Rewritten MSQ - Garlemald and EW

[Skyborne]

My condolences, it seems like this thread got linked on some sort of discord. Man with pizza walking into a flaming room.gif moment.

Thank you all for your comments! Though this thread has gone in...directions...I do still want to know what felt handled properly and what parts felt weak? Also to expand upon a previous critique:

I haven't gotten around to reading the whole thing in detail and absorb it all, but it's already better thanks to being able to actually explore Ilsaberd. I also like the Svetlana idea, as I've found it kind of baffling at how the women of the Galvus family have been... nonexistent in the story.

This would be a prime opportunity for Alphinaud to pitch the tired idea of a democracy again only for Al-Cid to laugh in his face and lambast him for trying to upend the political system the region has yearned for a return for the past several decades.

I lolled.

Personally, and this is my own taste, I would've removed timetravel entirely and have had instead use our Echo to peer into the past to find out all of this. Also, having the sundered Ascians show up to help us out -- I wouldn't blame you if you forgot about them, it seems like the writers did too. Venat, I think, works plenty well as a 'villain with good intentions' in the game as is without the narrative propping her up, but her motivations could've been elaborated on instead of being a weird confused mess of a generic 'she loves you!' support blob.

Overall I like it more than what we got already, if only because it's trying to tell a fantasy/adventure story first and foremost with a message of hope, rather than insisting on cramming the themes down my gullet like a baby bird. While 13 was not my favorite FF, I liked the Nautilus segment and what the Revelgrounds is going for... it made for more natural tension-relief moments.

I'll edit in more as more comes to mind...