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Originally Posted by Factions Manuscripts
On the northern continent of Tyria, the mole-people known as the Dredge are a pitiable race, enslaved by the wicked Stone Summit dwarves and ready to fight alongside any who will help free them from their masters’ whips. In the Echovald Forest of Cantha, a few small colonies of escaped Dredge jealously defend their prized freedom. The offspring of a few desperate escapees from the Shiverpeaks who tunneled for hundreds of miles to reach their strange new home, these Dredge have no reason to feel any friendship toward humans or anyone else—they escaped slavery on their own, and plan to establish their race anew in the petrified woodlands.
Dredge villages are marked by large dirt mounds. The mole-people live primarily in the tunnel networks linking the mounds together. Those who underestimate the ferocity and aggressiveness of the Canthan Dredge do so at their peril. |
The Dredge’s Original Homeland
There seems to be nothing to indicate where the Dredge originally came from, prior to their enslavement. All we know for certain is that they lived underground, and most likely near Sorrow’s Furnace, as that is the first place we actually see them.
Because there are so many Dredge (it is literally cramped) in the southwestern corner of Sorrow’s Furnace, I believe that that corner is at the edge of the Dredge’s home. Farther south, west, or southwest, would lead to the Dredge “village” where the young dredge are kept until they are old enough to work.
The area is filled with vegetation, heat and light from above (although very little) and the furnaces, and melting snow, which provides needed water. Everything needed for a living space is provided in that corner alone, extending further, there is probably a continuation of the vegetation (although probably not as much, as there would be less heat from the fires from mines). This corner, with having vegetation, is also much different then the other areas of Sorrow’s Furnace, which is filled with snow and dirt, with little to no vegetation, despite the heat, light, and water provided in the area.
It is known, thanks to Alkar's quest, that this area is an excavation site. The Stone Summit could have been digging, and ended up breaking into one of the Dredge's tunnels, and from there reached the Dredge village and started enslaving them.
There are also two passages to off the map from this area, one heading west, the other heading southwest (at the actual corner).
The Moletariates
Note: Dredge groupings are called “moletariates,” as said by Molenin in Umbral Grotto
The Enslaved Moletariate
This is the original moletariate, the one that the Stone Summit enslaved in Sorrow’s Furnace. The Dredge here seems to be close to their original home, as explained above. These Dredge can be separated into two groups, those who subject to fear and their captors, and those who wish to revolt. The rebellion is led by two Dredge, Molachev and Molenin. Molechev is killed off by the Stone Summit, but Molenin escapes in between the time of Prophecies and Eye of the North.
Then there are the slaves in Eye of the North. These Dredge are much fewer in number because most escaped prior to the Stone Summit moving north, and now the Stone Summit are no longer near the Dredge homeland, making “resupply” of slaves harder.
The low amount of slaves in the Eye of the North further supports the theory of the Dredge homeland being southwest of Sorrow’s Furnace.
The Free Moletariate
Also known as the Canthan Dredge, these Dredge tunneled from Sorrow’s Furnace all the way to the Echovald Forest. These Dredge, as said in the manual, now live in underground tunnels and the above ground. With the southwest corner being the beginning of the Dredge’s original home, there is an explanation why the Dredge take a liking to the Echovald Forest.
The Echovald Forest, being a forest, has plenty of vegetation (albeit stone) like their old home, has a water supply, and is dark due to the tree’s heights. Only one thing that is different is a breeze and all the vegetation being mostly stone.
These Dredge also live underground though it seems, but are trying to start living on the surface. As evident by Moleneaux’s dialogue:
Of course, there are Dredge who are hostile, not wanting to risk being taken as slaves again, such as Maximole.
The Dredge’s Architecture
There is no architecture that I know that is confirmed to be Dredge architecture, as the Dredge mostly live in areas we cannot get to (southwest of Sorrow’s Furnace and underground in the Echovald Forest).
However, from deducing that the southwest corner of Sorrow’s Furnace is part of the Dredge’s home area, we can surmise that the architecture there - which is by far not Stone Summit - is in fact Dredge architecture.
In parts of that corner, specifically west of the Stone Basilica, there are ruined structures of the same design. If these are Dredge structures, then the explanation of these being ruined could be collateral damage when the Stone Summit were digging around and first found the Dredge.
However, there is a problem with calling this Dredge architecture. The same structures can be found all over the Depths of Tyria. In areas that very well might never have been visited by the Dredge, such as Bloodstone Caves and Cathedral of Flames. With the creators of these dungeons unknown, and most likely not by Dredge, this puts a major push back on
The Dredge’s Diet
From the likings of their areas, and little to no known animals in the Dredge corner of Sorrow’s Furnace, it can be deduced that the Dredge are herbivores and eat the vegetation in that area (and in Cantha, eat some of the plants that are not stone).
In fact, in Cantha, the highest Dredge populated areas (the big field and south of the Dredge Temple, both in Ferndale) have high amounts of living vegetation as well as the Dredge corner of Sorrow’s Furnace.
The Dredge’s Future
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Originally Posted by Movement of the World
Over the past one hundred years, more and more Norn have been seen in Kryta and lands beyond. An elder dragon of ice and snow arose in the farthest northern peaks, driving even the most stalwart hunters south into Dwarven lands. There they found abandoned Dwarven forts and a new challenge in the form of the Dredge, the old nemeses of the Dwarves, now almost unrecognizable from the primitive, frightened creatures of the past.
The Dredge, reveling in their new-found freedom after the Dwarves fell to the Destroyers, seized that opportunity to become a real threat in the Shiverpeaks, while the Norn revel in the hunt of new enemies. The Norn and the Dredge fight over control of these lands in a continual war that rages along the highest mountains. |
The Dredges are mostly based off of the Soviet Union, as evident by the names Molenin (Vladimir Lenin), Molachev (Mikhail Gorbachev), and the Moletariate (Proletariate).
