Err... Tbh, I'm not a big fan of Merrill and even less of Jowan (my Amell told Irving about him) but I definitely can relate with Avernus. I tend to play mages who aren't into Blood magic, even if they are somewhat on the grey side. Both my Amell and Hawke think that people who practice Blood magic are, if not evil, somewhat crazy. And my Qunari in DA:I... well, have you ever seen a Qunari Blood mage?))

I'm on the side that thinks Blood Magic isn't inheriently evil, and instead is often used for evil. It's like the old irl argument "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Yeah, you can kill someone with a gun, but you can also kill them with a knife or your bare hands had you the strength and/or training, in such a situation normal magic could be considered the knife and blood magic the gun because it is a far more dangerous weapon.

Sorry guys, think we were fucked over a bit by a Storm. Got hit by it and suddenly I've been without internet for a few days. 

Err... Tbh, I'm not a big fan of Merrill and even less of Jowan (my Amell told Irving about him) but I definitely can relate with Avernus. I tend to play mages who aren't into Blood magic, even if they are somewhat on the grey side. Both my Amell and Hawke think that people who practice Blood magic are, if not evil, somewhat crazy. And my Qunari in DA:I... well, have you ever seen a Qunari Blood mage?))

I've never had an issue with Merrill to be honest, I haven't played any DLC and never got the bad endings to her questlines so I end up seeing her as someone with some pretty poor judgement, and not the sort of person I'd leave alone (more for the fact that I think she'd fuck everything up accidentally, but could also see a bit of her Dalish upbringing cause issues) but generally no issue with. Better then Anders by a long shot (though how much of it is him and how much is Justice is up for debate I suppose).

Anyway, I think we're all more or less the same in regards to Blood Magic, it's more of a weapon that has some downsides if you aren't strong minded, but not evil in itself. So if anyone's down for it I'd like to bring up a bit of a strange one. What do you guys think about the Templars with the context of Alistair/Seekers. Because, a huge issue for me is always that Templars are (for the most part) essentially addicts who will suffer extreme consequences if they can't manage to get Lyrium, and this allows them to be controlled by the Chantry/Corypheus to an almost startling degree.

Because, they do need Lyrium as far as I can tell. So when you consider that Cassandra and Alistair essentially have the same powers (with no negatives except the time needed to become a Seeker, which really isn't that taxing in comparison to Templar training which we know starts young)...So, yeah what are your thoughts about the nessecity/need/want for Templars?

Whoa, a storm that can leave you without internet... Sounds scary.

Well, it's precisely Merrill's poor judgment and total ignorance, why I dislike her. I believe that ignorance is actually worse than evil. An evil person at least (usually) cares for their own wellbeing, while an ignorant person can do absolutely anything, simply because they don't know what they are doing. And Anders... Idk, I just can't see an abomination as a normal person, much less, considering the fact that he willingly became that. Imo, they both must be locked away for their own and the world's safety.

As for the Templars, it's said that lyrium significantly amplifies their powers, which means that a real Templar is more effective than Alistair. And it doesn't seem like anyone can become a Seeker, it requires a strong mind and will. There just cannot be enough such people for the Chantry to replace all the Templars with Seekers. Also, it obviously prefers it the way it is, so they can control the Templars.

Whoa, a storm that can leave you without internet... Sounds scary.

Yeah, it's, so not entirely sure what's gone wrong, but it kinda sucks. Seems to just be our house so, probably an isolated failure on someone else's part rather than the Storm being all that bad :P

As for the Templars, it's said that lyrium significantly amplifies their powers, which means that a real Templar is more effective than Alistair. And it doesn't seem like anyone can become a Seeker, it requires a strong mind and will. There just cannot be enough such people for the Chantry to replace all the Templars with Seekers. Also, it obviously prefers it the way it is, so they can control the Templars.

It's a bit hard to really place the power difference for me which is probably one of the key parts in my decision about the Templars. Because to be honest, none of the MC's (Hawke, Grey Warden or Inquisitor) really seem any weaker than a normal Templar, and neither does Alistair, but that could just be a Gameplay problem. Can't have the NPC Templars throwing around Holy Smites like their life depends on it (which it absolutely does) so they're left as tanks with a wee bit more magical resistance. 

So that restriction means we have to take people on their word which kinda sucks with Lore...I just see Lyrium Addiction as too costly to justify personally. I mean, we know that Lyrium is essentially only retrieved by Dwarves because nobody else can really mine it safely (and while the Chantry probably would use Elven Workers *cough* Slaves *cough* it still wouldn't be nearly as effective) it means that to an extent, the Chantry relies on Orzammar being in the position to give them Lyrium in order to keep the Templars in check. If say, Lyrium was withheld for any reason, the Chantry would be forced to rely on their stockpile, and would eventually run out (they have an insane amount no doubt, but there are limits). 

So while they do have a powerful force, it has a crippling weakness, and if Lyrium isn't fully required, I think it's a weakness that's not worth having. Cassandra at the very least is obviously quite powerful, and Seekers in general tend to be a bit more poweful than Templars (as shown by their general rank). I think there's a good bet that you might not need as many Seekers to fufill the role of Templars, but if you balanced them out with the slightly weaker version of Templars that don't take Lyrium, I think you'd still have a powerful force.  To solve the leftover problem, just gotta start training younger. It's a bit callous, but it's not unrealistic to imagine the Chantry taking in children and training them to be Templars/Seekers (and while your at it, just indoctrinate them to love the Maker/Chantry as much as possible). 

Just makes the current method feel a little...strange to me. The Chantry is so overwhelmingly powerful as a religious/political/military force that they can pretty much do whatever they want, and it feels like they're going at it in a rather crippling manner. Course I'm not particularly fond of how we see most of the Chantry in DA, just seems like we get to see the worst of the worst for the most part (with a few exceptions like Mother Giselle in Inquisition, she's definitely a good example of what the Chantry can do, just don't see enough of her).

Humans often tend to pick the easiest option over the most effective one. They also tend to give little thought to consequences of their actions in the long run. And there cannot be enough Seekers to stand guard in pairs at all doors and corridors of every Circle in the world. If they even agree to such a duty that is.

I don't like the Chantry at all, tbh. When I can choose I'll go Dwarf or Qunari, it's so nice to be able to tell the Chantry folks that I'm not with them.

So, since it's been awhile but I wanted to jump deeper into something really super spoilery that we learn in Inquisition and what it may mean for Dragon Age Lore on a pretty deep level. So I kind of want to fill a fair amount of room before I mention it,  but for those still reading I am jumping into something that I consider one of the biggest spoilers for the series....

So, since it's been awhile but I wanted to jump deeper into something really super spoilery that we learn in Inquisition and what it may mean for Dragon Age Lore on a pretty deep level. So I kind of want to fill a fair amount of room before I mention it,  but for those still reading I am jumping into something that I consider one of the biggest spoilers for the series....

Alright pretty damn sure it's safe. Lets talk Flemeth/Mythal...So the first thing I kind of wanted to say, is that it's so awesome that she's got a Dragon form (and that we understand it a bit more) and the fact that Morrigan gains the transformation if she gains Mythal's power. I mean, we now have confirmation that not only are the Tevinter Gods (The Old Gods) Dragons, or at least have the form of Dragons, but now the Elven ones (or most of them at least) do. I think I can assume that Solas doesn't have a Dragon Form since he's something of an outcast...but I could be wrong (and don't spoil that one). I just think it's fascinating really, and kind of makes you think a bit about The Maker, and High Dragons as well. IS he a Dragon? Are High Dragons some sort of Demi-God? So many questions and thoughts that this brings up.

Edit: Also can we all agree that the Flemeth Design in DA:2 was really damn awesome? I mean, just so much better than the boring stuff from Origins.

Humans often tend to pick the easiest option over the most effective one. They also tend to give little thought to consequences of their actions in the long run. And there cannot be enough Seekers to stand guard in pairs at all doors and corridors of every Circle in the world. If they even agree to such a duty that is.

I don't like the Chantry at all, tbh. When I can choose I'll go Dwarf or Qunari, it's so nice to be able to tell the Chantry folks that I'm not with them.

That's true, and the opinion on the Chantry is fair. I feel like it's really tough to write Fantasy Religions, and it's not an aspect that Bioware really pulled off with the Chantry. It would be interesting to see how much (if at all) it's changed since the early days, but I can definitely agree with nnot being a fan of it. 

And fair point on the Seekers, but if you supplemented them with weakened Templars I wonder if it'd work...Eh probably not, as despicible as some may be, Templars are definitely very effective at killing/supressing Mages

I actually got an impression that a dragon is not the only thing Flemeth might be able to turn into. She was the one who taught Morrigan, and Morrigan is able to turn inro a few different animals. Also it may be that not all of the elven "gods" had exactly same abilities.

Tbh, I think that the most effective force to fight mages would be not Templars or Seekers, but specially trained mages. Kinda mage police. But of course those humans are too afraid of them to allow such a thing.

And yes, DA2 Flemeth was cool. But if she looked like that in DAO, no one would believe she is just a crazy old witch.

I actually got an impression that a dragon is not the only thing Flemeth might be able to turn into. She was the one who taught Morrigan, and Morrigan is able to turn inro a few different animals. Also it may be that not all of the elven "gods" had exactly same abilities.

True, true...but I wonder. Flemeth, as far as I know, isn't really Mythal...At least not entirely. She might be 90% Mythal, with only a little left over from the woman that was once Flemeth, but I do feel like there might be a significant difference. For all we know, Mythal might be a Dragon who can transform into an Elf/Human form...Obviously it's a bit hard to say, and yeah I definitely think Flemeth can transform into different animals, but we know there's something about the Godhood/Power that enables someone to transform into a Dragon.

Tbh, I think that the most effective force to fight mages would be not Templars or Seekers, but specially trained mages. Kinda mage police. But of course those humans are too afraid of them to allow such a thing.

 

Yeah I really can't see anyone (other than Mages) agreeing to it, but it would probably be fairly effective. 

And yes, DA2 Flemeth was cool. But if she looked like that in DAO, no one would believe she is just a crazy old witch.

 

That for the player or the characters? Because to be honest Flemeth did kinda scream "I'M IMPORTANT" from the beginning.