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Uneven Presentation of the mage-templar conflict


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#1551
Treacherous J Slither

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hhh89 wrote...

JSIther: insane or not, you can't discount Corypheus's words. He IS one to the ancient magister that reached the Fade. We can discuss about the Golden city, but they did reach the Fade by sacrificing slaves and lyrium.


That's actually pretty cool.

The walking the Fade part. Not the sacrifice part.

#1552
The Elder King

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blood magic is obviously an offensive type of magic, but elemental is too. They're obviously used for harming others. The use Jowan did (using his blood to fight templars), is no different of the use any mage do of dire and electric spells.
There's nothing wrong in using your own blood to fuel spells. Problem is, mages often don't stop at that.
By the way, Darth, are you sure that in WoT is stated that BM has a degenerative effect on the mind? I recall the pain-powering part and increasing risks in demon possession.

#1553
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JSlither wrote...

hhh89 wrote...

JSIther: insane or not, you can't discount Corypheus's words. He IS one to the ancient magister that reached the Fade. We can discuss about the Golden city, but they did reach the Fade by sacrificing slaves and lyrium.


That's actually pretty cool.

The walking the Fade part. Not the sacrifice part.

Not pretty cool if it turns you into a darskpawn. And it still can't be done without using sacrifices, unless you want to use all the lyrium of an enourmous Empire.

Modifié par hhh89, 22 février 2014 - 10:15 .


#1554
Hanako Ikezawa

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JSlither wrote...

@DB:

Anders ain't my boy. I'm pro mage but he's a real POS.

First he murders that girl and doesn't off himself like he should've, then he commits genocide and has the nerve to tell me it was for the best. **** that dood.

You don't stop him from killing Ella?

#1555
Treacherous J Slither

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LDS Darth Revan wrote...

JSlither wrote...

@DB:

Anders ain't my boy. I'm pro mage but he's a real POS.

First he murders that girl and doesn't off himself like he should've, then he commits genocide and has the nerve to tell me it was for the best. **** that dood.

You don't stop him from killing Ella?

I must have missed that option or whatever in that particular playthrough. She's survived others.

#1556
Treacherous J Slither

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hhh89 wrote...

JSlither wrote...

hhh89 wrote...

JSIther: insane or not, you can't discount Corypheus's words. He IS one to the ancient magister that reached the Fade. We can discuss about the Golden city, but they did reach the Fade by sacrificing slaves and lyrium.


That's actually pretty cool.

The walking the Fade part. Not the sacrifice part.

Not pretty cool if it turns you into a darskpawn. And it still can't be done without using sacrifices, unless you want to use all the lyrium of an enourmous Empire.


I should of said that it SOUNDS cool. Imagine having Feynriel's powers. C'mon how awesome is that?

#1557
Treacherous J Slither

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So I did some brushing up on blood magic and the only drawback that i've come across is increased susceptibility to demonic posession.


My mages believe it's worth the risk. Better to risk death and be free than to live fat under the whip.

#1558
Arcanis

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JSlither wrote...


I should of said that it SOUNDS cool. Imagine having Feynriel's powers. C'mon how awesome is that?



I think that mindset is actually a problem. Too much enthusiasm for a certain goal or possibility can blind
you for the potential risks. And if you add demons -who are per definitionem master seducer/corrupter/negotiater-
you will also be easier to corrupt. Remember: demons can hide their appearance, they won't neccessary talk
to you in the most obvious form (I'm thinking a bit of the Mage Origin).

And remember a quote: "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutly"
Magic kills like a sword, but you can take sword away and you have just a "normal" person.
But you can't take away magic. Even if the person is to weak to actually resist even the most basic
temptation...



EDIT:  Additional thought:
1. It is better to be a well fed and unfree than free and starving imho
2. Once you succumb you are no longer free, you are possesed.

Modifié par Chaoticos, 22 février 2014 - 11:13 .


#1559
Star fury

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Darth Brotarian wrote...

According to the world of threads blood magic has a degenerative effect on the mind, causing mages to eventually desire to use it against others whether they started out wanting to or not.


LMAO nice fanon buddy.

#1560
Treacherous J Slither

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Chaoticos wrote...

JSlither wrote...


I should of said that it SOUNDS cool. Imagine having Feynriel's powers. C'mon how awesome is that?



I think that mindset is actually a problem. Too much enthusiasm for a certain goal or possibility can blind
you for the potential risks. And if you add demons -who are per definitionem master seducer/corrupter/negotiater-
you will also be easier to corrupt. Remember: demons can hide their appearance, they won't neccessary talk
to you in the most obvious form (I'm thinking a bit of the Mage Origin).

And remember a quote: "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutly"
Magic kills like a sword, but you can take sword away and you have just a "normal" person.
But you can't take away magic. Even if the person is to weak to actually resist even the most basic
temptation...



EDIT:  Additional thought:
1. It is better to be a well fed and unfree than free and starving imho
2. Once you succumb you are no longer free, you are possesed.


I believe the increased susceptibility is more because the demons can counter BM than the individual being weaker. Avernus said that if I recall.
Isabella: "I never give in to temptation."
1. I'm sure you'd sing a different tune if the one holding your leash was horribly abusive like Lord Ramsey Bolton or something. Look him up.

2. True.

#1561
Arcanis

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JSlither wrote...

Chaoticos wrote...

JSlither wrote...


I should of said that it SOUNDS cool. Imagine having Feynriel's powers. C'mon how awesome is that?



I think that mindset is actually a problem. Too much enthusiasm for a certain goal or possibility can blind
you for the potential risks. And if you add demons -who are per definitionem master seducer/corrupter/negotiater-
you will also be easier to corrupt. Remember: demons can hide their appearance, they won't neccessary talk
to you in the most obvious form (I'm thinking a bit of the Mage Origin).

And remember a quote: "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutly"
Magic kills like a sword, but you can take sword away and you have just a "normal" person.
But you can't take away magic. Even if the person is to weak to actually resist even the most basic
temptation...



EDIT:  Additional thought:
1. It is better to be a well fed and unfree than free and starving imho
2. Once you succumb you are no longer free, you are possesed.


I believe the increased susceptibility is more because the demons can counter BM than the individual being weaker. Avernus said that if I recall.
Isabella: "I never give in to temptation."
1. I'm sure you'd sing a different tune if the one holding your leash was horribly abusive like Lord Ramsey Bolton or something. Look him up.

2. True.

..My point was that freedom or not is NOT the most important thing.
I'm for improving the situation inside the towers, the goal should be humane treatment of the mages.
But aside of that? Let us do IMPORTANT things first. Like improving the situation of the majority of people.
The Seekers should have controlled the Templars better, true. There was serious abuse in the Towers, true.
Doesn't change the fact that the "mundane" people as some call them have also problems. Abusive lords,
poor harvests, deseases and so on. Main difference? the mages are fed (at least as long as the system works)
the poor hunger. The mages leave in relative comfort - the poor live on streets or huts often enough.
I dare to say there are more poor people then mages..
So instead of going on about theoreticle freedom of people who have PROVEN to be even more suspicable
towards corruption than the normal guy in power maybe we should start to increase the welfare of ALL people?

#1562
Arcanis

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Ok, sorry, but this rambling of the poor mages is getting on my nerves, I mean it is not the every one else lives in a golder age and just the poor mages have to suffer injustice.

The live is ****ty everywhere else too, so it would be great if the pro-mages take that into consideration..

Well, I'm going to shut up now, have a nice day.

#1563
Treacherous J Slither

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Chaoticos wrote...

Ok, sorry, but this rambling of the poor mages is getting on my nerves, I mean it is not the every one else lives in a golder age and just the poor mages have to suffer injustice.

The live is ****ty everywhere else too, so it would be great if the pro-mages take that into consideration..

Well, I'm going to shut up now, have a nice day.



I take that into consideration. I look at the various possibilities of a life in the Circle and the various possibilities of a life outside of the Circle.
There are more possibilities for a life outside of the Circle. Good and bad. A free apostate can become a rich merchant in Orlais, or a slave in Tevinter. A dragon slayer in Nevarra, or a Crow assassin in Antiva. A master thief in Denerim, or a bandit on the Imperial Highway. A Circle mage can only become what the Chantry says he can become.
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#1564
Treacherous J Slither

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Chaoticos wrote...

JSlither wrote...

Chaoticos wrote...

JSlither wrote...


I should of said that it SOUNDS cool. Imagine having Feynriel's powers. C'mon how awesome is that?



I think that mindset is actually a problem. Too much enthusiasm for a certain goal or possibility can blind
you for the potential risks. And if you add demons -who are per definitionem master seducer/corrupter/negotiater-
you will also be easier to corrupt. Remember: demons can hide their appearance, they won't neccessary talk
to you in the most obvious form (I'm thinking a bit of the Mage Origin).

And remember a quote: "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutly"
Magic kills like a sword, but you can take sword away and you have just a "normal" person.
But you can't take away magic. Even if the person is to weak to actually resist even the most basic
temptation...



EDIT:  Additional thought:
1. It is better to be a well fed and unfree than free and starving imho
2. Once you succumb you are no longer free, you are possesed.


I believe the increased susceptibility is more because the demons can counter BM than the individual being weaker. Avernus said that if I recall.
Isabella: "I never give in to temptation."
1. I'm sure you'd sing a different tune if the one holding your leash was horribly abusive like Lord Ramsey Bolton or something. Look him up.

2. True.

..My point was that freedom or not is NOT the most important thing.
I'm for improving the situation inside the towers, the goal should be humane treatment of the mages.
But aside of that? Let us do IMPORTANT things first. Like improving the situation of the majority of people.
The Seekers should have controlled the Templars better, true. There was serious abuse in the Towers, true.
Doesn't change the fact that the "mundane" people as some call them have also problems. Abusive lords,
poor harvests, deseases and so on. Main difference? the mages are fed (at least as long as the system works)
the poor hunger. The mages leave in relative comfort - the poor live on streets or huts often enough.
I dare to say there are more poor people then mages..
So instead of going on about theoreticle freedom of people who have PROVEN to be even more suspicable
towards corruption than the normal guy in power maybe we should start to increase the welfare of ALL people?






Increase the welfare of all peoples including mages? That's exactly what i'm advocating.

#1565
Lotion Soronarr

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The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...
What evidence is there that Eluvians can allow Demons to escape, other then the word of an Abomination who prior to possession was so biased that she repeatedly refused to do even one ounce of research into them?


I like Merril, but I'm sick and tired of her "suporters" proclaming her an expert on Eluvians, while clamining that no one else (including Mertharari) knows anything.
Did it ever occured  to anyone that maybe she knew more than she claimed?

#1566
Lotion Soronarr

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JSlither wrote...

What factors into choosing one of these stances is the level of danger you believe mages pose to society. So far I haven't seen anything that warrants them being locked up and villified instead of simply trained to control their abilities and to be able to fight off demons. Also, if and when something unfortunate occurs, a Templar like organization made up of mages and mundanes can respond and resolve the situation as necessary.
What I see in the current system is simple fear and ignorance of magic by those who lack the power themselves.


And mages ARE trained.
And guess what? It isn't enough.

Not to mention that by Word of God, mages and especially abominations are seriously underpowered in the game, as opposed to the reality/lore of Thedas.

#1567
jenkinspotatoe

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Darth Brotarian wrote...

JSlither wrote...

KaiserShep wrote...

JSlither wrote...

Why are there no mages in the Templars?


Think about it.


It would undermine the entire purpose of the order. 

How so?


The templars ensure mages don't become a corrupt self regulating heirarchy as they were in the times of old tevinter.

So the solution is to put mages in positons of self-regulation and allow them to become a corrupt self regulating hierarchy as they were in the times of old tevinter.

I know the discussion already moved on from that but this irritates me everytime I read it (not, that it isn't a valid argument. It is, of course, but still.).

Who says the majority of mages wants to become a corrupt self regulating hierachry as they were in the times of old tevinter? Daily duels to the death with fellow magisters over who gets the last piece of dispair flavoured cheese and the repeated blood sacrifice can become rather tiring after a while. 

All I want is one of Varrics shields which says "DON'T!" to hit people with.

When it comes to presentation I think the Templars fare better than the mages - if you are willing to dig and talk to NPCs outside of required quest dialogue. No shown Templar is the incarnation of good, but who is and who wants that anyway? You have the abusers - Ser Alrik, Karras - the bystanders with good intentions - Thrask, Cullen - and the ones who really try to do something "right" and get ****slapped for it - Emeric, Hugh.

The abusers and bad apples had a good life in the Gallows (if Hawke didn't kill them), the bystanders survived as long as they kept quiet and the ones speaking their minds got reprimanded. This says more about the system itself than about the individual Templars (and how they (should) care for Mages). Reality versus Ideality (That little important difference Justice doesn't understand.).

There is not a single mage I remember in my game except members of the Hawke family who hasn't a big fat "BUT" sticker slapped on their forehead. No matter the good intentions. And I don't even count the non-quest related rogue (blood)mages and abominations. Those are fillers/part of the game mechanics - you need something to hit from time to time, might as well be something more challenging than a bandit. Quest related possessions are rare and/or forced.
The only mage encounter I remember without a nasty "BUT" sticker was Tobrius. And his only purpose was to give you your family letters (Which prove that Mage and Templar can get along if they want to.). Everyone else screws it up right away or over the years.

What I hope for in Inquisition are "normal guys who just want to do the right thing" on the Templar side and Malcolm "I just want to live my life" Hawkes on the Mage side. NPCs you can talk to without taking a side. NPCs who manage to stand for their side without going "KILLALLTHEMAGES!" or "BWRAGRAGGHAA-ABOMINATIONGALORE" on the other. Rational "untainted" people with an opinion of their own.

P.S.: Uhm. Hi. I'm new here. My side: "Death is freedom - Life is compromise." and "No poop in the Chantry." I enjoy shooting people with lightning though. The little things ...

#1568
Lotion Soronarr

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JSlither wrote...
If the bad guy is a master swordsman, others with equal or comparable skill may be brought in to take him down.
If the bad guy is a master archer the same applies.

If the bad guy is a mage the same should apply. Who better to combat powerful mages than other powerful mages?


Think of magic like it's a knife. Is a knife more of a threat or is it more of a resource? I say resource. A skilled artisan can make something beautiful by carving wood or clay. A cook can use it to help prepare a meal. When used properly and for the right reasons, a knife is a wonderful resource. However, in the hands of the unskilled a knife becomes potentially harmful to the wielder and to those around him. In the hands of those with bad intentions the dangers are even more sever.

However the solution is not to ban knives but to teach people how to use them properly. And if someone uses it to harm another, the people should see to it that justice is served. The same should be true of magic.



How naive.

Mages are more like nukesthan knives. Giving everyone nukes does NOT solve the problem.

Also, a mage and a master swordsman are not comparable. At all. Combat-wise, in the game they are because CLASS BALANCE.
But can a swordsman mind-control you? Can he drain your very life to fuel his power?
Are demons attracted/aware of him?

No.
Using mages to fight abominations is not really smart, given that abominations want to create more of their kind.

#1569
EmperorSahlertz

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The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

MisterJB wrote...

Ok, let's assume that what the demon wanted all along was to possess Marethari.
What that means is that, in order for that theory to be true, he had to have
also manipulated Merril into restoring the Eluvian thus leaving the
clan thus leading to Marethari being possessed.
Which means, even if
the Merril fans are right, she was still manipulated by a demon with
whom she decided to have a conversation.


Not necessarily. He could've simply been paying attention.

The sequence of events is that Merrill took a shard from the ruins and, for some time, kept it hidden (and feasibly, used the Dalish healing magic Marethari taught her to suppress the taint within). At some time around Sundermount, she approached Marethari and asked, per Dalish protocol (consistent with DAO Merrill!), that they combine their magic to cleanse the shard.

Marethari refused, and this led to them arguing over what should be done. Merrill decided that, since she was without lyrium, she needed to learn blood magic. And she probably remembered the Demon Marethari and her encountered in the short story, so she ventured up to the summit and conversed with Audacity. Audacity taught her the magic, and she used blood magic to amplify her Dalish healing magic, cleansing the shard of its taint.

Then she went back to Marethari and informed her of her success, saying they can rebuild the Eluvian together. Chances are, given what Merrill says of Marethari's domineering demeanor, she ended up spilling the beans on just how she did so, causing the rift to widen.

All the while, Audacity is probably paying attention and thinking "Hey, I can turn this to my benefit!".

So it's not that he necessarily manipulated Merrill. It's more that he just was paying attention to it. Merrill's desire to repair the Eluvian was NOT the result of Audacity, but of her own desire and curiosity -- curiosity that is even mentioned in DAO.

So basically Audacity taught Merrill blood magic out of the goodness of its heart........... So how is this any less naieve than before?

#1570
EmperorSahlertz

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hhh89 wrote...

blood magic is obviously an offensive type of magic, but elemental is too. They're obviously used for harming others. The use Jowan did (using his blood to fight templars), is no different of the use any mage do of dire and electric spells.
There's nothing wrong in using your own blood to fuel spells. Problem is, mages often don't stop at that.
By the way, Darth, are you sure that in WoT is stated that BM has a degenerative effect on the mind? I recall the pain-powering part and increasing risks in demon possession.

Technically Elemental magic can also be used to heat a forge, water a field, cooling down goods, and a multidue of other purposes than simply inflict damage on another. Blood magic, not so much.

#1571
Hanako Ikezawa

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Chaoticos wrote...

Ok, sorry, but this rambling of the poor mages is getting on my nerves, I mean it is not the every one else lives in a golder age and just the poor mages have to suffer injustice.

The live is ****ty everywhere else too, so it would be great if the pro-mages take that into consideration..

Well, I'm going to shut up now, have a nice day.

Who says they don't? Most Pro-Mages also argue for better lives for the other oppressed groups too, like the City Elves and Casteless Dwarves.

#1572
Hanako Ikezawa

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Lotion Soronnar wrote...

How naive.

Mages are more like nukesthan knives. Giving everyone nukes does NOT solve the problem.

I always hated the "Mages are like nukes" argument. The most blatant example of hyperbole in the entire issue. At least compare them to something reasonable. Unless you have evidence that the average mage can wipe out tens of thousands of people in an instant.

#1573
EmperorSahlertz

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LDS Darth Revan wrote...

Lotion Soronnar wrote...

How naive.

Mages are more like nukesthan knives. Giving everyone nukes does NOT solve the problem.

I always hated the "Mages are like nukes" argument. The most blatant example of hyperbole in the entire issue. At least compare them to something reasonable. Unless you have evidence that the average mage can wipe out tens of thousands of people in an instant.

"Nuke" is easier to type than a "Tomahawk cruise missile with only a partially operational guidance system". It is an exaggeration, but it gets the point across.

#1574
EmperorSahlertz

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LDS Darth Revan wrote...

Chaoticos wrote...

Ok, sorry, but this rambling of the poor mages is getting on my nerves, I mean it is not the every one else lives in a golder age and just the poor mages have to suffer injustice.

The live is ****ty everywhere else too, so it would be great if the pro-mages take that into consideration..

Well, I'm going to shut up now, have a nice day.

Who says they don't? Most Pro-Mages also argue for better lives for the other oppressed groups too, like the City Elves and Casteless Dwarves.

I have yet to see anyone argue that Orzammar should be torn down so that the Casteless could be free...

#1575
Jigglypuff

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Magic is not the problem it is the person who wields it, Just like a sword or a bow it is up to the user's intent on whether to do bad or good.

The circle's are needed to educate the mages but I believe allot of reforms have to be made, the further they back the mages in a corner the more they will rebel, both the chantry and the circle need to be purged of the bad apples to make progress but it will take allot of time.