Even you couldn't save Kirkwall, Hawke. And you certainly can't save me though I know your crazy enough to try.
[He finds a suitable bolder and sits down, hanging his head. The mental weight pulls at his shoulders, making him droop. The years once again show on his face. Even though she spared his life, he figures he'll be dead in a few years from Justice if the Templars and Mage Hunters don't catch him first.]
I was a child when I was taken. Barely four, I think. There was a little mage girl we picked up on the way to the Tower. She was dead at sixteen. Hung herself. It happens quite a lot in Tower. Rape does as well. We are no more than cattle to them. A mage is less than human, so it doesn't bother the Templars to do such things to us. There are some that are... decent. At least they're not cruel. They still look at you with fear, like there's a demon right under the skin.
[He runs his hands through his hair, squeezes his skull tightly in his fingers before he lets his hands drop.]
Your father probably knew of these things. It's a blessing Bethany never ended up in the Tower, though older she stood a better chance. If what I've done causes one mage to fight back the next time a Templar corners them instead of cowering I have done something right. If one mage stands up and tells people of what they lived through, I have done something right. More mages are going to die but we were dying already just very, very slowly.
no subject
[He finds a suitable bolder and sits down, hanging his head. The mental weight pulls at his shoulders, making him droop. The years once again show on his face. Even though she spared his life, he figures he'll be dead in a few years from Justice if the Templars and Mage Hunters don't catch him first.]
I was a child when I was taken. Barely four, I think. There was a little mage girl we picked up on the way to the Tower. She was dead at sixteen. Hung herself. It happens quite a lot in Tower. Rape does as well. We are no more than cattle to them. A mage is less than human, so it doesn't bother the Templars to do such things to us. There are some that are... decent. At least they're not cruel. They still look at you with fear, like there's a demon right under the skin.
[He runs his hands through his hair, squeezes his skull tightly in his fingers before he lets his hands drop.]
Your father probably knew of these things. It's a blessing Bethany never ended up in the Tower, though older she stood a better chance. If what I've done causes one mage to fight back the next time a Templar corners them instead of cowering I have done something right. If one mage stands up and tells people of what they lived through, I have done something right. More mages are going to die but we were dying already just very, very slowly.