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[Willowhugger]

Some "cut" content which I might figure out for a 4th part or not is this:

 

    The issue of Mage independence and Templar guardianship is also complicated by other factors which go beyond that of freedom versus security. Specifically, issues which have an applicability to real-life but no real analogue. Though, admittedly, demonic possession is a rare factor in security concerns in real-life.

 

    While the original game of Dragon Age: Origins has Alistair explain that Templars do not need lyrium to supplement their anti-magic abilities, comics and interviews have since confirmed this has been retconned. Templars require a steady supply of lyrium in order to provide them the supernatural abilities which allow them to silence, bind, and defeat mages. As Alistair explains, they don't view this as magic since it comes an outside source and doesn't apparently increase their risk of demonic possession. It's also an ability which exists only in relationship to stopping magic versus using it.

 

    The first question question is whether lyrium can actually be used to supplement other kinds of magic than Templar abilities. We know that Dragons blood can function similarly, bestowing the powers of Reaverdom on those who drink it. If humans in Thedas can gain the powers of magic without the risk of demonic possession, shouldn't this be encouraged? Are Templars limiting themselves to anti-magic simply because of cultural tradition? If they are only able to use able to perform anti-magic effects, none of these are issues but it answers to these questions are relevant.

 

    Secondarily, and more insidiously, is the case of lyrium addiction. Lyrium is said to increase paranoia, obsession, and (in cases) cause dementia. Like actual real-life drugs, there are side-effects to altering one's body chemistry. While most Templars seem to be perfectly rationale like Ser Gregoir and Ser Cullen, almost all of their decisions become questionable while under the influence. One could make an argument for or against the Fereldan Annulment, for example, based on Ser Gregoir's irrational belief he could only trust First Enchanter Irving's word on the subject.

 

    Worse, is the case of lyrium withdrawal which can render a destitute mess as we see in Dragon Age 2. While King Alistair, despite the retcon, is able to go off lyrium with seemingly no ill-effects, he ultimately returns to using it in the comics. Ser Evangeline also suggests that she cannot leave the Templar Order lest she continue taking lyrium indefinitely. In effect, joining the Templar Order is as much a life-sentence as becoming a mage.

  
   The price of the Templar Order's existence is a crippling addiction which has mind-altering effects but, also, provides Thedas with some of its best anti-mystical warriors. Can their judgement be trusted because of this and is it immoral to leave them enslaved to lyrium. The Templar Order is able to survive despite its separation from the Chantry in Dragon Age: Asunder but it is still dependent on lyrium, which raises new questions. In Dragon Age: Origins we encounter a Carta Smuggling ring and mages bribing Templars with lyrium. Does it have addictive qualities too or were they building up a private stock for just this sort of occasion?

 

It's questionable.

[Willowhugger]

There is also the issue of the Tevinter Imperium when dealing with mages. One of the standard warnings against mages gaining their independence is fear for a new Tevinter's rise. Cultural memory of the abuses the Tevinter have committed plus ones continuing now remain in the psyche of Thedans everywhere. Fenris, former slave to the Tevinter, often cites his former masters as a reason mages cannot be trusted in general. Lord Seeker Lambert, furthermore, cites his own experience as a Templar in Tevinter as proof that the culture of magicians lends itself to corruption.

 

    This is not completely illogical or a false analogy. One of the issues raised in the Cold War was "to set down one's weapons is to invite attack." The possession of nuclear weapons was considered a strategic necessity if any country was to matter on the world stage. This led to not only the arms race between the United States and Soviet Union but countries like France as well as the United Kingdom to possess nuclear weapons.

 

    Lord Seeker Lambert mentions he was close friends with a number of mages, including the Black Divine, but that his friend became corrupted by Blood Magic. This is not due to, as one might ascertain, an inherent moral failing but the fact he required it as a means of counteracting other people who possessed it. Fenris mentions that Blood Magic is proscribed within Tevinter but that it is passed around in secret and alludes that there is a culture of, "if everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't I?" This becomes even worse with a culture of in-fighting which encourages mages to resort to any means necessary for social prestige.

 

    One might argue this is a recipe for legalizing (or proscribing less strenuously) Blood Magic but a much-more sensible argument in my mind is to maintain much stronger prohibitions against its use. Thedan history, arguably like our own, shows that any advantage will be exploited in the name of gain and normalized. War is filled with prohibitions against various types of weapons from the crossbow to poison gas but which are used extensively unless every culture in the world agrees to outlaw them with harsh penalties.

 

    Thedas is a continent ruled by a military aristocracy who derives their power from force of arms. If mage freedom exists, how likely is it that beings which much more power than weapons will rise to the top? How much damage will be caused by people resisting this? What are the possible consequences given that said abilities can rupture holes in reality. There is a strong argument that Tevinter is a hellhole because of an "evil" culture than, simply put, magic being insufficiently regulated.

 

    The ambitious rise to the top and normalize dangerous and immoral activities because it serves their purposes. This leads to things like Arl Vaughn abusing the elves of the Denerim Alienage simply because he can. How much worse are these abuses going to be when one can mind-control subjects or create an inexhaustible army of demons at your command?

[raging_monkey]

A bit pro mage for the first post and so far reasonable 2nd post cant wait

[Willowhugger]

Anywho, a big disappointment just hit me.

There's no way in Hell that Dragon Age: Inquisitor is going to be able to cover all of this.

 

That makes me a sad panda.

 

[raging_monkey]

Yeah but we can use this to make a more fair choice my pro-magi brother

[Willowhugger]

So, on your ends, do you think reform was possible for the Chantry and eventual liberation without violence?

Or do you think it was always going to be war?

[raging_monkey]

So, on your ends, do you think reform was possible for the Chantry and eventual liberation without violence?Or do you think it was always going to be war?

humans as awhole are generally violent and often reforms happen both non-violently and violently. If anders didnt go nuts yeah with 50+years reforms wouldve been possibly put in place. But the dragon age is said to be a time of strife so war was possiblity

[Icy Magebane]

humans as awhole are generally violent and often reforms happen both non-violently and violently. If anders didnt go nuts yeah with 50+years reforms wouldve been possibly put in place. But the dragon age is said to be a time of strife so war was possiblity

I agree.  The war was the result of an Annulment, which probably would have happened even without Anders.  Kirkwall was on thin ice, after all...  he just tipped the scales and removed Elthina from the picture, giving Meredith the authority to act as she had been wanting to for possibly several years.  This rebellion was inevitable... although it does seem that Divine Justina had some reforms in mind, I think the Kirkwall Annulment would have happened before they could be implemented.  Reforms aside, I don't think liberation was ever on the Chantry's radar... so that would never have happened on its own without the mages taking violent action.

[raging_monkey]

Liberation is a great ideal but people die for it and magi like anders and adrien(fave redhead like em fierce) either understand that but say"want a omlette break a few eggs" or just really stupid(anders)

[Icy Magebane]

Liberation is a great ideal but people die for it and magi like anders and adrien(fave redhead like em fierce) either understand that but say"want a omlette break a few eggs" or just really stupid(anders)

Yeah... Anders is a difficult one to figure out.  He had to have known that the Rite of Annulment would be invoked if he killed the one woman who was keeping Meredith in line.  So while he seems to have had a... well, I'll say an arguably noble goal... in mind, he was willing to put every mage in the Gallows at risk to force the issue.  He didn't even resist being executed because it would make him a martyr.  I never really liked him, but I have to respect that level of dedication at least.  He was quite the anti-hero.

[Willowhugger]

Yeah... Anders is a difficult one to figure out.  He had to have known that the Rite of Annulment would be invoked if he killed the one woman who was keeping Meredith in line.  So while he seems to have had a... well, I'll say an arguably noble goal... in mind, he was willing to put every mage in the Gallows at risk to force the issue.  He didn't even resist being executed because it would make him a martyr.  I never really liked him, but I have to respect that level of dedication at least.  He was quite the anti-hero.

 

I think the scary thing is that Anders knows exactly that the Rite of Annulment will be invoked and is hoping to trigger it. I mentioned that in my essay.

 

Anders goal isn't to get the mages to act.

 

Anders goal is to get the Templars to OVERREACT so the mages are forced to defend themselves.

 

In short, he's trying to trigger a war with mages as the victims.

[raging_monkey]

Yeah... Anders is a difficult one to figure out.  He had to have known that the Rite of Annulment would be invoked if he killed the one woman who was keeping Meredith in line.  So while he seems to have had a... well, I'll say an arguably noble goal... in mind, he was willing to put every mage in the Gallows at risk to force the issue.  He didn't even resist being executed because it would make him a martyr.  I never really liked him, but I have to respect that level of dedication at least.  He was quite the anti-hero.

i agree but i wouldnt kill him to me thats a reward. Maytrs are often powerful symbols and what he was trying to do i sympathize but i abore his methods.

[Icy Magebane]

I think the scary thing is that Anders knows exactly that the Rite of Annulment will be invoked and is hoping to trigger it. I mentioned that in my essay.

 

Anders goal isn't to get the mages to act.

Anders goal is to get the Templars to OVERREACT so the mages are forced to defend themselves.

He got a little impatient though.  Had he assassinated Elthina secretly, Meredith would have attempted to Annul the Circle sooner or later, and then he'd be able to oppose her with clean hands.

[raging_monkey]

He got a little impatient though.  Had he assassinated Elthina secretly, Meredith would have attempted to Annul the Circle sooner or later, and then he'd be able to oppose her with clean hands.

i hate the fact he tried to rope us into it

[Willowhugger]

i hate the fact he tried to rope us into it

 

I think Anders was genuinely trying to keep Hawke out of it and says so.

 

He just wanted one last conversation with his friend before he destroyed his life and the lives of everyone around them.

 

He got a little impatient though.  Had he assassinated Elthina secretly, Meredith would have attempted to Annul the Circle sooner or later, and then he'd be able to oppose her with clean hands.

 

Anders had no way of knowing this, of course, but Meredith's crazy had reached epic proportions already.

She was trying to overrule an Annulment of the Circle refusal even BEFORE Ander's attack.

She'd gotten to the point of wanting to kill all Mages.

[raging_monkey]

I think Anders was genuinely trying to keep Hawke out of it and says so. He just wanted one last conversation with his friend before he destroyed his life and the lives of everyone around them. Anders had no way of knowing this, of course, but Meredith's crazy had reached epic proportions already.She was trying to overrule an Annulment of the Circle even BEFORE Ander's attack.She'd gotten to the point of wanting to kill all Mages.

possibly but while i like anders im having a hard time trying separate my my like for the sod/anger for his stupidity

[Lulupab]

Also Anders firmly believes the chantry has twisted and manipulated Andraste. So even if he destroyed the chantry he is a Andrastian himself although the closest example in real life would him being a protestant. This is the last sentence he says in DA2 if you keep him alive:

[Willowhugger]

possibly but while i like anders im having a hard time trying separate my my like for the sod/anger for his stupidity

 

I think that it makes sense to view Anders' action from the context of being a betrayal and he knows it's a betrayal. It's something he does behind your back because he doesn't trust you to go with him down this road and would be ashamed if you did. It's meant to be something that makes you angry at him and is unjustifiable and which fills him with shame.

 

Just like happens in real-life.

[Willowhugger]

Also Anders firmly believes the chantry has twisted and manipulated Andraste. So even if he destroyed the chantry he is a Andrastian himself although the closest example in real life would him being a protetsant. This is the last sentence he says in DA2 if you keep him alive:
 

 

I really hope the option for being Pro-Andraste and Anti-Chantry is in Inquisition. It's very important my mage has a great deal of faith in the Maker.

And a great deal of hatred for the Templars.

[raging_monkey]

Also Anders firmly believes the chantry has twisted and manipulated Andraste. So even if he destroyed the chantry he is a Andrastian himself although the closest example in real life would him being a protestant. This is the last sentence he says in DA2 if you keep him alive:

i lack a strong understanding may you explain prostitantism?

[Willowhugger]

i lack a strong understanding may you explain prostitantism?

 

It was a break in the Christian Faith which happened many times before but is famous for when it happened in the Renaissance.

 

The Dragon Age version is.

 

"I like Andraste and believe in her as well as the Maker but don't think the Chantry has any right to claim ownership of her teachings and how to interpret them."

[HTTP 404]

Sorry, didn't get around to reading your parts 2 and 3.  Busy with work, school, and second work. haha

 

Part 2 thoughts:  I like your discussion of tranquility, the harrowing, and blood magic.  I think there are some terms that may have made you biased like describing tranquils as slaves when in fact they just don't know better any more than a young child would choose to leave the parent.  Along those lines, I wonder if it is possible for a noble family to get their tranquil relative back since they are no longer magic users?  You had other descriptive language that lent to some bias versus just stating the facts and the events. Overall I feel like you covered the bases without going to in depth.  I would still recommend this part to newcomers to the Dragon Age universe. 

 

Part 3 thoughts:  I thought this part was the best of the three.  I was wondering what the three mage groups were called?  I recall Wynne was talking about in Awakening.  Also, you got to the actual reason for writing this:  Freedom vs. Security.  I wish you wrote a bit more on that.  Maybe for another read?  If you do, I suggest using your basis/set up in this blog to write about specific situations that the player may come across in DA as it relates to Freedom vs. Security.  I always though Feynrial's story was interestingly not black and white.