Symbol of the College of Enchanters in Dragon Age
Concept by Master Eldrad. The artwork was made by me.
In the epilogue of Inquisition, if the Inquisitor recruits the rebel mages, five different outcomes are possible depending on who is elected Divine and under what terms the mages were conscripted:
1. The dissolution of the Circle of Magi and the founding of the College of Enchanters.
2. The dissolution of the Circle and the creation of the Bright Hand within the Inquisition by the rebel mages.
3. The restoration of the Circle of Magi alongside the creation of a parallel College of Enchanters.
4. The restoration of the Circle, the return of the rebel mages to it, and the formation of the Bright Hand within the Circle.
5. The restoration of the Circle and the suppression of the emerging College of Enchanters.
However, by the time Trespasser was released, the developers chose to converge all outcomes into roughly the same result. Regardless of who becomes Divine, whether the Inquisition recruited mages or templars, and under what conditions — after the Exalted Council we end up with both a restored Circle and an established College of Enchanters. If the Bright Hand had previously been formed, they are inevitably reorganized into the College of Enchanters.
The Circle of Magi, under Grand Enchanter Vivienne, is formally subordinate to the Chantry and the Divine — though not in the case of Divine Leliana. Under her rule, the Circle effectively becomes an independent organization as well, albeit one that preserves many traditional Chantry structures and customs. The future of both Circle mages and College mages ultimately depends on several factors: whether the rebel mages joined the Inquisition or sided with the Venatori (a major setback for the College), the terms of their recruitment, whether Vivienne was brought into the Inquisition, and the Divine’s degree of support or disapproval toward these institutions.
The College of Enchanters, by contrast, becomes an independent, self-governing body of mages. It is not bound by Circle traditions and thus seeks new solutions to longstanding problems — for example, allowing willing spirit possession in weak mages instead of executing them during the Harrowing. Its research is not constrained by Chantry dogma or censorship.
If the Inquisitor recruits the mages, the College is founded by the rebel mages under Fiona’s leadership. If the Inquisitor recruits the templars and Fiona dies, the College is instead formed by the smaller group of Inquisition-aligned mages under the leadership of one of the Inquisition’s veteran mages, since the rebel mages and Fiona would have joined the Elder One and been defeated. In that scenario, the most likely leader of the College would be Rhys, son of Wynne. Once a libertarian in outlook, he endured much and matured; after his mother’s death he aligned himself with the Aequitarians, yet still supported the dissolution of the Circle. Such a leader would suit the College under those circumstances. After all, he is also romantically involved with a templar. So either Fiona leads the College if the mages are recruited, or Rhys if the templars are.
The Circle’s symbol has long been known and is explicitly identified in The World of Thedas, Volume I. However, the symbolism of the College of Enchanters has never been officially presented — not even in The Veilguard.
In developing this concept, Master Eldrad relied primarily on the mage epilogue artwork from Inquisition, as there is little else to draw from. The image depicts two visually distinct groups of mages: on the left, mages bearing the Circle symbol on their robes and staff heads; on the right, mages marked with a separate symbol on their foreheads, triangular staff ornaments, and white hands. The central figure appears to represent Fiona and shares the symbolism of the group on the right.
From this, I conclude that the mages on the left represent the Circle, while those on the right represent the College of Enchanters with its own distinct symbolism. The white hands are likely a symbolic reference to the Bright Hand, which optionally precedes the College. Since both mages on the left bear the same Circle emblem, it stands to reason that the composite triangular symbol used by the mages on the right could serve as the emblem of the College of Enchanters.
Moreover, a lorebook connected to The Veilguard reveals that during the Joplin development phase, a triangle was planned as the stylistic symbol of the College’s mages — which can be seen as confirmation of this interpretation.
Other thematically related imagery reinforces this idea. Fiona’s tarot card features three triangular shapes.
Triangles have also been repeatedly used as symbolic markers of magic and the Fade/Veil: on the official map of Thedas published with Tevinter Nights, in Solas’s murals, on the Rage Demon tarot card, and within the visual style of the Veil Jumpers. It is logical that both elves and humans familiar with these symbolic meanings would preserve them, making the triangle an appropriate choice for the College.
P.S. It is important not to confuse the College of Enchanters with the College of Magi. Unfortunately, even the Dragon Age Wiki frequently muddles this distinction, leading to confusion among fans.
The College of Magi is the highest deliberative body of the Circle of Magi, composed of First Enchanters from across Thedas. Its assemblies traditionally take place in Cumberland, Nevarra, where the central residence of the Grand Enchanter is located — a building that also serves as the College’s headquarters. In Inquisition, there is even a War Table operation titled The College of Magi, in which the Inquisition can rescue rebel mages occupying the College building in Cumberland from an angry mob of townspeople.
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