Question!!

[arainai_girl]

Hi swoopers!!

Kk, I don't know if yous guys would know this or not, but I can't find the answer anywhere!!

I know that the Templars use the phlacteries to track down mages that escape the Circle, but i don't know the actual process. Do they take the phlacteries with them when they hunt down a mage, or do they leave them in Denerim?

Thank you!!

Comments

[tersa]

Based solely on Awakenings, I think the templars take the phylacteries out of storage in Denarim with them.

*** AWAKENINGS SPOILERS ***

It may be an 'area of proximity' thing, since the templars have Anders's phylactery with them in Amaranthine City, but he was with a bunch of templars when he was found in Vigil's Keep. I think if the templars needed to have his phylactery actually with them to find him, it would've been with the dead templars at the Keep.

My $0.02 interpretation. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a more definitive answer out there. :)

[kalihira]

So his phylactery is ACTUALLY in Ameranthine? I just killed Ser Rylock and I thought the rumor of his phylactery was just a ploy to get him into that warehouse to get him back to the Tower...

[thessalian]

Actually, they had no intention of taking him back to the Tower. Rylock made no secret of the fact that she was going to just outright hang Anders because she blamed him for the death of all the Templars that were guarding him, despite the fact that they were actually slaughtered by darkspawn.

[kalihira]

Er...right. What she said.

O_o

[vehlr]

Asked DG, he said this:

"A phylactery is not a compass-- it is not carried around to point the way to the target. It is used to give a rough idea of where the target is (using something not unlike blood magic) and the templars are sent after them... but a lot of manual hunting is still required."

I think that's as close to the specifics as we're going to get.
Oh, and on the subject of the Arcane Warrior:

"And, no, the Arcane Warrior's phylactery is different. It's a phylactery in the sense that it contained the Arcane Warrior's essence, but different in that it contained much more of his essence than just a smidgen."

All praise to the Maker, He is benevolent and wise, etc etc.

[blackwolf_majik]

So in essence, once a 'general heading' is taken, the templars are set loose on the trail. But if the mage moves from that location after the original divining, the templars will be on their own?

This could be a serious flaw in the process if the phylacteries can't be accessed for updated information.
Also, if a mage dresses in commoners' garb and refrained from casting - how would a templar know that's what they were looking at?

[tersa]

This could be a serious flaw in the process if the phylacteries can't be accessed for updated information.

That's why I think that templars on the trail probably do have the phylactery handy--they'd be daft to have it on their person during the actualy "manual hunting" portion (or feet on the street), but maybe keep it with 2-3 templars in the nearest city or town the search is being done out of so they can refer to it if the quarry moves.

Given the distances involved, can you imagine how terrible a job it'd be to try to get a location for a runaway mage in Denarim that's out in the Frostback area? In the 1-2 weeks it took the templars to get there, the mage could be in Orlais. Or back round the tower. Or hell. Denarim. :)

[honorableshadow]

I don't know, but I still wish that your mage Warden could so something with his/her phylactery.

[arainai_girl]

Thank you guys SO much! I knew some swooper out there would know the answer!

[thebrokenwindow]

Am I imagining this, or did I read it in fan fiction, because I have this distinct memory of Anders saying they had to take a second blood sample because he'd escaped so many times? I have the sneaking suspicion it was probably fan fiction, but...this ringing a bell for anyone else?