BECAUSE I BELIEVE DRAGONS ARE SENTIENT
Codex Entry: Old Gods
*All important parts are bolded and underlined. Read them.*
There were seven Old Gods, great winged dragons that were said to rule over the ancient world. The Chantry
maintains that they are responsible for the original sin, that they
turned humanity away from its true creator through deceit. Humanity's
faith faltered, and thus the Maker turned away from the world--but not before trapping the Old Gods in eternal prisons beneath the earth as punishment.
Scholars
assume that the Old Gods must indeed have been real at one point, but
most agree that they were likely actual dragons--ancient high dragons of
a magnitude not known today, and impressive enough to frighten ancient
peoples into worshipping them. Some even claim that these dragons
slumber as a form of hibernation, not as a result of the Maker's wrath.
Regardless
of the truth, legend maintains that even from their underground
prisons, the Old Gods were able to whisper into the minds of men. The Archon Thalsian, first of the Magisters, who claimed to have contacted the Old God Dumat, used the blood magic Dumat taught to him to attain incredible power in Tevinter
and declare himself the ruler of an Empire. In return, he established
the first temples worshipping the Old Gods, and the dragons became
equated everywhere with imperial power.
To date, four of the Old
Gods are said to have risen as corrupted archdemons: Dumat, the first
and most powerful, was slain at the Battle of Silent Fields. Zazikel
fell at the Battle of Starkhaven, Toth died at the Battle of Hunter
Fell, and Andoral was felled by Garahel, the legendary Grey Warden, at
the Battle of Ayesleigh. The archdemons have been identified only after
years of argument among scholars, and to this day it is unclear whether
the archdemons were truly Old Gods and not simply dragons. All that is
known is that the darkspawn hunt for them deep underground. If they are
truly the Old Gods, as many scholars believe, then we have only three Blights
remaining. When all the Old Gods have risen and been slain, however,
what will happen? Will the Blights end forever, and humanity earn
forgiveness from the Maker at last? We shall see.
--From The Old Gods Rise Again by Sister Mary, Chantry scholar, 8:50 Blessed.
Now many moments in the game describe blood magic as a "demonic art"; however, a close friend of mine pointed out that many mages turned to demons and became maleficars regardless of knowing blood magic or not. Also, any human, even a templar, can be turned into an abomination when given the right temptation. The requirement for a demon to interact with the real world is a connection to the fade, which all mages have. Given this, it becomes apparent that all mages are open to temptation, and also, can expose others to that same temptation.
This means that blood magic is not innately linked to demons, and has been treated as such by the chantry for another reason... what reason could that be? One theory can be that blood magic is too powerful to be trusted in the hands of a human. The classic "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely" motif; however, if you disregard the immense power of blood magic, it is still frowned upon. This has to do with how humanity was first introduced to blood magic. Supposedly, it was taught to the first Archon of the Tevinter Imperium by Dumat through whispers (magic telepathy). The chantry, and many scholars, believes the Old Gods taught the art of blood magic to humanity. That is why blood magic is a sin.
This idea that the Old Gods imparted blood magic unto humanity only furthers my belief that dragons are intelligent, and Old Gods are, in fact, dragons. Let us look at select quotes from another codex...
Codex Entry: Dragon Cults
Members of a dragon cult live in the same lair as a high dragon,
nurturing and protecting its defenseless young. In exchange, the high
dragon seem to permit those cultists to kill a small number of those
young in order to feast on draconic blood. That blood is said to have a
number of strange long-term effects, including bestowing greater
strength and endurance, as well as an increased desire to kill.
The changes in the cultists are a form of blood magic, surely, but how
did the symbiotic relationship between the cult and the high dragon form
in the first place? How did the cultists know to drink the dragon's
blood? How did the high dragon convince them to care for its young, or
know that they would?
Codex Entry: Dragon Cults (continued)
Is there more to draconic intelligence than we have heretofore
guessed at? No member of a dragon cult has ever been taken alive, and
what accounts exist from the days of the Nevarran hunters record only
mad rants and impossible tales of godhood. With dragons only recently
reappearing and still incredibly rare, we may never know the truth, but
the question remains.
--From Flame and Scale, by Brother Florian, Chantry scholar, 9:28 Dragon.
The best example is actually the dragon cult in DA:O. The Cult of Andraste lived to guard the Sacred Ashes that were brought to the ruins above the town. The town was established to guard them, yet sometime in the Dragon Age, following the return of dragons to Thedas that began during the Blessed Age, a dragon came to them. This dragon set up shop in the ruins above their town, and rather than protecting its land by, I don't know, doing the dragon-thing and laying waste to the village, something else happened...
They worked with it. The villagers drank the dragon's blood and drew power from it. They defended the dragon's young and claimed it was Andraste. This belief that the dragon was Andraste matches with the "mad rants and impossible tales of godhood". Why are dragons always connected to godhood in Dragon Age? By now, it should be obvious. The false andraste dragon supposedly "spoke" to only one member of the cult directly: Father Kolgrim, who clearly held a horn which could summon down the dragon from atop the highcliffs. Given Kolgrim's possession of this horn, we can assume he did, in fact, meet the dragon face-to-face. Perhaps previous revered fathers met the dragon in the same way, as we do not know how many generations have believed this dragon was Andraste.
Also, we know that Archdemons "whisper" to their darkspawn. This has accounted for the "calling", as the wardens call it. Given the ability of wardens, along with anything else infected with the darkspawn taint, to hear this "calling", we can assume that only those infected with the taint can pick up on it. Avernus, the blood mage in Warden's Keep DLC, discovers how to use the taint to produce strong magical spells and energies, that seem to immitate blood magic, while being something of a completely different nature. Given how the taint seems to connect darkspawn to the archdemon, I propose that the blood of a dragon can do the same to its cult members without the "zombification" that is caused by the taint. Instead, it seems to strengthen them, even if it drives these cult members slightly insane.
If it looks like a dragon, acts like a dragon, (speaks like a dragon)
I guess its a dragon. Well f!*& me, and I was wondering why the game was called "Dragon Age"
Here is a link to the original topic where this idea was discussed in even further detail:
http://social.biowar...index/5740722/1
Modifié par lorvincent, 31 mars 2011 - 03:01 .





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