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I do not recall with complete clarity the full events of that night. The hours leading up to the siege of Denerim were chaotic and disorganised at best. I was fortunate to have Arglan with me as we set about organising our band of dwarven defenders. Since news of the approaching darkspawn spread throughout the city I found myself overwhelmed with the number of volunteers approaching me for service. News had travelled fast of Ser Cauthrien's commission. It was not unsurprising to me that dwarves would want to be lead by their own kind.
Most of the surface dwarves I encountered had not been raised in Orzammar. Many were actually second generation surfacers, and thus did not have much experience in fighting the darkspawn. In one case I remember a surface dwarf Geldorn Parkourri whose grandfather had fled Orzammar many years prior. His family had never returned and Geldorn had very little understanding of the stone or our noble traditions. He subsequently discovered that the ancestral spirit of the dwarves is within us all and found his courage during the events of that night.
There were many reasons why the siege of Denerim was thrusted onto the city so suddenly. Although it has been argued that the humans lowered their guard prior to the attack, I consider that charge to be patently unfair. The bulk of the Ferelden Army, along with the Grey Wardens, had marched to Redcliffe where it was believed the main darkspawn attack was centred. No one had seriously considered Denerim to be under threat at that stage. All messages received by King Alistair unanimously reported that the darkspawn were preparing to assault Redcliffe in force and that there was a limited window of opportunity to confront the threat to prevent the wholesale slaughter of the Arling.
It is now clear, with the benefit of hindsight, that the decision to send the army to Redcliffe was a mistake. However, it was not a mistake that was made through indecision or incompetence. With all the facts as they were known at the time, combined with the gravity of the situation, it is clear that the decision was made for the right reasons. What has become apparent in recent years is the extent to which the darkspawn had very carefully and expertly concealed their deception.
In the ensuing months after the siege of Denerim the humans uncovered numerous hideouts and fortresses in the surrounding countryside in which the darkspawn had hidden before their attack. It is clear that the Arch-Demon, who alone amongst the darkspawn possessed the intellect, had planned the siege meticulously and used the feigned attack on Redcliffe as bait to draw out the army.
The Arch-Demon likely calculated that the main army would only learn of the attack when it was too late and that they would be unable to prevent the fall of Ferelden's capital. It is clear to me that the Arch-Demon underestimated both the ferociousness of our defence, and the swiftness of the armies return.
Although there was a rising level of panic in those early hours since the alarm had been raised, the firm leadership of Ser Cauthrien did much to calm the people's fears. Whilst I was arming my band of surface dwarves, she was fervently coordinating the defensive preparations of the city. She assiduously visited every district to ensure the defenders were roused and that makeshift fortifications were in place. True to her word, she intended that the darkspawn would pay dearly for their assault.
What was unique to that particular siege was that there was no influx of refugees fleeing the approaching darkspawn army. In normal circumstances the task of defenders is especially hard as they struggle to not only prepare for the inevitable assault, but they must also organise and make provision for the many scores of desperate people who escape the approaching hostile army. Although there were isolated cases of quick thinking stragglers who sensed the danger, this was nothing approaching what would normally be the case.
In fact, I recall very vividly that there was at least one case of a band of travellers who were genuinely unaware of the approaching army. They were incredibly fortunate to have survived, for the darkspawn had masked their approach very carefully. In most cases they had identified the human scouts and moved quickly to silence them. As I have already indicated earlier, their strategy in this regard was largely successful.
By the time the human archers atop Fort Darkon first spotted the approaching darkspawn nightfall had well and truly descended. In that time the gates had been secured tight and messengers sent to the grey wardens at Redcliffe. There was a very real fear that the darkspawn would intercept any message sent and thus prevent reinforcements arriving. Ser Cauthrien ensured several messengers were used, using whatever means were available. Fortunately we now know that the message was received, but for those of us present in Denerim at the time there was great unrest regarding their safety.
The first action came an hour after the gates were closed. My long experience in fighting the darkspawn did not prepare me fully for the events that were to follow. Evidently the darkspawn had hauled numerous siege engines and catapults for the preparation of their assault. Under cover of darkness they hurled giant boulders into the walls, in some cases causing significant casualties but generally the effect was psychological.
Although Orzammar has been under effective siege for generations, it has been a long time since the darkspawn have attempted a serious assault on the city itself. Successive Kings have lead preemptive strikes into the Deep Roads to prevent such an attack gaining momentum. These successful strikes have largely been successful and kept the hordes of darkspawn from bringing heavy equipment within striking distance of Orzammar. In any event, I seriously doubt the effectiveness of such a frontal assault against a city such as Orzammar. Our city was built to be a fortress to any attack from the darkspawn. It has proven itself over the years to be almost impenetrable to this threat.
Unfortunately Denerim did not share this trait. Whilst Fort Drakon itself was an impressive defensive structure, the rest of the city would prove to be inadequate.
It is said that Teryn Loghain, upon assuming his place as the General of Ferelden, significantly upgraded the defences of Denerim and in particular the fortress Drakon. Teyrn Loghain was a very capable general, and to that end he planned the defences of Denerim to withstand an assault from the Orlesian Empire. That is fine and I am certain it was more then adequate to that task. However, the darkspawn were another matter entirely. The Orlesian Empire, presumably, would not use the tactics employed by the darkspawn in which they use their limitless number of soldiers with no regard to their safety. Very few armies, human or dwarf alike, could ever afford to be so callous with their men.
Throughout the night the darkspawn continually bombarded the walls, slowly whittling away the archers stationed on the towers and parapets. This was an important undertaking, as it would allow the darkspawn to approach the gates directly and attempt to force an entry.
I remember approaching Ser Cauthrien and offering to take a company of dwarves through the city tunnels to disable the siege equipment. She said that Denerim did not possess an elaborate network of tunnels for which I could use. This was a serious handicap and I was pleased to discover that many years after the war King Bhelen sent a team of dwarven engineers to remove this serious deficiency in their defences. Those tunnels stand today as a proud symbol of the enduring alliance between Orzammar and Ferelden.
The bombardment served an important distraction for the darkspawn while they continually sent waves of their troops to assault the walls directly. In the early stages of the battle there were several breaches that were quickly sealed due to the extensive laying of traps that Ser Cauthrien had organised. Each wave that was beaten off seemed to rally our morale slightly, and for a time it seemed as though the defences would hold.
Sadly this proved not to be the case. The darkspawn continued their endless waves all through the night. It appeared as though each assault grew larger and more determined. The enemy catapults slowly took their toll on the walls and the archers manning them. Ser Cauthrien had used them to great effect - they would whittle away at the invading waves and stem the flow at the breach points, allowing the swordsmen to cut the darkspawn down. There were even a couple of mages at one point, casting their spells and sending many darkspawn into oblivion.
Unfortunately as the night wore on and dawn began to break Ser Cauthrien was forced to order the archers to retreat from the walls. Their positions had become dangerously exposed. It was calculated that they would be more useful behind the walls at the breach points.
With the dawn brought a renewed sense of desperation. The full extent of the darkspawn army was perceived for the first time and it revealed an army greatly superior in numbers to our own. After an exhausting night of endless assaults the battle had shifted into a new phase. Ser Cauthrien had concluded definitively for the first time that the city could not withstand such an attack. Now that the size of the enemy was known the plan was to hold out for the reinforcements. By this stage the walls were no longer sustainable as the frontline and the strategy shifted to containing any breakouts for as long as possible.
It is a testament to the leadership of Ser Cauthrien that the city of Denerim stood that first night of the siege. The darkness had hidden the true strength of the enemy, and it is clear that had a lesser leader been in charge we would not survived the night. The effective use of the archers, as well as the timely preparations of defensive fortifications and traps allowed the defenders to resist the attacks for as long as possible.
It was inevitable that the darkspawn would eventually gain the upper hand. No amount of preparation, training or equipment could prevail over the sheer amount of numbers set against us. For every trap laid, for every darkspawn attack fought back, another assault would immediately take its place. The revelation of the size of the darkspawn army only brought this reality closer to home for many of us, and our morale dropped accordingly.
By early morning the city was exhausted from constant attack and our casualties were great. We weren't to know it at the time, but our reinforcements were on their way to us in great haste. The ferelden army, alongside the dwarves of Orzammar, the Dalish Elves and the Circle of Magi, rushed to our position as fast as they could. It would be several hours before we would see them, and during that time many of us lost hope they would arrive in time (if they had even received the message).
I do not recall the exact moment in the day, but when the darkspawn had breached the city walls in earnest Ser Cauthrien ordered us to disperse and defend our assigned areas. I have already mentioned how I was assigned to guard the market district with my dwarven company. We had ensured that our defences were adequately prepared and manned. An extensive series of traps had been lain in the perimeter and each and every inch of stone was prepared for battle.
There was an usual period of calm before the inevitable storm. I have often read about these moments in many historical accounts and was surprised to experience one myself. Whilst there was undoubtedly fighting occurring in other parts of the city, in the marketplace we had precious time to organise and prepare. I took this opportunity to ensure my family was still safe. Although the markets are far from the city walls, the enemies bombardment managed to penetrate the merchants quarters and I couldn't rule out that my family had not come to harm. I was relieved to discover they were safe.
Although I would never purport to be in the same league as Duran Aeducan, I had seen him many times in battle give rousing speeches to his men. He had always had the ability to inspire and rouse the hearts of those under his command. It was with that spirit in mind that I attempted the same with my own men.
I gathered all of the dwarves under my command and praised them for their strength and honour. I told them that although each of us was a surface dwarf, the ancestral spirit that binds the stone of the earth resides in us all. I also told them that even though Denerim was not our home, our fate was to always fight darkspawn and it was a fate that dwarves bore best. I extolled them to take courage and to bring themselves honour in the battle ahead. I was not sure if my speech was particularly inspiring, but I took comfort from it and I am sure some of the other dwarves gathered there remembered something of their ancestry.
As fortunate as we were to have the short period of calm, it did not last much longer. Before long the darkspawn began to enter the market. Their presence was a trickle at first, almost as if they stumbled across us. However it did not take long for more to come and soon enough we were all desperately engaged in combat.
As with most of my encounters with the darkspawn it is very difficult to remember every detail. I cannot recall how long exactly we clashed for, but I am certain it was for hours. It wasn't a constant clash, very few battles are. There were periods of rest, however brief, and we used that time to reorganise our battle lines and prepare for the next onslaught. It is with great pride that I recall our prowess on the battlefield. As I have already stated, many of the dwarves I recruited did not have extensive experience in fighting. This did not prove a significant handicap as before long we were working in tandem with one another and covering each others backs. Despite the long years in exile for some of our band, and the lack of battle experience for others, the dwarves warrior prowess continued to thrive.
Slowly but surely the darkspawn assaults increased. I am unsure if the darkspawn talk or communicate amongst each other, but it seemed clear to me at the time that they had heard the dwarves were particularly fierce in the markets. It was as if they considered it a personal challenge that where other districts in the city had fallen, we remained. The only other area I am aware of that fared as well as us was the elven alienage. I can only put this down to the almost parallel desire of our two peoples to survive in the midst of a largely human city.
Although much of that second night is a hazy memory I do recall vividly the events of my injury. It was nightfall and we were fighting off a large horde of invaders. I had lost many brethren by this stage and their bodies littered the marketplace alongside our foes. Fighting back to back with Arglan I managed to fell two genlocks before I was forced to clash with a particularly nasty hurlock. I had fought many darkspawn by this point, several hurlocks amongst them. I do not know whether it was sheer exhaustion, or my many injuries combining to distort my judgment, but in any case this hurlock appeared to be distinctive from all others and in my opinion quite unique. He also possessed tremendous skill and I was forced to employ novel tactics just to survive.
My battle with the foul creature was to prove nearly fatal. I was fortunate to still possess the shield of Aeducan and despite my exhausted arms used it as best I could. It had served me well throughout the battle and I wielded with honour. Unfortunately, in this particular case I was not successful and suffered a severe blow to my right shoulder. I remember crying out in pain and instantly collapsed to the floor. Many years of battle with the darkspawn had conditioned me to never drop my weapons under any circumstances, no matter how serious the injury. It is a mistake that is made all too often on the battlefield and inevitably leads to death.
Lying as I was in a collapsed heap, barely able to wield my weapons, I was certain I would die. In many ways I was at peace with my fate as it then appeared. To die in battle is the greatest death a dwarf can hope for. My only regret was that it was not in defence of Orzammar.
It is customary for humans to burn their dead and spread their ashes to the wind. They believe this practice allows the spirit to return to their maker much easier. It is not unknown for the humans to conduct mass burnings after particularly large battles. It may seem trivial in hindsight, but I remember reflecting with genuine terror that, in the confusion after the battle, the humans would not allow my body to return to the stone.
As it turns out my fears were not necessary as I was very fortunate to have survived that encounter. Though it seemed my fate was sealed, the ancestors chose to preserve me. I remember watching the enemy hurlock fall to a single arrow that struck from behind. As I peered through the smoke, fire and general chaos that surrounded me a great revelation confronted me. The reinforcements had arrived, and at their head was none other then Duran Aeducan.
Even now I am at a loss as to how I can fully express the intense relief I felt at that moment. I can scarcely remember it, for I was in terrible pain. For the first time during the entire battle I had felt genuine hope. Duran approached me and inspected my wounds. Although I was unable to speak, bleeding quite profusely and being close to unconsciousness, I am certain I was able to convey my deep gratitude to my former master.
Duran signaled for one of his companions to approach. Suddenly and without any ceremony the largest human I had ever seen picked me up and lumbered me across his shoulders. Duran bade me and his companion farewell and rushed off towards the continuing battle. I was unable to stay alert by this stage and slipped in and out of consciousness, dimly aware that I was being carried closer to the gates of the city. I was to later discover that I was transported by none other then the Qunari companion Sten.
It was remarkable to reflect on that moment. For me and my companions still fighting this was the turning point of the battle. As subsequent events were to prove, this was in fact the turning point for the entire war.
Authors Note:
Thanks for your reviews. I have kept with the memoir format as I find it much more interesting and easier to write. I should also be able to update far more quickly utilizing this method. Next chapter deals with the end of the blight and the immediate aftermath.