51 réponses à ce sujet

[Xilizhra]

The Deep Roads wildlife is definitely unsuitable, so all of their meat appears to be nug-based, and while fungi might grow underground, you can't just stick them somewhere and wait for them to grow like you can do with plants; they have to grow on something because they can't photosynthesize. Which should actually lead to a somewhat similar problem of energy inefficiency that would grow from an all-meat diet... and I don't think it's possible to grow fungi on darkspawn corpses without them being tainted too. The whole system seems completely unfeasible unless they're importing vast quantities of food from the surface, which makes no sense either. Maybe they absorb energy from lyrium veins in the Stone?

 

This is starting to bug me enough that I'd love dev input on it.

[The Elder King]

It could be possible that they're enough different from humans biologically that they moving not suffer from an all-mean diet.
Though their diet isn't only based on nug. They have brontos too.

[The Elder King]

Here:http://dragonage.wik...ki/Dwarven_diet

[Xilizhra]

It could be possible that they're enough different from humans biologically that they moving not suffer from an all-mean diet.
Though their diet isn't only based on nug. They have brontos too.

I wasn't referring to health problems, I was referring to net energy loss. Eating meat is inefficient compared to eating plants, and predator populations have to be quite a bit smaller than prey populations for them to all be adequately fed. Either their livestock reserves are truly gigantic yet somehow unseen (and in that case, what are the nugs and brontos eating?), or we return to the previous plot hole.

[Gregolian]

Surface dwarves I think is the answer to this.

 

They probably have something in their caves that is considered "dwarven" while also maintaining trade with the "surfacers" as they say and getting other stuff that way.

[Xilizhra]

Here:http://dragonage.wik...ki/Dwarven_diet

That's... helpful but seems very shaky to me. How could they have expanded so far to begin with if they were reliant on surface food? How enormous must their lichen farms be, and where are they? Especially because lichen is partially photosynthetic itself, and moss is completely photosynthetic.

[Divine Justinia V]

The souls of humans.

[Iron Fist]

Protein shakes made from the ashes of our fallen enemies.

[The Elder King]

That's... helpful but seems very shaky to me. How could they have expanded so far to begin with if they were reliant on surface food? How enormous must their lichen farms be, and where are they? Especially because lichen is partially photosynthetic itself, and moss is completely photosynthetic.

The codex states that they became reliant on surface trade after the Blight.

[goat_fab]

That's... helpful but seems very shaky to me. How could they have expanded so far to begin with if they were reliant on surface food? How enormous must their lichen farms be, and where are they? Especially because lichen is partially photosynthetic itself, and moss is completely photosynthetic.

It clearly states that, prior to the fall of the thaigs, they weren't so reliant on surface food. There were clearly places in the Deep Roads that were far more suitable to food production. They would eventually grow into larger cities, and begin shipping out to other thaigs, spreading the wealth around.

Also, I believe it was the World of Thedas that said that the Deep Mushrooms we encounter in the games have several different varieties, all of them slightly affected by the Darkspawn taint.

[Grieving Natashina]

It clearly states that, prior to the fall of the thaigs, they weren't so reliant on surface food. There were clearly places in the Deep Roads that were far more suitable to food production. They would eventually grow into larger cities, and begin shipping out to other thaigs, spreading the wealth around.

Also, I believe it was the World of Thedas that said that the Deep Mushrooms we encounter in the games have several different varieties, all of them slightly affected by the Darkspawn taint.

I just got WoT.  Any idea what pages they get into this?  My mind is spinning, which isn't good considering I need a little sleep tonight...

[dragonflight288]

Roast Nug, bronto, probably variations of Deep Mushrooms, and imported surface foods. 

[Xilizhra]

The codex states that they became reliant on surface trade after the Blight.

What were they eating beforehand, though? The only way I can see it working is if the lichen is manasynthetic instead of photosynthetic, living from lyrium radiation.

[Anvos]

The darkspawn don't occupy and constantly taint all of the deep roads, they just make it unsafe to settle anywhere that isn't highly fortified.

 

Plus thaigs like Shale's that grew up near large underground water sources apear to support alot more underground vegitation than an area like Orzammar.

[dragonflight288]

The darkspawn don't occupy and constantly taint all of the deep roads, they just make it unsafe to settle anywhere that isn't highly fortified.

 

And control the vast majority of them. The dwarven codex on the deep roads says that they despair that every day they see the taint grow.

[Anvos]

Well yes as the thaigs are the safest places to store their broodmothers and scavenge equipment, but alot more of the Deep Roads is the tunnels themselves instead of thaigs.

 

Also now that I think of it didn't Cadash thaig show some fish on Darkspawn spears.

[Xilizhra]

The darkspawn don't occupy and constantly taint all of the deep roads, they just make it unsafe to settle anywhere that isn't highly fortified.

 

Plus thaigs like Shale's that grew up near large underground water sources apear to support alot more underground vegitation than an area like Orzammar.

But you can't have vegetation without sunlight; that's one of its defining traits. It has to be based on lyrium somehow.

[Anvos]

Doesn't seem that much of a leap to assume that certain magical crystals and ores function like a natural glow stone and produce light.

[Xilizhra]

Doesn't seem that much of a leap to assume that certain magical crystals and ores function like a natural glow stone and produce light.

It has to produce more than light, though; it has to produce something that can mimic actual solar energy. Which would be a significant discovery itself.

[Anvos]

Lyrium is the essence of the fade in the physical world, so it isn't that hard to believe the energy magical crystals and ores produce would be able to replace it.

[dragonflight288]

Lyrium is the essence of the fade in the physical world, so it isn't that hard to believe the energy magical crystals and ores produce would be able to replace it.

 

It may be possible theoretically. Thing is, in two games and a novel (The Calling,) there has been no mention whatsoever of the dwarves growing crops. Maybe surface dwarves working with the merchant caste, but this is really nothing more than a theory without much evidence for or against. 

[Anvos]

All three of those occur in modern Thedas times where the Dwarves control only really two cities and a little bit of their surrounding areas and Orzammar is built next to lava instead of water so it makes sense most of their produce and crops would come from the surface.

[The Elder King]

What were they eating beforehand, though? The only way I can see it working is if the lichen is manasynthetic instead of photosynthetic, living from lyrium radiation.

Possibly, but it woudn't be the only thing. Deep mushrooms would've likely be more available than they are now.

[goat_fab]

But you can't have vegetation without sunlight; that's one of its defining traits. It has to be based on lyrium somehow.

There's such thing as low-light vegetation. In the Discover the Dragon Age trailer they just released, we see dwarves milling about a place where sunlight peeks through. In Dragon Age: The Stone Throne, it's mentioned that there are parts of the Deep Roads, including thaigs, that have exposure to at least some light. In addition to all that, the dwarves don't exclusively live underground. They've always had contact with the surface, especially Tevinter.