(6.X Spoilers/Theory) Future WOL Content - Everything’s Coming Up…

[Shookbeast]

Perhaps the Twelve were the ancient companions/friends of Azem (the one before Venat maybe?)

It surely seems connected with the Ancients, there are some similarities in the "spirals" structures on the roofs at the Phantom Realm!

I’m definitely down with the 12 predating the Ancients. That would be fascinating. But I also like this idea that the 12 were Azem’s “Scions.” That could lead to some interesting story ideas down the road if we do travel back in time to become Azem. Sort of like Argos - we’re meeting people “after” they met us…

[Cleretic]

I still think it's plausible that the Twelve are related to the Ancients, but I think more plausible than any other angle is that they're somehow connected to Venat's crew more than anything else. That might provide an explanation for why Azeyma and Venat have the same voice actor beyond 'well she's got the right voice and we're paying her for voice work right now'.

Everyone else's voice actors are kinda muddy (I've seen a lot of people try to read things into Nald'thal's voice actors without anyone even being on the same page about who those voice actors are), but Azeyma and Venat sharing a VA is pretty clear. At least, in English; for that to be admissable evidence then every single language would've needed to cast their Venat as Azeyma as well.

[Rulakir]

Is it confirmed it's the same VA? Comparing Azeyma to Hydaelyn, they don't sound the same to me. Even if it is the same VA (several of them voice multiple characters unrelated to one another) if Azeyma is supposed to be Venat I'd think she should sound more like Hydaelyn than she does.

Hard to say for sure since I can't find the voices separate from raid videos with too loud music and combat noises. Someone on Reddit said Nald'Thal is Hythlodaeus & Emet's VAs, if he ends up being a combination of them you'll never see someone change their patron deity so fast. :P

[Cleretic]

Is it confirmed it's the same VA? Comparing Azeyma to Hydaelyn, they don't sound the same to me. Even if it is the same VA (several of them voice multiple characters unrelated to one another) if Azeyma is supposed to be Venat I'd think she should sound more like Hydaelyn than she does.

Hard to say for sure since I can't find the voices separate from raid videos with too loud music and combat noises. Someone on Reddit said Nald'Thal is Hythlodaeus & Emet's VAs, if he ends up being a combination of them you'll never see someone change their patron deity so fast. :P

Nope. No confirmed VAs at all in any language, and I have heard at least two names attributed for every single one. Azeyma being Venat has been the most consistent, but I've also heard Y'shtola--or rather, that she sounds like Titania (who Robyn Addison also voiced) without the Welsh accent. Some people declare Nald'thal to be Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus; others claim Fandaniel and G'raha Tia.

Rhalgr and Byregot don't really have anyone spinning interesting theories for, but Byregot also seems like the biggest enigma because nobody's really confident at all about who that might be. Best guess I've heard was maybe Vauthry's VA--which would throw any theories of parallel voices out the window, because Vauthry doesn't make a clean parallel for any of the groups people are drawing.

But chances are, they just got people they already had on contract to lay down a half-dozen extra lines and didn't actually do any greater casting deliberations than that. We're only gonna hear these characters barking out combat lines in one fight each; why hire someone entirely new to do those, when you could just ask the guy already in the booth to lay down some lines for 'basically Odin'? Wouldn't even be the first time; Gosetsu's VA voices Vrtra and Urianger's voices Susano, I don't really think anyone's drawing up theory boards about that.

[Kesey]

There is a book in the restricted library part of the msq that claims if a primal is summoned to be a 'god' they would always believe they are a 'god' even if they are a primal.

Not sure if this is meant to through us off the answer here, but this would point to the fat that their adamant claim to be 'gods' is proof perfect they are primals.

[sidurgu-12]

There is a book in the restricted library part of the msq that claims if a primal is summoned to be a 'god' they would always believe they are a 'god' even if they are a primal.

Not sure if this is meant to through us off the answer here, but this would point to the fat that their adamant claim to be 'gods' is proof perfect they are primals.

i thought it was talking about Alexander since it kept bringing up "knowing everything".

edit: also i dont think this could be seen as perfect evidence for primals since you can accuse auspices and, heck, just about anything with that and thered be no way of defending against it.

[Denishia]

I'm torn between which suggestion I like more - the use of minions and denial of being primals to mean that the Twelve are funky auspices (which I'd like for that to be used in something that isn't the Four Lords or one holiday quest) or that the very brushed-over right now Amaroutine architectural spiral on the gate seals and thus their obvious connection to something Ancient is that they are actually something from early or pre-'contemporary' Ancient society, because that society feels very shallow, incomplete, and unrealistic when it comes to what the lives of its average citizens were and culture beyond 'contribute creations to our review board and then after you've created enough content for our game, rejoin the planet', if their country/city-state/nation? shared the planet with anyone else (or was even native to Etheirys), and their history, so it'd be nice if we're stuck having to go back to the Ancients for lore, that it explores a new facet of their timeline. Just like how Allag gets the lion's share of focus when it comes to Eorzea's past civilizations, and not only that but Allagan history is almost always focused on the last 50 years instead of the centuries before.

But my first theory entering the raid, because of the emphasis on the 6 elements, is that the whatever the Twelve ties to elementals and that their origins are/were as the most powerful versions of the sprites we encounter everywhere.

[Jandor]

-We’ve got Y’shtola wanting to hop between shards as a driving plot point. That’s an easy way for us to “collect them all” when it comes to remaining Azem shards.

<snip>

Maybe Azem shard collection will be a big part of the next expansion - or maybe we’re starting it right now…

Why would we even want to collect them all though?

[Shookbeast]

Why would we even want to collect them all though?

I’m not sure, but I imagine the writers have some compelling ideas (:

My suspicion is that each shard we collect is gonna be sort of through happenstance. I don’t think it’s our personal want (as players or characters) to collect shards - but more a “story want” that the writers are pointing toward. In order to get us to a final destination where we eventually become Azem, our character will need to pick up and absorb the Azem shards. The Azem shards (and shards in general) were only introduced as a mechanic because there is intent to use them later on in gameplay. Otherwise why even make “shards” the high concept for your story? They’re in the story because we’ll use them at some point.

The planetary shards seem most likely to be used for expansion/gameplay mechanics. The writers can use them to make up new environments and tell stories about new characters.

The Azem shards (and on a grander level, any people shards) are placed there by the writers to collect. No other reason to introduce them in a story. They’re “Chekhov’s shards.” We’re likely gonna do something with them at some point.

If the writers end up deciding not to go down the route of “we’re Azem because time travel reasons” then I could see the shards of Azem being used more like Ardbert - as a contrast to our character. We’ll meet other people in future expansions who are both likes us, and not us.

But if the true endgame really is that “we are the actual Azem but just don’t know it yet (because time travel)” then it seems very likely we’ve got a lot of shard collecting to get done (but honestly, not that much).

[Shookbeast]

If we become Azem, would that mean our endgame is to get sundered which eventually results in WoL-us who collects all the other Azem shards and goes back in time to become Azem and get sundered and...

Kinda weird, but I guess Mide and the other dude going back in time to become their own ancestors in Alexander is a similar time loop situation.

Yeah, I’m thinking something the same too. For the writers it might be an elegant way to end the MSQ for our WOL - so we’re talking many expansions down the road - with us basically looping back to where we started the game (maybe).

But since the Sundering is a sort of a tragedy, I could also see the writers cook up a plot line that lets us somehow reverse/prevent/alter the Sundering, while also keeping our own timeline (and friends) intact. My guess is something like that would involve Alexander - our giant time traveling city waiting in the wings.

To save both the reflections as well as the pre-sundered world - all in one attempt - that sounds like a job for a hero…