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The Circle system as a totalitarian police state


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#1526
Hellion Rex

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dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

When Evangeline was tracking Rhys, she mentions that she "willed
some power" into the bottle, suggesting that at least the tracking
function was operated by her lyrium powers.


But that phrase, "will some power" strikes me as odd. I don't doubt she's telling the truth, and this is probably me reading too much into it, but it's almost exactly the description of the source of power in the Fade, will, that is. Everything in the Fade is nothing more than the expression of a thought, and your will makes it reality. Outside the Fade, only mages are truly capable of willing things into being, or more accurately, willing, studying, and practicing using various forms of magic from shape-shifting to summoning fire from nothing and so on.

If it's a lyrium ability, wouldn't that mean only templars and mages can use phylacteries? And if so, wouldn't that make it magic in and of itself? And if it's magic, that would mean that any templar using a phylactery, even just to track a mage, is inherently using blood magic themselves by the Chantry's definition of blood magic.

That's how I see it.

A phylactery is a magical item. A Templar using it is no more a blood mage, than a person using an enchanted sword is a mage.


Not if the phylactery only works if they have to will it to work. A sword is a sword no matter who wields it.

Hang on now. The difference is that Templars still require lyrium to gain their abilities. Also, and maybe the blood magic aspect comes from a mage doing something to the phylactery itself so that it might become susceptible to a templars power, hence a Templar's ability to track the owner of the blood.

#1527
EmperorSahlertz

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dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

When Evangeline was tracking Rhys, she mentions that she "willed
some power" into the bottle, suggesting that at least the tracking
function was operated by her lyrium powers.


But that phrase, "will some power" strikes me as odd. I don't doubt she's telling the truth, and this is probably me reading too much into it, but it's almost exactly the description of the source of power in the Fade, will, that is. Everything in the Fade is nothing more than the expression of a thought, and your will makes it reality. Outside the Fade, only mages are truly capable of willing things into being, or more accurately, willing, studying, and practicing using various forms of magic from shape-shifting to summoning fire from nothing and so on.

If it's a lyrium ability, wouldn't that mean only templars and mages can use phylacteries? And if so, wouldn't that make it magic in and of itself? And if it's magic, that would mean that any templar using a phylactery, even just to track a mage, is inherently using blood magic themselves by the Chantry's definition of blood magic.

That's how I see it.

A phylactery is a magical item. A Templar using it is no more a blood mage, than a person using an enchanted sword is a mage.


Not if the phylactery only works if they have to will it to work. A sword is a sword no matter who wields it.

Obviousy the enchanted flames on a blade does not burn all the time, so a warrior also has to activate his weapon somehow.

#1528
dragonflight288

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eluvianix wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

When Evangeline was tracking Rhys, she mentions that she "willed
some power" into the bottle, suggesting that at least the tracking
function was operated by her lyrium powers.


But that phrase, "will some power" strikes me as odd. I don't doubt she's telling the truth, and this is probably me reading too much into it, but it's almost exactly the description of the source of power in the Fade, will, that is. Everything in the Fade is nothing more than the expression of a thought, and your will makes it reality. Outside the Fade, only mages are truly capable of willing things into being, or more accurately, willing, studying, and practicing using various forms of magic from shape-shifting to summoning fire from nothing and so on.

If it's a lyrium ability, wouldn't that mean only templars and mages can use phylacteries? And if so, wouldn't that make it magic in and of itself? And if it's magic, that would mean that any templar using a phylactery, even just to track a mage, is inherently using blood magic themselves by the Chantry's definition of blood magic.

That's how I see it.

A phylactery is a magical item. A Templar using it is no more a blood mage, than a person using an enchanted sword is a mage.


Not if the phylactery only works if they have to will it to work. A sword is a sword no matter who wields it.

Hang on now. The difference is that Templars still require lyrium to gain their abilities. Also, and maybe the blood magic aspect comes from a mage doing something to the phylactery itself so that it might become susceptible to a templars power, hence a Templar's ability to track the owner of the blood.


That still does nothing to change the Chantry's, and the world at large's definition of what blood magic is. "Blood used in empowering or enhancing another spell, or blood/pain/death used as the source of power for the spell."

The phylactery may or may not require a mage to help make, but by using blood it becomes blood magic. And if the templars capacity to use phylacteries are dependent on their usage of lyrium, and lyrium is nothing more than magic emobodied as a raw mineral, the templars are using magic themselves, not naturally born magic or inherent magic, but magic none-the-less, and by using magic with the blood in the phylactery, the templars are in fact, using blood magic.

#1529
dragonflight288

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

When Evangeline was tracking Rhys, she mentions that she "willed
some power" into the bottle, suggesting that at least the tracking
function was operated by her lyrium powers.


But that phrase, "will some power" strikes me as odd. I don't doubt she's telling the truth, and this is probably me reading too much into it, but it's almost exactly the description of the source of power in the Fade, will, that is. Everything in the Fade is nothing more than the expression of a thought, and your will makes it reality. Outside the Fade, only mages are truly capable of willing things into being, or more accurately, willing, studying, and practicing using various forms of magic from shape-shifting to summoning fire from nothing and so on.

If it's a lyrium ability, wouldn't that mean only templars and mages can use phylacteries? And if so, wouldn't that make it magic in and of itself? And if it's magic, that would mean that any templar using a phylactery, even just to track a mage, is inherently using blood magic themselves by the Chantry's definition of blood magic.

That's how I see it.

A phylactery is a magical item. A Templar using it is no more a blood mage, than a person using an enchanted sword is a mage.


Not if the phylactery only works if they have to will it to work. A sword is a sword no matter who wields it.

Obviousy the enchanted flames on a blade does not burn all the time, so a warrior also has to activate his weapon somehow.


And yet we have no examples of a sword extinguishing itself in the lore. Enchantment is nothing more than folding lyrium runes into weapons and armor, and those lyrium runes give the weapon magical capacity, such as burning, as it were. Unless the lyrium rune was removed from the sword, there is nothing that suggests the flame merely extinguishes itself.

#1530
EmperorSahlertz

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That still doesn't make them blood mages...

#1531
dragonflight288

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

That still doesn't make them blood mages...


Use of blood and magic is by the very definition a blood mage. Templars aren't mages so naturally they can't be blood mages, but that doesn't mean they aren't using blood magic by using the phylacteries. ;)

#1532
Hellion Rex

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

That still doesn't make them blood mages...

Nope. But they are still making use of a type of magic powered by blood.

#1533
EmperorSahlertz

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dragonflight288 wrote...

And yet we have no examples of a sword extinguishing itself in the lore. Enchantment is nothing more than folding lyrium runes into weapons and armor, and those lyrium runes give the weapon magical capacity, such as burning, as it were. Unless the lyrium rune was removed from the sword, there is nothing that suggests the flame merely extinguishes itself.

Yes, and obviously this flame does not burn hot all the time. Otherwise it would burn through the scabbard and burn the wielder. Some sort of activation must tehrefore be required.

#1534
Hellion Rex

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dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

That still doesn't make them blood mages...


Use of blood and magic is by the very definition a blood mage. Templars aren't mages so naturally they can't be blood mages, but that doesn't mean they aren't using blood magic by using the phylacteries. ;)

Oh, I get it.

#1535
EmperorSahlertz

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dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

That still doesn't make them blood mages...


Use of blood and magic is by the very definition a blood mage. Templars aren't mages so naturally they can't be blood mages, but that doesn't mean they aren't using blood magic by using the phylacteries. ;)

So what? The Templars have never denied that they view the phylacteries as blood magic (nevermind the larger discussion about the specifics). They are fully aware of this, however lacking a viable alternative, they see it as a necessary evil.

#1536
Hellion Rex

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Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.

#1537
Hellion Rex

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The original point was how spells are performed remotely through a phylactery onto another mage.

#1538
dragonflight288

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

And yet we have no examples of a sword extinguishing itself in the lore. Enchantment is nothing more than folding lyrium runes into weapons and armor, and those lyrium runes give the weapon magical capacity, such as burning, as it were. Unless the lyrium rune was removed from the sword, there is nothing that suggests the flame merely extinguishes itself.

Yes, and obviously this flame does not burn hot all the time. Otherwise it would burn through the scabbard and burn the wielder. Some sort of activation must tehrefore be required.


Point it out to me where that happens in the lore and I'll adit I'm wrong. Comics, books, or a codex entry. (it only happens in the games when we remove the rune so that's a game-play mechanic that doesn't qualify).

#1539
dragonflight288

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eluvianix wrote...

Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.


I think it got started when I responded to Emperor's statement when he said "using blood magic just once makes you a blood mage" and I responded with a cheeky "if templars use phylacteries, they are using blood magic, so does that make them blood mages too?" sort of deal.

I think that's how we got started.

#1540
EmperorSahlertz

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dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

And yet we have no examples of a sword extinguishing itself in the lore. Enchantment is nothing more than folding lyrium runes into weapons and armor, and those lyrium runes give the weapon magical capacity, such as burning, as it were. Unless the lyrium rune was removed from the sword, there is nothing that suggests the flame merely extinguishes itself.

Yes, and obviously this flame does not burn hot all the time. Otherwise it would burn through the scabbard and burn the wielder. Some sort of activation must tehrefore be required.


Point it out to me where that happens in the lore and I'll adit I'm wrong. Comics, books, or a codex entry. (it only happens in the games when we remove the rune so that's a game-play mechanic that doesn't qualify).

You strap a burning swod to your back in the games... If that isn't evidence that the flame isn't hot, I don't know what is. And if you want another example, it would be in the gameplay demo of DA:I where the sword only appears AFTER the weapon has been drawn.

#1541
EmperorSahlertz

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dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.


I think it got started when I responded to Emperor's statement when he said "using blood magic just once makes you a blood mage" and I responded with a cheeky "if templars use phylacteries, they are using blood magic, so does that make them blood mages too?" sort of deal.

I think that's how we got started.

And there is an obvious difference between casting blood magic, and using a magical item crafted through blood magic (Even though phylacteries aren't crafted through blood magic, and it is the mere inclusion of blood in the process that labels it as such).

#1542
dragonflight288

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

That still doesn't make them blood mages...


Use of blood and magic is by the very definition a blood mage. Templars aren't mages so naturally they can't be blood mages, but that doesn't mean they aren't using blood magic by using the phylacteries. ;)

So what? The Templars have never denied that they view the phylacteries as blood magic (nevermind the larger discussion about the specifics). They are fully aware of this, however lacking a viable alternative, they see it as a necessary evil.


They may not deny their use of blood magic in the phylacteries, but they most certainly have done nothing to try and help improve blood magic defense since the magister Adralla developed the Litany, and I think that they, or at least Chantry/Templar/Seeker leaders at least subconsciously acknowledge the phylactery gives them a leash, or a method of control over the mages as a whole and have no motivation to find alternatives as doing so would take away their power/control over mages.

And before this conversation inevitably turns to Tevinter, I'm just as skeptical of Black Chantry and the Magisters...heck, I'm just skeptical of anyone who has a great deal of power for long periods of time.

#1543
Hellion Rex

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.


I think it got started when I responded to Emperor's statement when he said "using blood magic just once makes you a blood mage" and I responded with a cheeky "if templars use phylacteries, they are using blood magic, so does that make them blood mages too?" sort of deal.

I think that's how we got started.

And there is an obvious difference between casting blood magic, and using a magical item crafted through blood magic (Even though phylacteries aren't crafted through blood magic, and it is the mere inclusion of blood in the process that labels it as such).

Ok, and who remotely casts spells on the rogue mage through the phylactery? The templar?

#1544
dragonflight288

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EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

And yet we have no examples of a sword extinguishing itself in the lore. Enchantment is nothing more than folding lyrium runes into weapons and armor, and those lyrium runes give the weapon magical capacity, such as burning, as it were. Unless the lyrium rune was removed from the sword, there is nothing that suggests the flame merely extinguishes itself.

Yes, and obviously this flame does not burn hot all the time. Otherwise it would burn through the scabbard and burn the wielder. Some sort of activation must tehrefore be required.


Point it out to me where that happens in the lore and I'll adit I'm wrong. Comics, books, or a codex entry. (it only happens in the games when we remove the rune so that's a game-play mechanic that doesn't qualify).

You strap a burning swod to your back in the games... If that isn't evidence that the flame isn't hot, I don't know what is. And if you want another example, it would be in the gameplay demo of DA:I where the sword only appears AFTER the weapon has been drawn.


Gameplay mechanic until proven otherwise. :whistle:

#1545
Hellion Rex

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dragonflight288 wrote...

And before this conversation inevitably turns to Tevinter, I'm just as skeptical of Black Chantry and the Magisters...heck, I'm just skeptical of anyone who has a great deal of power for long periods of time.

No man. Come to the dark side. Join your maleficar brethren.:)

#1546
dragonflight288

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eluvianix wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.


I think it got started when I responded to Emperor's statement when he said "using blood magic just once makes you a blood mage" and I responded with a cheeky "if templars use phylacteries, they are using blood magic, so does that make them blood mages too?" sort of deal.

I think that's how we got started.

And there is an obvious difference between casting blood magic, and using a magical item crafted through blood magic (Even though phylacteries aren't crafted through blood magic, and it is the mere inclusion of blood in the process that labels it as such).

Ok, and who remotely casts spells on the rogue mage through the phylactery? The templar?


I don't think this has ever been made really clear.

#1547
dragonflight288

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eluvianix wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

And before this conversation inevitably turns to Tevinter, I'm just as skeptical of Black Chantry and the Magisters...heck, I'm just skeptical of anyone who has a great deal of power for long periods of time.

No man. Come to the dark side. Join your maleficar brethren.:)


I'm happy being an apostate living life and proving the chantry is wrong about mages inevitably turning to blood magic for the sake of turning to blood magic or demons. Nah, I'd rather learn how to shape-shift and practice flying. Maybe as a falcon so I can do super fast dives.

#1548
Hellion Rex

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dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

Yeah. Why are we debating this exactly. This debate somehow got a little circular.


I think it got started when I responded to Emperor's statement when he said "using blood magic just once makes you a blood mage" and I responded with a cheeky "if templars use phylacteries, they are using blood magic, so does that make them blood mages too?" sort of deal.

I think that's how we got started.

And there is an obvious difference between casting blood magic, and using a magical item crafted through blood magic (Even though phylacteries aren't crafted through blood magic, and it is the mere inclusion of blood in the process that labels it as such).

Ok, and who remotely casts spells on the rogue mage through the phylactery? The templar?


I don't think this has ever been made really clear.

Lord help us if the templar is the one who can do it. There are times when the lore boundaries begin to blur, and my head just starts to hurt. :crying:

#1549
Hellion Rex

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dragonflight288 wrote...

eluvianix wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

And before this conversation inevitably turns to Tevinter, I'm just as skeptical of Black Chantry and the Magisters...heck, I'm just skeptical of anyone who has a great deal of power for long periods of time.

No man. Come to the dark side. Join your maleficar brethren.:)


I'm happy being an apostate living life and proving the chantry is wrong about mages inevitably turning to blood magic for the sake of turning to blood magic or demons. Nah, I'd rather learn how to shape-shift and practice flying. Maybe as a falcon so I can do super fast dives.

Bah, shape shifting is nothing next to the power of blood.

#1550
EmperorSahlertz

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eluvianix wrote...

EmperorSahlertz wrote...

And there is an obvious difference between casting blood magic, and using a magical item crafted through blood magic (Even though phylacteries aren't crafted through blood magic, and it is the mere inclusion of blood in the process that labels it as such).

Ok, and who remotely casts spells on the rogue mage through the phylactery? The templar?

Blood is power in Thedas. I am not about to presume how magic works. But it isn't beyond comprehension that lyrium mixed with a bit of blood and the proper enchantments allow you to exercise a form of power over the owner of the blood.