Garlemald's situation. (Spoilers 6.55)

[Pimsan20]

Just saw a video of one of the FF XIV lore channel, explaining the situation and the potential that Garlemald could be invaded or attack by one of the civilizations that they either conquered or not.

Wuk Lamat mentioned one of her brothers wanted to conquering Garlemald, showing that the civilization and it's people are still in danger because of the deeds they have done. And even if the scions and we, the warriors of light try to stop this, that doesn't mean Wuk Lamat's brother will be the last, since a lot of people would see the Garleans burn.

So i wonder if in Dawntrail and maybe other expansion will show us if this would happen. Since Garlemald is in a weakens sate and the source has suffered 60/70 years under the Galrean's yolk, i wouldn't be surprise if they would attack them out of hatred and demanding justice and revenge of what the Garlemald has done to them.

[Tsiron]

As cathartic as that would be, the fact we'd then be forced to jump to their defense makes me hope that never ends up being the case

[Pimsan20]

I think that will be the field operation in Dawntrail. Just something out the top of my head, but it would make sense if you have Garlemald's situation.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

I took that part to mean that with the Garleans out of the way, Eorzea is free to conquer. Not that they were gonna march through several Eorzean city-states to go attack a barren ice field of civilians huddled in a train station.

[Cleretic]

I disagree with Scribe about that being on the table. I think it's possible, but only in the sense that, like, it's also possible that Ishgard could invade the Thanalan; yes, people are in position to, but doing so would require a will that I just don't think is there. A big part of Garlean history is that Garlemald is where it is because they were bullied off into the ass-end of nowhere thanks to resource scrambles, but the fact that they're in the ass-end of nowhere means that they don't really have a lot of tactical value to anyone else. Sure, they've got ceruleum, but they're also the only nation that really wants ceruleum enough to go kill for it. Much more likely is that they'll start trading with it with more niche interested parties like the Skysteel Manufactory than, like, Bozja deciding 'let's take their magic-oil'.

That only really leaves the motivation of raw vengeance, and... honestly, that's just not really how war politics works. Sure, wars can be drawn out longer out of emotions like that, and we've definitely got in-setting examples of that, but actually getting into a war in the first place out of vengeance, that's just... not really a popular or smart move in the real world or XIV's. Certainly, none of the leaders we've met are the type to do that (especially since most of them are at least generally familiar with why the Dragonsong War sucked), and nothing we've really heard about unseen occupied lands suggests they are either. Hell, remember that Locus Amoenus is still calling itself Locus Amoenus; there's not even will to change their name back, why would there be will to mobilize a 'Kick 'Em While They're Down' war?

All of these thoughts that Garlemald could get attacked are actually falling more into the rhetoric that Solus Galvus and his faithful weaved to justify their imperialism in the first place; that everyone around Garlemald are just inherently bullies, that they had to swing first because the notion that someone else would take from them was inevitable. And not only do I not think that any in-universe country we're aware of is that cruel or vindictive, I also don't think that we're playing a game that would do that.

The exception is the Turalian warmonger, but like Silvermoon said, I think that's more just seeing land ripe to conquer in general rather than specifically wanting Garlemald. I also think we're gonna put a stop to that before he gets to even set any boats out to sea.

[Eisi]

This is the sort of story that Endwalker (or rather the expansion that should have been the first part of Endwalker) should have already told, one in which the Eorzean Alliance doesn't march into Garlemald on their own but as part of an international effort that would include representatives of Garlemald's former satellites, some of which would absolutely want to see every last Garlean responsible for upholding the system at a stake.

[Vallavia]

If I were a conquered nation that suffered under Garlean occupation for 15-50 years, my chief concern would be making absolute certain that they weren't just going to resupply and conquer me right back. Besides, as others have mentioned, there's no real strategic value to any of the few territories that the Garleans have left, and nobody in Ilsabard is likely to have the military resources at this juncture to launch a campaign of vengeance outside of maybe Landis which was largely content under Garlean rule.

This is the sort of story that Endwalker (or rather the expansion that should have been the first part of Endwalker) should have already told, one in which the Eorzean Alliance doesn't march into Garlemald on their own but as part of an international effort that would include representatives of Garlemald's former satellites, some of which would absolutely want to see every last Garlean responsible for upholding the system at a stake.

While I'm willing to concede the Warrior of Light being an unfailing paragon of altruism, it is still, to this day, extremely frustrating that any internal division among the Alliance regarding the fate of the empire is glossed over by the narrative and that very few of the people who suffered the most under imperial oppression have any involvement in the resolution of that arc. Yes, somebody needs to stop the cycle of revenge that fueled Garlemald's unceasing engine of perpetual retribution against everyone and no one in particular, but it seems like a huge cop-out for everyone to just agree that they've suffered enough and that nobody is to be held for account for the atrocities that were committed in the name of Garlean imperialism that they still wholeheartedly believe in.

I also loathed the self-effacing "maybe we are the bloodthirsty conquerors" angle for the Alliance, who just showed up with only the absolute best of intentions to literally save all life on Etheirys from certain doom. It would certainly have been a better beat to play at the conclusion of a long campaign winding northward through Ilsabard than one where we simply materialize at Fandaniel's doorstep. Showing Garleans in that arc with a greater diversity of opinion than all being unfaltering nationalist sycophants might help too.

[RavLandslide]

This is the sort of story that Endwalker (or rather the expansion that should have been the first part of Endwalker) should have already told, one in which the Eorzean Alliance doesn't march into Garlemald on their own but as part of an international effort that would include representatives of Garlemald's former satellites, some of which would absolutely want to see every last Garlean responsible for upholding the system at a stake.

Maybe then the writers would've realized how weird it is to keep the former, warmongering, xenophobic, racist politicians in power, instead of replacing them with people that don't openly admit that they'd start conquering again if they had the chance...

[Vyrerus]

It's more like they took a page out of the Star Wars Expanded Universe play book. Garlemald was the devil we know (Galactic Empire led by Palpatine). Potential other conquerors from across the sea are the devil we don't (Yuuzhan Vong).

It's basically the setting itself telling us that Garlemald was such a big deal that the three continents we're on were seen as their territory more or less, even the nations that weren't directly under their yoke. To encroach even on Eorzea would be to draw the attention of their empire, so nobody wanted to step up to them from across the pond.

Now though, with word of the Empire's demise afoot... Every tract of land is seen as individuals, I guess. The Eorzean Alliance is relatively new and is actually not even that big. Remember, even though the Eorzeans are all bad asses, they never fought the full might of Garlemald. Only one legion at a time via narrative reasons, and even in the apocalyptic 8UC timeline, it was Blackrose that did the majority of killing the empire (by design).

If the 4th successor-"elect" were to invade, it would not be to take Garlemald or their ceruleum. It would be to take advantage of the lack of unified military might that could stand against him. Military might, need I remind you, that had highly advanced magitek to the point of making individual ultima weapons, aerial dreadnaughts the size of small cities, and individual powersuits capable of empowering any man to be as mighty as some of the strongest aetherial manipulating peoples (seen with Nero's, Soranus sisters, etc. suits).

I'd imagine that even if Tural's forces aren't the size of Old Garelmald's that they're still a bigger force than Eorzea's.

[Mayhemmer]

The exception is the Turalian warmonger, but like Silvermoon said, I think that's more just seeing land ripe to conquer in general rather than specifically wanting Garlemald. I also think we're gonna put a stop to that before he gets to even set any boats out to sea.

I really, really do hope this plot point gets done away with rather quickly, as it's one I just don't have any interest in whatsoever, and don't think is very interesting or substantial. I'd like for our motivation for opposing a would-be warmonger to be a little more immediately substantial to Dawntrail, if that makes sense. Not that I think that itself is going to be the driving force for longer than a handful of quests, mind, but I'd rather just distance myself from Garlemald as a whole, personally.