Editing The Mother

{{Quote|You took that beautiful music from us, and left us nothing!}}

<onlyinclude>{{CharacterTransformer
|style          = {{{style|}}}
|name           = [[The Mother]]
|image          = The Mother's Face.jpg
|px             = 270x360px
|title          = 
|gender         = Female
|race           = [[Broodmother]] <small>(former [[Human]])</small>
|class          = [[Mage (Origins)|Mage]]
|specialization = 
|rank           = [[Rank#Elite Boss|Elite Boss]]
|family         = 
|affiliation    = [[Darkspawn]] <br> [[Ghoul]]s
|location       = [[The Nest]], [[Dragonbone Wastes]]
|quests         = [[Depths of Depravity]]
|voice          = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0720191/ Dee Dee Rescher]
|appearances    = [[Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening]] <br> [[Dragon Age: Warden's Fall]] <small>(mentioned)</small> <br> [[Heroes of Dragon Age]]
}}</onlyinclude>

'''The Mother''' is a unique [[Joining#The_Awakening|awoken]] [[broodmother]] who leads the [[darkspawn]] attacking the [[Amaranthine|arling of Amaranthine]]. She was a former [[human]] female prior to becoming a broodmother.<ref>[https://pixologic.com/interview/dragon-age/4/ Dragon Age: Origins Interview]. Pixologic.</ref>

== Background ==
{{SpoilerDAOA|style=short|
It is unknown who the Mother was before she became a broodmother, however there are some hints about how she was transformed: the darkspawn forced her to devour her own family during the process. When [[the Architect]] awoke her, freeing her from the [[Old Gods#The Call|Call]] of the [[Old Gods]], she remembered what she once was and what she had been forced to endure, and that realization drove her into madness.<ref name="DARPGC-p291"/>

The Mother longs for the "sweet music" of the Archdemon because that song was the only thing that allowed her to remain unaware of what she had become. Enraged at the Architect, she convinced those [[The Disciples|Disciples]] who feel like her to oppose the Architect's goals, while she strives to re-connect herself and her loyal darkspawn to the Calling.<ref name="DARPGC-p291">[[Dragon Age (tabletop RPG)]], Core Rulebook, p. 291</ref> The Mother hopes that if the Architect is destroyed, the "Song" will return to her. She also wants to be destroyed, as she believes that in death she will be able hear the music again.<ref name="DARPGC-p292">[[Dragon Age (tabletop RPG)]], Core Rulebook, p. 292</ref>

It is unknown if her ability to use [[magic]], that is unique among broodmothers, is because she was a [[mage]] when she was a human, or if its a secondary effect of her awakening. Regardless, however, this unique ability allows the Mother to change her own offspring into the horrific [[children]], instead of just birthing [[hurlock]] darkspawn like the other broodmothers of human origin.<ref name="DARPGC-p292"/>
}}

== Involvement ==
=== ''Dragon Age: Warden's Fall'' ===
{{SpoilerWF|style=short|
The Mother is responsible for the disappearance of Blight refugees in the arling of Amaranthine. This is because of her growing powers, that increase her hunger. Her followers are working with a [[Fereldan]] smuggler named [[Cyril]] to get as many refugees as possible.<ref name="WF">[[Dragon Age: Warden's Fall]], Chapters 2, 3</ref>
}}

=== ''Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening'' ===
{{SpoilerDAOA|style=short|
The Mother controls one faction of the Disciples, as well as a large number of unawoken darkspawn. Most importantly, the Mother is the one breeding the Children. The Mother begins sending darkspawn to assault the arling of Amaranthine as part of her conflict with the Architect. To remove any obstacles preventing her from confronting the Architect, she attempts to eliminate the [[Grey Wardens]] in [[Ferelden]]. To remove [[the Warden-Commander]], she dispatches one of her disciples, [[the First]], to strand the Wardens in [[the Fade]] by luring them into a trap at the [[Blackmarsh]]. The Mother deliberately fails to disclose that the First will also be trapped there, believing she is doing him a favour by allowing him to 'hear the song again'. 

She also charges another Disciple, [[the Lost]], with defending [[Kal'Hirol]] where she houses several unawoken broodmothers of [[Dwarf|dwarven]] origin, who provide darkspawn troops for her. However, although the Architect's darkspawn are repulsed, the mother's darkspawn are slain by the Grey Wardens in the aftermath. With her power base badly weakened, the Mother launches an all out offensive to eliminate the Grey Wardens. The Mother [[Assault on Amaranthine (conflict)|unleashes a horde]] of darkspawn on the [[City of Amaranthine]] to lure the Wardens out, while sending another force, led by [[The Herald (Awakening)|the Herald]], to [[Siege of Vigil's Keep (conflict)|lay siege]] to [[Vigil's Keep]]. 

Eventually, the Warden-Commander and the Grey Wardens attack the Mother's own stronghold of [[Drake's Fall]] beneath the [[Dragonbone Wastes]], following in the wake of the Architect's own attack. The Warden-Commander confronts the Mother in [[the Nest]], where she reveals that it was the Architect who was responsible for turning the [[Old God]], [[Urthemiel]], into an [[Archdemon]] through a botched attempt at an awakening, thus triggering the [[Fifth Blight]]. The Mother's efforts prove futile and she is slain by the Warden-Commander.
}}

== Quests ==
:{{:Depths of Depravity|style=iconmini}}

== Strategy ==
{{See|[[The Mother (strategy)]]}}

== Quotes ==
* ''(regarding the Architect)'' "He claims he wishes the darkspawn to be free. What he truly wants is to '''CORRECT''' them!"
* "[[Kal'Hirol]] lost? The Lost is lost? Lost lost lost lost!
* "Am I not beautiful?" ''(laughs)''
* "We are all lost. But the day will come when the silence ends, even for me."

== Codex entries ==
:{{:Codex entry: The Mother|style=iconmini}}

== Trivia ==
* In ''Jade Empire'', another [[BioWare]] game, there is a creature called "The Mother" that bears similar traits - a corpulent matriarchal entity of a race of twisted humanoids ("Cannibals"), begetting a legion of 'offspring', with the desire to wreak havoc upon the land on the surface.
* She is the only human broodmother encountered so far.
* The Mother is the only known broodmother capable of using magic.

== Bugs ==
* Some experience the cutscene of the Mother's death being replayed in an endless loop, preventing the credits from being shown. {{platforms|pc}} Hitting Esc repeatedly may end the cycle. {{platforms|xbox360}}Pressing the start button several times seems to end the loop.

== See also ==
* [[The Architect]]
* [[The Children]]
* [[The Disciples]]

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="210" spacing="small" position="center" captionalign="center" orientation="landscape">
Promotional Mother.jpg|The Mother in ''[[Heroes of Dragon Age]]''
The children-01 (1).jpg|The Mother's "[[children]]"
</gallery>

== References ==
<references />

{{Darkspawn}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mother, The}}
<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening characters]]
[[Category:Heroes of Dragon Age characters]]
[[Category:Creatures]]
[[Category:Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening creatures]]
[[Category:Heroes of Dragon Age creatures]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Ghouls]]
[[Category:Darkspawn]]
[[Category:Magi]]
<!--Interwiki links-->