DISCONTINUED Dragon Age: Group of Exiles ARCHIVE

by Sarenieth

With time running short as the relentless Blight rages across Ferelden everyone must give their all for the life of their world. The Cousland, Tabris, Mahariel, Amell, Surana, Brosca, and Aeducan bloodlines all sacrifice their beloved children for this singular cause. They are led by a Shadow, and they are hellbent on restoring the Wardens, as well as putting an end to their foes.

14. Prologue - Chapter 11: Part 1

Prologue: Betrayal

Chapter 11: The Innocent Traitor; An Understanding; Our Last Feast; The Battle of Ostagar; The Infinite Army; A Regrouping; Oaths; Departure

AN: I hope you all are prepared for the largest chapter posted since 1/8/2015. Have fun, and prepare to read in a few sittings. Also, I cannot wait to see what this year brings us! I hope your holidays were great, and that all is well. Personally, from the end of November to when I write this (12-12-15) I've had A LOT go on. I hope your lives have been less chaotic. Now, get reading trooper! You've a long haul ahead of you!

(12-21-15) Sorry for the incorrect date. Oh well, hope you enjoy!

(12-22-15) Well, it's finally done. I've decided not to edit it, I edited the first parts of The Innocent Traitor fairly well but I just don't have the time. Maybe in the future I'll come back and fix it up, make it shine. But for now, please pardon any incorrect spelling or grammar used in the chapter. This is our longest chapter yet, and the next half will definitely be more shorter than this one. Maybe, more than likely. This was really a big part of the story and despite me getting restless, I think I did a good job laying everything out and there is more to be laid out. Also, sorry for being two days late :P

---

The Innocent Traitor:

"Actions performed by one often have the most impact upon another's life. See to it, Lyna, that you do not squander the short amount of time that it may be a boon to you... Because if you waste that time, the boon may shift into a weapon stabbing into your heart." Shadow spoke to the new Grey Warden as she faced her sparring partner. Someone who only went by the title: 'The Giant.' "We've only two days and one night until the bulk of the horde reach the valley beneath the ruins. And even less before the actual fighting begins. The Darkspawn have given us a boon, falon. Let me see how you use it!"

Ysil laid there on her bed within the local tavern inside of Castle Cousland. Not many people had used it, that much was known. Though that was no doubt due to the fact that only important people were allowed inside the castle, unless it were a day the Teyrn called forth for all subjects to meet him to address the issues of the realm. Otherwise, those that resided within the castle itself were guards or people who had their own places to compensate them for their work within the walls. Her mind drifted to thoughts about that elf girl Aedan was associating himself with. Did that boy not know how bad doing such a thing would be for him? She had to think of a plan to separate them, and it had to be permanent with no possible way back. The woman had spent the entire night planning out what would happen in the next few hours.

It was barely daybreak, and knowing how the nobility of Ferelden worked granted her a special advantage towards her plans. If she tried to confront the Cousland boy now, she would only be met by public interference. His guards would be freshly changed, and being the only thing able to prepare Highever for a small war between the Howe family and his own... it would be foolish to simply state that he would be 'well guarded.' His guards weren't precisely her issue, however, other outside sources were. The most evident of them all being that elvish wench who followed him everywhere he went. She needed to be dealt with. Ysil knew that, only a fool would be ignorant to that simple fact. She just needed to think of a way to separate them, if even for a moment, so that she could set the scene for her downfall.

The Dark Mother's plan, Ysil's plan, was already planned out. All of the pieces were placed together and made airtight so that no mistakes could possibly be made. There was one final piece that she could just not find, however, and that was how to lure them away from one another. Any simpleton could say battle; conflict would be a surefire way to separate them. That would not work in this case, however, as she knew that should she pull something like that... her goal would fall apart rapidly with Howe being the dagger she slit her own throat with. Her diversion had to be something that would keep Aedan somewhat focused, and safe rather than battle which would draw his attention elsewhere and jeopardize his current standing. Her beautiful and bright purple eyes shot open in frustration. She could not think of what could possibly separate them for more than a moment. Iona was there for Aedan. Not the other way around, nor for any other possible reason unless Landra left her behind as an asset to gather information. Regarding that last thought, Ysil couldn't help but let out a giggle. Surely that elvish girl couldn't even comprehend how to play spy.

Another thought crossed her mind; why hadn't she thought of abduction? The answer to that, however, was quite simple. Abduction would not give her the edge she needed in order to shift Aedan's gaze in her own direction. Yes, Ysil could abduct Iona and spread whatever word she wished without anyone being the wiser. But, that did not make her appear as an asset to Aedan, only someone who knew something that he didn't. Perhaps hiring a group of mercenaries under Howe's name would prove useful? To add further to that most intriguing idea, why didn't she just seduce one of his soldiers to do her bidding? In theory it could work, it would just require some powerful persuasion. That, or perhaps if her newly required amulet worked on races other than Darkspawn... That was it! She had so much power at her disposal and she hadn't even taken into account that those very powers may work on things other than the Logosha! She already knew her own powers as well as their weaknesses. Controlling one of the surface races, or even dwarves, would be much like controlling a Darkspawn not of the Logosha. Whilst she had been taught by her mother how to correctly lead the Logosha using their unique blood without the amulet, one thing was for certain; the powers she now held over the Logosha were nothing compared to the power the Archdemon held over regular Darkspawn. Furthermore, whilst controlling the Logosha was harder, they were still very much different from the rest of the massive body of Darkspawn. The other more fair races were individuals, however, and there was no telling how they would handle it. Her own thought made her frown, however, as she realized what such a thing would require. She'd have to leave Castle Cousland for quite some time in order to find people to test her powers upon. If they were successful, then she could begin with her plan and perhaps even more. If her powers were not successful on the more 'fair' races, however, it would prove to be most problematic as she would have literally wasted all of that time.

Without another word she got up off of her bed and rushed outside of the room. She ran through the rather small and cramped hallway, down the stairs, and through the exit of the small inn. She had no time to waste, and would prefer to be back within the Castle as its Lord's adviser within the next four days, with less than one day being preferable. Once she had left the castle she knew exactly where her next destination would be. The village that was not too far from the walls of Castle Cousland. She could test her power out on common folk, then sneak into the prison to test it on more hardened and prepared minds. Stealth was something that came easily to Ysil, perhaps too easily. Besides, were she ever in a pinch the Logosha would be all over her pursuers within a minute's time. Not that she would require their aid if she were in the prison due to her powers working...

Her previous thoughts from the night before regarding Aedan were wrong, she now had the clear mindset to admit that. Sure, having him as a mere pawn would have its benefits, but to have him willingly trust her and act for her would out weigh the benefits of another pathetic minion. Ferelden, if she could manage to have Aedan to herself, very well could be within her grasp. It would just require careful maneuvering and planning to achieve. Iona was the first of many steps she would have to take in order to secure her place upon the throne of an entire kingdom. To secure their place on their rightful thrones. With the Logosha, the Cousland's slowly recovering army and those who align themselves with Aedan... little would be able to stand in their way. The Logosha being their greatest asset, as they were completely loyal to the Dark Mother and the one whom she chose to make her partner. Though, even in that case their loyalty was ultimately still with her. As was the case during her own father's corruption, they sided with the future Dark Mother than the current High Warchief. It was a thought that kept Gruk awake at night, as he knew his place among the people he ruled should he act out against Ysil. Not that he would ever do that, they were close to inseparable ever since she was a young girl and he a mere grunt.

---

It hadn't been long until she reached the small village. She saw many scurrying about to do their daily deeds, as well as communicate with the guards who were sent to protect all of them. Believe it or not, that fact alone had made her job easier than it should have been. With everyone outside and working, if she could find someone staying inside, perhaps a shop owner, she could get to work sooner than anticipated. In truth she had expected complications for when she reached the village, not completely understanding what it was like to live as Ferelden's common folk. She had been taught how the nobility worked. She had been taught how to maneuver around cities without suspicion, even how to communicate with Lords like Aedan. Never before, though, had she been taught what the lives of peasants were like. She did not know what to act, or even how to blend in with them.

When she had entered the town she had expected the few stares she had received. It probably wasn't too rare for strangers to wander through the village, but when it was only a few days after an invasion she could understand their increased curiosity and worry. She spoke no words, nor made any eye contact in response to their own. That wasn't exactly her way, and it would have proved counterproductive to perform in any form of engagement with the people. She was in that village for one sole purpose, and if she could succeed in that purpose soon all would be well within the day. Rather than the week, or month; time that she knew she did not have.

Without another thought she walked over to the village's tavern and pushed open the metal door. Ysil was greeted with nothing out of the ordinary, a pair of two standing behind the counter of the bar. Whilst she didn't know everything about the culture of the surface, she took an educated guess that they were in charge of the place. This was further proven to her when the middle aged woman smiled at her, the younger boy no more than sixteen years of age preparing to carry out commands.

"Welcome! Isn't often we get newcomers entering our little tavern." The woman said with a soothing voice, one that reminded Ysil of her mother's.

She noted that the boy's eyes scanned her over, in a fashion that almost made her curious as to his past. It wasn't in a common and friendly way, there was something about the way his eyes scanned her that hinted towards predatory instincts. Ysil didn't let her mind linger on the fact for too long. The child had probably never seen any women other than the peasants of the village as well as its guards. If his attention turned more ill than good, he would learn to acknowledge his place in her presence.

"Thank you, kind lady." Ysil spoke with her voice sounding warm, and soft. "How much gold for one night's stay, and the day's meals?"

"Oh! Only fifteen gold coins is all for that. Nothing too expensive compared to prices of villages further out than us. Thirty if you want the entire upstairs, which is like a miniature house." The woman replied with a bright smile appearing on her face. "Have you eaten yet, dear?"

Ysil shook her head as she grabbed her coinpurse, setting it on the bar as she took her seat. "No, I've not had the chance to get anything in my stomach since yesterday morning. I've been busy up in the castle." She informed them as she opened up the pouch that held her coins, picking exactly thirty gold coins from the black leather pouch and stacking them on the bar.

The boy's eyes glistened with curiosity as he looked at the white-haired woman. "You've been up and inside Castle Cousland? Who are you, I haven't heard nor seen you around these parts before."

The woman, whom Ysil could only assume was his mother, smacked his lips in a scolding manner. "It's rude to ask patrons about their business. Now go get her some food and drink, boy."

"Y-Yes, mother." He whimpered in response, his right hand idly coming up to touch his stinging lips.

Without another word leaving the boy's mouth, he turned and rushed off towards the kitchen to do as he was ordered. Before he disappeared, the Dark Mother caught the peasant's watery eyes. For how many years had his mother acted with an abusive hand towards him, Ysil wondered. She watched as the lady put away the gold and nodded at her.

"Sorry about him, like I've said; we haven't exactly gotten many outside visitors, so he doesn't know how to act properly. While your food cooks, why don't I show you your quarters?" The Innkeep asked with a smile.

Ysil nodded somewhat grimly, "That would be most appreciated." She stated with the right side of her lip curling into what was a seemingly innocent grin.

The two of them then departed from the bar, and as they moved towards the stairs to the side of the building Ysil got a good look around. It was a large building, larger than what she had anticipated from the outside. It had several rooms downstairs, and from what the lady had told her, the upstairs was more or less a house of its own. Probably to hold important persons, or those who were rich enough to afford it.

"The last person who paid for this 'room' was found to be an informant to that traitor, Howe. The soldiers grabbed onto him, and I've never seen a body contort in such a way as it fell down the stairs. It was rather traumatizing, if I hadn't seen worse in me life." The black haired Innkeeper said as the two of them walked up the twelve steps to the second floor. "I trust you aren't aiding that, or any other traitors to the Couslands? The Teyrn and Teyrna didn't deserve to die, and Aedan didn't deserve to have everything dropped on his shoulders alone."

"I agree, and that is actually what I am here to address. I trust you won't tell anyone, but I've been running around all over Highever to ensure our young Lord is informed of any movements made by his enemies." Ysil stated once they reached the door that the Innkeeper unlocked with a key that she then handed towards

The woman nodded as Ysil took the key, "That's good. He's going to need all of the help he can get. We've a lot of our children to mourn, Lord Fergus took a large majority of the army down south to fight Darkspawn and I was sure that Highever would be in Howe's hands when the attack began. Luckily our 'young Lord' has a natural talent for battle. A few of 'em came down here to recruit me son but I turned them away. He's worthless, all he's good for is doing work 'round here."

A lie. Brilliantly put to anyone other than Ysil, but the Dark Mother could sense the potential the boy represented. He was strong, and smart in ways that would get him farther out in the world than his mother gave him credit for.

"Well, here you are. Feel free to look around, your breakfast should be done in a short while." The Innkeeper said before starting to walk down the stairs again.

Before Ysil entered her small room, she looked down at the descending woman and quickly called out to her. "Could you please have my breakfast sent up here? I am quite tired and don't want to make another trip down for quite awhile."

"Of course, dear." The Innkeeper said without looking back.

The Dark Mother took a brief moment to examine the small area she was in now. Indeed it was cramped, and had a single torch to light up the entry way to her quarters. There was nothing else there, just the steps and the small square space she was in. Ysil didn't wait a second longer and walked inside of her quarters, closing the door behind her. She was pleasantly surprised by the look of the place, no normal inn would be able to have such a room within it. That told her that supplies were being brought to this village steadily, and that costs weren't exactly an issue for the people living here. Well, they were no doubt raised to keep up with the economy, or else they would have had it too easy within this village. Whatever the case, the building's interior seemed to have changed as soon as she entered her quarters. Everything was so clean and tidy, it was as if she had entered a house with servants tending to it. Now the waiting game began, whilst she told the truth and was indeed hungry... each moment she could acquire with that boy would be a moment worthy of her attention. So young, so impressionable, hardened physically by what was no doubt years of abuse... His allegiance could prove to be useful to her. All she would have to work on would be his mental state. Insanity or any mental issue that created a fragile mindset, whilst useful for disposable manpower, was not good for those she had prolonged plans for.

---

Hours had passed. The morn had passed into high noon. Noon had passed into the later parts of the day, and they had turned into night. She had spoken frequently with the young boy she had met. In the short time she had gotten to know him, he had shared with her his past as well as what he aspires to be. The woman downstairs was not actually his parent, but rather the stepmother he was left with when his mother passed away. She was apparently murdered, but the boy known as Thomas swore it was the stepmother. The innkeeper was apparently named Alison, but that information wasn't exactly something Ysil cared about. Thomas' father apparently passed away in service to the Couslands during a Dalish attack on a caravan he was assigned to guard. After his father died when he was at the young age of five, his stepmother took over and worked him often to complete exhaustion. He was beaten if he so much as spoke without first being addressed first.

Since the boy slept in the cellar of the inn whilst Alison left to live in the home left to her by Thomas' father, Ysil offered for him to join her upstairs. She had plenty of room, and her quarters had two bedrooms. Not that them going to sleep that night was her intent. There were two guards downstairs hired by Alison to watch over the inn until morning, whilst one villager she had employed took over the nightly activities. It occurred to Ysil right away that she let the boy sleep not because of pity, but because an overworked servant is not a very good one. Her true intent for inviting him upstairs would be to gain his allegiance.

Despite the power that she had at her disposal, she preferred people to obey her with their own will. Unless, of course, she was intending to kill them. Then she would take their will from them and let them watch from within their head whilst their lives end. Her thoughts were halted there when she heard some small knocks on her door. She knew who it was as his presence was one she had memorized.

"Come in!" She called out from the living room of her 'home.'

The door was then opened briefly and shut in mere seconds. She heard his quiet footsteps until eventually the nervous boy appeared in front of her, wearing cleaner clothes than she had seen on him before. He must have changed before heading up there to meet her, not that she could really blame him. He looked as if he had been through a violent and dirty battle. Ysil smiled and motioned for him to join her on the small wooden, yet cushioned couch.

As he took his seat she spoke to him, "You remember what I told you? How I am a part of a group that could train you and allow you to get revenge on Alison?"

She had refrained from calling the Innkeeper his mother, or stepmother, due to the anger it caused within him. Just mentioning her by name allowed Ysil to feel his anger build up. He would be a most interesting man to accept into the Logosha's ranks. One of the first, and perhaps the Warchief of the foreign army she sought to create with the help of Aedan.

"Y-Yes... You said they would be here and you would show me a glimpse of the p-power you hold..." He stuttered nervously, his mind and body acting defensively.

"Indeed, and please relax Thomas. I will not bring harm to you." Ysil said softly before looking towards the center of the room, as did the boy.

As they gazed towards the burning fire that was contained by the fireplace, it died and darkness moved quickly over the entire room. A bright purple light was seen, magical in its form as it swirled around a dark core that expanded. Plate was heard as if it were in the same room, as well as the sounds of thousands of voices chanting... though the voices were like whispers and spoke only one word: Logosha. Gruk was the first to walk through the portal, his blood red eyes penetrating the soul of the boy who had a fearful expression on his face. Once he stopped completely the fire roared back to life with its flame bright purple. Six other Logosha walked out of the portal, all Hurlocks and each of them with symbols carved into their foreheads in a 'scar-tattoo.' Each representing a word that defined them. Greed, Wrath, Hatred, Vanguard, Guardian, and Mischief. Their identity. With these six Hurlocks were also the branding marks that covered their entire necks to represent the legions they were apart of. Wrath and Hatred were a part of the common infantry legion led by General Lisreg the Relentless and multiple others, ultimately being commanded by the Hierarch of Defense and Gruk. The dominant symbol being that of a Blight Wolf. Greed and Mischief were a part of the All-Seeing Legion led by Chief Scout Jor the Invisible, ultimately being commanded by Saerxs, the Hierarch of Intelligence. Their symbol being that of a completely open eye. Guardian was with the Legion of Defense, led solely by Hierarch Syferax himself. The dominant symbol being a sword and shield, with the sword crossing over the shield. Lastly, Vanguard was a part of Gruk's legion, only known as 'The Vanguard.' Of course this meant that only Grux controlled the Vanguard. Their symbol was indescribable, but resembled a deep-sea creature. They were the best of the best, and that was perhaps why Gruk and Vanguard both appeared to be a lot stronger and better equipped than the others.

"D-Darkspawn?! But how?!" Thomas asked with worry.

"We are not Darkspawn, human. We are better, we are the Logosha." Gruk replied with a snarl in his voice, the portal disappearing as soon as Greed stepped through completely.

"I am their Dark Mother, Thomas. They follow me, and me alone. Unlike the Darkspawn you speak of, they are somewhat accepting of the other races. Humans, elves, dwarves... mostly humans and elves though. And you should not worry, they do not spread the corruption like other Darkspawn. They've been severed from a lot of things, and that is how I am allowed to live among them each and every day. They wish to protect and bring order to Ferelden, with Aedan and myself in charge." She informed the young man to calm him, which it seemed to have worked.

In truth, not even the Logosha were incapable of spreading the corruption. They just had more control over it than other Darkspawn, and it allowed them to truly mask their presence against the Grey Wardens. It was an ability they had used countless times, but when they needed to they could channel the corruption into a prisoner who was pound and unable to intervene. It was much like a ritual they performed, but Thomas did not need to know these things. Not until he grew used to working with what he no doubt thought of as monsters.

Hatred smirked with his sharp and yellow teeth being shown through his cracked, black lips. "The Dark Mother says you are to be trained by the High Warchief himself, human whelp. You should be honored, especially since you have a choice to be the first of your kind among us. Beside us."

"Indeed." Gruk added.

"I... I will have power?" Thomas asked, "Revenge?"

Ysil nodded slowly, "You will command hundreds of men, and you will be backed by thousands. No one will be able to stand in your way, and that dreadful woman will be the first target you wipe out if you so wish."

"But you must know, human, such power does not come without difficult work and the payment of time, as well as blood. You are a peasant in the eyes of the surface world, and to us your bones are easily shattered. We must change that if you are to lead an army in the name of the Dark Mother." Gruk growled before looking over at the door, hearing movement on the wooden stairs.

The woman grinned as she placed a comforting hand upon Thomas' shoulder, "Hatred, Wrath... seize everyone who is within the tavern. I wish to test how far my power extends."

"Dark Mother." They both stated simply and went to leave the room before Ysil called over to them again.

"And boys... Do so quickly and quietly. I do not wish for anyone to hear what is going on inside. If they do, our efforts here in the north will come to a stop and you will be punished." She concluded.

Without another word the two Logosha did as they were ordered to, and opened the door of her room and rushing down the stairs. Noises were indeed heard, but Hatred and Wrath moved quickly and no one outside would have been alerted to any suspicious sounds. Those who were downstairs and in the open never saw what was coming after them. All they saw was a flash of darkness within the lit tavern before they were knocked unconscious.

"Gruk, search the rooms and Greed, lock the door. I've a feeling those two brutes didn't fully understand my command."

The two of them acknowledged the order before heading out of the room, leaving Thomas and the Dark Mother herself alone with Guardian, Vanguard, and Mischief. "Mischief, I am going to create a portal back to our home. I would like for you to have Hierarch Syferax dispatch some useless grunts through the portal I am opening. Ten in total. No more, no less. I have a plan for them."

"Your will be done, Mother." Mischief said as he crossed both of his arms in front of his chest, a proper Logosha salute.

Thomas hadn't expected any of what he was witnessing. Talking Darkspawn, disciplined Darkspawn, all of that plus an offer that was incredibly hard to refuse. Only an idiot would turn down such an offer, and he had a gut feeling if he did something unpleasant would happen to him. Whether it be a loss of memory, or even death... neither was something he looked forward to. So, they would make him into a leader and warrior? He'd have power over men, and would even be able to avenge his true mother? He watched as Ysil made the portal whilst she sat down, apparently it didn't demand a lot from her to do so. Either that, or she was used to the necessary payments she had to make in order to cast such a... was it a spell? She was a mage? A Maleficar? Or merely an Apostate?

"What do you plan to do up here?" Thomas asked, "I would have an honest answer before I sign onto anything."

His request caught Ysil's attention, though the two remaining Logosha just walked to the doorway to take their place as guards. "What ever do you mean, Thomas?" She asked in that soothing voice of hers.

"What are your plans up here in Northern Ferelden? Surely you want something here?" He continued.

Ysil chuckled softly, "If you are to be one of my many Generals, it is only fitting I tell you of my plans. Especially since it hits close to your home. You no doubt know of the recent attack on Castle Cousland, the one that left a single young man in charge? Well, he and all of the lands he owns are constantly threatened due to their weakened state. He needs more forces to protect everything he owns, and to make matters worse he is falling deeper into a pathetic crush he has with an elf. The way I see it, he won't get anything under control unless something changes. He needs the manpower, I can provide more than expendable soldiers, I can provide him an experienced and disciplined army that can easily dwarf any other in the matter of months. He needs guidance, and I can give him that. He needs someone at his side who can actually be of use, not some Elvhen peasant who will only get him into more trouble than she's worth."

Thomas' eyes widened at the information he was receiving. Lord Cousland was doing something with an elf? Not to mention, all elves were more or less peasants... Whilst Thomas himself was of low birth, even he knew that what Aedan was doing was ridiculous. The political backlash for doing something with a commoner alone would be strong, but an elf? By the Maker, anyone could use that to make the young Lord's claims illegitimate and severely hinder his new hold on his family's lands.

"And your plan to make you fall closer to him?" The young man asked.

"I will make her a traitor to Ferelden, and more importantly, to him. I will take that information to Lord Cousland himself, show him the proof, and even give him a taste of all that I could provide for his personal and public benefits." Ysil stated, and Thomas accepted that as enough knowledge.

He nodded at her slowly, "What must I do to sign on?" He inquired.

"First you must wait for Gruk to arrive back here, he and the other Logosha you have met will escort you to Syferax. You will begin a six month training regiment with the other Logosha grunts, and when you are finished with that I will meet you there. Then you will swear your unbreakable oath to me, stating that your life is mine to do with what I please. It is only fair, after all, I will be making you into what you will become. Third, I will supply you with a fresh and large group of recruits. You, along with other Logosha, will train them whilst the ultimate power goes to you to maintain them. Your army will be separate of the Logosha, and you must acknowledge that. Whilst the Hierarchs and I control the Logosha armies, you will control that one and report to me personally. Until I get Lord Cousland on board, that is." She informed him with a smile. "You are not making a mistake, Thomas."

"I know- uh... erm... What should I address you as?" He asked with curiosity in his voice.

The Dark Mother grinned, "Just call me Ysil, Thomas. I may be the Dark Mother of the Logosha, but for you I will make a rare exception. Especially since you will be the First General of the Surfacer Legions. I also see the potential within you... and I will make certain that Syferax unlocks it. Now, if you will excuse me I have some prisoners to experiment on." She said and gave him a small bow before leaving the room.

The sight was marvelous, oh yes, exquisitely so! It hadn't been an occurrence in her entire life where she was on the surface, in a building, with her warriors holding a group of surfacers hostage. As she walked down the stairs all of their heads turned to her, their mouths covered with cloth ripped either from their clothing or bedding. Once she was situated comfortable in front of all of them, a large amount of Logosha grunts poured from the room.

"Gruk, you and those who came with you are dismissed for now. He prepared as I'm going to have more work for you soon enough." She ordered.

The High Warchief nodded, "Yes, Dark Mother. Everyone report back to the portal."

"You are to take Thomas to Hierarch Syferax, dearest Warchief of mine. He needs training, and quickly if we hope to have a footing in the north before Urthemiel's horde arrives." She said hastily.

The Logosha Warchief said nothing and simply turned around, leading his men up the stairs and into the room they had came from. The large amount of Logosha were numerous, definitely more than the ten she had ordered. If she had to guess, there were at least thirty grunts at her command. Useful.

Her eyes began to glow bright purple, and she looked upon the weeping and fearful men and women that had been gathered on the main floor. Six in total, all adults. More men than women, with only two ladies being present. One of them was more than likely the barmaid while Thomas' stepmother was away. Such details were of the sort Ysil cared little for.

"Look upon me, humans. Examine my beautiful power, and obey." She commanded with a tone most cursing to hear.

Four of the six did as she had commanded, including the two women, but all six were met with something they hadn't expected. With the eyes of the amulet around her neck glowing the same as her own eyes, whispers were heard amongst them. Tempting whispers, whispers telling them to commit sins against all they had ever known and held to be the law of the Maker. Murder was the most prominent whisper. Whilst it had appeared that Ysil's power had gone awry, causing madness within the human subjects she had before her... It was actually going quite well. She was feeding them madness without directly commanding them. It would be much like torture, really, hearing whispers that slowly drove you mad. Whilst she did this, Ysil had pondered how far her powers went. Without the amulet she could control the entirety of the Logosha. With the amulet, she could overwhelm at least one Darkspawn's personal connection to the Archdemon; such was the case with the Voice. But... could she command humans without the amulet? She didn't know, and she would never take off the amulet. In the unlikely event of her death, she had a backup plan formed so that no one could ever get their hands onto the relics of power she held. Something her foolish mother didn't think of.

She waved her hand across the cloth bindings that held a middle aged man, burning it away and freeing him. Doing so allowed him to clutch his head whilst he wept in pain, but the Dark Mother had other plans for him.

"Stop crying." She had ordered and slowly the man started to do her bidding. "Kill the rest."

Ysil had recognized the man. He was one of the patrolling guards, not that there were many in the village. Most guards were stationed at Castle Cousland in order to keep it secure from any attack. Another sign of Aedan's weakness, he truly couldn't protect even the closest villages with his limited man power.

"With your hands, snap their necks." She hissed, and the man who had briefly put up a mental fight caved in.

He stood up, and with the others having been released of their torment... they saw one of the men who were supposed to protect them, instead kill them off one by one. Ysil held her hand out towards one of the grunts, and immediately hearing the mental call she had passed to him, the Logosha handed her his blade. With it she took a few steps forward before stabbing the man in the chest, releasing her control over him just in time for him to groan. Any other sounds he attempted to make were drowned out by him choking on his own life force. Ysil handed the Darkspawn back its weapon and sighed. Now that the testing had been successful, the next phase of her plan was to begin. Kidnapping and framing the elf girl, playing savior, and ultimately winning over Aedan's trust. When she took the time to observe the grunts, she smiled widely.

"It would seem dear Syferax got my message. He even made you look the part!" She said to the nearest Darkspawn.

"Mother?" He asked in curiosity.

She giggled before placing both of her hands on his cheeks, something that didn't seem normal in the slightest for any creature that looked like a human. "You all look just like the Darkspawn wastes of flesh controlled by the Archdemon! You're the perfect bait! I can run from you to inform Lord Cousland of an attack on his village whilst some of my mercenaries protect the villagers! While he's distracted with that, I'll arrange control of- Oh, but none of you need to know that! I love you Syferax!"

Other Logosha got twisted looking grins on their faces, usually when someone was coddled it was a mocking gesture. Unfortunately for all of them, if she could do the same to each and every one... she would. But they were mere grunts and didn't know any better. They knew they were going to end up being the first ones to die, and death didn't phase any of the Logosha. Which made suicide missions such as the ones they were one look like nothing more than another day.

"Now! In a little bit I want you to charge through those doors, and I want you to attack everything in sight. Got it?" She asked.

"Yes, Dark Mother." They all said quietly, knowing that they couldn't give away their presence.

Ysil smiled, "Good boys. Now, die well." She said before snapping her fingers.

Such a small action created something rather large in scale, at least as far as the normal world was concerned. A portal briefly opened up, swallowed her, and then she was gone. No trace of her left. An impressive feat, and not one many could perform. In fact, it almost seemed to be as if she were a demon of some kind, though that was far from the truth. Powerful by birth, trained intensely over many years of her life, and with all that greatness amplified by relics... her true amount of power was incomprehensible.

The Dark Mother decided to mix her plan up a bit, in order to have a bit of fun. It was a rather odd swap of plans two and three, making three the new two and two the new three. She cloaked herself in the shadows through means of her magical power, and saw that Aedan was busy ordering his men around and preparing for any kind of assault on Castle Cousland. That was good. It was fairly late, and if she could recall correctly her mother had said pampered surfacers usually were asleep around this time. It was after midnight, of course, and so she used one teleportation spell which landed her in Aedan's chambers.

---

"Gruk, prepare sixty of your Vanguard. Wear your best armor and make certain you are fully covered. Lord Cousland is getting a new powerful ally. Meet me on the outskirts of the village you were just at in about... ten minutes." She ordered the High Warchief, knowing he would not fail her. "And do make sure to show your allegiance to Lord Cousland."

With her commands having been relayed to Gruk, she moved forward into the Lord's chambers towards the side of the bed the elf was fixing up. Her eyes glowed bright purple again, and the glow caught Iona's attention. The sudden and rather unannounced appearance of the woman was enough to make the elvhen jump. With Ysil's eyes glowing brightly, it was evident to Iona that she was now cornered by some kind of sorceress.

"Dear sweet Iona, why such the distortion of your face? Lord Cousland would not approve, surely. Remove it from your face at once." The Dark Mother hissed, the venom in her voice indicating a hatred for the elf.

Iona didn't respond, not until she made eye contact with the dragon amulet the strange woman from before wore around her neck. The amulet seemed to force her eyes to meet Ysil's as she continued her approach.

"M-My apologies." Iona said in a whisper, her worried expression leaving her face into a more neutral one.

Ysil slowly placed the back of her hand on Iona's cheek, stroking it slowly. "I've a job for you, dear sweet Iona." She stated, disregarding the information her control over Iona's mind granted her. Much like the others in the tavern, she had no use of the elf's personal life and past.

"You are to sneak out of Castle Cousland, and meet Darkspawn at the shore. You are to give them orders on how to get into and attack those within this very castle. You are also to give them information on how to infiltrate Caer Oswin. You have no other allegiance than to the Archdemon Urthemiel and his Darkspawn horde." She ordered in a whisper lest anyone be within hearing range.

Iona nodded, "Yes, mistress."

"Now go. You will remember nothing of my presence." Ysil said at last, watching as the elf lady-in-waiting carried out her new orders.

The Dark Mother smirked, her plan was now set in motion and Iona would be meeting with some of the Logosha Grunts that were dispatched in the village. They still strongly resembled normal Darkspawn, which is why they were so easily abused. Young Logosha that were untrained were quite literally just like any other Darkspawn, and since they came in abundance they were thrown around for an easy solution for certain objectives. She used her teleportation once more to meet up with Gruk and his small force of sixty.

---

The Dark Mother appeared at the outskirts of the Cousland Village, darkness shrouding around her in a ghostly presence until it settled upon her body. She was now cloaked in literal darkness that added to her aura of terror. Behind her was Gruk and his sixty Logosha, half of the Vanguard now marching upon the soil of the surface. Something they had wanted to do for years. They stopped behind her, and Gruk walked to Ysil's side.

"Your Vanguard is ready, Dark Mother." The High Warchief informed her. The Vanguard referred to themselves as one body, and to an extent they were.

They were all wearing black plate armor that covered them completely. What the armor couldn't cover, darkened chainmail and clothes under the armor did. On their helmets was the purple eye, a new symbol they used to signify who their true leader was. On their right shoulder plates were the symbol of the Vanguard, a strange creature that looked as if it had belonged in the sea. On their chest plate was a new insignia; the seal of Highever. On their left shoulder were their ranks which were carved into it, and likewise branded upon their left shoulders. Gruk, having been bred to lead, had no mark upon his shoulder until recently. That was because he was not set into a specific legion. He willingly had a 'Y' carved into the armor and onto his shoulder so that it would never be able to get removed from him. He owed complete loyalty to the Dark Mother he had trained with when they were young.

Pillars of smoke arose in the distance and they could see the fires being lit by the grunts. "Take the village." She muttered quietly before the Vanguard simultaneously stomped their feet on the ground once.

It was a loud sound, plate moving to be stomped upon the ground. The action alone made the ground vibrate slightly. Then began the roaring of Gruk, and the loud sound of plate armor upon sixty running bodies. The cloak of darkness around the Dark Mother flowed in the wind as she began walking with Gruk at her side. Between the natural wind and that of the running Logosha, it was quite breezy outside.

"You did tell them to leave the villagers alone and offer assistance, right?" Ysil asked Gruk as they walked towards the village.

The High Warchief snorted, "Of course. The Vanguard is not an army of simple minded whelps, Ysil."

The Dark Mother raised an eyebrow, but then giggled as she realized no one was around to hear Gruk's breaking of formality. "Still the same old Gruk, I see."

"You always said I could address you informally, so I choose to do so whenever I can." The Logosha stated with a shrug as they now entered the village. No more talking would be done. At least not until the battle was over.

Thirty minutes had passed until the Grunts within the village were slaughtered, and another fifteen had passed until Aedan and his men arrived on scene. What they saw was unexpected, to say the least. Corpses of Darkspawn that far north was surprising, but an unknown force had destroyed the threat and tended to the needs of the villagers in faster time than Aedan himself could. They didn't seem hostile, in fact, they didn't even budge when the Lord and his men arrived. They simply made way.

"Who is your leader? I demand to speak to him." Aedan asked one of the Logosha, acknowledging the symbols on their armor with curiosity.

Soon Ysil found her way up to the Lord, shrouded in her cloak still. She lowered her hood and smiled at him, though his eyes only widened.

"Hello, Lord Cousland." She said happily.

She was leading them? Aedan certainly hadn't expected that... He also remembered her offer earlier. She was definitely trying her hardest to get him to accept it.

He let out a soft sigh, "I thought I told you to leave..."

"You did. And I followed your orders, I left the castle. I was here until I ran to get my men when those Darkspawn arrived. There was no time to make it to the castle, and I am sorry for that. But what we've found out is much more serious and I urge you to hear me through..." Ysil begged, a worried look upon her face.

Aedan nodded, starting to trust the woman. After all, she had helped him multiple times that day alone. It was hardly even night. She handed him a letter that was signed by a 'chief scout' of her mercenary group.

"Apparently some of the Darkspawn scattered and went to the shore. My scout saw this and sent this back to my main force, apparently a blonde haired elvish woman is meeting with them. If I'm guessing correctly, it may already be going on." Ysil reported quickly.

Aedan felt his heart freeze and his breathing stop temporarily. His mind flashed to Iona, the elf that had said she was going to take a nap. That was an hour ago now. Surely she wouldn't betray him. Not with all she had said. It had to be another elf. It was just a coincidence that whomever this elvish woman was, she closely matched how one would describe the lady-in-waiting.

"Where on the shore?" Lord Cousland asked as he shook his head to dismiss his conflicting thoughts.

Ysil shrugged, "I'm not sure. Somewhere between here and Castle Cousland, I'd guess."

"Very well, gather some of your men and I'll gather mine. We'll head down there while the rest work on assisting the villagers." The young Lord said before immediately turning to his men and picking four from the crowd. To make sure he didn't feel overwhelmed, Ysil chose the same amount of Logosha... which included Gruk himself.

---

It was only a ten minute rush to the shore before they were observing what was happening down on the beach that was shrouded in moonlight. Sure enough, Aedan had observed the woman to be Iona and physically appeared distressed. How could she have done that to him? Why would she do that in the first place?! Darkspawn were monsters, and had no sense of reasoning. To work with them was working with those who wanted you and your entire world dead. Gone. Destroyed. More importantly, it meant she was working with Howe! Three Darkspawn were all that were there. Or at least, they were all that were visible. She was foolish, especially to think that they'd protect her if she were ever discovered to be the traitor she was.

"Lord Aedan, we should send our men forward to capture and kill them. She's working with the Darkspawn which means she's just as much of a threat to us as they are. It could also be an ambush." Ysil suggested as she and Aedan stood there, observing the exchange.

Her soothing voice pulled Aedan from his thoughts, and he nodded slowly. His pained expressions turning into those born from betrayal and anger. His men stood at the ready, as did Ysil's.

"I wish when we had met earlier I'd have taken your offer. I shouldn't have doubted you, Lady Ysil." He growled, turning to look at her with his gaze meeting her own. As he did so, he swore he saw a bright purple light flash across both of her eyes.

He disregarded the curious occurrence and looked on at the small group on the beach, "Men! Kill the Darkspawn and leave the traitor for me. I wish to be her executioner." The young Cousland had ordered, sending his men and by extension, Ysil's men upon the beach.

Iona turned around and held a sword given to her by the Darkspawn, whilst they themselves charged the incoming force of eight. Ysil's men were superior to Aedan's, and that was obvious as they ran faster in plate than his soldiers did in lighter armor. When the three Darkspawn clashed with the four Logosha, the latter showed their dominance and pummeled through them. They were inexperienced, and quickly fell to the swords of the Vanguard. Once they were finished ensuring the death of the Darkspawn, they turned and glared at Iona who rushed at them. Gruk let out a boisterous laugh, it was an entertaining sight.

Once she was within arms reach of him, Gruk quickly slammed his hand against the wrist of the elvish lady who held the sword. His grip was tight, so tight that her wrist popped and she dropped the sword as she let out a scream of pain. Without hesitation, the High Warchief and leader of the Vanguard quickly kneed her in the gut to shut her up. It worked, and he let her fall backwards onto the ground to lose the air in her lungs.

Aedan was in awe at what he had seen. Three Darkspawn had been slaughtered in a mere three minutes, and Iona subdued just as his men arrived. How was such a thing possible?!

"Y-Your men are impressive, Lady Ysil." He stated in amazement.

Ysil nodded, "Thank you, my Lord. They are well trained, and with a small price to pay they will be yours. The sixty you saw in the village don't even touch our true numbers."

"What are your true numbers?" He asked.

The woman simply chuckled, "Accept my offer and give me some time, and I'll tell you."

Aedan sighed, "What is the full extent of your offer?"

"Allow me to rule with you, together we could save Ferelden from all of this discord. And in return... my personal power, the power of my army... all will be pledged to serve you and protect all you own. You've not even witnessed the full extent of my soldiers' power." Ysil spoke in a tempting, almost seductive voice.

Aedan nodded and began to walk towards the shore, "We shall see. I'll allow you to rule partially with me for a time, and if I like your advice, we will talk about making it solidified more when the proper time comes. For now, we have a traitor to deal with." His words made the Dark Mother smile, and she walked with him as they made their way to the shore where the weeping Iona was being held.

As they approached the elf looked up at Aedan, disbelief in her eyes until she looked at the mysterious woman she had seen only once before. "A-Aedan..." She cried, "...W-What's going on?"

"You will address me as Lord Cousland, traitor. You know what you did and your punishment will be death. I will not put Ferelden at risk because of my foolish feelings for a traitorous wretch." Aedan growled as he readied his sword and raised it to strike her down.

Before he could get any further than that, however, Ysil placed her hand on the face of the blade and gently pushed it down. "Now, now, my Lord. It would be foolish of you to do such a thing. You should send word to her masters, have them make way for the castle. Her death should be by their hands within your presence, or else you will look like a leader who wants the power all to himself. Send her to the dungeons with a few of my men as guards. We will make sure she does not escape, and that she knows the error of her ways." She said smoothly, her voice like a whisper that only Aedan could hear.

The man took a deep breath in before slowly exhaling and sheathing his sword. He would listen to her, after all she had not done anything to turn his trust away from her... and she was right. Iona, whilst she was arguably close to him and a traitor to Ferelden for working with the Darkspawn, she was still under the jurisdiction of Bann Loren and Lady Landra. Though, it was a dire situation and if they tried to keep their pet alive it would ultimately still be put down. Regarding the situation, Aedan was placed in high authority due to the threat of the Darkspawn. Those creatures who were so eager to wipe out all life on the world, or corrupt it with the same taint that swam through their blackened veins. Little did he know he was authorizing the more intelligent and structured of their species to help him in keeping his lands safe. Perhaps the Logosha were their own species though, not that anyone other than the Dark Mother knew of them to make such an accusation.

"Very well, get her ready and transport her to the dungeons men. Ysil's men are to watch over her as they see fit, your duty is to watch the other prisoners." Aedan commanded his men before turning around and heading back towards the castle. The Dark Mother stood there, not moving nor blinking as a smirk spread across her face. The chilled winds of the night causing her cloak to sway.

An Understanding:

Vanessa. A face Shadow had prayed he would never see again. That demon's face was just like he had last seen it those years ago, smooth and captivating. He was dreaming, yes, but dreams were not so easy to a mage as they were normal people. In fact, often the question arose if mages ever truly dreamt in their sleep. Shadow's answer to that question was simple; yes, they did, but at a higher price than those who do not have magical capabilities. They knew when they were dreaming, and they knew everything they saw around them would more than likely try and use their body as a way into the physical realm. Most spirits were harmless, and damned near all of the harm came from the countless demons. Lust, Pride, Wrath... they had no end. There were countless of each.

Shadow looked all around him, tearing his gaze from Vanessa who seemed frozen in time. Around him he saw a burning city, and the Archdemon he had seen countless times before in his nightmares. It was close, and such a sudden appearance from him made him jump back. Well, at least he thought it did. In truth, he hadn't moved even a millimeter. He too was stuck in time, save for the ability to see all around him. How such a thing was possible, he had no idea and since he was within the Fade he did not bother to question it. Death was everywhere. Darkspawn, dead. Humans, dead. Dwarves, elves, werewolves, golems, dead dead dead, and dead. He saw a few familiar faces from his group, only four though. Beside them were strangers he hadn't seen before in his life, save for Alistair.

As he became more aware of his surroundings, he realized what was going on. He was going in for the final blow to the Archdemon. Beside him was the demon Vanessa, and the others were just there because they were helping him fight the corrupt Old God. Was this a glimpse of the future? Nay... was it an accurate one? Was he to be the one who sacrificed his entire existence to put an end to the Blight that was just beginning? Yes, that was something he had been informed about by Duncan right away after his joining. That man didn't hold any information back from Shadow. Probably because he was starting to hear his call... damned shame, that.

"This is your destiny, Logan Tulysvenan." A dark voice with a deeper echo to it spoke, "...But not your fate."

At first Shadow didn't respond, it could have been a trap. A demon prying at him, trying to get a response for multiple unknown reasons. But, his human curiosity got the better of him.

"Who are you?" The Warden called out, despite not being able to move. How any of this was happening was beyond him.

The voice chuckled in a fiendish manner, "That is not important. There is only one thing of importance, and that is what is coming. The Shadow is doomed to observe as it collapses internally. When the wolves howl, the mage weeps, and the stout folk get overrun you will observe. Then, when at the current journey's end... You will experience a shift inescapable. The mother of darkness demands it, and some of us have listened. Especially... her."

Before Shadow could speak, his gaze was shifted to Vanessa against his will and she suddenly came to life. With a hiss, she jumped towards him faster than the blink of an eye. And just like that; Shadow had awoken from his dream in the warmth of his tent. He sat up and let out a sigh, looking over at Lyna and a few other sleeping Wardens. He bit his lip in quiet contemplation as he scanned the features of each person within that tent. Familiar faces that would likely grow distant to the point of losing their place within his memory soon.

---

A few hours later, Lyna's eyes fluttered open for her to see the white and angled roof of the tent she was in. It was Shadow's tent, though in reality he had claimed it from Duncan for himself, Lyna, and two other Wardens she had not really known. Those two hadn't stayed around long enough for her to even greet them, and they woke up at ungodly hours. It was morning, that much she knew and they were no where to be seen. She had a perfect sleep cycle, it had to still be somewhat dark outside and those two were gone! The elf girl groaned and rubbed the back of her head as she sat up, only to hear a laugh from a dark figure who was cleaning his blade.

"You're the loudest Dalish I've ever heard, Mahariel. It's bad when I can hear you over the dwarves." Shadow spoke to her, already almost in his full set of armor. Only his helmet and gauntlets were missing. "In fact, I believe you've kept those two up all night with your talking, mumbling, growling and spitting." He concluded with another quick chuckle.

Lyna bit her lip as she narrowed her eyes at him, "It's not my fault I've been having bad dreams. That's your fault, remember?"

"No, it all is still your fault. Had you not gotten the corruption inside of you by playing around in ancient ruins, you wouldn't be here and by extension you wouldn't be having those nightmares right now. You'd be with your clan somewhere up north looking for safe passage out of the warzone." The man stated as he scratched his well groomed beard.

"Rude." The woman sighed, slowly standing up and making her way over to her own equipment.

Shadow nodded, "Honest. Just so you know, it is very early morning and we've a few things to get done during the day. You and I are on training duty, but we'll start that after the Joining and feast."

"Feast?" Lyna asked curiously, feeling a rumble in her stomach.

"Correct. Alistair's idea... you've yet to meet him. He's a fairly new Warden that eats like the rest of us: pigs. We're gathering all of our people and having a private feast before we start preparing for battle. No alcohol, mind you... for obvious reasons." Shadow informed her with a soft sigh, "You should know that our chances of seeing another day are slim, falon."

Lyna nodded and turned around to look over at him, gazing into his eyes which did the same to her own. "Our chances are always that way, Banal'ras. I'm more afraid of the entire fate of Thedas... of the world."

Shadow's eyebrows raised at the sound of her calling him 'Shadow' in the language of the elves. No one had ever done that before, and that fact alone intrigued him. Perhaps she was starting to respect him... well, he thought he'd never see the day. He was getting quite used to being called 'shem' every two seconds. Oh well, Banal'ras had a ring to it that stuck with him.

"The fate of Thedas and the world is this; the Darkspawn are going to get our blades in their throats before they have a chance of destroying either of the two. Even if Ferelden must fall." He replied with a fire in his eyes that made her smile.

He sheathed his blade and stood up, placing his gauntlets and helmet on before walking out of the tent. "Come find me talking with Duncan and Alistair in the small training yard we made when you're ready." He called back to her before the sound of his armor vanished relatively quickly.

Around fifteen minutes had passed before Lyna found the three Wardens who were definitely not talking. No, instead they were watching a few of their comrades train. Or in many cases, get their 'arses kicked so hard by the mountain lad' as Natia put it. The Dalish woman shook her head as she took her place beside Shadow.

"Are you all serious right now?" She asked with a small grin on her face, an eyebrow raised.

Shadow glanced at her briefly before looking back at the fight, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying a show before going to a Joining and eating. Besides, cooks said breakfast will be a few minutes off. We've got time to spare."

The fight was truly something to behold. The large Grey Warden was wrecking all of his opponents. Non-lethal and injuring moves only, but Lyna swore she could hear the concussions already forming with some of the moves he was performing on them. Slamming them to the ground, punching them, kicking them, grabbing them and squeezing... His actions were as reckless as they were brutal to behold. And that was during a non-lethal fight. She would hate to see what he did in a kill or be killed situation, but figured she would find out soon enough. This continued on for a few more minutes before Duncan called it off and had everyone gather around. He whispered something to Shadow before walking away and disappearing into the medical tent.

Shadow nodded slowly before addressing everyone, "All initiates report to the altar for the Joining. Grey Wardens, prepare for battle and then meet us all at the long table for perhaps our final breakfast together."

Whilst all who were present to hear his command did as they were told, there was an odd one out. Lyna. Hell, it was always Lyna. She never acted on his commands unless it were in battle. Otherwise, she remained at his side until he directed her personally. Something that proved useful to Shadow's plan, at least this time. He was not a fool and observed her ever increasing loyalty to him. It was time that, as a Grey Warden, she learned her responsibilities before she wandered too far down her current path. They needed to reach a mutual understanding of one another. Their thoughts, and plans would all be laid out to each other... for the most part. Shadow wasn't one to give up all of his secrets, and something told him neither was the girl.

Lyna then began to walk, only to be quickly intercepted by Shadow. "If you would, come with me Lyna. We've got some things to tend to. I wish to talk to you in order to clear some things up."

"W-What?" The woman asked.

"The way I see it, you are placing yourself under my care. That means I am your leader, and as your leader I would like to share a mind with you. We need to act as one, and that applies to anyone under my command. If we are acting independently, that will only result in chaos. We can't have chaos in times like these. Chaos would mean death." He stated, "Now, let's go. Unless you plan on parting from me any time soon."

Lyna nodded slowly and followed the man, muttering under her breath. Whatever she was muttering, it was fragmented. Probably just her trying to process what had just been said. In fact, that was exactly what it was. It wasn't long at all until they crossed the bridge and were isolated from nearly all others present at Ostagar. Shadow was the first to move towards the edge of the ruins, which was a rather beautiful view. Mountains in the distance, the valley, the Wilds, all of it was beautiful. He leaned against the stone wall and simply observed before taking his helmet off and setting it down on the small ledge, returning to resting against the wall. Upon the same ledge, Lyna had sat down and observed the scenery briefly before resting her gaze upon Shadow.

She started humming softly until words appeared in her mind, "So... What's up?"

"Nothing major, I just figured it'd be nice for us to come to an understanding about one another. I've noticed that you've placed yourself into my care and I need to know why. Truthfully. I don't care if it's because I'm the only one you trust, or because you want a piece of my power that you've witnessed... I need to know. Especially since we've got less than a day before we're going to be fighting to the death against beasts that know no fear, no pain, and no mercy. Your motives, your plans, every thing needs to be relayed to me before this night begins. If you do that... I'll do the same." Shadow spoke with an odd tone to his voice unlike anything Lyna had heard before.

What she would respond with was a matter that intrigued Shadow very much. There were so many possible things she may have said, none of them were really good considering their occupation. They were Grey Wardens, the only 'good' response she could run by him was that she merely wanted him as a leader. Why? Because she thought he had potential... or something along those lines. That was unlikely though, especially given how the elf reacted to leaving her clan. It didn't seem like something she was too enthused about, and even had an attitude for quite a few days after. Even after she had seemed to soften up around Shadow, whom for awhile she assumed was a captor. In a way, he was her captor as she had no choice in the matter. She was conscripted and the only way out of that was death. Something Shadow highly doubted she would ever want to face, not that she had a choice in that matter any longer.

Doomed to fight and die. That was what they were, all of them. Duncan, Shadow, Alistair, Daveth, Lyna... the entirety of their order was doomed to that fate. Arguably the worst part about it all was the fact it was irreversible. Once the Darkspawn Corruption was within your body, there was no going back. Perhaps not even in death. That was something he had to talk to Duncan about before the battle; Shadow hadn't liked the way he lied to Lyna and Marethari. The black-plated Warden knew that they were desperate for recruits, but lying was not something he could admire. Not even if it came from someone who already had his loyalty. Lyna's cure was actually a slow poisoning. Sure, thirty years was plenty for any elf or human to live, but a lie is a lie nonetheless.

Lyna looked up at him and let out a soft sigh, nodding as she understood where she was coming from. The young elf woman had to think about her next words carefully. Not because she was going to fabricate them, but because she needed to be honest with the man in front of her. What did holding anything back get her? Wasted thoughts, forgotten feelings, and a lonely death? She already knew all about the 'rules' Grey Wardens had. The ones that didn't necessarily ban relationships, but didn't exactly **promote** them at the same time either. But that was okay, Lyna never was one to follow the rules. They were adults, capable to think on their own and process things independently from one another. She didn't know what Shadow thought, felt, or even saw... but she knew herself. In the short time they had known each other, she'd be lying if she said she didn't have something of a 'crush' as shems put it, on the Warden. That and she was scared. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she couldn't lie about that fact. She was more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. They were going into a large scale battle for the fate of Ferelden and perhaps the entire world. The Blights as history had shown only got worse each time. With each added defense came another weakness the Darkspawn exploited, and from the rumors she was hearing, they were exploiting the disbelief of their existence. Something only ignorant, yet hopeful people could believe. Had there been no Darkspawn remaining, no Grey Wardens would have remained. History has made it so you cannot have one without the other. At least, that was what young Mahariel thought.

"You're afraid, aren't you? I can sense it in your presence." Shadow spoke as his gaze met her own, "...I know how you feel. I'm afraid as well. It'd be irrational to say that you were not scared for your life before a major battle."

Lyna nodded, "I-I know... but there are other things running across my mind and I've the largest headache I've ever had. We're going into a major battle, I've only thirty years to live and experience the world, and I'm most afraid of..." She informed him until her voice got caught on something in the back of her throat. Nervousness.

"It's alright, you don't need to be afraid to tell me anything." Shadow said with a lighthearted chuckle, "We've got a day to kill off anyway so take your time."

"Oh, you're funny..." Lyna grumbled as she looked up at him, "I like you Shadow. For more than one reason. I... I understand that we haven't known each other very long, but in the short time we have... I feel closer to you than I have anyone else. At least in such a short period of time. You saved my life, you took me in under your wing despite me being unreasonable towards you, and you even entrusted some of your secrets with me. How could I not feel for someone like that?"

Her words had only confirmed his suspicions. He never would have thought that a man, nay, a creature like himself would ever catch the interest of a woman like Lyna. It was then his mind went to try and formulate a response. There were several things he *could* say, but whether or not they were correct or not was unknown to him. He had a glimpse of the future, or more specifically; one of the many possible futures. She wasn't a part of it, and that fact alone led to many possible scenarios. If he pushed her away would that reality be true, or vice versa? He didn't know, nor did he really want to. Nevertheless he had to come to a decision, and within the next few moments.

"I understand that as well, Lyna, as I've felt somewhat the same way of you." Shadow spoke quietly as he scolded himself mentally, "I mean... I've been attracted to you in more ways than one. But you are correct on the matter of time. We've not known each other nearly long enough to truly pursue such a thing as even a small beginning of a relationship, yeah?"

The elf shook her head, "There is no such thing as 'too early' for matters such as ours. We only have a matter of years to live, and on top of that we may be dead before tomorrow morning."

"Again, you make a valid point. Unfortunately we cannot act on our feelings, we are Grey Wardens and in our line of work we cannot hesitate." Shadow said with a sigh, shifting his gaze onto the scenery once more.

Lyna let out a huff before standing up and walking over to the man in black plate, "What's the worst that could happen? We would only empower each other. So a few others will die... it won't be a result of our relationship with one another. It will be because there are monsters pouring out from under the ground seeking their death, and with us empowered by our private relationship we could save thousands more to make up for those lost. It's war, Shadow, that's exactly what this Darkspawn uprising is. In war there is no such thing as zero casualties."

The man met her gaze with his own very dark blue eyes, a red light behind them as if there were a light source behind his eyes. "I'm not going to fight you or your logic. You make good points and I've nothing to fight back with, though I'm sure Duncan would if he found out about this little talk of ours. You win, Mahariel. We will start and explore a relationship with each other on **one** condition..." He spoke, ending his sentence abruptly to make her question what the condition he spoke of was.

"What's that?" The elf asked with an eyebrow raising.

"We survive the night. If we survive the night, after the battle I swear to you that we will engage in a relationship with one another. Anything sooner will be a spur of the moment, and I'm not entirely sure I trust either of our judgements with such affairs right now. It's the morn before battle, it's only instinctual to want to seek comfort." Shadow said with a sigh, "And I suppose that if we survive the battle and are in a relationship afterwards, I owe you the rest of my story."

Lyna giggled and retracted her hand from his chest, shrugging, "Only if you can handle it. Come now, let's get something to eat. I'm starving and we've a lot of preparation to do before the day ends."

Shadow groaned before reaching down and grabbing his helmet, sliding it upon his head and following the elf that walked slow enough for him to catch up. He was quietly pondering the deal they had made together. Relationships were... something Shadow admittedly wasn't good at. Before he and his friend decided to go out for adventure, he was a shy young man who did nothing but work the farm. He had no real desire before he met that demon. Now, after he had met the demon, he was far from shy but a warrior. Hardened by a few years of battle and nothingness. Yes, the demon placed him under hell. Shadow... Logan, lost part of himself through it all. A part he would never get back. He was a human, but yet at the same time he was more. He was something that those craving power desired to become, and those that had worrysome hearts feared. Possessed? No. Demonic? Slightly. Powerful? Beyond imagining, though with limitations.

Our Last Feast:

"YE CALL THIS A BLOODY FEAST?!" Natia bellowed at the large table all of the Grey Wardens sat at, "WHERE'S THE MEAD?! THE HELL IS THE QUANTITY?!"

Despite the dwarvish woman being completely serious, all of the Wardens got a good chuckle out of her antics. Duran placed his hand on her shoulder and grinned, an act which calmed the woman and had her sit down properly. She kept on muttering how 'a feast without alcohol or a wagon load or two of food' was no feast. In response, Duran explained to her what this feast was about and why it wasn't grand. It was a mere gathering of the Wardens for their last meal before battle. That meant they couldn't afford their senses to be dulled by the kiss of alcohol, or their steps slowed by the weight of food. All of that came after the battle, as tradition would have it. Perhaps not dwarvish tradition, but it made the most sense. Why endanger your livelihood with a grand feast when you haven't won it?

Shadow and Lyna were just arriving at the feast when the former began to speak, "We've a lot ahead of us, my friends. Others are skeptical of our knowledge, but we know another Blight is on the horizon. We've seen it, all of us at this table have."

Duncan raised an eyebrow, having been caught off guard by Shadow saying anything at all. It was unlike him to do such a thing. He was a quiet person. He earned his name for always blending in with the dark and being silent. He wasn't even the type to grunt and groan in battle unless it was forced. Nevertheless, what his friend had to say intrigued him and he waited patiently for more to be said.

"We've recruited you all from far and wide, and now look at us. We stand strong, and are the wall between the Darkspawn and their conquering of Ferelden... of Thedas. Dwarves, those born of the stone to live and die fighting these vile creatures **without** the Joining. Men, the reigning race and most powerful... though embarrassingly young and reckless. And elves... intelligent, strong, and capable people who have faced too much pain throughout history. Warriors, thieves, nobles, and powerful mages... This is what we are. What **you** all are. United we are strong, but what are the Darkspawn if not united? We've beaten them time and time again, but they always come back. The only ones who know that are the Grey Wardens and dwarves save for a few others who have the misfortune of discovering them. I've a question for you all before we dig in to this meal before us and make merry before what could very well be the Fifth Blight..." He spoke before taking a seat at the end of the table next to Duncan, with Lyna taking one on his other side. "...Are you all ready? All of us may perish, but I want to hear it from each of your mouths that you are ready for the worst. Because the worst is always waiting to happen."

The short speech he had given made all of the Grey Wardens talk amongst themselves. After a few short minutes they all cheered back at him, and it made the Warden smile as he placed his helmet down on the table beside his plate. They were ready for the battle that was to happen on that day. There was not a soul that wasn't. They were the embodiment of the motto they backed up.

"Now... let us feast! For a war is about to begin, and we will have victory!" He said before all of the Wardens, including himself but excluding Lyna, filled their plates with various food types.

It was a truly inspiring moment in their lives. All of them gathered around together, eating a meal and having some fun before everything turned dark. This was to be their last feast until the Darkspawn were pushed back once again, or they all perished in that valley below. There was a plan that had already been discussed early in the morning that only Elissa, Duncan, and Alistair made it to. Most of the Wardens would be fighting along side the King in the valley below whilst a few other teams would have other purposes. Shadow, Lyna, Darrian and Neria would be guarding the main road north to Lothering. Daylen, Natia, and Duran would be making sure the signal fire was lit. Elissa, Daveth, and Alistair would go with to the tower of Ishal and hold off any further Darkspawn that may come in through the lower levels. Duncan and the other Wardens would be engaged in conflict down with the King in the valley.

Each role would be engaged in fighting the Darkspawn. Whether it be the massive horde itself or stragglers, each position had a high risk to it. Shadow didn't know how long the battle would go on for, but he knew the Darkspawn were restless creatures. It would be a battle that, unless they made a decent strike into the Darkspawn's numbers, would be lost due to men and their need for rest. Darkspawn needed rest as well, but not on a level similar enough to the more fairer races. They could fight for hours on end, and backed by the Archdemon everyone knew was out there... Those hours could have possibly been turned to days.

"Shadow... I fear for our friends." Lyna said quietly as they ate. It was obvious she didn't want every Warden tuning in on the conversation she had just started.

The man nodded but didn't respond to Lyna voicing her concerns. He felt the same way, mainly because he knew what even the smallest of skirmishes could do. Fighting wasn't pretty. It never had been and never would be. However, Shadow felt compelled to alleviate Lyna's worries. Even if it was only slightly. He knew that she would be worried until everything was done and over with, but that wouldn't be for quite some time. He just had that odd feeling.

"I know. It's only natural to be fearful in the face of something as lethal and dangerous as a Blight. But do not fear for their lives, for one day we will join them. Remember your oaths, and remember our motto. Let them bring you peace of mind. After all, without the Grey Wardens nothing you knew and allowed to comfort you would be as you knew it. Eat up, we've got a lot of work to do." He replied softly.

His words did indeed comfort her, but not by much. Nothing could ever truly comfort her. The nightmares she had witnessed were far beyond any others she ever had in her entire life. She would be lying if she said mere words made her feel safe, but she knew that everyone at that table were trained and highly skilled. They may fall, but they would definitely make the Darkspawn work for it. Part of her was upset Shadow and them got put in a position that seemed so... useless. They were watching a road and making sure nothing escaped to the north during the fighting? Part of her wanted to be in the battle with everyone else.

Hours had passed and the feast eventually concluded itself. It was just after midday when they all decided to get to work. They had assignments to do in preparation for the Darkspawn. Letters had to be written to loved ones, training had to be done, and last minute errands had to be undergone. Fortunately for those under Shadow's command, they hadn't much to do but train with their leader. Shadow knew that he wouldn't fall, at least not if he willed it. Spirits and Demons alike told many lies, left many unclosed paths to be imagined... but they never lied about possible futures. Why? The future was what gave them their appeal. Especially when it came to demons, which only ever seemed to show a future that benefitted them in some way or another. Which led Shadow to ponder about his dream the night before. It was no dream, he recognized it and knew it for what it was: a vision. A mere glimpse into one of the many possible futures that could happen. Now he wondered what role Lyna had to play in his life. It was going to be a long few months starting that night...

The Battle of Ostagar:

"Battle formations!" The Generals of the armies below shouted.

Elissa looked down upon the vast numbers of men gathered in the valley below. All of the fresh recruits, Alistair, and Daveth were there along with Shadow on the bridge leading to the tower of Ishal. The sight was daunting and the air was filled with something indescribable. Night had already fallen, and there were lights visible in the Wilds. No doubt from fires or something similar. It was unknown if Darkspawn could truly see in the dark or not, but that didn't matter. There were more pressing matters to ponder.

"This is the last we will see of each other for some time, I expect." Shadow told the others, "This night is going to be a long one, and you all must be ready. Your foes will be strong, but I assure you; if you keep a clear mind and believe in the men and women beside you... you will not fall on this night. Desertion is not an option, but if you are one of the last standing you will not be punished for running to fight another day."

Daylen nodded, "Where are we all to meet should things go sour? We **are** fighting the Darkspawn after all."

The young noble from Highever spoke up, "My brother has sent word here that he is rebuilding Castle Cousland... we could always regroup and rest there for some time before setting back into the fray."

Shadow nodded, "That is quite the journey from here... but it is worth it. With your brother's permission we could actually use his castle as a sort of base of operations until we find something better. I have an odd feeling that we won't be there often anyway. If the army here fails, we will need to use the ancient treaties to gather as powerful of a force as we possibly can. Dwarves, elves, humans."

"Understood." They all said before Shadow spoke up one last time.

"May our Gods watch over us. Report to your posts, the battle is about to begin." Shadow said before he, Lyna, Darrian, and Neria rushed off to get to the road.

The mist started to roll into the valley and an overwhelming presence of Darkspawn was felt by everyone there. It was unlike anything even the eldest Grey Wardens had felt outside of the Deep Roads. Even then it wasn't such a suffocating feeling as it was then. Elissa and Alistair's group were walking with their primary group across the bridge before they stopped at the sight of something. A truly large horde of Darkspawn showed itself as they slowly walked out of the Wilds. The sight alone struck fear into the hearts of everyone there, Grey Warden or otherwise.

"Never before have I seen something quite like..." Alistair remarked, struck by the unimaginable sight of the Darkspawn horde.

The ghostly whispers of the creatures were heard loudly, even on the bridge they were standing on which was quite far away from the edge of the Wilds. The whispers then turned to roaring and violent movements among the Darkspawn. They were, more or less, pumping themselves up for a battle. It was an intimidating sight, and that was its purpose. To rile themselves up, and spread fear among their enemies. Then their charge began.

From above it appeared as a chaotic ocean of Darkspawn began to close in on the army camped in the valley below. Ogres dotting the large wave here and there whilst the charge began. Within seconds the armies would all crash together.

"Archers!" King Cailan called out, and soon a dark cloud of arrows rained down upon the charging monsters.

The arrows killed a good amount of Darkspawn, but the number was insignificant. There were too many and everyone knew that. It slowed them down by only a fraction of a second.

"Hounds!" The King ordered, and now a large wave of Mabari dogs appeared from under the bridge.

The beasts clashed with each other, and the hounds trampled over a few of the Darkspawn. However, within a few moments the Darkspawn enclosed them and began to take them out. Only a few were halted whilst the main charge kept on happening. The King, Duncan, Elissa, and Alistair all caught a glimpse of one of the charging Mabari getting impaled upon the sword of a Hurlock Alpha. The sight made them all look away in a mixture of emotions.

"For Ferelden!" Cailan shouted and his armies were now unleashed, on a collision course with the Darkspawn horde. He and Duncan also took part in the charge.

Elissa and Alistair soon saw large balls of fire along with arrows lit ablaze fly towards the bridge. Daveth grabbed both of them by the shoulders and pulled them out of the state of shock they were both in. "WE NEED TO GET MOVING! NOW, BEFORE THOSE THINGS BRING THE BRIDGE DOWN!" He shouted over the deafening sounds of the battle below.

The two followed the man across the rest of the bridge just in the nick of time as the large boulders of fire slammed into it, killing multiple men. There was fire everywhere, and one of the towers got hit by the largest of all of the boulders.

"Damn! Watch for falling debris, these monsters are going to bring these ruins down on top of us if we aren't careful!" Daveth growled before guiding them forward towards the tower of Ishal.

Two of Loghain's men rushed out to meet them, a mage and a soldier. "Sers! The Darkspawn somehow got up here and are holding the tower hostage more or less. The men inside are all dead and we've been trying to hold them back. They've taken up defensive positions around the entrance." The soldier said in a panic.

"Then we're goin' to tear through their petty defenses and shove our swords up each and every one of their arses! Let's get moving!" Duran growled before grabbing firmly onto his battleaxe and taking charge with Natia at his side.

As they rushed up the steps to the courtyard that held the entrance to the Tower, they ran into a few Hurlocks and Genlock Archers. Flames were everywhere so they could see very well despite it being nighttime. The Hurlocks rushed forth to meet the Wardens, but seemed to neglect the fact they were charging straight into two pissed off dwarves. Between Natia and Duran, the rest of their friends would reach them in time to see the last of the Hurlocks get an axe rammed through its skull. The dwarves had only been engaged in battle for a minute, and they were drenched in blood.

Daylen quickly spotted one of the Genlock archers and shot a firebolt at it, igniting the creature. It let out shrieks before it fell to the wooden floor of the makeshift archer tower it was on, igniting that as well. The closer they moved to the entrance, the more Darkspawn that wanted to stop them. They had to be getting up there from somewhere, and Elissa was willing to bet that their door was somewhere inside the Tower. It made sense, but at the same time she wished it didn't. That meant there was going to be even more opposition inside the Tower itself.

"We need to get in there and to the top as fast as we possibly can!" Alistair called as he bashed one of the charging Hurlocks with his templar shield, "Otherwise they will overwhelm us!"

"I ain't lettin' no Darkspawn worm overwhelm me, ye bastard!" Natia shouted as she began to viciously stab a Genlock.

The group were now closing in on the entrance to the Tower, which was more than the two who had alerted them to the situation could say. They were cornered by multiple Darkspawn, including a Hurlock Alpha. Before any of the Wardens could interfere, the tall Hurlock slashed the mage in half and quickly impaled his soldier friend straight through the chest. The design of its twisted sword made it so that he could fling the body of the soldier towards the group of Wardens in a taunting fashion.

"Damn it! Move forward and make sure to stick close to a partner, we can't afford to lose anyone else!" Elissa commanded before she and the others pushed forward.

It was a battle between them and eleven Darkspawn. It wasn't a favorable situation, but they had to push through as there was no other alternative. They had to prioritize targets, and that meant that Duran was going to be fighting the Alpha until the others could dispatch its friends. That didn't trouble the dwarven noble at all, but it would prove to be a tricky situation due to the literal size difference.

"Alright, I'll take the big lad to keep you softies safe!" Duran called out as he rushed towards the Darkspawn.

The group simply went with the unspoken plan. It wasn't as if they had any other choice but to go along with it. It was either that or Duran would get himself pummeled to death, and none of his friends really had wanted that to happen to him. Besides, if things ever got too dire for Duran, Natia would make sure to step in. That was just how she was.

The plan had actually worked. The Hurlock Alpha was chasing after Duran after the dwarf bashed it on the groin and retreated. The other Darkspawn initially sought Duran, but his allies had arrived in time to draw their attention away. Something that had potentially saved his life. The conflict overall had been going on strong for about fifteen minutes, and already the two Ishal groups had their fair share of Darkspawn and death. Loghain's men were surprisingly worthless. Sure, it was a surprise attack... but they got overwhelmed too easily. It must have been a skeleton crew inside the Tower for them to have been overwhelmed in such a short amount of time. Something felt off about the whole situation.

The Darkspawn quickly got dispatched by Elissa and the others, they weren't anything special. When considering that Darkspawn are more akin to bugs than any of the fairer races, it showed that they were more dangerous in numbers due to their swarm mentality. They may have had individual actions, but they definitely believed in overwhelming enemies with numbers. If the fairer races could breed as fast as the Darkspawn, they no doubt would have adopted a more similar strategy. Lives would begin to lose their true meaning.

The Hurlock Alpha chasing Duran around let out a fierce roar, and the Dwarf retaliated by slamming his axe's blade straight into the creatures groin. It let out a yelp before falling onto its back, clutching its new wound. Natia hopped right on it, literally, and began jabbing her daggers into its neck. Within a few brief moments the Darkspawn were no more and they could press on into the Tower.

Breathing heavily and drenched in blood Duran gave out a few orders, "Daylen, Natia, and I will be heading inside. We need to get to that signal fire. Elissa, you and your group can catch your breaths for a few moments before heading inside. Don't take too long though, we're going to need you to hold off the Darkspawn from their source... wherever that is. Probably on the first level."

With that having been said, the axe tore his axe out of the Darkspawn and walked over to the door. Natia did the same thing and Daylen quickly enchanted their blades with flame. They had no time to waste, and they'd have to use everything in their power to get to that signal fire. It was their only real job, and the other team would just have to rush in to make sure no more Darkspawn got through. It was evident they got there from somewhere, and the King had seen the weakness before it even occurred. It was either that or Cailan was some kind of seer. They stacked up on the door before Duran opened it, Daveth giving them supporting fire with his bow and arrow until they entered and the door closed behind them. It wouldn't be too long before he and his group went inside.

---

Meanwhile, up the main road heading north a fair distance from Ostagar and the battle, Shadow and his group of four including him arrived. It wasn't anywhere specific, and they were out in the open a bit. At least they could use the trees on either side of them as cover should any Darkspawn archers appear. They were far away from Ostagar to the point where they could only barely see the Tower of Ishal, but they could still hear the battle happening there clearly. Or, as clearly as one could hear the clashing and bashing of steel.

Darrian let out a sigh, "I don't like this. It doesn't feel right to me. We should be in that valley fighting alongside Duncan and the other Grey Wardens."

Lyna nodded in response, "I agree. That's actually exactly what I thought when we were on the bridge."

"I don't like it anymore than either of you, but we have our orders. We need to make sure that we can catch any stragglers within our reach so that the settlements in the Hinterlands or even Lothering doesn't get it. It's only a matter of time before the Darkspawn either get pushed back or defeat us, and honestly I fear it'll be the latter. We've not the manpower to hold them back. I've never sensed anything quite like I have this night..." Shadow growled at the two, seeing the smoke and glow of the distant fires.

"So what now? We just sit and wait here until something interesting happens?" Neria asked the three.

"No, because I think something interesting is about to happen, prepare yourselves!" Shadow said as he drew his two newly forged blades.

Lyna grabbed her bow and readied an arrow, and the other two prepared their own weapons. What they saw were indeed a large group of Darkspawn. No doubt scouts sent ahead of the main horde to see what opposition lied ahead of them. The sad truth was that the battle of Ostagar would only delay the Darkspawn, and nearly all of the Grey Wardens had assumed that. A Fifth Blight was upon them, but with the disbelief of others... they had nothing else to prove. Not unless the Archdemon showed itself, which it seemed very hesitant to do. It was a smart tactic, hide yourself until victory is within your grasp to make it impossible for your reign to be cut short by would-be heroes.

Not another word was spoken as the scouting party didn't play around. Unlike other Darkspawn, they seemed to be less inclined to intimidate. Perhaps they were chosen from the best, designed to get the job done whilst the others were there to spread fear in the hearts of the fairer races. Whatever they were, it mattered little. They were to be slain so that Lothering and the other settlements could be safe. At least for awhile longer than expected. Shadow and his group had to hold the line until they saw the beacon lit, and then they would head north to Castle Cousland to regroup with the others after the battle. Regardless of its outcome, there was going to be a war. Especially since Ferelden's military forces had been somewhat scattered at a moment's notice. Orlais no doubt had their eyes on Ferelden.

The group clashed with the Darkspawn, and Neria had enchanted the group's weapons with electricity. This of course made each strike paralyzing, which made it easier to kill the Darkspawn. However, they were very resilient creatures and not all of them were as effected by it as others. The scouting group was less of a group and more of a warband. It had at least thirty Darkspawn in it, and that was acknowledged by Shadow as he saw that they were all now surrounded by the creatures. Shadow and Darrian were fighting in a blur of motion to compensate for the lack of numbers, and Lyna used her reflexes and skilled aim to deal death to Darkspawn. She had to quickly switch targets and make precise kills before the Darkspawn closed in. On top of it all, Neria was using any spell she could think of to help without exhausting herself. Any other mage would have probably been worn out within the first four minutes of the fight due to the size of the warband they were fighting. Four against thirty was not a good situation for the four.

Shadow noticed something as he cut down one of the Darkspawn. They were all Hurlocks. All of them. There was no real variety about them. He had his guesses as to why that was, though. Hurlocks were the most common, and really they excelled in a great many things that Genlocks, Shrieks, and Ogres couldn't. They were much like the humans in that regard. The most common, and the most influential of all races.

All seemed to have been going well for them, at least until Shadow got knocked down to the ground. He hadn't seen a Hurlock Alpha coming, and the creature's mace collided with his head. That sent him falling to the ground with a dented helmet and very disoriented feeling. A similar thing had happened to Darrian, and that was when Neria used a blast of flames to push the Darkspawn back. The heat wasn't enough to kill or ignite anyone, for obvious reasons, but their situation was dire. At least, that was until unknown friendlies clad in black plate appeared.

The mysterious force that had appeared made the four look painfully weak as they cut through the Darkspawn in relative ease. In fact, it was disturbing how they managed to cut through them without even seeming to be worried or stressed. It was all too... simple. When the battle was concluded though, Lyna lowered her bow and nodded at them.

"Who are you lot?" She asked curiously as Neria began to help Shadow recover.

One of them stopped and looked at the elf, they had strange markings on their armor and on their chest plate was the... Cousland heraldry? "We come from Castle Cousland. We are Lord Aedan Cousland's new Vanguard and have been ordered to come down here and help out in any way we can, though hearing the sounds of battle it would appear we are too late."

"No, actually, you aren't." Shadow spoke as he slowly made his way to his feet, "You can help us by waiting here and awaitng the beacon to be lit. Then you can escort us to Castle Cousland... Lord Cousland's sister has said that we could all use their castle as a place to regroup after the battle. Think you can do that?"

"Of course, if those are your orders we can do that without issue. I recognize your armor, Ser, and it is a pleasure to be in the presence of Grey Wardens." The one whom they could only assume was the leader said.

Shadow chuckled as he slowly regained his balance, "Likewise..."

They began to walk down the road before shrill shrieks were heard. Immediately Shadow readied his blades and the others did the same, the Vanguard doing the same. The group immediately formed a defensive circle-like formation that made it so a 360 degree area was covered. No backstabs would be available to the Darkspawn this time.

"Shrieks, fastest step up, slowest step back. We need speed, not strength." Shadow spoke as another screech was heard.

Darrian nodded and the leader of the Vanguard spoke up, "Don't rely on your sight, they'll appear as a blur and disappear in a blink. Instead focus your hearing and let your instincts take over. Do not think about moving, just allow it to happen."

Within a moment's notice the first Shriek had arrived. Shadow saw the attack coming and managed to defend as well as retaliate. The Shriek's blades collided with Shadow's and the clang was heard loudly. Shadow quickly kicked the Shriek back and as the creature stumbled backwards he slashed its head clean off of its long neck. As the thud of the body was heard, the other Shrieks began their attack. Lyna and Neria were helping pick them off from the center of the defensive circle whilst the Vanguard on the outside began fighting.

Shrieks were strong opponents. Their agility and speed were unmatched by the other Darkspawn, and they were the ones who did perhaps the most damage during raids. Luckily everyone they were fighting now was trained. They had no escape, and within fifteen minutes of fighting the last tried to run. Lyna wasn't going to allow that. The creature almost escaped until an arrow flew straight into its head and sent it tumbling down a hill.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Shadow stated with a chuckle before looking up at the tower of Ishal, what was taking Loghain's men and the newest Grey Wardens so long?

---

Back at the Tower, Alistair quickly finished off a Hurlock Grunt. They had been pouring up into the Tower via a large hole in the Tower's foundation. It led to a cave system that probably led down to the valley eventually. All they knew at that point in time was that the Darkspawn were numerous and the corpses they had pushed back down into the cave were starting to build up.

"Well, that should keep them out for a little bit. What should we do?" The ex-Templar asked as he looked towards Elissa for direction.

The woman simply pondered as she cleaned her blade from the Darkspawn blood, "Sitting here is useless, they've no doubt noticed the blockage and will be sending even more numbers towards us. Our best bet would be to head further up the Tower."

Daveth shook his head, "Actually, no it wouldn't be our best bet. Our orders were to hold them off, meaning we're the only means of escape. If we hold them back so that the fire can get lit, we need to also make sure we hold them back from the exit. I don't know about you two, but I'd rather not take the express route down."

"Mm, Daveth has a point. It's better we remain down here. Why don't we just make sure nothing leaves this room? We can fall back to the other hallway and just watch the doors." Alistair added in.

Elissa nodded, "Alright. Let's do it." She said before walking away dismissively.

The two men followed her out of the door and Daveth immediately trained his bow and arrow on the door, a safe distance away at fifteen feet. Elissa had her daggers at the ready, and Alistair was in front of her with his sword and shield raised. They were ready for a fight, and they would be the only aid those above would get.

They heard noises in the room they were just in, and judging by those sounds the Darkspawn were climbing up. They had expected that in all honesty, the blockage they made was one made of corpses. Such a thing wasn't necessarily hard to remove, and it was more of a wall than a blockage. Soon the wooden door was kicked open and a large group of Genlocks poured through. They rushed forward, towards the squad of three with an intent to kill. Behind them were their Hurlock cousins. Their ranks weren't important, as they were plenty in number. Where the Wardens stood three men strong, the Darkspawn were at least forty. Unlike Shadow and his squad, Elissa and her comrades would not be so lucky as to have friends appear.

"Aim for their leaders in the back, Daveth! Alistair, you and I have to keep them off of Daveth." Elissa ordered and Daveth immediately began aiming at the marked targets.

Alistair nodded before rushing forward and slamming his shield against one of the charging Genlocks. The attack sent the poor creature flying to its back, but rather than finish it off, Alistair shifted his attention to another Darkspawn. Lyna made sweeps around Daveth, making sure that any Darkspawn Alistair didn't get the attention of died. If Daveth was taken out they would have lost all means of long range damage. That was something they needed at the moment, otherwise they'd be surrounded and overwhelmed within seconds.

The Darkspawn that they were engaging in were nothing special. They were common grunts and footsoldiers. Were they all Alphas, well, the six Wardens inside the Tower would have been long dead. Elissa got slashed in the leg by one of the Genlocks who had made it passed Alistair, but luckily she had leather armor on and the blow was only glancing. She quickly jabbed her dagger towards the short Darkspawn and killed it as her blade penetrated its skull.

Alistair was going to town on the Darkspawn. The bodies were piling up, but it would be unrealistic to think that he was not tiring. He didn't know how much more fighting he could handle, though he knew it wasn't much. Soon he would be exhausted. In his tiring state he made a crucial mistake and soon found a blade slam straight into his gut. The plate armor he wore mattered little as the blade still penetrated his flesh. He let out a grunt and the Hurlock General who succeeded in the attack was looking straight at Elissa now. There were at least twelve Darkspawn left, but Daveth had ran out of arrows and switched to his daggers. Lyna quickly swapped her daggers for her swords and cut through four Hurlocks to get to the General. Alistair fell backwards off of the General's blade and fell against the blood stained stone floor.

Elissa began to push the General back away from Alistair, but as she did so she didn't see Daveth get overwhelmed by five Hurlocks. They didn't kill him strangely enough, but merely slashed him across the chest and slammed his head into the stone floor. After that they and another two rushed up the steps, some of them archers. Elissa was too focused on her fight with the General that those small details went unnoticed.

They had relative privacy in their fight, and she had slaughtered the remaining three Darkspawn excluding the General itself. Their fight could be compared to a wolf and a bear. The bear could handle a lot of damage, moved slower, but hit harder. The wolf on the other hand was more susceptible to damage, was faster, but required a few more hits than the bear. The General backhanded her and forced her swords out of her hands, sending them flying against the wall of the Tower. It then grabbed onto her throat and lifted her up, preparing to impale the rather light woman upon its sword. Elissa had one last trick up her sleeve, however, and quickly used her right hand to unsheathe her dagger and stab in between the General's chestplate. Her blade punctured its heart and it let out a loud shout before tossing her against the nearby wall. She hit her head and was knocked unconscious, her body falling like a sack of bricks beside Alistair who was still alive and holding on. The blade that stabbed him didn't hit anything vital, but he would bleed out if he didn't get proper medical attention. The General let out a laugh at the dying man before falling down to its knees, and then on its side with Elissa's dagger still in its chest.

---

On the highest floor of the tower, the two dwarves climbed down off of the Ogre that had paved a way and prevented Loghain's men from lighting the signal. Daylen smiled at them and slowly walked over to the fireplace to meet there with them.

"Damned thing smelled horrible." Duran stated with heavy breaths, "Glad that's over with. I hope those three are alright. Daylen, light the fire."

The mage nodded, using his staff and sending a flame to the fireplace to ignite it. "We'd best get back downstairs and get out of here now that the fire is lit. This tower is going to be overrun soon with Darkspawn, and I doubt those three can hold out forever."

"I think the mage is ri-" Natia began to say before three arrows flew through the air.

The female dwarf got hit right in the upper chest, and she fell backwards immediately. Duran met a similar fate, but got hit in the abdomen which caused him to fall down and curl up. Daylen on the other hand experienced an arrow straight to the back, sending him falling face first to the ground. The Darkspawn then began to close in on them before a loud roar was heard. The walls got shattered all around them and flames charred their bodies, disintergrating them almost instantaneously.

Shadow and six of the Vanguard rushed into the Tower of Ishal. Something rubbed the Warden wrong, and he didn't want to abandon his fellow Wardens. Another Vanguard soldier rushed inside to warn them of what he saw.

"Ser Warden, a dragon just took off with something clutched in its talons from the upper floor. It ripped the whole top of the tower off!" The man informed them loudly. "It took off for somewhere in the Wilds to the east."

Shadow nodded, "So it went towards where we sent the recruits to gather the treaties. Alright, we've got little time to waste. We need to find the Wardens on this floor, I already sense a lot of Darkspawn heading this way from below." He said before they rushed forth.

The halls of the Tower were coated with corpses, rubble, fire, and some treasures. Nothing of importance, but still something that could make a person quick gold. They disregarded it all though, and it didn't take them long at all until they found Alistair barely awake. Daveth and Elissa were also there, unconscious though.

"Secure the area! You two, help me carry them!" Shadow ordered before rushing forward to Alistair, placing his hand on the man's gut and beginning to channel magic. "I've got you." He stated, trying to comfort the Warden.

Alistair kept on gasping for air, trying to hold on for as long as he could. "Ser Shadow, Darkspawn are climbing up from the lower cave system. We can hear them." One of the Vanguard said, "We need to leave immediately."

"Damn it!" Shadow cursed before grabbing onto Alistair and standing up with him in his arms. "Let's go!"

With at least three recruits having been saved from the Tower of Ishal, the Vanguard and Shadow set off to leave Ostagar. Lyna, Darrian, and Neria had already began moving north with a portion of the Vanguard forces. They would have to catch up, but Shadow just couldn't leave all of the Wardens behind. What made matters worse was the fact that the sounds of battle seemed to be dying down. If there were more Darkspawn on the way, and no cheering... it meant only one thing. He had hoped the King and Duncan made it out of that damned valley.