As for the topic of what would have happened if the whole aurora thing never happened, a few characters have definitely mused about it in this game and the last. Zaveed in particular has no illusions that his profession would have brought in a lot of potential to have run ins with assassins like Sevari and Semedar, like Soul mentioned. In a way he's glad things turned out as they did because Sevari is one of the very few people Zaveed counts as a friend and Semedar was briefly his lover before she left to buy the group more time to stop the Emperor.

Marassa, for the most part, is aloof to the whole thing. She isn't close to anyone but Sevari and things likely would have played out in a similar fashion, regardless of the auroras. She hasn't done much to provoke elements that would cause characters to be her own antagonists.