Chapter 36: Plots and Plans

The Dragonbone Wastes had been a place of power since time immemorial. One the ancient Tevinters had discovered it they immediately recognized that power, a place the symbolized the life and death of the old Dragon Gods. They brought their slaves and built temples here, temples where they could perform their dark rituals in peace.

The sinister magics the ancient mages had unleashed still burned brightly here. No life could be found in the dragonbone wastes, no natural life anyway. Plants did not grow here; even the carrion eaters were hesitant to feed on the bodies of the dragons that had come here to end their days. The place had become as dead as the bones that littered it, foreboding and dark. The ill-winds blew through the bones, filling the site with an eerie wail. Dark clouds always seemed to swirl overhead, denying the sun a chance to shine, filling the ancient graveyard with a sense of foreboding.

The place had sat empty for centuries, since the Tevinter Empire had been push out centuries ago. Until the darkspawn known as the Mother had come and made it her base, and now even that was threatened.

The Dragonbone Wastes had become a battleground.

Darkspawn battled darkspawn as the Mother's forces tried to push back those of the Architect. The fighting was both savage and merciless, two packs of animals ripping into each other. The skeletons of long dead dragons shattered as emissaries from both sides exchange magical attacks. Old dragons, which had come to this place to die, were drawn into the conflict.

It was here that the two darkspawn intended to end their month's long conflict.

It was here that Solona Amell and her wardens had come.

The darkspawn were ill prepared for their ancient enemies. Solona and her wardens fell on them like a terror. The warden commander felt no shame attacking the beasts from behind, after Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep; she was in no mood to show them any mercy.

The darkspawn civil war had hurt too many innocent people. Solona could care less if the creatures slaughtered each other, but when they had attacked her base and city, that was the last straw.

She intended to purge the dragonbone wastes of all darkspawn. From the lowliest childer to the Mother herself, no darkspawn would escape their blades tonight.

They advanced on the temple that the Mother had made her home.

An aged High Dragon, whose final journey had been disturbed by the fighting, stood in the mage's way.

The wardens would not be denied.

Solona had killed High Dragons before, and this old one was not at full strength. The full might of the order descended on the old beast. They may have been few in number, but they were all fighters. Justice, Maiwen, Oghren, and Rolan surrounded the beast; the warriors used their blades to keep it distracted. Sigrun darted in and out, using her skills to the best of their advantage. Nathaniel struck the beast from range his arrows targeting it eyes and mouth, preventing it from using its full wrath against them.

Solona, Anders, and Velanna called down fire, ice, and lightning down upon the beast, their magic inflicting terrible damage upon the creature.

Against such a force even a dragon could not stand. It collapsed, its life ebbing away. It had found the death that it had come here seeking.

Winded Solona drank a lyrium potion; she suspected that they would need it. The surface of the wastes had been purged, but she could sense more darkspawn down below…

…That…and more.

She sensed something else, it felt like a broodmother, but…it seemed different somehow…changed.

She was not sure how it had been changed; only that it had been.

There was only one way to find out.

IOI

Velanna shivered as they entered the temple. The taint…the evil here was quite strong.

This entire place was an abomination, to both the Creators and the Shemlen Maker.

It would be their duty to bring it all crashing down.

"Do not be afraid, Milady," Nathaniel whispered in her ear, "Your friends are with you; we will stand together and defeat this evil."

Once she would have rolled her eyes and said some angry retort, but now she drew strength from Nathaniel's words.

She drew strength from the words of her bond mate, her husband.

She drew strength from the man she loved.

"I knew you would come, sister."

The voice was a haunted purr. A lone ghoul stepped out of the shadows. She wore a suit of splint mail that was partially webbed with darkspawn corruption.

Velanna gasped.

"Seranni!"

The tainted Dalish smiled at them, her white milky eyes were empty, her blonde hair dirty and falling out. You could barely make out the Dalish tattoos on her forehead. Her smile was that of a corpse, its lips twisted into a too wide grin.

The sight frightened her older sister. She tried to cling to the belief that Seranni could still be saved.

Was it truly a false hope?

Was her sister truly lost?

Seranni turned to Solona.

"The Architect had been expecting you warden," she said warmly.

The warden mage gave her a cold and savage look.

"I'm eager to meet him as well," she said, "to repay him for the kindness he showed us the last time we visited him."

Seranni's smile faltered.

"This is not what you think," she said turning to her sister, "Velanna, the darkspawn are changing. They are growing. They are just like us, just like the Dalish. They seek to find a new place in this world. They are like children lashing out without the hand of a kind parent to show them the way. We can help them Velanna. We can help them become a true people."

Velanna's ears twitched in disbelief. What was her sister saying, this…this sound like madness.

"Seranni, lethallan" she spoke to her sister as they had as children, hoping to free her little sister of the spell that the Architect had woven around her. "The Darkspawn murdered are clan, they murdered are friends…do you not remember that?"

"Of course," Seranni replied dreamily.

"Then how can you even consider helping them?"

"She cannot help it," Solona interrupted, she glared at the younger woman, "The song twists all into its service. The Architect is using you Seranni. He will discard you as soon as you have served your purpose."

"No," Seranni replied, "He loves me, they all love me."

The conviction of her words shocked even Velanna.

"The Architect awaits you down below," Seranni said, "Speak with him, listen to him and you will understand that he is right."

She darted away before any of the wardens could grab her, disappearing through a tunnel in the rocks. Oghren tried to pursue but a wall slid into place blocking their pursuit.

"Speak with the Architect sister," Seranni's haunting voice echoed, "You will see that he is right."

"Seranni," Velanna whispered, "No…wait."

Seranni did not return.

"Sorry elf," the dwarf snorted, "she was too fast for ole' Oghren."

Velanna turned to Solona, her eyes burned with a desperate hope.

"Could the joining save her?" She asked, "If we caught her…forced the joining on her. Would it free her from his control?"

IOI

The Commander considered this, she nervously fingered her spectacles. Could it be done? Alas, she did not know. Seranni had been tainted for months. Solona was surprised that the girl had not been turned into a broodmother yet. She suspected that this was the Architect's doing as well.

Could the joining save Seranni? She could not say. Even if she survived it, she had been a darkspawn captive for a long time; they had had more than enough time to twist the girl's mind into whatever form they desired.

Even if it worked, she might still return to the darkspawn. She might actually believe what the Architect was telling her now, beyond the infernal whispers of the taint.

Solona simply did not know.

"We will help her if we can," she repeated.

IOI

Velanna's face fell. Perhaps she recognized now that only death might set her poor sister free.

She did not want to hurt Seranni, but perhaps…perhaps there was nothing left of her sister.

That disturbed her more than anything else.

For so long she had thought to save Seranni, to return her to some semblance of the life they had had before.

She understood now that that life was gone, that she had lost Seranni forever.

The weight of that knowledge was too much for the Dalish woman to bear.

She felt…it suddenly became very hard to breathe. She leaned against her staff, but the world was spinning.

"Easy Velanna," Solona said.

The Dalish started to fall.

Nathaniel caught her.

"I have you," he whispered, "I have you."

"Nathaniel," she whimpered softly.

The others stood watch while Nathaniel did his best to bring her back, to help her find her strength again.

The other waited patiently.

Justice placed a hand on her shoulder, his new form was strange, but his voice was still familiar and comforting.

"The darkspawn will pay for what they have done to your sister Velanna," she promised, "We will see justice is done."

"Commander, we should not linger here," Rolan said, he could already feel the approach of more darkspawn.

Solona turned to the Dalish, who only now started to emerge from Nathaniel's arms.

"Can you continue?" Solona asked.

The Dalish took a shuddering breath and nodded. She pushed her fear and anguish aside, letting anger and the desire for retribution fill her up.

The cold mask of righteous fury settled over her face.

She nodded to Solona.

"Abelas, Commander," she said, "I was weakened for a moment, but now I am okay again. Let us finish this."

"You have nothing to apologize for," the warden mage said.

"The Architect must pay for what he has done," The Dalish spat, her anger fully restored again.

Solona nodded.

"He will Velanna," she promised, "They all will."

IOI

The three of them met in the shadows, hidden from the eyes of both darkspawn and warden alike.

Plans were finally taking shape here, plans beyond the Architect's war with the Mother.

"She would not listen to me Gaston," Seranni whimpered, "I tried…I tried so hard."

Knight-Captain Gaston Delance sighed; the Templar did not honestly believe that Seranni could talk the wardens into helping the Architect. Solona Amell had blood in her eyes, and only the Architect's end would satisfy her now.

"The Architect wanted me to make sure of your safety milady," he told her, "Your…infinity to influence the darkspawn is important for the continuation of our work. I must get you to safety, away from this place."

Seranni's eyes widened.

"But what about the Architect, we simply cannot leave him here?"

"He is a lost cause girl," a voice boomed behind them. The massive ogre stepped into the light, even with his broken horn he was an intimidating sight.

"You do not know that Horn," Seranni hissed.

"Of course I do," the awakened ogre sneered, "and so do you. He and Utha can throw their lives away if they wish. I intend to survive this, to lead my people against our enemies when the time is right."

Delance turned to the ogre; he had hoped that the monster would see reason.

"It would be better if we all worked together," he reminded the creature. "My influence in the chantry and on the surface is growing. We could do much together to insure a future for both our kinds."

Horn sneered at the Templar.

"Take the ghoul if you wish, I have other plans," he said, "The warden woman and I…we…we are connected now, thanks to the Architect's work. I need to find where I fit into this world, and if it would be better to take the warden out of it."

The ogre growled in anticipation.

"Only then will I be able to return, to seek my own path. For now I take the survivors of the Architects forces with me. He has failed as our guide. It is my turn to take the lead."

Delance said nothing; he knew there would be no victory here. Even if he succeeded in killing Horn he would suffer in the attempt. No, he would bide his time and wait. There would be another time; he still believed the darkspawn were the key to achieving his dreams of a new empire in Thedas.

Seranni could help him with that.

He offered her his arm.

"Come Milady," he said warmly, "We have much to plan for the future, both for the darkspawn, and the rest of Thedas."

The ghoul took his arm, she sighed happily.

"I am pleased that you see reason Gaston. Do you think the Architect will have to destroy the wardens?"

Delance considered this; it was more likely that the Architect would fall to Solona Amell and her warriors.

That was fine with him; he had given Delance what he needed to move his own plans forward.

The Templar could take it from here.

"He will join us if he can," Delance promised, "For now I must see to your safety."

The two left the dragonbone wastes together, arm in arm.

"You are so kind to me Gaston," Seranni smiled, "I shall do what I can to see that your dreams come true."

Knight-Captain Delance smiled.

He was counting on that.

A/N: The results of Delance and Seranni's plans are told in my story Chant of Darkness if you have not read it. Next chapter, Solona and the wardens end the darkspawn civil war.