Chapter 53: A Paragon of Her Kind pt3

"Yes, Stone's greetings friend

You will fight ceaselessly in

The Legion of the Dead."

The Legion accepts all.

So I was told by one of the Legionnaires himself, a dwarf who waited quietly at the entrance to the Deep Roads for the rest of his unit to assemble. They gathered slowly, each equipped with heavy armor and fine weapons, each painted with grim tattoos applied at their funerals the night previous. For that is the nature of the Legion. They are all dead. Any dwarf may join the Legion, so long as he is willing to give up everything he has. The funeral rites are somber: a final goodbye is said to family and loved ones, any material goods are dispersed to heirs and last words are said, and then it is done. The new Legionnaire marches out into the Deep Roads, never to return. The Legion fights against the darkspawn to the last, striking one final blow against the monsters that have claimed so much of their homeland.

Many join the Legion to clear the slate. Criminals join to avoid punishment. The dishonored join so that their houses and families need not suffer on their behalf. The bankrupted join so their debts might be forgiven. A very few join for a last chance at glory, but the Legion takes them too. This group hopes to reach the fabled fortress of Bownammar, once the Legion's home, associated with the greatest of their Paragons. Bownammar is a holy place, its loss the last great blow against the dwarven kingdoms, and its recapture would be a glorious signal to all of Orzammar. But capture it or no, all of these warriors will die in the Deep Roads. It is a sobering thought, and I now know why the dwarves say the Legion's charge is the battlefield's most frightening sight. They have nothing left to lose.-From Stone Halls of the Dwarves, by Brother Genitivi, Chantry scholar

The Dead Trenches

The party continued on their way, still silent from seeing the Archdemon in all of its unholy glory. "The Archdemon…I have never felt such evil before" Leliana said. "Maker preserve us…" Jenra had to agree, what he felt was more terrifying then going into the Fade for the first time. Its roar was like claws down his spine due to his connection to the Taint…compare to the Archdemon, he and the others were puny and insignificant. How Thedas survived such evil in multiple Blights were nothing short of a miracle.

"Alistair…how…how did the Wardens defeat the Archdemons of past Blights?" Jenra asked.

Alistair looked at him before sighing. "I don't know…"

"You don't know? Didn't Duncan…?"

"I've asked Duncan that question multiple times and every time he said nothing" Alistair said. "So I just assumed that he either didn't know or it was secret for only the most senior members of the Order"

Wynne frowned. "Why keep such important details a secret? Especially at times like these…?"

"I don't know…but if I would have to guess, it is to ensure the Order's future" Alistair said. "Duncan told me that to be a Warden is to give up everything for the cause, not everyone is ready to make that sacrifice which is why we aren't very large"

"Still there must be a way…an army, no matter how large will not be able to defeat the Archdemon" On the way down from the path, they could hear growls. They quickly got out their weapons but found that the sound came from much further; as they got closer they hear sounds of fighting.

"Stone-blind beasts, you're no nightmare to us" They saw a group of dwarves fighting a horde of darkspawn.

"Branka's group?"

"No, that's the Legion of the Dead"

"Legion of the Dead?" Leliana asked. The Legion is an independent branch of the dwarven army that answers directly to the monarchy of Orzammar. Unlike the regular army, the Legion accepts anyone from all levels of society. Many join the Legion to avoid punishment for various crimes or to regain their honor. Others join to have their debts forgiven, thus restoring their Houses' lost honor. Some even join for the glory, and the Legion accepts them all the same. Before they permanently leave Orzammar and enter the Deep Roads, the Legionnaires undergo a symbolic "funeral" where last goodbyes are spoken to friends and relatives and all ties to their former lives are cut. It begins with chanting and toasts, then the dwarves bid farewell to their friends and loved ones. This funeral clears the dwarf's name and restores their family's lost honor. They are recorded as dead in the Memories, viewed as having found glorious and redemptive death in battling the dwarves' eternal nemesis, the darkspawn. The Legionnaire must then work to make this a fact through a courageous and honorable death.

Legionnaires are typically marked with grim tattoos and equipped with heavy armor. When a Legionnaire dies in battle the Legion entombs him or her, thus returning them to the Stone. The Legion celebrates the fact that the fallen has finally found peace. The party saw the Legionnaires being pushed back and went to assist them. The warriors got in close to stop the darkspawn from surrounding them. Leliana, Morrigan, and Wynne gave support from a distance with arrows and magic. Eventually the darkspawn were beaten back, for now but more would come. The Legion went back to their places and the leader spoke to his men.

"Let them believe they hold us here, when the throne is settled, we'll beat them to their vile birthing grounds" He turned and faced the party. "Well, Grey Warden. I'll give you credit for backbone, you've dug a line through the spawn" He then chuckled. "No sense in your head but you've got skill"

"You know I'm a Warden?"

"Wardens have a distinct style in their fighting, you fight like the darkspawn…don't know why, and you just do" He said. "I'm Kardol, what can I do for you?"

"We're looking for Paragon Branka, her notes lead us here"

Kardol sighed. "I've heard there were problems in Orzammar…so the deep lord in the Assembly can't make up their minds, huh?" he asked. "It's times like this that makes being in the Deep Roads surrounded by darkspawn almost a blessing"

"Tell us about it…we never wanted to get involved in dwarven politics in the first place but here we are…" Alistair said dryly.

"I wish I could be of more help, Warden but beyond our line the darkspawn kill everything" he said. "I must go to my men, but I wish you luck…you will need it" Kardol walked away leaving the party questions on where to go next. This was deeper than most go in the Deep Roads past here was only death and yet something didn't sit well with them. They should have encountered at least a body from Branka's group…as morbid as that sounded but from what Oghren said his wife was strong-willed and stubborn, she survived someway…somehow. They checked their supplies; luckily the heavy fighting hadn't put much of a dent in them. They had enough supplies for some days. They continued on their way into the depths fighting hordes of darkspawn, Morrigan froze the approaching darkspawn with a blizzard spell while Shale shattered them with a boulder. Zevran and Leliana dealt with the stragglers while Jenra, Sten and Alistair surrounded the ogre. Jenra tore at the large darkspawn's ligaments slowing it down while Alistair and Sten dealt the finishing blow.

More darkspawn came across the bridge; Wynne shook it with a quake spell causing the darkspawn to fall to their deaths. The party headed into a passage in the side, they were in some kind of tomb of sorts…Oghren stated that they were in the tomb for the Legion of the Dead. As they continued forward they saw the corruption of the darkspawn.

"First day, they come and catch everyone"

"Second day, they beat use and eat some for meat"

The party stopped in their tracks, they thought they heard something but they only heard silence. They continued on their way but they continued to hear an unsettling voice. Oghren said that the voice sounded familiar but couldn't recall a face.

"Third day, the men are all gnawed on again."

"Fourth day, we wait and fear for our fate."

"Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn."

As they continued on, the voice was getting louder and louder. Growls came from behind and the darkspawn ambushed the party, they formed a circle back to back to prevent the darkspawn from separating them. Morrigan and Wynne created glyphs to push back the darkspawn; Leliana attacked the archers in the distance while the warriors took down the darkspawn rushing them. They had survived the ambush and continued on their way, the voice came back.

"Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams."

"Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they spew."

"Eighth day, we hated as she is violated."

"Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin."

They came to a lone tunnel, no darkspawn could be seen but the voice continued on. There was no idea what the party could face and had their weapons on just in case. Jenra opened the door; a foul stench of death rushed into his nose and almost made him gag. The room was full of corruption and old god totems as well as corpses lots of them. In the back of the room was a woman, she was on her knees…muttering to herself.

"Now she does feast, as she's become the beast." She said. "Now you lay and wait, for their screams will haunt you in your dreams." As they came close, their eyes went wide with horror…she was eating corpses both dwarven and darkspawn. Her head jerked up and turned, the party backed up slowly as she stood up and turned. The same sickly and deformed look as Ruck from earlier…she was in the advanced stages of becoming a ghoul. Oghren walked up and frowned.

"Hespith…"

"You know her?" Wynne asked.

Oghren nodded. "She's a warrior from House Branka…and my cousin" he said. "Hespith, what happened to you?" Hespith just stood there as if they were invisible until she looked up. Her voice was raspy and full of despair.

"What is this? A human? Bland and unlikely" she said. "Feeding time brings only kin and clan. I am cruel to myself; you are a dream of strangers' faces and open doors" Hespith lowers her head. "First day, they come and catch everyone"

"So you're the one that we've been hearing…that chant what does it mean?"

"It's what I've seen…what I will become. I force it into verse so it is fantasy, unreal" Hespith said. "That's the only place I can hide, because they make me…they make me eat. And then…"

"All I could do was wish Laryn went first. I wished it upon her so that I would be spared" she said. "But I had to watch, I had to see the change. How do you endure that? How did Branka endure?"

That caught Oghren's attention. "Branka! Where is she?"

"Branka…I was her lover and could not turn her. Forgive her…but no, she cannot be forgiven" Hespith said. "Not for what she did, not for what she has become…"

Alistair frowned. "What did she do, Hespith? What did Branka do?"

Hespith glared at them with such intense hatred that it made the party take a step back. "I will not speak of her! Of what she did, of what we have become! I will not turn!" she said howled. "I will not become what I have seen! Not Laryn! Not Branka!" The woman ran away, leaving the party in shock and confusion.

"Wha…what just happened?" Leliana asked.

"Maker's breath…" Alistair said under his breath.

"Alistair, I know that face…" Jenra said. "What is this? What is happening?"

"Something so terrifying, so sickening that I'd hope I would never see in my lifetime…"

Horrors of the darkspawn awaits! What has Branka done?! Next Time! As always Review and Comment!