Samson

AKA:
Definitely not Sam, because that's my name
Red Leader
Head Lyrium Junkie
Kind of Sad, Really

Raleigh Samson was a former Templar and the leader of Corypheus’ Red Templar army. The first record I have of him was as a Templar in Kirkwall, where Hawke found him living on the street, desperate for lyrium, after he had been expelled from the order. Over the Champion’s time in the city, Samson was ultimately restored to his old position, because of Hawke and Cullen, but things soon took a turn. Still seething from his experiences, Samson grew more and more bitter during the early stages of the Mage-Templar War at how the Chantry treated both groups. When Corypheus offered him another way forward, Samson took it, literally and figuratively. He began ingesting red lyrium, but proved uniquely resistant to it, reaping the benefits without the ghastly, transformative, side effects. He also spread it to his fellow Templars and began to gain a following, splitting off from the already fractured order to create what would eventually become the Red Templars. While the Inquisition was busy helping the mages, Samson and his followers infiltrated and corrupted most of the remaining Templars, bolstering their numbers greatly. Outfitted with unique, red lyrium-infused armor that increased his strength and a powerful, tainted, sword, he was raised to Corypheus’ second-in-command and led the attack on Haven. Later, we invaded his personal stronghold and managed to get enough information about his special armor to allow Dagna to create a rune that would destroy it. When we met Samson again in the Temple of Mythal, we did just that, and defeated him before he could reach the Well of Sorrows. We didn’t kill him, however, and Cory abandoned him, so we took him back to Skyhold for judgment. It didn’t feel right to kill him or hand him off to someone else who would just kill him, so I kept him under the eye of the Inquisition, Cullen, specifically, to get whatever information out of him we could. Despite being a murderous bastard responsible for the deaths of a massive number of people, Samson’s story always struck me as very sad. His points about the Chantry using him and other Templars, keeping them on a leash with an addictive substance, were not entirely inaccurate. He was a victim who accepted a deal that offered change and a different path. The path was an abhorrent one, but any way forward looks appealing to someone who has hit their absolute lowest point.