They entered a canyon. The walls brown, dim, and not a living plant in sight. Marian covered her eyes with her arm as the dry wind brought up dust. She heard the others coughing and Varric pulled out a rag to cover his face. The group had been traveling for hours and finally arrived at the location Varric's contacts had said the dwarves' hideout would be. The area was remote and Varric had said no one should be there. Garrett hadn't been able to find it on a map. Marian glanced back the path they had come. Every step away from Kirkwall hurt, like a stab to her heart. She closed her eyes and sighed before following the others.
"It's the Hawke!" A shadowy shape ran from the edge of the canyon wall.
"What was that?" Marian asked, her staff in hand as she scanned the upper walls of the canyon, looking for signs of life.
Varric put a bolt in Bianca, but the shadow was gone before he could fire it.
"It will have alerted the others." Carver looked around, surveying the walls for other lookouts.
"Good. I'd rather have this over with." Garrett unsheathed his greatsword, his eyes murderous as he led them further into the canyon.
"They're here!" They heard being shouted over and over again, just past the walls of the canyon. Marian saw that there were scaffolds put in place along the walls, some blending in with the brown sand of the canyon. The wind was constantly obscuring her view. She gripped her staff tighter, preparing for the upcoming battle.
"The children of Malcolm Hawke!"
Marian met Carver's eye. The blood of the Hawke.
At the end of their path stood a dwarf. His hands were up and he held no visible weapons. On the scaffolds behind him were other dwarves, many with weapons on their backs.
"Blood of the Hawke. Let us talk." He said, his hands gesturing them to put down their weapons.
"Talk." Garrett growled, his sword still in hand. He stopped several feet from the dwarf, fixing him with a glare.
"You are the blood of Hawke. Malcolm Hawke. Blood for blood. That is what we need." The other dwarves behind him came closer. Their faces holding smiles, but their eyes dead.
"They come to us. Make it easy. We get the blood" One of the dwarf's comrades said.
"Why are their eyes white?" Fenris asked, edging closer to Garrett, his sword ready in his hand.
"What does our father have to do with this?" Carver asked, his voice rising as his eyes scanned the dwarves standing in their path.
"I'll give you blood." Garrett growled, lunging first, his sword thrust through the first dwarf. He pulled it out and beheaded his two companions beside him in one swing. Other dwarves were upon them in seconds.
They dispatched the group easily, they were a large group and each knew the others' strengths. Fenris and Carver stayed close to Marian, allowing her to cast without interruption. Aveline and Garrett were out in front, taking the brute of the force. Isabela crept along the side, striking where the enemy was weakest, and Varric positioned himself to the side of Marian, catching anyone who tried to break their defenses. When the small battle was over, Marian looked over the scratches and applied health salves to them. Since they didn't know how big the base was, she wouldn't be healing unless serious.
"Did you hear them shouting about...Corypheus?" Isabela asked as she wiped her dagger on one of the dead dwarves. "'For Corypheus!' 'Corypheus will rise again'. Madness." The pirate shook her head and looked at Garrett.
"Whoever he is, he will be dealt with." Garrett looked over the dead bodies of the dwarves.
"Probably the one hiring these louts to kill you," Aveline said, coming to stand beside Garrett.
"They mentioned father." Carver was looking at his blade, a frown furrowing his brow.
"Father's dead." Garrett strode away from the pile of bodies, heading for the main entrance of the dwarves hideout.
Carver ground his teeth and followed him. Marian exchanged a look with Aveline. She felt a clench in her stomach. She wanted to finish this and go home. The second she had left Kirkwall she had wished she could change her mind. She had never been away from Malcolm for so long. She wondered if he would notice, would he behave for Orana, would he eat the broth they had prepared for him, would he sleep well? She berated herself with these questions on the walk to the Carta hideout. Now she wanted to find the person responsible and put a stop to them so she could get back to Malcolm.
They walked through the wooden structure that was the dwarves hideout. The walls were adorned with spikes; a similar color to the dense sand outside them. Most of the halls had no roofs and there was a pit that looked as if it was built for fighting matches. Isabela scaled one of the wooden towers and pointed towards a building. "Looks like a fortress, a tower. Bet that's where this Corypheus is." She climbed down.
"Then that's where we are going." Garrett beckoned for her to show the way.
They made their way towards the building in the distance. As they got closer, Marian noticed other buildings built into the walls of the canyon. Doors leading off. Probably where the dwarves actually stayed. The air was hot as the sun rose. They stopped once for water before continuing on. Garrett barely spoke, just walked in front with Aveline at his side and Fenris two steps behind. Carver walked next to Marian, occasionally grumbling about stubborn asses.
As they got closer, Marian couldn't help but notice that the structure they were approaching was huge. A tower. She saw statues on its' sides, towering over the other buildings in the canyon. Even the color was different, the stone white and red, versus the brown of the other buildings. It was beautiful, and frightening. She shivered despite the sun's warmth.
"Something is definitely off about this place," she whispered, looking up at the stone gargoyles as they got closer.
Carver glanced at her, worry on his face.
When they got in the fortress, Varric recognized one of the dwarves, his eyes as white as the others. He mentioned darkspawn blood and raising the master before attacking them.
"They're drinking darkspawn blood." Carver exclaimed after the battle, his face white. "They'll go mad."
"They are mad, Junior. In case you didn't notice. Anyone would have to be mad to attack Hawke."
Marian looked at Carver. "Are you going to be ok?"
He was pale, and she noticed he was sweating, just a bit. "Y-yes. I'm fine. Let's just keep going."
And on they went, through the lair, killing Carta dwarves as they met them. Deeper into the fortress. The air getting darker. With every step Marian knew she had made a mistake, with every step she wanted to be back home. The reached a lift to take them down into the earth. Garrett shrugged and got on it. Everyone else was a little less thrilled. When they got to the bottom it was darker. Aveline had a few torches and Marian lit the end of her staff. As they walked away from the lift a barrier appeared, a barrier of gold magic. Marian put her hand against it, but the magic was too strong. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, but there was a darkness to the gold she could not understand.
"That's just great. I guess we will have to find another way out." Carver grumbled
They were walking through the tunnels when Carver stopped. He pointed at some shields propped against the walls. "These are...Warden shields." He froze and looked down the hallway. "Darkspawn." He growled, unsheathing his sword.
The darkspawn appeared at the end of the tunnel. Marian sent a blast of lightning at them followed by Varric's arrows, cutting their number in half by the time they reached the warriors. Carver switched positions with Aveline since he was the only one immune to the taint. Marian worked as hard as she could to make sure none of the monsters reached them. When the group was finished she heard a voice booming through the halls.
"By the Maker, I will it so. I will have no one say my magic ever released a demon into this world."
Her heart stopped. "Father?" She looked from Garrett to Carver, both standing still. Carver's face was pale, his eyes searching hers.
"You...you both heard that?" He asked, fear in his eyes.
"That was your father?" Isabela asked, watching the three Hawkes. "But isn't he...dead?"
"Yes." Garrett stated, his voice more gruff than usual.
"What's father's voice doing down here?" Marian felt cold, chills echoing in her body.
"Let's...let's keep moving." Garrett wiped his blade off and moved away from the darkspawn.
They made their way down the halls until they reached a bridge. A man stood on the bridge, hunched over, his hair scraggly and eyes white like the others. He looked at them and stopped.
Garrett unsheathed his sword, but Carver put a hand on his arm.
"He's wearing Warden armor." Carver approached the man, his hands out in a calming gesture. "Hello?"
The man looked at Carver. "You have the key. Not you. But you have it. But you can not wield it. Only a Hawke can. Only a Hawke can break the seal."
"A key?" Marian looked at her brothers. "That only a Hawke can use."
"A dagger." The crazy Warden spouted, his white eyes resting on Isabela.
"Oh. Like this dagger." Isabela procured a golden dagger from her back, a cheeky smile on her face.
"Where did you get that?" Garrett asked, taking it from her and looking it over.
"It looked valuable. Got it off one of the dwarves we killed. Thought I would make sure this venture isn't a complete waste of time." She winked at him.
Garrett stared at the dagger. "This was father's." He held it up to the light, the gold visible as well as the writing 'Hawke' across the blade.
"The key." The Warden said, his white eyes watching the blade in Garrett's hand. "The key breaks the seals, only way out. I show you." And he turned around and hobbled off in the opposite direction.
"Oh great. Are we going to follow the mad man?" Isabela asked, watching the crazed Warden's retreating back.
"We don't have much choice." Garrett sheathed the dagger and followed the Warden across the bridge.
They followed the Warden up some stairs and to a large antechamber where a circle surrounded by pillars sat on the floor. The circle glowed purple. Marian could feel the pulse of magic, but something was wrong, there was a darkness, the same feeling she had felt with the golden barrier.
"Now. Break the seal." The mad Warden pointed at the purple circle, stepping far back from it, his eyes not leaving the dagger at Garrett's belt.
"Are you sure, Brother?" Marian asked, her hands gripping her staff. "There is a lot of magic here."
Garrett looked at her. "We need to get out of here." He pulled the dagger out of his belt and looked at the circle. He approached cautiously and touched the purple edge of the circle with the dagger's tip. The air around the circle crackled and the purple light disappeared.
A large fire demon appeared, his claws reaching for Garrett.
Marian reacted, her frost spell freezing the demon, his claws inches from Garrett. The rest moved, weapons ready. Garrett sliced the hand off, the demon mobilizing again with a growl. He lunged at Garrett, but Isabela was faster, slicing at the demon's shin. The group took shots at the demon, each getting out of the way before he lunged. Garrett delivered the final blow to its chest, jumping on it to push the demon to the ground and driving his sword through its would-be heart.
When Garrett was done he growled and lunged across the room, pushing the mad Warden against the wall.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT LITTLE DETAIL?" His blade at the man's throat.
"Garrett, calm down." Carver was standing beside. "We need him to show us the rest of the seals."
"I-I thought you knew...there has been no Hawke. The seals must be broken."
Garrett growled and shoved the mad Warden away. He fell to the ground, his body shaking. Carver glared at his brother and helped the man to his feet.
"What is your name, Warden?" He asked, his voice light as if he were talking to a small child.
"My...my name? It's been...so long." The white eyes stared past Carver. "Larius."
"Larius, can you show us to the other seals?" Carver asked, watching the man with sad eyes.
"Y-yes. Follow me, blood of Hawke." Larius was off down another hallway.
Garrett was seething, whether from rage or from the battle, Marian did not know. All she knew was that this was taking a lot longer than she had planned and her stomach hurt with every minute away from Malcolm.
"Mistress Hawke was not home, Knight-Captain." One of the recruits told him.
Cullen stared at the man, his brow furrowing. There must be some mistake. "Who told you that?"
"They didn't, Ser. But when I asked to speak to her they all had a different story for where she was. Suspicious enough for me to look into it. When I left, I listened in a bit and heard them speaking. They were saying that the Mistress was supposed to be home hours ago. They didn't know what to do." His recruit's brow furrowed to match his captain's. He hadn't been Cullen's first choice, but now he was reconsidering.
His name was Maren. He had joined two years ago, before the Qunari attacked. Cullen had never given him a second thought, now he saw that Maren had a shrewd mind. Something he could use these days.
Cullen ground his teeth. Marian had lied to him. He had to admit he had not anticipated that. He had sent the recruit on a whim, just to make sure there hadn't been any more attacks that day. Now it seems he should have done so sooner.
"Did you see my son?" He felt his heart constrict with worry.
"No, Ser."
Cullen closed his eyes. Marian wouldn't take Malcolm with her, but he had to make sure. He nodded at his recruit, dismissing him and walked towards Meredith's office.
"I may have left the circle, but I took a vow. My magic will serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base." The booming voice filled the tunnels again. Father's voice.
Marian closed her eyes. She had missed that voice. When he would sit her and Bethany down, when he would explain the importance of magic, the importance of helping people and always doing the right thing. That we must always use our magic for good, not for personal benefit. A hand squeezed her shoulder. He would have loved to meet his grandson. She looked up to see Carver watching her.
"I miss him too. And Bethany." His eyes were filled with pain. The pain of his family, his loss.
Marian squeezed his hand. "At least they are all together."
Carver nodded.
They had broken the third seal and were making their way toward the top of the tower. The dim green light was getting fainter with each climb and each broken seal. Marian did not know how many hours they had been gone. Much longer than she had thought. She hoped Malcolm was alright, hoped Orana and Bodahn were safe. Hoped this adventure would be over soon. The pain in her heart would not leave her and with every death and every seal broken it continued. It hurt, an ache magic could not heal.
Larius spoke to Garrett at the head of the group. "He is waking. He feels the seals weakening." Larius' body shook as his white eyes darted around. "He...calls. Mimics the cry of the old gods."
Carver stopped, his eyes watching Larius. "The archdemons?"
Larius nodded fervently. "He calls the dark children to free him. All with taint in their blood." He fixed Carver with a stare. "He calls you. I can see it."
"Carver?" Marian looked at her brother. He was much more pale than when they entered the tunnels and his brow was wet.
"I-It sounds like music." He looked at the ground, his hands clenching. "I thought..."
"Music." Larius smiled, it did not touch his eyes. "He calls us. He is more than darkspawn. He pierces the veil. When the seals break, he will wake. He must be killed."
Garrett watched Larius. "He is darkspawn. We will stop him." His eyes turned to Carver, examining his brother, seeing the paleness of his skin, his eyes darker than when they entered the canyon.
Larius stopped. "No. They are here. The Wardens. They...they want to free him. To give him the light!" He turned to Garrett and grabbed his armor frantically. "They obey Corypheus. You must stop them!" He was shaking his eyes looking toward the end of the hallway.
"He's right." Carver looked towards the side of the hallway, where the pillars had been broken and a gap appeared. "They are coming."
Suddenly, they heard a woman's voice coming from beyond the dark path ahead of them. "Something is happening. The prison is breaking down."
Four Wardens appeared from the dark, their blue grey armor glinting dully off their torches. As they appeared before their little party the woman stopped and watched them. The woman's eyes widened when she saw the golden dagger in Garrett's belt.
"Y-you have the key! And you are breaking the seals." Her eyes travelled over their group.
Garrett's stance stiffened, his hand ghosting towards his sword. "Who are you?"
The woman watched him. Marian could feel the magic coming off her. A Warden mage. The three men behind her had blades.
The woman's eyes narrowed on Garrett. "You are the child of Malcolm Hawke. The Carta did not lie." Her eyes travelled over Marian and Carver. "And you brought your siblings as well. Good." She smiled. "I am Janeka. I lead this unit of Grey Wardens." Her eyes settled on Carver for a brief moment. His Warden armor giving him away, then they slid to Larius and widened slightly.
"Do not listen to her." Larius hissed near Garrett, his eyes narrowing at the woman.
Carver stepped forward. "What do the Wardens have to do with our father?"
"You do not know?" Janeka looked surprised, her eyes leaving Larius to look at Carver. "Your father made sure this prison did not fall thirty years ago."
"How?" Marian stepped forward, standing next to Carver.
Janeka smiled. It made her green eyes look cold. "This prison was built by the Grey Wardens to house the most powerful darkspawn we ever encountered. But all magic fades. We had to reinforce the seals, requiring a mage who had not been...tainted by Warden training. Your father was the last to perform the ritual."
That explained father's voice. The echo of the last person to strengthen the seals. But...Marian couldn't shake the fact that something was wrong. With each seal broken there was a darkness lingering. Perhaps it was the darkspawn, but it felt more like... "Blood magic." Marian stared at the Grey Wardens. "My father used blood magic?" Her eyes were wide. She knew the answer, but she desperately hoped she was wrong.
There was silence, the clink of water from far ahead the only sound in the hallway, the stairs leading up, the light above. They were so close to the final seal.
"Wardens do what is necessary." It was Carver's voice, but Marian could hardly believe it. She stared at her brother, but his eyes would not meet hers.
Janeka smiled again and tilted her head at Marian, as if she were a puzzle that needed to be solved. "The binding of the demons was done in another era, before Chantry laws forbade such things."
Marian breathed easier, but still. If her father's blood was what was needed to break these seals...there was only one explanation for that. She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to the Maker, that her father be by his side and not tainted by this one act.
Janeka looked back at Garrett. "I need your help. The Wardens who first bound Corypheus were wrong. He is no threat to humanity." Her eyes shined. "He is an opportunity! He is not mindless, he is vastly intelligent and knows we are his greatest ally to stop the Blights."
"Why would a darkspawn want to stop the Blights?" Garrett asked, his brows furrowing.
"He can see what it costs his people. What the search for the archdemons does to the darkspawn. He does not want that."
Larius stepped in front of Janeka. "Corypheus cares nothing for Blights. He is using you! He calls, you answer. You sent the Carta."
Janeka's eyes narrowed at Larius. "Don't be fooled by this creature, Hawke. He is half darkspawn himself." She stepped around Larius, not breaking her eye contact with Garrett. "I know a spell to bind Corypheus-"
"Enough!" Garrett growled. He took a step towards Janeka, towering over her. "You speak of blood magic. More blood magic. I came here to stop the person targeting my family. Whether it be Corypheus...or you."
Janeka took a step back. "Then you are a fool. I will find a way without you!"
"Watch out!" Marian cried, grabbing her brother and pulling him back, just as Janecka erected a barrier of fire where he had been standing. The Wardens ran up the stairs, towards the final seal.
"There is another way!" Larius ran off down one of the side passages. "Watch out for traps!" He called behind himself.
"More mages." Fenris growled as the group made their way after Larius.