Morning came, though one wouldn't have noticed. Orzammar was too far underground for that. The dwarven forces had left at least an hour ago, and had now made their way down to the Deep roads. They stood at attention, listening intently as the king and lord Harrowmont gave out orders. Duran, Gorim, Behlen, and Trian. They were all there at the king and lord's side, as were the Grey wardens.
"Trian and his men will clear the way for the Grey wardens to enter the eastern-most caverns. Those caverns are still infested by the worst of the darkspawn. We cannot risk our own troops in there." Harrowmont concluded.
"Understood, lord Harrowmont." Duncan responded. "We should be able to sense and avoid the darkspawn once the way is open.
"May the paragons favour you, and the stone catch you if you fall." King Endrin bowed to the grey warden.
"Come men, glory awaits!" Trian roared, leading his men away, the grey wardens following.
"Behlen," Harrowmont turned to the third-born prince. "You and your men will second the king, clearing the main road."
"Don't you think it looks a little…cowardly to allow these humans to take our place where the fighting is thickest?"
"Are you questioning the battle plan?" Harrowmont asked.
"Of course not. I'm sure your caution is for the glory of us all."
"Enough. Behlen, take your men and make ready." Endrin said. "Harrowmont and I need to have a word with your sibling." At that, Duran and Gorim stepped forward.
"Good luck, brother." Behlen said as he passed his brother, and Duran knew he wasn't speaking of the battle. Once he and his men were gone, the king and the lord stepped forward towards the two.
"Your father has a special mission for you." Harrowmont stated.
"In the eastern deep roads, there is a secret door carved into the stone." Endrin explained.
"The door leads to the thiag abandoned long ago by our ancestors. The darkspawn have made it impossible for us to reach." Harrowmont continued.
"My father believed that the shield of the Paragon Aeducan remains in that thiag, under the stone in the central room. Reclaim the shield, and glory is yours."
"What am I to expect in there?" Duran asked.
"My father's writings speak only of the shield. There may be other countless treasures, but only the shield matters." His father answered.
Harrowmont continued. "We've sent two scouts on ahead, but the darkspawn have moved in. We believe they escaped detection. Be careful. When you find the door, use your signet ring to open it. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Duran nodded.
"Very good." You will come across a cross-road on your way in. That will be the rendezvous point. There, you can reveal the shield to the lords and demonstrate the strength of house Aeducan!"
"Lead you men well, and may the ancestors watch over you, my child." Endrin said, and the two left. Duran watched the two pass, before turning to his men.
"To glory!"
The darkspawn that stood guard at the eastern cave's mouth had no idea what was coming until it was upon them. The Genlocks turned as something came at them. Then, from down the road, at least a dozen armoured dwarves were charging. All had shields before them, grouped together, making an impenetrable wall. Arrows shot at them, but to no avail, they broke on the shields, and the forces continued to charge, slamming right through the Genlocks' ranks.
This type of darkspawn was a yellowish colour with dark eyes, and were no taller that a dwarf.
The dwarven forces broke apart and engaged the darkspawn, and from it, Duran emerged. His axe swung, cutting down his enemies. The enemy forces were pushed back, few of them managing to fell one of their attackers. "Now!" And yet more dwarves emerged, this time from the opposite direction. They took on the Genlocks' rear, slaying them.
Pushed back and routed, the darkspawn fled through the caves mouth in the nearby wall, into the path to the Thiag.
"Men!" Duran called to his troops. "Hold this position, and tend to the wounded. Gorim, we're going in!"
"Yes Milord. I just hope the two scouts can avoid detection." Gorim replied, as the two followed the darkspawn. Once they were in, there were no sign of the darkspawn. The two walked on, stopping abruptly at the sound of scuttling.
"Gorim, stop." Duran whispered. Then, something jumped down in front of them. It was a giant spider, which lunged at him. He quickly readied his axe, and struck it hard, sending it away. The spider tried to get up, but Gorim moved in and skewered it, killing the creature.
They moved on, coming to a turn, when a growling caught their attention. Shortly after, two gunlocks jumped from around the corner.
Blade hit blade. Mace hit axe. Duran pushed the disgusting beast back, before striking it hard with his axe. The blow struck its chest, it growled and fell back. The dwarf raised his axe, and brought it down, removing the Genlock's head
Gorim locked blades with his foe for several blows, before his shield came forward, smashing it in the face, and knocking it back. Before the Genlock could get up, Gorim's blade stabbed it through the throat.
Once that was done with, the two walked around the corner, continuing down the dark, unlit, path, eventually coming to a clearing, and to a cross-road. "Commander." Duran stopped, as a man stepped forward from the rubble and approached. "You made it commander." Duran gasped slightly. He knew this man. It was Frandin Ivo, from the proving the day prior. "Did you run afoot any darkspawn?"
"Nothing that we couldn't handle. Let's move on."
"Yes commander." Ivo bowed, and the three moved on down the only nearby path. The path was straight-forward, and empty of enemy forces. They had nothing to worry about. However, near the end, after a couple minutes walking, a sound came from the clearing that now lay just ahead.
"Darkspawn?" Gorim questioned.
"Probably." Duran answered. "Be careful. Ivo, the two of us will draw their attention. You go around and flank them from behind. Stick to cover."
"Yes commander." Both Ivo and Gorim bowed.
Gorim charged, roaring, grabbing the attention of the enemies. Duran was right behind him. Five pairs of dull, black eyes fell upon them. Five Genlocks, three swords, and two bows. Arrows flew at the two, but Gorim's shield intercepted them. They closed in, and Gorim rammed through the three baring swords. He continued, the two Genlocks bearing bows dropped their weapons and drew daggers. Two well-placed strikes, however, put an end to them.
The remaining three darkspawn jumped to their feet, and the first charged Duran. The Dwarf ducked the first's sword as it was lunged at his head, and he raised his axe and sliced up, cutting it in two. A second roared and charged, but Ivo emerged from behind and skewered him. The third turned to the newcomer, but was soon ended by Duran's axe.
Once they were all down, the three moved on down a pathway to the right. The path was dark, like all the others, though their Dwarven eyes were more than capable of handling it. They wound on, and soon, a figure came into sight. Once it saw them, it approached.
"You're here! I thought the darkspawn had got you for sure!" The figure, now recognised as a dwarf bearing a bow and quiver on his back, cried.
"We're not that easy to kill." Duran answered.
"Yes commander." He pointed down the path to his right. "We want that path there, but there are darkspawn tracks all over it. Be careful. "
"Have you found the Thiag door?" Duran questioned.
The scout shook his head. "I haven't ventured more than one-hundred yards ahead for fear of alerting the darkspawn."
"Good decision." Duran nodded.
"I'll follow your lead." Duran moved down the right path, followed closely by the three. The clearing came, as did another roar, as three Genlocks charged. Duran, Gorim, and Ivo easily dispatched them, a roar coming from the clearing ahead.
"Let's move!" They charged, and as they did, arrows came at them. Two Genlocks bearing maces, and an armoured one, a Genlock Alpha, bearing daggers, charged. The scout shot an arrow, taking out one of the Genlocks. Gorim charged, taking out the other Genlock, before continuing on toward the archers. The Alpha moved in, daggers swinging. Duran dodged the beast's blades, and delivered a strike of his own. Its armour prevented the strike from ending its life. It roared, but an arrow sent from the scout quickly shut it up. Then, in a matter of seconds, Ivo moved in, and skewered it from behind. Gorim finished off the last of the archers, before returning to the others.
"An ambush!" the scout growled. "Were they in waiting?"
"Calm down." Duran replied. "They were likely just guarding the path. Let's move on." And they did, walking down the northern path that lay before them, passing by two grand, giant Dwarf statues. They walked the path, and came to a clearing, revealed by a large, open door. The Thiag's doors. The Aeducan Thiag door was open? What's more, before them, lay at least a dozen dead Genlocks.
"Looks like someone beat us to the door." Gorim stated. The scout moved forward and inspected the dead.
"This darkspawn body is still fresh. Whoever opened the door is most likely still in there." He commented.
Duran's brow furrowed. "They had to have an Aeducan signet ring to open the door."
"It could've been stolen," Ivo stated, "recently, or generations ago."
"Or it could be an ambitious cousin out for glory." The scout added.
"We'll see soon enough." Duran stated.
"Understood." Gorim concluded. "Let's move men." They continued into the Thiag, passing yet more dead darkspawn, and soon crossing over a bridge, leading over a river of lava, which was spilling from the rock at the distance. Then however, Duran stopped. On the other side of the bridge, he saw movement. They continued, cautiously, a hand on their weapons.
They were dwarves, Duran saw. Dirty and covered in blood. One of them, the ugliest and largest, stepped forward, and the four came to a stop.
"So glad you can finally join us. We feared you had gotten eaten by darkspawn." The Dwarf sneered. In total, there were five of them. The ugly Dwarf and two others with swords, and two to the side with bows. "Turns out the shield isn't as easy to get to as we were led to believe. I wager you know where it is, though. So maybe you tell me where it is, and we don't mutilate your body so bad that your father doesn't recognise you."
Duran growled, and turned to his second. "Gorim, we need to kill these men."
"I'll try to hide my disappointment." The dwarf replied.
The ugly Dwarf growled. "Just kill them boys. We'll find the shield on our own!"
Duran, Ivo, and Gorim lunged at the dwarves with swords. Blade and axe and shield slammed together in a violent fray. An arrow sent by the scout landed between the eyes of one of the archers.
BOOM.
Duran jumped at the sudden sound, and as something slammed into the rock a few inches off his location seconds later. He quickly turned to where the sound came, his eyes widening slightly, his body fighting on auto pilot. In the distance were a dwarf, and a ballista. The dwarf in question was changing the angle, and reloading the weapon.
"Hold them!" Duran roared to Gorim and Ivo before charging. He ran, zigzagging, chased by arrow fire. The dwarf on the ballista saw him coming, and hurried in reloading the weapon, before firing. Duran jumped, and the shot missed him, instead killing one of his own comrades. The distance was soon closed, and the dwarf reached for his dagger, but he was too slow. An axe removed his head, and his body went limp as it fell to the floor in a bloodied mess. Turning on his heel, Duran charged back, just in time to see Gorim finish off one of the dwarves, and move onto the ugly one, along with Ivo. He was the last, and as Duran closed in, his axe swung, slicing the man in half.
The four gathered around the ugly Dwarf, clearly the leader, and Duran began rummaging through the man's now bloodied pockets. He felt something small, and pulled it out, revealing a ring to the other three.
"Is that an Aeducan signet ring? I guess that's how they got in." Gorim stated.
Duran's hand clenched around the ring, his face contorting in rage. "It's Trian's! It has to be." He growled through clenched teeth.
"The ring is Trian's?" Gorim choked.
"Trian will pay for this!" Duran growled. "Mark my words!"
"Yes Milord. The first way we can hurt him is by finding the shield ourselves."
"Yes, my thoughts exactly. Men, let's go."
They pressed on further down to where a door lay. The four entered and shut it behind them. They emerged to a room. It was small, with nothing in it save a sarcophagus on a tiled floor.
"This is the room, how do we get the shield?" Gorim questioned. Duran didn't answer, instead he walked forward. Trian's signet ring still enclosed within his hand. It wouldn't be so simple as lifting the lid. If he knew his ancestors, there would be some kind of test. Like attest of cunning, or—
As his feet pushed him forward, however, and he stepped on a tile, it suddenly dropped, and he stopped moving. He looked down to the tile in question. It was different. Its colouring was off compared to its brethren.
"Gorim, come here." He quickly ordered. His second done as instructed, and the two swapped places. "You two!" He turned to the others. "See if you can find any tiles that are off." They followed his instructions, and sure enough, two more were found, one on either side of the sarcophagus. From the object, a clicking sound emerged. Once all three tiles were held down. Duran stepped forward, and approached it. In the center of its cover, there was an indent that matched the Aeducan signet ring. Without hesitation, Duran pushed Trian's ring into it. There was another click, followed by the dwarf removing the sarcophagus' cover. It easily lifted and fell to the side, revealing an ancient skeleton, and in its grasp has a shield, the Aeducan crest plainly upon it. Gently and respectfully, he removed it from the remains, and returned the lid. He turned, and displayed it to the three dwarves also in the room.
"That's it! We've got it!" Gorim cried.
"It doesn't look like much." The scout commented.
"The skill of our craftsmen has come far since then." Ivo stated. "But still…the shield of Aeducan."
"It's a symbol." Duran announced.
"If it helps rally the troops, then it's a good thing." The scout replied.
Duran nodded. "Let's get moving. The rendezvous point is back at the cross-roads. We should hurry." The others nodded. Duran strapped the shield to his back, where his weapon, now in his hands, once lay. They made for the door, but stopped. Duran heard something…
"What is it?" Gorim questioned.
"There's something out there," he answered. There was a rustling outside the door. Someone or something was clearly out there.
"It may be more of those men." Ivo stated.
"Or darkspawn reinforcements." Gorim added.
Duran nodded. "Either way, let's be cautious." He opened the door, and immediately, something came hurdling his way. Instinctively, he ducked, and the arrow passed him other head.
"Darkspawn!" Ivo roared. There were eight in total. Five with sword and shield, two in the distance with bows, and coming at them was a wolf.
"Ivo, Gorim, you out first. I'll be right behind you. Scout; pick some of them off from in here! Go!" They charged and followed his orders. Arrows broke upon the two shields. "Now brake. Gorim, take out the archers. Ivo, you're with me!" Gorim broke off, charging at the archers. One of the Genlocks turned to chase him, but an arrow took it down. Duran and Ivo worked together. Taking one down, then another. The wolf closed on them, and pounced, throwing Duran to the ground, and pinning him down. The dwarf raised his axe and tried to push it back. It growled, its fangs clapping down, narrowly missing him. An arrow shot forward, hitting the wolf in the side. It cried. Duran used this opportunity to push the beast off of him, and roll back. He rose, and quickly beheaded the animal. Ivo finished the last of the Genlocks, and Gorim was approaching, covered in darkspawn blood.
"Is everyone alright!" Duran shouted, looking around for any remaining enemy forces. One by one, the others reported in and returned to him. "Then let's go." The returned the way they came. They were cautious, though they came across no more darkspawn. As they wound down a pathway though, Gorim stopped. "Wait."
"What is it?" Duran asked.
"If Trian were really scheming against us, this would be the perfect place for an ambush. We've got the shield, and we're all alone out here." He explained.
"Keep your wits about you then." Duran replied. "He doesn't know that we're aware of his plans. If he is fool another to attack, then it shall be he who is ambushed and killed."
"Then it shall be a good day." Gorim grinned.
The scout stepped forward. "What's that you're muttering about?"
"My brother Trian may try to ambush us." Duran admitted.
"Fantastic, as if the darkspawn weren't enough to worry about." He bitterly replied.
"Just keep your eyes open." Gorim concluded. And they moved on, taking the path back to the cross-roads. Duran was ready for him. He would make him pay for this. No one betrayed him. He would defeat him. Destroy him. Drag his broken, half dead body back to Orzammar, and force him to admit his crime, and then take his head as a trophy to display to all what happens to scheming, murdering traitors everywhere!
They emerged, fully ready for an army. They stepped forward and moved onto the cross-roads, and though they found a group of dwarves, they were not standing, nor moving. Duran frowned as he approached. And then, slowly, his eyes widened. In the middle of them, bloody and dead, was his brother Trian. He approached, and knelt at his corpse. How? Who killed him? The darkspawn? He looked around the area. No darkspawn corpses. Was it the group that attacked them? No, Trian would not be defeated by such a force, especially without at least killing some of his attackers. Then whom?
He suddenly heard footsteps coming towards them. The killers? He looked up.
"Hurry father, before it's too-" Behlen's voice urged as at least a dozen dwarfs emerged. Amongst them were Behlen, Harrowmont, and Duran's king father. They stopped, and all eyes fell upon Duran, kneeling over his dead brother's corpse, his bloody weapon in his hands.
The king's eyes widened as he pushed Behlen out of his way and approached. His eyes remained on his dead child. He dropped to his knees, inspecting his boy, before his eyes moved to his second-born. "By all the ancestors, what has happened here?!"
"It seems we weren't fast enough. Behlen was right!" An armoured troop bellowed. And then, it all made sense. He was betrayed, but not by Trian.
The king's head began to shake. "My son, tell me this isn't what it looks like."
"I assure you it's not." Duran stated, "Trian was dead well before we got here. I can only assume he followed us."
"Can you prove it?" Harrowmont quickly asked, as if desperate.
"My men are witnesses."
"It's true, Milord." Gorim stated. "These men were killed, but not by my lord Aeducan. There were men here in the Thiag earlier with Trian's signet ring."
"They could have gotten that anywhere." The soldier from before dismissed.
Harrowmont sighed. "Ser Gorim, your loyalty makes you a useless witness. It falls to others to tell the story. You, scout, what happened here."
"Trian and his men were here earlier. It looked like they had done battle with the darkspawn." The scout explained. "Lord Aeducan came up to them all friendly-like, but when we got close, he ordered us to attack!" Duran's eyes widened, rage coursing through his veins.
"You lying traitor!" Duran roared, charging at the scout, his axe raised. Before anyone could do anything, the weapon had already sliced through the man's neck.
"Stop him, take his weapons!" the soldier bellowed, eyes widened. The other soldiers swarmed on Duran, taking his weapons and restraining him. Gorim reached for his sword.
"Gorim, don't!" Duran growled, and his second stopped.
"I think we've seen enough!" a guard spat.
"No." the King replied. "If he were lying, I might have done much the same. I will not drag my son back to Orzammar in irons without hearing from Frandin Ivo."
The guard, his rage soothed by his kings words, nodded. "Frandin Ivo, you are a good and noble man. Did the scout tell the truth?"
"He…" the dwarf looked to Duran with worry, though it was obvious by his eyes that it was not out of concern for the commander. "He did, my lord. It was…terrible. Prince Trian didn't stand a chance."
"You treacherous bastard!" Gorim roared, charging and reaching for his sword. The remaining free troops were ready for this. They moved in and restrained him.
"Silence, Gorim!"
"Do you have anything to say, my son?" the king asked, his voice breaking slightly.
Duran's head began to shake. "How can you not see this is a set-up?"
"I want to believe that. I really do!" he replied.
"Bind him, he will be judged before the assembly." Harrowmont ordered. One of the guards restraining him cuffed Duran's hands, "To Orzammar," and he, along with Gorim, was forcefully led away.
A/N: Well, the next one will be better.
