Chapter 55: A Paragon of Her Kind pt5
"Caridin littered the Anvil's chamber with traps, no way to break through them except by trial and error. So I sent them in to test the traps. They didn't want to help me realize our people's glory; they tried to leave me, even my Hespith…but what they didn't understand is that they pledged themselves to me to be in my house. They were mine!"
"When you reach for greatness, there are sacrifices…as many sacrifices as needed… they swore that they would do whatever it took to find the Anvil, if they couldn't do that they shouldn't have pledged themselves to me"
"There was no other choice…most of them were dying of the Taint already, but some…some of the women were…transforming."
I knew what they would become. There would be an endless supply, fresh darkspawn to test the traps. They could still serve me, let me find the Anvil…it was the only way…"-Recounts of Paragon Branka's Madness
Anvil of the Void-Deepest Chamber
After fighting the darkspawn and avoiding the chamber's traps, they made it to deepest chamber. A large vault of magma, smelting tools and several golem all standing in a row…the party walked in cautious fully expect another attack from the golems but nothing came. There was no sign of Branka but they knew she wasn't dead…she was much too driven to die especially when she's so close to the Anvil. As they came to the center, they saw a large steel golem in their path as if it was greeting them. The steel golem was much more finely crafted than the rest of the golems in the room giving it an almost regal look to it. Behind the golem was a large structure with engravings that glowed in an otherworldly blue…it was without a doubt the Anvil of the Void.
"By the Stone…." Oghren said in awe. "There it is…the Anvil of the Void"
"This feeling…why do I feel magic coming from a dwarven artifact?" Wynne asked.
"It must be the lyrium…I know dwarves are resistant to the stuff but even they couldn't handle that much of it to create the Anvil" Alistair said. "So anyone knows where Paragon Crazypants went?"
"Knowing her…she probably found another route to the Anvil while were fighting" The party then heard a clank and saw the steel golem starting to move. "Not again!" To their surprise though…the steel golem didn't attack and even more surprising, it talked.
"To think someone would reach the Anvil after so many years…I suppose it was bound to happen at some point" the golem said. "It cannot be helped…my name is Caridin. Once, longer ago than I can to think, I was a Paragon to the dwarves of Orzzammar" The party eyes went wide, they were not expecting to meet the creator of the golems nor were they expecting him to be a golem himself.
"Caridin? The Paragon smith? Alive?" Shale asked in disbelief.
"Ah, there is a voice I recognize, Shayle of House Cadash, step forward"
Shale blinked. "You…know my name? Is it you that forged me, then? Was it you that gave me my name?"
"Have you forgotten, then?" Caridin then sighed. "I suppose it was to be expected…it has been so long"
"Okay, hold it! This is moving way too fast" Alistair said shaking his head.
"Ah, my apologies…I am or was a dwarf, the same as Shayle" he said. "I made her into the golem you see now. The finest warrior to serve Valtor, and the only woman to volunteer" The party looked at Shale shocked but they were not as shocked as Shale…this knowledge of what she once was, it turned her world upside down.
"Shale's a dwarf?!" Jenra asked.
"Shale's a woman?!" Leliana asked. "I…with the voice I just assumed…"
"Well this was a twist, I wasn't expecting…" Zevran said.
Caridin continued ignoring their shocked faces. "I laid you on the Anvil of the Void, here in this room, and put you into the form you now possess"
"The Anvil of the Void…that is what we seek" Shale said.
"So I see…if you seek the Anvil then you must hear my story or be doomed to relive it…" Long ago, the First Blight ravaged the Deep Road causing the Dwarves to lose more and more of their cities. The dwarves were desperate and that desperation cost them lives and territory. Caridin envisioned a solution, based on a years-old idea, one that would turn the tide of battle in the dwarves' favor. The smith sequestered himself to his workshop, where he spent years refining his plans. When he finally emerged, he presented what he had made to the Assembly: the The Anvil of the Void. Marrying the disciplines of smithing and lyrium enchantment, the Anvil allowed Caridin to create golems. Caridin had created the first golem and for this achievement he was declared a Paragon and given his own noble House.
The golems allowed the dwarves to not only hold their ground against the darkspawn but push them back. Plentiful victories were won against the darkspawn and there was a thought that they could end the darkspawn right then and there. However Caridin never told anyone the cost of such an army…no mere smith, no matter how skilled has the power to create life. To make the golems live, he had to take the lives from elsewhere. Caridin had only intended to use volunteers, the brave sons and patriots of the Dwarven Empire to make the golems but King Valtor was not satisfied…soon a river of blood flood out the Anvil's chamber.
"I kept thinking that it was for the good of our people…but it was too much" Caridin said solemnly. "I went to King Valtor and refused to create anymore golems and so I was put to the Anvil, next"
"I can see why you would want to seal it away…" Leliana said.
Morrigan crossed her arms. "A lot of good that did, without the golems…the Deep Roads fell to the darkspawn with Orzammar being the last stronghold" she said. "I would have taken my revenge instead"
"Revenge would not have helped, the blow of the hammer opened my eyes" the golem said. "My apprentices knew enough to make me as I am, but not to fashion a control rod. I retained my mind"
"About that…we had a control rod when we first found Shale but it didn't work, why was that?" Jenra asked.
"Shayle was one of the first generation of golems…control rods were not created until the third" Caridin said. "She was amongst the most loyal, she remained at my side throughout and at the end I sent her away out of mercy"
"I…do not remember…" Shale said solemly.
"We have remained entombed here ever since and I have sought a way to destroy the Anvil…alas, I cannot do it…no golem can" he said. Footsteps came from behind them; it was Branka…no worse for wear. The rage and panic on her face told them that she was close by this whole time listening to their conversation.
"No! The Anvil is mine! No one will take it from me!"
"Shayle…you fought to destroy the Anvil once! Do not allow it to fall into unthinking hands again!" Shale looked unsure of what to do, Caridin was saying all these sweet words about her and their past but she couldn't remember. How did she even know if the golem maker was telling the truth? "Please…do not let it enslave more souls than it already has!" Jenra stepped forward.
"We won't, you have our word" Shale looked back at Jenra surprised, the young lord would help the golem smith despite the fact it would mean fighting Branka…the one person he needed to get his army. "In return you help us pick a new king"
"Don't listen! He's been trapped here for a thousand years, stewing in his own madness. Help me claim the Anvil and you will have any army like you've never seen!" Branka said.
Oghren frowned. "Branka, you mad, bleeding nug-tail. Does this thing mean so much to you that you can't even see what you've lost to get it?"
"Look around, is this what our empire should look like? A crumbling tunnel filled with darkspawn spume? The Anvil will let us take back our glory!"
Jenra frowned. "No glory is worth the freedom of a thousand souls"
"It will fight with Caridin? It…feels right" Shale said.
Morrigan sighed. "Once Jenra makes up his mind, there is no changing it…" she said taking out her staff. "Pity, it would have been interesting studying the Anvil"
"Thank you stranger…your compassion shames me"
Branka's eyes twitched as she growled. "I will not lose the Anvil because of sentimental fools!" The golems woke up as ran for Branka. She ran towards the Anvil as the party and Caridin tries to keep her from the Anvil but she was slippery. Branka made it to Anvil and picked up a large golden hammer. "I may not have a control rod but I would bet the hammer of the Anvil is just as good as one….golems obey me! Attack the intruders!" Without warning Shale turned on the party and attacked.
"Shale?!" Jenra said shocked. "Stop, it is us!" Shale did not respond as she kept attacking and scattering them.
"I did not think the Anvil had this power…." Caridin said straining against the control of Anvil. "My friend, you must stop her!" The golems attacked the party along with Shale as Branka laughed madly at power she now welds. Jenra dodges a punch from Shale and know her over with was shoulder charge.
"Morrigan, Wynne disable Shale!" The two mages slammed their staffs on the ground and ground clamped the golem to the ground…it would not hold her but it would take her out of the fight for a bit. Meanwhile the others were being thrown around by the golems…the party was quickly losing ground against the golems.
"Jenra, Oghren get the hammer away from Branka!" Alistair said. Jenra and Oghren nodded and ran towards Branka.
"You don't know when to quit!" Their weapons clashed as the Hammer of the Void glowed and hummed an eerie sound…as if the Anvil was telling Branka and the golems to protect it at all costs. Caridin came up behind them and slammed the ground, causing Jenra and Oghren to fall to the floor. "I'll make you into fine weapons of the empire…I always wanted to fashion a golem out of a Grey Warden"
"I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed!" Jenra and Oghren rolled away and pushed away Caridin with all their strength. The golem smith toppled over and Jenra ordered Morrigan and Wynne to disable Caridin. Branka swung at Jenra knocking away his axe, as Branka was about to slam the hammer down…the young lord formed blood constructs from his hands to stop the blow. Jenra grunted as his hands stung in pain. "Oghren! Now!"
Oghren charged Branka to the ground separating her from the hammer. The Paragon punched and struggled to get Oghren off her when she was free Branka made a beeline for the hammer to regain her control. As she got close, Branka gasped as something large impacted her back…it was Oghren's axe. Branka kept trying to reach for the hammer as she mumbled rapidly and weakly. "My Anvil, my Anvil, my Anvil, my anvil, my anvil…." She continued this until her strength gave out and died…with last thing she saw as her vision went dark was her finger barely touching the Hammer of the Void.
Oghren could only sit on the ground in exhaustion and sighed at the pitiful end of his beloved wife. "Stupid woman…"
The last of the golems fell as Shale and Caridin came back to their senses. The Caridin came over to Branka's body and shook his head. "Another life lost because of the Anvil…I wish no mention of it had made it into history"
The Fall of the Mad Paragon! Next Time! As Always Review and Comment!
