Dragon Age Origins: A Grey Wardens Tale.

Chapter 13: The Blight Begins.

The War Council.

Behind all camps and training grounds where the various soldiers of The Templar Order, King's Guard and Mage Circles slept, practices, prayed and had their equipment checked by the various Blacksmiths and Weaver's working on last-minute equipment stood an enormous round table with a hand-drawn map of The Kocari Wilds, Ostagar and the surrounding lands including the known locations of openings to a vast, labyrinthine maze of corridors known as The Deep Roads, the paths and trails that led to the numerous villages including Lothering to the north of their location.

Gathered around the war table stood King Cailan in his golden armour; the bulky plates appearing to hamper his movement but the sword at his hip was what truly drew the eye; a sword of black and gold metal that had been previously wielded by his father: King Maric, Loghain standing in his silver armour with Cauthrien by his side though both were unarmed; their expressions blank as they stared down at the map eyeing the coloured wooden pegs that indicated the positions of the troops on a battlefield with gold and silver representing The King's Guard and The Grey Wardens respectively.

Around the table stood Duncan, Claude and Dalila; each wearing their armour and/or robes for the imminent battle but they had adorned themselves in their finely-crafted weapons, a gleaming Longsword and Curved Dagger on Duncan's back, a fierce Double-Edged Battle-Axe with a spiralling shaft under Claude's hands and Dalila held a Staff as tall as she was that had been hemmed from Ironbark with a crown of thorns at the head circling a green jewel.

Also in attendance stood a rotund yet imposing Templar Knight in full armour including a helmet obscuring any facial features, Wynne stood on behalf of The Mages in her crimson robes and her Whitewood Staff being used as a cane as she walked to the table and placed a purple wooden peg to the map alongside a grey peg for represent Mages and Templars for the council meeting.

And lastly stood Fergus Cousland; his Veridium Armour with its green tint gleaming in the firelight and his own weapons: a sword with a slightly curved edge to the blade and a kite shield, standing with an air of confidence in his abilities after years of training and real battle experience left him standing as head of The King's Guard and as current head of The Cousland Line.

"It is good to see so many gathered here today though it appears that your fourth Senior Warden is absent" King Cailan spoke honourably; giving a bow of his head to The Grey Wardens gathered before him though the gleam of childlike excitement reflected in his eyes as battle and the possibility of glorious historic victory laid before him.

"I regret to inform that Warden Riordan will not be fighting in tonight's battle; though he is a serious soldier and a capable leader, he has gone missing during his own Recruitment Mission to The City of Amaranthine" Duncan spoke calmly though he knew that Amaranthine was currently under the rule of Rendon Howe and the lack of Howe's Troops at Ostagar led Duncan to suspect that he may have had a hand in Riordan's disappearance.

"I would like to know as to why your four new Wardens are here, they are not leaders of your respective party nor do they carry any authority to warrant their presence" Loghain hissed as his dark eyes stared down at the presence of the newest Wardens: Alistair, Aeden, Kallian and Neria, his hostility again on display as Wardens outnumbered all others at The War Council.

"Teryn Loghain; as this is The Fifth Blight we face on this night it is wise to allow the young and inexperienced of our Wardens be allowed to witness these meetings and the battle for whenever the next Blight may or may not arise, for they will be the ones to battle The Sixth Blight" Duncan explained as Claude and Dalila stood by his sides to back him up, Cailan, Wynne and The Templar Commander also staring back at Loghain.

"Very well… I concede to your methods" Loghain spoke with an underlying note of venom in his respectful tone of voice; the shadows darkening around his eyes as he stared at The Grey Wardens before turning his gaze down to the black wooden pegs representing his own forces positioned away from the battleground.

"Ser Claude; would you be so kind as to tell us what our positions and roles are to be for tonight's battle?" Wynne exclaimed; politely asking one of the three Senior Wardens to explain the purposes of the wooden pegs placed around the map of Ostagar and The Kocari Wilds.

"Standing at the front lines where The Darkspawn will be met in battle by us; King Cailan and his King's Guard, a squadron of Templars and a line-up of Mages providing Shields and various Primal Energy Barrages" Ser Claude spoke in his tough voice; his fingers tapping the hilt of his Axe that stood with its blades half-buried in the ground.

Aeden gave Fergus a concerned glanced only to be met by a confident smile and a wink from his brother, concerned for Fergus' life when he'd been on the front lines facing The Darkspawn when battling a mere Scouting Party had been a harrowing fight for survival.

"As Templar Knight Commander; I will ensure not a single Mages turns to forbidden Blood Magic during the battle" The Templar Commander spoke; a bald, rotund man in full Templar Armour and a full beard that covered his entire jawline and neck but with a nasty, prejudiced glare in his eyes as he stared at Dalila, Wynne and Neria.

"Ser Commander; with all due respect my Mages will not turn to such Artes, all Mages present at Ostagar have trained to resist the temptations that Demons possess" Wynne spoke calmly and curtly; her hands held together as she caught a concerned glance from Neria due to her previous experience with Jowen.

"I have heard tell of what happened at The Lake Calenhad Circle Tower; one turns then seven Knights and eight Chantry Sisters died before the lake was frozen" The Templar Commander spoke without bothering to hide an amused grin as he sought any excuse to put down The Mages where they stood instead of allowing them to battle The Darkspawn.

"Ser Commander; I was there that day and nothing like that happened" Dalila spoke; slamming the blade-hilt on her Staff into the ground thus stabbing the ground but sending a shudder through the floor beneath everyone's feet as a display of the might she wielded leaving The Templar Commander irate and furious that he'd been proven wrong by a Mage.

"Can we get back on topic; I care little for the idiotic squabbling between Templars and Mages" Loghain spoke with the tone akin to a growl once again; his eyes glowering with hostility as his hands gripped the ends of the table as he placed the blue and yellow wooden pegs down as representations of The Mage and Templar forces.

"Ser Duncan; please continue" Fergus spoke; gesturing his hand towards Duncan and beckoning him to continue once Dalila had berated an irritated-looking Templar Knight into submission.

"When Ser Dalila fires off her Lightning Barrage; the younger Wardens will light the signal fires set at the top floor of The Tower of Ishal which is your turn to lead your soldiers into battle and execute a two-pronged assault to these vile Darkspawn and defeat the horde which will incite the appearance of The Archdemon" Duncan tapped his fingers on the position of The Tower of Ishal on the map before moving his fingers to the black wooden peg indicating where Loghain would have his troops stationed opposed to where The King's Guard, Templars, Mages and Grey Wardens would be first to meet The Darkspawn Horde.

"Very Well Ser Duncan, my troops will be standing ready and awaiting that pyre" Loghain spoke so lowly that his voice sounded more akin to a growl towards a Senior Grey Warden instead of the respectful way everybody else spoke coupled with his dark and shadowy expression, leaving The New Wardens to give Loghain a questionable look.

"Once The Archdemon appears; we Grey Wardens will splinter from the frontline and fight to bring down the beast, it shall be a difficult battle for an Archdemon's scales are nigh impregnable and its claws can slash through troops like they are nothing" Claude spoke; placing a larger red peg amongst the other red pegs to represent The Darkspawn.

"Even without Riordan; the three of us shall be capable of bringing down the beast for once The Archdemon is dead, The Darkspawn will sense its death and flee back into The Deep Roads from whence they came and The Legion of The Dead will be waiting for them, none shall survive" Duncan spoke with a morbid tone of voice; placing down its hands down on the table as all eyes were drawn to him, a tear ran down his cheek as Duncan knocked the larger red peg down leaving it to fall and clatter along the floor.

"Wait! I'm not going to fight on the front lines? I thought…" Alistair burst out causing his fellows to snap out of their questioning stares towards Duncan and turn all of their attention of Alistair's outburst.

"Be patient Alistair; your time to shine will come in the future but for now your task is to lead your fellows to The Tower of Ishal and light the signal fires when you see Dalila's signal of purple lightning" Claude spoke harshly; his eyes narrowed at the younger Warden's impertinence as desiring to fight Darkspawn alongside his elders when he had a task to accomplish.

"Yes Ser Claude, once the signal is lit and battling with both mine and Loghain's armies fighting alongside your Grey Wardens, it is impossible for us to fail in our historic quest to vanquish these vile Darkspawn and slay The Archdemon thus returning peace to our lands" Cailan spoke with such grandiose words that he came across as a glory-seeker rather than the inspirational leader that every King should be.

These words spoken by The King caused many of those present to turn their heads towards Cailan; his childish notions of war and the countless deaths that could and would result from the battle seemed to fly over his head entirely all for his own desire to carve his name into history via battle instead of being remembered as a royal monarch.

As the war council divided; each member of the council slowly walking to their positions and joining their groups within the united army leaving only The Grey Wardens of both young and old standing around the round table, the two groups waiting until the last member of the war council had left before openly speaking.

"Young Wardens; I understand you're unhappy about being left out of tonight's battle but there is a reason, you four are the future of Ferelden's Grey Wardens" Claude spoke with surprising kindness when his attitude was usually gruff and indifferent but the imminent battle seemed to soften his demeanour.

"Worry not; you four are still young and there are many and varied opportunities in your futures" Duncan spoke with an honest gleam in his aged eyes, his smile highlighting the crows-feet in his temples as his hands gripped the shoulders of Alistair, Aeden, Neria and Kallian in turn.

With the necessary words spoken, The Senior Wardens turned and left to prepare themselves for the battle's eventual beginning as the marching of The Mages and Templars had already begun with The Grey Wardens following aft them and The King's Guard marching last with King Cailan heading the final march.

"What do you think they meant by we are the future?" Neria broke the silence by speaking up; waiting until her comrades had picked up their weapons to pose her question just as she picked up her Elm Staff.

"No idea; those three are comprised of two strong Warrior's and a powerful Mage, I can't see them falling in battle" Alistair spoke with high regard for The Senior Wardens; choosing to disbelieve that any lowly Darkspawn Hurlock or Genlock like those he'd encountered himself could defeat any one of them even if they attacked in great numbers.

"I'm not sure; even the strongest of warriors can fall in battle" Aeden spoke mournfully as he thought of his father, a high-calibre swordsman who'd he'd modelled his own style after and hoped to honour his father's memory in battle with his Family Armaments equipped to his person.

"I cannot say for all the battle I've ever witnessed prior to my conscription was the yearly duels that took place in Denerim during The Feast Day celebration though I was always working and couldn't see everything" Kallian spoke; having been working most of her young adult life and hardly having time to herself and with a new Feast Day only a month away she thought she might not get to celebrate that day either.

"Aww!" Neria purred as she flung herself at Kallian and wrapped her arms around her new friend with compassion for her misfortune at missing Feast Day for multiple years in a row; her mind already formulating gift ideas for her new friends.

Aeden couldn't help but notice the faraway look in Alistair's eyes as he watched The Senior Wardens along with all the fully armoured Warden's march towards the battlefield, all the new Wardens knew that not all of them would return from his battle alive but it was their duty to challenge the threat that The Darkspawn presented.

"Come on; we should prepare for battle; we never know whether Darkspawn could diverge from the horde and attack us or The Chantry Sisters" Aeden spoke as he gave Alistair a pat on the arm as he spoke a valid reason to prepare for battle; passing him by as he picked up a poultice and slid it into a pocket that lay partiality hidden by a plate of armour as he felt disappointed that he also wouldn't be joining the front lines but as task was a task.

"Agreed" Kallian spoke; snatching a couple of poultices and slipping them into the small one-item pouches she had on her belt but also patted Alistair's arm as she passed him to collect her own daggers and knives.

"Alistair; there's nothing wrong with worrying about them but you need to stay focussed" Neria chimed with cheerful encouragement; standing so close to Alistair that her shoulders bumped into Alistair's arms due to their difference in height.

"Yes; you're right, let's march onwards" Alistair spoke hollowly as Neria had passed him last; walking behind the group of Wardens though he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, a dark sensation that he'd been feeling since his last dream: a vision of an army walking away from a burning battlefield and the cries of dying men as dark shadows crept over the land.

The Battlefield.

The wide plains of trampled grass, mud and small puddles of rainwater laid spread out before an army of Knights, Templars, Mages and Grey Wardens, stood in groups as far as the human eye could see, the gleam of Warden Silverite Armour, the shine of Templar Heavy Armour, the finely woven robes of Mages, and the various weapons of Ferelden Knights all held at the ready to cut down all who stood before them.

Fergus stood amongst many other Knights; spotting that they all were either holding a precious item gifted to them by their families or whispering a prayer to The Maker and Andraste for protection against the imminent battle, his thoughts turning to his last memory of his wife and son; Owain's cheerful shouts as he waved his little toy sword and shield whilst proclaiming to be a brave Dragon Slayer whilst Oriana tried her darndest to get their son to settle down to sleep, holding his memory dear as he resolved to survive this battle and see Aeden again and this time share a strong drink in memory of their fallen family.

"Dalila, Claude, hold your ground no matter what happens tonight; never show your enemy any fear and stay true to your Brother and Sister Wardens" Duncan spoke sombrely; his tone speaking like a man of more years than he'd lived, his weapons held tightly in his weathered hands.

"Remember our first-time facing Darkspawn in battle?" Dalila spoke calmly and breaking the silence; though her hands gave away her true feelings by her quivering grip on her Battle Staff, no matter how many years she'd been a Grey Warden she still fearing facing Darkspawn in battle.

"How could I forget; I got in the way of your Cone of Cold Spell and froze me to the side of a tree… you almost died there and then" Claude remarked with a chuckle; his eyes glancing down at his Battle Axe, running his fingers over the tempered twin blades as he glanced to other Axe-wielding Wardens, Kings Guard Members and Templars all lifting their weapons to their shoulders in wait.

"Lucky you followed up with a Flame Blast and freed me before that Hurlock could take my head off, and yet here we stand at the beginning and end of The Fifth Blight" Claude remarked on Dalila's Spell-weaving but also recalled that the sudden freezing defrosting had left him with a nasty case of frost-burn that had taken several weeks to heal, the memory of which sent shivers down his spine.

"Quiet; both of you, listen up!" Duncan barked; his Sword and Dagger held tightly in his hands as he stood alongside King Cailan in his Golden Heavy Armour, his poor opinion on such flashy and gaudy armour hampered only by The King's innate talent to wield a sword as opposed to Duncan's own Silverite Plate Armour and Battle-Robe.

Duncan, Claude and Dalila stood steadfast with the legions of men and women behind them; the ground under their feet trembled with the marching boots of an advancing force as the glow of fire illuminating the dead trees of The Kocari Wilds moments before the trees burst into flames before the long shadows spread along the ground.

"This is where legends are born" Cailan spoke to himself from behind his Gold Helm as he dreamed of carving his place in History as The King who fought side-by-side with The Grey Wardens and ended a Blight before it could ravage his land; his gloved hands tightly gripping the sword of his Father: King Maric as the marching horde came into view.

The Army feeling a cold shiver down their spines as they finally laid eyes on the enemy that they'd heard the stories of since childhood; stories meant to scare children and many believed to be nothing more than myth but now marched onwards as real and deadly as the stories foretold, clad in blood red armour and fearsome demonic helms with weapons of Black Steel: The Darkspawn Horde had arrived in great numbers and force.

"CHARGE!" screamed Cailan's voice as he alongside The Three Senior Wardens as the four charged headlong towards The Horde soon followed by Fergus and countless other men and women fighting to defend their land as the ferocious battle cry of The Darkspawn roared in response to the army gathered as the horde of monsters clad in bloodred armour charged into battle.