309 réponses à ce sujet

[SimKoning]

I thought the "insane" broodmother spawned them, since she has the same mouth as well as some insect bits. I still think a compromise between David's concept in the novel, and the fact that they *do* eat in the games would be best. Maybe the taint keeps them going, but they need to eat actual meat to grow.

[Edge2177]

On the topic of grey warden reproduction, there is a spoiler that there is evidence of just that...  won't get into particulars but it's also one of the characters in Origins.

And chances are their mother was a grey warden. *cough cough*

[glperez]

now that they can talk, they cn probably order o take-out when they're feeling peckish.

[Creature 1]

SimKoning wrote...

And there is the problem I have with a lot of the fantasy out there: too often explanations are reduced to, *IT'S MAGIC* or "a wizard dun it". Now of course, in a setting where there is actual functional magic it makes sense to a degree, but I think it should be used only when there is no other option. I think the less handwavium/wizard did it reasons are used, the less suspension of disbelief is needed, which in turn makes the story feel more real. Well that's my opinion anyway...

I have a brilliant idea.  (Of course it is 4:30 am, so YMMV.)  Critters need to eat because of the conservation of energy--you can't burn energy unless you're getting it from *somewhere*.  Even plants "eat", they use the energy in sunlight to make sugars and then burn these for fuel.  If darkspawn do not need to eat but can nevertheless live, they must be violating the conservation of energy, pulling it from the Fade or making it ex nihilo or something.  *waves hands*  So what we do is catch a bunch of darkspawn, harness them to a turbine, and make them run around and around and around forever (or until they fall down dead, but darkspawn are like rats, there's always more of them).  The turbine will do something useful, pump water or even power a ginormous battery!!  We could have whole societies running off cheap energy extracted from the darkspawn, limited only by the number of darkspawn we can safely imprison.  True, it would be a dangerous enterprise, but think of the benefits! 

[YR_Lim]

David Gaider wrote...

DanteCousland wrote...
we know they eat the elves, dwarfes, humans, qunari males and some females they capture as seen in the Broodmother chant but surely that can't be enough for the entire underground darkspawn horde to survive. Its always puzzled me and now with the horde scattered and many small bands roaming the surface how will there diet differ from the deeprodss, surely with a bigger amount of "Meat" and plants nearby they can grow stronger rather than living on deep mushrooms and spiders haha. Just wondering is all. Thankyou.

Darkspawn don't require food for sustenance. The corruption within them keeps them alive. They can eat... but if they do so they do it for reasons other than dietary.

Mr Gaider! That is highly illogical even for a game set in a fantasy world! I believe the corruption will allow them to function way beyond normal physical capability and may even allow the body to cannibalise itself to keep it going! but I am sure they have to eat something...

[Dubya75]

YR_Lim wrote...

David Gaider wrote...

DanteCousland wrote...
we know they eat the elves, dwarfes, humans, qunari males and some females they capture as seen in the Broodmother chant but surely that can't be enough for the entire underground darkspawn horde to survive. Its always puzzled me and now with the horde scattered and many small bands roaming the surface how will there diet differ from the deeprodss, surely with a bigger amount of "Meat" and plants nearby they can grow stronger rather than living on deep mushrooms and spiders haha. Just wondering is all. Thankyou.

Darkspawn don't require food for sustenance. The corruption within them keeps them alive. They can eat... but if they do so they do it for reasons other than dietary.

Mr Gaider! That is highly illogical even for a game set in a fantasy world! I believe the corruption will allow them to function way beyond normal physical capability and may even allow the body to cannibalise itself to keep it going! but I am sure they have to eat something...

Agh! Would that make any difference whatsoever? Like Mr G said, there is no easy answer for this because we are not meant to know all the ins and outs of the darkspawn anatomy. There is no 21st Century science to disect and research.
Yes, perhaps they do canabolise themselves and as a result may not live very long. That would make perfect sense in terms of them having to travel long distances. They are driven to one purpose and one purpose only. That does not involve wondering about what to have for lunch...
Get used to it, darkspawn DO NOT need to eat.

[Absafraginlootly]

SimKoning wrote...

I thought the "insane" broodmother spawned them, since she has the same mouth as well as some insect bits. I still think a compromise between David's concept in the novel, and the fact that they *do* eat in the games would be best. Maybe the taint keeps them going, but they need to eat actual meat to grow.

Yes but WHY? Has her "awakening" given her the independence of thought and intelligence to create something other than a disturbing form of her original species
(previosly human broodmother = darkspawn hurlocks and so on)
that can eat, or is she infact originally a different species than the other broodmothers (not elven, human, dwarven or quanri) and the childers are what she naturally (if you can call what broodmothers do natural) makes since before she was awakend and went mad? Is she maybe some before unseen insect like species? Like the Fex?

Hence my confusion.

As to the whole darkspawn needing to eat in some form to get energy like even plants do, perhaps the taint radiats energy itself that keeps them going until eventually when they are ancient crusty darkspawn they run out of it and then stop.

Modifié par Absafraginlootly, 29 janvier 2011 - 10:57 .

[Zanallen]

I figured that they ate, stored the food and then spewed it back up for the brood mothers that do need to eat. Also, eating the flesh of your enemies could be a form of psychological warfare. They do it simply because it makes them more monstrous and their enemies are more likely to panic in battle.

*Edited to add a forgotten "that"

Modifié par Zanallen, 29 janvier 2011 - 11:06 .

[mousestalker]

Creature 1 wrote...

SimKoning wrote...

And there is the problem I have with a lot of the fantasy out there: too often explanations are reduced to, *IT'S MAGIC* or "a wizard dun it". Now of course, in a setting where there is actual functional magic it makes sense to a degree, but I think it should be used only when there is no other option. I think the less handwavium/wizard did it reasons are used, the less suspension of disbelief is needed, which in turn makes the story feel more real. Well that's my opinion anyway...

I have a brilliant idea.  (Of course it is 4:30 am, so YMMV.)  Critters need to eat because of the conservation of energy--you can't burn energy unless you're getting it from *somewhere*.  Even plants "eat", they use the energy in sunlight to make sugars and then burn these for fuel.  If darkspawn do not need to eat but can nevertheless live, they must be violating the conservation of energy, pulling it from the Fade or making it ex nihilo or something.  *waves hands*  So what we do is catch a bunch of darkspawn, harness them to a turbine, and make them run around and around and around forever (or until they fall down dead, but darkspawn are like rats, there's always more of them).  The turbine will do something useful, pump water or even power a ginormous battery!!  We could have whole societies running off cheap energy extracted from the darkspawn, limited only by the number of darkspawn we can safely imprison.  True, it would be a dangerous enterprise, but think of the benefits! 

The only problem is the workers/handlers would all have to be Grey Wardens. Also, the taint covers the land itself, can it also infect electricity? Blighted power may not be such a great plan if so. I'd imagine if electrical power could be taineted, appliances would cease working immediately after their warranty expires, heating and air conditioning systems would be fragile and require annual maintenance, incandescent light bulbs would provide more heat than light and flourescent lightbulbs would provide ugly light and be dangerous, and microwaves would never get food brown.

A dire world, indeed. 

[SimKoning]

 

I have a brilliant idea. (Of course it is 4:30 am, so YMMV.) Critters need to eat because of the conservation of energy--you can't burn energy unless you're getting it from *somewhere*. Even plants "eat", they use the energy in sunlight to make sugars and then burn these for fuel. If darkspawn do not need to eat but can nevertheless live, they must be violating the conservation of energy, pulling it from the Fade or making it ex nihilo or something. *waves hands* So what we do is catch a bunch of darkspawn, harness them to a turbine, and make them run around and around and around forever (or until they fall down dead, but darkspawn are like rats, there's always more of them). The turbine will do something useful, pump water or even power a ginormous battery!! We could have whole societies running off cheap energy extracted from the darkspawn, limited only by the number of darkspawn we can safely imprison. True, it would be a dangerous enterprise, but think of the benefits!

LOL I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to bring down the wrath of some fantasy fans for bringing up more science than I already have. I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping at least some science in mind with a fantasy story. I just think the important thing to remember is that the characters in universe would be completely ignorant of it. Dragon Age has already done this more than most by leaving it up in the air as to which religion is true (if any), whether the elves were really immortal or not etc. it's part of the reason why like the setting more than Forgotten Realms or even Lord of the Rings.
As far as your idea goes, I think there is one problem: magic may not be "free" energy within the setting's context. Mana could be viewed as the Fade's analog to energy, and pulling it from the fade to cast spells could be imagined as draining energy from the physical word in some way; this could actually make for a nice plot device when you need a weaking or tear in veil.

Agh! Would that make any difference whatsoever? Like Mr G said, there is no easy answer for this because we are not meant to know all the ins and outs of the darkspawn anatomy. There is no 21st Century science to disect and research.
Yes, perhaps they do canabolise themselves and as a result may not live very long. That would make perfect sense in terms of them having to travel long distances. They are driven to one purpose and one purpose only. That does not involve wondering about what to have for lunch...
Get used to it, darkspawn DO NOT need to eat.

As I mentioned above, not even magic is a form a free energy: it's powered by mana and lyrium. So if Gaider were to say that they draw energy from the fade, then I guess would be ok with that, given the nature of the setting. However, the childers have to eat to grow, and they are described as eating human flesh in the games; from a conceptual standpoint, I think that is a problem. If the taint provides this magical energy source, then why do the ghouls need to eat to make more darkspawn? If they need to eat to grow, then they would need to eat to repair sever injuries or missing limbs; this would fit the setting, since, in the game, magic can not easily heal severe injuries. So once again, I think the best compromise is to say that they do need to eat to grow and repair bad injuries, but do not need to eat to power their brain, muscles and other organs. In other words: mana has replaced sugars and fats as a source of fuel, AND powers the magic of the emissaries.  

Yes but WHY? Has her "awakening" given her the independence of thought and intelligence to create something other than a disturbing form of her original species
(previosly human broodmother = darkspawn hurlocks and so on)
that can eat, or is she infact originally a different species than the other broodmothers (not elven, human, dwarven or quanri) and the childers are what she naturally (if you can call what broodmothers do natural) makes since before she was awakend and went mad? Is she maybe some before unseen insect like species? Like the Fex?

I thought she was a creation of the Architect.

[Elhanan]

This does explain a lot. I mean, I would also be rather cranky to be turned into something that does not like pizza, chocolate, or desserts....

[SimKoning]

At least they still get to eat meat... not that raw human flesh is something I would want to eat or anything.

[Akizora]

Maybe it's so simple that regular darkspawn eat because they are hedonists and love the taste of flesh like we love the taste of sweets...We don't NEED the sweets, but a lot of us want it anyway.

[Kenjimaster666]

Bacon and egg sandwhiches.

[SimKoning]

Akizora wrote...

Maybe it's so simple that regular darkspawn eat because they are hedonists and love the taste of flesh like we love the taste of sweets...We don't NEED the sweets, but a lot of us want it anyway.

Yes but we enjoy sweets because they are rich in carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose: it's a direct result of animals needing a constant supply of glucose in order to avoid that whole death thing. If I was going to make up an in-universe reason for it, I would say that it costs too much mana/magical energy to create complex proteins from mana alone, so it's easier just to eat if they want to grow or replace lost body parts. This fits in with the need for injury kits in the game, and the fact that the childers ate *other Darkspawn* to grow to adulthood. Also, if the broodmothers must eat animal flesh (humans, dwarves, elves) to grow darkspawn, then that would suggest that the darkspawn are made from the same proteins and fats that we are. And if the darkwspawn can grow and heal without eating, then why would the broodmother have to eat so much in the first place?

Modifié par SimKoning, 30 janvier 2011 - 06:23 .

[Akizora]

SimKoning wrote...

Akizora wrote...

Maybe it's so simple that regular darkspawn eat because they are hedonists and love the taste of flesh like we love the taste of sweets...We don't NEED the sweets, but a lot of us want it anyway.

Yes but we enjoy sweets because they are rich in carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose: it's a direct result of animals needing a constant supply of glucose in order to avoid that whole death thing. If I was going to make up an in-universe reason for it, I would say that it costs too much mana/magical energy to create complex proteins from mana alone, so it's easier just to eat if they want to grow or replace lost body parts. This fits in with the need for injury kits in the game, and the fact that the childers ate *other Darkspawn* to grow to adulthood. Also, if the broodmothers must eat animal flesh (humans, dwarves, elves) to grow darkspawn, then that would suggest that the darkspawn are made from the same proteins and fats that we are. And if the darkwspawn can grow and heal without eating, then why would the broodmother have to eat so much in the first place?

A broodmother is a ghoul, not a darkspawn.

[SimKoning]

Yes, and one of the suggested reasons why the Darkspawn were eating human flesh at Ostegar was to bring it back to the broodmothers. The implication being that they are eating to grow more Darkspawn young. If flesh is being used to grow young Darkspawn, then that would suggest that they are made out of the same type of proteins that we are. David Gaider also said that the broodmothers eat because they are Darkspawn factories, which would again suggest that the embryonic darkspan need animal flesh to grow. My real point being that there are a few logical holes here that I think should be filled.

Modifié par SimKoning, 30 janvier 2011 - 06:38 .

[SirJeal]

I always felt that the Childers weren't really the same as the original Darkspawn, or if they are Darkspawn anyhow.



If they are classified as darkspawn, I'd go so far as to say it was a new type of Darkspawn. Since we see the Childer Grubs-Adults.



Not only that, but I do remember in that last mission, the Childers suddenly turned on the original Darkspawn and started eating them. (Even the Armored Ogres.) One could say these were the architect's Darkspawn, but it didn't say that they were invading Darkspawn like the time it was the Architects. Also... if the architect really wanted to be allies, I would have presumed he'd make sure the Darkspawn under his command wouldn't attempt to eviscerate you.

[Akizora]

SimKoning wrote...

Yes, and one of the suggested reasons why the Darkspawn were eating human flesh at Ostegar was to bring it back to the broodmothers. The implication being that they are eating to grow more Darkspawn young. If flesh is being used to grow young Darkspawn, then that would suggest that they are made out of the same type of proteins that we are. David Gaider also said that the broodmothers eat because they are Darkspawn factories, which would again suggest that the embryonic darkspan need animal flesh to grow. My real point being that there are a few logical holes here that I think should be filled.

Yes I haven't read through all pages, my ADD rarely allows me to focus for that long But it does seem like a likely scenario, but I also still firmly believe that it is sometimes purely hedonistic that they eat for the taste of it. Either that or ritualistic, because usually they bring living people to the broodmother for her to eat(convert?) into darkspawn.

[Shomoe]

Wait... if darkspawn creates the broodmother and the broodmother gives birth to darkspawn...



how does how did the first broodmother come before the Dragon age? Or did a mad sientist have a experiment gone wrong to create a broodmother?

[Phoenixblight]

Shomoe wrote...

Wait... if darkspawn creates the broodmother and the broodmother gives birth to darkspawn...

how does how did the first broodmother come before the Dragon age? Or did a mad sientist have a experiment gone wrong to create a broodmother?

Obvious the tevinter mages that invaded the Golden city were changed into Darkspawn and they created their first broodmother.

[Hanabii]

Vestigial Remnant? I don't call growing more and far larger breasts Vestigial Remnant Ser Gaider. A vestigial remnant is like an under-grown arm hanging there with no purpose. Or maybe tiny shriveled breasts that haven't grown as much as the rest of the body due to lack of function.



It would make sense though for a brood mother to have a darkspawn on each boob, feeding them corrupt milk. After all, brood mothers are a perversion of mothers.

[Daxne Kettel_]

David Gaider wrote...

DanteCousland wrote...
we know they eat the elves, dwarfes, humans, qunari males and some females they capture as seen in the Broodmother chant but surely that can't be enough for the entire underground darkspawn horde to survive. Its always puzzled me and now with the horde scattered and many small bands roaming the surface how will there diet differ from the deeprodss, surely with a bigger amount of "Meat" and plants nearby they can grow stronger rather than living on deep mushrooms and spiders haha. Just wondering is all. Thankyou.

Darkspawn don't require food for sustenance. The corruption within them keeps them alive. They can eat... but if they do so they do it for reasons other than dietary.

So if the darkspawn don't need to eat to survive, then why at all? Does flesh taste good to them? Does it make them more powerful? Is it a symbol of their culture that we don't understand yet?   

[Boiny Bunny]

If they don't eat, then they get their energy from elsewhere. David was kind enough to point us in the direction of the 'corruption' - but what exactly is the corruption? Physically speaking? Some kind of biological virus that resides in the blood of all darkspawn? That's what it sounds like.