Dragon Age 2 - The Rights and Wrongs of Our Actions

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Foreword

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Now, ever since DA2 came out there was a lot of opinions, beliefs, philosophical questions, and general comments that came out and many were biased,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................based on ignorance, or simply silly and ill-thought out. It actually bothered me to read them as I couldn't exactly prove my point over the internet
................................................................................................................................................................................................................where people seem to check their logic and reason at the modem, if you catch my drift.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................So, in an invigorating discussion of DA2 in the chat, I have decided to write everything out and hope it all comes out nicely.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Note, these are all my opinions and when I say whether something is wrong or right is entirely based on my own personal
................................................................................................................................................................................................................philosophy and beliefs and in no way do I mean my way is the only way.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................It's just things I have thought about at length (DA2 actually traumatized me) and wanted to share with you as this is a highly philosophical game.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Philosophical Games? I Don't Want To Think Past My Own Bellybutton!

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Whether you realize it or not, since childhood games have been teaching you more than you think.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Usually nothing academic but occasionally facts or interesting things could have inspired you, made you think, or even shown you a possibility of reality.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................One thing I learned from games is music, style, and image-management (Making things look good), as well as understanding of what is fun and what's not in a video game.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................I am sure there's more but that's beside the point.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Many games can be philosophical such as Dragon Age, Assassin's Creed, The Witcher, and even simpler games like Ys or Final Fantasy.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................The former are much more obvious due to the player interaction involved while the others are more of a subtle presentations of ideas and ideals
................................................................................................................................................................................................................ which guide your hero with no say on your part.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................An easy example for Final Fantasy is from Final Fantasy 3/6 where Kefka is lead by his understanding of nihilism
................................................................................................................................................................................................................(that nothing matters in the end as all will disappear) and his lose grip on reality.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................From the 9th game, Kuja is alone and wallowing in pain over his lost sense of belonging and takes it out on others
................................................................................................................................................................................................................as he can't allow what he valued to exist if he could not have it (A common trait amongst sociopaths).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Yes, sometimes you have to stretch things for a philosophical ideal to fit and sometimes you simply need to dig further and have a better understanding of what
................................................................................................................................................................................................................created this characters (Sephiroth was hugely influenced by Jewish beliefs) and this even applies to TV Shows such as House or Criminal Minds.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................We're constantly being presented cases (Situations requiring a resolve) and how it is dealt with.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Some are more obvious and more "Mass appeal" as all societies have their own formed beliefs and codes
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and some are more unorthodox which actually peaks the interest of the common man as we're all curious creatures.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................So, without further ado, I will start categorizing my trains of thought and hopefully it will enlighten you
................................................................................................................................................................................................................or make you ask questions or even confront me by telling why I am wrong.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................It's a discussion after all.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Hawke

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Hakwe, being the main character, is the one most will emulate with as he can be customized and he is the one calling all the shots
................................................................................................................................................................................................................(Which you choose from the pie menu during interactions).
................................................................................................................................................................................................................This directly establishes a rapport between the character and the player making it nigh impossible to not identify with one another
................................................................................................................................................................................................................unless you play in a way that contradicts your own beliefs (Either you don't care or are purposely being evil or goody goody).
................................................................................................................................................................................................................The most important thing to note is that the options you choose do affect the rest of the game as well as they aren't black and white unlike some games
................................................................................................................................................................................................................that have a good and evil system which is highly outdated. Gray is the new shade we use to identify our morality as we no longer believe in good and evil or black and white.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................We all know there's more to the world then a simple action can say.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Example: Stealing bread to feed your starving family.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Stealing is wrong but if you had to do it, are you a victim who's hand was forced?
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Was the thief just too lazy to work? Was the food going moldy and only minutes away from being thrown out by the store staff?
................................................................................................................................................................................................................A legal system can't consider these factors but an individual human can. It's what allows us to be human and not machines.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................With that in mind, let's talk more about Hawke.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Hawke is best suited as mage. You can make him either as a rogue or warrior but bear in mind the central conflict of the story revolves
................................................................................................................................................................................................................around the Templars, Mages, Anders, and Isabella.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................All these things have to do with the conflict of the two factions and being a mage only asserts why Hawke would have gotten drawn into these matters.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Now, Hawke and his family ran away to find refuge in their ancestral home from the war (Which the Warden ended about a year later) and Hawke had no aspirations
................................................................................................................................................................................................................beside taking care of his brother/sister and mother. He went to work with the mercenaries/smugglers to buy his way into the city and thus learned skills to use in the future
................................................................................................................................................................................................................(We can assume he was no expert fighter when he faced the ogre during the escape). Needing money, he took on tasks from others to make money and provide for his family
................................................................................................................................................................................................................(Who's fortune had been lost due to an incompetent and contemptible uncle). Having a high streak of success, it of course garnered him a very positive reputation
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and eventually lead him to restoring his family name, estates, as well as titles which turned him into a minor noble.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................This new found status made it possible for a steady flow of money into the home as well as more prolific requests
................................................................................................................................................................................................................from the higher members of society and even Meridith and Orsino.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................At that point, Hawke had succeeded in protecting his family and replacing his father as head of household.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................This generate much complaint from the community in Dragon Age 2 as people were upset that Hawke was not the "hero type".
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Many could not grasp or understand he was not created or lead to being a hero of Fereldan like the warden in DAO. Hawke was a simple man, with simple aspirations,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................who got dragged into something that was bigger than him and beyond his direct concern. In fact, he's a victim of societies prejudice and the ignorance and emotions of others.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................He did his best to help his friends and the people who needed him but eventually he became a hero, the governor of city, and ultimately destroyed the entire city.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Isabella

................................................................................................................................................................................................................One of the stranger characters and most enigmatic personalities in DA2, Isabella fills in the role of rogue rather well.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................At first, she seems innocent and even a victim of what is happening to her.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Her employer is seeking to kill her and she lost the item she had stolen from him.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Now, she never reveals the nature of this item and at first it would make sense she would not trust Hawke.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................However, in the end, when all bets are off and she has no choice, not only does she keep lying,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................she also betrays Hawke and is found to be the cause of all the troubles that occur in DA2.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Liliana reveals that there is a group that had been the source of troubles in the city but Isabella only quickened
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and aggravated the problem and ultimately destroyed thousands of lives including Hawkes.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................In act 1, the city is as peaceful as it could ever be considering everything and the Qun are a welcomed guest for the most part.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................What Isabella does not tell you at the end of Act 2 is that she is the one who stole the item from the Qun
................................................................................................................................................................................................................which caused them to remain within the city wall and allowed their anger to fester towards the civilians due to their different life styles.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................In the end, no matter how hard Hawke had tried to reach her, she runs away after stealing the artifact from under Hawke's nose
................................................................................................................................................................................................................which inevitably enrages the Qun to attack and attempt to raze the city.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................She does come back, before the fight with the Arishok and gives the book (Ancient Manifest of "The Way" That the Qun follow)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................back and Hawke is forced to make a decision.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Protect Isabella from the Qun who demand her as prisoner or give her up to them.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Now, most will protect their friend because she did the right thing in the end. However, this end was an entire city burning, thousands of dead,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and betrayed Hawke's trust twice in one fell swoop, and ultimately aggravated everyone which reduced the peace even more between mage and templar in the end.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................However, I must digress, though it pained me immensely, must say that the correct choice is to give Isabella up to the Qun as a prisoner.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................She caused so much pain and strife that she had to be punished and how could Hawke ever believe or trust her again?
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Yes, she tried to repent but she had ample opportunity to seek for help.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................If she had at least admitted to what she stole or told the truth once, she would have been a victim as much as anyone
................................................................................................................................................................................................................but by keeping everything to herself she turned herself into a betrayer and the bad guy.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................If we play the "What if" game, we could easily say that without Isabella, Act 2 and 3 would have been uneventful. The future calamity rests solely on her decision to keep quiet.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Her role, textually, could be considered 'Catalyst'.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Anders

................................................................................................................................................................................................................I believe Anders to be the best romance character around for three reasons: he's role is as major as Isabella, he is part of the main focus of the game,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and he's so damn hot. (Maybe that last one is biased.)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Yes, Hawke isn't necessarily gay(If male. Note: Canonically, Hawke is male due to the way he's presented by the publisher)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................but story wise it makes the most sense that the two would develop an intense relationship (Ultimately pansexual).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Anders has been an apostate (rogue mage) all his life ever since he escaped from the confined of his mage circle.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................He dreamed of a free future where mages and those without the gift could live in peace without forcing mages to be stifled and placed in shackles (Metaphorically).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................His very difficult life in finding a place where he belongs and finding affection made him a distant person despite his sunny disposition
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and by being so utterly alone he ultimately became a criminal waiting to happen.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................His manifesto (Which he writes at great lengths in Hawke's home) shows his obsessiveness with the mage vs. templar issue
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and even in his conversations never seem to air too far from the topic.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................You could say that his environment ultimately traumatized him into a man who had no choice but to do something about it which
................................................................................................................................................................................................................his mind had no choice but to make it rationally okay to do bad things for the greater good.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................It's important to note that Justice (Who's mind was integrated to Anders) is not a factor in who Anders was.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Ander was always the vigilante but Justice only gave him an increase in power
................................................................................................................................................................................................................which gave him the strength and confidence to pursue his ideals of a free world.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................In the end, he blows up the Chantry. The Revered Mother was still inside, refusing to leave her post when Anders tried to warn her.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Even with innocent lives, Anders had no choice but to continue toward his goal.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................This, inevitably, could bring down a miniature holy war against what remains of the city as well as made matters worse for mages.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................ However, Anders believed this was the only way to show the chantry that the mages will no longer accept their injustices
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and will rise up seeing that someone dared to stand up against the chantry.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................This was the final straw, and caused the ultimate clash between Orsinni and Meridith to occur.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................We are faced with the choice of loving Anders despite his secret plan or to execute him for making things worse.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................The correct choice is to let him live.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Simply, because he regrets it. He admits his fault, and asks to be killed for what he had done.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................If you kill Anders, it would remove him as a potential leader of the mage resistance in the future.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................What he has done is permanent and his death would not atone for the infraction he committed.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Mages will be hunted down and prosecuted even more harshly then they had been before and they will need all the help that Anders can give them.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................This just ties in better to why Hawke should be a mage because it's the only possible person who could understand why Anders did what he did.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................It would only strengthen their bond and continue the warden's work to free the mages back in DAO (I believe freeing the mages was the best option in the end).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Your friends might disagree with you and try to kill you and Anders over this but if you have a high positive score with them all (Which is entirely possible)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................they will obey Hawke and go with what he decides.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Which is to note that Hawke should do his best to befriend all of them as ultimately, he's a very nice guy despite certain actions that could trouble his friends
................................................................................................................................................................................................................such as Merill's Mirror obsession of Fenris' hatred of mages. Through Hakwe, they were all able to grow a little and let go of their troubled pasts.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................In a way, Anders is the real reason why Hawke has to runaway after the city is destroyed.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................From that moment, Hawke became a hero with a quest instead of a simple man brought into matters far beyond him.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Carver

................................................................................................................................................................................................................I would give an account on Bethany but I did not pay much attention to her on my Solo Rogue Playthrough.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Carver has constantly been in Hawke's shadow and been the second best son.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................He resents Hawke for being a mage because it gave him even greater power than he already did and made his special and important.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................This only reinforces the fact that Hawke should be a mage.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Just like Hawke, Carver loves his family and wanted to be a part of it and protect his mother but with time, he seemingly lost sight of that goal
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and decided to join the templars which effectively removed him from his family and made his rivals with Hawke who had still everything Carver wanted.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Allowing Carver to join the templars is the wrong choice because he does not join them to create his own identity or mature out from the "in your shadow" stage of his life.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................By forcing him to join the wardens (Accidentally of course), he at least gets the chance to make his own choices from then on even if it's in a place chosen by his brother.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................He may not feel it was a good choice for him, which can be read in the letters he sends home, but you also catch hints and phrases
................................................................................................................................................................................................................that make you realize that he has outgrown Hawke and was moving on with his life.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Carver only ever wanted to feel loved and be proud of himself and as long as he was in any way around his brother he could not have that.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Sending him away was a blessing in disguise and ultimately the only way for Carver to become a happy man.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Meredith & Orsino

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Meredith was the Commander General of the Templars in Kirkwall and from the start was seeking to control the mages.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Her prejudice aggravated the situations and forced many to resent her and act out but, in the end, she was the good guy.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Her only desire was to protect the people from mages who have many times proven themselves weak and incapable of controlling themselves.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................However, in Act 3, she buys the shard from Varic's brother and forges herself a new sword.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................This shard was actually a highly dangerous thing as it "sings" people into the darkness of their hearts.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Whatever dark things reside in your heart, it will amplify them and drive you to madness toward them.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Meredith was a good person until the end where she lost herself to the power which she gave herself into because she could no longer tolerate the mages.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Her own anger was her undoing.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Orsino is the bad guy and the cause of Meredith's heightening iron fist around the mages.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................He was a very weak willed man who was more busy covering up for the mages (Such as the Hawke's Mother's killer)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and pretending the mages were all being on their good behavior when he knew things were wrong.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Instead of fixing things, admitting he needed help, he allowed Meredith to fester in her rage all the while he put a "bandaid" on a crack in the dam.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................If Orsino had been a stronger man and leader, he could have staved off the entire cataclysm despite Isabella's betrayal.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Mages do no deserve their fate of being virtual prisoners in society but they are to blame as to how quickly they betray others and fall into blood magic
................................................................................................................................................................................................................or allow demons to possess them when they feel cornered and threatened. If the circle was less restrictive and perhaps more free,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................a proper education could be given that such ideas would never even enter the heads of mages.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................The Qun

................................................................................................................................................................................................................The Qun is a philosophical belief that constitutes the society of the Qunari (Followers of the Qun regardless of the actual race).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................If you have ever read Philosophy 101, you have heard in great length Plato's Republic (The original form of Marx's Communism)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and the Qun fit the republic to a tee (Give or a take a few things).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Their way of life is practically impossible to fully understand or grasp due to the complete opposition to our own modern way of living.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................We would see the Qun as nearly illogical, slaves to higher masters, and dysfunctional.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................However, in their eyes, we're the ones that are such things and they're right.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................The Qun (or the Republic) is a highly organized and detailed system that gives everything meaning, purpose,
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and a code to live by that is beyond good and evil but more about what needs to be done and what could be done.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Throughout the game, you interact with the Arishok and many of the Qunari members and often find yourself at a loss on how to answer them
................................................................................................................................................................................................................or even fail to comprehend why they desire to die or to defend themselves.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Most people, who would first read the Republic, would inevitably agree with what was being proposed simply because it's pure logic
................................................................................................................................................................................................................but when dissected and thought from different angles it is found to be impossible (Without an immortal iron fist to govern it)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................and ultimately destroy the individual which would mean no more books, no heroes, and even art would become uniform.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................The level of organization is so deep that you lose who you are and become, literally, a member of society.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................You lose your own ends (Happiness, family, success) and find new ends (The well being of the people, the multiplication of the people, and the success of the people).
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Such a world would even terrify a true communist because even they in the end would have no choice to admit to themselves
................................................................................................................................................................................................................they are not leaders of a people but a tool to progress the community (Qun).

................................................................................................................................................................................................................It's not much to think about but deserves mention as the Qun is both enticing, beautiful, and highly appealing for those who have lost their sense of purpose.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................In DA2, the effect of the Qun is limited but it clearly shows that uncertainty of such a place to a free modern human being.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................Afterword

................................................................................................................................................................................................................I believe this covers just about everything.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................If you have anything to say, please speak up, I like hearing different and opposing views that are well thought out.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................Also, if you believe I should add something, feel free to ask me about it and I'll answer it as I might have forgotten some important aspects to write out.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/2tKFDmIpAGU/viewtopic.php

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