They followed the trail the darkspawn left behind quite easily and soon found themselves in some sort of wasteland which Nathaniel called the Dragonbone Wastes.

"So why do they call this valley the Dragonbone Wastes?" Sigrun asked. She came around the corner, and her eyes widened. "Oh." She drew her knives. "Darkspawn ahead… fighting each other."

Faren shook his head. "We don't have time to wait for them to kill each other off. Down the middle, cut a path through anything that gets in our way."

"Yes, Sir."

They then charged sliced through the darkspawn covering their path with ease.

After climbing over so many dead dragons, he really wasn't at all surprised when the live one landed. Surprised at how large it was, but not that it was there. The beast reared back, and kicked out with its back leg, sending the Justice sprawling. A sweep of the tail did the same to Sigrun. The first of Nathaniel's arrows bounced off its scaly hide, and he switched to the enchanted ones.

Fare helped up and together they closed on the beast. Anders began casting, and Nathaniel enhanced the strength in Nathaniel's muscles as the mage chanted. His next arrow caught the dragon in the shoulder.

Then the beast turned on them them and they barely had enough time to roll out of the way. Nathaniel helped the mage up and he continued to chant his spell.

The dragon tried to catch hold of Sigrun in its jaws, but the dwarf danced backwards just in time. Faren took the opening to catch hold of the dragon's horns and pull himself onto the back of the dragon's neck. The dragon bunched its legs to take off, and Faren slammed his hammer as hard as he could right on top of its was a large crack and then it landed hard on to the ground. The commander then rejoined them.

"We're still alive," Sigrun said. "Funny how that keeps happening."

They'd fought their way down to the second level when he sensed the strange emissary, and his ghouled warden and looked down at them. "And so we meet again."

His Warden drew their sword as if expecting a flight, however the Architect held a hand, forestalling the ghoul from attacking. "No, Utha. That is not how this must begin." He then looked down at them with an apologetic look on his face. "I owe you an apology, Commander. When last we met, I intended to explain myself. Fate, however, intervened."

The Architect held his hands out to his sides, then floated down to stand only a few feet from them.

Faren's eyes narrowed. "I escaped, you mean."

"I restrained you only to prevent the misunderstanding that occurred with the rest of your order."

"'Misunderstanding?'" Anders scoffed. "Is that what you call it?"

"I sent the Withered to ask for the Grey Wardens help. I should have anticipated that you might view our approach as an attack. I am weren't able to judge how your kind will react. It was most unfortunate."

Faren frowned at him, this was the first time a darkspawn had asked him for help, mind you none of them were able to talk before this mess. "You wanted our help? What for?"

"My kind has ever been driven to seek out the Old Gods. This is our nature. When we find one, a Blight is begun." His eyes were hidden behind the strange mask. Something about the creature's appearance seemed to dance at the edges of his memory. "To break the cycle, my brethren must be freed of their compulsion. For that, I need Grey Warden blood."

Faren narrowed his eyes. "How would you free the darkspawn?"

"In order to become what you are, you drink the blood of my kind. To transform. That is how my brethren are freed. In your blood lies the key to their immunity against the call of the Old Gods." He looked down at his hands.

"I like my blood it is. In my veins," said Anders.

"Once they are freed, the darkspawn think for themselves, they speak, they act. Some, however, have reacted poorly," the Architect continued. "They are flawed and they rage against me. The Mother gathers them to stop me… as she seeks to stop you. I cannot defeat the Mother alone, and I cannot free the darkspawn unless she is defeated. Our goals are the same."

Justice readied his shield. "Kill this creature now, lest I make things worse than they already are. Do what is right and do not waver."

Nathaniel's voice came from behind him. "Darkspawn or no, he has a good point. Do we really want to keep killing each other forever?"

"This reeks of stupid!" Sigrun yelled furiously. "The last thing we need is more darks on thinking for themselves."

"Help me kill the Mother, and after it is done, I will leave to continue my work," he begged.

Part of him wanted to agree to his terms, but he knew better. "What is this 'Mother', exactly?"

"My most flawed creation. Freedom drove her mad, and she has poisoned the minds of others." He sighed. "She has influence with the ones who have not been freed, and she gathers them as an army. I do not seek to rule my brethren. I only seek to release them from their chains."

There was one thing he didn't quite grasp. "How did you become freed?"

"I was born as I am, an outsider amongst my kind. Why? I do not know. Why do some of your kind become Grey Wardens? Why do some possess magic? I have no answers."

The creature wasn't lying. And yet somehow, he knew with utter certainty that it was wrong.

Faren glared at the Architect. "Stealing blood from Wardens is perverse."

"I thought it little different from your order's use of darkspawn blood. We both do what we must in response to the Blight. The first blood came from Utha, freely given." Utha then bowed. "She was a Grey Warden, as are you, and joined us… many years ago."

"Maybe you should also mention the fact that you're the one who started the Blight in the first place!" Faren yelled.

"What?" Nathaniel gasped.

"Theron found your journal and sent it over to me saying that you try to perform your ritual on the archdemon and that's what awakened it."

The Architect sighed. "Ah. There it is, then. Unfortunate. I did find the Old God, Urthemiel. But I did not wish another Blight. I attempted my Joining Ritual. My hope was that this would free all darkspawn, unravel the curse from its source. Alas, I was unlucky. I—"

"And now you've created a whole new mess!" Faren yelled. "Those of us who failed the Joining die, but clearly those who fail yours go insane and I cannot allow this to continue any more."

"How very unfortunate," said the Architect closing his eyes. "But I cannot blame you. You are bound to your nature as we are to ours." He then looked up towards Utha and said apologetically, "I am sorry, Utha. It appears that I will not be able to keep my promise after all."

Utha then ran down the steps towards them.

The Architect looked at them. "You will have to forgive me, Commander, for fighting to preserve my destiny."

"And you have to forgive me for fighting to prevent a Blight," said Faren as he drew his hammer. "As Sigrun deal with the traitor the rest of us have got this one."

"With pressure, Commander," said Sigrun and ran to confront Utha, who just reached the bottom of the steps.

The Architect began to cast a powerful spell and we would have had time to unleash it if it had not been for Faren's Templar training. However, he was still strong enough to knock aside Justice who charged at him and then tossed them straight at Faren.

With Faren no longer able to neutralise his magic he began to cast again and sent a very powerful spell that sent Nathaniel and Anders backwards.

"I've never seen magic like this," said Anders clutching his chest. "It's old, very old."

"He could be hundreds of years old for we know," said Nathaniel.

"I don't care if it's thousand, we've got to stop them," said Faren as Justice helped him up.

Then before the Architect could cast another spell slammed his hammer into him sending him backwards and then he was not across the face with Justice's mace. He tried to cast another spell, but Nathaniel launched an arrow that embedded in his shoulder and was slammed backward into the ancient walls by a fireball courtesy of Anders.

Faren then tossed his hammer straight at him and he looked up in time to see it heading straight to his face. They watched as the hammer smashed his face completely and his body collapsed.

"It had to be done," said Faren.

"It's a shame that one of our own assisted him," said Sigrun, who was slightly bloodied, but not as much as Utha, who had two large gaping holes in a chest.

"Now it's time for us to destroy the Mother," said Faren.

They entered deep into the catacombs of the ancient ruin fighting off darkspawn until they reach the bottom and discovered the ugliest broodmother he had ever seen. There was no question that this was the Mother.

"If it isn't the hero of the hour!" he said in a mocking tone. "The sleigh of the mighty Father, come to claim a reward! Oh, what a delicious day!"

"They just get bigger and uglier, don't they?" said Anders looking at her in disgust.

"This is the Mother, surely," said Justice. "A disgusting thing of evil and hate."

"What. Is. That?" said Nathaniel, who was looking quite green.

"By the ancestors!" said Sigrun covering her nose. "Do all broodmothers smell this bad?"

Mother looked them with a maddening look as her red eyes gazed down upon them. "Has the Grey Warden come now to slay the Mother, too? Will she join the father in oblivion?"

"You're very perceptive." Faren then drew out his hammer. "Now die!"

"Then the silence ends here," she shrieked. "Perhaps we will hear the song again when we die. Oh, let it come! Let it come!" Her face seemed to open up as she roared at them.

"Justice, Anders deal with the darkspawn, everyone else you're with me," said Faren.

Justice and Anders turned towards the incoming darkspawn. Anders turned, directing her fire at the invaders while Justice slammed his mace at any of the mace got too close.

Nathaniel fired arrows into the Broodmother, but he was unable to get a clear shot at her head due to the waving tentacles. The arrows he put into her bloated body didn't seem to pierce deeply enough to do any real damage.

Faren and Sigrun did their best to knock away the tentacles to give Nathaniel a clear shot, but there was just too many.

Faren glanced at the Sigrun. "Get me an opening."

She saluted him with one of her long knives, and charged in, bellowing a dwarven warcry. The broodmother started to direct her attention at the dwarf, and then Faren was airborne. He slammed his hammer onto a chest and began to climb his weight towards her face.

She tried to shake him off, and the tentacles attempted to grab hold. He crouched, and slammed them away with his hammer. The broodmother suddenly tried to swipe at something in front of her, and Faren realized that Sigrun had taken advantage of his distraction to drive her own blades into it. A tentacle struck the dwarf, tossing her aside, and then the creature seemed to rise up before slamming herself to the ground.

He slid, catching himself on one of Sigrun's knives. He rolled to his feet, grabbed the knife, and as the creature bent to attack, shoved the knife into her open mouth and up through the back of her head.

He move backwards as she shook, her death throes shaking the very ground. Rocks tumbled. Justice brought his shield up just in time to protect Anders from crumbling stone. Faren caught a blow to the shoulder as he dragged Sigrun to safety.

The Mother went still, slumping down in death. Faren looked at her for moment before glanced at his companions. "Let's go. We are needed at the Vigil."