Goldspark1
I read your review! Thanks for the in depth explanation!
And about the last part, yes, this game is focused on the villains.
I know you stopped playing because of the severity of The Veil's actions, but I hope you can come back to it at some point to get another perspective in the world of SC.
I have great plans for The Veil in this whole series, including the main series. You can say that they are like the templars of assassin's creed to the world of SC.
So understanding their motives and story would make it worthwhile when facing them in future games.
You will know their story and will make a confrontation more impactful.
The reason why Ishtar ordered the poisoning is explained by her and later shown when they talk to the Emir.
She wanted to step in to "cure" the region. Not the people. Putting her own soldiers and farmers loyal to the Veil there, after the extermination of the population.
I thank you for taking your time to review the game. It was a pleasure reading it!