LobselVith8 wrote...
Of course I take into account their past experiences. My Surana Warden was an elven mage who was stolen from his family at a young age. He loved them, and he was happy with them. That changed when he was forced to live in the Circle of Ferelden. My protagonist agreed with the Libertarian position. He notes to Cullen how templars like to kill mages, and Cullen admits as much when he says some of his fellow templars talk about killing mages with glee. He dealt with racism at the Circle, as he tells Duncan. He openly condemned the Chantry for invading the Dales because his people didn't convert to the human religion. My Surana Warden spoke about how he found the Circle of Ferelden to be a "prison" and an "oppressive place" to Wynne, while he confided in Morrigan (his love interest) how he felt trapped within the Chantry controlled Circle. He chose to help the Mages Collective, he freed Jowan, and he used his royal boon to ask for his people to be given their independence.
The character of Hawke (who, like my Surana Warden, was designed to look ethnically Latino/Antivan) was an apostate who was on the run from the templars with his family. He had to be wary of templars all his life, as they threatened his family - especially his baby sister, who was also a mage. His sister Bethany seemed to be in self-loathing because of the teachings of the Andrastian faith. The character was a free mage who was taught by his apostate father how to properly wield magic, and I thought Malcolm was similar to Anders because Carver notes how he heard about the plight of mages growing up, and both Leandra and Bethany can comment on how Anders is similar to Malcolm. His past experiences as an apostate shaped his actions in the present. He started a romance with Merrill, who used blood magic responsibly, and she told him how her people are nomadic because the templars hunt him down. My character fought templars who endangered the Dalish and his people, he helped the mage underground, and he chose to protect the mages in Kirkwall when Meredith condemned them to death for an act they weren't responsible for.
Their past experiences also made them different, as did their roles. People commented on my Surana Warden being an elf, from the young boy in Lothering he gave money to in order for the boy to eat, to Mother Hannah who noted that a man of elven blood was helping rescue a village of humans. My Surana Warden took the role of Grey Warden seriously, and he made pragmatic choices at times because he recognized the threat that the darkspawn posed to all of Thedas - from sparing Avernus and encouraging him to continue with his research, to keeping the Anvil of the Void, and executing the Messenger and killing the Architect.
Hawke, in contrast, was simply looking to amass a fortune to purchase the Amell mansion and return his family to prominence. He also wanted to have a seat in political office - based on the single conversation he has with Varric that was vaguely followed up on when he told Meredith he should become the new Viscount. In contrast, my Surana Warden left Ferelden - including his position as Arl of Amaranthine and Warden-Commander - to be with Morrigan and his son. Hawke didn't focus on the threat of the darkspawn, but on the tyranny of the Chantry controlled Circle. He also wanted to topple the templars from power. He was also willing to use a sentient darkspawn (Corypheus) to try to prevent another Blight, which is something my Surana Warden would never do - although he changed his mind about helping Janeka when he recognized that he was under the same influence as the corrupted carta dwarves.
Even the friendships demonstrated their differences. My Surana Warden encouraged Alistair and Leliana to hardened their personality, while Hawke simply accepted Aveline and Isabela as they were instead of trying to help Aveline depend only on herself, or encourage Isabela to become a better person. Basically, I don't play the same characters with the same past experiences, although it's not too difficult to understand why an apostate would appreciate being free from the templars and the Chantry.
When it comes to Inquisition, with the mages now having autonomy after almost a millennia of servitude, and templars hunting them down because the mages are independent of the Andrastian Chantry and the Templar Order, I don't see much reason to play as a mage who would bend knee to others. I value my freedom, and I'd imagine my new apostate would as well. The personality of my next character depends on whether I purchase Inquisition, and what type of story is presented to me; I'm considering a more militant type of personality as a contrast to my Surana Warden and apostate Hawke.
I respectfully disagree, but I doubt you and I will ever agree on this.
My Surana Warden chose King Bhelen, in part, because the casteless would get more freedoms. I abhor how the Alienage elves are treated. I find the Qun to be as monstrous as the Chant. And neither of my characters tolerated slavery. I'm not sure what my next protagonist would do, however.
The Chantry controlled Circle is terrible enough that I think it warrants discussion, although I think we are veering a bit off the main topic.
The problem is, you're going into that already decided on who your character will be. For all you know, the Mage Origin is "orphaned and saved from the mob of peasants by Templar, you lived your life in the Circle until events led to the split between the Chantry, Templar and Circle. As Resolutionist mages burned down the Circle, you were led out of the fire by a Chantry initiate, and later offered a position in the inquisition".
With Hawke, I see you in topic after topic going on about how wretched it is that Hawke was Andrastian (or, Bhaalspawn forbid, 'mean' to Merrill in a time of crisis); you certainly didn't don't seem to take that into account.
How is any of that wrong? The Circles are self sufficient and well protected. Senior Enchanters are allowed out (sometimes without Templar guards) for research and other activities (Zevran's tale). They have the closest thing to a phone (messaging stones?), they have literacy, they get to study -- these are all things that the vast majority of Thedas do not get to enjoy.
How does what your Warden did have to do with the point?
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