Here's the little blurb they wrote:
# 9 - Loghain Mac Tir (Dragon Age: Origins)
Most video game villains have a cartoonishly fiendish endgame. A nemesis trying to open a portal to Hell or eradicate existence certainly keeps the stakes high, but only the most maniacal and unhinged opponents could desire such an outcome. While these kind of moustache-twirling antics are commonplace, they don't give rise to believable villains. BioWare ditched the outlandish plots for world domination when creating Loghain, instead opting for layers of history and tragedy that make Dragon Age: Origins' main antagonist memorable and sympathetic.
When Loghain withdraws from the Battle of Ostagar and leaves King Cailan to die on the battlefield, one can't help but see him as a sinister turncoat. In the early stages of the game, players envision a final confrontation in which the usurper receives a bloody comeuppance. However, by the time the critical moment arrives, the Grey Warden has learned that all of Loghain's actions do not spring from a well of evil intent; he is a patriot first and foremost.
Over 30 years before Dragon Age: Origins begins, Ferelden was ruled by the tyranny of the nearby nation of Orlais. Loghain led the army that drove out the Orlesians and won back Ferelden's independence, cementing his reputation as a brilliant military strategist and a living legend. Though victorious, the experience left him damaged; he sees plots against his homeland everywhere, and his paranoia leads him to believe a new invasion from Orlais is imminent. Everything he does, from abandoning Cailan to eradicating the Grey Wardens (who he thinks are spies), he does in the name of keeping the people of his nation secure. You may not agree wit his methods, but it's difficult to condemn his goal.
A typical climatic encounter at the end of an RPG doesn't have room for sympathy. You just expect good to triumph over evil. In reality, things aren't that simple. No one sees themselves as evil, since people's actions are chosen based on context and personal motivations. By tapping into this notion with Loghain, BioWare made a multifaceted villain who was surprisingly hard to hate, despite all the blood on his hands.
And on a completely random note, I finally had a Loghain dream last night... and it was about the oddest, most unexpected thing ever. Addai goes and gets a cool dream that sparks a fanfic, and I get one where Loghain apparently files a restraining order against me. Seriously. And I'm trying to hold a conversation with him (in my defense against said restraining order) by screaming from 20 feet away (or whatever the distance is required due to said restraining order).
Oh, it was odd and hilarious. Woke up quite confused. Then again, my muse has sat atop my brain these past few days and demanded I write a chapter RIGHT NOW that is far into the future of my fic. And it is a most unpleasant chapter for poor Loghain. So, I guess I really can't blame the poor sod for wanting to file a restraining order against me. If someone else was writing that kind of torment about me, I might file a restraining order against them, too.
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