Darkspawn arc not a race unto themselves so much as a collection of humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures twisted into monsters by the Blight.
Broodmother: Broodmothers are tainted females of multiple races, kidnapped by darkspawn to be ravaged and transformed into giant broodmothers that breed more darkspawn. All of a broodmother's offspring will be darkspawn variations of her race.
Hurlock: The most common darkspawn are hurlocks. Of human origin, hurlocks are essentially foot soldiers, roughly human sized, but possessing considerably more strength and stamina than an average huma11. The crudely carved tattoos with which hurlocks adorn themselves seem to keep track of their kills and deeds, though it is unknown whether these markings have any uniform standard.
Genlock: Genlocks are a stocky breed said to be the most numerous of all darkspawn. Retaining both the strength and hardiness oftheir dwarvcn origins, they are notoriously difficult to kill. Their skin is pale, sometimes yellowish. Their heads are much larger in proportion to their muscular bodies than those of their hurlock counterparts, and their shoulders and arms arc hulking. Like dwarves, they tend to resist magic.
Shriek: Elf-derived darkspawn are known as shrieks because of the earsplitting cries they emit in battle. They are the assassins of the darkspawn, hunting in the dark of night with incredible speed and agility. Shriek talons and teeth are incredibly sharp- their preferred tactic is to leap on their prey and tear it to ribbons. They are thin, with bark.like skin that ranges from light green to dark brown. Shrieks retain both a natural elven agility and relative frag ility. Although only a few solid strikes are needed to kill a shriek, landing those blows is difficult.
Ogre: Towering over their darkspawn kin, the massive ogres arc a rare but heart-stopping sight on the battlefield . Spawned from kossith broodmothers, ogres are huge and broad with long, muscular arms and massive curved horns atop their heads, which they use to viciously charge attackers. Ogres usually only appear during Blights, but some records claim that they have been spotted in the Deep Roads hunting alone or in small groups. During a Blight, up to a hundred of these creatures can accompany a darkspawn horde at any one time, using their great strength to burst through fortifications and demolish the front lines of an opposing army.
Children: Children are large, grublike darkspawn birthed by a unique sentient broodmother known as "the Mother." These monsters emerge from underground, appearing first in their larval stage as childer grubs wriggling on the ground. lf these grubs eat the flesh of slain darkspawn, they sprout legs. They can then run down prey with startling speed. Upon gorging itself again, the childer transforms into a full child, its spindly limbs tipped with spikes that skewer its victims.
Disciple: A disciple is an intelligent breed of darkspawn capable of advanced speech, free will, and tactical organization. Disciples were created by @The Architect after he gave them Grey Warden blood in an attempt to free them from the calling of the Old Gods.
Archdemon: An Archdemon is an Old God that has taken the form of a massive, corrupted high dragon. The Archdemons exercise great influence over darkspawn, who seek to wake them from their slumber deep underground. In the history of Thedas, only five Archdemons have appeared. The Wardens speculate that two more lurk somewhere underground, still in slumber. They believe the Blight will end only if these remaining Archdemons are slain.
Corrupted Owl: Blight Owl When the Deep Roads were lost to the darkspawn1 giant spiders began to feed on dead darkspawn. Their numbers grew exponentially, as did their size. The
Owls warped by the Blight sprout blackened feathers. darkspawn taint has become a permanent part of their systems and is passed on. Their eyes turn blood red and their beaks split in four parts. to their progeny.
Corrupted Spider: When the Deep Roads were lost to the darkspawn, giant spiders began to feed on dead darkspawn. Their numbers grew exponentially, as did their size. The darkspawn taint has become a permanent part of their systems and is passed on to their progeny. Some corrupted spiders have been known to make their lairs in surface forests, but most are found underground.
Bereskarn: Bears corrupted by darkspawn become creatures called bareskarn. They grow larger and sprout enormous spikes.
Blight Wolf: A tainted wolf loses much of its hair, taking on a terrifying skeletal appearance.
Blighted Werewolf: A werewolf infected by the taint similarly sheds its coat, transforming into something even more horrifying.
Dragon Thrall: When any dragon that has not reached full maturity becomes blighted, the resulting horrific mutation is known as a "dragon thrall."
Ghoul: Humans, dwarves, or elves corrupted by the blight but unfortunate enough to remain alive become ghouls: sore-covered, twisted shadows of their former selves.
Often corrupted while held by darkspawn as a captive food source, they prey cannibalistically on other prisoners, slaves to the Archdemon's will and driven mad by pain.