Inprea wrote...
You've made that claim before but what proof do you have that the quality of life of a mage is superior to that of your average person?
The fact that we have seen how both groups live. The Circle is certainly much more luxurious than the house of the average person in Redcliff or Denerim and then there is also the fact mages have access to services, such as a free education and food, whereas your average orlesian; one of the most advanced countries; can't even read.
The templars steal children from mage parents. How much value do you put on being able to love and raise your child? How much value do you put on privacy? How much worth do you put on having to fight a demon in a death match?
There are, of course, special restrictions and requirements that come from life in the Circle but when was the last time a mage's sheep were slaughtered by Darkspawn which lead to their families starving and when he stole a couple of sacks of grain from the crown, he found himself facing a noose? When was the last time a mage found himself a refugee outside of city walls, hunger and disease everywhere while waiting for the enemy army to arrive?
Mages live an enviable, sheltered life. That they can wonder just how free they are is a luxury.
And before anyone says that the suffering of normal people does not make the suffering of mages any less real, do keep in mind that the point of this debate is who live better lives.
Do you know what kind of psychological damage always feeling a sword at your back can cause?
They do not live with a sword at their back anymore than a kirkwaller does just because the guardsmen are around.
Then they're the mages that are actually tortured or raped by the templars whom we never see punished by the people that should be keeping them in line and typically get away with such behavior for years.
First of all, we've seen a grand total of two cases of
Templars taking advantage of their charges in that matter and both took great pains to conceal their crime.
Second, this is not unheard of in the outside world. Abuse of power is not something exclusive to
Templars.
For me the fact that the templars take the mages children to an unknown fate, for all the mages know they drown them, is a huge minus.
The mages know very well what happens to their accidental children. They are given to the care and, if they eventually reveal themselves to be mages, then they are sent to a Circle.
This is because:
a) The Chantry would never waste resources by drowning them.

Some mages like Rhys are accidental babies and can tell other mages their story.
You mean the circle where they're going to most assuredly have to fight for their lives against a demon or be told they're too weak and made tranquil.
I mean the Circle where they will enjoy the companionship of other mages and be provided with free shelter, food, clothing and education.
That depends entirely on the type of environment the parents can provide as well and if they could higher someone to teach the child properly.
Only the wealthy would be able to. And the danger would always be there.
The templars force a system where the parents have to hide the child though if they want to keep them making the situation even more dangerous.
Unfortunate but there are no other options. If the parents fail to understand the danger they children now pose to themselves and everyone around them; such as Meredith's family; then the following chaos will be on their heads, not the
Templars'. Meredith's sister killed 72 before the
Templars managed to stop her.
A mage living with his family ranks shorter on my list of priorities when compared to the lives of those 72 people.