The Crows, the Wardens, the Templars, the Legion of the Dead
i think people sometimes lump those who join these various organizations together, like they all join for the same reason or they all have the same moral center
but the thing is, all of these organizations provide upward social mobility. yes, even the legion of the dead! those who join are considered dead to the rest of orzammar, but their families receive money - that's why renn joined!
now, of course, not everyone willingly joins. the crows and the templars both recruit children. the wardens sometimes offer the joining as an alternative to execution
but it the kind of world thedas is. it's decidedly not easy to make ends meet unless you're born into wealth. every professional can only take on a limited number of apprentices. we see in da2, through aveline, that even organizations like the city guard can disqualify people without good cause (i love her, but that happened - she took one of carver's only opportunities away from him)
there are always going to be people who exist on the fringes of society. and yes, these organizations prey upon them. but, again, dragon age isn't about depicting a Moral and Just Society That Does Everything Right: we are meant to recognize that these are flawed organizations
further, we are meant to recognize that all organizations are flawed; or are fallible
(and jic we didn't, solas says it outright. but also how can we not? finding out that the seekers of truth are corrupt in dai... knowing how corrupt the chantry is... seeing time and again how corrupt the templar order is... but there are individuals caught within these systems who are also victims - because that's how these things work!)
they're flawed, but they're reasonable. i mean this in the sense of their existence, their presence, is narratively sound. we have so much real world evidence of these kinds of flawed, predatory organizations cropping up, so much evidence of how those who work for them are also victimized by them
you're born in denerim, to a poor family. you can't find anyone willing to apprentice you. you're strong and you're devout. so you think: i should join the templars. and you do, and the indoctrination that started at birth - because, really, the chantry is the indoctrinating force here - continues and doubles down
but you're making money. and maybe you're even good at it! and people look at you with respect. and whatever else, it's better than starving on the streets when your coin runs out
that's the world of thedas. that's the kind of things random civilians are dealing with. so, no, not all templars are morally bankrupt corrupt monsters; not all crows are, either. not all wardens are power- or glory-hungry. not all legion members want to kill darkspawn
but you have to acknowledge that for them, it's very often: this, or dying. this, or watching their family die. and they gain respect! that matters to people! no one wants to be an object of pity! everyone wants to control their own life, their own destiny, their own fate! and if they can't (and lbr, they can't, none of us can) they want the feeling that they are