Return

" for how long have sleep? Is this still the same age since last I woke?" A being older than the Chantry and even Ferelden started to feel the world around him.

This being resides in a coffin made of metal and stone this resting place was more of a prison than a tomb. However to call this place anything else would wrong for it was a prison for an old god.

Outside

Two elves searching for adventure and forgotten relics of their bygone ancestors found a ruin older than any they had seen before. They had received this information from a group of humans who had entered there land.

"Mahariel come on what could be wrong down here? Our people made it" a male elf who had a small figure and blonde hair. Due to his size you could tell he preferred stealth and blades to swords.

" Tamlen we shouldn't stay here it doesn't feel right" The identified Mehariel told Tamlen in a hushed tone. Mehariel was a female with ink black hair and almost ivory skin. She was also a user of stealth but preferred a bow then to much sneaking around.

" stop worrying what could go wrong?" As Tamlen finished speaking six giant spiders burst through a wall.

The spiders had a dark brown bodies and were at least four feet tall with matching proportions. They scuttled across toward them with their black eyes catching the light Tamlen let out a small scream.

" oh grow up their just spiders!" She yelled to he scared companion as she let loose arrows into two of the respective spiders with a loud crunch.

Tamlen jumped up into the air and stabbed his daggers into the head of a spider. With this move however his arm git stuck in the spiders head.

" dammit Mahariel help me I'm stuck" though he sounded scarred for his life the flesh of a spider was not a pleasant felling.

" what the hell have you gotten yourself into?" She spared a glance and couldn't help laughing at his predicament. Only Temlen could get himself in this kind of mess.

" it's not my fault these things stick to everything" as if he jinked himself two of the remaining spiders shot their webs at him officially making him trapped.

" really!" She yelled as she kicked a spider and thrusted a arrow through its head with her bare hands. In quick follow up she pulled the arrow from the spiders back and fired it into one of the last two spiders killing it leaving one.

The last one ran off with it not being able to fight two people who killed of its compatriots.

Ten minutes and one broken dagger latter Tamlen was freed of his entrapment.

" I'm free at last now forward into this ruin!" Tamlen tried marching off farther into the crypt but Mahariel grabbed him and hit him on the head.

" Dammit Tamlen can you please try harder or you'll get use killed" she did not raise her voice but her anger came through.

" yes Mahariel but come on let's see what we can bring back to the clan" he said in a more even voice but his movement gave away his excitement to go farther into this ruin.

" okay okay let's get going then" Mahariel hated sounding like their keeper.

As the two traveled down the halls they began noticing that the wall carving depicted wars and battles that they never remember learning about in their history. On one of the walls it look as if mages were burning towns to the ground as two different groups came together to finish the attacking force off.

The walls showed the same Mage army grow in strength add new groups to their own until they had dragons being mounted as if they were horses. The farther they went the bigger the battles became until what appeared to be their leader was captured. The world was against him and then on the door before them the people placed him into a prison or box of some sort.

" what is all of this? The keepers never spoke of this war and the dragons look different then they do know" Tamlen was fascinated by the carving. Mahariel was a little scared for what could be so powerful to threaten the world

" we should get the keeper this place we should not have come here" Mahariel never got scared or she was not Lyna the child of the last keeper of her clan.

" calm down nothing could live for this long" though he said this he could not help but think of the relics buried with a person such as this.

Tamlen motioned Lyna over for help with the massive doors to the last chamber. With both of them pulling the door opened once they enter they noticed that it was originally barred from the inside out but the wood rotted away. Nearby a Skelton was resting against a far wall looking at the door with a dagger in his hand.

" what happened here were they defending the tomb or trying to close it for good?" This unnerved Tamlen nobody threw their lives away like this just to lock a door.

The room it self was dark and the only source of light was the torches they brought with them. It took a while but they lined the wall with torches and were able to discern the marking on the wall. The marking were weird they looked like scratches but were laid out like words or a language.

" what is this place there is nothing in here!" Tamlen was disappointed with these findings for the room was empty aside from the skeleton . The room was circular with odd engravings on the floor.

" we should at least get Merrill for this because I will not go any farther into this place without at least someone here who identified what's going on" Lyna could not stand being here anymore the place just felt wrong. They needed someone with working knowledge of the fade and history who could lend them some of their time. That and she was their friend so why would she say no?

" alright let's get her but we are closing this door to keep the spiders out" Tamlen hated spiders and that room was spider free after all.

It took nearly two hours to get back to camp and find Merrill who was still working hard to become the next keeper. Merrill was odd but very nice and knew almost as much as keeper Marethari but did not have the social or leadership skill for such a task. She usually whore a green armoured robe that signified her position in the clan despite some disgruntlement.

" come on Merrill when do you ever have time for yourself anymore?" Tamlen begged Merrill to come since they found her and she has tried to politely say no.

" ok how about this there are words we can't read and battles I have not read about before?" Lyna decided to utilize the inner keeper inside of Merrill or at lease her renowned curiosity.

" ohh what kind of battles? Was there people ridding halla? I wonder what hallas looked like?" Merrill adopted her childish charm when she herd about secrets of their people's past that even she knew nothing of.

" one way to find out so will you come with us?" Tamlen asked or begged depending on where you were standing.

" oh okay " Merrill put away the scrolls she was reading and looked for her staff. Most mages required staffs to work their magic because though you could use magic with out it , it would be less concentrated. Her staff was one specially carved because being first to the Keeper meant that staff would have to be strong and powerful for a future Keeper. Her staff was a white wood staff with intricate carving around that focused energy. The top of the staff had two serpents crawling across a black gem. The base had a dagger for close ranged combat and was better then most daggers and more dangerous because it too could channel magical energy through it.

As the small group approached the entrance a group of darkspawn crowded around the entrance. The creatures looked as feral as any others but one stood out it was a hurlock with more human features. The face was not demented however it looked to be the leader of this little band. The hurlock wielded two small scaled scythes. The creature also had black armour with a red cloth that was connected to the chain mail that would easily stop most projectiles.

The group growled at each other seemingly debating something of concern they did make out a single word the Architect. A few of the smaller darkspawn called it Father and seemed devoted to him for their armour had odd red flag with a sickle looking object.

" The Architect has directed us here my brethren so search for the seal before another awakens him" the hurlock commanded of the other darkspawn that were standing restlessly . After giving his command the darkspawn charged down the tomb while the hurlock took out two swords that were tainted and began walking in their direction.

" little elves what is it that you seek from this holy tomb?" The Hurlock pointed his blade in their direction.

Tamlen was scared and unable to make a coherent thought or word while Lyna cursed to herself for endangering her group. Merrill on the other hand was surprised by the talking hurlock and decided to talk back. In Merrill's mind not everybody is the same so why not give this creature a chance what's the worse that can happen aside from death?

" hello there mister darkspawn! " Merrill came out from the bushes and waved to him. The hurlock did not understand most being they had encountered ran the moment they saw one of there kin.

" Hello? What is your name elf?" The darkspawn asked not really expecting answer but still lowered his blade in a show of good faith.

" Merrill and you mister hurock is it not manners to first introducing yourself or is that wrong? Oh I'm making a fool of myself again ... I'll shut up now" Merrill always got nervous when speaking to new people regardless of what race they were from.

" My name is The First" the darkspawn known as the First responded with pride.

" your name is the First isn't that not a word not a name?" Lyna could not help but ask because who called someone the name First?

" what is a name but a word? But I had less when the old gods commanded me" First spoke in a even tone ,well as even as darkspawn could. His voice was gruff and sounded old.

"Who gave you your name First?" Lyna asked as she helped Tamlen up and brought him over to First where Merrill was standing looking at him with almost uncontrolled curiosity.

" the Architect gave it to me for I was the first he had freed from the old gods" First did not have a problem talking to them mostly because they did not act as enemy's and his group did not come equipped to fight an entire clan by them selfs .

" now may I ask what are you doing at this site?" The First needed to know before it could continue.

" oh yes we found a ruin that we wished to explore it" Tamlen finally getting over the talking darkspawn.

" do you knows who's tomb this is by any chance?" The darkspawn asked hoping that the answer would be no.

" no we don't know do you? You called it a holy tomb didn't you?" Lyna needed answers because the world seemed flipped on its head ,talking darkspawn who were not mindlessly killing everything in site.

" this is the tomb of a god one who has begun to call to use so we must awaken him before he is tainted" the first answered.

" a g-god ? A Tevinter god... A dragon" Tamlen almost passed out again after learning of this.

" he is one of the ancient elven before any record of time" the First stated as he felt his brethren find tomb.

" I require your help to awaken him for if we do it we may taint him" the being known as First told them and motioned them to follow it.

" I would suggest leaving the timid one" the First told them as they began and they agreed Tamlen should not come or he might hurt himself fainting.

Tamlen just nodded his head quickly not wishing to be surrounded by darkspawn.

Once they reached the basement they noticed a few of the darkspawn had died fighting something.

" the children were here " it noted as it looked at deformed spider like babies lying dead on the path. The walls had new hole through them from these so called children.

The two decided to hold their peace until they reached the tomb. When they arrived the surviving darkspawn lined the wall in a military fashion not bother to acknowledge the none tainted.

Two of the lesser intelligent darkspawn opened the door revealing the main tomb. Untouched all except for the torches lining the wall from the last time they had been there.

" I need your blood" it locked at the two of them pulling out a dagger while motioning for them to come over.

" how much ?" Lyna did not care what kind of magic this was but she did not want to die for a what if or at all for that matter.

" just a spill from the both of you to awaken the god" he then put away his dagger realizing they would gain the taint if they were cut from it's blade.

Lyna looked over at Merrill who seemed a bit nervousness but quickly hardened her resolve to awaken one of her ancestors. Merrill cut her hand the blood spilled onto the runic glyph causing it to glow a slight red but the blood started to drain into the cracks in the glyph. Lyna trusting Merrill cut her own hand as well adding her blood to the runic glyph causing the red light to shine brighter. When this happened First realized that the tomb was going to collapse from the increase in energy meaning that they need to get out of there now. It grabbed them by the arms and dragged them out of the tomb and signalled for its kin to follow.

Once they reached outside dark red energy shot out from the tomb roughly where the god was buried . Once the energy hit the sky the clouds turned black and ash began to fall from above. A loud sound rumbled as rock and earth were forced out of the way a grey being shot from the ground and halted in the sky. This creature had grey skin with huge wings that wrapped around its body as remained floating. The creature had silver hair that almost seemed to glow the sky turned black and the sun's light was stained blood red.

The creatures wings began to open slowly revealing a the visage of a young elf his eyes were black with red iris he had sharp features. His wing were each a meter in length and reminiscent of a dragons wings if they were grey and jagged .

The old god descended from the sky and collapsed on the ground. He may have been revived but he has yet to regain much of his strength. First looked to the darkspawn and pointed to a clearing with the intention to setup camp and await for this god to address them. The gods calling had ended but now they have more then just a blight on their hands for this being was a god before being sealed by the races of the world. He was a true god he created and destroyed cities burned nations to the ground and created civilization for the vampiric race before they were hunted to extinction.

Merrill went to the gods side and helped him up and motioned for Lyna for help carrying him. After a hour his body began to snap and crack itself back to a elvish form. His skin remained grey and so did his eyes remain black and red but his hair turned a salt and pepper black.

When they returned to the clan everything was in a uproar because of the sky changing so there entry with the stranger went unnoticed. In the distance the Keeper attempted to regain control over the crowds of elves before things got more out of hand.

When the two reached Merrill's abode they placed the ancient elf into Merrill's bed though how one would need sleep after sleeping for thousands of years was anyone's guess.

End of chapter one well what do you think?