Bethany came bounding down the stairs, flowing into the sitting room in her mage robes, staff in hand. Hawke and I both looked at her as she said, "I'm coming with you. I'm tired of missing out on all the fun. Now that I don't have…" She paused and took a deep breath. "The reason for remaining home is gone."
I rose immediately and walked towards her. "Are you sure?" I asked softly.
"I am a mage, Uhtred. And I'm a bloody good one too. I've missed out on so many of your adventures recently. It's time I joined in again from time to time. I've been practicing a bit lately. Few of the spells are a bit rusty, but I'll get better with time."
"I'm not going to stop you," Hawke stated.
"Nor am I. You know I worry, that's all."
"And so you should worry, Uhtred," she whispered, running a hand up my arm, "Just like I worry about you all the time, whenever you find yourself hauled into the daft plans of my sister."
"Hey, Uhtred is perfectly capable of getting himself into trouble. Need I mention Aveline again?"
Bethany giggled. "Oh, Uhtred, it was so lovely of you to help out but you really should have just grabbed the pair and thrown them in a room straight away."
"Lesson learned for next time I have to match make for two fools." Turning back to Hawke, I asked, "Anyway, you mentioned a job, Bethany disappeared upstairs, yet we don't know what's going on. Who's asked for help now?"
Bethany and I sat down together as Hawke explained. "I swear, we always seem to be contacted by people we helped years ago. Another one. Chantry brother. Guy named Sebastian."
"I remember him. Prince of Starkhaven."
"Good memory, Uhtred. Why don't you fill me in with the rest as we head to…?"
"The chantry. We're to meet him there."
The three of us headed up towards the chantry, walking through the heaving crowds at the marketplace before ascending the stairs. Walking into the grand old building, I may not have been a believe, but I'd always appreciated the architecture and beauty of the chantry. Much of the symbolism was lost on me, but the statue of Andraste was prominent. Considering the size of it, you didn't have to think long and hard about who they revered above all.
I barely recognised Sebastian, but he certainly remembered us, waving his hand and calling us over. He had been chatting with the grand cleric, who was polite in her greeting, at least. Considering our runs in with certain members of the chantry, I wouldn't have blamed her for wanting us to keep our distance.
Sebastian and Hawke chatted about the details regarding events of the last time we'd met. If I'd seen Sebastian around Kirkwall or in the chantry since then, I hadn't recognised him. It was only when their conversation seemed to be heading towards the reason why we'd been summoned did I start to pay attention again. To be honest, I was finding Bethany rather distracting in her robes.
She knew it too.
"I've learned who hired Flint Company." That name was familiar. We'd taken care of business a few years back by eliminating their presence in the Free Marches, having been responsible for killing his entire family.
"Who?" Hawke asked.
"The Harimanns. They are a noble family in Kirkwall itself. What I don't understand is that they were my parents' allies. It's hard to believe they would betray us like that."
"Who are they?" Bethany wondered. Neither us had much to do with any of the noble families in Kirkwall as neither of us were particularly noble. The only reason I'd been able to afford a house of my own in Hightown was due to the Deep Roads expedition. Without that, I'd be stuck in Lowtown… or, gods forbidding, living with Hawke.
"They are a family going back generations. When the late lord died, his entire state was left to his daughter, Lady Johane. They say she's become quite reclusive of late."
"And why have they turned on you?" I wondered.
"Money. Power. It's hard to say. To be honest, Lad Harrimann was always jealous of my family being royalty while hers was mere nobility."
"Careful what you wish for," I muttered.
"True, and I can't believe that would push her into committing outright murder."
"And they say life in Lowtown can be cutthroat…" Hawke stated.
"You jest, but that's the truth," Elthina stated, making her presence known, "Give this up, Sebastian. Dedicate yourself to the Chantry, as you swore."
"I will, but first I must speak with Lady Harimann and find out what drove her to this madness. But I am the last of my line. I should not go alone and make myself a target."
"You shouldn't go at all, if that's the case," I stated, "We can deal with this."
"While I thank you, this is something I must do, but I know I need help."
Elthina sighed, no doubt unhappy with the conversation. "If this allows Sebastian make peace, then it is a worthy doing. You've taken on lesser causes, the pair of you."
I wanted to retort with, 'Such as what?' wondering if she'd refer to Mother Petrice. But I kept my mouth shut for once. Hawke and I agreed to help, Sebastian pleased to hear, stating he would organise what he needed and contact us later. Before we could leave, Elthina asked us to follow her to her office. She closed the door and asked the three of us to take a seat. She was even polite enough to offer us a drink, which we declined.
"Ser Hawke, I am aware you have helped Sebastian in the past. And I cannot fault him for wanting to know why an old ally would turn against his parents. But I fear he is too impetuous. He may do something he regrets. If you find yourself in an undesirable situation, please… restrain him as best you can. If the Harimanns truly are guilty, then they will receive justice from the viscount."
I almost laughed at that last comment. The viscount was practically a lame duck by this point. The Arishok has no respect for the man. Aveline ran the city guard practically without orders. The templars did whatever they wanted, and vied with the guard in who truly believed protected the city. I considered the viscount a good but weak man. No wonder Meredith ran roughshod all over him.
The three of us told the grand cleric we would do what we could, and that was really the only reassurance we could give her. Sebastian was his own man, so unless I clocked him one and knocked him out, it was his life, his decisions. Basically, we all live with regrets in one way or another. I had plenty of my own already.
Arriving back at Hawke's a little later, she decided to ask her mother about the Harimanns. Leandra knew the name though didn't know the family that well, but suggested that the old Lord Harimann was a good man. He'd even been involved in a personal mission to have Kirkwall send aid to Ferelden during the Fifth Blight. Apparently that had made him enemies, though didn't explain why Lady Johane had then attacked the Vael family.
I headed out later to collect Varric and Merrill, arriving back to see Isabela had made her own way there. I asked about Anders and Fenris, but Hawke said that, with Sebastian, we'd have enough people to intimidate someone. "Ha! As if it's going to be that easy," I muttered.
Sebastian arrived in the late afternoon having changed out of his chantry robes into what looked like chantry armour. He was ready and raring to go immediately, so without any delay, our group headed out into Hightown. I always wondered what people thought when they saw our group walk by, all tooled up to cause mischief or mayhem. Or both. I figured most people looked on us somewhat favourably, as Hawke and I had performed numerous good deeds, but we also had plenty of detractors at the same time. I was still known as one of the heroes of the Fifth Blight, which did help.
Leandra had given us directions to the Harimann Estate. It was a grand building in the higher reaches of Kirkwall, a symbol of their own power and prestige within the city. Knocking on the front door, there was no response from anyone. I would have at least expected one servant to answer the door. Thinking nothing of it, Hawke grabbed the knob, turned it, and exclaimed quietly to herself as the door swung open. I wasn't the only thinking, What the hell?
The place looked abandoned. Not a single servant, nor guard, nor any sign of life at all. There were a few candles lit to provide a modicum of light, but it appeared no-one had been in this area of the estate in months if not years. It was immediately unsettling, and I unsheathed my sword.
"That was quick," Bethany joked.
"Don't tell me you don't find this unsettling."
"Oh, I do. But, still, quick reactions there, Uhtred."
I grunted a response as Hawke followed my example, unsheathing as we inched forward, fanning out and looking over anything that could possibly suggest what the hell was going on. Climbing the stairs to the next level, Sebastian was talking to himself, unsettled by what we'd found. Considering what we'd been told about their status, what we found did not match what we'd been told at all.
Moving from room to room, we found no sign of anyone alive until we heard a faint voice. Gesturing for everyone to be silent, I took the lead as the voice grew louder, turning a corner to see a woman yelling abuse a giant barrel. Sebastian brushed past me and seemed to recognise who she was. Watching her performance, she was either incredibly drunk or insane. Or perhaps both.
"Who is it?" Hawke asked.
"Flora. She is the daughter of Lady Johane."
Merrill approached the giant barrel, placing her finger at the tap and tasting it. She pulled a face. "Whatever is in there, it is no ordinary wine."
"At least she is alive," I stated, "Maybe there are more?"
"She has two siblings," Sebastian stated, "Brett and Ruxton. If Flora is here, they must be here too."
Climbing the stairs, we heard more ranting from another room, walking in to a scene that resulted in everyone else unsheathing their weapons immediately. As one man raved, an elven man held a dagger at the throat of an elven woman. I sensed Varric had his crossbow lined up to fire at the elven man.
"Please, messere," the elven woman pleaded.
"Calm," I stated quietly.
Whoever the man was couldn't hear us. I had no idea what he was up to, but it wasn't good, the elven woman shaking with fright. The elven man noticed us and walked to us calmly though the intent in his body language was clear. I stepped forward and smacked him across the jaw. Whether I broke it or not, I didn't really care. But he was now incapacitated as I threw the dagger away.
"What in oblivion is going on in here?" I asked, hoping the man would answer. But he didn't seem to even know we were there."
"We must end this madness," Sebastian stated. Another sentiment we could agree with.
"Who are the elves?" Merrill asked.
"No idea. Possibly servants," Sebastian replied.
As we cleared room after room, we came across a book sitting alone a table. It looked suspicious, so Hawke picked it up and read the contents. It was the diary of Flora, and it suggested something may have gone seriously wrong. "Looks at this, Sebastian," she suggested.
"Estate expansion… digging underground… Johane behaving strangely… Well, it might explain why my family was suddenly assassinated in the fact she was behaving strangely, but it still isn't a reason. We must find Johane herself."
We found the third and final sibling in a bedroom. With elven company. Doing things that made me glance at Bethany with a grin. She met my eyes and simply blew a kiss in my direction. Sebastian was rather shocked by it.
"Damn, looks like the elf has some skills, at least," Isabela stated. I couldn't help agree as the sibling released a rather loud moan that a few of us simply couldn't help giggling at.
None of us could look away as neither seemed to notice our presence. I glanced at Merrill, not surprised to see her cheeks glowing bright red. Hawke just shook her head, not surprised that she wasn't interested by the scene. Bethany eventually sidled up next to me and whispered rather naughty things in my ear, which she promised to do once we get home. "On. My. Knees," she whispered at the end.
We actually stayed long enough to see him… orgasm. There were more giggles as Isabela continued her running commentary, clearly impressed at what the elf was able to accomplish. But we'd seen enough, so I suggested we should really move on. Whatever was going on, it was clear the three siblings were under some sort of spell. Even a blind fool such as myself could see that.
"Not a spell, Uhtred. A demon," Bethany stated.
"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked.
"I'm a mage, and I've seen this sort of thing before. Trust me, it's a demon. And considering what we just witnessed, more than likely a desire demon."
"Hmmm, that would make sense actually. Ruxton would have never flaunted himself so openly. The man was a prude."
"So a shirt on, lights off kind of man?" Isabela asked, "Because that is definitely not what we just witnessed."
It was easy to figure out that the building extension had something to do with what was going on in the estate, so we had to go looking for any sort of building work, perhaps an entrance, and that meant heading back downstairs. A little more exploring led us towards a set of stairs leading under the estate into what looked like a wine cellar. And, for some reason, we found the decomposing remains of a mercenary. Checking the body, Hawke and Sebastian recognised what they were.
"Flint Company," Sebastian muttered, "But why is there a dead body here?"
Before we could answer the question, we heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, turning to see the three siblings approaching us. Sebastian raised a hand in a gesture towards us, asking us to not attack. I wasn't going to anyway, as they were unarmed, Flora stepping forward. "Turn back," she demanded, "There is nothing for you here."
"What's going on, Flora? Why are you all acting like this?" Sebastian asked.
She ignored the question, raising a defiant finger, pointed at him. "You shall not enter!" Before any of us could say another word, she collapsed to her knees, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Her two siblings had the same thing happened to them. By the time they hit the ground, our suspicions were confirmed as we were surrounded by shades and a desire demon. I'd learned enough in my time to know going for the demon first helps, so with help from Bethany, I went straight on the attack. It took the full brunt of my Thu'um, coating the thing in flames, but it was made of tough stuff, needing to raise my shield more than once. I did sometimes wonder if they tried to influence my brain. If they did, it never worked.
Bethany asked me to move out of the way, stepping to the side as an enormous stone fist slammed into the demon, knocking it down. Incapacitated as it was, I stepped forward and drove my sword through its chest. It screamed as I drove it in further before withdrawing, then putting it through its mouth. The demon died, seeming to just fade away.
Stepping back, I went shade hunting, Bethany and I working as a team, just like we used to. It was like she'd never been away, to be honest. Without the demon, the shades seemed to lack the will to fight, and we eventually put them all on the ground. Sebastian and Hawke went to check on the siblings, the others stood around. Bethany strode towards me, wrapped her arms around me, and gave me one hell of a kiss. "Maker, I forgot how much I enjoyed watching you at work," she stated after breaking the kiss.
"You've lost none of your touch either." I ran my hands up and down her robes, and she had a look in her eyes that suggested plenty of things. "Well, maybe I'll wear these later with nothing underneath?"
I looked up. "Dear Maker, I know I don't particularly believe in you, but thank you for your gift."
That made her laugh before she kissed me again. We only broke apart when there was a cleared throat. "If you two are quite finished, we do have things to do."
I cleared my throat. Bethany just blew a raspberry at her sister, which Hawke chuckled at. Sebastian took the lead, weaving our way through the wine cellar, where we finally found the hole leading into the excavation site. It wasn't just an excavation. They'd found some sort of ruin underneath the city. They looked like nothing I'd seen around Ferelden or anywhere else I'd visited in Thedas. "Any idea what these are? Merrill?" Hawke asked.
"I'm not sure, Hawke." She approached one of the walls, running a hand over the writing. She jerked her hand back. We all noticed her reaction. "Evil… There are demons here. This place… Evil was done here."
She wasn't wrong. We moved carefully but demons soon appeared, including a rage demon that the demons immediately attacked with their cold spells, while added a good dose of "FO…KRAH…DIN!"
With the flames of the demon almost extinguished, we could go on the attack and not worry about burning alive. As cold as it was, it's movements were slow, and any time it tried to strike, we could deflect with our shields, giving it a good bash for good measure. Once the demon was dead, after only a few strikes, we mopped up the rest of the monsters, mostly just shades as normal.
A second rage demon then appeared, and I used a different Shout, freezing it in place. Merrill and Bethany fired a stone fist each at the frozen statue, watching it shattered into a million pieces.
We moved on, and noticing that the ruins were lit by torches and candles, it was obvious that there were likely more than just demons down there. We continued to descend, left thinking we must be well under Kirkwall by now. Entering a large cavern, the first thing I noticed was the Revenant. The bastard summoned a whole load of undead, slowly rising from the ground. Point my sword, I yelled, "That bastard is mine!"
I charged at the thing, watching it look my way, almost in amusement, seeing it wield its sword, pulling back ready to strike. "You think I'm that stupid," I muttered. Seconds from collision, I Shouted.
"FUS… RO… DAH!"
The Revenant slammed back into the wall behind it. It only staggered but it was enough for me to get in close, driving my sword into its gut. The bastard seemed to laugh at me, pushing me back with what seemed like magic. Raising its shield, it charged at me in return. I met his charge, growling with anger as its sword slammed into my shield. I raised a knee into where its groin should be, and it seemed to laugh at me again. Slamming its shield, I staggered back a couple of steps, only ducking time its swing that would have taken my head clear off.
A stone fist flew over my head, straight into its own, watching as it staggered backwards. I followed up with another Shout of Unrelenting Force, and this time it ended up on the ground on its back, its sword falling from its hand. I dropped my sword, sprinted and jumped, driving my sword straight into its head, making sure I buried it to the hilt. Twisting it, I withdrew and smiled at the massive hole I'd left, standing up and spitting at it.
"Son of a bitch," I grunted. Turning around, I noticed everyone just staring at me. "Look, I hate those fucking things, alright."
"You seem to take their appearance personally, Uhtred," Sebastian stated.
"The first one I fought nearly killed me and my colleagues. I learned that day you don't waste any time fighting it. Attack it at once, use any advantage you have, kill it as quickly as possible. They're tough bastards to take down otherwise."
Any hope the Revenant may have been the final enemy ended as we ran into more hordes of undead. I took care of some with a Shout, otherwise we hacked, shot, and blew up the rest. It felt like a never-ending fight, and I wasn't the only one to grumble in frustration when more demons appeared. The fire demon we handed first, cold attacks raining down upon it, Hawke and Sebastian getting in close to finish it off quickly.
Two more fire demons appeared, and I thought we might have been in the shit then. My Shouts came in handy, freezing one in place, using frost breath on the other. The mages used spells that could affect a number of enemies at once, yelling at us to move before they cast it, otherwise we'd be hit as well. I often joked that some of my scars were the rest of friendly fire rather than the enemy. Too often an arrow or two flew by my head where, if I'd moved it a second earlier, I'd be dead.
Once the demons were all dead, we mopped up the undead and shades, and went on the hunt for who we all figured was behind all this bullshit.
What I never expected to run into was a second Revenant. This proved to some of my colleagues that we must be dealing with one hell of a powerful mage. Or demon. Or both. The Revenant knew we were coming. "He's all yours, Uhtred," Hawke stated.
"Sure you don't want some fun?"
"Honestly, no. You'll do fine, I'm sure."
The Revenant closed up on my position quickly, using agility to escape the swing of its sword. With eyes… well, it didn't have eyes, but its focus was on me, so my colleagues could deal with the other enemies that popped up out of the nowhere, like they usually did. I Shouted, forcing the Revenant back, only using two words of Unrelenting Force. That gave me space to charge, slamming my shield into its head, causing it to stagger again. But it recovered quickly, its shield striking my shield hard, the sound of steel upon steel echoing around the cavern.
When it slammed its shield into me in return, I was rocked and it followed up with another strike. It glanced off my shield and only missed my head. I swear by the Nine the thing laughed at me. I simply struck the hilt of my sword against my shield. "Bring it," I growled.
It swung again, using its power. This time, I met its swing with my shield, stopping the strike in its tracks and swung myself, stepping forward with a cut from left to right, aiming up for its neck. I struck true, the tip of my swung going straight across its throat. That surprised it, moving back and I closed quickly, striking again. This time it blocked, so I moved in a way to strike down.
Its sword arm ended up on the ground, and the Revenant must have known it was dead. It blocked two more strikes before I found a gap and struck, my sword going straight through it. Withdrawing, it was now weakened, dropping to its knees. I dropped my shield, gripped my sword with two hands, and took its head.
Of course, where you find a Revenant, you find an Arcane Horror. The two just seem to come in pairs. I hadn't even noticed the thing, so all my colleagues had been dealing with that and the few undead that were little more than a nuisance. As it was already dead, once again I had an audience to my killing blow.
"Okay, so we all know not to piss off the Dragonborn, right?" Varric joked.
Bethany ran towards me, clearly worried, and it was only then that I knew I was bleeding. I raised a hand to my cheek, looking at my fingers as they came back red. "Well, guess I'll have a mean looking scar."
Bethany wasn't looking at my cheek. She was looking at my chest. I looked down and noticed the ugly wound. I looked up and said, "Oh, hadn't noticed that. Shit."
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not yet. Adrenaline helps."
She healed it as best she could, though my armour was now useless. I was going to need to spend some coin on some new armour. Assuring her I was fine, we moved on. The ruins we explored were like none I'd seen before. Merrill was definitely disturbed by the iconography around us. It was certainly not related to the Maker or Andraste. At least I thought it wasn't. My friends were not sure either way, and it didn't matter.
After a long fight, and many of us now feeling the strain, we finally made it to the end. As predicted, there was a demon. And with the demon was Lady Johane. Neither noticed the approach of several heavily armed and pissed off people. At least to start with.
"Starkhaven will not submit. I put that idiot Goran Vael into the prince's seat, but the other families won't heed him. I must marry him to Flora and solidify our hold. But I need more power!"
"I've given you much. Your desires run deep. You've already traded your husband and your children. What more can you offer?"
I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled to attract their attention. "Hello!" I called, waving at the same time.
"What do you reckon, Varric? How much for what you desire?"
"Are we talking market rates? Blooming Rose rates? Or, Maker forbidding, Hanged Man rates?"
"Touché."
The woman who was probably Johane looked us over. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
"We walked, killing a lot of demons on the way. Been one hell of a long day," I replied, hearing Bethany giggle next to me. "I'm a poet and didn't know it."
"Give a rest, Uhtred," Hawke muttered, though she chuckled too.
"Sebastian?" she asked, ignoring my comment, like they always did. The surprise was something, at least. She probably thought him dead like the rest of his family.
"You were my mother's friend! How could you murder her?"
"Such an ugly word," the demon retorted, "I prefer 'removed the only obstacle between her and her dreams'."
Sebastian turned on the demon. "This was your idea?!"
The demon approached without a care in the world. Typically, it made straight for me. I guess I'm easy to read. "I could create such desires if I wished," it said, running a hand over my chest, before it moved on, "But it's far easier to nurture those that already exist." She looked at Hawke upon saying that. I remembered the last desire demon she'd spoken to… "The desire for power is easy to find. You and your friends all possess it, do you not? You all wish to rise in your own way."
I raised my hand. "I'm the Dragonborn. I think I'm doing just fine, thanks."
"And it certainly isn't worth the price if it means selling out your family and friends," Hawke added.
"How loyal are your friends to you? Everyone has a price. Everyone wants something."
Bethany grabbed my hand, giving it a hard squeeze. I looked at her face and saw the tears running down. "Don't let me give in," she whispered. I pulled her in close to me, feeling her arm wrap around, looking away.
"No-one listen to her!" Sebastian demanded. Not a bad demand, to be honest. I was wondering why we didn't just attack. Perhaps we still wanted to hear what Johane had to say. The demon had done all the talking.
The demon simply mocked him. "Oh, such a pious soul, masking so much ambition. Are you so different from my lady? You yearn for the same lands, the same power…"
"I am the rightful heir! She is a usurer and murderer!" he exclaimed.
The demon was definitely playing with his mind, probably all of ours. "You swore to put aside worldly goods and ambitions. But they couldn't stop you from wanting them."
I couldn't help clearing my throat, looking down at my sword. "Um, is there any reason at all why we're still talking here? The demon needs to die, and she… well, we can decide once the monsters are dead? Agreed?"
The agreement was in the form of going on the attack. First task, kill the demon. But what made that slightly difficult was that Lady Harimann had her own surprise. She was a blood mage. Well, wasn't that just fantastic news!
So I used my Thu'um and blew them all away, those two and the undead, shades and whatever else was around. Harimann staggered back to her feet and attacked, swapping spells with Merrill and Bethany. Hawke and I went demon hunting, and we cut it down surprisingly quickly. It may have had influence, but it died as easily as anything else. We turned towards Lady Harimann, turning towards as we closed in. I bashed her staff out of the way with my shield. "Yield!" I demanded.
"I'll do no such thing. Starkhaven will be mine."
She cast a spell, knocking Hawke on her arse and forced me to stagger back, shaking my head of whatever spell she'd concocted. Moving to make space for herself, she was able to fend off other magical attacks as I walked towards her. A spell was raised that seemed to protect me from the worst she could throw in my direction, and once she was in range, I did not offer her the chance of surrender again. She wielded her staff like a weapon but my sword cut that in half with ease.
Then I drove my sword into her gut, twisting it more than once, pulling it out and watching as she dropped to the ground. There were no last words like you read in the books Varric might write. She died like the scum she was, deep in the pits of some ruin long forgotten, where her rotting corpse would now remain for eternity. Good riddance.
It was a long way back to the wine cellar. By the time we arrived back, we were all fed up. I was now starting to feel pain from my chest wound. Despite being healed, it was still sore. I wasn't the only one carrying wounds. Hawke wasn't feeling great herself. Walking through the wine cellar, we were stopped by Flora as she rushed towards Sebastian. We left them alone as they chatted quietly. He later told us a few things, but the most important was that Johane had ordered the attack on the Vael's of Starkhaven. Otherwise, the conversation didn't exactly look pleasant, but it ended peacefully enough, Sebastian stating we should just leave and move on with our lives.
It was now late, so we split up in Hightown, everyone heading home for the night, Hawke and Sebastian agreeing to meet at the chantry the next morning to discuss what happened. The only thing I can say about what happened when Bethany and I got home is that she kept her word.
On her knees. That's all you need to know otherwise.
Unfortunately for all of us, we had no idea about the hammer blows that were about to tear apart our lives next.