Before the sun began to rise, Elisa had already woken up and checked her pack to make sure that she didn't forget anything. Today, as she had informed the Wardens during their meeting yesterday, they were heading to Knotwood Hills to investigate the chasm where strange darkspawn apparently are gathering, or so the hunters claim. After all, if darkspawn are ignoring two screaming injured men, then they must be strange. Latterly, they will travel to Soldier's Peak to speak to Levi. And Avernus, she added mentally. She considered visiting Highever, but decided against it when she realized Nathaniel was coming along. Leaving him behind was no option either, lest Loghain accuse her of 'coddling the boy' again.
As she made her way down to the apothecary, she felt a familiar presence. At first, she thought it was Loghain, but as she stopped in front of the door, she realized that it was Nathaniel she was sensing. Opening the door as slowly and quietly as she could, she peeked inside and saw him collecting some poisons from the shelves. He paused and turned around to face her.
She nodded to him and greeted, "good morning Nathaniel."
"Morning, Commander," he replied, giving a curt nod before his attention returned to the poisons on the shelves. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her move beside him before she examined the vials on the shelves. As she began picking a few and placing it inside the pouches of her satchel, he raised a brow unable to hold himself back from making a comment. "I thought you disliked the use of poisons."
"I did," she replied briefly before moving the next shelf containing flasks of fire bombs and the like.
He waited for her to continue but when she said nothing else after that, he asked, "What made you change your opinion about them?"
She remained silent as she collected more of the grenades. When it seemed like he wasn't planning on dropping the topic, she replied, "A Crow."
A crow? Nathaniel continued to stare at her with furrowed brows, hoping to read her; yet, she gave nothing away. "That's rather vague."
"Antiva has a lot of those." She went to another shelf, this time, one filled with poultices.
"You travelled with an Antivan Crow?"
"One who tried to kill me, yes," she replied casually as she continued to take more poultices from the shelf, "also a Qunari, a Golem and the Witch of the Wilds – well, more like her daughter but she's also given the same name so…" She turned to face him and grinned slightly at the incredulous look he gave her. "Go ask Oghren if you don't believe a word I say."
He snorted. "And I suppose the story about you sleeping with a pirate and three nugs is true as well."
"The pirate, yes, though I don't recall her and I having nugs on the bed. A templar probably… or was it a bard," she replied without the slightest hesitance as she picked up her pack and looked at him once more, noticing the widened eyes and slightly flushed cheeks. She had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry. It's just that people had asked me that question so many times that I always wondered how one would react if I answered differently."
Nathaniel tried to look furious, but couldn't help himself from cracking a smile at the sight of her filled with mirth. It was a refreshing change from that serious leader she portrays to everyone. "You are an evil woman, Elisa."
"I know." Her laughter gradually subsided, clearing her throat once her face reverted back to her usual neutral expression. "Anyway, the others are probably waiting." She picked up her pack before striding towards the door.
As she turned the knob, he grasped her arm to halt her. "Elisa, what my father did… to you and your family… I…" He whispered, his voice breaking slightly, "I'm sorry." He dropped his head, his eyes downcast, yet, he reluctantly glanced up when he felt her turn around.
"It wasn't your fault. You are not to blame, Nathaniel." She placed her hand on top of his. "There's no need to apologize." She smiled softly to him before turning around once his grip on her forearm loosened. "Now, let's go."
He nodded as he allowed her to go ahead before he picked up his pack and followed. With all the weight of the bitterness and anger now gone, perhaps he could finally start anew with his life as a Warden.
Loghain stood outside the stables with their horses when Elisa and Nathaniel arrived. Oghren and Anders were already there as well, the mage trying to ride a horse on his own. His first try didn't look successful as he had his arms around the horse's neck while almost falling off of it. Loghain swore that it was like watching Maric all over again.
Elisa shook her head as she went over to Anders and helped him position himself properly on the horse before she joined him afterwards. The look Loghain gave her was disapproving but she merely shrugged. They couldn't just leave a healer behind after all.
She saw her seneschal approach their group just as everyone was settled on their horses. "I'll leave the Keep to your capable hands, Varel. We'll be back in two weeks at most." Elisa stated. "Update me with the investigation when we return."
Varel nodded. "I will, Commander. Maker watch over you." With that, he watched the Wardens ride off.
The landscape of the area leading to Knotwood Hills was dry and filled with dead twisted trees. Dusty wind whipped through the brambles, and the haunted feel made the horses uneasy. At least the constant petty arguing between the mage and the dwarf made things less unsettling for the group. When they reached the edge of the chasm, Elisa stopped her horse as she stared down.
Anders peeked from behind her and gulped. "That's… a long way down…"
"We'll have to go on foot from here," Elisa said as she got off her horse with the mage and the other Wardens following suit.
Loghain stood beside his Commander as he stared down the chasm. Even this far away, he could sense the darkspawn which meant that a lot them are gathered here.
"They feel different, don't they?" He heard her comment with a deep scowl. He nodded in response.
"What do you exactly feel, when you're sensing darkspawn?" Anders asked.
"It varies," Elisa explained, "some feel that sort of itch in their bones, others feel nauseous, though this depends on the number of darkspawn. Usually the nausea subsides over time."
Oghren snorted. "Pike-twirler vomited like there's no tomorrow when we got to the Dead Trenches."
"Pike-twirler?" Nathaniel and Anders asked simultaneously, staring at the dwarf with their brows raised.
Elisa sighed. "Don't mind him. Anyway, the most common is a tingling sensation in the blood."
"Nausea and itch, eh? Perfect! Just what I signed up for," Ander mumbled sarcastically.
She sighed but provided the mage no further explanation. There wasn't really anything to say to make it sound better. She led the group down the path but halted them when she spotted a bear-like creature with bony-spikes protruding through its skin.
"What is that?" Nathaniel murmured as he readied his bow.
"Bereskarn," both Elisa and Loghain replied, the former readying her bow as well while the latter unsheathed his blade.
"A what now?" Anders looked over to his Commander.
"Bears corrupted by the taint," Elisa explained as she drew her bow and aimed an arrow towards the blighted creature that began to stir. Once her arrow was released, Loghain and Oghren charged in and dispatched the beast quickly. Afterwards, she led them further down until they reached a set of old rickety stairs with wall supports around it.
"Looks like someone's attempting to reinforce the area," Loghain muttered, the presence of darkspawn feeling much stronger with each step they took.
"This leads to the Deep Roads, I think." Elisa turned her head towards Oghren. "Are there deshers recovering lost thaigs?" The dwarf merely shrugged in response.
Loghain was the first to test the stairs, carefully taking one step after another while his hands held onto the railings. The stairs swayed dangerously several times, but fortunately, he made it down safely. The others followed, though one at the time.
Once everyone reached the bottom, the two senior Wardens sensed a few darkspawn nearby. Three? Perhaps five? They weren't certain. It was fleeting, as though moving away from where they stood. As they rounded the corner, Elisa's eyes widened in horror at the sight of several Hurlocks dragging a female dwarf down below.
"Don't let them take her!" she ordered as she quickly shot arrows at the two darkspawn holding their captive's arms. Their prisoner took the distraction as an opportunity to free herself and scramble away, before pulling out her axe and blade. The warriors charged in while the archers stayed behind, the latter aiming at Hurlocks that tried to attack the former from behind. The mage continued his healing and other protection spells until the last of the darkspawn fell.
"Well… that was… close," the female dwarf mumbled after she exhaled deeply, "for a moment there, I thought I was about to join the Legion of the Dead."
Elisa approached her. "Are you alright?" Her hand beckoned Anders to come over to inspect the other woman's injuries.
The mage began prodding her side and the dwarf winced slightly as she replied, "Probably cracked a rib. It's hard to tell. Everything hurts."
Once Anders finished mending the broken bones and other wounds, Elisa continued with her questions. "Are you here with Kardol's group?"
The woman shook her head. "No, he's posted past Ortan Thaig-" She paused and looked at the taller woman with knitted brows. "Wait, you know him?"
"He's a friend, of sorts," Elisa replied, "we met him and the other Legionnaires in the Dead Trenches while searching for Paragon Branka." She glanced over to Oghren who didn't react. Perhaps the dwarf had moved on, or perhaps he was too drunk to care now. With his flask in hand, it was probably the latter.
The woman gasped as her eyes widened. "Ancestor's tits! You're the Hero of Ferelden! The Legion told stories about you. I have so many questions but…" She turned around and faced the entrance leading to the lower parts of the thaig. "I can't chat for long. Crazy as it sounds, but I need to go back down there."
"Back where?" Elisa asked with a raised brow.
The other woman faced her once more. "The old fortress of Kal'Hirol. There's something going on down there. I think the darkspawn are breeding an army."
"Breeding an army?" Loghain asked as he stood beside his Commander. "But there's no Blight."
"That's why the Legion went there to investigate." The female dwarf grimaced. "But, it proved too much for us. It was… a massacre." She sighed heavily. "I'm the only one left."
"How did you get away?" Nathaniel asked. "Darkspawn don't take prisoners… do they?" He glanced over to Elisa whose features suddenly became grim.
"When I saw them taking some of the women, I fled." The female dwarf avoided everyone's gaze as shame and fear filled her.
"The darkspawn are more merciful to men. Once a male ghoul loses his use, they kill him," Elisa explained to the rest of the Wardens, her lips turning to a deep scowl as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But with women… Let's just say there are far worse fates than death." She turned her attention back to the dwarf, giving her an understanding nod before she stated, "we'll come with you."
The other woman blinked as she stared at Elisa. "Did I forget to mention that this is a suicide mission?"
"We're Grey Wardens," Elisa replied with a small grin, "killing darkspawn is what we do."
"Huh… the Ancestors must have a hand in this." The other woman grinned. "I'm Sigrun by the way."
"I am Commander Elisa." Elisa turned to her comrades. "These are Wardens Loghain, Anders, Nathaniel and Oghren."
Oghren moved beside to Sigrun and leaned closer. "So… you come here often?"
The other dwarf flinched away when her nostrils picked up his breath. "No, I've never been this close to the surface."
Elisa shook her head before she interrupted the red-haired drunk. "Let's go. We have much to do." She and Loghain began to make their way down the entrance of Kal'Hirol.
Oghren grinned to Sigrun. "Name's Oghren by the way… but the ladies call me Ohhh-ghren."
"More like, Ugh-ren," Anders muttered as he and Nathaniel moved past the red-haired dwarf, following Sigrun as she quickly moved in front the Warden-Commander and Loghain, leading them further down the Deep Roads.
The Deep Roads were what Elisa and Loghain remembered – oppressive and disgusting with the constant signs of corruption everywhere they turn. Anders was the first to give in to the intensifying nausea. Rushing to the nearest corner, he began vomiting on the floor.
"And there goes breakfast." He groaned before retching again a second later. "And lunch…"
Elisa watched the mage passively. "Well, at least you got that out of the way." She glanced over to the other Wardens. Oghren didn't have the slightest reaction, though he admitted that he was feeling something tingle, which she ignored since that statement was followed by a disturbing mental image when he began to flirt with Sigrun again. Nathaniel seemed to have a similar effect as Anders though he was much better in holding it back. "Just join Anders over there." She pointed to where the mage was. "You'd feel better once you get it out of your system."
Nathaniel cringed as he struggled to force it down. "I'm fine… Just give me a moment…"
"I thought Wardens go to the Deep Roads often. Shouldn't they be used to it by now?" Sigrun said as she moved beside Elisa.
The latter then replied, "They're new to the Order. They haven't been to the Deep Roads yet, except for Oghren." She left Anders and Nathaniel to Oghren's care while the two women went over Loghain who went a bit further to scan the area for nearby darkspawn.
"Four of them," he told his Commander when he turned around.
Elisa nodded to him before looking over to Sigrun. "What do you know about this place?"
"Not much other than what my friends from the Legion told me," Sigrun replied. "It used to be important – a center of learning for the smith caste. When the fortress was lost, a lot of what the smiths had learned was lost with it."
The other three Wardens finally joined them not long after, and from the relieved look on Nathaniel's features, Elisa figured that he joined Anders in the corner. As they descended further below, they quickly dispatched a group of darkspawn who seemed to have been attacking another dwarf. Sigrun quickly recognized him as a fellow Legionnaire.
"It's Jukka!" She grabbed Anders' robes and dragged him towards her comrade.
"S-Sigrun…" Jukka rasped weakly as Anders examined him.
The mage grimaced as he turned his head towards the female dwarf. "He's beyond healing."
Sigrun protested but Elisa placed a hand on her shoulder as the latter explained, "He's tainted. Death will claim him soon."
Jukka's hand then reached up to Sigrun's as he hissed in pain. "You must listen! Our suspicions are right… The broodmothers… they're breeding an army! You must… you must stop them! But… beware of the children…" He gasped as his hand began to slip away from hers. "Th-they are abominations…even among the darkspawn!"
Both of Sigrun's hands held his tightly but the other Legionnaire began coughing before collapsing on the ground. She bowed her head low and closed her eyes. "Ancestors guide you…" she mumbled as she slowly let go of his hand before facing the Wardens, her expression hard. "We need to finish what the Legion started and destroy those Broodmothers."
"And what exactly is a Broodmother?" Loghain asked and noticed the dark look on the woman's face. Nathaniel seemed interested to know too as he stood closer to Loghain so that he could hear his Commander's explanation.
"I said earlier that women face far worse fates than men when they are taken by the darkspawn," Elisa explained after taking a deep shaky breath, "those women become Broodmothers." She focused her gaze on Loghain. "Ever wonder why it's rare to find bodies of women in places where darkspawns attack?" Sigrun then looked at the other gathered men. "They take the women alive… always alive."
Loghain's brows furrowed as his stomach began to churn.
"For what purpose?" Nathaniel asked quietly, feeling the dread crawling in his skin.
The poem Hespith had recited began to replay inside Elisa's head, making her unable to suppress the look of revulsion on her face. Her voice nearly cracked as she continued to explain. "They… force them to feed on darkspawn flesh… and violate them… until they turn into giant grotesque monsters spawning vast numbers of darkspawn in a matter of minutes."
Silence deafened the entire area for several minutes, the horror running through their minds. She shared a pointed look at each of them, her expression hard. "That is why I say this to you now. You are not to allow any of these creatures to take Sigrun or I alive. If it looks as though we are to be taken, kill us."
Anders' eyes widened."What?"
Nathaniel protested. "You can't be serious Elisa!?" His eyes met hers as her head whipped around so she could look at him. They were filled with both fear and resolve.
"This is not a request Warden," she spoke in a cold even tone before looking at Anders. "This is an order."
"Your 'order' borders insanity, Commander." Loghain hissed through gritted teeth.
"If neither of you can grant Sigrun or I that mercy, then so be it." She turned to the red-haired dwarf. "Oghren, if it comes to that, I'll leave that task to you." When the dwarf gave an unhesitant nod, she turned around and continued to walk further with Sigrun.
As the Grey Wardens and Sigrun made their way further to Kal'Hirol, they encountered small packs of darkspawn – ones that were easily dealt with. Elisa only spoke to the three men when giving them orders but otherwise, she walked with Sigrun. Loghain knew this as the Warden-Commander being stubborn. No doubt she would continue to do so until anyone of those who had opposed her will. How very like Maric, he thought with a scowl. Still, it was probably a good thing. At least, he knew how to handle such a tantrum.
Elisa halted the group when they passed through an archway. She stared up at the long staircase to the entryway above. Sigrun followed the taller woman's gaze, and said, "the Legion got this far with no trouble. We got complacent, and stormed the main entrance."
"What happened then?" Elisa asked.
Sigrun grimaced. "It was a disaster. The darkspawn turned the thaig's defenses against us."
"Is there any other way?" Elisa began to glance around for other doors they could use. "A servant's entrance of sorts?"
"Old fortresses like this usually have hidden side-entrances," Sigrun explained.
It doesn't seem like it's going to show itself anytime soon. The Warden-Commander grimaced before glancing up instinctively only to remember when she saw the high ceiling that they were in the Deep Roads. She wondered how long they had been travelling since they descended from the surface. She spared the others a quick glance and noticed that they looked exhausted.
"Best we prepare ourselves then before entering," she told Sigrun before calling out to the other Wardens, "Make camp!"
End of Chapter 9
A/N: I would like to thank rosemallo for proofreading this. It really needed some editing.