Prologue: Betrayal
Chapter 9: Assuming Direct Control
The Dark Mother walked through the upper stone halls of the Long Stretch, a large part of the Deep Roads that had been isolated from the rest due to multiple cave-ins. She had Gruk at her side as well as an escort of various infamous Logosha elite warriors. They were on their way to the stone formation known as the 'Commanding Ledge,' where the leaders of the Logosha and the almighty Voice of Urthemiel, a Hurlock said to speak nothing but the words of the Archdemon itself, commanded the Logosha horde. The Logosha were Darkspawn within a grey area that separated them from the rest of them. They had a direct, yet indirect link to the Archdemon. They could not receive orders from the Archdemon without a Voice, and they were more separated than they were connected to the other Darkspawn. Should the Voice of the Archdemon be silenced, the Logosha would lose the will of the Archdemon and focus on the separate will of the Dark Mother until another Voice appeared. Should both the Voice and the Dark Mother die, control would fall to the High Warchief: Gruk. If he died, the title of leader would pass down the ranks to the very last Logosha. This, along with the Broodmothers of the Logosha, made their extinction an event that was highly unlikely. The Broodmothers were many, and for each Logosha legion lost another was born and combat ready in less than a month's time.
The Logosha, whilst they followed the Archdemon's orders as a form of guidance, were not entirely loyal to it. They had their own agenda, and when it truly came down to it there was only one they answered to. Even the Hierarchs answered to one person, though often that person seemed to answer to them. The Dark Mother. The Hierarchs included all leaders of the Logosha, including Gruk and many others excluding the Voice. The Dark Mother never spoke to the Logosha horde in its entirety, though the Hierarchs spoke her precise words to the horde. It was believed that the common Logosha were not worthy to hear her speak, and so the Hierarchs forbade her from speaking to the entire horde. However, she sat highest on the Commanding Ledge to show all Logosha her powerful and horrific beauty.
"Dark Mother, we can attack the ruins now. The surface dwellers will not expect such an attack so soon if the bulk of our forces are still too far away, the Archdemon sees this and the Voice says we are to attack the ruins." Gruk growled as they continued to walk through the halls decorated with melted rock, soon to be nearing the entrance to the Commanding Ledge.
The woman shook her head and let out a sigh, "That will only get us killed, Gruk. Damn the Voice and Archdemon, their orders are flawed and they only wish to see our kind wiped off of this world. There is an army at Ostagar, we should allow an army to attack it. No, we must focus our gaze elsewhere."
"But we outnumber them..."
"Not everything is about numbers, my dearest. A group of ten can hold back hundreds if they know what they are doing, and if they know they are not going back to their homes." The Dark Mother replied before reaching the closed iron door that was the entrance to the Commanding Ledge.
There were ten Logosha standing outside of it, two guarding either side of the door whilst the others just remained alert while going about their business. The Logosha weren't like the other Darkspawn, that much would be obvious to anyone who faced them in combat. They had minds of their own, and did not operate like the other, more common Darkspawn. They were outcasts, and every Archdemon that had been in power since their conception knew that they would only follow their orders the way they saw fit. The current Dark Mother was the seventieth to have risen in power, the others having been killed, slaughtered by their Archdemons. Urthemiel had only claimed one, the current Dark Mother's mentor and indeed her mother as well. This made Urthemiel a special spot in the Dark Mother's heart full of hatred and wrath. The Voice of the Archdemon was treading on a thin rope with her, constantly butting into commands in order to set them the way Urthemiel had wanted them to go. Whether Gruk, or any of the Hierarchs knew what the Archdemon was doing... She did not know, and she certainly did not care.
"Make way for the Dark Mother, you grunts. And avert your eyes, you are not worthy of seeing her magnificence." Gruk commanded in a growl and right away all of the Darkspawn looked towards the ground, making sure that their weapons were put away.
To bear arms in the Dark Mother's presence and it not being a battlefield was punishable by death of the worst kind; The Executioner's Relic. A relic worn by the Dark Mother, much like that found in the Cousland vault and all other relics, but it was instead a relic that used buried near to where the current Archdemon was. They swooped in before any other Darkspawn could get their hands on it and immediately took it back to the Long Stretch. Of course, only the previous Dark Mother was able to transport it due to the harmful effect it had on the Logosha.
Gruk pushed open the heavy iron door and marched in with the elite warriors following closely behind. All together, they formed a curtain of flesh and iron to ban the Logosha horde from seeing the Dark Mother make her entrance until she sat upon her throne. All of the Hierarchs placed their gazes upon the stone floor below them. All save for the Voice, who regarded itself as second only to Urthemiel due to it being a vessel of the Archdemon's commands. The Dark Mother climbed up the fifteen steps, taking a seat upon her throne made from the bones of the three common races as well as iron. It had a soft seat and back so that she could truly rest upon it, unlike the other seats of the Hierarchs which were completely made of stone, metal, or bone. Gruk had taken his seat which was just below the Dark Mother's and the elite warriors dispersed so that the Hierarchs could be seen.
As soon as the Hierarchs were completely revealed to the Logosha horde, the Darkspawn chanted loudly the name of their order. Loud percussion in the form of the Logosha beating upon their armor was heard, and shook the very ground. All of the Hierarchs allowed this to continue for around a minute before the Dark Mother raised her arm into the air, making a fist which silenced each and every one of them. Her orders were supreme. They were not to be disobeyed. Gruk looked up at the Dark Mother, who had in return looked down at him and nodded. Her eyes flashed with a bright and magnificent purple before remaining that color. The High Warchief's body tensed up as the same happened to him and eventually he leaned forward, seeming to examine each and every Darkspawn that stood below.
The Voice narrowed its eyes at what was happening, not entirely trusting it. The Archdemon knew a great many things, and passed that knowledge down to its pawns so that they knew what they were dealing with. What the Voice had witnessed was the Dark Mother taking control of the High Warchief. She had not consulted with him before doing this; such a thing was an act of heresy! He growled which bared his disgusting and rotting teeth, he was going to wait and see what the Dark Mother was going to order and step in if need be.
"Hear the words of the Dark Mother!" Gruk roared aloud, standing up and walking down each of the steps that led to his throne. His eyes returned to normal.
The throne he sat upon was right below the Dark Mother's in height, more than likely due to his position. He was the second in charge. She made it that way because he was the only one she knew she could ever completely trust. Darkspawn, whether they be from the majority or from the Logosha, all hated other forms of life. They had a single purpose, and that was to corrupt. However, when they saw that the Dark Mothers and their elite warriors all displayed superior strength and influence, the large horde that was known as the Logosha fell quickly into line and never doubted the surface races ever again. Often times even accepting them if they were willing to obey commands.
"For years we have waited. For years we have starved ourselves. Our numbers are much lower than what they used to be, but we are strong enough to hold back any who dare attempt to crush us. Our more common brethren may outnumber us, they may be able to cover more ground than us, but they are no where near as powerful as each and every Logosha that stands today! Our offspring are born more intelligent, more strong, more agile, and more enduring than those pathetic whelps the Archdemon commands! Each and every single one of you hold a place in your Dark Mother's heart! Each and every single one of you hold an objective, a goal, that must be accomplished! The Archdemon, the master of our numberless and mindless brothers have attempted to take control of us! It wishes us to march upon Ostagar, it wants us to destroy the forces in the ruins, but it takes a blind and worthless dragonling to not see the devastation that would wreak upon our kind!" Gruk shouted, now pacing back and forth towards the front of the Commanding Ledge.
That part of the speech alone was enough to make the Voice get up from its own, low-sitting throne and walk over to Gruk and seize his head in its strong grasp. "This 'High Warchief' is under the influence of the human wretch! Together they try, and beg you to betray your rightful master! Listen to me! Each and every one of you belong to me! Enough playing around with humans, elves, and dwarves! Your true fate is to serve me completely, and without question! She speaks of I, Urthemiel the Beautiful, and tries to make you betray me. No more!" The Voice roared much like a dragon would.
The Voice of Urthemiel tossed Gruk aside, sending the Warchief slamming into his throne and breaking it. "The words I speak are words you shall heed. You are all mine to control, the Darkspawn all bend knee to me! Together, you Logosha shall be my vanguard. We will crush the surface and make this world our domain!"
The rest of the Hierarchs remained in their seats, not sure how to act. Well, they knew what they wanted to do. But the Dark Mother hadn't allowed them to, not yet anyway, which meant that she had a plan. That became more apparent when she wore the relic she had retrieved from the Cousland vault around her neck openly. She had discovered what it did. It was a relic of immense power, though it merely looked like a fancy amulet worth a large pouch of gold. In truth, it was a priceless tool and now that she could wield it... The power was only her own to command. She stopped right behind the Voice, who heard her final step and turned around. Unfortunately, as soon as the Darkspawn looked upon the woman he felt his body tense up. Something pushed its way into his mind severing most, but not all of the connection he had to the Archdemon. He slowly drew his sword whilst all of the Logosha save for Gruk, who was unconscious, looked upon the scene unfolding before them.
"The Archdemon believes he is the only one who can control Darkspawn. That is true, when it comes to controlling them en masse. We know of the Architect, and we know of ourselves. You all may hate me, you may all want me dead for what I am. But know that I have the power to control your movements, your every action, whether you breathe or suffocate due to not having the will to draw another corrupt breath. Keep that thought in mind, each and every one of you Hierarchs, each and every one of you workers and soldiers. Then add to that thought the fact that I have not exercised such power on you, and allowed you to remain free of all control." The Dark Mother called out to all of the Logosha.
She took a few steps towards the voice who stared at her with his eyes glowing the same bright purple that the dragon's eyes on the amulet did. "Give me your sword, dear." The woman spoke softly to the Darkspawn, who had offered her the hilt.
She took the grip and tightened her fingers around it, holding it towards his stomach before placing a finger underneath the Hurlock's jaw. "Which is more than can be said of the Archdemons that seek only to control and destroy." The Dark Mother called out to all of them before plunging the sword into the Voice's gut, twisting it and pushing him off of the Commanding Ledge.
The Logosha let out loud roars as they saw the Hurlock plummet to the ground, and the Hierarchs narrowed their eyes at their Dark Mother. "Silence! I am now in direct control, I will speak for myself and you will all listen. I am not a goddess, but I wield powers beyond comprehension. With me in control of the Logosha, I shall lead us to victory and our enemies to death!"
"But without the Archdemon's guidance, where will you take us?" Syferax, the Hierarch of Defense asked aloud for all to hear.
The Dark Mother chuckled in a very dark manner, "The Grey Warden recruits all gather at Lothering. I shall send a force of twenty to raze the village and destroy all of the potential recruits. Meanwhile, I personally will tend to matters up in the northernmost part of Ferelden. Gruk shall be in charge while I am busy. I also want the Broodmothers getting to work to replenish our numbers. No more shall we allow the parasite to slowly kill us."
"As you command, Dark Mother. All of us do not hate, nor wish your death. We'd sooner die than that!" The Hierarchs all said in unison.
"This meeting is concluded. I shall allow Gruk to choose out of the horde who is to raid the village. The rest of you shall just listen to him and prepare for my return." The Dark Mother said before heading back the way she had arrived from.
Syferax simply looked over at the demolished throne and let out a sigh. "Guards, take the High Warchief to the healing hut and see to it that our Warchief is ready to command us." He ordered and six of the Hurlock elite warriors stepped forward to carry out the task.
The Logosha were completely loyal to the Dark Mother, despite what the Archdemon had said. The Voice and no doubt Urthemiel himself believed that they were not, that because she was a human they had a desire to kill her. It was entirely the opposite. It was a side not many saw of the Darkspawn, perhaps because the Logosha were a unique bunch. They desired world domination and supremacy. The Darkspawn horde and its master, along with most if not all of the other 'groups' that were separated from the main horde only desired destruction. The Logosha didn't want the entire world, at least, not at their current point in time. Ferelden would be enough to quench their thirst for supremacy. For awhile.
Plans for the Future:
It was often said to me by my mother that the Archdemon and any who controlled the Darkspawn always stunted the growth of the Logosha. That we were weak, and controlled despite being free from the normal means of it. I never knew what she meant. As a little girl I saw my father, he was a knight indebted to the Cousland family whom had fallen for my mother's beauty and power. He knew what my mother was, and she had even made him the High Warchief of the Logosha regardless of what the Voice warned her of. It was around the time of his ascendance to High Warchief that I met my life-long companion, Gruk, a young Hurlock who was destined to go from berserker, to general, to High Warchief. By the time I was but five years of age he had already matured to adulthood, but that is well off course.
My mother's power had begun to drive my father mad when I was around fifteen. Gruk was training me how to fight when out of nowhere my father had come barging in and demanding to speak to me in private. The berserker followed his orders, for to deny them would be heresy and he would be executed. Though he also had orders from my mother to watch over me, and had he not been given those overriding orders I would have died many years ago. My father, when Gruk had left, attempted to cut me down but was stopped by the double-bladed battleaxe that Gruk wielded. It dug into his head and thus ended my father's tenure as High Warchief and Gruk was promoted to General.
At this time Gruk and I led two separate groups of Logosha. Those under my command numbered around fifty elite warriors of different skills and were named the Fist whilst Gruk led thousands named the Gauntlet. Well, at the time there were only four thousand Logosha that awaited a General. The rest of the eight thousand had already been under the command of two other Generals. For years afterwards, no one sat upon the throne of the High Warchief. This caused infighting, a struggle to gain that much power and eventually Gruk killed the two Generals who posed the most claim to the throne and sat upon it himself. Around this time, however, my mother had been deceived and betrayed by the Voice of Urthemiel. The newest and most despised of them all.
I took the reigns of the Hierarchy and the Logosha made sure to obey me above all else. Unfortunately, I was naive enough to believe the Voice provided great assistance to us. That only lasted for two years until Urthemiel was found, thus giving the Voice his name. Then, I watched carefully and quietly. I saw what the two of them, or what Urthemiel himself was trying to do. The Logosha were steadily declining. All of the battles he had sent us into were for pathetic goals, and that was when I started searching for the powerful relics my mother had told me about. With her knowledge to give me strength and wisdom, I alone command the Logosha horde, and I will never relinquish my command until the day my daughter takes over. Not that I have one... yet.
I've spoken briefly to the Cousland boy, the middle child of three. I'm not as foolish as I once was, I can see clearly now what the actions are that the surface races are taking. His sister heads to Lothering with the Grey Warden Commander in order to regroup with the other recruits and head south to Ostagar. Coincidentally, that is also where the eldest brother is now, following the orders of this King Cailan. Poor Aedan... left all alone to rule an entire piece of Ferelden and its people all by himself. He has the makings of a good King, or Emperor... but each of those types of people need a woman to keep them in line. To guide them, give them power, and assist them in their ruling... I am coming for you, Cousland... I will be that woman of yours.
Prepare for 10/31