What are the gods for?

[Cleretic]

Unfortunately we have some constancy in the FFXIV lore: monarchy is bad, a republic of equals is better and democracy above all (Ul'dah attempt, Ishgard, Ala Mhigo...), such fact makes me apprehensive about Myths of the Realm conclusion.

Not quite. Or rather, generally correct but the mindset at play is that things are rarely that simple. Democracy's great and especially appealing to a country trying to distance itself from an unequal past, but there's perfectly understandable reasons why a country either wouldn't pursue it at all (see: Doma generally liking Hien's leadership), would fail to transition into it (see: Ul'dah's Syndicate clinging to power), or would reject it once they have it (see: Garlemald embracing authoritarianism, although I still have problems with this one). And even when you have democracy, let's not pretend that it doesn't have any problems (see: Sharlayan).

I'd generally summarize FFXIV's outlook politically as 'overthrowing a terrible government is good, but you'd better have a good plan and alternative'. And this generally only crosses over with its approach on religion--which I've mentioned I mostly really like and respect--in cases of theocracies like Gridania and Ishgard.

[aveyond-dreams]

As of patch 6.3 the Twelve are little more than a continuation of "See?? Hydaelyn IS good!!" writing that's been sprinkled everywhere after the base 6.0 MSQ. An unimpressive pantheon that did nothing for 12k years that factor in very little in the grand scheme of things, especially considering the state of this game's afterlife lore.

There's no redeeming the witch who massacred her own kind let alone the summoners who were complicit in it. That they got to live on as gods while the Convocation was vilified and picked off one by one is an outrage.

[Necrotica]

It is interesting how they make religion both fake and real at the same time. Sure they exist, but there seems to be no such thing as a 'real' god. A being of supreme power that creates followers and guides, protects, and punishes them as he wills.

It is always the gods as a creation of man.

[sidurgu-12]

It is interesting how they make religion both fake and real at the same time. Sure they exist, but there seems to be no such thing as a 'real' god. A being of supreme power that creates followers and guides, protects, and punishes them as he wills.

It is always the gods as a creation of man.

Which makes sense since in japan anything can be diefied. Then again even in japan there are o-kami which are (iirc) great gods.

[Thighland]

I really hope the Twelve don't disappear after the Alliance Raids are over.
Would be such a waste of potentially interesting characters.

But since they are kind of bound to Hydaelyn, they might fade away just like her.

[sidurgu-12]

I really hope the Twelve don't disappear after the Alliance Raids are over.
Would be such a waste of potentially interesting characters.

But since they are kind of bound to Hydaelyn, they might fade away just like her.

Another way to look at is since prayer helps shape them it could sustain them too.

[AlexionSkyllark]

I really hope the Twelve don't disappear after the Alliance Raids are over.
Would be such a waste of potentially interesting characters.

But since they are kind of bound to Hydaelyn, they might fade away just like her.

Ever since I read that "endured by the will of the star" phrase, I can't stop thinking about this. When Krile said "We all know too well who's that - Hydaelyn" I said out loud in my room "BUT HYDAELYN IS DEAD SO..."

Yeah. There's a part of me that's not small thinking the whole trial thing is the gods wishing to go out with a bang, doing battle with the already mythical hero who's easily the strongest person to have ever lived, having one last fun, before fading away into the Aetherial Sea.

I'll be sad as HELL tho if this happens. As an Ishgard simp, I reallly don't want their goddess to die

[Necrotica]

I really hope the Twelve don't disappear after the Alliance Raids are over.
Would be such a waste of potentially interesting characters.

But since they are kind of bound to Hydaelyn, they might fade away just like her.

It think they might leave but nothing is stopping us from summoning copies when we feel like it.

[ICountFrom0]

I just had an odd idea.

Lets add this all together.

What if:

Lets take as a given that the gods of the realm, including the unspoken one, are members of the group that created hydalyn.

On our world we have one of them as the nameless. Watching over all.

What if every reflection had a different one as the nameless watching over all?

Mostly I just want to know... who then was the one who was fated to watch over 13, and thus can have the finger wiggled at them for failing.

Also, an even crazier idea. What if only the person on overwatch is the only one of them that's real and fully aware, the rest that are worshiped are impressions, shades, able to be changed by worship. The one on overwatch is unsundered, fully able to be themselves. Course, by having one unsundered on each shard, that's WHY there's only echoes of the others.

[shadowclasper]

So the latest raid seems to imp,y the gods are around to moderate and control the flow of aether much as the ancients once did, perhaps to help moderate things despite a weakened zodiatk who was supposed to be doing that.

Leave him to keep the dynamic out while they handle all the spot gaps and functions of the world perhaps