Colin Sheehan yeah it seemed the main goal for the developers of 2 was to squeeze as many bi sexuals as they could all up in your party instead of you know good level design and combat. I finished inquisition because I spent 90$ on that bitch but pales in comparison to origins it was all just barely interesting companions and filler quests to get more hours which sucks coz it did have some decent chunks of story, ive been doing the same the witcher trilogy just cant be beat as far as a more dark fantasy universe gets.
There is alot of mystery surrounding the origin of the darkspawn. It is written that the Tavinter mages corrupted the Golden City, but one of those mages stated that it was already corrupted when they got there. There has been a lot of foreshadowing that something isn't quite right. Things like the Primeval Thaig and the darkspawn not all being pure evil all hint to somerhing greater and much darker. I just hope Bioware has the vision and ability to make it a big payoff.
Those hint at the presence of the Blight, and Darkspawn, before even the Magisters went to the Black City, as the war mentioned in the DA:I DLC that takes you into the Deep Roads, the King's army sent to quell the Titan's disturbance mid war, encounters creatures that were very Darkspawn-eque, but that they weren't the foe being fought, and despite their much larger force, and obvious deadly skill, they seem to perform some kind of magic ritual, and seemingly vanish in the middle of the night, leaving behind no trace of where they went.
I’ve started to think that the elves or another precursor race made the taint to fight back against some unknown enemy. Perhaps they were a creation of the Titans to be used against the elves, and the Evanuris were infected before they were imprisoned. I don’t know, but I’m sure of one thing: It’s not a disease. It’s a bioweapon, a bioweapon that’s gotten so out of control that even the Titans don’t know how to stop them anymore, and the damn things LIVE in them
For me the darkspawn are closely related to the evanuris the origins of it, it all comes from the black city the seat of the gods perhaps the evanuris in their tyranny and lust for power experimented with red lyrium created The taint as a biological weapon to quell the elven rebellion, Solas did say he had to create the veil as last resort because the evanuris were plotting to destroy the world, it was probably they were probably trying to use the taint Solas trapped them with the taint in the middle of it like a plague or fallout got out of control in the Golden city corrupting it, so when Corypheus and the first magisters on a later age reached the now tainted black city they got infected and brought the taint back to Thedas as the first darkspawn.
It just occured to me that a person whose relative was made into a broodmother is technically related to a darkspawn like lets say your sister is made into a broodmother an ogre could be your nephew
Dragon Age Awakening was the last thing Bioware did - mostly - as they wanted too. DA II was told to be made Console "friendly", even though the player-base was 90% PC. Not saying it's a no-console game, but you upgrade and branch out, not cut down. The DA II was done in a smaller budget, more controlled, small story, "simplier game mechanics" and console friendly mode. Even if we see a DA 4, it either won't be DA or won't be Bioware.
I think you're a bit too harsh on them, but I agree in sentiment. Origins was the most interesting game of the series in more than one way, though I still enjoyed the stories told in the other two. But when it comes to the Darkspawn, I agree, they were dumbed down, made bland and lost a lot of the "scariness" they had in Origins. The Architect was a fascinating character, who made some good points and put you before amoral quandary. Especially if you look at what he create by accident, the Mother. Fucking disgusting, in the best way. She stills makes me feel uncomfortable. As did the part in the main game in the Deep Roads. I get it, we don't need a game series just about the Blights, and some variance is good, but the Darkspawn became completely generic enemies in the other games, and that's down to bad design decisions. Why even put them in Inquisition, if they are nothing but some bland background fodder.
I know, I'm sorry. I feel that while DAO was bringing new things, and an adult storytelling.. well.. the rest didn't. The Art of DA II wasn't new, neither was the story that good or unique. Nothing in DAI was unique.. new for it's time.. or .. well, for me, not enjoyable at all. I hate how they connected repeative mmo missions with the storyline. It wasn't a good choice.
My issue isn't that they changed the look--they changed the look of everything. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that they changed genlocks from darkspawn dwarves to...quadrupedal apelike things that are about three times the size of a genlock--and then offered no lore reason for why that change was made and treated it like that's just how they've always been.
There's something you missed on The Children segment that might make your entire narrative about it moot. The Childrens fought with the Darkspawns, even the Darkspawns are afraid of them. The Childrens are something new made by The Mother, so they're definitely not a larval-stage Darkspawn.
Two points you missed: The "shriek" emissaries also appear in DA2. One is a boss in the prologue. Also, you did not talked about the presumed "religion" of the darkspawn (that seems to revolve around the Old Gods). The DA2 entry on the Emissaries says that they serve as some sort of spiritual guides. And, you can see their altars in the Return to Ostagar DLC. Nonetheless, good video, as always :)
The context, tone and the way "violated" was used in her speech is definitely an indication of sexual assault. To avoid needless controversy it is highly likely they used that word as a substitute. Also is it possible to do a video on the qunari? More specifically their blood and theories behind it. If you have done it already, my apologies :) Brilliant content as always!
Luke it’s not like that dodged it all that much, just look at the city elf starting story in origins, they don’t say it explicitly but it’s very obvious what’s happened
It's so fucking weird that violence, torture, etc is totally ay okay, but sex or sexual violence to further the story is considered taboo by certain countries such as the US. In Denmark we mainly view it as something made up if it's in an entertainment media for a reason and furthers the story, then it's just part of a movie or a game. It's so fucking hilarious that we glorify violence and most people don't bat an eye - but the sight of anything sexual and people lose their shit!
I just find very hard to believe that the Darkspawn have genitals to begin with, If so they wouldn't need a broodmother at all, they could simply have field of female ghouls serving as incubators for them. For me the violation is more ample than that, refering to how horrifying the transformation is. We are talking about the most radical example of celular mutation, with the final product becoming completly unrecognizable. To do so you would need more than simply force them to eat the corrupted flesh, It would require injections of blood, transplants of huge amounts of tissue, and many other abominable experimental procedures. If just a drop of their blood can infect you, assume that sexual violence is necessary is ludicrous, we are talking about a terror far beyond that, the complete perversion of the human form. Like a purely biological version of what the Reapers do in Mass Effect. It's more like a reflexion of slowly seeing yourself becoming a monster, as your mind slowly fall to insanity, like when Captain Keyes was taken by the Flood in Halo 1. At the end his mind couldn't even gasp at what he had become, with basically 80% of his body already disassembled by the proto-gravemind.
Luke something akin to as well violate sexually oh most definitely but well...these are Darkspawn they can do a lot worse than rape...(sorry if that uh brings up rough imagery if it pains you to read I will rescind my comments and change it to better be read)
Lately I have been thinking about what happens when the last archdemon is killed. Many people, both in game and irl, talk like the darkspawn will cease to be a threat, but can we be certain of that. I mean the darkspawn spend most of the time between blights searching for an old god, but what happens when there are no more old gods to find? So Ghil, what do you think will happen once all the old gods are dead? Eternal peace-ish (at least as far as the darkspawn are concerned), or blight without end? Also, that's a hyena, not a dog.
King-of-Snakes I think they would continue to attack the dwarves underground, and occasionally attack the surface until they go extinct. Whether that is possible is unknown.
The darkspawn seek out the song of the Old Gods, yes? If the Old Gods are all gone, would the song not disappear as well? If the Mother's reaction to being severed from the song is anything to go by, mass panic and lashing out is likely. Less organization, more "violent tantrum against everyone." That's my thoughts on the matter, at any rate.
King-of-Snakes The Archdemon keeps them organized, and seems to hand most of the horde's large scale decision making- something akin to a general. Moreover, the Archdemon itself is one of the Spawn's greatest assets in combat, with it being able to bring the force of a high dragon (and likely some amount more) to bear, and its,virtually immortal nature. How the Darkspawn would react to the utterly destruction of the Archdemons is unclear, but they would certainly see a massive dip in overall combat effectiveness. Blight-level events may not even be possible without an Archdemon to organize them. It wouldn't be a magic bullet, and we'd still need the Wardens for some time to come, but it may well give Thedas a chance at wiping out the Darkspawn for good.
Jesus, I'd never played Awakening so I had no idea how dark it gets. Like, seriously disturbing stuff. Adds a whole new layer to how terrifying the darkspawn are. Their reproduction is rooted in one of the most hideous atrocities one can inflict upon another
Darkspawn are another crime of the Elven people, as if warmongering against Dwarves and Humans wasn't enough. "When Andruil began stalking the Forgotten Ones in the Void, she suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning. She put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, until Mythal turned into a great serpent and sapped Andruil's strength with her magic, stealing her knowledge of how to find the Void. Andruil couldn't get back to the abyss ever since, and peace returned." - Madness, like Wardens who succumb to the taint, or Ruck. - Andruil donned armor of the Void and made weapons of darkness, red lyrium. - All forgot her true face, figurative due to behavioral changes or actual physical mutations. - Plague ate her lands, the blight. - Things meant to be forgotten, truths about the Elves origins, as I suspect they are not a native species on the planet. - Why did Mythal become a dragon? Because they are more resistant to the Blight, as revealed in Dragon Research when playing Inquisition. - Who cured themselves of the Blight? Fiona, by way of ancient Elven writings perhaps. - Similarly, who cured an Eluvian of the Blight? Ding, ding another elf taught by a Keeper who would have access to the oldest knowledge found of her people.
Fiona was actually cured by the Architect. It happens while she is with Maric Theirin and Duncan during the events of The Calling. This is also when Alistair is conceived. The Architect experimented on the Grey Wardens, in order to find a way to immunize the darkspawn against the “music” or the calling.
@@TheSpicyLeg while that is possible I don't think so, as she was still exhibiting major signs of the blight well after the party escaped him, and there is no hint that he performed magic on anyone other than Utha, who he merely *accelerated* the taint within. i think it was somehow tied to her pregnancy, much as Moragan's ritual drew the grey warden's taint into the baby, and in a book Garaheal's sister was able to cure the blight from Griffon eggs. I think there is something related to pregnancy/being a mother that allows for the Taint to be cured. but then again, whatever the cause it rendered Fiona completely immune to the (conventional) blight, as she was put through the joining again but it had no affect... however she *was* still susceptible to consumption by Red Lyrium as "in hushed whispers" shows.
The darkspawn lore is the best I remember spending so much time looking up whenever in a fade stage in any of the three DA games trying to find the black city.
Jesus i remember how it disturbed me 1 origins moment when i heard this dwarf woman, just playing casually at night and hear in tunnel her whisper....had to stop and play in daytime
Everyone does... ....we need to all write a Letter or sign a petition to get the Old Darkspawn back (:\) That's why I can't stand Inquisition... you can't have the Freedom to become a Grey Warden.... and the Darkspawn are barely shit considering the fact that *their Appearances received a Massive NERF* (:/) (P.S. I still Rate Dragon Age Inquisition a Strong 7.5/10 it's just Dragon Age: Origins carried more Emotion and meaningful Story Choices... as well as The Main Antagonists being not only more Menacing but also more Interesting than they were in Inquisition and therefore Dragon Age: Origins = 10/10 Flawless Diamond (;D)
@@AlexLopez-vm7uq Idk if you got the memo but bioware is a empty shell of what it once was. Dragon age 2, inqusition, mass effect 3, mass effect andromeda and now anthem all blunders ( in fact dragon age inquisition was supposed to contain far more content in its base game but they cut it short. So we got big empty maps with meaningless fetch quests and like 12 hours worth of main story missions). I also agree on the dark spawn question, their new appearance is a downgrade. P.s the 5th blight ended just ten years before the events of inquisition, playing as a warden during a time of peace wouldn't be too interesting, unless you want a redo of awakenings plot, or spend the majority of the game doing missions in the deep roads. Blights take centuries to occur after all. Wardens are on patrol duty until the next blight.
Alex Lopez I kinda like the new looks cuz compared to the old ones (not knocking them whatsoever ever)they uh kinda just looked likes orcs and stuff at times mainly the genLocke and hurlock...)but I think the ogre looks bad ass as hell in its new redesign as does the hurlocks they look well blighted and diseased in a way and I love that....I think the hemlock design should have stayed similar and the shrieks...not sure half half on that one but everything seems alright to me with some big ups and some downs
The way broodmothers are made doesn't outright say its SA but its so heavily implied that its almost impossible to view it any other way. I think this was the intention of the writers all along and I'd consider any denial of it today as a retcon. Is it horrible? Yes. Are the darkspawn horrible? Also yes. Making the Darkspawn sexually parasitic just makes them even more horrifying and disgusting which is kinda their whole point.
Honestly, I just keep waiting for a game that will get back to murdering Darkspawn as a central theme. I mean, I don't mind if we don't see another "Blight" and fight another Arch-Demon, but I'd like a more in-depth look at the Taint the Black City and such. Why couldn't we be a member of an expedition to the Deep Roads for research? Maybe our goal in the game is to establish "bases" in the Deep Roads as well as supply lines above ground because some Sage or something has come up with some theories to test on ending the Darkspawn Threat forever. Maybe none of them work, and that's fine, but I think a game based on discovering more about them and going further into the Deep Roads and finding all the lost lore about them... maybe even their exact birthplace.... Well, that would be an adventure I'd love to go on. Even if we never do discover the true lore of the Black City and the Chant of Light. Even if we never discover the true origins of the Darkspawn. I'd like some hints, at least. At the very least, I'd love to know the reason the Magisters were tainted, even if we never discover exactly how.
The theory is that the Black City is Artlathan, the capital city of the long gone Elven Kingdom. And that the Maker doesn't exist in his true fashion. It's believed that he exists as a spirit in the fade because when a lot of people start believing in something a representation of that thing exists in the fade. Well also Solas "created" the fade and the elves ruined them selves. So we still don't know anything but this is just a theory. But it would be amazing to actually enter the Black City and finally see what it is! We have seen the Black City like twice in the games when you enter the fade from the distance. Once in Origins and in Inquisition. Even Solas comments on it when you see it.
Yeah, that's part of what makes me really dread the Deep Roads in Origins is the Broodmother. I actually puked during that segment (thankfully not on my computer) because of the imagery. It's really horrifying stuff.
I didn't care too much for the redesign of Darkspawn and the shriek emissaries in Inquisition just felt like arcane horrors except they're weak to ice. Regarding the Genlock, if they are in fact used to mine lyrium does the taint within them corrupt it into red lyrium? Why wouldn't they get any closer to all the untapped lyrium in the Descent other than the Sha-Brytol protecting it? I'd be interested in seeing a darkspawn use it other than Corypheus. Anyways lovely video as always.
You guys remember when Dragon Age was a really dark game like in Origins? With each race having committed and/or suffered injustices by other races and often their own people. Like with the Dwarves with a caste system so strict it makes the Qun look flexible. City elves treated like less than dirt in ghettos who can only get hired as servants but are treated more like slaves without the physical chains. The Dalish who's first instinct is the shoot first and ask question later for all outsiders. And humanity doing what humans do, go to war, stab each other in the back, blame the next guy then go to war with him. And that's just the races we play as, the world is also dark and terrible (as this video suggests) and I think the game was better for it because it felt more real. I miss those times and lament that they will prolly never come again for the series.
Hello new subscriber, just wanted to let you know that when you talked about the Architect I may have light on why he has no memory. It deals with a codex entry you find in the Fade, it explains that a dwarf finds to mage looking darkspawn arguing then end up fighting leaving one severely injured.
It seems to me that Origins is faaar more grim then DA2 or DA:I is. I’m guessing Bioware was aiming this towards older players. Almost everything aimed towards an older audience is better and more loved.
I'm looking forward to seeing more information about the Kal Sharok dwarves and their connection to the blight, there has only been small bits of information so far. Something very strange about that place. I'm wondering if there is a titan there myself. 😀
One thing I found interesting was the lack of ogre emissaries. We know that the Qunari obviously have mages, although they're chained/heavily restricted. And don't get me wrong, an ogre emissary would be a challenging enemy I'm not particularly eager to face. But with the dwarven people turned to genlocks suddenly able to use magic, I see no reason why the qunari equivalent wouldn't happen. Maybe this would be tackled in a later game? Or maybe it'll be written off as "ogres are rare anyway, so magic ogres would be near impossible."
Late to the party, but that bit about Alphas fighting for turf in the Deep Roads when there's not a blight makes me think that perhaps when a darkspawn troup/squad/team (whatever) finds an Old God to taint, that it brings them some kind of honor maybe? Or perhaps there's a boon that the Archdemon will bestow on those specific Darkspawn that discovered him? Normally i'd think of Darkspawn as a hive, so if any of them discover the Old God body they all win, but maybe they compete for it as well. Also something im wondering about is, since all Grey Wardens go into the Deep Roads when their Calling comes, how come they dont tell the Darkspawn of the Old God locations? We know that select few of the senior wardens know where they are, and if they start hearing the Old God's call, do they resist it? Or is it just implied they die before they fully transform into darkspawn that want to bring about the new Blight?
Anyone else want a darkspawn follower? Maybe a mage one be intriguing to learn a New specialization, a side quest that last the entire game about finding out who they were beforehand.
Well if they were someone beforehand then they'd be a ghoul and those are mindless darkspawn. They'd have to be one of the magisters or born from a broodmother to be capable of speech. So if we do get a friendly darkspawn then there's no way his storyline would be us finding out who he was before he was blighted.
The chuldren from the mother , the mother was a mage before she became a broodmother Before coming insane she remembered her magic and used it to alter her new children. This may also be a result of the awakening for her
This made me think of something that I had not thought of before. I DAO the call of the blight is referred to as a song and Lyrium is said to sing as well. This makes me think of 2 possibilities. 1. The magesters somehow made red lyrium and in doing so, became blighted and in turn created the darkspawn. 2. Red lyrium already existed but, was in some way contained. The magesters then discovered it and tried to use it but, instead ended up being used by it. If the later is true and the blight/red lyrium has a will of its own, what if tearing down the veil is what it wants?
Inherently evil race. Even when awakened and try to do "good" will leave death and misery in their wake. A cursed existance when you become aware and realised your an abomination and struggle withouth going completely insane.
So I've been reading all the in-game codex on the darkspawn across all the games, and the DA wiki, nowhere in any of it does it say that darkspawn rape women during the process of becoming a broodmother. In fact, the only implication that there is any sexual abuse at all is in Hespiths' poem, "Eighth day we hated as she is violated". Now not to make light of sexual abuse, but this one line in a creepy poem made up by a tainted crazy women who's seen all her friends and family sacrificed to the DS by her lover is hardly solid facts. And like you said, violated can mean almost anything, up to and including sexual abuse; but if I was force fed tainted DS flesh and vomit, and the flesh of my friends and family, then I would consider that being violated. Ignoring that fact that this game never really shied away from the topic of rape, even saying the word several times throughout the game, I never got the impression that DS sexually abused women. I only ever even heard of this opinion a little while ago, and the fans who ascribe to this topic, talk like the women are just gang raped repeatedly by the DS; like what? When was that ever said by anyone besides some fans who were severely disturbed by this part of the game? No lore says it, no one in game ever says anything like that, so this might just be a case of fan emotion and imagination that ran a little wild. The facts are that DS are asexual, they can't reproduce. They kidnap women, force feed them their flesh and vomit to taint them. If they survive, then they become cannibalistic and will eat living flesh until they start to bloat and change until they mutate into broodmothers. From there, they automatically start to reproduce on their own; DS have been compared to insects in that they share a hive mind and that the broodmothers (insect queens) will give birth by themselves. Is it not bad enough that women in DA are the victims of this type of evil, force fed tainted meat, vomited into their mouths, not automatically dying from the taint, only to then become cannibalistic and continuously stuff yourself with the flesh of whatever people the DS kidnap, and then changing in a DS factory that just continues the cycle? All that bad shit and you just wanna add the possibility that maybe the women are gangraped nonstop while it's all happening, like, there's a limit to how much something can be horrible until it becomes ridiculous to the point that this even crossed some persons' messed up mind to think of trying to pass this off to a game developer.
Well. it's never said darkspawn don't reproduce sexually, the whole "brood mother" things leads me to believe that at lest in part they reproduce sexually, We see "brood" used in an "egg" setting, like fish, birds, and insects. They have broods that hatch from eggs. All sexual reproducing creatures for the most part, and Broodmothers are very insect like to me and derivative from humans, dwarfs, elves, and qunari who are them selves sexual reproducers. I think it's possible that darkspawn have drones of some kind, that fertilize the "queen" (broodmother) after a normal woman is corrupted(how ever that goes down, flesh and puke and the like). and then they are killed/die and so we never really see them. We would never really get close enough for long enough to see a broodmother be or even need fertilized, getting that close for anyone not extremely well trained in combat or stealth is lethal, and when the darkspawn and broodmother see or sense you your attacked. Who is gonna get close enough for long enough to a darkspawn nest basically and survive just to find out the answer to "Do darkspawn fuck?". very few people. and fewer still remain sane enough to write it down for us to find in a codex. But that's just my take on the disgusting and wonderful thing.
Every play through I have done halfway through DA:O shreiks destroy your camp. After you've done everything outside of going to the landsmeet. Anyone else?
coriphispit still had his memorys coz he was sleepin in the prison where as the other one had to live every day thinking and he lost the memorys over a long ass time
The Darkspawn design change from Origins to 2 is such a massive misunderstanding of what the Darkspawn are They're not a horde of zombies like you'd see in so many other games. They're the goddamn *Chaos Warriors* from Warhammer. They represent corruption, not death. Perfectly capable of battle tactics just as their mortal counterparts
I think the codex states that darkspawn are born able to walk, and grow to adult size quickly. The Children were a mutation, I believe, likely due to the Architect's ritual on the Mother. Unlike other darkspawn, these Children can be laid as eggs, which then hatch later.
The speaking darkspawn from awakening could be considered different. In a way more evolved because of the architect's experiments on other darkspawn including the insane broodmother
Im kinda wondering about the dialogue between Solas and Blackwall when he asks him about the origin of the blight then finishes by saying "nothing, i hope they are right" it makes me think Solas knows more about the origin of it and what causes it but that is just me.
I know these videos are pretty old by this point, but I am a little disappointed you didn't include mention in the "culture" part about how in DA:O they turned the forge at Ostagar into a sort of shrine. I've always been curious about that.
Bit late to the party, but "We have no idea how many of them round around" ... Well, can't be more than seven, because six priests entered the golden city under Corypheus. One ate the other, so... Corypheus + the architect + possibly four more.
A good darkspawn is a dead darkspawn. Even if the amnesiac magister manage to create peace, their life cycle makes them invasive by nature. So what, the people of Thedas will have to create a culture around sending women into darkspawn horde to be turned into broodmothers just so their race could survive? The newly-turned will just spread more taint, more ghouls created, going insane, killing everything & anything they get their hands on. They have to keep up their aggression or face extinction. But I get it, the first darkspawns are still around, they might be able to use their magic to find a new way for darkspawns to breed, & in time, darkspawns can become just another race on Thedas but I don't see that happening. Back when I play DAO, when I hear violate, I & being "filled with" and "touched", I just assumed drown in blood or force feed corpses foie gras style, and touched being some form of restraints.
I did want to ask, given what we know after the second DA:O book. From what I recall, Grey Wardens don't turn into mindless ghouls, rather they simply deal with hearing the "song" of the Old Gods but can ignore it, their bodies is effected by the Blight but it never causes them to rot or lose their minds. Did that get retconned or does everybody keep forgetting that? It's the whole reason the Architect wanted Grey Warden blood, was to try to do a sort of reverse Joining ritual to free the Darkspawn of their urges to follow the calling of the Old Gods, and how we got the fifth blight.
Has an old god ever been encountered that hasn't been blighted? Are we sure that they aren't blighted to begin with? Frederic's war table mission reveals that dragons are resistant to the blight but also that common dragons have the blight in them. Also do old gods want to be found by darkspawn? Why do they sing a song only blighted creatures can hear prior to being infected themselves. And lastly and prehaps most far fetched but what if the Tevinter Magisters were already tainted before breaching the veil and the voice Corypheus and the others heard was the song that darkspawn do?
For me its obvious why most dark spawn have little culture they have such purpose instilled in them searching for arch demon or listening to the commands of the calling, they don't require much independent thought. The notion of a hive mind (even a weak or disorganised one) defeats the necessity of developing complexed language. Counterpoint: much like the industrious goblins of Tolkien's Hobbit darkspawn forge their own weapons and armour, and siege devices. Style even born of pragmatism denotes culture, the choices they made along the way define them.
I know this video is years old now but I still come by to listen to the lore when I’m bored or in the mood for DA lore. But when talking about the creation of brood mothers I think using the term bio is a interesting and strange wording? Could they mean while they forced the women to eat the meat of either other dwarves they also fed them dark spawn meat and blood? Maybe other liquids from the dark spawn as gross as that sounds🤢
Tbh could you guys imagine an intelligent species of darkspawn, they would become more dangerous than they already are. Plus in my opinion the Architects plan is very sketchy, specifically the part about spreading the taint amongst Thedas. Considering how at leaat half the population would die, the rest would be suspectable to being controlled by the Architect. Plus I do believe the Architect was one of the first magisters to bring the taint so why trust someone who caused the problem in the first place. Thats just my opnion on it
In the beginning of this vid you said there was no depiction of a humanoid race being ghoulified. If you play Dalish origin you get attacked in your camp at one point by shrieks and at the back of your camp you will find Tamlen who is being ghoulified. He says he is sorry and he cares for you but attacks you.
I like to think the Architect is similar to Shale, that his essence or maybe even his very body was trapped in some fashion, and lost to sheer entropy of time. It would explain how he got from point A (first Darkspawn incursion) to point B (pre-Origins) with absolutely no interaction with the world without having the excuse of being buried alive by Wardens.
i honestly forget how dark the first game was. Like realy disturbing stuff
Then it turne intu glowing childish crap.
Think I mentally block this quest out until I'm reminded of it. So messed up.
Yeah its all pc and alot less unique now. Changed to be more mainstream
Colin Sheehan yeah that's why I said its all pc and not unique anymore. As in origins wasn't anywhere near as pc as the 2 and inquisition
Colin Sheehan yeah it seemed the main goal for the developers of 2 was to squeeze as many bi sexuals as they could all up in your party instead of you know good level design and combat. I finished inquisition because I spent 90$ on that bitch but pales in comparison to origins it was all just barely interesting companions and filler quests to get more hours which sucks coz it did have some decent chunks of story, ive been doing the same the witcher trilogy just cant be beat as far as a more dark fantasy universe gets.
Love how dark origins is
I want a remastered version
@@Ser-Lusacan maybe we get some years later a dragon age remaster maybe called "warden edition"
@@shinrok perhaps the blight edition
@@Ser-Lusacan this title works too
Thedas is at its darkest during a blight. Everything becomes a bit more lighthearted in the years between, but when the Darkspawn come up…ohhhhh boy
There is alot of mystery surrounding the origin of the darkspawn. It is written that the Tavinter mages corrupted the Golden City, but one of those mages stated that it was already corrupted when they got there.
There has been a lot of foreshadowing that something isn't quite right. Things like the Primeval Thaig and the darkspawn not all being pure evil all hint to somerhing greater and much darker.
I just hope Bioware has the vision and ability to make it a big payoff.
Those hint at the presence of the Blight, and Darkspawn, before even the Magisters went to the Black City, as the war mentioned in the DA:I DLC that takes you into the Deep Roads, the King's army sent to quell the Titan's disturbance mid war, encounters creatures that were very Darkspawn-eque, but that they weren't the foe being fought, and despite their much larger force, and obvious deadly skill, they seem to perform some kind of magic ritual, and seemingly vanish in the middle of the night, leaving behind no trace of where they went.
I’ve started to think that the elves or another precursor race made the taint to fight back against some unknown enemy. Perhaps they were a creation of the Titans to be used against the elves, and the Evanuris were infected before they were imprisoned. I don’t know, but I’m sure of one thing: It’s not a disease.
It’s a bioweapon, a bioweapon that’s gotten so out of control that even the Titans don’t know how to stop them anymore, and the damn things LIVE in them
The thing is the city was very much actually 100% golden prior to the magisters sidereal according to recorded historical records
well there goes that hope, sadly.
For me the darkspawn are closely related to the evanuris the origins of it, it all comes from the black city the seat of the gods perhaps the evanuris in their tyranny and lust for power experimented with red lyrium created The taint as a biological weapon to quell the elven rebellion, Solas did say he had to create the veil as last resort because the evanuris were plotting to destroy the world, it was probably they were probably trying to use the taint Solas trapped them with the taint in the middle of it like a plague or fallout got out of control in the Golden city corrupting it, so when Corypheus and the first magisters on a later age reached the now tainted black city they got infected and brought the taint back to Thedas as the first darkspawn.
Origins darkspawn design was on point actually gave me chills, the dark spawn from inquisition was like it was made by children lol
Was so excited after I played the 1st and realized there was 2 more. My disappointment was immeasurable.
It's almost like Origins was about the Darkspawn while Inquisition wasn't.
True, they were truly disgusting and gross in Origins. Later versions look like Skeletor goons!
It just occured to me that a person whose relative was made into a broodmother is technically related to a darkspawn like lets say your sister is made into a broodmother an ogre could be your nephew
Then I'd be wondering if that ogre is trying to kill me or just hugging his favorite uncle.
What birthday gift do you buy your ogre nephew? A severed arm?
Mr Ghil Hmm. A toy corpses would do just fine.
SpikedPuddingStudios No no wait, a gigantic rattle? Trash-can lid sized pacifier?
...then again, everyone has that one relative that they are ashamed of....
Odd how the architect wasn't ever used or brought up again.
With the warden civil war going on maybe there's hope for his return in d4.
Well, the Architect can be mentioned in the DA2 quest "Finding Nathaniel", but yeah, it's strange that he wasn't even mentioned in Inquisition.
Dragon Age Awakening was the last thing Bioware did - mostly - as they wanted too.
DA II was told to be made Console "friendly", even though the player-base was 90% PC. Not saying it's a no-console game, but you upgrade and branch out, not cut down. The DA II was done in a smaller budget, more controlled, small story, "simplier game mechanics" and console friendly mode.
Even if we see a DA 4, it either won't be DA or won't be Bioware.
I think you're a bit too harsh on them, but I agree in sentiment. Origins was the most interesting game of the series in more than one way, though I still enjoyed the stories told in the other two. But when it comes to the Darkspawn, I agree, they were dumbed down, made bland and lost a lot of the "scariness" they had in Origins. The Architect was a fascinating character, who made some good points and put you before amoral quandary. Especially if you look at what he create by accident, the Mother. Fucking disgusting, in the best way. She stills makes me feel uncomfortable. As did the part in the main game in the Deep Roads. I get it, we don't need a game series just about the Blights, and some variance is good, but the Darkspawn became completely generic enemies in the other games, and that's down to bad design decisions. Why even put them in Inquisition, if they are nothing but some bland background fodder.
I know, I'm sorry. I feel that while DAO was bringing new things, and an adult storytelling.. well.. the rest didn't. The Art of DA II wasn't new, neither was the story that good or unique. Nothing in DAI was unique.. new for it's time.. or .. well, for me, not enjoyable at all. I hate how they connected repeative mmo missions with the storyline. It wasn't a good choice.
The Architect was SUPPOSED to be in Inquisition or DA2 (can't remember which) but it was scrapped. I keep assuming it will come up again though.
I hate how they changed the look of the Darkspawn
NO_FUN_ALLOWED same. They look really silly now
They just look like Zombies from any old fantasy game now.
biggest thing i hate about the new games, more than the story and gameplay issues
My issue isn't that they changed the look--they changed the look of everything. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that they changed genlocks from darkspawn dwarves to...quadrupedal apelike things that are about three times the size of a genlock--and then offered no lore reason for why that change was made and treated it like that's just how they've always been.
ValroggTheInvincible thats how bioware be. To damn frickle for their own good.
There's something you missed on The Children segment that might make your entire narrative about it moot. The Childrens fought with the Darkspawns, even the Darkspawns are afraid of them. The Childrens are something new made by The Mother, so they're definitely not a larval-stage Darkspawn.
That little fight in the background tho 10/10
Starts 07:30
Two points you missed:
The "shriek" emissaries also appear in DA2. One is a boss in the prologue.
Also, you did not talked about the presumed "religion" of the darkspawn (that seems to revolve around the Old Gods). The DA2 entry on the Emissaries says that they serve as some sort of spiritual guides. And, you can see their altars in the Return to Ostagar DLC.
Nonetheless, good video, as always :)
Shriek in dragon age 2?
@@andhikaarisetiawan4542 yup they goes like dual blade ninja
The context, tone and the way "violated" was used in her speech is definitely an indication of sexual assault. To avoid needless controversy it is highly likely they used that word as a substitute.
Also is it possible to do a video on the qunari? More specifically their blood and theories behind it. If you have done it already, my apologies :)
Brilliant content as always!
Luke it’s not like that dodged it all that much, just look at the city elf starting story in origins, they don’t say it explicitly but it’s very obvious what’s happened
@@lorekeeper2611 yeah that plus when you go to get the dalish elves Swift Runner tells you the Zathrien's daughter was "raped and left for dead"
It's so fucking weird that violence, torture, etc is totally ay okay, but sex or sexual violence to further the story is considered taboo by certain countries such as the US. In Denmark we mainly view it as something made up if it's in an entertainment media for a reason and furthers the story, then it's just part of a movie or a game. It's so fucking hilarious that we glorify violence and most people don't bat an eye - but the sight of anything sexual and people lose their shit!
I just find very hard to believe that the Darkspawn have genitals to begin with, If so they wouldn't need a broodmother at all, they could simply have field of female ghouls serving as incubators for them.
For me the violation is more ample than that, refering to how horrifying the transformation is. We are talking about the most radical example of celular mutation, with the final product becoming completly unrecognizable. To do so you would need more than simply force them to eat the corrupted flesh, It would require injections of blood, transplants of huge amounts of tissue, and many other abominable experimental procedures. If just a drop of their blood can infect you, assume that sexual violence is necessary is ludicrous, we are talking about a terror far beyond that, the complete perversion of the human form. Like a purely biological version of what the Reapers do in Mass Effect.
It's more like a reflexion of slowly seeing yourself becoming a monster, as your mind slowly fall to insanity, like when Captain Keyes was taken by the Flood in Halo 1. At the end his mind couldn't even gasp at what he had become, with basically 80% of his body already disassembled by the proto-gravemind.
Luke something akin to as well violate sexually oh most definitely but well...these are Darkspawn they can do a lot worse than rape...(sorry if that uh brings up rough imagery if it pains you to read I will rescind my comments and change it to better be read)
Lately I have been thinking about what happens when the last archdemon is killed. Many people, both in game and irl, talk like the darkspawn will cease to be a threat, but can we be certain of that. I mean the darkspawn spend most of the time between blights searching for an old god, but what happens when there are no more old gods to find? So Ghil, what do you think will happen once all the old gods are dead? Eternal peace-ish (at least as far as the darkspawn are concerned), or blight without end?
Also, that's a hyena, not a dog.
King-of-Snakes I think they would continue to attack the dwarves underground, and occasionally attack the surface until they go extinct. Whether that is possible is unknown.
The darkspawn seek out the song of the Old Gods, yes? If the Old Gods are all gone, would the song not disappear as well? If the Mother's reaction to being severed from the song is anything to go by, mass panic and lashing out is likely. Less organization, more "violent tantrum against everyone." That's my thoughts on the matter, at any rate.
King-of-Snakes
The Archdemon keeps them organized, and seems to hand most of the horde's large scale decision making- something akin to a general. Moreover, the Archdemon itself is one of the Spawn's greatest assets in combat, with it being able to bring the force of a high dragon (and likely some amount more) to bear, and its,virtually immortal nature.
How the Darkspawn would react to the utterly destruction of the Archdemons is unclear, but they would certainly see a massive dip in overall combat effectiveness. Blight-level events may not even be possible without an Archdemon to organize them. It wouldn't be a magic bullet, and we'd still need the Wardens for some time to come, but it may well give Thedas a chance at wiping out the Darkspawn for good.
@King-of-Snakes You are exactly right. That is a hyena, which is closer related to felines and viverrids than canines. I'm unsubscribing.
What happened in Awakening would be most likely scenario of there being no more Archdemons.
QUANARI BROODMOTHERS
That sounds terrifying
Jesus, I'd never played Awakening so I had no idea how dark it gets. Like, seriously disturbing stuff. Adds a whole new layer to how terrifying the darkspawn are. Their reproduction is rooted in one of the most hideous atrocities one can inflict upon another
Darkspawn are another crime of the Elven people, as if warmongering against Dwarves and Humans wasn't enough.
"When Andruil began stalking the Forgotten Ones in the Void, she suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning. She put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, until Mythal turned into a great serpent and sapped Andruil's strength with her magic, stealing her knowledge of how to find the Void. Andruil couldn't get back to the abyss ever since, and peace returned."
- Madness, like Wardens who succumb to the taint, or Ruck.
- Andruil donned armor of the Void and made weapons of darkness, red lyrium.
- All forgot her true face, figurative due to behavioral changes or actual physical mutations.
- Plague ate her lands, the blight.
- Things meant to be forgotten, truths about the Elves origins, as I suspect they are not a native species on the planet.
- Why did Mythal become a dragon? Because they are more resistant to the Blight, as revealed in Dragon Research when playing Inquisition.
- Who cured themselves of the Blight? Fiona, by way of ancient Elven writings perhaps.
- Similarly, who cured an Eluvian of the Blight? Ding, ding another elf taught by a Keeper who would have access to the oldest knowledge found of her people.
Funny thing this makes more sense than other thorys
Furthur hinted at by corpheous line when we found the city it was already black.
Fiona was actually cured by the Architect. It happens while she is with Maric Theirin and Duncan during the events of The Calling. This is also when Alistair is conceived. The Architect experimented on the Grey Wardens, in order to find a way to immunize the darkspawn against the “music” or the calling.
@@Wilsontripplets speaking of, could the city possibly be Arlathan?
@@TheSpicyLeg while that is possible I don't think so, as she was still exhibiting major signs of the blight well after the party escaped him, and there is no hint that he performed magic on anyone other than Utha, who he merely *accelerated* the taint within.
i think it was somehow tied to her pregnancy, much as Moragan's ritual drew the grey warden's taint into the baby, and in a book Garaheal's sister was able to cure the blight from Griffon eggs.
I think there is something related to pregnancy/being a mother that allows for the Taint to be cured.
but then again, whatever the cause it rendered Fiona completely immune to the (conventional) blight, as she was put through the joining again but it had no affect... however she *was* still susceptible to consumption by Red Lyrium as "in hushed whispers" shows.
Imagine a qunari broodmother boss. I so hope we can see that in DA4, it would have to be one hell of a battle!
The darkspawn lore is the best I remember spending so much time looking up whenever in a fade stage in any of the three DA games trying to find the black city.
Jesus i remember how it disturbed me 1 origins moment when i heard this dwarf woman, just playing casually at night and hear in tunnel her whisper....had to stop and play in daytime
i honestly hate the reskin of the darkspawn
I hated it too
Everyone does...
....we need to all write a Letter or sign a petition to get the Old Darkspawn back (:\)
That's why I can't stand Inquisition... you can't have the Freedom to become a Grey Warden.... and the Darkspawn are barely shit considering the fact that *their Appearances received a Massive NERF* (:/)
(P.S. I still Rate Dragon Age Inquisition a Strong 7.5/10 it's just Dragon Age: Origins carried more Emotion and meaningful Story Choices... as well as The Main Antagonists being not only more Menacing but also more Interesting than they were in Inquisition and therefore
Dragon Age: Origins = 10/10 Flawless Diamond (;D)
@@AlexLopez-vm7uq Idk if you got the memo but bioware is a empty shell of what it once was. Dragon age 2, inqusition, mass effect 3, mass effect andromeda and now anthem all blunders ( in fact dragon age inquisition was supposed to contain far more content in its base game but they cut it short. So we got big empty maps with meaningless fetch quests and like 12 hours worth of main story missions). I also agree on the dark spawn question, their new appearance is a downgrade. P.s the 5th blight ended just ten years before the events of inquisition, playing as a warden during a time of peace wouldn't be too interesting, unless you want a redo of awakenings plot, or spend the majority of the game doing missions in the deep roads. Blights take centuries to occur after all. Wardens are on patrol duty until the next blight.
@@SagaciousNihilist dragon age 2 and ME3 really dude
Alex Lopez I kinda like the new looks cuz compared to the old ones (not knocking them whatsoever ever)they uh kinda just looked likes orcs and stuff at times mainly the genLocke and hurlock...)but I think the ogre looks bad ass as hell in its new redesign as does the hurlocks they look well blighted and diseased in a way and I love that....I think the hemlock design should have stayed similar and the shrieks...not sure half half on that one but everything seems alright to me with some big ups and some downs
Anyone else hope we see the different brood mothers and not just human and dwarf?
Legend has it that the only artist who ever drew a qunari brood mother committed suicide out of horror/disgust...
The way broodmothers are made doesn't outright say its SA but its so heavily implied that its almost impossible to view it any other way. I think this was the intention of the writers all along and I'd consider any denial of it today as a retcon.
Is it horrible? Yes. Are the darkspawn horrible? Also yes. Making the Darkspawn sexually parasitic just makes them even more horrifying and disgusting which is kinda their whole point.
Yes, kinda like the Xenomorph life-cycle is about sexual horror
Give me a good Dwarven reason and sod the rest.
amen there, selrakka
Honestly, I just keep waiting for a game that will get back to murdering Darkspawn as a central theme. I mean, I don't mind if we don't see another "Blight" and fight another Arch-Demon, but I'd like a more in-depth look at the Taint the Black City and such.
Why couldn't we be a member of an expedition to the Deep Roads for research? Maybe our goal in the game is to establish "bases" in the Deep Roads as well as supply lines above ground because some Sage or something has come up with some theories to test on ending the Darkspawn Threat forever. Maybe none of them work, and that's fine, but I think a game based on discovering more about them and going further into the Deep Roads and finding all the lost lore about them... maybe even their exact birthplace....
Well, that would be an adventure I'd love to go on. Even if we never do discover the true lore of the Black City and the Chant of Light. Even if we never discover the true origins of the Darkspawn. I'd like some hints, at least. At the very least, I'd love to know the reason the Magisters were tainted, even if we never discover exactly how.
Sounds like Shadow of Mordor. Fighting to take control of enemy territory, learning about the enemy, crazy dwarven loners.
The theory is that the Black City is Artlathan, the capital city of the long gone Elven Kingdom. And that the Maker doesn't exist in his true fashion. It's believed that he exists as a spirit in the fade because when a lot of people start believing in something a representation of that thing exists in the fade. Well also Solas "created" the fade and the elves ruined them selves. So we still don't know anything but this is just a theory. But it would be amazing to actually enter the Black City and finally see what it is! We have seen the Black City like twice in the games when you enter the fade from the distance. Once in Origins and in Inquisition. Even Solas comments on it when you see it.
Yeah, that's part of what makes me really dread the Deep Roads in Origins is the Broodmother. I actually puked during that segment (thankfully not on my computer) because of the imagery. It's really horrifying stuff.
Developers did their job then.
I didn't care too much for the redesign of Darkspawn and the shriek emissaries in Inquisition just felt like arcane horrors except they're weak to ice. Regarding the Genlock, if they are in fact used to mine lyrium does the taint within them corrupt it into red lyrium? Why wouldn't they get any closer to all the untapped lyrium in the Descent other than the Sha-Brytol protecting it? I'd be interested in seeing a darkspawn use it other than Corypheus. Anyways lovely video as always.
Good question with the lyrium bit. I think it's explained away though in the game after/during DA 2's storyline.
Cute darkspawn babies
I want one .. call him shmooples
matt richard shmooplock whe he grows
matt richard HE SHALL BE THE GREATEST,FIERCEST,MOST POWERFUL DARKSPAWN ALPHA IN THE WHOLE OF THEDAS
AND WE SHALL CALL HIM...
*_Schmooples_*
I kind of want a Talking Darkspawn companion in DA4...
That would be impossible considering they still spread the blight, everyone on your team would get the blight.
Knightly Light shhhhhhh
well get sandal :D as darkspawn
@@amenthegreat3761 would we then have more grey wardens?
Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the gods...and it was empty
Pro tip: The architect can lie.
Wow.
One channel with actual lore, and done well.
Came by accident, stayed on.
Keep up the great job!
This game would have been 10 times better if it had new game plus
The Darkspawn remind me a bit of the Locust from GoW
Fantasy Locust
Your voice is perfect for binge watching.
Right? It's soothing, haha
I am SO glad u did this. I can't be bothered to read; reading on a screen hurts my eyes
Glad to read I ain't the only one liking the original darkspwn design better. Great video btw, really liking your channel.
Since it has never been mentioned, i'd be curious to see an ogre mage, logic would suggest they exest, right?
Gabriele Calabrese nonono...ogre mage that is sentient like the few dark spawn we find with the architect
Weird how elven darkspawn are the ones without magic
I had no idea darkspawn types were based on the race of the brood mother xD that makes so much sense now! Clearly I need to read the Codex more
Watching in 2024 preparing for veilguard a darkspawn game based on the lotr sow games would be great. Always hoping for a dark spawn companion
I wish Daragon age inquisition had origins’ level of gore and dark elements
The Deep Roads mission is the second game I played on 360 that unnerved me
You guys remember when Dragon Age was a really dark game like in Origins? With each race having committed and/or suffered injustices by other races and often their own people. Like with the Dwarves with a caste system so strict it makes the Qun look flexible. City elves treated like less than dirt in ghettos who can only get hired as servants but are treated more like slaves without the physical chains. The Dalish who's first instinct is the shoot first and ask question later for all outsiders. And humanity doing what humans do, go to war, stab each other in the back, blame the next guy then go to war with him.
And that's just the races we play as, the world is also dark and terrible (as this video suggests) and I think the game was better for it because it felt more real. I miss those times and lament that they will prolly never come again for the series.
Hello new subscriber, just wanted to let you know that when you talked about the Architect I may have light on why he has no memory. It deals with a codex entry you find in the Fade, it explains that a dwarf finds to mage looking darkspawn arguing then end up fighting leaving one severely injured.
This channel is great! Can't believe it flew under my radar!
It seems to me that Origins is faaar more grim then DA2 or DA:I is. I’m guessing Bioware was aiming this towards older players.
Almost everything aimed towards an older audience is better and more loved.
That and I also believed that they weren't holding anything back at the time
I'm looking forward to seeing more information about the Kal Sharok dwarves and their connection to the blight, there has only been small bits of information so far. Something very strange about that place. I'm wondering if there is a titan there myself. 😀
One thing I found interesting was the lack of ogre emissaries. We know that the Qunari obviously have mages, although they're chained/heavily restricted. And don't get me wrong, an ogre emissary would be a challenging enemy I'm not particularly eager to face. But with the dwarven people turned to genlocks suddenly able to use magic, I see no reason why the qunari equivalent wouldn't happen. Maybe this would be tackled in a later game? Or maybe it'll be written off as "ogres are rare anyway, so magic ogres would be near impossible."
Well, maybe we have already seen Ogre emissary, "Ogres can regenerate insanely quick" sounds like taint based healing magic to me.
Late to the party, but that bit about Alphas fighting for turf in the Deep Roads when there's not a blight makes me think that perhaps when a darkspawn troup/squad/team (whatever) finds an Old God to taint, that it brings them some kind of honor maybe? Or perhaps there's a boon that the Archdemon will bestow on those specific Darkspawn that discovered him? Normally i'd think of Darkspawn as a hive, so if any of them discover the Old God body they all win, but maybe they compete for it as well.
Also something im wondering about is, since all Grey Wardens go into the Deep Roads when their Calling comes, how come they dont tell the Darkspawn of the Old God locations? We know that select few of the senior wardens know where they are, and if they start hearing the Old God's call, do they resist it? Or is it just implied they die before they fully transform into darkspawn that want to bring about the new Blight?
Missed a good part of this video cause of watching that dog fight in the background lol
Starts 07:30
Another great video and my heartfelt thanks for the warning and the time stamps :)
I'll have to watch this after work but I gotta say that thumbnail was hilarious to see
Anyone else want a darkspawn follower? Maybe a mage one be intriguing to learn a New specialization, a side quest that last the entire game about finding out who they were beforehand.
Well if they were someone beforehand then they'd be a ghoul and those are mindless darkspawn. They'd have to be one of the magisters or born from a broodmother to be capable of speech. So if we do get a friendly darkspawn then there's no way his storyline would be us finding out who he was before he was blighted.
@@asherking159 What about the Darkspawn that followed the Architect, like the one who warned us about the attack on Vigil's Keep?
The chuldren from the mother , the mother was a mage before she became a broodmother
Before coming insane she remembered her magic and used it to alter her new children. This may also be a result of the awakening for her
What about training? The darkspawn seem to be very proficient with the weapons they wield, which makes them formidable advesaries.
I admit I didnt understand those lines when I heard them in-game (broodmother process)
I was really invested in that hunter/hyena fight.
Starts 07:30
best lore info i have found on dragon age thank you.
This made me think of something that I had not thought of before. I DAO the call of the blight is referred to as a song and Lyrium is said to sing as well. This makes me think of 2 possibilities. 1. The magesters somehow made red lyrium and in doing so, became blighted and in turn created the darkspawn. 2. Red lyrium already existed but, was in some way contained. The magesters then discovered it and tried to use it but, instead ended up being used by it. If the later is true and the blight/red lyrium has a will of its own, what if tearing down the veil is what it wants?
Isnt lyrium the blood of a titan? So Im pretty sure it has something to do with them.
i hope the ogre design from dragon age origins comes back in the next game
In many romance languages (Catalan, Spanish etc) "violated" is literally "raped".
You got a great voice for doing these kinds of videos. Nice stuff!!
Inherently evil race. Even when awakened and try to do "good" will leave death and misery in their wake. A cursed existance when you become aware and realised your an abomination and struggle withouth going completely insane.
The fact I’m eating sloppy joe’s while watching this
So I've been reading all the in-game codex on the darkspawn across all the games, and the DA wiki, nowhere in any of it does it say that darkspawn rape women during the process of becoming a broodmother. In fact, the only implication that there is any sexual abuse at all is in Hespiths' poem, "Eighth day we hated as she is violated". Now not to make light of sexual abuse, but this one line in a creepy poem made up by a tainted crazy women who's seen all her friends and family sacrificed to the DS by her lover is hardly solid facts. And like you said, violated can mean almost anything, up to and including sexual abuse; but if I was force fed tainted DS flesh and vomit, and the flesh of my friends and family, then I would consider that being violated.
Ignoring that fact that this game never really shied away from the topic of rape, even saying the word several times throughout the game, I never got the impression that DS sexually abused women. I only ever even heard of this opinion a little while ago, and the fans who ascribe to this topic, talk like the women are just gang raped repeatedly by the DS; like what? When was that ever said by anyone besides some fans who were severely disturbed by this part of the game? No lore says it, no one in game ever says anything like that, so this might just be a case of fan emotion and imagination that ran a little wild.
The facts are that DS are asexual, they can't reproduce. They kidnap women, force feed them their flesh and vomit to taint them. If they survive, then they become cannibalistic and will eat living flesh until they start to bloat and change until they mutate into broodmothers. From there, they automatically start to reproduce on their own; DS have been compared to insects in that they share a hive mind and that the broodmothers (insect queens) will give birth by themselves.
Is it not bad enough that women in DA are the victims of this type of evil, force fed tainted meat, vomited into their mouths, not automatically dying from the taint, only to then become cannibalistic and continuously stuff yourself with the flesh of whatever people the DS kidnap, and then changing in a DS factory that just continues the cycle? All that bad shit and you just wanna add the possibility that maybe the women are gangraped nonstop while it's all happening, like, there's a limit to how much something can be horrible until it becomes ridiculous to the point that this even crossed some persons' messed up mind to think of trying to pass this off to a game developer.
Well. it's never said darkspawn don't reproduce sexually, the whole "brood mother" things leads me to believe that at lest in part they reproduce sexually, We see "brood" used in an "egg" setting, like fish, birds, and insects. They have broods that hatch from eggs. All sexual reproducing creatures for the most part, and Broodmothers are very insect like to me and derivative from humans, dwarfs, elves, and qunari who are them selves sexual reproducers. I think it's possible that darkspawn have drones of some kind, that fertilize the "queen" (broodmother) after a normal woman is corrupted(how ever that goes down, flesh and puke and the like). and then they are killed/die and so we never really see them. We would never really get close enough for long enough to see a broodmother be or even need fertilized, getting that close for anyone not extremely well trained in combat or stealth is lethal, and when the darkspawn and broodmother see or sense you your attacked. Who is gonna get close enough for long enough to a darkspawn nest basically and survive just to find out the answer to "Do darkspawn fuck?". very few people. and fewer still remain sane enough to write it down for us to find in a codex. But that's just my take on the disgusting and wonderful thing.
I liked the remodel they did come across as more zombie like and were definitely stripped of their humanity
“Until you are full of them” oh gross
Baby darkspawn... Adorable
I now have a need to draw baby darkspawn.
Also I'll forever miss the ghoulish smiles on the Hurlocks, so much sadistic glee in those awful faces.
www.deviantart.com/quinn-red/art/Darkspawn-Birthday-761653546
annnnnnd drawn!!!
Oh wow very talented, those are creepy and just so wrong... well done though!
Every play through I have done halfway through DA:O shreiks destroy your camp. After you've done everything outside of going to the landsmeet. Anyone else?
love those videos. been a big fan since your posts on the DA sub.
i want a darkspawn companion so badly
coriphispit still had his memorys coz he was sleepin in the prison where as the other one had to live every day thinking and he lost the memorys over a long ass time
I love inquisition and DA2 i need to play origins after watching your lore videos
The Darkspawn design change from Origins to 2 is such a massive misunderstanding of what the Darkspawn are
They're not a horde of zombies like you'd see in so many other games. They're the goddamn *Chaos Warriors* from Warhammer. They represent corruption, not death. Perfectly capable of battle tactics just as their mortal counterparts
I think the Architect does know who he is, he just hides who he is, but thinks he can find some way to 'fix' the problem he created.
Wooooow that's dark as hell
I think the codex states that darkspawn are born able to walk, and grow to adult size quickly. The Children were a mutation, I believe, likely due to the Architect's ritual on the Mother. Unlike other darkspawn, these Children can be laid as eggs, which then hatch later.
Speaking of archdemons needing their own video... please do that!!😊😊😊
The speaking darkspawn from awakening could be considered different. In a way more evolved because of the architect's experiments on other darkspawn including the insane broodmother
Im kinda wondering about the dialogue between Solas and Blackwall when he asks him about the origin of the blight then finishes by saying "nothing, i hope they are right" it makes me think Solas knows more about the origin of it and what causes it but that is just me.
Thank you for sharing, very informative.
Bioware is hoping we all just forget about Awakening DLC.
I know these videos are pretty old by this point, but I am a little disappointed you didn't include mention in the "culture" part about how in DA:O they turned the forge at Ostagar into a sort of shrine. I've always been curious about that.
So what would if a demon possessed a darkspawn?
Bit late to the party, but "We have no idea how many of them round around" ...
Well, can't be more than seven, because six priests entered the golden city under Corypheus. One ate the other, so... Corypheus + the architect + possibly four more.
We have no actual hard numbers on how many are currently still out and about and if any are or were captures like Cory
A good darkspawn is a dead darkspawn.
Even if the amnesiac magister manage to create peace, their life cycle makes them invasive by nature. So what, the people of Thedas will have to create a culture around sending women into darkspawn horde to be turned into broodmothers just so their race could survive? The newly-turned will just spread more taint, more ghouls created, going insane, killing everything & anything they get their hands on. They have to keep up their aggression or face extinction. But I get it, the first darkspawns are still around, they might be able to use their magic to find a new way for darkspawns to breed, & in time, darkspawns can become just another race on Thedas but I don't see that happening.
Back when I play DAO, when I hear violate, I & being "filled with" and "touched", I just assumed drown in blood or force feed corpses foie gras style, and touched being some form of restraints.
Genlocks can use magic because spellcasting is fueled by the taint.
I did want to ask, given what we know after the second DA:O book. From what I recall, Grey Wardens don't turn into mindless ghouls, rather they simply deal with hearing the "song" of the Old Gods but can ignore it, their bodies is effected by the Blight but it never causes them to rot or lose their minds. Did that get retconned or does everybody keep forgetting that? It's the whole reason the Architect wanted Grey Warden blood, was to try to do a sort of reverse Joining ritual to free the Darkspawn of their urges to follow the calling of the Old Gods, and how we got the fifth blight.
It wasn’t forgotten. It’s a pretty important part of DAI
Has an old god ever been encountered that hasn't been blighted? Are we sure that they aren't blighted to begin with? Frederic's war table mission reveals that dragons are resistant to the blight but also that common dragons have the blight in them. Also do old gods want to be found by darkspawn? Why do they sing a song only blighted creatures can hear prior to being infected themselves. And lastly and prehaps most far fetched but what if the Tevinter Magisters were already tainted before breaching the veil and the voice Corypheus and the others heard was the song that darkspawn do?
Archdemons are beings that take the form of dragons...who else could do that? The old elven pantheon.
Could Archdemons be blighted versions of beigns like the dragon in Jaws of Hakkon? The thought just crossed my mind...
For me its obvious why most dark spawn have little culture they have such purpose instilled in them searching for arch demon or listening to the commands of the calling, they don't require much independent thought. The notion of a hive mind (even a weak or disorganised one) defeats the necessity of developing complexed language.
Counterpoint: much like the industrious goblins of Tolkien's Hobbit darkspawn forge their own weapons and armour, and siege devices. Style even born of pragmatism denotes culture, the choices they made along the way define them.
I know this video is years old now but I still come by to listen to the lore when I’m bored or in the mood for DA lore. But when talking about the creation of brood mothers I think using the term bio is a interesting and strange wording? Could they mean while they forced the women to eat the meat of either other dwarves they also fed them dark spawn meat and blood? Maybe other liquids from the dark spawn as gross as that sounds🤢
9:21 R.I.P.
Tbh could you guys imagine an intelligent species of darkspawn, they would become more dangerous than they already are.
Plus in my opinion the Architects plan is very sketchy, specifically the part about spreading the taint amongst Thedas.
Considering how at leaat half the population would die, the rest would be suspectable to being controlled by the Architect.
Plus I do believe the Architect was one of the first magisters to bring the taint so why trust someone who caused the problem in the first place.
Thats just my opnion on it
In the beginning of this vid you said there was no depiction of a humanoid race being ghoulified. If you play Dalish origin you get attacked in your camp at one point by shrieks and at the back of your camp you will find Tamlen who is being ghoulified. He says he is sorry and he cares for you but attacks you.
"Genlocks: These are darkspawn that you can't transfer to Pokemon Sword or Shield."
the brood mother was such a pain in the ass to fight. the only way i saw to beat her was with morrigan.
i always too the children being span larval stages
I like to think the Architect is similar to Shale, that his essence or maybe even his very body was trapped in some fashion, and lost to sheer entropy of time. It would explain how he got from point A (first Darkspawn incursion) to point B (pre-Origins) with absolutely no interaction with the world without having the excuse of being buried alive by Wardens.