Quote Originally Posted by Lauront View Post
No, Garlean purebloods are a distinctive race in their own right.

You will note the opening they left there that can very easily be exploited without any retcons.
Saying "but the lore left an opening" still doesn't change the fact that:
- They're all portrayed by midlanders or elezen with a pearl in their head and will likely continue to be so in EW when we inevitably bump into larger numbers of them unless there's a surprise brand new body for everyone.
- They're not visually distinctive enough to have their own playable race and Yoshi-P has already stated that he wants to do things that are different.
- Male viera were made on the side, with female hrothgar coming "later" and both are said to be the last we'll get. Even after getting their missing genders, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who says that they're "whole" considering the state they're still in.
- It makes no sense in the context of the story for a Garlean to be welcomed by everyone they meet before they're a hero.