Calamities explained

[SnowVix]

And then there's Zenos...who's a loose cannon with an incredibly strong (and STABLE) artificial Echo, Ascian powers, and his own agenda.

I hadn't even thought of the Zenos factor. He doesn't seem to be keen on helping the Ascians, but he's also definitely keen on hornymurdering the WoL, so he's an entirely separate 3rd side for Elidibus to deal with. Plus with Emet-Selch (and his line) out of the ruling picture (Zenos explicitly stated he had no interest in doing any ruling), Garlemald is not going to be as easily molded by the Ascians any more.

[Naria]

Emet-Selch does state that you don't have to be a shard of one of the original Ascians to be "raised up", just that the process is just easier if you are.

I agree with you and Snow, Elidibus is desperate. It doesn't take a WoL to kill an Ascian, Galuf and Gaius both have shown that. Ardbert and co killed Loghrif and Mitron on the First as well. Emet-Selch's dialogue implied the ascended Ascians were considered somewhat expendable and that it wasn't rare for them to die. If after Lahabrea's death, however, every Ascian that is killed can on longer be replaced it does explain his desperation to kill the WoL and reset the clock as it were. With the WoL's death (and that the Scions) the knowledge that the Scions have gathered on the Asicans would no longer be actionable and would hopefully be lost.

Eli goes from, "hey isn't the WoL interesting with how gifted they are with the Echo" and "we should be on the same side" in the ARR patch story to personally trying kill them in the Stormblood patch story. So whatever changed his attitude had to happen between those two points. From what we know, Lahabrea's death does seem like a good candidate, but since the WoL wasn't the direct culprit it makes me wonder if there is more significance to it beyond simply the death of one of the unsunderd Ascians.

I could be overthinking it though.

[HakkyounoTenshi]

Emet-Selch does state that you don't have to be a shard of one of the original Ascians to be "raised up", just that the process is just easier if you are.

I missed that part. I thought you basically had to be an incarnation (how ever diminished) of an Ascian to be awaked and "raised up" into said Ascian. But what I really meant about Lahabrea and Emet-Selch is that because they survived the Sundering intact, they might not be able to be restored post death because (I think) they exist differently than the other Ascians and I don't know if they can be "raised up" in the manner that the broken ones are.

If after Lahabrea's death, however, every Ascian that is killed can on longer be replaced it does explain his desperation to kill the WoL and reset the clock as it were. With the WoL's death (and that the Scions) the knowledge that the Scions have gathered on the Asicans would no longer be actionable and would hopefully be lost.

It hadn't actually occured to me that with the death of Lahabrea, they might not be able to raise up more Ascians. If you needed all three Unbroken for whatever ceremony/ritual it takes, then the Ascians got screwed (and by Lahabrea's own dumbassery, no less).

It would also explain why Elibius went from "hey, let's work together. I really don't want the world destroyed" (although I do figure that the truce Elidibus was trying to propose was for the dual purpose of trying to confuse and manipulate the Scions as well as keeping the certain Ascians mechanications of some of the other Ascians from going too far) to "WoL must die" Elidibus would be keen on trying to kill the WoL and the Scions to try and reset the board (to go back to my earlier analogy) when he decided that they were too much of a hassle to manipulate the way the he wanted.

[MrThinker]

Nabriales's exact dialogue:

"The Blessing of Light kept you and your fellow meddlers safe. It was that which prevented my kind from entering your domain."

"My kind, I say, though it had no power over the likes of Elidibus and Lahabrea. Being of this world, they could come and go as they please, while I could only look on..."

Maybe it's different in the JP text, but in English it conveys that he's talking about the realm at large.

Remember that Nabriales was already on the Source BEFORE Midgardsormr stripped us of the blessing. It is implied he was the one who taught Ysayle how to summon Shiva, and he is seen after our battle with her observing from a distance.
Not to mention how we first encounter him face to face: He is literally ghosting us in Northern Thanalan and only when we confront him does he notice "Oh, hey you don't have the Blessing of Light anymore. Cool, I can now enter your base and steal magical macguffin exhibit A for my plans."

So even though the English text may seem like it is implying 'world' when it says 'domain', in context, it literally just means 'The place you consider your home".

[Vyrerus]

Remember that Nabriales was already on the Source BEFORE Midgardsormr stripped us of the blessing. It is implied he was the one who taught Ysayle how to summon Shiva, and he is seen after our battle with her observing from a distance.

Judging by what he says, it is possible that Lahabrea gave him a way to come to The Source. In the first cutscene with Moenbryda in Northern Thanalan he says, "I suffered the overweening presence of Lahabrea that men might host the power of gods, only for you to undo my hard work."

It's quite possible, similar to how Elidibus gives Ardbert and co. a method to move from a Shard to the Source that the same is done for Shard based Ascians. Though, honestly, it's all a mess. I still don't know if they're ever gonna mention why Ascians no longer use Crystals of Darkness for body possession and the like.

My assumption is that when we beat Nabriales he restates that he may return everyday, for as long as it takes now that the Blessing is undone. He's also shown to immediately return from the rift in that same cutscene. To reconstitute a body without taking a physical host, even. While it is set within the Rising Stones, why would the building itself reject Ascians because we have The Blessing? By that logic, any building we've been in would be sealed to them, and that is incredibly silly.

[MrThinker]

Judging by what he says, it is possible that Lahabrea gave him a way to come to The Source. In the first cutscene with Moenbryda in Northern Thanalan he says, "I suffered the overweening presence of Lahabrea that men might host the power of gods, only for you to undo my hard work."

It's quite possible, similar to how Elidibus gives Ardbert and co. a method to move from a Shard to the Source that the same is done for Shard based Ascians. Though, honestly, it's all a mess. I still don't know if they're ever gonna mention why Ascians no longer use Crystals of Darkness for body possession and the like.

My assumption is that when we beat Nabriales he restates that he may return everyday, for as long as it takes now that the Blessing is undone. He's also shown to immediately return from the rift in that same cutscene. To reconstitute a body without taking a physical host, even. While it is set within the Rising Stones, why would the building itself reject Ascians because we have The Blessing? By that logic, any building we've been in would be sealed to them, and that is incredibly silly.

See edited statement. Also, suffering "the overweening presence" reads to me as "I needed his help to get my plans realized even if I didnt want his help", rather than "he helped me arrive on this world". As for when he returned after his physical body was killed, that was in his spiritual form, not a physical one, which is why it could be bound to an auracite. As for why the building itself would reject Ascians; it isn't, it is a magical protection set over the building by the Blessing of Light because our character considers it 'home'. Think how Voldemort was unable to kill Harry at the Dursely's because of the magical protection residing over his 'home'.

[Vyrerus]

See edited statement. Also, suffering "the overweening presence" reads to me as "I needed his help to get my plans realized even if I didnt want his help", rather than "he helped me arrive on this world". As for when he returned after his physical body was killed, that was in his spiritual form, not a physical one, which is why it could be bound to an auracite. As for why the building itself would reject Ascians; it isn't, it is a magical protection set over the building by the Blessing of Light because our character considers it 'home'. Think how Voldemort was unable to kill Harry at the Dursely's because of the magical protection residing over his 'home'.

I think you mistake his intent on going to the Rising Stones once he realizes we don't have the Blessing as being that he couldn't access the building... for a thereto unforeseen and never again a plot point reason. It makes much more sense if he realized he could now no longer have to worry about Lahabrea or Elidibus shepherding him into a new body on The Source, and allowing him to take part in their plans. Rather, he could fulfill his own ambitions, which is what he is excited to start doing. He detests Lahabera's presence, because he has to kowtow somewhat, since he's only capable of being on The Source until the seal of the Blessing break by Lahabrea or Elidibus's auspices.

As for his new body being his spirit form, sure but it was something Ascians were said to be unable to do without Crystals of Darkness, manifest a body of any kind.

As for the Harry Potter reference, I don't think that's what was going on here at all.

[MrThinker]

I think you mistake his intent on going to the Rising Stones once he realizes we don't have the Blessing as being that he couldn't access the building... for a thereto unforeseen and never again a plot point reason. It makes much more sense if he realized he could now no longer have to worry about Lahabrea or Elidibus shepherding him into a new body on The Source, and allowing him to take part in their plans. Rather, he could fulfill his own ambitions, which is what he is excited to start doing. He detests Lahabera's presence, because he has to kowtow somewhat, since he's only capable of being on The Source until the seal of the Blessing break by Lahabrea or Elidibus's auspices.

Then by this definition, they could have easily done this during times when a person with the Blessing did not exist, i.e. any time before ARR, because the WoL is literally the only person to have a fully powered Blessing.

As for his new body being his spirit form, sure but it was something Ascians were said to be unable to do without Crystals of Darkness, manifest a body of any kind.

I am certain the crystal of darkness was stated to be to how they possess people, rather than manifest a body of any kind.

As for the Harry Potter reference, I don't think that's what was going on here at all.

And in the end, this is what it comes down to, a matter of interpretation, because nowhere else in the story does it imply that the Blessing prevented the other Ascians from journeying to the Source. Nowhere is it stated that the Ascians relied on Lahabrea and Elidibus on providing them hosts to be funneled into to exist on the Source. We can only hope that the other languages carry a more clear meaning, or that this was answered somewhere else.