dalishious:

sapphiccassandra:

People
always bring up the Tevinter Imperium both on this website and in the
game in discussions surrounding mage rights, which I feel like is a
fundamental misunderstanding of the actual problem with Tevinter.

The
evils of the Imperium are not about
magic.
They
never were. If they had been, we would not be seeing the exact same
or similar evils in places like Orlais and the Free Marches were
mages are kept away from the general population, constantly watched
and killed or made tranquil for the smallest of crime. If they had
been, there would not be enslaved mages in the Imperium itself.

The
issue – like in Orlais, and in some of the cities of the Free
Marches, and even in Ferelden – is aristocracy.

If
magic is what causes the ruling class of Tevinter to seek power by
any means necessary, how do we explain people like Arl Howe, who had
his closest friend and his entire family killed just gain the Teyrnir
of Highever? What about Gaspard going to war with his cousin for the
sole reason of invading Ferelden again? What about Celene killing
every single one of her servants to put herself on the throne? Or
every single other member of the Orlesian nobility playing the Game?
How do we explain Loghain selling Fereldan citizens into slavery to
fund both a civil war and fighting the blight? Or Behlen, willing to
have both of his older siblings killed for a shot at the throne?

Need
I remind you that it’s established in The Calling in Fiona’s
backstory that slavery is very much still the reality of many
Orlesian elves, and that absolutely nothing is being done to combat
it?

Wanting
power was never exclusive to Tevinter Magisters.

“But
mages are dangerous”, someone will no doubt try to remind me. “Look
at all that power they have at their fingertips!”

The
thing is, the chantry never seem to have an issue with that power so
long as they can use it for free labor or to fight in their exalted
marches.

They
turn mages into weapons against their will and then start preaching
about how dangerous they are.

Not
to mention how incredibly hypocritical it is to use Tevinter to
justify the Circle,
where
mages are forced to provide the chantry with free labor, frequently
abused, and often made tranquil if they resist too much.

This is in no way a defense of Tevinter (every single magister can choke in my honest opinion), but rather, of mage freedom.