Disclaimer: Dragon Age II is owned by Bioware, and certain quests are taken from the game.
Niandra is my own character, and I've used my friend's character's name, Saura, for the character I've modeled after her.

Chapter 1

Fog rolled through the Sundermount pass, cloaking the wandering trio in a thick mist. An elf, a warrior and a Dalish mage kept to the path, following the trail of a wanted murderer.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" the elf growled at the mage leading them.

"Yes, I'm sure," she snapped. "I could find my way to the Dalish on accident."

The two had gotten off on bad terms from the beginning, him having a deep-rooted hatred of mages.

A slave to one, he'd had lyrium etched into his skin. As a result, he remembered nothing of his life prior to the incident. She was trying her best to see things from his eyes, but there were times when he was damn intolerable.

Like now. He didn't even trust her to lead them.

"Don't worry, when I finally lead you into a trap, I won't take the long way," she added.

"Fenris, Niandra, just stop talking to each other," the warrior sighed, brushing the blond hair from her face. "I believe we're getting close."

Around another bend was the Dalish camp they searched for, guarded by three strong soldiers. Upon seeing the group, the woman greeted with, "Andaran antishan, lethellan."

"Andaran antishan," Niandra repeated. "I'm looking for an elf named Variel?"

"By the fire," the warrior informed, "with the pigtails. You can't miss her."

"Thank you," Niandra led them over.

"That was easy," Fenris remarked quietly.

"The Dalish trust their kind. If we were all shem, no offense, Saura, we'd all be dead," Niandra replied, finding the elf girl they searched for. "Excuse me, Variel?"

She turned. "Yes?"

"I was told to ask you about a criminal supposedly-"

"He is not in our camp," Variel interrupted. "He's in a cave north of here and said to send anyone looking for him that way."

"He would have you willingly give up his location?"

"He did not want us put in danger by hiding him here or lying for him," Variel explained. "Be careful in there."

Niandra led the three away, biting the inside of her lip as her question nagged away.

"That was too easy," Saura replied when they were away from camp. "That's not usual behavior for a murderer."

"I agree," Fenris put in. "Willingly giving up his location and staying away so he would not put anyone in danger. I believe Nuncio is somehow playing us."

"And once this murderer is out of the way, I'm sure he plans to kill us all," Niandra added.

"So what do we do?" Saura asked, already guessing at her friend's answer.

"We get the answers we need from this guy, then kill Nuncio," Niandra supplied.

The cave was set into the side of a slope, and sunlight poured in through the mouth to illuminate the way. All was quiet again, no sounds save for her footfalls echoing around her. The deeper they went, the more self-illuminating crystals were placed to keep the way lit.

Further and deeper the trio went, wondering when they'd encounter this murderer. Would there be traps set? Would he have an ambush waiting? Were they on some track that would lead her to Nuncio and his men as they waited to kill them off?

No. Nuncio may be a Crow, but they didn't think he had enough brainpower to weave such an elaborate trap.

One more Dalish-crafted staircase and the trio found themselves in a large lower chamber of the cave; a dead end with no way to go but back. Skeletons picked clean by giant spiders or rats littered the ground, but in a deep-set corner of the cave, a camp had been set up.

The tent still stood, a pile of wood beside it and the burning embers of a fire before it. Crates full of food were also nearby, but no one seemed to be in.

A skittering and growl filled the air around them, reverberating off the cavern walls. The ethereal quality of the sound had the hairs on the back of the trio's necks standing on end. They whirled to face the creature as it fell to the ground in an earth-shattering manner.

Whatever it was, it looked like a giant wooden arachnid with dangerously long pointed claws and a serious saliva problem. It gave them a quick glance as its long, spindly legs drew it closer.

"Oh Maker…" Niandra gasped. "It's a Varterral!"

"What exactly is that?" Fenris demanded as he and Saura unsheathed their heavy blades.

"An ancient best said to guard this pass from any intruder," Niandra explained. "Watch out for the saliva; it's venomous."

"But Varterral is a myth," Saura replied, "or I thought it was. Does it matter now? It's in the way!"

Niandra never took her eyes from the ancient being as she concentrated on trying to freeze the ancient beast. Her attack failed and the Varterral slashed out at her, a talon cutting across her stomach.

Niandra fell against the side of the cavern as pain shot through her mid-section and her companions took over. With the breath knocked from her and the gash flowing heavily, the world spun, but she pushed herself up, preparing for her next assault.

The beast was coating its talons in the venomous saliva as the others attacked it with no effect.

The world was becoming a blur, but Niandra summoned up a rain of fire to distract the thing. Her plan backfired, and it reared its head in her direction again, pinning her to the wall with one saliva-coated talon through her shoulder. She screamed as the pain scorched through her, numbing the arm.

The Varterral roared in her face, preparing to kill her before Saura and Fenris pulled it away with their blades by hacking off a leg.

With a deep breath, Niandra took her numbed hand with the other and raised it, concentrating hard on her next attack. She had only one chance now. It all came down to this.

Forcing as much magic as she could, she hit the creature with a wave of ice, freezing it.

"Okay, one of you six need to attack this thing now," she dared not drop the attack. "It won't keep it in place for long! Shatter the bastard!"

But it wasn't either of her companions that took the opportunity. Another had decided to join by now, his twin blades finding themselves in the weak spot of the ancient beast and shattered it immediately.

Letting her hands drop, Niandra found the world reeling before darkness took over.