The Deep Roads – 9:31

Into the Deep Roads

"No, this can't be right!" the Seeker suddenly shouts, leaping to her feet. "The Champion was an apostate who came to Kirkwall to spread subversion against the Chantry! But you…!" She glares at the dwarf. "You claim this wasn't the case!"

"Oh?"

"The Champion had dealings with the qunari… joined forces with a known raider, an escaped slave, a blood mage, and a rebel Warden… all for coin! That's preposterous!"

"It's life setting up Hawke as the punch-line for a joke." The dwarf sighs and gives her a stern look. "Maybe it's not as simple as you'd like to think, Seeker."

"Simple? Need I remind you of what your friends did?"

"One 'friend' destroyed something important, and the rest of us decided to make sure no more innocents died, and killed the ones who stood in the path of that."

"Then I do not need to tell you how many lives were lost then, and how many more will be lost?" Her glare intensifies as her voice grows louder with outrage. "You cannot sit there and tell me she's innocent!"

"Not sure if 'innocent' is the word I want either, since that implies that someone was 'guilty'."

The Seeker ignores him as she paces. "She must've known. Somehow, she knew what was down there and-!"

"Yeah, no." The dwarf sighs and looks to the floor. Or, perhaps, looks to the Deep Roads that he could still remember so very clearly. "No, none of us knew. If we did, things would've turned out a lot differently, and Hawke wouldn't have let her precious little brother anywhere near there."

"Is that so?" The Seeker scoffs. "Then, tell me, what happened?"

"Well, we entered the Roads as expected. We didn't get very far until we found our first obstacle…"

I hated the Deep Roads. I thoroughly hated them. I could see why Anders and Varric loathed them so much. I'd never, ever, return here once I got out.

I came to this conclusion when we were a day or two below the surface, and I already wanted to snap something. Preferably those 'bodyguards' who seems a little too interested in leering at me and making me horribly uncomfortable. No, more than uncomfortable. It was obnoxious and confusing and made my skin crawl. I'd taken to ducking behind Anders or Carver whenever some of them got a little too close for comfort. Instead of, you know, beating them like I wanted to because I was supposed to be acting like a professional mercenary here.

Worse, though, was the monotony of everything. Every day was the exact same. Not even Lothering, quiet until the Blight, had been this bad. It was surprising just how much I couldn't stand doing the same exact thing repeatedly. I should've been happy that there were no problems, but I kept twitching at every sound and noise, almost hoping for something to happen, as my life had been filled with so much movement that peace and quiet felt unnatural, especially in a place like this. Funny how it took going underground to realize all this.

Also amusing was that not two seconds after I did realize this, Bartrand was socking one of his workers in the jar and yelling at everyone. "What just happened?" I asked Varric, who was walking up to where I'd been standing.

"There's been a collapse," Varric explained with a long-suffering sigh. "Apparently, the side passages are too dangerous."

"Isn't this the reason you hired me, Varric?"

"I wish I could say 'no'." He sighed again. "We're setting up camp. Or, rather, the useless lackeys my brother hired are. I, however, have stupidly volunteered our lovely foursome to go clear it out."

"Well, if we come running back, screaming bloody murder, then everyone will have the luxury of knowing they made the right choice."

"Just what I said."

"This is one of the reasons why the Deep Roads are annoying," Anders sighed from nearby. "Collapses everywhere. We nearly lost Sigrun to a cave-in once. She didn't mind, but the rest of us were jumping at creaks in the walls for weeks."

"Glad you convinced the expert, Hawke, to come down here with us," Varric deadpanned. "Death by falling rocks sounds very bad."

"The Taint is worse."

"Even better."

"Er… I hate to add to your burdens, my friends, but I fear I must," a dwarf slowly interrupted as he approached. Strangely, unlike all the other dwarves here, his accent was Fereldan.

"Bodahn, my friend!" Varric laughed. "Glad to see you joined our hectic adventure."

"Wouldn't miss it. After all, my boy and I helped out the Heroes of the Blight with Runes and supplies during the Blight. Feels like a shame to not check out the Deep Roads."

"Where is Sandal? Running around like a nug and doing enchantments?"

"That's the thing, Varric, that I must ask of you." The dwarf, Bodahn, sighed and looked incredibly worried. "I fear he wandered off, down the side passages. If you can, please keep an eye out? He doesn't… well, he doesn't understand danger like he should."

That was… interesting. "Does he have a way to defend himself?" I asked. "Just need to know how fast I need to run. I'm Hawke, by the way."

"It's wonderful to meet you. He should be fine. He's got a couple of his enchantments so I'm sure he'll be fine on that front. He's burned down the house twice by accident." Twice? "I'm more worried about him getting lost and dying of starvation or getting caught in cave-ins! Oh, my poor boy…"

"And how long has it been?"

"Not even a half hour, I think. I turned my back to hand out the rations and he slipped away then, I think. He gets so easily distracted and then…" He shook his head and I was reminded of Father when one of us kids did something stupid and he was doing all he could to not cry from worry. "I should've been harsher with my warnings."

"We'll find him," I reassured. "Don't fret."

"Thank you… oh, Sandal, I hope he's okay."

"We're going to find a single dwarf in this place?" Carver asked me as Bodhan walked away. It was the first thing he said all day. "That a wise thing to promise, Sister?"

"What can I do? He was acting like Father that time you thought it was a good idea to chase the bronto."

"I didn't know what it was!"

"Hawke, tell the tale as we walk, please," Varric requested. "I'd like to get moving now."

"Sure," I agreed as Carver yelped in protest. "Let's go."

"Junior, you and Sunshine got into some serious trouble when you were younger," Varric laughed sometime later, while we were navigating the twists and turns of the side passage lit eerily by raw lyrium. "No wonder Hawke has white hair."

"Sister has always had white hair," Carver grumbled. He was annoyed at me telling childhood stories about him. "Same as Dad."

…Actually, neither Father nor I naturally had white hair, but Father hadn't wanted to explain that, and neither did I. "I guess it went white in anticipation," I joked instead, smiling. "You could tell some stories of your own, Carver."

"I don't know any of your stuff. You're too much older."

"Yeah, and I made sure to save the antics for just our parents. Would you feel better if I tried to think of one of mine?"

"Oh, this'll be good."

"Let's see… any requests?"

"I don't suppose you've any funny magic accidents," Anders suggested with a small grin. "I remember a time where Alim and I decided to see what happened when Force Magic met Elemental magic. We… uh… nearly destroyed a room. Irving almost had a heart attack from laughing so hard."

"Well, there was that time I froze the lake during winter and made the locals think that the Maker had turned their faces from them?"

"You… what?"

"It's a weird story. You see…" Anders stopped suddenly and held up a hand to signal us to stop as well. "Anders?"

He was silent for a bit, making a couple of hand signals that made no sense. Eventually realizing that we had no idea what was going on, he murmured, "my darkspawn senses are tingling."

"Please tell me that's a joke, Blondie," Varric sighed. "Please?"

"No. It's something that Commander would say while leading us. Experienced veteran making a joke. The rest of us picked it up."

"So…?"

"Darkspawn approach. Guard up." He sighed. "Sorry, I fell into the old habit of hand signals. Commander and Serenity were big on that."

"How close are they?"

"Since I went with old habits and wasted time… they're here."

"Blondie, give more warning next time!"

"At least we got some at all," Carver snapped as he charged forward and cut down the first darkspawn that had appeared on the path. "That's for Ostagar, bastards!"

"Uh… Carver?" I called. He didn't hear me as he rushed ahead, killing darkspawn left and right. "Carver!" He disappeared from sight. "Oh…" He was running away again. Like he did when he went to Ostagar. But… but led to… what was that idiot doing?!

"You'd think he was a Warden with that charging forward," Anders grumbled. "Here, I'll go after him, Hawke. You and Varric catch up."

"Huh? Ah, sure." I was honestly startled that I wasn't the one snapping orders and the like this time. Felt like it had been a while since someone else took charge of the situation. I honestly wasn't sure if I was happy or… well, I was certainly startled. I'd just stick with that, for now.

"So, Hawke, while Junior tries to work out some issues and Blondie shows us that a retired Warden still knows how to kick ass, are we just going to stand here and look pretty?" Varric asked me dryly. "I mean; that takes some work and Bianca's getting jealous."

"Oh, right, sorry." I brought my sword up, but then decided against it and sheathed it. "Okay, I'm just going for magic here. I don't want these things anywhere near us." Wesley… I was absolutely terrified someone here would suffer his fate.

"I like that plan, Hawke."

"How many bolts do you have?"

"I've got enough if I'm smart about my shots, Hawke. How about your spells?"

"…Varric, if I ever run out of magic, I'd be surprised." I conjured up a fireball and launched it into some nearby darkspawn. "I'm more worried about causing a cave-in."

"Well, if you do, let's run like there are darkspawn chasing us. Because there probably will be."

"Are you going to shoot or have me just keep casting magic and making Bianca horribly jealous?"

"Just lining them up." He loosed a bolt that went through five darkspawn. "And saving my shots."

"Varric, I adore you so."

"Glad to hear it, Hawke!"

Between the two of us, we soon made short work of the darkspawn surrounding us and chased after Anders and Carver. It didn't take long to find them. Darkspawn corpses were all over the place, and Anders was healing a wound on Carver's arm.

"I can see how you survived Ostagar, bad attitude aside," Anders was saying. "Impressive."

"Father taught me well," Carver replied with pride. That pride disappeared when he saw me. "Uh… Sister?"

"You bloody idiot!" I yelled at him. "What were you thinking, running off like that?!"

"Uh…"

"You really remain calm until you can let loose on the person who aggravated you, huh, Hawke?" Varric noted. "Look, we're all in one piece. Lay into him when we get back to camp."

"…You bet I will," I grumbled, annoyed. "Freaking flames, Carver…"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I…"

"Later."

"Okay."

I walked off a short distance to better calm down and caught a face full of bright blue light. I shuddered at the sight of the large trees of lyrium twisting about the cave walls. Beautiful as it was, I knew better than to get any closer. Raw lyrium was dangerous to everyone, but especially mages. Many mages would die of hemorrhaging before going into the insanity others did. With my power, though… I'd probably be dead in less than a second.

"Hawke!" Anders called. "There are more corpses up ahead!" Startled, I turned and saw the others had starting walking down the path again.

I jogged to catch up, and couldn't help but whistle softly when I saw the bodies piled along the path. "What did this?" I breathed.

"No idea. But we'd better keep our guard up."

Slowly, we made our way through the pile of corpses. Soon, we caught sight of a young dwarf bow standing in the middle of it, blood splattering his clothes.

"Well, I'll be a nug's uncle," Varric breathed. "That's Bodahn's boy."

"And, uh…" I began as the dwarf boy turned to face us. "What is he?"

"You know; that's actually a good question."

"Hello," the boy greeted with a smile that looked far too out of place with the blood smeared on his face.

"Talk about 'dumb luck'," Anders snarked.

"No, Anders, it's the great warrior standing victoriously," Carver joked.

Rolling my eyes at their comments, I stepped closer to Sandal and used my sleeve to help wipe off the blood. Darkspawn blood… the taint… I'd have to change this shirt, and order the others to do something similar, more than likely. "Hey there," I murmured to him. "Are you injured?" He shook his head. "Good. Now, how did you keep them away?"

Sandal smiled in response and handed me a glowing rune. It felt cold to the touch. "Boom," he cheerfully answered.

Since when did ice explode? I was assuming this was an ice rune, at least. Shaking my head, I almost asked… when I caught sight of something that frightened me. An ogre, made completely of ice. "And that one?"

"Not enchantment." OBVIOUSLY NOT!

I didn't get a chance to ask further as he just walked off, back towards the camp. "Smart boy," Varric muttered as he did so. "Come on. We still need to find a way past that collapse."

Despite Varric's suggestion, I walked up to the ogre to study it more closely. My fellow mage, of course, was studying it with me.

"Well, I'm confused," Anders admitted after a moment. "It's been turned into ice, not just frozen over. Never seen anything like this. Certainly not from runes."

"I've… done something similar," I mumbled, remembering the one outside of Lotheirng. "But not this extensively and that was magic. Dwarves… don't have magic, right?"

"No connection to the Fade," Anders confirmed. "Now, I do know of two dwarves who entered the Fade, but that was through abnormal means. …Very abnormal."

"Really?"

"Oghren and Sigrun. Both claim that the experience taught them why humans and elves were so insane. Commander said they were sick for a good twenty or thirty minutes while trying to acclimate."

"And the 'abnormal means'?"

"Warden secret."

"…"

"Sorry!"

"You are not." I stuck my tongue out at him like a child and he laughed hard in response.

"What are you two doing?" Varric demanded, giving us a baleful look. "I fail to see anything funny in this nug-infested, darkspawn-blighted place." He shook his head in exasperation. "I can't believe dwarves live down here on purpose. Why in blazes would they?"

"Oh, I don't know," I began lightly, wondering if I could manage to cheer him up. "There is a certain charm about the dank and cold."

"Yeah, same as an Nevarran tomb." He shuddered. "Okay, moving forward now before that becomes prophetic."

Chuckling softly, I found myself frowning as I noticed something. Carver, paler than normal and holding his head like he had a headache as he trailed behind us. Wesley as he was shortly before his death burned in my head. Aveline had told me that she'd thought he'd been pale, before he collapsed, but hadn't said anything.

Was Carver…?

"Carver?" I whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Just some bad memories, Sister," he answered with a strained smile. "The darkspawn… they're making me remember Ostagar. That's all. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Trauma could do worse things to the body than paleness and headaches. "I'll make up some potions to help with nightmares."

"Thanks, I think I'll need it."

"And you'll tell me the second you feel like something is wrong?"

"Knowing you, you'll pounce before I even realize. But yes."

"Okay." …Why did I have such a bad feeling about this? Carver hadn't gotten any of the blood in him, at least I was assuming so, and… and surely the darkspawn taint could only be spread through something like that. Right? Surely…

I was regretting even coming down here. This sick feeling just wasn't going away.

The path was long and winding. It felt like we'd been walking forever. To pass the time, and to preserve our sanity as nothing came to attack us, Anders shared some funny stories about the Wardens.

"So, this Oghren convinced Sigrun to drink some sort of alcohol known as Dragon Piss and what happened?" I had to ask. I wasn't sure I heard correctly.

"She 'got Orlesian' with a lyrium vein," Anders repeated with a grin. "Nathaniel's term, having heard it somewhere near Starkhaven here in the Free Marches."

"What does that mean?"

"Apparently, Orlesian passionate kisses involve a long of tongue action."

"Oh, that sort of kissing. I've had to treat bite wounds caused by that."

"You're joking."

"I wish. Lothering was an odd little place."

"Isn't that why Father chose us to live there?" Carver asked. "I was about eight at the time, so I don't really remember."

"Well, that and the Chasind and the fact that the locals were inclined to mind their own business," I answered. "So long as we were social at the right times, no one bothered the strange family on the outskirts except when they needed some help."

"And not always healing. Remember that day when the horses were sick and they grabbed every able bodied person they could find to make up for it so that planting would continue on track?"

"Father had a fun time joking, but you were complaining up a storm."

"Junior? Complaining?" Varric dramatically gasped, acting like he was having a heart attack. "Don't spread such lies, Hawke! My poor heart can't take the sudden change in character."

"Very funny, Varric," Carver grumbled.

"So, did Miss Sigrun recover from her experience?" I asked Anders, returning to the original topic.

"Well, we did have to keep a watch on her for a time, just in case, but she'd been cleared of everything but teasing by the time I left," Anders explained, smiling fondly. "Oh, but that's not even the funniest tale, really."

"What can top that?"

"Well, you see; this one time, Nathaniel and Velanna were taking a little too long in coming back from a scouting. Poor Commander started fretting and raced off ahead to find her, even though Revas kept trying to call her back. Of course, next thing we know, we hear her yelling all the way to the Anderfels about letting hormones get in the way of the job and why couldn't they pick a better spot where they couldn't get caught."

"Wait, so they delayed reporting back to kiss?" Carver asked, laughing.

"A little more than that. Commander couldn't have stolen their armor that quickly."

"Not really sure how… romantic the Deep Roads are," Varric grumbled, kicking a crumbling stalagmite. "But maybe you Wardens are into some weird shit."

"Hey, I've never done anything of the sort!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure, Blondie. And I absolutely adore these stalagmites. Or are they stalactites? Shit, I don't know."

"Stalactites have to hold tight to the ceiling," Carver commented, reciting the little saying Father taught us when, during a story, we kept getting confused as to which was which. "Stalagmites have to have might to grow from the ground."

"Oh, how nice. Here's hoping I'll never have to keep track." Varric sighed heavily. "I'm longing so much for the sun, I'm imagining a pale, sickly stream dribbling down in front of us."

"Varric, we're all seeing it," Anders pointed out immediately. "It's actually not that uncommon."

"Except we're how many days below the surface?" I reminded. "Why would it be so deep?"

"Well, we're about to find out. We're here."

We were, and the answer was immediate. There, right above us, was a giant hole, easily the size of small town, that stretched all the way to the surface. The small bit of light we'd seen weakly fell through it. It was unnerving, seeing the sun from so far away.

"What is this?" Carver asked as he looked around. "A hole here? This deep? That… doesn't happen naturally, right?"

"It's perfectly circular, Carver, so you're right," Anders stated. "And it's perfectly smooth. Someone dug this out carefully. Probably with magic."

"Why?"

"It's an old execution pit," Varric answered. He knelt down and shifted through the sand to reveal small pieces of bone. The largest was the size of my fingernails. "Tevinters would shove the slaves down, so that they'd die and leave no traces. It was favored by the particularly cruel ones. Death, followed by total erasure."

"They'd just… shove them in?" Carver was looking a little ill. "They'd see their death coming for them?"

"Actually, considering the depth, I think they might've died, or at least been forced into unconsciousness, before hitting the bottom," I informed him, keeping my voice clinical to avoid being ill myself. "Let's move on. That's not the way forward."

"Is it possible to do punishments like this without magic?"

"It would take more effort, Carver." I wasn't comfortable with this topic. "Unless they wanted to use a natural cliff face, like the ones all in the mountains here. But yes. More than possible."

"Okay."

"Door up ahead," Varric called, stepping forward. "No traps that I can see and-"

"Darkspawn hiding," Anders interrupted, grabbing him by the collar and jerked him back, out of the way of an ogre that had tried to ram Varric. I felt my breath freeze in my throat as I saw it, remembering the one outside of Lothering.

Shortly after, though, I realized just why the darkspawn were considered less threatening outside of a Blight. They were absolute idiots. This ogre, in particular, managed to crash into the nearby wall and, due to its horns, got itself stuck.

For a few seconds, all the four of us could do was stare. After all, after spending such a long time hearing of, and even seeing, the terrors of the darkspawn, it was very startling to see one be so… stupid.

"Okay, let's kill it before we all succumb to the urge to die of laughter?" I suggested. "Who wants the honors?" Varric fired a bolt into its neck seconds before Anders froze it. Carver then shattered the ogre into pieces with a well place hit with his greatsword. "Well, that solves that."

"I love fighting darkspawn when they aren't intelligent," Anders noted gleefully. "I really, really do. They make silly mistakes like that. It's great."

"Then why haven't the Wardens destroyed them all," Carver grumbled.

"Carver, we're in the Deep Roads. Do you not see just how huge they are? Take into account the areas that we know more or less nothing about too, due to the amount of knowledge lost during the incredibly long first Blight, and the fact that they do have things constantly spawning them, hundreds at a time, and the fact that there really aren't that many Wardens." Anders gave Carver a very stern look. "Remember all the darkspawn who died during the Fourth Blight and what happened when people assumed that they were all dead, despite the warnings from the dwarves. I shouldn't have to remind you about that."

"Can we just all get along?" I sighed heavily. "Carver, quiet about Warden stuff. Anders, no implications of Ostagar. Okay? Okay."

"You enforcing that, Hawke?" Varric asked me.

"With disorientation and ice if need be." I shoved open the door to the next little hallway. "Everyone, let's march."

"Your sister can be a real slave driver sometimes, Carver," Anders noted as we all walked.

"You don't know the half of it," Carver groused right back. "Stand up straight. Eat your vegetables. Don't favor one side when training. Sit down and drink all this noxious medicine or I will force you to."

"Strange how all of those things are good for you," I muttered.

"Hawke, I've got a bad feeling," Varric murmured then, palming Bianca again. "This hallway is way too long for there not to be something at the end."

Now that he mentioned it, this was a long hallway. "An exit?"

"It had better not be a broodmother," Anders mumbled. "Last hallway I was in that ran this long had four of them at the end. I still have nightmares about those things."

"And what's a broodmother?"

"Something I hope dearly none of you ever come face to face with."

"Okay?"

"To give you some advice, Hawke, if the darkspawn ever drag you off, and you don't see a way out, give yourself a quick death."

"…Uh…"

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise, but why only give me that-"

"Andraste's tits, what's a dragon doing here?!" …What?

Varric's declaration was met with three blank stares that turned to sheer horror as a dragon launched itself into the air with a cry that shattered the air. It had plenty of room to maneuver, too, as the room the hallway had opened up to was humongous. It could easily fit the entirely of Viscount's Keep… and probably would have some room to spare.

"Aim for the wings!" Anders yelled as the dragon dove for us and we scattered. "Bring it to the ground!"

"Easy for you to say!" Carver snapped. "How can something that huge move so fast?"

"Archdemon was faster according to Commander!"

"Not what I wanted to hear!"

"Blondie, what do we need to do?" Varric snapped. "Bianca's not having that much punch!"

"Well-!" Anders had to cut himself off as he conjured up a shield to block the blast of fire the dragon breathed. "I think this is more annoying than that High Dragon!"

"Someone come up with a strategy!" Carver snapped.

"Why not you, Junior?" Varric snarked.

"I'm an idiot!"

"Good to know! Blondie?"

"Hawke and I are dodging fire!" Anders yelled. The dragon seemed to really want charred mages to eat, with the way it kept going after us. "Thought you'd like a lady going after you with her talons!"

"That's a lady? How can you tell?"

"Females are the ones with power!"

"Ah, gotcha. Should I try to flirt?"

While Anders and Varric were bantering, I assumed to keep themselves from freaking out from stress, I'd gradually made my way to the side to try and get an opening. Carver kept silent, trying desperately to hit the dragon that seemed to taunt him by staying just out of reach.

The dragon, however, was horrifyingly intelligent, really. It (she?) stayed out of range, protected her wings from Varric's arrows, and deftly dodged Ander's attempts to freeze her. I just stayed on the side, watching the movements and trying to figure out if there was a pattern.

Finally, though, the dragon realized that I was all by my lonesome and turned to charge straight for me. The perfect target. I tossed my sword to the side and brought up my hands to prepare a powerful lightning spell, the strongest that I could without accidentally hurting the others. To my surprise, though, the dragon slowed as she approached me. As the wind off its wings buffeted me, she came to a stop and studied me with carefully calculating eyes.

What was this?

"Um… hi?" I squeaked, trying to figure it out. Why had it stopped attacking me? What was going on here?

She nodded her head, as if in greeting. Okay then… well, let's… take advantage of the situation.

"Nice place you have?"

She bore her teeth in a snarl, glaring at the stalactites and stalagmites that dotted the ruins she inhabited. What was…? Well, I knew what I would want if I actually had wings… so…

"You want to get out of here."

She shrieked in what I hoped was agreement.

"There's a hole not far from here," I whispered to her. "You can escape there, if you're careful. It should be big enough."

The dragon studied me for a long moment, calculating gaze boring into my skull. Then she screeched and flew over my head, into the tunnel we came from. After a long while of heavy silence, we heard a much softer, muffled roar of triumph that seemed to come from above were still silent for a long while after that, not really sure if we could believe what just happened. Finally, though, Anders broke the silence.

"Hawke, how did you know that would work?" he demanded. "Are you a… a dragon whisperer or something?"

"Actually, I'd brought my hands to launch a spell," I corrected sheepishly, bending to pick up my sword. "It's just when it stopped… well, I tried reasoning and what do you know?"

"…Well, Serenity did once tell me that dragons were supposed to be highly intelligent. I guess she thought it was a 'we come in peace' gesture or something and then stopped to listen to the puny humans." He sighed heavily. "We used up some luck here."

"Yep. And I'm worried for the backlash."

"Sister!" Carver suddenly called. I glanced up to see that he'd gone ahead. "Here! I think this gets us around the cave in!"

"Perfect, let's get back to Bartrand," Varric sighed, storing Bianca back on his back. "He'll be so pleased…"

"If he's pleased, I think we up our chances of getting out of here," I pointed out.

"True. And if I have to spend one more day in these caves than I have to, I'll go insane. Let's go."

Author's Note: Splitting it into sections. Here's the first part. ^^ Before anyone asks, yes, you can, in fact, get the ogre stuck in the wall. It makes the fight HILARIOUSLY easy. I added the execution pit for the purpose of changing the dragon fight. What, exactly, is a dragon doing so far below the surface? The Silent Grove implies that they were actually placed there for safety reasons, but why THAT might be is still up in the air. I decided to just have a different sort of confrontation here. Just because. No, Hawke doesn't speak dragon. Dragon was just semi-intelligent.

If you pay attention, you'll notice that your sibling lingers behind and brings a hand to their head during the cutscene where you approach Sandal. This is LIKELY the point where your sibling was infected by the Taint. Taking in account the later events, and how long it probably took, your sibling was infected all that time. Seems badassness gallops through the Hawke family (it's mentioned by many as a Dalish Warden that they can't believe you're functional for as long as you are, and we ALL know how badass the Warden is).

Next Chapter – The End of the Deep Roads… and of Act I.