Why is Dragon Age moving away from Dark Fantasy?

    Dragon Age: Origins is one of my favorite video games of all time. It's not the greatest video game in terms of originality or gameplay but it does something which I give it a lot of credit for: it mastered immersion and mood. By the time you finished DA:O, you knew everything you needed to know about elves, dwarves, Fereldan, Darkspawn, mages, Templars, and a few dozen other groups.

    But what I liked most about DA:O is that the setting sucked. One of the things which had always annoyed me about most fantasy RPGs is the, to quote Michael Moorcock, Epic Pooh feel. That cheerful faux-Medieval Renaissance Fair feeling that life was all sunshine and roses in the Dark Ages. I don't agree with Michael Moorcock that it applies to the Lord of the Rings, the subject of his article's ire, but I do agree that it applies to a lot of the LOTR knock-offs out there.

    Part of the reason for the success of the "grimdark" movement in recent years is the search for authentic human experience. Old fashioned good vs. evil stories will never go out of style but they have to be grounded in genuine motivations. Most evil people don't believe they're the villain and the really committed ones almost always think they're righteous with a capital R.

Kill Bill meets The Lord of the Rings is how best to describe the Elven Bride Origin.

    Dragon Age: Origins had a clever set-up with the Gray Wardens existing for the purposes of stopping the Blights that could and would destroy the world. Rather than paint them as heroic good-guys, the games make it clear the Gray Wardens can and do terrible things to achieve their goals. They're a group of ruthless antiheroes who will break any oath, violate any creed, and work with any scumbag to get the job done.

    The game allows you to avoid doing most of this and achieve a mostly happy ending with the Human Noble Origin being the most traditionally "epic fantasy" arc. However, the stories like the City Elf Origin begin with your people being subjected to a monstrous crime while others showed you the bleak corrupt nature of Thedas society. Casteless dwarves, for example, were considered less than human just for the circumstances of their birth.

You can convince your love interest to be a good noble nun or a sexy murderous assassin. Fun times!

    In many cases, the game challenged you morally with there not always being a "good" option. The most famous of these being placing Bhelan Aeducan on the throne of the dwarves despite the fact he's a murderous fratricide and dictator. The only reason he's the better choice is because, well, he's a reformer for the Casteless as well as a canny military leader.

    This trend continued in Dragon Age 2 with you playing the role of pseudo-Medieval Detective and mercenary Hawke. Any attempt to do the right thing in the game frequently led to disaster and confusion as all of Kirkwall's factions loathed one another with good reason. Hawke was frequently forced to take whatever side he felt closest to and, even then, that would often mean betrayal. DA2 was criticized for this, sadly, even as its major issues were its repetitious gameplay and environment.

    That's not the case with Dragon Age: Inquisition. Which is not Dark Fantasy.

    At all.

In Inquisition, you're fantasy Jesus. No, seriously. Maybe fantasy Muhammad.

    The premise of Dragon Age: Inquisition is the Darkspawn Tevinter mage Corphyeus is going to destroy the world in order to become a god. The heroic Inquisition, led by the player character, must assemble a ragtag band of misfits in order to fight them. After visiting the hellish future which Corypheus won and fighting off his demonic army of Red Lyrium-created mutants, you kill him in an epic battle and save the world.

    The End.

    Really?

    I liked DA:I but I can't help but feel like the game lost a lot of its flavor in-between sequels. There's a lot of potentially interesting stuff in the game about faith, gods, morality, and what to do if you're a messiah who provides hope but it's all based on a giant big misunderstanding. The simple fact is the game never really goes beyond the idea of, "The Inquisition=Good, Corypheus Bad."

    This is unfortunate because part of what makes the setting great is its moral ambiguity. The Darkspawn are a mindless collection of hostile monsters but they are treated as a force of nature rather than a true antagonist. Loghain, Meredith, and the Arishok, by contrast, were all people with understandable and sympathetic motivations. Even the Darkspawn got some character development in Dragon Age: Awakening where they appeared to be more like the Borg with a truly alien mindset versus genuinely evil.

Corypheus in a nutshell--minus the charisma.

    Corypheus? He's basically just a Dragon Age version of Skeletor. No, scratch that, Skeletor is actually more interesting because Frank Langella oozed menace while the cartoon version had a sense of humor. Even in the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, which had the main villain want to eradicate reality with the Devil, we got to see him make a paradise dimension for the souls of his followers. It would have been nice to see a hint Corypheus was anything more than the one-note bad guy he appears to be in the game.

    It gets worse as there's actually plenty of places where they could have explored the moral ambiguity and darkness of the setting. One of the major choices in the game is between the noble Grand Duke Gaspard who is a military dictator who wants to resume war with Fereldan and Empress Celene that wants to reform the Empire but ordered a pogrom of elves to prove she's a hardass. There's also Briala, an elven spymistress who wants to make the Empire better for elves but is a scheming lying terrorist. Briala's also Celene's former lover who the former had the parents murdered of but which still loves her partner. Almost none of this is touched on in the game but only brought up in The Masked Empire novel.

Which of these should rule? It doesn't really matter since all of them turn out well.

    The choices are robbed of all gravitas as the game makes it clear no matter what you choose, the results are mostly good. There's a general feel-good attitude to the narrative which robs it of consequence. With no "bad choices" or negative consequences, the game feels like you can do no wrong and everything will just get better because of your actions. Which, ironically, makes the accomplishments lesser.

    We don't get to see the established racism of the Orlaisian Empire, how they abuse their serfs, or even the knowledge choosing Gaspard would mean a war with Fereldan. No, instead, that can be avoided even if it makes no sense. No matter which side we choose with the Mages vs. Templar War, the Mages get their freedom and the Circles are reformed. No matter who you side with, both the Templars and Mages survive the war. In short, the happiness of the narrative makes it feel less real and consequential. The light shines lesser without the dark.

    Part of why I love David Gaider's world (acknowledging all the contributions of other writers) is because it's a setting built on real motivations, fears, and ideas. Things don't always work out and doing the "right" thing is no guarantee of success. Sometimes bad people are the right people for the job and good people screw up epically. Sometimes there is no good solution and everything will end up awful. Other times, compromise will benefit one group and screw over another. It's not quite "realism" when magic and monsters exist but it's certainly authentic.

An antagonist, not a villain.

     Why is Dragon Age moving away from grit and darkness? I suspect some of this has to do with the fact Dragon Age 2 was received poorly in some quarters for the grimness of the storyline. I also suspect it's because they wanted to make the player character feel like a Big Damn HeroTM. The problem with that is if you have to handhold them for that, then there's no point in doing so. While some would argue we already have grim and dark gaming in The Witcher 3, I'd argue that good storytelling is good storytelling and we shouldn't toss away what is already a well-established franchise to differentiate it from another successful one.

     Here's hoping the next game has some of its grit back.

Dragon Age: Inquisition review

*Warning - this review contains mild spoilers for the prologue of the game*
   
    I picked this one up for my birthday and have been more or less playing it non-stop for a week. I'm still not done with it but the game has provided countless hours of continuous amusement. Dragon Age: Inquisition combines the deep characters of Dragon Age with the sheer open-world hugeness of Skyrim.

    It is an impressive accomplishment for Bioware, its writers, and its programmers. If nothing else, anyone who says the game is underdone is lying through their teeth. This is a product of hard work with every one of its thousands of man hours visible. About the only thing I can compare it to in size is an MMORPG and it has all the benefit of such without the actual MMO-isms.

    This is one big-ass game.

    Ahem.

The War Table operations aren't a great deal of fun but help with the feeling you're in charge of an army.

    Have I mentioned its big? Yeah, okay, now we can move on. The premise is the mages and Templars have been at war since the events of Dragon Age 2 (the actual declaration taking place in novel Dragon Age: Asunder). The war has been devastating for both sides so the Chantry, equivalent to the Catholic Church, hosts a peace summit at the holiest spot in Thedas: The Tomb of Sacred Ashes (found by the Warden in Dragon Age: Origins). This is already full of fanservice for  devoted followers of the series. The peace-summit goes disastrously wrong, however, when someone sets off the equivalent of a magical nuke. A literal hole in dimensions is torn and demons begin pouring out by the hundreds.

    All of the participants at the conclave but a scattered handful are killed, including the Chantry's equivalent to the Pope. One survivor, however, emerges from the Fade with a supernatural mark on his (or her) left hand. This is the Herald of Andraste and future Inquisitor.

    Your character.

A duel of words is as deadly as one of swords in Orlais.

    The Breach, as it comes to be known, has had even greater effects than this initial explosion. Smaller rifts have been created across the continent, flooding Thedas with demons. The Templars and Mages blame each other, resuming their fighting, but it's fairly obvious neither is at fault.

    The character, who people believe was rescued by Andraste herself due to some oddball events in the Fade, is thus dragooned into joining a force to put the world back to rights. It's a strong, if somewhat generic, plot. The "save the world" thing has been done many times in the past and I should probably be grateful this isn't just another Blight.

    My biggest criticism of the game is its greatest blessing. Inquisition isn't just meaty, it's outright obese. They could cut half of the side-quests away from the game and it wouldn't lose a thing except running around time. It's possibly to spend forty or so hours in the Hinterlands doing random side-quests so when the time comes for the "Seal the Breach" mission, you assume it's the ending. In fact, this is just the ending of the prologue.

The High Dragon fights are suitably epic.

    I feel a bit daft complaining about this sort of epic scope and it's not a large complaint. In truth, this is a great game to spend a long time with. The game doesn't blow everything at the beginning, either, as there's some truly magnificent levels spread throughout. My favorite was attending an Orlesian masquerade ball where you can assemble blackmail material to, potentially, control the future of the Empire.

    The characters are an eclectic mix of heroes, villains, and anti-heroes with old favorites Varric, Morrigan, Leliana, Hawke, Cole, and Cassandra returning. Sadly, Alistair doesn't make as much of an appearance as I'd hoped but you can't have everything.  New characters of Solas, Sera, Vivienne, Dorian, and Iron Bull are all fascinating even if I can't say I fell in love with some of them the way I did Origins. Writing is where Bioware is at its best and you really come to view all of these individuals as friends by the end of it.

    The Elder One, mastermind behind all of this madness, is a poor villain. While I'll keep his identity secret, he amounts to being little more than a generic doomsday cultist. There's none of the menace and personal anger at Loghain or Malak from previous Bioware games. The Elder One manages to be a better villain the Knight Commander Meredith or the Arishok but even they had moments of pathos. The Elder One, at the end of the day, is a poor man's Skeletor and I think they could have done better with him.

The Inquisitor has a selection of four voices and multiple races, which gives quite a bit of range to characterization.

    I can't say I'm not disappointed with the resolution of the Mage-Templar War too. Given I took the time to write a huge essay on freedom versus security on this website, it turns out none of those issues were addressed. The majority of both factions die in the conclave explosion and the survivors are those who the Inquisitor chooses to ally with. There's no final showdown between the two factions with one faction winning by default.

    I felt kind of cheated.

    The gameplay is similar to Origins with many tweaks. It's real-time turn based with an option to pause the game for tactical commands (which you will never do because there's no real point). You can armor and gear your followers however you want, but their clothing will adjust to their personal styles. High Dragons make a return with a unique set of them spread throughout the game for high-level monster-slaying.

I romanced Cassandra, one of the few openly lawful AND good people in Thedas.

    Another huge draw of the game is the settings are absolutely beautiful. While the Hinterlands are something of a generic fantasy land, there's a fabulous mixture of environments throughout. There's deserts, stormy coasts, gloomy haunted marshes, and a battlefield which has been torn-up to look like World War 1 trenches. All of this is gorgeous and you're really doing yourself a disservice getting this on a last generation console.

    One feature I liked about the game was the addition of the War Table operations. While they could be no different than the Assassins missions from Ubisoft, I think they did a good job making them tools for world-building. Lots of connections from previous games show up and the use of the Dragon Age Keep means I can change my game however I want to. One final thing, for those who care, the romances are considerably more risque with a Witcher 2 level of nudity.

    In conclusion, this is a must-buy for anyone who wants to spend possibly a hundred or so hours in Thedas. If not, you can race through the game, but don't be surprised if the Elder One destroys the world.

9/10

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne review

    The Dragon Age universe is one of my favorite Dungeons and Dragons-inspired fantasy settings. It has a direct link to Baldur's Gate, which means it's linked to Forgotten Realms, which means it's plugged into my childhood.

    Dragon Age novels take themselves seriously, despite being game-fiction, which I appreciate. As a thirty-three-year-old man who reviews video games as well as books, I need to pretend I'm not the big kid I am.

    The Stolen Throne is the first Dragon Age novel, written by series writer David Gaider, and details a lot of the backstory relating to the country of Ferelden. Ferelden was the setting for Dragon Age: Origins and developed surprisingly well.

    While Ferelden was fantasy England like 90% of all Medieval settings in RPGs, it included a lot of cool little details. Ferelden culture was strongly influenced by dogs, for instance, and they'd recently overthrown their pseudo-French overlords. The chief villain of Origins, after the Archdemon, was the character of Teryn (Duke) Loghain. This is not a spoiler since anyone who looks at Loghain knows he's going to be the villain.

    The thing is, while he remains your antagonist, the game hints he's misguided rather than evil. You even have the option of sparing his life and recruiting him as a party member, allowing him to redeem himself for his crimes.

    The Stolen Throne is both Loghain and Ferelden's story. Ironically, Loghain plays less a role than Prince Maric. Maric is the lawful heir of Ferelden's throne (and father to series' favorite Alistair) who has never sat upon it due to the fact the Orlesians (the aforementioned pseudo-French) have ruled over his kingdom for a couple of decades. His mother, the Rebel Queen, is a legend for her resistance to Orlais but Maric is more or less a pathetic disappointment.

    Then the Rebel Queen dies.

    Poor Maric ends up in charge and it's up to a clever peasant boy named Loghain to help him become a man. Loghain doesn't want the job since he resents all nobility for hardships his family has had to endure but gradually warms up to the prince. Loghain won't, however, become a believer in the hereditary system of rulership and I appreciate that.

    The book has some very fun female characters like Rowan the Warrior Noble and Katriel the Elven Bard/Double Agent. Katriel is more or less Leliana (from Origins) with pointy ears so I was automatically inclined to like her best out of the characters in the book. Rowan, by contrast, is probably better qualified than Maric to lead the nation but can't because she doesn't have the right bloodline.

    Can they take back Ferelden from the Orlesians? Well, since Ferelden is an independent nation by the time of the games, yes, but how they do it is a winding twisty path.

    Part of what makes this story so appealing is it works entirely on its own. If you've never played any of the Dragon Age games, you can still enjoy this story on its own merits. Everything you need to know about the franchise is included in this volume and it has a satisfying narrative. Some characters will live, some will die, and others will have an unhappily ever after. How this happens is entertaining to read.

     I also like the book's relatively modest stakes. Countless fantasy stories have the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of our heroes. Here, the fate of a single kingdom is on the line and it's not from monsters but their fellow human beings. The Orlesians are a brutal and repressive ruling class but not cartoonishly so. Or, if they're incredibly evil then it's because real-life regimes tend to be that way to conquered territories. You can't really outdo history in that regard.

     I found myself caring about the heroes and their personal lives, too, which I almost never do in fiction. The fact the romance story arcs aren't preordained to end in the way they traditionally do in these things is a nice change of pace. People get their heart broken, class stands in the way of true love, and sometimes what's broken can't be repaired. Which is, frankly, more true-to-life than most of us would like to admit.

    The book lives and dies on what I consider to be its authenticity. The world feels like it could have happened on some parallel Earth. Questions of morality, economic exploitation, racism, feelings of inadequacy, and cultural posturing all help ground the piece. It's really-really good and, in my opinion, not just a good game novel but a good novel period. Non-franchise fans could pick this up as an introduction to the setting.

    Buy it.

10/10

Buy At Amazon.com

Dragon Age: Last Flight review

    The latest book out from Bioware set in the Dragon Age universe, I poured through Last Flight in a single night. Like all of the Dragon Age novels, it's a cut above your typical Dungeons and Dragons fair, and has a lot going for it. Still, I feel the book is somewhat marred by its ending and has somewhat less interesting subject matter than previous volumes. Those who enjoy the setting, however, will adore several revelations about the game world's lore and it is a good fantasy novel.

    Just not a great one.

    The premise of Last Flight is a group of mage refugees from the Mage-Templar War, set up in Dragon Age: Asunder, have joined the Grey Wardens to escape the fighting. They are put to work studying the ancient lore of the Grey Wardens and one of them stumbles on a account of the Fourth Blight.

    Blights, for non-fans of the game, is something akin to a combination of zombie-invasion and Orc attack. This account sheds light on the extinction of the griffon race, the morality of the Grey Wardens, and the dangers of Blood Magic.

    I'm not a fan of books which don't have anything to say about the real world and I'm pleased to say this book does have a message. It's an analysis of the consequences of an "ends justify the means" mentality. While the protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins can be anything from a bog-standard fantasy hero to a ruthless murderer to Mage Jesus, the Grey Wardens he belongs to have this as their bailiwick.

    Grey Wardens swear to do anything to stop the Blight, no matter how heinous, and are willing to give their lives to do it. Indeed, every Grey Warden does give their life to stop the Blight because the source of their powers eventually kills them.

    A lesser writer would have universally condemned this attitude or puffed it up. Liane Merciel, however, presents ruthlessness' upsides and downsides. We see why the Wardens do what they do and the sometimes disgusting things they need to do. We see them abandon refugees to die, lie to the public, literally prostitute themselves (a male for once), and animal experimentation. None of this is presented as a good thing but sometimes it works.

    Not always, though.

     Much like Zombie Apocalypses, the Blight is an excellent way of exploring the extremes of human morality. When faced with a natural disaster meets war situation like the Blight, what are the limits to what a person should be willing to do to survive?

   The Grey Wardens believe anything is justified and while the book doesn't go into some of the worst things I've seen in such fiction, it touches on enough of them you get the idea how this sort of attitude can blind you to other options. When you assume ruthlessness is the path of the strong, you begin to think any other way is weak.

   This is embodied in the treatment of the griffons. The griffons are gigantic eagle and lion hybrids which are used as flying mounts by the Grey Wardens. They represent the best in the Grey Wardens and are symbols of their higher natures. Despite "only" being animals, the griffons are presented as noble, beautiful, and intelligent beasts. They trust the Grey Wardens and should, theoretically, be treated with respect in return.

   Instead, the Grey Wardens find a means to make them more effective fighting machines at the cost of the griffons' lives. What follows is a story of exploitation, cruelty, and the consequences of messing with nature's delicate balance. It's a good metaphor with Blood Magic serving as a nice stand-in for both science and industry but sadly gets undercut by its ending.

    Without spoiling anything, I can't help but feel the story of the griffons' extinction would have been better without the sliver of hope provided at the end. It worked in The Lorax but in real-life, there are no take-backs and the world is diminished every time we let a species go extinct. Letting them stand as a monument to the selfishness of humanity, even in theoretical good-cause, would have made the story more powerful.

    In conclusion, Last Flight is a book with a lot going for it. It is an interesting premise, gives good insight into what a long-standing Blight is like, shows how Blood Magic works in the setting in greater-detail, and has something to say about morality. The environmental message is neither heavy-handed nor easy-to-miss. I liked the majority of the characters, even though only a couple of them were underdeveloped. In short, I suggest you pick this book up if you like fantasy or Dragon Age in particular. Just don't expect to be blown away.

8/10

Buy At Amazon.com

The Social Satire of Dragon Age: Mages and Templars part 3

Part 1
Part 2

    One cannot discuss mage independence without discussing the Tevinter Imperium. One of the standard warnings against mages gaining their independence is fear of a new Tevinter's rise. Cultural memory of the abuses committed by the Tevinter Magisters 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. Lord Seeker Lambert, furthermore, cites his own experience as a Tevinter Templar as proof that magical culture 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 was 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 his friends 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 there is a culture of, "if everyone is doing it, why shouldn't I?" This becomes worse with Tevinter's culture of in-fighting which encourages mages to resort to any means necessary for advancement.

    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. Real-life 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.

    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 commend? What seems necessary is an intermediary.

    Which is where the Chantry comes in.

    The Chantry is an organization which, theoretically, exists impartial to the Mage and Templar struggle. While I have mentioned the hatred of magic that the Chantry engenders, it is fair to admit they have probably done more for the safety and security of mages than anyone else in Thedas.

    The Nevarran Accord, signed in 1:20 Divine or roughly eight-hundred years ago, permitted mages to be able to practice their arts inside the Circles without fear of reprisal by the public. Prior to this, magic was illegal in the Empire of Orlais.

    The mages' heroism during the First Blight helped win them a limited amount of respect from the public and Chantry in particular. This treaty changed the Inquisition into the Templars and Seeker Orders, which merged with the Chantry despite prior independence.

    The Templars, despite accusations of such by Anders, are not just their jailers but also their protectors. The mortal Cole which the spirit is based on from Dragon Age: Asunder was almost killed by his father for the "crime" of having magic while his mother was outright slain.

    Rhys comments that Cole's story isn't all that uncommon amongst those born outside the Circle and displaying magic is a mortal sin in the eyes of many. Templar Evangeline is able to thwart an impromptu lynch mob when they are traveling through the Orlesian countryside while the mages, themselves, are unable to intimidate the public.

Carver Hawke is a Templar and brother to two Apostates. He protects the innocent as well as mages. You know, when he's not screwing up.

    Without the Circles, it's entirely possible mages would be subject to violence and slavery. The Qunari, giant horned humanoids from an island-continent above Thedas, demonstrate what a less-forgiving system might look like as mages have their mouths sewn shut while being literally collared. They are used only for killing enemies of the Qunari. It is implied even this would be forbidden if not for the fact magic was so damned useful.

    The Circles themselves are run by the mages and College of Enchanters with many of the abuses like Tranquility being something they actively participate in. First Enchanter Irving is willing to sign off on making Jowan Tranquil because he believes him to be a threat (which he is).

    Later, it is Irving's desire to prove mages capable of policing themselves which allows Uldred to assemble his army. We see that, even as late as Act III of Dragon Age 2, the First Enchanter holds near equal authority to the Knight Commander. The Rite of Annulment can only be performed with the say-so of the Grand Cleric so there is a system of checks and balances in place to prevent abuses.

    The Circles are, in a sense, independent nation within the ranks of Thedas which are merely supervised by the Templars. While we may think of being taken from one's families and held prisoner in the Circle as a horrible thing, it's also important to remember that in addition to the safety issue, that "freedom" is not something the Circles are without a great deal of as compared to the rest of Thedas. Aside from their lack of ability to breed and raise children, something which would compel me to rebel, the Circles are more comfortable than anywhere but the homes of the high nobility.

    Possibly more.

    Anders and Morrigan speak much of freedom but the right of property is one which has always determined whether people are free in history. Those who do not know where their next meal is coming from, whether they will have a roof over their heads, and what sort of medical care they will get when they're sick can never be free. A Circle mage, due to the generosity of the Chantry, has these freedoms whereas the average City Elf or Ferelden peasant does not.

Anders murder of the Grand Cleric starts his war for freedom. However, it's very much HIS war. It wouldn't have even begun if not for Meredith being corrupted by Red Lyrium.

    The Circles are post-race in a way unknown in the rest of Thedas. Elves and humans sit together in the Circles as equals whereas the former are ghettoized elsewhere. The Rite of Annulment is horrific but nothing prevents an Arl from doing the same to City Elves in the Denerim Alienage or the citizens of Amaranthine should events dictate such. Indeed, it's far harder to enact the Rite of Annulment than to simply murder the helpless lower-classes of Thedas. Mages have power and importance, peasants do not.

    Indeed, whereas the Chantry has a vested financial investment in the existence of Tranquil, so does it have in thinking-living mages. The Qunari have invaded Thedas in the past in order to convert the public to their religion. Mages contributed a great deal to repelling their invasion, countering the Qunari use of gunpowder-based weaponry.

    From a practical standpoint, the Chantry wants to keep mages happy as well as dependent on its good graces. This is in sharp contrast to the City Elves who, unlike mages, have no real capital to barter with. Mages are a minority which may be despised but is still possessed of influence while Elves are not. I leave the comparisons to real-life minorities and their plights to you.

    There is even, theoretically, a check on Templar abuses of power from the Seekers. Knight Commander Martell attempts his own brand of mage-backed terrorism in Dawn of the Seeker, planning to institute a draconian anti-mage agenda before it is thwarted by Seeker Cassandra.

    While his treason is against the Chantry as a whole, Cassandra works with a mage to bring him to task and gains respect for their role in protecting the Chantry. Sadly, it is Lord Seeker Lambert, the presumed head of that organization, whom is the party which dissolves the Nevarran Accord. So it's possible for the entire system to come tumbling down.

Leliana does everything she can to prevent war between mages and Templars. She fails because, on some level, neither WANT peace--or so it seems. Better to say both sides have FACTIONS who don't want it and they win.

    It is a testament to just how functional the Circle system was that so much needs to go wrong in order to compel the mages to rebel. In addition to Anders act of terrorism, Meredith's Annulment of the Kirkwall Circle (spurred on by red lyrium), the Annulment of the Rivain Circle, the rise of a liberal Pro-Mage Divine, and the discovery for a Tranquility Cure are all required to happen in very short order for things to come to war. While Dragon Age 2 implies the war begins immediately after the Kirkwall Annulment, David Gaider retcons things in Dragon Age: Asunder to require much more.

    This is perhaps more realistic as revolutions are rarely built in a day. Even with long-simmering resentment, there is usually a trigger event required or a series of them. It is noteworthy that, for all of the abuses mentioned in part 1 of this essay, many mages seem content.

    Wynne expresses desire to reform the Circle but from within as she views the Chantry as a source of protection instead of oppression. Finn, from the Witch Hunt DLC, talks of his happiness at Circle life due to the luxuries he experiences as a Loyalist. A Circle Bethany finds more fulfillment as an instructor of mage children than as a "free" mercenary or Grey Warden.

    The mages who express the most dissatisfaction, if not outright hatred, are Apostate Morrigan (who has never been to a Circle before events of Origins) and terrorist Anders. Also, possibly the Protagonist of the Mage Origin, amusingly enough. Uldred is able to get a full-scale rebellion going in the Ferelden Circle, something First Enchanter Irving clearly did not anticipate, but it is notable that only a minority rebelled.

    Mages are divided into factions akin to political parties. Of them, only a single one advocates divorcing themselves from the Chantry. Others desire reform from within or to use their powers to do good, regardless of how this affects their personal freedom. One of them is devoted to making money, which implies mages are able to own property and accumulate wealth despite their Circle-bound lives.

    Another thing to note about all of these rights and privileges is, however, they weren't achieved all at once. The Divine Ambrosia II attempted an Exalted March on a group of peacefully-protesting mages who demanded greater rights to use magic. The mages' nonviolent method worked and it's been implied that mages have achieved greater freedoms by working within the system. Many of these freedoms were repealed after the Kirkwall Annulment, which contributed to the Mage-Templar War, but that played right into the hands of mage radicals.

    Either way, it becomes an interesting question of Freedom vs. Security when the system breaks down into violence. When one group being oppressed in the name of security, rightly or wrongly, refuses to submit or negotiate then war is the result. Barring the Quarian and the Geth War or the conflict with the Reapers, genocide is not usually the result of military conflicts.

    The decision by the College of Enchanters to revolt en masse as well as the Templar Order to break away from the Chantry to destroy them means one side or the other will triumph in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Then the very hard question of "what next" will occur.

    When two sides are at peace, negotiation is possible but wars tend to result in one side dictating terms to the other. Concessions may be made (and almost always are) but what those may be is often up in the air until the final blow is struck. Perhaps the thing real-life is most similar to Dragon Age regarding is that neither the Templars or Circle seem to have any idea of what the final result is going to be. "Freedom" is not a goal. Neither is "Justice" or "Safety." These concepts are too nebulous and ill-defined to serve as proper war-time goals. Revolutions and wars based on them have created some of the worst atrocities in human history before degenerating into absolute chaos.

Ask the City Elves what they think of their freedom as compared to Mages.

    If the Mages defeat the Templars, forcing their disbanding or acceptance of the Circles' independence, they will have significant challenges to face. They no longer have the funding, support, or protection of the Chantry. Getting new mages will be difficult and while they can breed new ones, this still leaves countless members of their "people" scattered across the land. Nothing will prevent hostile nations from attacking Circles now since the Chantry is not their ally.

    Mage-friendly nations like Tevinter do not feel obliged to help their fellow magicians and, indeed, consider them possible rivals. They may ally with existing governments as Loghain offered but doing so means they will be divided as a Ferelden Circle's mages war against a Orlais Circle's.

   If the Templars defeat the Mages, going back to the "Old System" will be a challenge. The Circle system worked as well as it did due to the participation of the mages within it. Apprentice mages were trained by senior mages in how to avoid the temptations of demons as well as what sort of benefits they derived from assisting the Chantry.

    Even the Tranquil Solution or killing all new mages isn't a real option as families which care for their children will be more likely to hide them than give them over. Apostates would have no reason to surrender to the Templars, encouraging more Blood Magic use than ever. The Templars might never be overthrown but countries around the world have to deal with guerrilla warfare over a course of centuries because of unchanging hardline tactics.

    That's assuming the Templars, themselves, can reconcile with the Chantry because while the Mage uprising is bad--the Templars have rebelled every bit as much. Such a flagrant violation of church authority means that the Templars can no longer be trusted to follow the orders of the Chantry's leadership. The precedent of Kirkwall will never be forgotten. Even if every mage who rebelled is killed and a new Circle is created, there is history that the Templars can be defeated (or escaped if Hawke sides with Knight Commander Meredith).

    In short, when you go to war for freedom or security, be careful you don't lose both.

The Social Satire of Dragon Age: Mages and Templars part 2

Part 1
Part 3

    Perhaps even more controversial than the Rite of Annulment amongst mages is the Rite of Tranquility. As mentioned before, this is a procedure which removes the ability of mages to feel emotions. The resulting figures, called Tranquil, are supernaturally calm and reserved. They are (apparently) immune to possession and no threat to their fellow beings.

    Dragon Age: Asunder shows that, instead of being immune, they are simply undesirable as hosts to demons but this is functionally the same as immunity. A Tranquil is less appealing to a demon than a non-magic-using human and thus not likely to endanger other beings by his mere existence.

    The first encounter with a Tranquil mage in the Mage Origin is one of horror and curiosity as we find someone who was once feeling but has since become otherwise. The Tranquil we meet, Owain, says that he is content with his life but feels no emotions.

    He can be neither happy nor sad, though he expresses some vague displeasure at the horrific destruction wrecked by demons during the "Broken Circle" questline in Origins. Mage player-characters can insult or abuse this figure, calling him an automaton, but this is a poor response given he has already suffered a grievous violation (whether willingly or not).

    Knight Captain Cullen, a figure presented as more-or-less reasonable example of the Templars, has the idea that Tranquility is a moral alternative to executing every mage who proves incapable of resisting demonic temptation.

    But is it?

Without emotion, without feeling, without love, without hate, breath is just a clock. Ticking.

     Much as lobotomies were considered to be a corrective surgery for certain mental illnesses, the serious side effects of the procedure call into question how anyone could believe this to be humane (or even a lesser evil). The sheer horror mages like Anders and Jowan display for Tranquility go a long way to explaining the violent insurrections which take place across the Circles in the Dragon Age games.

    The fact the rite is meant to require both the approval of the Knight Commander as well as First Enchanter does little to mitigate the fear mages have of the procedure being forced upon them. We see, with Ser Alrik, Templars are quite capable of doing the rite on their own initiative.

    However, and this is where the procedure becomes relevant to current discussions regarding Freedom vs. Security--one needs to be wary of FINANCIAL considerations when discussing the Tranquil rite.

    The Second Iraqi War was criticized in some circles, justifiably or not, as having more to do with protecting American oil interests than overthrowing a dictator. President Eisenhower warned against the Military Industrial Complex using its economic might to force the United States into wars for the sake of profit.

    In the case of the Tranquil, they offer an immense financial benefit to both the Templars and the Chantry. This isn't just because they are obedient slaves, though that is a consideration. No, it is because of the fact Tranquil are capable of working with the highly-dangerous substance of lyrium.

    Lyrium is a mystical substance useful as both a drug, a power-source, and an explosive. It's perhaps most potent use, however, is being worked to create magical items. Magical glyphs, while not as potent in Dragon Age as other franchises, can transfer a bow or a sword into a weapon equivalent to a modern day firearm. While dwarves are capable of enchantment too, it is far riskier for them versus Tranquil.

Sandal's "quirks" may be the result of how dangerous lyrium is to even dwarvish users.

    Tranquil are capable of working day and night to produce weapons, armor, or otherwise for the Templars. Furthermore, these goods are sold as seen in the Wonders of Thedas shop, for great amounts of gold.

    Which causes one to wonder if the Chantry does not have a vested interest in always making sure there's Tranquil regardless of the actual capacity of mages. Even if all the money goes back to the Circle, as indicated by the Tranquil at Ostagar, that just shows there is a benefit to the Tranquil's existence beyond preventing possession.

    As we find out with Libertarian mage Adrian and the "recovered" Tranquil Karl (before he returns to that state), many mages would prefer death to Tranquility. Others, horrified by dreams or fearful of the Harrowing, consider it their only hope of salvation and being "freed" from magic. Ex-Tranquil Pharamond expresses less horror than Karl at his past existence but is quite happy to have his emotions restored.

    Which brings us to the Harrowing. The Harrowing is a rite of passage similar to the Jedi Trials or, in an odd way, a driver's test. A mage who passes the Harrowing is no longer an apprentice and receives the full respect of his peers. He is accorded certain rights and privileges like a theoretical immunity to becoming Tranquil.

    Before becoming a Grey Warden, Anders becomes an apostate seven or eight times with only a year in solitary confinement (bad as that may be) due to his having passed the Harrowing. The rite of Tranquility cannot be used punitively by Templars acting within the law. Not that it was ever meant to be used that way to begin with.

    The Harrowing is a test by which a mage is mentally sent into the Fade and displays his ability to fight, resist temptation by, and outsmart demons. At its most basic level, it is meant to demonstrate a mage does not have to be feared as a "possession risk." Theoretically, they are not the sort of beings the general public should have to fear. Unfortunately, the Harrowing is a flawed rite from both the Mage as well as Templar side (more so the former than the later).

    As a test, it is runs the risk of being immoral and as a means of demonstrating a mage is not dangerous--it is decidedly lacking. The Templars kill any subject who becomes an Abomination during this procedure, despite the means to free them being in close access (as we saw with Connor--it is possible to free possessed mages), but this is not necessarily a bad thing given the danger even a single one of their kind can pose.

    As we see with Uldred, even powerful run the risk of possession. The Baroness, a cruel and powerful Orlesian Blood Mage, actually becomes a Pride Demon rather than being possessed by one. Grace, one of the apostates taken to Kirkwall's chantry, becomes a Pride Abomination. Evelyn, another renegade, accepts the help of demons to escape the Templars.

    Anders, himself, accepts a benevolent Fade spirit into his body with their clash of personalities warping the other into an unrecognizable fusion. First Enchanter Orsino believes becoming an abomination to kill more Templars is an even trade-off during a moment of despair (which doesn't work out for him). In short, no mage is entirely free from the risk of possession and the Harrowing is merely a comforting lie which pretends otherwise.

    Worse, the culture around the Harrowing is vile from a moral perspective. Apprentice mages are terrified of the Harrowing and some, like Jowan, resort to drastic means (such as Blood Magic) because of their fear. Some even elect to become Tranquil rather than take it. The fact Enchanters neither allay the fears of these subjects or have an alternatives is highly questionable. The ability to fight demons physically does not provide any insight into whether a mage has moral fiber to resist possession nor does the former provide any insight into the latter.

    The fact the mages know they will be watched during the Harrowing makes it a dubious test for one's ability to resist demonic temptation. Only a complete moron, for example, would make a deal with a demon while a Templar is literally standing over their unconscious bodies. The fact mages are forced to take the Harrowing and sometimes die, on a frequent enough basis to go uncommented on as we see in Dragon Age: Asunder makes it use questionable. In some ways, it is political theater, demonstrating a false triumph in order to allay concerns about a person.

    Which brings us to Blood Magic and Mage Terrorism.

Yes, use your aggressive feelings! Give into your anger!

 

    Blood Magic is a forbidden school of magic which was taught to the Tevinter Magisters ages ago by the Old God Dumat. During Dragon Age: Origins we find out it is possible to learn this school of magic from both studying it in books (as Jowan did) and from demons.

    As the Rite of Tranquility gives the Chantry a vested financial interest in treating mages as slaves, so does Blood Magic give mages a vested interest in treating non-magical individuals as chattel. Practitioners are known as Maleficar and they are some of the most despised individuals in Thedas.

    Blood Magic, itself, is amoral since it can be used by both moral paragon player-characters as well as villainous monsters. It is a tool, nothing more. However, like a gun or nuclear weapon, its uses are limited beyond inflicting harm. Blood magic deals with the control of demons, mind-control, and the harvesting of human life-force for mystical power. A few individuals, like the Grey Warden Avernus, have found medicinal benefits to the practice but the majority of practitioners seem interested in its use as a weapon or source of easy power.

    As we see with Jowan, feats impossible for a single magic without great amounts of lyrium, become possible with human sacrifice. Even strong-willed mortals like a non-mage Hawke, are incapable of resisting Blood Magic to kill themselves. The aforementioned Avernus used his Blood Magic to assist in the rebellion of Sophie Dryden against the tyrant Arland by mind-controlling individuals into supporting her.

    To say this is highly unethical is understating matters.

    Demons tend to be in the service of Blood Mages, often appearing in great numbers. Uldred's misuse of it turned the Circle of Magi in Ferelden to a charnel house. Even otherwise-moral Merrill ran the risk of unleashing a Pride Demon on the world despite her precautions. All mages risk corruption by demons but Blood Mages invite them in through the front door because they believe they can be made to behave.

    As we see with Jowan, a mystique has appeared around Blood Magic, and it encourages mages to study it despite the risks it runs to not only the mage themselves but those around them. Zathrian the Elvish Keeper's story shows it can bestow immortality but the price was a hideous curse on the Brecilian Forest's human inhabitants.

    The, admittedly biased, former slave Fenris indicates that many mages turn to Blood Magic because its benefits outweigh its drawbacks if one is immoral. Those mages who turn to Blood Magic are able to dominate their fellows and conquer lesser humans in a way other mages can only dream about due to their endless supply of magical power as long as there's bodies to sacrifice.

    The World of Thedas volume 1 talks about how otherwise content (for as much as one can be) slaves in Tevinter are horrified when their seemingly-benevolent master sacrifices their lives to gain an advantage against a rival. As long as people value their own lives above others, Blood Magic will be an "easy" solution to turn to. One can draw parallels to drug-dealing, weapons-trafficking, and other crimes which are insoluble as they're so good at providing what a subject wants.

    The public interest becomes more threatened by ambitious mages wielding Blood Magic than it does by possessed mages as Maleficar can intentionally inflict the mass-devastation weak-mages can do accidentally. The Old Tevinter Imperium holds a place of cultural horror and trauma in the minds of Thedasians due to the mass human sacrifices, mind-control, and unspeakable rites practiced by its leadership. Perhaps the worst of these being the Blights. The Blights are reputed to have occurred because the Tevinter Magisters used Blood Magic to visit the Maker's Golden City. While the Chantry has mythologized the event, the existence of the Darkspawn Corypheus proves there is some truth to the story.

    In short, mages can destroy villages. Blood Mages can destroy the world.

    The issues become muddled with Mage Terrorism. You wouldn't think that terrorism would be a thing in a Medieval society such as Thedas but it is an on-going theme with the Templar and Mage struggle. The destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry by Anders is easily compared to a modern-day act of terrorism, blowing up a public building as well as civilian structure in order to make a symbolic strike against authority.

Blood Mages look like everyone else. They can also play the role of the misunderstood victim.

 

    We see another act in the transformation of Templars into Abominations via Blood Magic. Dawn of the Seeker shows Blood Mages working with renegade Chantry members to start a war they both want by assassinating a liberal Divine. Senior Enchanter Adrian commits murder as well as other crimes to force neutral Rhys into turning against the Templars.

    These acts are not attempts to win a convention, or even guerrilla, war against the Templars but designed psychological strikes to demoralize their foe or invite reprisals that will harden their neutral associates. Real-life terrorism has been conducted with the aim of inviting crackdowns which will hurt the innocent, causing individuals to become more sympathetic to the terrorists. This is, in fact, Anders' own aim as the overreaction of Knight Commander Meredith kicks off the Mage-Templar War.

    Mages are a despised minority in Thedas due to a combination of Chantry teachings, the Tevinter Imperium's abuses, and the actual dangers of both Blood Magic and possession. Mages are no better or worse than regular human beings and elves but the potential damage they can cause is disproportionately strong. Leliana, who is otherwise sympathetic to mages in Dragon Age: Origins, believes the Resolutionist faction of mages (liberation through terrorism) represents one of the direst threats to Thedas since the Blight. This may or may not be hyperbole as we will find out in Dragon Age: Inqusitition.

    There is no chance of mages winning a conventional war against the military forces of Thedas and they might only just be able to defeat the Templars as a whole. Even then, such is only the case with a united response from magi. For that, terrorists like Anders have to invite the full wrath of the Templars down in order to convince their fellows that revolt is better than compromise.

We'll get into Peace, Compromise, and Realpolitic with The Social Satire of Dragon Age: Mages and Templars part 3.

The Social Satire of Dragon Age: Mages and Templars part 1

Part 2
Part 3

    As has been mentioned many times before in this blog, I am a huge fan of the Dragon Age series. I have purchased all of the games, DLC, novels, and comics. It's a world which builds very much off the Dungeons and Dragons aesthetics and it does it well.

    This is no surprise since the same people who made Dragon Age also made Baldur's Gate, one of the all-time best RPGs of all time. I think Dragon Age is an improvement over that, not the least because you can romance the red-headed rogue. However, what sort of social commentary can be found in a setting filled with dwarves and elves?

    Quite a lot, in fact.

    The chief example of this and the focus of today's essay is going to be the often debated subject of Templars vs. Mages. It was a minor issue in Dragon Age: Origins but became a major focus of the storyline in Dragon Age 2 (indeed, some would say too much focus was paid to it). It's a conflict with much nuance and the source of many heated debates on the internet. Unlike many such arguments, there's a larger issue at stake which the conflict serves as a good metaphor for.

    Specifically, Freedom versus Security.

    For the purposes of this essay, we will define freedom as a rite of self-determination and control over one's body. There is also the freedom of property, both owning it as well as accumulating it. All of these will be addressed within this, rather lengthy, three-part essay.

    Security will be defined as the protecting the greater public good, including freedoms for those individuals not having theirs' restricted. For example, locking up a slaver so he doesn't enslave other people. This essay will not attempt to forward either quality as inherently superior but understand all functioning societies contain a mixture of both.

    To understand this conflict, we need to understand the full scope of the issue and that will require an analysis of both sides' relationship to the other. This is going to be a lengthy discussion so please bear with me. Note: the use of the term satire refers to humorous works by but I find the label appropriate here given the use of fantasy characters to stand in for other issues. Others may disagree and are welcome to do so.

    The premise of the Templar and Mage conflict begins with individuals in the world of Dragon Age being born with magic rather than taught it. The powers manifest at adolescence and often in violent, destructive ways. In Dragon Age: Asunder, we encounter a child who killed her parents by summoning a fireball. This is the least of their dangers, however, as mages are a beacon to extra-dimensional monsters in the Fade (termed "demons" by the dominate religions of the continent).

The destructive power of mages.

    Mages who are possessed by a demon are called "Abominations" and present the single greatest threat to life in the setting after Dragons and the Darkspawn. We encounter our first Abomination in a young boy named Connor who is a Mage not sent to the Circle. Making a pact with a demon to save the life of his father, Connor is transformed into a Damien Thorne-style horror which summons hordes of the undead to serve him and mind-controls individuals to serve him in degrading ways.

    Without the heroes, its very possible Connor is capable of killing all life in a medium-sized village. We hear of another Abomination from Knight Commander Meredith, her own sister in fact, who destroys much of a town before she's put down. Meredith's family had concealed her from the Templars, only for her freedom to become a nightmare. Demons are wily creatures too and we see a young girl befriend a talking cat that, if freed, will promptly possess her and walk around in her body like a new suit.

The face of evil.

    The solution in Thedas is that all mages, once identified, are taken to the Circles. The Circles are, ostensibly, mage-run facilities where the children are educated in the safe use of their powers. Much like Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants, children learn the dangers of their abilities but how to use them for the benefit of mankind. In a more light-hearted setting, this would be the end of it. Unfortunately, Dragon Age is "Dark Fantasy" and realism has a habit of on minorities divorced from the larger community by circumstances beyond their control.

    The Circles are run by mages but they are controlled by the Templars. A religious order of knights dedicated to Andraste, a messianic figure who overthrew a tyrannical magic-using regime, the Templars have authority to execute mages who they suspect of having been corrupted by demons.

    Mages have the option of being given a sort of "magical lobotomy" which removes the ability of mages to feel emotions but renders them immune to being possessed. This is called being made Tranquil. Theoretically, a Templar is only supposed to kill or Tranquil those mages who have succumb to possession, evil, or are too weak to safely use their powers.

    The public has a vested interest in making sure the mages are taken from their families to be placed in the Circles. Not only for their own safety but the safety of the mage in question. Quote-unquote "normal" subjects do not have the education to teach mage children about the dangers they might face.

    However, as we discuss later in this essay, Circle mages are not allowed to teach their own children either. One of the most well-adjusted and moral mages in the franchise, Bethany Hawke, was taught by her apostate father Malcolm Hawke. The suitability of the parents doesn't matter, however. Instead, the mages are only able to be trusted by the Dragon Age public within the confines of the Circle.

The terror of the Templars.

     Much like in our world, the difference between what a person is supposed to do and what they actually do is quite different. Templars and Mages are both, with the exception of elves, only human and capable of both flawed judgement, prejudice, as well as corruption.

    In Dragon Age, we see how all these qualities come together to make an excellent metaphor for the struggle between Freedom and Safety which has been a conflict since the first days of society. Indeed, Dragon Age is one of my favorite fictional depictions of this struggle since it manages to avoid most of the prejudices and assumptions which come inherent to these discussions.

    The first issue is being a mage is a life-sentence. For reasons a mage cannot help and they were born with, they are separated from their families and forced to live away from society for the rest of their lives. While certain mages, such as Senior Enchanter Wynne, are given freedom to wander Thedas unguarded, the majority of them can never leave the Circle towers.

    During the Fifth Blight of Dragon Age: Origins, less than a dozen mages were released from the Circle to fight an apocalyptic zombie-like threat despite the lore saying thousands of mages lived there. Indeed, the Templars are one of the most formidable fighting forces in all of Thedas but do not participate in fighting the Blight unless your Warden exterminates the mages they're supposed to guard.

    The Templars consider their duty of supervising mages to trump their obligation of helping stop the end of the world. Any mage who flees the Circles or never goes in the first place is hunted down. These mages are called Apostates and the religious connotations of their label are deliberate.

    Note: Mages have powers of healing in addition to their power to destroy and we only see them utilize this ability in rare occasions. The Apostate Anders uses his powers to assist refugees while Wynne uses them to assist the heroes of Origins. We also see mages heal the Pope-equivalent of Thedas in Dragon Age: Asunder. It is telling only the renegade mage is actively serving the public. The fact these gifts are denied to the common people due to Chantry paranoia is troubling and highlight mages have much good to give the world as well as evil.

    Next, the Templars are hardly unbiased figures regarding the mages. The Chant of Light, equivalent to the Bible in Thedas, is a book whose first stanza is a prohibition against mages using their powers to rule over mankind and that they should serve it instead.

    The prejudice of the Chantry against magic-users and their beliefs is brought home with the Mage Origin where the protagonist encounters a woman deep in prayer. The Player Character may join her, or not, but will discover either way that she is praying for the Maker (The Chantry's god) to take away her magic. The comparison to homosexuality is an easy enough one to make and troubling. This mage, at least, has been taught to hate herself by society and the Chantry in particular.

Someone who had their child removed from them. Also, one of the gentlest mages in the world. Similarly, she's possessed.

    More troubling is the fact that mages are forbidden from child-rearing. Children born in Circles are taken away from their parents and raised in Chantry orphanages. Orson Scott Card, an ironic choice for writing Dragon Age-fiction and mage-fiction in in particular given the homosexual parallels,  focused on the traumatizing nature of this in the Dragon Age comic.

    While one might argue the Circles are inherently dangerous places for children, the denial of one's right to be a parent has several nasty real-life parallels where ethnic groups had their children stolen to be raised by "proper" families. One might view it as a soft-form of genocide with the idea that mages will cease reproducing and someday cease to exist. At the very least, it limits their numbers as we discover magic is passed down within the blood, and prevents them from growing as a subculture.

    Kirkwall's mages are not only forbidden from raising their children but all forms of sexual contact period. Even children who display magic themselves often never learn who their parents are as we discover with Wynne only identifying herself to her son Rhys decades later.

    The prejudice of Templars against mages is confirmed with Ser Alrik, an extremist radical amongst them, who believes all mages should be made Tranquil (eye-rollingly called "The Tranquil Solution"). While there is indications he wants to do this because of illegal (by Templar law) desire to sexually abuse his charges, there is a statement by several Tranquil that he believed this action was the only way to save their souls from the Void (the Chantry's version of damnation).

The worst of the Templars.

     The latter, at least, indicates a truly deep and overwhelming bias against magi. We discover Ser Alrik is not the only one to take sexual advantage of his charges with Ser Karras being confirmed as yet another Templar who does these sorts of actions. Other Templars may become involved in sexual relationships with magi but these seem to be consensual and are beyond the scope of this article.

    Then there is the Rite of Annulment, which the Templars are given for the purposes of exterminating every single man, woman, and child within a Circle if it is completely lost to corruption. Theoretically, this is to prevent Abominations from escaping into the public at large.

    We see one such incident almost happen with the Circle of Magi in Ferelden. Senior Enchanter Uldred attempts a revolt against the Circle system and due to careless use of Blood Magic, accidentally gets himself possessed as well as the majority of his charges.

    The deformed monsters which result could have easily spread beyond the Circle to infect the public at large. Only the Grey Warden's possible intervention prevents the mages from being wholesale massacred as the Templars are not possessed of the skill or knowledge to free the Circle (nor desire).

    The problems with this are obvious as no attempt is made to differentiate between those actually possessed and those who have escaped such a condition. The greater public good, according to the Templars, requires that some children may die so that a situation like Connor's doesn't occur. Given demons are capable of trickery, this is a justifiable argument.

    Justifiable but not right.

    The Rite of Annulment is not applied only to circles lost to corruption, however. The Rivain Circle of Magi is exterminated by the Templar Order for what is likely a variety of reasons including spirit-possession, increased contact between mages and humans, as well as the tensions between the Templar as well as Circle system following the Kirkwall Incident in Dragon Age 2. There is no indication the Circle was completely lost to corruption, however, so the Templars acted out of religious conviction versus the events described above with Uldred.

Life as an abomination may well be worse than death.

    Senior Enchanter Wynne illustrates spirit possession does not have to result in a psychotic monster. The truth about spirits is obscured for the purposes of religious doctrinal purity. The Kirkwall Annulment is a muddier issue as it is performed with questionable means following an act of mage terrorism.

    The dubiousness of the Annulment in Kirkwall, however, is a moot point since the Templars proceeded to enact it anyway until the point Knight Commander Meredith's madness was clear. Either way, the Templars have the legal authority to commit a mass execution which has been enacted many times in the past. The awareness of this is something Dragon Age players would be hard-pressed to miss given they have the option of participating in two.

    The issue of Lyrium Withdrawal also comes up when dealing with Templars and their ability to make sound judgements. 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 Ferelden Annulment, for example, based on Ser Gregoir's 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 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 a question to ponder.

     Finally, on the Templars' side of things at least, there are the dual issues of the Harrowing and Tranquility. We will cover these along with Blood Magic, Mage Terrorism, and Self-Determination in Part 2 of The Social Satire of Dragon Age: Mages and Templars.