[He frowns, looking more past the wounds than at them as he continues to work.]
Before you arrived, before the Circles were shattered during the events at the White Spire, mages were required, by law, to be held in various fortresses. Ostensibly it was for the protection of mages, and for people from mages, but that only works if you don't see mages as people. And if the people in charge aren't abusive. A few of the places, the Circles, were supposedly run civilly. The mages were still restricted, but there were no public beatings or assaults and no one was made Tranquil on a whim. My Circle was on the worse end, but none compared to Kirkwall's.
[There's a short beat as he evaluates the remaining wounds and continues to work, frown gone and eyes back on Jamie's neck.]
On a daily basis mages were dying or being made Tranquil. And the latter is by far the worst of the two. Meredith's power was becoming more and more absolute, backed up by Grand Cleric Elthina. And... I don't know what you know about abusers. I've seen their victims many times, as a healer, I know the signs of escalation. What was being done to the mages wasn't enough, the next step was coming. The Rite of Annulment. An entirely legal declaration that every mage under her control was actually out of control and needed to be put down like a rabid dog.
The day I acted, when I acted, Meredith was headed for Grand Cleric Elthina, and there was no doubt in my mind she would ask for permission to call for the Rite. I'd... I'd hoped the explosion would stop her. Would make her fall back, reconsider. Would end the escalation. It did not.
no subject
[He frowns, looking more past the wounds than at them as he continues to work.]
Before you arrived, before the Circles were shattered during the events at the White Spire, mages were required, by law, to be held in various fortresses. Ostensibly it was for the protection of mages, and for people from mages, but that only works if you don't see mages as people. And if the people in charge aren't abusive. A few of the places, the Circles, were supposedly run civilly. The mages were still restricted, but there were no public beatings or assaults and no one was made Tranquil on a whim. My Circle was on the worse end, but none compared to Kirkwall's.
[There's a short beat as he evaluates the remaining wounds and continues to work, frown gone and eyes back on Jamie's neck.]
On a daily basis mages were dying or being made Tranquil. And the latter is by far the worst of the two. Meredith's power was becoming more and more absolute, backed up by Grand Cleric Elthina. And... I don't know what you know about abusers. I've seen their victims many times, as a healer, I know the signs of escalation. What was being done to the mages wasn't enough, the next step was coming. The Rite of Annulment. An entirely legal declaration that every mage under her control was actually out of control and needed to be put down like a rabid dog.
The day I acted, when I acted, Meredith was headed for Grand Cleric Elthina, and there was no doubt in my mind she would ask for permission to call for the Rite. I'd... I'd hoped the explosion would stop her. Would make her fall back, reconsider. Would end the escalation. It did not.