1058 réponses à ce sujet

[JakeLeTDK]

Spoiler

I meant during the killings in the estate. Briala was the only one that survived and Lady Mantillion did not know of her survival until she was attacked. If she had, I have a feeling that she wouldn't have supported Celene's ascension to the throne. So I was wondering if Briala was not found during the initial killings (pretty sloppy if you asked me) or Celene intervened to make sure she lives.

Spoiler

I think it did say that the assassins were in a hurry and tried to finish before Celene got home. That's why they miss Briala. Or maybe it was Celene intervene somehow since she was already in love with Briala at that point. Either its pure luck or planned by Celene, it's hard to be sure really.

 

[bairdduvessa]

Spoiler

I meant during the killings in the estate. Briala was the only one that survived and Lady Mantillion did not know of her survival until she was attacked. If she had, I have a feeling that she wouldn't have supported Celene's ascension to the throne. So I was wondering if Briala was not found during the initial killings (pretty sloppy if you asked me) or Celene intervened to make sure she lives.

i should have been clear.  

Spoiler

i think celene did the killings herself and she probably knew B's habits enough to ensure she would not be in harms way

[bairdduvessa]

Wonder if this ruin is going to play a role in however we deal with Briala.

 

Spoiler

dunno, but i want to live there

[JakeLeTDK]

i should have been clear.  

Spoiler

i think celene did the killings herself and she probably knew B's habits enough to ensure she would not be in harms way

Spoiler

Nope. I'm pretty sure there's a part where Briala heard the assassins said that they should be hurried before "she" got home. Also this took place, i believe, before Lady Mantillon took Celene in and taught her bardic art. So nope, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Celene that did the killing.

[bairdduvessa]

Spoiler

Nope. I'm pretty sure there's a part where Briala heard the assassins said that they should be hurried before "she" got home. Also this took place, i believe, before Lady Mantillon took Celene in and taught her bardic art. So nope, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Celene that did the killing.

Spoiler

you sure?  i'm pretty sure that they started the bard training when she was just a girl.  i could be wrong, i am very tired. but you're right about her hearing the assassins

[JakeLeTDK]

Spoiler

you sure?  i'm pretty sure that they started the bard training when she was just a girl.  i could be wrong, i am very tired. but you're right about her hearing the assassins

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure. It was Lady Mantillon that taught her Bardic art and how to play the Game well. Before that maybe she was trained a bit since she's a noble and a daughter of a prince. Though whatever she was trained before, I doubt its enough for her to kill bunch of people in cold blood.

[bairdduvessa]

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure. It was Lady Mantillon that taught her Bardic art and how to play the Game well. Before that maybe she was trained a bit since she's a noble and a daughter of a prince. Though whatever she was trained before, I doubt its enough for her to kill bunch of people in cold blood.

i think you're right

[Wissenschaft]

Spoiler

If you want a war with consequences so precise, perhaps you should get your hands on some of the new-model Helicarriers from Project INSIGHT in the latest Captain America movie. Otherwise, you're going to have to get a lot of people killed just to take out the specific aristocrats you loathe.

And if Loghain was against the senseless slaughter of peasants, he probably should've done more to help his fellow Fereldan peasants avoid getting killed by darkspawn...but that's a discussion for another thread.

 

Bah, I can dream. This is a video game after all, not  reality.

 

I do know that if given the option, mr. murderknife will be kept busy.

[ladyofpayne]

 

 

senseless slaughter of peasants

Well it is Medieval in Thedas. Class structure society. Ferelden has no difference- just remind you Loghain sold elves to Tevinter.

[Das Tentakel]

Well it is Medieval in Thedas. Class structure society. Ferelden has no difference- just remind you Loghain sold elves to Tevinter.

 

Nah, that's not really medieval. Peasants are capital (and often military manpower as well), you only kill them when they really get unreasonable (see 'Jacquerie') or when they're somebody else's peasants in the case of war (economic warfare, really). Generally the average noble would try to protect his peasants (after all - revenue...), at least to a certain degree, or try to attract fresh peasants (mo' money) by offering various advantages to settlers.

Friction arose when nobles (or the State) felt forced to squeeze more revenue out of their existing peasants or economic difficulties (failed harvests etc.) made it difficult for the peasants to cough up the customary revenues. Then you sometimes got situations with peasants killing nobles and vice versa.

 

There are of course cases where a noble sexually harassed 'his' peasants' daughters or wives or do other kinds of mischief. However, outside those modern countries where rule of law is a thing even today a relatively poor person (or employee) has a very weak position versus a wealthy and well-connected one or his/her boss. It's the result of a major difference in wealth, power and influence; similar things could (and can) happen between a wealthy peasant and a poor one.

 

Otherwise, Masked Empire sounds like a decent franchise novel, just as the excerpt suggested .

[ladyofpayne]

"Do you have a suggestion, Remache?" Gaspard asked. "Or are you just pissing in my wine?"

 

Hello, my favorite male character.

[QueenPurpleScrap]

Finished reading the book and found it quite interesting and enjoyable. I found some of the characters to be more surprising than I expected and I do think it gives more insight into Orlais, the Game, and society. We already knew that Orlais would be undergoing a civil war at the time of DAI, and that there was going to be something going on with the elves. Much as Asunder provided some background into the Mage/Templar conflict this book tells us how Orlais got to this point. In a sense it was more necessary than Asunder because the actions of DA2 already set up that conflict and Asunder fleshed it out. Orlais and Empress Celene were mentioned, of course, but there was no explanation for why Orlais was warring with itself. It's not quite so simple as a grab for power, though that is certainly a strong motivation.

 

I also found the code of the chevalier interesting, how living by it (or not) had such a profound impact on some of the characters. I was not pre-disposed to like Empress Celene (or any of the characters, really) because Orlais already seemed like a Machiavelli/Medici stew but I found myself liking some that I did not expect. While I know which side I am rooting for (I think) in terms of the civil war I understand, and have some sympathy for, the other side much better than I thought I would.

[Aimi]

Nah, that's not really medieval. Peasants are capital (and often military manpower as well), you only kill them when they really get unreasonable (see 'Jacquerie') or when they're somebody else's peasants in the case of war (economic warfare, really). Generally the average noble would try to protect his peasants (after all - revenue...), at least to a certain degree, or try to attract fresh peasants (mo' money) by offering various advantages to settlers.
Friction arose when nobles (or the State) felt forced to squeeze more revenue out of their existing peasants or economic difficulties (failed harvests etc.) made it difficult for the peasants to cough up the customary revenues. Then you sometimes got situations with peasants killing nobles and vice versa.
 
There are of course cases where a noble sexually harassed 'his' peasants' daughters or wives or do other kinds of mischief. However, outside those modern countries where rule of law is a thing even today a relatively poor person (or employee) has a very weak position versus a wealthy and well-connected one or his/her boss. It's the result of a major difference in wealth, power and influence; similar things could (and can) happen between a wealthy peasant and a poor one.

Focusing on purely materialistic explanations for group behavior is so seventies

[ElitePinecone]

I also found the code of the chevalier interesting, how living by it (or not) had such a profound impact on some of the characters. I was not pre-disposed to like Empress Celene (or any of the characters, really) because Orlais already seemed like a Machiavelli/Medici stew but I found myself liking some that I did not expect. While I know which side I am rooting for (I think) in terms of the civil war I understand, and have some sympathy for, the other side much better than I thought I would.

 

This is exactly how I feel, yeah.

 

Masked Empire did a great job of humanising its characters, even the ones that looked set up to be villains, so that by the end of it I could understand the motivations for their actions - to a certain extent - even if I didn't agree with them.

 

I think that's a wonderfully rare thing for stories to get right (let alone videogame stories!), and I really hope it continues in Inquisition. 

[LobselVith8]

Though Elf inquisitor actually presents an interesting complication, They're exclusively Dalish according to the Devs, and considering how things went down between Briala and the Dalish in Masked Empire...

 

The clan in the novel was fairly atypical of the Dalish, however, in summoning a spirit, which goes against the traditions of the Dalish in avoiding magic that involves spirits. "Unlike other spellcasters, Dalish mages do not use any magic involving spirits, as they believe all spirits are dangerous." (page 104) It follows the same line of thought that's expressed by Merrill, who says all spirits are dangerous.

 

That said, I'm curious how Briala will respond to an elven Inquisitor, and if she will present a third option in the dichotomy between Celene and Gaspard.

[Heimdall]

The clan in the novel was fairly atypical of the Dalish, however, in summoning a spirit, which goes against the traditions of the Dalish in avoiding magic that involves spirits. "Unlike other spellcasters, Dalish mages do not use any magic involving spirits, as they believe all spirits are dangerous." (page 104) It follows the same line of thought that's expressed by Merrill, who says all spirits are dangerous.

That said, I'm curious how Briala will respond to an elven Inquisitor, and if she will present a third option in the dichotomy between Celene and Gaspard.

Briala's issue with the Dalish was mostly related to their tendency to look down on the City Elves, not their magical practices.

Perhaps I missed something, but I didn't get the impression that Briala was planning anything so dramatic as a a general uprising. Rather, she seemed to only want to exploit the chaos to strengthen the elven position.

Whether that necessarily leads to revolution, I don't know, but I don't think she really represents a third option except that helpin her would only draw out the civil war between the other two.

[azarhal]

The clan in the novel was fairly atypical of the Dalish, however, in summoning a spirit, which goes against the traditions of the Dalish in avoiding magic that involves spirits. "Unlike other spellcasters, Dalish mages do not use any magic involving spirits, as they believe all spirits are dangerous." (page 104) It follows the same line of thought that's expressed by Merrill, who says all spirits are dangerous.

 

You know, while we got lore saying that, we also have Zathrian who have no issue summoning and binding a spirit and Marethari who knew a spells to get people into the Fade with no lyrium requirement, blood magic or many mages to perform the ritual. She said it was an old elven ritual.

 

The older the Dalish, the more they seem to deal with spirits and the Fade...

[Iakus]

The clan in the novel was fairly atypical of the Dalish, however, in summoning a spirit, which goes against the traditions of the Dalish in avoiding magic that involves spirits. "Unlike other spellcasters, Dalish mages do not use any magic involving spirits, as they believe all spirits are dangerous." (page 104) It follows the same line of thought that's expressed by Merrill, who says all spirits are dangerous.

 

That said, I'm curious how Briala will respond to an elven Inquisitor, and if she will present a third option in the dichotomy between Celene and Gaspard.

 

Their views on "flat ears" though, appears to be quite typical.

[LobselVith8]

Spoiler

Briala saw that working within the system was a dead end (at least in Celene's lifetime), because no matter the ground Celene gave the elves, she was never going to be able to grant them true equality and survive. Briala knows better than anyone that Celene's main priority is Celene's survival, so there was no chance of Celene sacrificing herself for elven equality and, without that level of support, nothing Briala could do would make an appreciable difference.

 

So now her goal is, I think, to strengthen the elven population while the state expends itself in a civil war. By the time its over, the elves will have an excellent position to assert themselves/rise against a new/unstable government backed by a vastly weakened army. Granted, this is a best case scenario, but the plan definitely hinges on the elves taking advantage of several things- the eluvians, the openings created by the war, and the post-war instability and recovery.

 

Which is why I'd like to see her as a potential ally in Inquisition, and have the opportunity to help her cause.

[Spectre slayer]

The Dalish are an odd an contradictory bunch when it comes to certain things like magic and spirit's but when it comes to demons their views are pretty skewed as told by Felassan and what we read about Imasheal.

Spoiler

" It's hardly wrong, unlike mages in the circle the Dalish don't think of demons as evil but as wild animals , dangerous if treated carelessly." Felassan 246, also it's pretty much what Meril's viewpoint was, and as someone else mentioned Zatharian had issues with trying a spirit.

I think it would be another mark for Braila to hold against a Dalish inquisitor especially if you're a mage or bloodmage.

[KC_Prototype]

Could Briala be this "Sera" character we talk about in Inquisition? I was hoping for Sera to be her own character but from what I read in the book so far, Briala sounds like she could be the rogue elf companion in DA:I.

[LobselVith8]

Briala's issue with the Dalish was mostly related to their tendency to look down on the City Elves, not their magical practices.

Perhaps I missed something, but I didn't get the impression that Briala was planning anything so dramatic as a a general uprising. Rather, she seemed to only want to exploit the chaos to strengthen the elven position.

Whether that necessarily leads to revolution, I don't know, but I don't think she really represents a third option except that helpin her would only draw out the civil war between the other two.

 

Some Dalish do that, but some city elves do that as well, viewing the Dalish as savages, and even looking down on some elves as "flat ears", including the ones who try to live outside the Alienage. Every group in Thedas has their flaws.

 

If Briala's intent is to help the elves, I'm hoping it's possible that the Inquisitor can help her achieve that goal.

 

Their views on "flat ears" though, appears to be quite typical.

 

A derogatory term used by some Dalish and some city elves.

[ElitePinecone]

Could Briala be this "Sera" character we talk about in Inquisition? I was hoping for Sera to be her own character but from what I read in the book so far, Briala sounds like she could be the rogue elf companion in DA:I.

 

huh

 

 

 

• Sera is young, frenetic, and a brat through and through. She revels in the athleticism of being an elf, of being different. But her culture isn’t elven, or, for that matter, strictly human. It’s the underbelly of the city. In her network of rogues, what you do is more important than where you’re from, and friends open more doors than [titles?]. Robs from the rich, keeps it.

[LobselVith8]

You know, while we got lore saying that, we also have Zathrian who have no issue summoning and binding a spirit and Marethari who knew a spells to get people into the Fade with no lyrium requirement, blood magic or many mages to perform the ritual. She said it was an old elven ritual.

 

The older the Dalish, the more they seem to deal with spirits and the Fade...

 

Zathrian used blood magic in secret to curse the humans who murdered his son and raped his daughter, and the ancient spell used by Marethari was never said to involve the aid of spirits. There's also a difference between venturing into the Fade (the Beyond), and dealing with spirits.

 

The Dalish are an odd an contradictory bunch when it comes to certain things like magic and spirit's but when it comes to demons their views are pretty skewed as told by Felassan and what we read about Imasheal.

Spoiler

" It's hardly wrong, unlike mages in the circle the Dalish don't think of demons as evil but as wild animals , dangerous if treated carelessly." Felassan 246, also it's pretty much what Meril's viewpoint was, and as someone else mentioned Zatharian had issues with trying a spirit.

I think it would be another mark for Braila to hold against a Dalish inquisitor especially if you're a mage or bloodmage.

 

Which contradicts what Merrill and World of Thedas have said about the Dalish viewing all spirits as dangerous, as well as the religious debates between Merrill and Anders where she doesn't use the distinction between Spirits and Demons because it's tied to cultural and religious Andrastian views (with Spirits being the Children of the Maker, and Demons being Spirits who turned their backs on the Maker in jealousy over humanity). As Anders says, "Maybe you don't really understand the difference between spirits and demons. [...] Spirits were the first children of the Maker, but He turned his back on them to dote on His mortal creations. The ones who resented this became demons, driven to take everything mortals had and gain back the Maker's favor."

[Iakus]

Could Briala be this "Sera" character we talk about in Inquisition? I was hoping for Sera to be her own character but from what I read in the book so far, Briala sounds like she could be the rogue elf companion in DA:I.

 

I don't think so. Briala has dark hair and the pictures of "Sera" (assuming that's her) seem to be blonde