Chapter 37: Endgame part 1
The deeper they went the darker things became.
Solona and the wardens drove the darkspawn before them. The creatures fought both the wardens and each other. Their distraction made them easy prey for Nathaniel's arrows and the mages' magic. What darkspawn did get through ran headfirst into the warriors' blades.
Solona reveled in their destruction, it would not bring back the lives lost at Vigil's Keep and in Amaranthine, but it was a start. The beasts would learn the error of their ways.
They should have retreated back underground like good little darkspawn.
The taint in the air caused a wailing in her blood, it sickened her that what had so corrupted this place was a part of her, and would be with her until she finally met her end.
One thing was for certain, she would not go alone, she would push as many of the tainted bastards into death as she could before she finally fell. She would die alone, cut off from the man she loved and the father of her child, but she would die knowing that she had tried to make this world a better place, for both Alistair and Lucien.
That was the Grey Warden way.
As they pushed deeper into the lower chambers of the darkspawn held tower, Solona activated the old Tevinter defensive spells, turning them to her use. She would likely need them when they reached this…Mother.
She could sense it down below, a broodmother, but it felt…different somehow… wrong. Something about it stank of the Architect and his foul work. It stank like his base along the pilgrim's path.
"And here we are again," a phlegmy voice purred above her.
Speak the demon's name, and he appears, Solona thought coldly.
She looked up; on the way that they had come stood the Architect himself, his dwarven bodyguard at his side.
The tainted woman hissed and drew her sword.
The Architect raised a clawed hand.
"No Utha," he whispered, "That is not how this must begin."
The dwarf lowered her weapon, but continued to glare hatefully at Solona.
The warden mage did not respond.
The feeling was mutual.
The Architect raised its hands, gentle winds wrapped around the darkspawn lowering him to the level that wardens stood. Solona's warriors tensed, but she raised a hand stopping the attack.
She wanted to hear what the darkspawn had to say for itself.
"My apologies Commander," the creature rasped, "We did not have time to talk civilly last time."
Solona laughed coldly.
"When I escaped you mean," she said.
The Architect shrugged, it only made the mage angrier.
"You captured us, experimented on us, and tortured us," she reminded him, "There was nothing civil about out last meeting."
The darkspawn shook his head dismissively.
"I experimented on you true," he admitted, "But I did not mean to torture you. I was hoping to gain your support, my sending a warning about the attack on your keep should be proof of that."
Solona sneered.
"I would much rather talk about the first attack on the Vigil," she said, "the one where your…men…kidnapped and murdered the Orlesian wardens."
The darkspawn sighed.
"That should never have happened," he said, "The Withered misinterpreted my orders. I wished to parlay with your fellows, but sadly…you are bound to your nature as we are to ours. I should have realized that a misunderstanding would occur."
"Heh," Oghren croaked, "I wouldn't call what happened a mis-under-nothing. You attacked us, and killed the Orlesian lads, end of story."
"I required their blood," the Architect informed him, "I would have preferred if it was given willingly, but the wardens I was brought were already dead when they came to me. I cannot afford to waste anything, if my plans are to succeed."
Solona glared at him. She never took her eyes off Utha however, who was slowly sneaking down the stairs.
"I seek to end the cycle that binds us Commander," the Architect rasped. "Thousands of my brethren have died as each Blight has raged. We attack the surface and you fight back. Both our people suffer, and all because of the call of the old gods."
"That is the way of things," Solona growled, "We cannot change it."
"But we can," the Architect hissed excitedly, "You have seen the results of my work. Free thinking darkspawn, not bound by the call of the old gods, they have the gift of choice."
"And they continue to choose to destroy," she reminded him.
"It is what they know, but I believe that we can be more, that my brethren and I must be more. The ones I have freed, they have made mistakes, bad choices, but that is part of free will is it not?"
Solona did not answer. She…she did not like where this was going, the creature made valid points.
She was trying to be objective.
"I am not as they are," the Architect confessed, "I was born free, I hear the call of the old gods, but I am free to ignore it. If my brethren could do the same, if they could all do the same. Then we would not be the cause of future blights. Your world would be safe and so would mine."
Velanna stepped forward, her ears twitched with surprise.
"You would stop it," she said, "No more Blights, no more darkspawn invasions of the surface?"
"I wish to see my people free to choose," the Architect responded.
"And what if they still choose to annihilate us?" Rolan asked, "This…mother does not seem very interested in peace."
The Architect bowed his head in shame.
"The mother…she…she was to be my greatest creation, the means of creating a race of free thinking members of my kind. Instead, being denied the call of the old gods drove her mad. She has sway over those who have not been awakened, unifying them against me, as she tries to stop my work."
"And we pay for your mistakes," Solona growled, "Perhaps this is why the darkspawn should not be free. Perhaps your people do not want what you have to offer them."
"How will they know if they don't experience freedom for themselves? The call is all they know."
Solona had heard enough.
"Speak plainly creature," she said pointing the blade of her staff at him, "What do you want from us."
Utha looked ready to spring, but the Architect stopped her with a single look.
"I want to help you end the threat of the Mother," he hissed, "And then I wish to return to the deeps, to continue to try and help, my brethren, but most of all. I…need Grey Warden blood."
"That is going to be a problem," Anders said coldly.
Maiwen stood at his side, ready to crush the monster's skull with her mace.
"That is why I helped you this far Commander," the Architect said, "I have created a version of your joining ritual using the blood of Grey Wardens. It frees my brethren from the call. You take the taint into yourselves to resist the Blight sickness and gain the strength you need to face my kind. What we take…is your immunity."
He looked up at Utha.
"Utha was the first warden to give of herself willingly. She accepted what I am trying to do."
The dwarf smiled and bowed.
Solona shook her head. She saw no reason for the dwarf to be proud here.
"If I had sufficient quantities," the architect continued, "I could save my race from the old gods. We could all be free. Your people and mine, we could welcome the dawn of a new day."
Solona's mind spun with the possibilities, a chance to end the blights. To free the darkspawn from the cycle of destruction, it was a chance to save so many lives.
"Commander no!"
Sigrun stepped between the mage and the Architect, her eyes pleading.
"We can't do this commander, the darkspawn are dangerous enough as they are. Do we truly want them to start thinking for themselves? You saw what they did in Kal Hirol."
"Can we afford not to take this chance?" Nathaniel asked, "To end this cycle of old gods, is it not worth it?"
"This is what my sister saw?" Velanna said excitedly, "A chance to save everyone from the darkspawn, an ally among them."
"You lay down with dogs you get fleas elf," Oghren growled, "Trust me I know."
"What do you think Anders?" Maiwen asked.
"If it keeps people alive I say do it." the mage responded.
"And what of those murdered by this creature?" Justice asked. "Have you forgotten the wardens and soldiers that have perished because of this beast's meddling? Where is their justice?"
"Commander you cannot do this!" Rolan growled, "The darkspawn are not people. They are abominations born of the Magister's sin and pride. It goes against all chantry law to aid them."
Solona considered her fellows counsel, they all made valid points, but…
…There was something she was missing. She knew it.
It ate at her, something was wrong about all this. She went over what the Architect had said.
A misunderstanding at the first attack on Vigil's Keep, it was possible.
The Mother had been the one haunting their steps not the Architect.
He had not seriously hurt them when he captured them; experimented yes, hurt them no.
He had created a joining ritual. It would free the spawn.
A joining ritual.
Solona eyes narrowed, there it was.
The missing piece of the puzzle.
She glared at the Architect.
"You said you created a joining ritual?" she asked.
"Yessss."
"How?"
"Using your warden blood of course."
Solona smiled at him, it was a predatory thing full of teeth and venom.
The Architect had slipped up.
"The joining ritual is not an easy thing to prepare,' she said, "It requires magic, lyrium and several exotic components."
"That it does," he agreed.
"Including," she said with a smirk, "a drop of blood from an Archdemon, may I ask where you found some?"
The Architect fell silent.
Solona shook her head.
She had been a blind fool.
"Commander," Nathaniel said.
"I'm waiting creature," she said forcefully, "Where did you get Archdemon blood from?"
The Architect stood a little straighter, it would not justify itself to her.
"Many years ago," it began, "I found a warden in the deep roads. Near death, I saved him from his end. He…aided me for a time. In exchange for my help, he told me the location of the underground prisons that held the old gods."
The wardens froze.
They had come to see what she had just figured out.
Solona grinned triumphantly, she hated that she was right, but pleased at the same time.
The Architect was an evil, lying bastard, but he was just a pawn.
She now knew the name of the king.
"Urthemiel," she said coldly.
"Yesss."
"It was you," she growled, "You woke Urthemiel. You started the fifth Blight?"
The Architect snarled.
"I needed its blood for my work!"
"You fool," the mage spat, "You blind self-deluded fool!"
Solona shook her head in disgust.
"You said you are free of the old gods call, but you are lying to yourself. You tainted an old god, just like a good little darkspawn. You still did their bidding, just because a puppet can see his strings does not make him any less a puppet. Your freedom is a lie Architect. You still serve the old gods. Differently from the rest of your kind, but still you serve."
"It is not like that!" the creature spat.
"I think it is," she said, "When you run out of Archdemon blood, then what? You will go to the next prison. You will start another blight!"
"Not if the wardens act first," he said, "Ally with me, we can destroy the old gods in their prisons!"
Solona's eyes flared with magic.
"I will not let you within a hundred leagues of the old gods' prisons," she growled.
"Commander stop," Velanna begged, "Seranni…she needs this!"
"Seranni is lost Velanna," Solona said coldly, "She is his slave now, a slave of the old gods." Solona glared at the Architect.
Velanna whimpered; her ears lowered in shame and doubt.
She did not want to believe it, but she was too much of a realist to deny it.
Nathaniel was at her side, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She drew strength from her husband's presence.
The wardens drew their weapons. They moved to surround the Architect.
"Your lies end here monster," Solona said coldly.
The Architect shook his head sadly.
Utha ran to his side.
The Architect looked down at his old ally.
"I'm sorry Utha," he said, "I'm afraid that I will not be able to fulfill my promise to you."
She snarled at Solona, clearly blaming the mage for what was about to happen.
"You betrayed your brothers dwarf, Solona spat at her, "You were a warden. You swore to protect others, not stand up to be counted with the monsters that we fight."
Solona sneered at her.
"Your death will be your atonement."
Utha sprang.
Maiwen caught her in mid-air the dwarf was so focused on Solona that she had not seen the warrior.
The girl's mace caved in Utha's chest plate. The fallen warden gasped trying to rise.
Sigrun was on her before she could.
The legionnaire turned warden slit Utha's throat.
The Architect bowed his head.
"This did not have to happen," it whispered, "But I forgive you commander. You are compelled by your nature, as am I."
She gave him a sad look.
"We cannot change who we are."
The Architect nodded.
"You will forgive me if I resist?"
"I would not have it any other way," the mage replied.
The Architect raised its hands summoning its power.
Solona and the wardens fell on the darkspawn.
It put up a good fight, but it was not enough.
He joined Utha in death…
…Finding true freedom from the old gods…at last.
IOI
Solona took a deep breath, wiping the Architect's blood from her spectacles.
She looked down at the lower chambers.
One down, she thought, one to go.
The wardens formed up and made for the deepest part of the fortress.
Towards the last enemy they needed to slay…
…Towards where the Mother waited.
It was time to end this…once and for all.