Warden Gothic – The Fade
Looking around it took me a while to realize where I was.
"Damn it. I'm in the the Fade" I said softly to myself.
That fucking Sloth demon had put me here, but it wasn't all bad I knew how to get out. It wouldn't be easy, then again things rarely were in this setting.
For now however I figured that I should take a look around. The walls were a bit transparent, but overall it very much fitted into my idea of what a fantasy world's grand architecture should look like. In other words it was a huge place and very impressive to look at.
However as I moved about I noticed that some things weren't right. There were plug sockets in the wall, which made no sense given the décor of the place, and I even found a water cooler in one corner.
Clearly the demon had his limits if he couldn't understand that there should be wall sockets in a medieval fortress. The demon had clearly gotten a few things from my world mixed up with this one and hadn't understood their importance.
From what he knew from books I'd had a chance to glance at Sloth Demons usually tried to spin a web of lies using a person's own memories, to keep them ensnared. However this place was not from my memories, so the illusion didn't fool me, as long as I kept my eye out for the things that didn't make sense.
As I made my way down the hallway I was able to start making out the individuals that seemed to be waiting for me.
I recognized Duncan at once, but I knew that it wasn't really him. This was a demon of some sort, or maybe just another illusion.
"Ah, there you are. I'm not disturbing you, am I?" the illusion asked
"I'm sure you were simply deep in thought. You've been at Weisshaupt for some time now. Do you like it here?"
Things started to get a little foggy, and I started to find it hard to focus.
"Do not be deceived" said a voice inside my own head "they will attempt to fool you".
No one else seemed to hear the voice. Which meant I was going crazy alreadly.
"Something doesn't seem right," I mumbled
Somehow I seemed to be trying a find things that didn't make sense. I was pretty sure that Weisshaupt shouldn't have the kind of stairs you'd find in a shopping centre. They didn't exactly have the technology for moving stairs around here.
"Everything is as it should be" Duncan assured "We have eradicated the darkspawn, and the world is at peace".
"Lies" said the voice in my head "All lies. The world is in great danger".
Not my world, but a world. It needed me and so did my team-mates.
"Wait, we eradicated the darkspawn?" I asked.
Was that even possible? All the Broodmothers would have to be destroyed, and I had no idea if that would even matter as the Spawn could just make more if they grabbed some women.
"It was a great triumph for all of us, bringing down the Arch-demon and then setting the underground lairs ablaze".
"Where's Alistair?" I inquired as I started to see the flaws once more.
Alistair was a Warden. He would be at Duncan's side. Nothing would short of death would make it otherwise.
"We were all saddened at his loss" the illusionary being was now saying "it was his sacrifice that allowed us to the destroy the Arch-demon. No doubt it is your grief that causes you such confusion".
Personally I thought I was just going crazy. One moment everything seemed normal and then I'd notice that things weren't quiet right. Like for example the newspaper stand just outside the fortress. Also I knew that Alistair was alive. He'd just been at my side.
"If the darkspawn are gone, then we are no longer needed".
For some reason that line seemed to be the right thing to say, and the voice in my head agreed.
"Yes, question the lies" said the voice, which seemed to be supporting me "these demons seek to muddle the truth. Focus on what you know. Your friends need you".
"The Grey Wardens shall become keepers of history. We shall tell tales and sing songs of a more troubled days, that way others may rejoice in knowing that those times are past," Duncan said "and it is most part because of you. Your valour in battle lead to our greatest victories".
"Beware the sin of pride" said the voice.
Right the demons were trying to make me feel pride. They couldn't make me give using complacency.
"Shouldn't we be doing something more than standing around" I questioned "there's so much evil out there. We should do something about them...".
"And what is it that you think the Grey Wardens should be doing?"
"The demons" I said, suddenly understanding the danger all around me "the demons are the danger!".
"Foolish man, I have given you so much and you cast it back in my face".
Duncan's voice changed and became inhuman.
"If only only conflict will satisfy you. Then you shall have what you desire".
The illusionary Duncan drew his swords and readied to attack. But this was not the veteran warden. It was just a minor demon. I destroyed it with ease. The other 'Wardens' were even easier to slay.
Then when the demon was gone a portal appeared in its place.
"And now I have my way out" I realised.
I entered the portal and suddenly images started to flood my mind. I saw mighty warriors who glowed with a wonderful light as they battled the worse things this world had to offer. Then I saw great kings passing wise judgements, as their subjects looked upon with awe. After that I saw more people, to many to count but they all had one thing in common: they were all leaders of some sort.
Then I understood. That was the nature of the spirit that was bonded to me. It was the Spirit of Leadership. It was the essence of the virtues that made someone a good leader. No wonder it was so powerful, it was more than a spirit of compassion or justice or hope or faith.
The visions ended and I found myself in another part of the Fade. Soon enough I ran into another person and I knew that this time it was in fact a human being, or at least that he had been.
"Niall" I said, as I remembered the man's name.
"You can't get out. You know that right," Niall said in a defeated tone. "There is no way out."
"Oh there is" I assured the possible already dead person "I just have to kill the demon that runs this horror show".
"There's no way out" replied the Mage "I've tried".
He'd already given up, but I seemed to be able to resist that urge to stop struggling and to just accept my fate.
Niall sighed turning away and looking off into the distance. He would be no help to me until I gave him a reason to hope again.
I got moving and wandered for a while but found no sign of a portal. Before long I was back where I had started standing next to Niall. Which meant that I had gone in one big circle, but rather than give up I kept going and looked for less obvious exits.
That was when I spotted a mouse hole. This was the way out, but I had no idea how to turn into a rodent. Shape shifting into animals was Morrigan's trick not mine. I was a warrior not a Mage.
It was then that I remembered that this wasn't reality, at least not a reality were the the normal rules applied. I wasn't even physically here, my body was still in the Circle's tower. It was just my immaterial self that was here. My soul as it were. Plus I was connected to a spirit that was native to this realm. It wasn't talking to me right now but it was still empowering me.
Having nothing to lose I tried to imagine that I was a small thing. Something that could move about quickly. Something that could fit inside the tiny tunnel. I focused to the desire to the small and light until I felt myself change only I didn't get shorter I just stopped being big.
I had no way of seeing myself but I felt lighter as if I had shed so much mass that I now weighted no more than a feather. I had no body now, I seemed to floating. Like I was no more than wisp of smoke.
Then it made sense. I was a wisp. I'd badly wanted to be small but since I didn't know what being a mouse was like my spiritual body had changed to something that I knew existed within the Fade. That or the Spirit of Leadership had just tried its best to help me.
Either way it had worked and with another act of will I went down the tunnel and came out of it in another part of the Fade.
(Line Break)
When I figured out how to go back to my human form I was surprised to see a Desire Demon watching me.
"Now that was impressive, for a mortal" she said with a voice that just oozed lust "Would you be interested in making a trade? I can give you something that you truly desire in exchange for knowledge of that ability".
I had no idea how to transfer that sort of knowledge to another, and even if I did it wouldn't mean much to her anyway because I was pretty sure I'd been actually just been directing another being's power. Plus there was that whole other issue.
"I don't make deals with demons" I said firmly "besides you couldn't posses me. There's no room at the inn".
Even this universe wasn't insane enough to let two creatures of the Fade posses one person.
"Not even if it means having the one you desire the most. She is in your life and your heart I can sense it" said the demon.
Wait, what? Did she mean Morrigan or Leliana? They were both attractive. I was intrigued by the witch as I had a thing for magical women, but then Leliana seemed to really care about me and while I didn't normally go for red heads she was very kind to me. Were as Morrigan was a total bitch, a self confessed one, unable to love anyone. Not that love mattered much to me since I might die soon.
Damn it. This was confusing.
"Confused, are you?" she purred, as if she'd just read my thoughts "I would have thought by now that you would know who it is you truly desire. She is quite beautiful. Maybe you can still find her, and save her".
Leliana was trapped in the Fade as well so the demon would naturally tempt me by trying to offer me her safety. Of course I also viewed Morrigan who needed saving, if only from themselves, so it might not be that simple.
"I could take her form for you" offered the demon "I could give you pleasure beyond the experiences of mortal men".
Since I wasn't worried about possession I didn't really think I needed to fear this creature, but there were other ways it could do me harm if I lowered my guard. I could still be enthralled or she might just kill me once she had what she wanted.
Then there was the fact that this demon was guarding the portal. Her death would unlock the door and let me get to my trapped team-mates.
"I will not make a deal with you" I said while readying my weapons "so you have a choice: open the portal or I kill you".
The Desire Demon got closer and as she moved I couldn't do anything other than watch her seductive movements. She was a demon, and therefore horrible, what with the cloven hooves for feet, the horns and the absolute lack of anything human in the eyes, but she was also extremely attractive.
"Another lie" said the voice in my mind "you see the demon's ugliness because that is her true nature. Your attraction is the illusion, she is attempting to enthral you".
Then I felt some sort of energy fill me up and I started to glow once more. The demon bitch freaked out and started to call upon some sort of power, but she never got to finish as her head was soon rolling on the floor.
"What the hell" I muttered.
I hadn't meant to do that. I hadn't been the one to direct that action.
It took a few moments, but I was able to take control again. I managed not to freak out because I knew that the Spirit was simply trying to protect me. It had not taken control of me for evil purposes, it was a guardian who wanted nothing more than to keep me safe. It was comforting, even if was an odd experience, and that allowed me to forgive the action.
Then a Fade portal opened where the demon had been standing. Which confirmed that slaying the demons was indeed the key to getting out of this trap.
When I went through the gateway I was once more hit by visions. There was something about making use of these portals that made my mind susceptible to outside influences.
This time I saw one long scene rather than many smaller ones. First I saw a black city, but it was an impossible thing. The buildings should not have been able to stand as the geometry was all wrong, and I got the feeling that they were also somehow living things.
Around the city were giant sculptures. No two were alike but unlike the city they made sense, and they seemed good somehow. Like they were containing the insanity of the city. They were guardians, this I just knew.
There was one that seemed to be an angel of some sort. If I had to name it I would say that this was the angel of hope, because simply by looking at the the figure I felt more hopeful.
Another was of a woman who could have been a goddess of love. There was no sexual attraction, and not just because it was a thing made of stone, but because she was somehow romantic love and the kind of love you feel towards close friends and family, at the same time.
Then I spotted a stone figure that I just knew who it was. He was a warrior, a king and more. If the figure had been the work of a mortal man he would of called it divine guidance. There really were no other words that suited the statue as a name.
This was the Spirit of Leadership. It was connected to me but here as well. I got the impression that only part of this god of a being was focused on me. The rest of him, as he did feel male, had some other great task.
I would of focused on the other statues but my vision ended there and then as I seemed to become physical again, or at least as physical as a spiritual body could get.
It didn't take me long to figure out that this part of the Fade was meant to resemble the Mages tower but it was all twisted and cruel.
The first couple of rooms had mouse holes which I could make use of thanks to my ability to become a wisp. That made it easy to get around however, at the end of the hallway I came upon a fire barrier. The barrier was blocking my root, and I knew that I had to become fire in order to walk through it, but I didn't need any teaching for that. I could figure it out.
I had to need it to go out perhaps. Reality here could be shaped by will and I had the backing off something very powerful. It was just a matter of wanting it badly enough.
However it didn't work. The fire was a creation of another's will. I might be more powerful than it, but it would have a much better understanding of this sort of thing. Other being's willpower mattered as much as mine which is why I couldn't make myself go where I needed to, and end this all now. The demon were blocking me.
"Your focus determines your reality" said the spirit.
If it had meant to sound like Qui Gon Jinn I didn't know, but it was inspiring and I needed to hear it. I had to keep focused and figure it out.
Perhaps I could snuff out the fire in another way. Focusing on the axe in my hand I imagined it to be a fire extinguisher. The weapon was only an axe because my spiritual body mimicked my physical. Right now I looked how I thought I looked. I was equipped with weapons because I was a warrior. But right now I needed to be a fire fighter.
So the axe became an extinguisher, and I put out the flames.
I used this power, or whatever it was, to defended myself against attacks by flaming Templars and burning hounds. My only weapon was now a combat shotgun, one that didn't need to be reloaded. I understood how dangerous such weapons could be so they were that dangerous here.
Unfortunately it seemed to be a rather taxing way to fight here, but touching what passed for lyrium in this reality seemed to recharge me.
After passing through more rooms I entered a large chamber that seemed to be a dead end. But it was not a dead end it was just the last room that needed to be cleared out.
A powerful Rage Demon appeared and I opened fire. It took quite a few shots to bring down the demonic creature, but overall it worked rather well. Nothing here had a defence against the weapons of my world. Human imagination combined with the power of great spirit made a very for a very deadly alliance.
When the monster died another portal appeared and I wasted no time in making use of it as I knew that the longer I waited the more chance there was that I would have no body to go back to. And as powerful as I was here I didn't want to wander the Fade until I ran into a demon strong enough to destroy my spiritual form.
The visions came again. I saw Mages entering the horrible black city via this massive iron gate. The massive stone figures did nothing, but I still got the sense that were somehow guarding the city.
Which meant if they weren't either willing or able to stop people entering the city, then their purpose was to stop something from getting out.
That was when I saw the... thing.
It was massive and squid like, but that was the only description I could come up with. Part of my mind was trying to process what I was seeing while my emotional part was terrified. Then I saw its eyes, all three of them and only the power of the spirit within me stopped me from breaking down into a gibbering wreak.
Some people say that the eyes are the window of soul, if that is so then the thing I was looking at now had no soul. I saw an empty thing, no not empty. Yes it lacked any humanity more so than the Desire Demon, but it had hate it in eyes. A loathing that was so alien to me and something else as well. I would label malevolent intent. This thing, whatever it was, it had a plan.
I watched as tentacles, or at least that was what I thought they were, grabbed the Mages and then seemed to suck something out of them. Then the men and woman of the Imperuim were covered in what I thought to be ink. However that was just my mind trying to rationalize things. I didn't really know what was happening here, yet I was able to understand the end result easily enough.
What I'd just saw was the creation of the darkspawn.
This was the truth. God, the Creator, the Maker, however you wanted to label that being, did not make the darkspawn. They were no punishment from on high, they were invaders, a force sent to destroy a world. A corruption meant to...to do something that was well planned. But what was the plan? Did this evil abomination just want to destroy a world or was it something more? A way to escape?
No answer came to me. All I saw was the first darkspawn run out of the gate and disappear. I knew where they had gone because this had all happened hundreds of years ago.
This vision hadn't been random. I'd been shown it for a reason. I understood a lot more about the Spawn now. I knew why those creatures had to be stopped. Because if they weren't than that thing would destroy a world and perhaps even escape its prison, and that could put more worlds in danger. That was why the world needed Wardens. We were the only ones who could save an entire world.
I was now more determined than ever to slay the Arch-demon, because it was far more than a corrupted dragon that had once been worshipped as a god. It was part of the thing I had no name for.
I had to kill at any cost, but to that I needed my team-mates and Maker have mercy on any demon who tried to stop me.
Author Notes
I finally came up with how to deal with what happens in the Fade. I gave Warden Gothic a lot of power really so I decided to make the darkspawn more than mere monsters he has to fight.
As you just read the darkspawn are in fact the army of an incredibly powerful Demon of Hate, but it's not like say a Rage Demon its so much more. It has become a dark god something that is close to evil incarnate.
The most powerful Spirits keep it locked up in its home. Leadership having been the one to make it work, but their power comes from virtues, things like love and hope.
So if all mortal life dies then the Spirits will die, or at least become a lot weaker and then the dark god will escape. It will destroy everything because it is still a demon at its core, and it hates everything but its like a malevolent hate than can plan.
The whole idea that the darkspawn are a punishment for mankind's sins never made much sense to me because why would the Maker do that? God uses his Angels as soldiers and the Maker is just a different way of explaining God. If the Maker wanted to punish people why not just send them to hell?
So in my story the Arch-demon a possessed dead dragon god but it's possessed by a demon of great power in the same way that Warden Gothic is possessed by the Spirit of Leadership.
However Gothic is a partner not a minion, while the Arch-demon is more a puppet but they are near equals in many respects. Gothic is less powerful but he has the ability to inspire others like great leaders do and that empowers those who follow him as well. Only its far less noticeable as it more a willpower thing.
Anyway I hope that makes things clear and it sounds really cool.