Alex wrinkled her nose at the scent of burning wood and cloth, looking the temple. As it turned out, Samson and his red templars were using the Shrine of Dumat as their stronghold. She remembered that Corypheus was once a priest of the Old God, and must've stayed there to muster his army.

She heard movement behind her, and she turned around as Cullen approached her, looking around the shrine as she did, with Cassandra, Varric, Dorian, Solona, Hawke and Carver behind him. His eyes took in their surroundings, scowling at the sight of the burning tents. "This is it. The heart of Samson's command."

Alex shook her head as she looked around, "I don't see him anywhere… or hear him."

At this, Cullen visibly growled, "Nor I. Maker, tell me he hasn't fled…"

She went forward into what seemed to be courtyard, with him trailing behind her. She heard growling and she looked up, "Red Templars!"

Cullen, Cassandra and Carver withdrew their shields, as Varric cocked Bianca while Alex, Dorian, Solona and Marianna unsheathed their staffs, "This confirms that Samson is here!" Cassandra exclaimed as she charged, knocking a red templar back with her shield before stabbing with her sword.

They cleared out the red templars before heading forward again, inside the castle in front of them. Dorian and Cullen pushed open the doors just as she headed inside, only to see that everything was burning and decimated, like the tents outside. "This place is already half destroyed."

Cullen looked around before kneeling and picking what seemed to be ashes of papers, burned black from the fires, "Samson must've ordered his templars to sack his headquarters so we couldn't."

Varric sighed as he went forward, patting the commander's shoulder, as he could reach it with the other man kneeling on the ground, "Sorry, Curly. Someone tipped off Samson you were coming."

Cullen sighed as he straightened, his face unreadable, but as he looked at Alex, he became slightly more cheerful, "I think you're right. Still, we've dealt Samson a blow."

Alex nodded as they continued on, battling a few remaining red templars along the way, before heading to what looked like a bedroom. "Cullen." She called out to him, "I think this is Samson's room."

He nodded and pushed open the doors, and he scowled at the sight of red lyrium growing out of the walls. The room was in disarray, but a bit intact, with only a few pieces of furniture burning. They entered the room slowly, with Alex holding on to her staff.

She heard a bit of movement from the back of the room and saw a shadow moved. She gasped a little when she saw a man, sitting on the floor while leaning on a pillar. "Cullen! There's someone here!"

Alex ran towards the man, with the others trailing behind her. She kneeled in front of the man, branded with the mark of Tranquility on his forehead, his blank, emotionless eyes looking up at her, "Hello, Inquisitor." He said as she looked down at him with worry.

She blinked in surprise as Cullen kneeled beside her to look at the man, "You know me?"

"It's Maddox. Samson's Tranquil." He looked over Maddox with a critical eye. "Something's wrong. I'll send for the healers…"

"I'll do it." Solona said as she bent over, her hands flaring with magic, but Maddox stopped her hands before looking up at Cullen, "That would be a waste, Knight-Captain Cullen." He said, his voice blank as his eyes, "I drank my entire supply of blightcap essence. It won't be long now."

"But… you… you can't!" Marianna said, shocked at the man's drastic action, "We only wanted to question you, Maddox. We wouldn't have hurt you!"

"Yes. That is what I could not allow." The man said, his voice getting low, "I destroyed the camp with fire. We all agreed it was best. Our deaths ensured Samson had time to escape."

"You threw your lives away?" Cullen asked in anger and shock, "For Samson?! Why?!"

"Samson saved me even before he needed me." Maddox said, "He gave me purpose again. I… wanted to help…"

Alex's chest tightened as Maddox slowly closed his eyes, as if he was drifting to sleep, but soon his breath stilled. Marianna and Carver cursed as Cullen stood up, shaking his head, but Alex remained kneeling. With gentleness, she reached over and made Maddox's corpse lay down on the ground, and she placed his hands on his chest.

"We should check the camp." Solona said as she watched her sister, who was mumbling a bit of the Chant of Light for Maddox. "Maddox may have missed something."

Cullen sighed heavily as he looked at the surroundings, "A dismal place to die. It can't have been much of a place to live, either, under Samson's command."

"What else do you remember about Samson?" Solona asked him and Marianna, her arms crossed at her chest, "The man he used to be?"

"All I remember is that he is an addict." Marianna told her cousin, "I've met him in Kirkwall, buying smuggled lyrium in the streets. He helped me find a boy named Feynriel, as well as stop a plan to oust Meredith." She turned to look at Cullen, "I thought that despite his addiction, he was still a rather decent sort. I asked Cullen to reinstate Samson back into the order, but I guess after the explosion at the Chantry, he must've left."

Cullen scowled visibly, "Does it matter? 'He used to be kind' only carried so far. Yet Maddox died to help him escape. Samson does command loyalty."

"Is there anything in the camp that could help? Or point us to Samson?" Alex asked as she continued to look at Maddox's face, now growing cold and grey in death.

"It's hard to tell. All I see is smoke and ash." Cullen told her, "If this is Samson's idea of remaking the world, I prefer yours."

Alex nodded, before she stood up, looking at her companions, "We can't leave Maddox here. He should be properly laid to rest."

Solona and Marianna looked at her approvingly, and Cullen nodded, "I'll have someone take care of it. If even Samson did his best for Maddox, we can do no less."

"Thank you." Alex said as she looked at her companions, "Cassandra, Carver… please take Maddox out of this place. Marianna… see if you can salvage any supplies from the camps outside. Solona, please head over to our nearest camp, and make them prepare for Maddox's funeral. Cullen, Varric, Dorian and I will keep investigating the area. We'll meet you at the courtyard shortly."

Her companions nodded as they went off to do her bidding leaving the four of them behind, as they split off in different corners of the room. Alex walked by what looked like a sleeping area, with a massive bed and a table that was knocked over. She bent down, seeing familiar bottles, as Cullen and Varric approached her after looking at what looked like Samson's own version of a war table. She raised the bottles to him, "Lyrium bottles. Licked clean."

Varric frowned, "Drinking it, wearing it, growing it…you can't say Samson isn't committed."

"How much red lyrium is Samson taking?" Cullen asked, looking both astonished and disgusted, "His resistance must be extraordinary."

"That seems to be the case." Alex said, "Did you find anything?"

Cullen raised his hand to show her a sheaf of parchment, "Samson left a message. For me."

She blinked, "What does it say?"

He frowned as he looked down at the page and read aloud, " 'Drink enough lyrium, and its song reveals the truth. The Chantry used us. You're fighting the wrong battle. Corypheus chose me as his general, and his vessel of power…' and other such nonsense." He said as he crumpled the letter, and threw it in the fire burning nearby. "Does he think I'll understand? What does he know."

Alex opened her mouth to say something to him, but she was interrupted when Dorian entered the room, "Alex… Inquisitor… there's something you should see."

She nodded and followed the Tevinter as he headed outside the room, towards what seemed to be a crafting area. She blinked as she looked down, seeing several instruments, "This… must've been Maddox's room."

Cullen stood beside her as he looked down at the table as well, "The fire couldn't destroy these entirely. Whatever they are."

Dorian nodded as he raised one of the instruments to their gazes, "These are lyrium forging instruments… of remarkable design. Intact, they'd be worth a fortune."

Cullen thought for a while, before taking one of the instruments to his hand, "Tranquil often design their own tools. Dagna should be able to make sense of them. If Maddox used these to make Samson's armor, she could unmake it."

He looked up at her with a fierce look of determination and triumph. "We have him."