The importance of the 14th and the WOL/WOD future?

[ClaireFaye]

That scene where the WOD was running to awake G’raha from the tower really got me.

I have to admit I was thinking that my WOD was going to pulll a Garnet and keep running for G’raha. As cute as that would have been, I was mentally screaming that you better go back and pick that up because we didn’t spent all that time for you to drop it. So I was relieved to see her run back and get it.

But I can’t help but think about both the WOD and G’raha, and I loved how he was able to accept his younger self. He accepted both his Exarch identity and his younger self which is how he was able to merge his two souls together. He was able to reconnect with who he was before without letting go of the person he became as well as to who he could become in the future. This I felt was a really nice parallel to the WOL/WOD who is starting to reconnect with their Azem identity.

This long pause as the WOL/WOD looked at the crystal before picking it up makes me think that they were still coming to terms with who they were and what that might mean. Does this mean that we will begin a new journey to learn more of the 14th member and their role in what happened so long ago? There are still some questions about the 14th that we still need some answers to like their connection to Hydealyn if they weren’t part of the group who summoned her for example.

To me it was a self-reflection as they looked at the crystal before picking it up. And when they picked it up, it’s like a symbol of their acceptance of who they were, despite not remembering anything of their previous life… as well as that they still have a lot to learn about themselves in the future. But will we be learning more about Azem? What do you all think about the 14th member?

[MrThinker]

As long as we are dealing with the Ascians in some capacity (Fandaniel you kefka-inspired nutcase), and mayhaps the "Noise" that started the entire tragedy, I'd say learning more about Azem remains a distinct possibility. Of course I can't predict what Yoshida or the writers want to do.

[Vyrerus]

I think it may be a plot point that Fandango will use to make us unsure of ourselves later on. It also sets up a nice parallel there. Zenos notwithstanding, Fandango is a sundered version of their past self. We're the same, in that regard. I'm sure he'll at least ask us if it's really our will that we're beholden to the past.

Time to answer the question for real now, the one Aymeric asked us before we were interrupted to go check on Alisaie back in 3.4. What do we want for ourselves?

[Sorimachi87]

I really hope the writers have something really nice and good in store for our character reconnecting with the Azem identity

[Kesey]

Wait, I've played this final fantasy before!

This only ends one way, we as the representatives of humankind defend the choice of freewill and metaphorically strike down the gods (Hydaelyn and Zodiark--who are both primals) to liberate humankind from the existential threat they represent.

Right, so we, the primal slayer of primal slayers, will have to kill Hydaelyn and Zodiark.

[ObsidianFire]

In the cutscene where we get our Crystal out and summon the rest of our party members to use to fight the primal WoL, we hear the memory stored in our stone by the person who made it. Who is probably Emet-Selch.

Herein I commit the chronicle of the traveler, Shepard to the stars in the dark.
Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow.
For yours in the Fourteenth seat - the seat of Azem.

One thing to note is that the sundering is mentioned. So it seems that our memory stone was made after the Sundering. And... I really have to wonder what Azem was doing between Hydaelyn getting summoned and the world getting sundered.

We seem to have a repository of memories about Azem... and we ourselves can see the past from objects. So I think we are very much being set up to see what Azem was doing back in the Last Days of Amarot and in the days before the Sundering.

[Deusteele]

Our WoL/D will continue to do what Azem has always done, is doing, and will continue to do. Walk the world, finding problems and helping to solve them. Whether for gold, fame, or the joy of adventure, Azem's soul will find friends and compatriots and have wild adventures for their own sake.

This only ends one way, we as the representatives of humankind defend the choice of freewill and metaphorically strike down the gods (Hydaelyn and Zodiark--who are both primals) to liberate humankind from the existential threat they represent.

While I don't doubt that Hydealyn will cease to be after our final showdown with Zodiark. It's easy to forget that Hydealyn already wants history in the hands of man, she is wholly willing to live and let live, which is why she continues to empower Azem's soul and his friends across shards and time. Ascians put their thumbs on the scale and try force the lesser races to do their bidding. This reduction in freedom irks Azem and Hydealyn both, so even thought Azem didn't join in the creation of Hydaelyn, she views Azem as kindred and helps them.

[MrThinker]

In the cutscene where we get our Crystal out and summon the rest of our party members to use to fight the primal WoL, we hear the memory stored in our stone by the person who made it. Who is probably Emet-Selch.One thing to note is that the sundering is mentioned. So it seems that our memory stone was made after the Sundering. And... I really have to wonder what Azem was doing between Hydaelyn getting summoned and the world getting sundered.

We seem to have a repository of memories about Azem... and we ourselves can see the past from objects. So I think we are very much being set up to see what Azem was doing back in the Last Days of Amarot and in the days before the Sundering.

So something I feel gets missed a lot, or misinterpreted, is the idea that Convocation made the constellation stones for themselves, i.e. Fandaniel made Fandaniel's stone, etc. (not saying you had this view, your quote just reminded me of the point) What we are actually told is that the unsundered made those crystals and imbued them with the memories of the individual in question as they remembered them. This reads to me that Elidibus, Lahabrea and Emet-Selch made all of the crystals after the Sundering, and because the memories in the crystal are their own and not of the convocation member in question, they would be 'second-hand" to borrow a certain Fandango's wording.
i.e. Fandaniel's crystal contained Emet-Selch's memories of Fandaniel, rather than Fandaniel's own memory.

[Alien_Gamer]

I think 7.0 will handle the final confrontation of Hydaelyn and Zodiark then 8.0 will transition to us becoming Azem, not a god or ancient, but the embodiment of the wanderer to fix the wrongs in the world. Effectively what we were in 2.0 without knowing it, it will be us coming full circle and stepping into our own as our own person and not a pawn of the original primals. We'll still be mopping up the remains of the ascians and their plans, cleaning up the fallout of the fight and trying to sort out the power vaccuum that will likely be left in garlemald. Plenty of story fodder for another few expacs.

[Kallera]

I think 7.0 will handle the final confrontation of Hydaelyn and Zodiark then 8.0 will transition to us becoming Azem, not a god or ancient, but the embodiment of the wanderer to fix the wrongs in the world. Effectively what we were in 2.0 without knowing it, it will be us coming full circle and stepping into our own as our own person and not a pawn of the original primals. We'll still be mopping up the remains of the ascians and their plans, cleaning up the fallout of the fight and trying to sort out the power vaccuum that will likely be left in garlemald. Plenty of story fodder for another few expacs.

Essentially us being ‘the one true god’ upon Hydaelyn.