Is Zodiark evil?

[LineageRazor]

Assuming he's not already been compromised by a certain Ascian. I enjoy him as a character, so I am hoping even if he is possessed, he'll survive it and return to see the Empire back to more prosperous times. I don't think he simply reserves his distaste for the Ascians, but also for their master, and for Hydaelyn, given his doctrine of putting the reins of history back into man's hands.

It bears repeating: the evidence we have so far indicates that a world where Hydaelyn stands unopposed IS a world where the reins of history are in man's hands. Hydaelyn wishes for her children to walk free, to follow their own destinies. The only times she interferes is in order to oppose the Ascians. It stands to reason that if the Ascians were out of the picture, Hydaelyn would be content to remain behind the scenes, watching, but never interfering with the destiny of humans. (Note: this all assumes that Hydaelyn is NOT a secretly evil deity, and the evidence we have so far is an accurate picture of her as a whole.)

Of course, to a man like Varis, the very existence of a powerful being like Hydaelyn could well be considered intolerable, not for what she WOULD do, but for what she COULD do. It wouldn't surprise me if he felt the need to seek Hy's destruction (or at the very least, the total neutering of her power), just to secure his Empire from the chance that she might change her mind in the future about remaining hands-off. Sadly, there are folks who believe that if they are not the most powerful beings, any being who is more powerful, no matter how innocent or benevolent, must be murdered to ensure their place at the top of the totem pole.

Folks keep straying into the Shin Megami-eque assumption that we have two deities vying for control of humanity - but the deities we have don't really match that profile at all. One deity's desires are completely unknown; Zodiark may not care at all about humanity, and their destruction in order to secure his rebirth is totally irrelevant to him. The other put her children on the world, said "Have fun!" and then butted out, as far as we can tell.