The Old Guard (Ye Olde Cullen Thread v4.0 + gen discussion)

One of the employees there did comment that many templars go there.

To go back a few posts... yeah that was definitely Solas's original VA. 100%. I am terrible at recognizing faces (slightly face blind) but my brain makes up for it with superb voice recognition. So I can assure you without a doubt that that's the original VA.

EDIT: I should point that I've been fooled before: Avengers: Infinity War, had no idea that WASN'T Hugo Weaving! 

I've found this discussion of his virginity increasingly awkward over the years, as it tends to bring out all the stereotypes of what is/isn't the behavior of a virgin. For myself, I just choose whatever state is needed for whatever story I'm writing, if it happens to matter. 

I think the topic tends to keep coming up because of the impressions laid out in DA:O about templars being married to the Chantry, but a lot of those things that Alistair told us about the Order have since been retconned--including this fact specifically, with DA2 canon about templars not only being allowed to have sex but even being allowed to marry in certain circumstances, c.f., Aveline.   

Ugh, you bring up the ever darkening black hole of "bioware canon." Hmm. I suppose there's always some clever dwarf smith out there who might have built it if those folks weren't recruited to the Inquisition. Maybe? 

On the IQ, I continue to be torn. If I hadn't had my heart torn out of my chest by Solas, I would totally agree that BW should continue with its previous commitment to new PC every game. But I don't feel like the other two games left this many loose threads dangling that I'd want my IQ to address. (and yes, I need my Solavellan closure, dammit!) So I dunno. I want most of the game to be new and Inquisition-less (and yes, even Cullen-less, despite his status as a DA constant), but you know that the IQ and some of his/her peeps will show up to deal with their sloppy villain leftovers, like Hawke did with Corypheus.  Moreover, the fact that my IQ could show up and I don't have control over what she might say to Solas pains me more than a videogame should. 

It could be, altho the new "rules" have been laid out both in codices and by the devs, neither of which suggested local variations. But they do seem to depend on the specific case, as a special dispensation, which means there will be some variation in how it's implemented. Personally, I'd be more inclined to assume the big picture rules are simply different than one man's (Alistair) local perspective, particularly when that man happens to be a special case and heir to the throne. :shrug: In practice, we know it's really a writer retcon (particularly Alistair's comments on lyrium), but you're right, there must of course also be some regional differences. For example, the Gallows definitely seemed to have stricter rules about the mages being let out than other Circles, or like your suggestion about Wilhelm.  There's also Leliana's opinions in DA:O about sexuality that don't support Alistair's views of Chantry dogma around that ... maybe that's just a Lothering thing?? (or a Leliana thing??  )

 R2s Muse Or a "writers being characteristically inconsistent" thing? 

She has a much less conservative view of sex, etc when she talks to the Warden about her time in the Chantry. I can’t remember the particular conversation off the top of my head anymore. But it’s always been an interesting counterpoint to what Alistair says about the Chantry.

Honestly...no. I think that he was used as a sex object by Merideth to keep him inline and under her control. I also think she gave him extra doses of lyrium to control him. That's why, when he talks about her , he's very bitter and it's also the reason he swore off lyrium. It was her leash on him and what made it worse was that she was starting to spike it with red lyrium, he just hadn't had any yet.