Darkspawn

The darkspawn are probably the greatest threat to life on Thedas, which is truly saying something, considering the myriad dangers in this world. They are a race of mutated, hive-minded monsters that live underground, occasionally erupting from below in an effort to wipe out the surface world. This means that while they are an occasional threat to elves, humans and Qunari, the dwarves, who primarily live underground, are constantly fighting for survival against them. The darkspawn are ruthless, contaminate the land itself, and able to summon seemingly limitless numbers. Infected with a corruptive substance known as the taint, they are a dire threat even in small numbers, as they breed not in the traditional manner, but by transforming other species into more of their own blighted kind. In a truly vile process that is not fit to discuss here, a female of another species is subjected to unspeakable horrors and eventually emerges as a massive, bloated, immovable creature called a broodmother. These terrifying beasts give birth to thousands of offspring during their lives, and what type of darkspawn emerge depends on what species the broodmother began its existence as. This is why there are many different types of darkspawn, though they are all referred to as one species. Dwarves become genlocks, humans become hurlocks, elves become shrieks, and Qunari become ogres. There are various other, stranger, fouler types of darkspawn as well, but, trust me, it’s better not to dwell on how those are created.

The explanation of how and why darkspawn came to be depends on whom you ask. According to the Chantry, over 1200 years ago a group of Tevinter Magisters, the seven high priests of the Old Gods, used an obscene amount of sacrificial power to physically enter the Fade, specifically the Maker’s Golden City. Andraste’s Husband was understandably annoyed by this wanton act of trespassing, and cast the seven back to Thedas, where they arose as the first darkspawn. The Chantry claims the seven tainted the city when they set foot in it, but some sources, generally from Tevinter and specifically Corypheus himself, maintain that the darkness was already there, waiting to be unleashed, and the seven were lured there by false promises from the Old Gods. How trustworthy of a source an insane aspiring-god can be is debatable, but his account does cast doubt on the accepted truth. The dwarves, meanwhile, just say the darkspawn have always been there. Wherever they came from, it is a matter of historical fact that they appeared in force those 1200 years ago and nearly drove every other race on Thedas to extinction. Darkspawn are constantly subjected to a kind of song-like, psychic communication, generally referred to as the call, from the Old Gods that are imprisoned deep underground. Though there are rumors of intelligent darkspawn capable of speech and cutting themselves off from this song, the call generally compels all darkspawn to search for the Old Gods, which is why they remain underground for centuries at a time. When they find one, they infect it with their taint, and the God rises as an Archdemon. While more powerful darkspawn are capable of using the call to control small groups of their kind, only an Archdemon can hold sway over virtually the entire race at once. When an Archdemon rises, it leads its kin aboveground in what is known as a Blight, which is an attack on the surface meant to kill and destroy everything in its path. There were seven Old Gods and, as of the writing of this book, five have awoken, led Blights, and been slain by the Grey Wardens. This begs the question, what happens to the darkspawn when they run out of Old Gods to awaken? Are they bloodthirsty by nature, or are they compelled to be that way? Do the darkspawn simply become mindless beasts when the call ceases? Unfortunately, there is no way to know how those questions will be resolved, even if the future of Thedas might depend on the answers.