Tranquil

“If I felt pain, it is meaningless to me now. Once I knew only fear, but now I know only service. Whatever pain there was, I believe it an acceptable trade.”The Tranquil are mages who went through the Rite of Tranquility and belong to the Formari of the Circle. The Rite cuts off the connection to the Fade, and the Tranquil can no longer dream nor draw on the Fade to perform magic. As a side effect, their emotional center is utterly removed, which makes them undesirable to be possessed by demons in the first place. Until 9:40 Dragon, the Tranquil were widely believed to be immune to demonic possession.
== History ==
The Rite was created by the old Inquisition for its own members. When the first mage attempted to join, they discovered that Tranquility strips mages of their connection to the Fade and their ability to use magic. Ameridan, the last leader of the original Inquisition, opposed the wide-spread use of Tranquility out of fear it could be abused. His compatriots promised to keep that from happening.
Unfortunately, despite promises to Ameridan that use of the Rite upon mages would not become widespread, it became so anyway. After the Inquisition was reformed into the Seekers of Truth, they revealed how to perform the Rite to the newly created Circle of Magi, as a means of avoiding the execution of dangerous or uncooperative mages. The knowledge of its origin and how to reverse it, however, was retained only by the Lord Seekers and kept secret even from the rest of their Order.
== Involvement ==
=== Dragon Age II ===
In 9:31 Dragon, it is revealed that proximity to a mage bonded with a Fade spirit can temporarily restore a Tranquil to their former self. In contrast to the content and peaceful outlook of the Tranquil, Karl Thekla described Tranquility as a horrific experience.
Under the reign of Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard, the Kirkwall Templar Order liberally uses the Rite of Tranquility on mages. Over time, even mages who have passed their Harrowing are allowed to be made Tranquil. Templars led by Ser Otto Alrik are implied to have taken advantage of the Tranquil's compliant nature to sexually abuse them in secret. Ser Alrik also proposes that every adult mage in Thedas be made Tranquil, though both Knight-Commander Meredith and Divine Justinia V reject the idea.
=== Dragon Age: Asunder ===
The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning it may not follow some of the player's choices in the games.
----In 9:34 Dragon, Justinia V becomes the new Divine. She sends the elven Tranquil Pharamond to Adamant Fortress to conduct research on the Rite of Tranquility. She asks him to investigate the nature of the Rite as she admits that it isn't completely understood. The Divine wants to know if the process of removing magic could be done without the other side effects, and if it could be reversed.
In 9:40 Dragon, Pharamond discovers how to reverse the Rite. Lord Seeker Lambert van Reeves tries to preserve the secret by killing anyone involved. The events that followed, along with the earlier Kirkwall Rebellion, sparked the Mage-Templar War.
=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
During the war, most of the Tranquil are ignored by rebel mages and left to live or die without consideration. Many have possession forced on them by Venatori so that their skulls can be used to make Oculara.“Mages who were once Tranquil lose all control over their emotions. They become irrational, unable to focus. Perhaps that state eventually passes and they can be helped, but it will take time to investigate... I would not want news of a cure to spread until we know for certain we can help these people. Once we have that, however? Then I will spread the word myself.”In 9:41 Dragon, Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast reads the Book of Secrets taken from Lord Seeker Lucius Corin and discovers the origin of the Rite and its continuing use by the Seekers. The decision on whether to rebuild the Order or not weighs heavily on her following this revelation.
== Performing the Rite ==
“We called it the Rite of Tranquility: a mind, branded with lyrium, brought to a state devoid of either emotion or sense of self.”
=== Seekers of Truth ===
The Seekers undergo a period of meditation during their Vigil where they work to empty themselves of all emotion except faith. Tranquility is reversed for them when they are touched by a Spirit of Faith from the Fade. Tranquility is needed to attain a state of true mental peace in order to not only attract the Spirit of Faith but also so that the approaching Spirit will not be twisted by internal malignant emotions of the supplicant.
=== Mages of the Circle ===
The Rite of Tranquility was intended as a tool of last resort to stop uncontrolled mages from hurting themselves or others. It is claimed to be an act of mercy, if not kindness. Some mages willingly volunteer to undergo the Rite, primarily to avoid the Harrowing. Mages don't generally elect to become Tranquil after their Harrowing, but it's not unheard of. Many of those who willingly go through the Rite have never even shown the desire to be mages in the first place. Once made Tranquil, they are believed to be immune to the mortal dangers (e.g., the struggle to resist demonic temptation and possession) they would face otherwise.
However, the Rite has been used by the Chantry and the Templars for punitive and political purposes to silence dissent and inhibit civilized discourse among discontent mages. It is the judgment of the Knight-Commander whether a mage needs to be made Tranquil. Chantry law forbids performing the Rite without significant provocation and the agreement of the relevant Circle's First Enchanter. "Provocation" means that the mage either cannot control their magic or is not willing to do so. Because a mage who has passed the Harrowing is deemed to be strong enough to resist demonic possession, forcibly making them Tranquil is theoretically against Chantry law. Practically, the situation varies from tower to tower: the system will fall out of balance anywhere where the First Enchanter is either weak or ignored.
The Rite involves the use of a lyrium brand. As a result, the Tranquil generally have the seal of the Chantry's sunburst embossed on their foreheads. The Tranquil are not permitted to speak of the Rite to others.
=== Mages of Tevinter ===
The Rite of Tranquility is also used in the Tevinter Imperium, despite their more relaxed attitude towards mages. It is a sentence passed down by the Magisterium for "abuse of magic" which has "many convenient interpretations".
== State of Tranquility ==
“I find it ironic the Rite of Tranquility cuts one off from the land of dreams, because a dream is exactly what it feels like. <...> It follows its course, and you follow it believing nothing is real. You will turn the corner and awaken, safe and sound. Yet you never do. Instead you are slowly smothered in a crystal-clear silence that has no meaning.”The Tranquil resemble sleepwalkers, never entirely awake nor asleep. In the mind of the Tranquil, there is no passion. They keep to themselves, and, if asked directly, will readily agree that having the opportunity to live out a peaceful and useful existence is far preferable when compared to what their alternatives would have been. They are also aware of the difference between their former selves and their Tranquil states, and able to understand that things that have happened to them since becoming Tranquil would have upset or traumatized their former selves.
The Tranquil are stripped of their capacity to form anything other than a logical opinion. However, they neither lose their memory nor become automatons: they possess free will. They do not wish to die (unless it's for a cause they believe in) and are no more susceptible to suggestion than they were previously. They are more agreeable and would not normally oppose an authority figure, because they do not possess the desire to object, but if the Tranquil see a logical reason not to follow an order, they do so. Tranquil can't take offense and know no modesty.
Tranquil can be creative, insofar as a very logical scientist might be. They pursue a means to an end, and are capable of coming up with alternate solutions to problems. They are, however, methodical to a fault. They are not taken by inspiration, and some might say what they lack is intuition. The fact that they do not get bored and take no pleasure out of creating takes much of the impetus away for them to change their methods or seek to create something different unless there is a clear reason to.
== Tranquil in Society ==
The monotonous voices and blank, expressionless eyes of the Tranquil make mages and non-mages alike feel uncomfortable in their presence. Many Tranquil assume a placid smile, not because they are pleased about anything but because they know it puts others at ease.
The Tranquil are no longer considered to be mages and are free to leave the Circle. Most remain, primarily because it's logical: they're not welcome elsewhere, and can serve in a productive capacity in the Circle and live comfortably. Some Tranquil choose to leave, but such cases are rare.
The Tranquil perform all sorts of menial and administrative functions in the towers: they service the mages' chambers, purchase the supplies, act as storekeepers, manage the archives, and maintain the records. They can also serve as sellers in Circle of Magi shops. Most mages attempt to ignore them or find them understandably frightening, and few appear to even attempt to forge a relationship with them.
The Tranquil use lyrium to enchant items, providing the Circle its main source of funding. They are resistant to lyrium's effects and would be mostly unaffected by raw lyrium unless they spend too much time in its presence.
== Reversing the Rite ==
If a spirit (benign or malevolent) were to reach across the Veil and touch a Tranquil's mind, it would be cured. Contrary to popular belief, the Tranquil are not immune to possession. They become invisible to inhabitants of the Fade. Because a demon wishes to experience life, they are undesirable targets for possession. To them, a Tranquil is no better than an inanimate object—actually worse, since a Tranquil will resist. Thus it would take a spirit medium to coax the spirit or demon into reaching across the gap between the Fade and the mortal realm and touching the Tranquil's mind. As a side effect, a mage who ceases to be Tranquil becomes very emotional.
* Feynriel's possible death in the Fade made him a Tranquil in the real world as Marethari expected. However, it seems like this can only happen to Dreamers like Feynriel, as evidenced by Hawke's companions possibly dying in the Fade, too.
* If the Inquisitor sentences someone to be made Tranquil during Sit in Judgment, it will have a negative effect on their relationship with the Mage Rebellion, if they sided with them. In addition, Solas will greatly disapprove every time the Inquisitor chooses to do so. The Tranquil judgment option is only available to a mage Inquisitor.
== Trivia ==
* The Tranquil in Dragon Age: Origins were supposed to bear the sunburst brand, but the developers were not able to put it in.
* The Tranquil are called "dream-slain" by the Avvar.
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