History Characters / DragonAgeOrganizations

* EvilCounterpart: To the Grey Wardens. [[spoiler:The game reveals that lyrium only turns red when infected by the Blight. Every Red Templar is warrior that willing dooms themselves into becoming a time-delayed ghoul in the hopes of using their new power to fulfill a single-minded purpose. Unlike the Wardens who are at least well-intentioned guardians, the Red Templars willingly serve a Darkspawn for no higher purpose than their lust for power and revenge.]]

* JoinOrDie: Recruits who learn that the Joining involves intentionally ingesting the darkspawn blood, which is lethal to most and is technically illegal blood magic, are given two choices: either take the drink and risk death, or be killed on the spot to [[HeKnowsTooMuch because they've seen the Warden's big secret]].

* YourDaysAreNumbered: Extended use of red lyrium leads to certain, painful death. Within a few years of beginning dosage, the taker will either die from their now-petrified organs failing, be driven into a violent madness, or be converted into red lyrium crystal entirely.

* EnemyMine: With Corypheus. He just sees them as more disposable soldiers and they see him as a monster with delusions of grandeur, but they're willing to work with him to have a chance at destroying the Seekers.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Taking lyrium helps Templars use their abilities, but long-term use of lyrium, however, is highly detrimental. It slowly causes Templars to lose their mental faculties. Even mostly healthy younger Templars can show significant increases in fanaticism with it while suffering severe symptoms of withdrawal without it. Older veteran Templars tend to suffer so much psychological decay that they must be retired to Chantry-funded assisted living facilities as they are no longer psychologically capable of functioning on their own. ''Red'' lyrium is even worse: it grants unique physical enhancements, but ravages the mind and warps the body so much that an addict at the end stages can barely be recognized as a human after a few years of taking it.

* AnimalMotifs: The griffon. It's their heraldry, and is depicted everywhere in their architecture. In past Ages the Wardens used them as their signature [[HorseOfADifferentColor mounts]], allowing them to [[IHaveTheHighGround rain down]] on the darkspawn horde. Sadly, they've since gone extinct.

* [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]: The main Chantry has one in the form of the Imperial Chantry in Tevinter, which is ruled over by men (and mages).

* NiceHat: When Isabela becomes an admiral in the Armada, Verric speculates that she got the position because she had the biggest hat.

* MageKiller: Their main purpose is to combat magic users. Officially, the Templars are there to protect mages from ordinary people, and ordinary people from mages, but many of their duties revolve around executing mage dissidents or escapees. [[KickTheDog Or anyone who might fail their Harrowing.]]

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: What they claim to do. If they are justified is heavily debated both in and out of universe. The use of both [[ThePurge Right of Annullment]] and the [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood Rite of Tranquility]] are the most common issues of contention.

** Shown plainly in their response to the growing mage unrest following the Kirkwall incident. They continually added blanket restrictions to the Circle at any sign of mage extremism. Because the mages were already on edge over the Kirkwall Circle being annulled for a crime they did not commit (without waiting for confirmation from the Chantry, no less), this was the exact wrong thing to do. It lead to a [[CycleOfRevenge feedback loop]] of ever increasing mage resentment and Templar crackdowns until it finally climaxed with the Mage/Templar War.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Long-term use of lyrium, however, is detrimental over time, causing them to slowly lose their mental faculties. ''Red'' lyrium is even worse.
* WouldHurtAChild: Sort of by definition. The Right of Annulment calls for the murder of every mage within a given Circle, regardless of guilt or innocence, right down to apprentices who can be as young as six or seven.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Most older Templars whose minds have melted from decades of lyrium use are sent to sanitariums in their dementia-addled twilight years. The Chantry knows this fate befalls most Templars, yet puts them through it anyway.

** The abuse of the Rite of Tranquility. ''Origins'' notes the Chantry gets most of its money from magical crafted items that only the Tranquil can make (since being cut off from the Fade allows them to touch raw magical materials like lyrium without dying), so there's an economic incentive to make as many Tranquil as possible. More abusive Templars also find it to be an easy way to render more disobediant mages docile, and since the Chantry and Templar Order have almost complete power and authority over the mages, there's little within the system to stop them from abusing the Rite if they so desire.

** Of course, on the other hand, this only incite the Templars to be even more harsh with their actions. Kirkwall is ''the'' example of what happens when both sides are willing to go to extremes.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Their many factions means that even if they ever rebelled, they would be too fractious to ever mount a united front against the extremely hierarchical Templars. [[spoiler: In ''Asunder'', the actions of the Templars force the Circle, and every faction within, to rebel.]]
** Unfortunately, their fractured state comes back to haunt them in ''Inquisition'' where a significant number break off from the main group to terrorize the countryside, convinced of their own superiority. The remaining faction is so weakened after years of war that Tevinter saboteurs, [[spoiler:with some help from [[TimeMaster a form of magic]] that is [[WrongContextMagic not supposed to exist]]]], easily infiltrate their ranks under the guise of apostate refugees to undermine their already weak position with the public and trick them into [[DealWithTheDevil signing themselves into near-slavery]] out of fear of public reprisal for the Breach event. Only the intervention of the Inquisition can pull them out of that mess.

* TheMenInBlack: The existence of the agency and identities of their agents are well guarded secrets to most of Thedas.
* ThePaladin: The Seekers are created to be this, but they are far from the IncorruptiblePurePureness they were meant to be.

* SuperPrototype: To the Templars. Thanks to their unique training methods, Seekers have all the abilities of a Templar alongside complete immunity to possession without the need of any external power source. Since making a Seeker is an involved process that takes over a year per member, the Templar order was created to mass produce anti-magical warriors using lyrium as an addictive and dangerous, but effective shortcut.

* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: The Seekers were meant to keep watch on the Templars. The Inquisitor can inquire to Cassandra about who kept watch on the Seekers. Cassandra admits that the Divine was ''supposed'' to, but the Seekers kept so many secrets that in reality, nobody really was.

* EyepatchofPower: If any pirate in the Armada actually wears one, we haven’t seen them. Merrill expresses disappointment at this fact.

* HumanResources: The easiest way to produce red lyrium is to harvest it from the bodies of those who die from overuse and covert into crystal. Red Templars are known to kidnap entire villages and use them as incubators just to keep up a steady supply of new red lyrium.

* PsychoSerum: Ingesting regular, blue lyrium already leads to mental degradation. Red lyrium not only does that, but induces extreme aggression and paranoia in a fraction of the time, enhancing physical abilities to inhuman levels all the while.

* JustifiedCriminal: Most Carta members are casteless dwarves who join because their soceitity doesn't allow them to ever take legitimate work, so it's either become a Carta thug or starve.

* ApocalypseCult: One that's been around for centuries.

* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: The Seekers have seemingly wiped out the Promisers multiple times throughout history, but the organization always somehow rises again. [[spoiler: This is because they are made up of Templars and Seekers who learn of the hypocrisy and lies the organization told them to ensure their obedience and rebel on the organization for revenge. The Order of Fiery Promise is effectively a direct result of the "original sin" of the Seekers. As long as they continue to operate as they have, there will always be disillusioned Seekers who would happily re-create the Promisers to oppose the organizations that wronged them.]]

* EnemyMine: With Corypheus. He just sees them as more disposable soldiers and they see his goals as delusional, but they're willing to work with him to have a chance at destroying the Seekers.

* RevengeBeforeReason: They despise the Seekers, Templars, and Chantry so much that they're fine with aiding the megalomaniacal Elder One in his conquest of the world just to get the chance to destroy their enemies, even if it risks tearing reality as they know it apart.

** Antiva in general is a study in this trope. According to the Codex, they have never won a war without foreign help, have been invaded and conquered multiple times, and acknowledge their military strength to be laughable at best. The Crows being as easily killed, contrary to their invincible reputation, could merely be a demonstration of a lie being told so often everyone assumes it to be true which is outright confirmed in a codex entry of Queen Asha of Antiva.

'''For examples, please see the entry on the [[Characters/RaceTropes Races]] page.'''

* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: The Seekers have weemingly wiped out the Promisers multiple times throughout history, but the organization always somehow rises again. [[spoiler: This is because they are made up of Templars and Seekers who learn of the hypocrisy and lies the organization told them to ensure their obedience and rebel on the organization for revenge. The Order of Fiery Promise is effectively a direct result of the "original sin" of the Seekers. As long as they continue to operate as they have, there will always be disillusioned Seekers who would happily re-create the Promisers to oppose the organizations that wronged them.]]

* ComesGreatResponsibility: The Aequitarians are this in a nutshell, and sincerely believe that mages should use their powers for good.

* FateWorseThanDeath: How some mages view being made Tranquil, since they see it as being turned into an EmptyShell. The view of those who have been made Tranquil tends to be that having their emotions restored would ''not'' be pleasant, with surprising conviction for beings without personal initiative. [[spoiler:Tranquil mages that have had the rite reversed agree with the assessment that death would be preferable.]]

* GoMadFromTheRealization: Most Tranquil lack any sort of passion or agency, but a surprising number of them firmly reject having their Tranquility reversed. The reason they give is they suspect that having their emotions restored will cause them to realize the full horror and trauma over what was done to them in their Tranquil state. The Tranquil would rather remain unable to feel at all than face that horror. [[spoiler: The few examples seen of people who have been cured of Tranquility display exactly how terrible facing all their lost negative emotions at once can be. Some are left barely still sane by their experience. It can take weeks for them to gain any semblance of control over their restored emotions again.]]

** One the other side of the pendulum, some of the Loyalists do present very valid arguments as to why blind rebellion, especially in a time of greater than normal anti-mage sentiment, is a bad idea. They even note that as bad as living under Templar scrutiny may be, they are necessary to protect the mages from others and even themselves. It's just too bad that these opinions come from mages with far more rights than others and disregarding very real abuses of the Circle system.

* BetterLivingThroughEvil: As far as many Red Templars are concerned, working for the Elder One is a significant improvement in their quality of life. When they were loyal, the Chantry would fill their heads with propaganda to ensure blind faith, use them as enforcers of an oppressive system, deliberately got them addicted to a substance that slowly wrecks their bodies and minds, punish them severely for transgressions, then would them when were inevitably no longer useful. Sure, the Elder One is a monster and taking red lyrium is going to kill them eventually, but they get to have their cravings sated and live as powerful rulers rather than servants of a bunch of self-righteous old ladies.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: ''Inquisition'' shows that a non-insignificant number of Templars abandoned all order to terrorize the Fereldan Hinterlands, robbing and killing indiscriminately under the pretense of hunting apostates. Both major Templare factions denounced them as madmen, but only those who joined the Inquisition did anything to stop them.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: A not-insignificant number of apostates terrorized the countryside around Redcliffe in ''Inquisition'', claiming that their magic [[AGodAmI made them gods among men]] so they should [[EvilSorcerer act accordingly]]. It's unclear how many were originally part of the Circle, but while the loyalists and main rebel faction denounced them as madmen and thugs on an ego trip, neither did much to stop them outside of their territory.

* ImpartialPurposeDrivenFaction: Though the Divine was responsible for creating it, this is the Inquisition's nature. Their job is to stop Thedas's slide into destruction by any means, whether they support mages or templars, humans or elves, the Chantry or the Qun, try to make peace between them or crush them all. Anyone could be behind this plan, and so they can't be tied down by loyalty to any one faction.
* TheHeretic: The Inquisition is declared heretical by the Chantry for harboring the Herald of Andraste, who is framed as a mass murderer responsible for the deaths of thousands including Divine Justinia and propping them up as a messianic figure, which can be specially blasphemous to their creed if they are an Elf or Qunari. Fortunately for the Inquisition, the Chantry has no way to threaten them since their forces had deserted them.

* KnightInShiningArmor: When they uphold the Order values, they are true Champions of the Just. Case in point, in ''DAO'', a handful of local Templars are all that stand between the people of Lothering and the Darkspawn horde. With a Blight bearing down on them, the Templar in charge flatly states that apostates are the ''least'' of his concerns, and even if one was standing in front of him (hi, Morrigan!) he wouldn't bother doing anything about it.

* MageKiller: Officially, the Templars are there to protect mages from ordinary people, and ordinary people from mages, but many of their duties revolve around executing mage dissidents or escapees. [[KickTheDog Or anyone who might fail their Harrowing.]]

* ReassignedToAntarctica: A frequent fate of Templars who end up displeasing their superiors.
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: ''Inquisition'' shows that a non-insignificant number of Templars abandoned all order to terrorize the Fereldan Hinterlands, killing indiscriminately under the pretense of hunting apostates. Both major factions denounced them as madmen, but only those who joined the Inquisition did anything to stop them.

* GoMadFromTheRealization: Most Tranquil lack any sort of passion or agency, but a surprising number of them firmly reject having their Tranquility reversed. The reason they give is they suspect that having their emotions restored will cause them to realize the full horror and trauma over what was done to them in their Tranquil state, and they would rather remain unable to feel.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: A not-insignificant number of apostates terrorized the countryside around Redcliffe in ''Inquisition'', claiming that their magic [[AGodAmI made them gods among men]] so they should [[EvilSorcerer act accordingly]]. It's unclear how many were originally part of the Circle, but while the loyalists and main rebel faction denounced them as thugs on an ego trip, neither did much to stop them outside of their territory.

* ThePaladin: The Seekers are created to be this, but they are not the IncorruptiblePurePureness they were meant to be.

* SeekerArchetype: To the extent that it serves as both the name of their organisation and chief function.

** They have been stated to be so fearsome that even the Qunari leave the nation alone, but in ''Inquisition'' Dorian tells an Assassin Inquisitor that the Crows are not considered all that good by Tevinter's standards, a place they have no problem warring against.

** Cassandra's personal quest reveals that [[spoiler:the Seeker Order was founded on making initiates Tranquil and testing their faith to see if it attract a Faith Spirit, so only those with genuine faith (and thus blind devotion to the Order) could be cured. When they discovered by accident that the Tranquility process strips mages of their magic, the Seekers shared the Tranquility process with the Templars, sans the cure. This led to the Rite being horrifically abused for centuries, and became a major componant to the Mage/Templar War.]] If Cassandra is encouraged not to give up on her Order, [[spoiler:she resolves to reform it so there's more secrets]].

* FantasticRacism: Following the Exalted March of the Dales, the Chantry struck [[UnPerson the Canticles of Shartan]] from the Chant of Light, and barred elves from joining the priesthood. This, on top of [[UnreliableNarrator repeating the supposed atrocities committed against Andrastian humans by Dales elves]] [[PropagandaMachine every chance they get]], as justification for taking the elves' homeland and reducing the elves to second-class-citizens.

* HolierThanThou: The Orlesian Chantry towards the Imperial Chantry and vice-versa. The Schism of the Chantry began with both sides accusing the other of corruption and questioning each other's legitimacy. Both sides [[StrawmanHasAPoint kind of have a point.]] While the Tevinters did do away with any rules that could limit them in any way (mages and men in power), the Orlesians are just as guilty of editing the Chant of Light for their own benefit. Despite claiming themselves as morally superior, both Chantries are deeply intertwined with the politics of their respective countries (see TheTheocracy for the Andrastian Chantry). Finally, both Chantries do have severe levels of corruption within certain organizations within their control. In Tevinter, just about every mage in the Circle is expected to be a power-hungry blood mage while the Templars are just powerless, glorified guards; while quite a few Andrastian Templars have devolved into {{Blood Knight}}s who prey on weaker mages in their custody.

** After conquering and taking back the elves' second homeland, the Chantry likes to [[http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_The_City_Elves boast]] that they could have slaughtered the elves down to the last man, woman, and child, but they showed "mercy" by allowing elves who capitulated to human law and religion to live in {{fantastic ghetto}}s as servants and second-class citizens. Many modern Chantry priests and scholars can't believe how ''ungrateful'' those uppity elves are for not appreciating the "mercy" the Chantry showed them by ''not'' wiping out their race.

* InternalizedCategorism: Since the Circles are run by the Chantry and Templar Order, who preach "magic exists to serve man" at best, "all the world's problems stem from magic, demons, Tevinter, etc" at worst, it's sadly very common for Circle mages to have internalized self-hatred because their magic. The results include volunteering for Tranquility (like potentially Keili from the ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Mage Origin]]'') or becoming hard-core Chantry Loyalists like Vivienne in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Inquisition]]''.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: The motives of the Lucrosian Fraternity.

** After conquering and taking back the elves' second homeland, the Chantry likes to [[http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_The_City_Elves boast]] that they could have slaughtered the elves down to the last man, woman, and child, but they showed "mercy" by allowing elves who capitulated to human law and religion to live in {{fantastic ghetto}}s as servants and second-class citizens. Many modern Chantry priests and scholars can't believe how ''ungrateful'' those uppity elves are for not appreciating the ''mercy'' the Chantry showed them by ''not'' committing genocide against their entire species.

* GildedCage: Of course, some of them don't bother with the gilded part. A few mages in ''Origins'' note that mages

** An ''Origins'' codex entry notes that Enchanters have jobs teaching apprentices, and most apprentices have "jobs" by virtue of learning magic. However, the vast majority of magical Circle residents are mages--those who've passed their Harrowing but don't have teaching roles like the Enchanters. Since most menial and crafting jobs are performed by the Tranquil, most mages don't have any purpose or function within the Circle towers. It's noted that having magical skills but nothing to ''do'' with it, coupled with their inability to leave the Circle towers without Chantry permission (and the Chantry rarely allows them to leave) causes the mages to be the most restless, discontent, and vocally critical of Circle life. On the darker end of this trope, mages are also the most vulnerable to Templar abuse since it's easier to single out a single mage than an Enchanter/apprentice duo or large classes of students gathered to learn.)

* TheQuisling: A negative view of the Loyalist fraternity paints them as this.

* ControlFreak: Many characters in each game speculate that the Chantry keep both their mages and Templars on a tight leash, and corner the (legal) lyrium market, because they can't stand losing control. From refusing to allow mages even ''some'' freedom within the Circle system, to keeping Templars on a lyrium leash, to cornering the lyrium market (which mages and Templars both need to function) to control both.

** Despite preaching the Maker's love ror all to get people to join the Chantry (willing or not) they bar all men, mages, and non-humans from joining the priesthood. Evidently, the Maker doesn't love everyone ''that much''.

** In response to mounting evidence of horrific abuses being commonplace in Circles, the Chantry's official stance is that after all the horrible things ''[[TheMagocracy Tevinter]]'' did, the Chantry should be ''praised'' for not simply killing all mages in the crib, nor cutting out their tongues and using magic rods to render them PeoplePuppets like those savage [[AntiMagicalFaction Qunari]] do.

** Templars enduring side effects from long-term lyrium use resemble that of real-life [[https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320563 mercury poisoning]]. From psychological effects such as irritability, mood swings, paranoia, and memory issues to neurological problems such as loss of sensory and motor skills (some older templars have tremors, or sight/hearing loss, which implies ''central nerve damage''), lyrim is basically a fantasy neurotoxin that causes long-term problems with the central nervous system.
** Older Templars whose mental faculties have been completely eroded from decades of lyrium use resemble that of real-life Alzeimers or dementia patients; distant, forgetful, often lost in thought, unable to tell memory from present, dream from waking, and needing caretakers to help them perform basic daily tasks.

* MortonsFork: Templars who start their lyrium addiction but later regret their vocation or question their superiors face this. Keep taking lyrium, and they not only keep serving morally questionable masters but their mental faculties are slowly eroded over decades until they're eventually dementia-addled shells of their former selves. Quit taking it, and they become [[AddledAddict twitching wrecks]] begging for money out in the streets, and possibly go mad or die from sudden withdrawal.

* ReassignedToAntarctica: A frequent fate of those Templars who end up displeasing their superiors.

* WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency: Endemic throughout the order, as even the more noble members tend to make excuses for the order's excesses this way. Hey, at least they don't slaughter every mage they come across (usually), or cut out their tongues and render them PeoplePuppets like the [[AntiMagicalFaction Qunari]] do to ''their'' mages. In the aftermath of the [[MisplacedRetribution Annulment of the Gallows]], the Templars' complete inability to consider the idea that the mages might actually have a legitimate reason to be upset is what caused the situation to degenerate into open war.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Downplayed. Olders Templars whose minds have been melted from decades of lyrium use are sent to Chantry-run sanitariums in their dementia-addled twilight years. While the Chantry at least has the decency not to kill or throw Templars who're no longer ''useful'' to them out in the streets, the fact that the Chantry ''knows'' this fate befalls most older Templars and subject them to lyrium use anyway, just so they'll be more useful in fighting mages (and compliant from their lyrium leash)...

* CourtMage: It is stated in Literature/TheStolenThrone that kings have the right to an Arcane Adviser if they wish. Several examples include: Severan, from the aforementioned book, to King Meghren, potentially a Mage Warden to the ruler of Ferelden, and Vivienne to Empress Celene. The Grand Enchanter fills this role for the Divine.

* GildedCage: Of course, some of them don't bother with the gilded part.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind: While it is an organization of well-meaning apostates wanting to be free of the Circles, they don't tolerate maleficars and will pay people to slay them.
** StopBeingStereotypical: This might be due to maleficarum undermining their message that apostate mages can be peaceful and benign.

* CollectiveIdentity: Sera is unsure if there ever was a single Red Jenny, but the name is ominous enough to provide a useful boogeyman for nobles so they don't think too hard about the loose assortment of servants and beggars that really comprise the network.

* DueToTheDead: One of the highest honors the group can given was bestowed by an elf who fought alongside them. They gave him his own tomb and honored his sword and armor, saying he wasn't a child of the stone but he fought as bravely as any one of them.

* BadSamaritan: One of their tactics for recruiting powerful forces is to pose as benefactors when the target is desperate, then immediately betray them and force them to serve their cause after whatever deal they struck is agreed on. More often than not, they secretly caused the circumstances that left the target desperate enough to deal with them in the first place.

* HumanResources: The easiest way to produce red lyrium is to harvest it from the bodies of those who die from overuse and covert into crystal. As such, Red Templars are known to kidnap entire villages and use them as incubators to keep up a steady supply of new red lyrium.

* PsychoSerum: Regular lyrium already leads to mental degradation. Red lyrium not only does that, but induces extreme aggression and paranoia in a fraction of the time, enhancing physical abilities to inhuman levels all the while.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The first physical transformation red templars undergo is gaining [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing]] red eyes.

* AddictionPowered / FunctionalAddict: The Templars use lyrium to augment their AntiMagic abilities, and withdrawal turns them into strung-out wrecks. Subverted, in that multiple characters have stated that lyrium only serves to make their abilities ''easier'' to use, and that its primary purpose is to keep them in check. Certainly, multiple characters have made use of templar abilities without it.
** WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Long-term use of lyrium, however, is detrimental over time, causing them to slowly lose their mental faculties. ''Red'' lyrium is even worse.

* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: This is largely the reputation they have in Thedas, and it's not entirely undeserved. They often invoke the Right of Conscription on apostates and condemned criminals. While the supreme importance of their mission means that people rarely make an open stink about it, the idea that the Wardens are a "haven for criminals and [[EvilSorcerer maleficar]]" (as Rylock puts it) is a very prevalent one.

'''For examples, please see the entry on the [[DragonAge/RaceTropes Races]] page.'''

A list of the major organizations and non-national factions in the Franchise/DragonAge franchise. For a list of the various races in the setting, '''[[DragonAge/DragonAgeRaces go here]]'''. To return to the master character index for the whole franchise, [[Characters/DragonAge go here]].