Sylvia Lavellan could never get used to the stillness of air down here. Everywhere she turns, there's no gentle breeze stirring her errant strands of hair, no whisper of wind winding through the trees.
She shudders at the lack of noise she's so used to - of birds singing in the sky, of wolves howling at night. There's not even barks and screeches of those hated varghests lurking beneath their senses.
Deep Roads are, without doubt, *the worst* place she's ever visited, including those despicable deserts and swamps.
No sound, absolutely none but the dull thuds of their footsteps ringing against the forgotten stone as her small group journeys deeper into the gaping abyss, twisting and turning in the intricate maze.
The high arching stone walls of dwarves somehow only works to smother her spirits, making her group quiet and reserved, stark contrast to their usual bolstering banters they bounce off of each other. Even Varric's constant flow of stories falters in the suffocating tension of oppressive darkness that never let up.
Her thoughts inadvertently turns towards Cullen, longing for his warm touches, his soft kisses whispering over her skin. Instead sweat rolls down her sticky body, constant reminder of the dread awaiting every fork of the road.
The days merge into nights in the Deep Roads, and Sylvia no longer remembers exactly how long they've been down here. But today - tonight? - something is different. The Deep Roads that has been remarkably featureless up til now suddenly ends. Instead, the road spreads out to a vast space filled with old Tevinter ruins piling atop of… dragon bones? Sylvia recognizes the huge bones yellowing with age easily, as she's killed a few herself for sport.
"Looks like we made it to the Drake's Fall." She talks out loud, if only to hear something that wasn't the drumming on the stones. The most her companions can muster are series of grunts.
They carefully pick their way through the bones and crumbling buildings, their progress hampered by the rubble. Eventually they arrive at a small clearing. With disgust, she sees the white skeletons of a broodmother at the center.
"I'm guessing this is where the Hero of Ferelden fought 'The Mother'." This time, it's Dorian that speaks out loud.
"Hot, fast, blood pumping. Silence stretches out even as my screams fill the air. The song, the sweet song. Just once more to hear the song, that's all I ever wanted, all I ever needed!" Cole whispers, "Make it stop, make the silence stop! The beautiful song, where did the song go?"
Sylvia wonders who's pain Cole's feeling.
"The Fade bleeds over to this place. The death of 'The Mother' seems to have weakened the Veil remarkably." Solas examines something in the air, invisible to all but him. "I believe Cole is feeling the last moments of this 'Mother'."
She looks over at the gleaming bones again, disgust gripping her tightly. She doesn't want to know what that monster felt before it died.
"Hey! Lookit here!" Suddenly, Sera bolts away, to the side of the clearing.
"Sera, wait!" Sylvia calls after her, worried. Nothing in the Deep Roads was ever harmless. They were never safe. But Sera doesn't slow, and rolling their eyes, her group moves to follow.
The lithe elf kneels down next to dark rocks in the corner.
"What's so fascinating?" Sylvia grumbles out, casting a quick glance.
"You dimwit! This is no rocks. Lookit, it's got limbs and everything."
At that, Sylvia looks once more, and realizes the elf is right. It's discolored and hardened, but it's definitely humanoid in shape.
"Uh, is anyone worried that this one isn't a skeleton like that 'Mother' over there? Or is it just me?" Varric's voice cuts through the silence like a knife.
"What say you to not touching the creepy stone-made evil looking lump?" Dorian suggests on the side, and Sylvia's already nodding in agreement. She doesn't want to touch it - for some reason it makes her sick to the stomach.
But it's too late. Sera's nimble fingers are already running over the humanoid shape, exploring its stony texture.
"Sera!" Sylvia snatches the other elf's hands up angrily. "What part of 'don't touch the creepy rock' did you not understand?"
Sera's snippy retort is lost as the ground begins to tremble. Sylvia looks around, all too familiar panic rising inside her, and again, squashing it in all too familiar way. The stones in front of them begins to crack.
"Move! Move!" She shouts as her magic wraps around her companions, erecting protective barriers. They all scramble backwards, away from the now-glowing stones. It looks like there's blood dripping from within the stones as light blazes throughout the clearing.
After moments of ear wrenching groans of rocks splitting, her small group stares at the pile of rubble now scattered around. In the middle stands a darkspawn - as tall as it was thin. It wore the Tevinter magisterium clothes Sylvia recognized - she's seen it before, during the night Haven was attacked.
She whispers into the darkness, rooted to the spot.
"Mythal protect us all. It's another Corypheus."