-- Aldenon, mage companion to Calenhad Theirin
“[…]the time has come for us to put aside our assumptions of the past – the assumption of others as well as our assumptions about ourselves. We know nothing of Tranquility, or of demons, or even our own limitations. Whatever comes next, we will only survive if we learn to look upon it with new eyes. If we don’t, we will simply make those old mistakes again… and whatever our fate, we will deserve it. […] I vote that we fight.”
– Enchanter Rhys, at the Andoral’s Reach mage conclave, 9:40 Dragon.
[**This is an in-world account and political manifesto written from the perspective of my main Warden, Eorlin Amell, at the moment residing at an unknown location, possibly in or near Orlais. I posted it here since there is no campaign or fan creations forum for DAI yet, I intend it to be a base for discussion and it is more relevant to the known events leading up to DAI rather than to events of earlier games only**] [**Thanks to Xilizhra for proofreading**]
Of Dreams and Nightmares – A Mage Manifesto
It is the 40th year of the Dragon Age. The Circles, which have circumscribed the life of most mages in the lands where the Chantry holds sway, are no more. Mages are seeking new ways of thinking and new ways of living, while the templars are trying to stop them. Yet, what on the surface appears to be a political conflict goes deeper than that; the result of it will determine more than the fate of mages and magic. It will determine how every one of us, mage and non-mage alike, relates to the Fade. The Fade is the home of our dreams, the mysterious aspect of our world which gives them shape. Some of those dreams have always been nightmares, which is why there is now the Veil. We mages are standing in the gateway between worlds, the heirs of the ancient Dreamers. It is not for us to cower in fear before the dream world as the templars would have us do, but to wander and explore it, with all the necessary care, but also with confidence born of knowledge and experience. For a thousand years, the Chantry’s teachings have shrouded such knowledge in religious metaphor, shaping reality for everyone else. It is now time to tear the shroud, to question established wisdom and find new answers to old questions.
My name is Eorlin Amell. I was a mage of the Circle and a Grey Warden. I have been called the savior of a nation and been reviled as an apostate. I have loved a templar and an apostate, I have seen a Circle almost destroyed by the ambitions of one mage, I have seen benevolent Fade spirits, templars possessed by demons and a blood mage giving freely of himself to help others. I have fought alongside templars against demon-possessed mages and helped mages escape their Circles. I have killed an archdemon and survived, and engaged a darkspawn in reasonable debate. I am a mage, but I know the best and the worst of both sides, and I know things I never thought possible when I set out from the Circle I grew up in.
And as I made my way in the world, unfettered by the invisible chains still binding my fellow mages, I found that what I always suspected about the principal fact of a Circle mage’s life was, in fact, true: we have been slaves. Pampered slaves, maybe, and perhaps for some it is an existence preferable to the risks of freedom, but slaves nonetheless. For what do you call it if you are kept in one place by people who have the power of life and death over you, to be invoked if you rise up against the strictures imposed on you? What do you call it if every moment of your life is watched and controlled, you are forced into celibacy, with no contact with your families, and must witness friendships outside the Circle fade as time passes, and you are only let out occasionally to do some service for your keepers and their idea of what is the public good? That some templars use that power responsibly does not change the fact that they have it by law, and thus does not change the fact that Circle mages were slaves, and the fact that apostate mages have more power to resist their would-be captors does not change that by law, they are nothing more than escaped slaves, who would be tracked down by specialized slave hunters if they revealed themselves.
To make things worse, our keepers justified this through a doctrine which blames our kind for the world’s greatest evils. As if it wasn’t enough that we were kept at all – no, we were kept by those who are predisposed to revile us. Much has been said of the temptation mages face from demons. More needs to be said about how much temptation there is in the Chantry’s teachings, the temptation for templars to treat their charges as lesser beings. How many mages have been made Tranquil because in the eyes of their keepers they deserved less consideration, their plight less examination, less benefit of the doubt than non-mages?
Circle mages lived in material comfort, but that comfort came at the price of a slow smothering of the spirit. Maybe less in some circles than in others, but that means nothing more than that in some Circles, the slaves were more pampered than in others. But in the end, they were still slaves.
Justifications abound for this state of things, supported by the traditions of nine Ages. The most hypocritical may be the statement that the Circle exists for the protection of mages. Persecution is an unfortunate fact in many places, and there are several common ways to deal with it. Locking the prospective victims away does not appear to be one of those. One wonders why; perhaps it is because the fundamental injustice of such a policy is recognized? Yet, that is exactly what the Circles do. Led by the Chantry’s doctrine which reinforces the idea that suspicion against mages is deserved, the templars help create the conditions they say they protect mages from. They foster suspicion, and suspicion breeds persecution. Persecution, in turn, justifies the templars’ existence and their claim of “protection”. This is not so different from a protection racket.
Mages are too dangerous to stay free, say others. So why not forbid all weapons and lock everyone away capable of killing another with their bare hands. Why not turn our cities into prisons? The difference is only one of degree. As it is, a mage proficient in the primal school is not so different from a non-mage carrying a barrel of gaatlok around. In both cases, if they’re competent in handling the power in their hands their environment is reasonably safe unless they want to cause havoc – and that’s a freedom every one of us has at least once, except mages in Circles. Nobody is ever punished for things they might do, except mages in Circles. That has to end. Mages must learn to control their power, and those who cannot learn must be kept from causing unintentional damage. The others – the great majority – should be free to make their way in the world. We do not lock away those who “have the power to run innocents through with a sword.” We do not lock away those who “have the potential to kill in an insane rage.” We act only once such things actually happen. Then, the people responsible – and only those – are duly punished. Mages should be treated no differently, and those who hunt mages should restrict their hunting to those who have done something to merit punishment. It should go without saying that fleeing from slavery does not merit punishment.
What inspires the most fear, however, is the danger of demonic possession. History has made it abundantly clear that this fear is not entirely misplaced. Entire Circles have nearly been destroyed by madmen who let themselves be possessed. The templars have used Tranquility to contain this. Yet, the Fade is the home of our dreams. Without it, every one of us, mage and non-mage alike, is less alive. The lesson in that is this: we cannot have safety without the withering of our souls. Yet, that is what Tranquility does. That is the templars’ solution, applied to anyone they deem too dangerous. The withering of the soul, forced not just on those proven to be a danger to everyone, but on the innocent, based on judgments we were not allowed to question. Much has been said about the temptations mages face from demons. More needs to be said about the temptation to force a mage into Tranquility because it is convenient.
The question is hanging in the air: what are we to do about this? In my travels, I have met a number of mages who were never part of a Circle. Of all of them, there was only one case I heard of – in fact, one I participated in – of a mage possessed by a demon, and that was a child who didn’t know any better and sought a spirit from the Fade to help his father – a disaster born from ignorance I lay at the feet of the Circles, for were the Circles more like schools and less like prisons, or were mages allowed to teach anywhere, the child’s mother would’ve sent him to be educated, and the disaster would have been avoided. Or…perhaps it would not have been avoided, for it appears that the Circles do not prevent demonic possession so much as foster it, since every other case of possession I have witnessed or heard of has happened to Circle mages or those only recently escaped. Why would that be? Maybe it is simple and the Circle mages who attempt to escape feel that they have nothing to lose, and if they are to die, why not do everything to take as many of their oppressors’ lives with them? If so, then the blame for most cases of possession can be laid at the Circle’s feet. I suspect, though, there is a deeper cause. The teachings of the Chantry do not inspire confidence. Yet confidence, knowledge of our limits and mental strength are of primary importance when dealing with Fade spirits. Know thyself, may be the most important principle of a mage’s education. The Chantry rather teaches us to fear ourselves instead. Know the spirit world, may be the second most important principle, and knowledge of that is severely lacking. Instead, all the “knowledge” mages were taught is shrouded in religious metaphor, a sure way to obfuscate the true nature of things with a layer of prejudice. Perhaps it is no wonder that apostates are less prone to being possessed, with their knowledge shaped by experience rather than dogma. Perhaps it is no wonder that those who are treated as potential monsters in the Circles are more likely to become monsters in the end.
Whatever solution there may be to the dangers posed by our interactions with the spirit world, the Circles are not it. Instead, we need to explore unhindered by religious prejudice what kinds of Fade spirits exist, what kinds of interaction with them are possible, which kinds may be to our benefit, and which are too dangerous to even remotely consider contacting. We will never be able to prevent the determined madman from invoking a malevolent spirit, in or out of a Circle – not without using blood magic to read everyone’s mind. What we can do is protect ourselves and others from the dangers posed by ignorant interaction with spirits, and prevent our children, our apprentices and ourselves from losing their selves to a spirit, accidentally or otherwise. For that, education and research are needed, not imprisonment. The Litany of Adralla proves that protection against mental domination exists, whether by Fade spirit or by blood magic. If the fear of possession and domination by blood magic is so great, why has the Litany not been taught to everyone? Why was there never any attempt to overcome its limitations, and make something of it that can cast out a controlling mind? One answer is that to do that, we would need to study blood magic, and in the Circles that is the short road to Tranquility. However, another, more sinister answer suggests itself.
It is now almost a thousand years since the creation of the Circles. The nature of a Circle mage’s existence – their existence as slaves – did not change in all that time. Research into different solutions to the problem of possession has been suppressed by the templars. Research into the nature of spirits has been suppressed. Research into the nature of the Fade has been suppressed. Research into the nature of Tranquility has been suppressed. Why? Was it mere complacency? Or has the templar order moved beyond its stated purpose of protecting mages and non-mages alike from the dangers posed by uncontrolled magic? Have their leaders, perhaps, decided that if they cannot hold such powers themselves, then they need to maintain absolute control over those who hold them? Is honest concern their motivation, or does envy breed the desire to control? Tranquility, forced celibacy, mages killed when they try to escape, the unwillingness to find alternate solutions. This is more than complacency. It is a creeping genocide lasting a thousand years.
We are standing at a crossroads. The Circles are no more. We are now asking all the old questions anew. How can we relate to the Fade and its denizens? What must we fight at all costs, what can we accommodate? What can be done with those who cannot learn to control their power? I do not know the answers, but I do know this: we will no longer be controlled by those predisposed to revile us. Never again will we be slaves, and we will no longer be complicit in the mutilation of our souls. The Chantry calls us apostates. I now proudly adopt that term for myself, for towards any doctrine that reviles our kind and blames us for the world’s greatest evils, there is no more appropriate state than being an apostate.
We should, however, not be reckless. There is more at stake than the power of mages and their status. The Fade is the home of our dreams – and of our nightmares. It is a part of all of us, not just those who work magic. Everyone’s desires, everyone’s fears give it all shape. It tells us of what we are if we open our eyes. It is said that in the ancient days, there was no Veil. Imagine that we could not escape. Imagine that we would see our dreams and nightmares walk the lands, revealing mysteries of our world in all their awful glory. Not all minds can experience this and not be damaged, and that is why the ancient Dreamers existed. They were the guardians. How would we react today? Most templars would have us cast out our dreams to get rid of the nightmares. Is that what we want?
The Veil is weakening. Soon the things we have conveniently forgotten about our world will come back to haunt us. Dare we take up the sword of knowledge and fight the nightmares to preserve our dreams? Dare we take up the mantle of the Dreamers and act as guardians of the gates between the worlds? There can be no compromise with those who seek to enslave us. It is our birthright to make our way in two worlds as we see fit. We do not need to prove ourselves to anyone, and we will not be bound into service. We can, however, choose to be guardians rather than the oppressors our enemies would have us be. There is no greater moment of freedom than this one, when we have thrown off our shackles but our path into the future is not yet determined.
A great change is coming. It is for us to determine if it will set us free.
===================================================================================
[Letter from Eorlin Amell to an unknown recipient, 9:40 Dragon. This was written in response to questions I was asked in a PM about the situation of the mages. I also believe something similar to what Eorlin suggests in the letter is going to happen in DAI if your character is a mage and has an appropriate background. Lastly. some of the events mentioned here may not have happened in all players' timelines. "Stoneshadow" is the name I gave to the Circle established at Orzammer in response to Dagna's sojourn at the Circle of Ferelden.]
My dear friend,
you’ve asked me for advice about our strategic options after the conclave at Andoral’s Reach. I do not know why you think I have better advice to offer than the First Enchanters at the meeting, but yes. I have some ideas about how to proceed.
It may sound odd, but I think we should offer our support to the Divine. Yes, you didn’t misread. The Divine has proven that she thinks our cause has merit, and even if she would’ve preferred less radical actions, she helped the mages of the White Spire escape and without her intervention, they might all be dead by now. That her Chantry is falling to pieces just as she’s prepared to take a less oppressive stance on mages is most unfortunate, and she’s lost most of her military power with the secession of Lambert and most of the Seekers and Templars. If we offer her our support – as allies, not subordinates – we show that we appreciate her actions; that we aren’t opposed to serving the greater good if our autonomy is recognized, and we mitigate concerns of the non-mage population (please avoid calling them "mundane") about what we might do to them since most of them trust the Chantry.
So much for the political side of the picture, but there are other concerns. The Chantry controls the lyrium trade, and we’ll need lyrium not only to fight the occasional battle, but also for our research. If we support the Divine, we’ll have the lyrium we need, we might be able to cut Lambert’s faction off from their supply and long-term, we might be able to get our hands into the lyrium trade ourselves. Should that be successful and we can avoid open battle for some more time, his faction will be much weakened. To avoid being too dependent on one source, we should look to Orzammar. I understand that the representative of the Stoneshadow Circle couldn’t make it to your meeting, but I know her and can put you in touch. Her mages have won great acclaim when they helped House Helmi against the darkspawn in the reclaiming of Kal’hirol. There is a spirit of renewal in Orzammar as the dwarves attempt to reclaim some of their ancient glory. It is something to behold. You do not want to stand in their way. I imagine your meeting was infused with a similar spirit.
Also – it may be galling to admit that, but that doesn’t make it less true – we’re going to need people with Templar training. We’re going to embark on some potentially dangerous research, and it’s in our own interest to have someone nearby who can interrupt our magic if something goes wrong – as long as it’s understood that “disrupt our magic” doesn’t mean “kill” if at all possible. There will be fitting candidates among those templars who remained with the Divine. We have a templar/mage couple among our leaders at Andoral’s reach. They can serve as an example.
I’m afraid this might not go down well with some of the radicals. While I count myself as one regarding our goals, I see no reason to hold on to old grudges if they only hold us back. Remind them our goal is autonomy, not isolation, and if we don’t acknowledge that our power comes with the obligation to use it responsibility we will not be successful.
Also, I cannot overstate how important it is to keep the state of things from deteriorating further. Something big is happening in the Fade. I wonder why you haven’t noticed it by now. I’m afraid we’re all going to feel its effects before long. Whatever it is, we’ll be at the forefront of events because we’re more at home in the Fade than anyone else. It scares me, and I don’t scare easily, but maybe if we save everyone’s asses, they’ll sing a different tune about mages.
That was it. I also have some ideas about the mages’ place in a more enlightened culture in the long-term, but much of that depends on the results of our research and the actions we’re going to take in the coming conflict, so I’ll refrain from indulging in pointless speculation for now.
If I may mention a concern of my own: have you heard anything about my cousin, the infamous Hawke? Last I heard, she left Kirkwall in a captured ship together with a handful of companions. She probably doesn’t know about me but I’d like to make contact with her.
I hope everything goes well with you and that we’ll all meet again alive instead of being cut up by templars or being eaten by dragons.
Until then,
Yours,
Eorlin Amell
Modifié par Ieldra2, 28 juin 2013 - 10:31 .
Retour en haut
