Going postal? It's in the blood...

Regular readers and anyone with the misfortune of meeting me for more than a while will know I'm a little obsessed with Bioware's Dragon Age universe. I have a Qunari tattoo in the waiting and I've even decided where in Ferelden I want to build my house

The magic users of Dragon Age face persistent scrutiny and persecution due to the constant temptations of blood magic.

Sometimes there is a task of which ordinary magic falls short. Sometimes a demon must be summoned for the sake of curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. When push comes to shove, blood magic may be the only way to achieve a mage's goals.

I think it's about the same as the temptation I face every day to steal my neighbours' post. Really... sometimes I want nice things but my bank balance falls short. Sometimes a curiously shaped package covered in Chinese lettering arrives and I have to know what it is. When push comes to shove, robbing those eBay orders may be the only way to achieve my new pair of trainers.

For mages, the temptation never goes away. It is all around because blood is all around, be it your own, that of a companion, or the splatters that wind up all over your face and armour after every single fight sequence.

Likewise, there will always be post... letters, parcels, birthday cards... even those "we buy your stuff back from you because you're too close to the breadline" boxes waiting to be picked up.

There are risks. Demons can not be trusted, and one false move might make you an abomination. Also, I can't tell if those boxed DVDs are Jack Black or Adam Sandler or something equally abhorrent.

Like meth, blood magic is hard to kick, even when used only once. The line has been crossed, and once you've embraced the darker arts, and felt the power and resources that they bring, there's no going back. There will always be more needs, more desires, more justifications for crossing that line.

Once I start stealing my neighbours post, there's nothing to stop me. I've made the moral choice and got away with it, and no amount of abstinence or penitence will change what I've done. There will always be more boxes of shoes, possible Internet tablets, and contact lenses only a point or two off my prescription.

For now I'll do my best to stick to my own post.. bills, taxi cards and those useless voucher books, and hope Merill doesn't get a nosebleed.

Nick

xx