The Frostback Range is the most beautiful place in Thedas, thought Sereda Aeducan as she rode home to Orzammar. The huge snowy peaks soared above her, slicing through the darkening winter sky.
Sereda had been away from Orzammar for nearly two years now and she yearned for the majestic halls of the dwarves and the comfort of being among her own race.
Sereda had enjoyed her time as a Grey Warden with all the adventure, but what she most wanted was to settle down in Orzammar with a family and children.
The huge entrance to Orzammar loomed ahead out of the darkness.
Something, however, was amiss. The guards who always patrolled the entrance to the city weren't there.
Sensing danger, Sereda approached the entrance. Darkspawn tracks were all over it.
She had always been talented at staying in the shadows and not being seen. Carefully she slid through the gate that was slightly ajar into the Hall of the Paragons.
The Hall of Paragons had a special place in the heart of the Dwarven race. It was more than just a place to worship, it was a place of beauty and love for the Stone that sustained and protected the entire race. It was not something an outsider would understand.
And now look at it. A forlorn mockery of the beauty the chamber had once contained. The statues of the Paragons - including of herself - had been corrupted by the foul darkspawn that prowled the chamber, even the carved features seemed to be leering in the flickering torchlight. The floor was covered in the thick, pinky oil that shows over-exposure to the taint.
Sereda took a few tentative steps into the hall but it was useless. A couple more steps and she would be swarmed by the darkspawn.
She would have to find another way in.
As she stepped out into the moonlight which now drowned the landscape in a white, eerie sheen, her mind was spinning. What was happening? Was Bhelen and his little son - her nephew - alright? Were they all dead? Or had they, by chance, escaped?
Her father, Endrin, had always told her that the Palace was impregnable, but then many people had said that Orzammar was.
An airshaft that lead into the Royal Palace was just about fifty feet up and that would be where she began her search.
Worried she began her trek to the airshaft.