Divine intervention

[TheMightyMollusk]

If we take them as if this were a society that should function as a real society would, and people who act as real people would; The religious issue would be secondary. All societies, especially theocracies, are pragmatic about their faith in government. When the fake inquisitor was kicking around some country bumpkins were easily awed and terrified into doing what ever; but now we're talking about the central governing body of the capital.

The problem here is that the church is the government. Look into how much power the Catholic church held over governments in medieval times and you'll see how that works out.

That said; an alternative would have been to have your Patron throw your compatriots on the mercy of the court. After all; the charge was no actually heracy, and the court, aware of the scions actions and the politics of executing them, would have been disinclined to do so. It could have driven the player to learn more about the Ishgard conflict; by having the court enforce a kind of conversion.

It was a kangaroo court to begin with. The word of the knights of the Heavens' Ward is beyond reproach; a trial by combat was literally the only option, because it lays the outcome at the feet of Halone, who is beyond the knights. Lord Edmont pretty much spells it out.

[Zaji_MuaDib]

The problem here is that the church is the government. Look into how much power the Catholic church held over governments in medieval times and you'll see how that works out.

Being something of a nerd; I am at least more verse in medieval politics than a normal healthy person should be. The Catholic church was indeed a political entity like all the others. It played at politics, its ranks were politically relevant, its hierarchy was a means of politics by other powers. Controlling the church or having it on side, was some variation of very important throughout the medieval,and clear into the early industrial era. The point is; the real world inquisitions had more than their fair share of political conveniences; all of them. The Salem witch trials are known for their brutality and rightly so; it was also very common for accusations of witchcraft to be a simple means of humiliating some member of the community by forcing them to confess.

I think my head canon stands up well enough

jokes aside though I found the thread entertaining

Cool

[Katie_Kitty]

Literally No one:

Zaji_MuaDib: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...e-intervention

jokes aside though I found the thread entertaining

[Enkidoh]

There was no political blowback because the whole trial was nothing but a conspiracy to begin with.

It was foreshadowing for later revelations in the story. Thordan was setting up his big "turn into a god-king" Primal plan and the last thing he needed was Eorzea's Eikon Slayer and their meddling Scooby Gang Scion friends snooping around potentially spoiling the whole thing (especially with Lahabrea and Igeyorhm in his ear pulling his strings as well).

But he knew he couldn't just accuse the WoL of heresy as they had barely spent any time in the city (and lets face it, so soon after the Ul'dah debacle, they're not about to go quietly if a bunch of knights tried to arrest them on trumped-up charges.), so no one in the city was going to be that gullible enough to believe such a lie. So he went after the next best thing as he needed it to be credible - Alphinaud and Tataru.

Of course, that then blew up in his face when we thrashed the Heaven's Ward and humilated them in that trial by combat. As far as the court was concerned, it really was divine intervention that we prevailed, but the lack of retaliation from the Heaven's Ward was purely pragmatic. They couldn't retaliate because it would risk exposing the conspiracy, so the Heaven's Ward had to basically sit and stew and lick their wounds for a while as the Archbishop paid lip service to us while

scheming behind the scenes with his erstwhile Ascian flunkies to make his Knights of the Round summoning plan a reality.

[MirronTulaxia]

Makes me happy the Crystal Exarch is one of them.

[Edax]

It's a bad decision, to invoke trial by combat in a matter as sensitive as the scenario presented is.

Choosing to invoke trial by combat would inevitably embarrass a distinguished knight and potentially a high house. The political blow-back of such a thing would not be A small matter for House Forteps. A guile politician as the count is; would never have allowed such a thing; and there was a wasted opportunity for some narrative drama as well. A quest could have been had that simply had the player waiting and maybe reading a book or two, while the count fought the political battle; which you the player are not equipped for :O

"trades will be made" was a line from a previous quest and it could have,had one of its pay offs here. But as it is, we smash and grab.

There's no embarrassment to the Heaven's Ward if Halone alone was responsible for the outcome of the trial by combat.

[Frizze]

Dont be sad. A smile better suits a hero.

[Tlamila]

Dont be sad. A smile better suits a hero.

You're making me cry now. I replayed through that part recently and my, the tears.

[Frizze]

I actually came close to crying typing it out. Everyone gets sad at that part.

[Gula]

I actually came close to crying typing it out. Everyone gets sad at that part.

No, not everyone does. There is nothing that "everyone" agrees on.

If anything- because I'd been spoiled on it because people can't stop talking about it (as in the constant ;_:, F, RIP, omg, muh smile), my reaction was just "Oh so that's what happened."