So I was going over the information we were given over 5.0 and 5.2 about Amaurot, Hydaelyn and Zodiark, and I suddenly realize that something's wrong about it. All the facts we were given don't add up, and as far as I can tell, the part that kills it hasn't really been talked about, both in-game and among at least the parts of the community I'm involved in.
We know that Zodiark was summoned twice: once in response to the events we saw in the Amaurot dungeon, and another some time later when the original attempt didn't take. Both of these required sacrificing half of the Ancient population on the planet. On top of that, there was a planned third summoning, to sacrifice all the non-Ancient life that somehow sprang up over the time since those two. However, this was thwarted when a portion of the population instead split off and sacrificed themselves to summon Hydaelyn. All three of these summonings took place over the course of one Ancient lifetime (however long that is; it doesn't matter for the sake of this discussion).
So, the entirety of the planet had its population cut to at least a quarter by the end of all that. Two Thanos snaps, except that all of these sacrifices were, to the best of our knowledge, voluntary.
...so why did the Convocation never lose a member to it?
In 5.2 we learned the first Elidibus sacrificed himself to basically become Zodiark's 'pilot', but they also don't really seem to consider him 'dead', and aside from appointing a new Elidibus the lineup doesn't change. They were running this plan for the good of the planet, requiring voluntary sacrifices, why did none of the remaining twelve of them join in that sacrifice? We know it's not that they needed to be there to perform the ritual, because Hydaelyn's summoners sacrificed themselves. Hell, we've seen primals summoned with dying breaths before.
It's entirely possible this will get an explanation, and potentially really soon depending on what happens in 5.3. But I do have a theory, and it's almost painfully simple:
The Convocation didn't actually change after the Sundering and redubbing themselves Ascians. They were always just as awful as we've seen them, they just stopped hiding it.
Their entire plan for a Rejoining, in truth, isn't that different from their Zodiark summoning efforts: sacrifice everybody else beneath them, so that they can continue ruling over their domain. The only difference is that in Amaurot's time, they weren't putting people to the sword to do it. They apparently didn't have to, all of these sacrifices were willing--at least, according to the word of Emet-Selch's Amaurot apparition, created by a man who both would and did brush over the less glorious parts of his story. Regardless, they played nice at the time, acting like everyone else had to make the brave choice--while they themselves coincidentally did not.
When they then had to deal with people who weren't the same as them? Who were beneath them in every way, not just politically? They turned the blades on them. And of course after the Sundering, when they turned from the Convocation to the Ascians, it was open season. Everything is beneath them in every way, so there's no reason not to just take off the mask.
I know 'TL;DR the big bad guys were always big bad guys' isn't necessarily the most elaborate take, but I haven't seen others talk about this.
submitted by /u/Cleretic
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Continue reading...
We know that Zodiark was summoned twice: once in response to the events we saw in the Amaurot dungeon, and another some time later when the original attempt didn't take. Both of these required sacrificing half of the Ancient population on the planet. On top of that, there was a planned third summoning, to sacrifice all the non-Ancient life that somehow sprang up over the time since those two. However, this was thwarted when a portion of the population instead split off and sacrificed themselves to summon Hydaelyn. All three of these summonings took place over the course of one Ancient lifetime (however long that is; it doesn't matter for the sake of this discussion).
So, the entirety of the planet had its population cut to at least a quarter by the end of all that. Two Thanos snaps, except that all of these sacrifices were, to the best of our knowledge, voluntary.
...so why did the Convocation never lose a member to it?
In 5.2 we learned the first Elidibus sacrificed himself to basically become Zodiark's 'pilot', but they also don't really seem to consider him 'dead', and aside from appointing a new Elidibus the lineup doesn't change. They were running this plan for the good of the planet, requiring voluntary sacrifices, why did none of the remaining twelve of them join in that sacrifice? We know it's not that they needed to be there to perform the ritual, because Hydaelyn's summoners sacrificed themselves. Hell, we've seen primals summoned with dying breaths before.
It's entirely possible this will get an explanation, and potentially really soon depending on what happens in 5.3. But I do have a theory, and it's almost painfully simple:
The Convocation didn't actually change after the Sundering and redubbing themselves Ascians. They were always just as awful as we've seen them, they just stopped hiding it.
Their entire plan for a Rejoining, in truth, isn't that different from their Zodiark summoning efforts: sacrifice everybody else beneath them, so that they can continue ruling over their domain. The only difference is that in Amaurot's time, they weren't putting people to the sword to do it. They apparently didn't have to, all of these sacrifices were willing--at least, according to the word of Emet-Selch's Amaurot apparition, created by a man who both would and did brush over the less glorious parts of his story. Regardless, they played nice at the time, acting like everyone else had to make the brave choice--while they themselves coincidentally did not.
When they then had to deal with people who weren't the same as them? Who were beneath them in every way, not just politically? They turned the blades on them. And of course after the Sundering, when they turned from the Convocation to the Ascians, it was open season. Everything is beneath them in every way, so there's no reason not to just take off the mask.
I know 'TL;DR the big bad guys were always big bad guys' isn't necessarily the most elaborate take, but I haven't seen others talk about this.
submitted by /u/Cleretic
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...