Taint

“There is a taint that is within the darkspawn. A darkness that pervades us, compels us, drives us to rail against the light.” ― the Architect

Taint is a physical corruption spread by the darkspawn that ultimately makes the victim hear the call of the Old Gods. It can be transmitted through contact with darkspawn blood and fluids, or through objects imbued with the taint, such as eluvians. The contact does not automatically make one sick, but there is a great chance of it.

Taint also manifests as spidery tendrils of black rot, along with a dry shiny film covering underground passages used by darkspawn. As the corruption progresses, it gathers into black sacs the size of a man lining the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

Origin and nature

Races of Thedas had no knowledge of the taint prior to -395 Ancient when the Golden City blackened and first darkspawn appeared underground. The Chantry teaches that the magisters who entered the city "brought sin to heaven" and were "corrupted by their crime".

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Yet tainted lyrium can be found in the Primeval Thaig that was built before the First Blight.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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Corypheus rejects the accusation that they "brought darkness into the world", asserting that they "discovered the darkness", "claimed it as their own, let it permeate their being".

A Neverran cult known as "The Empty Ones" believed the Blight to have originated from a place called the Void ("a place of nothing"), and that it is by the Maker's will for all of his creation to return to it.

Ancient elven sources mention "plague" that ate Andruil's lands after she entered the Void.

The tainted

Darkspawn

Main article: Darkspawn

The darkspawn horde is connected through the taint, functioning as a hive-mind. While high ranking darkspawn like emissaries or alphas have a limited influence upon small groups, and the Architect and the Mother also command larger groups, only an Archdemon can command the entire horde.

Ghouls

Main article: Ghoul

The taint spread by the darkspawn twists and corrupts people and animals, which go mad, develop physical afflictions, and/or perish outright. Survivors are transformed into ghouls. Most infected subjects are put down as a precaution and an act of mercy. Even "ghouled" victims will ultimately be killed by the disease, leaving whole areas completely lifeless. The longer an infected creature lives, the more it will manifest hair loss, aggressive or even rabid behaviour, and numerous deformities, protrusions, boils and sores.

Once the taint progresses enough, the darkspawn recognize ghouls as their own kind, and ghouls can sense darkspawn and hear the call of an Archdemon.

Other

When the taint comes into contact with the local flora it usually poisons and kills the plants and trees making the area infertile for many years. However deep mushrooms seem to grow near the taint.

The Black City taints those spirits foolish enough to draw too close.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

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Eluvians can be tainted as shown in the Dalish Elf Origin.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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Bianca Davri's research indicated that red lyrium has been infected with the taint. During the Descent the Inquisitor learns that lyrium is the blood of the titans.

Blight magic

A genlock using magic

The taint carries magical power that allows darkspawn emissaries to cast spells.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Last Flight.

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During the Fourth Blight, Isseya witnessed Archdemon Andoral breath out a vortex "of darkness both spiritual and physical" that is described as unquestionably magic but having no connection to the Fade.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.

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Prior to the Fifth Blight First Enchanter Remille explains that the darkspawn possess a different type of magic that is driven by the taint, and he conspired with the Architect to learn it.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

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Avernus has discovered a way to use the taint in Grey Warden blood to cast powerful magic. Even non-mage Wardens can access it, since all Wardens carry the taint.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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Vivienne compares blight magic to one of the three wineglasses Corypheus is drinking from along with ordinary and elven magic. Solas adds that the false Calling created by Corypheus is a form of blight magic. He condemns it, saying that the glass is poisoned and no intelligent creature should attempt to use the taint safely as it corrupts everything it touches.

Boundaries

Some areas below the darkspawn-infested Deep Roads are surprisingly free of the taint.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.

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In 9:10 Dragon Maric and the Grey Wardens descended below the Deep Roads and discovered natural caverns covered in colored moss and smelling of musty greenery, with an underground lake in one of them. Signs of corruption disappeared in the caves but abruptly returned as soon as the group found another way up to the dwarven passages.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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In 9:42 during the Descent Valta noted that darkspawn seem to avoid derelict lyrium mines below Heidrun Thaig for no apparent reason. The verdant cavern further down turned out to be a space within a titan.

Managing the taint

Acceleration

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.

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The Architect accelerated the taint in Bregan, Genevieve and Utha with his magic upon their consent. First Enchanter Remille gave the Grey Wardens who would search for Bregan black brooches that, unbeknownst to them, also sped up the rate of their corruption. Only Duncan was unaffected as the dagger he had stolen from Remille rendered him immune.

Resistance

Dalish Keepers can combine herbal tinctures and a magic ritual to slow down the taint in recently infected victims, but only for a time.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

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The Joining ritual dramatically slows the taint in Grey Wardens, but after about thirty years the major effects of corruption set in. When a Grey Warden begins to hear the call of the Old Gods, they set off into the Deep Roads to fight to the death before they turn into ghouls themselves.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

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By giving darkspawn the Grey Wardens' resistance to the taint, the Architect is able to grant them sapience.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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Dragons are unusually resistant to the taint and can stem its spread within their own bodies by growing cysts around blighted flesh. They cannot do this indefinitely, though.

Cure

In rare cases an infected subject (e.g. The Mabari Hound) may make a full recovery if given early care.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Last Flight.

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A Grey Warden blood mage, Isseya was able to purify a clutch of griffon eggs by drawing their taint into herself. Embryonic creatures, they had little to anchor the taint unlike mature organisms.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.

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Fiona is the only known Grey Warden who was cured of the taint. possibly due to her pregnancy.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Merrill was able to purify a tainted eluvian with blood magic.

Trivia

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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• David Gaider stated that Anders being merged with Justice may have one of the two effects: "One is that the spirit within Anders can affect the level of his corruption, so it may delay or remove the necessity for his Calling altogether. Either that or at some point the corruption within Anders is going to corrupt the spirit." He refused to tell which one the writers prefer.