The Disciples

The Disciples
Location	Amaranthine Deep Roads
Appearances	Dragon Age: Warden's Fall Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

The Disciples are an advanced form of darkspawn Hurlock, capable of speech, free will and tactical warfare. They are a new type of enemy featured in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

Background

The Disciples are the creation of the Architect. During his research and experiments with the taint, he discovered that the darkspawn can gain immunity to the Calling of the Old Gods by ingesting the blood of a Grey Warden. Since these Disciples are sapient beings, they have developed their own personalities, with the ability to speak, strategize and choose for themselves.

As they are now separated from the darkspawn hive-mind, they are also capable of acts that would damage their own kind severely, such as gratitude or revenge, along with other traits of emotionality. For example, the Disciple the First swore to kill the Mother upon being tricked by her and being imprisoned in the Fade.

Despite this new sapience, some Disciples can stay brutal and sadistic. The Seeker goes beyond his master's wishes by planting evidence that leads to war between the Dalish elves and humans, confusing the Architect. The Withered, despite being ordered to offer peace to the Warden-Commander, seems to take the order at its word and tries to kill all inhabitants of Vigil's Keep except the Commander, presumably to negotiate. Arguably, and as both the Architect and Seranni remarks, this merely comes from the fact that they don't know any better, and their savage nature might be subdued simply through learning of other ways. But through learning or not, some Disciples can also be friendly and helping as much or more than other species. For example The Messenger can assist the Warden during the final battle and, if it is set free after, will be mentioned in the ending as a helpful hooded traveler with a slight lisp who aided those he came by.

Known Disciples

Concept art

• The First
• The Herald
• The Lost
• The Messenger
• The Seeker
• The Withered
• The Architect's war leader (ripped apart by the Inferno Golem in Kal'Hirol)
• Disciple Scout (encountered in Kal'Hirol)
• General Disciples (two encountered at the battle of Amaranthine, one shown being killed if Amaranthine is burned to the ground)
• Heretic Disciples (seven are encountered at the battle of Vigil's Keep)
• Disciple Alpha (Encountered in the Mother's Den)
• The Mother's Disciples (fought in the Mother's Den)

Trivia

• There are two variant models of Disciples in Awakening, differentiated by eye-markings and the color schemes of their clothing which identify their allegiances to the Architect and the Mother. For example, the Withered and the Messenger have red warpaint on their faces similar to the Architect's trademark mask and violet cloaks like his robes, whilst the Mother's Disciples have red cloaks and black markings like scars around their eyes, much like the Mother's scarred facial features.

See also

Codex entry: The Disciples