They soon reached the chasm and it was gigantic, it was big enough to fill a city and indeed there were stairs that lead down into it.
They were almost to the base of the stairs when a group of deep stalkers came out of a small tunnel. Anders let out a yelp of surprise, which Oghren found absolutely hilarious. The mage started to dump rashvine leaves down the dwarf's armour when Faren held up a fist. "Darkspawn."
They were dragging a dwarven woman towards the mouth of a tunnel. Faren had his hammer out and was moving as the dwarf kicked herself free and grabbed an axe.
They quickly joined the battle and soon their combined forces managed to kill the darkspawn.
The dwarven woman panted and when she turned to look at him her eyes widened when she gazed upon Faren. "It's you! You're the duster who became a Grey Warden! I can't believe it's you."
Faren was a little surprised. "You know about me?"
"Everyone knows about you! You're a hero! A Paragon, and the second I've seen today," she just said at him in awe. "I'd get you to sign my helmet if I could. I know someone back in Dust Town who would sell his teeth for something like that. But… well, I can't go back. Legion of the Dead, you see. They don't like it when you go back."
Faren eyes widened. "Wait, you and the second Paragon you've seen."
"Oh, of course you would know her, Paragon Sereda was commanding this unit of the Legion of the Dead."
Anders frowned. "What a Paragon?"
"A Paragon is a living ancestor, they are the best of us, someone dwarf can look up to," said Oghren. "And you're looking at one."
"It also helps when your sister is married to the King," Faren shrugged.
The dwarven woman then picked up her axe. "Anyway, I can't chat for long. I should probably go back… as foolish as it sounds… see if there's anything I can do."
He nodded. "Back where?"
She turned towards him. "The old fortress of Kal'Hirol. There's something going there. I think the darkspawn are breeding an army. The Legion went to investigate, but Kal'Hirol proved too much for us. It was a massacre. And now I… I'm the only one left."
So this was the breeding ground. "These darkspawn must be eradicated," he said, starting towards the opening.
The dwarf nodded. "That's what we thought: 'oh, we'll just run in there, eradicate the darkspawn and be back in time for supper.' Well… whoops." She shook her head. "The darkspawn have changed; they're smart now. They destroyed the Legion. I saw them taking some of the women and I wasn't about to stick around for that."
"We will fight with you."
"What? Really? Did I mention Kal'Hirol was a death trap?" She gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you want to do this?"
"I'm a Grey Warden, remember."
"Ah. My condolences." She hefted her axe and started for the opening. "Let's not waste time. Kal'Hirol awaits, and darkspawn, when left to their own devices, get up to all kinds of nonsense. My name is Sigrun."
"Then let's get going Sigrun, they're some darkspawn that need killing."
They had a deep into the tunnels and soon they found Kal'Hirol, or what was left of it. He was now mostly in ruins with some darkspawn fortifications.
"I don't know much about Kal'Hirol, except what the others from the Legion told me," said Sigrun. "It used to be an important, centre of learning for the smith caste. When the fortress was lost, a lot of what the smiths had learned was lost with it. They've never built anything quite like Kal'Hirol since."
"You know where Sereda would be?" Faren asked desperately.
"No, I lost sight of her when the darkspawn overwhelmed us," said Sigrun.
"Please be alive, Princess," said Faren desperately as he rushed down the hill.
"What's with him?" Velanna asked.
"Both he and she had it off during our travels," Oghren snickered.
"Way too much information," said Anders as they followed their Commander.
A wounded dwarf was crawling towards them. Sigrun ran to his side. "It's Jukka. He's hurt. Bad."
"S-Sigrun?"
"Yes, it's me. Be still and try not to talk…"
The man was badly wounded, but he did not sense the taint in him. "There must be something we can do." He glanced at Anders, but the man shook his head.
"No… I feel my death upon me. And it is a sweet release…"
Sigrun sounded like she was fighting tears. "No, I have bandages! I can help—"
"You must listen!" Jukka was gasping, blood on his lips. "The… the broodmothers. They are breeding. I saw an… an army. You… you must… you must stop them." He coughed up bloody froth. "Commander Sereda is somewhere within the fortress, but I don't think she can get much further without your help. But… but beware the Children. They are abominations, even among darkspawn."
"What… what children? Whose children?"
Jukka tried to raise his head, and gasped. "Forgive me…" He exhaled a ragged breath. He did not draw another one.
"Ancestors look kindly on you, brother…" Sigrun stood. "We have to finish what the Legion started. Those broodmothers need to be destroyed."
He nodded. "Show us where."
She led them to a fortress, still strong after all these years. At the base of the stairs, she stopped them. "The Legion got this far with no trouble. We got careless, and complacent, and stormed the main entrance, up those stairs." She turned towards him. "It was a disaster. The darkspawn were waiting. They turned the thaig's old defences against us."
"How did Sereda get past them?" Faren frowned.
"I don't know how, but she charged right through the darkspawn like a bronto. But we'll have to find another way. Ancient dwarven ingenuity, used by the very monsters it was intended to kill." She sighed. "We need to learn from the Legion's mistake. Avoid the main door."
He turned around, scanning the courtyard. "Is there another way in?"
"Most of the old dwarven fortresses had hidden side entrances. I bet this one does too. We just need to find it."
He nodded, and then turned to the others. "Spread out. See what you can find."
"I once started a rumour about secret passages in the tower. Had the Templars pressing their noses to the walls for months. Hilarious!"
Velanna found the passage. Sigrun clapped. "This will work perfectly! The darkspawn will never see us coming!" She giggled.
As they entered the fortress, Faren stopped in his tracks, because right in front of his was his lover with sword and shield in hand. He watched as she gracefully cut a path right through the darkspawn.
"Shouldn't we… uh, help her?" Sigrun asked.
"I think she's got this covered," said Faren.
He was right, she did have it covered. In about a minute all the darkspawn lay dead on the floor.
"Nice going, Princess," said Faren as they approached.
Sereda turned around and one she gazed upon Faren she shook her head. "Look who the duster brought in."
"What can I say? I get around."
They then kissed one another.
"Someone pass me the bucket," Oghren groaned.
"This is awkward," said Anders.
The two of them continue kissing unaware of the darkspawn or the audience surrounding them. It was only until Velanna coughed that the actually broke apart.
"What you doing down here?" Sereda asked. "I thought you were restoring the Ferelden Wardens?"
"I am, but the darkspawn aren't retreating as they should and what's worse they can talk," said Faren.
"So I noticed," Sereda nodded. She then noticed Sigrun. "Your name's… Sigrun isn't it?"
"Yes Commander," said Sigrun, staring at the two of them. Faren couldn't really blame her, it's not every day you meet the two living Paragons in the flesh.
"The retreating deeper into the tunnels, we need to follow them," said Sereda.
"Right behind you," said Faren.
"You're just saying that you can see my hindquarters," Sereda smirked.
Faren shrugged. "I like the view."
"This is just gotten more awkward," said Anders.
They continue moving down and even activated a golem along the way, though it had nothing on Shale, but it was certainly useful, until it came to a stop. They continue fighting their way through the fortress.
As they moved down the next corridor, he saw something. Spirits pressing on the veil, and then… it changed. He heard his companions gasp. He wasn't entirely sure he was relieved they were seeing it too.
"For generations, they have told you you were nothing, swept you away like so much dust. Now you are the only thing standing between them and the darkspawn that threaten our empire! Show them that you are not nothing! Show them that you can be warriors! Let the Stone tremble with the thunder of your footsteps. Fight!"
The strange, foggy figures faded away as quickly as they'd come. "Um…" Anders said. "The rest of you heard that, right?"
"What was that?" Velanna asked.
"Sometimes the Stone shows images of the past," said Sereda.
They found another group of the figures just a little further inside.
"They're gone! Everyone's gone! They've abandoned the thaig! We have to follow them! I'm not going to stay here and get eaten by those monsters!"
"But this is our home! We can't survive out there."
"We won't survive in here…"
"It looks like that the dwarfs left the casteless to their doom," said Velanna.
"I wish to say that it's unheard of, but it's not," said Sereda grimly.
"What's been going on in Orzammar?" Faren asked.
"Bhelen, is dealing with some heavy resistance, not many of the noble and warrior caste were not pleased when he announced that the casteless could join the army, but with one of their paragons being a casteless there's very little they can do."
As they pressed on they found more talking darkspawn. They were tough, and worse, the other darkspawn listened to them. Organised and with someone to call tactics, the darkspawn were considerably more formidable. Theron was right about not letting them live.
Sigrun was as tenacious as a badger, and nearly as tough as him. She used a pair of long knives to devastating effect and moved lightly despite the heavier armour she wore. Oghren held the front line with him and Sereda, while behind them Anders and Velanna held back the fire spells at the darkspawn as they fought their way through the ruins.
They soon came across a room and found the spirit of Dailan carving something onto a tablet, desperately.
"I cannot let them be… forgotten…" he said and judging by the way he was riding he was heavily injured. He then turned around. "No!"
Next thing they saw was an ogre ramming into him and then killed him.
Sereda bent down to examine the tablet that Dailan had written on. "May the Stone remember defenders of Kal'Hirol, who were born casteless and died warriors."
Faren looked at Sereda. "Looks like you want the only one who believed in the casteless."
"We can't just leave this here. We have to find some way to honour the memory of those who died here," said Sigrun. She then looked at the tablet. "'Died warriors?' He… he wanted them to be remembered as warriors. Warrior caste. And look… he carved their names in this tablet. All of them."
"I can take this tablet right back to Orzammar once our mission is complete," said Sereda.
"This will only just proved my point about the casteless being more than they are. It may also crush any resistance to Bhelen's rule."
"Good idea, but first let's clear this thaig of any darkspawn," said Faren.
Faren held up a hand. The darkspawn were fighting each other. And not just the petty skirmishes over food or weapons that he'd seen before. Active, organised warfare.
He thought there was only one faction of awakened darkspawn, but there appeared to be two and they didn't like each other.
"Press the attack! Go!" A hurlock in surprisingly well made armour called. "The Lost is mine."
"Oooh, lyrium." Anders walked towards the bucket. He could almost feel the power radiating off the blue substance. "The Chantry has a monopoly on all lyrium the dwarves mine. They kill anyone who tries to get around it." And here they were, standing in a huge lyrium mine.
"You thinking of going into business?"
He laughed. "Sure, why not? I've always fancied life as a lyrium smuggler. Maybe I'll wear a dashing chapeau!" And a cape. Some fancy boots. "I used to be a good little Andrastian. I said my prayers, repented my sins—all of it."
"What's the alternative?"
"Life as a hedge mage, brewing love potions for villagers and hoping nobody notices?" He shrugged. "It could have been worse. I could have been made Tranquil, haggling over the price of a wand." The thought still haunted his dreams. "Or I could be with the qunari. I hear they leash their mages. Or I could be dead. Dead's bad."
"Instead, you're a Grey Warden."
True. Instead, he was crawling through muck and gore and golems and the only damsel he saw looked like she could fillet him with a thought. Though Velanna was easy on the eyes, except for the part how she hated humans. "Right. Death to the darkspawn. Rah." He shrugged. "A related question: What do Grey Wardens do when there aren't darkspawn running amok? I mean, are there parties? Do we travel the world? Take over small kingdoms?"
"That sounds like a good start." Faren shrugged.
Anders grinned. "Ah, you are a scholar and a gentleman." He gestured. "Me, I intend to take up knitting. I'll send a scarf to the Templar commander every Satinalia." He frowned. "Provided I don't end up in some ogre's belly, chewed into tiny mage pieces. But I'm an optimist."
"Thank the Maker! It's a relief to see someone who isn't one of those… monsters!" The man shook the cage door. "Please, for the love of all that's good, let me out. I couldn't stand another minute with these creatures."
"Are you all right?"
"Yes! I haven't been injured, or infected with the darkspawn corruption. I swear."
Oghren folded his arms. "Huh. Why haven't they killed you then? And what are you doing here in the first place?"
"I overheard Colbert talking about the chasm and I thought I'd…" The man sighed. "Sneak in past the darkspawn to see if there was any treasure." He suddenly brightened. "Well, I… I found something. In this place, before the darkspawn caught me."
Sigrun all but growled at him. "You thief! What you have belongs to the dwarven people!"
"Well, they weren't here to defend it. It's not stealing if they've abandoned it." His face became hopeful. "You can have it, if you let me out. I don't want it anymore, it's caused nothing but trouble."
"I'll get you out," said Faren. "What did you find, anyway?"
He stepped forward, pulling out his lockpicks. The lock was in bad enough shape that it took him a moment.
"I… I'm not sure, but it looks valuable. I've a nose for these things, trust me. Come on, all I want is to get out of here." He thrust his hand through the bars to hand something to Faren. Faren took it, and handed it to Sigrun, who stuck it into her belt pouch.
The lock clicked.
"Thank you! My life is worth more than this. Thank you. Thank you a million times over!"
"Just get out of here," Sereda growled.
They watched as he ran down the corridor and Faren shook his head.
"Is he at least going the right way?" Sigrun asked.
Oghren had found an anvil and judging from the way he was looking it brought back memories.
"This anvil must be pretty old. They make them differently these days…" Oghren shook his head. "Branka once explained it to me, but I'll be a nug's uncle if I remember what she said, crazy harpy." He sighed.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, the thing just reminded me of Branka, that's all." Oghren's shoulders drooped. "Look Warden, I know she's gone. I know it. But sometimes I… ah, sod it."
"I understand."
Oghren grunted. "Look at me, whimpering like a wet box of kittens. Let's go make paste out of some darkspawn."
Anders glanced at Oghren as they started walking. "Who is Branka?"
"My first wife."
"Wait… someone actually married you?" Anders blinked.
"Twice," Velanna added.
Oghren glared at them. "Yes."
"And how did this particular arrangement end?" Anders asked.
"We killed her," said Faren.
Anders stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, what?"
"Branka?" Sigrun asked. "As in Paragon Branka?" She looked at Oghren. "You were married to Paragon Branka?"
"Yes."
"Any particular reason why you had to kill your own wife?" Anders asked.
"She got obsessed with an anvil and went crazy," Oghren said.
"She sacrificed her entire house just activate a few traps, sacrificed the women to become broodmothers," said Sereda. "In the end, we had no choice."
"She was actively trying to kill us at the time," Faren added.
They had to fight their way through even more of these new strange looking darkspawn, the strangest thing was that given time they acted transformed into something even more monstrous. Fully grown they look like a combination between a scorpion are mantis.
"By the Dread Wolf. Are they… growing these darkspawn?" Velanna stared at the strange pods that had produced the insect like darkspawn.
"It looks that way." Faren crouched, examining one.
"Why would we be seeing new forms of darkspawn?" Anders asked. "This isn't even a Blight."
"That's a good question," said Sereda. "Let's go find the answer. And kill it."
Voices echoed down the corridor. "The Architect sends many, but does not come himself! He is a coward! I will kill you, and he will know that he has failed to destroy the Lost. He will know that the Mother will tear him apart."
The voice stopped. A moment later, it growled. "Who comes now? I can feel you, but you are no darkspawn. What trickery is he planning? You will die, as all who serve the Architect will die! The Mother demands it!"
They stepped out of the corridor just in time to see a truly massive golem rip a darkspawn in half.
"Is that golem on fire?" Oghren asked.
"Yes," said Faren pulled out his hammer.
"Faren, you take on the Lost with your Templar training you shouldn't have any problems," said Sereda. "Everyone else were on the golem."
"Lucky us," Anders muttered.
Anders and Velanna use a combination of ice spells in order to slow the golem down and Oghren charge towards it with his axe held up high and slammed it into the leg. Sigrun jumped and plunged two daggers into the golem's other leg.
The golem swung its fist, narrowly missing Sereda, who assisted Sigrun with attacking its legs.
Faren was facing the Lost, who attempted, and no avail, to use magic on the Commander. However, due to his Templar training he was able to spell it and then slammed his hammer right into him.
"Aim for the joints!" Sereda yelled at Anders and Velanna.
The two of them casted even more ice spells, but this time they aimed at the joints on its arms. This seemed to slow it down as it was unable to move its arms, but bad wouldn't last for long. Then out of nowhere a hammer flew past and slammed right onto its head knocking it over and slammed to the floor with a massive thud.
They turned and found Faren standing there next to the body of the Lost, clearly it was a lot easier for him to kill his prey then it had been for them.
"Well, that was fun," said Anders.
"He was clearly guarding that corridor," said Sereda.
"Then let's go down it and find out what he was protecting," said Faren grabbing his hammer.
"Any idea what we may face down there?" Velanna asked as they walked down the corridor.
"Nope," said Anders.
Tentacles suddenly burst out of the corruption. "Sod it," said Oghren. "You know what that means."
Faren sighed. "Broodmother." He drew his weapons and headed in, ignoring the tentacles trying to kill him. Sereda and Sigrun fell into step behind him, dodging around the tentacles nimbly.
Anders and Velanna tried, but one knocked him down. "I got the mages," Oghren yelled, and turned back to help.
"I… I'm afraid to look too closely. What if one of those creatures was someone I once knew?" Sigrun shook her head as she glanced into the pit.
"Don't concern yourself about that," said Sereda. "But how we going to kill all these broodmothers?"
Faren looked around and then caught sight of the chains. He looked up, and saw the giant container of lyrium. "The chains." He broke left.
Sereda broke right, catching on immediately. She sliced through the chains with a sword while he smashed them to bits with his hammer. The ancient chains snapped, and the container fell into the pit. There was the sound of sizzling meat, followed almost immediately by an indescribably foul smell. And all the tentacles went limp.
Sigrun sighed with relief. "We did it." She sheathed her blades. "If the rest of the Legion were alive, I know… I know they would honour you in some way."
"I'm sorry so many had to die."
"I used to wish I could get away from the others. Now I'm all alone and I just want them back. Silly, isn't it?" She took a breath, and then steadied herself. "What's curious is that we seemed to be caught between two… factions of darkspawn. I've never heard of such a thing. The darkspawn are by nature vicious, and they've always fought amongst each other. But for there to be two organized factions… this is something else."
She didn't know the half of it. "I noticed that too. It worries me."
"Good, it's not just me then. Something has changed in the darkspawn, and I don't think I like it." She shrugged, and smiled. "Well, it's something to ponder. Especially when you need to be reminded that impending doom is always right around the corner."
He considered a moment. "What will you do now?"
"Oh, I'll probably disappear into the bowels of the Deep Roads, never to be seen again." She spread her hands and gave a cheerful smile. "One good thing about the Deep Roads is that you never run out of darkspawn to fight."
He exchanged looks with Sereda and apparently they have the same idea, because she nodded. "Perhaps you would consider coming with me?"
"Go… with you? But that would go against my vow—and my plan to disappear into the deep, unmourned and forgotten."
"I am looking for Grey Wardens. Join us."
"Be a Grey Warden? Is that allowed? Can you be both part of the Legion and a Grey Warden?"
Faren shrugged. "You'll still fight darkspawn, and die doing so."
The thought seemed to make her giddy. "And I'd be more effective at killing the darkspawn, won't I? Ha! How does one say now to this?" She nodded. "I will follow you. You seem an all-right sort, and I'm better off with you at my back than alone. Let's go then. The darkspawn await!" She dashed off eagerly.
"Excitable, isn't she," said Sereda.
"Are you coming with?" Faren asked.
Sereda smiled. "I would like nothing more than to accompany you, but someone has to report the situation to Orzammar and I have to get that tablet to the Shaperate."
"Well, whenever you're up on the surface I wouldn't mind visit."
"And I would mind visiting you in bed," she said seductively.
"Argh, get a room," Oghren groaned.
"I think that's what their discussing," said Anders.
Deep underground the Mother had just been given a report from one of her hurlocks about Kal'Hirol.
"Kal'Hirol lost?" she screeched. "The Lost is lost? Lost lost lost lost!"
"Mother, be calm…" said the hurlock nervously.
"Calm, yes. Once I was calm," she said in restrained anger. "Once Mother listen to the beautiful call, felt it wash over her and inside her and she was calm. But now there is no calm. The Father took that away. And now he is taken away Kal'Hirol." She then lowered her body in sadness. "My poor pets in Kal'Hirol… the Father knew I would send them against him. The Father fears!" She then laughed maniacally in a crazed laughter. "Kal'Hirol is gone, but the Mother still has her tricks. Many, many tricks…"
"But what will the Mother do?" the hurlock asked.
"Do? I will laugh!" She then laughed in her maddest way so loud that it filled the entire chamber. She then starts and looked down at the hurlock with a hungry look on her face. "And then I will wait."