#and conscript the mages bc their management sucks

[darthlordcommie]

DAO Thoughts: Duncan

So, I’m just thinking about the Warden Commander of Fereldan. The fellow who calls us all on our first journey through Thedas. So, here are my thoughts.

I always feel like Duncan’s more ruthless towards Aeducan and Cousland than the other origins. Like, yes, he helps them, but he pretty much forces them to become Grey Wardens in order to get his help. I definitely feel like he empathizes with them, bc the betrayal they went through sucked, but I always got the vibes that he was more pushy with them. Idk, that’s just me.

In regards to Amell/Surana and Mahariel, he definitely saw it as best of both worlds. Mahariel was going to die of the taint if they didn’t become a Warden, so Duncan saved their life. Amell/Surana was going to die or be made Tranquil if they weren’t made a Warden, and Duncan was looking for more mage recruits. So to him, it probably felt like a win-win, because he knew that Mahariel was doomed and that life in the Circle sucked.

Brosca and Tabris. Now, this is just a headcanon for me, but I just get the feeling that Duncan, who grew up a thief on the streets, who was conscripted as a Grey Warden because he was a murderer, who had committed crimes because he hadn’t had any other options, had a bit of a soft spot for those two origins. Brosca was a criminal by necessity with guts and fire that Orzammar hadn’t managed to stamp out. Tabris was apparently like their mother, who left such an impression on Duncan that he came back decades later to see if Adaia’s child had the same potential that she had had. And then, Tabris killed the arl’s son, and fought their way through to save their friends and family. Even though they knew that they would be punished for it. And seeing that fire in Brosca and Tabris, I can’t help but wonder if Duncan felt like he was looking in a mirror.

Jory. Jory, Jory, Jory. This moment, in the Joining, when Duncan killed Jory. I look at that moment, and I see so many things. I see the foolishness of people who live and die for glory. I see willingness to achieve a goal. I see a lot of things. To start with, the moment that Duncan called Jory up, Jory drew his sword. Jory was determined to fight his way out and leave the Joining. Could Duncan have talked him down? Maybe. Maybe if they weren’t in the middle of a military camp that didn’t know the truth of the Wardens, he would’ve tried. And yes, Duncan drew his weapon, but Jory swung first. Jory’s courage and will left him when he was asked to sacrifice. There’s good odds that he would have told others about the Joining, with how horrified he was of it. In that moment, Duncan showed just how willing he was to blacken his own soul in the name of stopping the Blight and protecting the world. That is grey morality. That is how you ask questions about morality. It’s clear that Duncan regrets that he had to go that far, but he doesn’t regret the action itself. It’s just. That’s how you do it.