The three men tread deeper into the recesses of the Wilds, each of them anxiously looking out for signs of darkspawn or any of the other many creatures that were rumored to reside in the freezing swamp. Before long, Alistair stops and points up ahead at the leaning peaks of a building that rise up from the treetops. "There's the archive. We're almost there." He pauses as his senses probe his surroundings for signs of darkspawn. Once sure it's clear, he carefully removes his pack. "Let's rest for a bit. We should be safe here."

It seemed like they had been wandering around the foul smelling mists for days rather than hours. Darkspawn blood and ichor coated the front of each man's armor but neither recruit saw the stagnant pools around them to be a viable option to clean themselves off.

"Would it be safe enough to make a fire?" Gilmore asks, the dampness of their surroundings seeping into his thick tunic underneath his plate armor. He tries and fails to not visibly shiver which Alistair takes notice of and frowns.

"How?" Jory walks over to them carrying a medium sized log covered with moss. Stopping feet away, he drops it with a soft thud as it hits the mud. "Everything in here is far too damp to light."

As he says this, Alistair walks over to a nearby tree and snaps a stick off before removing a gauntlet to feel it. "It's a bit damp from the mist but it could work." Putting his gauntlet back on, he reaches for the dagger on his belt and quickly scrapes the top bark off it before holding it up with a grin. "There. Not perfect but it works."

It takes a little bit of convincing but Alistair finally convinces Jory to search the perimeter for sticks while Alistair strips the small pile he collected while Gilmore kneels and begins to set them up for lighting. Standing alone with the knight, Alistair's cheeks burn as his mind is once more brought to what he had seen in the man's tent. Being close in age yet still inexperienced, his mind burned with questions regarding his relationship with their fellow recruit. He clears his throat which catches Gilmore's attention. "So...uh, Ser Gilmore-" Alistair begins. Roderick looks up at him with a smile.

"Yes, Alistair?" He asks, "You can just call me Roderick, by the way. I'm no longer a knight."

"Right," Alistair says with a self-conscious laugh. "Roderick, tell me a little about yourself. Unlike with the others, we haven't had the chance to speak much with one another."

Roderick nods. "What do you want to know?"

How long have you been sleeping with Ana? "Are you from Highever like Ana?"Alistair asks.

"No. I'm from a small bannorn near Highever." He says, sitting back on his heels. "It's a small place that I doubt you've heard of. Not many people have." He chuckles. "My father fought for Teyrn Cousland and in return for his service, he was invited to send me to Castle Cousland when I was 6 years old to be a squire."

"Is that how you met Ana?" Alistair blurts out, only to feel his face burn as Roderick's smile widens.

"Yes. We've known each other for most our lives. We basically grew up together." He pauses for a moment, his smile faltering for a moment. "Highever was my home for the longest time."

"I guess that would explain why you two seem so close."

Jory returns with a small bundle of sticks and sets them down beside Alistair. He thanks him and motions for the older knight to sit beside him but instead he walks over to the log he dropped earlier and flops down. He shoots Alistair a rueful smile as the lad raises a brow. "Forgive me. I would have accepted your offer but I'm afraid that if I sat directly on the ground, I would not be able to get back up!"

The other two men laugh.

"Just try not to rust like that." Roderick quips, earning a stick to be thrown at him. He laughs as the stick hits his breastplate and falls to the ground noiselessly.

"Watch it youngster." Jory chuckles.

Turning back to Alistair, Roderick smiles. "Back to what we were discussing, you could say that. Early on we didn't see each other too often. I was usually being tutored alongside her brother, Fergus. He and I have fought together along his father's side a few times."

Jory's brows crumble in confusion. "Whose brother?"

"Ana's."

Jory's brows shoot up. "Ana is Teyrn Cousland's daughter?" He breathes before shaking his head in disbelief. "Maker's breath… I had no idea!"

The other two men exchange a wary glance. "Not many people know who she is and it's prefered it keep it that way." Roderick says, somberly. "As I'm sure you're aware, Ser Jory, these are dark times we're living in."

Jory salutes him with a nod. "I understand. You need not worry about me, Ser. I have no quarrels with Lady Ana or her family. I will take her secret to my grave."

"Thank you. I'm sure she will be very grateful to you, Ser Jory."

The conversation begins to die down as Roderick finishes building the fire. Alistair digs into his pack to retrieve the pouch of dry tinder and his flint and hands it to Roderick to start. As they wait for him to ignite the tinder, Alistair and Jory shiver from where they sit.

"If you didn't see each other much growing up, how are you two so close now?" Alistair asks, attempting to distract himself from the chill. Roderick continues his efforts before Jory offers his aid and they switch places. He shrugs.

"A couple years ago, Teryn Cousland was impressed with my skills in training and because she and I get along well enough, he appointed me as her personal guard. I've spent almost every day with her since."

With the older man's help,they finally get a small fire going and quickly circle in close for warmth. Moments pass as each man focuses on warming themselves before Roderick's gaze gifts to Alistair. From where he sat, the fire mad the lad's usual hazel eyes look like a dark amber.

"While I know she's far too proud to say it herself, I'll thank you on Ana's behalf, Alistair." He says, catching him off guard. His eyes widen before he takes on a puzzled expression.

"Huh?"

Gilmore grins. "I know Ana can be a bit…. difficult at times and I'm grateful that you've been so kind to her. I'm not excusing her behavior but the past few weeks have definitely been tough for her. I'm glad that you've gone out of your way to help her."

"You're…thanking me? " Alistair asks. His brows crease as he looks down into the flames. "That's a new one." He mutters.

Feeling the man's gaze still on him, he awkwardly clears his throat. "Um...you're welcome….I guess. It's really been Duncan's idea."

"Even so, thank you."

In an attempt to feel less awkward about showing such keen interest in Roderick's relationship with Ana, Alistair quickly changes the subject to predictions for the war. The men warm themselves by the fire for a while before Roderick stomps out the flames with his armored boot. Once the light is snuffed out, they're thrown into the darkness and Alistair curses under his breath for letting the break run on for too long. While it may only be around midday, the thickness of the forest canopy blocked out almost all of the late summer light. Only small shafts of light managed to penetrate through but they were far and between; Not nearly enough to light one's way.

"Well, that wasn't the smartest idea we've had." Alistair quips.

"Great. Now we can't see!" Jory's voice rings out, his anxious pacing heard as his boots slap the mud.

"There's no need to panic. I have something….here in my bag." Alistair's voice trails off as he rummages in his pack for a couple moments. Within moments, he pulls a glowing amber-colored stone the size of a man's palm from his pack and holds it up. It brightens enough to to illuminate all three men and the trees surrounding them, basking them all in a warm golden light. Alistair grins. "There. That's better."

Roderick returns the Warden's smile but Jory eyes the stone with suspicion. "What is that?" He asks.

Before Alistair has a chance to open his mouth, Roderick replies for him. "It's an ember stone from Orzammar, isn't it?"

Alistair's brows raise. "Uh, yes it is. How did you-?"

"There was a dwarven merchant selling one in Highever last year. "

Jory's brows furrow. "An ember what?"

Roderick turns to him. "An ember stone. Typically they're stones that dwarves use while mining or travelling the Deep Roads. The stone's brightness adjusts to its surroundings."

"But it's not magic." Alistair blurts out. "I know that's weird but it's not. I have no idea how it works per say but it's helpful in cases like this." He motions for them to start toward the archive and Roderick falls into line beside him.

"Forgive me for prying but how did you get your hands on one? Aside from that merchant, I've heard it's a well-kept secret in Orzammar about where they're found, making them incredibly rare to find on the surface."

Alistair shrugs as he holds the stone higher and tries to trace the route to the Archive from the map Duncan showed him beforehand in his mind. "Duncan gave it to me from the last time he was in Orzammar looking for recruits. How he actually acquired one, I'm not entirely sure. I find it better not to ask."

As the men drew closer to the ruined archive, the trees begin to break up, letting the afternoon light filter through. Roderick gasps as they finally arrive. The large steeple they spotted a while back now stood up tall in all its glory. The afternoon light glints off the partially rusted frames of the windows. The entire building leaning to one side as the swamp worked to reclaim its space, moss and vines wrapping around the old stone. All three stop before it and take in the scene.

The place had definitely seen better days as the main outer walls had long since crumbled, opening up to a courtyard and what looks to be an old stable. The old roof had since caved in leaving the dividing walls of the stalls either splintered or leaning to one side or the other.

Roderick steps forward to touch the cold stone of one of the crumbled walls, looking up at the remaining structure. "I can only imagine what this place must of looked like in its prime. It's unfortunate that now the swamp as claimed it as its own."

Jory looks around speechlessly while Alistair nods. "It's quite the sight, isn't it?"

Roderick nods in agreement. Jory, who seemed to snap out of trance, turned to look at them. "So, where are these scrolls that we're supposed to retrieve?" He asks. "Somehow I doubt that the Wardens would have just had them just lying out and about in the open."

Alistair's brows crease as motions toward the giant doors ahead of them. "According to Duncan's map, it should be near the back."

"Of course it would be." Jory mutters miserably. Whether Alistair didn't hear him or just ignored it, he motions for them to follows. He starts toward the towering wooden doors, the metal accents rusting and the wood covered in thick grime and the ember stone off to Roderick, he places his hands on the door and pushes. After a few moments of nothing happening, he takes a step back before motioning to them. "Here. Help me with this."

With some help from the other two, they manage to push one of the doors about halfway before the rusted hinges give way and falls inward with all three men still holding on. The door makes a loud crash as it collides with the stone floor, paired with a loud splash from the inch of water at the entrance and clash of the men's plate armor. As they fell, Alistair's ember stone flies from Roderick's hand, landing yards away, the light and dimming as it rolls before stopping in the water.

"Well, that's definitely one way to get in." Roderick mutters, clambering back to his feet. He stumbles slightly as his blood rushes to his head and almost topples over Alistair.

"Yeah... not exactly one of my prefered methods." Alistair retorts. He and Jory manage to get back to their feet before he turns around in search of his stone.

"Um… Warden?" Jory says nervously.

"One moment." He says, turning around once more, his brows furrowed. "Where is that bugger? Hopefully it didn't break."

Roderick sees it in the distance and retrieves it before handing it back. "It's not broken." He states, pointing down the corridor. Turning, Alistair's brows crease as he notices what Jory was nervous about; at the end of the long dark corridor, two metal braziers stand upright and lit.

"Somebody must already be here." Jory hisses, reaching for his sword. "Can darkspawn light torches?"

Alistair looks around them as his senses probe for existence of the taint. "Some have the ability but they're rarely seen above ground. Most of them reside in the deep roads but have been known to find their way to the surface through old entrances." Finding what he's looking for, he walks over to the side and pulls an old wooden torch from its holder. "Find torches we can light at the braziers," he instructs, "We'll need to keep an eye out. Who knows what can be lying in wait for us."

He waits as the other two find torches of their own before they walk over to the braziers and light them. Ahead of them, a portion of the ceiling chooses that moment to break free and crashes to the floor, some pieces breaking away from the bigger parts and rolling down the small set of stairs to where a giant pedestal sits. The piece that broke off the ceiling brings in a nice stream of light that perfectly illuminates the huge bronze griffin statue at the center of what looks to be a very big chamber. All three look up at the statue in awe.

Alistair snaps himself out of his trance before looking around to determine the direction of the chamber that Duncan said they'd find their treaties.

"I wonder why this place was abandoned." Roderick mutters from beside him. He casts a glance at the Warden. "Why are the scrolls so important anyways? Imagine Duncan wouldn't send us out here to retrieve something as useless as a kidney pie recipe or something."

"You obviously have underestimated Duncan's love of kidney pie." Alistair chuckles. Earning a stern look from the older knight, he nervously clears his throat. "They're treaties. They were signed long ago by leaders of different factions promising to aid the Grey Wardens during a blight." He shrugs. " With the difficulties we've had so far, Duncan believes that some factions need to be reminded of their promise."

He motions for the other two to follow him as he starts down a long corridor.

The old stained glass windows that once depicted the lives and deeds of the Wardens since the First Blight were now covered in grime and cracked or broken in places, rendering them nearly unrecognizable. The three of them trudge carefully through the wet corridor, their boots kicking up the dirt and grime in the water that had begun to settle on the long silver and blue carpets that stretched down the entire hall. Halfway through, a torn tapestry hangs from a rusted bar running through the stone archway. Alistair pushes it aside and squints at the darkness ahead. A damp chill had fallen over them as they walked deeper into the ruin, the only sounds being their breathing, their boots splashing in the water and the echo of water dripping somewhere nearby.

"At the end of this hall, it should open up to a big chamber." Alistair whispers, moving his torch from side to side in search of danger. "According to Duncan's map, there's a large study in one of the chambers that leads off to the Chamberlain of the Grey's quarters and a storage room. The treaties should be in the storage room."

As he says, as they reach the end of the long corridor, it opens up to a chamber that is a lot more flooded than the hallway. Alistair carefully steps forward and immediately falls into the pool of dark water that reaches up to his waist. In his surprise, he manages to drop his torch which immediately extinguishes. He curses under his breath before turning to the recruits. "Jory, hand me your torch."

Jory's eyes widen. "Surely that would be unwise. As the person bringing up the rear, only the front and back people should have torches...don't you think?"

Annoyed with the chill seeping into his clothing layers beneath his armor, Alistair sighs. "Whatever. Gilmore-"

Before he can finish, Roderick kneels down and holds his torch out. "Here."

Taking it, he quickly scans around him before motioning for him. "Careful. The floor is sunken in so it's a steep drop."

Motioning a nervous looking Jory forward, Roderick sits down on the edge and scooches his way before plunging into the water. Involuntarily, a surprised sound escapes as his body is enveloped in freezing water. Luckily, since he and Alistair are close in height, the water only reaches his waist.

"O-okay, Jory." Roderick says, holding out his hand as his teeth begin to chatter. "Hand me the torch so you can get in."

Jory's face pales in the light of his torch but he nods. As he jumps in, he yelps in surprise before Roderick hands him back his torch.

The men follow Alistair through the gloom, the cold encasing them becoming more noticeable over time. Giant shelves of rotting wood line the first chamber along with some broken tables topped with metal dishes and stacks of books littering the surface that barely sticks out of the water.

"We're getting close." Alistair says, his torch moving from one direction to the next as he looks for telltale signs of where they're going. "The bedchamber should be close."

Rounding a group of bookcases, the floor begins to slant upwards to a leveled area once more. Reaching the top, Alistair holds his torch out to illuminate the stone steps leading down into the darkness. His brows draw together. Was there a staircase on the map? He tries to remember.

"Is it down there?" Roderick asks. Leaning forward slightly in hopes of seeing something in the neverending darkness. "The bedchamber?"

"Uh…" Alistair's cheeks burn as he turns to look around for any indication of there being another hallway or a door nearby. Seeing no other path, he shrugs. "It should be."

"You're not sure?" Jory asks. "Didn't Duncan give you the map?"

"This is the only way I see." Alistair replies, trying to sound in control and failing. "Duncan's map is very old and he didn't want anything to happen to it in the field."

Feeling the distrust radiating from the old knight, he starts down the steps, being sure to pay attention to his senses and their surroundings. Halfway down, a shadow passes over the light from one of the torches.

"What was that?" Jory suddenly says, his torch moving quickly as he looks around them. Alistair's heart begins to pound in his chest as he looks up and spots the cobwebs. Shit. Unsheathing his sword, he casts a glance back at the recruits. "I don't think we're alone. Be on guard."

As he says this, a web shoots out from the darkness and hits Jory's leg, pinning his foot to the step.

"Ugh!"

A web hits his other leg and they hear splashes deeper from below as something moves. Jory frantically tries to move his legs with Roderick's help but to no avail. Within moments, a giant spider the size of a mabari slowly moves out of the shadows toward them, its beady eyes glistening in the light from the torches.

Roderick's eyes widen. "Shit."

After not finding Ana in the chantry tent, Duncan had been on his way to the messing hall when he was intercepted by Cailan's servant. He sighs deeply as the lad bows to him.

"Forgive me, Warden-Commander. King Cailan has requested that you dine with him in his tent."

Duncan glances over the lad's head. "Tell the king that's very kind of him to offer but I must respectfully decline. I'm afraid Warden business demands my attention."

The lad doesn't move. "He insists."He states. "He wishes to discuss war with you. I believe he has some ideas about the battle, Sir."

When doesn't he? Duncan sighs once more. "Very well."

Beaming, the boy grins and motions for him to follow. "Right this way!" Without skipping a beat, he swivels around and starts toward the Royal pavilion with a rueful Duncan in tow.