Author's Note: A little game play joke or two and we're finally finishing up everything in the Deep Roads. The next chapter is already under way as well. Hope you enjoy!
And with that, one last march of the golems came from the Deep Roads, headed towards Orzammar and the surface.
But first, they had a little pit stop to make along the way...
They stomped along the Deep Roads, through the Dead Trenches. Kardol and his squad of the Legion of the Dead were stunned to meet the ancient golems with Caridin leading them back to Orzammar. The Legion and the golems got along quite well- not too surprising since both were organizations based around sacrifice and duty- and not to mention the fact that they were all very dedicated to eradicating the darkspawn scourge.
Not that such a thing was necessarily possible, but the dwarven race had more than a millenium of built up loathing for the mindless and endless monsters that had decimated their society. A couple of days spent slaughtering the genlocks and hurlocks together gave them some actually noticeable progress though, and Kardol thanked them before they moved on.
(And speaking of Duty, Padfoot happened to dig up a heavily enchanted helmet in the rubble that was a perfect fit for Oghren.)
Before they reached Ortan Thaig, Caridin called for a halt and pointed to a section of the underground highway that led further south. "We need to follow this path to reach Cadash Thaig."
"What is Cadash Thaig?" Leliana asked.
"Where my old friend Shayle once lived," the golem replied with a chuckle.
"I did?"
"Indeed," Caridin said. "Perhaps a trip there may help your memories return."
"Thank you."
Caridin turned back to Harry. "I assume that the rest of your group wouldn't mind a small detour?"
"We can do that," he answered. "Going back to Orzammar without you wouldn't be very fruitful, so we may as well lend a hand. Not that you golems would need it, per se."
"It will be a couple of days march from here," Caridin added. "We golems can march all day long though, something that may prevent you mortals from being able to keep the pace with us."
"True," Harry agreed. "However, if I can cast a spell that will allow us to track where you go, then we should be able to catch up using magic."
"A good plan," the Paragon turned golem said.
"We may as well camp here for the night," Wynne suggested.
"Yeah, Padfoot could use a rest," Sirius concurred. He'd spent much of the day in his grim form, as he had more endurance that way for the endless slog of the stone passageways.
"Alright," Harry said. He walked over to Shale and pulled out his wand. "Will you allow me to place a tracking charm upon you?"
"If the little mage must," the golem sighed with a stony grin. "Will it be using the magical carpet to catch up with us?"
"That was my thought, yes," Harry nodded.
"Very well."
Harry had once again set up the magical tent and the others had gone inside while he cast a number of protective spells around the perimeter of their little campsite. Morrigan was with him, wanting to learn the enchantments he used to repel enemies and creatures.
Oghren sat down at the table rather loudly with the armor he was still wearing. Sirius chuckled as he went into the kitchen to fetch a number of mugs and dug into Harry's stash of firewhisky.
"Finally, a chance to catch our breath," Wynne sighed as she joined the dwarf. "I believe I will enjoy a nice bath this evening."
"Getting the dust and dirt off will feel quite good," Leliana agreed with a smile.
"Want me to wash your back?" Sirius grinned as he joined them with the refreshments floating along in front of him.
"Maybe," she teased.
"Firewhisky," Oghren read the label and chuckled. "That's a new one for me."
"It's something that you wouldn't be able to find around here," Sirius answered as he poured the dwarf a drink. "I'm glad that Harry still had some. Plus, I think you could use a drink."
"Aye," the dwarf nodded as he tasted it and laughed. "It's got some heat, I'll give it that."
Harry held the tent flap open for Morrigan as the two of them came inside. "Several of those spells were what we used when we were on the run during the war as teenagers. Later on, I added the last three once the world went to hell and back."
"And they've never failed in your experience?" she asked.
"Nope." Harry pulled out a chair for her and then sat next to her. He smirked to himself as she scooted a little further away from the dwarf who was on his other side. "So, Sirius couldn't wait to bring out the drinks?"
"I thought our newest friend could use one."
Harry nodded thoughtfully and took a drink of his own.
"Let's not get all mopey," Oghren snorted. "After we help the grumpy golem, what are our next steps?"
"Return to Orzammar and get the nobles sorted out," Harry replied before taking a small sip and then blowing out a small flame.
"Now, that's a trick I need to learn," the dwarf said.
"Don't gulp it down, that doesn't help," Sirius barked out a laugh. "It's meant to be savored."
"Bah!" Oghren rolled his eyes and forced himself to take a sip before belching up a bit of smoke.
"That's closer," Sirius nodded.
"And after we finish with those stone-blind nug humpers?"
Harry smiled at the dwarf's interesting version on curse words and gathered his thoughts. "We should probably check back in with Arl Eamon. And I definitely want to swing back by the Circle Tower to do some more research. Then, we'll need to see about approaching the elves."
"It may take awhile to find them," Leliana said. "The Dalish are known for staying away from cities and being particularly clever about hiding in the forests."
"We'll have it easier if we can fly overhead and look out for them," Harry shrugged. "We'll want to warn them anyway; from what I remember from the map, the Brecilian Forest is nearer to the territory where we last know the darkspawn were compared to a lot of the human settlements."
"Why don't we get out the map and look for any other possible places we might want to check?" Sirius suggested.
A few moments later, the parchment Harry had copied was spread out over the table in front of them all.
"Redcliffe may be in danger," Wynne pointed out the city on the south side of Lake Calenhad. "It is one of the furthest southern cities in Ferelden. We should warn Eamon and make certain they have defenses ready. It is fairly close to Lothering, and we know the darkspawn were headed there a few weeks ago."
"Speaking of which, I may want to do a quick check to see if that town is still standing," Harry said.
"A fly over?" Sirius asked.
"I was thinking I would just apparate there," he shrugged in response. "I can pop in and out real quick and be gone before any monsters can attack, assuming they are there."
"Be careful, if you do," Wynne told him.
"That's why I would go on my own," he replied. "It takes less power to go solo and I can have my defenses up before I do it."
"Alright," Sirius agreed. "Anywhere else?"
"We may want to hold that thought until after we've gone to Redcliffe and the Circle Tower," Leliana suggested. "We may find new information that would lead us to other places, potentially more support that Arl Eamon may have started to build up, for example."
"What about Denerim?" Morrigan asked.
"The capital city?" Wynne frowned. "It would be quite dangerous for us there. If Loghain has our descriptions, he is bound to have troops ready to capture us."
"I doubt anyone would have heard of Oghren there," Harry replied. "Most of us probably wouldn't be known to anyone. Actually, I think you may be the one in the most danger, Wynne."
"Me? Why?"
"For one thing, you were at Ostagar," he said as he took another sip of the firewhisky. "Plus, you are one of the more respected senior mages of the Circle Tower. The templars very likely know exactly who you are."
"You have a point," Wynne sighed.
"I think it may be worth a trip there," Sirius said as he tapped at the map. "It's a port city for one, and I assume very large?"
"Indeed," Leliana nodded.
"Then there are likely to be a lot of shops where we might be able to upgrade our equipment, if nothing else." Sirius scratched behind his ear. "But I also think that there may be more to learn there, if we can slip into a few taverns and whatnot in search of news and gossip."
"That's not a terrible idea," Wynne admitted. "As long as you're careful not to draw attention to yourselves."
"There is one other idea I had," Leliana interjected with a frown on her face. "If we could find a ship captain either from Orlais or the Free Marches, we could try to send word out about the darkspawn. In case Ferelden should fall, it would be for the best if the other countries were prepared for the worst still to come. Or, if we get very lucky, we may be able to have some reinforcements coming our way."
"Assuming Loghain even allowed such ships to dock," Wynne added.
"It sounds like we'll need to get him out of the way, sooner or later," Sirius said. "If Eamon can take Denerim back, it would be a good idea to send word to the other countries."
"Maybe even get in touch with some real Grey Wardens," Harry chuckled.
"Alright then, sounds like we've got lots still to do," Oghren said as he reached for the bottle of firewhisky and refilled his mug.
"Then we should all get a good night's rest," Wynne said with a smile.
"I'll drink to that!" the dwarf laughed.
"Here, here!" Sirius added.
It was a couple of hours later, and Harry was surprised to find himself unable to sleep. He would have thought the late night exertions with Morrigan would put him right out, but instead only his 'swamp witch' slumbered while his mind was still buzzing. Taking care not to wake her, he slid on some soft pyjama pants and slowly stepped out into the main area of the tent.
He found Oghren still nursing the firewhisky, his eyes glazed. Harry sighed and decided to join him.
"Whazzat?" the dwarf blearily asked. "Shouldn't you still be rutting with that mean but tasty witch?"
"Maybe I wore her out," he replied with a grin as he poured a couple of fingers of the liquor into a glass that he conjured up.
"Hrmph, lucky you," Oghren muttered.
"Want to talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about?"
"Your wife," Harry answered.
"Ex-wife now," Oghren snorted.
"Even when they're gone, that sort of relationship tends to leave its mark on you," he countered. "I was married twice, and even though both of them have been gone for a long time, I still think of them as my wives. The pain never really goes away. It's more like scar tissue; the mark just fades slowly, but you're never quite the same."
"Is this supposed to be cheering me up?" Oghren raised an eyebrow and took another stiff drink. "Because if so, you're pants at it, Warden."
Harry chuckled briefly. "I guess I never really told you everything. I'm not a Grey Warden."
"But you-"
"I came to Ferelden shortly before the battle at Ostagar where all the Grey Wardens were killed, alongside the human king Cailan."
"Bad timing on your part," Oghren grumbled as he took another sip.
"Maybe it was good timing for Ferelden though," Harry countered.
"Well, your magic does seem pretty powerful, but I don't know if I'd go that far."
Harry smiled and patted the dwarf on his shoulder. "You've seen that fire spell I've used- that can kill, or more precisely destroy, anything it touches. Maybe even an Archdemon."
"Then what do you need the rest of us for, mister fancy pants mage boy?" Oghren jeered.
"Well, I have to be careful not to burn everything else up at the same time," he shrugged. "Imagine if the darkspawn invaded Orzammar. Yes, I could kill all the darkspawn, but there wouldn't be much left of the city afterwards, and any people that got caught in its path would be destroyed too. It's even worse on the surface, because trees and grass tend to spread flames much better than stone."
"So, what's the point, Harry?"
"The point..." He took another sip. "Sirius and I come from another world. I stepped through a magical portal that brought me here. That's why so much of the magic I can use (and things like this enchanted tent) are different from what the rest of the mages that live in Thedas can do. And the reason I came here is because my last world was destroyed. But now, I've got a second chance. That's the point.
"If I can have a second chance, then you can too."
"You're about the only one that seems to think there's much use in old Oghren," the dwarf laughed. "But I guess I can try to prove them wrong. Maybe prove myself wrong at the same time."
"I have faith in you," Harry patted him on the shoulder.
"Why?"
He noticed that Oghren's question was a lot more sober than he otherwise seemed.
"Because for two years, you didn't give up on your wife," he replied. "When the rest of your people laughed in your face, you held onto hope. I know it didn't work out the way you had wished, but I respect your dedication. That's the type of dedication that will drive back the darkspawn horde and end the Fifth Blight.
"And that's why I'm your friend," he finished.
"I haven't got many of them left," Oghren shrugged.
"On the contrary, you've made several new friends lately."
"You and Sirius, the bard maybe, but the others-"
"Wynne fusses over you because that's been her role for so long as the mentor to young mages," Harry explained. "That's her version of affection. Same thing for Shale- the sarcastic little jibes are just how she is."
"What about Morrigan?"
"She doesn't like much of anything," Harry chuckled. "At least, she won't admit to liking much of anything or anyone. I wouldn't take her attitude too hard if I were you."
"Careful with that one, Harry," the dwarf snorted. "Sounds a little like Branka in some ways, you know?"
"I will be," he nodded before finishing off his glass and exhaling out a bit of smoke. "You need some help staggering off to bed?"
"Don't worry so much, I'll be fine."
"Cadash Thaig," Caridin spoke as they entered into the ruins of a dwarven city. "Lost long ago, but the original home of House Cadash. It was also your home, Shayle, once upon a time."
"It's seen better days," she remarked.
Harry had to admit the golem was right. The buildings still stood, something about the lyrium the dwarves used in construction maybe holding them up for so many centuries, but there had clearly been battles here. Not just from a war, but likely many skirmishes spread out over the decades.
The odder thing though was how green it was. Not only from mosses, but some areas where grass was growing up from the cracks between where the stone had eroded, and several vines and other plants scattered here and there. The likely source of all this was the sunlight shining down from the occasional hole in the ceiling.
"We must be close to the surface," he muttered.
"Indeed," Caridin agreed. "There may even be an exit that can still lead there directly, although it may no longer be passable. The darkspawn overran this area long ago."
"How long ago?" Leliana asked.
"Centuries, I believe" he replied. "I am no historian though, and I have been guarding the Anvil for so long that my focus has not been on things like this. Perhaps the answer lies within the Shaperate, but to our shame, sometimes facts are covered up if they are not palatable enough to those in power."
"We had a saying back home that history is written by the victors," Harry added. "It makes finding objectivity a problem."
"Darkspawn ahead!" one of the other golems shouted out. The floor shook as the stone warriors rumbled forward.
Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Do we even need to be here? I'm pretty sure these guys have got it covered."
"I just wanted Shale to know we cared," Harry shrugged.
"Aww, how sweet," Leliana giggled.
"Disgustingly so," Morrigan agreed with a sneer.
Harry watched as Shale picked up a chunk of stone and threw it at a genlock, which was reduced to little more than a smear on the ground. With the thirty or so of her peers, the darkspawn were getting completely wiped out so fast that there really was little for them to do. Of course, this was a section of the Deep Roads that had long been abandoned, so it would've been surprising if there was a larger presence.
He decided to keep his eyes open and be ready to apparate ahead if he needed to deal with any spellcasters or other more dangerous types of foes.
If the golems were angered by him 'stealing their kills' in the same way that Shale and Oghren sometimes bickered, Harry would just have to apologize. He chuckled as he and the other squishy organic companions chatted amongst themselves and fell in behind the crushing advance of the golems' march across Cadash Thaig.
For half an hour or more, that was how they proceeded. The golems were in the vanguard, smashing all darkspawn opposition and the occasional darkstalker- nasty little reptilian beasts that were like vermin. Much bigger than rats though, and with sharper teeth, but still more of an annoyance for a war party, let alone the nigh invulnerable stone giants that waded through the area.
And wading was definitely the right word as flooded sections of the ruins were quite plentiful. An underground river also ran through the center of the city.
Oghren eventually complained about being bored, so Harry apparated him a hundred yards or so ahead of the golems, just in sight of the next group of darkspawn that would need to be culled, and asked him not to get himself killed- and then surreptitiously cast a couple of protective spells he had learned from studying the school of Creation, Haste to allow Oghren to move, attack, and theoretically dodge faster, as well as Rejuvenate to help keep the dwarf's stamina from running out.
Finally, just to make extra sure his newest friend didn't bite off more than he could chew, Harry turned invisible and followed along, keeping Oghren in sight and his eyes peeled for any darkspawn spellcasters, or emissaries as they were called. An oddly religious sounding name, but then he supposed that the Archdemons were also known as the Old Gods.
Only once did Harry feel the need to pop ahead and fire a killing curse into the back of such a creature. Oghren, Shale, and the golems were quite able of managing the rest.
They came upon a narrow bridge over a section of the underground river than ran through Cadash Thaig and Harry pulled out his Firebolt and soared overhead to check what lay in store for them in the higher part of the city. There was a very tall statue of a dwarf- easily thirty feet tall by his guess- and in front of it yet another group of darkspawn including one extra large Ogre.
He made note of the brute and considered trying to slay it before the others had to deal with it. But the darkspawn with bows and crossbows began firing at him, so Harry dodged out of the way and swooped back to the others.
"More darkspawn ahead, along with a big nasty Ogre," he said.
"Good, I wouldn't want to get bored," Shale chuckled.
"Well, this is your show, so I just figured I would check to see if you wanted any of my help," Harry offered.
"We golems can handle it," she replied. Caridin nodded in agreement, and the two of them led the stone warriors over the bridge.
"Damn, I was just starting to have some fun," Oghren pouted as there was no way for him to squeeze in amongst them without being in danger of getting stepped on.
"There will be plenty more battles still to come," Wynne advised him. "Save your strength for next time."
As the sounds of combat began, the dwarf grumbled to himself, "Stinking golems."
Harry smiled and floated over in front of Morrigan. "Would you like to go for another ride?"
She sat down behind him and smirked as they lifted off. "Let's get the golem's little personal quest over with so you and I can do something more productive with our time."
"Like what?"
They flew up over the carnage and watched for a moment as Caridin and Shale were exchanging blows with the ogre. The rest of the golems were finishing off the smaller darkspawn and stood back to watch their leader take care of business.
"You realize 'tis likely to be a week or more for the golems to be able to march to Orzammar," Morrigan said. "We could begin our quest to gather information at Redcliffe, the Circle Tower, and even Lothering, if you still wish to pursue reconnaissance there. 'Twould be a waste for the rest of us to piddle about when we have your faster ways to travel.
"Speaking of which, I believe one productive thing would be for you to teach me to apparate."
"I could do that," he allowed. "It would be wise to get out of the Deep Roads first, though. I've noticed that it does seem to take a bit more power, likely due to the lyrium in the stone I suppose."
"Excellent."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crack as Shale broke one of the Ogre's horns off its head. Judging by the way its neck was violently wrenched out of position as it fell, even Ogres seemed to be vulnerable to spinal damage.
That was good to know actually- Harry thought that the Taint may have animated the darkspawn in ways that made them less akin to normal mortal humanoid creatures, but physically they seemed to be close enough in many respects. At least as far as how to kill them went.
He flew the two of them down to near the golems. Caridin was pointing to the inscription upon the stone surface underneath the statue.
"There is your name at the top, my old friend," Caridin announced. "Shayle of House Cadash. You were one of the bravest and most loyal warriors I had ever met."
"Was I?" She stepped closer and ran her large hand over the stone. "I... I think I remember something. There was a king."
"King Valtor," Caridin confirmed. "He was a good man, at first. But the power of the Anvil led to his corruption."
"Power has a habit of doing that," Harry agreed.
"And I... volunteered?" Shale spoke more quietly than usual.
"Yes, you wanted to protect our people by whatever means you had," Caridin said. "Becoming a golem, once upon a time, was seen as an honor. A privilege. That was my mistake, noble though my intentions may have been."
"There are images, pieces of things," she replied. "It is a jumble though."
"Perhaps more time will allow the memories to return," Harry suggested. "Now that things have been jarred loose, so to speak."
"Perhaps."
"Take your time, my old friend," Caridin answered.
Shale waved him off. "I've spent too many years standing around. Let us march to Orzammar and get those fools in order so that we may destroy the darkspawn. I may not remember a lot of things, but I do so enjoy tearing those little pests limb from limb."
She turned back to Harry. "Though, I did notice several wonderfully sparkly crystals nearby. Perhaps we could take some samples for my adornment."
"I believe we can do something about that," Harry grinned. Then, he noticed a small crack where a bit of the stone had broken off her left fist, and that made him frown. The golems weren't completely invulnerable after all, but Wynne couldn't heal Shale the same way she did for the organic members of their group. But perhaps...
"Reparo!"
And sure enough, the incredibly handy mending charm fixed the damage to his inorganic friend. Shale nodded in appreciation while Caridin inhaled deeply.
"Your magic can even repair our kind?"
"Apparently so," Harry smiled.
He spent the next several minutes waving his wand over the rest of the golems, fixing up small flaws here and there.
"Perhaps our meeting was even more fortunate than I had thought," Caridin said as he watched.
"I hope so," Harry agreed.
"Once you're finished, we'll begin the return to Orzammar."
"The rest of my friends are going to travel to a couple of other places while you do so," Harry explained. "I can use the tracking charm I cast on Shale to know when you reach the city. We'll meet there, but my companions believe we'll be able to get a few tasks resolved in the meanwhile."
"Very well." Caridin held out his large metal hand and Harry shook it. "Until next we meet."
