NejkrutejsiSlepice wrote...
I believe both Cailan and Loghain are a tragic figures in this story. Everyone seems to be busy dismissing Cailan as an idiot.. Cailan has never been through the Orlesian occupation and it doesn't really come to me as a shocker that he was easily "seduced" by peace and friendship promises of the Orlesian Empire. He wasn't exactly a brainiac. Which would make Loghain considerably angry, that I can understand.
But no, I don't think that Cailan was an idiot.. I think he was deluded by his visions of greatness, just like Loghain was deluded by the fears of yet another Orlesian invasion. Because honestly, everyone here is now like "Loghain is awesome yeey"... should we forget that his delusion almost destroyed everything, given the fact that he wanted to get rid of all Grey Wardens currently in Ferelden (and therefore meanings to fight the Blight at all)? That he almost screwed everything up? I can understand that he withdrew from the battle that would've been lost, but his deluded hostility during a Blight towards all Wardens (OMG, Wardens are Orlesian spies, waaaa!) is inexcusable in my eyes.
So yeah.. I think they both had good intentions that in the end resulted in an epic fail.
Cailan's personality is really introduced in the epilogue to The Stolen Throne, when Ailis is telling him of his father's adventures in reclaiming Ferelden's throne. He grew up in Maric's heroic shadow. I believe that coloured his perceptions of what a king should be, and what he should aspire to in his reign. Growing up on those stories, it's obvious that he wanted to be the hero in some of his own tales...and how better to succeed the brilliance of his father than by being the king that defeated the Blight before it had truly begun?
I don't think that makes him an idiot, or stupid. I do think, however, that he was naive, idealistic, too eager to be a hero, and not willing or able to see the political machinations at work. Or perhaps he was too eager to believe the best of a pretty face. That doesn't make him stupid...just a man. Oh! Did I say that out loud?? :innocent:
I absolutely agree with Nej's post above -- Cailan was deluded by visions of grandeur. Also, just because Loghain's motives are more clear with RtO's revelations, it doesn't necessarily mean he was right to do what he did in the way he did it. It's understandable why he did it, but I can't say I agree. There were other routes he could have taken, surely, that didn't involve the betrayal of the king. ...
Okay, in typing that last sentence, I came up with a couple of courses of action Loghain COULD have taken, and promptly realized why he didn't.
1) Seek out Alistair and groom him to be Cailan's replacement -- he wouldn't have done this because Alistair was raised by Eamon (who married an Orlesian and therefore, in Loghain's eyes, not to be trusted); and not to mention, a Grey Warden, and Grey Wardens are all in the pocket of Orlais.
2) Go to Bryce Cousland for support in overthrowing Cailan -- except the Couslands regularly go to Orlais (as evidenced by Eleanor's story to Lady Landra in the opening of the HN origin) and that's the reason Howe gives for his take-over of Highever.
So in Loghain's eyes, probably the betrayal of the king was all he COULD do. Interesting. ::goes off to think more about it::
Have I mentioned that I love this world?? LOL.
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It's cool ^^
