Chapter 67: The Rescue
The wardens and their friends left the Gnawed Noble Tavern and walked back to Arl Eamon's estate. Alistair and Delia walked in the middle of the group, holding hands discreetly. Aeden was worrying about how the Arl would accept the information they had gathered at the tavern, and in his mind he tried to find the best way to word his findings to appease Eamon.
As it turned out, a distraction was waiting for them and Aeden didn't have to think about the nobles. Aeden and Alistair walked into the Arl's study to find he had company. An elven woman, Erlina, was waiting for them. She was Queen Anora's personal handmaiden, and she came to the wardens to save the queen. Rendon Howe had her imprisoned in the Arl of Denerim's estate, which was now his since Loghain handed the arling to the madman. The queen believed her father was responsible for her husband's death, and when she spoke to Howe about it he accused her of being a traitor and worse. Loghain seemed to approve of her incarceration and Howe mentioned that Anora would be an ally better than alive, especially if they could blame her death on Eamon.
The three men decided they had little choice other than to rescue Anora, and made plans to meet Erlina at Howe's estate. The elf would bring uniforms from the guard believing the wardens' group would blend in seamlessly since they were constantly hiring new people. Although Eamon was reluctant to allow Alistair to go, the wardens insisted and the Arl had to relent. Alistair was very bothered by Eamon's attempt to control him, but he remained calm and focused on the job that needed to be done.
The wardens gathered their companions in the library and discussed the impending rescue with them. Aeden wanted to bring Zevran and Wynne with himself and Alistair, but Delia made a good argument for bringing others with them. They could be seen as a small company of new recruits that way, and be able to move through the estate as if they were on patrol. Aeden agreed and decided to add Delia, Leliana, Sten and Dusty. Griffon needed to remain at Eamon's because deer hounds were so rare in Ferelden that the dog would attract unwanted attention. The mabari, on the other hand, would be looked upon as needed as a weapon. Leliana and Zevran would be used for scouting as necessary and Delia would try to glean any information she could "feel" from their enemy.
The eight made their way through Denerim quickly, finding Erlina outside the Arl of Denerim's doors as promised. She was not happy to need three extra sets of uniforms, but managed to scrape them up quickly. The elf made herself useful, distracting guards and leading the wardens' group deftly to Anora's quarters. Unfortunately, Howe no longer had her simply guarded, but had ordered a mage to place a glyph of imprisonment on her door. The only way to break the glyph would be to have the mage remove it or die, meaning the group needed to find Howe in the maze of the estate.
They easily made their way down the hallways. None of the guards seemed to think anything odd about the group, and the wardens would respond politely to any greetings they were offered. Howe's room was down the hall from Anora's, and although he wasn't there, they discovered two interesting things. The first was a group of Grey Warden papers, which they took with them, believing Howe had no right to them. The second was that his room had a back door which led down to the dungeon.
Quietly Aeden led them down the stairway to the dungeon, but his appearance at the bottom of the stairs caught the attention of a guard. Before the guard had an opportunity to call out, a prisoner's arm slithered around the guard's neck, breaking it quickly and pulling the dead man into his cell as the group watched in surprise.
The prisoner exited the cell, dressed in the guard's armor. "I thank you for creating such distraction, stranger. I have been waiting for weeks for this opportunity. Do you think you could..." he looked at Alistair, a smile creeping across his face. "Alistair? Is that you?"
Alistair looked puzzled at first, but then he relaxed as he recognized the man. "Who…? Wait, I know who you are. You were at my Joining. He's one of us. A warden from Orlais. Jadar, I think. Or was it Montsimmard? I'm afraid I don't remember your name."
The older warden bowed slightly. "I am Riorden, senior warden of Jadar but born and bred in Highever and glad to be home."
Aeden reached forward and shook his hand. "What are you doing here?"
Riordan chuckled softly. "For the most part, trying to hold my tongue."
The three wardens continued to talk for several minutes about Riordan's reasons for being in Ferelden, his capture by Howe, what he knew of Loghain and of the upcoming Landsmeet. Delia tried to "feel" the warden, but all she felt from him was his exhaustion, hunger and fear. When Alistair and Aeden asked Riordan to come with them as they pursued Howe, the senior warden shook his head.
"I wouldn't be much use to you in my current condition. And, if you'll pardon me, I have a sudden desire to breathe some fresh air. I will seek you out later—after I find a good physician."
Riordan wished them well before he left them to their own resources. Aeden led his party farther into the dungeons. What they found there disgusted them.
Howe used the dungeons as his own personal torture chamber. There were abused corpses everywhere they turned. In a larger chamber they found a rack with a prisoner still tied to the instrument. The man appeared at first to be dead, but Wynne checked him and, finding he actually lived, cast some healing spells on him as Aeden and Alistair released him.
"Was this supposed to be a lesson? Did my father think it funny to leave me so long before sending you?" the man whispered with little strength.
"Who are you?" Aeden asked as he applied a healing poultice to the man's legs.
"I am Oswyn, son of Bann Sighard, of the Dragon's Peak Bannorn. If you aren't one of our soldiers, pray tell me, who should I be thanking for my rescue?" The man's eyes glistened with tears of relief.
"We are Grey Wardens. I am Aeden, this is Alistair, and our recruit, Delia."
Oswyn thanked the wardens and explained his story. His best friend had been a soldier at Ostagar and told him about how his unit had been ordered to turn their backs on King Caillen before the darkspawn had overwhelmed the king and his men. The following day his friend disappeared, and when he searched for him, he made the mistake of accepting a drink from a stranger and wound up in Howe's dungeon. Howe lied to him and told him that Eamon was dead and there would be no Landsmeet. Now that he knew the truth he would have his father speak out against Loghain.
As much as Oswyn wanted to leave as quickly as he could, the wardens convinced him to remain with them. Aeden feared the man was too weak to travel alone. Instead they searched the dungeon looking for more prisoners. They found a soldier named Rexel who's family had placed a job on the Chantry board because he was missing, then an elf named Soris, who had been captured by the previous Arl of Denerim when the Arl's son kidnapped the elf's bride on their wedding day. When the elf tried to rescue her, the Arl's son fought him, and the elf woke in the dungeon.
The next person they found was the former Arl's son, Vaughan. He was captured by Howe after the elves rioted following his foul treatment of Soris' bride. As Soris was kept back away from the noble's cell, Vaughan tried to convince the wardens to release him, going so far as to bribe them. Aeden refused to release the man, deciding instead to allow the Landsmeet to deal with the man's crimes. Soris was pleased that they didn't release him, although he would have preferred for them to kill Vaughan instead.
Around the corner they found a former Templar in deep lyrium withdrawal. Aeden was able to learn from him that his name was Irminric, the brother of Bann Alfstanna. The Templar was returning a malificar to the Circle Tower when Loghain took the blood mage from him and imprisoned him instead. The blood mage in question was Jowan. Alistair grimaced at the news, but knew that Irminric had information that could potentially destroy Loghain.
"I think we need to take Irminric and Oswyn back to Eamon's immediately. Sten and Delia, I want the two of you to go with them, and take Dusty." Aeden spoke firmly, and Delia couldn't deny the men needed assistance.
Soris placed his hand on Aeden's arm. "Warden, there is another man down here who will need more than just a bit of assistance. I saw him when they took him from the rack earlier today… his cell is just a bit farther down, I think. They really hurt him… I think he was nearly dead when I saw him."
Aeden nodded and continued down the maze of cells. At the very end of the cellblock they found the man, lying on the floor. He was unrecognizable as his face was horribly swollen from a beating earlier in the day. His torso was covered in welts from what seemed to have been a horrendous lashing. Delia could barely look at him; it sickened her to see the result of Howe's depravity. Wynne checked the man's health, and he barely lived. She cast several healing spells as well as a rejuvenation spell, but shook her head in worry.
"Aeden, he won't survive the night if he doesn't have someone to nurse him."
"Sten, you'll need to carry this man back to Eamon's. Ask Morrigan to do whatever she can until we get back, then Wynne will take over. Leliana, I need you to go with them as well. You and Delia will have to assist Oswyn, Rexel and Irminric because I don't think they can walk unsupported."
Delia and Leliana nodded knowingly. Before they left, Delia hugged her husband tightly and kissed him. "Be careful, Alistair. I love you and can't wait to see you later."
Alistair kissed her in return. "I promise, love, but you must also be careful. Stay in the shadows and be safe. I know Dusty will help you choose the easiest route."
The survivors started to make their way out of the dungeon. Dusty was an excellent leader, using his nose and his keen ears to avoid the guards. They found their way outside quickly, and the journey through the city was thankfully uneventful.
Once at the Arl's estate, Delia brought the injured men to the room shared by Trent, Sten, Zevran and Oghren. Trent and Oghren were surprised at the arrivals, but Trent rushed off to find Morrigan immediately. Sten gently laid the most severely injured man on his own bed, covering the shivering form with a warm blanket. Delia and Leliana grabbed blankets for the other men as well, covering their nearly naked bodies as Oghren searched through whatever clothes he could find for the victims.
The commotion caught the attention of Eamon who made his way to the room as well, following Trent and Morrigan. He listened to Delia as she explained the men's conditions to Morrigan and helped to organize potions and poultices for their treatment. Once he could get a word in edgewise, Eamon moved toward Delia.
"Delia, may I speak to you?"
"Yes, of course, Arl Eamon. What can I do for you?"
He frowned slightly. "May we speak in private? It's warden business and I don't wish to be overheard."
Delia nodded and followed the arl out of the room after telling Leliana she would be back shortly. The two made their way across the estate to the arl's study. Eamon walked through the door toward his desk and turned to face her. The guards closed the door behind her, and then, with a slight nod from the arl, they grabbed Delia's arms and held a cloth to her face. As Delia started to black out, she heard Eamon as he spoke to his guards.
"Remember, men, you have not seen Lady Delia this evening. She did not arrive at my study…"