Chapter 20: The Stone Prisoner part one
The village of Honnleath was dead.
There was no other way to see it; the darkspawn had swept over it weeks ago, killing any who tried to stop them. Some of the people managed to escape, but far too many had been caught, killed, or violated in ways only the darkspawn considered appropriate.
Now they prowled the ruins of the village. The great tower that once stood here had been collapsed by the emissaries. Several shops burned piked heads and flayed skin hung as decorations, tributes to the monsters' victory.
The creature knew that a hand full of survivors remained, they intended to see them join the rest of the people here, but so far they had not been able to breach the magical defenses that now shielded the survivors.
Through the taint, the Archdemon sang to them, they would continue their efforts, finding the magic's weakness was only a matter of time.
And the darkspawns' time was now.
The creatures shambled through the ruins, looking for prey, or looting things that pleased them. The sound of thunder overhead did not distract them. The sky darkened, the clouds turned angry and rain began to fall.
A hurlock emissary perked up, it sniffed the air, sensing magic for the first time, it growled low in the back of its throat. Several of its hurlock brothers responded, they joined it in hunting this new prey.
It was only when they began to gather that the lightning began. Bolts struck in the center of their group. The emissary that summoned the other was burned to death in seconds. The creatures squealed in panic. They sought the source of this new attack, for that was all that this could be, and attack!
Through the taint they sensed it, somewhere outside the village gates.
The familiar sensation of their enemy, the darkspawn snarled and tried to charge.
The lightning continued to batter them.
A few managed to get out of the village but they ran into three men in armor. Alistair, Sten, and Gus gutted the beasts before they even had a chance to defend themselves.
On the road, just outside the village, Alim Surana directed the storm; this was something new to him. A spell showed by the ancient Stormbreaker from the phylactery, a means of softening up an enemy before you engaged them directly.
The spell was exhausting, sweat beaded his face and dampened his hair, he had to maintain strict discipline lest the storm blaze out of control and harm his allies.
He would not allow that to happen!
Leliana stood guard at his side with Morrigan and Bandit. Zevran was nearby chuckling to himself.
"So are little friend here commands the weather, marvelous," Zev chortled, "You would have done very well in the crows warden, death brought with the distinct flavor of a natural disaster."
Alim did not respond, in fact he could not even hear Zev. He was focusing all his strength into guiding the storm.
Morrigan almost laughed at the assassin, he certainly had a death wish.
"Tis unwise to speak of Alim's size elf," she warned him, "You had best be wary, lest a lightning bolt end your pathetic life sooner rather than later."
"I would not know anything about our friends…'size'…my dear Morrigan, at least not yet," the elf grinned, "Perhaps he and I can explore such things later."
Leliana shook her head, the assassin was incorrigible, but he had already proven a willingness to help them. The journey to this place had not been easy, and his blades had definitely come in handy.
She looked at Alim, his eyes blazing red with magic, lighting crackling off his robes and hat.
The elf could be terrifying when he needed to be. The power that he wielded awakened a bit of her old self, she found herself drawn to it, and wondered what it would take to turn that power to her advantage.
She shook her head, trying to wipe away those thoughts, that…that was not who she was anymore.
Leliana the bard had died in Denerim two years ago.
They were no longer the same person.
Alim gasped, as he released his hold on the storm, it began to drift away. It was still terrible, but he directed it south east, toward the advancing horde, slipping past it had not been easy but they had done it.
Now he intended to send them a fun gift, a warning that the Grey Wardens still lived, lived ...and would one day…be coming for all of them.
Leliana was at his side, steadying him, at one time he would have pushed the sister away not needed her help, but slowly…he had begun to come used to her presence. She fought well, and loyally.
That bought respect in his eyes.
IOI
Gus looked out over the village, the elf's rain had put out the fires, the wind had battered the darkspawn, they were starting to regain their feet, but they had been severely pummeled. Many of the creatures lay dead, burned to death by lightning.
Gus, the man who had once been known as Fergus Cousland, heir to the Teynir of Highever, shivered.
"Are you well warden?" he asked.
The elf snorted.
"I'm exhausted captain obvious," he chuckled, "How about you? Hey Ali," he called out to his fellow warden, ""You just got promoted to Commander Obvious."
The former Templar rolled his eyes.
"Thank you General Sarcasm," Alistair chuckled, killing a wounded darkspawn on the ground, "very nice indeed. I always wanted to rise in the ranks."
The elf chuckled.
Despite the disrespect in the elf's voice, the humor in the wardens got to him; Gus could not help but laugh.
It was the first time in many weeks.
The elf had opened the door for them here, if only the Couslands had had such a man in Highever maybe…
Maybe his family would still be alive.
He had heard of their deaths as he and his chasind rescuers had made their way out of the Wilds. He…he had been numb then, unable to wrap his mind around what had occurred, but then fury came, and with it the desire to march into Highever and gut Rendon Howe, the man who had betrayed the Couslands, the man who now served at Teyrn Loghain's right hand.
Howe would pay, and Loghain to, Howe did not have the balls to do what he did, not without Loghain's blessing.
When Fergus had encountered the wardens he had seen an opportunity. The wardens would have to deal with Loghain and Howe eventually. He would stay close and stay silent about who he truly was.
Eventually the wardens would turn their attention to Denerim, and then…
House Cousland would be avenged.
IOI
Alim strode through the village like a conqueror, the remaining darkspawn had been slaughtered, but he could still sense that some of the beasts remained close. They would need to be cleared out as well, before all was done.
But first, he wanted to claim his prize.
When that merchant on the road told them about a golem being here, Alim had jumped at possessing its control rod. A golem, from what he remembered from his readings in the tower was a powerful force, and in times of war could be used to great effect.
He had followed the man's directions perfectly; he had looked forward to adding yet another powerful weapon to their arsenal.
They found the golem standing in the village square, its hands stretched up to the heavens; it looked as if it had frozen in the midst of screaming.
Alim regarded the golem curiously.
"It is…um…smaller than I would have expected," he mused to himself.
"But still a valuable prize warden," Morrigan purred as she approached, "We should activate it quickly, and be gone."
Alim nodded, though he still wanted to clear out the darkspawn here before they left. The golem could take care of that for them. Its smaller size meant it would be a better fighter in close quarters.
He pulled out the control rod and pointed it at the golem, now all that was needed was the code phrase.
"Dulef Gar," he said.
The others waited, holding their breaths.
The golem did not move.
"Dulef Gar," Alim repeated.
Again the golem did not move.
Alim held up the rod, inspecting it for damage, it looked fine, and he could sense the magic within, it felt like the golem, so it should have worked!
He tapped the rod against the golem, and said the words again, still nothing.
"Shit," the elf snorted.
"We have wasted our time here," Sten grumbled.
"I don't get it," Alim said tapping his chin, "It should have worked, the rod seems fine."
"Perhaps the words are wrong warden," Morrigan offered, "Tis a likely explanation don't you think?"
Alim nodded, he supposed that made sense.
Still…it did piss him off that the merchant had given them the wrong code phrase.
His eyes wandered the fallen tower; he sensed the magics in the place, the home of the owner of the golem perhaps.
Would the man have written down such information, it was worth a look, and besides, he could sense the darkspawn down there.
He would happily take out his frustrations on them.
"There are more darkspawn within this tower," he warned the others, be on your guard, and keep an eye out for anything that might tell us how to activate our stone friend here."
The others nodded.
"Can we expect traps inside Alim?" Leliana asked, "Mages do like that privacy, no?"
"A reasonable assumption sister," he replied, "I'm hoping the darkspawn tripped them all when they entered, but be on your guard none the less."
One by one the wardens and their companions filed into the tower. Alim found himself hoping that they would come across something to activate the golem down here.
He would be most annoyed if they made this trip for nothing,
IOI
The survivors of Honnleath had nearly given up.
The darkspawn emissary had been working for hours to breach the magic shield with no success, but it was getting closer.
"Break in," the genlock said with a phlegmy cackle, "Break in."
Many of the people sobbed and prayed; they would be no match if the creatures got in here, and they were too scared to retreat deeper into the laboratory.
The spawn tried a new spell; the shield shimmered, but did not break.
It was at that moment that the Maker chose to answer their prayers.
Alim and company stormed into the room. Morrigan froze the genlock with a cone of cold, while Alistair shattered it. Alim, still weak magically, engaged the creatures with his sword spellbinder. Bandit and Leliana fought at his side.
The spawn had been taken completely by surprise; they had been too focused on the shield.
Soon, the battle was over.
The people of Honnleath looked up hopefully.
A blonde haired man stepped forward.
"Did the Bann send you, to save us," he asked.
"No," Alim shook his head, "I'm a grey warden, and I need your help."
The people sobbed happily, many embraced, they were saved!
"You…you have our thanks warden," the man said with a grateful sigh, "I'm Matthias, I…I don't see how we could help you?"
"I'm looking for the man or woman who owns that statue out in the square, we need to speak."
At the mention of the statue Matthias's eyes turned cold.
"You came here for Shale," he spat.
Alim nodded, Shale? Well, at least he knew the golem's name now.
Matthias raised his hand, and whispered under his breath, the shield opened, the survivors of Honnleath ran from the chamber.
The man motioned Alim forward.
The elf followed.
IOI
Alistair and Leliana stood at Alim's side as the elf listened to Matthias's tale.
He was apparently the son of Wilhelm, the hero mage who aided King Maric regain his throne thirty years ago. The golem had been the mages greatest weapon then.
As years passed Wilhelm had experimented on the golem, changed its size, added crystals, Matthias did not know the whole story, but then one day, the golem had snapped and killed its master.
Alim winced; he could imagine how much was left of Wilhelm when a golem got finished with him.
"I bought a code phrase along with the rod," Alim said showing it to Matthias, "but the golem still won't activate."
Matthias considered what Alim had told him.
"My mother might have passed along the wrong phrase; she said that she never wanted to see Shale active again."
"A shame," Morrigan smirked, "Had you had the golem when the darkspawn attacked, many of you might have been spared," the witch chuckled to herself, "such a pity."
Alistair glared at her.
She smiled sweetly at him.
"Do you know the code phrase?" Alim asked.
"Yes," Matthias nodded, "but before I give it to you I must ask for your help."
Alim nodded, sounded like a fair deal.
"My daughter," the said looking like he was about to sob, "She…she got scared and fled deeper into the laboratory. I'm not sure how she got passed the magical defenses; they killed the man that went after her. Can…can you help…can you bring my little girl back?"
"We could always take the code phrase warden," Zev offered sharpening one of his daggers.
Matthias's eyes widened in fear.
Alim glared at the assassin.
"We are not hurting these people," the elf snapped, "This man only wants to save his child."
Just as my mother wanted to save me, Alim thought.
Alim sighed; he would not doom a child needlessly.
"What kind of traps are down there?" he asked.
"I'm not sure warden," the man said, "But my father never let me go down there, he said it was dangerous.
Lovely, Alim thought, he pulled out a lyrium flask and downed it with one gulp.
He shuddered at the foul taste.
Things were never easy were they?
"Ali, Leliana, and Morrigan with me, the rest of you, stay here incase anything tries to hurt these people. Sten can I count on you to keep these people safe?"
The large man stood a little straighter.
"I do not see the value of this warden, but yes." The Qunari replied.
Good," he nodded, "then it looks like we have some traps to disable, Sister keep an eye out for physical ones, Morrigan and I will deal with any wards we find."
Leliana nodded, happy to be included in this mission.
The witch snorted, but obeyed.
Leliana took the lead, her trained eye looking for any sign of problem.
The four of them entered the laboratory.
In the distance, Alim thought he could hear squealing, it did not sound friendly.
The elf sighed.
Things were never, ever, easy.