I think you’re picking up on something I’ve been increasingly conscious of in Act III.
IF is deliberately a very strong character voice, and I don’t want to weaken that, but there has been a stretch where the protagonist has been more withdrawn than usual and IF has naturally occupied more of the conversational space. Some of that is intentional for where the protagonist is mentally after returning to the Mortal Realm, but I’ve been looking at where that balance needs to shift again.
I’ve done some work on the upcoming material to make the protagonist more visibly engaged: more opinions, more questions, more initiative, and more moments where they are the one driving the conversation rather than simply answering IF. There’s also a bit more acknowledgment of why they’ve been quieter lately and what starts pulling them out of that.
So I wouldn’t say IF is becoming the protagonist, but I do think you’re right that the balance is something worth watching, especially because IF is very easy to give the sharpest line in the room.
The land rehabilitation point is still on my radar as well. I agree that, even if it never becomes a full questline, the protagonist should have some reaction to the damage given how much time they’ve spent learning from the wilderness.
And thank you for the comments on the dialogue summaries. Those scenes are some of the ones I enjoy writing most, so I’m glad that comes through.