Piece by Piece ~ 9:43 Dragon (OOC discussion)

I suppose the problem I have with Erimond is that he just seems so obviously a nasty piece of work, you honestly wondered how he could ever have given a convincing enough display of "sympathy" for the Warden's dilemma to Clarel that she was willing to believe him. I think I'd have found the whole plot a bit more believable if he had shown something "softer" in his approach, some nuance in his performance that would have made him convincing to her and to the other Wardens he was trying to control. Most Wardens are genuinely committed to their role and doing it for the sake of others, so his obvious cold hearted attitude would surely raise doubts? Admittedly the codices you find in Adamant Fortress do indicate Clarel was having her doubts even before we turned up.

Contrast his approach with the Warden in the Western Approach with that of Duncan with Jordy in DAO. I was appalled at what Duncan did then but at least his expression of sorrow seemed genuine as he murdered Jordy. In fact that is what made it seem so much worse.

Like you say, Erimond was an old fashioned Disney villain and I thought Dragon Age was better than that.

If you want an example of an outstanding villain manipulating people, find a recording of Sian Phillips as the Empress Livia in I Claudius from the 1970s. Now she was truly convincing. Not only that but I spent several episodes absolutely hating her only to feel sympathy for her on her deathbed, just as Claudius did. Brilliant writing and an amazing actress.