Regarding the video.
Morrigan states that the Warden is on a quest to combat the Calling. This does not contradict my position that he is out to cure the taint. Curing the taint naturally combats the Calling.
She also states the Calling signals the end of a Warden's life. Signals it. The Calling does not end the life itself. This is consistent with what I wrote. The Calling alerts the Warden to the approaching death through the taint. Blocking the Calling without curing the taint would simply result in the Warden dying unexpectedly.
The Inquisitor asks how the Calling can be stopped and if that's even possible. The Inquisitor's question does not indicate that the goal of the mission is to stop the Calling, as the Inquisitor is just an outside party inquiring as to the details.
Morrigan then gives two examples. The first is Fiona, and she states that the blight was removed from her blood. Notice she specifically refers to the taint by saying "blight", and she also states that it was in her blood. This is proof of what I wrote, that the taint exists in the blood and that is the thing that kills. That is what the cure is supposed to remedy.
The second example was Avernus, and we have discussed that already. He also refers to the taint in the blood and how it slowly corrupts the Warden's body. He writes about slowing the taint's spread.
So again, this shows that the taint, also called the blight here by Morrigan, is the true target. The Calling is just the alarm that lets the Warden know that the taint is starting to take over. The Hero would not bother with a quest that only involves silencing the Calling without curing the taint. The Calling is a good thing. Eliminating that only leaves the Warden to become corrupted without warning.
I think we may be at odds on what the Calling actually is. From my understanding the Calling is the point at which the Taint begins to overwhelm a Warden's body and mind, the "song" that signals the end of a Warden's life. I never claimed that the Calling itself is the cause of a Warden's death, only it's heralding. Can we agree on this?
I think we were at odds, but now you seem to be agreeing with me. Before, when you posted the Hero's letter and how he would not let the Calling claim his life, it looked to me that you were claiming that the Calling is what ends the Warden's life. If I'm mistaken about that then I apologize. However, if you knew the whole time that the Calling was just the signal, it seems odd then that you would believe the quest for a cure was to silence the Calling rather than remove the taint. So yes, my position is that the Calling marks the point at which the taint begins to overwhelm a Warden's body and mind.
When I or the Warden refer to Curing the Calling, what they mean is stopping the Taint from progressing to the point to where it kills. Curing the downhill process that leads to the Warden's death I.E. The Calling.
Okay, well that's quite the nuance that either you did not convey or I did not pick up on before. So you're arguing that the Hero wants to halt the spread of the taint within his own body so that it does not overtake him yet also is not removed from his body?
I could get behind that idea, although personally I believe that the Hero would prefer to be completely free from the taint and any negative effects of it, regardless of what benefits it bestows. Also, I think there is a better option for all Heroes.
I think the cure could be something that removes the taint completely, for Heroes who want that. Doing so would remove the ability to sense Darkspawn and slay an archdemon. It would also restore fertility (or at least halt the damage being done to it) and it would allow it so Darkspawn cannot sense that individual anymore. As for Heroes who want to keep the taint but halt the spread, I think Avernus' research should be the avenue those Heroes use to increase their lives and halt the spread of the taint, or unlock more power in the taint. I don't think that the cure should halt the taint where it's at. It wouldn't be a cure in that case, just a treatment. But if BioWare goes with the cure halting the spread of the taint, I guess I could accept it. There would still be the question of if the taint would still lead to a premature death based on the damage already done however.
Curing the Calling and curing the Taint are two different things. Curing the Calling is affecting the Taint so that a Warden can continue their duty without an early death via the Taint. Curing the Taint in effect ends the state of a person being a Warden, like Fiona. I have provided in-game evidence that the Warden's goal is to cure the Calling, not the Taint all together, the video included.
Well, now that I know your true position, I won't say that it's impossible. I don't think the video proves that the Hero is out to find a way to halt the spread of the taint within a body. I think the whole point of a "cure" is to... cure something, not keep it under control or manage it. I also believe that the Hero would rather be free of the taint, or else live for centuries with it like Avernus. But I will admit that your theory is possible.
One theory I've had for a while is that the cure will eventually be used on the Black City at some point in the future. If it's just something that halts the spread of the taint, then it will do no good. A cure on the other hand might purify the Black City. Just a side theory though. Disregard.
I base the notion that The Warden doesn't want to escape the Order on the fact that, regardless of our individual headcanon and in-game decisions, that the Warden remained as Commander of the Grey in Ferelden for a decade after stopping the Blight and helped to rebuild the Order.
Real world BioWare laziness reasons aside, this could be because the Hero disapproves of the Order and wishes to change it for the better from the inside. A cure could effectively nullify the need for Grey Wardens.
I base it on the fact that instead of keeping the information about Avernus' experiments to her/himself they had open dialog between themselves, Avernus and the First Warden.
That could be for a number of reasons. Perhaps Avernus took it upon himself to send word out to Weisshaupt, and the Hero couldn't hide it at that point. Or maybe Avernus' research uncovered something too important to keep from the Wardens outside Ferelden, and doing so could have put the world at risk. Or maybe it was done to sow seeds of discontent within the Warden ranks at Weisshaupt. We don't know what the information is. So it's impossible to say.