Thread: The Reasoning behind The Sundering? (*6.0 Endwalker Spoilers*)

Originally Posted by Lurina

In a scene in The Ocular in Shadowbringers, Emet outright says that his own longevity is nothing special, and there was a time when everyone could expect to be able to live as long.

"I do not claim we Ascians are special. That is another misconception. In the beginning, everyone - everyone lived nigh for eternity. Such was the natural order of things."

My point with the Emet-Selch part isn't that he lives for a long time but his ability to cheat death, where he dies but doesn't return to the life stream, doesn't appear to be a normal ancient thing. Also I take a lot of what Emet-Selch says in Shb with a pinch of salt considering the fact that he is actively trying to convince you to switch sides to join him, plus both Shb and Endwalker show Emet has a flare for the dramatic so he's possibly overstating here considering he also said they lived for an age. Two vastly different periods of time.

Edit: Not to say I think the ancients aren't long lived, that's for certain, just that Emet-Selch seems like he likes to be hyperbolic on occasion. Also in the traditional sense that's exactly, what immortality means, that you cannot be killed at all. The Oxford dictionary evens describes it as such,

the state of living or lasting forever