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[gandanlin]

How exactly does the werewolf curse work?
 
I’ve been playing through the section of the game in the Brecelian Forest, and it occurs to me there is much about the werewolf curse that I do not understand.
 
The curse exists because, long ago, humans committed grave crimes against Zathrian’s son and daughter. In revenge, Zathrian used blood magic to curse those humans, turning them into werewolves.  Many centuries later, the Lady of the Forest seeks to end that curse. Only Zathrian can end the curse, but in order to end the curse both Zathrian and the Lady of the Forest must die. So far, so good.
 
When Zathrian and the Lady of the Forest are brought together to discuss the ending of the curse, Zathrian uses the word “ancestors” (of the current werewolves) to describe the people who committed the crimes against his son and daughter. The current werewolves are not the same individuals who committed the crimes, they are descendants of those people. So this must mean that those cursed to become werewolves are able to procreate and bear young and that the young bear the curse themselves and in turn become (or are born as) werewolves. This must be, because the crimes were committed by the ancestors of the current werewolves.

The Lady of the Forest encourages the current group of werewolves to attack the Dalish and infect them with the curse. She does this because she wants to end the curse, and the attacks are intended to force the issue. Infected Dalish also turn into werewolves, as we see in the case of Danyla. But what is not clear is whether or not the Dalish who become werewolves are able to continue living with the curse, generation after generation, as the infected humans do.
 
Now perhaps I am wrong here, but my impression was that the infected Dalish were dying of the curse. So does that mean that the curse affects elves differently than it does humans? Or have I got it wrong? Would the infected Dalish become werewolves that would be able to procreate and continue on, generation after generation?  Or not?

Just wondering.   

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

I was under the impression that the curse is a hit-or-miss transformation: either it kills you or it transforms you. I'm also under the impression that's how it always works, regardless of race, though I could be wrong there.

[gandanlin]

Well, it is interesting to think about. Though largely unexplained.

In any event, it does seem that the curse can go from generation to generation -- in humans, at least.

[Corker]

Well, the elf Danyla finishes the transformation and becomes a werewolf.

[Ferretinabun]

Can't remember it all exactly so I may not be bang on here, but I see no plot holes with the idea that the infected Dalish in Zathrian's clan were merely doomed to turn into werewolves (who could go on living and procreating) rather than actually die.

I was more confused as to exactly when and why Zathrian bound Witherfang to the Lady of the Forest.

[Corker]

@Ferretinabun, my impression was that the wolf Witherfang was the 'Patient Zero' of that werewolf clan. The ritual that bound the spirit to the wolf also magically *waves hand* enables the wild, wolfy nature of the spirit to be passed on via bite. So Witherfang bit people and they turned into the first werewolves (of this pack; I remember a thread on the board ages ago where a writer confirmed that Witherfang is not the origin of all werewolves everywhere). He did all this as his revenge against the humans who killed his kids.

Zathrian being bound in turn to the spirit was a side effect of the blood magic he used to summon and bind the spirit.

[BevH]

@Corker: You're correct in that the werewolves weren't limited to the Brecelian Forest. In the human noble origin, you learn that that's how Bann Cousland became the teyrn because he united the others to combat the werewolves there. As to why some die while others turn, I would imagine it has something to do with their constitution. Weaker people would die while stronger ones would endure and become werewolves. Just my opinion, of course.

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

A writer confirmed that? I thought Zathrian did.

Modifié par Riverdaleswhiteflash, 05 septembre 2012 - 06:33 .

[BevH]

Riverdaleswhiteflash wrote...

A writer confirmed that? I thought Zathrian did.

As I stated in my prior post, there have also been werewolves in Highever.

[Klidi]

In the forest, you meet the Dalish woman who turned into a werewolf. She's clearly in terrible pain, so transformation is not an easy process. It is quite possible that some people don't survive it. But I always assumed that the goal of the Lady was not to KILL the elves, but to turn them into werewolves - to make them victims of the same "punishment" that Zathrian created for humans.

And yes, Zathrian says that the Witherfang is only the origin of the wolves in the Brecilian Forest, so even without HN you know that there are other werewolves.

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

Her goal, as I understood it, was to force Zathrian to end the curse in order to protect his people from it. So whether more elves died or more elves transformed, the Lady still wins. Of course, having them transform into werewolves and further spread the curse helps more.

Another question along these lines... does killing Zathrian really kill him? Or do you think that come DA3 Zathrian's going to knit himself back together via pure hate and try to kill the Warden?

Modifié par Riverdaleswhiteflash, 05 septembre 2012 - 08:32 .

[Klidi]

As it was already said that the Warden's story is over, I believe he's really dead.

[gandanlin]

It would not really seem that odd that the curse would affect elves differently than humans. It could even be that in humans the curse is inheritable, while in elves it is not. Such differences can happen.

Since Zathrian is the magician who curses the humans in the first place, I suppose he would know best what the curse can and cannot do. Maybe if he is raised from the dead in a later episode of the game he will have something further to say on the questions here.

Unresolved issues have a way of re-appearing.

[Klidi]

Not in Dragon Age, they don't. Unresolved issues are forgotten and further complicated by plotholes, and time inconsinstencies in the sequel which is in fact not a sequel but a new story in a similar world. ;D

[thats1evildude]

gandanlin wrote...
Now perhaps I am wrong here, but my impression was that the infected Dalish were dying of the curse. So does that mean that the curse affects elves differently than it does humans? Or have I got it wrong? Would the infected Dalish become werewolves that would be able to procreate and continue on, generation after generation?  Or not?

The infected Dalish would have indeed become werewolves who could pass on the curse themselves. That's exactly what happened to Danyla. If it seemed to you like they were dying, that's because the process of becoming a werewolf is slow and immensely painful.

It should be noted that the werewolves weren't all descendants of the barbarians who raped Zathrian's daughter and beat his son to death. Some of them were just innocent Fereldans who stumbled across the werewolves at some point and were turned into one of them.

Modifié par thats1evildude, 06 septembre 2012 - 10:51 .

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

Yes, one did, and met the Lady. But I'm under the impression that even the werewolves weren't sure the others would survive. (A number of them did, but if memory serves you get fewer werewolves than you get Dalish.)

And yes, noted, but that doesn't make them any more innocent than the descendants of the original attackers. The descendants were innocent already. Still, it does make Zathrian more of a villain that his revenge is poisoning people who had no connection to the act.

Modifié par Riverdaleswhiteflash, 06 septembre 2012 - 10:53 .