9:31 Wintermarch 27th Brecilian Ruins Continued

We abandoned the place where we beat the arcane horror into a room that held sarcophagi. I saw the large mangled roots growing all over the place and a small deep puddle. There was no other way around.

"So…where do we go from here?" Talen said.

"Not sure, there aren't any doors." Derek said.

"We have to swim." I said.

"What?"

"Look we got here, and we have explored all the ruins. My guess? This deep puddle leads to something."

"Swim through a deep puddle and who knows where it leads to?" Alistair asked.

"Well, we do have a shapeshifter."

"Pity, I do not know any aquatic animals to transform into."

"Oh how are we going to do this?" Jowan wondered.

"We swim."

"Nia we do not know how long this goes for or how deep it is. We could very well drown before we reach the other side." Leliana argued.

"…I'm swimming." I unbuckled my armor.

"Nia!"

"Oh a show?"

"By the stone!"

"Jesus guys I'm still clothed underneath, get a grip! Actually…" I took off my shirt and my pants. "These are just going to slow me down."

"Are you not the slightest hint embarrassed?" Morrigan said, rubbing her temples. I looked myself up and down.

"No not really." Alistair was looked away red face as was Talen. Derek didn't care. Sten was tightlipped through it all, but I did see his eye twitch. Eren kept on making peeks. Jowan had his hands over his eyes and Zevran and Oghren were both openly leering.

"Why I say, your body was sculpted by the Ancestors themselves!"

"I must agree with my hairy friend here."

"Look all you want, but I'm going to go swim to the other side."

"Nia…be careful." Eren said.

"Trust me." I wadded into the pool which immediately didn't have a bottom. I took a deep breath and dived under. The light that was showing didn't penetrate the blackness in the middle but from where I was, I already saw another source of light. I swam for only about 20 seconds at most, making sure my strides were long and powerful. I saw the light up top and went for it. I took a breath and was at the other side of a cavern. "Well that didn't take long. It's going to be hard with the armor and clothes though." I took another breath and swam back.

"So?" Derek wondered.

"Well, as long as you take a really deep breath, even with the armor and clothes, you should be fine. The good thing is that there isn't a pool like this one. There's an incline to the top of the water. We should be alright." I said, grabbing all my clothes.

"Ah would you remain as such? I am rather enjoying the view."

"Leave the rest to your imagination Zevran, we have werewolves to compromise with."

"I can't believe you did that!" Alistair said turning but I was only up to my pants. "Andraste's flaming sword! Please put on your clothes."

"Geez, it's not like I was naked."

"Are women always quick to show a group full of men their unmentionables or is that just you?"

"Wow, underwear, so risqué." I rolled my eyes and buckled my armor on again. "You can look now Alistair."

"Well there is no time like the present I believe…"Wynne said, looking down into the pool.

"If some of you don't want to do this, you can stay here. I did my job, checked it out, and it was fine." I said.

"I think it is best if I remain at camp." Sten said.

"Oh ok, why?" I said.

"I cannot swim."

"Well if he's not going then I'm-"

"Jowan, I know you can swim."

"Sorry missy, I'm staying with the big guy."

"Same goes for old Oghren." Alfred whined.

"I'm afraid I will have to stay as well." Wynne said.

"Anyone else?" Eren asked.

"I think that was it." Talen said.

"Time to swim then." We took turns in pairs in case someone needed help. I went with Talen. Jowan went with Leliana. Alistair and Eren went together. Morrigan opted to go by herself as well as Zevran. We all came out the other side short of breath.

"Oh I do not want to do that again." Leliana said.

"But it was worth it to see your gorgeous body."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to have some alone time in your tent?"

"Ah! You have found me out mi niña."

"Why are we talking about this?" Jowan said.

"Oh and you didn't get a peekful from her?" Talen said.

"Weird how you got red when we have already done it once Talen."

"Oh snap!

"You are turning, look at your ears!" Alistair said.

"Will everyone be quiet!" Talen shouted.

"Be quiet!" Eren harshly whispered.

"We are a group of immature little girls and they are mostly men." Morrigan said. The room had several skeletons were on the ground but they were ripped apart in certain areas. The werewolves already re killed these ones.

We opened the door and we heard the growls coming toward us. We lost all our hardhitters so we only had Alistair, Eren, Zevran, and I as melee fighters. I rolled away when Eren and Alistair went to battle the first two werewolves. Morrigan froze one and I came up to shatter it. The other werewolf was pushed back by Eren. Jowan got his mace and hit the werewolf. It got distracted and Eren stabbed in its throat. We thought we won, before two more came out of nowhere. One jumped me and started to rip into my armor. I hissed in pain when I felt its talons rip my skin. I looked for the energy and it came for a quick second, almost as if turning on the volume high then muting it. I felt the glow and I punched the werewolf clean off me. It howled in pain before I smashed it to the ground. I felt the strength receding from me. The other werewolf was burned by Talen. I touched my stomach were my armor was in shreds and my bleeding cuts.

"Nia!"

"I'm fine Leliana. Talen, you have some mana for a healing spell?"

"Here." Talen came and laid his hand on my stomach.

"This does not bode well. How will you defend yourself from the creatures?"

"Hit and run basically. There's no other way. At this point, we have no choice. The others aren't here and we have to use everything at our disposal."

"Nia…"

"I'll be fine Zevran. Come on, we can't stay here forever." We passed the barriers and two more werewolves were waiting for us. They hit the ground running but I stopped everyone from walking. The two traps that I saw got both of them. Talen hit them with a fireball and Leliana got head shots with her arrows. Two more came out of the shadows and Jowan got one right in the muzzle. Zevran threw a poison at the other's face. It clawed at it with pain and Zevran stabbed it in the stomach twice with his daggers.

"Status?"

"We're all fine Eren." Alistair said. Leliana picked up the arrows she shot into them. She was already running low. It's been a long run for this ruin but we were almost done. We go down the stairs, the air becoming musky and humid. It smelled like wet dog.

"Oh does everyone smell that?" Jowan said.

"My nose hates me right now." Alistair said.

"It smells like the garbage in Denerim, only ten times worse." Zevran said.

"I hate you all so much right now." Morrigan mumbled. Eren opened the door and there were three werewolves standing in the center of the floor. All they did was stand there, growling silently. I recognized the wolf from the start of the ruin. This was the gatekeeper. Now if only there was a key master…The werewolves growled and snarled, they did not like us.

"Stay your rage brothers and sisters! Calm yourselves. Strangers, we cannot stand by while our people are slaughtered at your hand. I ask you in trust, will you be willing to parley?"

"About time…" Talen mumbled before Eren elbowed him in the gut.

"We are willing to speak with you."

"Of course. The Lady has sent me to retrieve you. She believes that you have not been told much of the events that have passed. The Lady will make sure no harm comes to your or your group, so long as your will to parley is an honest one."

"If you're talking now why didn't-" Jowan grabbed Talen and put his hand over Talen's mouth to shut him up.

"Please take me to your Lady." Eren said.

"Then come with me. I warn you stranger, if I see any harm done to the Lady, I will personally come back from the fade to kill you."

"Nice to see they keep their promises…"Alistair mumbled before Leliana shushed him. We followed the gatekeeper through a series of rooms and hallways, all with werewolves growling at us. They opened the final door and it was a large open door filled with roots falling with moss covering the walls. Flowers were on the roots that were being hit by the sun that trickled in. It looked like something out of this world. The Lady stood before us. Roots gnarled around her feet and legs covering her bottom half, with only her long black hair covering the upper part of her body, her arms covered by the same roots as her feet. Her eyes were all black with a shine from the light in the room. Her skin was a soft forest green

"She's beautiful…" Leliana whispered. Talen snorted. The werewolves that were gathering around her were growling and nipping at our heels, their stances wide with their claws out in front. Every one of them would attack us if necessary. I felt naked without the armor covering my stomach. Zevran had his hands close to his daggers and I as well. Swiftrunner and the other werewolves growled and growled until she laid her root covered hand on Swiftrunner's shoulder. He visibly calmed down and knelt before her.

"I bid you welcome mortals. I am the Lady of the Forest." Her voice echoing in the grand chamber.

"Thank you. I am glad that you have chosen to converse." Eren said.

"The human is lying my Lady! He will betray you just like all the others! We must kill all of them now!"

"Settle your rage Swiftrunner. It is because of our assumptions that this human would do us harm is why we have lost so many of your brethren. The people you have hoped to save. Do you want more of their deaths?"

"No my Lady. Anything but that."

"Then the time for battle is no more. We shall speak to this outsider and set aside our rage. I apologize on Swiftrunner's behalf. Many like him struggle with the nature of the beast inside him."

"As do we all, Lady of the Forest." Eren said.

"I see you have seen yourself what this nature does to all men. Few would claim this but this very nature has been cursed upon them. I can see in your eyes the questions that you have wondered, the things Zathrian has not told you."

"We've known about that for a while now." Talen said.

"How much do you know Lady of the Forest?" Eren asked.

"Have you wondered where this curse first came to be? It was Zathrian that created it and forced these creatures to suffer, as are his own people that have been suffering. Many centuries ago, there was a settlement of humans close to this forest. When the Dalish first set their home here, they sought to drive the Dalish away. Zathrian was a young man with a son and daughter that he loved and cherished greatly. While they were out hunting, the human tribe captured them both."

"Hrrr. The boy was tortured…and killed. The girl was raped by the humans…they abandoned her body and left her for dead…The Dalish found her and healed her but later she learned she was…she was with child…She killed herself."

"How cruel." Leliana whispered. Talen grabbed her hand.

"So Zathrian cursed the humans so they would turn into werewolves with no minds of their own? My best friend almost sent me to the worst prison ever and I forgave him."

"But how did the curse first start?" Eren asked.

"Zathrian, in his rage, came to the ruin and summoned an old and terrible spirit, binding it to a great wolf. Witherfang was born of this ritual. Witherfang sought the tribe of humans, killing a great deal. There were others, though, that became twisted and savage, cursed by the blood of the Great Wolf. They were the first of the werewolves."

"Twisted and savage, such as Witherfang himself is. The humans did not stay long and abandoned their tribe but the ones who were cursed were left. Abandoned in the great forest, mindless and pitiful beasts."

"Until I found you my Lady. You gave me peace."

"Swiftrunner was the first one I reached out to. I quieted his rage and showed him another side to his bestial nature. His humanity once again overtook him. He began bringing me others to awaken as well."

"Why did you attack the Dalish then? Did you want revenge?" Talen asked.

"In part. We want an end to this curse. I understand the crimes committed against Zathrian's children were grave but the crimes were committed centuries ago by people who have died long ago. We tried to be civil. Every time the landships came near our forest, we would send word but have always been ignored. We will no longer be denied."

"We spread the curse that twisted us to his people! He must end the curse to save them!"

"Please mortals, bring Zathrian here. If he hears these animals and listens to their plight, surely he will agree to end the curse." Eren gave out a long sigh.

"Alright. I'll bring Zathrian here. This curse has gone on long enough."

"If he refuses to come, tell him he would no longer find Witherfang and his people will never be cured. There is a door here in this chamber that will lead you back to the start of the ruins. Return and bring Zathrian with you as soon as you can."

"Then I'll go. All of you stay here. It'll be easier if I go alone." Eren said.

"Do be careful." Morrigan said nonchalantly. I smirked at her and shook my head. Eren nodded to the Lady and went out the door. The silence in the chambers was awkward and tense, filled with growling werewolves and falling petals.

"Sooooo, any old cheese you have lying around?" I asked. Alistair snorted for a second. The werewolves continued to glare and growl. "I'll take that as a no."

"We're just going to stand around here while Eren go and gets Zathrian? I wonder how long that will take."

"Probably not long. If Zathrian was smart about this, he would have tailed us to make sure we were doing what we said we were going to do. If I'm right, then they should be here in a matter of minutes."

"If you're right this time, you owe me cheese."

"How do I lose if I'm right? That doesn't make sense."

"You have been right a lot this time." Jowan said.

"It was her own imagination mis amigos."

"I was just naming things off the top of my head."

"But this time you explained down to the detail."

"Ok, I'll tell you the truth…I can see the future."

"Why did I stay here when I could have gone with Eren and had meaningful conversations?"

"Meaningful conversations in where you scream your head off?" Leliana said.

"Oh that was a good one."

"I hate you all." I heard the door open and in came Zathrian along with Eren, Oghren, Derek, Sten, Alfred, and Wynne.

"Wynne! Wynne? When did you-?"

"All we did was follow the way back and we found Zathrian in the ruins. Eren then came out of the passageway and Zathrian finally told us everything." Derek explained. The werewolves growled as Zathrian walked inside the chamber. Their teeth were bares and their claw hands twitched.

"Spirit, you have called for me?"

"Hrrr! She is the Lady of the Forest and you will address her this way!" Swiftrunner ran up to him before going back to the Lady's side.

"You have taken a name spirit? And have named your pets, these beasts who have chosen to follow you."

"They were the ones who gave me my name and the names they have are ones they have decided for themselves. The follow me because I sooth their rage and let them find who they really are."

"Just because you have soothed their rage does nothing from changing them from the beasts they were! Their form only proves how twisted they really are, worthless dogs and mindless beasts."

"He has not come to help us Lady! I have warned you of this coming to pass."

"No I have come here to converse though I see little point in it. We all know where this will lead, your nature calls for it as does mine."

"No it does not need to end that way. There is room in your heart for compassion. Surely retribution is spent."

"My retribution is eternal, as is my pain. This is justice for what your kind did to me."

"Is that the true reason why you will not end this curse? Did you not tell the mortal how it was created in the first place?"

"He summoned a spirit and put in a wolf." Talen said.

"But summoning a spirit as great as you means that used other means of power." Wynne said.

"He used his own blood." Jowan ended.

"It is as you say mortals. The power for the spell could not be accomplished without his own blood. As the curse is bound to me, the curse is bound to you as well Zathrian. Your people think that you have rediscovered the immortality of your people, but in truth it is the curse that is keeping you alive."

"No you are wrong!"

"You'll really go through great lengths to see your revenge huh?" Talen said.

"I did it for what you did to my son and daughter! They deserved justice and I would do anything to see that through!"

"The curse will not end with Zathrian's death but I believe it plays a part of it ending."

"Then we kill him now!" Swiftrunner said.

"There was no point to conversing since your true nature lies right before my eyes, you are all still beasts. It does not matter if you kill me. I know how the ritual ends but I will never do it!"

"Then we shall kill them all!"

"And now you see their true nature. Do what I asked you to do and get me Witherfang's heart. If you cannot go through with it, then get out of my way."

"We won't help you with this Zathrian. You are on your own."

"We stand for what's right, no matter what." Alistair said.

"Their crimes were grave but that does not mean that I can let innocents suffer."

"You really believe that this ritual will kill the curse? I say we take the heart and be on our way." Morrigan said.

"No. We are standing for what is right Morrigan."

"Then you shall suffer their fate and die with them!" Zathrian bathed the wolves in golden light, trapping them in a magical field. He then pulled magic and put them in the sylvans. There were three of them. Talen immediately set them on fire but Zathrian cooled them down with his spells. Alistair ran but Zathrian commanded the roots and pinned Alistair to the wall. DOS and Eren were the closet but the sylvan kicked all four of them out of the way.

A sylvan came toward us and trapped Jowan, Wynne, and Morrigan with its roots. DOS were fighting the other two. Alfred managed to catch Zathrian's arm, but he threw Alfred with telekinetic magic into the wall. I went over to the sylvan that caught the mages and hacked off its branches. Zevran went and ran toward the other ones. Talen tried to set off cone of fires but had to tone down the range because of the closed in quarters. One sylvan was successfully burnt to a crisp. The other that I was fighting let go of Jowan, Morrigan, and Wynne. Wynne pummeled it with some earth which caused it to fall. Jowan quickly went up and bashed in the face with his mace. Zathrian kept everyone at bay with a magical shield. One sylvan to go. Sten cut off a limb and Derek smashed it when it went down. I went over to where Alistair was held on by roots.

I cut off the roots and Alistair got out with a growl. I saw a enormous root heading our way. It crashed into me but Alistair evaded it. I was sent skidding on the floor. Zathrian summoning earth and tree roots to keep away everyone. Once Alistair came, however, he put his Templar abilities to the test and stopped the magic from Zathrian flowing. Eren came and tackled him to the wall. Zathrian coughed and tried to regain his breath until Talen came over and punched him square in the face.

"No…no more…I…I cannot defeat you all…" Zathrian said, blood dribbling down his throat. The golden barriers that held the wolves and the Lady disappeared. Zathrian limped over to them, holding his chest.

"We must kill him now!"

"No Lady do something!" Leliana shouted. Swiftrunner raised his claws but the Lady stepped in and held her hands out toward him.

"No, Swiftrunner! How can we expect compassion and mercy shown to us if we don't have room for it in our hearts as well?"

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

"This has gone far enough Zathrian and you know it." Talen said.

"Perhaps…you are right. I have…live too long, and hated for all that time…it has consumed my soul. What of you spirit? Do you not fear the end that will come when the curse is no more?"

"You are my Maker Zathrian. You have me form when I had none, a mind to think when there were no thoughts. With the life you granted me I have known pain and love, hope and fear, joy and sorrow. Yet all I want is an end. I beg you my Maker, put an end to me. We beg you, show mercy." All the werewolves from the ruin came into the chambers and gathered around Zathrian and the Lady.

"I think you are right spirit."

"Then you will end the curse?"

"Yes, it is time." The rest of us stood near the exit. Zathrian came up and his form glew. He focused on his staff and stomped the floor with it. A shockwave of magic came through, Zathrian's body fell to the ground. The Lady looked around in confusion until the light shown from her as well. The chamber filled with this light until what stood before us were not werewolves but people. I felt the tears fall from my eyes and I felt someone grab my hand. Zevran was there smiling softly at me. The people rejoiced and hugged each other in relief. They looked at each other, beasts no more.

"The curse…it's gone and…we're human. I can scarcely believe it!"

"You should all get going while you have the chance." Eren said.

"Thank you friend for your kindness. It's time to leave the forest and see what interesting things await us. Thank you again. We'll never forget you." They ran up the long way up the stairs.

"We do good work." Alistair said.

"That was beautiful." Leliana said. I wiped away the tears and squeeze Zevran's hand.

"Well, we came, we talked to the werewolves, can we get out of this dump now?" Oghren asked.

"Let's go back to the Dalish camp." Eren said.


Don't you love happy endings? :3 Also I enjoyed writing the party banter, very much so.

Shout out to Fen'lin and deathcrisis24 for following/favoriting this story!

Buggy300: Nah, she just threw the cheese in to shake things up a bit. No 100 year old cheese for Alistair lol. Also on the Kirkwall thing, to not spoil anything and in complete simple terms, it gets complicated, VERY complicated. Anything more would reveal too much. I hated the Revenants as well but my brother always applauded me when I managed to defeat them in nightmare mode. It's possible, just super hard to do.
Dforce76: Yes I love that you can make it better and Nia will make sure she plays a part in it as well. Thedas is very screwed up but Nia still loves the place.
Shattered Soul 2021: I'll keep that in mind, my main is almost level 20. Jowan is a special mage, can't do nothing but good with a weapon. I did like Jowan very much in my playthrough and was sad that I wasn't able to keep him in the team, that's why i added him :3
EG: The earring huh? Well maybe, I cannot confirm or deny that it will happen...

Please Review :3