A/N – As I said a few chapters back, I haven't played the DLCs for Dragon Age II, so just like 'Mark of the Assassin', with 'Legacy' I will be basing the next chapter or two only on what I can watch on Youtube and read off the Wiki, while adding my own usual spin to events. Hope you enjoy…

"You want us to go where now?" Hawke asked, exasperation in her tone already, and he'd barely begun describing his idea.

"The Vimmark Wasteland. It's where we can target them the best. Better hitting them there than they coming here time and again. Twice enough is already and it's starting to draw attention. People might start to see it as a weakness, Hawke. You've got to be smart about this."

"You think we can't handle a few Carta? Plus, I've got a Dragonborn. I think we'll be fine."

"Even a Dragonborn might not be enough for this, Hawke. If the entire Carta decides to take you on, it's a fight you might not win."

Hawke looked at me. "What do you think?"

"We managed to handle the Arishok and his Qunari."

"You handed over Isabela to get rid of them. This is different."

Something in his face when he mentioned her gave it away immediately. "What?"

He actually looked surprised by my question. "You haven't heard?" He looked at Hawke. "Do you know?"

"Know what, Varric?" Hawke asked impatiently.

"Isabela. She's not with the Qunari. She managed to escape."

Hawke didn't look all that surprised but asked, "And I'm supposed to care because?"

"Well, she did promise vengeance." That made Hawke laugh as Varric added, "She was talented. And she will certainly want blood in return."

"She's welcome to come for it. As I said, I have a Dragonborn. I think his… distaste for her, let's call it, almost outstrips mine. If she wants to come looking for me, she's welcome. But we're going off track here. Vimmark. Carta. Why?"

"I have a feeling if we hit them, we eliminate them for good, at least around Kirkwall. They're clearly getting desperate. We've certainly spent enough time taking out their operations."

Hawke looked at me again. "What do you think?"

Shrugging, I said, "It'll get us out of Kirkwall for a while. We haven't really done anything since Tallis and the duke."

"Hmmm." That was already months ago. I know Hawke still thought about her all the time, finding her by the window, staring out into the city, but clearly away with her own thoughts. Giving her a slight shake, she put those memories to the back of her mind as usual. "Been a while since we had any sort of adventure, to that I'd agree. Can't sit here getting all fat and comfortable. Some of those shirts are already looking tight on you, Uhtred."

"Actually, that was Leliana's idea. She likes them tight on me." I purposely flexed as I added, "I'm sure you can see why."

"They were tight before. Now they just make you look fat. Too much food and ale, not enough exercise and fighting."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, Hawke."

"You know I merely jest, waiting for your retort as usual." I just waved her away as she asked, "Okay, Varric, when do you want to go?"

"We'll need some supplies but I reckon three days we should leave."

"Fine, start getting it prepared. And let everyone know. We'll take the whole group."

"No problem, Hawke. I'll spread the word and have everything ready. Morning departure?"

"Of course."

Varric departed, certainly more cheerful than when he'd walked in. I guess he'd been cooking up this idea a while before finally coming to see Hawke about it. To be honest, a Carta attack here or then didn't bother us, more a nuisance than of any major concern. But if we could nip it in the bud now, I guess it wasn't all bad. I woke up the morning of our departure to find her lying beside me, already dressed in her armour, staring up at the ceiling. "You know, if someone walked in, they'd suggest things…"

That made her laugh. "I'm in my armour, Uhtred."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Honestly, just thinking, wondering what we're doing now. Is this really worth our time?"

"Well, you did agree to this."

"I know, but…" She turned onto her side. "I've just got this really bad feeling about this one." My eyebrows must have raised in surprise. This was the super-confident, completely unflappable Hawke talking to me. "I'm just thinking that we can't possibly win them all. One day, we're going to bite off more than we can chew. Can you honestly say we haven't been somewhat lucky so far?"

"I believe you make your own luck most of the time." I gestured and she moved in closer. I was still under the covers so it wasn't that intimate. Feeling her rest her head against my bare chest was unusual though. "Are you that worried?" I asked quietly.

"You know I can share anything with you, Uhtred. Sometimes, a girl just needs a hug to make her feel better."

"Even from me?"

"Definitely from you."

"Gods, you need a girlfriend if you're coming to me for comfort."

"Don't sell yourself short. You've been by my side longer than nearly anyone now, and I love the fact you care about me, and you've never made it..."

I chuckled. "Marian…" She looked up when I used her name. I rarely did, only when making a serious point. "You made your… opinion quite clear very early. The most important thing I value with you is friendship. It's all I've ever expected and wanted."

"You've never… thought…"

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't. Beautiful woman such as yourself, I'd be blind not to see."

"Before or after… my sister?"

"I figured you out quite quickly before, so didn't give it much though. After, when I moved in, and I was feeling rather lost, I did have thoughts, but they were quickly dismissed, as believing anything could happen would have only caused further heartache, and I didn't want to ruin what we share."

She remained silent, and I wondered if I put my foot in it. When she cuddled in closer, I smiled. "Well, I could do a hell of a lot worse, I guess."

I chuckled again. "Thanks, I think."

"You're a good man, Uhtred Dragonborn. When I go the chantry for prayers, I thank him for bringing you to Kirkwall. I know they were for the worst of reasons, but what I've gained due to your arrival… I had younger siblings growing up. You're like…"

"Please don't older brother. That will just make how we are right now very awkward." That made her burst out laughing. "Exactly. So, are we just going to stay like this or…?"

"You'd better get dressed so we can have breakfast and go." She pulled away, kissing my cheek in an affection but completely platonic way, before asking with a cheeky grin, "Are you nude under there?"

"Of course. Who wears clothing to bed?"

"So I just lay next to you when you're naked?"

"Aye."

"Haven't done that before, lain with a naked man. Can cross that off the list. Wasn't as horrific as I thought it would be."

"Helps I'm under here and you're not. That would be a whole different story if you were to join me, though being in armour, not a lot of fun."

She got up and walked to the door, about to walk out before turning back, "Uhtred… thanks… for everything."

"Not necessary, but you're welcome. I'll be down in a few minutes."

The servants had breakfast ready, so once we appeared, we all sat down and ate, chatting away about our prospects, waiting for the inevitable knock of the door that would lead us away from Kirkwall once again. Varric turned up with the rest in tow around half an hour later, and after sharing a fond farewell with Gawen and the others, as always letting them know about the particular desk drawer should we not return, we departed for the Vimmark mountains.

It took longer than a day to reach the wasteland, a night out camping certainly appreciated by all of us, away from the chaos, noise and smell of Kirkwall. Sitting around the campfire, Hawke spent nearly all night next to me, and it was only when everyone disappeared to bed, Varric and I remaining away to keep watch, that he finally stated, "You seem closer than ever."

"She's my best friend," I admitted happily.

"It looks like more than that sometimes, how you are together."

"We've lived together for a long time now, Varric. We know each other better than anyone else. It's an easy going relationship."

"I know I might be stepping out of bounds here…"

I rest a hand on his shoulder. "You're her friend, and you're looking out for her."

"You too as well, Uhtred. I don't want to see either of you hurt."

"Which won't happen. You've met Leliana. Trust me, I'm more committed to her than ever. Hawke isn't interested in me that way, you should know that by now."

"Well, situations changed, you find yourself falling for someone you don't think you should…"

"It simply won't happen, Varric. She's just waiting for Miss Right to show up, so for the moment, we can almost act like a 'couple' yet know it's harmless. The most we share is a cuddle and a peck on the cheek."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, Varric. I'm not making that mistake again, I mean in relation to Leliana. Told you all about it. I'll be making up for that the rest of my life. She said long ago that I didn't have to feel guilty about anything, but I always will."

"Sign of maturity, perhaps."

I laughed out loud. "Let's not go overboard, but it proves to myself how much I love her. I'd give my life for hers."

"So it's serious?"

"If she's not back with me soon, I'm thinking I might have to fight the Maker himself for her hand. She's made it clear that she wishes to be with me too."

The next morning we resumed our journey, eventually following what looked like a long abandoned road through the heart of the Vimmark mountains, Varric pointing out that we were now approaching the wastelands. The name was appropriate as it was a desolate, windswept and extremely hot place. We were probably the only living things in the area, apart from the Carta, wherever they happened to be. According to Varric, there was nothing here at all, or there shouldn't be. Anyone who attempted to make a living abandoned rather quickly.

Arriving upon the remains of a sacked caravan, we searched the remains for evidence of who it was. Varric suggested it was a Merchants Guild caravan, and that attacks like this were perhaps regular in the region. Finding dead bodies confused him though, stating that the Carta would not attack, and would certainly not kill, guild members.

Finding a banner that Varric recognised as the Carta, we veered off the main road, following one banner after another before we seemed to be approaching some sort of base, most likely of their operations, perhaps something larger. They seemed to have taken the ruins of some ancient fort, but what surprised us was the fact they seemed to be fleeing from us. We were not dumb enough to fool for such tactics, expecting us to charge after them and fall into some sort of trap. So we let them go, approaching cautiously.

Walking down what may have once been a tunnel, enormous stone columns to either side, Hawke and I walked along slowly, weapons already unsheathed, sensing Varric behind us with his crossbow ready, mages with staff at hand, spells to be unleashed in at a moment's notice.

When we were approached by a lone Carta member, he sounded rather… happy to see us there. Then he turned back to the other Carta members. "Everyone! It's the child of Malcolm Hawke. She's come to us!"

"What?" Hawke asked flatly. She stepped forward. "What does my father have to do with any of this?" she asked in a tone that demanded an answer.

"It began with him and ends with you. Blood for blood, that's what we were told!"

"Look at their eyes," I whispered to Varric, "Something isn't right." He just met my eyes and nodded. He's seen it too.

"Did your father cross the Carta somehow?" I wondered.

"She's come to us now, and that's the only thing that matters," the dwarf replied.

Hawke sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. All this way for a bunch of insanity, though I'm sure she had questions about why her father's name was mentioned. "Look, why am I here in this godforsaken hell hole?"

"We must have the blood! You don't understand!"

"Oh… blood! Why didn't you just ask?!" Hawke retorted. I tightened my grip on the sword handle, just in case she sprung into action.

"We will take it! Corypheus will walk in the sun no more!"

The Carta attacked, but we were ready, spells flowing from our two mages before we'd barely taken a step. They focused on the archers in the distance, leaving the warriors for Hawke, Fenris and myself. They fought with a ferocity we'd rarely experienced, and it was obvious they were fanatics about… something. Whatever this was, it wasn't simple Carta business. There was something far more sinister about all this. I could feel it in my bones. Or maybe that was just age…

The Carta had built walls out of wood, and they seemed to have an extension operation in place, what looked like mining. The gates ahead us were unlocked, with no wooden bar to keep them in place, so we opened them and strolled in. To be greeted by an enormous beast that Hawke yelled out was a bronto. It was a stupid beast though, simply charging ahead with no thought to what it as doing, so although we all had to leap out of the way more than once, it went down easily enough.

More Carta then flooded in, and being annoyed as I already was, they were greeted with my Thu'um. A bunch of them went rolling end over end and we got to work, killing those who hadn't got up before those of us with blades split up and simply killed anything that waved a weapon in our direction. It wasn't easy, but Hawke was already pissed off about being led out here, and I knew the fact her father had been mentioned was playing on her mind. I knew her well enough.

Moving deeper in their camp, it was certainly better defended the further we walked. Anything built of stones was crumbling, wooden ramparts and other contraptions between them, some were walkways, others appeared to be housing machinery. I didn't worry about what any of it was for, but we found no further Carta for now, which was a relief.

What none of us expected to find was a fort. Descending a small hill, the path opened out in a veritable chasm, with far more stonework and, in the distance, what looked like a remarkably preserved fortress. There were ever more Carta banners around so I knew we were not done with them yet. Again, any that we saw turned tail and ran, so we let them go. We knew they were trying to lure us again. We were now deep within their own territory and could easily spring their own traps.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around at the long abandoned buildings.

Before anyone could reply, a gate ahead opened and one of those enormous beasts appeared, soon joined by a second from a second hidden gate. I stepped forward and used a particular Thu'um. I'm sure my companions gasped as I turned into the spectre of a dragon once again, but it attracted the beasts, which is what I wanted, dealing incredibly damage to both in a short space of time. By the time I reverted to normal, one of them was dead, the other bleeding profusely, and all it took was a spell from Merrill to put it on the ground as well.

"Sometimes, Uhtred, I find myself rather jealous of that gift you have," Fenris stated.

"Understandable though I'm sure it makes me a target as well."

"True, but you can deal with most threats rather easily, or so it seems."

"Feels like cheating sometimes. And I don't abuse such a gift. I have been warned of those who have. Unless forced, I don't use it against man or mer."

With their beasts dead, Carta thugs flooded out to inflict their own damage, but we now knew their tactics and, while I won't be arrogant and say we dealt with them easily, the fact we didn't sustain a single wound during the brief foray would suggest they were not particularly talented warriors.

Making our way further down in the chasm, I was left thinking this fortress, whatever it was, appeared to be of dwarven origins. The statue on the roof definitely appeared dwarven. Though that left me even further confused as dwarves were not surface dwellers. So unless this fortress was built by surface dwarves… This is why I don't think. I fight.

Searching the abandoned buildings, we passed through what once were dormitories, offices, even water closets. We searched the offices for anything that might suggest where we were, and found a blood spattered journal. Whoever had written it may have met a grisly end. Most of the writing was illegible, but we could make out enough to explain where we might be.

An ancient, long abandoned Grey Warden fortress.

The Carta made their presence known once again, needing to fight from room to room, through tight corridors. I was tempted to use my Thu'um again, but in such tight confines, the mages came into their own, inflicting horrific wounds against our enemies, leaving many of them crying for mercy. We were polite enough to give it to them at the point of a sword, ending their pain before they suffered for too long.

Stopping at a ledge overlooking the fortress, we lined up for our first real look. Definitely dwarven, Varric agreeing with my whispered opinion. There was also something… magical about it, or so it looked. Anders simply stated it was definitely of Warden origin, though as to its purpose, he could only guess.

"So, are we going in there?" I asked.

"Well, the Carta is around here, and I have one or two questions for them," Hawke replied.

So we moved on together. To get to the fortress, we had to double back slightly, passing through another unlocked gate, but that led to a staircase heading down, so I figured we'd be walking up into the fortress. Just our luck…

The Carta infested this place, and they'd laid traps to catch out the unwary. We missed most of them thankfully, but our caution made us slow, and their archers were definitely waiting for us. I was tired of being shot by arrows, though thankful I hadn't taken one to the face yet, but one going through my upper arm just pissed me up. The shaft went through so I snapped off one end, pull out the other, and had Merrill do a quick spell before I was back in the action.

"Just take something to prevent infection," she stated as I ran off.

"I'll be fine!" I yelled back before falling upon a pair of Carta, making short work of them for the simple fact I'd been shot.

"You fight better after being shot!" Hawke shouted in my direction before leaping upon another dwarf.

We kept heading down, dealing with Carta as we moved, before arriving at a lone door, flanked by a pair of banners. Varric suggested it was likely their hideout, so if we headed inside and killed everyone, that would be the Carta dealt with, once and for all. I doubt it meant the entire Carta, but if it meant they left Kirkwall alone, good enough for me.

Heading inside, we were greeted with empty rooms to begin with, though it was obvious they'd been cleared in a hurry. Either we'd killed who had occupied them, or they had pulled back deeper into the hideout. Along the way, we searched for any information we could find, Hawke especially looking for anything that related to herself and her father. That's when we found orders for Bethany to be found at the same time, which concerned us both. Then she read out something else.

"It ends with 'The blood of Malcolm Hawke must remain pure. The Great One demands this of you. In the name of the Master, Corypheus. May he see sunlight again.' That's the second time that name has been mentioned. Anyone know who he is?" She was greeted by a sea of shaken heads. So she pocked the piece of paper for later.

Moving deeper into the hideout, we chatted quietly about what this Corypheus could be. Considering what we'd dealt with numerous times, I guessed he was some sort of demon. Anders agreed, as did Merrill. Only a demon could have this sort of power, as it appeared the Carta were in its thrall. That left Varric worried, as the Carta wanted gold, not blood, so he knew something wasn't right either. Hawke just wanted to know how her father was connected to all of this.

Eventually we stopped as I asked, "Marian," I never used her name in front of the others, so that was how serious I was taking this, "How does your father relate to this?"

She stopped, turned, and I could see it in her face. "I don't know. My father was a mage, I know that. But he's been dead for a long time. Why the Carta know anything about him, I don't know."

"Has he worked with the Wardens?" Anders asked.

"Mother did mention he worked with them briefly so she could escape with him."

"Maybe this relates?" I wondered with a shrug of the shoulders. It seemed the only likely explanation.

"If it does, I want to know how and why. If this place truly is a Warden fortress, what did they have my father do that requires…" She stopped as it suddenly became clear to her. "Oh no…"

"Blood magic," Merrill whispered, "That is why."

"But for what reason?" she wondered.

"Maybe it's to do with this Corypheus that's been mentioned?" Anders suggested, a rather sensible suggestion in all honesty.

Our conversation ceased as we eventually ran into even more Carta. Now that we had figured out part of why we were there, we fought with clearer heads, Hawke with a renewed ferocity as she was starting to figure out why her father had been mentioned. I still figured Corypheus was some sort of demon, though the Wardens took care of darkspawn during Blights, so perhaps this was a special sort of demon that the Wardens had done something with.

The further into the hideout we walked, the more enemy that came forward to attack us. Before too long, each tunnel was a battle. There was little time for tactics or strategy, Hawke, Fenris and I simply bludgeoning our way forward, stepping over bodies, covered in the blood of our enemies, hearing the cries of pain and anguish as we cut one down, then another. Our mage friends helped out, taking down enemy at a distance, making sure arrows didn't concern us too much.

Even the large horned beasts could be dealt with quickly enough as I used my Thu'um to great effect, usually dealing with the beast and a few Carta at the same time. It was absolutely chaos at times, amazed at how noisy it could be within the tunnels and caverns of the hideout. There seemed to be a never ending supply of Carta, amazed at their numbers, and also concerned by their fanaticism. They were clearly in the thrall of this Corypheus, I think we'd all realised that by now.

Passing through long abandoned mining equipment, we were greeted by the lone dwarf that had spoken to us on our arrival. He came close enough so we could hear him. "The Hawke's blood! The Master will rise. He will be free!"

"Gerav?" Varric asked.

"What, you know this lunatic?" I wondered.

"Varric?" Gerav looked slightly nonplussed by his fellow dwarf being present. "No-one told me you would be part of this. We were just going after the Hawke."

"Look, just tell me what the hell you people are after. It's bad enough you attack me at home, now you're forcing me down here for answers."

"I… can't say. The Master must be free…"

"Really, Gerav…" Varric stated, sarcasm oozing from his tone, "I thought better of you than this. I mean, gutting the occasional competitor for fun and profit, that's the game. But what are you all even doing here? Worshipping demons?"

"We drink the darkspawn blood," he admitted, "He calls us…"

"Oh shit," I muttered. They were either wannabe Wardens… or trying to become… darkspawn? But… why? It made no sense.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Hawke asked.

"It's the only way… to hear the music."

"Oh, come on, you mug-licker!" Varric exclaimed, "Snap out of it! There's no gold in hallucinating."

"So you know this idiot?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah, he's of the Carta. Gerav, Hawke and everybody. Everybody, Gerav. He's not usually this insane, but I guess… Well… Look, Gerav, if you're after eternal youth, I've got to tell you, Hawke isn't a virgin."

Hawke just gave him a dirty look as Gerav stated, "The Master is calling. He needs the blood."

Varric lifted his crossbow. "Over my dead body, old friend. And I think my big lug of a friend named Uhtred Dragonborn would like a word with you too."

I'd moved to the other side of Hawke, ready to spring into action. Gerav leapt rather spritely for an insane dwarf, with more Carta thugs flooding forward from hiding spots. Varric aimed for his friend as the rest of us charged forward once again. I would always use two words to describe dwarven warriors, from the moment I'd walked into Orzammar all those years ago. Tough bastards, and the Carta was proving it time and again. There was little finesse to how they fought. They wanted to beat you into submission. I guess it came from centuries of being on the frontline against darkspawn. Kill or be killed. My kind of fight, in all honesty. Make the other bastard die before he kills you.

The battle over, not as quickly as other, Varric stored his crossbow and stood over the body of his old friend. "I used to do business with the Carta, back in the day. Gerav was a nutcase then, too, but in a good way. He was trying to design a new type of repeating crossbow. Bianca was the only one that ever worked." He sighed. "Can't believe he ended up like this, though."

"You okay?" Hawke asked quietly.

"Just want answers, like the rest of you. His eyes… they were all wrong…"

Moving on, all was quiet for a while. A little too quiet, though I didn't tempt fate by mentioning it. Passing through an open gate just felt wrong, but I figured we would eventually walking into a trap that we'd have to fight our way out of. Story of our lives. When I heard it slam shut behind me, I just tightened my grip of my sword. A lone dwarf in rather exquisite armour stood ahead, next to an enormous beast. He looked our way and simply smiled before he said, "Hawke. They told me you were going to be trouble." His eyes then fell on me. "Ah, the Dragonborn. I've heard much about you. Your head will certainly make me a popular man in certain circles. Your colleagues will also have their prices."

"Look, I want some answers…" Hawke started to say.

"I swore to Corypheus we'd bring him Malcolm Hawke's blood. One way or the other…"

"What does my father have to do with this?" We'd talked before but she was now after clarification.

"The Master wants you. I don't ask why." Okay, no clarification yet.

"So it's this Corypheus who is after me then?"

"What Corypheus wants, Corypheus gets. From us, or from someone."

"Uhtred, I think we've delved into the depths of insanity once too often. But if we turn around now, we won't be left alone. So, should we meet with this Corypheus?"

"I'm keen if you are."

"Okay, listen little dwarf man, you are not getting my blood without a fight."

He raised his voice to the… gods. "Corypheus, we have done as you command! Your sacrifice is here. You will see the surface once more!"

I took care of his beast. Hawke and Fenris went for the crazy dwarf. Varric and the mages took care of the other thugs who flooded in from what seemed like everywhere. The beast was the biggest and toughest I'd dealt with so far. It could withstand attacks when I once again became a dragon spectre. That caused a rethink of tactics, so I made do with allowing it to charge, leaping out of the way a few times, waiting for it to tire. When it started to slow, that's when I started to cut it, making sure my blade bit deep each time. One or two magic attacks hit it, but I yelled for them to take care of everyone else. The dumb beast would be taken down by the dumb brute.

Once it was weak enough, I thought I would have some fun, and the smile that crossed my lips perhaps looked evil. The beast was getting ready to charge when I Shouted.

"GOL… HAH… DOV!"

The beast stilled immediately, looking at me expectantly. I simply pointed at the nearby dwarves and said, "Go."

The beast turned and charged, and I stood there, laughing away as it was soon sending dwarves flying into the air as they creamed in terror. As for the dwarf we had been talking to, Hawke was gaining the upper hand in their battle, and I wasn't going to involve myself. It was a battle of two warriors, and she didn't need my help anyway. So I watched with Fenris, none of us now bothering with the remaining Carta thugs, who were drying rather quickly thanks to the beast.

"We will kill it, right?" Varric asked.

"Once the influence of the Shout wears off. It might be dead by then. It's bleeding heavily as it is."

Hawke was simply too good in the end, her sword piercing armour, skin, then organs within, before she quickly withdrew her blade, stepping back as the dwarf collapsed. He was dead by the time he collapsed onto his front. It had been one hell of a clean strike. The beast eventually returned, and I put my sword into its head to put it out of its misery.

Something soon glowed from the body of the dead dwarf, all of us stepping forward to investigate. Hawke rolled him over and grabbed what looked like a simply sword. Before any of us could react, it seemed to spark into life, and Hawke simply… glowed. It soon wore off and she simply grinned.

"This will take us to Corypheus," she stated adamantly.

She was probably right, and we found a passage leading down another set of stairs. Giving chase to the remaining Carta, we were suckered in and, before we knew it, a magical seal was placed over the stairway, preventing us from doubling back. We knew it couldn't be dwarven so it spoke of other powers now in play.

We were now deep underground, and approaching a nearby ledge, I could only whistle at the sheer size of wherever we were. Banners of the Grey Wardens now hung everywhere, so we were now in the tower we'd originally seen before entering the hideout. But what exactly were the Wardens originally here for. Defending a Blight? A simple fortress? Or another purpose we simply didn't know about?

In the distance, we saw darkspawn. None of us had seen them since the Deep Roads Expedition. What we needed to find were Wardens, if they were still within the fortress. Maybe they would have answers. I'm sure we all had one question in our minds as we turned and found an entrance that would take us further in.

Who was Corypheus?