74 réponses à ce sujet

[Hellebore5000]

Unfortunately when I got to the end of the mission I was not given the choice of who to pick. I wanted all 3 to work together but I only got the option of celene / Briala. 

 

and it forced me to turn on Gaspard. 

[The DM of Thedas]

A Briala/Gaspard Combo! 

The best choice for Elven kind!

[leaguer of one]

If Celene and Gaspard weren't related I would've told them to get married too. 

Someone needs to read masked empire.

[DuskWanderer]

Gaspard. Briala is racist and incompetent, and Celene would let the Empire fall to kill her rivals and would betray me the second the Game required it of her. 

[Bad King]

Gaspard. Briala is racist and incompetent, and Celene would let the Empire fall to kill her rivals and would betray me the second the Game required it of her. 

 

So Briala is racist while Gaspard "Elves don't belong in politics" de Chalons isn't?

[Bayonet Hipshot]

This is just a reality of politics. In politics you pick your poison and the lesser of the two/ three/ four evils

[Hsien]

Celene alone, because i get the most rewards from that choice,  2 epic masks and 2 rare masks all of which are good dps masks

 

Briala with Celene loses me the mask of the emperess

Gaspard loses me mask of the grand duchess  which is the best dps mask i feel in the game +12% crit chance +5 cunning

Gaspard with Briala is the worst i lose all the epic masks

[dragonflight288]

Celene alone, because i get the most rewards from that choice,  2 epic masks and 2 rare masks all of which are good dps masks

 

Briala with Celene loses me the mask of the emperess

Gaspard loses me mask of the grand duchess  which is the best dps mask i feel in the game +12% crit chance +5 cunning

Gaspard with Briala is the worst i lose all the epic masks

 

Fantastic reasoning. 

[StrangerPasingBy]

I chose all three at first... until the end came and saw how it backfired with gaspard still waging wars agaisnt celence. This time I went with gaspard killed and celene forgave briala... unfortunately it ended the same way but instead of gaspard waging war, it's Briala conspiring against celene. SMH

[Duelist]

Celene alone, because i get the most rewards from that choice, 2 epic masks and 2 rare masks all of which are good dps masks

Briala with Celene loses me the mask of the emperess
Gaspard loses me mask of the grand duchess which is the best dps mask i feel in the game +12% crit chance +5 cunning
Gaspard with Briala is the worst i lose all the epic masks

On that basis, Blackmail is the best.

You get the Mask of the Grand Duchess, Mask of the Chalons and 3 puppets.

[Nyt3Shadez]

I have Briala pulling the strings from the shadows with Gaspard ruling Orlais.

[Cha0sEff3ct]

(Possible book spoilers, will try not to reveal details.)

 

After reading The Masked Empire, I ended up deciding to reconcile Celene and Briala. To others who read the book, I know that it hardly seems at all healthy to reunite them considering what Celene did, but I don't doubt that Celene genuinely cares for Briala, and considering her circumstances and the nature of The Game, her actions were necessary for her to become Empress. I know that doesn't justify it, and I agree that it was terrible. But one shouldn't make moral judgments of another person's actions in absence of context, which in this case means Orlais, a country whose people and society hold cunning, deceit, intelligence, ruthlessness and ambition as the highest virtues of nobility and leadership. Celene was raised in a world where every one of her peers embraced the dictum "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must." And while I deplore her actions, I concede that they were necessary, and thus tolerable. Although Briala suffered enormously because of Celene's actions, the fact remains that they do genuinely love each other, and each truly wished to see the other's dreams and goals come true.

 

As for Gaspard, I find myself conflicted about how I feel about him, but ultimately consider him an inferior alternative to Celene. Sure he has a chevalier's honor, and he despises The Game as much as I and every other human being does. But he's also a militant nationalist who has no other plan than to expand Orlais' borders. Sure it's possible to arrange peace between Orlais and Ferelden, and thus direct his focus towards Tevinter, but even a war with Tevinter could have undesirable consequences if he can't keep the people of his empire to work with him. He would have been a poor Orlesian's Louis XIV; he would expand Orlais' borders certainly, but he has no diplomatic skill, and his hatred for and likely refusal to play The Game would undoubtedly enrage the nobles under him and subsequently compromise his ability to actually govern. His army would be the only thing keeping him on the throne, which is pointless if he has no bureaucracy and administration to work with him, which means nobles who tend to get unruly when someone ruins their Game. Add his prejudice towards elves, and you have a man who would shake up Orlesian society to the point of creating more instability and civil infighting in the long run.

 

Letting Briala rule through him is equally as bad, as her attempts to uplift the elves would likely result in a very rapid overturning of the status quo, and that means backlash. Her reforms would bring a lot of change to quickly and would become incredibly hard to enforce, especially when the puppet emperor can do nothing to temper the changes enough to assuage the conservatives of his empire. 

 

As for forcing all three into a truce, I'm afraid that option does nothing in the long run that benefits Orlais. Celene's rule would be as tenuous and vulnerable as before, Gaspard would still be able to challenge Celene and her plans for Orlais, and Briala would end up with nothing and continue her shadow war to emancipate the elves. They may be three of the greatest minds in the empire, but their goals and beliefs are too disparate to ever allow them to cooperate for the greater good of Orlais.

 

Thus, Celene and Briala are left. This option is truly the best option for both Orlais and Thedas. Briala would still be able to get reforms passed to improve the lives of the elves, but she'd also have Celene with her to execute the changes with enough tact and precision to void unrest and discord. Celene would also be able to continue to direct Orlais down a path of cultural enlightenment, while also earning more support from the elves through Briala. Together, they'd create an Orlesian nation whose strength lies in progressivism, and create a society where both human and elven citizens can flourish. That Orlais would embrace peace and diplomacy over military expansion under their rule also guarantees stability in southern Thedas, which would go a long way in dealing with future threats from Tevinter, and would make it easier to form a united coalition should the Blight or even the Qunari threaten the south once more. 

 

I personally like Gaspard for hating the game, he does understand the politics of it so I feel he has to play it until he gets the power he seeks. Plus, I love what he said to Michel being a great chevalier and still honorable after the events in "The Masked Empire". It's interesting Briala sent Celene back to Halamshiral and Gaspard and Michel elsewhere. I thought that was noble of Briala. Since they're no longer in the vicinity of Celene, there is no need to play the game. Gaspard could be upfront with Michel. Plus, they both basically are at a loss after that turn of events. Regardless, I think "The Game" is fascinating, it makes for an interesting culture. Everything about Orlais, the elaborate masks and fashion tied into the whole mentality of "The Game" and all its deceit is great conceptually in my opinion, nice job by the writers/developers.

 

I still like to force the truce regardless of what I deem would be better for Orlais. My headcanon is that I provided them a courtesy in my efforts that night. Having to choose whether or not Celene lives and/or double dealing with Gaspard or Briala is not what my inquisitor is about. I play my IQ as a paragon doing what's "right"(except saving the chargers lol if they can't handle 6 venatori get out! plus I want to see what this Qunari alliance gets me.) Anyway, what they do after Halamshiral they did of their own volition. Plus, gives me something to squash in the follow-up hopefully. The IQ's story better not be over.

 

 

Yeah, a little more direct use of the book material would have been fantastic. While I found it funny to hear Solas admonish Mihris for not telling the truth of her story to a non-elven inquisitor, and I loved the references to the story that were there, I do think there was a lot more that could have been done or explicitly mentioned. I also wish that Felassan was mentioned at least once, especially if like me you've come to the conclusion that Felassan was Solas' servant. Side note, how many people here that read The Masked Empire think that Solas is inhabiting Felassan's body? The descriptions of Felassan are similar to Solas'; violet eyes, looks to be in his 40s, yet seems to be so much older, etc. And we know Solas can remove Valaslin, so that's not a problem. And I would love to have seen a moment where Briala looks at Solas and remembers Felassan if this were true. But I guess that'll just be hypothesis for now.

 

Interesting theory. Felassan was a "dream mage" like Solas. When you do speak to Solas after Halamshiral you can elicit some dialogue about Briala. Nothing relative to "The Masked Empire", he's still detached as ever about the elves but he does mention her being a good leader for the elves. I'm getting a little tired about all these damn vessels. lol How many people are flemeth and solas or mythal and fen'harel. I need a timeline and want facts!

[jedidotflow]

I chose to help the mages so I was dead set on *not* letting Celene die. Since my immediate need is to beat Corypheus, I force all 3 to work together. (I also want to make Josie and Leli proud by outmanouevering three of the best players of the Game.)

[FeliciaM]

I reunite Celene and Briala just because it feels right. Sometimes I'll let Celene be killed, and have Briala pulling Gaspard's strings. Not sure which one I like more

[MariNia]

not sure what is right choice but killing Celene is what Cory wants so thats out of question.

[Cha0sEff3ct]

All 3, since I am the best at playing the Game.

Yes! This!

[Suledin]

Celene and Briala together. 

[Dabrikishaw]

My favorite and preferred ending is Gasprd solo after making peace with Ferelden.

[Aren]

 I must admit that i Hate the Orlesian, especially their Nobility, even that Viper of Howe is better than an Orlesian.

For the Interest of my beloved Ferelden, which i love more than the lifeless Orlais, All three working together to augment the chance to start a new civil war in Orlais,this can be only a benefit for the entire Thedas

 

 give to me a name of an Orlesian who isn't annoying.....

[Beregond5]

I have them working together, only because I don't have the option to give them my weapons and let them kill each other right there at the Ball for all I care.

 

No, I really don't like any of them, and I haven't even read the book. I can't imagine what I'd feel if I actually had...

[PhroXenGold]

All three working together. Because there's no way in hell that's going to turn out well in the long run, and in my "canon" state I'm trying to turn Thedas into the biggest craphole imaginable....

[BraveVesperia]

I wish I could choose to throw them all under a horde of stampeding nugs.

 

As it is, I have Celene and Briala working together. Elves get a visible representative - something which should continue after Briala and Celene are dead. And Gaspard doesn't get to lead his unpleasant chevaliars into war with any of Orlais' neighbours.

[Darkstarr11]

My Qunari Inquisitor played them against each other to get a very tense peace.  Let them get back to backstabbing AFTER the war is over.  My Human Inquisitors favored Celene with Briala at her side.  Dalish Inquisitors favored a Briala backed Gaspard, while my Dwarves backed Gaspard.  I do have a Human Champion Inquisitor that favored Gaspard alone, but did regret letting Celene die.  However, he wasn't so sorry that he didn't mail the Duchess around Orlais to send a message...

[Beregond5]

I wish I could choose to throw them all under a horde of stampeding nugs.

 

 

Oooh, I like that idea. But, to paraphrase Inception: 'Always dream bigger, darling'. So... how about stampeding nuggalopes?