15 réponses à ce sujet

[hoorayforicecream]

Fair warning, this is a mage/templar thread.
Unfair warning: This is not a normal mage/templar thread.

Here's the premise. Instead of the way things ended in DA2, imagine this alternate universe scenario.

Act 3 culminates in a battle with an ancient, reawakened demonic hive mind, made up of countless individual demons all acting in one accord. Hawke and company corner the demon in the Gallows, and Anders blows up the central courtyard in an attempt to destroy the demon hive. The explosion is unsuccessful, and it only succeeds in shattering the demon hive into its individual demons, each of which embeds itself in each and every one of the mages in the gallows and circle. This is clearly visible through some sort of visual effect... glowing eyes, distorted voices, etc.

• Some mages immediately become abominations, and you must put them down.
• Some mages are able to fight back the possession, but are visibly struggling to keep it in. They do not know how long they can last.
• Of the ones able to contain their possession, some are barely containing the demons. They ask to be put out of their misery.
• Some are crying, desperate at any chance to stay alive. Of these, some will try to run and escape though they are still visibly struggling with the possession. Some fall prey to the possession as they are trying to run.

This will affect all of the mages, except for Anders (since he's already possessed), including Bethany, Merrill, and/or Mage Hawke.

As player, you have a decision to make.

• Invoke the Rite of Annulment. Kill them all.
• Tranquilize them all.
• Let them go free
• Bonus: Wait, I can't make this decision! I must go on a quest for a magical de-possession relic!

What do you choose?

Bonus: If you choose #4, this is what happens:

• If you choose to go on the quest, the mages numbers dwindle as more and more succumb to the demons inside them while you search for the relic.
• You find the magical de-possessing relic, and realize that it will only save one person and only work once. The ability to create more is lost, and the research necessary to reverse engineer it would take longer than most of the mages have.

Now... who do you choose to save, and why?

Modifié par hoorayforicecream, 15 décembre 2011 - 06:42 .

[Gervaise]

I'd seal off the Gallows island for a start, which would at least contain the problem.
No point in Rite of Annulment since the mages will kill one another if you don't find a solution. I presume the templars are already dead or they would take decision out of your hands.
No point in making them tranquil if they are already possessed/have already attracted the attention of demons - see latest book for reason why I say this.
Obviously it would be highly dangerous to let anyone off the island until the situation has resolved itself.
Finally I would send for the Litany of Adralla, which would be a reusable item so shouldn't have to make the choice but if it came down to it I would imagine Hawke would save Bethany and that whoever was using your presumed artifact would save Hawke if they were a mage, since I presume if Hawke had been possessed they would not be in a position to make the choice themself.

[hoorayforicecream]

The Litany of Adralla would not work. It doesn't break possessions already in place, it only stops possessions as they are happening. By the time it reaches the Gallows, it's already too late.

The templars are alive, but will defer to Hawke's decision. They wish to purge the circle.

The abominations will not kill each other. They are still a hive mind, and thus will continue working together toward their one goal.

[whykikyouwhy]

There would be quite a few variables to consider - how long before the majority of mages turn? How would the mage companions feel about assisting with either the rite or tranquility? How arduous is it to obtain the relic?

Here's my gut instinct, if I had to answer on the fly without giving it a lot of pause (I see this as one of those timed decisions, though in-game, I would technically be able to save my game and walk away to mull). As a non-mage Hawke, I would do a "mercy" killing on those mages who immediately request death (a la Karl). I would probably then make everyone else tranquil. It's not ideal, it's allowing someone to live in a half, broken sort of existence, but if the option is there to preserve life in some fashion, that would be the strongest inclination for me.

As a mage however, that changes things slightly. Someone would have to perform the ritual to make Hawke tranquil, which I imagine it would be Anders. If Anders is exhibiting the same downward spiral as he is in the standard game by act 3, I don't know that I would want him/Justice as the last mage in all of Kirkwall. Being a mage might make me more inclined to take the quest.

Looking at the quest from both standpoints (non-mage and mage), I would want to use the relic on a party member - Bethany if she is present, maybe Merrill, if not (looking at a game with both on a friend path). But I would suspect that both would refuse - seems to be within their character. I would present the option though.

It's not that my Hawke would be self-sacrificing exactly (my canon Hawke is snarky btw). But once the greater good is served, the decision would boil down to friendship and love. So...vanquish those who are too far gone and those who seek an end, make tranquil those who could be "saved" and who wish to live (albeit in a half-life), seek the relic and preserve the life of a loved one (possibly at the cost of Hawke's own connection to the Fade).

[Wulfram]

I didn't think the Rite of Tranquility worked on the already possessed?

Anyway, my answer depends on how practical it is to contain the possessed mages. How powerful the demons are, what sort of forces may remain to control them.

[hoorayforicecream]

Wulfram wrote...

I didn't think the Rite of Tranquility worked on the already possessed?

Let's say, for sake of scenario, it does.

Anyway, my answer depends on how practical it is to contain the possessed mages. How powerful the demons are, what sort of forces may remain to control them.

This is a choice of incomplete information. You don't get that data. The longer you wait, the more mages will turn and the harder it will be to put them down since, as mentioned before, they are still a hive mind.

Regarding forces controlling them, the templar forces are still there, and they are sufficient for now, but they cannot hold the island if too many mages turn abomination. If you don't kill the abominations as they come, you'll eventually reach an equilibrium point... but you run the risk of the mages turning into abominations faster than you can kill them.

Modifié par hoorayforicecream, 15 décembre 2011 - 08:07 .

[Jedi Master of Orion]

I feel like most of my Hawkes would probably choose option 4 and use it on Bethany. Except for my third Hawke, he was a mage but he'd probably use it on Merril since she was his love interest.

[Maria Caliban]

Warrior Hawke:
Invoke the Right of Annulment. Kill all the mages not in my party. Go on quest to save Merrill/Bethany.

Mage Hawke: Probably would have to kill self. :/

Modifié par Maria Caliban, 15 décembre 2011 - 10:56 .

[Wulfram]

Have Mages locked in solitary. Leave them under the control of Aveline/Cullen with orders to kill everyone if things start going south. Anyone who wants to be killed or Tranquilled can be. Find cure, use on Merrill, hope she can reverse engineer cure soon enough to cure Hawke

[hoorayforicecream]

Wulfram wrote...

Find cure, use on Merrill, hope she can reverse engineer cure soon enough to cure Hawke

Wouldn't work. There's only enough for one dose of the cure. If you use the cure, you have nothing left to reverse engineer.

[Knight of Dane]

Commit suicide and let Merrill/Bethany fight over it.

[/Sarcasm]

[Dave of Canada]

Tranquil all mages.

They can't be allowed to roam free and I don't want to waste potential resources.

Modifié par Dave of Canada, 16 décembre 2011 - 02:45 .

[Fast Jimmy]

Option 5: Buy a t-shirt that says "I blew up a hive mind demon horde and all I got was this lousy Anders."


But in all seriousness, slaughter them all. My canon Hawke was a mage, so Bethany was already dead. And Merril was one of the first to warn of the dangers of dealing with demons and would understand being put down. And given that my Hawke resisted blood magic when no one else could in Act 1, I think he could hold it together long enough to get the job done before having Fenris put him down.

[Plaintiff]

Get relic. Save Anders. Screw the rest.

[Bayz]

Make them all tranquil except my mage Hawke, rule the waves with my hair waving with the wind.

Would consider 1 or 4 if it increases possibility of killing more stuff and have big bad bosses thrown in the deal.

[CuriousArtemis]

All I can say is, I'm glad you weren't consulted by the devs LOL

*teasing* Well, I'd be pissed. Reminds me of the end of Origins, but at least you could get out of that one without anyone dying.

Yeah, I'd just be pissed and would never finish the game.