(06-07-2017, 09:05 PM)V Wrote:(06-07-2017, 03:14 PM)Graeham Wrote: Garlemald ends up becoming more justified
I'm genuinely curious as to what it would take to make an unapologetically genocidal, aggressively expansionist empire that utilizes chattel slavery "more justified".
Shades of grey, which exist unless you willingly choose to ignore the passages in the Encyclopedia Eorzea detailing the reasons behind Garlemald's rise to prominence in the first place. There's also the simple fact that both Gaius and Regula have been painted as very nuanced. The latter even going so far as to sacrifice himself to aid the Warrior of Light and some of his closest allies.
They're very much a case of well intentioned extremists, defending their own interests above all else - which is something equally applicable to many countries in the real world throughout history. In particular, this is the case with the Roman Empire - which to this very day influences much of the world's culture in terms of art, language, theatre and architecture. The same can be said of the British Empire as well and there's parallels/influence drawn from both where Garlemald is concerned.
Does this mean that Garlemald is completely justified? Not at all, there's a lot that needs to change and the rot needs to be cut out. All the same, there's already evidence of factions within Garlemald that desired a more diplomatic approach and a lack of over-extension. I doubt we've heard of the last of them, even if they were supposedly purged.
There's also the Archadian Empire in FFXII, which will hopefully serve as heavy inspiration for a redeemed Garlemald moving forward once we start heading deeper into their territory and seeing things from their perspective. Given the abundance of references to FFXII in the game already, though, I'm fairly confident that they'll go down that route at some point - it's but a matter of when.
Ishgard wasn't exactly shown in flattering light but they still managed to add many shades of grey to the place. Heck, they've even added shades of grey to the Ascians, particularly Elidibus. Plus the lyrics of the Revolutions song strongly imply that war has a heavy cost and that there's two sides to every story.
