[spoiler thread] Dragon age and religion

[Dnny]

Ok, so the main DA thread got hijacked by the regular weaboo zombies and I have to ask a question about a thing I still haven't well understood about the world in DA. Unlike most fantasy settings I've known, DA follows the pattern of real world religions by making the existence and/or power of a (the) God(s) non-obvious. The maker supposedly turned away from humanity after the death of Andraste the prophet and those events are so old, men can't be trusted with keeping history right so you can't help but doubt their reality as there is no way you could prove the maker actually is.
Most of the game hints at the Chantry being made of shades of grey, both doing good and bad (templars addicted to lyrium doesn't sound all good to me and neither is the persecution of mages who haven't misbehaved but lived outside of the circle) and there is a distinct lack of information about the blight and the darkspawn outside of the chantry official story. The archdemon, the darkspawn are silent, maybe not even sentient beasts acting on their programmed instinct and have no story to tell. Other races never heard anything about this "Maker" entity as the elves had their own gods and the dwarves have none.
The only thing I have seen for now that could prove the Chantry as a real religion are the sacred ashes of Andraste. They actually did heal Eamon so their power cannot be denied. But does that prove that Andraste was a real prophet and not simply a manipulative bitch born with great powers ?

 

[SerratedBiz]

a real prophet

a manipulative bitch born with great powers

There is no difference.

 

[1eyedking]

Serious Dragon Age discussions are serious.

 

[Volourn]

"The only thing I have seen for now that could prove the Chantry as a real religion are the sacred ashes of Andraste. They actually did heal Eamon so their power cannot be denied. But does that prove that Andraste was a real prophet and not simply a manipulative bitch born with great powers ?"

Well, whether or not the Maker and./or old gods exist, we do know magic exists in Thedas so it is posisble that Andraste was just a powerfulwizard and mayhaps her follows magiked up her ashes.

I'd be shocked if the Maker did not exist. Same with the Old Gods. They're just likely not to be exactly like what the Chantry preaches. Afterall, if the Chantry story is just lies, then there would need to be a different explanation for the darkspawn, blight, and the archdemon (which is supposedly a mix of an old god with the taint of the blight).

Plus, if you were to call Chantrys liars than Morrigan and her mother - who loathe the Chantry btw - are also liars as Morrigan also believes in the Old Gods...

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Ok, so the main DA thread got hijacked by the regular weaboo zombies and I have to ask a question about a t

Hijacked? Just post there. What are you, a fa-

oh.

 

[Dnny]

@Volourn

Just because the maker does not exist doesn't mean the "old gods" didn't, as they AREN'T godly entities but were just worshipped as such.
Morrigan and Flemeth do not "believe" in old gods, they "know" about their existence. They are insanely powerful entities and treated as such. "Old god" is just the way they are called because of historical reasons (Tevinter mages worshipping them as gods). There is a huge difference between knowing and believing, no one "believes" in old gods anymore, they "know" about them. They exist, they do stuff (try to destroy the world when they awaken as Archdemons), they can be defeated hence they aren't really godly.

The archdemons, darkspawn and the blight haven't found explanation outside of the chantry, quite suspicious in itself. They do exist but the meaning behind all those events aren't clear and if the possibility that the "Maker" is a lie casts doubt on the reason why the blight happened. Maybe someone, something else is behind the blight. There is no evidence that the Chantry told us the truth about the events that led to the corruption of the old gods and the turning of archdemons and darkspawns.

It's a pity we couldn't ask a demon in the fade its opinion on the matter. Demons, unlike the Maker, actually do exist and grant power.

 

[Ch1ef]

Religion is better RPG than Dragon Age.
/thread

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Because both are made up shit rite

aadfadafdafsdafsd i slay myself

 

[Volourn]

We can only hope... :shock:

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[Lesifoere]

Let's talk about how much more interesting RPG religions would be if they were based on that of Babylonia rather than this overdone Christian regurgitation.

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[SCO]

[Someone who hasn't played arcanum says something]

You don't say?

 

[Volourn]

"Let's talk about how much more interesting RPG religions would be if they were based on that of Babylonia rather than this overdone Christian regurgitation."

O RLY? 'Christian regurgitation is overdone in games? Riiiggghhhhtttt....

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[Dnny]

Let's talk about how much more interesting RPG religions would be if they were based on that of Babylonia rather than this overdone Christian regurgitation.

Christian regurgitation in most RPGs ? wut ?
Most RPGs are busy raping greek/roman/norse mythology.

[Someone who hasn't played arcanum says something]

You don't say?

I thought it was quite obvious that religions was made up crap in Arcanum whose only purpose was to achieve the ends of those who control it. The ending pretty much confirms it and you can even talk to the dead who have been through the "after life" of peace, calm, zen of non-existence and feel so bad when you call them back to the material world. Arcanum definitively didn't take inspiration from real world religions as much as Dragon Age do.

btw, none of that is related to the point of the thread. GTFO

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[Lesifoere]

"Let's talk about how much more interesting RPG religions would be if they were based on that of Babylonia rather than this overdone Christian regurgitation."

O RLY? 'Christian regurgitation is overdone in games? Riiiggghhhhtttt....

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... ragonJesus

Oh, and from the entry on Dragon Age:

A tabletop paper and pen game is set to be released sometime in the "fall". A comic book is also being planned, with Orson Scott Card set to be the writer.

My, my. I guess Orson Scott Card can't milk Enderverse for easy cash anymore. Seems to be a lot of videogame-related writing lately; I suppose being a homophobic Mormon twat didn't pay off very well with regards to publicity among the sci-fi/fantasy crowds.

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[Freelance Henchman]

As for "facts", there is the Black City which is visible from any spot in the Fade. Doesn't really prove that the Maker sits there and the place is unreachable anyway, but with access to the mage records of the Tevinter Imperium (from before the Black City came about) you might try and pinpoint the time when the change happened I guess. We don't get access to anything like that in the game, but possibly bringing about the return of the Maker could be what the sequels will be about?

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[Dnny]

As for "facts", there is the Black City which is visible from any spot in the Fade. Doesn't really prove that the Maker sits there and the place is unreachable anyway, but with access to the mage records of the Tevinter Imperium (from before the Black City came about) you might try and pinpoint the time when the change happened I guess. We don't get access to anything like that in the game, but possibly bringing about the return of the Maker could be what the sequels will be about?

As you say there is nothing that can actually link the black city to the "Maker". It could be ANYTHING at all. What dwells inside the black city is pure mystery, what kind of creature or man rules over it is unknown.

I doubt that the sequel would be about the maker because there are two archdemon left before the end of the blight. EA's not going to let the plot end so fast it seems likely that DA will turn into a trilogy with both the remaining archdemon having their own dedicated games and era.

 

[Ch1ef]

/thread

 

[DreadMessiah]

Liar. Buillshit. Also MoraN

 

[Volourn]

"doubt that the sequel would be about the maker because there are two archdemon remaining before the end of the blight. EA's not going to let the plot end so fast it seems likely that DA will turn into a trilogy with both the remaining archdemon having their own dedicated games and era."

My preference would be something happens that the next two blights occur at the same leading to both arch demons waking up, and causing major havoc not just in Fereldan bu the entirety of Thedas. Due to the super blight, the archdemons this timeactually possess rudemintary inttelgence, and not only do they want to destroy the world, they want to destroy the other archdemon as part of some curse. The darkspawn, for the first time ever, have a civil war. L0L Lots of crap can occur.

DA3 can be didicated to discovering the truth of the black city tm.