Before they finally managed to reach the chamber they were trying to enter, a group of werewolves guarding the final door, however the leader of this pack stopped his fellow werewolves and asked for the group to agree to parley. It was intriguing as the werewolf specifically mentioned Deesh by name though was uncertain as to which of them his Lady spoke of.

As they were escorted into the room, more and more werewolves started gathering, some climbing down from the walls, others hidden by the overgrowth from the tree that have grown throughout the room. At the center was Swiftrunner who looked ready for battle. However from the shadows of the giant tree in the back came a pale green skinned naked woman with roots covering her arms, legs and hip. Her eyes were as black as the void and her long raven hair covered some of her bosom, yet her presence alone calmed many of the werewolves, rubbing Swiftrunner's fur before he and the others bowed in her presence.

Her attention now turned to her guests, "I bid you welcome, mortals. I am the Lady of the Forest."

Deesh bowed to the Lady, "Thank you. I am glad we have this chance to speak."

Swiftrunner was quick to place himself between her and the Lady, "Do not listen to them, Lady! They will betray you! We must attack them now!"

"Hush, Swiftrunner," petting the agitated werewolf, "Your urge for battle has only seen the death of the very ones you have been trying to save. Is that what you want?"

It took a moment for Swiftrunner to calm as he took a few steps back, "No, my Lady. Anything but that."

The Lady smiled, "Then the time has come to speak with this outsider, to set our rage aside. I apologize on Swiftrunner's behalf, Child of the Root. He struggles with his nature."

"As all must, Lady."

"Truer words were never spoken. But few could claim the same as these creatures: that their very nature is a curse forced upon them. No doubt you have questions, mortal. I know there are things that Zathrian has not told you."

Deesh had to have another question answered first, "Perhaps you would indulge to explain how you know these things, of my people, first."

The Lady calmly cupped her hand around Deesh's jaw, scratching her as her mouth reflexively opened. "That is because your Hist exist here, though not in this forest. They are not like the Hist that you know, as I'm told, yet they still share a connection to one another." The Lady then stretched her hand out to a nearby root, "The Hist have watched over this forest long before the elves settled it. They often share their great knowledge and wisdom to those who know how to listen, and one of those lessons was about your people. That is why I knew you would listen. They showed me how to seek out your minds and commune with it. I hope that does not affect our meeting now."

"As a Saxhleel I know I have a connection to the Hist, but I am no tree-minder, no sap-speaker. My roots do not go so deep as to commune to such a depths."

The Lady seem to have an answer for that as well, "The Hist have left the inherent ability for all of their children to speak with them. Some manifest their abilities stronger than others during different times of their cycles. I'm sure that includes you as well."

That seemed to satisfied Deesh for now, "So back to the matter at hand. Zathrian is tied to the werewolves. How?"

The Lady looked to Swiftrunner and the other werewolves, "It was Zathrian who created the curse that these creatures suffer, the same curse that Zathrian's own people now suffer." The Lady waved her hand as the leaves on the ground swirled and started to make vaguely human-like figures, "Centuries ago, when the Dalish first came to this land, a tribe of humans lived close to this forest. They sought to drive the Dalish away. Zathrian was a young man then. He had a son and a daughter he loved greatly, and while out hunting the human tribe captured them both."

Swiftrunner looked down, ashamed, as the leave continue to play out these events being told, "The humans…tortured the boy, killed him. The girl they raped and left for dead. The Dalish found her, but she learned later she was…with child. She…killed herself."

"And that's when Zathrian made the curse?"

Swiftrunner nodded to the young elf, "Zathrian came to this ruin and summoned a terrible spirit, binding it to the body of a great wolf. So Witherfang came to be. Witherfang hunted the humans of the tribe. Many were killed, but others were cursed by his blood, becoming twisted and savage creatures…"

The roots around the Lady's hand started to coil, "Twisted and savage just as Witherfang himself is."

"So the Dalish leader misled us?"

Morrigan glanced back to Shale, "'Tis not so surprising, is it?"

"No, just trying to picture his little elf head…squishing…" Shale seemed satisfied now, "ah, there we go."

Sten huffed, "Deceit is the nature of man."

Faren couldn't help but smirk as he whispered to Zevran, "And yet they call it 'human nature'?"

"They were driven into the forest. When the human tribe finally left for good, their cursed brethren remained, pitiful and mindless animals."

Swiftrunner knelt down, "Until I found you, my Lady. You gave me peace."

The Lady urged Swiftrunner to rise, "I showed Swiftrunner that there was another side to his beastial nature. I soothed his rage, and his humanity emerged. And he brought others to me."

Theron soon asked them, "So then the ambush on the Dalish, nothing more than revenge?"

"In part." The Lady seemed rather scornful, "We seek to end the curse. The crimes committed against Zathrian's children were grave, but they were committed centuries ago by those who are long dead." Lady scratched Swiftrunner's side, "Word was sent to Zathrian every time the landships passed this way, asking him to come, but he has always ignored us. We will no longer be denied."

With some pride Swiftrunner declared, "We spread the curse to his people! So he must end the curse to save them!"

"Please mortal…" Lady pleaded with Deesh, "you must go to him. Bring him here. If he sees these creatures, hears their plight…surely he will agree to end the curse!"

Deesh looked back to the other for a moment before giving her answer, "Very well. We will bring Zathrian."

"Tell him if he refuses, I will ensure that Witherfang is never found. He will never cure his clan." The Lady pointed back toward where they entered, "Outside of this chamber, the passage leading back to the surface has been opened for you. Return with Zathrian as soon as you can."

Deesh bowed her head, "You have my word that Zathrian will stand before you."

Leaving the chamber, Theron whispered, "And how do you plan to explain that to the clan if you drag him here?"

Reaching for the door, Deesh stopped herself, "We won't have to."

She pushed open the doors to the main chamber where they found Zathrian waiting for them as he examined some of the corpses in the chamber, "Ah. And here you are already."

Deesh took lead here, carefully watching Zathrian's movements, "Your appearance here was not unanticipated…"

"Was it? Aren't you the intuitive one," Zathrian careful with Deesh having only been introduced to her true figure earlier that morn. "There was no way to tell what would happen once you reached this ruin, so I decided to come myself."

Shale agonizingly groaned, "I don't like this one. Can we not simply crush its head?"

Faren leaned against Shale's leg, "And get scales pissed? I'd rather watch this blow up in her face."

"So the Keeper comes alone to the heart of werewolf territory to see if we've managed to get the heart of Witherfang?"

"Just so. Did you?"

Deesh looked to one of the werewolf bodies they had killed in the chamber, "First we need to discuss our arrangement."

Zathrian was quickly enraged, pointing to Deesh, "So you wish to play games? I can sense you do not have it. Why are you leaving the ruin?"

"The Lady won't summon Witherfang until you break the curse."

Zathrian started to chuckle, moving toward the door they had come from, "You do understand that she actually is Witherfang?"

Deesh nodded, "She made it abundantly clear to me."

Zathrian reinforced this, "She is the powerful spirit of this ancient forest that I summoned long ago and bound in the body of the wolf. Her nature is that of the forest itself. Beautiful and terrible, serene and savage, maiden and beast. She is the Lady and Witherfang both, two sides of a single being. The curse came first from her. Those she afflicted with it mirrored her own nature, becoming savage beast as well as human."

"But the curse came first from you," Deesh pointed, "As means of revenge on a group of humans."

Zathrian kicked the dead werewolf with spite behind it, each strike harder than the last, "They attacked my clan and they were the same savages then that they have ever been. They deserve to be wiped out and not defended."

"And because you ignored all requests for parley every season you pass through the region you forced their hands."

Zathrian calmed himself though only enough to not be spewing spite with every passing breathe, "Enough. I will accompany you back to the ruin. Let us go and speak to the spirit and I will force her into Witherfang's form. He may then be slain and the heart taken."

Deesh had seen this hate before, a hate that still flickers deep in her own heart that has found no fuel to grow as of late. "And you'll just ignore her request to speak, again?"

"Why? You claim they have regained their minds, but they are still savage beasts. Their nature is unchanged. All they want is revenge…or a release that I will not give them. No, let us take the heart and end it."

"Yet you still have so much hatred after all these centuries?" Deesh knew these words rang hollow coming from her. But this wasn't about her, this was for the Dalish clan.

"You were not there. You did not see what…what they did to my son. To my daughter. And so many others." Zathrian pleaded to Theron, "You are Dalish. You know how we must struggle to be safe, how we must fight for justice. I could not let their crimes go unanswered!"

"Even so," Theron turned away, "those men are long dead. These humans have not done anything to your clan until their rage overcame them." He turned back to Zathrian, "The least you could do is meet with them."

"And what if it is revenge they want, and not talk? Will you safeguard me from harm?"

Deesh nodded, "We will, unless you attack first."

Zathrian looked away, thinking for a moment before he looked to Deesh with a sigh, "I fail to see the purpose behind this…but very well. It has been many centuries, now. Let us see what the spirit has to say."

Deesh led the group with Zathrian behind her and the others around him. Entering the chamber again many of the werewolves were far more agitated now than when they first entered. All of their growls, snarls and snap at Zathrian. The werewolves were just barely holding themselves back from lunging at the elf.

Zathrian still didn't seem to have any sympathy, "So here you are, spirit."

Swiftrunner was quick to jump, his muzzle mere inches from Zathrian's nose, "She is the Lady of the Forest! You will address her properly!"

Swiftrunner slowly back away, still snarling at Zathrian, "You've taken a name, spirit? And you've given names to your pets? These…beast who follow you?"

The Lady tried her best to calm Swiftrunner and the others, "It was they who gave me a name, Zathrian. And the names they take are their own. They follow me because I help them to find who they are."

Zathrian still would not see what was before him, "Who they are has not changed from whom their ancestors were. Wild savages! Worthless dogs! Their twisted shape only mirrors their monstrous hearts!"

"He will not help us, Lady! It is as I warned you! He is not here to talk!"

"No, I am here to talk," Zathrian looked to the other werewolves who are moving closer, "though I see little point in it. We all know where this will lead. Your nature compels it, as does mine."

Lady stepped between Zathrian and Swiftrunner, "It does not have to be that way. There is room in your heart for compassion, Zathrian. Surely your retribution is spent."

"My retribution is eternal, spirit, as is my pain. This is justice, no more."

Lady's gazed soured, "Are you certain your pain is the only reason you will not end this curse? Child of the Root, has he told you how it was created?"

Deesh's eyes haven't turned away from Zathrian, "Only that he bound you to a wolf's body to spread the curse."

"And so he did. Witherfang and I are bound as one being. But such powerful magic could not be accomplished without Zathrian's own blood. Your people believe you have rediscovered the immortality of their ancestors, Zathrian, but that is not true. So long as the curse exists, so do you."

"No, that is not how it is!"

Zathrian's rather quick outburst only made his case weaker, especially as Theron now accused him, "I can't believe you would betray our people for revenge! The people you could have saved…"

"It is not betrayal! I did what was necessary! I did what was just, and it still is!"

"You honestly can't believe that, elf?" Deesh now snarled, "The humans who killed your loved ones are long dead. What have these humans done to your people in this lifetime? You've bloodied your clan's hands with their own because of your own stubbornness. End this unneeded turmoil and pain before more suffer because of it. One life for the many…"

Lady stopped Deesh, "The curse would not end with Zathrian's death. His life, however, relies on its existence. And I believe his death plays a part in its ending."

"Then we kill him! We tear him apart now!" The werewolves gathered slowly started moving on Zathrian like cornered prey.

But Zathrian had no fear, "For all the powers of speech, you are beasts still! What would you gain from killing me! Only I know how the ritual ends, and I will never do it!"

"You see! We must kill them all!"

Zathrian took this moment to try and convince the others, "See? They turn on you as quickly. Do what you have come here to do, Grey Warden, or get out of my way."

Theron readied his bow, "You'll end that curse," drawing an arrow at Zathrian, "even if I have to force you myself!"

"Then you die with them!" Zathrian knocked everyone down with a blast of magic, "All of you will suffer as you deserve!" The Lady transformed into Witherfang to attack, however Zathrian quickly froze her with a paralysis and used the curse to also prevent the werewolves from attacking. Even with the others getting back up, Zathrian wasn't going to take any chances and forced a group of spirits to fight at his side, some of which took three of the trees and turned them into sylvans.

Deesh didn't need to be back on her feet to fight back. She looked to one of the sylvans as she shouted, "Yol…Toor Shul!" streaming flames through her scream and setting the walking tree ablaze.

Zathrian tried to freeze the others in a blast of frost but Wynne cast her Spell Shield to absorb the attack. Zevran, Faren, Sten and Shale were busy dealing with the demons and sylvans while Theron seemed to have disappeared.

Deesh rushed at Zathrian who was able to block Deesh using his staff, to hold her back. Deesh hadn't drawn any of her blades, grappling with just her might and winning. She forced him down to one knee before Theron fired an arrow into Zathrian's leg.

Theron had climbed up the largest tree in the room. Morrigan transformed into an insect swarm as they attacked Zathrian. The swarm was actually a distraction for Deesh to fight for his staff. The biting insects and Deesh pulling on his staff made it difficult for Zathrian to concentrate and keep the demons under control.

This stagger from the demons opened them for the others to finish off fairly quickly. Zathrian tried to use electricity to get Deesh to let go, but she had survived worse, pulling the staff away. Even without his staff, Zathrian still had plenty of magic spells at his disposal.

Zathrian tried to freeze Deesh in an icy blast, but Deesh quickly tossed the staff away and created a wall of flames to protect herself. Theron fired another arrow, this one striking Zathrian arm to get him to stop.

Sten and Zevran were still preoccupied with one of the sylvan while Faren was being healed by Wynne after being toss across the room by one of the tree demons. Deesh however wasn't going to let this continue for much longer. Jumping through her own fires, she surprised Zathrian and punched him in the gut before using the thick scales of the helm to bash Zathrian's face.

Before he could recover Morrigan's swarm dispersed as Deesh twisted Zathrian's arm behind his back and pushing him down to the ground. "No, no more." Zathrian released Lady and the werewolves from their magical prison, "I…I cannot…cannot defeat you…" the last sylvan in the room stopped its attack as it returned to being a normal tree again.

Swiftrunner was quick to bare his claws, "Finish it! Kill him now!"

"No, Swiftrunner," Lady moved before him, "We will not kill him. If there is no room in our hearts for mercy, how may we expect there to be room in his?"

"I cannot do as you ask, spirit. I am too old…to know mercy. All I see are the faces of my children, my people. I…I cannot do it."

Theron moved through the werewolves to speak to Zathrian, "Then don't. Don't do it for the werewolves. Do it for your clansmen who have suffer and are suffering because of this. Do it to reunite with those you claim to be doing this for."

Deesh released Zathrian, staggering for a moment before pulling the arrows out of himself, "Perhaps I have…lived too long. This hatred in me is like an ancient, gnarled root… It has consumed my soul. What of you, spirit? You are bound to the curse just as I am. Do you not fear your end?"

"You are my maker, Zathrian. You gave me form and consciousness where none existed." Lady looked to the werewolves gathered around her, "I have known pain and love, hope and fear, all the joy that is life. Yet of all things I desire nothing more than an end. I beg you, maker…put an end to me. we beg you…show mercy."

"You shame me, spirit. I am…an old man, alive long past his time."

"Then you will do it? You will end the curse?"

Deesh returned Zathrian his staff, helping him up, "Yes, I think it's time. Let us…let us put an end to it all." As Zathrian prepared the final steps the werewolves all gathered to the Lady's side, to be with her one last time. She did her best to put each of them at ease before Zathrian looked ready.

With one final strike of his staff, energy was released as Zathrian collapsed to the ground as the life left him. Soon after the Lady herself started to glow brightly, looking to Deesh with a smile before she turned into orbs of light scattering across the room. These orbs of light entered a werewolf, causing each to glow just like she had before reverting them to humans. Much to Deesh's surprise they somehow had their cloths, something that definitely never happened when she transformed back from the beastly form.

The human who was formally Swiftrunner approached the group, "It's…over. She's gone, and…we're human. I can scarcely believe it."

Faren laughed, "With magic like that, it could be a lot worse."

"Compared to the beast inside that we had to fight every moment, this is just fine. It feels glorious!"

Theron didn't see any elves among them, probably meaning they chose death just like Danyla. "So what are you going to do now?"

"We'll leave the forest, I suppose. Find other humans, see what's out there for us. it should be quite interesting don't you think? Thank you. We…we'll never forget you."

As they were leaving, Deesh called out to them, "You should take some weapons. The Blight may make things more difficult for you to find a village that hadn't already evacuated or barricaded themselves."

A/N: Yeah this won't be the only realm that has Hist actively reaching out to Deesh. The Lady of the Forest unknowingly did the Hist's work of opening Deesh's mind for other Hist to reach her easier. From what little that is known about the Hist(thanks to the books), they originated from their own plane within Oblivion before being forced to migrate to Black Marsh and other planes near the creation of Nirn itself. So why wouldn't other Hist collectives try to migrate elsewhere? There was a branch(pun intended) that settled on the floating island city, Umbriel.