plus Spoiler: spoilers for other stuff in other games, dai and some dao DLC i haven't played was the mirror threat even a real thing? I mean. We see Morrigan fooling around with one, and wasn't the Keeper's thought that the demon would somehow cross over from the fade using it? except that never HAPPENS with the other mirrors, so?? She is not good at her job, is my understanding. also! i do not like this bit of the plot and how easy it is to just murder all the Dalish. *grumpgrump*
Here's an option: the reason none of this makes sense is because Varric made something up that Cass would believe to cover Merrill's ass. Oh no, we totally didn't have a nice conversation with a spirit that helped us fix this ancient elven artifact, it totally doesn't work, there's definitely no reason for you to go looking for it, or Merrill, or the clan~. :::PPP
"Yes, demons are ~so evil~, we hate them ~so much~, it's very stupid to trust them, Merrill ~certainly~ didn't know what she was getting into and was tricked because she was so well-meaning and clueless, because that's how Merrill is~. Definitely no rediscovered Elvhen magic breakthroughs here, oh no, everyone opposed Merrill's stuff on that front the whole way and told her how bad and dangerous it was and she never managed to do it even though we kept helping her. While telling her she shouldn't do it."
(I assume that if we hadn't up and murdered her, she would have gone back and demon'd out and killed the whole clan?)
(She would have stabbed Merrill and then we would have had to fight her anyway but with an injured Merrill.)
>Marethari was possessed. WELP, FUCK. We sure are getting attacked by Every Dalish. So. Here's the thing. This choice is incredibly stupid and unintuitive. One of the options does actually make the Dalish stand down! If you would like to pick something else even though the one that works makes no fucking sense, we can do that. If you want to embrace the bad writing, have Hawke stand defiant in her truth, and follow the Clan Sabrae Dies Timeline, we can do that. [...] See you in the morning, folks. >_?
(Honestly, I would just say fuck it, might as well go the full nine yards of this quest's poorly-written, exaggeratedly extreme consequences for other people'snonsensical behavior. :P But whatever the people going in blind here think.)
It is my sad duty to inform you that Merrill spends several seconds just sobbing before she actually says the line. ;-; (Green, purple, red. (Game, *I* don't blame Merrill, but if you're going to make people on the friend path condemn her blood magic to not kill all the Dalish, maybe carry that option through here?)) >_?