Author Note
Still looking for Beta readers.
Warden Gothic – The Fade & Uldred
Leliana was praying.
She knelt before an altar once more dressed her very unflattering nun outfit, and she spoke the word that made up part of the Chant of Light. But she just muttered it, she didn't sing. She sounded passive as if all the passion she had about her faith had been stripped away. Leaving nothing but an mindless drone who went through the motions of worship, but didn't really care about any of it.
At her side stood a 'Revered Mother', who was encouraging her to 'find peace' by that the demon meant be complacent.
"Leliana" I said, but she ignored me.
"Lee!" I said next, now using my pet name for her.
Not that I had realised until now, that this was the name I called her by. It was a boy's name, but it seemed to work so there was no need to change it.
"Be silent" ordered the 'Revered Mother' "Sister Leliana is in prayer".
"Shut up, demon" I nearly snarled.
The demonic creature took a few steps back when I spoke. Clearly the monster was afraid of me, as it should be.
"Do not talk to the Revered Mother in such a way" said an upset Leliana.
"She not what you think she is" I told my team mate "this isn't a chapel and that's not a real person. It is a demon, and it's enthralled you".
Now that I had said it this place did reminded of that little church in Lothering.
"Your mad" said Leliana
"Of for the love..." I said as I moved over to the bard.
The demon tried to stop me, but once more I started to glow and I kissed Leliana.
"Oh yeah we have definite chemistry" I commented.
I'd of said that the earth moved for her but it was a bit more dramatic than that. She seemed to wake her up rather well, and the illusion around us just melted away. It's not often that a kiss breaks a spell hold on someone, this time however it did work.
"Gothic" she muttered, just before she disappeared.
"You always wake up right at the good part of dream" I said to myself.
(Line Break)
Alistair was laughing.
He was sitting at Goldanna's dinner table, telling his nieces and nephews stories about his time with the Wardens. Which was strange because he hadn't actually met her as far as I knew. I could only assume that he had seen her before but hadn't yet made contact. Otherwise how would he know what her children looked like or how her voice sounded.
Overall the house was nice if a little small. I could see why he would like it. No running about, no fighting monsters, just peace with those who loved him. The kind of thing most people already had, and its only when you don't have it that you can realise how wonderful it is.
It wasn't something that could fool me, as I'd wanted to get of the quiet life but clearly it was all Alistair had ever wanted; he could spend an eternity like this, and if I didn't get him out he might very well do just that.
The problem I was having was that I didn't really want to drag him away from this life. Unlike Leliana he wasn't really being mistreated, he was actually happy.
"What story should I tell next?" he was saying to some kids as I looked through the window "Oh how about the time I helped went into the Wilds. That's a good one, well not the bit of Morrigan, but you can't have a story about some spooky woods without an evil hag".
Might be best not to mention this part to the group's witch.
I knocked on the door a woman shouted 'come in' so I opened the door and entered the small but very clean house.
"Gothic!" Alistair cheered, "I was just thinking about you, and that time we went into the Wilds for that chest".
He made it sound as if he had been something that had happened many years ago, rather than a mere weeks.
"Yeah hi Alistair," I replied, while trying not be buried under the weight of children who wanted something from me "you're looking well".
"I am," he said to me "In fact never been happier in my entire life! Isn't that strange?"
Well there was a lot of strangeness in the fade.
"I'm here..."
"Is your friend staying for supper Alistair?" Goldanna interrupted.
"Yes of course he is" said the supposedly future king "he's a very good friend of mine. Slew the Arch-demon itself he did, and survived. Although I don't remember how".
Well there was a way, but I wasn't sure it was worth the risk of having a reborn old god running around. Maker only knows what kind of trouble that could cause.
"This is my sister Goldanna, oh and these are her children," he said motioning to the little ones running around him, "There are more of them around here somewhere"
Yeah they did seem to be multiplying in number rather fast. They were like child sized Tribbles.
"One big happy family…at long last!" Alistair said dreamily.
At last? How long he been hoping for his?
"You live with your sister?" I commented.
I was ensure of how to deal with this. He was actually happy so if I say attacked Goldanna then he would try to stop me, and I needed my fellow Grey Warden to stay alive. I needed him to King as that would would led to me becoming Warden-Commander. Which I needed to be in order to rebuild the order.
"There is nothing wrong with living with your sister" he said
My sister, well one of them, had lots of kids as well. Four if I remembered right. I wouldn't want to live with her. I'd never get any peace.
"I never had a real family" the former Templar said with a hint of sadness "and now that I do I never want to let them go".
Kissing him wouldn't help. Well it might shock him into waking up so I'd make that Plan B.
"Would you like to stay Warden-Commander," Goldanna asked "I'm sure there is enough food for all of us".
She just had to be a demon. She must of read my mind. Otherwise how would know that I wanted to gain that title.
"Say you will stay," Alistair begged of me "Goldanna is a great cook, maybe she will make her famous beef stew"
"Of course dear brother," Goldanna said tousling his hair in a way only an older sister or mother would "Anything for you."
Alistair grinned like he was one of nephews. At this rate he'd regress to a little boy again. Guy most of had a really hard when growing up. I had to get him out of here before he forgot what was important.
"I have come to fetch you Alistair," the elf said, "We have work to do. The Spawn aren't defeated".
The former Templar frowned.
"I don't want to go back," he said, sounding like a child before taking more like an adult "I don't want to end my days surrounded by corpses. I thought that being a Grey Warden would make my life worthwhile, but this is really what matters".
"I'm so happy to have my little brother back," Goldanna said "and I will never let him go again".
That sounded just a little evil, which made me wonder if 'Goldanna' would lose control if I kept trying to take her toy away.
"Alistair," I said as if talking to a small child, "Do you remember how you got here?"
The former Templar looked at me as if I'd gone funny in the head. Which to be fair could actually the case. I hadn't felt sane since I'd entered the Fade. My dreams were just my mind sorting through stuff, well they were when I wasn't having nightmares about evil dragon gods leading armies.
"Humour me" I requested "Just tell me how you got here?"
"Well, I…"
That was all he said for a few moments, before he started freaking out.
"Why can't I remember? What is going on?"
"Because this isn't real" I explained "you were in the Mages Tower, and then a demon sent you into the Fade. This is a dream.
"Nonsense" Goldanna said "Now Alistair, be a good lad and wash up for dinner"
However he ignored her.
"I…I remember the tower," he said, "The circle…it was under attack…"
"That is when we met the Sloth Demon," I said, trying to jog his memories "It trapped us here in the Fade. You're dreaming".
Goldanna, well the thing pretending to be Goldanna, glared at me.
"You really need to get ready for supper Alistair," the demon said "I need to help set the table too".
"No," Alistair said while getting to his feet, "No…I…I have to go. The darkspawn need to be stopped".
Goldanna did not take that well. The children vanished and she showed herself to be another Desire Demon. Which was a blessing actually I wouldn't of been able to strike anything that looked like a child.
"No," the demon of desire growled, "He is mine"
Between the two of us we easily dealt with the creature. The demon pretending to be Alistair's sister died as the former Templer ran her through with his sword
"How…how... how did it know?" he asked of no one.
"Desire Demons aren't about all about lust" I explained "they take what you want most and use it against you. A family is what you want most in the world so she gave you that".
That one had been a lot smarter than the one who offered to just a pleasing form. Then again the demons didn't really seem to understand the things in my mind. I had to many memories that made no sense to them, so I was much harder to fool. But even with that I had nearly succumbed, and would have if not for my ally.
"Please don't tell the others how easily I was fooled" he requested.
"Not a single word" I promised.
With that Alistair faded away.
(Line Break)
Oggy was barking.
The dog ran up to me, and started to lick my face for a seconds before the mutt vanished. I then looked around and saw a demon with my face lying on the ground with its neck torn open.
"So dogs do dream" I said thinking out loud "but they are a lot harder to trick than we are".
(Line Break)
Wynn was crying
I was back at the Circle's Tower again, but it was a tower tha had been transformed into a place of slaughter. Bodies lay everywhere: apprentice's, mages, and senior enchanters all dead.
"Maker forgive me," the old woman was saying as I found her, "I have failed them all"
I took a moment to try and figure away to get her out of this. What would bring her out of this nightmare. Leliana hadn't needed much. One awesome kiss had done the trick, but we clearly had some sort of sexual vibe going even I hadn't realised it until now. Alistair had started to question things as soon as I pointed out why they didn't make sense. He too had needed the reality of things explained to him, it was just that he needed words rather than an action.
Wynn wanted to save her fellow Mages, that would motivate her.
"It isn't over yet Wynne," I said, "The Circle can still be saved. I'll help you".
"Look at this," she said gesturing at the bodies, "How can you say that when faced…with…with this massacre".
It was a depressing sight to say the least. If the Fade could smell then no doubt the stench would of made me vomit. As it was the mere sight was enough to make me nearly cry. The only thing that stopped me was that the certainty that it was all a lie.
"Why was I spared?" she said, not really speaking to me, "If it was not to help them? What use is my life now?"
"There are survivors" I reminded "you saved these children. Try to remember the shield you set up. I was there when you protected them from that Rage Demon. Then we started fighting back".
She gave me a nasty glare.
"Leave me to my grief," she commaned, "I shall bury their bodies, and them join them in death".
"That's rather morbid" I commented, before something clicked "this isn't a desire and you don't sound like your complacent. This is something else. A demon of guilt or despair maybe?"
"Your blatant disregard for the souls of the dead is utterly inappropriate" Wynn said getting mad.
Good, anger was better than despair.
"They are not dead yet" I assured "but more will die unless you snap out of this".
That didn't go down well. She almost attacked me.
"You are trapped in a nightmare" I explained "search your feelings, you know this to be true".
No idea why I'd said that. This wasn't the time to mimicking Darth Vader.
"Yes" she said after a while "perhaps we should go away from this place, that…that may help me think more clearly".
Just leaving this place should snap her out of it, or at least make the demon show itself so that it could stop me getting Wynn out of this place.
Then one of the dead apprentices sat up.
"Now that's some major creepiness" I muttered.
"Don't leave us Wynne," said the dead child illusion, "We do not want to be alone."
All around the two of us bodies started to rise. I took out the shotgun I'd creature, but I couldn't fire it as they were all around Wynn.
"Holy Maker! Stay away foul creatures!"
"Come to your rest," a walking, talking dead thing said "Come and sleep soundly in the embrace of the earth, do not fight it!"
This really didn't seem like the work of a Sloth or a Desire Demon. Not unless Wynn really wanted to fail and die.
"No," the old woman sod, "No, not yet! It is not time yet, my task is not yet done!"
Yeah we had an Arch-demon to kill.
"Come to your rest" said another creepy illusion.
The 'dead' apprentices tried to seize the the elderly Mage I was about the go and pull her out when strange glow enveloped Wynne, it pulsed outward and the phantasms were blown away as if they were mere leaves stuck in a gale force wind.
If I could do stuff like that no wonder some of the creatures here seemed to fear me so much.
"Thank the Maker" Wynn said, "I…wait…what is happening…where are you going?"
"I'm going anywhere" I answered "You're sort of waking up".
With that the old Mage was gone.
"Right then" I said to myself "more monsters to kill".
(Line Break)
"What do we have here," the demon in charge said "A rebellious minion, an escaped slave? My, my, you certainly have been an annoyance"
"I'm planning to upgrade myself, to pain the ass" I said back.
"Play time is over," the demon replied "You all have to go back now".
That was when everyone else appeared, and they all started making threats. Mostly about the evil beings impending doom.
"If you go back now, I will do better," Sloth promised, "I will make you all much happier"
Not a statement anyone enjoyed hearing.
"I did my best for you," the demon said as if was genuinely disapointed that it hadn't been able to make us happy "I offered you peace, and now you say you want to leave. I'm hurt…so very, very hurt."
"You're about to get hurt" I promised, while lifting up the shotgun.
Such a shame it couldn't exist in the real world, would be handy as long I had enough lyruim.
"You wish to battle me?" the monster said in anger, "So be it, I will teach you to bow to your betters"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Yeah I was really going to miss this gun.
(Link Break)
The Circle Tower
It took me a moment to fully process reality, when I did I realized that my head was resting on Leliana's chest. It wasn't comfortable as she was wearing a suit of leather armour, but also felt kind of natural.
"Okay universe I get the message" I whispered as a slowly stood up "Lee it is".
When I looked around I noticed that two of the Tranquil were standing around. Then I noticed that the room was clean. Any sign of the demons being was gone. No it was more than that. The place had been totally cleansed. It was like heaven had sent down a team of divine janitors.
Before I could examine the scene further Leliana woke up, yawned in a lady like manner, using a hand to cover her mouth. She stretched a little, managing to look some very feminine while doing it. Then she looked down at her chest, as if something was missing. There wasn't but she must of felt the weight of my head before opening her eyes.
Sometimes I just had to wonder if something had planned this whole messed up adventure out.
"Was that all real?" she asked me.
I'd need some sort of stimulant before I could give that a proper answer, so I went with something simple.
"Depends on your point of view"
Alistair got up and then kicked the dead abomination. Given what the demons had done to him I didn't blame him one bit. Sure the demon had paid, with its life but it should of suffered more.
As expected the Mage Niall lay dead the poor guy just hadn't been able to get back to his body. He hadn't even been able to tell me about the Litany of Adralla; but I had already know so I found it and quickly handed it over to Wynn who would have the knowledge to use it. She didn't say anything but a nod told me that she understood what it was for..
Oggy at least looked to be happy. Nothing seemed to depress the dog, and he seemed to know how to cheer others up as well. A little stroking of his fur made me feel better.
Still I would of liked to get the hell out of this place right now. However Uldred and who knew how many of his followers were still higher up in the tower. They had to be dealt with and I needed Irving alive.
"We're not done yet," I said to the group "We still need to save who we can, and then I'm going to kill Uldred for what he has done. Are you all with me?"
They were.
(Line Break)
"More of them I see…well I'm not falling for it! You may have gotten the others, but you will not break me you filthy maleficar!"
Err okay then. Crazy person alert. Still I thought it best to try and calm him down.
"I am not a Mage" I pointed out "only Wynn here is and she's clearly not demonic in anyway".
She was more like an angel than a demon. Sadly it was one of those prechy angels.
Wynne moved to inspect the barrier, and then reported on it.
"I have never seen anything like this…it must be blood magic."
The templar looked at her, and then started ranting again.
"Go away demons, you will not break me!"
He shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds and re-opened them.
"You're still here? But that's always worked before!"
"Try wishing really hard, next time" I whispered to myself before more clearly saying "We're not demons. We came from outside the tower. We're here to help"
Because apprantly I was a hero now.
"My name is Cullen. The remaining mages are in the Harrowing Chamber up those steps…but they must of been turned into abominations by now. They must all be destroyed".
Workable but I was going to need the support of the Mages when it became time to kill the Arch-demon.
"I'm not going to kill them if they are not already abominations."
"Are you mad? If you let them live, whose to say some other crazed mage won't start up Uldred's work again!" the knight shouted.
Wynne closed her eyes and sighed.
"Uldred was far too powerful for his own good. He was blinded by his own hubris…that is why he has caused all this. I am sure if there are survivors in there, they can be saved with the Litany."
I wasn't all that hopeful, but we had to at least try. I really did need allies.
"We will try to save them, Wynne" I promised
Cullen threw his arms up in the air, and then said.
"Nobody ever listens to me. Fine, have it your way. Go get yourself killed or worse…I don't really care anymore."
We all ignored him and headed up the steps to the Harrowing Chamber.
(Link Break)
Now…do you accept what I offer you?" the dark lord type figure asked of one of his captive Mages.
The magic nodded his head and sealed his fate. The abominations dropped him to the ground. He screamed as his body morphed into an abominations.
Not a pretty sight.
"Your reign of terror stops here, Uldred" I declared.
I had just enought time to realise that the downside of being joined with the Spirit of Leadership was that, now and again, you ended up sounding like you were the main character in an action hero movie.
"Oh? So you are the one who has been killing my creatures" with absolutely no concern "Perhaps we can come to an agreement of some sort?"
"You have nothing I want, demon" I said.
Uldred threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Oh? Too bad. You all die now then".
Huh dark lord types were normally more dramatic, but I could work with it.
"Wynn use the Litany! It's our only hope!" I shouted as I rushed into attack.
Uldred transformed himself into a Pride Demon. And swatched us aside so that his minions could attack us. I started glowing and caught Alistar's eyes. It didn't seem at all surprised. Lee did but I could explain it to her later.
The lesser bad guys back off a little. I could only conclude that I was getting more support from my unseen ally.
Not that it matter right now other than the fact that it allowed my team and I to kick some ass. I hacked and bashed some more demonic scum and got myself covered in fluids that I really didn't want touching my skin.
The big bad himself entered the fight after Wynn used the Litany to block his attempts to gain more minions. I hacked at a leg, while Lee switched to her bow so she could take out an eye. Alistar damaged the other leg, and the monster fell to its knees.
That was when I ran up the creatures back and buried my axe into the back of it's skull. The thing Uldred had become died as his skull broke apart.
Then Wynn ran other to her boss.
"Irving, are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes…you found the Litany. Thank the Maker you came to our aid" said the senior most Mage.
"Can you make it downstairs?" I asked "Greagoir told me that he will not believe that the Tower is back to normal unless you say it's so."
Irving nodded and started to stand up, but he had a little trouble.
"Yes, if you will assist me down the stairs…"
Which I did.
(Line Break)
Understandabley Greagoir was shocked to see Irving alive and well, but was also glad that sanity had been restored to the Circle. Cullen however thought that all of the mages should be killed. Thankfully he shut up when I pointed out that we had no way of knowing if he was possessed either.
The Templars gave me a cash rewards for helping them out as they had funding put aside for hiring help. Doubtless it wasn't mean to cover the kind of thing I'd done, but I did need the money.
"In return for your help the mages will gladly assist you in the Blight. I cannot thank you enough" Irving was soon saying.
"Thank you" I said "I will need your help, but may I ask for a favour?"
Irving was very amused by that.
"After everything you have done for us the least I can do is grant you a favour. What is it that you need, Warden?"
"The Arl of Redcliffe's son, Connor he is possessed by a demon. I need help to save him"
"Of course, Warden" replied the senior magic user "I will gather a few mages and meet you in Redcliffe".
"Thank you"
"Irving?" Wynne saidr. "I would like permission to go with the Wardens. I believe I can help with their cause."
"You never really were destined to stay within the Circle" replied the senior Mage "very well I grant you permission".
With that we headed out. I didn't want to sleep in the Tower. Thankfully there was an inn by. That dragon cult might be around, but after facing so many demons they didn't worry me much.
