Dear Diary,
Zevran seems to be back to his old self this morning, well…if it is morning, as I really have no idea. He's even managed to slightly annoy Morrigan; however she seems more amused by his antics than annoyed.
As we pack up the camp, Serena looks at me and asks, "So you and the elf huh?"
I blush slightly at the insinuation. But looking her steadily, I say. "He's a dear friend, and I care about him."
"Uh-huh," she says looking me skeptically. I drop it and finish filling my pack.
"Is she always like that?" She asks Morrigan in quieter tone. Morrigan just smirks.
"I can still hear you," I call out teasing, with a grin.
This brings a chuckle from Zevran.
"Let's move on," I say with an amused smile.
We walk the winding tunnel until coming to another door. I hope this isn't like the last one. I open the door cautiously and the room is different a walkway seems to lead to an open area where there is some sort of statue hanging from the ceiling, with benches set symmetrically front of the faces of the stature. I look quickly for golems seeing none, I step into the room. Walking down the corridor to the open area I see the statue seems to have 4 faces and there is bench in front of each face. We get closer to it and it turns and the eyes light up. Suddenly it spits out what look to be 4 spirits, which of course, immediately attack us. As we drop the first spirit, the bench seems to light up. I look at it curiously for a moment and realize it's an anvil not a bench. I touch the anvil cautiously and the spirits seem get sucked back into the statue. It turns and rumbles.
"The statue changed," yells Morrigan from her post off to the side.
"How?" I holler back curiously.
"The first side, its eyes no longer glow they seem to be…bleeding?" she answers curiously.
The rumbling is getting louder. I look at the others my mind is spinning. "Once the anvils glow and we touch them, it seems to hurt it," I call out, as more spirits seem to be solidifying again. "Everyone split up take and take an anvil, Morrigan, Tamlen give us some support." I command quickly. Everyone nods and runs to an anvil Oghren and Serena take one, Shale takes one and Zev and I each take one.
I quickly take out our opponent and I run to hit the anvil as quickly as I can. Looking around I see the others have managed to do the same. The statue hisses angrily and rumbles loudly again.
"The eyes are closed here," Serena calls out.
"Good maybe that side is deactivated," I shout hopefully, as the next wave of spirits starts to form.
I immediately slash at my enemy, and see Serena come running toward me grinning.
"Nothing came out on my side," she pants slicing at our opponent.
"I appreciate the help," I grunt stabbing with both blades. The spirit disappears and she hits the anvil.
I run to Shale to aid her. As I get over to her location, she has defeated the spirit. I run past her and hit the anvil that has started glowing. The cavern shakes and rumbles the statue billows a blue white mist down upon us. I wonder for a moment if we are going to be buried under an avalanche of rock. Then it just stops. All the eyes are closed and it is still.
I take a deep breath. "Well that was interesting," I note glibly squaring my shoulders.
Serena grins at me cheekily, "I'd say."
"We should move on before something else happens," Morrigan says dryly, gesturing to the door leading out of the room.
Taking the walkway out of the room, we enter another tunnel that just opens into cavern. Upon entering I note there are 6 golems standing in line, 3 on either side of us and a large metal golem at the end of them.
As we walk toward the large metal golem we are greeted by a booming metallic voice, "My name is Caridin. Once, longer ago than I care to think, I was paragon to the dwarves of Orzammar," the metal golem says.
I look at the others they seem just as surprised as I am. I look at this thing in wonder and feel some compassion for it. For even with metallic quality of its voice it has feeling.
"Caridin the paragon smith, alive?" Shale says astonished.
"Ah, there is voice I recognize. Shale of the House of Cadash, step forward." Caridin greets happily.
"You know my name?" Shale says curiously, not moving an inch. "Is it you that forged me then? Is it you that gave me my name?"
"Have you forgotten then?" Caridin asks. "Ah, it has been so long, I made you into the golem you are now, Shale. But before that you were a dwarf, just as I was. The finest warrior to serve King Valtor and the only woman to volunteer."
"The only woman? A dwarf?" Shale asks a bit taken back.
"I laid you on the Anvil of the Void here in this very room and put you into the form you now possess," Caridin explains.
"The Anvil of the Void," Shale says curiously, "that is what we seek."
"If you seek the Anvil," He says, "then you must care about my story or be doomed to relive it."
"You made the Anvil, I take it?" I ask lightly.
"Though I made many things in my time, I rose to fame and earned my status based on a single item: the Anvil of the Void." He says simply, "It allowed me to forge and man of steel or stone, as flexible as any soldier. As an army they were invincible but I told no one the cost…" He trails off for a moment.
"No mere smith, however skilled, can create life." He explains, "To make my golems live, I had to take life from elsewhere."
"A dire shortcut, was it worth it?" I probe.
"So said my King, the darkspawn were pressing in," answers Caridin honestly. "Originally, I only took volunteers, the bravest of souls willing to trade their very lives for the chance to defend their homeland, but King Valtor became greedy. He began to force men …casteless and criminal…his enemies…all of them were put to the anvil, and soon a river of blood flowed out of this place."
He pauses for moment and continues. "Finally it was too much, I refused, and so Valtor had me put on the anvil. It took feeling the hammer's blows myself to realize the height of my crimes."
"What now?" I press curiously. "Do you want revenge?"
"Not revenge," He says firmly. "The blow of the hammer opened my eyes. My apprentices knew enough to make me as I am but not enough to fashion a control rod. I retained my mind. You were amongst the most loyal Shale, you remained at my side throughout and at the end I sent you away out of mercy."
"I do not remember," Shale says slowly.
"We remained entombed here ever since," He continues. "And I have sought a way to destroy the Anvil. Alas, I cannot do it myself. No golem can touch it."
"NO!" Branka shouts bursting into the room. "The anvil is mine! No one will take it from me!"
I think quickly, as the last thing I want is this heartless, cold bitch to have the Anvil. She'd make golems out of anyone she pleased and wouldn't give it second thought.
"Shale you fought to destroy the Anvil once, do not allow it fall into unthinking hands again!" Caridin pleads.
"You speak of things I do not remember, you say we fought, did you use our control rods to command us to do so?" Shale asks pointedly.
"I destroyed the rods, perhaps my apprentices eventually learned to replace the rods. I do not know," Caridin says quickly. "But if so then all they need is the Anvil to make all the slaves they need."
"You," Caridin pleads looking at me. "Please…Help me destroy the Anvil! Do not let it enslave more souls than it already has."
"You were a Paragon," I say cunningly. "I'll help if you support a new King."
"Don't listen! He's been trapped here a thousand years, stewing in his own madness." Branka tries to cajole. "Help me claim the Anvil and you will have an army like you've never seen."
I almost snort and stop myself. She's one to talk about madness. Hypocrite. Caridin seems normal in comparison.
"Branka, you mad, bleeding nug-tail." Oghren growls, "Does this thing mean so much to you, that you can't even see what you lost to get it?"
"Look around. Is this what our empire should look like?" Branka rants, "A crumbling tunnel filled with darkspawn spume? The Anvil will let us take back our glory."
Is she completely insane?…No… just a cold sociopath.
"The Anvil enslaves living souls," I say my voice flat with anger walking over to her; "It must be destroyed. I have to give it to you Branka; you really are a piece of work." I'm so angry again that, I astonish myself by punching the dwarf in the jaw.
She reels back in surprise as I turn and walk away back over to Caridin. "That was for Hespith and the rest of your house, and for Oghren, he deserves better than you." I say hatefully.
Oghren looks at me with astonishment.
"So it fights with Caridin then," Shale asks. I nod in reply.
"Good, that seems right," Shale says happily.
"Thank you, Stranger," Caridin says gratefully. "Your compassion shames me."
Branka's face becomes twisted and hard. "NO! You will not take it! Not while I still live."
I grab my daggers readying for a fight. I feel my companions' tenseness. Looking over at Oghren and can tell he is torn, "Branka, don't throw away your life for this!"
I try one last time, "We have to destroy the Anvil, Branka."
"Just give her the blasted thing! She's confused…maybe once she calms down, we can talk to her." Oghren pleads.
"I'm sorry Oghren," I say sadly. "I can't take that chance. You saw what she did. She's obsessed beyond redemption. What makes you think the first thing she wouldn't do is test her new toy out on you?"
"Bah! You are not the only master smith here, Caridin!" Branka spits brandishing a control rod. "Golems! Obey me! Attack!"
The golems start coming to life.
"A control rod," Caridin panics. "My friend you must help me. I cannot stop her alone."
I look over at Oghren, hoping I won't need to fight him too. He glances over and nods in agreement. I notice that Branka has gained control of most of the golems. I make a beeline straight to her. I hope that if she dies the golems will become deactivated again. I see Serena flanking Branka with a wicked grin on her face. Seems she wants a piece of this sad excuse for a person as well.
We finally take Branka out and the rest of the golems that were not already deactivated quit fighting. Andraste's ass she was a strong one. The only thing the woman ever fought for besides the Anvil was her life. I note sadly.
"Another life lost because of my invention, I wish no mention of it had made into history," He says sadly.
"Yeah, you ain't kidding," Oghren says dryly, "Stupid woman! Always knew the Anvil would kill her."
"How is it that the woman was not able to disable me as she did you Caridin?" Shale asks curiously.
"I do not know," Caridin replies just as curiously. "Have you been altered?"
"I once had a pathetic little mage of master," Shale answers honestly. "He did something to me…experimented on me…and I killed him and it rendered me paralyzed."
"Hmmm," Caridin says thoughtfully, "perhaps he was bringing forth old memories…and caused you to remember a time when you fought at my side. The paralysis you speak of always resulted when the master perished. As for your free will, you always were a strong woman, Shale. I am pleased to see you remain so."
"I don't know what to say," Shale replies with wonder. "Thank you."
"Oh," Caridin sighs heavily, "do not thank me. All of this…is my doing…my legacy…"
"But at least it ends here," he says a bit more brightly, "I thank you for standing with me, Stranger. The Anvil waits for you to shatter it."
"Is there any boon I can grant you for your aid?" He asks, "A final favor before I am freed from my burden?"
I know what I need to do but Oghren lost Branka.
"Oghren," I say gently, "You lost Branka to this. What do you want?"
He looks at me with surprise for a moment that I would even care to ask.
"Eh, I don't suppose you can bring Branka back? Maybe make her a golem? Like you?" He asks Caridin.
"I would not do such a thing to her, even if I could," Caridin says softly.
"Somehow I didn't think so. Then, I don't want anything that would remind me of…this. Best it's just done…There is still the matter of the election. I mean we still need a Paragon to get the Assembly's support right?"
"For the aid you've given me, I shall put hammer to steel one last time, and give you a crown, for the king of your choice." Caridin declares.
As he walks away to work, I look at the others. "Anyone hurt?" I ask concerned.
Everyone shakes their heads.
"We might as well rest for a while," Serena says practically pulling out her bedroll.
Morrigan nods in agreement and sets to digging in her pack.
I see something interesting on the far side of the room and walk over to investigate. It seems to be some sort of monument. Tamlen walks over to look at it with me. It's written in dwarven so I can't read it.
"I think they might be names," he offers smiling.
"Oghren, Shale," I call out. "I found something interesting. You might want to see this."
They make their way across the room. After giving it a look, I ask, "Shale do you know what this is?"
Shale says, "No, perhaps it thinks I should? It may have something to do with Caridin's words. If there is some way to make a copy of these runes, I am willing to study them. Perhaps there is something to be gleaned from them, I know not."
"Oghren, what is this? Can you tell?" I ask.
Oghren says, "Huh, Names. A long list of dwarves and their houses. Err wait a minute …hold on…We honor those who have made this sacrifice; let their names be remembered. Fart me a Lullaby! It's a memorial… of all the dwarves who became golems! Has to be! If there was some way of getting this back to the Shaperate in Orzammar, I'd bet they'd brown their trousers! And pay good gold for it. Probably both."
I make two tracings of the monument and tuck them in my pack. We all take to our bedrolls. Except for Shale, who has no need for sleep and steps away to talk with Caridin as he works.
Sometime later after we have awoken, we see Caridin coming down the steps. I rise to meet him.
"There, it is done," he says handing me the crown. "give it to whom you will. I do not wish to know their names or anything of them. I have already lived beyond my time. I have no place here."
"I will destroy the anvil, as agreed," I offer gently.
"That would please me, Human," Caridin says happily.
I walk up the long staircase to Anvil. Taking the hammer that Caridin just finished making the crown with I bring it down on the anvil with all my might. It crumbles to rubble.
Once the anvil is destroyed Caridin walks over to edge of the platform, his back facing me. "You have my eternal thanks, Stranger," he says with relief,. "Atrast nal tunsha…may you always find your way in the dark."
I walk to stand beside him but before I can get to him, he dives into the lava below. I'm a bit taken back but I do understand. I walk back down the steps.
"Where is Caridin?" Shale asks.
I just shake my head.
"I see," She says sadly. "He just wanted it to be over. He told me so."
"I think I'm ready to leave here." I announce, grabbing my pack.
Oghren stops me for a moment. "Well that pretty much beat the sod out of how I imagined it. You ready to head back and share the news?"
"To the assembly," I say grinning at him sarcastically, "they should know as soon as possible."
"Eh," he grunts, looking at the ground. Then realizing, I was being facetious, he grins. "Those deshyrs have been trying to destroy the city for years. Haven't managed yet."