(04-20-2014, 04:45 PM)JFrombaugh Wrote:(04-20-2014, 05:53 AM)Spiritual Machine Wrote: Strange to count Ul'dah's politics as a mark against Thaumaturgy, as they are only tangentially related to one another.
Also, doesn't Sylphie's story turn out very well at the end with the help of the Padjal? And is it so bad to discover that Padjal are people as well, and suffer moments of weakness and fallibility?
I suppose if this is about choosing a magical discipline for a character to pursue, minor trifles of politics and disagreements in practice only seem relevant if the character's intent is to remain a devotee to the guild and home nation. But as you said before, your character is casting their lot in with the Scions, so why do these issues matter? If anything, they're all the more reason to do so.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, Miranda is not 100% "free" in that she would not willingly violate any law or contract when she felt like it, the way some Adventurers presumably would. However, she is still fairly independent-minded and emotionally sensitive by nature, and one of her core beliefs is that respect is not something that should have to be earned.
I guess you could make the argument that Miranda has unrealistic expectations of the world as a whole (and that could be considered one of her flaws), but the fact remains that Raya-O-Senna loses her cool and verbally manhandles her poor Moggle minions AFTER she had already warned you that you must always control your negative emotions so as not to misuse White Magic as in the past. I think Miranda would catch onto this and sever all ties with those two Padjal after the cleansing ritual is complete, thus possibly incurring the wrath of the elementals, getting exiled from Gridania, or both.
Working with the beastmen BLMs and in turn realizing that not all beastmen are bad, on the other hand, would likely be a pleasant surprise for Miranda, and it would fit her independent outcast persona. What I meant was that I thought the Thaumaturges' Guild represented both aspects of Nald'thal, and consequently they answered more to the Syndicate than to Thal (thus why Ququruka refers to them as "heretics").
Well, by that interpretation, the Arcanist's Guild is just as politically motivated as any of the others. Its members are just as prone to moments of weakness and hypocrisy, as well:
There really isn't a disadvantage to a character eventually disagreeing with the principles of these guilds and leaving, though. In fact, all the more reason to join the Scions, right? Adventurers do not violate the tenets of these guilds by continuing to adventure and leaving the guild behind, because when you hit level 30, the guild pretty much dismisses you to travel the world and do your own independent study and practice.
I don't even think that there is an expectation of the player character to remain devoted solely to the cause of the forest in the White Mage questline. Though I seriously doubt that any roleplay character would go through the same experiences as the hero character does in that case (let alone be invited to learn White Magic by a Padjal), so I think the example is moot.
