The Darkspawn were a looming demonic threat in Dragon Age: Origins, but it might be Dragon Age 4 that finally pulls back the veil on the Blight to reveal the true nature and origins of these creatures. Different factions in Dragon Age have their own explanations for the origins of the Darkspawn, but there are a few big hints Dragon Age that fans have got in recent games that point to some big answers coming in the next installment.
Dragon Age 4’s main plotline has huge implications for the Darkspawn for a variety of reasons. Solas, known as the Dread Wolf, has been revealed as an ancient elven mage-turned-god who now aims to tear down the Veil he erected between the Fade and Thedas. The secrets of the Fade could expose the truth about the Chantry and the history of the Tevinter Imperium, establishing an account of the Darkspawn’s true origins once and for all.
The Tevinter Account
The ancient Tevinter Imperium is seen as responsible for the Blight by most of the denizens of Thedas. The story goes that in days of yore the ambitious mages that led the Imperium, seven high priests of the Old Gods known as the Magisters Sidereal, breached the Veil and entered the Fade. In order to do this, they had to sacrifice many of the capital’s elven slaves, as well as its Lyrium - and possibly Red Lyrium - supplies.
Once the Magisters Sidereal entered the Fade, they ventured to the Golden City. The Golden City is a location in the Fade believed to be the home of the Maker or the home of the Old Gods depending on the religious account. Dragon Age: Inquisition had one of the seven magisters, Corypheus, as its villain. According to Corypheus, the Magisters entered the Golden City and found the throne of the Maker empty. This reveal has big implications not only for the Chantry’s account, but for the Darkspawn as well.
The Chantry Account
According to the Chantry, by entering the Golden City the pride of Dragon Age: Inqusition's Corypheus and the other magisters corrupted it into the Black City, and the Maker left his creation behind. As punishment, the Magisters Sidereal were transformed into the first Darkspawn. Unlike the hordes seen in the main Dragon Age games, these Darkspawn were able to think and command other troops. The Darkspawn then corrupted the slumbering Old Gods of Thedas, who appear as dragons deep beneath the earth.
The first of these dragons to become corrupted became the first archdemon in Dragon Age lore, and it was not until this dragon’s defeat that the First Blight came to an end. The Chantry’s account of the origins of the Darkspawn is one of punished pride, and they believe that when the Chant of Light is sung from all four corners of the world the Maker will return and destroy the Blight once and for all to reward his faithful.
The Implications for the Darkspawn
However, new evidence has big implications for this account of the Darkspawn and their potential future. First, the fact that Corypheus found the Maker’s throne empty implies that at the very least the Chantry’s understanding of the Maker is limited. It is possible that the Chantry is misattributing the name of the Maker to another being or group of beings found in the fade, whether they be the Old Gods or members of the elven pantheon trapped there by the Dread Wolf.
The role of Lyrium in Dragon Age: Inquisition also hints that the nature of the Fade and the Darkspawn may be very different from previous interpretations. If the Warden from Dragon Age: Origins chose to corrupt the Urn of Sacred Ashes with dragon blood, their companion Leliana will fight them to the death. Once killed, she returns as some sort of Lyrium ghost in Inquisition, able to interact with the physical world. Leliana believes the Maker brought her back, but it also seems possible that the Lyrium itself made some sort of decision to revive her.
In Inquisition’s The Descent DLC, Lyrium is revealed the be the life-blood of huge underground macro-organisms known as the Titans. The Inquisitor delves further into the Deep Roads than ever before in search of an earthquake-causing Titan, only to discover they have been exploring the veins of the being all along. The Deep Roads are usually filled with Darkspawn, and it is from the Deep Roads that the Blights emerge with their archdemons. Not only does this have implications for many accounts of Thedas’ cosmology, but the Titans have also potentially created Dragon Age’s first dwarven mage.
If the Titans and the Darkspawn are connected, and Lyrium and the Titans are connected, then the Darkspawn could be directly connected to the Fade and the consequences of Solas bringing down the Veil could be huge. Not only will it likely reveal the true nature of their origins, but it could have huge effects on the Darkspawn, ranging from their total destruction to the creation of more archdemons and another Blight.
It is possible that Dragon Age 4 will set up a dilemma where the player can help Solas bring down the Veil and help liberate the elves, but only at the cost of releasing whatever magical entities are behind the Blight to begin with. Alternatively, perhaps helping Solas is the only way to end the Blights forever. It is possible that the beings which punished the Magisters Sidereal and created the Darkspawn were the elven gods Solas trapped in the fade, looking for revenge upon the elves’ human conquerors.
Even if Solas is not successful in his plan, the fact that the game will deal with the attempt to destroy the Veil and will likely take place in the Tevinter Imperium gives it a lot of potential to deal with the discovery of the real history of the Darkspawn. It is very likely that when the truth about the Darkspawn is revealed it will have huge effects on who players choose to side with, and an old threat from from Dragon Age: Origins could now return as a key decider in the future of Thedas.
Dragon Age 4 is in development now.