorzean Alliance said, a war of succession would be costly and de-stabilise the Ascians' plans. I don't think they want to incur that risk. They're likelier to imprison him, if the need should arise.
*Elidibus will not die anytime soon, but "Solus" might be destroyed if he pushes too far early in the next expansion.
*We might see a Scion - probably Thancred - lost for good. This could mean as a permanent host for an Ascian, or simply blank inside.
*Magnai finds out his Nhaama was standing right next to him, all along - Daidukul!
All in all, I really enjoyed the patch and the degree to which it showcased how devious the Ascians are. Also really hoping they keep up this new guy's Ardyn vibe! Genuinely impressed by SE exceeding 4.3 in the lore department.
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