Vanya's expression flickers, not quite a smile, as if he's not sure how much that last remark was a joke. Still, he answers it in earnest. "I did not set out to be." It's not quite the same thing as I'm not.
He pauses, as if deciding where to begin with "the longer version" or elaborating on his answer. It turns out it's more or less the same, when he speaks. "I was recruited when I was in my teens. Fifteen, when I started the process, and I took my vows about two years later. I don't know... since you're a rifter, I am not sure which impressions you've had of the Order, especially, given..." A shorter pause. "I cannot speak for every Templar, but for me, I did not join because I wanted to have power over someone. I did not even especially want acclaim, though I did know my parents were proud of my choice. The Templars who recruited me said ... at least in Nevarra City, where I was. They said that it was important work. That we protected mages as much as we protected others from them. That we were needed, for everyone to live together in harmony."
He glances down at his hands. "From here, with all that has happened since, I can admit that I was naive. But it was also — I had never left Nevarra. There were still Circles, but mages there... When I first heard of some of the things that happened in Ferelden, the Free Marches, even some places in Orlais. They seemed so extreme. I don't know how much you know about Nevarran mages, but it was. The problems there were less brutal and less obvious." He realizes the account he's giving is a bit fragmented and maybe not the most easy to follow. But it's been some time, since he spoke about his experiences. Certainly this part.
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He pauses, as if deciding where to begin with "the longer version" or elaborating on his answer. It turns out it's more or less the same, when he speaks. "I was recruited when I was in my teens. Fifteen, when I started the process, and I took my vows about two years later. I don't know... since you're a rifter, I am not sure which impressions you've had of the Order, especially, given..." A shorter pause. "I cannot speak for every Templar, but for me, I did not join because I wanted to have power over someone. I did not even especially want acclaim, though I did know my parents were proud of my choice. The Templars who recruited me said ... at least in Nevarra City, where I was. They said that it was important work. That we protected mages as much as we protected others from them. That we were needed, for everyone to live together in harmony."
He glances down at his hands. "From here, with all that has happened since, I can admit that I was naive. But it was also — I had never left Nevarra. There were still Circles, but mages there... When I first heard of some of the things that happened in Ferelden, the Free Marches, even some places in Orlais. They seemed so extreme. I don't know how much you know about Nevarran mages, but it was. The problems there were less brutal and less obvious." He realizes the account he's giving is a bit fragmented and maybe not the most easy to follow. But it's been some time, since he spoke about his experiences. Certainly this part.