Tabris POV:
The stone beneath my feet makes my footsteps echo off of the cavernous home of the dwarves. The tremendous hallway is a half circle around a pool of lava; fine pieces of art are etched into every square inch of the walls; and a marketplace is bustled all along the length of the main commons. I look up towards the ceiling and see the cavern seemingly go on forever. Below, the lava sluggishly moves about. The dwarves scuttle about, but none dare face me save for one. A stout (even by dwarven standards) man approaches me. The hard lines on his face and his armor suggest that he's a guard. The man bows deeply to me and asks a simple question.
"You the second Grey Warden?". I nod and he grunts.
"Figured that. Your friend came by here a while ago. He's been doing favors for Lord Bhelen ever since he arrived in the city. Then, he announced he was going to go digging around in the Deep Roads to find our lost Paragon. Oghren, a warrior of ours, went with him.". I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and slowly release it. I have no idea what Alistair has gotten himself into, but it can't be good. My suspicions are confirmed when the guard hands me a note. I unfold it and find a map drawn. It leads to some thaig in the Deep Roads. I fold the paper back up and ask the man a question.
"Who did this Grey Warden go into the Deep Roads with?". The guard points behind him to where a rocky path leads off of the commons and into the Deep Roads.
"An apostate, Qunari, and Oghren. They didn't look a very intimidating force. The Warden had old and tattered gear; the Qunari didn't have any armor; the apostate was wearing rags and had a stick; and Oghren was drunk. I doubt they made it very far.". I groan and place a hand on my face. The dwarf only keeps making my day better and better by continuing.
"They've been in there about a week. If they haven't been eaten by the Darkspawn, then they're going to be running short on supplies.". I drop my hand, then throw both of them up into the air.
"Great. Now I'm the last warden in Ferelden!". I shake my head and tell the guard what I'm going to do.
"I'll head into the Deep Roads. If they aren't too chewed up, then I'll drag their asses back here. After we find your paragon. Whatever that is.". The guard asks an obvious question.
"And if they are chewed up?". I shrug.
"I'll leave there asses there and find the paragon myself.". I look into the mouth of the Deep Roads.
"Although, we will need supplies. Chewed teammates or not. Do you happen to know where I can get any?". He nods and points towards a merchant right beside the entrance to the Deep Roads.
"Ask him and he'll give you some paper to take into the Deep Roads for a few gold.". I snort and look down at the dwarf.
"What good will paper do me? I can't eat, wear, or drink paper.". He nods.
"I agree, but the paper's not the point. A little ways in there's a stand of brontos managed by his son. If you give his son the paper, then he'll give you a fully stocked bronto. You might have to pay a little more gold to get another bronto for your missing team, though.". I pat the man on the head (something he splutters and blushes at) and push him out of the way. Leliana and Wynne are quick to voice their opinions as I push through the throng of dwarves to the merchant. Wynne voices concern.
"I hope Alistair and the others are okay.". Leliana, however, voices something unrelated.
"Have you seen those cute pig-like creatures that live down here? I think they're so cute!". I add my own opinion to the mix.
"I swear that every time I think 'humans aren't that bad' Alistair does something to prove me wrong.". I speak directly to Leliana as an afterthought. "If we survive the Deep Roads, then I'll buy you a pig thing all for yourself.". Leliana squeals in delight and I make myself a vow to come back from the Deep Roads purely to hear her make that noise again. Finally, the sea of dwarves clear and I'm able to get to the merchant. The balding man has an entire row of paper stubs in front of him.
Reluctantly, I slide over two-hundred silver and get two stubs of paper. I check to make sure we have enough food to keep our energy up for the walking we might have to do, then begin walking on the unpaved path to the Deep Roads. Oddly, the dwarven sentries bow to me as we pass. Maybe they realize I'm the last warden they'll ever see if my mission fails. My chest tightens and I try to ignore my thoughts of responsibility and duty until I'm assured I won't kneel over at any second. The cavernous home of the dwarves shrinks incredibly. The passage is barely big enough for a horse to pass through, the ceiling is brushing the top of Wynne's hat, and occasionally a stray rock will stick out and make the pass even smaller.
Instantly, our progress is slowed to a crawl. Passages break off every few feet in seemingly every direction. The only reason I can tell the 'main' path is because some dwarves have been digging into the side of the wall every few feet. Even then, I still feel panic rise in my gut every few seconds because I'm terrified I've led us into some forgotten path to die. Thankfully, we reach the bronto stand without incident. The tiny clearing is big enough that I can actually stretch my arms out and spin in a circle. Almost. I don't try, but I can tell my fingers would brush the edges of the cavern. Thankfully, it's still big enough for a stand and dwarf to fit without taking up all of the space.
I hand the man the two papers and he examines them under a glass device. The dwarf grunts in satisfaction after a few minutes, then disappears into one of the side passages near us. I glance over to my team and see all of them look jittery. Wynne is polishing her staff; Leliana has an arrow notched in her bow; and Duncan is pacing in a tight circle. I reach behind me and shake my sword to make it lose in its scabbard. The dwarf returning with the brontos makes all of us tense briefly, then we realize who he is and relax. The man silently hands me the reins to one bronto and hands the other one's reins to Leliana. I nod before pulling the beast down into the Deep Roads.
Our tight path quickly widens enough that three bronto could walk shoulder to shoulder and pass with easy. Although, the ceiling doesn't get any higher and we still have side passages taunting us. The side passages, however, are now easy to distinguish. I take a deep breath and slowly release it. Finally, the passage takes us into the first road in the Deep Roads. The ancient paved highway is cracked and shattered all throughout it; the ceiling far above us looks like its about to collapse; and the walls on either of our sides no longer have any side passages. I take a moment to sense for Darkspawn (none) before checking the supplies on the brontos. Food that won't perish, water enough for the bronto and us, and medical supplies.
"Looks like we'll have enough for everyone.". I look at the highway ahead of us and snort.
"The glory of the ancient dwarves almost rivals the glory of the ancient elves.". Leliana begins climbing onto one of the bronto.
"How so?". I motion for Wynne to climb up on the bronto with Leliana, then start helping her when it's clear the older woman will have some trouble.
"Both are crumbling ruins only their respective species care about. And, no matter what they do their glory will never be returned.". Leliana has seated herself in between the bronto's head and (covered) back spikes.
"That's a rather morbid view.". I seat Wynne behind Leliana (on the covered spikes) and the stack of supplies.
"It might be a depressing view, but that don't make it any less true.". I toss Duncan onto the unclaimed bronto, then get up in front of him. Briefly, I reach out and try to find more Darkspawn. Oddly, there aren't any I can sense. I settle Duncan down (the poor dog is panicking because of the covered spikes beneath him) before clipping his harness to one of the leather strips that encircle the bronto's chest. Then, I turn around and grab my bronto's reins. I check to make sure Leliana and Wynne are ready, then snap my animal's reins and get him moving.
The beast trudges along without a single concern that the ground beneath his feet is crumbling and broken. But the bronto does stop when we reach the dead body of an ogre. The gigantic Darkspawn has corruption leaking from his mouth and a tremendous cut from his right hip to left shoulder. I pat the bronto on the side and carefully lead him around the creature. However, the highway in front of us is completely destroyed. And 'destroyed' means 'overflowing with lava'. I sigh and look around. The ogre's horns are pointing towards a hole he ripped in the cavern's wall to get through. I steer my bronto over and look down the path.
Darkspawn corpses litter the tunnel. I begin riding forward while explaining the situation to Leliana and Wynne. "Alistair had to have taken this path down. All we need to do is follow the corpses until we find them.". Leliana's bronto trumpets and I chuckle a little. "I take that as agreement?". Leliana laughs back. The path litter with Darkspawn isn't straightforward, but the trail of corpses leads us fairly well. The only danger is the occasionally scuttle we hear in the side paths all throughout our tunnel. The spiders won't bother us, but Duncan attempts to break free and attack them more than once. Otherwise, our travel is fairly uneventful. Well, that's actually just a lie I'm telling myself.
The path shrinks to where the bronto's shoulders are scratching against the stone (something the brave beast take in stride); my head is brushing the top of the path; and side passages begin trying to lure us down them by popping up in random places. Darkness has completely engulfed us and Wynne's softly glowing staff is the only source of light we have. With each Darkspawn corpse we past the brontos get more and more agitated. I reach down and softly stroke my animal's side. He doesn't grunt or acknowledge me. Even Duncan has fallen silent. I look over my shoulder and see he's huddled down, shaking, and has his eyes closed. Wynne and Leliana are tense as bows on their animal.
Once again, they both have their weapons drawn and ready. Slowly, I pull my own sword from my back. The hiss of my blade parting from its scabbard dully echoes throughout what seems to be the entirety of the Deep Roads. Then, the heavy silence returns. Even our bronto's footsteps seem to be muffled. I find myself struggling to breathe as I once again try to sense Darkspawn. Nothing. Just the corpses crunching beneath the feet of our pack animals. I find my limbs feeling heavy and cold. I realize why when the brontos stop and refuse to move. In front of us, barely visible by the light, is another (even smaller) hallway soaked by darkness throughout every inch of it. Corruption. I send up a silent prayer before forcing my bronto forward.