foxghost:

Thing is, he can’t accept that Tevinter is as bad as Fenris says, without seeing it first-hand. It’s his last kernel of hope that magic is accepted somewhere.

It’s his sugarcandy mountain in the sky.

It is the one place in the world where having magic is not a life sentence.

You’re born with this power. This thing that makes everyone treat you like a monster. You didn’t ask for it - you spend your first years learning about magic and how it tainted the world and you fear and hate it like everyone else, and then one day it just happens, to you. and in order not to hate yourself, you have to acept it as part of yourself. and this part of yourself must exist in the balance of this world somewhere - where having this power doesn’t necessarily mean the apocalypse (which is basically where we are: magic caused the on-going apocalpse.)

Elves can think of Arlathan, where they were once rulers of the land, or the present - one could always join the Qun, and maybe rule over other humans, even. Mages, well. Mages can dream of running away to somewhere where they don’t have to worry about templars and there’s no constant reminder that the way you are is original sin.

And Tevinter is that somwhere. If Tevinter’s way doesn’t work, then he has no idea how it could work. There’s nothing left to keep the self-hatred at bay.