Toyish Batphone
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Post by Toyish Batphone on Aug 6, 2016 10:59:10 GMT
Greetings.
I am curious about how someone who is a mage does not succumb to temptation from spirits.
I ask because everyone surely has something they love or something they genuinely are crazy about.
For example, Dorian loves getting drunk and going to brothels to have sex with male Elves (World of Thedas says this). Morrigan loves to obtain power at all costs. Wynne loves ale and loves her students. Vivienne loves fashion and power. Let's say one of your mage protagonist (either Hawke or Warden or Inquisitor) is the promiscuous type.
What's stopping a Desire Demon to come along offering Dorian alcohol and wine / offering Morrigan power / offering Wynne delicious ale / offering Vivienne bombastic clothing & power / offering your booty loving protagonist some booty ?
How does a mage resist such an offer ? Is it like being someone who really loves candy but never takes one that is being offered for free by a random stranger in the street ?
How does one train oneself to resist temptation or even angry emotions if they really like someone or if they are oppressed ? There is a significant portion of mages that feel that they are oppressed yet they are not all possessed by Rage Demons. How do they avoid giving in ?
That's what I am curious about. Hope someone can help me shed a light on this.
Have a nice day and cheers.
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Post by Catilina on Aug 6, 2016 13:29:32 GMT
I think, this is simple (not the resist is simple, the reason of resist is simple), the mage (as everyone) must to be able to think through the consequences, and need to have strong will. If you see greater threat than the profits (as we know more), then you will be able to resist. This is harder with a blood mage, because they are always taking around of demons, who whispers to them stronger, than to a "simple" mage, I think.
If you already is brothel or have drinks and whores, then what would you ask from from a desire demon? Yes, if the you are lonely, this is more real danger. But if you can realize, that the demon can give you only the illusion, you have better chance for the resist. (But I think: Dorian in trouble... on the other hand: he know his weak, then able to resist.) The power is more difficult issue. But Morrigan is strong enough, I think, and she is clever and intelligent: she know the risk, and always was alone. I don't think, Morrigan will be victim of a desire demon for the power. I think, Vivienne's case is different: she fear from her own magic, she really love the political power, and she waiting for external protection: the templars. I think, she is in bigger trouble, than Morrigan.
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Post by opuspace on Aug 6, 2016 14:34:23 GMT
It comes off like when stores display some really gorgeous desserts when you're a cheesecake addict but you know your wallet can't survive the cost. Or if you're desperately trying to lose weight. Solas does mention that it's no more dangerous than a brightly coloured object attracting a child. It may be shiny but not something a kid would trade everything for. Now if a demon offered console compatible hair mods as temptation...yeah a lot of us might not be here to share their thoughts.
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Sah291
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Post by Sah291 on Aug 6, 2016 15:05:11 GMT
In my opinion, mages like Morrigan resist demons by having a stronger will than they, and by remaining lucid enough in the fade to realize everything there is an illusion. I think Morrigan would have too much pride to allow herself to become possessed by lesser spirits, and she believes strongly in free will, etc. But her pride and desire for knowledge does get her in trouble eventually, as we see at the Well of Sorrows. Now she's bound to her mother's will. Although Flemeth/Mythal planned to pass her godhood onto Morrigan anyway, and she also challenges Morrigan's belief that being bonded to her was slavery at all, since she considered it gift.
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Post by Catilina on Aug 6, 2016 15:23:11 GMT
In my opinion, mages like Morrigan resist demons by having a stronger will than they, and by remaining lucid enough in the fade to realize everything there is an illusion. I think Morrigan would have too much pride to allow herself to become possessed by lesser spirits, and she believes strongly in free will, etc. But her pride and desire for knowledge does get her in trouble eventually, as we see at the Well of Sorrows. Now she's bound to her mother's will. Although Flemeth/Mythal planned to pass her godhood onto Morrigan anyway, and she also challenges Morrigan's belief that being bonded to her was slavery at all, since she considered it gift. Yes. She prefers independence than the power.
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Post by Sah291 on Aug 6, 2016 15:38:20 GMT
In my opinion, mages like Morrigan resist demons by having a stronger will than they, and by remaining lucid enough in the fade to realize everything there is an illusion. I think Morrigan would have too much pride to allow herself to become possessed by lesser spirits, and she believes strongly in free will, etc. But her pride and desire for knowledge does get her in trouble eventually, as we see at the Well of Sorrows. Now she's bound to her mother's will. Although Flemeth/Mythal planned to pass her godhood onto Morrigan anyway, and she also challenges Morrigan's belief that being bonded to her was slavery at all, since she considered it gift. Yes. She prefers independence than the power. Yes exactly, she actually values freedom/Independence over power. Probably any mage who values something else over power would be similarly resistant to any demon offering it. Solas appears to be similar. Like Wynne was bonded with Hope, Anders with Justice (who you could argue was corrupted into a demon, but he was still protected against other demons even so), and then the Seekers who work with Faith spirits. The weakness is when something comes into conflict with that thing they value most. And you can see this playing out with Solas' character, with the whole "wolf chewing off his own leg to escape the trap". But... I don't see how that's just a weakness of mages... but anyone who isn't effectively Tranquil and without any desires or values at all, and who operates on pure logic, etc.
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Post by opuspace on Aug 6, 2016 15:55:23 GMT
In my opinion, mages like Morrigan resist demons by having a stronger will than they, and by remaining lucid enough in the fade to realize everything there is an illusion. I think Morrigan would have too much pride to allow herself to become possessed by lesser spirits, and she believes strongly in free will, etc. But her pride and desire for knowledge does get her in trouble eventually, as we see at the Well of Sorrows. Now she's bound to her mother's will. Although Flemeth/Mythal planned to pass her godhood onto Morrigan anyway, and she also challenges Morrigan's belief that being bonded to her was slavery at all, since she considered it gift. I hadn't thought about that aspect of the Fade. A lot of kooky things can happen in dreams because, dreams, so it's a whole new obstacle if you have to recognize that you're in a dream in the first place.
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Post by Sah291 on Aug 6, 2016 16:16:54 GMT
In my opinion, mages like Morrigan resist demons by having a stronger will than they, and by remaining lucid enough in the fade to realize everything there is an illusion. I think Morrigan would have too much pride to allow herself to become possessed by lesser spirits, and she believes strongly in free will, etc. But her pride and desire for knowledge does get her in trouble eventually, as we see at the Well of Sorrows. Now she's bound to her mother's will. Although Flemeth/Mythal planned to pass her godhood onto Morrigan anyway, and she also challenges Morrigan's belief that being bonded to her was slavery at all, since she considered it gift. I hadn't thought about that aspect of the Fade. A lot of kooky things can happen in dreams because, dreams, so it's a whole new obstacle if you have to recognize that you're in a dream in the first place. Well Solas sort of challenges that whole concept....he does consider spirits and the fade to be real. But he has other strategies for interacting with them. Like shifting his perception, since he believes spirits appear how you expect them to, etc. But he's an ancient elf from before the Veil. I think most modern mages in Thedas train their minds to be able to control their thoughts and be lucid in dreams (where they access the fade). In the DAO mage origin, the Warden is taught to recognize tricks and illusions in the fade. The Dalish seem to teach this as well, since Merrill is sorry for failing to remember that after she falls prey to the demon in the fade.
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Post by gervaise21 on Aug 6, 2016 19:04:36 GMT
Well so far as Dorian is concerned he says that the first time he entered the Fade a desire demon tried to seduce him and possess him. Clearly he had enough common sense not to be taken in. His greatest fear is temptation, so clearly he is alert to the possibility, which naturally makes him better at resisting it.
Morrigan has already shown what would allow her to give way. The Well of Sorrows is actually full of spirits; Cole confirms as much and says you wouldn't want them rattling around in your head. So even without the binding to the will of Mythal, essentially you are undergoing a form of possession by spirits, just not the conventional demonic one. In fact as Solas says to the Inquisitor if they drink, they are effectively possessed, even if it doesn't appear that way, because now Mythal will control them whether they are aware of it or not.
I don't know about Wynne in her younger days but she was trained as a spirit medium, that makes you both more at risk and yet also better at spotting potential dangers and resisting them. Once she was resurrected by the faith spirit, then of course that protected her automatically.
As for Vivienne, again she knows her limits. She craves power but not at any price. It is probably because she likes to be in control that she is safe because she would not relish surrendering her autonomy no matter what the demon offered.
I think this is the case for any mage, or at least those that receive sufficient training when young. They are taught to recognise the dangers and how to deal with them. Then it is simply a matter of exercising self control. Strangely enough, for a young mage it is probably very much like telling a child not to talk to strangers or take the gifts offered to them.
Most of the ones we have seen possessed have either been young and inexperienced, plus also under a lot of emotional strain, or in a bad situation. It is mentioned in Last Flight that some Grey Warden mages, if surrounded by darkspawn with no hope of escape, have been known to allow themselves to be possessed at the end simply because that will allow them to take more darkspawn with them as they die.
Why do some people give in to their emotions and others do not? That is pretty much the same for anyone. Some people are better at self control than others and maintaining their resolve even in the face of extreme provocation. It is also possible to improve your ability to do so with the right training. This is why even in Tevinter they have mage schools, if their parents do not want to trouble themselves with the responsibility and young mages aren't just left to work it out for themselves. Even Calpernia's master realised he would have to take the time to teach her the basics so she did not prove a risk to his household. I would say the biggest danger in southern Thedas during the period of the mage/Templar troubles was to young mages with no one to turn to for advice. It is also why I ask what is put in place by Leliana at a local level once the Circles are gone in order to ensure that young mages are given basic training so they are not at risk to themselves or their community.
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roselavellan
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Post by roselavellan on Aug 6, 2016 19:22:45 GMT
I would imagine you're more likely to resist temptation if you were aware that it was likely an illusion. So I can imagine that as a mage you would be especially careful in the Fade.
But I wonder if there are any situations where a mage would be taken unawares? Would it be like lucid dreaming in our case, where we can sometimes dream lucidly, but sometimes not, and in that parallel situation, the mage would be unaware they were in the Fade?
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Post by opuspace on Aug 7, 2016 2:44:58 GMT
I would imagine you're more likely to resist temptation if you were aware that it was likely an illusion. So I can imagine that as a mage you would be especially careful in the Fade. But I wonder if there are any situations where a mage would be taken unawares? Would it be like lucid dreaming in our case, where we can sometimes dream lucidly, but sometimes not, and in that parallel situation, the mage would be unaware they were in the Fade? That'd be terrifying if possession could overtake without a mage's awareness. It'd be one thing to simply refuse one deal after another but if you're not in full cognitive awareness? Yikes.
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Post by vertigomez on Aug 7, 2016 3:13:15 GMT
I think the point is that, very often, mages can't resist temptation. Whether it's something petty like sex or power, or something more noble like Connor wanting to save his dad or Merrill wanting to recover ancient knowledge for the sake of her people... mages are just ordinary people with ordinary desires, but they've also got immense power and spirits whispering sweet nothings in both ears. They're fallible and powerful, and that's a scary combination.
The ones who don't succumb have extraordinary willpower and a rock solid sense of self. I imagine the ones who don't get possessed either have a Just Say No policy to all inhabitants of the Fade (if you're talking to them, you've already lost) or a conception of spirits that's totally alien to most inhabitants of Thedas (like Solas and Merrill).
But honestly, most temptation is easy to resist if you know the person offering is untrustworthy. It's like a Nigerian e-mail scam. You just know better.
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Post by phoray on Aug 7, 2016 4:17:00 GMT
My UNDERSTANDING from Last Flight and Asunder us that the whispers only happen when you're using magic, especially a lot of it.
Mages aren't always doing magic. And aren't always using a lot of it.
Going to sleep sounds a bit dangerous though, unless you are well versed in lucid dreaming. Which may be the first lesson any good Circle teaches a young one.
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MissOuJ
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Post by MissOuJ on Aug 7, 2016 6:22:40 GMT
I think this is the case for any mage, or at least those that receive sufficient training when young. They are taught to recognise the dangers and how to deal with them. Then it is simply a matter of exercising self control. Strangely enough, for a young mage it is probably very much like telling a child not to talk to strangers or take the gifts offered to them.
Most of the ones we have seen possessed have either been young and inexperienced, plus also under a lot of emotional strain, or in a bad situation. It is mentioned in Last Flight that some Grey Warden mages, if surrounded by darkspawn with no hope of escape, have been known to allow themselves to be possessed at the end simply because that will allow them to take more darkspawn with them as they die. I agree that training is absolutely a part of it, as is the emotional strain (and also physical - imagine resisting the temptation of not feeling pain after a painful and fatal but show-killing injury) the mage is feeling at that moment, but what also plays into the equation IMO is simply "having something to live for". I think this is a really strong motivator to resist temptation, and the lack of it is often what trips over mages (and templars! Remember that desire demon's thrall in DA:O? What point is there to resist of fight for a life which you resent when the option is to live in a perfect lie of your choosing? Even if it's just a few days of happiness?). Uldred is also a good example IMO: since he has next to no power to influence the path his life is going to take, first he tries politicking and joining up with Loghain, next he tries to gain/take the power he needs to make himself the kind of life he wants - and ends up possessed. When you feel like you have absolutely nothing to lose and the only way is up, even the most dangerous and risky ideas start to sound good. Which is why the (former) Circle system which forbid families and took away children from their parents etc. was such a stupid fucking system, since it is actively creating mages who resent the system and their lives in it, and thus have few reasons to resist and say no if a demon tries to possess them after they've had a particularly shitty week or month. (Then again "having something to live for" also translates to "having something to lose" which translates to "stuff I would do to bring them/that back" - i.e. Connor / Quentin)
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Post by phoray on Aug 7, 2016 6:24:58 GMT
I think this is the case for any mage, or at least those that receive sufficient training when young. They are taught to recognise the dangers and how to deal with them. Then it is simply a matter of exercising self control. Strangely enough, for a young mage it is probably very much like telling a child not to talk to strangers or take the gifts offered to them.
Most of the ones we have seen possessed have either been young and inexperienced, plus also under a lot of emotional strain, or in a bad situation. It is mentioned in Last Flight that some Grey Warden mages, if surrounded by darkspawn with no hope of escape, have been known to allow themselves to be possessed at the end simply because that will allow them to take more darkspawn with them as they die. I agree that training is absolutely a part of it, as is the emotional strain (and also physical - imagine resisting the temptation of not feeling pain after a painful and fatal but show-killing injury) the mage is feeling at that moment, but what also plays into the equation IMO is simply "having something to live for". I think this is a really strong motivator to resist temptation, and the lack of it is often what trips over mages (and templars! Remember that desire demon's thrall in DA:O? What point is there to resist of fight for a life which you resent when the option is to live in a perfect lie of your choosing? Even if it's just a few days of happiness?). Uldred is also a good example IMO: since he has next to no power to influence the path his life is going to take, first he tries politicking and joining up with Loghain, next he tries to gain/take the power he needs to make himself the kind of life he wants - and ends up possessed. When you feel like you have absolutely nothing to lose and the only way is up, even the most dangerous and risky ideas start to sound good. Which is why the (former) Circle system which forbid families and took away children from their parents etc. was such a stupid fucking system, since it is actively creating mages who resent the system and their lives in it, and thus have few reasons to resist and say no if a demon tries to possess them after they've had a particularly shitty week or month. Wait, what? When did he try to join up with Loghain?
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Post by MissOuJ on Aug 7, 2016 6:38:12 GMT
Uldred is also a good example IMO: since he has next to no power to influence the path his life is going to take, first he tries politicking and joining up with Loghain,Wait, what? When did he try to join up with Loghain? IIRC, when the Ostagar mages come back to the Tower, Uldred tries to rally the Circle to support Loghain in the civil war (don't know the legal weight of this, since if memory serves the Circle has absolutely no political power, so maybe Loghain really meant "fight with my troops when the civil war kicks off") because Loghain had promised him that if the Circle supports Loghain, he will grant Fereldan mages / the Circle independence. But the Circle / Irwin tell him to piss off, so Uldred and the other Loghain sympathizers decide to force the issue - and thus, Pride Demon Uldred. To be honest, I can't be arsed to find the exact comment / codex entry, but feel free to set me straight if I am full of shit. EDIT: Apparently I could be arsed since I decided to check it out on the DA wiki, and apparently I managed to get most of it right: After Ostagar, Uldred nearly convinces the Circle to support Loghain Mac Tir, claiming that Loghain will reward the Circle's support by granting it more freedom from the Chantry. Wynne reveals Loghain's treachery to the Circle, destroying any tentative support for Loghain from the Circle. At a meeting to discuss the Circle's alliance, Uldred attempts to explain away Loghain's actions, but the other mages are unconvinced and Uldred attempts to leave. Irving does not allow this, and Uldred attacks, along with a group of blood mages supporting him. During this fight Uldred attempts to summon a Pride demon but is overwhelmed and becomes an abomination.
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Post by phoray on Aug 7, 2016 7:49:27 GMT
Wait, what? When did he try to join up with Loghain? IIRC, when the Ostagar mages come back to the Tower, Uldred tries to rally the Circle to support Loghain in the civil war (don't know the legal weight of this, since if memory serves the Circle has absolutely no political power, so maybe Loghain really meant "fight with my troops when the civil war kicks off") because Loghain had promised him that if the Circle supports Loghain, he will grant Fereldan mages / the Circle independence. But the Circle / Irwin tell him to piss off, so Uldred and the other Loghain sympathizers decide to force the issue - and thus, Pride Demon Uldred. To be honest, I can't be arsed to find the exact comment / codex entry, but feel free to set me straight if I am full of shit. EDIT: Apparently I could be arsed since I decided to check it out on the DA wiki, and apparently I managed to get most of it right: After Ostagar, Uldred nearly convinces the Circle to support Loghain Mac Tir, claiming that Loghain will reward the Circle's support by granting it more freedom from the Chantry. Wynne reveals Loghain's treachery to the Circle, destroying any tentative support for Loghain from the Circle. At a meeting to discuss the Circle's alliance, Uldred attempts to explain away Loghain's actions, but the other mages are unconvinced and Uldred attempts to leave. Irving does not allow this, and Uldred attacks, along with a group of blood mages supporting him. During this fight Uldred attempts to summon a Pride demon but is overwhelmed and becomes an abomination. How have I played twice and still not known these things? @_@ crazy stuff. Thanks! Edit add: *Gasp* That was Uldred? The "nameless" mage who randomly barges in on the meeting with King Cailan? The mage that gets shushed by the Chantry Mother? Wow.
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Post by patches on Aug 7, 2016 10:06:48 GMT
I think this is the case for any mage, or at least those that receive sufficient training when young. They are taught to recognise the dangers and how to deal with them. Then it is simply a matter of exercising self control. Strangely enough, for a young mage it is probably very much like telling a child not to talk to strangers or take the gifts offered to them.
Most of the ones we have seen possessed have either been young and inexperienced, plus also under a lot of emotional strain, or in a bad situation. It is mentioned in Last Flight that some Grey Warden mages, if surrounded by darkspawn with no hope of escape, have been known to allow themselves to be possessed at the end simply because that will allow them to take more darkspawn with them as they die. I agree that training is absolutely a part of it, as is the emotional strain (and also physical - imagine resisting the temptation of not feeling pain after a painful and fatal but show-killing injury) the mage is feeling at that moment, but what also plays into the equation IMO is simply "having something to live for". I think this is a really strong motivator to resist temptation, and the lack of it is often what trips over mages (and templars! Remember that desire demon's thrall in DA:O? What point is there to resist of fight for a life which you resent when the option is to live in a perfect lie of your choosing? Even if it's just a few days of happiness?). Uldred is also a good example IMO: since he has next to no power to influence the path his life is going to take, first he tries politicking and joining up with Loghain, next he tries to gain/take the power he needs to make himself the kind of life he wants - and ends up possessed. When you feel like you have absolutely nothing to lose and the only way is up, even the most dangerous and risky ideas start to sound good. Which is why the (former) Circle system which forbid families and took away children from their parents etc. was such a stupid fucking system, since it is actively creating mages who resent the system and their lives in it, and thus have few reasons to resist and say no if a demon tries to possess them after they've had a particularly shitty week or month. (Then again "having something to live for" also translates to "having something to lose" which translates to "stuff I would do to bring them/that back" - i.e. Connor / Quentin) In smaller communities like a Dalish clan or an Avvar tribe a mage being treated the same as everyone else for the most part works out okay. The mage will form a strong connection to the other people in their community so that if someone they love dies or there's some other horrific event that weakens their usual resolve against demons they're unlikely to risk becoming an abomination because it could mean the death of everybody by their own corrupted hands. As the community gets larger the less you are going to care about the hazy idea of everyone over your own personal pain. As they tend to do the templars and the Chantry took the idea too far for anybody not rich and or a noble. In more densely populated areas there's naturally going to be more mages, children who need to be trained, so gathering them up and giving them training makes sense but there's no need to go out of your way to ensure a mage is emotionally isolated. There's no contact allowed with their family, they are encouraged to have acquaintances rather than friends and absolutely no lovers or children of your own, it makes for a very lonely life. The Circle was creating a situation where a mage had very little reason not to give in to a demon then crowing about it when mages do give in because it shows how right they are. I can't help but wonder if this self fulfilling prophesy wasn't put in place for the same reason that the Chantry was the one holding the templars' lyrium leash- control.
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Post by gervaise21 on Aug 7, 2016 14:50:24 GMT
I think Chantry propaganda had a lot to do with the reason mages became possessed, plus the simple fact that if you have places of concentrated magic use, like Circle Towers, that thins the Veil and make the danger of spirits/demons crossing over that much more likely.
Most of the instances we have quoted of mages becoming possessed and running rampant through villages do not actually detail the circumstances surrounding it. In the case of Meredith's sister, she was being hidden away in fear of being discovered by Templars at a time when she had only just come into her powers and was thus vulnerable to possession. Having had no training when something occurred to place her at risk, she didn't have the knowledge to counter it and thus became an abomination. That is no justification for hauling all mage children off to the Circles, never to have contact with their families again. It is simply a validation for the idea that mages do need proper training. By making it a choice between never seeing your child again and letting them go for proper training, a lot of peasant families hid their children from discovery with tragic results. If all young peasant mages were granted the same privileges as noble ones, being able to maintain contact with their families, receive visits and be allowed out when trained sufficiently that they wouldn't pose a threat, then these problems would not occur.
The other danger is from uncontrolled use of dangerous magic, such as blood magic. Again, just prohibiting it without explaining properly why, is going to be a recipe for disaster because not only may young mages be tempted to try it out without realising the dangers attached, but they are also vulnerable to manipulation by other less scrupulous mages within the Circle. This is apparently what happened with Jowan. Uldred was actively encouraging young mages to dabble in blood magic and then those he didn't think useful to his plans he was reporting to Irving and Gregoire so as to make it seem like he was being vigilant in rooting out corruption. So essentially Uldred encouraged Jowan to take an interest in blood magic and then threw him to the lions.
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Post by Ieldra on Aug 8, 2016 11:41:06 GMT
I think that nobody in their right mind would ever consent to possession. It follows, then, that possession attempts can only succeed when someone is either ignorant of what's happening (such as in cases of children getting possessed) or not in their right mind, mostly due to emotional and/or physical stress. Some Fade spirits appear to have the ability to create illusory situations which cause such stress, and make a possession attempt more likely to succeed.
Mage training, then, with regard to resisting possession, should be all about keeping a calm mind in the face of stress, retain the ability to judge the consequences of your actions.
More interesting is the case of temptation when letting the spirit in is not the price you must pay. If malevolent spirits feed on things close to their aspects, on humans incorporating more of their aspects by acting in certain ways, then they may want to bring humans to act that way without requiring consent to possession them. They may also plan to change a would-be-victim's mind over time and make an attempt at possession once the victim is sufficiently prepared. In order to counter this, mages have to be aware of the fact that significant actions have the potential to change yourself.
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Post by mattjamho on Aug 9, 2016 9:24:38 GMT
Those are all incredibly powerful, capable and most importantly intelligent mages. It's the weak, ignorant and scared ones who fall prey to demons.
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Post by nikkolas on Aug 12, 2016 11:50:22 GMT
Those are all incredibly powerful, capable and most importantly intelligent mages. It's the weak, ignorant and scared ones who fall prey to demons. And it's their fault they were born weak and have no real hope when surrounded by a cadre of men in heavy armor wielding weapons and intent upon murdering them for no reason? If you are going to die, might as well give up your body to ensure the bastards who murdered you die as well. Mages are not weapons of mass destruction. Alone, most mages are nothing. You need groups or Lyrium or Blood to make a mage actually more powerful than a regular, well-armed and well-trained human being.
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Post by mattjamho on Aug 12, 2016 20:58:05 GMT
And it's their fault they were born weak and have no real hope when surrounded by a cadre of men in heavy armor wielding weapons and intent upon murdering them for no reason? If you are going to die, might as well give up your body to ensure the bastards who murdered you die as well. Mages are not weapons of mass destruction. Alone, most mages are nothing. You need groups or Lyrium or Blood to make a mage actually more powerful than a regular, well-armed and well-trained human being. Demons usually prey on weaker mages, it's just how it is.
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Post by diovis on Aug 14, 2016 17:43:48 GMT
Ever since they expanded on Tevinter, I've been wondering exactly how susceptible to demons mages really are? Like the big fear across most of Thedas is that without Templars, entire masses of mages would turn to demons and become abominations or something. But according to the wiki/in-game convos, Tevinter's Templars are really, really underpowered (politically) and not considered that important. At least, that's what I remember Dorian saying.
But Tevinter has a super high mage population? And I don't see them worrying too much about demons. Granted, they have some of the shadiest moral codes in existence, but those seem more like a product of their society than influence from demons... If anything, if the Ferelden/Orlesian views of "abomination creation" and "mage temptation" are as powerful/irresistible as they believe, Tevinter should be having many, many problems with demons.
But they literally summon spirits to work for them (according to Dorian). They interact with spirits of their own accord, and don't seem to be having trouble with "resisting temptation." I'm guessing the fact that they've never been taught to fear their powers has them more confident than non-Tevene mages. And also a lot less desperate. Makes me wonder if the Templars are actually as necessary as the Chantry thinks they are in preventing a mage apocalypse. Unless I'm missing something in terms of Tevinter mage-templar dynamics.
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Post by cloud9 on Aug 14, 2016 22:21:19 GMT
I believe that those temptations of materialism and desires is the number one reason why the mages are fucked up in the first place. When I run the circle I teach mages how to meditate not only to control themselves to prevent the risk of demonic possession, but to focus onto the self as well.
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