#Headcanon Subject: Rosarian Politics

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I don't remember if I've made a headcanon post about this before, but I'll make this one regardless because it's been rattling around in my brain thanks to drafts.

I have the habit of talking about the state of Rosaria, both before and after The Night of Flames, in pretty general, broad strokes. But the situation there is not in the least bit black and white. The game itself does, at times, lean towards an, "Elwin good, Anabella bad" perspective in the narrative, but that isn't representative of the views of all of Rosaria, and I don't believe it's intended to be that -- rather, it's the views of those who support Elwin and how things were under his rule, or at the very least who disagree with Anabella's rule and the way the nation has become under Imperial control.

We're introduced mainly to characters who lean in one direction, and few to none who lean in the other direction; however, those people do very much exist.

As we see with Clive and Jill after the first timeskip, and as was also the case with Cid, those who fight for change are well aware that there will be backlash. There's backlash from those who disagree with their mentality, there's backlash from those who don't follow in the belief that discomfort in the "now" is necessary for a better future. There's backlash. Not everyone is going to be on-board with what's going on, with these radical movements, and that's to be expected. I'd imagine Elwin, too, knew and understood this, and like the others, chose to push on regardless -- no matter the risk to himself.

A good example is what took place at Phoenix Gate; my headcanon for that is that the ducal soldiers who betrayed him weren't swayed by Anabella, at least not entirely. She was able to sway them because they were among the number of citizens who disagreed with Elwin's decisions and goals, providing the perfect opportunity for them to get rid of him. My headcanon for their train of thought is that without the influence of Elwin and Clive in Joshua's life, Joshua was so young that he would have made for the perfect puppet to rule in Elwin's stead -- on the assumption that he would be impressionable enough to be molded by Anabella into ruling the way that she -- and they -- wanted for Rosaria. (Since Joshua was never intended to die during The Night of Flames, he would have taken the throne following Elwin's death, and blah blah blah.)

But even if the canonical Elwin didn't factor in the number of enemies he had(though his will does suggest that he did), mine sure does. He always has been aware of the target he's painted on his own back with his views and goals. He knows that those who oppose him aren't limited only to the nobility, either; there are also plenty of common citizens who do as well, for one reason or another. He knows that with those who favor the structure of their society and the power and comfortableness that comes from it, or who envision a "better" Rosaria that conflicts with Elwin's goals and beliefs(because even in terms of politics, he is, at the end of the day, one who prioritizes defending what Rosaria has, rather than taking more from others), his plans for reform are going to gain him their ire. Because yes, for a society that profits heavily off of the slavery of a particular group of people, he is asking them to give up their comforts, their lifestyles, the benefits they gain from putting these slaves to use, in favor of a better future that they themselves will likely not be alive to see(or may not even agree with).

Weaning Rosaria off of its reliance upon magic, overhauling their governmental systems, researching things like medical aid for Bearers afflicted by the Curse and building universities dedicated towards developing technologies that will replace the usage of magic, even finding ways to halt the Blight and restore land that has been drained of every drop of aether -- these, along with everything else Elwin had planned, will take resources and time.

Change of this magnitude is not going to be a smooth, effortless, easy transition. It's not reasonable to expect it to be. Rosaria is, essentially, being dismantled, in order to be built back up brick by brick into a new Rosaria. But that is not something that can be accomplished in a night, or even a handful of years. Elwin knows that these radical changes will not be finished during his lifetime, and so he entrusts Clive and Joshua to continue where he leaves off when he dies, so that they in turn can keep the wheels of change moving, and so on across generations.

Again, that parallel I always love making between Elwin and The Founder.

Just like in the tale of The Founder, there are going to be those who will see what they're doing and join in, and there are going to be those who scoff at their work or disagree with their efforts. But just like in the tale of The Founder, they keep going regardless. Elwin keeps going despite the backlash, because he believes that the hardships and struggles will be more than worth it in the end.

Even when it comes to Miles, he isn't fool enough to think that everyone in Rosaria is anti-Anabella and anti-Sanbreque. The political climate, same as the perspectives of Rosaria's people, are not that black and white. This is amplified by the fact that while there are still those who had already been rejecting Elwin's ideals, there are now others who oppose those ideals because of the harsh climate that Anabella has fostered with her own rule. Entire villages are being slaughtered by Anabella's Black Shields for a mere thought or rumor that they might be loyal to Elwin and how the duchy had been, or that they sympathize with or harbor runaway Bearers. You have Auldhyl, where its people had been slaughtered and strung up as a warning to those who might oppose Anabella's Rosaria. You have Eastpool, where royal Bearers and Bearers from Rosalith had fled in hopes of sanctuary, where everyone was killed and everything destroyed, despite Eastpool being a key source of providing goods for Rosaria itself and for trade purposes. All because they could no longer afford to care for themselves under the strain of also caring for the refugee Bearers, and the village leader reached out to the authorities for them to come and take the Bearers away.

When Clive and Jill, before then, first happen across a small village that turns them away, the reason stated is that the Black Shields will kill them all if they catch wind of the situation. That isn't a risk that the villagers are willing to take, and understandably so. They have not just themselves to think about, but their families and friends too, because everyone will be killed indiscriminately.

But it isn't just fear that makes the Imperial Province of Rosaria such a turbulent place to live; Anabella has also fostered an environment that encourages brutality and disloyalty, and self-preservation. She's also fostered an environment that reinforces the viewpoint that Bearers are less-than-human, they are inferior and shameful. And because Rosaria's economy is in absolute shambles, too, the scorn towards Bearers is amplified because making gil to survive is next to impossible, but turning runaway Bearers or selling magic users to be branded and sold is rewarded with a pretty penny or two. Why wouldn't you sell out your family or friends who have magic if it means getting what you need in order to survive? For those who may have harbored hesitance towards the prospect of perpetuating the cycle of slavery, the economical destruction of the former duchy incentivizes embracing it, even if it means going as far as selling your infant.

Where was I going with all of this. The tl;dr is that Rosaria's state is complicated, and my Elwin knows and understands this. Liberating it from Anabella and Sanbreque is only the beginning. The road to rebuilding it will be incredibly long and difficult.

Miles, in good conscience, can't be angry at those who duck their heads and bow to the system in order to survive, because they're doing exactly that: trying to survive. And while those who push for change will die through one cause or another without support and unity, the belief -- or hope -- is that the number of people who fight for that better future for everyone will continue to rise and gain strength while the number of people who oppose it will lessen, until such a point that Rosaria will be born anew under the prior's efforts.

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I want to write a post later on about all of my thoughts regarding the differences in demonstrated ruling style between Rosaria and Sanbreque, but for now...

It's very telling to me, personally, that whereas Elwin strove to help the people of the Northern Territories with aid and by taking in refugees from the Blight, despite the previous long-standing history of conflict between the North and Rosaria --

Sylvestre and Anabella, rather than even bothering to annex the Northern Territories as an Imperial province, sent their army in and just slaughtered everyone they could find. (Or that's what Gav reveals happened to his village.)

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Elwin always, always seeks out peaceful resolutions to conflicts first, before anything else. However, if one isn't possible, or if his hand is forced, he can and will go to war. Rosaria's defense is his top priority, at the end of the day -- even if he would prefer to keep casualties to a minimum on all sides.

As the reigning Archduke of Rosaria, he will do what he must to ensure the safety and well-being of his people, regardless of his personal feelings towards his actions. After all, no ruler in history has ever been free of blood on their hands, and this is a truth that all who take the throne must accept early on.