spoiler What are people's opinions on Morrigan?

[LobselVith66]

I don't understand why so many see Morrigan as evil for being pragmatic. She disapproves when you so silly side quests that detract from your main mission of saving all of Ferelden, like resolving a dispute over food or helping a Dalish boy score with his dream girl. In RL, she figures you need to resolve the dilemma that threatens all life, and you're busy playing match maker? She's helping you even after the dark ritual save a nation that's hunted her and others like her down to the death, and unlike the rapist Vaughan, a truly evil character, her goal is to preserve something no one has any real understanding of. The dark ritual consists of her wanting to preserve the soul of an old god untainted by darkspawn, and given her desire to be left alone, I don't see how this is evil. It's only a dark ritual because it involves blood magic, but all it does is preserve your life from the destruction of your body and soul.

[Lehcar]

Well, I do like befriending her as a female char... that at least is OK

[brokenergy]

You can change others (especially in previous games) but Morrigan is probably the first character in any game that stays true to herself. All those 'evil' acts are not 'evil' but as LobselVith66 put it pragmatic (which is true). Leaving the village of RedCliffe to the undead is not an evil act as RedCliffe has no real use to you and nothing to do with the GW quest. The Cricle, again leaving to their doom as Morrigan sees them as weak because they do not rise up to the Templars but you can talk her out of it (same with the elves, except the talking out part). I could go on but the isolation from the rest of society makes her naive and she doesn't really understand the rules and norms of the society (that and she is a realist). I shall leave with a quote that a member left in the official forums which gives a good in site of Morrigan's over all character design.

 

I think Morrigan likes the idea of being powerful, but she is not cruel or capricious with it. She has no intention of ruling over others. If anything, what she's hungry for is knowledge. As for being antisocial, I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. She

is not used to being around others....To write her off as evil is... well, exactly what she expects people to do.

[Utotri]

You can change others (especially in previous games) but Morrigan is probably the first character in any game that stays true to herself. All those 'evil' acts are not 'evil' but as LobselVith66 put it pragmatic (which is true). Leaving the village of RedCliffe to the undead is not an evil act as RedCliffe has no real use to you and nothing to do with the GW quest. The Cricle, again leaving to their doom as Morrigan sees them as weak because they do not rise up to the Templars but you can talk her out of it (same with the elves, except the talking out part). I could go on but the isolation from the rest of society makes her naive and she doesn't really understand the rules and norms of the society (that and she is a realist).

 

Leaving the village of Redcliffe is evil because it is clear from context that the village will be doomed if they are not helped. Is it pragmatic? Not at all. Leaving a valuable village in a stategic spot to be exterminated by undead when one of your most powerful potential allies is in the castle there? That's just ludicrous. And about the Circle, just look at it man: "...leaving to their doom as Morrigan sees them as weak...". That's some vile reasoning there. Something weak should be left to its doom instead of being helped? Besides, the Circle is not weak at all, the only weakness there is Morrigan's inability to see beyond her first impressions and presuppositions. She, as a mage, should understand the power of magic and the potential of the Circle. So pragmatism fails here as well. You say Morrigan stays true to herself. I would argue that there is simply a lack of progress there. She is stupid, but she has her reasons. Fine, but you can't convince her to improve. If people view that as 'staying true to herself' than they should go ahead, but I just view it as 'remaining ignorant' and think Morrigan is a bad character because of it.

I shall leave with a quote that a member left in the official forums which gives a good in site of Morrigan's over all character design.

I think Morrigan likes the idea of being powerful, but she is not cruel or capricious with it. She has no intention of ruling over others. If anything, what she's hungry for is knowledge. As for being antisocial, I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. She

is not used to being around others....To write her off as evil is... well, exactly what she expects people to do.

 

What truth is there in this quote? Yes, Morrigan likes the idea of being powerful, but to then say that she isn't cruel or capricious doesn't sound compelling given Morrigan's actions. How is leaving the Redcliffians to their doom not cruel and capricious? One doesn't even have to think hard to understand that the village is in dire need of help. Why would you not help? The only proper reason for such a decision would be if one was to see the Redcliffians as deserving of this threat as a sort of punishment I guess. However, there is nothing that points to this then and later on we find out that they indeed are simply the victims of Connor. Morrigan tends to disregard such things, which shows just how childish and intellectually dishonest she is.

[RustyBlade]

I agree with most everything you said Utotri; I probably would have used stronger verbiage regarding her social shortcomings though. I've found that the best use for Morrigan (and the one that keeps her happiest) is for her to guard the camp. Occasionally I will let her walk around in towns to catch some good banter but whenever I need to talk to someone I send her back to camp.

[LobselVith66]

Leaving the village of Redcliffe is evil because it is clear from context that the village will be doomed if they are not helped. Is it pragmatic? Not at all. Leaving a valuable village in a stategic spot to be exterminated by undead when one of your most powerful potential allies is in the castle there? That's just ludicrous. And about the Circle, just look at it man: "...leaving to their doom as Morrigan sees them as weak...". That's some vile reasoning there. Something weak should be left to its doom instead of being helped? Besides, the Circle is not weak at all, the only weakness there is Morrigan's inability to see beyond her first impressions and presuppositions. She, as a mage, should understand the power of magic and the potential of the Circle. So pragmatism fails here as well. You say Morrigan stays true to herself. I would argue that there is simply a lack of progress there. She is stupid, but she has her reasons. Fine, but you can't convince her to improve. If people view that as 'staying true to herself' than they should go ahead, but I just view it as 'remaining ignorant' and think Morrigan is a bad character because of it.

 

Morrigan makes the case that the Warden should focus on the imminent threat of the Blight and not on aiding the people of a single village. It's the same attitude she takes when you resolve the food dispute in Loithering. Considering these are the kind of people who typically shun Morrigan and mages like her, I don't see why anyone is surprised she has no empathy towards them. No one in this story is completely good or evil, they are all flawed. You can't become King or Queen unless you're a Human Noble, the people often criticize the idea that an elf is even a Grey Warden despite the fact that an elf stopped the last Blight, and the Denerim alienage was purged with no one giving a damn. This is a society that keeps elves in a confined space, preaches how mages are evil and has some backward attitudes towards women. Murdock himself mentions his surprise if the Warden is a woman and his added concern if the Warden is also a mage. And everyone there is human because the homes of elves who manage to get out of the alienage and don't know their place are burned down. Should Morrigan suddenly have sympathy because these villagers, who likely would kill her without hesitation if they knew she was an apostate and weren't in fear of their lives, suddenly need the help of someone they would otherwise kill? Playing as an elven mage, plenty of people make note of the race and their distrust of magic.

 

And the Circle is the same place where the Chantry has full rights to take your babies from you and kill you if you get out of line or if you're a scared kid and run away from the tower in fear. Cullen even admits to a mage that other templars enjoy killing mages! How is she stupid? Because she enjoys her freedom? From the POV of a Dalish elf or Mage, the Chantry is a villain in an outright war responsible for a genocide against the Dales and oppression of all mages. An elf going into a village where elves are likely not welcome otherwise might see this as karma, and Morrigan probably thinks that the concern to stop the Blight carries a little more weight than one single village. Again, she's pragmatic. She doesn't rape women like Vaughan or lie like Loghain, she's honest in her POV whether you agree or disagree.

 

 

 

 

What truth is there in this quote? Yes, Morrigan likes the idea of being powerful, but to then say that she isn't cruel or capricious doesn't sound compelling given Morrigan's actions. How is leaving the Redcliffians to their doom not cruel and capricious? One doesn't even have to think hard to understand that the village is in dire need of help. Why would you not help? The only proper reason for such a decision would be if one was to see the Redcliffians as deserving of this threat as a sort of punishment I guess. However, there is nothing that points to this then and later on we find out that they indeed are simply the victims of Connor. Morrigan tends to disregard such things, which shows just how childish and intellectually dishonest she is.

 

Morrigan's decisions regarding the Anvil and the blood ritual at the alienage seem to focus more on ending the Blight than anything else. And is there a reason she should care about a village of people who likely would kill her if they knew she was an apostate? You can infer from the lack of any elves that this likely isn't some haven of tolerant people where Sheriff Andy Griffin would feel right at home. Even the head of the Chantry admits her surprise that someone of elven blood would help them. Morrigan's focus is on the Blight, on stopping an outright apocolypse, and in her POV, you're being side-tracked out of sentimental reasons that have nothing to do with the ultimate goal of defeating the Archdemon. She doesn't want to help because she thinks stopping the Blight that threatens the entire country is a greater concern than one single village. And how is she dishonest? She never lies, always says what's on her mind, and disapproves when you lie in Stone Prisoner quest. She's pragmatic, she wants the Warden to focus on the task at hand and not on side quests that do nothing to further the goal of ending the Blight. But many see her as such, and always mention the dark ritual despite the fact that she's honest about this,too. Is she evil because she wants to preserve the soul of an Old God no one understands because of Chantry Propaganda, something that would be extinct once the next two Blights transpire? I don't see how. All she wants to preserve an Old God, and is forthright about her plans to raise a child outside the influence of the Chantry. She tells you the truth, and unlike Sten or Zev, doesn't try to kill you at any point in the game if she dislikes you (and in a scene cut from the game, simply leaves if she discovers you never killd Flemeth). Morrigan is an interesting character. I don't see how her behavior is childish, considering she's helping the Warden save a nation that's hunted her down since she was a child and would kill her otherwise (in fact, in a scene that was cut from the game, you could actually turn her over to the templars if you sided against the Circle).

[brokenergy]

You know Utotri you may consider her as 'evil' (when she isn't) but things could have been a lot worse if Duncan lived. Mr. Gaider wrote in a official forum response that the first thing that Duncan would have done if he had been in the Warden's place is to leave Ferelden and assembled the Orlesian wardens for the blight. So Morrigan is nothing more doing much than what a Grey Warden would have done; get the job done at any cost. What does RedCliffe give you? Nothing. What do the elves at the alienage give you? Nothing. To state that someone is evil is nothing but being left-minded. Thank you LobselVith66, for explaining it so much clearer, I'm just too tired to explain this over and over again. There are people if the official forums that think the same way as well.

[Utotri]

 

Morrigan makes the case that the Warden should focus on the imminent threat of the Blight and not on aiding the people of a single village. It's the same attitude she takes when you resolve the food dispute in Loithering.

 

The cases are entirely different so the argument has an entirely different context. The food dispute is mundane and inconsequential. Redcliffe is not. Alistair has by then typically made clear that Redcliffe is quite important. In Lothering Morrigan has a point, in Redcliffe she is wrong.

Considering these are the kind of people who typically shun Morrigan and mages like her, I don't see why anyone is surprised she has no empathy towards them. No one in this story is completely good or evil, they are all flawed. You can't become King or Queen unless you're a Human Noble, the people often criticize the idea that an elf is even a Grey Warden despite the fact that an elf stopped the last Blight, and the Denerim alienage was purged with no one giving a damn. This is a society that keeps elves in a confined space, preaches how mages are evil and has some backward attitudes towards women. Murdock himself mentions his surprise if the Warden is a woman and his added concern if the Warden is also a mage. And everyone there is human because the homes of elves who manage to get out of the alienage and don't know their place are burned down. Should Morrigan suddenly have sympathy because these villagers, who likely would kill her without hesitation if they knew she was an apostate and weren't in fear of their lives, suddenly need the help of someone they would otherwise kill? Playing as an elven mage, plenty of people make note of the race and their distrust of magic.

 

You make two points here. One is that I should be more understanding of Morrigan because of her past and that a lack of empathy shown to her has led to her showing a lack of sympathy to others. The second point is that no one is really good or evil, but all grey. The second point does not have any bearing I think. It is completely acceptable to speak of evil even though it is not absolute. I can call Morrigan evil because her actions and dispositions show many evil aspects, and then I can compare it to Wynne and call Wynn good.

 

It's the first point that is interesting though. There is nothing stopping Morrigan from empathizing with the villagers but herself. An outcast would be in a perfect position to understand the need for acceptance and sympathy. I see the point you are getting at, but Morrigan's disposition smells too much like revenge in that case. Why would she not reach the simple conclusion that these people are all just the victims of their upbringing just like Morrigan? Also, the argument does not run counter to mine. It is understandable to act according to past experiences, but it can at times be evil and it lends itself for capriciousness just fine.

 

And the Circle is the same place where the Chantry has full rights to take your babies from you and kill you if you get out of line or if you're a scared kid and run away from the tower in fear. Cullen even admits to a mage that other templars enjoy killing mages! How is she stupid? Because she enjoys her freedom? From the POV of a Dalish elf or Mage, the Chantry is a villain in an outright war responsible for a genocide against the Dales and oppression of all mages.

 

Of course, but this is the Chantry. The Chantry is not the Circle.

 

Morrigan's way of thinking is far too simple, almost animalistic. The Circle is not the problem, but the Chantry is. This should be sufficiently clear even to Morrigan. The Circle is the only proper mage organisation and any effort to free mages would be most likely to succeed with help of the Circle. It serves no purpose to destroy it. It would mean the deaths of innocents and the Chantry will still be there to oppress the mages.

 

An elf going into a village where elves are likely not welcome otherwise might see this as karma, and Morrigan probably thinks that the concern to stop the Blight carries a little more weight than one single village. Again, she's pragmatic. She doesn't rape women like Vaughan or lie like Loghain, she's honest in her POV whether you agree or disagree.

 

I don't quite know what you are getting at. I mean, karma? What does karma have to do with anything? Are you saying that an elf would perhaps let the Circle be destroyed or Redcliffe overrun just because it would be regarded as karma? That would be a position of such gruesome intellectual laziness that I would call it evil for sure and dumb to boot. For someone believing in karma it would be downright silly not to help, because you should then assume that bad things will happen to you.

 

As for Morrigan: Redcliffe is a single village, but this falls way short of telling the whole story. It is made clear that Redcliffe is indeed important. It would make no sense to let the area around Eamon be overrun by undead. Also, if people are not keen on the disposition to help the needy, they should certainly still be helping those that they themselves require help from. In Redcliffe this scenario is active. Morrigan is not pragmatic.

 

And come on now, calling Morrigan honest... You forget that Morrigan is in large part there for a certain ritual that she never tells you about. I don't know if she is honest in her point of view at all. You are free to see it that way of course.

 

Morrigan's decisions regarding the Anvil and the blood ritual at the alienage seem to focus more on ending the Blight than anything else.

 

I pretty much agree there, but it doesn't make it any less cruel surely.

And is there a reason she should care about a village of people who likely would kill her if they knew she was an apostate?

 

Plenty. It is a village of importance. Now, is there any reason she should *not* care about a village of people who likely would kill her if they knew she was an apostate when this village was in dire need of help? The only argument I can think of is based on vengeance. That just isn't a good reason. It is understandable, but it is evil.

 

You can infer from the lack of any elves that this likely isn't some haven of tolerant people where Sheriff Andy Griffin would feel right at home. Even the head of the Chantry admits her surprise that someone of elven blood would help them. Morrigan's focus is on the Blight, on stopping an outright apocolypse, and in her POV, you're being side-tracked out of sentimental reasons that have nothing to do with the ultimate goal of defeating the Archdemon. She doesn't want to help because she thinks stopping the Blight that threatens the entire country is a greater concern than one single village.

 

She is wrong and it is not beyond her capabilities to understand this, because it is so blatant. Also, Morrigan isn't focused on the blight. She is focused on improving her own condition. When the final battle comes and you don't give her the child she leaves. Battling the blight is a means to an end.

 

And how is she dishonest? She never lies, always says what's on her mind, and disapproves when you lie in Stone Prisoner quest. She's pragmatic, she wants the Warden to focus on the task at hand and not on side quests that do nothing to further the goal of ending the Blight. But many see her as such, and always mention the dark ritual despite the fact that she's honest about this,too.

 

The dark ritual is kind of a big thing, you see. These are the things you might really want to know beforehand. When Alistair doesn't tell you stuff in time he has very simple reasons for this and he apologizes in a sincere matter. That is honesty. With Morrigan, the whole ordeal was planned this way. Dishonesty is not just a matter of lies and truths. It is a matter of controlling the flow of information. This is what Morrigan does. But I was speaking of intellectual dishonesty earlier. Sure, dishonesty by maliciously controlling the flow of information is bad, but I don't mind that so much. What I mind is the fact that Morrigan refuses to see the error and inconsistency of her core philosophies even when it is apparant.

 

Is she evil because she wants to preserve the soul of an Old God no one understands because of Chantry Propaganda, something that would be extinct once the next two Blights transpire? I don't see how. All she wants to preserve an Old God, and is forthright about her plans to raise a child outside the influence of the Chantry.

 

She is willing to be evil to reach that goal, so I would hazard the guess that her intentions aren't exactly benevolent. But even if we give her the benefit of the doubt, it would still be just her personal preference to preserve this. The facts show that these Old Gods are simply potential blights waiting to happen. Why should it be preserved? You know Morrigan isn't just going to give away her secrets.

 

I think it is important to note that while the child is the carrier of the soul Morrigan will leave, so the child can't be checked. This means that Morrigan more or less owns this soul. She is a powerful mage and she has the Grimoire, we should expect the worst I feel. A soul is not something one should own. Owning another's soul is vile and evil, I'm sure almost anyone would agree to that.

 

 

She tells you the truth, and unlike Sten or Zev, doesn't try to kill you at any point in the game if she dislikes you (and in a scene cut from the game, simply leaves if she discovers you never killd Flemeth). Morrigan is an interesting character. I don't see how her behavior is childish, considering she's helping the Warden save a nation that's hunted her down since she was a child and would kill her otherwise (in fact, in a scene that was cut from the game, you could actually turn her over to the templars if you sided against the Circle).

 

Sten is bound by honour. He contests your leadership after voicing his concerns before and this is how he does it. Yes, it is stupid, but it isn't really dishonest. If you win, you get respect. Zevran makes an unlucky gamble if he doesn't trust you yet and he has his contract for the Crows. You *know* that Zevran could do that, because Zevran told you already that he does not wish to commit to a certain plan. These are two different situations that don't compare well with what Morrigan does. I do agree that it seems as though Morrigan is telling no clear lies. I think she never really does that. It is not the nature of her type of dishonesty, as I have explained. But, although Morrigan seems sincere, we can not know what Morrigan intends to do with the child. Can someone like Morrigan be trusted with such a child? She doesn't tell us why she really wants it, so we can't know the answer. If she is honest, she would not know this herself, else she should really tell the Warden or be dishonest.

 

The childishness is something I perceive when I look at Morrigans core philosophies. They revolve around egoism and survivalism. They do not take into account the complexity of the world. It is not a developed world view, it is very animalistic and childlike to me.

[Utotri]

You know Utotri you may consider her as 'evil' (when she isn't) but things could have been a lot worse if Duncan lived. Mr. Gaider wrote in a official forum response that the first thing that Duncan would have done if he had been in the Warden's place is to leave Ferelden and assembled the Orlesian wardens for the blight. So Morrigan is nothing more doing much than what a Grey Warden would have done; get the job done at any cost. What does RedCliffe give you? Nothing. What do the elves at the alienage give you? Nothing. To state that someone is evil is nothing but being left-minded. Thank you LobselVith66, for explaining it so much clearer, I'm just too tired to explain this over and over again. There are people if the official forums that think the same way as well.

 

It is impressive that you post this with what seems to be a lot of arrogance when in fact it consists of a collection of fallacies. What Duncan may have done is of no consequence. Duncan dies at Ostagar and we are left with the Warden and the subjective experience that accompanies it. You say that Morrigan is doing what a Grey Warden would do, well, so is the Warden. Things work out for the Warden so who's to say that Duncan's approach would have been better? Duncan isn't a paragon of virtue, he is the cold murderer of Sir Jory for one. :tongue:

 

Well then, what does RedCliffe give you? Knights, Eamon. What do the elves at the alienage give you? Support at the Landsmeet. These things are not nothing. They add up. Then you call me left-minded, but that is just asinine. I have given arguments for my opinion, respond to those instead of trying to act superior. And then you follow up with a nice ad populum that means nothing to me.

[LobselVith66]

 

 

The cases are entirely different so the argument has an entirely different context. The food dispute is mundane and inconsequential. Redcliffe is not. Alistair has by then typically made clear that Redcliffe is quite important. In Lothering Morrigan has a point, in Redcliffe she is wrong.

 

How is Redcliffe so vital when weighed against the fate of the entire country? It's destruction changes nothing about the fate of Ferelden. Morrigan is correct in stating that it won't affect the Blight. Personally, I wouldn't advocate leaving the people to die, but I also don't consider Morrigan evil for stating her opinion, either. Nobody in game knows that this distraction won’t mean failure. As the Warden, you know the game mechanics and can take the high road or simply restart. From a story standpoint, no one knows that the Blight won’t overcome the entire country tomorrow. Even Sten, who you say is noble, disagrees with saving Redcliffe, but you don’t refer to him as evil. Sten’s disagreement even matches Morrigan’s: they think you need to focus on the Blight, with no distractions, except that Sten tries to kill me in Haven when he gets fed up and Morrigan simply honors her word and stays at my side regardless of how many times she disagrees with me. She thinks the Warden should make choices to further his or her goal to ending the Blight - the Anvil, for instance, and the blood ritual - none of which enpower her in any way.

 

You make two points here. One is that I should be more understanding of Morrigan because of her past and that a lack of empathy shown to her has led to her showing a lack of sympathy to others. The second point is that no one is really good or evil, but all grey. The second point does not have any bearing I think. It is completely acceptable to speak of evil even though it is not absolute. I can call Morrigan evil because her actions and dispositions show many evil aspects, and then I can compare it to Wynne and call Wynn good.

 

It's the first point that is interesting though. There is nothing stopping Morrigan from empathizing with the villagers but herself. An outcast would be in a perfect position to understand the need for acceptance and sympathy. I see the point you are getting at, but Morrigan's disposition smells too much like revenge in that case. Why would she not reach the simple conclusion that these people are all just the victims of their upbringing just like Morrigan? Also, the argument does not run counter to mine. It is understandable to act according to past experiences, but it can at times be evil and it lends itself for capriciousness just fine.

 

Doing someone you disagree with doesn't make her evil. Having secrets doesn't make Morrigan any more evil than Alistair keeping his heritage from you or Leliana actually lying to you does. Everyone has secrets, everyone has opinions.

 

Considering that Wynne supports the Circle - including its culling of mages if you support Cullen, the daily life of templars killing mages who flee out of fear like her former apprentice, ripping out a person's soul and making them a virtual slave to craft items for the wealth of the Circle like Owain - I'd hardly call her good. Complacent, perhaps, but for someone who values independence, Wynne is hardly good for any mage wanting self-determination and free will: the very reasons Morrigan hates the Circle and initially doesn't see why it should be saved, but will help you regardless without trying to kill you (like some characters).

 

 

Of course, but this is the Chantry. The Chantry is not the Circle.

 

Morrigan's way of thinking is far too simple, almost animalistic. The Circle is not the problem, but the Chantry is. This should be sufficiently clear even to Morrigan. The Circle is the only proper mage organisation and any effort to free mages would be most likely to succeed with help of the Circle. It serves no purpose to destroy it. It would mean the deaths of innocents and the Chantry will still be there to oppress the mages.

 

Morrigan sees the Circle as a prison. Living in a system knowing that you will never be free, having no rights to your offspring, being despite and having the choice between submitting to people who hate you or having your personality turned into a turnip doesn’t seem like something Morrigan should champion. It’s this system Wynne advocates. How many were turned tranquil because mages like Wynne supported this system? I could say that makes Wynne evil. She certainly supports a system you could consider torture for any sane person. It’s this system that drives people to become blood mages, to gather as much power as possible to survive against the templars that are out to kill them. Taking someone from their family and arresting them because they have powers (like the Magi Origin says, you were torn from your family at a young age).

 

Morrigan knows magic that the Chantry has done its best to eliminate, and the Circle is full of people like Wynne who support the system and do nothing to change it. Wynne isn't opposed to tranquility, she doesn't argue for the Circle to be independent, she simply accepts the way things are. Morrigan loves her freedom, and looks down on people who allow themselves to be under the thumb of an oppressive regime. She knows arcane secrets that the Chantry has gone to great lengths to destroy. Even a learned mage of the Circle has never even heard of Morrigan’s shape shifting abilities because the Chantry enforces the one, true path above all else, paving over other traditions and magic, destroying untold knowledge. The Circle was created by the Chantry, and before the royal boon, is overseen by the Chantry and its templars. How is there a difference?

 

 

The dark ritual is kind of a big thing, you see. These are the things you might really want to know beforehand. When Alistair doesn't tell you stuff in time he has very simple reasons for this and he apologizes in a sincere matter. That is honesty. With Morrigan, the whole ordeal was planned this way. Dishonesty is not just a matter of lies and truths. It is a matter of controlling the flow of information. This is what Morrigan does. But I was speaking of intellectual dishonesty earlier. Sure, dishonesty by maliciously controlling the flow of information is bad, but I don't mind that so much. What I mind is the fact that Morrigan refuses to see the error and inconsistency of her core philosophies even when it is apparant.

 

She is willing to be evil to reach that goal, so I would hazard the guess that her intentions aren't exactly benevolent. But even if we give her the benefit of the doubt, it would still be just her personal preference to preserve this. The facts show that these Old Gods are simply potential blights waiting to happen. Why should it be preserved? You know Morrigan isn't just going to give away her secrets.

 

I think it is important to note that while the child is the carrier of the soul Morrigan will leave, so the child can't be checked. This means that Morrigan more or less owns this soul. She is a powerful mage and she has the Grimoire, we should expect the worst I feel. A soul is not something one should own. Owning another's soul is vile and evil, I'm sure almost anyone would agree to that.

 

 

Doing someone you disagree with doesn't make her evil. Having secrets doesn't make Morrigan any more evil than Alistair keeping his heritage from you or Leliana actually lying to you does. Morrigan is unique. She knows arcane secrets that the Chantry has gone to great lengths to destroy. Even a learned mage of the Circle has never even heard of Morrigan’s shape shifting abilities because the Chantry enforces the one, true path above all else, paving over other traditions and magic, destroying untold knowledge.

 

Morrigan’s ritual is simply to deserve one of the mysteries of Ferelden, something that would otherwise be lost to the world. It isn’t an archdemon but an old god without the taint. Her offer to the Warden is to preserve one of the last mysteries of Ferelden that everyone is ignorant of. How is this evil? It’s magnanimous of her to actually help the Warden save Ferelden when the society is structured to murder people like her. Preserving something she seems to know something about and nobody in Ferelden really knows anything about (thanks to the Chantry) hardly makes her evil.

 

 

Sten is bound by honour. He contests your leadership after voicing his concerns before and this is how he does it. Yes, it is stupid, but it isn't really dishonest. If you win, you get respect. Zevran makes an unlucky gamble if he doesn't trust you yet and he has his contract for the Crows. You *know* that Zevran could do that, because Zevran told you already that he does not wish to commit to a certain plan. These are two different situations that don't compare well with what Morrigan does. I do agree that it seems as though Morrigan is telling no clear lies. I think she never really does that. It is not the nature of her type of dishonesty, as I have explained. But, although Morrigan seems sincere, we can not know what Morrigan intends to do with the child. Can someone like Morrigan be trusted with such a child? She doesn't tell us why she really wants it, so we can't know the answer. If she is honest, she would not know this herself, else she should really tell the Warden or be dishonest.

 

The childishness is something I perceive when I look at Morrigans core philosophies. They revolve around egoism and survivalism. They do not take into account the complexity of the world. It is not a developed world view, it is very animalistic and childlike to me.

 

So Sten trying to kill you is honorable because he consistently disagrees with me, but Morrigan advocating to focus on the Blight and not on one town of absolutely no importance to stopping the Blight is evil? You're calling her dishonest because you can't read Morrigan that well? I don't see how this can be the case. She wants to be left alone, she's upfront about that, doesn't deceive you, and let's you know all the facts. This is why I consider her honest. She doesn't try to murder you when you do something she doesn't like or stab you in the back if you don't have a high approval rating with her, she's upfront with you about how she feels all the time.