Dragon Age

Mages belong in the Circle, where they can be guarded from people who hate them, trained in the use of magic, put their powers to good for the benefit of Thedas, and quarantined from the general population to protect it from abominations and blood magic. Sewing their mouth shot, chaining them up, and siccing them on enemies like attack dogs is not the proper way of dealing with them.

Mages need to be taught to control their power, not to fear it. Fear only leads to more demons and blood magic.

As asked before, What ever happened to the dwarfs any way? Why cant they magic yet have not been made tranquil? Is it something that can be coppied and repeated? If so THAT is what I would support.

Seriously, you would still get a lot of the benefits magic provides through enchantments, and no one has to worry about demons, abominations or any thing like that any more.

The lack of dreams seems like a fair compromise for all that, no need for a circle any more either.

I tried looking into dwarven lore myself, but all I can find is cryptic and frankly very creepy texts that makes me think if this has not been explained its going to become a major plot point.

Edit: Or not

This combined with the primal Thaig, are in no way as ominous as all hell, nope, not at all

edited 25th Apr '15 2:01:27 AM by Imca

You know what this setting really needs? Unseen University.

edited 25th Apr '15 2:03:28 AM by Cozzer

I'm 100% Pro-Mage Liberation but I at least respect the Qunari a helluva lot more than I ever respected the Chantry. It was one of the most profound moments in any DA game when the one Saarebas you escorted, Ketojan, chose to immolate himself. Because that was the demand of the Qun. There was an option to try and stop him but in none of my playthroughs where I killed the Qunari escort there did I do this. Why? Because he made his choice and I respect it. To try and stop him would be the height of insult.

The Qunari's devotion to order and law is commendable. It's why something like Kirkwall is like Hell to them. It's mayhem at every level. There are political squabbles and unrest at the top, absolute poverty and misery at the bottom, and no happiness in-between.

I got the A Worthy Rival Trophy on my first DA 2 run without even meaning to because everything the Arishok said just made sense to me so I agreed with him all the time.

edited 25th Apr '15 2:20:31 AM by Nikkolas

On an unrelated topic, I started watching Young Justice, and... uh... This guy looked pretty familiar.◊

So... I think I've encountered one of the most annoying Glitches in all of Inquisition.

I don't know why, but every time I leave a menu or an interface or ANYTHING in this game, is plays the 'Influence Added' Audio File. AND. IT'S. SO. GODDAMN. ANNOYING.

TURN IT OFF.

Also, I listened to the Dragon Age Podcast while forcing myself through the Hissing Wastes. Finally nearly done with that place. Three Problems. I can't find the Chantry Sister again and I know something happens if you talk to her a few times. I can't seem to find anymore Tevinter Slave Camps even though I only found one earlier. And, lastly, I can't find the final 'Lore in the Wastes' thing.

On the brightside, I've completed nearly every collection quest. Only one Bottle of Thedas left and, oddly, one region in the Graves??? How is that possible???

EDIT:

BTW,

"THE BLACK EMPORIUM (IP 1) Display Name Placeholder Text" and "DRAGON AGE INQUISITION MP MAP PACK 2 Display Name Placeholder Text" have appeared on Origin.

edited 25th Apr '15 4:24:19 AM by InkDagger

So, I'm not as weened from romances as I thought I was. I still like them enough to set one up per character but I'm not going to get into a hype train for romance content or anything like that.

@Nik

You can't stop him. No matter what you say or do he immolates himself. You can protest till your face turns blue it changes nothing.

That moment is easily one of the most tragic in the entire game- that man has been so thoroughly brainwashed he is convinced suicide is the answer to a problem that doesn't exist.

Ketojan is memorable enough that I'm still holding out for a Tal-Vashoth Saarebas companion.

Same. I heard you can kind of play one in Inquistion though.

(Right now I'm kinnnnnnnd of redoing all of 2, because I got to the final fight and Fenris wasn't maxed. So when I sided with the mages...my romance choice high tailed it out of town.)

Really? I feel like the most annoying glitch is the one where using the re-spec amulet crashes your game. I had to suffer with an inefficient build because of that. Like that perk you can add to Knight Enchanter's spirit blade that lets you deflect projectiles. I guess it was useful for playing fireball tennis with dragons but I got it because I thought it was a constant buff that would help defend against archers. Instead it's a near useless ability since most projectiles move too fast to deflect but I had to put up with it because that stupid amulet didn't work properly.

As for the Graves there are a bunch of landmarks to get around the area with the giants and the dragons. Maybe you missed one.

edited 25th Apr '15 2:27:21 PM by Pyrogenic

Eh, you're playing a Vashoth in Inquisition, meaning one who's never actually been part of the Qun, so no badass facial scars around the mouth and all that.

@L Mage

So because someone has been brought up with a different set of values to you they have been "brainwashed"?

...You realize the Qunari ACTUALLY brainwash people right? Like it's not a matter of different cultural values the Qunari have agents called Ben-Hassrath who are dedicated to finding Qunari in danger of straying from the Qun so that they can be "re-educated." Bull tells you about it.

And then there's the LITERAL brainwashing where they basically chemically neuter you into being a compliant slave. I think Isabela tells you about that but I could be wrong

And you can't even run from it either since Tal-Vashoth are hunted on sight. And the Qunari want the entirety of Thedas to submit to that.

edited 25th Apr '15 4:32:04 PM by Pyrogenic

Fenris explains to Isabela he has first hand experience with what Qunari do with their prisoners- forcing them to convert through lobotomy to make them into dumb labor (qamek). They also do this to all mages by default because they are deemed "hopeless".

Like. Seriously. They were literally brainwashed.

As far as mages and Templars go Inquisition satisfied all sides, so at least until the next game retcons all of them into following one path I prefer staying out of that debate in the near future.

I view the Saarebas issue as another exclusive Qunari problem.

As the topic at hand was Ketojan, none of those things you mentioned are relevant to my question.

Aren't they? We don't know Ketojan's story. Maybe he's been "re-educated" dozens of times. Maybe he's wanted to run but afraid of being hunted. Maybe he wanted to rebel but was afraid of being lobotomized.

And even if he's never thought twice about the Qun even if he's never thought to stray it's kind of dishonest to go "Oh he wasn't brainwashed he was just THREATENED with brainwashing."

That's the society and culture Ketojan has lived his whole life in. It's extremely relevant to his beliefs and morals.

edited 25th Apr '15 5:00:15 PM by Pyrogenic

Mages are exposed to the qamek by default- they are never even remotely given a choice.

He was literally, physically brainwashed by a neurotoxic poison to make him pliant and submissive the Qun.

Thats only external mages.

There are some points to be made that that "Neuro toxin" is lyrium, and it is just the qunari version of making some one tranquil.

That's not exactly a point in the Qun's favor.

"Hey you know that fucked-up ritual Chantry people do to strip troublesome mages of their free will and individuality? The Qunari do it to everyone! Bas mages get it no matter what! But they're still better than those Andraste-loving dicks right?"

The Chantry might have it's bad points but the Qun is a far far worse alternative.

Hell, not just to mages. Anyone who refuses to convert is subjected to the qamek. "Oh, you don't want to give up your sense of individuality and be part of our philosophy? Here, have a taste of this poison that will lobotomize you and turn you into an unthinking laborer. Now isn't that better than being outside the Qun?"

Shit, Qunari mages have their mouths sewn shut, may have their tongues cut out, leashed and chained with iron pauldrons, collared with a magic-nullifying collar, and aren't even considered people: they're nothing but walking weapons trained in nothing but destructive magic. And if they so much as piss without their Arvaarad seeing it, they and anyone who comes into contact with the Saarebas are killed.

Say what you will about the Chantry Circles, but at least the mages there aren't treated as nothing more than weapons.

The qamek process is reserved for those who won't submit to any role at all in the Qun. Pretty sure the human nations would just execute people or ransom like those.

I doubt it's done that commonly either. They had tons of converts during their wars with the human nations. Oh, and the oh so kindly Chantry started butchering those civilians when they recaptured them and officially (and badly) deny it.

The Qunari give the qamek to people who refuse to submit to the philosophy. That's more than "Hey we want you to be a baker but beyond that you can think and live as you please." And simiarly the Chantry does not execute or ransom people who refuse to work. You get kicked out of your home and left to starve because you don't have money but they hardly kill or ransom you for it.

And you doubt it's done commonly? It would've happened to Isabela if she refused to submit. Which means everyone captured by the Qunari is converted either forcibly or under threat of brainwashing. All those "converts" from the Qunari wars? You think most of them had a real choice in the matter? Because by all indications the qunari are not big on "choice."

edited 25th Apr '15 6:04:11 PM by Pyrogenic