Annulments, Harrowings, and Tranquility: Methods the Circles use to assert control over the mage population of Southern Thedas
I have noticed that it's not really common knowledge among the Dragon Age playerbase how terribly mages have it in Southern Thedas -- I'm still seeing takes where it's implied that Circles are benign 'magic schools', so going to use this post to elaborate on three widespread methods the Chantry uses to control and cull the mage population:
1 - The Right of Annulment is a form of group punishment where all mages within a Circle are put to the sword, including children and the elderly. A Grand Cleric or Knight-Commander may invoke the Right of Annulment if "a Circle is deemed irredeemable" at their own discretion. As of the events of DAO, the Right of Annulment has been invoked 17 times, and an additional 3 times afterwards. That's potentially 20 Circles purged of all mages since the inception of the Circles.
Even if you are a "good" Circle mage who has never stepped out of line, has done as you are told, and has never once broken a single rule your whole life, you could also be executed just for the crime of being born a mage, and being in the same Circle as "guilty" mages. (For additional context, group punishment is considered a war crime in the real world, for the reason it is inhumane -- you do not collectively punish the many for the crimes of the few.)
2 - Harrowings are more than just a "magic test" that determine who qualifies to become a full mage. Apprentices are not given any time to prepare for it, are not told of what the test consists of, and are taken at random in the middle of the night to fight a demon in the Fade. Not everyone survives and those that fail their Harrowings are killed and their friends are not informed of what happened to them. All Circles in Southern Thedas enforce Harrowings on their apprentices. Apprentices who refuse their Harrowings are made Tranquil.
3 - Tranquility is a form of magical lobotomy that strips a person of their autonomy and ability to feel emotion, essentially robbing them of their minds and free will.
Players in the real world might have trouble grasping this concept, but think about making someone unable to refuse anything you ask them to do, or unable resist anything you do to them, making them more susceptible to abuse.
It is against Chantry law to make full-fledged mages who have passed their Harrowings Tranquil -- and yet, Karl Thekla did not escape this fate, and was illegally made Tranquil to be cruelly used as bait to capture Anders.
The Tranquil are apparently immune to demonic possession, but this was proven wrong in the novel 'Asunder' when the Tranquil mage Pharamond was possessed by a demon. The Seekers of Truth have also been keeping the cure to Tranquility a secret, so that it may continue to be used as a method to keep mages under control.
Tranquil mages are also members of the Formari, a trader's guild under the Circles, creating and selling potions and enchantments to line the Circle (and Chantry)'s coffers. It is therefore profitable for the Circles to keep making mages Tranquil to ensure a steady supply of trade goods to sell leading to a steady stream of revenue.
Besides this, I have also found it's not common knowledge among the DA player base that Circle mages are not allowed to get married, not allowed to have families or relationships, and if they get pregnant while in the Circle, the child is taken away from it's parents to be raised in a Chantry orphanage after being born. All these are rules enforced by the Chantry to keep mage populations under control.
