He is not? His promotional quote has him speaking out against the imprisionment of mages as a principle; he steadfastly refuses to cooperate with Meredith going so far to enlist the aid of the Champion to conceal the activities of blood mages; he concealed himself the existence of a blood mage serial killer for a decade; he tries to have mobs tearing down the Gallows; he is a blood mage himself and, this sepculation, given the number of blood mages you fight if siding with the Templars, it is a reasonable assumption that he has been teaching others in secret for years, why else refuse to allow Meredith to search the Tower?
And you think his quote couldn't simply be in reference to Meredith? Considering the Samson short story said most Mages would be locked in their cells for an entire day every day I think it's pretty clear he's talking about how Meredith treats the Mages, not the Circle as an institution. That same short story talks of how the Templars in Kirkwall were rotten to the core, which makes sense because it's canon that Meredith promotes extremists to positions of authority.
She tasked Ser Mettin with leading a group of Templars meant to purge mage sympathizers from the city (although it's a crime, it is NOT one punishable by death). That same quest has Mettin try to attack us simply for being in the same area. Us, the Champion of Kirkwall and friends, which he wouldn't do if he knew his actions were legal, but would if he knew they were illegal and he didn't want witnesses to the crime. Not at all unlike issues of police brutality in our world.
Karras is explicitly referred to as a great crony of hers. Cullen's codex says Meredith promoted him because his harsh views were in line with hers. She tasked a Templar that brutalized a Dalish child to get Feynriel back.
He doesn't call on Hawke to conceal the activities of Grace. He calls on Hawke to find out precisely what is happening, because Meredith forbade him from going further then the courtyard. He doesn't know what's happening precisely, but he's found out enough for us to draw a lead on. He knows a meeting is happening in Hightown. He knows his charges have disappeared for days at a time. I notice you don't mention how Meredith's Templars allowing such things to happen demonstrates their incompetence. I'm not talking about the ones aiding the rebellion (whom are justified), but rather the others. The ones loyal to Meredith.
That they don't notice strikes me as rather a mark against them.
He doesn't know if his charges are fleeing the Circle to betray it or simply to rebel against the harsh restrictions placed upon them, saying and I quote:
"I would rather not deny my Mages what small freedoms they can find." and "I don't know if they seek congress with demons or merely a walk in the moonlight."
And if you confront him on how fear of blood magic is no reason to not go to the Templars he doesn't say that he's against going to the Templars on principle. What he says is that he can't go to the Templars without names because it would make every mage a target.
What he wants is sufficient information to go to the Templars that they can do their duty without punishing every Mage for it.
he tries to have mobs tearing down the Gallows
Not really, no. He tries to get the people to simply not accept Meredith's illegal usurpation of power. Mobs tearing down the Gallows isn't precisely how it would play out (and it would honestly be a stupid way to go about it. Ser Marlein had the right of it).
You know what? It'd be simply easier to repost the Orsino crap I put on my tumblr.
Said HERE
Because he didn’t support how Quentin was going about doing it. That letter, which many people tout off as being “proof positive” actually does not go into sufficient detail as to what was shown off in the report Quentin sent off to Orsino, but I’m positive it wasn’t him condoning the Harvester thing given how horrified he was by it and how he put it off to the side.
Beyond that, Orsino is not unreasonable. He is not against working with the Templars, but rather against working with Meredith the Mad. He would’ve gladly gone to the Templars with information on Quentin, if undeserved retribution wasn’t in the cards. Meredith would’ve punished all of the mages for the actions of Quentin, if not used it as reason to institute an RoA.
He also makes it a point to help Feynriel, takes out an entire group of Qunari with ease, mentors Bethany and heals her, and fights for his people.
He fights against Meredith’s illegal usurpation of power that runs completely counter to Chantry stance, which is that Templars cannot hold worldly power. Irminric gave up his rights to the lands of his noble ancestors, while in Dawn of the Seeker a high ranking priest and Templar worked together to put Templars in positions of political power.
Not to mention of course the problems associated with condemning an entire group of people to death for the actions of one man, on the basis of “The people will demand blood!” like Meredith gives off. Really? Isn’t the entire point of the Templars to protect the people from the dangers of magic and the mages from the ire of the people?
And it’s also politically stupid to give in to the whims of a mob (let’s ignore the fact that we don’t even see evidence of one forming at all).
And even when **** hits the fan, when he sees how far Meredith is willing to go, he still makes an effort to work with her saying that she can gladly lock them up and search the Gallows and, if she wanted it, he’d even help her. HE tried to go for diplomacy, while Meredith went straight for the sword.
Yes, Orsino helped Quentin, but the moment he discovered what Quentin was precisely doing, he cut off all ties. But he could not go to the Templars and as such was caught between a rock and a hard place.
And also...
Said HERE
Being an Elf is hard. Being a Mage is hard. Being both in a Circle is doubly hard. Wrap all that together into being put in a Circle run by Meredith the Mad, who actively promotes extremists to positions of authority (Cullen, Alrik, Karras, Mettin, etc.), and the extremists (not necessarily the ones named) will drag an Elf away in chains from his wife and never let him see her ever (Huon) or torture a Dalish child with fire (if Feynriel goes to the Dalish) and you can see just how precarious his situation truly is.
And yet he never backed down. He never stopped fighting for his people. He kept on speaking out against Kirkwall’s injustices since 9:29 Dragon (though he was FE three years earlier), hoping that change could come. If he was silenced, it only showed his point. He didn’t fear death. He feared failing his people. And Meredith’s measures were counter-productive. She would take away the staves and books of the mages, rendering them incapable of learning to defend themselves properly from Demons.
To say nothing of the flagrant abuse of authority Alrik committed, which could not have failed to have been noticed by Orsino or Meredith – considering the RoT requires the signature/approval of both the FE and KC, per Origins. Orsino would’ve spoken up about this certainly, but it wouldn’t matter.
He even took it upon himself to try and heal Feynriel when he fell into a coma, and I take that as a sign that he was personally mentoring him. He mentors Bethany too, and dialogue implies he’s of the Lucrosian fraternity – which is realistically the most dangerous fraternity to the Chantry’s power, but also the best one to be a part of. But he’s never once been of the mind he shouldn’t be working with the Templars. He’s been called a reasonable man by Elthina and says he’d go to the Templars for help. Kirkwall’s Circle was once a good place before Meredith
I don’t mind him having a connection to Quentin, as he was put between a rock and a hard place and it had potential. He didn’t know the extent of Quentin’s atrocities until it was too late, until word had spread of a serial killer in Kirkwall (the Quentin arc has some problems in its writing though), but he never sanctioned what he was doing. He never knew what the man was doing until Quentin sent him the Harvester ritual, at which point he just cast it aside, remorseful of everything. He wanted Quentin to be dealt with, but because of the nature of the Circle he lives in he couldn’t go to Meredith with the information. At best she wouldn’t believe him, at worst she’d demand to know how he knows so much and use it as a means to call for the RoA.
And even when it happened, when the RoA was called for, he was willing to work with her still. He would gladly have had his charges kept in their cells while the Templars searched the tower and offered to help, if she wanted it, so long as they weren’t killed for Anders’ acts. He went for diplomacy throughout The Last Straw whereas Meredith went straight for the sword.
And I don’t mind the concept of the Harvester battle, as it happens in my universe. It just happens through a Pride or Despair Demon coming through the swiss-cheese Veil, saying “Here’s Johnny!!” and possessing a corpse, then doing the ritual, and Orsino recognizes what’s happening and fights against it. =P
But Orsino’s fate? It was just uncalled for, what happened, and poorly written to convey desperation (if he was to use blood magic at all). He was never a supporter of blood magic (not even that letter has him supporting blood magic. People use Quentin’s status as a blood mage and what we learn later to say Orsino supported blood magic as well, but it barely says anything). He called it “dark arts” and views it as evil (or at least counter-productive). Certainly, if he was to use BM, it wouldn’t be that far.
And I reject his fate and have him alive in my headcanon, helping Fiona run the Mage rebellion, helping spread the word of what really happened and Tobias Hawke’s actions to help the Mages.
It is absolutely unfair to hold Orsino to the same standard as say, someone like Irving, without accounting for the fact that as an Elf Orsino's position within the Kirkwall Circle -- a haven for extremists who have demonstrated racist mentalities -- puts him in a more precarious place, more so without accounting for how Meredith continuously kept Orsino from being fuckin' able to do his job. And then she has the balls to order him to provide her with accounts of information on a conspiracy he knows nothing about because Meredith has continuously restricted just what Orsino can do, his every action scrutinized and looked at as suspicious.
Orsino can't even take a ****** without Meredith popping up in the chamberpot and accusing him of using blood magic.
And anyone who doesn't think there'd be racism in the Circles isn't seeing things clearly at all. It's something Duncan will probe a Surana on in the most lenient Circle out there, to which you can say that yeah you do face some.
You also fail to mention the good things Orsino does, which is stand up for his people, heal Feynriel, mentor Bethany, decide to fight against the Qunari because he considers Kirkwall his home, etc.
Orsino is not defined solely by the things you mentioned, of which you don't necessarily give the full accounting of. You see something, but you don't see the whole picture behind it. It's like Loghain and the slavery thing. Yes, it was criminal and he should be held accountable for it, but there is more to why it happened then simply "Well I'll sell me some Elves because why not."
or an Aequitarian. Or both.
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