[quote]The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...
What, that peasants can only read Dwarven runes? That directly contradicts what we see in-game where peasants are capable of reading and writing.[/quote]
Which indicates only that those particular peasants could read or write. A great number of them, at least, can only understand dwarven runes even in Orlais that has extablished an university for decades now.
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None of that is free. It requires money, which the Circle must earn itself by way of the Mages and Tranquil that belong to the Formari.
To claim the Mages receive free food and free clothes and free education is disingenuous. Nothing is free.[/quote]
Even if the Circle stopped working alltogether, the Chantry would still feed them. Mages are a very valuable resource.
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Slavery is not simply the practice Tevinter employs. There have been other kinds of slavery that the Mages themselves fit.[/quote]
The mages are not slaves by any stretch of the imagination.
They have limited freedoms and rigths; they are not treated like proprierty anymore than any other citizen and when they work, they work to provide for themselves.
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They're killed for the actions of third parties in the name of "protection" because their magic is "a cancer in the heart of the land".[/quote]
If children were killed, then it was because they were possessed such as what ocurred in Ferelden's Circle. Not even Meredith woulc claim that a six year old child is likely to be controlling her templars through blood magic.
[quote]The Chantry's spread numerous things about magic that led, in the past, to children Mages being killed by commoners as scapegoats. That puts the blame on the shoulders of the Chantry. Any child Mage that was killed because of what the Chantry preached about magic in turn made the people more likely to kill a child for a bad crop, a stillbirth, or whatnot.[/quote]
People don't need the Chantry in order to be superstitious and fearful. Fearing mages is the most reasonable thing in the world. Lynching them is not but that's not the Chantry's stance, anyway.
The will of the Chantry is to take mages to the Circle where their powers can be controlled for their own good and that of others.
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Drakon, the man who used religion as a pretense to conquer neighboring city-states? Drakon, the man that sought to expand the Orlesian Empire to the four corners of the world and ensure that no other religion would exist? Drakon, the man that wanted to move north into the Free Marches but couldn't because the Dales were in his way?
Drakon was a bloody, overly ambitious, and fanatical warlord. Nothing more. The only good thing he did was unify Orlais from warring city-states into a nation on its own, but he did it for all the wrong reasons. And then he sought to bring war to other areas because he wanted his empire to stretch throughout the world.[/quote]
Expansionism is not, by itself, a negative thing. Rome conquered everything around it but afterwards, it brough laws, order and technological advancements such as roads and aqueducts that greatly improved the lives of the people in conquered territories. After it fell, civilization fell with it.
Likewise, after Andraste's death, what used to be the Southern Imperium fell into great strife with the various once-tevinter cities devolving into warring states, abominations and blood cults roaming the land freely and the Inquisition hunting any with magical abilities.
Drakon and the Chantry put an end to all this and helped defeat the Second Blight as well. Whatever else he may have been; i certainly wouldn't claim to know who Drakon was or why he did what he did, all we have are historical records which are open to personal interpretation to say the very least; these are admirable accomplishments and the very basis of mundane civilization in Southern Thedas.
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That's being naive. Their desire to intertwine the two would necessitate the Empress of Orlais either being on their side -- possibly with an advisor -- or deposed to have someone else ascend to that place.
Historically, the Emperors/Empresses of Orlais have been good friends to the Chantry and have done what was mutually beneficial to the two of them. See the History of Kirkwall.
It does threaten the Empress. [/quote]
We have no indication whatsoever of his plans other that "Ushering in a new era for the Chantry where incidents like Kirkwall will not be tolerated." I have the movie, I can check.
None of that indicates any state involvement because the Circles are both independent and under Chantry control. The Empress couldn't care less what the templars do to the mages so long as they are not threatening her people and can be used should the qunari or darkspawn or Tevinter invade.
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That's not much freedom.
They can't marry. They can't leave. They're treated like **** a good deal of the time. Racism exists in the Circle. Only the rich can see their relatives. Only the rich get perks that all the Mages should have. If you're going to say the Mages have freedoms, then it needs to be applied equally.[/quote]
The rich always had privilege and they will always have privileges until our sun collapses on itself.
Their limited freedom is meant to reflect the increased danger they pose to themselves and others.
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Almost any possible reason one could give for why the Mages shouldn't have X can be refuted by a similar argument for why refusing to give them X would lead to the same result as one who argues giving them X would.
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In such a case, it's better to err on the side of caution.
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It's a small step from calling the Dalish worthless to calling Elven Mages in the Circle worthless. If racism of that degree exists for a Templar out in the field, I wouldn't trust them at home.[/quote]
It's a huge step and separated by two thousand years of conflict, subjugation and magic.
Mages are mages first and humans and elves second, that much has always been clear.
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Actually, as I recall Human Mages aren't dragged away in chains if they refuse to go.
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And you recall that from where? Examples in Kirkwall, please since that is where Huon used to live.
Bethany? She was willing to go.
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