Sorry for the sporadic updates. This chapter has been a real pain to write. I know there are gaps and a few inaccuracies in it, but I don't remember this part of the story very well, have had to rely on Youtube, and it's taken ages. Hope it doesn't show too much :)
Thank you as always to those who have reviewed, favourited and followed the story and sent me messages. It helped me to get through this chapter! :D
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
The Keepers entered the Wending Wood on their third day of travel. They were immediately set upon by a group of bandits, whom were laying in wait for unwary travellers. Unfortunately for them, the Keepers were no ordinary travellers, and the bandits were quickly dispatched.
They came upon several upturned and burning caravans on the main road, which Cori and Anders found very interesting.
"This doesn't look like the work of darkspawn to me," observed Varel.
"Nor bandits," Nate added. "It looks like whoever attacked these merchants, meant to completely destroy them, not just rob them."
Cori and Anders, who had gone behind one of the caravans to investigate, called the rest of them over. Anders grimly pointed to several charred bodies lying in a pile. "Was that really necessary?" he asked, shaking his head in disgust.
"Somebody with powerful magic at their disposal is responsible for this," said Cori, folding her arms.
Nate walked over and looked distastefully at the bodies. "Darkspawn magic?" he asked.
Cori shrugged. "Hard to say. But I agree with Varel. I don't think this is the work of darkspawn. They're not usually so…cruel. They just kill, then move on."
"We'd best be careful," said Anders. "If there's a maniac running around with this sort of power at their fingertips, we could be at risk of an ambush. And they may still be nearby."
He and Cori nodded at one another, then the two mages raised their staves above their heads, closed their eyes and whispered to themselves. The rest of the Keepers felt a build up of energy around them. Anders and Cori brought their staves to eye level then opened their arms wide, and opened their eyes.
The Keepers looked around. Everything around them seemed to have taken on a greenish hue.
"We've surrounded us all with a Spell Shield," explained Cori. "Any magical attack inflicted on us now has a 75% chance of being absorbed in to the Fade. However, it costs Anders and I a lot to maintain it, so in the event of us being attacked, we may have to rely on all of you for offensive power."
The Keepers murmured their thanks, and marvelled at how Anders and Cori sometimes seemed to communicate telepathically.
They had not ventured much further, when they spotted a terrified-looking man running towards them at speed. He appeared to be a bandit.
"Out of my way!" he shouted. "I need to get out of here!"
"Who are you?" demanded Nate, standing in his path.
"I'm no-one!" he cried. "I just want to get out of here!"
Nate grabbed his arms. "Calm down! Who's after you?"
The frightened man glanced behind him. "The elf! She makes the trees come alive! All we wanted was some easy money from the caravans, but…" he looked around frantically and took several steps backwards. "Maker help me…she's here! I've got to get away!"
He took off at speed, nearly knocking Sigrun over in his haste. "Hey!" she cried.
"Are you alright?" asked Cori, then noticed that the rest of the Keepers were looking upwards, ready to draw their weapons.
On a ledge above them stood a tiny elven woman, who was glaring down at them with her hands on her hips. She wore a short, low-cut robe that left little to the imagination. Somebody wolf-whistled. Cori and Sigrun glared at Anders.
"Another scavenger here to prey on the misfortunes of others?" the elf mocked. "No…you are too well armed. Here for me, then. You will not drive me from these forests. The shems could not do it, the darkspawn could not, and you will fare no better!"
Nate stepped forward. "We are Grey Wardens. We are not here to drive you from the forest, as we have no idea who you are."
"Ah. You are here to battle the darkspawn then? Fair enough," she replied. "Should you encounter any merchant caravans, tell them to release my sister, or more of their men will die. Now go. Deal with your darkspawn, and stay out of my way," she added menacingly.
She raised her hands and was suddenly enveloped by a huge, gnarled tree root. The root disappeared. The girl was gone.
The Keepers looked at each other in confusion. "Does anybody know what that was all about?" asked Cori.
Anders shrugged. "No, but I think we've found our mysterious maniac."
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
They continued on, and had they not had to fend off several small groups of bandits and darkspawn along the way, the Keepers may have had time to admire the beautiful scenery in the Wood.
It was a very warm day, and Cori kept glancing over at Justice. She was becoming concerned about the condition of Simon's body. She called Anders over.
She lowered her voice. "We're going to have to let Simon's family have his body before it gets as bad as Kristoff's. At least Simon is still recognisable at the moment. I just don't know what to do about Justice. This has been keeping me awake for the last few nights."
Anders glanced over at Justice. "He actually spoke to me about that the other day," he said quietly. "He knows that Simon's body is starting to deteriorate, and he knows we can't just keep supplying him with corpses. I think he's prepared to…well, you know."
"No." Cori said firmly, shaking her head. "We have to come up with something. I'm not prepared to let him…" she shook her head again.
"Well," Anders whispered. "There are plenty of fresh bandit corpses around here…"
"I was thinking the same thing," she replied. "Trouble is, we can't just leave Simon's body here in the heat. And we can't carry a bandit corpse back with us, can we? It's a good three days' travel home from here. That's too much weight to carry, even if we took it in turns. Besides, we'd have to freeze it, and nobody can carry a huge block of ice."
Anders glanced around to make sure no-one could hear him. "Unless you want to take a bandit back with us…alive. No! No…forget I said that. That's horrible."
"Don't tempt me, Anders. I'm getting desperate. And at least you're coming up with ideas. Let's just stick with ones that are not too morally repugnant, eh?"
They grinned at each other. Then their faces fell again. They were no closer to a solution.
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
After several small skirmishes with darkspawn and bandits, the road started to wind uphill. Out of the protective canopy of trees, the Keepers were exposed and the sun beat down mercilessly upon them. Cori pointed her staff to the ground and a huge chunk of ice appeared, which they all sat next to for a while as they ate and rested.
They were rudely interrupted by another appearance from the elf they had encountered earlier. She appeared on another ledge above them, and before they had a chance to speak, she began berating them.
"What do you want from me? Don't you understand? I have to do this to get Seranni back!"
The Keepers got to their feet, and let Nate speak, as he had appeared to placate her during their previous meeting. "Please – we just want to talk…"
She shook her head and raised her hands in the air. "We have nothing to talk about! Stop hounding me!"
Once again, a huge tree root appeared, and the elf disappeared. Thibault spotted her running further up a hill and aimed a warning shot, but she was just out of range, and the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground.
The Keepers had other concerns, though. Out of nowhere, two giant enchanted Sylvan trees appeared and began to attack them. Oghren, Varel, Sigrun and Justice charged in and began hacking at the trees' trunks, although their weapons did very little damage. Nate and Thibault fell back and took aim with their bows, trying without success to find a weak spot to aim at.
"Guess it's up to us!" cried Anders. "You try frost, and I'll try flame!"
Cori didn't need to be told twice. She cast Cone of Cold at one tree, and Anders cast Flame Blast at the other. Anders' target went up in flames and staggered backwards.
"Flame it is!" Anders shouted. Cori removed the Spell Shield she had placed on herself and three of the Keepers, as she needed the power to cast an Inferno. She held her staff aloft and concentrated as a small red wisp appeared above her head, which turned in to a glowing ball of fire.
"Stand back!" she commanded and waited until the Keepers were safely away. She lowered her arms to the ground then thrust them upwards. Following the motion of her arms, a huge swirling column of lava burst forth from the ground, consuming the trees. A horrendous squealing noise burst from them as they were incinerated on the spot, turning black, before collapsing in a pile of ashes.
"Show off!" pouted Anders, as Cori drank a potent lyrium potion.
"I have a cut on my arm!" Sigrun told Anders cheerfully.
"Ha!" he teased as he healed Sigrun's arm. "Wondermage can't do this!"
Cori poked her tongue out at him.
Oghren grunted. "That skinny witch is really starting to piss me off!" he growled, echoing the rest of the Keepers' sentiments.
"Indeed," muttered Nate. "Thibault, did you see where she went?"
"Oui," he replied, pointing further up the winding road. "She headed that way. It looks like a camp of some kind."
"Let's go," said Nate. "The time for diplomacy is over."
Anders removed the Spell Shields from the remaining Keepers, he and Cori now realising that they were not dealing with some almighty, supernatural creature, but a mage, just like themselves. A mage who could summon huge, terrifying trees, nonetheless, but she was not invincible.
They found her at an abandoned Dalish settlement. She stood with her back to them, seemingly lost in thought. Several freshly-dug graves were at her feet.
"Don't come any closer!" she barked as she span round. Her voice seemed to waver a little.
Nate ignored her threat and walked right up to her. "Are you going to attack us again? Summon more trees? We will deal with the next ones just as easily, and we will still be here. I demand to know why you attacked us! We only wanted to talk to you, but now you have made enemies of us."
As he got closer to the elf, he was surprised to see that she was crying. She turned her back on him once more, and looked down at the graves. He stood next to her. "My clan-mates…all butchered by darkspawn. It was just Seranni and I left…then those animals took her! I can't bear to think what depraved things they've done to her!" She started to weep.
"Don't you understand what you've done?" cried Nate, torn between anger and sympathy for the elf. "The merchants were not responsible for your sister's disappearance. The darkspawn are! You've killed several innocent men!"
"But darkspawn don't take hostages!" she snapped defiantly, though a trace of uncertainty informed her words.
"Yes, they do," said Cori, walking towards her. "We are here to answer a new kind of darkspawn threat. The Archdemon has been slain, yet the darkspawn are re-grouping and organising themselves. We have encountered new species of darkspawn, more intelligent than we ever thought possible. Something else is leading them now. And," she added, "the darkspawn have always taken women as hostages."
"Women? Why women?" the elf asked.
Cori sighed. "They turn women into Broodmothers. They give the woman their taint, then…well, we don't know exactly what they do, but they turn them into darkspawn breeders. I'm sorry."
"No! Not my Seranni!" the elf shrieked wildly. "We must find her! You! You must help me!
"No!" bellowed Justice, drawing his sword and advancing forward. "This female must be put to death for her crimes! She has slaughtered innocents, and must now face justice!"
"Stop!" commanded Nate. "We are not this woman's judges. Another death will not help matters!"
Justice stood towering over Nate. "But justice must be done! Her crimes cannot go unpunished!"
"Justice," said Cori quietly, pointing at the elf, who was now sitting on the ground, her hands to her face and her body wracked with sobs. "I think the realisation of what she has done is punishment enough, don't you?"
Justice watched her for a moment then sheathed his sword. "I do not agree with either of you, but I see that sometimes things are not as clear-cut as they first appear. I shall rescind judgement for now."
Nate looked up at him. "And you will not be reassessing that judgement without a conversation first taking place between you and I. Is that understood?"
"I understand, Commander."
Nate gathered the rest of the Keepers together. "What do we think? If a female has been taken by the darkspawn then it is our duty to investigate. But do we take the elf with us? I want your opinions before I decide."
The Keepers were split in their opinions. Thibault, Varel and Sigrun wanted to help her. Oghren and Justice were vehemently opposed to her accompanying them. Cori and Anders wanted to help her in principle, but gave Nate a grave warning about mages who were unable to control their tempers.
"Very well," said Nate. He walked over to the elf. "I am sorry," he said. "We cannot help you. We will investigate your sister's disappearance, as it is our duty to do so as Grey Wardens. But you may not accompany us."
"I…I understand." The elf stood and turned to the Keepers, no longer as self-assured and angry as she had been. "Would you let me know if you find anything?"
"Certainly, if you're still around," answered Nate, before returning to the Keepers. "Now," he said. "The only place we haven't explored is that abandoned Silverite Mine." He pointed downhill to a metal door set in the face of a large rock. "I suggest we take a short rest then venture in."
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
After a 'rest' – meaning food – the Keepers ventured into the mine. They descended some unsafe-looking wooden steps and found themselves in a chamber with no exits and a ledge above.
Confused, they split up and searched in vain for an opening or exit of some kind. They were about to turn back and head up the steps, when a hissing sound from the ledge drew their attention.
There stood a creature, humanoid in shape, but standing more than 8 feet tall. He wore a highly elaborate robe. His face was twisted and deformed, and he wore a mask over his eyes. Next to him stood a dwarven woman. She was obviously tainted, and it was at an advanced stage.
Before any of them could speak, the creature held his hand up in the air. "Ssh. Sleep…" he hissed.
The Keepers were unable to resist his command. Even Anders and Cori, whose resistance to mental manipulation far exceeded that of their companions, could not fight against the sound of his voice, and one by one the Keepers closed their eyes and fell to the floor.
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
Nate drifted in and out of consciousness. He fancied he heard a soft, hissing voice whispering to him, its tone both seductive and sinister.
"So you are the Commander of the Grey Wardens?" it hissed. "Do not be frightened. Your injuries have been tended to."
Nate opened his eyes. Looming above him was the tall creature that had sent them to sleep. He felt afraid but gave no reaction outwardly. Are the others alright? Is Cori alright? He wondered.
The creature spoke again, with a trace of sadness in its voice. "I apologise for what I must do. I do not wish to be your enemy. But now is not the time for this…rest."
Nate went to speak but no words came out. He couldn't move his mouth, or anything else, for that matter. A sensation of overwhelming heaviness seized his body. He tried to fight it, but to no avail. His eyelids closed.
His eyes opened. He blinked several times. Cold. He was lying on a cold stone floor. A huge door lay in front of him, flanked by thick metal bars.
He sat up and was relieved to see Cori kneeling next to him, and the rest of his companions, all in various stages of consciousness. Cori stroked his hair. She had been divested of her clothing and weapon, as they all had, and they were all dressed in simple peasant clothing.
Justice and Anders were the only ones standing up. Anders paced back and forth impatiently. "Do they have any idea how much those robes cost me?" he muttered to himself. "If they've so much as scratched them…and my staff. Cori bought me that! Maker help me, I'll…"
"Anders," Nate said, snapping him out of his rambling. "Can you bring them round?"
He shrugged. "No, boss. I've tried. Doesn't work. We'll have to wait until they wake up naturally."
"Someone's coming," announced Varel, who was wide awake. "I can sense the taint in them, but they're not darkspawn."
Varel stood up. Cori helped Nate to his feet. Oghren, Sigrun, and Thibault were still unconscious.
A female elf approached the cell. She appeared to resemble the elf they had encountered earlier. The taint in her was obvious. Her skin was ashen, with a soapy texture. Several liver-coloured patches mottled her face. The Irises of her eyes were translucent, falsely giving the impression that she was blind.
"Are you Seranni?" asked Nate.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"We met your sister earlier on. She was looking for you. I didn't get her name," he replied.
Seranni sighed and shook her head. "Her name is Velanna. She didn't need to come looking for me. I'm alright. It is you who are in danger. I have to get you out of here before something bad happens. I don't want anyone else to be hurt."
She looked around anxiously and moved closer to the cage. "The darkspawn have your things," she whispered. "You can still get it all back if you're careful and clever. They're going to come back to check on you. You have to hurry!" She unlocked the cell and started to walk away.
Cori ran up to her and grabbed her arm. "Please tell us what's going on. You must know something!"
Seranni stopped and looked at Cori pleadingly. "I don't know anything…they're coming! You have to find a way out of the mines! Please hurry!" She ran off before Cori could say anything else.
x~~~~~~~~~~~x
The Keepers trudged through the mines and ploughed through a seemingly never-ending onslaught of darkspawn. They eventually found their belongings, which were being worn by people - not darkspawn - who were infected with the taint. Only Cori and Sigrun did not retrieve their clothing and armour, as they were not immune to the taint, and Anders gave Cori his Spellfury, before retrieving the other one from the tainted person's hand.
They finally reached a huge chamber with several balconies leading off. In the far wall was a large metal door.
"Well this can't be good…" muttered Anders.
They cautiously walked in. Almost predictably, the tall creature they had encountered earlier appeared at one of the balconies, flanked by the female dwarf and Seranni.
"What is this? A trap?" Nate shouted up to the balcony. "Why didn't you just kill us when you had the chance? What is going on?"
He was interrupted by a piercing squall from above. Cori, Varel and Oghren looked at one another. They knew the sound of a Drake when they heard it.
"Long-range weapons, everybody!" cried Cori.
A huge, red Dragon Thrall landed on the ground in the centre of the chamber, followed by another. Anders immediately cast Heroic Defence on everybody and a Glyph of Warding on the unprotected Cori and Sigrun.
Arrows and bolts from crossbows and staves flew towards the Dragons as they took to the air. Cori held her staff in front of her and closed her eyes, her free hand tracing elegant shapes through the air as she channelled. This was one of her most powerful spells. Her free hand moved to cover her eyes as she concentrated. She muttered to herself. Water started to run down the chamber walls, quickly freezing and turning to ice. An unnatural wind blew through the chamber. The rest of the Keepers shivered as they kept firing.
Cori cast her arms up into the air. A swirling snowstorm materialised in the upper reaches of the chamber. The Dragons' movements were severely slowed and they were forced to land. Hailstones the size of eggs thundered down upon them. Cori drank a potent lyrium potion as the Dragons tried several times without success to take flight. The rest of the Keepers continued to wear the Dragons down from a distance.
Cori once again raised her arms into the air, threw her head back and closed her eyes. She uttered words to herself that only Anders recognised as old Tevinter. She cast her head down and thrust her staff into the air. Bolts of lightning crackled and snaked across the ceiling. The hailstones became electrically charged and rained agony down upon the Dragons. Their high-pitched cries shattered the ice clinging to the walls and brought it crashing down to the ground.
At last, the Dragons were defeated. Cori, infuriated, charged towards the balcony where the creature and the women stood. "Now you're mine!" she yelled, holding her staff aloft.
She was stilled by the creature holding his hand in the air. The two women walked behind him and departed. He rose from the ground and flung his arms into the air. The balcony immediately caved in on itself. The Keepers ran to the other side of the room to avoid being hit by rubble.
Cori regained control of her body. "What is that thing?" she asked nobody in particular.
"I don't know," said Varel. But it has the taint in it. And the taint in it is stronger than I could imagine anybody could bear, without going insane. The strongest I've ever sensed, that's for sure."
They made their way to the giant doors, wondering what else lay in store for them, but thankfully they led out of the mines.
"Right!" announced Nate. "I've had enough of trees and Dragons to last me a lifetime! Let's get back to the Keep for a nice hot meal."