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[Wintermist]

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.

I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.

I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post.

I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls.

I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.

I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all nights to come.

While it fits well with the Grey Warden too, I'd have loved to see something similarly epic for the Grey Warden and not the short few words they did get.

Modifié par Wintermist, 14 novembre 2009 - 05:10 .

[David Gaider]

Keep in mind that the "30 years" figure is a number that has been thrown around on these forums. The actual number varies according to the individual, and it's difficult to look at the ages of existing Grey Wardens for a guide simply because they tend to age more quickly as a result of the taint.



But it isn't just a few years, no, and if someone joined the Grey Wardens when they were old enough it's possible that they could live a relatively long life anyhow -- especially compared to those with poorer health or worse circumstances. I think for most Wardens, however, the prospect of living *long* enough to actually reach their Calling is a fearsome prospect. It's not something that springs on you suddenly. It creeps on you and you feel it coming.



Still, it is a good long while. The idea of the "death sentence" more comes from the knowledge that it *does* hang over your head. No matter how well you otherwise live, it will come to an unnatural end. If you tell me that kind of time limit being handed to you, even a long one, wouldn't be disturbing to you then I'd say you are an exceptional person.

[David Gaider]

Zenthar Aseth wrote...
Actually, it was Alistair in the game who said "30 years, give or take." So I didn't get it from the forums..

Alistair says that?

Huh. Well, that shows how good my memory is these days. My apologies. As I recall, that's Alistair's assessment for the player (who is pretty young), but the "give or take" should be taken liberally.

I think it's good this way. I'm just amused that this caused so much drama before the game was released "Omg! my character will die like just after the game ends?!?!"... and then it turns out you can live very, very long after the ritual. Can you say what factors decide how long you can endure the taint? Willpower? Physical strength? Or is just about genes? Some can take it longer, some not as long?

I'd say it's mostly physical health, but there are stories we've done where some Grey Wardens who lose their will or who become despondent feel the Calling much, much earlier than others. So willpower obviously plays a role. Who knows? Maybe how much you're exposed to the darkspawn after the Joining also has a role -- a Grey Warden who barely encounters the taint after their Joining might last much, much longer than one who's fighting them on a daily basis.

Modifié par David Gaider, 14 novembre 2009 - 06:20 .

[David Gaider]

Spyre2001 wrote...
We all have a "death sentence" the moment we are born. Most people just put it out of their minds though and simply ignore it much as I'm sure the Gray Warden's do. Also no one can be curtain of when they will die. I mean sure they know that in about 30 years the taint will over take them but they could die on the battle field tomorrow for all they know.

You could make a real life comparison to that as well. Say a doctor tells someone they have a terminal illness and only about a year to live. Well that's still not very specific of a date and for all they know they could get hit by a car, fall down the stairs, or die any number of ways before the illness would of killed them.

Once you get into your 50s or 60s you start to realize that you might not have another 30 years and even if you do they might not be "good" years. You might end up requiring full time medical care while your motor skills slip away. So just like with the taint you might wonder if it's better to check out early when you see the end coming. For the young and healthy this is unthinkable but for those who see their minds sliping away because of altimers or their bodies failing due to various causes this would seem like mercy in the same way the Warden's view going off to the Deep Roads before the taint madness takes hold and kills them.

The point is even if you have a general estimate on hold long you have to live for whatever reason there is no guarantee. It doesn't give you a specific date and you could die from any number of things before then. You never know what will happen on any given day. I mean the average life span is what 70 years? So odds are you have about 70 - (your age) years left to live.

That's no doubt very true. I'm sure most Grey Wardens put it out of their head and chalk it up to "if I even live THAT long..." You'd have to, wouldn't you? Or it would drive you crazy. Chances are, however, that the longer a Warden lived the more that death sentence would weigh on them. Every Warden is probably going to deal with it differently.