Part II: because the boards think I quote too much
I think the largest problem with the whole situation was that people were not approaching the problem of how to handle magic with the knowledge that mages are people too.
Yes, this mage may have been discovered by accidentally killing her father at the age of 5, and while that is an example of how dangerous untrained magic is, people gloss over the fact that the emotional and psychological trauma the young mage has to deal with with the knowledge she killed her father by accident. It's not malicious as the mob in Asunder seem to think. That the mage who was discovered did this so they must be evil or meant to do it and completely disregard the impact it has on the mage in question.
Mages are people with very real emotions, and I think that sometimes gets overlooked in these debates. People see the danger and not how to help the individual.
I'm pretty sure the mage in Asunder was not a small child, and that she's the same mage Cole kills at the start of the book. The one who tells him that she listened to the screams of her mother, father and others as they burned to death, did nothing to help them and was glad they were dead.
Connor understands the dangers of accidental magic better than anyone, that's why he disapproves of the rebellion, the alliance with Tevinter and the location of their sanctuary. His friend's attempt to console him amounts to "Don't worry about the people you killed. It could happen to any mage." Which just horrifies him in it's dismissiveness. Connor rightfully points out that is the reason people hate mages and tells him to shut up.
Connor's remorse in no way diminishes his impact on hundreds of people.
You also seem to be conflating a fear of magic with a hatred of mages. You can still be terrified of magic and all the horrors it can bring while understanding mages can be good people. Even Meredith seemed to recognize that. But being a good person did not stop her sister from turning abomination and killing her entire family +70.
The Right of Annulment is basically a right to commit indiscriminate murder against mages irrespective of the guilt or innocence of the individual mages in question. That is never acceptable...under any circumstances. For example, Cullen himself states that the situation in Ferelden was far worse and as we see the RoA was not needed. It's an atrocity, genocide enshrined as law.
Collateral damage.
You know, since the thread began with Vivienne, I would like to give my thoughts on her.
I do not like Vivienne because she is only in it for herself, a quality that I find distasteful in people in games as much as I do in real life. Everything that Vivienne does is ultimately to advance her position and interests. She seems to lack compassion and empathy. Even when her lover dies, from a weird concoction that no one has ever heard before in game that somehow mysteriously failed, she shows little sadness and instead uses his death to get herself more power.
She has plenty of compassion for the mages brutally slaughtered by their fellow mages for refusing to rebel. She shows compassion for the tranquil who were tortured and killed to make shardfinders under Fiona's watch. She shows great empathy for the common folk who are suffering due to the mage-templar war.
And her lover was already dying, that was her attempt to
save him.
Vivienne abhors weakness, she will not let anyone see her cry. She will not sit around wallowing in self-pity, nor will she respect anyone who does. That benefits no one. She turns a tragedy into an advantage and makes his death meaningful for herself and the Inquisition.
Some might say that the fact that she warms up to some of the followers as well as the Inquisitor and use this as proof of her being redeemable. However, does it really say much about someone that they have the ability to make friends? Even self-absorbed jerks want to have friends, because it gives them people to surround themselves with who will reinforce how awesome they are.
You know that saying about "If you on a date and your partner is nice to you but mean to the waitress, they are not a nice person"? That is Vivienne in a nutshell. She simply has no regard for people outside of her circle that do not have something to offer her. Look at how she treat Blackwall, for instance.
Some might say she doesn't need redemption.
She and Dorian do nothing but snipe at each other, he certainly never tells her how awesome she is. Despite that they respect each other. And she will defend his relationship with the Inquisitor to others who disparage it, even though Dorian expects the opposite. She does not do the same with Blackwall even though it would help ingratiate her to the Inquisitor.
Her first banter with Blackwall, he starts off by treating her like someone who is fragile and in need of protection. He undoubtedly sees it as chivalry. She sees it as an insult. Vivienne does not rely on others, nor does she respect other people who do--even approves of the Inquisitor saying her guidance isn't needed. She finds him coarse and uncivilized. She also dislikes the wardens. If Vivienne was as you claimed she would welcome the shield that he offers and encourage him to put himself between her and the enemy. She does not make any attempt to use Blackwall to her advantage. She simply doesn't like him and makes no pretenses.
It's the same "F**k you if you're not my friend" attitude that you see in politicians and other rich powerful people. If she tithes to charity, it isn't because she cares about the poor and the weak, it is because it is the politically correct and expected thing to do. It is no different when some politician poses with some cute babies for votes.
During
In Your Heart Shall Burn, Vivienne tells you that it's foolish to try and rescue everyone--and realistically, it is. However, she Approves if you manage to do it. Varric is the
only other companion who gains approval from saving the townspeople. Not even Cassandra does. Vivienne does value life. Indeed, her politics are all about protecting the greatest amount of people.
It has been mentioned and it is common knowledge that Vivienne is supportive of Templars but not Mages, but did not touch on the reason for that: See, supporting the Templar order is a politically correct thing to do with the people Vivienne wishes to ingratiate herself with, the nobility and the Chantry, while supporting mages is not. Therefore, Vivienne does not support the Mages, even though she has had every opportunity to understand the motivation behind the mage rebellion.
She understands the motivation behind the mage rebellion. She just doesn't agree with it
--Hey, just like me!
The mistake you're making is assuming that because
you support the mage rebellion, Vivienne should too. That because
you don't support the templars, Vivienne should not. Vivienne is not you. She has a completely different worldview than you. That does not mean she is faking it for the cameras (Particularly since Thedas doesn't have them).
I can imagine Vivienne being very pro-Mage if she was born and raised in Tevinter, because that is the politically correct opinion there and because being pro-Mage in Tevinter would let her move up through the Magisterium and the Imperial Chantry.
If she lived in Tevinter she would be a different person.
Does this mean I hate Templars ? No. I can see myself getting along well enough with Cassandra and Cullen and their ideas, especially Cullen's idea on how Mages should be supervised and Cassandra on how she plans to reform the Seekers. However Cullen and Cassandra have these opinions because of something more profound that political correctness.
So does Vivienne. Which is clear if you actually listen to her dialogue.
Here's a few samples:
Inquisitor: Mages should be treated like anybody else.
Vivienne: And yet, however much we may wish it, we are not like everyone else. Anyone can see that a chevalier is armed and dangerous, and they can see when his blade is about to strike. But can you spot a mage coming? And if he arrives at your stoop, can he leave his magic at the door?
Inquisitor: If war is the only solution to injustice, then so be it.
Vivienne: Do you tell that to the victims? That their suffering is all the more meaningful because it is for a great cause? I'm sure that makes everything better.
Inquisitor: Mages deserve the same freedom as anyone else.
Vivienne: I hear that so often. it must be a great comfort to the common folk to know that their survival is trivial compared to our freedom. I'm sure that makes everything better.
Vivienne believes that the Circles are the best possible solution for everyone.
As a player, I really cannot fault the writing because there are plenty of people like Vivienne around in the real world, and people like that would inevitably try to play nice with the Inquisition in order to advance their goals. For what she is, she's written quite well.
Nonetheless, from a roleplaying perspective I think she is a shallow and self-absorbed person who I know would turn on anyone in the party or the organization if she thought it would offer her a leg up in the grand scheme of things. I would go as far as to say that Vivienne reminds me of Littlefinger from Game of Thrones and no, that is not a compliment.
In that respect she is completely untrustworthy as a companion and a threat to the integrity of the Inquisition if she decides that throwing her lot in with another organization or another group would serve her better. I keep her at arm's length to keep an eye on her, but I would never trust her to have my back and I would not give her the opportunity to acquire any power.
Tl;dr: Scheming politicians suck.
And yet, Vivienne never wavers in her beliefs, is completely consistent in her approval gains and losses, when made Divine does
exactly what she has advocated the entire game. People like to paint Viv as a duplicitous, self-serving monster, but everything she does proves her to be exactly as she appears.
Driven, haughty
and genuinely endorsing a system where mages live and train in the Circles.
Manipulative, condescending
and dedicated to keeping the common people protected from the dangers of magic.
Cunning, ambitious and of course, possessed of a firm belief that she is the one best suited to bring about the necessary changes to ensure an orderly Thedas. As she tells Solas, "After watching others try and fail, why should I not have a turn?"
It seems to me that the problem players, particularly pro-mage players, have is they can't wrap their heads around a
mage truly believing in the Circles, so reduce her character to 'ruthless b*tch' because that is the only way she makes sense to them.
Even Vivienne doesn't really believe this.
Cole: You're lying. You're... twist the words right, and it will show its true form. Blood or banishment, either will suffice.
Cole: You like the templars. You think they were right.
Cole: You don't need to be protected.
Vivienne: It can learn after all.
Yeah. What that banter actually shows is that
Vivienne doesn't need protecting
from the templars. This is a callback to a previous banter, where Cole reads her memories of her Harrowing:
Cole: Everything bright, roar of anger as the demon rears. No, I will not fall. No one will control me ever again.
Cole: Flash of white as the world comes back. Shaking, hollow, Harrowed, but smiling at templars to show them I'm me.
Cole: I am not like that. I can protect you. If templars come for you, I will kill them.
Vivienne: Delightful.
Cole didn't understand that Viv wasn't afraid of the templars.
Now he does.
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