I think you're preaching to the choir here, buddy. Really, the takeaway from this whole sequence is "Cullen's got a massive ball of untreated PTSD where his objectivity should be".
Yeah I know, I just get very very annoyed that there's nowhere to acknowledge in-game that the demon mess is one of the Templars' own making and have it STICK. And god yeah Cullen. Stupid freaking Chantry and their stupid promoting.
You'd think even the Templars would maybe consider that if Kirkwall is such a Hellpocalypse City that even non-mages are getting possessed by demons, it's maybe not a good place to quarter a crap-ton of mages under any circumstances...
PREACH. Rivain and the Avaars have people be possessed and they are still there!! heck, the avvars have rituals to UNPOSSESS mages. But the chantry is more interested in fear-mongering and keeping it's army of terrified slaves than in actually doing any good, so.... it's a shame cullen is too traumatized and most templars (and the population as a whole) are too trusting of the chantry to actually see they're doing more harm than good.
Right? Other entire countries have one Circle, and then you have this tiny-ass city which 1) has a high natural rate of mage births and 2) GETS MAGES SHIPPED IN FROM ELSEWHERE. One of the quests we have queued up is about mages being sent here from Starkhaven! Aaaargh
>Keran's fine. Anders: UHH We got some money! (Half of it is just making up what we spent on prostitutes. :| ) While we're here, should we tell Thrask about his unfortunate daughter, or talk to this shop guy (who IIRC gives us plot-light quests involving grabbing rare potion materials)? >_?
I think it's in the free be dlc? I want to know because mark of the assassin and legacy are pretty good, and theres. well. sebastian too, i guess.
Yeah, I only have the free DLC. ): Edit: my origins name is ceruleanvulpine if anybody wants to buy them for me :P Or just friend me, although I don't use the social aspect so much.
CODEX INTERLUDE Spoiler: Desire Demon "In all my studies, I must say that the most intriguing was my interview with the desire demon. That the creature was willing to speak with me was a sign that this was no mere monster, mindlessly driven by its nature, but rather a rational being as interested in me as I was in it. It took a form that I would call female, though I had no doubt that it could appear otherwise. I wondered if it appeared as it did because I wanted it to or because I expected it to. She... and, indeed, I could only think of her as such now... smiled warmly at me and laughed a musical sound that seemed to thrill my old heart. So frightened was I of this creature's legendary abilities to twist the hearts of men, and so relieved was I when I looked across the table into her dark eyes. This was a fearsome creature of the Fade, but as I spoke with her I slowly came to realize that this demon was merely as misunderstood as we mages are, ourselves." --From the journal of former Senior Enchanter Maleus, once of the Circle of Rivain, declared apostate in 9:20 Dragon. Of all the threats from beyond the Veil, few are more insidious and deceptively deadly than the desire demon. In folklore, such demons are characterized as peddlers of lust, luring their prey into a sexual encounter only to be slain at the culmination. While a desire demon can indeed deal in pleasure, in truth they deal with any manner of desire that humans can possess: wealth, power, and beauty, to name a few. Far more intelligent than the bestial hunger and rage demons, and more ambitious than the demons of sloth, these dark spirits are among the most skilled at tempting mages into possession. Many who serve the whims of a desire demon never realize it. They are manipulated by illusions and deceit if not outright mind control, although these demons are reluctant to resort to such crude measures. Instead, they seem to take great pleasure in corruption. The greater the deceit, the greater their victory. Only demons of pride prove more fearsome opponents when roused. Their abilities to affect the mind allow them to assume disguises and even alter the environment to their purposes, not to mention the great strength and speed they possess if they should have to resort to more physical means. Most often a desire demon will attempt to bargain its way to freedom if overpowered—many stories exist that depict mages defeating desire demons to the point where a wish can be wrested from them. It should be noted that in such stories the demon almost always gets the upper hand even when the mage thinks his wish has been granted. Spoiler: The Spiral Eye Kirkwall has been a tinderbox since becoming the center of templar power in eastern Thedas. Of the hundreds of mages that live in the Gallows, it is perhaps telling that the most well known are its apostates. Ceridweth was one such infamous apostate. She lived during the latter half of the Storm Age and was known for hunting priests and templars that abused their charges excessively. Ceridweth was also known as the Watcher and the Spiral Eye, so named for the spiral glyph she marked near her victims. Templar records show that Ceridweth was captured and madeTranquil in 7:90 Storm. Many refuse to believe this, so her legend lives on. —From Kirkwall: The City of Chains, by Brother Genitivi, 9:24Dragon And here's a picture of the purple tiddy demon, since we didn't see one close up: Spoiler: yeesh
>Talk to Thrask. First I'm giving Hawke this robe - maybe it's not as stylish as her smuggler gear, but it's waaay better. Oh. Whoops. Sorry, I've been off fighting blood mages. >_?