Day 1
Nahalanee, Trian, Zevran, Morrigan, Shale, and their newest and smelliest companion Oghren make their way toward the Aeducan Thaig. It had taken a few days to convince Nahalanee to enter those tunnels again, and she refused to go with no less then four people at her back. Had Alistair not been the only other living Warden, she would have taken all of them, but as it was she left Sten and Leliana to guard the templar in case the worst happened.
The first day was nearly over and already the party was at each others throats. Zevran and Morrigan once again lecturing Nahalanee, Nahalanee complaining about not having a moment to herself since the proving, and Oghren trying to milk all the drama he could out of it. Shale was the only one who seemed less then interested at the quarrels of the squishies.
This was going to be a long hard journey.
Day 4
CARIDIN'S CROSS
"Heh I told you I could find Caridin cross, and look, this road leads right to Ortan thaig. Just like I told ya it would" Oghren said with more then a little smugness in his voice. Then added a meaty belch as if it proved some random point.
"This is an example of your dwarven knight caste? Tis a wonder how your race survived so long."
"Warrior Caste." Both dwarves said at the exact same time.
"A wonder indeed my lovely Morrigan, here we have the perfect example of not only their warriors, but their nobles as well." Zevran smirked as he brushed the cobwebs from a sign post scribed in old dwarven letters. "It truly is a mystery."
Nahalanee winced as she turned away from the group and began walking down the road. It had been this way since the proving. Morrigan and Zevran had formed a truce of sorts to team up against the dwarven warden, and she was not liking it one bit.
DAY 6
Nahalanee stood in awe as she admired the stone carvings and the ancient broken walls. Ortan Thaig, oh how she wished her brother Trian were here. How he would have loved to see the home of the golem master. Now it was occupied by a twisted vile creature who called himself Ruck, an exile who lived on the meat of the darkspawn. Nahalanee shuddered at the thought of her own exile, and that she might have been anything like him.
I
"you hear it too, the song. He calls to me but I cannot follow. The dark ones they follow, they hear his song."/I those words had plagued her for hours now.
"Hey look what I found!" Oghren yelled across the Thaig much to everyone's horror. "It's Branka's journal! She..."
"Ancestors curse you warrior, shut your mouth! We can hear you just fine lets not wake all the deep roads!" Nahalanee hissed at him.
"For once a smart idea." Zevran mumbled behind her. Few words had passed between her and the elf these days, and when they did they were dripping with sarcasm and hostility.
"Look, she's gone to the deep trenches. Maybe the legion will know where she is." Oghren said with more then a little hope in his voice.
"The legion?" Morrigan asked as she looked over the journal.
"Legion of the dead. Mostly exiles who wish to redeem their name by dieing to protect Orzammar." Nahalanee said as she rummaged through the abandoned chests and boxes. "some are even casteless. They have their own rituals including a funeral when they join."
"A funeral BEFORE they die?" Zevran asked curiously.
"Yes, like the warden's, when you join there is no going back. The only way out is death by darkspawn."
"Aah, then perhaps you should have joined when exiled, no? Save us all the trouble..."
"VEATA ZEVRAN!" Nahalanee yelled before she could stop herself. She sighed and rubbed her temples as she turned quickly away. "rest here for a couple hours. The trenches are not going to be pretty." She walked a short distance away from the group and sat down leaning against the wall. Trian plodded over and lay beside her as she pulled out a journal she found written by Caridin and tried to read, but the murmuring sound that had started in the back of her mind the day before was making the task rather difficult.
After awhile she sighed and shoved the book back into her bag and stood. The noise in the back of her skull was starting to really annoy her, much like an assassin who had a nug up his arse. She made her way silently back to the small cave on the other end of the thaig where they had found Ruck.
The creature raised its head and glared at the intruder. "What do you want, you no steal Ruck's things!" He barked.
Nahalanee held up her hands "It's me Ruck, the Grey Warden you remember?"
"Grey like the stone. Guardians against the darkness. Ruck remembers pretty lady. She hears the dark masters song. " He went back to sorting through his bits and bobs.
"What is this song Ruck? Can you tell me?" Nahalanee asked as she hunkered down watching the creature.
"When the Dark Master woke he started to call. The dark ones went I could not though. Ruck not strong enough, Ruck a coward."
"Where did they go Ruck?"
"South.. South to the Dark master."
Ruck picked up a golden colored stone and scurried over to were Nahalanee was kneeling. "Golden eyes, gold like shinies hidden in the stone. Shinies for pretty lady, pretty eyes." He held out the gem. Nahalanee raised her palm and the creature dropped the stone into her hand, then scurried back to his pile of seemingly useless treasure.
Nahalanee rolled the gift over in her hand, it was a rough stone not unlike those she mounted in Shale, though this one seemed different, she made a note to ask Shale about it. "Thank you, Ruck." She said as she lowered her hand then hissed as she rubbed her temple with her free hand.
"You hear it, the dark master's song. Ruck sees the darkness inside you, can feel it...Ruck not miss the light so much, comfort in darkness... Comfort like dark master...dark mother." Ruck said watching her. "He calls you."
Nahalanee shuddered and stood suddenly wishing to be anywhere but here. "Thank you again Ruck. Stone protect you."
"Pretty lady, Grey like the stone guardian against the darkness." He muttered as he went back to rooting through his treasures.
"Shale." Nahalanee said as she re-emerged from the cave. "Just the golem I wanted to see."
"The swamp witch sent me to find it. It ran off again and the painted Ibird/I did not want to search."
"Tell me what you think of this." She held out the gem for the golem's inspection.
"I... do not know. I have not seen one like this before. Very lovely."
"May I?" She said holding it up. Shale grunted her approval and sat down heavily shaking the ground below them. Nahalanee smiled as she removed one of the smaller fire stones and replaced it with the unknown golden one.
"It has magic... memories, or... thoughts!" Shale said surprised as the gem melded with her stone skin.
"Can you make them out?" Nahalanee said wide eyed.
"They are hard to interpret. The deep roads, and cities. I cannot see much. Perhaps the longer I keep it the more I shall know."
"Well, something to ponder I guess." The dwarf smiled . "Come on lets get back to the others."
The golem worked its way back to it's feet and followed the warden making hmmm and aaahh noises the whole way. Nahalanee eventually couldn't help but giggle which drew glares from both the witch and the painted elf. Good, let them glare.
DAY 10
ORZAMMAR
"I long to be back in that cage in Lothering at times." Sten suddenly said as he pushed his plate aside.
"Lothering was destroyed by the darkspawn." Alistair replies.
"Pshaara. I am aware of this." he said and stood. "We cannot wait forever, there is a blight to defeat." He added before leaving the feasting hall in a huff.
"He is right you know, Alistair. They may be dead." Leliana said once Sten was out of earshot.
"We will wait as long as it takes. You know her as well as I, she will be fine."
"You care about her don't you."
"She is a Warden, of course I do."
"That is not what I mean and you know it." She said leaning against the table.
"Maybe once I did, but not anymore." He chuckled.
"What changed?"
"Zevran."
"Aaahh yes, our resident assassin." She chuckled.. "I am sure they would let you join if you asked."
Alistair's face twisted in horror. "Nahalanee is like a sister to me, that would just be... creepy!"
Leliana couldn't help but laugh. "Wicked grace?" She asked with a smile.
"Sure, but no cheating this time." He pushed aside his plate as Leliana pulled out her cards.
DAY 12
DEEP TRENCHES
Nahalanee had been acting strange for days and her temper had become rather volatile. But today she seemed extra agitated as they entered a massive cavern filled with flickering red light. "it's here." Nahalanee mumbled almost fearfully as she followed her companions.
It didn't take long till they found out what IT was. As Nahalanee knelt in pain with her hands over her ears the rest of them stared horrified at the beast blocking their path. If they needed any more proof this was a blight, there it was perched on the bridge shrieking down at an endless sea of darkspawn.
Less then an hour later the dragon was gone and the group was moving quickly in hopes of crossing the bridge before the beast returned.
The murmuring in her head had grown louder, now she heard an ancient foreign language, one she almost understood, one she felt she should understand. It was both frightful and comforting. Comfort in darkness, comfort like dark master...dark...
She shuddered muttering something that sounded like dwarven, but not even Oghren could translate.
Day 13
DEEP TRENCHES
"Atrast Vala, Grey warden, I've never seen your kind in the deep roads before." a voice said from behind her as she pulled her blade from the last hurlok.
"You know who I am?"
"I recognize a fighter of darkspawn, it marks you. It's why we in the legion of the dead abandon our lives, so we can fight without fear."
"Indeed." She said warily and rubbed her forehead with her palm.
"What brings you down here exile?"
Nahalanee raised her eyebrow at the man. "What did you call me?" She asked then shook her head. "Never mind, I'm looking for Paragon Branka."
"What put this dull idea in your head, we've got other things to worry... Oh I get it. The deep lords can't make up their minds so the pretenders need added influence, I get that right?"
"Nothing gets past you."
"Listen warden everyone with any sense knows Branka's dead, and you are on a fools errand. My advice turn back now."
"The first sensible thing I have heard all day." Morrigan chimed in.
"What does a warden care about the throne anyway?"
"The blight."
The man laughed at this. "Should have known. Only time the other kingdoms care about what happens under the mountains is when the darkspawn march in the light."
"Truer words were never spoken commander." She sighed rubbing her temples. "Atrast nal tunsha Dwarva."
"Atrast Tunsha, Warden." the dwarf replied with a slightly worried quirk of the brow.
Grumbles all around as Nahalanee turned down the path that would lead them deeper instead of back.
Day 15
SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE TRENCHES
Nahalanee shuffled forward head hung, palms pressed against the side of her head. She was exhausted and the flow of darkspawn was never ending. Nearly Everyone had become overly irritable, including the golem, and each had blamed the warden for their predicament. Oghren seemed the only one immune to the mood that had fallen over the party.
"I never thought I would meet a woman as strong willed as my Branka. You Aeducan's really don't give up do ya. Here's to you warden!" Oghren said as he drank from one of his many flasks.
"Is that all you do, find reasons to drink that vile piss water?" Nahalanee mumbled.
"Pretty much." He said and belched.
"Tezpadam." She mumbled.
"Nug-humper." Oghren replied with another loud belch.
"It should just give up, we are not closer to finding this paragon then we were a week ago." shale grumbled.
"Over my dead body." Nahalanee mumbled as she rubbed her forehead. The voices in her head were loud today, and with exhaustion setting in, thinking was becoming increasingly difficult. If only she could understand them, those voices that seemed to call her from the deepest recesses of her mind.
"If dieing is on your agenda I suggest you do it sooner rather then later." Morrigan grumbled.
"I must agree with you my lovely Morrigan. Antivan leather was not made for such abuses."
"If you want me dead so badly then why don't you just get it over with and stab me in the back like a good little assassin." She snarled.
"The thought had crossed my mind many times, warden. If I were you I would not tempt fate today." He hissed, each word dripping with venom.
Nahalanee spun on unsteady legs toward him and...
"Fifth day, they return and its the other girls turn...Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams."
For a split second Nahalanee thought it was all in her head, but the echo was different, it was the echo off stone, not of...whatever was going on in her mind.
Each person looked at the next to make sure they were all hearing the same thing. When it was established they all had not gone completely bonkers each pulled their respective weapons and silently made their way down the tunnel system.
""Now she does feast, as she.." The voice cut itself off.
"What is this? Feeding time brings only kin and clan... I am cruel to myself, I dream of strangers and open doors."
Nahalanee stared unbelieving as she watched the ragged blotchy woman raise from the meal of half rotted corpse. Had the warden been able to eat anything in the last few days, it would no doubt have come right back up.
"Who are you? Are you from Branka's house?" Nahalanee asked after several minutes of staring. She could smell the taint on the woman and wondered how she could still be alive.
"Do, do not talk of Branka, of what she did. Ancestors forgive us, forgive me. I, Hespeth... was her captain, her lover and I... could not stop her. I could not turn her...forgive her... but... no. She cannot be forgiven for what...she has...become."
"What are you talking about? What did she do?"
"They make us eat...The men...they died, but the women...they changed...and she let...let it happen"
"Let what happen?"
"No...I cannot... I will not turn... I...First day they come and take everyone." She said and suddenly bolted past them.
"Great, you scared her off." Zevran of course was no help again.
"I wonder what is going on here?" Nahalanee mumbled as she rubbed her head again. She couldn't think with that noise in her head, however soothing it seemed to becoming.
"Come, let us see if we can find her again. Vile as she is, it may be our only hope." Morrigan said with a sigh.
DAY 16
There had been no darkspawn since they had first met Hespeth, nor had they seen the tainted dwarven woman which just put everyone that much more on edge. It was almost a relief when they heard the chant again, though it took Nahalanee almost ten minutes to hear it through her own thoughts and mumbles. Thoughts that now revolved around the noise, that Ivoice,/I the ancient song that filled her mind.
"...And she becomes the beast... The worst part is not that it did happen, but... it was allowed to happen." The words drifted down the tunnel.
"Branka allowed it...she...made us eat...Laryn went first...Laryn...changed."
As if on queue a loud inhuman scream filled the tunnel causing them all to cover their ears. As the echos died down each one pulled their weapons and inched forward toward the opening at the end of the tunnel.
What they saw when they entered the large cavern was worse then any of them could have imagined.
Nahalanee looked at the monstrosity that dominated the cavern and everything seemed to click suddenly into place. The last of the control Nahalanee had on her body and mind finally broke as the mysteries of the deep unraveled. Then there was darkness.
~ ~ ~ I
She was positively starving, Her mind and body were crying out for the meat in front of her, but the more she ate, the hungrier she seemed to get, nothing could sate the growling in her stomach.
She licked her fingers and looked down at her plate, but it was not a plate it was a stone floor covered in blood and entrails. No, it was meat hot fresh meat.
She reached out taking more. So hungry as she ripped into the meat. Her teeth clicked on something, she pulled it out, an earring. A golden hoop Lightly gemed. She knew that earring didn't she? She looked down at her meal and gasped as she saw gold. Scattered golden strands here and there. A golden braid attached to a piece of scalp. Scraps of black leather, bits of chain mail.
A bloody faceless head with two dull amber eyes staring up at her blankly. Amber eyes that were once bright and lively, amber eyes that could bore into her soul, that could make her smile in the worst of times. Amber eyes that once made her heart swell until it nearly burst from her chest.
She screamed./I
Her eyes shot open as she tried to bolt upright only to be stopped by strong dark hands. "Be calm, my warden." A familiar voice whispered in her ear.
Amber eyes, amber eyes...
Amber eyes stared down at her with great concern as a tan colored hand gently stroked her face. Tears spilled from her eyes as she turned burying her face in the elf's stomach and hugging him tightly.
"We rest." Morrigan said seemingly somewhere far off as Nahalanee felt the tendrils of her magic drift over her forcing her back into the pit of darkness.