There have been an all out brawl in the dragon age world between the two groups. In inquesition you are placed in the aftermath of there fighting. Which side are you on and why? I'm sideing with the mages. They have the right to be free and use there magic in anyway they want to.
I would have to side with Templars. Magic can be unstable at best and it needs control. Allowing mages free use of the forces could cause devastation and chaos. The magic is better used for the greater good rather than personal gains. The Templars are only looking out for the well being of the world.
I can see from the perspectives of both groups...the mages didn't ask to be born with the powers and the templars are only trying to protect the rest of the population from demons...I don't know though. I love playing as mages so I think maybe I'm biased but I'll have to side with mages on this one. It's not right to oppress an entire group of people because the POSSIBILITY of something happening..at least in my opinion.
The mages. Applying 'real-world' ethics to the game, the treatment of the mages by the Templars breaches so many human rights violations. Any person has the potential to become a murderer; anyone can cause devastation, if they so chose. There's plenty of weapons, explosives, etc. that could cause the same amount of devastation as a mage. Of course, there's the argument of, "well, mages are a special case. The danger is real and ever-present", and that's true. But to involuntary incarceration, slaughter, and indoctrination starts more fires than it puts out. After all, in many respects, the Circles of Magi are useful in instructing and teaching young mages about their abilities, the Fade, demons, etc. They could simply make it optional. At the very least, they could down-grade the 'indefinite' requirement for mages to stay at circles for their entire lives, to compulsory education.
Personally, I choose the side of the mages and here's why: 1. Once you're labeled as a mage; whatever life you once lead is gone, people think and see you differently. You're not Connor, a noble son of an arl. You're "You need to be watched because you can be an abomination at just MERELY sneezing." 2. People NEED to be educated. This counts for the templars, towns, AND mages. 3. They deserve a better life. No one should have their baby taken away from them JUST because the parent is a mage. You take away someone's kid, give them to the chantry without the mother's consent and then you wonder why people get desperate. 4. It's nothing more than slavery under the guise of an institution of keeping the populace "safe" from mages and the mages from themselves. If people STOPPED thinking of the group as a stain on humanity, treated it like a school/boarding school and let them see their family, MAYBE they wouldn't be so quick to turn to blood magic. Then again, Thedas is nothing more than a place filled with hypocrites. Such as: "Yes, we praise Andraste. We beseech her and the Maker's name and asks forgiveness!" Then they turn around and say: "Damn knife-ears! Who do they think they are talking to me?!" I'm sorry, apparently you're not a faithful little Andrastian that you claim to be because last I checked, the elves HELPED that SAME prophet who's name you beseech.
I think the mages are better as you don't see them misuing the powers though some have shown to do so and it is the humans who mistrust them or the chantry who fear them and do all this. In Dragon age origns, I helped them the mages and also the mages collective who were mages who wanted independent life from the circle of magi and paid you well too. I reckon that the people in Thedas do one thing and say another thing and don't treat other groups that well and real horrible as well.
I've sided with the mages. It was the Templars fault that some mages using blood magic because they oppressed them too much. They just want freedom and Templars ripped it from their lives.
I always play mages (to start with) so I initially started on their side. But as I thought about it, and I played non-mage characters, I realize that mages present a very different threat than anything we have in the real world. This isn't the same as someone making a bomb or going crazy with a gun. This is someone who can bend the elements to their will. More than that, they can make a barrier to withstand a sword or bow, or even other magic. This makes them potentially immune to repercussions. Add into that the fact that they can go full demon? These are ticking time bombs. I don't necessarily agree with the Templars, but I understand what they are doing and why.
While I agree treatment of mages are bad based on real-life ethic, I'd like to remind you no human have yet to be able to conjure fireball with their mind, while mages can. So, uh... ... well, it makes this whole ethic thing dicey. I mean, just look at Tevinter to see how mage-as-noble will act, you know?
I understand why the Templars act the way they do around the mages (especially since it was essentially mages that caused the Blight to show up in the first place), but I don't agree with them snatching up people that have even a small bit of talent with Magic and making them stay in a tower for the rest of their lives while having little to no freedom. They could make a compromise so that while Mages should be watched for, they aren't treated like a plague.
I'm with the mages but god damn do they need to do something to better control their fellow mages, the shit is dangerous and if the Templars arent there to enforce martial law then they need to smarten up and control it all better.
I sided with the mages. The majority of them are just people trying to live their lives. The fact that they have a gift that inspires fear in others (and even themselves) has to be both wonderful and terrible at the same time. When a mage is found to be unable to control their power, they are made Tranquil and no longer have emotions, which is awful. I've always felt sympathy for mages. Of course, since they are people, there are also bad ones. Their magic just makes them so much more dangerous than "normal" bad people and so all of them are under strict watch to keep everyone safe. I completely understand what the templars stand for, but just like mages there are bad ones around who mistreat those they are supposed to watch over and protect. The whole situation is sad.
I have always sided with the mages in Dragon Age. They are an entire group of people that are persecuted, ostracized, and isolated because of factors outside of their control. The templars' cruel treatment of them made me want to defend them, and I was all the more sympathetic towards them when I played as a mage. I do realize that the mages' powers can get out of hand (see: Anders), but I felt that most of the conflict caused by mages were a result of the hardships they had to endure. I felt sorry for the mages and saddened by the struggles they had to live with -- excluding the mages of Tevinter, of course.
I sided with the mages. The mages did not choose to be born mages, and should not prosecuted because of something they were born with.
I always chose the mages since they seemed to be genuinely unable to control themselves. They are unwilling participants in the war. For the love of god though they have to get themselves under control. One bad egg always makes the rest look terrible. I always feel sympathy for them unlike the templars which seem unusually cruel. The treatment that mages get is a cruel reminder as to what our real history went through.
