Eraqus was just as badly hit with plot-induced stupidity like the other characters in order to make Xehanort's plans fall in place rather than him having a real masterfully crafted manipulation plan.
The thing is that when you look at the whole thing it does even reflect badly on Xehanort as well because he didn't win due to being a crafty master manipulator but because the plot dictated him to win. There are several stories where the outcome is a foregone conclusion, but how you arrive at that conclusion can be done masterfully and enjoyable or flat and stupid and despite my love for TAV as the potential characters they could be anyone who denies that BBS did the latter one is in denial.
Eraqus' intention to off Ventus could be rationalized by an extremely pragmatic person as an attempt to buy time in order to take measures against Xehanort, but it is very obvious that eradicating Vanitas and just keeping Ven out of Xehanort's reach until Vanitas is dealt with would have been the smarter approach for Eraqus in the light of that then he would have kept both Terra's and Aqua's loyalty.
Terra was in search of dealing with Vanitas anyways and it was a highly stupid (made stupid by the writing, mind you, not that Terra himself is stupid) decision to not fill in both Aqua and Ventus about what he learned about Vanitas and his origins. Terra learned from Xehanort not only the source of the Unversed but also where that source itself came from.
Had Ven learned about the whole thing earlier (and from Terra) he might have taken it less heavy as when Xehanort tells him later in a blunt matter and used the kid's confusion to turn him against Eraqus by claiming the Master intended to hold Ven "prisoner" in LoD. Aqua also sure as hell would NOT have left Ven just standing there in Radiant Garden like she did if Terra actually spilled the beans of what he learned.
Heck, the whole "keeping up appearances"-act of Xehanort should have been kept hidden until near the end of the game with Terra actually genuinely believing Xehanort's "accident"-story while Aqua could have been suspicious of it, doubting Xehanort and that could have been the incentive for their argument in Radiant Garden with Terra accusing Aqua of demonizing Xehanort while she deems him naive and too trusting and that there is something fishy about the whole matter. All the while Ventus being caught between them and due to having no memories from before the four years he lived in LoD him being confused not knowing what to believe.
That premise could then have given the game an even better incentive to split all three up again with Ventus running away again due to incapabability to decide which approach he should trust into, Terra's trusting one or Aqua's cautious one. The latter two would be too immersed in their own argument and realize Ven ran off only after it already happened and while Aqua feels "guilty" about confusing/scaring Ven and vows to intensify the search for him Terra swears to make up for hurting Ven by making sure the cause for the problems gets dealt with (Vanitas) and at the same time prove to Aqua that Xehanort is trustworthy.
Having the "keeping up appearances"-scene shortly after all the above would certainly serve as a bigger moment for the audience and make them realize "damn, Aqua may be right".
*looks at length of paragraph*
Oh damn, here I go again. I used to actually entertain Gram with countless possibilities for a better written BBS and it seems the urge is still there...;P
Lol, I've even found found an exploit to easily defeat the Iron Imprisoners even with Terra. Stun them with a well placed Firaga (who said that in BBS enemies can't be stunned?) and then unleash a charged shotlock at them. Repeat until dead.
It's also somewhat ridicuolus how easily you can get overpowered even on critical with clever use of Command Melding and the Command Board. I mean, I get that Nomura wanted to show us with BBS how true trained Keybladers can wreak hell (and all three convince on that part!) in comparison to KH 1/KH 2 Sora to give Xigbar's words about "not even half the hero the others were" more weight, but having all Melding recipes available from the beginning is a little cheaty.
BtW, I actually did slide into a wall with Terra once in anticipation to give some Unversed a nice flo-mo beating...then I realized that BBS does not have flowmotion *facepalm*.
Of course it is a little crazy, but to be honest we do not know what kind of person the Grand Master really is under that jovial attitude. If he does indeed have some screws loose I won't rule out such an irrational viewpoint.
The whole universe collapses because my students are too dense to learn? Well duh, shit happens.
I'm not sure if hm being an "evil mastermind" setting up the Foretellers would make him too similar to Xehanort though...but weeelll, if the Goatblade is the one of the Grand Master...
I'm not speaking of overall design patterns obviously, but something more substantial than that.
Such a mindset is exactly what I'm tired of by now because it is exactly what the series gets so often criticized for.
To be honest my dislike for them does not come from the Foretellers themselves but some of the theories surrounding them that are taken as fact by a sizeable portion of the fandom already.
We haven't even yet have a chance to build an own opinion on them (except Ava to a degree), but claims like they're Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua and Ventus not only sour the soup for thee characters already but also take away from what these established characters already have.
Maybe we'll see Coaty as a ghost-like being somehow laying the smackdown on Xehanort, lolz.
Why do I suddenly imagine people running through town trying to catch some of these pigeons, lol.
I would actually be afraid to take such a little fluffball into my hand due to fear of accidentally hurting it. Look so cutesy and delicate. ^__^
Oh, and btw I made something Ephemera-related, gotta post that in the fanclub later as well
: